New Year, New Blog!

Just a reminder, you can find the new blog at casualncouture.blogspot.ca. Happy New Year!

Etude House – Honey Cera Line Review

Along with the Snowy Dessert collection I reviewed last week, Etude House also sent their new Honey Cera skincare line. The line boasts the use of honey to moisturize, ceramides to heal and repair the skin barrier so as to retain moisture, and immortelle flower essence to firm. The trial set includes a toner, emulsion, eye serum, and a cream.

Now, Korea's winter is a bit dry (not as dry as Calgary's, but definitely dry enough to feel and see a difference in my skin). Not only that, but the dermatologist put me on a super low dose of accutane again as he thought my topical retinoid was too irritating. So basically, I have dry skin, with a compromised moisture barrier. The Honey Cera line should, in theory be perfect for me.

And, on it's own, it almost is. With a few tweaks, it definitely works for my dry, dehydrated winter skin. Add some moisturizing serums, to the mix, and my skin feels comfortable all day.

The toner is quite watery, and to be honest, doesn't feel that moisturizing compared to the Hada Labo lotion. Now, that's not to say it isn't moisturizing. After a shower, my skin usually feels tight quite quickly. Apply the toner, and that tightness disappears and doesn't return for a couple of hours.

Glycerin is the second ingredient, explaining the immediate relief upon application. As you may know, glycerin is a humectant and helps to draw water into the skin, so it will also help dehydrated skin quite a bit. The formula also boasts honey, royal jelly, and hyaluronic acid (all hydrating ingredients). Ceramide 3 is also quite high up on the list of ingredients, so it's definitely a good pick to help strengthen the moisture barrier. It does contain alcohol, but it's so low on the ingredient list, it doesn't bother me at all. It's $19 US on etudehouse.com. I'll definitely be picking this one up when I'm finished with my current toner.

The emulsion is another great product from this line up, and I credit this as the reason my skin stays comfortable for a longer period of time compared to my regular routine. While all the great ingredients (honey, ceramide, royal jelly, and various plant extracts) are lower on the ingredient list compared to the toner, glycerin is still high up, as are fatty alcohols. The formula is quite... sticky? I don't know how to describe it, but if you remember how snail creams used to boast about being super stringy, this is the same, minus the snail. Once you pat it on and it absorbs (quite quickly), it doesn't feel like there's anything on  your face. I normally don't use emulsions as I'm lazy, and use a heavy cream instead. However, the added step has definitely made a difference. The emulsion and cream from this line don't feel too heavy together, and I'm curious to see how well it pairs with my regular cream (currently the Guerrison 9 Horse Oil Cream). It's the same price as the toner.

The Honey Cera cream is a heavier cream, without feeling heavy. I'd say it compares quite well to my Belif Moisturizing Bomb. Slightly less moisturizing and slightly heavier feeling, but at nearly half the price, it's a good substitute (I use the same amount as I did with the Belif, a good finger full). This is full of more occlusive emollients including fatty alcohols and jojoba esters to help seal all the moisture from your previous steps in. It's really basic, but it does the job, which is all I need in a cream. It's $24 US.

Lastly, the trial set includes the firming eye serum. It's a super lightweight gel that sinks in quickly and leaves a bit of a shiny finish. It helps to hydrate my under eye area (which is super dry right now). I have noticed a difference in the dehydration lines underneath my eyes. Minus the one I always have due to a lack of aegyo-sal, this got rid of the rest completely. Mind you, they really only show up if I'm not using proper eye care, so I don't know how well this serum would perform on more stubborn lines. The serum uses glycerin to hydrate, and niacinamide to help brighten and improve elasticity. The full-sized version also has a metal applicator tip, which is nice to help massage the serum in and reduce puffiness. To be honest, I normally just use whatever serums and moisturizers I use on the rest of my face around my eye area as well, but this helps to reduce my concealer from sliding off (and my eyeliner from smudging and mascara from running, because heavy creams around the eyes will do that to your makeup). I think it's definitely more of a summer purchase for me, when smeary makeup is more of an issue. 

Overall, this is a great, basic line, especially for the price. I think anyone with combination to dry skin will be able to use this easily (if you have oily skin, maybe just use the emulsion, rather than both emulsion and cream). You'll even get a bit of anti-aging care, given the royal jelly (it protects against sun damage) and immortelle flower extract. I'll definitely be picking the toner and emulsion up from this line as finish the samples.

Take a Cue from the Kids

My students have some super cute style. I'm sure they pick whatever without much though, or their parents help (they definitely help when the girls have cute bows tied around their necks with their scarves). Anyways, a lot of my kids like to wear their skirts or dresses over jeggings or jeans. And maybe a sweater over the dress. We're getting to that magical four layers I need to stay warm, now aren't we? Hey, when inspiration hits, take note. Even if you are looking at six-year olds for fashion inspiration.

Back when I was in high school, I loved "Korean fashion." They were pros at layering (yesstyle.com even had a guide on how to layer like a Korean girl), and all I wanted was to be able to layer more than a tee and cardigan. I didn't really understand the concept of oversized or boyfriend-sized back then and I aimed to fit into extra-small everything. No wonder layers didn't look that cool on me. This time, I decided to do a 180. Oversized everything. Why? Because Christmas happened.

I took these right after Christmas, and to be honest, I normally wear this sweater and dress combo with skinny jeans. However... Christmas Eve cake with the school happened. And then Christmas dinner happened. Now, you might think oh, cake with the rest of the staff isn't that bad. One slice a person and all that. No. There were four or five cakes, and maybe 15 staff for the day. And we're talking 10-15 piece cakes. And I had to try every flavour. I have no self control. Fast forward to Christmas dinner. We ordered Korean fried chicken and pizza. Four flavours of chicken, and three pizzas. And don't forget, Korean pizza is weird. Some have kimchi, some have corn, some have potatoes. So once again, I had to try all the flavours of chicken and pizza. And then there was the bake-fest for dessert, and a tub of six flavour ice cream from Baskin Robbins.... I don't know how I'm not fat yet, but needless to say, I did wake up with major carb/booze face (as you might be able to tell from these pictures). Oh, and we get to do it all over again on New Years! Yay!

So, what I'm saying is, skinny jeans weren't exactly an option for me Boxing Day. So boyfriend jeans it was for these photos. And you know the food baby is bad when your boyfriend jeans are fitting a little snug. A higher heel would have looked awesome with this outfit, but unfortunately my shoe wardrobe in Korea is quite pitiful.

Finally, the blog's url will be changing as of January 1st, so make note! It'll be "casualncouture.blogspot.ca"

Sweater: Top Ten (similar here)

Dress: Zara (similar here)

Boyfriend Jeans: Gap

Boots: Sam Edelman (similar here)
Purse: Botkier (similar here)

Merry Christmas and a Bit of News

Firstly, Merry Christmas everyone! This has been an exciting year for me with many new opportunities!

With these new opportunities, I'd also love to better the blog, especially the photography. I normally use a tripod and remote for my photography, and while it works, I'm not the best at it. In Korea, I have a couple of friends who are willing to take photos of me on the weekend, however I'm not sure how long we'll be able to continue that as contracts are anding and people are moving. I'll manage though. Worst that happens is I go back to the tripod (my usual location by the university is usually free of people and onlookers). 

Secondly, you'll notice a few design changes. This not only has to do with giving the blog a facelift and rebranding, but to refocus myself, and have the blog more to my current fashion style. When I first created this blog, my personal style was very girly. While I still love feminine pieces, I find myself being drawn to cleaner, more minimalistic and neutral designs and colours. I want the design of the blog to reflect that.

Lastly, a name change. You may have noticed my social media handles changing to reflect this earlier in the year. Again, this is to refocus myself, as well as refocus and refine my style. I've decided to call the blog "Casual 'n Couture." Why 'n? Originally, I couldn't decide if I wanted to rename the blog "casual and couture" or "casual in couture." And would have been the most accurate choice to reflect my style (mixing more high end and trendy pieces with regular, everyday stuff), but in had a better ring to it. So I decided to mix it up a bit and use an abbreviated form of and, that would sounds like in. The url will be changing to casualncouture.blogspot.ca New Years Eve, so make sure to watch for it!

Etude House - Snowy Dessert Collection Review

Hi everyone! I have some exciting news to share with you! I've been chosen to participate in Etude House's international blogger program! Etude House makes some of the best Korean roadshop makeup products I've tried (you can read my reviews on their primer and lip tint), and since arriving in Korea, it's been my go-to shop for makeup. 

This month, Etude House sent me a few pieces from their Snowy Dessert Christmas collection to test and review, as well as their new Honey Cera collection. Unfortunately, the blush they sent shattered during transportation (despite the bubble wrap and paper fluff in the box), but everything else arrived intact and ready to experiment with. Etude House also sent a mini magazine full of makeup and skincare tips, and a guide to the best desserts in Seoul (so you can see, I'm excited).

Let's get started shall we?!

A full look using the Etude House Snowy Dessert collection. It's a bit washed out from the bright sun, but you can see a bit of pink on the eyes, and the pudding tint in a sheer wash on my lips. You can also see another full (more natural look) in my last post.

I'll start off with my favourite product – the Snowy Dessert Pudding Tint in grapefruit. I love a good lip product, and this hits all the sweet spots. Great pigmentation, long lasting, low transfer (it is a tint after all), and non-drying. My only complaint? Like a lot of lip products, it'll accentuate any dry flakes you have, so make sure to exfoliate first!

The pudding tint comes in four colours and one clear finish. They're super soft, and come with a spatula to help pickup and spread the product on your lips (but fingers work just as well)! While the spatula is great for controlling the amount of product you apply (I use it a lot if I only want a more natural but bright lip, or if I'm doing gradient lips), fingers are the way to go if you want the full pigmentation in the least amount of time. You can dab what's left on your cheeks as well for a healthy flush.

Play 101 pencils in #71 and #73, Pudding Tint in grapefruit

There were two Play 101 pencils included as well – I received the colours 71 and 73, both shimmering colours.

#71 is a gorgeous pink with gold shimmer. Think a pinker version of Nars Orgasm for your eyes. I've been wearing it everyday for a wash of colour on my lids and my co-workers love it. It's long-wearing, and doesn't budge once it's set.

#71 is on the left, and #73 on the right. You can see #73 is really close to my skin colour.

#73 is a light beige with shimmer. It's perfect as an all over base on the eyes, as well as to highlight the inner corners and "aegyo-sal" (that little fat pocket under your lower lashline. It's popular to apply shimmer on it here in Korea for a doe-eyed effect). This one doesn't show up on my skin too well (it's literally the same colour as me, except shimmery), so it provides the most subtle of highlights. I do like to use it to add a little bit of shimmer over other colours on the centre of my lid though., as well as to brighten my waterline. It's also great to add a subtle highlight on the cupids bow, since the pencil is so precise. Like #71, it's long-wearing and doesn't move around even after a long day (and on an oily lash-line).

Finally the ginger cookie blush. Ah, this is a sad tale. Etude House packed everything really well. The blush came in bubble wrap, in a box filled with paper tinsel. But apparently Korea Post is just as rough as Canada Post, and the blush was shattered when I opened it. It's so cute too! The blush is separated into two parts – a pastel coral (which works well as a highlighter), and a more burnt orangey gingerbread man. Swirled together, the two colours provide the most gorgeous warm winter flush. It's like summer for your face! My only complaint is that it fades after about four hours or so. It does seem to fade less quickly if I don't apply foundation  (mine is fairly dewy as I have dryer skin, so matte foundations may work better with this blush).

Top highlighter on the left, bottom orange on the right)

You can find everything on Etude Houses's global shopping mall.

http://www.etudehouse.com/

Cozy Cuddles

Photos by Joseph Wood

I am an infinitely lazy person. Weekends are do nothing days for me. I lounge around, and if I really feel energetic, I go for brunch at the local cafe (honey, camembert and olive paninis are amazing) to get some social interaction and hopefully get some reading and work done. Normally, I also make my friends take the blog photos after, so I have a reason to get dressed (it's cold, and getting out of my fuzzy pajamas isn't exactly high on my list on priorities).

Now, being the lazy person I am, and having most of my brunch crew out of town, last weekend, I decided the best thing to do was change out of my pajamas, into some not quite pajamas. 

I wasn't planning on taking photos this week and decided comfort and warmth were my main brunch priorities. While this week has been exceedingly nice weather wise (yay, 5-10 degree days!), I'm starting to think I have Raynaud's disease, and have been taking extra measures to stay cozy. Suddenly having a toe turn white is not the most comforting thing in the world to see, so what better way to stay warm than to cuddle up in a fuzzy sweater and my favourite joggers?

Sweater: Forever21
Joggers: Greylin
Shoes: Charles Philip Shanghai (similar here)
Necklace: DIY (similar here)

Modern Retro

This fall we've seen the return of 70's style. Suede (everything), a-line skirts (in suede, of course!), flared jeans and wide legged culottes, and all boots, whether they be just above the ankle or over the knees. I must admit, while I'm not a fan of mod, I am loving this retro revival. Paired with a classic turtle neck and Burberry trench, retro can easily be made modern.

Soft fabrics and a-line silhouettes are my absolute favourite, so these retro suede skirts are a no brainer for me. I've had to stop myself from buying one in every colour! Wine red?! Of course I want it. Forest green? You bet! Unfortunately, my wallet doesn't allow for a suede skirt in every colour, but when I saw this gorgeous rust red at Zara, well, I had to have it (it was a hit at Seoul Fashion Week, so obviously I chose well). 

Speaking about budgeting, I'm at a crossroads. To celebrate lasting a year abroad on my own, I thought I'd buy myself an expensive gift. You know, designer expensive. So, I'm at a crossroads. I can't decide between a new purse (possibly a Chloe Faye?) or some Stuart Weitzman over the knees. Or, if I want to be practical and not fight with my camera all the time, possibly a Nikon D750? Decisions, decisions.

Jacket: Burberry (similar here)

Top: 3.3 Field Trip (similar here)

Skirt: Zara (similar here)

Boots: Asos

Autumnal Nude

Photos by Mike Masulli and Joseph Wood

As my surroundings gain more and more colour, I seem to be losing it. With winter fast approaching, I'm drawn to lighter neutrals, stocking up on beiges, creams and blush. I suppose it's one way to deny the colder, greyer weather.

Layering is a must in the fall, especially in rural Korea! I swear, indoors is actually colder than the outdoors somedays. Buildings here don't seem to be well insulated (or at the very least, my apartment and schools aren't), and it's almost a daily occurrence for me to leave the school during lunch and marvel at the warmth of the sun. No need for a sweater outdoors. Indoors though? Give me five!

This oversized sweater from Zara is a fast favourite of mine (seriously, I'm thinking of buying both a grey one, and another in this cozy beige). The boxy, slightly asymmetric silhouette makes it great for layering over dresses, jeans, and shirts, and perfect for ondol-less rooms.

Sweater: Zara (similar here)

Dress: Urban Outfitters (similar here)

Shoes: Design Lab x Lord & Taylor (black version here) 

Clutch: Coach (similar here)

Cozy in Lace

Photos by Becca Ann

 Hello from Gongju! 

It's freezing here. I'm from Canada, and I thought I could deal with the Korean winters. Turns out I can't, because they're a lot wetter. The cold just clings to you and never seems to leave. As a result, I have a newfound love of knitwear – something I usually skipped in favour of a good wool coat back in Calgary. 

Seriously, I'm super into hobo fashion thanks to the cold. But not really. Ultimately, I'm still a girly girl and I need a bit of femininity in my life. My bulky, oversized knits can easily be made feminine pulled over the shoulders, or in a soft, fuzzy knit. I love this Forever 21 sweater. It's a super soft, warm eyelash knit, that's reversible. I can have a v-neck or a boatneck sweater (and they both drape off the shoulders so nicely)! If you're in a more conservative work environment, opt for a round boatneck that's not quite off the shoulders to achieve a similar look. Paired with a bit of lace, and you have an ultra cozy, feminine look.

Finally, there will be some blog changes in the coming month(s). I'll be focusing a bit more on travel, and there will be design and name and url changes. I'll make sure to keep you updated. =]

Top: Forever21 (Korea only) (similar here and here)

Skirt: Astr (similar here)

Shoes: Design Lab x Lord and Taylor