The Face Shop Fruit Bowl Lemon Hand Cream Review

Realistic food and drink items seem to be the trend in Korean cosmetic brands. The Face Shop has its own collection of realistic looking (though not as pretty as Tony Moly's) fruit hand creams. This line consists of the Apple and Blueberry (which both look very unrealistic and like any ordinary container, or even a lame toddler's play toy, no offense), as well as the Lemon, which looks much more realistic. Here's how the Lemon looks like. It still looks like a play toy, but more realistic than the other two. And that annoying expiration date is printed so obnoxiously!

The ingredients and information label is printed vertically on the side of the container. This label strategically has perforation where the lid turns and slits at the ends so the label won't come off even after unscrewing the lid. You can also get a sense at how big this is compared to my hand.

Once the lid is unscrewed, there is a clear plastic film to protect the cream from seeping out. The lid always screws back on so the labels line up properly. According to The Face Shop's website, all three fruits contain 30 ml of product and can be used on all skin types. This cream is meant to moisturize and hydrate hands using "botanic butter ingredients."

The cream has a slight lemon scent that resembles Purell hand sanitizer. It has a translucent, pale yellow hue that easily becomes  more clear when spread. The amount on the left is enough to cover my hands. It feels very light and runs like gel. The more I rubbed my hands, the stronger the lemon scent appeared. Afterwards, the cream left my hands with a layer of shiny grease, which can be seen on the right.

The Pros

• The scent is light and refreshing, and makes me crave carnival lemonade!
• The lightness of the cream is nice.

The Cons

• The exterior packaging could look more realistic, though it's not a bad design currently.
• The greasiness is overbearing...I definitely can't use this cream throughout the day. I honestly shouldn't be writing my review on this right now, right after using it on my hands.

Overall, I am not a fan of this hand cream. I'll just be using it right before bed so the greasiness can stay contained in my bed and quickly use up this lemon to add it to my collection of cute hand cream jars.

The Face Shop Olive Essential Cream Review

The Face Shop has a mini skincare line that focuses on the benefits of olive, called Olive Essential. This line includes three products to use in a skincare routine:  Moisture Toner, Moisture Emulsion and Cream. According to the product's webpage, these three products contain the same ingredients to moisturize skin. While the product works for all skin types, it is recommended for those with normal skin.

The backside of this sample claims that this cream uses olives to deeply moisturize and nourish skin.

This product is opaque white and has a very thick, creamy consistency that easily blends clear. It has a subtle cleanly scent with the slightest hint of lemon. The amount in the picture is plenty for a thick layer on my entire face. Using this cream is like putting on a thick layer of melted wax (in a good way) because it's so thick. I find this cream very comparable to Missha's Super Aqua Ultra Waterfull Cream.

The Pros

• This cream really moisturizes dry skin well! I used it at night right after washing my face, and in the morning I still felt the cream seeping into my skin. It creates a smooth and thick layer over my face, like the cream is protecting me from the cold weather outside. This is perfect for the harsh winter air!
• A little goes a long way, so these sample packs can definitely last me a few days.
• The scent is subtle and refreshing, not bothersome.

The Cons

• Nothing - I absolutely love this cream!

Overall, I really like this Olive Essential Cream. It's thick and creamy texture works well to moisturize my dry skin, which is especially handy for these brutal winter months.

Update: I actually bought this product because I loved the sample so much! Here is my review of just the packaging.

The Face Shop Mini Pet Floral Hand Cream Review

While many products from The Face Shop don't focus on cute packaging, they do have the Lovely ME EX line that includes several adorable products, such as hand creams and lip balms, that are also small enough to be convenient while on-the-go.

Within the Lovely ME EX line, The Face Shop has four Mini Pet hand creams in the shape of a cute pet peeking out of a colorful flower pot. Each animal designates a specific scent: baby powder, sweet fruits, white floral and fruity floral. All of these hand creams are 30 ml and are for all skin types. In the photo, you can get an idea of just how small the container is. According to the product's page on The Face Shop's website, these creams are light, not sticky and absorb well, containing moisture and nutrients for soft hands. And after testing this product, I totally agree that everything that the website stated about this cream is definitely true!

I decided to start of with the Mini Pet Floral, which has a cute pastel pink kitten poking out of its hot pink flower pot. The pot screws open just under the lip of the pot. Inside, there is a clear plastic film to avoid the cream from spilling. The lid always closes back so the kitten is facing the "Mini Pet Floral" label.

This hand cream has the white floral scent. The scent is initially a bit strong when first scooping the cream from the pot, but it doesn't remain that strong once I rub it on my hands. This white cream is very light and smooth, and the amount in the picture is the perfect amount for my hands. 

The Pros

• At first the packaging may seem childish, but the cuteness has really grown on me!
• A little goes a long way; despite being such a small container, this cream will definitely last for awhile.
• My hands don't feel greasy at all; just five minutes after using this cream, I'm willfully typing this review on my computer without leaving gross grease marks. My skin absorbs the cream really quickly, which is very convenient for on-the-go.
• My hands are well-moisturized!

The Cons

• There is nothing I don't like about this product!

Overall, I love this hand cream! My hands feel moisturized and I absolutely love the non-greasy feeling. I'll definitely use this every night before going to bed to have continuing moisturized and non-chapped hands during this winter.

CNBlue 1st Photograph Collection: Blue Travel Review

In September 2013, CNBlue released their first photobook with the theme of travel, leading them to have their photoshoots in Australia. This book is written entirely in English, with many complex sayings sprawled throughout the pages and few grammatical errors.

The front cover has the famous Sydney Opera House in the distance, along with lots of text that's well-formatted to look like a fancy magazine. The top left has a "01" meaning there are potentially more photobooks in the future? The title of this photobook is "Blue Travel," which is very fitting to the band and the concept of this book. In gold are "Nostalgia," "Shelter," "Experience," and "Healing," which is like the table of contents.

Here is a close up of the book's main purpose, which is printed several times throughout the book. The focus is on each member's interaction with traveling in Australia. The book is divided into a section per member, with their theme being what travel means to them. Nostalgia is for Jung Yonghwa, shelter is for Lee Jonghyun, experience is for Kang Minhyuk and healing is for Lee Jungshin, which are all pretty deep and meaningful insights.

There are roughly 40 pages of gorgeous photos per member. These photos focus on each member as they enjoy the beautiful and quiet setting surrounding them. Each member had his own location, with Yonghwa at a serene desert, Jonghyun seaside, Minhyuk roadside and at a grassy park, and Jungshin at a park and on the street. My personal favorite selection of photos is Jungshin's (bottom right), because his photos show such playfulness and are beautifully composed. Each section starts with that member's theme printed on two pages, along with a short description of his theme (top left). There are also some photos of just the breathtaking scenery, like the desert (top right). Many of these photos show an air of coolness and confidence like from high end fashion ads, like Jonghyun's (bottom left).

The last 20 pages bring the members back together at the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. This section opens with a group photo (sans the members' heads) with "Blue Travel" sprawled across the pages. Most of these photos are individual shots, but there are a few group photos. Even while they are at a tourist location, the band still manages to look cool!

Each of the member's sections include many meaningful sayings in English that reflect that member's feeling about traveling. The left is from Yonghwa's section, the top from Jonghyun's, and the bottom from Minhyuk's.

The back of the book contains a cute envelope with the behind-the-scenes DVD. This DVD is for regions 1 and 3 and automatically includes Korean and English subtitles. It's only 11 minutes and 36 seconds long and doesn't include much behind-the-scenes footage. This DVD is mostly of the members modeling, as if the photos from the book are coming to life. Roughly two minutes is dedicated to each member during his individual shoot, then the remaining 2 minutes are of the group taking photos at the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

The photobook also comes with one of four postcards. These are honestly the cutest postcards ever, because they're actually like postcards! The front side is a glamorous photo of one of the members and the backside is in the format of a postcard, with a printed, handwritten message by that member. Here is Jungshin's postcard.

I have always loved CNBlue's photobooks because they're well-formatted and very elegant, like a high end fashion magazine. Even if/when I'm not a fan of CNBlue any longer, I will still enjoy glancing at these photos because they're honestly works of art. While photobooks clearly have nothing to do with CNBlue as musicians, I like that it feels that FNC isn't just trying to milk Boice's money, but rather give them quality artwork in return. Overall, I really love this book and it'd be perfect as one of those coffee table photobooks.

Infinite: BTD Single (Type B) Review

This is my first time buying a used album (besides the unfortunate Over the Top mishap). Usually I like buying new albums to support album sales and for the thrill of finding out which photocard I received, but this case was different. I bought BTD Version B used, because buying a new one costs well over $100 and this used one came with L's photocard and an exterior bonus group postcard that came with albums sold through main Japanese online retailers, which is even more rare than Version B itself! I can't believe I managed to find amazing deals for all three BTD versions within a month. You can see my reviews for the normal edition here and Version A here.

Version B has a black theme, with the members looking cool in their suits. The side says "CD + DVD" to indicate how this version differs with the others (seen in the first photo). The backside has the CD and DVD tracklist. The CD contains three versions of "BTD" and the original remake of "Can You Smile."

This album is in a tri-fold format, with a mysterious and eerie Infinite logo design. The left includes a mini booklet, the center contains the CD and the right is the DVD.

The booklet is six pages long and contains the tracklist, Korean and Japanese lyrics to both songs, and the credits. The first two and last two pages include group shots of Infinite in both concept outfits.

Here is a closeup of the CD and DVD tracklist, printed on the back cover. The DVD is in region 2 and has Japanese subtitles. Included is the "Japan 1st Showcase Live & Offshots," which shows 10 minutes of footage of Infinite's Japanese showcase event. It begins with Infinite performing the Korean version of "BTD," then behind-the-scenes shots of the process put into this event, such as the practice, interacting with press, and the moment offstage just before entering the stage. Infinite also performed the Korean version of "She's Back". Throughout the two stages and during the behind-the-scenes, Infinite used a few Japanese sayings. There are also the original and dance versions of the "BTD" music video. Next are the behind-the-scenes of the music video, which are in Korean with Japanese subtitles. "WooHyun vs L," which is a four minute segment that focuses on the action scenes of the music video. Woohyun and Myungsoo acted out the dramatic scenes, and this section shows the behind-the-scenes of them practicing. It's really cool seeing them linked to cables and flying through the air! Lastly is "Dance & Lip," another making of film that focuses on the group's dancing for the music video. The title sounds a bit weird, but I think it's meant to focus on the dancing and lip syncing for the music video. The choreographer from "Destiny" is also shown here, which is really cool. This is mostly just footage with the "BTD" audio track playing, so you don't actually hear what's going on.

All of Infinite's Japanese album releases were bound with a limited promotion where a purchase from certain main Japanese online retailers also came with designated exterior postcards, with a different design from each retailer. This postcard is the white version (I've also seen a black version, but I don't know how many variations there are). The front is a group photo that's different from the photobooks and states "not for sale" on both sides. It's a bit flimsier than general photocards. The other card is L's photocard. Versions A and B contain one random member photocard, and the backside has all the members' names.

Overall, the DVD features are all very short and, though interesting, I'm not sure if it's worth owning a copy. Of course I'm still happy I have a copy, because mine came with two beautiful cards.