review: Missh Oriental Herbs BB cream (aka Choboyan BB cream)

first of all...

PLEASE HELP JAPAN!!

But.... even though my heart is breaking.... we have to go on with our lives too... 

to offer some distraction, here is my BB cream review. 

Here comes the review for a great bb cream which is known under a couple different names:

☆彡 Missha Oriental Herbs BB cream

☆彡 Oriental Herb Medicine Gold Care BB Cream

☆彡 Missha 美思 (misa) BB cream

☆彡 미사(美思) 초보양(超補養) 금설 비비진(眞)크림 SPF30/PA++

(Which reads Misa, Choboyan (ultra nourishing) BB cream)

You can officially see it here on the official Missha website (korean), or their japanese website (mm, I want the whole series...) or Missha USA website. I bought mine from ebay, from this eBay seller, and they have a nice description in english, that says:

"Missha Oriental Herbs BB cream is full of great ingredients to protect and nourish your skin.

This anti-wrinkle, whitening and sun blosk (SPF 30 PA++) BB cream has also several "anti" features: anti-aging, anti-trouble (patented) and anti-oxydation (patented) thanks to its quality ingredients like wild ginseng, gold powder, antlers extract and a wide array of oriental herbs."

And there is an ingredients list on the american Missha site that lists ingredients as follows:

"Water, Titanium Dioxide, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Dimethicone, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Arbutin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Zinc Oxide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Calcium Stearate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Magnesium Sulfate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Diisostearyl Malate, Talc, Iron Oxides, Beeswax, Iron Oxides, Iron Oxides, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butylparaben, Cordyceps Sinensis Extract, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Fruit Extract, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Fragrance, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, riethoxycaprylylsilane, Dimethicone/Methicone Copolymer, Propylene Carbonate, Adenosine, Asparagus Lucidus Root Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Tussilago Farfara (Coltsfoot) Flower Extract, Bacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Bletilla Striata Root Extract, Echinacea Purpurea Extract, Perilla Ocymoides Leaf Extract, Cynanchum Wifordi Root Extract, Lycium Chinense Root Extract, Polygonum Multiflorum Root Extract, Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract, Allium Sativum (Garlic) Bulb Extract, Asparagus Cochinchinensis Root Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Coptis Chinensis Root Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Nut Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Morus Alba Bark Extract, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Poria Cocos Extract, Schizandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Silica, Terminalia Chebula Fruit Extract, Gold"

Phew! Long list! 

Anyway, if you think BB creams are a natural wonder, you are fooling yourself. There are silicones and parabens and other such ingredients, shunned by natural cosmetics fans. But they are there for a reason! They keep the cosmetic freash and help make your skin look great! All the ingredients in bold are good for skin of special added extracts - as far as I know, but I'm no chemist. I never had any skin problems from using it, I was using it when I had acne and was going through a harsh acne treatment that made my skin super dry, and this was the only thing that looked good on my skin! (*^^*)Thank you Oriental Herbs BB cream!!

Well, I also wrote a review about it here, you can also read it, I still agree with what I wrote there. But, I thought I want to write another one with photos and swatches! This BB cream was also popular in gyaru magazines, shown here used by Kumikki in Popteen (tumblr)! :) It says she applies a thin layer of this BB cream, adds concealer under eyes and powder and that's it, for natural-mori and baby skin! 

Also another page (tumblr) from Popteen with Kumikki saying she uses this cream as foundation:

So Kumikki`s base makeup is just this bb cream, concealer and powder. ^^*

Here is my review (again) and swatches!

The packaging is very pretty and looks not-cheap. 

I am using color #01, lighter beige. which is better for cold skin tones - if you are MAC NC 15-20-25 or lighter, you can use this. There is one more color, #02, which is warmer and a little bit darker, I think it would be suitable for warm, NW skintones. 

(=・ェ・=) The cream on my hand. It looks solid and light beige with yellow undertones.

I also have some green veins and red scratches (courtesy of: my cat) on my hand to demonstrate to covering power. ;)

(=・ェ・=) This is a big amount of the bb cream freshly spread evenly on half of my hand. In direct sunlight. Still fresh, so it looks more shiny. As you can see it covers redness and green veins too, it has a good covering power, but it looks natural. But I still suggest using concealer under this cream if you have bad blemishes or dark eye circles. (BUT PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, THAT'S A RATHER THICK LAYER, OK?)

(=・ェ・=) After a short while, the BB cream settles and gets more matte. I would say it has a half matte finish, definitely more matte than most BB creams! It has a very healthy looking finish, natural, bright, etc.  

(=・ェ・=) And the bb cream in sunlight and shadow. You can see it is a little bit dewy and covers everything well~

(BUT PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, THAT'S A RATHER THICK LAYER, OK?) It can be applied thinner :D

So OVERALL, this BB cream has tons of ingredients that are supposed to be good for your skin & I never had a strange skin reaction to it! It is not drying and does not change color throughout the day. I use concealer --> BB cream --> powder (either Missha loose powder or MAC Skinfinish Natural) and I am happy with how my skin looks when I come back home - I just take off some oil from t-zone and powder it maybe 2 times thru the day and it looks good.  About the oil control - BB creams are known for not having too much oil control. This one has better oil control than most bb creams I tried, but if you have oily skin/t-zone, you will need extra mattyfing help, OK?  :) This BB cream is definitely on the expensive side, but it is worth it in my opinion. (Around 30$ from eBay). I really recommend you try this BB cream, if you want to try BB creams, but don't want coverage that's too sheer - this BB cream can be applied very thinly and super natural looking too, but if you need more coverage, it will also work great! (・∇・)ノ

I really really like this BB cream, much more than Perfect Cover BB Cream! <333

And a FOTD with this MAC Prolongwear concealer + BB cream + Missha loose powder.

I am wearing MAC Morange and B&C lipgloss on my lips and Woodwinked on my eyes (on a paint pot) and Dainty blush. Simple work makeup... with a bright touch from the lipstick! :D

(。・_・。)ノバイビー

Feb/March Favorites and HELP JAPAN

Hello everybody! I hope you safe in your houses with your families... not all of us are so blessed...
I am still in shock after watching the NHK news and seeing the terrible tragedy that struck Japan! My thoughts are with the people in eastern Japan, where the tsunami was the worst. Please go to http://www.redcross.org/ and donate!!!
Just Hungry Blog: Other Ways to Help
Tokyo may be doing all right, but the situation in Tohoku region is tragic!! (T___T) So many people lost their homes, whole cities are wipes off the earth by tsunami waves... You can watch the latest (and not distorted by unprofessional foreign journalists) news here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-gtv (NHK live news)

poster from: http://blog.signalnoise.com/2011/03/11/help-japan/

(This is an amazing, moving poster btw!)

But, even though I feel so bad for Japan and my friends who are there, there is not much else I can from where I am now, than watch the news and send money. Lets hope the situation gets better for all the earthquake\tsunami victims soon! (I won`t pray, cause I`m not a religious person & I also advice you to, instead of praying, send some money!!!)

I decided to make a post today, so I can take my mind off the shocking news... Too much stress is bad! Please relax also! ...so, in this spirit, here are my february and march favorites:

1. The Body Shop - Body, room and linen scent (green tea and lemon)

The smell is really lovely~ Just a couple pushes and the whole place smells lovely! I also spray it inside my closet and before guests arrive - the smell is not too strong or fake, I really recommend it!! I also got the aroma oil from the same scent line. I smelled the other scents, but this one was the best IMO. Also, last time I went to Body Shop, it was sold out. Popular!

2. IWOSTIN point care anti-acne gel & after acne treatment moisturising cream. (links in english)

Iwostin is a polish brand, similar to Avene I`d say, only available in pharmacy. They also use thermal water from a local source and make specialized skin care cosmetics, also for delicate and troubled skin. I like the point gel so far, and the moisturising cream is really great! Moisturising and my skin absorbs it fast, but it is not fat! I will definitely get more cosmetics from this series!

3. Missha Oriental Herbs BB cream (also knows as Choboyan BB cream)

This is a repurchase and I really like this bb cream!!! I did a short review post on it a long time ago and it is one of the most popular entries on my blog! I will be definitely doing another review with color comparison photos and so on. :)

4. B&C Makemania lipgloss

I got it on sale from AdamBeauty (recommended!) and I really love it over red or pink lip colors or even on its own! Usually I am a glittery lipgloss fan, and this has no glitters or sparkles, just silicone-y "smooth" shine, but I like it a lot and apply it a couple time a day!

5. MAC lipstick in Morange (finish: amplified)

I saw it in JJ (or Vivi, I don`t remember), Matsumoto Ena said she uses it and since I had some MAC empty boxes around, I gathered them, took 6 and went to MAC to do the BACK2MAC program and got it for free! :D The color is suuuper intensive, I think it is best smudged out with a finger and definitely with gloss over it, the Makemania lipgloss works great! I do not feel too good in red lipstick, but this orange-red is much more wearable and such a happy, energetic spring color! I will be wearing it a lot this spring and summer! :D Also when I was getting it, the store makeup artist said he just got a "orange lipstick for photoshoot" request from a fashion magazine and send that color. Ena wears it, stylists want it, I got it, get it too! ;D

6. HadaNomi (肌飲み濃ミスト) Rich Collagen Mist (from SANA)

I got it from AdamBeauty too, just because I was curious and you know, I think "got to moisturise, got to moisturise!!!" all the time XD). I got it, and THEN I got home and went to read the cosme.net reviews on it! XD Some peopl wrote they use it as a lotion, after washing face and before applying milk and cream and makeup, so I tried that, I really like that way of using it! After washing my face with Kanebo Blanchir Suprior cream soap (which I also super duper love and I think it helped with my recent acne problems!!! :D), I spray a couple pumps of this mist on my face and neck and massage gently and pat it into my skin. Then I go on with my regular skincare and makeup routine and when I finish makeup, I spray one pump of this on my face. It is cheap, is non comatogenic (won`t block your pores) and smells nice, I will be using it a lot. Repurchase - I`m not sure yet. 

So, those are my favorites, I also loove love love KANEBO Blanchir Superior whitening skincare line, I am def. buying the big size Cream Soap, and hopefully sheet masks and lotion, but I`ll try to make a separate post about that. 

And to finish this post, a page from latest Vivi issue that I just can`t stop looking at, loooove trench coats!!! I got one from Bershka recently, but it is not perfect, I am still looking! Bye bye! And let`s donate to help Japan!!

Super cute spring style trench coats!! Want them all! XD

tempting products: Flourish Bath & Body / FOTD

Just a quickie post so I don`t forget and share with You guys. I jsut saw this delicious looking bath products and skin care cosmetics brand from Etsy.com! I found it through this polish beauty blogger Polish makeup bag , in this post here! The brand, Flourish Bath & Body seems to be a small private soap brand originally started at Etsy, by someone called Brooke. There a lot of natural moisturising ingredients in her products and the colors are so cute and the packaging is suitable for a present, as it is. So adorable! Some products that caught my eye are:

Flourish Sugar Cube Body Scrub, 9usd. "Smoothing, exfoliating scrub in easy to use single serving cubes". 

PINK SUGAR SCRUB IN CUBES, omg, wantwantwant! 8D It looks so delicious too~

Flourish Asian Pear Lip Balm, 3,50usd

Actually all the lip balms look delicious, I want to try some soon! <33 

Flourish Vanilla Mint Lip Balm, 3,50usd

I imagine this smells wonderful <33

Set of 4 mini soaps, 6usd

Woodsmoke & Vanilla Shea Butter Soap, 5,50usd

Berry Lemonade Soap with Shea Butter and Blueberry Seeds, 5,50usd

looks soooo delicioussss....

So, mostly it is a small, home made soap shop, but what tempted me the most is the sugar scrubs and lip balms! I will definitely try to order some in near future. Do you like handmade soaps? What are your favourite bath products? Honestly I usually use things like DOVE or Nivea bath products, but using great looking, great smelling things like that is much more fun... Oh how I wish we had a LUSH store in Poland! (;_;*) Anyone tried this brand maybe? 

Anyway, have a great weekend and a great bath :)

PS. I love how we can buy everything from all over the world through internet. Internet, ILU. ;D


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Also, here`s a FOTD from yesterday, first friday if July! I felt like a bold lip and I use my Obsessive Compulsive lip tar, I mixed two colors that I have, anime and hush to get this:

 

I got a huge smile and an approving nod from some woman on the train in the morning. xD

The flash make my face look so light, but it just looks natural in normal light, also the sun screens in Missha bb cream make the skin look whiter in photos, so please disregard that. ^^

random FOTD and notes

I got to host an event yesterday and I was on stage in front of 200+ people and it was lots of fun! I don`t get stressed out by situations like this at this, especially when I know what I`m talking about, and this time I knew for sure. xD

Anyway, I wore fake lashes of course, the cross&volume type from eBay (what a deal!! 3$ for 10 pairs! And I love them!), Missha Oriental Herbs BB cream and Visee A-2 eyeshadow palette and MAC Azalea Blossom blush! :D My hair is no longer purple luckily, as the dye that caused the accident wasn`t permanent, phew!!

I ordered Estee Lauder`s Advanced Night Repair Eye Recovery Complex eye cream. I was promising myself a good eye cream for a while and decided to go with this one. I hope it works for me! You can read more about it here. We used to have this cream at home already and I liked it, but it was a long time ago and I this time bought my own. I mostly hope it will moisturize and help the dark circles which are really bad some days and help prevent wrinkles. I don`t want wrinkles yet!! D: I almost want to cry when I see girls my age (25) or younger with wrinkles from tanning or smoking or whatnot.

Other notes: The Vitacreme B12 cream is really working soo good imo!! It brightened my blemishes and after acne red marks and I really feel happier about my skin! Get it!!  I need to buy a gel eyeliner and eyeliner brush, can you recomend sth good? Also, Hadabisei sheet masks (blue and red) are really nice! lalalalalaaa

Keep your fingers crossed for me please, as I have one thing I really want to go well today!!!!!

PS. If you have free time read this page, I`ve been enjoying it lately~

my new Missha Oriental Herbs BB cream ♪

ATTENTION: New post about this BB cream from spring 2011 is HERE!! :D 
You can read both :DDD


Guys, I love bb creams!!! Bb creams were the biggest hit for me in 2009, especially because there were tons of them around to test and buy! 笑 Unfortunately my skin has turned super dry now, but still bb creams really help, they help keep the moisture from cream in my skin and smooth it out and are one of the few foundation/foundation bases that don`t get stuck in open pores, but cover them! For oily skin, they might now take care of the shine, but with some powder, it should be fine. (the best one for oily skin was missha perfect cover for me!)

Unfortunately bb creams usually come in one or two shades, and the lighter one is really light, and the darker one is too ochre for me, it`s more suited to asian tanned skin I guess... `OTL But actually the lighter color is still okay for me and even bb creams from the same maker have completely different shades, so you can stil try till you get a good match! And the most important, they are made to blend with your natural skin color! So if you have light skin, give bb cream a try! I am sorry to all the dark skinned girls, hopefully korean brands will make a dark bb cream too, but since it`s marketed for korean women... don`t know about that. :/

Anyway, I plan to use bb cream in summer too! It looked quite good on my tanned skin as well :) Or you can use it as a base and then put darker foundation on it and tadaa~ ☆

Actually I have a couple bb creams at home:

MISSHA M Pertect Cover Blemish Balm BB Cream #21 (red tube)

MISSHA M Original BB Blemish Balm Multi Function Cream (silver tube)

MISSHA M VITA Sun Care & BB Multi Function Cream (golden tube - this broke me out!! but my sister is okay :/)

Missha M B.B BB Boomer Primer Cream
MISSHA M Shiny B.B BB (SPF27 PA++) Cream (darkest of them all)

Missha Oriental Herb Medicine Gold Care BB Cream #1 (my newest one and a bit of a splurge actually :3)

My newest baby is Oriental Herbs bb cream and I loooove it!

It`s also know as Choboyan series or 美思 line. This line also had very herbal smelling skin care products, a full line up, and from the testers, I really like it! Recently I got a tester of the Choboyan cream in the dark blue container and it was just amazing!!! It was like thick honey in consistency :ooo But back on topic ;)

It is advertised as packed full of oriental herbs and has lots of patented solutions and ingredients. That definitely appeals to me. It`s supposed to work as anti-wrinkle and whitening care and has 30 PA++ sunblock! Also has anti-aging, anti-trouble (patented) and anti-oxydation (patented) ingredients. The ingredients Missha advertises most are wild korean ginseng, gold powder, antlers extract and them tons of oriental herbs. :3 Honestly, this makes me feel a bit luxurious. ;D This bb cream feels more like foundation than bb cream! I don`t think I would use it as a foundation base, like I did with other bb creams. It has very good buildable coverage and matte finish. Personally I like bb creams for this healthy shine they give, and this one could have more of that, but oh well, can`t have everything I guess! (Or can I..?? :3 Always looking for the perfect thing! lol) I still think it makes my skin look smooth and healthy and hmm... I think elegant too!

Other things, I love the packaging, it`s sooo pretty, with the pattern and golden-brown gradation! :D There is 50ml, but if feels like there`s less... or maybe I`m just being cheap, cause it was the most expensive bb cream I ever bought. xD Including shipping it should cost you a little bit less than 30usd, don`t overpay!! Other bb creams I have are from 10usd up! Look at eBay. :)

This year it`s Missha`s 10th anniversary and they released new products, Signature line, with a new bb cream: Missha M Signature real complete BB cream. It looks similar to Perfect cover bb cream, but has lots more healthy stuff inside and is paraben free, non-chemical free, mineral oil free, GMO free, triclosan free, benzophenone free and alcohol free. Dunno, sounds impressive, but for now I`m good with my oriental herbs ♡ Happy anniversary to Missha! They started out as a small internet base brand and grew taking advice from customers and asking question online, what a great story. :)

If someone is interested I can do side by side comparison of my bb creams! Sorry I only have Missha, it`s the brand that appealed to me most. :D If I was buying another bb cream I would try Banilla bb cream! :D