in the spotlight: laneige | korean skincare

Korean skincare has arrived to North America and I couldn't be more thrilled! Last year, Sephora gave me a few skincare samples from Amore Pacific that I instantly became obsessed with. Amore Pacific is a great lightweight and hydrating skincare line that unfortunately for many, has a hefty price tag. After finishing the last drop of my Amore Pacific products, I decided to branch out and try another brand from Korea called Laneige Skincare. To my surprise, Laneige is owned by Amore Pacific but at a third of the price!

I ordered their trial set (just before they literally sold out everywhere!) that provides a great introduction to six products from their line. This entire line is ultra hydrating - perfect for the dry winter Canadian months. If you have dry to combination skin, this line is absolute perfection. Oily skin may want to avoid this line all together. I should note that these products are scented so for those who prefer non-scented products, I wouldn't recommend trying this out. 

The trial kit comes with the following: 

Multi Cleanser: builds into a creamy lather that provides a squeaky clean feeling. It removes makeup and dirt all in one step. 

Power Essential Skin Toner: a great smelling refreshing toner that gives you a radiant finish.

Balancing Emulsion: Super lightweight and hydrating. The only issue is that it doesn't come with a pump so the dense consistency of the emulsion is a bit tricky to get out.

Water Bank Serum: Another lightweight product that has quickly become my favourite. So refreshing!

Water Bank Moisture Cream: Ultra hydrating with a thicker consistency. I love that this is not greasy but prevents dry patches from forming!

Water Sleeping Mask: A must! The large sized bottle is an absolute steal of a price for what it does. A gel mask that hydrates your skin while you sleep. I can't even stress how amazing this mask is!

This line has quickly become part of my morning and night routine. After using this line for over three months, I have noticed a huge difference. It seems that my t-zone has become less oily and my dry patches are non-existent. If I were to pick my top three products from the trial kit, they would be the Multi Cleanser, Water Bank Serum and Water Sleeping Mask as I feel that these three products alone have won me over time and time again. In fact, I have already repurchased all three of these products in the larger size! Holy Grail stamp of approval.

rating: 10/10
If you have dry to combo skin, this line may be your life line during the upcoming winter months!

concealer roundup

Under eye circles were never an issue for me until a few years back. I guess those late nights and lack of sleep during my university years has finally caught up. Fast forward to 2015 and I now have a roundup of concealers ready to be reviewed. I prefer a medium to heavy coverage concealer that glides on creamy and lasts without creasing.

Left to Right: Bobbi Brown, MAC, Bare Minerals, Clinique, Nars, Urban Decay

First up is the one that I'm sure you have all heard of - the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. This one really does have a smooth and creamy texture and is the one I reach for most often. I have repurchased this countless of times and will continue to do so. Without a setting powder this will crease, so I highly recommend pairing this with something like the Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder.
rating: 9.5/10

The Urban Decay Naked Concealer has the same coverage as Nars but is less creamy and more light weight. It also creases less than the Nars concealer which I like (especially when I forget to use setting powder)! The colour selection is limited but if you are lucky enough to match perfectly with one, I think you'll enjoy this product quite a bit!
rating: 8.5/10

I picked up the Clinque Line Smoothing Concealer on a whim and am happy to have added this to my growing collection. Being one of the most affordable concealers in my rotation, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this concealer didn't dry nor crease after a long day. However, it has the same disadvantage as the UD one - lack of colour selection.
rating: 7.5/10

Next up is the Bare Minerals Stroke of Light Eye Brightener which is one of the sheerest under eye products that I own. It really does brighten and illuminate the under eye area, however, I pair this with a heavier concealer as I feel it's more on the sheer side as opposed to medium coverage.
rating: 7/10

MAC Select Cover Up Concealer needs a corrector underneath to do any justice. It's super watery but covers well enough for those days that you just need a touch of concealer. I tend to use this more in the summer as I find it applies more on the sheer side than heavy. I would probably reach for this more if it had an applicator and not just a squeeze tube.
rating: 6/10

Finally, the corrector of all correctors - Bobbi Brown Corrector. I adore this product and cannot believe I have ever lived without it. When the struggle is real, Bobbi Brown is here. Literally an instant and noticeable difference. When used with my creamy concealers I look super refreshed. A little goes a long way. No complaints about this product! Love, love, love!
rating: 10/10

Fresh Beauty: Sugar Lip Party

I have always loved the understated packaging of Fresh Beauty. Thanks to their skincare line, they have gained a huge following worldwide. Last year, I picked up a few products from their soy line which unfortunately, made my skin dry and caused break outs. Skincare aside, I have also heard amazing things about their lip line so when the sephora sale came up,  I couldn't resist picking up one of their many lip sets. It also didn't help that their holiday packaging is the cutest ever!
I love this little gift set which includes 4 mini tinted lip balms and 1 sugar lip scrub because it gives me the chance to sample multiple products without breaking the bank. This mini set retails for $45 cdn while their normal sized lip balms retail for $26 cdn each.

The Breakdown:
4 x sugar lip balms in the colours ruby, cherry, berry and fig
1 x sugar lip polish

Top to Bottom: Ruby, Cherry, Berry, Fig

What can I say - I absolutely love the formula of these balms! They're so moisturizing and keeps my lips hydrated all day long. They are surprisingly long lasting too! I do prefer some tints over others though. For example, the ruby tint has been my go to since I picked up this set, while fig is a bit to shimmery for my preference. These balms are also scented according to their names which some people may like. Personally, I prefer my lip products to have no scent.

I feel like I'll be using these a lot in the upcoming months as my lips tend to become super dry during the winter. I'm happy that I gave this brand a second chance! It has given me hope that my lips will be able to survive another cold, Canadian winter without dryness or cracking.