Marukai Haul

So I went into the Marukai Value+ store a few weeks ago thinking that I'd go in to buy a new eyebrow pencil and I ended up walking out with a few other goodies. I really didn't anticipate spending so much time there, but they have just redone their store and now have a ton of skincare and makeup for sale. Also, it seems they've done away with their $1.50 lashes because I couldn't find any. Marukai was one of the few places that had quality lashes for cheap. Guess I'll have to go to Daiso for that now.

Of course the first thing I went for was the makeup! I did get my K-Palette brow pencil, but I also grabbed a Dolly Wink eye pencil and a D.U.P mascara. I haven't opened the mascara yet, but the main reason why I bought it was because it contains little fibers that help your lashes look longer and voluminous. I think it's also a tubing mascara, which is my favorite formula.

The Dolly Wink Pencil Eyecolor is a sort of champagne color. It's really soft, but once it sets, it's pretty difficult to rub off. This pencil is primarily used on the lower lash line to achieve that eyebag effect that seems to be the trend in Asia. I've used it on the inner corner of my eyes and the waterline. Personally, I prefer using this on the waterline over peach/nude liners. It adds some umph and it lasts longer. I've noticed with the nude liners, it fades just after an hour or so.

The K-Palette Lasting Eyebrow pencil in Grayish Brown has quickly become one of my favorite brow pencils. Though the pencil looks like it is straight up gray, it is actually a nice ashy brown. It's perfect for when I want to have more natural looking brows. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a neutral eyebrow pencil.

I also got myself a couple of masks. I'm never this adventurous when it comes to skincare, but they were only $1.50 each so it was pretty hard to resist. I picked up whatever looked interesting to me. The woman at the register told me that the Pure Smile under eye masks were really good, so if they live up to the hype then I'll make sure to purchase a few more packs. Below are the ingredient lists for the 3 masks.

Pure Smile Under Eye Mask Ingredient List

Girls' Day Brightening Day Sheet Mask Ingredient List

Pure Smile Essence Sheet Mask Ingredient List

It seems like the big trend in skincare in Asia is skin brightening, along with anti-aging of course. I noticed when I was shopping around for different masks I noticed that a lot of them had ingredients like arbutin and the Girls' Day sheet mask contains colloidal platinum, both of which help with skin brightening. Also, collagen and hyaluronic acid are two of the biggest main ingredients in all of the skincare products I saw. I used the Pure Smile Sheet Mask the other day and I can definitely say it's a nice treat for the skin. I don't see it having long-term effects, but if used weekly, I think it can help with keeping the skin soft and looking more youthful. I didn't have any allergic reactions to it either, which is always a plus.

The Keanacy Pore Care Massage Gel Pack is an interesting product to say the least. I used it once to test out on my nose and it was quite an experience. I followed the directions on the packaging and was in for quite a surprise. First of all, I thought the gel would harden but it actually thinned out the more I massaged it in. The big shock for me was that when I started rubbing the product onto my nose, it immediately warmed up and I felt like my nose was on fire. It wasn't a stinging burning; it just felt incredibly hot. It didn't last long though, maybe 15 seconds at the most. I massaged the gel in for another minute or so and washed it off.

I didn't see immediate effects, but I did notice that after a couple of hours, some of my blackheads had dried up and I had rubbed some of them off when I was scratching my nose. I didn't have any allergic reaction to it and I do plan on using it again to see if it can make a bigger difference.

I'm currently obsessed with Asian make-up and skincare, so you might start seeing more Korean and Japanese products being featured here on my blog.