Anyway, enough whining. I do realize too that my posting has been really spotty this whole year. Lots of change have happened, the most important of which is a realization of what I truly want to do with my life. I won't bore you with the details, and I won't make excuses for the lackluster posts as of late either. I thought about quitting this blog, because what got me into cosmetics in the first place - Japanese makeup - has been really slumping in the past few years, which saddens me greatly. I guess that has more to do with the state of the Japanese economy than anything. Still, it takes too much effort and time to take pictures and write about products, and for a hobby that's quite costly, not just in terms of energy and time, but also financially - I purchased everything I've reviewed on this blog (the freebies are GWPs), I've never allowed ads on my blogs, and I don't do promotional reviews for PRs either. Then again, it's not as if my curiosity and fascination for cosmetics are going away anytime soon LOL!
Alrighty, time to pick up where I left off with the bb cream bandwagon. I bought this mini set of Dr.G Gowoonsesang BB Gift Kit earlier in the summer via Sasa dot com, a Hong Kong-base retailer that's very much like the Sephora of Asia. In fact, I just spotted yet another slightly different kit on Sasa, and it's on its way to me as I type ^.^
Dr.G Gowoonsesang BB Gift Kit includes 5g each of (from left to right) Hydra Intensive Blemish Balm SPF30 PA++, Perfect Pore Cover BB Cream SPF30 PA++, Total Active Dual BB Cream SPF50+ PA+++, Actifirm Recovery Super Blemish Base SPF30 PA++, and Primer BB Protector SPF38 PA+++. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.
The 5g tube is pretty tiny, which is actually exactly what I want. Considering I only use a tiny amount at a time, even 5 g will last for quite a while! I have to say though, I'm really irritated with all the brands that starts with "Dr.so-and-so." Urgh. Why not just have the name? Why tag on the "Dr." as if it would "enhance" the product somehow?
But other than the name, I have to admit this brand and HanSkin made some of the best bb creams I've tried thus far! These 5 are all scented, and two of them are too dark for me which is too bad, but the other three work pretty well with my skin tone. The texture for these creams are thinner than that of HanSkin Super Light Touch and Dr.Jart+, but thicker than both Skin79 and Lioele, just right, I think. And like HanSkin, these 5 stays put where I put them. They do not melt or budge at all!
- Hydra Intensive Blemish Balm SPF30 PA++: sadly this one doesn't work for me at all, being a few shades darker than my natural color. After blending, it leaves my skin looking "sunken" and ashy, giving me this very "ill" effect. No can do. To add insult to the injury is that it's actually rather drying despite being "hydra intensive"! Boo hiss on this one.
- Perfect Pore Cover BB Cream SPF30 PA++: this is much much better. Sure, it's a shade lighter than my skin, but the coverage is sheer medium despite the "pore cover" in its name. I actually don't wear bb cream all over, only as a highlighter around the nose, mouth, and under eye area, so for this purpose I prefer the lighter shade. It's still slightly drying though, and I found this out after having dusted on a tad too much setting translucent powder one time, which exaggerated the look of my pores instead of covering them :( So as long as I go easy on the powder this works well.
- Total Active Dual BB Cream SPF50+ PA+++: you wouldn't believe it, but this one is actually my favorite out of all 5! The first time I tried this on, I was very impressed - it feels like second skin! Yes, it's a few shades lighter than my skin, but again the coverage is sheer medium, and I wear it as a highlighter for specific areas of the face. Why do I like this one so much? Because it's moisturizing, and in a good way, as in it doesn't turn greasy after a while. Not just that, it also adapts really well with my translucent powders no matter how much I dust on. It's not like I pile on powder or anything, but sometimes when I'm in a hurry I don't notice I'm being heavy-handed. I like this one so much I bought backups ^.^
- Actifirm Recovery Super Blemish Base SPF30 PA++: this one is not terrible, but it's slightly darker than my skin color, in addition to being slightly drying like the Perfect Pore Cover above. Double whammy :(
- Primer BB Protector SPF38 PA+++: this is my second favorite of the 5. I'm not sure I understand the name completely, whether "Primer BB Protector" means a "bb cream" or a "primer for a bb cream". I think it's the former, because itself already has sheer medium coverage, so it just doesn't make sense that it's only a primer for bb creams to layer over (yes, such a thing exists, folks). Either way, out of the five, this one matches my skin exactly. See the swatch for your self - it disappears completely after blending! I use this whenever I want that makeup-no-makeup look, again using it on specific areas on my face to fake a face that's awake (or alive...) ^.^
Swatches and blended.
4 comments:
Well, I will say go with your gut instinct when it comes to the blog. Since I blog mainly as a outlet for me so if I am too busy or uninspired to post anything, I just don't post as often (and I usually come back when the time and brain juice is back). I think most of readers will understand and don't act like the blogger own them...
It's actually funny because I think now I am just more into Japanese makeup. I used to think that for the same amount of money, I can get a lot of US drugstore products (thanks to coupons) or just go for mid-range Sephora brands. Probably it's because those Hong Kong youtubers I have been watching...
Hey Citrine,
Thanks for the encouragement ^.^
I admit I'm totally guilty of forcing myself to post something even when I don't "feel" it. It's my way of not throwing my hands up and quit - I'd much rather post a crappy post for the practice than quit. And besides, even if I were to quit blogging, I would still be buying/using cosmetics and still have opinions on them. So this blog is pretty much my "cosmetic diary," and I write it for myself first and foremost, not necessarily for an audience.
This is the reason I've never tried to "promote" this blog in any way, in a forum and/or search engine. It's totally cool that readers "found" me via random searches and/or recommendations from other bloggers, and I welcome reader comments and interactions. But I don't think of myself as a "beauty blogger" at all, just someone who likes to talk to herself, a lot. So I pretty much post on whatever I want and don't keep up with releases, trends, seasons, collections, etc.
I shy away from the "blogger community" and don't take part in series, challenges, quizzes, awards, or even nominations. I tried that a couple of times a few years ago, and while I appreciate the sentiment and am humbled that a reader could enjoy my blog, I also felt kind of silly to "accept" an award for self-rambles. I remember one time, someone nominated my blog for a "new blog" award. This award involves me having to post answers to a lengthy list of questions, meant for readers to learn more about me. I received this "nomination" during my move from Japan to Taiwan in the fall of 2012, and somewhere amidst all the hectic transition I sort of, umm, swept the whole thing under the rug and pretended nothing happened. I never acknowledged, accept, or post an answer to any of those questions. I feel bad about that, and I really should have at least say, "Thanks, but no thanks." I do realize too that my silence can be (and probably was) interpreted badly and taken the wrong way, but I guess I just don't deal well with attention. I feel I've shared enough about my life that answering that list of question would simply be too much. There are things about my life I want to keep to myself.
Anyways, I'll shut up now.
Cheers,
D.
Haha, it's OK to write novels on the comment section. I am guilty of doing that (on other people's blogs).
I don't think I am really in the beauty blogger's circle (I am in your clique but I thought we need three to form a shape), being besties with the brand PR. 4 years ago I remember a blogger tagged me (it's one of those viral thing that you have to tag at the end so everybody is awarded) and I said something like "It's no longer special when everybody has it"...
Well, the blogger was a bit offended and barely interacted with me (I guess, I should pretend I am hurt now?).
Anyway, I am a mildly antisocial in real life (more like, if I don't like someone, I make it really obvious)and it's easier to just be consistent across the board.
Well, two makes a line and a line is a 2D shape flattened on its plane ^.^
And at least you're consistent across the board. I know people who are of the let's-be-friends-with-everyone camp. I beg to differ: some folks are shitty friends (and are just shitty, period) and those are the friends I can do without.
^.^
D.
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