Jolse Cosmetic Haul

After watching ssinnim's "Korean Roadshop one brand makeup" tutorials and reviews, I decided to experiment with makeup with some brands/products she recommended, and some cheaper brands available on Jolse.

Here's just a haul and some swatches, and maybe some first impressions too.

Edit: after testing out some of these, I've included a few mini reviews! 

The box!

 free samples~

another one was hiding under everything :)

I didn't buy more than $50, and I still got a free face mask! This has never happened before (I've bought from Jolse more than 3+ times, and this is the first!)

The container with "Jolse" written on top are oil blotting sheets; they work great!

Dr. Mascara Fixer (Super longlash) by Etude House (6ml)

Clearing Petit BB SPF 50 PA++ by Holika Holika (30ml)

Facetone Creamy Tip Concealer by Tonymoly, shade W02 (6g)

 ssinim recommended this in her Tonymoly video, and I decided to get the same (darkest) shade.

First impressions:

-yellow

-sets quickly, so blend it in!

-a bit too dark for me, even though I am tanned (doesn't match my skintone)

-since it doesn't match me, I have to blend it out a lot more than others, so I decrease the coverage

-other than that, good coverage!

-packaging looks modern and cool!

-if you tried the Elizavecca bubbling clay face mask, that's what this concealer smells like

-a strange, earthy smell

-----(added edit)-----

-matches my face tone but doesn't really work for my dark circles

-this is the darkest shade (W02) and is very yellow

-it kind of accentuates any bumps or pores

Price: $4.78 (after some store discount)

First impressions:

-cool brush, very easy to use!

-has weird fibers inside

-holds the curls super well! feels like a mascara, but no color!

-lengthens due to the fibers

-waterproof!

-packaging is interesting

-----(added edit)-----
-maybe because I don't wear mascara that much, my lashes start hurting and feeling "tired" from being curled for so long. This stays on and holds the curl for at least 5 hours.

Price: $6.38 (with some store discount)

It's hard to tell, but it looked very pinkish.

(I used plastic wrap to spread it out--needed clean fingers for a sandwich)

First impressions:

-pink

-matte

-spreads pretty nicely, not too thin or thick

-brightens skintone

-not too much coverage

-the smell reminds me of shampoo at hair salons

-----(added edit)-----

-it looked powdery and kind of cakey on my skin. 

-after some time, the color melted in with my skin tone

-accentuates any blemishes, especially closed comedones and whiteheads

-covered my blackheads though

-covers red spots/marks/blackheads/veins near nose

-medium-ish coverage (I think)

-but dark spots will still need some concealer

-oxidizes a bit to match your skin color

-oily skin will look oily after a few hours; you'll want to powder

-kind of wears off and blends in with the skin after a few hours

-doesn't exactly rub off, but it scratched off

Concern:

This is supposed to hold 30ml of product

Not sure if the container holds more, and there is just 30ml of product, or I'm not getting however much I should be.

There was no seal on the opening, but the cap does properly seal the container.

This was the cheapest face, cosmetic product on Jolse. There are no shade options, only an option for the "look" you're going for (shiny, dewy, matte, etc.) 

Price: $4.48 (after some store discount)

Peach Sake Pore Pact by Skinfood (9g)

First Impressions (?):

-works like a powder, doesn't really have color

-smells good (sweet and floral)

Price: $7.98 (after some discount)

Saemmul Luminous Multi-Shading by the Saem (8g)

First impressions:

-IMO, best for highlighting/contouring smaller areas by picking specific shades

-IMO, mixing them all together is a light shade and not a suitable color for contouring (kind of reddish from all the pinks)

-it has a pretty strong scent; you notice it when applying 

-the product is "loose" and has fall outs on the container; container gets dirty quickly

Price: $6.73 (after some discount)

The Skinfood comes with a mirror and super soft sponge! I didn't want to get it dirty, so I didn't try the pact yet.

It smells nice; somewhat floral, but not really like peaches.

This looks super cool, and you can use parts of it for highlights and others for contouring! You'll need to get your own brush though!

These two products were shown in ssinnim's videos, so go check her out! They're in the roadshop videos for Skinfood and the Saem!

(I just love her videos and got the idea to purchase these items from her :) I think her reviews really help you decide what kind of cosmetic products you prefer!)

This shows how big everything is. They're all quite tiny.

Perfect UV Protection Cream Triple Care SPF 50+ PA+++ by Innisfree

Charcoal Nose Cleansing Strips (10 strips) by Luke

The sunscreen was the main purpose for this haul/purchase. I actually wanted to buy it from the Innisfree website (buy 1 get 1 free), but the Triple Care one was sold out! Since this is a brand new sunscreen line, there really aren't that many reviews. My skin is combination (normal and oily) skin, so I thought Triple Care would be best for me!

And it was pretty cheap on Jolse, so I got it! They also just restocked too!

I was also a few dollars away from the faster shipping, so I got some nose strips. These aren't my favorite blackhead remover product, but they work and they're cheap.

Sunscreen Price: $7.98 (after some discount)

Strips: $3.58 for 10 strips/box (after some discount)

---added edit---

Luke Charcoal Nose Cleansing Strips review:

These are your typical charcoal strips with a fuzzy side and a shiny side. You make the shiny side wet and apply shiny side down. DO NOT use wet fingers to secure the strip. It will increase the chance of the strip not peeling completely and properly.

-sticks really well, once it's on, it's on

-dries quickly

-be careful when peeling, some parts of the mask can get stuck on your face (read above).

-but you can wash it off afterwards

-blackheads are easily seen and visible

-strip sticks really well on the blackheads so it gets a lot of them out

-also pulls any tiny hairs and fibers

-minimal pain

Pros:

-entire area being covered has chance of getting blackheads pulled out

-dirt cheap on Jolse

-apparently can be found at Forever 21 (google searched it)

-read review above for rest

Cons:

-can get stuck on face = need to wash it off = no blackheads getting pulled out

-a strip can only cover so much of your face = can't pull out blackheads elsewhere unless you use another strip

My rating: 

4.5/5

The lazy (and good) way of getting rid of blackheads. 

---end of edit---

That is it! I also got a free pore strip, which basically comes with every purchase on Jolse!

---added edit---

I've also recently gotten some oil blotting sheets. These work great and there are a ton of them!

I also have the CosRX Honey Ceramide Mask; it has a gel consistency and works great as a moisturizer too!

---end of edit---

I love this store, and I haven't had any problems with them so far! I also have another haul from a while ago, which I hope I will post soon. This one was the most "different" since I never buy make up products :)

Thanks for reading!

I was not sponsored by Jolse.com, but I am simply a huge supporter as they have great prices for their products! And free shipping directly from Korea! Yay!

Korean Makeup Samples

First impressions! Quick review!

Lioele Blooming Shimmer Pearl Base

- very PINK

- has super tiny shimmers/sparkles/glitter in it

- leaves slight pink cast and dewy finish (more like shiny)

- slight residue feeling after applying

- fills pores

- THIN and super spreadable; little goes a long way!

- slight floral scent

- hard to wash off with just soap and water, left some product on hand

Works like a primer, but might have made my concealer and BB cream "cakey"

2/5

 Etude House BIG Cover BB Concealer (Beige)

- yellow

- cakey (might be from base/primer)

- too bright for my skin tone/dark circles

- thick enough to blend easily

- feels thick on skin

- pigmented (don't need that much product to conceal)

- hard to wash off with water and soap (waterproof/sweat proof?)

I didn't have any active acne to test this on, and this was too light for my skin tone/dark circles.

4/5 nice, but thick!

 Tonymoly Goat Milk Pure CC Cream with SPF 30 P++ (no idea what shade)

Update: I bought some skincare, and I got another sample of this product. This time, I just washed my face and applied this.

-pink, but you cannot really tell once applied

-too light for my skin tone, need like 1 shade darker

-creased on my eyelids, but no where else

-better to use with a sponge or hands, brush leaves lines

-has a residue feeling

-doesn't do much to the pores, little to no coverage

-wouldn't recommend if you have bumps/trouble on your skin, this accentuates them

--

(before update)

- PINK (hard to tell in pictures, but pink undertone)

- cakey (might be from base/primer)

- slightly thick, but easy to spread

- too white for me

Because I already had 2 other things underneath this, I can't give it a rating.

4/5 not bad! very natural!

Hope y'all like this review.

I got the samples from buying Korean skincare online.

These are all first impressions; I have never used any of these products before.

And I was not sponsored. I basically "paid" for these because online Korean stuff are overpriced. 

Review of Three Money Making Apps

My definition of money making apps: let you earn money (with almost instant feedback) without anything other than a fast Internet speed and your phone. Also, you should not have to go outside.

I've tried and seen many, and these are the ones I am most impressed with. 

- Google Opinion Rewards
- Whaff
- App Nana

My thoughts:
Google Opinion Rewards
As you can tell by the name, Google created this app. Unfortunately it's only available on Google Play, you receive cash immediately after completing a survey. That cash is actually "credit", but it is convenient to use to buy apps or music without having to input any payment methods. Trustworthy, easy to use, and actually worth a try!

Pros: easy to use, instant update to balance, can immediately use credit for purchases
Cons: Android only, only receive Google Play credit, each survey gives less than $1, may take a few days/weeks to get surveys

Whaff
I've used this app for 2 years now on and off, and I have cashed out three times. After some research, this app was created in Korea and to get some sort of revenue, they take a small amount of your cash each time you cash out. For example, if you cash out $10 on Paypal, you will probably only get $9 and some odd cents. I tried getting a $12 of Google Play credits, and I ended up only receiving a code with only $10 in it. Since no where on their FAQs or tutorials say this, I emailed the company. They tried explaining how Paypal took some of the money as taxes, which made sense, but they never replied about the Google Play credit. Either way, I still got my money, even though I couldn't get those painfully earned $2.

What I really like about Whaff is that whenever you play a game for 4 minutes or more, it is tracked and the app tells you how many more times you can do that until you received the max amount from an app. There are surveys and other things to do from third-party apps, but I feel like Whaff is constantly updating the app enough to have plenty of interesting apps and games for you to enjoy. Whaff also has a list of all of the apps that you have played and the amount you have earned from them. Sometimes, the same apps will appear again and give you more chances to play and earn money from it. 

Pros: easy to use and navigate, tracks your apps and times you can earn from them, instant update to balance, many cash out options (Google Play, Steam, League, etc)
Cons: earn only a few cents per app up to around $1, takes a long time to earn enough for cash out, must earn a certain amount to cash out

App Nana
Honestly, I only used this app for a short period of time--enough to get a single cash out. I am listing it here only because it worked. 

This was the second money-making app I tried. The first just didn't cut my expectations. This one has a great interface; everything was very easy to navigate and you could see all of the trade-out options easily. The only problem, as with the first app I tried, was that it was hard to tell which apps you've already tried and which you haven't. I would download an app and play it for 4 minutes, but I would still not get any rewards possibly because I already played that game before or because I did not use the link provided inside the app to download it. And even after you receive rewards from an app, a few days later, that app would appear again. Of course, you will not get the credits if you already played it before, but there was no way to see which apps you've tried and which you haven't yet. 

After I earned enough to get $2 from App Nana, I cashed out and left. I got Paypal credit, and $2 was exactly what I got. The app is promising and actually works, but the point system that it had wasn't doing it for me. It was hard to see how much me playing an app for 4 minutes could actually earn me, so I opted to switch to a different app. 

Pros: easy to use, instant update to balance, quick cash out process
Cons: uses a point system instead of $, apps reappear again but you cannot earn from them

I am not sponsored. These are my humble opinions of these 3 apps, and they all worked for me. After finding so many horrible "money making" apps from those "10 Best Apps...", "Top Apps that can..." lists, I decided to make my own. 

PandaCashBack Review

STOP! This post is no longer valid. Go to my newly updated review--> PandaCashBack Updated Review 0/5 Rating

Hello hello!

Here's a fancy review on how to get money back on your purchases! (but it's not in the least "fancy", but good enough)

I have recently discovered PandaCashBack.com, and I wish I found it a lot sooner!

It is a site that basically pairs up with certain companies and makes money off of your purchases on those sites. In return for helping them make money, they give you some too!

For example: you buy some groceries on Walmart.com and have it delivered to your house/pick it up from the store. The website will receive a percentage of your purchase, but in return, they also give you a small percentage! I do not know how much the company receives, but assume you buy $30 from Walmart and the cash back percentage is 2.5%; you get $0.75 back! 

Yes, that doesn't sound a lot, but how much online shopping do you actually do?

Me? A lot! I like to look for deals, and the cheapest (though probably not the highest quality) site is AliExpress. I saw on PandaCashBack that you can get 7% back from your purchases on AliExpress! It still doesn't sound a lot, but if you calculate how much you would get back from ALL of your purchases, it can probably give you enough to treat yourself to a nice meal! 

Upon registering, the site also gives you $5, and once you reach $15, you can cash out! This is only available for people residing in the USA, but there are plenty of other sites that will do the same for those in other countries! I know for Singapore there is Shopback!

Updates:

So I got my $5, and I have already made quite a few online purchases and of course used this site! The cash back will be under a "pending" status until after you confirm your goods and don't get a refund. If you get a refund, then you can't get the cash back (of course, no one is going to be making money!). 

I know one of my orders will arrive soon, so I will update once the "status" of my cash back changes! (By the way, the statuses are "available", "pending", and "declined"). The site only tells you where you bought your goods and what date, but nothing else. So if you want to keep track of your purchases, make sure you do it yourself!

Cons and more of me rattling on:

This site sounds too good to be true, and I am very skeptical. The site is very easy to navigate and figure out, but there is so little information! Also, the fact that there are so few reviews and people talking about this makes me wonder why it's so underrated? Apparently this company got started in 2012, but it has been 4 years and there is almost nothing on it! 

Hopefully, they will do what they say they do, and I get some money back! 

Overall: 

Easy to use: 5/5
Many store options: 5/5 (they don't have Amazon! but I'm fine with that :D)
Speed: 5/5 (your account is updated almost immediately after a purchase with the cashback value!)
Reliability/works: ? 

I will give PandaCashBack.com a rating of 4/5. There isn't much to say about it until I actually get my check in the mail, so the rating will be out of 5. I am quite satisfied with how quickly the information is processed and updated, so I give it a 4!


For all of those that are like: where are the pictures? Why so much text? I hate reading!
Well, I got lazy. And this is an actual, running website. With its own pictures and stuff. And copyright laws.

I'm not sponsored. I'm just a friendly person that wants to save money but keep buying stuff. Shopping online is tough. You just keep buying. Non. Stop.

ArmorSuit MilitaryShield Review

A super quick review about the MilitaryShield by ArmorSuit for a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge phone (apologies for no pictures).

Before the review, I'd like to let everyone know that: 

I've had my phone for less than 2 weeks while waiting for the screen protector to arrive. I kept my phone in this fabric cover I made the whole time except when it was on my desk and in use, and my phone already has a scratch! It's small and you can barely feel it, but it is there. I was super surprised, and with all of the phones getting better and better, I thought this would not happen! I checked online and I'm not alone. So if you get this phone, make sure you order a screen protector in advance.

So this screen protector is plastic and once you spray this liquid solution on it, it is very pliable and able to bend and maintain its shape after some time to dry. There is a video on the ArmorSuit website giving you instructions on how to use everything.

My thoughts:

The screen protector is very easy to use and you can keep reapplying the protector if you mess up as long as you have more liquid solution. You can probably reapply the screen protector 4-7 times before running out. 

If you follow the instructions and do everything right, the screen protector will look great. If you mess up, which is likely, you will risk getting dust onto the screen protector as one side is adhesive and difficult to get dust out.

If dust does get on the protector, just spray some solution and try to rub it off. This does make it possible for even more dust to get stuck, but work quickly and keep the screen protector wet. When you apply it, you will probably be able to move the dust off when scraping the screen protector because there is the solution to move it. 

I've redone this like 5 times now (spent like an hour and a half on this), and I just keep getting finger prints and dust stuck. I finally got it to where I'm satisfied with the middle of the screen, but the edges have lots of dust on them because you need to wait around 10-15 minutes before you can press the edges down and actually stick. 

Update (it has a life of its own!):
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge users that have been getting problems with their screen spazzing out: 
it may be the screen protector.

Whenever I get off of a phone call (have my face maintaining constant pressure on the screen), I see that the screen is moving around pressing buttons all by itself. It stops after I lock the screen. I even was able to catch my phone spazzing out on video. Apparently, Samsung or the phone carriers have no idea what is going on, and their only solution is to either factory reset the phones or just give the customers new phones. One forum did say that it might be because of the screen protector.

This military shield screen protector is pliable, and since it "stretches" out when wet and with constant pressure, it is possible that it will shrink after a long period of time from heat and stuff. Here's a bad analogy, but it's like a sponge shriveling up when it dries. Since this is plastic, the "shriveling" process make take longer than a sponge, but it may eventually happen, especially if the weather is hot and you are using the screen/"moving it".

Theory #1: the heat created after a phone call may cause some parts of the screen protector to heat up and become pliable (aka "move"). That is why the screen moves around by itself.

Theory #1.5: and since only parts of the screen is heated up during a phone call, it is almost as if you are tapping it (it's heat sensitive, right?). That is why you will see that the screen is constantly tapping only one general area, and not just randomly.

These are just conjectures that may be the cause, but I really do not know. My screen only goes crazy after a phone call, so these are the most convincing for me. Then again, other people on the forums say that their screen just does this randomly, so it could be that the S7 Edge does have a mind of its own!

At least it's not exploding. 

Overall:

I would recommend this product, and I give the MilitaryShield for curved phones a rating of 8/10.

It's easy and works, and though it is around $10 or so, it's worth it. Reviews on other screen protectors claim to keep "popping off" or not work with phone cases, so though this protector has its flaws as well, it will stick and work.

And hey, I can't see the scratch under the protector! Woo!

Edit: I think I may have another scratch (I'm sure wasn't there before putting on the protector). It may be from dropping the phone too many times, or...I'm not sure.

I am not sponsored, and I bought this screen protector with my own money on Amazon. I actually wanted to get a cheap one on Aliexpress, but there weren't any reviews yet.

Smile Sciences Teeth Whitening Kit Review

Update 3:
One year later, I want to give my overall opinions of this product. It works, but you really have to continuously use it. Your gums will become sensitive, which is not a good trade in return for white teeth. I have noticed tiny white spots that are now on my teeth forever. For ~$30, I guess it's worth it for the short term, but your teeth will just return back to how it was originally. 

Update 2:

I finished the entire tube of the whitening gel, but I only used the product when I felt like it. My teeth return back to its original color as quickly as it whitened. I still have the whitening brush, but of course, the results wouldn't be huge with just that. 

I've also kind of given up on white teeth. I have other things to worry about. I did buy some toothpaste that (based on reviews) seem to give noticeable results, but also can result in gum damage. You can win some and lose some. 

All in all, I would give the product a 3/10. It worked, it lasted (a bit), and faded away (quickly). My teeth did feel sensitive the few times I used the product (after long breaks), but I think it's just not worth it. Not worth the money or pain (in the long run for your gums) just for white teeth. Getting it professionally done might be a lot better and require fewer treatments (compared to daily whitening treatments at home). 

The product was fun while it was hyped up though. I can say that I tried it. 

Update:

So I would like to say that my teeth are definitely quite a few shades lighter! Since the back of my teeth are sensitive, so I do not put any whitening gel on those parts of my teeth. After a good looking, my front teeth are vastly different from the back teeth! They're so much whiter!

But! some of my teeth are getting "white spots" and they're not going away. Also, these results can quickly fade if you drink lots of coffee, tea, wine, soda, etc. 

If you just want to know about the results: it really works!