An Instagram beauty haul or, more aptly, a bunch of things I got from various Instagram shops and sellers. There is a reason why I try not to follow shop accounts on Instagram–to not fall into the trap that is impulsive buying. But as you can see, that certainly isn't the case here. That worked well for a while, up until I discovered the joys of ~*swapping*~ and ~*pre-loved cosmetics*~. The idea of swapping makeup may seem a bit gross, but the thing is, sometimes people sell items that have barely been used for a fraction of a price. It's a great way to try things that you're not 100% sure of buying at full price yet. That said, not everything on this post is pre-loved; I also bought a couple things that I've been wanting to get!
IPKN x estherlovesyou Twinkle Eye Collection - Baking Class
Probably the most adorable collaboration palette I have ever seen in my life ;___; I pre-ordered this from @seoulfindsmnl right after it was released, so I got a free pouch with it! I'm a big fan of Esther Kim's work so when I saw this collab, I pretty much jumped at the chance to order it. I wish I'd ordered the founcushion and lip tints as well, but four more items from this collection is way out of my budget /cry
Korean skincare things from @japanesecosmeticsph! (I find it funny that I actually bought more Korean cosmetics than anything from a shop whose name says 'Japanese cosmetics', haha..) I've been looking to fill in the blanks of my Korean-inspired multi-step skincare routine, but since most of the items on my wishlist are expensive af, I got these as replacements. I wanted to see if I could actually deal with doing the million-step routine every morning and night, kind of like a test period before I move on to buying more expensive products.
Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner (500ml)
(Also available in 250ml)Got this item for a bargain – just P250 for this huge bottle! Although it was marked as 80% full, I bought it anyway since a full-sized bottle is P898 in store. Such a steal. I already knew how good this was because I bought the 250ml version before. Now I use it as my pH-adjusting toner.
3W Clinic Collagen Whitening Essence
A brand new item, with the only issue being that the cap was cracked. I wasn't entirely sure about this product, but a quick search led me to this thread on r/AsianBeauty. Since the feedback was positive, I got really curious. As I didn't have any essences in my routine yet, and I needed all the whitening I can get for my dark spots, I went and got it. Right now I can't say anything about it as I haven't even used it for a week, but it didn't break me out which is always a good sign. Hopefully it'll make my skin as luminous as it did for the person on reddit!Mizon Special Solution Good Night White Sleeping Mask
(jar version)Also brand new. I've heard of a lot of good things about Mizon, and a lot of people seem to like this item, so I thought I'd try it out. The only other sleeping mask I've tried before was the TONYMOLY Water Bomb one which, despite being a good moisturizing product, broke me out when I used it. This one doesn't break me out, plus my face feels a lot less oily when I wake up the next day! I'll most likely repurchase after I use this tube up.
TONYMOLY Kiss Lover Lip Master in #2 Back Hug Pink & #8 Club Red
Also from @japanesecosmeticsph. I've been wanting to get a bright pink lip tint for a while now, so I saw these at just the right time! TONYMOLY used to have photos of Victoria wearing these during the time she was still their endorser, so that was another reason why I got these, heh.
A ton of freebies
Still from @japanesecosmeticsph. Tons of samples, masks, a bubble net thing, etc! The seller included so many freebies, I was so surprised when I opened the package. I can't name everything that I got because there's way too many, but I'm really excited to try the Holika Holika Skin & Good Cera Super Cream and COSRX Natural BHA Skin Returning Emulsion samples!
Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Super-Firming Serum
From a swap with @lovedbykei. I got this because I remember seeing it as one of the top-rated products on Beautypedia, by both their experts and the Beautypedia community. One of my main skin concerns are pitted scars and fine lines. I read somewhere on r/AsianBeauty that one of the things that can help, other than microneedling and laser treatments, are silicone products. This product has silicone AND niacinamide, which is great for fading hyperpigmentation, so I went and got it. Only problem is, the scent is SO STRONG. At least, it is for me, so applying it feels more like being subjected to torture by perfume. I don't remember the scent, since I only used it once. Not sure if I'll try using it again or just give it away. We'll see. (Seems like there's a fragrance-free version, so if you're sensitive to scents, you might want to get that instead.)
Lastly, lip makeup I got from makeup swaps. The first five are from @songrichan – my first ever swap. The Revlon one (second from right) is from @toofabph. The last one is actually not from a swap (I got it from my mom), but I thought I'd include it here anyway, heh.
ARITAUM Wannabe Cushion Tint in #2 April
Because one of my favorite lip tints of all time is from ARITAUM, I'm more than willing to try anything from their numerous lip tint lines. The weird thing is, this product feels more like a matte lipstick than a tint. It didn't stain on my arm either, so I don't know why it's being marketed as a tint. As a lip product, it was okay. Pigmentation is good but I'm not sure if I pull off this shade of pink well. Also, the scent is a bit off-putting on this one.. for some reason it smells really weird, almost like patis (gross, I know). I'm not sure if this is just a bad product, as a lot of people describe this product's scent as fruity, but I did find one other blogger that shared the same opinion. So maybe it was just the earlier versions? Who knows.Etude House Color in Liquid Lips in #PK009 Pink in Monster
My favorite from this swap! Such a gorgeous color, and it smells a lot like jelly! Not gonna lie, I didn't know what to expect because I don't usually go for colors like this (I tend to stick to reds, oranges, and corals), but it was so pretty. I haven't worn this outside yet, but since summer is over I think this would look nice to counter the dreariness of the coming rainy season!Etude House Sugar Tint Balm in #08 Blackberry Jelly
Not my favorite, but this was the product I was most excited about. I like lip products with moisturizing properties, so a tinted balm is just perfect for me. The product itself is good and I like it a lot, but since it's a purple-y shade of pink, I don't think I'll get to wear it as much. This would have made a great everyday lip product for me if I had the coral or orange one instead, but the actual thing is around P500 in store, which is a price I'm not very willing to shell out. (ARITAUM has a similar product, the Water Sliding Tint, which is only ~P350 on eBay.)Rucy's Vanity Gleamy Matte Lipstick in Qute Pink
A matte pink lipstick. Very cute (qute?), but I'm really not a fan of matte lips or lipsticks in general..Maybelline Colorsensational Lip Polish in Glam 2
I don't know what to make of this product. It's a glossy tint..? Looks super cute on the lips, but it's sticky and a bit fussy to apply. I like products I can apply anywhere and anytime, which is why I prefer glossy tints, but this one is more gloss than tint, I think.Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm in Tease
Incidentally, I got this from a swap with the person who I got my Matte Balm in Mischievous from! Formula-wise I like Tease a lot more, but I prefer lighter and brighter orange colors, overall. Still a really cute color though—I wish I got this at the same time as Mischievous because this one would've been a much better choice for a fuss-free summer lip!Forever 21 Love & Beauty Lip Gloss Stain in Mauve
Like I mentioned previously, this was not from a swap, but from my mom. I don't normally go for mauvey colors so I was curious, but when I swatched it on my arm the vanilla (?) scent was SO overpowering that I really don't want to try it on my lips. Will probably give it to someone else.And that's it! I got a lot of things this time as well—most of it I'm really happy with, a few not so much. I'll probably put some of the things I'm not very happy with back up for swap, in case someone else is interested in them. The good thing is that even without paying much (or anything at all), I get to try all these products and find out more about the things that I like and don't like. Hopefully over time I'll be able to come up with a solid skincare and makeup arsenal that I'm genuinely happy with. For now, I guess I'll continue to try ALL the things! (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑
DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links. Clicking those links before you shop means that Chainyan.co receives a small commission, which helps to support the blog. Please see my full disclaimer for more information.