Pure Smile Japanese Masquerade Sheet Masks Review

Pure Smile Japanese Art Face Mask
Price: $5.70 - $7.22 USD/ pc (Amazon)

Blogsters' Rating: 3.5/5

Packaging

I got 2 different masquerade sheet masks as a gift from my family (Green Dot and Pink Flower). They both have beautiful packaging and lovely artwork that illustrate the design of the actual mask. Although this product is mainy written in Japanese, It is made in Korea. 

Serum
One package contains 27ml of serum and contains Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin E. Sure enough there is a lot of serum left over in the package once you take out the sheet mask. 

Scent

It is advertised to have a rose scent and sure enough, once you open the packaging, you can immediately smell a strong floral scent.  Although I am quite sensitive to cosmetic products with a strong scent, this particular one was not overwhelming or unpleasant for me although I would not recommended it to people who are sensitive to scented cosmetic products since the the mask has to be on the face for 15-20 minutes. The scent lingers after you remove the sheet mask as well unless you rinse off the serum afterwards.

Fit

A beautiful and elegant design on the sheet mask nonetheless but I found the material of the sheet mask a little thick so it does not cling to the skin as nicely as other thinner sheet masks. You would notice that as the serum is being absorbed by the skin / evaporates, the mask warps and create air pockets between the skin and the sheet. To avoid this from happening, you can apply the left over serum onto the mask and smooth it out over the skin once you feel like the mask is drying.  

After Use

I left the mask on my face for 20 minutes and skin definitely felt moisturized and gave off a healthy glow. Although I have to say that it left my skin a little sticky so I had to rinse off some of the residue. The texture of the mask also left an imprint on my cheeks but it went away after a few minutes.  

Be sure to check out more of our beauty product experiences by clicking the Beauty Tab on the top of this page. For more fun cosmetic product review, please stay tuned and check back more for! Thanks for joining us today!   

Much Love, 

Joyce

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Blogsters in Korea | Beesket D.I.Y Juice

Beesket 

[Naturally.Expressive.Juice]

Location: 281, Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park, Seoul 

(3 other locations in Seoul) 

Access : Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station Exit 1 

Price : 5400 - 6500 WON ( ~ 6 CAD) 

Blogsters' Rating : 4/5

Hello Everyone! Today Blogsters bring you to Seoul Korea for a unique DIY juice experience. Located inside DDP's market section, beesket is part of a food court along with other bakery and tea shops. The vibrant colors and bee hive motifs in this juice shop are hard to miss!

  At beesket you get to create your own juice flavor. First off, there are 2 types of juice to choose from- Regular (pink plastic beesket) which is a juice with all the pulp blended in and Squeezed (green plastic beesket) which is pure juice and has no pulp. With around 30 fruits and veggies to choose from, choosing only 3 is definitely not easy. [According to beesket's website they have 92!] To make your decision easier, calorie and nutritional information is provided for each flavor at the capsule station. 

Beesket's instructions to create your own 100% natural juice.

And voila! ice cold drinks on a hot summer day.  The regular juice with pulp was ice cold with a thick texture and came in cups while the pulp free one was room temperature and came in a bottle. The drinks were not overly sweet or diluted so we know that there weren't any additives. The sweetness of each drink really depended on the fruits you pick. The banana + dragon fruit + oriental melon was the sweetest drink we created given that the fruits all have a high sugar content. It was also the thickest and most filling juice of the 3 thus has a higher calorie count.  

If you're like me and have decidophobia, you can go for 'Today's Beesket' which is the daily special. After all, nothing can go wrong with an official recommendation right? 

Each drink comes with a little slip that contains nutritional information and all the goodies in the juice. It's also a score card where you can rate and comment on your creation. Most people fill them out and post them on the D.I.Y station of the juice bar to help out future customers . 

The customized juice experience at beesket was fun and I will for sure return to beesket the next time I visit Seoul! Stay tuned for more Korean adventures! 

- Joyce 

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FACEShop Olive Essential Toner

FACEShop Olive Essential Toner
Price: $12 CAD

Blogsters' Rating: 4/5

Today we bring to you one of our favourite toner from the Korean Makeup/ skincare brand- Faceshop. Traditionally, toner is used to neutralize PH level on the face and shrink the appearance of pores but Japanese/ Korean toners also moisturize. The Olive Essential Toner is one of the most moisturizing toner I've ever used and has become a staple in my skincare routine.

Texture/ Colour

It is translucent white in colour with a thick texture that is heavier than most other toner I've used. However, it glides on the skin very smoothly. After the product has been absorbed, the skin doesn't feel sticky or greasy yet feels clean and moisturized. 

Moisture

Usually toner is the first step of my skincare routine after washing my face. So it is the closest layer to the skin and helps lock in moisture. 

Application 

Aside from applying the essential toner to a fresh clean face, I also like to add a drop to my CC cream / foundation and mixing it in before applying it to my face. I find that the product would stick on the skin better and blends smoother. It also gives you a nice healthy, moisturize glow and streak-free guaranteed!  

I guess the only downside to this toner is that it contains alcohol. For those of you who use ionic facial machines (ie. Hada Crie) like myself, this is unfortunately not a suitable product for it.

I would probably purchase this product again for its moisturizing properties. 

If you like FACEShop, also check out my review on FACEShop White Seed Exfoliating Foam Cleanser.

Stay tuned for more skincare product reviews and feel free to drop us a few lines with any suggestions or what you want to see on Blogsters Beauty! Cheers~

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Late Night Hangout at HanBaTang

Hanbatang

Location: 4862 Yonge Street, North York

Access: Along TTC bus route, Subway (Shepherd and Yonge Station), Paid parking available

Price: $15-$30

Blogsters' Rating: 4/5

HanBaTang meaning one full round is a Korean fusion restaurant & bar located at Yonge and Shepherd. On a busy Friday night around 10pm, we waited around 15 minutes for a table for 2.

I really like the interior of this rustic looking bar.

Strawberry Inception

Grey goose, strawberry soju, yogurt
Very fruity drink well- balanced with yogurt and vodka. Not overly sweet or sour which makes it just right.

Peach Beach

Gin, soju, peach liquer

This was a very summery slush with a sweet fruity aroma. However, it was a little too sweet for me.

Sweet Potato Fries with Cauliflower Dip
This was our favorite dish at HanBaTang! the sweet potato chips were freshly fried and oh so crispy while the dip was rich and creamy. The chips were sweet and the dip was savory which balanced each other out very well. I really like how they heat the dip with a tealight underneath as if it were a fondue so that the cheese doesn't curd or dry up when it gets cold.  

Black Calamari

Grilled calamari with black bean sauce tasted like a very typical Chinese stir fry dish.

However it was cooked just right, not too dry and have a soft chewy texture. Nonetheless a wonderful snack to pair with drinks.

Spicy Pork Taco

Consists of spicy pork, onion, lettuce, parsley. It wasn't too spicy, just the right level of spiciness for me. The portion was rather small and I found that there was too much raw onion which overpowered the flavor of everything else.

HanBaTang is definitely a great late night hangout if you want to grab a drink or two with friends along with some delicious Korean Tapas. Definitely the perfect atmosphere for a Friday night out.

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The Princess BB Cushion - Etude House Precious Mineral Moist Any Cushion

Etude House Precious Mineral Moist Any Cushion

Price: $21.60 USD

Blogsters' Rating: 3.5/5


Hi Blogstees!!

After two months of trying out this product, I finally felt like I'm ready to write a review on this product.  The Precious Mineral Moist Any Cushion is one of Etude House's best selling BB cushion.  I have heard a lot of good reviews about Etude House's BB cushion in general and decided to check it out myself.  I got mine off of Etude House website for $21.60 USD, in Natural Beige.



What it does?
The main feature of this product is the ability to retain moisture on your skin.  It contains 26.7% of Baobab water and 4 times more Hyaluronic Acid than other cushions for intensive and long lasting, all day hydration.  It also creates a transparent layer on your skin to enhance the glossy finish.  Etude House claims this BB cushion to be the 6-in-1 Almighty Cream Foundation Cushion as it moisturizes, whitens, anti-wrinkle, UV protection (SPF 50+ / PA+++), tone correcting, and glossy effect.

I did a Before & After picture on my wrist.  As you can see my veins are less noticeable after applying one layer of the BB cushion.  I would say it has a medium coverage and can definitely build up to a full coverage.  It also evens out my skin tone, and gives me a brighter and smoother finish.  The scent of this product is very strong, so it might not be great for those who have sensitive skin.  But it is a nice scent and you can smell the scent through out the day.  The only down side of this BB cushion is that the formula tends to be on the dryer side, even though it claims to be moisturizing and hydrating.  If my skin is not properly hydrated with a moisturizer before applying this BB cushion, it tends to cake around the nose and chin area.  I feel like this product would work better for those who have normal to oily skin.  It is a definite no-go for people who have dry skin.  Nonetheless, besides having a dry formula I would say this BB cushion is decent.  It does most of what it claims.  With its affordable price, it is a good alternatives to other higher end BB creams.

Love,
Janet xoxo

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MOUTH ON FIRE!! Korean Fried Chicken @ Home of Hot Taste

Home of Hot Taste

Location: 5 Glen Cameron Road, Unit 3B (Yonge & Clark ave.)

Access: Along YRT bus route, parking available

Price:  Average $12-15 per person

Blogsters' Rating: 5/5

Home of Hot Taste is located in uptown Toronto (north of Steeles), and hands down they have the best KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) in town.  Initially, we went there out of curiosity and comments that others have made about this restaurant, but after the first visit, we know Home of Hot Taste will become one of our go to restaurants.  

Here are a few shots of their menu.  Besides fried chicken, they also offer soup and other snacks like ddukbokki, Japanese pancakes, and deep fried pork cutlet with fries.

There are three levels of spiciness.   Since it was our first time here, we didn't know what to expect.  But knowing that Koreans have a higher tolerance of spicy food, their level one Spicy Fried Chicken should be good enough for us.

Cubicles are available at Home of Hot Taste, they are great for small parties of 2-4 people, as you get a sense of privacy.  Keep in mind, cubicles are usually filled up first, so make sure you go there early to grab those seats.

Pickled radish and lettuce are provided to ease the spicy food.

ATTENTION!  The Fish Cake Soup looks nothing like the picture in the menu.  The reason why we order the Fish Cake Soup was because the picture in the menu looked very appetizing, but turned out it is very ordinary.  Any one can make this easily at home.

 We were hesitant to order the Spicy Ddokbokki because their spiciness level was classified as level three.  Luckily, the server said they would reduce the spiciness for us and we were very happy with it.  The ddokbokki was still very spicy, but we quite enjoy it.  Strong garlic taste with a tad of sweetness. Also, the rice cakes were chewy, yet not tough.

TADAA!  Fried Spicy Chicken!  It was the hottest chicken wings we have ever had in our entire life!  Even though it is very spicy, but it is very delicious and you just keep wanting to have more.  Besides spiciness you can also taste a little bit of sweetness.  It helps a little with balancing out the spiciness of the wings.  This level one Spicy Fried Chicken is already at the top of our line, we can only imagine eating the level three Blazing Fried Chicken. *sweat*

We would say the Oyster Kimchi Fried Rice was the highlight of the night.  It was filled with all the flavours you can possibly imagine - sweet, sour, spicy, and salty.   You don't often get to experience all these flavours in just a single spoonful of rice.  It was the best kimchi fried rice we had so far in Toronto.  Can't wait to go back and have more!! =9

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Perfect Photoshop Skin - Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur

Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur SPA15/PA+

Price: $15 USD / 35g

Blogsters' Rating: 5/5

What is it?

Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur is a face primer, that transform your face into a flawless and smooth canvas.  It contains Baby Pixel Powder (super fine particles), which fills in the pores and fine lines.  The natural whitening compound in this product brightens your complexion and cover imperfections flawlessly.

As you can see in the before and after picture.  My wrist look significantly brighter and smoother after the application.  I also noticed that my skin is very soft and the product is not greasy at all.  It has a strong floral scent, which might be irritating for some people.  The primer also reduced the colour of my veins.  I would say the coverage is light to medium.   You can definitely wear this primer alone, and not have to put on foundation as it already contain SPF (which is always a plus).  The Baby Pixel Power adds a shine to your skin, and provides a natural "growing" healthy look.  Sometimes I add another layer onto the high points of my face (i.e. nose bridge, cheekbones, forehead and chin) for highlighting purposes.

I have tried many high end face primers before (such as Make Up Forever, Smashbox, etc..), but none of them have the effect that this primer has given me.  Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur is by far my favourite face primer for the fraction of the cost.  Available on Etude House website for only $15/35g - it is a very good deal.  It does everything it claims, if not more.  I would repurchase this product for sure and recommend it to others.

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Jihyo's Foundation - Jenny House 제니하우스 Perfect Skin One Shot Cover Stick Foundation

Jenny House Perfect Skin One Shot Cover Stick Foundation aka Jihyo's Foundation

Price: ₩38,2500 (~ $40CAD) / 12.5g 

Blogsters' Rating: 5/5

Anyone who wants the flawless, glowy, natural skin that all Korean female stars have must purchase this product!  The Perfect Skin One Shot Cover Stick Foundation is introduced by Jenny House - one of the top beauty salon in South Korea.  The Perfect Skin One Shot Cover Stick Foundation is available for purchase on their website for ₩38,2500, click here for more information.

Jenny House Perfect Skin Foundation Stick is a 3 in 1 product - foundation, sun screen, and serum.  As you can see from the picture above, the outer rim is the foundation, and the inner white circle is the sun screen and serum.  This foundation contains, Vitamin C, Water Lily Flower extract, Avocado, and Acetyl Hexapeptide.  It claims to whiten your skin, minimize wrinkles, and increase the elasticity of your skin over time.  The foundation stick also comes with a slanted brush on the other end.  The brush is very dense and soft.  It is designed to have a 30 degree angle for easy application around the nose and other hard to reach areas.  This foundation stick should give you the most flawless, natural skin look that you will ever achieve with any other foundation, hence the name "Perfect Skin".

I love the little pink bow on the lid, it makes the whole packaging very cute and girly.    The brush head can be remove easily for cleaning, which is very important to me personally as I have sensitive skin, so I would like to clean my makeup brush as often as I could.  Refills are also available for this foundation stick.   However, like most of the BB cream and CC cream, this foundation stick also only comes in two different shades - No. 21 Light Beige and No. 23 Natural Beige.

I would say this foundation stick has a medium coverage but you can definitely build up on that.  It is very moist and light weight, it doesn't feel like I'm wearing anything with this foundation on.  The serum within the foundation does help a lot in achieving the flawless, glowy, natural look that all female Korean artists have.  Overall, I love this product and will definitely purchase again.

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Eating Live Octopus at Gonoe!

Gonoe Japanese Sushi

Location: 5 Glen Cameron Road, Thornhill

Access: Along YRT, Viva and TTC bus route, public parking available

Price: $15-$30

Blogsters' Rating: 4/5

Gonoe is located in a plaza among many other Asian restaurants and marketplace. Owned and Operated by Korean, Gonoe serves Japanese cuisine along with several Korean dishes.

As this restaurant is so popular, it is always packed. We went on a weekend and could not make a reservation and waited around 45 minutes for a table for 5.  

Tempura Appetizer

The assorted tempura appetizer includes your typical shrimps and vegetables like cucumber, sweet potato. It is deep fried to perfection with a very well done crispy breaded coating. The only complain would be that the shrimp was not fresh. 

Side Dishes

Like your typical Korean restaurant, Gonoe serves a few side dishes. We got kimchi, japchae (glass noodles), broccoli and pickled radish. Something to clear the palette between different dishes. We also each got a salad as a starter.  

Grilled Black Cod

One of our favorite hot dishes of the night. Accompanied by a lot of vegetables and a bowl of rice. The black cod was flavored perfectly with a very smooth and soft texture by the well preserved oil from the fish itself. The natural oil of the fish makes it very moist.

 

Flounder Sashimi (Small)

Served beautifully on a bed of shaved radish with an assorted variety of leafy vegetables, the flounder sashimi is one of the most popular dishes at Gonoe. There are a few different ways to eat the flounder sashimi, you can either eat it dipped in your typical soy sauce and wasabi or wrapped in lettuce with miso paste, garlic slices and jalapeno. We found the flounder sashimi to be a little chewy because of its tendons so it was rather difficult to eat as a wrap. Although we only ordered a small platter, it was quite a large portion and we got bored of eating it after a while. So it's best if you order it with more people. It was nonetheless very fresh and tender but not our favorite dish and probably won't order it again. 

 

Live Octopus Sashimi

The highlight of our night of course was the octopus sashimi. This has got to be the freshest yet most challenging way to eat an octopus - while it's "alive" and moving. With this dish, we are mainly eating the tentacles, it is served diced up on a small plate with dipping sauce that contains sea salt and sesame oil. While the octopus itself doesn't have much taste to it, the dipping sauce gave it a light salty flavor that brought out the sweetness of the fresh octopus. It also has a very unique chewy texture that is softer than its cooked version. It might seem slimy and disgusting to some people but it doesn't actually feel that way once it's inside your mouth. Do be careful though to chew thoroughly or the tentacles might get stuck in your throat with their suction cups!  

 

Assorted Sushi and Sashimi Boat (Medium)

Filled with freshness from the sea, this boat consists of a good mix of sashimi, sushi and rolls including Salmon, Tuna, Snapper, Surf Clam, Octopus, Hiring, BC Tuna and Hamachi, Eel, Shrimp, California Roll, Dynamite Roll . The sashimi is very fresh to taste and have beautiful colors and evenly distributed fat.     

We had quite a lot of fun eating at Gonoe. Although the wait was a bit long, we enjoyed the food very much, which made the wait worthwhile. We highly recommend you to go try out this restaurant if you happen to be in Toronto! It's one of the few places that serve quality live octopus and fresh sashimi. We hope you enjoy your time at Gonoe as much as we did!

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