When good things come to a halt

14/09/16

This is not good bye. It really isn't.

Wished Chronicles is going on an extended hiatus. I've accomplished many things, whether it is in my short life or with WC, but ultimately, I have more things to accomplish that needs my full time and concentration. I have already said it before, but I never wanted WC to become something I absolutely have to do and burden myself with it, especially after I've done it all this time happily because I liked it and wanted to do it.
I'm so focused on my personal projects whether it is studies, future life prospects and work that I want to give my 100% into my projects/work/purposes. There are things I need to do and accomplish.
Trust me, If I do right, I'll come back with even better content. Hopefully.



I'll still be active on twitter and instagram, and I'll respond to any mail as well !



Until then, take care and good luck ;) #luckyone

Cosrx - Oil Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion

 

It's been a while ! That is the understatement of the year, and I won't beat around the bush. I talked about the coding issue in a few previous articles that's been bugging me and bringing me down, coding is my thing (or used to be) and even though I didn't code nor design this myself, the few issues with the pictures size, comments that have disappeared just completely discouraged me to say the least. Obviously, I've been busy as well, studies and personal projects filled up my time. If I have to be honest, I didn't even visit a blog nor did I went on my personal addiction the Asian Beauty reddit. Trust me that's saying a lot, when I'm dedicated to something I just do it earnestly. That's how I used to do with Wished Chronicles as well, and truth to be told, I still had articles prepared with pictures shot and edited. However, I've had issues with my mac and I didn't lose the pictures once but twice, even after I reshot and edited them. Buuuuuut , here I'm , I'm truly sorry for being a ghost, and here is the review of Cosrx' Oil Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion


The other understatement of the year must be that Cosrx is a brand I love. I really don't have anything to say against them, My routine consists of primarily their products, so much, that it became kind of ridiculous. However, when this lotion came out I was just down to testing it without any prior thought to it.


What the brand says

The omnipotent OIL-FREE Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion with Birch Sap for all your needs ! The omnipotent, all-in-one OIL-FREE Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion with Birch Sap is designed to hydrate with excellent spreadability to easily absorb into the skin for a smooth, silky finish. Perfectly designed for oily, dry, and sensitive skin, the OIL-FREE Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion improves skin reconstruction while repairing damaged skin to enhance the appearance of your skin tone and texture. Experience the magic for yourself today and make your skin concerns magically disappear ! (Wishtrend)


 

 Ingredients




Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/, Sodium Acryloyldimethyl, Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Lactate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Panthenol, Xanthan Gum, Ethyl Hexanediol, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil



Packaging



 The lotion is packaged as any other Cosrx bottle packaging just like the Snail essence, it comes in a 100 ml simple bottle with the product dispensed through a pump.



The product




 The lotion in itself has kind of a gel like consistency which is clear and has a refreshing feeling on the skin. On top of that, it has some kind of a citrus-y smell. I'm really sensitive to smells but somehow I don't mind this smell has it isn't overpowering.




My thoughts

If you look into the ingredient list, you'd see Sodium Hyaluronate being a part of it. For some months now I've been suspecting Hyaluronate for breaking my skin out into tiny barely visible bumps/closed comedones. I'm not sure yet, honestly, I don't even know if I can be sure but I've noticed that my all time favorite mask  -which is this blog's most-read article- has Hyaluronate as one of its core ingredient and I do break out in tiny bumps after using it. But truthfully, that mask is so good that I can't help myself from using it, the fact that I have 3 packets of it also doesn't help. 

I've still used this Cosrx Lotion despite my little predicament and putting that issue aside, it's a really good product to put in the start of your routine. It's refreshing, light and moisturizing enough to feel it, and would be a great product as a booster for the next products you would use in your routine. If you don't have one, a nice cream after using this lotion would be perfect. My dry/dehydrated skin in the winter times loved this product as much as it could. However, I won't grade it as a holy grail for obvious reasons, but also because I'm always looking for the perfect product and thinking about it, it didn't provide a tremendous change in my skin although it did provide the moisture it says it would. For that reason, you absolutely need to combine this product with other moisturizing products as this one serves more like a core base for other products to follow.

This product is perfect for :

For just about any skin types as it provides moisture and is a perfect product to add into a routine whether it is small or bigger like an Asian beauty routine could be. I didn't comment on the "oil free" statement -and title- of this product, but if you do have dry skin, finishing by a nice moisturizing oil like Argan Oil could be beneficial to your skin and helps as a locking product in your routine. 

Where to buy

This product is available at Wishtrend for 16$ : here
And to get the most out of your order, here are this months promo codes on Wishtrend :
  • 10% Coupon code (order +$50) : 16AF10OFF
  • Free Gift Coupon Code (order +$99) ONE Free [KLAIRS] Gentle Black sugar facial exfoliator with the code : SOFTSKINSECRET
  • Use code 033450111 to get instantly 5$ off of your first order by writing this code in the "friends invitation program" box in the registration form  

If you read this after the month of July 2016, you can check out the sidebar for the updated promo codes ! 



This product was kindly sent by Wishtrend for review purposed, all thoughts and opinion remain genuine, Read the full disclosure and review policy here


2015 Beauty Favorites

Today's a round up of my ultimate beauty favorites in 2015. I don't have a whole lot because I wanted to truly chose the products I used the most this past year and the ones I can't "live without".



NAILS



2015 was the year of soft pink and nude colors for my nails. I didn't wear much of my nail polishes displayed in my DIY Nail Polish Rack because as much as it's awesome, the racks are next to my windows and the sun doesn't play nice with polishes.
Most of my nail polishes became tacky and so, I went to Sephora and bought these two :

Chanel - Nail Colour 491 Rose Confidentiel 

This one might be my favorite Chanel nail polish, even more than the famous Rouge Noir from the brand. Rose Confidentiel compliments especially my skin color and stays on for days without chipping. If you have tan/brown/Indian skin, you might want to give this one a try. I guarantee it'll look good ! 

OPI - Tickle my France-y

Perfect nude for tan skin, it's not a warm undertone but neutral which is something I never go for as it doesn't particularly suit my skin tone but this one works. It might be because my hands are noticeably darker than the rest of my body and thus, less yellow and warm. Tickle My France-y is the perfect nude and go-with-everything color.

SKINCARE




A L'Orientale - Argan Oil 

Argan oil is a staple in my skincare routine, my skin is weirdly both dehydrated and dry at some times and I use this oil as a moisturizer/locking product at the end of my skincare routine.
Read this article to know why I love using Argan Oil : My favorite natural ingredients for beauty purposes 

OST - C20 Vitamin C Serum


If you've been reading my articles this past year, I've been raving and raving about this one over and over again. But this Vitamin C serum truly changed my skin for the best and I can only recommend it to everyone and anyone wiling to give this inexpensive and effective serum a try. 
Full Review : Here and Here for the new version.

Cosrx - Ultimate moisturizing Honey overnight mask


I know this product is described as a mask but I use it as a moisturizer day and night without fail. This product helped my skin tremendously and is now a holy grail in my routine. I'll do a review as soon as a I get my new jar because I love this so much that it's almost finished.
This mask can be used as a mask, a cream (as I do) or a wash-off mask as described here on Wishtrend.

Whamisa - Organic Flower Toner Deep Rich


Another holy grail in my routine, after reading Skin and Tonics raving review about this hydrating toner, I jumped on it in the hopes that it would help my disrupt skin barrier after a terrible try at chemical exfoliation. Needless to say, it did and amazingly well : This toner is watery, light and full of natural fermented ingredients (along with my fav Argan Oil) and provides the ultimate boost in moisture for your skin. 

Klairs - Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil


I've been using this oil all year long after failing with Banila Co's Clean It Zero. This Klairs has the decency of not breaking me out and removing my makeup at the first step of my double cleansing method (ie : oil cleansing first and foam cleansing/micellair water cleansing) to fully remove every trace of makeup off of my face.

Read the full review here


MAKE UP



MAC- All Fired Up

You can tell from the non-existent bullet but this lipstick was hands down my most worn lipstick in 2015. All Fired Up is part of MAC's retro matte collection a.k.a the ultra drying and stiff lipstick formula from MAC. It's my all time favorite shade from them (surpassing Viva Glam I, my teenage years love). I described and did a whole article about this article in My Top Two lipsticks for Tan and Indian Skin.

Dose of Colors - Kiss of Life

I instagramed how much I wanted the Dose of Colors liquid lipstick, I've wanted this shade for so long and the reason why I never got to get it was because it was hard to fork out 30€ for a liquid lipstick. As always, I needed a reason for this purchase and I got it as an early birthday gift from myself. I thought this shade would the perfect dupe/duplicate for Mac's All Fired up but it wasn't, I was bummed out but the color is beautiful.
I'll do a full article on all of my liquid lipsticks soon, so I'll talk more about this liquid lipstick then, but hey, if it is in my 2015 favorites.. you can guess whether I like it or not !

Giorgio Armani - Master Corrector - Peach

My under eye lover during all of this year. Armani is a luxury brand and I did have to fork out to get this corrector but I've wanted for a long time and I can say that this corrector is perfect for me. It's completely liquid (not creamy and thick like Mac's Studio Conceal and Correct Duo), lightweight, easy to blend and it doesn't crease on my undereyes ! In mac Mac corrector reviews, I talked about how it creased like cray but this Armani Master Corrector doesn't crease and is lightweight.
However, I believe there are only two shades a pinky one and this peach one. The peach shade is pretty light, if you're even slightly darker than me you won't be able to use this corrector. On days when I haven't slept much and when my dark circles are pretty prominent this corrector isn't enough and I end up using my MAC corrector instead.
TL:DR : Expensive but really amazing peach corrector, however, it wouldn't work for darker skin tone if you're darker than an NC40.

The Balm - Mary-Lou Manizer  Highlighter

A well-known highlighter from The Balm, a.k.a my 2015 self birthday gift, yes I do give myself beauty birthday gifts because as you may have guessed, it's my only way to justify some purchases. Mary-Lou Manizer is a pearly highlighter complimenting my skin tone. However, I must say that since the start of 2016, I've received the well-known and popular Champagne Pop from Becca x Jaclyn Hill and... Mary-Lou has a strong competitor !

Etude House - Play 101 Pencil in #49

I did a full on review on these pencils from Etude House, and this particular one was my ride or ride of 2015. I used it everyday without fail on my lower lash line to give it a little more definition, the dark brown shade looks more natural than a stark black pencil. On days when I didn't have the time or the strength to do my signature winged eyeliner, I smudged this pencil around the area of my upper lash line and it would look really good ! This pencil is easy, really easy to blend and thus, easy to use, it's not long lasting but it does a pretty good job for the price !

Full Review here

Swatches


Mary-Lou Manizer, Mac's All Fired Up, Dose of Colors - Kiss of Life, Etude House - 101 Pencil #49

TOOLS



Beauty Blender - Pro version (black)


In my March wishlist, I talked briefly about how I wanted this tool. Everyone knows what it is, everyone uses it but yet, I refrained myself from getting one for years. I've always thought that it wouldn't be worth 20 bucks and that It must be the same as my Kiko dupe I've had for a couple of years. On a whim, I decided to buy it and boy.. I was wrong ! This sponge is magical, someone could really tell me "I told you so" and I wouldn't say anything !
If you never tried this sponge and you use a dupe, I urge you to try this. If you want to blend in your concealer or the famous under eye highlight (I use a lighter concealer and the yellow shade of the Mac corrector on top) without any extra texture or cakyness, if you want it to make it look ultra natural, use this and you'll be amazed with the result. I never tried to use it to put on foundation because I'm pretty content with my Sigma F80 brush, but this Beauty Blender sponge is a must-have !

Spring Facial Hair Removal tool

I've had this for years and bought it really cheap for 1€ from a Chinese website. I use to remove my upper lip hair, it's easy almost painless and quick to do. Most often than not, I chicken out from threading that area, it's super painful with threading but this Asian tool is re-usable, easy and not gimicky ! Since then, Tweezerman are selling one as well, theirs is 20 bucks and Asian one is merely a dollar.. Choose what you want and try it !


Bonus : 2015 Music Favorites




After thinking about it.. I'll be also doing a 2015 Beauty Flops article, I've had some and I thought that it would be interesting, especially you were thinking on picking up these products !


Disclosure

Wished Chronicles is a PR friendly blog and contains affiliate links. All opinions expressed are genuine and purely my own.
Read the full disclosure and review policy here.