Holika Holika UV Wonder Shield Smart Sun Spray SPF 50 PA+++ review

4:58 AM Moi Sanom 0 Comments

Sunscreen is a necessary woe.
It is important to use sunscreen for so many reasons yet most of the ones available are absolutely disgusting and uncomfortable to wear. On top of that, if you use sunscreen daily to protect yourself from sun damage yet live in the US, not only do you have to deal with products that feel terrible, but you also don’t have sufficient UVA protection which are the rays responsible for sun damage in the first place.
In comes Asian sunscreen to save the day.
It changed my perception of skincare and sunscreen completely!
I have already raved about the glorious Biore Watery mousse here, but since the tube is small and I like trying new things I had to buy some new sunscreen.

I don’t know if it is just me but I forget to apply sunscreen often. I usually remember but then it is too late since I already applied concealer or CC cream. Or what about the parts such as arms and chest when I wear something a little less modest. Or about the days I actually spend a few hours in the sun? Well, applying sunscreen is not really something I do in these situations and I knew there had to be a solution for it.
In comes sunscreen spray!


I know it has been around for ages, but I only had tried the yucky Western counterparts.
After reading that sprays were not meant to be used on the face I thought it might not be suitable for me. But finally I found some sprays that were for the face specifically (and body of course) and I took the plunge. Since I couldn't find any reviews I just ordered the cheapest one of the Get It Beauty list.
I am very happy that I did.
This stuff is great!

Tried Leports Sun and absolutely hated it!

I was a little worried since I first used Leports Sun from the same line that I hated but thankfully they are nothing alike.
This spray is lightweight, leaves no white cast and is easy to use.
I like that I can't feel it when applied and that even when I layer it, the spray is still undetectable.
I generally apply one thinnish layer on my face, close my eyes and mouth, hold my breath and spray it from about 15 cm distance all over my face. Then I walk away from the spray area, breath and repeat.
This way I want to make sure that I applied it properly and evenly.
After it is sprayed, there is a misty foggy haze hanging in the air.
I assume it is the sunscreen floating around. It dissipates fast and I didn't notice any staining on my walls or carpet.
I cant really explain how it smells. Kind of sunscreeny and sprayey.
It doesn't linger though so it is not something I think about.
I really like this spray since it has all the characteristics I want from a sunscreen.

No white cast
No greasiness
No stickiness
No bad smell
High protection
Easy to use

I am excited to try more sprays to see how they compare to this one but honestly I am not sure what they could improve (besides prettier packaging or possibly coconut scent).
I really like it and I will never look back to the dark times before I discovered spray sunscreen!

And here I leave you with Johnny Clyde being Johnny Clyde.
Disclaimer: he is like a cat, he has a serious aversion to any kind of spray.
He freaks out like this, be it hair spray or plain water.
And this was not his first time using this spray!



Ingredients: Here



Rating: 1.Blegh  2. Pff  3. Meh  4. Oohh  5. Awwyeah 6. Wooha



Purchased at Testerkorea
Available on Ebay

Woeful Windsday

9:48 AM Moi Sanom 0 Comments

Sabriel by Taylor Dolan

I was super lucky to be chosen as a model for Taylor Dolans current project illustrating Sabriel by Garth Nix.
Taylor is an artist I have been admiring for years now and  being drawn by her is such an honor.
If you haven't read Sabriel yet, you should!
It is very good and I quickly got obsessed with it after reading it as part of the character research.
Check out Taylors art if you like Woeful Windsdays.
She has been featured a few times before and I am not planning on stopping any time soon!

Woeful Windsday

2:12 PM Moi Sanom 0 Comments

Frolicking Skeletons by Kawanabe Kyosai (1831-1889)

The Saem Eco Soul Kiss Button Lips Matte in #6 Bitter Chocolate review

1:24 PM Moi Sanom 0 Comments

I have been looking for a brown lipstick for a long time.
I have an old one from Chanel but the color doesn’t suit me too well but since I know brown lipstick is very flattering on me I still wanted to look for one that looks decent.
When I ventured into my local drug and department stores I couldn’t find anything that was dark enough. Due to my pigmented lips, most brown shades available here don’t show up on me ( If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen my fruitless swatch bonanza).


So I thought I might try to find an Asian lipstick that would fit my criteria.
It was not easy to be honest.
Brown is not really a shade that is popular there right now and usually not part of the color selections offered. I did find a few but choosing was hard.
After all there, was no reviews and few swatches (I think it was a total of two swatches actually) and going after the promo pics is not recommended.

Who are they trying to fool? Neither the finish nor the colors are anything like in this picture

I have had many disappointments following the advertisements from brands since it is reallynotaccurate. Especially since the models used, usually have very light lips and I can’t compare those results to mine. Oh yeah and there is also photoshop!
I finally decided on The Saems Button Kiss lipstick.
They have a satin and a matte line and both offer one brown looking shade. With the enticing names of Bitter Chocolate and Bitter Coffee.
Very brown sounding names too.
I did indeed find swatches for the satin line and determined that Bitter Coffee would probably be too red. I am a matte kind of girl anyway so matte it was.


I have to say I was disappointed when I received it.
Besides the absolutely delicious smell the shade was completely different than expected.
It is kind of a brick red, like muddy but still red.
I suppose it can be called brownish but to me it is distinctively redder than brown.
I applied it and the feeling on my lips was very comfortable.

1 Layer on the left and 3 on the right. Color is a little less red than in the photo

I usually don’t use lipsticks anymore since I hate how they feel on my lips but this is quite pleasant. The wear time is great as well so I really didn't want to give up on this lipstick.
So instead I mixed it with a brown lipliner. And the results are amazing!
I really really love the shade that came out.
Mother loved it, even though she isn’t a fan of too dark lips and Johnnys eyes goggle out every time I wear it. He gets all shy and smiley too. That makes me believe that it is indeed very flattering.
I call that a success!

In the upper photo you can see how the lipstick changes the lipliners color into a softer redder shade

So back to the lipstick.
As I mentioned before it smells amazing.
Like truly!
It is one of the nicest things I have ever smelled!
Unfortunately it is very faint (Johnny can't smell it at all) and doesn't linger on the lips.

The stain is the color you get when wiping the lipstick off or when it fades by itself

As far as the wear time goes it lasts 4-5 hours like new depending on what you do.
It does fade well, to a reddish brown natural looking lip.
It does transfer but not much since it is matte and relatively dry.
I have worn it out to dinners a few times. The stain it leaves behind on a glass is almost unperceivable. It does fade when you eat greasy food but not much if you take care.
Each dinner the lipstick was still intact but in different degrees depending on the food I ate.
I even had ribs with it and the lipstick still looked decent afterwards.
It survives some kissing but will color off on the other person. I say this is definitely one of the longest lasting and sturdiest lipsticks I own.

The color is really hard to photograph unfortunately. This is the most accurate representation though

One can wear it sheer or layer it but if you add one layer from the bullet it will be 85% opaque.
Two layers make it darker but not much.
I really really like this product!
I haven't worn lipstick much in years but I have been grabbing this one a lot.
I might purchase other colors from this line too since it feels and looks so great.
Which one? That would be the real question!

Ingredients: Here



Rating: 1.Blegh  2. Pff  3. Meh  4. Oohh  5. Awwyeah 6. Wooha

This is the lipstick mixed with the brown lipliner. I find it much more flattering on me than on the photo above

Purchased at Beautynetkorea
Available on Ebay

Jolse revealed and reviewed

8:47 AM Moi Sanom 0 Comments

I haven't written a store review in a long time. Partly because I actually haven't purchased off of new stores and partly because the few I did purchase from I somehow forgot to review.
I hope that in the next few weeks I can at least write about two new stores for you all.
Today I will talk about Jolse. I have heard lots of good things about them for the past few years. 
I honestly don't know why I never got anything there but sometimes things just kind of happen.
Jolse is actually well known for sending a lot of samples with their orders, something I appreciate very much.
Even though I have seen plenty of pictures of all the samples they send out I never really believed it until a friend of mine kept showing me how much she got with her purchase.
I finally did order something with them when I needed two items that were indeed cheapest at Jolse and thought it might be a good opportunity to try their store out.

Their page is easy to use and they offer free shipping with a tracking number for 2.50$.
I ordered two items in their shop on the 26.3 and they send it out on the 27.3, it arrived on the 10.4.
That is eleven working days and pretty fast I have to say.
I am also happy with the way the products were packaged. Neat and secure.
And of course there is the plus of all the samples!
From what I can tell they usually add oil blotting papers, a pore strip and a sheet mask in addition to loose samples.

Very excited to try out Bbogeul Moisture Cream!

Everything went smoothly and without hassle. Prices are good, shipping is fast and samples are abundant. I think this is definitely a shop to consider and I will absolutely re purchase from them again!

Woeful Windsday

12:11 PM Moi Sanom 0 Comments

by Iban Barrenetxea

Aritaum Style Pop Brow Mascara in Chocolate Mousse #4 review

8:21 AM Moi Sanom 0 Comments

Instead of reviewing items I have been using for a while or have been meaning to review for the past few months I seem to be somehow writing about all these items Mother got. It must be the excitement of something new or maybe writing about products I would usually never use. Whatever it is I hope you guys aren’t bored of it yet.

I am not sure why Mother wanted a brow gel, probably laziness or maybe she wants to try new stuff. I do remember her asking me to buy her Maybellines brow gel last summer. I never did, so she went ahead and got it herself. Six months later she confessed that it sucked and if I had a better alternative. I didn’t but decided to gamble on Aritaum this time.
Mother if you are reading this, don’t be mad that I get you so many things I never tried, the track record has been good so far though!
Back to the topic.
Since I found no reviews on this item, the choosing method was easy. Buy the cheapest brow gel in   a color that comes closest to her eyebrow shade while not being Etude House.
Why not Etude House you ask, on the one hand side I am bored with it and I want to try something new, on the other hand Mother didn’t like Etude Houses brow pencil shade so I thought they might be too similar.
I am happy that I went with Aritaum instead, since I really like this stuff!

A brushy brush

What I wanted from this brow gel was something that might slightly fill out my brows while making them look sleek and groomed yet completely natural. Sometimes I brush my brows with hair spray after filling them out. That was the effect I wanted only with one step instead of 3.
The color is a great match!
Thankfully Mother and I have the same eyebrow color so they will match her perfectly too. Our hair color is different so hopefully it will match that as well.
I was looking for a true medium dark brown.
A shade that is neither too red nor too ashy, dark enough without leaning black.
This is the perfect shade!

The dark part on the edge is thickly applied

I find that the brush is a good size, my eyebrows are about medium thickness and the brush is easy to use without going too much over the edges.
The brush also doesn’t pick up too much gel so the smudging is held to a minimum.
I do sometimes draw a tiny bit over my brows but while wet it is easy to clean up.
Something that can be avoided if the tip of the wand is cleaned with a tissue.
Even though there isn’t too much product on the brush, I would still be careful with the application and make sure you apply it light handedly.

Left brow is left bare, right brow is lifted and fuller with the gel

The color definitely fills out my brows while still looking very natural.
I can fill them in and use the gel without looking blocky or only use the gel without looking patchy.
The product definitely defines my brows very well giving it a polished look.
Depending on the direction you apply this, you can either give your brows a lift or keep them straight.
It is super long lasting to the point where it has not failed on me yet.
I admit that I usually don’t wear products longer than 8-10 hours. But in that time frame it looked flawless.
Now to the most important point: Does it get hard and goopy on the brows?
I am happy to say it doesn’t.
You can’t tell it is there unless you touch it with your fingers. It feels exactly the way my brows feel when I lightly brush them with hair spray. Slightly firm but still moveable.
I honestly find this very comfortable to wear.
I can only recommend this!
If they would have this in grey I would get one for myself! Get at it Aritaum, hint hint…

Application method:
After seeing Mother running around with thick over the top eyebrows I asked her to show me how she applies this product. When I saw her technique I figured that maybe some of you might prefer to see a visual. To Mothers defence, some lady in a store showed her how to get fabulously thick brows by gooping the product on. If that is not something you are looking for but prefer a more natural look than I recommend this technique instead.

I was rocking Lydia Deetz hair with my in between color :)

 Clean the tip of the wand just like one does with Mascara. Then use the side of the mascara to very lightly brush your brows in place. The more you do it the darker they get. At the time of the gif above I had three layers on.
If you use the tip, even when clean, you will either apply too much, get goopy spots or simply draw on your skin which can look unnatural. 


Ingredients: Can't find them


Rating: 1.Blegh  2. Pff  3. Meh  4. Oohh  5. Awwyeah 6. Wooha




Purchased at Testerkorea
Available on Ebay

Applied on both brows

Woeful Windsday

7:41 AM Moi Sanom 0 Comments

Penitentes en Cuenca, José Ortiz Echagüe, 1940

Recent Cosmetic favorites and a little bit about me

12:37 PM Moi Sanom 0 Comments

I have been in Spain for a little while visiting Mother and enjoying some off time. I have been busier than expected and quickly ran out of posts I created so you wouldn’t feel completely abandoned.
I hope you don’t either way!
When I am not running around doing family stuff or trying to enjoy the rather strange weather, I am in bed trying not to succumb to episodes of allergy. For some mysterious reason I am always very allergic when I am here. Not sure if its the town or the apartment I am allergic to, either way it hits me hard every time. Even when I take allergy pills I start feeling like I have a bad cold, that for some reason gets worse the longer I am here. Well with a painy head that feels like stuffed with cotton and a red nose I wallow in my bed trying to not nap the day away.
The good news is that I do indeed get some down time in between the episodes which made me able to write this post and occasionally have tiny adventures.
Tomorrow will possibly be lots of fun but since it is a surprise for Johnny Clyde I can’t say anything yet.

I was actually going to write about my favorite things I have been using on my trip.
If my brain lets me, I will also write about cosmetics I bring and how I organize myself to have enough for several people on a longer trip.
I have clearly wandered off the path a little but I think I can see it through the bushes now.

The lovely Samplehime has created a group with which you can order from Testerkorea with the Business account. Doing so can give you some discounts and possibly more samples than usual.
A few months back I did indeed order through her and she was so sweet as to throw in some extra goodies for me. One of them was an Etude House travel set from the Like 20 line. I have been eyeing that line since it came out and was incredibly excited to travel and be able to use it.

Let me tell you I really like that cream!
It is sadly almost finished but lasted me two and a half weeks which is absolutely decent for the size.
I will make a more detailed review of the whole line but the cream is definitely one of my recent favorites. It is rich enough for my dry skin and feels really nice when applied.
I would possibly even buy the full size if I didn't have so much stuff already!

Used Blackbirdcosmetics on eyes, cheeks and lip

The next favorite is actually non Asian but from an indie brand named Blackbird Cosmetics.
I forgot how I even found them in the first place but on a whim I ordered their eye shadow sample set.
It arrived rather fast from the US and I have been obsessed with it ever since I tried it out.
The colors are really beautiful and the quality is great. The sample packets are super convenient for travel which finally enabled me to take more than just one or two eye shadows with me.
I will probably buy the other sample set too and really want to try their contouring powders and blushes.



When I got the Saems lipstick I was a little disappointed. The color was a brick red instead of the chocolate brown that was promised. It smells so amazing and the lip feeling is so great that I wanted to give it another try. I simply mixed it with brown liner and the resulting color is absolutely stunning! Even mother approves even though she isn’t a fan of dark lips.
You might have seen already if you follow me on Instagram, that I have worn it several times when going out to dinner, and the wear time has impressed me so far as well.
I hope they bring out more colors since I would love to get more shades from this line.

Only have crappy quality phone pics of it right now

The next two products are from Cosrx. I don’t know how they do it but they keep bringing out products that I love.
I was lucky to be sent a goodie package by them that included a cute looking cheek patch.
Since Mother wanted to do a beauty day I whipped them out thinking that I would not like them much and this way at least I would not have as many.
What a fool I was!
If you are wondering why I expected not to like them the reasons are these:
I don’t really like sheet masks.
The lip and eye masks I have tried have done nothing so far.
Why would I want a cheek patch?
It just seems gimmicky to me.
So I cleansed my face, put on the patch listlessly, and immediately gasped because it felt so nice on my face. It was cooling but not cold (it was cold enough last week!) and the consistency was really lovely. I have tried gel patches before but this one is especially nice. It was moist in a refreshing way not in the soaky gross way that sheet masks usually are. And after leaving it on for a really long time, since it felt so nice, I almost didn’t believe my eyes when I took it off.
There was a visible difference!
My cheeks looked freaking perfect!
It actually somehow made my pores less visible so much that the pores on my nose looked huge in comparison! The skin on my cheeks also looked really smooth and glowy that there was a noticeable difference to where the patch was not applied. It had the same effect on Mothers skin and we immediately checked if Cosrx had the same product but for the entire face. Unfortunately they don't but if they had it, I would buy them all!
I can’t wait to test them again and photograph everything for you to see.


I received the C21.5 and didn’t expect much news from it either. I have to say that the first test didn’t bode well since I was told this version isn’t sticky at all but unfortunately it still is. That is not an issue to me since I can’t feel it but Mother was disappointed. What I did not expect is that it would improve my complexion so much and so fast. After exactly 5 days of usage Johnny Clyde suddenly tells me that my skin looks great. I was so shocked at this I ran to the mirror to see if that was true. Johnny Clyde is not the kind of person to notice peoples skin so that observation was startling to me. But he was right my skin did indeed look great. I asked Mother about it and she confirmed. It had been looking great since day 4. She even had me make some forehead wrinkle test to see if I was cheating, but no. This serum diminished my forehead wrinkles into oblivion, got rid of left over spots and made my skin so glowy and smooth I looked like I was wearing foundation and all within 5 days. I don’t know how but Osts products seem to be made out of Unicorn blood and angel tears!
Just two weeks ago I found out that OST was part of Cosrx and I couldn’t help but wonder if they make any products that aren't great. Now I have to try Ciracle I suppose, since it is also one of their brands. Well, consider me a fan!

Full reviews of all the products will be coming soon of course.
What are your current or recent favourites?

Woeful Windsday

12:20 PM Moi Sanom 0 Comments

Lily in Legend, 1985