It is that time of the year again, when our favorite one stop shop for all things korean beauty is celebrating their birthday. Althea Korea Turns 2!!!

I'm sure you're all very excited to see what items I picked this time around. If you follow me on Instagram, you would know that I buy the Althea Box from time to time. So, I really just bought items that I needed at the moment and the rest are freebies and samples.


Here's the list of items I got, in random order:

Witch's Pouch Selfie Perfect Eyebrow in Gray Brown
Etude House Sunprise Watery Light Sunscreen SPF50
Aritaum Magic Contouring Highlighter
Beauty People Fast 10's Gel Liner Auto Pencil in Real Brown
Banila Co. Prime Hydrating Primer

Since it is Althea Korea is celebrating their second Birthday. They have prepared a lot of exciting giveaways for all of you.

Here's a sneak peak:


The First 5,000 customers will get the Limited Edition Althea Birthday Box design that looks like a cake! which includes a Birthday Kit and a Birthday sample pack for lucky early bird shoppers.


There will be Birthday Sales & Promotions for customers:
- 20days of Beauty Giveaway on @Altheakorea (Instagram)
- Althea Birthday Giveaway Festival for customers
(free products every other day in July to add into cart)
- Althea Beauty Box July - Birthday Makeup Box (theme) 3/7 released


Weekly Lucky Shopper Contest to win Althea credits


Instagram #AltheaTurns2 Contest - snap & show your decorated birthday box to win amazing prizes from Althea!


So what are you waiting for!?! This is the perfect time to shop for your favorite Korean Skin care and Makeup products.

You may visit their site HERE
Follow them on Facebook and Instagram

Enjoy Shopping!

Until next time.

Cheerios!
***Hollie***

Yes, you read that right! today Althea turns 1! For all the Korean Beauty fans out there, let's all celebrate and wish Althea a Happy Birthday!

I can't believe it has been a full one year since I discovered Althea. I was one of the lucky few who got to shop at Althea Philippines when they first launched their website. I got to know more about Korean brands and products and fell in love with most of them and that is all thanks to Althea.

All my shopping experiences at Althea has never failed to amaze me. Knowing that the products came from Korean and gets delivered straight to my doorstep with just a few days, is most certainly wonderful. My recent Althea haul even arrived in 7 days! that's just awesome.


Since it's a huge Birthday Celebration, Althea has prepared a lot of cool stuff for you guys.

Starting today, July 20th until the 31st  of July 2016 Althea is offering :

Limited Edition Birthday Box + DIY Party Kit
For orders placed on 20/7 onwards. While stocks last.

Free Goodies for first 1,500 shoppers
Full size beauty products. While stocks last.

Birthday Giveaway. Pick 3 Top Sellers for 100% REBATE!
Rebate will be credited into your account.

#AltheaTurns1 Instagram Contest
- Got your Althea party kit? Wish us a happy birthday with #altheaturns1 and stand a chance to win amazing prizes such as Macbook Air, Ipad Air 2, iPhone 6S, Galaxy S6 Edge, Canon EOS M10 Selfie Camera, Althea credits and beauty hampers from Althea!
- Prizes total worth KRW10,000,000 to be won.
- Contest starts from 20th July - 15th August, 2016.


As for me, I just received my Althea Birthday Box Haul, yay! So here's the stuff I got.

Rucy's Vanity might be new to some, but they have been around for a few years. It is a 100% Korean cosmetics brand offering high quality cosmetics in a more reasonable price. I got these goodies early this year and got to test it out for a good amount of time. I already have a review of their Gleamy Lipsticks just in case you want to check that out.  This time, you'll get to know more about the Rucy's Vanity Whitening BB Cream and the Two-way Cake Pressed Powder.


Combines the goodness of foundation and powder in one with added protection from UV rays with whitening effect.


What I like about it...
- very affordable
- nice packaging, considering the price
- the sponge does not sit directly on top of the powder, it has a divider so it's hygienic
- has a really good sized mirror
- has UV protection with SPF 35 PA++
- the powder is finely milled, so it applies smoothly
- does not cake even if re-applied several times throughout the day
- has light to medium coverage, so it works well as a setting powder
- no strong scent
- no irritation or allergies experienced

What I don't like...
- does not have good oil control, I have combination skin and my T-Zone starts to oil in 3 hours
- if you are looking for a powder with good coverage, this is not the product for you
- does not work well if used with damp sponge, so it's not a two-way cake, its just a pressed powder

My rating: 4 / 5


Considering the price and quality of the product, I'd say this is actually a really good powder. So I'd recommend this especially to beginners.


A 5-in-1 BB Cream that perfectly covers skins imperfections giving your skin a natural flawless skin look. Combines as foundation, moisturizer & concealer in one.


What I like about it...
- affordable
-  hygienic tube type packaging, sealed on the inside when first opened
- has a mild scent
- really smooth texture which makes it easy to apply
- easy to blend with either brush or fingers
- evens out skin tone and does not appear patchy
- has light to medium coverage
- has a semi-matte finish
- decent staying power for 4 to 5 hours on my combination skin
- has anti-wrinkle ingredients
- can be used as a makeup base or worn alone

What I don't like...
- like other BB creams I've tried before, this one stings my face as well
- it only comes in two shades and this is the shade no. 21 Natural, which is too light for me
- not for you if you want coverage

My rating: 3 / 5




Once again, it all boils down to preference and what suits you. My face just does not agree with any BB cream whether it's high-end or drugstore quality. However, I'd like to point out that CC Creams work really well on me. For the price and quality of the Rucy's Vanity BB Cream, I'd say do give it a try especially if one of the shades suits your skin tone. It is also one the most affordable BB Creams I've seen in the market. Perfect for students on a budget.

You can purchase Rucy's Vanity products online. Just visit their website http://rucysvanityph.com/

Until next time.

Cheerios!
***Hollie***

A few months ago, I noticed that my skin changed. It has become prone to pimple breakouts, it felt a little dry and just generally patchy and dehydrated. Which led me to really start taking care of my skin. I recently changed my skin care routine (which you can view in my previous post) and thankfully it worked out well for me. I also did a bit of research for some Korean Skin Care products which got me curious about a lot of brands. For now, I am trying out a face mask from Tony Moly.


A lot of you may have heard great things about Korean Makeup and it is getting quite popular in Asia and in the US. Especially those that want to achieve that bright and clear skin, I am no exception to the fact. So, I've been trying out this face mask for the past two weeks and used it about 3 times a week so I can get a good feel about the quality and effectiveness of the product. I am just relieved that this didn't irritate my skin or give me some sort of allergy whatsoever.


The Tony Moly Tomatox Magic Massage Pack claims to leave you with clear and supple skin. In the two weeks that I tested this out, I do think it helps clarify the skin.

I just applied a decent amount of product on my face and left it for 15 minutes before I washed it off. I also did feel a little sting on my face when I first put it on, but it disappears after a few minutes. It's probably caused by the Tomato Extract since that can be acidic.


Now let's talk about the packaging. I mean who wouldn't want to see this adorable little thing sitting on their vanity, right? It's just too cute. hehe

Even though the packaging is appealing, I honestly don't find this convenient to use. When I first opened the jar it was a big mess since I wasn't careful enough. hehe. And if you're clumsy like me, there's a high probability that you'll spill the contents of the product if you're not careful. It would have been nice if this was in a squeeze tube form, as that would be more hygienic as well.

Happy Monday Ladies! It has been a while since my last post and I've missed you all. Anyway, I have been getting really bad breakouts on my face in the last couple of months. It shows up particularly on my chin, left cheek and between my brows. I didn't know what caused it so I decided to change my skin care routine and thankfully it helped.

If you have been following me on Instagram, you may have already seen me post some photos about Althea Korea. I was lucky enough to have been chosen as one of their Beta Testers for the launch of the Althea Philippines website. Althea is Korea's premier online beauty destination providing the lowest prices to consumers and delivers authentic K-beauty products to the world.

A few weeks ago the Rucy's Vanity team sent me some of their products and I was excited to try it out since I've already read about them from local blogs.  I've been using the Gleamy Lipsticks in Red and Hot Pink for the last couple of weeks to really get a feel of how they perform...