Bubble Hair Coloring from ETUDE HOUSE

I first tried coloring my own hair back when I was thirteen years old and throughout my later teen years and early twenties I often colored my own hair at home. As I got older I started to get my hair colored professionally at salons more  and more often. I eventually got really sick of coloring my hair all the time so for the past two years I've went back to my natural hair color. I was starting to get bored of my plain natural hair color when I saw this Bubble Hair Coloring kit from Etude House, so of course I felt compelled to try it out...

This product promises fun, easy, and mess-free application. It comes in five different colors; I picked number three, natural brown.

The instructions as well as product description and ingredient list are all written in Korean but there are few helpful illustrations to guide you if you are not familiar with Korean.

Here are contents of the box:

Hair dye:

Color developer:

Plastic sheet and gloves:

Instructional pamphlet: 

Silky perfumed hair treatment:

This kit is very easy to use. You take the hair dye packet and pour it into the color developer container...

Put the pump lid back on the color developer container and use the pump to make bubbles!

Evenly apply the bubbles all over your hair. Leave it on for half hour. Rinse off with warm water, use the silky perfumed hair treatment to soften hair, rinse again, and your done!

This product was indeed very easy to use. No dripping of hair color during application or harsh scent. I wasn't super impressed with the result but it did the job of lightening my dark hair into medium brown. I would say that the strength of this hair dye is medium. There are at home hair colors that produce more intense colors but those ones also smell terrible... So overall, Etude House Bubble hair Coloring is a decent hair dye. Something you should try if you hate the strong scent of typical hair dye and also if are NOT looking for drastic hair color change!

Julep Maven: try it for a PENNY!

 So I finally got a chance to try Julep nail polishes that I've been seeing so often around You Tube. I signed up for Julep Maven which is a monthly subscription service where you receive a box of new Julep nail polishes and beauty products each month. A good thing about this subscription service is that you are not committed to purchase/pay every month. You can choose to skip months. When you do choose to receive monthly Maven box, you get to choose one from five packages with different types of products. The monthly subscription is $19.99 per month but I was able to get my first Maven box only for a penny by using a promotional code (the promo code and link for you sign up for Julep Maven for a penny is posted at the end/bottom of this review post!) For Canadian residents, it really does cost just a penny to receive your first Maven box, but for U.S. residents it's a penny plus a small shipping fee. So here's what I received in my first Julep Maven box... (definitely worth more than a penny!)

I chose the package called "Classic with a Twist," which came with two creme nail polishes, a glycolic hand scrub, and a nail file. Classic with a Twist wasn't the package chosen for me by the survey given in process of signing up for Julep Maven. The survey result recommend Bombshell package for me but after looking into details of what products comes in each packages, I went with Classic with a Twist.

The nail polishes are pretty decent. I like how small sized they are, yet the applicators are similar to standard regular sized nail polishes. I don't actually end up finishing a lot of the nail polishes I purchase, there's just too much in each bottles for one person to finish using unless I only wear one color for few months. I sometimes like to buy those mini sized nail polishes, but the tiny applicators in those mini polishes makes application more difficult than it needs to be... So these Julep nail polishes are perfect solution to that little dilemma!

Kelly, the light baby pink color creme polish, applies bit streaky, but most light creme color polishes are like this... With three full coats, and a good top coat on top to even everything out, Kelly is such a pretty light pink color on the nails.

Anne, the violet-purple color creme polish, applies evenly and pigmented. Two full coats are enough to get the color that appears in bottle.

I throughly enjoyed both polish colors. Kelly is a perfect polish color for everyday work, job interviews, or anywhere where you need to appear polished and professional. Anne is a fun color to wear on couple of your finger nails as accent and/or lovely to wear on toe nails! A good top coat polish is a must for both: to even out and finish/polish up as well as extend the wear of colors. I wore SecheVite top coat which made my colors stay un-chipped and great looking until I removed them about a week later. *SecheVite top coat makes most nail polishes so much better than they would be without top coats or with other top coats. So since I used SecheVite on top of all my Julep nail polish applications, I can't confidently vouch for lasting power or strength of Julep nail polishes on their own.

The Glycolic Hand Scrub feels very much like Freeman Apricot Scrub but bit water down. I suppose the "water-down" part could be due to addition of glycolic acid? It's an okay hand scrub. It does the job of scrubbing your hands, rids rough dead skin cells, makes your hand softer than before you used it. But nothing extraordinary... (as in, no different from any other hand scrubs or Freeman Apricot Scrub)

Overall, my Intro Julep Maven Box that I got for a penny was definitely worth it! Would I pay $19.99 for it? Yes, I would! Which is why I chose to receive the next month's Maven Box. (You can cancel your subscription after receiving your first box for a penny which is what I initially planned on but upon being satisfied with the intro box I wanted to try another one) I chose American Beauty Maven box for month of May and below picture is what I received: two frosty nail polish colors (one being one of those magnetic polishes), Pedi Prep, a foot file, and a lovely makeup bag. For some odd reason that I can't figure out, the nail polish applicator brushes of these two polishes are different from the first two creme color polishes. The brushes on these ones are rough edged, not as smooth and fine as the other ones... Odd. I've emailed Julep inquiring about the difference... When I get a reply from Julep and have had chance to try all the May Maven box products, I'll post a follow up review.

If you want to receive your first Julep Maven Box for a penny, simply use the promo code "PENNY" during checkout after you sign up for Julep Maven. Here's a link where you can sign up for Julep Maven: http://julep.com

SEPHORA+PANTONE UNIVERSE COLOR OF THE YEAR BLUSH DUO

A limited edition blush duo from Sephora, in my opinion it is the best blush product(s) from Sephora so far. The entire SEPHORA+PANTONE UNIVERSE COLOR OF THE YEAR COLLECTION is very intriguing but the blush duo is what I was most attracted to. Upon testing out both colors in Sephora, I knew immediately that I was going to love this blush duo. The shimmery side (Coral) as well as the matte side (Desert Flower) are well pigmented, soft on the skin, and long lasting. Here's how Sephora describes this product:

What it is:
A luxurious blush duo in tangerine-inspired shades.

What it does:
This micro-fine pressed-powder duo delivers unprecedented wear in combination with extreme comfort and color purity. The spirited color combination was inspired by the Color of the Year and each shade can be worn alone or layered for a contoured look. Light, yet creamy to the touch, this translucent powder is packed with brown seaweed extract to keep your skin soft and supple. Smooth away fine lines and blemishes with a veil of natural coverage and give cheeks a warm, energized flush.

This set contains:
- 2 x 0.38 oz blush in:
- Coral, Pantone #16-1539 (pinkish orange with gold shimmer)
- Desert Flower, Pantone #15-1435 (light orange matte)

What else you need to know:
United by a passion for color, Sephora and Pantone combine their expertise to become beauty’s leading authority on color. Sharing an affection for how color can transform a face, mood, or even an attitude, this breakthrough beauty partnership will change how you wear, feel and think about color. You’ll be introduced to playful shades that will inspire experimentation and exhilarating new products you’ll impulsively want to sweep on. It will reawaken and reinvigorate your own passion for color—or ignite a newfound love. Join us in celebrating Color of the Year: Tangerine Tango!

At first look, it may look like couple of bright scary orangey colors but on the skin they are both lovely peachy apricot-ish colors perfect for spring and summer seasons. The shimmery color (Coral) feel so soft, almost velvet like. The matte color (Desert Flower) is also very soft. Both colors are non-powdery and blend very well. Both are well pigmented, with Coral being more intense. They look great layered. I like to apply Coral first and then Desert Flower more so on the upper cheek area to get a contoured look. Both colors can be applied on their own to give a sheer wash of tint: Coral for nice shimmery peachy golden glow, Desert Flower for soft apricot tint. Both colors can be built up for more intense night out colors.

I'm not too crazy about the packaging of this product. The top is thick semi transparent plastic slab held down to the white plastic case by strong magnets on four corners. At first I thought it looked cool but because there are no hinges to hold down the top, it can come off easily while inside a bag being tossed around with other stuff...

I was first attracted to this product due to the lovely colors but after trying it out I ended up loving everything about this product (except the packaging...lol): pigmentation, texture, blendability, lasting power, and most importantly, how lovely it looks on the cheeks!

Now that I've tried the blush duo and ended up loving it, I'm thinking of trying other SEPHORA+PANTONE UNIVERSE COLOR OF THE YEAR COLLECTION products...

 

Or maybe I should've just bought the combination set!

Hmm, it is cheaper to buy the combination set rather than buy each products separately... but since I already have the blush duo I won't be buying the set. Perhaps I'll try the eyeshadow quad next...

What do you think? What do you want to try from this collection? If you already tried, do you love it or hate it?