Etude House Cherry Moisture Lip Glow Swatches

Etude House Cherry Moisture Lip Glow was launched in January this year, and it's a really cool product! Basically its sort of a cross between a lip oil and a lip gloss, offering both shine, as well as some colour, while claiming to moisturize your lips. I think it'll be a pretty popular product, owing to both the nice feel and colour, as well as that uber-cute packaging - check out the cherry on the tube!

Etude House Cherry Moisture Lip Glow: A cross between a lipgloss and lip oil

Well without further ado, here are swatches!

Su:m37 Water-full CC Cushion Perfect Finish Swatches

Su:m37 has finally come to Singapore, with a new outlet in Tangs Orchard, much to the joy of all kbeauty fanatics here! For those who aren't aware, Su:m37 is a luxe Korean beauty brand, with prices that are comparable to other luxe brands, such as SK-II, and the brand's selling point is that their skincare includes lots of natural ingredients, in particular fermented ingredients. The brand has quite the cult following for its skincare items, but I also found that their makeup items also aren't bad.

Su:m37 Water-full CC Cushion Perfect Finish: The brand has finally launched at Tangs

One of the makeup products the brand has brought into Singapore is the Water-full CC Cushion Perfect Finish, which is supposed to be a hydrating cushion foundation that provides a finish that's more on the dewy side. They have 2 shades, both of which I've swatched, alongside my first thoughts.

Skincare Empties Part 2: Essences, Serums, Acne Products, Masks, and Eye Creams

After the last empties post part 1, here's part 2, where we look at the rest of the skincare products that I've managed to use up over the past few months!

All my skincare empties accumulated over the past few months!

In the last post, we looked at makeup removers, cleansers, sunscreens, lotions, toners, and moisturizers. In this post we'll be looking at essences, serums, eye creams, acne products, and a Vitamin C powder, which is very interesting.


What we'll be looking at today! Serums, essences, acne products, masks, eye creams and the like
Some of these empties were products that I really liked, and some were products that were kind of eh-okay, but ended up getting used up for whatever reasons. As we run through the list, you'll figure out which is which. So, let's get started!

Sulwhasoo Snowise Brightening Serum Review and Ingredients Analysis

Sulwhasoo's Snowise Brightening Serum was launched earlier this year as an addition to Sulwhasoo's already very successful Snowise skincare range, which is a whitening range (as you might guess from the name). Sulwhasoo is a niche, high-end skincare brand that hails from Korea, with a focus on "holistic beauty" that is "inspired by Asian philosophy", which in their skincare line, means the use of plant extractsa nd ingredients that are traditionally used in Asian cultures.

Sulwhasoo Snowise Brightening Serum: A new addition to Sulwhasoo's Snowise whitening range

If Sulwhasoo's Snowise Brightening Serum sounds slightly familiar, it's because previous iterations of the same product have been released. This version, according to parent company AmorePacific, is the "advanced eighth-generation" version, with "enhanced white ginseng extract, moist and smooth finish and a new packaging design". A whitening serum, punched up one level - what's not to like?


Sulwhasoo Snowise Brightening Serum: The 8th genertion version of the serum was released earlier this year
Sulwhasoo opened a store in Singapore last year, and since then it's been getting quite a lot of buzz. Furthermore, the kbeauty trend is still a pretty hot one right now, and so I was quite keen to review this product. So, without further ado, let's take a look at the ingredients list, and begin our review!

Etude House Real Powder Cushion Review, Swatches, FOTD and Ingredients Analysis

Etude House's Real Powder Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ was launched just a few weeks back, and this isn't your typical BB cushion - instead of being all liquid-y and dewy like most BB cushions, what's interesting about this is that it claims to dry down to a powder. So essentially, it is a cream-to-powder cushion, which is pretty unique. Certainly there are existing matte cushions out in the market, but as far as Etude House products go, I do believe this is the brand's first attempt at putting out a matte cushion. I'm happy about that - I always love more options.

Etude House Real Powder Cushion: The first matte finish cushion from Etude House

I've been getting quite a bit of interest in this product, so I thought I should hurry up and do a review on it. Here in Singapore, we have 2 shades, Light Beige, which is the lighter shade, and Natural Beige, which is the darker shade. Online though, I've seen a third shade, Honey Beige, which would be darker than Natural Beige.


Etude House Real Powder Cushion: Starts off liquid, dries to a power
So let's get started with the review. We'll do my favourite thing first and look at the ingredients in the product, and then move on to the swatches and review proper!

Etude House Bling Me Prism Swatches: Color in Liquid Lips and Eyeshadow

Etude House's Bling Me Prism collection has just been released here in September, and these are very summery bright pops of colour! Two of the products that seem to be getting a lot of attention are the Bling Me Prism Eyes, which are cream eyeshadows, as well as the Bling Me Prism Color in Liquid Lips, which are a lipgloss-liptint hybrid.

Etude House Bling Me Prism Color in Liquid Lips: 5 new shades

As is always the case with Etude House, the packaging for this is uber-cute, and super girly and princess-y to boot. I'm not sure if the shades are added to the permanent collection, but the packaging is usually a limited edition thing. So if you're eyeing any of the items for the packaging, you probably might want to get them earlier, rather than later.


Etude House Bling Me Prism Eyes: A cream eyeshadow in 5 shades
Anyway, enough of my chatter - let's get to the swatches!

Etude House Any Cushion Pearl Aura Review and Ingredients Analysis

Etude House's Any Cushion Pearl Aura (full name Precious Mineral Any Cushion Pearl Aura) is the latest BB cushion to come from the brand. The Pearl Aura Cushion is, as the name suggests, infused with a brightening liquid for "pearl aura", or a highlighting effect. The idea is that the "pearl aura" will give you the glowy skin finish that is so popular in Asia, particularly Korea. As an additional benefit, the Pearl Aura Any Cushion also comes with SPF50+/PA+++ for sun protection, too!

Etude House Any Cushion Pearl Aura: The latest addition to Etude House's Precious Mineral Any Cushion line

I kind of have to admit, despite the popularity of glowy skin, I've found it to be something I have mixed feelings towards. While I love the idea of glowy skin - I mean, nothing says youth like radiant-looking skin, right? - when you live in a hot and humid climate, as I do, sometimes the "glowy" finish really verges more into "sweaty, and really gross looking" instead. It's rare to find a product that has enough glow to be noticeable, but still subtle enough to not look too glittery or overdone. So, I decided to put the Any Cushion Pearl Aura to the test, and see how it fares on me!


Etude House Any Cushion Pearl Aura: The idea is to give a "pearl aura" glowy finish to the skin
Etude House's Pearl Aura Any Cushion comes in only two shades, "Light Pearl Aura" and "Natural Pearl Aura". I have the shade Natural Pearl Aura for review today. There's so many questions we have to answer: What's the finish of this really like, glowy or gross? How does it fare on your skin? And what exactly is the "Pearl Aura" made of, anyway? So, let's get to the review!

The Face Shop Ink Lipquid Review and Swatches

The Face Shop Ink Lipquid (with the really cute portmanteau in the product name) is the Kbeauty brand's latest lip product, and it is marketed as a cross between a lipstick, lipgloss, and lip stain/liptint. The selling of the Ink Lipquid, according to the Face Shop, is the combination of moisture and staying power. I don't have the website, but reading off my phamplet, the Ink Lipquid promises "moist lips with 70% water base", and a "vivid color lasts on lips for 12 hours" (gotta love that slight Engrish over there, but you get the idea).

The Face Shop Ink Lipquid: Advertised as a cross between a lipstick, lipgloss, and lip stain

There are 12 shades in the range, and like most Korean brnds, the colours range from brights to pastels, and cover a fairly good array of colours. I have 3 of the shades today, PK03 Shah Pink, OR02 Orange Some, and RD02, Red Sing.


The Face Shop Ink Lipquid: Gives a long lasting stain, while not drying out the lips
Alright, let's get on with the swatches and reviews! I've got both arm and lip swatches, as well as an (accidental) staining test!

LJH Cosmetics Tea Tree 90 Essence Review and Ingredients Analysis

LJH Cosmetics (or LeeJiHam Cosmetics) is a Korean line of skincare (and some cosmetics, like BB creams), and is a line that is fairly niche, and fairly new to me - I've never heard of the brand until now! LJH apparently stands for LeeJiHam, and is the last names of its three founders, Lee Yu-Deuk, Ji Hye-Gu, and Ham Ik-Byeong (last names are all listed first as per Korean convention), and the three founders are also all doctors, hence the billing of some of the LJC Cosmetics product ranges as "Doctor's Care". LJH Cosmetics also likes to bill itself as a "cosmeceutical", rather than a cosmetic company, so it does seem to me that the company has a lot of its marketing riding on its "doctor" credentials. You guys know I'm all about skincare that's backed by science, so this brand piqued my curiousity.

LJH Cosmetics Tea Tree 90 Essence: A Korean product that targets blemishes

One of the first things I tried was the LJH Cosmetics Tea Tree 90 Essence, because it was one of their more popular blemish products. And although I'm going to be turning 30 in a few years (time flies!), it still seems to me that my acne and pimples are still partying like it's 2004 or something. Anyway, this was the first product that caught my eye, and I thought I should review it on my blog!


LJH Cosmetics was apparently founded by three doctors, and "LJH" are their last names' initials.
As usual, we start off with the ingredients list, which is always my favourite place to look, because you know, beauty science is pretty fun. After all, if the brand was started by three doctors, it should be pretty impressive ingredients-wise! So that's the perfect place to start

Etude House Magic Any Cushion Launch: K-Beauty Travel Highlights

If you've seen the first post on my Etude House K-beauty trip, you'll have seen me blogging about the awesome flagship store in MyeongDong! Today, I wanted to show you another key highlight of my K-beauty (Korean beauty, for those not yet initiated into the abbreviation) trip: the launch of the Magic Any Cushion! For those who aren't familiar with the product, one of Etude House's recently popular products is the BB cushion (another product popular among Korean beauty brands right now), and Etude House already has one BB cushion on the market. The Magic Any Cushion follows the BB cushion trend, but it's not another BB cushion.

Etude House Magic Any Cushion Launch Event: Lovely decor at the place

The Magic Any Cushion, which comes in three shades, are more akin to primers or colour correctors than they are to BB creams or BB cushions. In this respect, Etude House is the first K-beauty brand to launch such a product. I was told that when it launched in Korea, there were 200,000 Magic Any Cushions sold within the first few days of its launch. So the product comes with a lot of expectations!


Etude House Magic Any Cushion: The three shades to be launched!

Etude House K-Beauty Korea Travels: Flagship Store Visit and Manicure! (Pic Heavy)

Recently I went to Korea, courtesy of Etude House, the Korean beauty (or, as I've learned, K-beauty) brand that is very popular in Asia for their sweet, girly and fun makeup and skincare items, and if you've been reading my blog you'll have come across my Etude House reviews, which span various products, including nail polish, skincare, and makeup. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to go on a K-beauty tour in Seoul, the homeplace of Etude House.

The outside of Etude House's flagshiop store in MyeongDong, in Seoul, Korea.

And now that I'm back (I literally landed in Singapore a few days ago), I figure I should share with you some of thei highlights of my visit! I'm blogging about this trip really soon (by my standards, anyway), because I'm so excited to share my trip highlights with you (if you were following me on Instagram, you would have seen some highlights as I went through them), and also because I know that if I put it off, I'm probably going to forget some of what I saw and experienced on my trip. Not because my memory sucks (although it sometimes does), but just because once I get back to work, the post-holiday glow evaporates pretty fast. So I figure I'd better blog about it first! And please be warned that this post is pretty picture heavy, in case you're viewing this on a slower internet connection or a phone!

Etude House Play Color Eyes Eyeshadow Palettes Swatches and Review

Etude House, the Korean-based brand that is best-known for its girly, affordable products, has released two limited-edition eyeshadow palettes, the Play Color Eyes eyeshadow palettes. There are two shades of Play Color Eyes Eyeshadow Palettes to choose from: #1 So Hot Play and #2 So Chic Play. Both have a variety of shades from neutrals to deep and daring shades.

Etude House Play Color Eyes Eyeshadow Palettes

I also liked that there were a variety of finishes - there are your mattes, shimmers, and metallic finishes that can be worn as-is, but would look awesome foiled for that pop of colour. So with either palette, you have a range of colours and finishes to play around with.


Etude House Play Color Eyes Eyeshadow Palettes: Back, #1 So Hot Play, Front, So Chic Play
Let's move on to the individual palette close-ups and swatches, and you'll see what I mean.

Beauty Asia 2013: Highlights and Haul!

Beauty Asia 2013 just happened earlier last week, and it was three days of excitement! Occuring somewhere in the early part of the year, this annual event showcases some of the latest and greatest in beauty. This year, when I went for Beauty Asia 2013, there was a lot of salon equipment for nails, hair, and so on - it was exciting.

There was a lot of highlights this year, featuring all manner of items - from UV protective clothes to hair wax to home sauna systems, so I just zoomed on the ones which interested me the most. First, Hakuhodo brushes. These are the Rolls Royce of makeup brushes, and a brush is not cheap! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you view it), these weren't available for sale. Instead, these were just demos, which had super soft and dense bristle quality, and no weirdo kinked or bent hairs. Every bristle on the brush was perfect. The company appeared to be looking for a distributor. I hope they come to Singapore soon!



Another of the highlights for me includes Niks Cover Cream, which is a highly pigmented camouflage cream that is meant for covering scars, moles, tattoos, and so on. The amazing thing about it is that it comes in a range of 18 shades, which is pretty cool. I mean - how many concealers do you know which have 18 shades? Cool!


There were also Novalash lash extensions. I'm not big on this area, but from what I can tell, this booth was quite popular. They were apparently doing free demos.


More highlights. This is PureGel, a gel-based nail polish with organic ingredients. The star product being showcased was the base coat. This still requires curing under a UV or LED lamp, though the product is supposed to be better to your nails, and easier to remove.


And, Denman has brought out scented hair brushes! There are various scents - strawberry shortcake, lemon sherbet, wild dewberry, green apple, and so on. It was a bit gimmicky to me, but the idea is that the brush makes your hair smell nice. Ideal if you have skipped a hair washing session, I suppose!


I guess for me as a beauty fanatic who doesn't own a salon or do nails freelance, perhaps the most interesting thing for me was the nail polish! They were cheaper than buying retail, so lots of girls were zeroing in on the nail polish and just buying their fill!


I bought Deborah Lippmann's Ray of Light (OMG! Blurple! OMG! Jelly! OMG! Flakies!) and Across the Universe, which has been a long, long lemming of mine.


I also bought Zoya's Adina (another old lemming), and Faye, which has a gorgeous glass-fleck type duochrome.


I also got China Glaze's Glitz N Pieces, which stunned me in the bottle with its funky glitter! And also some pRecision brand colour called (I think) Sage.


And, and, and, I absolutely HAVE to show you this kit I bought, from Sur Co. Ltd., a Korean company specializing in nail art and nail care items. They had all kinds of cool stuff in their booth, and I was really impressed by it all! But what struck me most was this Nail Transfer Set. They call it "Printing Nail Polish", and the crown jewel of this set is a nail transfer solution, which alllows you to transfer any printed design (printing with laser printer is preferable) onto your nail! Basically, you paint your nail with the transfer solution, and place your desired printed design over the nail, printed side down. You paint another layer of transfer solutiom It's super cool, and I can't wait to try it out!


Anyway, that was my experience at Beauty Asia - fun, entertaining, and eye-opening. Beauty Asia 2014 will probably be occuring in February next year too, so stay tuned for that!

BB/CC Creams Hype vs Ingredients: Do They Actually Work?

BB creams have been a steady trend that's been going strong for the past few years, and the trend has even been exported from Asia to the West. A lot of these BB creams make very outlandish claims that are not always backed up by their ingredients list, so I thought I'd write a post on what exactly BB creams are, as opposed to how they are marketed. Because, you know, you can't always trust the marketing!

Source

Part One: What are BB/CC creams? Why do they have so much hype?

First, what is a BB cream? Why is it getting so much hype? Well, a lot of this is due to the marketing that goes behind these creams. They look like tinted moisturizer or foundation in tubes, but the marketing that accompanies these products is often crazily hyperbolic. Often BB creams promise a myriad of skincare benefits all at once (the most common combination is typically whitening, anti-wrinkle, and UV protection), which leads to the perception that these creams are good for your skin. CC creams also promise similar benefits - they're really just souped up BB creams, if you will.

Some of my non-Asian readers may not be as familiar with BB creams, so let me show you how crazy the hype and advertising can be, by looking at some of these ads. I kid you not, they do promise everything and the kitchen sink:


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Above, your usual "whitening, anti-wrinkle, and UV protection" spiel. Below, a BB cream that promises to "supply moist and nutritional contents to keep smooth skin tone". I'm not too sure if "nutritional" is the right word...I mean, you don't exactly eat BB cream. Sure, what you put on your skin does affect the condition of your skin, but your skin doesn't really absorb nutrients in the same way that your stomach does, so you can't really supply nutrition to your skin this way. In fact, most of the time, the function of the skin is to act as a barrier between the environment and your innards, and keep germs and other nasties out.


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More "triple functional" BB creams, with the usual "whitening, anti-wrinkle, and UV protection" spiel. Many of them, in fact. This one below has some sort of snail extract, which is supposed to have extra skincare benefits. Now I believe you shouldn't knock something til you've tried it, but I can't help thinking that it's just a bit gross. Snails = gross, slimy creatures. Do not want on face!

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And this one below, besides your typical "whitening, anti-wrinkle, and UV protection" sales message, there is also some anti-pimple skincare promise too ("zero trouble").

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Contributing to the hype is the fact that some BB cream brands advertise themselves as having natural or organic ingredients, thus furthering the marketing story. As an example, this one below has "15 natural extracts an nutritious ingredients" for "added skincare benefits". Once again, I'm not sure exactly how BB cream (or any makeup product for that matter) can be nutritious to your skin.

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Of course, now that Western brands have jumped on the bandwagon, they're no different. 8-in-1 skincare benefits? Really? Sheesh.



Part Two: Why write a post on BB creams?

Now that we're all on the same page on BB creams and what they are, the reason why I decided to write this post is because I feel like given the disproportionate amount of beauty claims these creams are making, most of these BB creams don't actually live up to the hype. In fact, some can actually aggravate acne and sensitive skin.

Crazy Beauty Trends: Give Yourself Eyebags!

Tired of fighting your eyebags? Struggling to get enough sleep every night? Tired of spending money on useless eyecreams? Now here's your solution! Leave your eyebags be! Because apparently one of the beauty trends going around is to give yourself eyebags!

Apparently the inspiration for this trend is that Korean actresses have eyebags, and some people actually think that these acresses look better WITH their eyebags, than without. (You can view a rather bizarre post on this trend here.) Thus, Korean-actress-fandom reasoning says, if their stars look better with eyebags, so will the average girl! In the blogpost I mentioned above, there are some photos of celebs with/without eyebags and the comparisons are made between them.

(Source)
I don't know about you, but I've never been a fan of the "it-looks-good-on-a-celebrity-thus-it-would-look-good-on-me" line of logic. I mean, how many of us can pull off the runway fashions like the models? And in anycase, while I do agree that if you are an actress, sometimes eyebags give the character you're playing a certain realism, e.g. if you're playing a harried working mother-of-three, then I guess a flawless looking character won't look realistic. Still, I do think that by and large, most people look much better without eyebags than with. And I don't think I've ever seen a photo of a star with/without eyebags and thought "Man she looks much better with eyebags!" I think the whole trend arose because some girls felt that their eyes were too small, and that having those eyebags draws attention to them.

But in anycase, if for some reason you don't have eyebags but want them, here now is your problem solved! You can use double eyelid tape (yes, tape to stick on your eyes to fake that crease is quite commonplace in Korea already) to give yourself eyebags! Talk about double duty!

Source: Sasa FB Page
Blech. Seriously? This is the dumbest trend ever. First, I maintain that I don't think anyone looks better with eyebags than without, and secondly, keep doing this on a regular basis, and 5 years from now, your 30-year-old eyes will have 40-year-old wrinkles, thanks to all the pulling and tugging at the delicate skin around the eye area. Yucks.

In anycase, I am now at least on board with ONE trend. I've never been the trendy kind, but now I am, LOL! Yes, this is because yours truly has HUGE eyebags (blame the work schedules, and the little sleep). Look at the most recent photo of me on FB, taken at an event. Those eyebags, baby, are 100% real. No tape! (So are the pimples, I'm afraid - I do have problematic skin.)

Maybe I'm not a Korean actress, but you know, I kinda prefer myself WITHOUT those darn eyebags. But, hey, I'm totally fashionable now!

Of course, while this may seem a little strange, every country and every culture has their own crazy beauty trends - it's not just us in Asia! I just write about the Asian ones more because, well, I'm Asian, and I'm living in Asia, so this is what I come into contact with. But for what it's worth, the West sure has crazy beauty trends, and crazy people too - every now and then I come across news coverage on tanning addicts, and I always get a little freaked out. Now, can someone make pimples in fashion, so that my acne can be on-trend too? LOL.

Ginvera Green Tea Marvel Gel: Exfoliation Made Fun

Ginvera's flagship product, the Green Tea Marvel Gel, has been making waves in Asia for awhile now. And finally, it's coming to the West! First stop, UK, courtesy of Janirio, the distributor for Ginvera in the UK!

Since a much beloved Asian product is slowly entering Western markets, I thought it's high time I reviewed it! Honestly I've been meaning to do this for awhile, I just haven't got around to doing it!

The Ginvera Green Tea Marvel Gel is a green, clear gel. It's kinda odd looking at first (how many skincare products do you know that are green in colour?), but it works much like any other exfoliating gel: you take some of the gel, massage it around your skin, and watch the product ball up and take little bits of skin with it.


You see that? Those white balls are a combination of balled up product and skin. Actually, the product works using AHA (alpha hydroxyl acid), that helps to slough off the dead skin. It's a mainstay in many a skincare product, but there's definitely an element of novelty in seeing those white balls come off with the Marvel Gel. You then rinse it off with water, and you're done!


Anyway, what I like about the Ginvera Marvel Gel as compared to other similar products is that it doesn't leave as much residue on your skin. Some brands leave behind this strange residue that's almost plastic-y (must be bad formulation using too much carbomer to thicken the product to gel form), but this doesn't. So that's a good thing.


If you're in Asia, you'll already know where to get this from. If you're in the UK, you can get it at Janirio, for £22.00 (including P&P). The Ginvera UK facebook page is also run by them.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Shills, Anosa and Beauty Bistro Roadshow with Judy Lin

Shills and Anosa are both a Taiwanese brands that have skincare, bodycare, and haircare products, but both brands are most famous for its BB creams. The brands, together with local retailer Beauty Bistro, had a roadshow to promote some of their latest products. For those who aren't familiar with the roadshow concept, it's sort of like watching QVC, where they hawk all their products and promote their special deals, only that in Asia, QVC actually comes into your mall, so you get to see them demonstrating their products in person.



The road show featured Judy Lin (Mandarin name Lin Ye Ting 林叶亭), a Taiwanese celebrity fashion and beauty stylist whose TV appearances have garnered her something of a small following. I don't follow Taiwanese TV, so I wasn't aware of who she was, but the event was full of fangirls and people who were just waiting to see her in person. Judy is quite stunning in real life - tall, thin, and tanned, with long curled hair, she looks very gorgeous. I also think she kind of looks like the Asian version of Kandee Johnson, LOL!

Here's Kandee:

Pic from http://blog.beautylish.com

And here's Judy:



Don't they look alike? LOL! Both are such beautiful ladies!

Judy was demonstrating some products, including bodycare (primarily slimming), haircare, and skincare. First off, she started with some Some of the highlights of the session included these really interesting products. One of these was the slimming products, which included a cream and (oddly enough) tape!

The slimming cream, the Shills Miracle Lift Body Contour Control, was billed as a cream that if applied and massaged properly into the skin, would help the user lose weight. Like most other weight-loss creams on the market, this cream produces a heating sensation, and that is attributed to increased blood circulation.



And like most other slimming creams, caffeine is a main ingredient in the cream. As you can see from the above photo, she demonstrated it on a volunteer and it seemed to work on the spot, which is quite impressive. But I'm personally very skeptical of all slimming creams, since I don't believe anything can take the place of proper eating and exercise habits. That, and the fact that the last time I tried a slimming cream, it didn't work for me.



The other intriguing product that caught the attention of the audience was the Anosa Fit Patch. This one is a slimming patch, and it releases caffeine and other ingredients, such as various plant extracts (strawberry and raspberry are in there), and the cocktail of ingredients is supposed to penetrate through your skin and help you slim down. I guess it sort of works like a nicotine patch, but like the Shills Miracle Lift Cream, I'm personally skeptical.

When I took this photo, I was thinking, "Bullseye!"

They even applied the strips on a volunteer during the show, just to show you how the patches should be applied. You're supposed to cut the patch (which is quite large in size) into strips and stick it at problem areas on the body. I have to admit, I'd be tempted to try this, but just sticking on a patch and watching the weight melt away sounds too good to be true, no?

There were also hair products that were sold, and she did the hair of a couple of volunteers - but unfortunately, I couldn't catch a good photo of that. Also other products that were featured were the Shills Whitening and Brightening Cream, which is a moisturizer with whitening properties. It's a white cream with a light texture that is easily absorbed.



Another product Judy was selling was the Shills Foundation base SPF 42++, which is basically a thick cream foundation in a pan compact. It also looks like the Covergirl and Olay Simply Ageless Foundation that was out awhile back in the US and was really popular.

Here's the Covergirl version:

(Image from Covergirl website)

And here's the Shills version. I don't know how clearly you can see it, but Judy's holding it in the photograph. You can see the white swirls are just like Covergirl's Simply Ageless Foundation. And like the Covergirl version, the Shills Foundation Base claims to have ingredients beneficial for the skin in the white swirls too. It would be interesting to see if it's really like the Covergirl one.



I did play with the Shills Foundation Base for a bit on my hand, although I didn't manage to take any photos of the foundation itself. It had this texture that slides around easily, as though the product was formulated with a lot of silicones to give it good "slip". And it did look quite a bit darker in the pot than my own skin tone (NC20) - to me, it looked like it would be around NC25ish. But when I took a little bit of the foundation and really blended it in, it ended up pretty much blending into my skin. So I'd say you really need to blend for this one, and a little goes a long way.

It's a very interesting experience watching such roadshow events - it's like being in the room with the QVC girls when they're engaging the audience with their chitchat. Judy is a very personable and likable character, and absolutely beautiful to boot. I'm glad to have gone for this event, as it was an eye-opener of sorts, featuring some of Taiwan's most popular brands - I certainly didn't know there were such a thing as weight loss pads before being told about them!