Haul: What I got for Christmas!

Hi lovely people! I'm finally getting back into my jam after these holidays. It's been pretty exciting with so many sales and seasonal products around. I'm totally stuffed with shopping, so I thought I'd share with you all the things I got for Christmas and around Christmas.

(Christmas Presents -  red-eyed dog not included)

Etude House Facial Masks in Green Tea and Lemon.

I haven't tried these yet, but I'm kinda spiffed I have a bit of Etude House in my collection.

Hioki Platforms by ROC Footwear.

I am totally in love with these shoes. A really cute twist on school sandles. They add so much height, they're comfortable and they look good with so many clothes. I couldn't skip out on them when I saw them on sale.

Pore Care Pack from Daiso

Girl, we all need some pore strips in our lives to deal with those nasty blackheads.

L.A. Girl Pro Conceal in Creamy Beige

I hunted down every Makeup Clearance store in Auckland until I finally found this baby in Dress-Smart. So far I'm really, really impressed with this pigmented, full-coverage concealer. Full review coming soon.

MIKI Glitter Liner in Gold

I bought this especially for festive makeup - what's more festive than a little gold glitter on the eyes?

E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer

So far, I've been really liking this primer. Really brings out the colours of my eyeshadows and the texture is silky smooth. Review coming! 

QVS Flat Top Powder Brush

I bought this brush to replace my Thin Lizzy kabuki brush that sheds like crazy. It's very dense, very firm and works well with a lot of my foundations. Review coming soon!

MUA Undressed Palette

Ever since I saw Shaanxo's Cara Delevingne tutorial I've been dying-itching-wanting to get Urban Decay's Smog. I found this dupe on Trademe and I really like it. Nice, soft and pigmented eyeshadows. Review coming!

Morgana Cryptoria Lipsticks in Belladonna, Love Lies Bleeding, Azalea Blue and Absinthe

I found this amazing indie brand through Phyrra and ordered these on Black Friday. These are harder and drier than most lipsticks, but this formulation means the colour stays on your lips like glue. And the colours are beautiful and unique. Review coming soon.

Baby Pink BB Cream in Shade No. 2

It's Summer here in NZ and I needed a lightweight and protective base. BB cream was the best answer. I got this from Ippondo in town. It gives light coverage, but still evens out the skin tone. I love how it's SPF 30. Review coming soon.

I've had a wonderful Christmas and New Years and I hope all of you have had the same! Wishing you all a great year. Cheers to 2014!

Review: Missha Cho Bo Yang BB Cream

A few weeks before Christmas I bought the Missha Cho Bo Yang BB Cream (otherwise known has the Missha Herbal BB Cream) from a Missha store at the Atrium in town. I asked a clerk for a recommendation for a good BB cream and she asked me to try this one.
After sitting down for 10 minutes with the clerk working two creams into my face, I ended up buying it for a whopping $50 NZD. I thought it was way over-priced, but the clerk promised that a little went a long way and so I believed her.
This BB cream claims to promote wrinkle-repairing, whitening and keep skin healthy.
I've been using this BB cream as my base for the last month or so. Let's get on to the review of the product.

Packaging: 5/5

I like this packaging. It's a squeeze-tube, making it hygienic and easy to use. You can control how much product you want.

Application: 3/5

The first thing I noticed was how thick this BB cream is. It feels more like a paste or a balm rather than a liquid foundation. Depending on how you like your BB creams, this can be good or bad.

The good part is that a little bit goes a long way.

The bad part is that the BB cream can be hard to spread onto your face.

I personally like foundations that are more liquidy and easy to spread onto your face with your hands since I'm kind of lazy. This BB cream allows you to work slowly, blending in a bit at a time for a flawless finish.

As you can see, the texture is more like a paste than a liquid.

Coverage: 4/5

This definitely gives medium-full coverage that is also buildable if you do happen to like that perfect doll skin look. I've discovered that using the least amount of this BB cream as you can gives you a matte finish, but as you blend it in with more cream, it turns into a dewy finish.

Despite how moisturising this BB cream seems, it does settle into fine lines under the eyes and exaggerate flaky skin.

Blended.

Durability: 3/5

It's Summer over here in New Zealand and might I say, it's blimmin' hot. My skin is naturally oily with dry patches here and there. I will honestly say it's not the best BB cream when it comes to durability. I went on a day trip from 10 am till 3pm. By the time I came home, I could see that the cream starting to break because of sweat and sebum. Had I applied a primer, it could have lasted longer.

However, I can imagine this BB cream being perfect for cooler months. With it being both moisturising and slightly oily controlling, it would work well for those who need something to keep their skin healthy throughout cooler seasons.

Blended into skin. Note how it has a bit of a pink-gray cast over my yellow toned skin.

How I use this product

I like to blend my high-coverage foundations with a good, oil-free moisturiser. This BB cream seems to work well when blended with my moisturiser. It evens out skin tone and mattifies the skin. Afterwards, I go over any trouble-areas with a dot of the cream.

Conclusion

I would suggest this BB cream for dry-but-not-flaky skin types and combination skin. Normal skin would also like this product. Would I recommend it as a staple? Depending on your budget and skin type. For an oily skin like me, Revlon Colorstay would have been a better choice for it's oil-control and nice coverage. But for mature women, or those with skin on the drier side looking for good sun protection, this BB cream could become a staple.