Dear Amore Pacific

I know that you visit this blog with surprising regularity, so today I'm going to tell you what I, and hundreds of other fans of your products, think.

So, listen carefully.

The word on the street, or rather, on Instagram is that you already released two new cushions:

• Iope Air Cushion Matte Finish

and

• Iope Air Cushion Intense Cover

Here's proof (courtesy of Agathblog):

source: Aritaum Magazine (March-April 2015)


That is very nice, and I am very happy for you.
It's great that you listened to your customers who wanted more coverage and who are not into Korean glow. That shows you are serious about expanding your business overseas. Why do I think so? It's no surprise to anyone that it's primarily Western women who adore matte finishes and love their heavy spackle.

I'm glad you listened to them and prepared products that will make them happy.
And as soon as I can get my hands on them, I will try them, too. Don't worry, my brutally honest opinion will appear here on the blog, as always.


OK, so it's clear you want to expand overseas, increase your sales in foreign countries and win new fans abroad.

So, I've prepared a few hints to make this process a bit easier for you.

1. Increase your color range.

Us, foreign folks, come in all shades and skin tones.
21 and 23 aren't gonna cut it.

Oh, wait! There's also a mythical shade number 13 (light vanilla), that is impossible to get anywhere outside of Korea.

source: iope.co.kr

It seems to exist primarily on your website, because the few places online that supposedly stock it, do not ship abroad. And the stores that ship abroad deny its existence, even when faced with direct evidence on your website.

It's nice that you thought, well sort of, about lighter skinned people.
Though guess what?
Some of us are even lighter.
N13 is not going to be light enough.

And what about our sisters (and brothers!!!) from other mothers???
There are dark skinned people in the world, too. Plenty of them, in fact. And this shouldn't be news to you, but in case it is - they also use makeup!

Being from Korea, you should be well aware of this fact. And if you're not, just take a look at the American servicemen and women stationed in your country.

You want to expand your sales abroad?
Then remember that them foreign folks come in all shades, from super very light (like me), to dark (like this fabulous cushion lover).

2. Provide ingredient lists in English on ALL products for ALL markets.

I always thought that this one should be obvious, and that only Japanese companies (like SK-II and Shiseido) are that dumb.
Apparently, I was wrong.
You are not exactly the sharpest one of the bunch either, from a foreign consumer's point of view.

You put leaflets in your products with explanations in English, because we, dumb foreign folk, have never seen a cushion compact and thus need instructions how to use it in a language we can understand. Fair enough.

But if you are going to go that far, why not provide INCI as well?

Oh, and while we're at it, there's no mention on there of your mystical N13 and C13 shades?
The production date on the cushion this leaflet came from is listed as December 8, 2014.
So when exactly did this number 13 appear?


Anyway, back to the INCI subject...

I know that some of your brands provide ingredient lists in English in some markets. But why not in all? So if you can print it in English on a Laneige cushion intended for Singapore, or the US, why not for Korea as well?
What are we, in other countries? Chopped liver?
Do you honestly think that only Koreans shop in Korea? Really? Seriously?

Then you should definitely get out more. Take a walk in Myeongdong and see for yourself.

The irony of it is that your cheap brand - Etude House prints ingredient lists in English on their mass market products. Yet your higher end brands don't do that.

Or is this your secret plan for world domination by forcing the barbarian foreign hordes to learn hangul?
Some fans of Korean cosmetics do just that. But the rest of us actually have a life outside of K-beauty.

So, one leaflet, bilingual in Korean and English (yeah, add Chinese in there as well, I know you have to), with full ingredient lists in both languages, please.
You do that, and your sales will increase.
Why? Because there are plenty of women out there that would like to try a Korean cushion, but are afraid to try, because they don't know what's in it. And they are convinced by equally hangul-deficient "experts" out there that Korean cosmetics are dangerous.

If you don't have enough qualified staffers to translate ingredient lists, I can recommend this lady. She does a tremendous service to the K-beauty blogging community. If she can do it, surely a huge corporation like Amore Pacific should be able to, as well.

3. Use uniform color names across all markets.

This one should also be a no-brainer.
But apparently, not to you.
Why, oh why on earth do you change the cushion color names in the US?
You have no idea how much that hurts you.


And finally...

4. Offer the same colors worldwide.

It seems that you are indeed aware that darker skinned people do exist in the US, so you sell darker cushions there. And rightly so.
But guess what???
There are plenty of lighter people in the US, as well. Some are a lot lighter than you may think. It seems you are still stuck in the typical Asian way of thinking that Western women like to tan. Yeah, a lot of them do. But a lot of them don't. And a lot of them are naturally very pale. Very, very pale.
What about us?

I love cushions, but frankly, I'm stuck wearing turtlenecks on days when I want to use cushion makeup.
Offer us a variety of colors worldwide, and your sales will soar.
You won't have to worry about the next western brand releasing a cushion product, because you will be better.

5. Now, go and do it, for chrissakes!  

(And I shall be looking for this pink unicorn of yours. I mean for the N13 cushion.)

O Hui The First Cell Revolution Source, Soft Cream and Eye Cream

I don't know what it is with Korean skincare brands that makes them want to be "first" and "the first".
Is this some intricate plot involving subliminal messages?
There's Missha First Treatment Essence, which aspires to be a dupe for SK-II's Treatment Essence, and which is, at least in my personal opinion, probably the most overpriced, worthless piece of kaka I've put on my face. And it rewarded me with zitness galore.
With SK-II you pay for a fancy name and can expect, at the very least, some sort of a placebo effect.
And with Missha? You don't even get what you pay for. (Some bloggers claim that the two are "identical", which is a bunch of baloney, because their ingredients are quite different).
And no, regardless of what you may think, Missha is not fancy.

And then you have O Hui (or Ohui) The First Cell Revolution.
Ohui is fancy, alright. And it's not just any old "first", either.
It's THE First.
Cell Revolution.

Nie wiem dlaczego koreanskie marki kosmetyczne tak bardzo uwielbiaja slowo "first", albo nawet "the first". Pierwszy i najpierwszy. Czy to ich sposob na wysylanie tajnych sygnalow bezposrednio do naszej podswiadomosci?
No bo jest Missha First Treatment Essence, ktora stara sie byc zamiennikiem dla SK-II Treatment Essence, a ktora, niestety, przynajmniej wedlug mojej opinii, jest niczym specjalnym o wygorowanej cenie. Dostalam od niej w prezencie wysyp syfow.
Przy SK-II placi sie za luksusowa nazwe i mozna oczekiwac przynajmniej luksusowego efektu placebo. A z Missha? Missha nie jest luksusowa marka, choc wiem, ze wiele polskich blogerek ja za taka uwaza. Wiele blogerek, polskich i niepolskich, rowniez uwaza, ze esencja Misshy jest identyczna do esencji SK-II. To oczywscie bzdura, bo ich sklady znacznie sie roznia.

No i mamy jeszcze O Hui (lub Ohui, jak niektorzy wola) The First Cell Revolution.
O Hui jest luksusowy, nie ma watpliwosci. I nie jest tez byle jakim "pierwszym", ale luksusowo "najpierwszym".
Najpierwsza rewolucja komorkowa.

O Hui. What a beautiful name. It makes me smile every time. If you speak Polish, you know why. If you don't speak Polish, hmmm... imagine that a name of a high-end cosmetic brand is a homophone of a slang term for a certain part of male anatomy. Yep, you got it. That's O Hui!

O Hui. Co za piekna nazwa. Zawsze wywoluje usmiech na mej pieknej twarzy. Jesli mowisz po polsku, to wiesz dlaczego.

On the LG website (because O Hui is one of the many skincare brands from LG Home and Health Care) you can read that:

Ohui is a premium cosmetic brand that promotes the beauty of modern people by bringing together the principles of the cosmos and nature and modern science and technology.

Don't worry, I don't know either. That cosmos throws me off and my mind gets lost in space.
But hey, even lost in space, I'll be beautiful as long as I have some O Hui with me, right?

Anyway, where was I?
Back here on earth, we don't need cosmic skincare. We just want skincare that works.

So, how did this Ohui (O Hui?) The First work? And did it work at all?

Long story...

Na stronie LG (bo O Hui nalezy do stajni LG Home and Health Care, tak samo jak su:m37º i wiele innych marek), mozna przeczytac (mniej wiecej) to:

Ohui to ekskluzywna marka kosmetyczna, ktora promuje piekno nowoczesnych ludzi przez polaczenie regul (praw, skladnikow, whatever) kosmosu, natury oraz nowoczesnej wiedzy i technologii.

Noooo... ja tez nie mam pojecia. Ten kosmos zbija mnie z tropu za kazdym razem.

Ale tutaj na ziemi, kosmiczna pielegnacja nie jest mi potrzebna. Ja bede zadowolona z pielegnacji, ktora dziala na mojej bardzo nowoczesnej, ale niezbyt pieknej, twarzy.

Wiec jak sie tutaj nasz O Hujowy bohater sprawdzil? I czy w ogole sie sprawdzil?

To dluga historia...

The series was highly recommended to me by multiple fans of Korean beauty. 

O Hui The First Cell Revolution Eye Cream, enriched with recombinant Human Stem Cell Protein (rHSCP), was supposed to perform miracles equal to, if not better than, su:m37º Flawless Regenerating Eye Cream (review here).


Ta seria byla mi polecana przez wiele fanek koreanskich kosmetykow.

O Hui The First Cell Revolution Eye Cream (krem pod oczy), zawierajacy recombinant Human Stem Cell Protein (rekombinowane bialko ludzkich komorek macierzystych? nie mam pojecia jak to po polskiemu), czyli rHSCP, mialo czynic cuda na miare su:m37º Flawless Regenerating Eye Cream (recenzja tutaj).

O Hui The First Cell Revolution Source claims to contain 90.3% of Cell Source™, a fancy stem cell medium developed by LG for The First line. It was supposed to do everything but the dishes, but mainly improve my skin's look and texture in just 4 weeks.

O Hui The First Cell Revolution Source (co to za glupia nazwa!) ponoc zawiera 90.3% Cell Source™, magicznego medium komorek macierzystych, specjalnie wyczarowanego przez LG na potrzeby linii The First.

O Hui The First Cell Revolution Source ma robic niemal wszystko oprocz dostarczania przyjemnosci seksualnych, ale przede wszystkim ma poprawic wyglad i teksture (?) cery w ciagu 4 tygodni.

And the new and improved O Hui The First Cell Revolution Cream Soft, packed with FGF (fibroblast growth factor), EGF (epidermal growth factor) and synthetic Human Stem Cell Protein (sh-SCP) was supposed to increase skin regeneration process and make me look younger. Hopefully, a lot younger.

Now, those were some mighty claims up there. With a mighty price tag to match.

A nowy i ulepszony O Hui The First Cell Revolution Cream Soft, pelen cudow typu FGF (czynniki wzrostu fibroblastow), EGF (czynniki wzrostu naskorka? epidermy?, szlag mnie trafia szukajac polskich odpowiednikow tej terminologii), oraz syntetyczne bialko ludzkich komorek macierzystych (???) czyli sh-SCP, mial wspomoc procesy regeneracji skory i sprawic, ze bede wygladac mlodziej. Najlepiej duzo mlodziej.

~~~

I heard so much good about The First Cell Revolution that it sat at the very top of my shopping list when I visited Korea last year. So much good, that instead of trying samples first, I just went and bought a whole sent. Sight unseen.
Even the O Hui counter lady was surprised. I marched up, pointed at the line, and said "one of each, please."
To her credit, she tried to steer me away from individual products, and suggested a boxed set, instead.
I vaguely remembered her mentioning words such as "new formula" and "improved", but they didn't ring any alarm bells.

Tyle sie nasluchalam o magii The First Cell Revolution, ze siedziala ona na samym czele mojej listy zakupowej podczas zeszlorocznej wizyty do Korei. Linia ta miala byc tak magiczna, ze nie bawilam sie w probki, ale po prostu podeszlam do stoiska O Hui w Lotte Department Store, pokazalam paluchem co chcialam, i powiedzialam "kazdego po jednym prosze".
O Hujowa pani byla w lekkim szoku, ale miala na tyle przytomnosci umyslu, ze starala sie mnie odwiesc od moich planowanych zakupow. W zamian zaproponowala zestaw w pudelku, o duzo bardziej okazyjnej cenie.
Cos tam pamietalam, kiedy w mieszance angielsko-japonskiej uzywala takich slow jak "nowa formula" i "ulepszone", ale bylam w takim transie zakupowym, ze zaden alarm w mozgu mi sie nie wlaczyl.

Once back home, I had to wait for a few months to finish other skincare products before I could start using it.
The expectation bar was set rather high.
At first I was convinced that the trifecta of O Hui The First Cell Revolution Source, Soft Cream and Eye Cream was doing its job. But the longer I used these products, the worse my skin was beginning to look. What was happening here? My skin, which had been so lovingly cared for by the exquisite su:m37 goodies, was becoming dull, tired and wrinkly again.


Kiedy dotarlam do domu, musialam poczekac kilka miesiecy zanim zaczelam uzywac O Hujowego zestawu.
Poprzeczka ustawiona byla dosyc wysoko.

Na poczatku bylam przekonana, ze trojca O Hui The First Cell Revolution Source i Soft Cream i Eye Cream robila co miala robic. Ale im dluzej uzywalam tych produktow, tym gorzej moja skora wygladala. Co sie dzialo, do jasnej anielki?
Moja cera, tak pieczolowicie wychuchana przez su:m37 zaczela wygladac na szara, bura, zmeczona i pomarszczona.

Oh yeah, The First moisturized. But that was all that it would do. With all its fancy recombinant human stem cells and mysterious proteins, all it could was moisturize. So so moisturize. Nothing that a cheap, drugstore moisturizer and lotion couldn't do.

Oddly enough, I wasn't even terribly disappointed. Somehow, deep down inside, I knew all along that it was going to end like that.



The First nawilzal. Ale wlasciwie to bylo jedyne co robil. Przy tych wszystkich komorkach macierzystych i innych cudach wiankach, jedyne na co bylo go stac to nawilzanie. I nawet nie porzadne nawilzanie, ale takie sobie, na odczep sie. Nic, czego tani moisturizer z drogerii nie potrafilby zrobic.

I najdziwniejsze, ze wcale nie bylam tym nawet specjalnie zaskoczona, lub rozczarowana. Bo, tak jakos, gdzies w glebi duszy (a raczej rozumu), dobrze wiedzialam od samego poczatku, ze tak sie ta o hujowa historia skonczy.

But at least the packaging was pretty.

Ale przynajmniej opakowania byly ladne.

~~~

Here are the ingredients (courtesy of Agathblog - thank you so much!):
Tutaj sklady, za ktore bardzo dziekuje Agathblog:


O Hui The First Cell Revolution Source (new version) ingredients:

Defined Cell Culture Media 7, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycereth-26, Panthenol, sh-Polypeptide-44, sh-Oligopeptide-16, sh-Polypeptide-46, sh-Polypeptide-6, sh-Polypeptide-25, sh-polypeptide-29, sh-Polypeptide-41, sh-Polypeptide-43, sh-Polypeptide-18, sh-Oligopeptide-10, sh-Polypeptide-1, sh-Oligopeptide-1, sh-Polypeptide-9, sh-Polypeptide-59, sh-Polypeptide-26, sh-Polypeptide-17, sh-Oligopeptide-14, sh-Polypeptide-8, sh-Polypeptide-8, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Peptide, Saccharomyces/Imperata Cylindrica Root Ferment Extract, Saccharomyces/Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Alanyl Glutamine, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Hydrogenated Lecithin, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-8 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Fragrance 

 O Hui The First Cell Revolution Eye Cream (new version) ingredients:

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, C14-22 Alcohols, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, PEG-100 Stearate, Poncirus Trifoliata Fruit Extract, Phytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Silica, Bees Wax, Dimethicone, Sorbitan Stearate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Cholesterol, Lecithin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Alcohol, RH-Oligopeptide-17, RH-Polypeptide-8, RH-Polypeptide-26, RH-Polypeptide-17, RH-Oligopeptide - 14, RH-Polypeptide-18, RH-Polypeptide-36, Hydrolyzed Algin, Glucosyl Hesperidin, Orchid Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phosphate Buffered Saline, RH-Oligopeptide-9, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Triethanolamine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Trisodium EDTA, Stearic Acid, Cholesteryl Hydroxystearate, Ceramide 3, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Fragrance, CI 19140, CI 15985, Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Limonene, Geraniol, Linalool

O Hui The First Cell Revolution Soft Cream (new version) ingredients:

Water, Butylene Glycol, Squalane, Glycerin, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Diheptyl Succinate, Panthenol, Cetearyl Olivate, Defined Cell Culture Media 7, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, PEG-60 Glyceryl Diisostearate, C14-22 Alcohols, Dimethicone, Tromethamine, Carbomer, Hydrogenated Lecithin, C14-28 Alkyl Acid, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, PEG-8 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Cetearyl Alcohol, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Polysorbate 60, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Xanthan Gum, Myristoyl Tetrapeptide-6, Behenyl Alcohol, Trisodium EDTA, Polysorbate 20, Oligopeptide-107 sh-Oligopeptide-1, Oligopeptide-107 sh-Polypeptide-7, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, sh-Oligopeptide-1, sh-Polypeptide-36, sh-Polypeptide-43, sh-Polypeptide-9, sh-Oligopeptide-16, sh-Polypeptide-1, sh-Polypeptide-44, sh-Oligopeptide-10, sh-Polypeptide-26, sh-Polypeptide-25, sh-Polypeptide-6, sh-Polypeptide-18, sh-Polypeptide-17, sh-Oligopeptide-14, sh-Polypeptide-59, sh-Polypeptide-46, sh-Polypeptide-29, sh-Polypeptide-41, sh-Polypeptide-8, Phenoxyethanol, CI 15985, CI 19140, Fragrance, Benzyl Alcohol, Citronellol, Limonene, Geraniol, Limonene

One not so special deal

There are many ways to piss off your loyal fans and customers. Here's one of them:

Jest wiele sposobow na to jak wkurzyc swoich lojalnych fanow i klientow. Tutaj jeden z nich:

(source - Cosmetic Love).

The screen shot came from Cosmetic Love, but Jolse is also running the same "event". In fact, I suspect that Jolse and Cosmetic Love are one and the same. But that's besides the point.

What is right on point is what A-True is doing. 
Pissing off the people who bought their cushion when it was just one cushion, zero refills. For the same price that now includes a refill.
Ha! Earlier this week this A-True cushion AND a refill could be had for twenty-something dollars.

I understand that this is business. I understand that A-True wants to stay competitive in the very crowded cushion marketplace. 
I also understand that nothing says "fark you" to your loyal customers as this new offer. 



Ten zrzut ekranu pochodzi ze strony Cosmetic Love. Ale Jolse ma ta sama "promocje" aktualnie w ofercie. Ogolnie, wydaje mi sie, ze Cosmetic Love i Jolse to siostrzane firmy. Ale nie to tym mialo dzisiaj byc.

Mialo byc o tym, co A-True w tej chwili robi.
A to co robi, to wkurza ludzi, ktorzy kupili ich poduszke, kiedy byla ona jeszcze tylko samotna poduszka, bez wkladow wymiennych. W tej samej cenie, za ktora dzisiaj mozemy kupic i poduszke i refill.
A wczesniej w tygodniu, Jolse i Cosmetic Love mialy mega promocje, gdzie i poduszka i refill razem kosztowaly jakies dwadziescia pare dolarow.

Ja rozumiem, ze taki jest biznes. Ja rozumiem, ze A-True chce byc konkurencyjne w obecnej zalewie poduszek na rynku.
Ale ja rowniez rozumiem, ze nic nie mowi lojalnym klientom "fack you" bardziej niz ta obecna promocja.


~~~

Well, A-True, if this is how you're gonna play it, guess what? It takes two to make a sale. And right now one of us is seriously thinking of taking her business elsewhere. 

Luckily for me (but not for A-True), other brands' refills fit into the A-True cushion compact. 

Well, A-True CC cushion, it was nice knowing you. Good luck!

And for the rest of you, this is a great cushion, now also with a refill, for a very decent price. 
'nuff said.

Good night!

Wiesz co, A-True, jesli chcesz sie tak bawic, to ja sobie odpuszcze. Bo takie zabawy nie dla mnie. Wole wydawac pieniadze na cos innego.

Na szczescie dla mnie, inne wklady rowniez pasuja do kompaktu poduszki A-True.
Milo bylo cie znac, A-True CC cushion. Powodzenia w przyszlosci.

A dla reszty z was - moje zdanie o tej poduszce sie nie zmienilo - nadal jest ona swietna. Teraz rowniez z wkladem w tej samej cenie.

Dobranoc!


PS. Bonusik dla czytelnikow po polsku.
Widze, ze pani autorka pilnie bloga czyta i ladnie streszcza :-)

Isa Knox X2D2 Essence UV Cushion EX (Velvet Cushion)

I'm fairly new to beauty blogging, but if there is one thing that I've learned during this very short time, it would be that foundation and bb cream swatches on blogs are as useless are two tits on a bull.

Seriously, a single swipe of whatever means nothing (yes, guilty as charged, I've been there and done that, too). A single swipe of whatever in a semi-dark photo with white balance gone to hell is even worse. A fully made up face that's been run through a bunch of filters also means nothing.

I don't know your skin tone. I can't guess your skin tone from the overexposed and heavily highlighted images. And in many cases, all your photos look exactly the same, no matter what you have on your face.
A foundation swatch without a side by side reference color of something we can easily find and compare to in real life is pretty much useless.

Jestem wciaz jeszcze kosmetyczno-blogowa swiezynka, ale jesli mialabym wymienic jedna rzecz, ktora mnie to kosmetyczne blogowanie nauczylo, to musialabym powiedziec, ze swatche podkladow i kremow bb na blogach sa tak uzyteczne jak dwa cycki na byku.

Serio, fotka myzniecia sie byle czym znaczy tyle co nic (tak, sama nie jestem bez winy, myzialam i robilam). Myzniecie sie byle czym w ciemnym zdjeciu z balansem bieli z kosmosu to jeszcze wieksza strata czasu. A cala wymalowana twarz, szczegolnie taka przeleciana przez kilka filtrow korygujacych, to juz zupelne kpiny.

Nie wiem jakie tony ma twoja cera. Nie potrafie odgadnac patrzac na rozjasnione zdjecia. Bo wszystkie twoje zdjecia wygladaja dokladnie tak samo, rozswietlone na maksa, bez wzgledu na to co masz na twarzy.

Wniosek? Swatche podkladow bez odnosnikow kolorystycznych do produktow, ktore sa latwo dostepne i latwe do porownania, mozna sobie o kant czterech liter obic.

~~~

Hold on, it all leads us to this:
Cierpliwosci, wszystkiemu winna ta poduszka:

This was the rant I got sometime around December from a frustrated reader who loved my cushion descriptions, but couldn't decide what shade to buy, because, as she said, all my swatches were crap.

They are still crap, but at least now I do double swipes next to MAC NC15 to give you a better idea of the true color of whatever it is that I am writing about. If you can't see it, then at least now you can imagine it.

Because how many times did you buy something online thinking the color would be a good match only to spit venom and piss cement when you opened the package? Was it too dark? Too yellow? Too pink? Too orange? Not dark enough? Not beige enough? Etc, etc...

We've all been there. Am I right? I'm right.

I found myself "there" last fall when I opened a package containing Isa Knox X2D2 Essence UV Cushion EX (aka Velvet Cushion) SPF50+ / PA+++ in shade 21 (light beige).

Taka litanie zarzutow dostalam w okolicach grudnia od jednej z czytelniczek. Powiedziala, ze lubi czytac moje opisy, ale nie wie, ktora poduszke kupic, bo wszystkie moje swatche to lajno.

Nadal sa do kitu, ale teraz przynajmniej staram sie rowniez myziac czyms dla porownania. Jesli obok jest MAC NC15, albo inny popularny podklad, to latwiej sobie wyobrazic jakiego koloru ma byc dana poduszka.

Bo ile razy zdarzylo ci sie kupic cos w internetach myslac, ze bedzie to dla ciebie idealny odcien. A potem byly gorzkie zale, placz i zgrzytanie zebow, kiedy rozpakowalas przesylke. Za ciemne? Za jasne? Za zolte? Za rozowe? Itepe, itede...

Wszystkie chyba mialysmy takie chwile. Co nie?

Mnie taka chwila spotkala zeszlej jesieni, kiedy otworzylam przesylke zawierajaca poduszke Isa Knox X2D2 Essence UV Cushion EX (czyli tzw Velvet Cushion) SPF 50+ / PA+++ w odcieniu 21, czyli jasny bez.

"Nooo.... it isn't dark at all," the blogger said.
"No...., it's not yellow!" the blogger said.
"It's very light and I'm very light, so it's going to be perfect for you," the blogger said.

Well, guess what?
It was too dark. And not right for my skin tone.

I should have heeded the warning that many online retailers add to certain cushions "Note: The colors of this product are best for Asians like Korean, Japanese and Chinese." (source)

"Nieeee, nie jest ciemna, wcale a wcale," zarzekala sie pewna blogerka.

"I wcale nie jest zolta," mowila mi.

"Ta poduszka jest bardzo jasna, i ja tez jestem jasna, i ty tez, wiec bedzie idealna dla ciebie," namawiala mnie.

I co?

I byla za ciemna. I daleka od idealnej dla mnie.

Powinnam byla sluchac ostrzezen niektorych sprzedawcow internetowych, ktorzy przy tej poduszce (ale rowniez i przy wielu innych) ostrzegaja tak: "Uwaga: Odcienie tego produktu pasuja najlepiej dla Azjatow, czyli Koreanczykow, Japonczykow i Chinczykow." (zrodlo)

I've been thinking for several months what to do with it. Wait for the summer and try to use it then? Or find it a better home?

And here, in a nutshell, you have the explanation of why I refuse to answer questions "can you recommend a cushion for me?" or "what cushion should I buy?"
Because I don't know you, I don't know your skin tone, I don't know your skin type, I don't know what kind of finish you like, I don't know what type of coverage you're after. Only an idiot would recommend something without knowing you in person.
I admit, early on, I used to be that idiot.
And only an idiot would follow such advice.
And yes, as you can see, I used to be that idiot, too.

Zastanawialam sie przez kilka miesiecy co z ta poduszka zrobic. Czekac na lato i miec nadzieje, ze byc moze bedzie pasowac? Lub szukac jej lepszego domu?

I tutaj, tak w pigulce, siedzi glowny powod dlaczego odmawiam odpowiedzi na blagalne pytania "czy moglabys mi polecic jakas poduszke/ krem bb/ azjatycki podklad?"
Nie moglabym, i nie polece niczego, bo nie znam cie osobiscie. Nie wiem jaki jest odcien twojej cery, nie wiem jakiego typu masz cere, nie wiem jakie wykonczenie preferujesz, jakie krycie cie interesuje, i ogolnie, czego wymagasz od podkladu.
Tylko totalny cep dawalby ci podkladowe porady nie znajac cie osobiscie.
Przyznam sie, ze sama bylam kiedys takim cepem.
I jeszcze wiekszy cep sluchalby takich porad.
Jak widac, tez takim cepem bylam.

~~~


Anyway, let's take a look at today's cushion.

If this is the first time you're reading about cushion foundations, please click on the "cushion foundations" tab in the top menu and start there.

Isa Knox X2D2 Essence UV Cushion EX belongs to the X2D2 line, which according to the information on the LG website "reduces women’s skin age by treating the factors that age skin".

Ale czas przyjrzec sie dzisiejszej bohaterce, ktora zainspirowala te gorzkie zale.

Jesli to pierwszy raz, kiedy slyszysz o podkladzie w formie poduszki, kliknij na zakladke "cushion foundations" w menu w pasku u gory, aby dowiedziec sie wiecej.

Isa Knox X2D2 Essence UV Cushion EX nalezy do linii X2D2, ktora, wedlug informacji na stronie LG ma "zredukowac wiek cery o polowe poprzez dzialanie na czynniki powodujace starzenie" (czy jakos tak).

The LG PR team also came up with this explanation:

• After years of research focusing on basic aging factors, LG Household & Health Care (LG H&H) Ltd. launches Isa Knox X2D2, the “Half-the-Skin Age Project” aimed at reducing skin age. 
• Isa Knox X2D2 is an exclusive innovative anti-aging line based on the Nobel Prize-winning theory (2009) that aging accelerates mainly as protective substances at both ends of a chromosome, a measure of skin aging, are worn down. 
• Isa Knox X2D2 line will include potent products that actively solve a variety of skin problems related to women’s aging such as wrinkles, dark circles, and extreme dryness.

Hot damn, halving my skin age? Where do I sign up?

Yes, this is the same LG that made your TV. LG is a huge corporation and its Household and Health Care branch, instead of TVs, makes cosmetics, among many other things.

PRowcy z LG wpadli na takie wyjasnienia:

• Po latach badan nad czynnikami starzenia, LG Household & Health Care (LG H&H) Ltd. wypuszcza serie Isa Knox X2D2, "zredukuj o polowe wiek skory projekt", majaca na celu zmniejszenie starzenia skory.
• Isa Knox X2D2 to ekskluzywna, innowacyjna anti-aging seria opierajaca sie na nagrodzonej Noblem teorii (2009), ktora twierdzi, ze mechanizm starzenia przyspiesza sie glownie dlatego, poniewaz substancje ochronne na obu koncowkach chromosomow z czasem ulegaja degradacji.
• Isa Knox X2D2 bedzie zawierac silne skladniki, ktore maja za zadanie rozwiazac problemy wynikajace z naturalnego starzenia, tak jak zmarszczki, przebarwienia i since, oraz przesuszenie.

Zmniejszyc wiek mojej skory o polowe?
Jestem jak najbardziej za. Gdzie moge sie zapisac?

Tak, to jest to samo LG, ktore wyprodukowalo twoj telewizor. LG to gigantyczna korporacja, i ich Household and Health oddzial, zamiast telewizorow, produkuje kosmetyki (i wiele innych rzeczy, rowniez).

This cushion comes in two colors:
21 - light beige, and
23 - natural beige.

As you can see, I got number 21.

In the box we get a compact and a refill. No leaflet - all relevant info is printed on the box. I quite like that, very eco friendly.
What I don't like is that everything is exclusively in Korean. Buuuu...

Ta poduszka dostepna jest w dwoch odcieniach:
21 - jasny bez, oraz
23 - naturalny bez.

Jak widac, ja mam numer 21.

W pudelku mamy kompakt i wklad wymienny. Nie ma ulotki - wszystko co trzeba wiedziec wydrukowane jest na kartoniku. Nawet lubie takie rozwiazania. Bardzo ekologiczne. Czego nie lubie, to fakt, ze wszystko jest po koreansku.

If you look online, you will see that some versions of this cushion list the SPF as 46.
Mine clearly says SPF50+ / PA+++.

I have tried to find out why, but couldn't see any information in a language that I could understand.
If you are thinking that the product has been updated and my cushion is old, rest assured, it's fresh.

Szukajac online, mozna latwo zauwazyc, ze niektore wersje tej poduszki podaja filtr SPF jako 46.
Jednak na mojej stoi jasno i wyraznie, ze ma SPF 50+ / PA +++.

Szukalam w netach dlaczego, ale niestety nie moglam znalezc zadnych dodatkowych materialow w jezykach, ktorymi potrafie sie poslugiwac.
Jesli myslisz, ze ta roznica to znak, ze moja poduszka jest stara, badz "przeterminowana", spij spokojnie. Nie jest. Jak widac poduszka ta jest nadal "swieza".

The expiration date is listed as 2017, so no worries. It's not an outdated product.

The compact, in a typical Isa Knox fashion, changes color depending on the light. Here it looks kind of white:

Data waznosci pokazana jest jako 2017, wiec bez problemow. To nie jest przeterminowany produkt.

Kompakt, typowy dla Isa Knox, rozni sie kolorem w zaleznosci jak pada na niego swiatlo. Tutaj wyglada cos tak niemal bialo.

I don't know whether the refill fits into other LG (for example su:m 37) cushions. I was stupid and never checked if they are interchangeable. You'd think they should be, but with these corporations, you just never know.


Nie wiem czy wymienny wklad od Isa Knox pasuje do innych kompaktow poduszkowych ze stajni LG (na przyklad do su:m37). Przez brak pomyslunku nie sprawdzilam, gdy mialam ku temu okazje.
Niby na chlopski rozum powinny pasowac, ale ciort ich tam wie.

The cartridge (refill) design looks exactly the same as in this cushion - su:m37 Air Rising TF Dazzling Cushion, so I'd say it's highly likely they are interchangeable after all.

The puff, just like in the su:m37 cushion, is white and blue.

Wklad u Isa Knox X2D2 Essence UV Cushion EX wyglada mi identycznie do wkladu u poduszki su:m37 Air Rising TF Dazzling Cushion.
Wiec zaryzykowalabym stwierdzenie, ze moze jednak sa wzajemnie wymienne.

Gabeczka do nakladania, tak jak w przypadku poduszki su:m37, i tu jest niebiesko-biala.

And if that seems familiar, you're right. It's the same type as in cushions from Amore Pacific. Except that Amore Pacific uses the brand name - Rubycell to describe the puff, and LG doesn't. Which leads me to believe that only Amore Pacific has the license to use the fancy name.

Under the inner lid, you can see that the cushion surface isn't covered by a sticker, but by a round plastic film cover.

I jesli to wyglada znajomo, to rzeczywiscie tak jest. To taki sam rodzaj gabeczki do nakladania podkladu jak w przypadku poduszek rodem z koncernu Amore Pacific. Tyle ze Amore Pacific dumnie uzywa nazwy wlasnej tej technologii - Rubycell, a LG nie. Z tego wynika, ze to Amore Pacific placi gruba kase za wylacznosc do uzywania trademarkowej nazwy, a LG nie.

Pod wewnetrzna przykrywka widac, ze powierzchnia poduszki nie jest zaklejona naklejka, ale ma na wierzchu przezroczysty, "plastikowy" krazek.

Many powder compacts over use the same type of protective cover, and actually, to be honest, I prefer it to the sticker. While the sticker tells you that nobody else used the product before you, it's disposable and very hard to reuse if you wish to do so.

And the round plastic thingie is intended as an additional  and reusable layer of protection to keep your cushion from premature drying.

Chyba niemal wszystkie kompakty pudrowe na calym swiecie uzywaja podobnego krazka ochronnego, i musze sie przyznac, ze wole takie cos zamiast przylepnej, jednorazowej naklejki. Bo choc naklejka od razu mowi ci, ze nikt przed toba tego produktu nie macal, to bardzo trudno jest ja uzywac powtornie.

A ten plastikowy krazek ma rowniez za zadanie dodatkowa ochrone powierzchni poduszki przed wysychaniem.

~~~

Here is the ingredient list (courtesy of Agathblog - thank you so much!!!).
Tutaj sklad, ze ktory bardzo dziekuje Agathblog.


Isa Knox X2D2 Essence UV Cushion EX SPF50+ / PA+++ ingredients:

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, Zinc Oxide, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Phenyl Trimethicone, Alcohol Denat., Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Dimethicone, Tromethamine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Chloride, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Zinc Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Glycosphingolipids, Lactobacillus Ferment, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Glacier Water, Phospholipids, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dimethicone/Methicone Copolymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Ceramide 3, Adenosine, Palmitoyl Proline, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Cholesterol, Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Hexyl Dimethicone, Magnesium Palmitoyl Glutamate,  Sodium Palmitoyl Sarcosinate, Palmitic Acid, Mesembryanthemum Crystallinum Extract, Geranylgeranylisopropanol, Dimethiconol, Mica, Fragrance, Citronellol, Limonene, CI 77499, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, CI 77492, CI 77491, CI 77499

According to cosDNA, the only potential troublemaker here would be alcohol, but since it's not in the top 10, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

What's interesting is the ingredient immediately after alcohol - Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract. It's a powerful anti-oxidant and helps reduce visible signs of aging. So I suppose this cushion might actually live up to its R2D2, sorry, X2D2 anti-aging claims.


Wedlug analizy cosDNA, jedyny potencjalnie nieprzyjemny skladnik tutaj to alkohol. Ale skoro nie jest on w pierwszej dziesiatce skladu, to raczej nie wystepuje w stezeniu i ilosciach, ktore bylyby powodem do zmartwien.

Co jest ciekawe to skladnik nastepny zaraz po alkoholu - wyciag z korzenia kurumki, czyli z ostryzu dlugiego. To bardzo silny przeciwutleniacz i ponoc pomaga zredukowac objawy starzenia. Czyli wychodzi na to, ze ta podusia nie z przypadku ma to slawetne X2D2 w nazwie.

~~~

And now the swatches.
All are unedited, with no filters applied.
I used 3 different cameras, just so you won't end up like me when I bought it and opened the package.

A teraz czas na swatche.
Zdjecia sa bez filtrow i bez edycji.
Uzyte byly 3 rozne aparaty, bo kazdy daje inne wrazenie.

Isa Knox is the middle one.

As you can see, even in this photo, it doesn't have a pearly, dewy glow. It lives up to its name - velvet. It dries very quickly and the coverage is definitely buildable.
I'd chance to say that it would be more suited for those who worry about oil control and don't like full on glow.

My final thoughts?

I am very, very sad that I can't use this cushion.
I swatched it using a sterile swab and closed the box.

Isa Knox to ten posrodku.
Jak widac nawet na tych zdjeciach, nie daje ta podusia perlowego, dewy blasku. Tak jak jej nazwa sugeruje - mamy welwet.
Wysycha bardzo szybko i da sie stopniowo szpachlowac.
Powiem, ze nadaje sie ta poduszka lepiej dla osob, ktore obawiaja sie swiecenia i nie lubia mokrego blasku.

Podsumowanie koncowe?

Bardzo, ale to bardzo mi smutno, ze kolorystycznie nie jest to poduszka dla mnie.
Zostala zeswatchowana uzywajac jednorazowego, sterylnego depresora.
Po czym zamknelam pudelko.

My Isa Knox X2D2 Essence UV Cushion EX SPF50+ / PA+++ found a new home and I am hoping for a happy ending.

Moja Isa Knox X2D2 Essence UV Cushion EX SPF50+ / PA+++ znalazla nowy dom i mam nadzieje na szczesliwy final tej historii.

Iope Air Cushion Blusher

In recent weeks I have been accused of writing positive reviews in exchange for monetary compensation, of writing negative reviews in exchange for monetary compensation (yes, I can't quite figure out how that was supposed to work, but hey, my readers are fearless in coming up with totally insane beauty blogging conspiracy theories), and I have been contacted by companies asking me to write positive reviews of their products in exchange for monetary compensation.

Well, sorry darlings, I hate to disappoint you. While I appreciate your interest in my humble blog, things don't work quite like that here.
The opinions presented on my blog are mine and are not for sale. Unless you are offering me a Lamborghini. Then we can talk.

I had to update my "contact" page to make these things perfectly clear.


W ciagu ostatnich tygodni zostalam oskarzona o pisanie pozytywnych recenzji za kase, o pisanie negatywnych recenzji za kase (nie jestem pewna jak taki uklad mialby dzialac, ale widze, ze takie fantastyczne teorie spiskowe to pikus dla moich czytelniczek), i zostalam poproszona przez pewne firmy o napisanie pozytywnych recenzji za kase.

Niestety, bardzo przykro mi Panstwa rozczarowac. Jest mi niezmiernie milo, ze zainteresowali sie Panstwo moim blogaskiem, ale tutaj rzadze ja. Moj blog to monarchia absolutna, i opinie tu przedstawione sa moje i wylacznie moje. I nie sa na sprzedaz. No chyba, ze oferuja mi Panstwo Lamborgini. Wtedy mozemy negocjowac.

Musialam uaktualnic moja strone "Contact", zeby nie bylo nieporozumien.

~~~

Disclaimer:
This product was provided to me for review purposes, however the opinions presented here are mine, and mine only.

Ten kosmetyk otrzymalam do zrecenzowania, ale fakt ten nie wplynal na przedstawiona tutaj opinie, ktora jest tylko i wylacznie moja.

Now, that we have that out of the way, we can move on to my favorite topic. Cushions!!! Yay!!!
Yes, I am that shallow. Cushion makeup is what I love. I collect cushion makeup the way some women collect lipsticks or eye shadow palettes.

No a skoro sprawy organizacyjne mamy z glowy, to teraz mozemy przejsc do mojego ulubionego tematu. Poduszki!!! Yay!!!
Tak, jestem taka plytka i powierzchowna. Kocham podklady w formie poduszki. Kolekcjonuje te poduszki, tak jak inne kobiety kolekcjonuja szminki czy paletki do oczu.

Today's cushion is a little special. It's a blusher. And it came to me courtesy of Jolse, who very kindly sent it to me for review purposes. Now, that's one brave internet retailer, so go over there and give them some of your hard earned money. And no, I am not an affiliate.

I have been procrastinating with this review for a looooong time. Why? I've been trying to find something about this product that I absolutely (or even moderately) hate and thus can complain about. So far, however, no luck. And how was I supposed to write a review with no major complaints? Impossible!!!

OK, so you all know that I love cushions. Click on the "cushion foundations" tab in the top menu to find out more.
Iope Air Cushion (Iope is one of the bazillion different brands belonging to Amore Pacific) is the granddaddy of them cushion foundations. It's the cushion that rules them all. The one that allegedly started the whole cushion makeup craze.

Dzisiejsza podusia jest specjalna. Bo to roz. Roz w formie poduszki. Przybyla do mnie od Jolse, ktory to sklep bardzo uprzejmie dostarczyl mi egzemplarz do recenzji. I znajac moje pyskate opinie, trzeba im przyznac, ze to bardzo odwazny krok z ich strony. I nie, nie jestem w ich programie partnerskim.

Dlugo zwlekalam za ta recenzja. Dlaczego? Bo choc szukalam uporczywie i namietnie, to nie znalazlam w tej poduszce niczego, do czego moglabym sie przyczepic. A jak ja mam napisac recenzje bez narzekania? Niemozliwe to!

OK, wiec juz wszyscy wiedza, ze kocham poduszki. Prosze kliknac na zakladke "cushion foundations" w gornym menu, aby dowiedziec sie wiecej.
Iope Air Cushion (Iope to jedna z marek koncernu Amore Pacific) to pra-matka tej poduszkowej generacji. I niekwestionowana poduszkowa krolowa. To ta poduszka rozpetala poduszkowy szal, i w Korei i na swiecie.

I also love blushers. Ever since I realized that using a bronzer as a blusher is a dumb idea (yet, surprisingly, embraced by an astonishing number of women worldwide), blushers have become an essential part of my daily makeup routine.

Kocham tez i roze. Odkad zorientowalam sie, ze uzywanie brazera (bronzera?) jako rozu to nietrafiony pomysl (ale wiernie praktykowany przez rzesze kobiet na calym swiecie), roze staly sie nieodlacznym elementem mojego codzinnego makijazu.

A touch of blush and voila! I look vaguely alive, as opposed to something that should be waiting for an autopsy on an episode of CSI.

And today I present you the Iope Air Cushion Blusher.

Myzniecie pedzlem i gotowe! Wygladam na osobe w miare zywa, a nie jak cos co czeka na sekcje w odcinku CSI.

I dzis mam przyjemnosc przedstawic wam Iope Air Cushion Blusher, czyli Iope roz w poduszce.

This blusher comes in two shades: 01 - Rose Pink and 02 - Peach Pink.
I have it in Peach Pink, and though I am naturally very pinkish, this delicate peachy color works just fine.

Roz ten jest dostepny w dwoch odcieniach: 01 - Rose Pink i 02 - Peach Pink, czyli bardziej rozowy i bardziej brzoskwiniowy.
Ja dostalam brzoskwiniowy, i pomimo tego, ze jestem naturalnie rozowo-rozowa, to ta brzoskwinka, o dziwo, jakos nawet calkiem calkiem pasuje.

So, what do we have here?
It's a cushion, alright.

It comes in a compact, which is smaller and a bit daintier than the eponymous Air Cushion XP.

Wiec, co my tu mamy?
Zdecydowanie poduszke.
Kompakt jest nieco mniejszy i lzejszy niz kompakt z podkladem Air Cushion XP.

Left - blusher, right - cushion foundation.
Po lewej - roz, po prawej - podklad.

I am not sure why, but it boasts SPF30/PA++.

We have the usual stuff on the box:

Nie wiem po co, ale dali mu SPF30/PA++.
Na pudelku, to co zawsze:

It's sold without a refill, and we get 9 grams of product. But fear not, refills are easy to find and almost all reputable internet retailers carry them. As always, it pays to shop around, because the prices do vary widely (and wildly).

Inside the box we have a leaflet (nothing interesting) and a compact:

Sprzedawane jest to w pudelku bez wymiennego wkladu. Dostajemy 9 gramow produktu. Ale bez paniki, wklady wymienne sa do kupienia w niemal kazdym sklepie internetowym sprzedajacym koreanskie kosmetyki. I jak zawsze warto sprawdzac ceny, bo te potrafia sie roznic. I to znacznie.

W pudelku mamy ulotke (nic interesujacego) i kompakt.

Inside the compact, there's the usual cushion stuff:

W srodku kompaktu, to co zawsze przy poduszkach:

And just like its cushion foundation big sister, the blusher also features the signature Amore Pacific Rubycell applicator:

I tak samo jak przy podkladzie Iope Air Cushion, ten roz jest wyposazony w typowa dla Amore Pacific gabeczke (typu Rubycell) do nakladania:

One of my favorite bloggers - Of Faces and Fingers, pointed out something that had bothered me as well. But as I am too technologically challenged to attempt a screenshot extraction from a video, I finally decided to borrow an image from her. (Thank you!)

Look at how Lisa Eldridge is holding the cushion puff (source):

Jedna z moich ulubionych blogerek Of Faces and Fingers wspomniala u siebie na blogu o czyms, co mnie rowniez niezle zdziwilo. Ale ja jestem luddystka i nie potrafie sama zrobic screenshota z filmiku na youtube, wiec pozyczylam zdjecie od niej (dziekuje!)

Zdziwilo mnie to, jak Lisa Eldridge trzyma aplikator z poduszkowego kompaktu i jak nim naklada tenze podklad:

That is a major no-no and I am very surprised that when she visited Korea nobody told her how to do it properly.
When I was buying my very first cushion, the lovely Hera sales lady demonstrated how to hold and use a cushion applicator correctly. She specifically stressed that we should not bend it in half as it will damage the structure of the puff.

So how should we hold the puff?
In this way:

Lis byla w Korei, kupowala poduszki i dziwie sie, ze nikt jej nie pokazal jak to sie poprawnie robi.
Kiedy kupowalam moja pierwsza poduszke, pani ze stoiska Hery bardzo cierpliwie demonstrowala jak trzymac gabeczke i jak nakladac nia podklad. Przestrzegala mnie przed zginaniem, skladaniem i rolowaniem gabeczki, bo to zniszczy jej strukture i zakonczy jej zywot bardzo przedwczesnie.

Wiec jak powinno sie to ustrojstwo trzymac?
Ano tak:

And the product should be applied in a patting (or stamping) motion to achieve the best results.

I had to find out for myself and sure enough after a month or so, the surface of my first Hera applicator literally tore in half.

As you can see in the picture above, Iope shows you that the blusher works seamlessly with the foundation cushion. Step 1 - Iope Air Cushion foundation, Step 2 - Iope Air Cushion Blusher, Step 3 - all done.

Simple? Very!

Produkty poduszkowe powinno nakladac sie wklepywaniem, aby otrzymac najlepsze rezultaty.
Musialam oczywiscie przetestowac to wlasnorecznie i fakt, po okolo miesiacu gabeczka z kompaktu Hery po prostu rozpadla sie.

Jak widac na zdjeciu powyzej, ten roz ma wspolpracowac idealnie z poduszkowym podkladem Iope.
Krok numer 1 - podklad Iope Air Cushion, krok numer 2 - roz Iope Air Cushion. Krok numer 3 - gotowe!

Proste jak obsluga cepa.

As always with cushions from Amore Pacific, the cushion surface is protected by a sticker.
Under the sticker we have a cushion saturated with a very gentle peachy pinky color:

Jak zawsze przy poduszkach Amore Pacific, powierzchnia poduszki zabezpieczona jest naklejka.
Pod naklejka mamy gabke (poduszke) nasaczona delikatnym brzoskwiniowo-rozowym kolorem:

It looks very dark inside the cushion, but once it's out you can see how delicate it is in real life.

The color is almost too gentle and I had to take out a lot to show you what it looks like.

Wyglada na ciemny w tej gabce, ale jak juz go wydobedziemy, to okazuje sie bardzo delikatny.
Musialam niezle sie napackac tutaj, aby go pokazac:

I will add a side by side swatch of Rose Pink once when I get it.
When it's blended out, it looks, well... how to put it? It looks perfectly natural. The way most Asian blushes look.
Your cheeks, only better.


More or less like that:

Kiedy jest roztarty i wklepany to wyglada... hmmm... naturalnie. Tak jak prawie wszystkie inne azjatyckie roze.
Jak nasze wlasne policzki, tylko lepiej.

Mniej wiecej tak:

Some reviews said that the lasting power of this blush is minimal. On my skin, when applied on top of one of my cushion foundations in the morning, it was still visible at 4pm after a full day of work. About the same result as my favorite Jill Stuart blusher.

Fans of Western cheek colors might be disappointed though, and I'm sure will complain that it's not visible enough, that it's too subtle, or not pigmented enough.
Subtle and natural are the two main blush demands of the Asian market, and I think Iope offers an excellent product here.

Niektore recenzje twierdza, ze trwalosc jest minimalna. Na mojej skorze, kiedy nalozony na jeden z moich poduszkowych podkladow rano, nadal byl widoczny o 4 po poludniu, po calym dniu pracy. Czyli tak samo jak moj "zwykly" roz od Jill Stuart.

Fanki zachodnich rozy moga byc jednak zawiedzione, i beda narzekac, ze roz Iope nie jest bardziej wyrazisty, ze jest slabo napigmentowany, ze jest za deliktany, malo widoczny, za bardzo naturalny.
Delikatnosc i naturalnosc rozu to dwa najwazniejsze wymagania Azjatek. I ja uwazam, ze tutaj Iope trafilo w dziesiatke.

I'm very happy with it. In fact, I'm so happy that I ordered the other shade available - Rose Pink. And not just for me, but also for my friend.

Update: 01 Rose Pink just arrived!

Ja tam jestem zadowolona. Tak bardzo zadowolona, ze zamowilam drugi dostepny kolor - 01 Rose Pink. I to nie tylko dla mnie, ale rowniez i dla przyjaciolki.

My only complaint?
What Iope, only two colors? C'mon now!!! I want more!!!


I okazalo sie, ze mam na co narzekac.
No jak to Iope???? Tylko dwa kolory? Bez zartow prosze!!! Kiedy mozemy oczekiwac wiecej?

I was properly chastised for not including a shot of the leaflet.
So, by popular demand, here it is:

Dostalo mi sie po czapie, za to, ze nie zalaczylam zdjecia ulotki. Wiec tutaj jest:

No ingredients today, because c'mon, give me a break. It's a freaking blusher we're talking about here.

Skladu nie bedzie, bo na litosc, to tylko roz :-)