Massive Korean Haul Swatches and Initial impressions
Sorry this is sooooo overdue.
I don’t have a compact point-and-shoot camera (that’s functioning!) at the moment, so I had to take the pictures with an SLR, tripod and all that. and editing was a bitch :p
Things to consider
1. My nails are the ugliest color because I’ve had hair dye all over them π I need to hide it with dark nail color.
2. I am a VERY furry person. I have a lot of hair on my arms so don’t mind the hair that you’ll see here and there LOL
So, here’s the video that you can refer to..
and here are my swatches and initial impressions of the products! π
If you’d like to read it in Korean go here
ν λλͺ¨λ¦¬ (Tony Moly) : http://www.tonymoly.co.kr/
λ―Έμ€ (Missha) : http://shop.beautynet.co.kr/shop/
*Missha’s official US site: http://www.misshaus.com
λνμ΄μ€μ½ (thefaceshop) : http://www.ethefaceshop.com/
λ·°ν° ν¬λλ§ (Beauty Credit): http://www.beautycredit.co.kr/
λ³΄λΈ (VOV) : http://www.yes24.com
μλ°λνμ°μ€ (Etude House): http://www.etude.co.kr/
& Hera HD, Lancome, Arittaum and Dior were brought at local shops or Korean Department stores.
Skin food Lip&Cheek (4-Apricot & 3-Grapefruit)
I thought it was going to be a lot bigger, but they are really really small.
Man.. if I knew they were going to be this small, I should have bought some more.
So, these are the dupes for Bobbi Brown’s Pot rouges..
Apricot
wow.. it looks so hard, I wasn’t expecting it to be any good.
look how pigmented the product is! and it glides on like butter, It is soooo smooth
And the products really smell like their names LOL
This one smells like Apricot.
Grapefruit
Same as above. It’s like butter!!
When I first saw these two side by side, I thought they were pretty similar in color, but look at the difference. They really live up to their fruit names!
The only problem is.. it doesn’t come off as smoothly as it went on..
I tried to clean it out with cleansing oil.. and you can still see the color remaining on my hand.
TheFaceShop Black Head EX Nose Clay mask
Haven’t tried it out yet, so I can’t really say how it performs..
the formula is pretty watery, and is white like shown above.
It takes approximately 8 minutes for the thing to completely dry.
kin Food Coffe Creamy Sheer Lipstick “Orange Slamon”
I really should have paid attention while I was ordering LOL
I really try to avoid whatever that has “Sheer” in it, becasue duh.. it’s going to be sheer.
But everyone was raving about this color so I got it, when you just look at it, it looks so matte and pigmented….
and when you apply it, it’s very sheer LOL. But it’s a beautiful coral color, so that’s good enough. I love coral/orange colors :p
Skin Food Coffe Creamy Sheer Lipstick “Cherryaid”
Geez… I was expecting a true ruby red matte lipstick..
and I failed! LOL
It’s more like a glossy gel type, and you can see through the color.
Not matte at all.. very glossy and loosely pigmented.
btw, both products smell like chocolate coffee (yum~)
Skin Food Honey Glossy Lipstick “Rose Jelly”
It’s a very pretty matte-looking pink color, yet if you swatch it it’s more of a glossy, loosely pigmented lipstick. You can barely see the color and if you have pigmented lips, it will be hard to cover your original lip color with this product alone.
HERA HD Foundation (compared with MUFE HD foundation)
As much as MUFE’s HD is popular in the states, HERA’s HD is the hype foundation in Korea.
So I decided to compare both of them (btw – shades are HERA 21 and MUFE 117)
The exterior.
Both contain 30ml, and they both have pumps!! (BRAVO!)
The downside of HERA is… the bottle color is their signiture purple color, which makes it hard to see what the color of the formula is, and how much is left.
But you do have to put into consideration that HERA is a Korean brand (they only have 3 shades – specifically for Koreans since it’s a domestic brand: 13, 21, 23 – as fair, light, medium light) and since it’s a more high-end brand, they make you sample and test your shade before you buy so you won’t have to return it. So I guess the color of the bottle really doesn’t matter.
one pump for each foundation. MUFE is waterier than the HERA one.
Also, HERA has much more yellow undertones to it.
I started to apply them.
As you can see, HERA is a bit yellowier.
Left is MUFE, Right is HERA.
HERA’s coverage is a bit thicker.
If you take a close look and compare, MUFE actually accentuates the wrinkles and the hair on my hand. On the other hand, HERA evenly smoothes out everything. I know not a lot of ladies don’t have such thick, long hair on their faces so the hair part really doesn’t matter, but it was a good yardstick to compare how the foundation actually covers the surface.
15 minutes later, I placed a napkin on my hand and evenly pressed it to see how the application actually applies on the skin.
As you can see, MUFE was pretty uneven compared to the HERA one.
I think the HERA one is superior to the MUFE one. The only shortcoming is that it’s a bit too yellow.
Banila Co. Prime Primer Matte
The texture is like gel, and the color is a merky white-ish color.
I tested it on my hand with HERA’s HD foundation. The left part is the part with Banila Co.’s primer.
I applied the same pressure and the left one went on like butter. You can tell how cakey the rigth one (bare skin) is.
The close up shots show how the foundation was evenly, or unevenly applied with or without the primer.
impressive. yet, it has silicon in it, so for those that don’t like silicon, this is a big no-no.
VOV Castle Dew 9 colors dia cut palette in BE901 Planet Diamond
This is the exterior. LOL, I think the LV wannabe cuts are cute.
the shadows are all connected to each other and the whole palette is a one whole thing.
they were all swatched according to the palette. The first line wasn’t impressive. Very hard to see even though I did several swipes.
The last three are my favorite :p
VOV Castle Dew Diacut 9 colors Palette in E902 “Planet Shine Star”
So this palette has nine separate colors in their own pans. The majority of the pans were shaky!!! I might have to use superglue to glue them back on so it can be sturdy.
This palette has way more shimmer than the other one. However, the second row had a hard time coming up on my swatch. They are all labeled with the green arrows. (colors are all according to the palette)
The ninth color (black) is a matte color. It has glitters on it, but when you apply it, the glitters all fall out and only the matte stays.
MISSHA Creamy Matte Lipstick “Fanta Dream, Pale Heart, Chic lavender & Baby Milk”
The first three had so many recommendations, I just had to get them. And baby milk is more of a new one, but it looked so pretty I got it based on my decision :p
So here’s a group shot
They are in the same swatch position as in the group picture. As I was swatching Chic Lavender, I realized that it looked pretty identical to MAC’s snob.
So I took out my snob and compared it with Chic Lavender.
OMG =0=)!!!
I was so surprised to see how identical the colors are.
I would say that they are 99% identical to each other. The only difference is MAC being a bit thicker.
So I got excited about comparing shades, and decided to do a comparison on all of them. I pulled out my MAC’s Creme D’Nude lipstick and did a side by side comparison with the Pale heart. Of course pale heart is a matte color and Creme D’Nude is a cremesheen so the finishing is going to be different.
But the underlying colors are pretty much the same. π impressive.
Fanta Dream is a coral color. I LOVE coral colors (especially lippies) so the moment I saw FD, I thought that it looked similar to my MAC slim shine in Missy. So while comparing them, I brought out my MAC Curtsy too, and they all looked quite similar side by side
The colors are really similar. The only difference is the finishing.
The Baby Milk color is more of a cotton candy pink color π
I think it just came out and was added to the creamy matte line.
Contrary to the other colors, Baby milk isn’t matte – it has a bit of shimmers in it. I compared it with NYX’s Strawberry milk and they are quite similar. I would say that the Baby Milk applies more evenly and doesn’t cake.
Etude House – Proof 10 Eye primer (compared with UDPP)
Eye primer vs. eye primer :p
Since both aren’t translucent, they do leave a bit of color behind
As you can see, UDPP is a bit lighter (whiter?) when rubbed into the skin
Etude House’s primer was a bit waterier than UDPP.
Alright, than let’s test out their performances π
I am going to use Cover Girl’s quad, and the second color with the green arrow on it
The first swatch picture is just two spots on my bare skin.
The third picture is the same shadow patted on top of proof 10 and UDPP.
As you can see, the colors are much more vibrant, yet Etude House makes the color a appear a bit darker than what UDPP does.
The last picture is all four of the swatches compared. – The top two are on bare skin, and the bottom two are on shadow primers (L:Etude house, R:UDPP)
*And they are all using the same shadow. Look at how big the differences are! π
.
MISSHA Lucid Tine
It’s like a jelly-type lipstick. I wasn’t expecting any matte or full coverage.
It’s a sheer coverage with a lot of glossiness to it.
I would say it’s like a lipgloss made into a lipstick!
Tony Moly – Berry berry stick in “Pink Girl”
This is the prettiest color I got out of all the lipsticks. It looks so smooth and candy-ish.
however, it’s like the MISSHA lucid tint.. it’s a sheer lipstick, and if your lips are pigmented, you will be able to see your lip color through the lipstick.
Banila Co. It Shiny – #9 Coral Romance
I got it as a freebie when I ordered my primer from Banila Co.
I’ve heard so much good things about Banila Co., I am really looking forward to this.
It’s more of a pinky-peach color (vibrant) and the only thing is.. the oily part and the formula kind of separates when you apply plenty on your skin (or lips)
Aritaum Golden Khaki vs. Lancome Erika-F
Golden Khaki is a dupe of Lancome Erika-F. So I put them side to side and compared them.
They are both in a pewter shade, and the only difference is.. Golden Khaki has silver shimmers and Erika has golden shimmers.
They both look fabulous and it’s hard to tell on the camera, but in real life, I can tell apart the differences, especially when the light reflects them. I think Erika has a softer glow.
…And suddenly my Benfit creaseless cream shadow (Skinny Jeans) struck my mind.
It’s also famous as a Erika-F dupe!
So I swatched it right next to Erika-F
from left to right : Gloden Khaki – Lancome Erika – Benefit Skinny jeans..
pretty similar, eh?
Dior Addict – High Shine 503 “Spotlight Coral”
It’s the typical high-shine. The emphasis is more on the shine than the coverage. I like how subtle the shine is. But after swatching it… I was like “wait a minute.. I’ve seen this shade before?”
So I brought back my Orange Salmon I swatched earlier and put them side by side.
The Dior is visibly more shimmery, but check out the swatches!
Both are like orange jellies and the swatches are very similar. π
After swatching the two, I suddenly remembered that I had another similar shade!
It the Lancome color fever in Debut. So I swatched that one next to the Dior and Skin food.
It is similar, but there is a slight difference.
Lancome has more red undertones, and a bit thicker.
So I got super excited and started to pull out other shades, and decided to compare my YSL Rouge Volupte in 13 Peach Passion.
I was like nah…. it’s not even close :/
YSL has more pink and reddish undertones and is wayyyyyy thicker than the sheer lipsticks.
TheFaceShop Color to cheek trio π
I think they were specifically made to duplicate Shu Uemura –
the exteriors all look similar to Shu Uemura’s blushes.
I meant to get OR203 too.. but forgot to tell my friend to get that one too π
TFS COlor to cheek (BR801)
It’s a highlighter, and I tried it on my hand.
I think it’s a bit chalky and you can see a lot of white on it. So when you stand below the light at certain angles, you can see the chalkiness.
Anyway, I decided to compare it with my favorite highlighter – Helena Rubinstein’s Fairy Dust in 01. Angel face.
The colors are similar, and both are meant for a subtle glow.
However, as you can see, thefaceshop’s highlighter has an extreme amount of whiteness in it. You really have to work on blending it out, and don’t build on it too much! π
Color to Cheek (PK102)
Looks like an ordinary pink, but if you look at it, it has a bit of gold shimmer to it. However, like many blushes with golden shimmers in them, the gold doesn’t show that much.
So, when it comes to bright pink with subtle gold shimmers I always think about Bobbi Brown’s Pink Sugar (it’s a shimmer blush). And I compared them side by side.
they look alike to the naked eye, but when you swatch them ,there’s a big difference. TFS’s blush is a bit whiter and has more shimmers in it. Also, it’s a bit lighter shade than the Bobbi Brown blush.
As I were doing the swatches, I remembered that I had NARS’s angelika. You can’t say that you’ve tried the famous pink+gold shimmers blushes until you’ve tried Angelika.
So I swatched Angelika too.
They all look pretty similar, but when swatched, they have their own unique colors.
Color to Cheek BR803
A peachy shade with gold shimmers in it.
It definitely reminded me of NARS orgasm. But.. ugh.. I smashed the who thing on the ground a long time ago, so I don’t have anything to compare this blush to.
I like this one the best (out of the three) since it lacks that chalky appearance.
It blends in really well and has a very natural glow to it.
And for the sake of it.. here’s the original Shu Uemura Rebirth Collection (2008 L/E) blush in Orange Harmonious
Tony Moly Lovely BB Cream in Bright
My First BB cream! LOL I felt obligated to get a BB cream since so many of you asked if I use BB creams. My first impression was “creamy”. I thought it was going to be watery, but it was rather creamy.
Well… it’s pretty obvious on the swatch picture how it works :p
It definitely covers up, but doesn’t cover that much blemishes. Also, it becomes really white.. so it has that ghostly effect.
TheFaceShop Illuminating Blusher in 3. Violet
The blush is really cute. It also comes with a small fluffy thing you can use to apply your blush.
So I thought it was going to be purple purple. Like really purple. But it’s more like a subtle mauve color with lots of pink undertones to it.
The case is too small to dip a blush brush in, so I had to swipe it with a shadow brush. The color seems pigmented on the brush, but when applied to the skin, it is really hard to tell the color difference. Very VERY subtle shine with a hint of mauve in it. I really had a hard time trying to capture the color in the camera.
It also kind of has that chalky finish (a little bit)
Beauty Credit Color to Cheek (PK02 – Peach Girl)
OMG.. I asked my friend to get the 03, but that was discontinued and she bought me this one, and I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot LOL.
It is such a pretty color!! I love this color. and it doesn’t have the chalky feeling that most of the blushes had. Just the right amount of shimmer and just the right amount of pigmentation. The color definitely reminded me of NARS super orgasm.
LOL So I took out my Super Orgasm and compared them side by side.
Super Orgasm has huge glitters as big as my boogers! LOL
If you compare them side by side, NARS got owned by Beauty Credit LOL
awesome pigmentation and kudos for BC Peach girl.
Beauty Credit Lovely Cheek Color (PK01 – Vanilla Pink)
It’s a matte baby pink blush.
Very very soft colors, and it is hard to blend in.
And it has that white chalky vibe like many other blushes.
Etude – Face Designing Brightener
It’s a nude color compact powder type highlighter. (It’s scented btw)
and it does get chalky too, but it is easy to blend. And when you blend it in well enough, you can get that shimmery look like how it came out on my swatch.
The point is to blend blend blend!!
And this is just the other side of the box. pretty illustration LOL
Skin Food T&I Zone (dupe for Dior Glam)
I bought two of these since they are very small.
When I first opened it, there was this elevated hole.. (more like a volcano shape), and the formula looked really yellow. I was quite disappointed and after opening the hole and applying it on my skin I was like ” OH!!!! NICEEEEEE”
It’s really reflective, and the awesome part is, it reflects a really pretty pink shimmer. (no yellows LOL)
Etude house – Baking powder pore cleansing powder wash
It’s like a powder and you have to rub it on your pores when your face is damp.
I haven’t used it so I really can’t say anything about it.
It doesn’t have a scent to it.
Etude Fresh Cherry Tint (#2)
It’s really cute and small.. and the formula is almost neon pink.
I forgot that it was a tint, so left it on my hand for a minute or two, took the pictures and tried to wipe if off like picture 1 (that is labeled 1.)
It stained and didn’t budge a bit.
I tried to get it off with cleansing oil, and that’s picture 2 after the cleansing oil.
It’s more like a stain paint. LOL it really doesn’t get off so be careful not to get it on your clothes!
Beauty Credit Lovely Powder Pact Mat (#21)
Such a cute cute packaging π
and the formula feels awesome. It’s like silk. Very very soft and light.
It’s more for setting purposes and it doesn’t add coverage to the foundation when applied. The green arrows are pointing to edge of the applied area.
MISSHA 4D Mascara
Nothing much to it. LOL
My friend said that it separates and is very clean (no smudging), but it’s not a buildable mascara.
MISSHA the styel perfect concealer (light beige)
I put it next to my HG concealer (Shu Uemura) to compare, and I have to say.. it is quite impressive.
The color is pretty much the same (it does look a bit yellow in the picture, but it really isn’t)
and the texture is really soft.
Anyway, so I tried to conceal my Etude tint I got earlier LOL.
The left one is MISSHA, the right one is SU Uemura.
MISSHA applies a bit thicker and unevenly, but the performance is pretty much the same.
Tony Moly Gel Liners in Brown and Black
It’s actually very creamy and soft. If glides on well and it very pigmented.
The downfall is that it doesn’t dry quick enough so it might smudge while you’re blinking your eyes while it’s sill wet.
And the last picture is half rubbed with a swab that had a drop of oil on it (since our lids get oily through out the day, I wanted to test it and see if it smudged)
I’m not sure about the staying power since I haven’t formally tried it out all day long.
Beauty Credit Lashes (the numbers are on the left)
Samples from HERA (anti-aging set)
The cream was 10ml!! that’s like a full product you can pay for in the states!
All this… just for buying one HD foundation. HERA gave my friend all these samples for buying the HD foundation.
HERA HD powder pact – it was so small and cute, I just had to take separate pictures of it :p
Really small and cute
The bottled smapled
Face masks and sheets, cleansing clothes from HERA and other brands LOL
All the other samples!! massive!! π
Free Pouches (3 HERA and 1 ETUDE)
– you get the ETUDE pouch as a gift if you spend over 30,000 won, which is like 25 dollars in the states!
I really love how much freebies you get when you’re not even spending an insane amount of money! I wish Sephora would go with this strategy :p
Anonymous
You're AWESOME! Now I know what im gonna get when i go to Korea, thanks for taking your time to do this, I appreciate it π
Uinisan
Ooooo~~~ I'm very tempted to try out these Korean brands now…Especially when I'm looking forward to heading over to Korea soon with my Korean friend who should be able to take me around for a BIG HAUL!!! And I don't mind the dupes here and there coz cosmetics can be costly if you have an obsession HAHAHAHAH… lovin' ur blog and vids KEEP IT UP!!!
Love.
Lory
Wow, Thanks Catalina, it's amazing!! I'm very amazed too by thee definition from your camera and your editing skills, hopee you can do a recomendations entry or video π
Citrine
Wow, I am totally drooling on those lipsticks (it doesn't help that you take such clear pictures) … I have seen so many goodies from Korea but I haven't bought any because some of the brands kept knocking off those design form my favorite companies… Like benefit and Anna Sui. (But Skinfood looks original enough)
Catalina
@Anonymous: haha, thanks! it's much appreciated that you appreciated it :p
@Uinisan: LOL that sounds exciting!! hope you have a nice time in Korea π Oh, I don't mind the dupes either, I love dupes LOL thanks girl π
@Lory: haha, well.. I was complaining to my bf that I should get a compact camera because resizing and editing SLR pictures are too much labor :p but if you liked it, I'm good π I should do the video on what I recommend π
@Citrine: haha, oh well, if it sells it sells :p I really hate purses and shoes getting copied, but for some reason.. I'm really neutral about makeup brands copying each other (dunno why). haha, stick with whatever you feel like is right π
Fiona
Hey Catalina,
Thanks for the awesome post. It was so detailed and love the swatch comparisons.
I was wondering, do you happen to have the ingredient list for the Hera HD Foundation and able to tell us where we can get it if we don't live in Korea?
Thanks in advance!!!
– Fiona
Miss Shopcoholic
nice haul! what shade of MAC studiofinish concealer did you get?
what's your skintone btw?
Andrea Never
So much love for this post. Maybe you should work for Sephora ^^
Megan
Wow! Thanks for taking the time to upload all of the photos. I'm really glad you compared the brands to each other. Keep it up. π
Lou.
omg. your haul makes me want to go to Korea really really bad!
keep up the good work ^^
chelsea
i just went to korea last summer
we got a lot of similar thing
i got those skinfood cheek&lip thing
in exactly the same colour apricot&grapefruit!!
i love love love the samples in korea
especially etude house.. i got the recording&talking cat doll and i only spent like $25 <3
Unknown
I never thought I'd see an end to your page! =p Your haul is the biggest and the coolest!
Unknown
Hi there,
I enjoyed your youtube video on your massive haul from Korea!! How totally fun!!!
I have a question for you, did you order all those products from one place, if yes, what is the site and do they take US credit cards? My parents are in Seoul and I would love to order some stuff for them to bring back to the states for me. I am so excited.
Unknown
Hi there,
I enjoyed your youtube video on your massive haul from Korea!! How totally fun!!!
I have a question for you, did you order all those products from one place, if yes, what is the site and do they take US credit cards? My parents are in Seoul and I would love to order some stuff for them to bring back to the states for me. I am so excited.
Cici
Is there any way we can order these from the US?
Unknown
from the looks of it, these products seem awesome!! <3 did you buy these all online? i'd love to buy some but i'm kind of skeptical about ebay and amazon and the actual store is way too expensive >.<
Unknown
this is awesome! i love etude house but i was wondering, is it expensive to get it in the us online store or is it cheaper to get it from the korean online store and ship it over to usa?
Anonymous
HI Catalina!
κ°λμ© λμμ μ λ³΄κ³ μμ΄μ!γ γ
I'm your BIG FAN!!γ γ
I want to ask something
Give me advice~~
I bought Orange Salmon (Skin food) & Fanta cream (Missha)
I usually use brown, dark green, gray color for eye makeup. But always dont know what color is good for lipsγ .γ so always fail to choose lipstick.
Can you give me a recommendation what color can I use on eyes with those lipstick??
Anonymous
Hey babe. U should get your hands on Etude House VIP Girl lippies in PK007 and PK009. They are so amazingly high performance, very comparable to YSL and MAC. On top of that, they smell like smoothie gorgeous! Please try them! :8)
REF :
chonghana.com/image/mypic_product/VD002.jpg
Anonymous
Ops sorry. This is a better link to the Etude House VIP Girl lipstick I was recommending to you earlier.
etude.co.kr/upload/product/2593_2.jpg
Try PK007 and PK009!
:8)
jewels
hi, i was wondering how thick the packaging is for Beauty Credit Lovely Powder Pact Mat (#21) and if a sponge comes with it.
La&heart;Belle
i love how you're detailed! i wish i can go to Korea, is there a way to get these products from the U.S.? and is it more expensive than going to the store?
La&heart;Belle
i love how you're so detailed! i wish i can go to Korea to get all these nice products!! is there a way to purchase them in the U.S?
Rose
Loved the review. So many samples from HERA! I'm actually going to Korea soon. Do you know which dept store your friend bought the HD foundation at? I know they're in almost every dept store but those samples are massive! π
D U C K I E
Hi Catalina!
My mom is going to Korea soon and I was hoping to get your advice on things that would be good to pick up there. I'm pretty dark (NC35/37) so I likely can't do BB cream but definitely want to try lipsticks, mascaras, skin care that you think might be good. Anything you would recommend? Or even just brands that are really good?
Thanks so much in advance!
Jen
loveknot
the tony moly lipstick is so pretty!! if it's not too much trouble, could you please let me know what shade it is in numbers?? I looked around for it, but it appears that series of lipsticks goes by numbers and not names… I think it's either pklso3 or pklso4?? thanks so much for your help!!
.blushfully.
OMG!!! Massive Haul!! Awesomeness!!! Those Missha lipsticks!! I want Chic Lavender now lol !!! And I have TFS OR203 and I think it's lovely, I want more of their products π
Gosh I love cosmetics == and this is an amazing post, seriously!!
Tofu Bear
WOW! Thanks for the detailed reviews, Catalina! =)
and sorry that this is probably so late… but I've been making my way through your blog and loving all of the pictures/reviews you write!
I'm going to Korea in just a few weeks, so I'm super excited to try out the different products you recommended! ^________^ Looking forward to your next blog!
Unknown
ooh what website did your friend purchase the HERA HD Foundation? ^^
Anonymous
I also have the Tony Moly BB cream, but in Natural. It's actually not that white, it's quite nice. But thanks for showing us your haul and I'd love to try these products in the future (: