K-Beauty Haul!~ (Tony Moly, Etude House)

K-beauty is annoyingly hard to come by in the UK. I mean, there is some about, but when I think k-beauty I think about two brands in particular: Tony Moly and Etude House. Ever seen any of that stuff here? Nope! But you know where does (just about) have it?! Malaysia! And guess where I spent my summer…? Okay I’ll just stop now… xD

As you can see, I didn’t really buy a lot, as even though stuff in Malaysia is notoriously wayyy cheaper than the UK, make-up (in my experience) isn’t. But still, it’s much cheaper than a) buying online from and paying insane shipping and import, or b) going to South Korea and buying the stuff in person, so yeah. 

Panda’s Dream So Cool Eye Stick Serum

SOS Care Pink Clay Therapy Pack

Brightening White Colour Clay Therapy Pack

Tony Moly has some of the cutest packaging I’ve ever seen and every time I see their stuff I wanna buy something random just because it’s so damn cute. Saying that though, their skin care apparently is pretty great. Their Panda’s Dream So Cool Eye Stick for example, besides being freaking adorable, actually works quite nicely for puffy under-eyes and is also pretty damn soothing during hay fever season in particular! And as for the clay therapy packs, well… my face is having major issues at the moment and could use some help. PLUS, have you seen the packaging?! So simple but oh my gah, I was sold as soon as I saw it! <3

Matte Chic Lip Lacquer in RD302 Seulgi Burgundy

Dear My Lips-Talk Case in #16 and #18

Dear My Glass Tinting Lips-Talk in GR701

Ahh, the Etude House stuff was super on-a-whim purchasing. For example, the Matte Chic Lip Lacquer I’d seen be talked about on YouTube, so I know there’s some hype surrounding it, but what made me choose to buy it? Embarrassingly, the fact that it’s a Red Velvet collab colour. And I guess I like like, two of their songs? Ha, random, I know, but that kind of spurred me on to just giving in and buying it. Plus, the colour is very nice!

[feat. RevolutionxEmily 'The Wants' palette + Etude House Matte Chic Lip Lacquer in Seulgi Burgundy]

As for the other lip things… to be honest, I was entirely sold on the idea of being able to customise your lip colour and case to the point where you can even get engraving done as a complimentary service, like so:

(oh my gah how cool is that?!?!??)

Pretty damn cool, right?? I thought so too!! ;D

So that’s all the k-beauty products I bought this time! I did want to buy some sheet masks as well, but in the end didn’t see the point as, like I said, this stuff isn’t easy (or even possible?) to find in the UK, so I’d end up with like, a week of nice skin and then never again? Eh, can’t be bothered, maybe next time if I can afford to buy in bulk!

BONUS: Also I spent so much at the Etude House store that they gave me some skin care freebies! Yay! =D

-Philippa. x

Note: Ah. So, I just got reminded that you can get Tony Moly at Selfriges... but like, that hardly counts, right? Personally I think that it's so expensive there that you might as well fly to France and just get it from Sephora! xP

Let's Talk... Must-Have Lip Balms!~

Can one ever have too many lip balms? You tell me...

For a few years now I have been on a relentless quest to find the best lip balms out there to slather all over my extremely pathetically weak and delicate lips, and I believe after much searching, much travelling, much research and much, much spending, I have finally found them!

So, with that said, rather than talk about the insaaane collection of lip balms I have accumulated over the years, I will instead only be talking about my essential, cannot possibly live without, must-have lip balms (plus a couple of honourable mentions!) and without further ado, here we go!

Rose & Co. Rose Petal Lip Salve - £3.99 - via Superdrug

The Body Shop Hemp Heavy Duty Lip Care - £4.50 - via The Body Shop

Nivea Hydro Care Lip Balm - £0.99 - via Superdrug

Let's talk about the Rose & Co. one first. This, I first discovered a few years ago when ASOS was carrying them and I bought it as one of those little things to push your basket total just enough for free shipping. As it says literally on the tin it is 'the celebrated beauty balm' and while I had never heard of it until that moment, I have never regretted the purchase and have been singing its praises to anyone and everyone ever since! Need a balm that soothes, protects, moisturises, stays put for ages AND smells good? This is your winner. And at £3.99 for 20g? Bargain!

Next, The Body Shop. When I saw the words 'Heavy Duty Lip Care', I knew I had to try it out as when my lips get bad, they get BAD. While not as prettily packaged or as pleasant to smell, it certainly works as advertised, having helped bring my lips back from the cusp of flaky, cracking doom many times. It's not as slippery as other moisturising lip balms, but it seeps straight into the skin and gets to business better than just about any other, so despite its high price point, I just can't say no!

Lastly, an oldy but a goody, Nivea Hydro Care. I've tried a few Nivea lip products over the years, but this has been the only one I have gone back to time and time again. It may not be the fanciest lip balm Nivea has to offer, but regardless of its simplicity it is the perfect light, moisturising lip balm I have tried. Doesn't hurt that it's only 99p either! 

Aaand now for our honourable mentions!

Vaseline Cocoa Butter Lip Therapy - £1.95 - via Superdrug / Boots

Nivea Raspberry Rosé Lip Butter - £1.50 - via Tesco

Of course, how could I make a lip balm list without mentioning Vaseline? Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of Vaseline, as there's something about the consistency I'm not too game with, but undeniably, the Cocoa Butter Lip Therapy in particular is a must-have, particularly for those of you who like a good, affordable lip balm that works. Plus, it works quite well in helping to remove stubborn lip products! My main gripe with this however, and the reason that this is only an honourable mention, is that the longevity in effectiveness isn't really there and after application it stays quite thick and slippery for too long (in my opinion). So yeah.

And to round it all off, another Nivea mention! With this, I've only had it for a little while, having purchased this just before Christmas, but so far I am LOVING what I am getting out of this little tin and while it might be a little too early to call it yet, it's feeling like this could become a must-have for me! And the smell? Oh my goodness, that alone was the reason I bought it, it's sooo yummy!

So there we have it! My first post of the year and damn, was it a wordy one! Hope this has been a helpful read and if anyone has any other suggestions of lip balms I just HAVE to try, give me a shout!

-Philippa. x

PS.: other honourable mentions not included in this post as i just could not bloody find them are chapstick medicated and a blistex one that i tried about 5 years ago, loved, lost and have never seen anywhere since. =(

PPS.: btw, yes, i do use / have used most of the lip balms in the first picture, minus the sealed ones obvs. i generally have at least one lip balm in every bag and jacket so that i can try out several at the same time to compare without too much bias.