Nature Republic Honey and Herb Sleeping Pack: Review

Hi guys! In case you missed it, I'm having a giveaway in collaboration with Wishtrend and I am encouraging everyone to join. If you are interested in Korean skin care products, you're gonna love this giveaway. Link HERE.

Today, I am going to be reviewing a product from Nature Republic, my favorite Korean skin care and cosmetics brand. Specifically, I'll be reviewing the Nature Republic Honey and Herb Sleeping Pack. Before I go into that, I would like to ask you one thing. How effective, do you think, is the marketing strategy of giving away sample items after a purchase in a specific store? If you ask me, it is very effective. Honestly, I have found a lot of good skin care and cosmetics because of samples given away by different brands.

Let's take my favorite BB cream as an example-- the Nature Republic Snail Therapy BB Cream. It is, by far, the best performing BB Cream for my skin type and I mainly found out about it because I got a sample of it before. I didn't expect much from the product but because I already had the sample with me, I decided to try it out and fell in love with it on first use. I loved it so much that it's one of the first things I looked for when I went to Myeongdong.

Now, for the second time, Nature Republic has trapped me (in a good way) with another product called the Honey and Herb Sleeping Pack. I got the sample while I was shopping in Myeongdong last December and I just decided to test it out these past 2 weeks.

Nature Republic By Flower Powder Pact (#21): Review

By the time you're reading this, I'm probably ecstatic as I roam around the land of South Korea. Thursday is my 3rd day in Korea and I'm assuming I have forgotten about blogging altogether so I'm scheduling this post a day before my flight.

Today, I'm talking about this powder pact from my current favorite Korean brand, Nature Republic. This is in the shade #21, Nude Beige, which in my opinion, is a little too light for me. It's actually originally bought for my sister, that's why. Anyway, I sometimes use it and I honestly like it more than the Tony Moly Cat's Wink Clear Pact I've previously used.

Nature Republic Color Waltz Nail Polish (Mint Sky and Hot Pink): Review

One of the most affordable products in Nature Republic would have to be their Color Waltz nail polish collection. It is priced at PHP 55, which is definitely budget friendly. They have a wide collection of nail colors and if you get them in boutiques, they have testers for each shade so you can try it out before buying one.

I got mine as a gift from Kristine (Real Asian Beauty). I joined her meet and greet last March and she gave some goodies for the attendees which was really sweet. I got this pair of nail polishes, which I absolutely love! The colors are super bright and eye catching.

Perfect Spring/Summer Colors

BL507/ Mint Sky

PK214/ Hot Pink

The Color Waltz collection has a flower design up on top of the handle (applicator).

My favorite of the two would have to be Mint Sky just because I find that the shade is more unique compared to the Hot Pink one (although my favorite color is pink). Combined, the two creates a really nice fun nail art, just like the one I did for a K-Pop inspired nails below.

Hyomin- Nice Body Inspired Nail Art

All in all, I am very satisfied with this nail polish. I find that most nail polishes these days, no matter what brand it is, chips off easily but this one happens to last longer on my nails. It has a semi-glossy finish so technically, using a top coat is not necessary although I highly suggest applying one on top to seal it and maximize its longevity.

For more information, you can visit Nature Republic Philippines facebook page.

Nature Republic (BB Cream, Powder, Mask Sheets, etc.): Haul

My love for Korean beauty and skin care products has been established over the last 3 years but my love for Nature Republic didn't shine through until late last year, when the models were changed to SNSD's Taeyeon and EXO. Fangirl at heart, I couldn't resist the temptation of buying products from the brand because both models are my favorites.

I now have my membership card! Card no. smudged, of course. ;)

A little over a month ago, while strolling around Festival Mall Alabang, I passed by the Nature Republic boutique and decided for myself that I would finally purchase enough products to get myself a membership card. To get a membership card, you must have a single receipt purchase of at least PHP 1000.

Nature Republic By Flower Powder Pact and BB Cream

 

My sister was in need of a new powder pact so I got one for her and I threw in this BB Cream from the same line, with the intention of giving it away as gift. But just so you know, the BB Cream is still with me and I'm still contemplating whether I should give it to my friend or not. ;p

 Nature Republic Given By Nature Orange Mask Sheet

Nature Republic Given By Nature Green Tea Mask Sheet

I also bought a few face masks because I'm such a sucker for them. Of course, I didn't forget about my favorite Orange Mask Sheet. I also got the Green Tea variant because the saleslady said it's the best choice for oily skin.

And because the things I bought weren't exactly on the high end lines, the total price didn't reach PHP 1000. Good thing I was shopping with a friend and she got a few stuff like (more) mask sheets and the Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel. She knew I wanted a membership card so she just had her purchases punched together with mine to reach exactly PHP 1000! Yay!

Just like any other Korean brands, they gave me some freebies to try out. I got a (Not for Sale) Argan Oil Mask Sheet with an EXO print and a sample sachet of the Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream.

 

Now, I only have one problem left. I can't bear opening the EXO face mask! Hahahaha! I view it as a collectible so I highly doubt the product to be of use anytime soon.

To end this post, let me leave you a random photo of my nails using a Cherry Picnic design that I got from elle & ish. I know my recreation is not even half as good as the original but I'm fine with it. ;)

Korean Beauty and Skin Care Birthday Haul

It was my birthday last week and because of the said celebration, I got a few gifts from some of my good, old family and friends. A few days ago, I filmed a haul video featuring the products that I got for myself a few days before my birthday and the gifts I received as well.

 

My head hurts like hell right now so instead of creating a long post, I'm just going to share this video link with you. Most products featured are Korean brands ranging from Etude House, Tony Moly, Nature Republic, The Face Shop and Skin Food but I also put in some drugstore products from NYX and ELF.

To view the video, click on the link HERE.

Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel: Review

Personally, I don't have much complaints in living in a tropical country. Yes, we don't have four seasons. But that gives us the leisure of having vacation perfect weather almost all year round. But the real problem lies with heat and humidity. Sometimes, these two things hinder some aspects of my skin care choice. I can't just randomly pick a moisturizer as it might feel too heavy or make my skin grease up. There was even a long period of time in my late teenage years when I failed to consider even getting a moisturizer for these very fears! But gone are those days. I am four years over the age of two decades and I now know that moisturization is as important as washing the face. So if I want to preserve my skin elasticity and keep it looking as youthful as it can be, I must find a good moisturizer. This brings me to the previously stated dilemma of skin care choice in the light of Philippine heat and humidity.

 Brand new and sealed. :)

Worry no more folks! Well, at least that's what I do. Because I found the perfect moisturizer for summer which practically means the moisturizer of choice for Philippine weather! And because I can't find any more words to prelude the introduction of this very product, I will just go ahead and state it--  "Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel"! There. I said it. Go buy it.

 English descriptions. Yay!

This 300ml of gel goodness is what I consider the product of choice to soothe and moisturize not just my face, but also my hair and nails! It is a multi-purpose product and I love products like these! It has a cooling effect and it locks in moisture very well! What's even better is once you twist the cover open, the air seems to get filled with such an aromatic smell that I can't get enough of. It certainly doesn't smell, not even remotely close, like a real aloe vera plant. And that is a good thing.

I have oily, acne prone and sensitive skin so I really have to watch out for a lot of things when trying out skin care products and this soothing gel has passed all of my evaluation parameters. It does not make me greasy, it doesn't break me out and it does not irritate my skin! I can't even ask for anything more and I probably wouldn't even say anything more if this very product didn't get priced at PHP 245, a shocking revelation that made me love the product even more. So it's not only packaged nicely without skimping on the amount of product, it smells great and works well but on top of that, it is also pretty cheap! I'm not even sure what took me so long to buy this before.

I sure am glad that EXO and Taeyeon (SNSD) was chosen as the brand's faces as it encouraged me to try out their products. And since I owe the liberty of finding about this very product to them, I deem it only fit for me to include a clip of one of their CFs before I end this entry. Oh, and it is timely too! As Nature Republic just released new CF clips of EXO with this very product. Enjoy and make sure to hit me back after trying this product out!

Nature Republic Botanical Lip and Cheek (Red Tangerine #04): Review

Summer ain't over until you say it is... Well, at least that's the case here in the Philippines. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but I have this firm perception that it is always summer here in the Philippines with occasional bouts of rainfall coupled with a little bit of storms here and there, especially during the months of June- September. Unlike other countries that are blessed with exciting four different seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall, Philippines is so different as it is a tropical one. So while other countries in the west are preparing for summer, here in the Philippines, we bid goodbye to the hottest months of our year. Recently, every now and then, we would experience rainfall, an event that was a bit elusive for the past three months. But despite the few bouts of rainfall, it is still pretty hot and humid here for the most part of the day. So before summer give its final bow, I would love to share this specific product from Nature Republic that has become a staple in my makeup kit.

 Shade 04, Red Tangerine

 Nature Republic is nature friendly. :)

This particular product is called the Nature Republic Botanical Lip and Cheek in Red Tangerine. I got this from my most trusted Korean cosmetics online store, Kkochipida. I'm pretty sure you've heard of this shop at least once if you've been following my blog. But just in case, here's some of my previous posts of products I got from her (Charm). I highly recommend buying from her.

 Obligatory swatch is once again not giving justice to the actual product. This was taken with my old camera, for those who are wondering.

Anyway, since orange is a color that I usually associate with summer, I put it to good use for the past three months. In fact, I even made a makeup tutorial using it! And although it is only advertised as a lip and cheek product, I used it as an all over color cream. It's so versatile!

Clicking on the photo above will lead you to the makeup tutorial video wherein I made use of this product. It may be able to give you a better idea of how it functions if you see it in action. Oh, and don't forget to subscribe if you do watch it! ;)

What I liked the best about this particular product is the shade itself. It's the right shade of orange that doesn't make me look weird. The only down side is that because it is a cream product, I always have to set it with powder. Otherwise, it would not last more than an hour. If I do set it, however, it can stay for a good 3-4 hours, which is pretty standard for my oily skin.

To sum this up, although orange is more of a summer color, I don't see any reason why it cannot be used in other seasons as well so I highly recommend that you get one.

Oh, and a special shout out to the best mom in the world-- MY MOM! It's her birthday today! Have fun today! God bless! I love you! <3

Real Asian Beauty: Feature

Two months ago, I got the chance to attend Real Asian Beauty (Kristine)'s Meet and Greet. She scheduled this meet up as part of her numerous birthday celebrations. If you don't know who she is, then you better check the link above. She is one of my all time favorite blogger/youtuber. I found out about her through her K-Pop inspired nail art tutorials in youtube. After going through her videos, I realized that I also stumbled upon her blog at least once before I came to subscribe to her channel. She doesn't only do K-Pop related stuff like nail arts and whatnots. She also does DIY stuff and fashion videos. Her channel and blog is so versatile, you are bound to learn a lot from her. Another thing that I like about her is her down to earth personality. Even with more than 80,000 (Almost at the 90,000 mark! Yay!) youtube subscribers, I never felt like she became too proud or anything of that sort. This made me like her even more. Now, I try my best to watch all her videos and read all her posts. I suggest you do the same thing!

 This is Kristine. Isn't she pretty?

This one is my favorite OOTD of hers. I know I only need to post a single photo to share how she looks like but because this is my blog and I am in control, I can easily squeeze in another photo. ;) Oh, and for more OOTDs from Real Asian Beauty, click on any of the photos. It will lead you to the right link. :)

In one of her blog posts/videos, she announced that she will be doing a meet and greet near the end of March and even though it was hard for me to get around the location of the meet up, I still made it and was even more pleased (of being a fan), seeing as she really is a nice person inside and out.

The meet and greet went by so fast, we even lost track of time. And even though it was just a short 2-hour (or was it 3?) get together, it was still really fun. She even gave us gifts!

I'm sure you've seen the face mask before (I already did a review on this and I love it!) but she also gave us two nail polishes and a lippie! Wow! It was supposed to be her birthday and she even gave us gifts! Isn't she the sweetest?! Thank you so much, Kristine! ^^

I'm excited to try the other products out, especially the nail polishes. I've been saving it up for an event but I don't think I will be able to help myself from using the items soon.

Nature Republic Botanical Eyebrow Mascara (#2 Light Brown): Review

Let me share a fact regarding myself with you. I am scared of bleaching my hair-- both my actual hair and my brows. I am quite fond of hair coloring, though. The lightest I've gone/used would have to be Medium Ash Blonde and that lifted my hair color significantly. Personally, I get really hyped up when I lighten my hair without bleaching. The only problem is my eyebrow color gets left behind. I don't know about you but I just don't really like the look I have when my hair is too light for my brows. But since I am afraid of bleaching my brows, I only have one option left-- colored brow mascara.

Just like in my previous brow mascara review, I tend to use light brown mascara to set my brows in place and lighten them up. Nature Republic's Botanical Eyebrow Mascara in No. 2 (Light Brown) does a good job in doing those tasks. It sets my brows (for the whole day) and it lightens my brows to match my hair color.

The applicator

This would be the second colored brow mascara I've used and although almost every aspect is the same with the other brand, I prefer this one a little bit just because of the applicator. The applicator for this particular brand is a tad bit smaller and a bit stiffer. You would think that I'd stay away from an applicator that is stiff but I feel that the bristles in the applicator gets to brush the hair a lot better than the flimsier ones and it grabs onto each brow hair strand better and keeps it in place. It also doesn't go all over the place since as I've said, it is smaller, so it offers more precision.

For you to appreciate the product even more, I would like to share this video I made in my youtube channel showing you a demonstration of how I use this particular product plus a little bit of a "How I Do My Brows" tutorial.

Let me know what you guys think in the comment section below. I really appreciate it when people comment down on my blog.

Nature Republic Given By Nature Orange Mask Sheet: Review

Using face mask/ face pack as part of your regular (weekly/daily) routine will help your skin condition to improve/ maintain its health. Personally, I agree with that statement. Although not a part of my daily routine, I see to it that I use it at least once every two weeks (if I'm super busy) or weekly (whenever my schedule is more forgiving). I actually want to use it more frequently but sometimes I just get sleepy too early that I don't get to.

For almost two years, my favorite face mask has been the Etude House Pearl Extract Sheet Mask. Just a little bit better than the other face masks I've tried and described here, my love for that particular product lasted longer than expected. That was all until I came across this face mask from Nature Republic. I bought this from their boutique in Festival Mall. Yay!

I first tried it about a month ago. I chose the orange variant because I knew that citrus variants tend to be brightening and true to its description, it does a good job in brightening the skin tone!

I actually didn't expect much from this particular product because it didn't look anything fancy. Truth be told, I just bought this mask because I wanted to buy something from the brand that EXO (I know all about the galactic distress that has been happening lately. I hope EXO, SM and Kris gets through this and gets the best result suited for every one.) and SNSD's Taeyeon endorses. (Check out my mini haul here!) It looked just like any other face mask and was priced at par with other brands, below PHP100.

After leaving it onto my skin, I noticed immediate brightening effect. I'm not sure if it was psychological but I've tried countless brightening face masks before and it was the first time I actually felt my skin brighten noticeably. I was really pleased with the result as I almost always struggle with dull skin tone. Also, the usual moisturizing and softening effects did not disappoint me.

Now the best part of my story is the fact that I've been in love with this face mask ever since then that I decided to use it today, the day before the 2NE1 AON Manila Concert! Yes, I will be attending. And yes, if you're able to read this then that means today is the concert day, as I am writing this post last night (if you get what I mean). Do you want me to create a post for it?

The particular sheet mask I'm using is the gift that Kristine of RealAsianBeauty gave me as gift when I joined her Meet and Greet last March. She gave me my favorite mask! And no, I didn't tell her that. It was just a lucky coincidence on my part. Oh, and she gave me other Nature Republic stuff as well and I'm not even sure why I haven't posted about it yet.

Anyway, I have to hit the sack so I will just see you guys soon! (Maybe in the concert scene? Don't forget to say hi!)