My favorite K-Beauty online store turns ONE today!!! Let's celebrate with lots of promos and discounts. Shop at http://ph.althea.kr starting July 20 - 31, 2016 and take part of this fabulous celebration!

What's in store as #AltheaTurns1?

>> Limited Edition Birthday Box + DIY Party Kit
For orders placed on 20/7 onwards. While stocks last.


>> Free Goodies for first 1,500 shoppers
Full size beauty products. While stocks last.


>> Birthday Giveaway. Pick 3 Top Sellers for 100% REBATE!
Rebate will be credited into your account.


>> #AltheaTurns1 Instagram Contest
- Got your Althea party kit? Wish us a happy birthday with #altheaturns1 and stand a chance to win amazing prizes such as Macbook Air, Ipad Air 2, iPhone 6S, Galaxy S6 Edge, Canon EOS M10 Selfie Camera, Althea credits and beauty hampers from Althea!
- Prizes total worth KRW10,000,000 to be won.
- Contest starts from 20th July - 15th August, 2016.



If you're looking for affordable Korean beauty products, Althea Korea is where you should be at! They carry most Korean makeup and skincare product that are tried and tested by hundreds if not thousands of beauty bloggers in the Philippines and all over the world! I know I have a wonderful experience every time I go shopping at Althea Korea | Philippines.

Remember these?

This!!! 💕 Korean makeup and skincare from @altheakorea! 💕 Too bad my camera failed during my unboxing, but here it is... My haul from #altheaph!!! These came bubble wrapped for safety and got my 100% authentic goodies in excellent condition straight from Land of the Morning Calm. Even the box had no dents, so props to the Korean courier! 👍👍 Watch out for their grand opening launch promotions on February 15 and visit http://ph.althea.kr! 💕 #bastaigatsikat #korean #makeup #skincare #innisfree #skinfood #etudehouse #altheakorea #bbloggers #beautybox #beautybloggersph #pinkbox #kawaii #daebak #instabeauty

A photo posted by ✨💖💜MyMaria💜💖✨ (@bastaigat_sikat) on Feb 9, 2016 at 8:21pm PST

Well, as you can see my latest purchase certain did not disappoint! These goodies may or may not be available here in the Philippines, but hey, where else can you get FREE SHIPPING when you purchase at least Php1,500 straight from the Land of the Morning Calm!!?  I buy most, if not all, of my eyebrow products from them.


So what are you waiting for? Join the celebration and don't forget to greet Althea Korea a very happy birthday!

I admit. I am a sucker for anything Limited and Special Edition. With Missha coming out with the super cute Line Friends designs, no doubt I was all over it. Hey, I use Line Camera for their kawaii stamps and frames! So anyway, I got the makeup cosmetics with Brown (bear) but there's also the ones with Sally (yellow chick) and Cony (female rabbit).


I've been meaning to get Missha 4D mascara for a while now but with my current stash of mascara, I keep putting it off. But this I just had to get... and boy, it is surprisingly good! Really good considering that I have non-existent lashes to begin with (hello, Asian genes!)


Benefits:
• Containing natural wax for soft application without clogging.
• Hypoallergenic formula.
• Long-lasting without smudging, as forming protective coat.
• 4D Brush Effect

💕 Tip: Curl your lashes first before applying and if needed, you can curl them again when the mascara is dry. It's amazing how it opened up my eyes. Lashes from zero... to hero in seconds! Ooh, how I wish I had those fuller, thicker lashes. Maybe I should get lash extensions? But for now, this will do.

Moving on... We have the Bloody Wine Matte Lip Rouge Lipstick that's supposedly matte but I found it really moisturizing and not the dry type. So maybe it flaked by the end of the day, but the color is super vibrant and even made my thin lips look full... and kissable. ;) Wa'y mopalag!


Benefits:
• Has SPF 17
• Clear HD pigmentation.
• Strong & Comfortable wearing with a single touch.
• Lightweight soft fit, matte texture spreads out lightly.
• Argan oil, and rose hip oil included.
• Airish Fitting Formula, Even Color Formula, Skin Conditioning Complex
If you're looking for a rich lipstick without the annoying shine but leaves your lips feeling supple, then this is something you need to try! It smells awesome, too! Something I can't quite place but definitely a good type of thing.

And then lastly, I got the Missha Water-Full Tint, Special Line Friends Edition, in Orange Juice. Okay, honestly I'm not the lip/cheek tint fan but this one swayed me just because it's perfect for those casual/daily errands where it's just ridiculous to be on full makeup buying groceries or withdrawing from an ATM. Can you spell F-R-E-S-H?

I broke out like a b*tch the past few months, primarily because of my crazy hormones. I had a 60-day period (TMI!) and my adrenals have been out of whack. Due to all kinds of stress I'm dealing with, my skin suffered a whole lot... obviously. Which brings me to feature my latest acne skincare routine with Rucy's Vanity Foam Cleansing Green Tea, Acne Toner, and Acne Lotion.


It's not that all my other acne regimen aren't working but this time I wanted to try something new. So here's my personal review of this acne skincare routine.

RUCY'S VANITY FOAM CLEANSING GREEN TEA (Php 130.00) - This product is surprisingly mild. Maybe I was expecting something a little more "chemical" but considering it's main ingredient is green tea, it definitely exceeded my expectation. What I love about it is its cleansing power and of course, it does contain collagen! WOOT! I'm a huge fan of all things collagen especially now that there's no way to turn back the hands of time. Might as well try and stop aging early on and try to preserve whatever youthfulness I can. Accordingly, green tea extracts effectively remove harmful bacteria in your skin caused by makeup and environmental pollution. So this product does actually get rid of excessive oil and you know I am like a greaseball! It doesn't sting my face or anything like that even when my skin broke out.  As far as fragrance, I can't really tell because it's that mild for me.

RUCY'S VANITY ACNE TONER (Php 140.00) - First and foremost, NO STING AT ALL! In fact, because it contains tea tree and aloe, it has a rather soothing effect on my acne and very beneficial for its topical antiseptic and infection-reducing properties. It helps control inflammation and for oil-control, too. This toner is suitable for acne prone, oily and sensitive skin. Definitely something I would recommend for people out there who are suffering from breakouts and acne. Fragrance is also mild (if there is any at all!) so it shouldn't be an issue for anyone who wants an additional product to cleanse their face of impurities.

RUCY'S VANITY ACNE LOTION (Php 160.00) - This works perfectly with the acne toner with all the similar beneficial ingredients. I highly recommend using this as the final step of your Rucy's Vanity acne regimen to keep that acne at bay.

As you can see, these products are super affordable and definitely worth a try for those of you who are looking for a new acne skincare regimen and/or if your current products aren't working anymore. Sad to say, I've discovered something like my skin eventually gets "immune" to certain products if I use them for a long time, which is why I tend to rotate my skincare regimen every once in a while. These do have parabens in them but we know that cosmetics need that for shelf life. It's also not as bad as people deemed it is. Studies have already revealed the truth that "on a global scale, there has been an exhaustive degree of scientific and medical studies demonstrating the safety of parabens used in skin care and cosmetics. The tiny levels used in your personal care products are not harmful."

Alright, moving on. Here are some basic makeup and Korean cosmetics from Rucy's Vanity which I find essential for daily use.


RUCY'S VANITY WHITENING COLOR CONTROL CC CREAM (Php 320.00) - Comes in 2 shades, #21 Natural and #23 Oak. I always prefer CC creams over BB creams chiefly because of the "color correction". With all the redness and blemishes on my face, I could definitely get more from a CC cream over any BB cream. Also, a lot of BB creams broke me out. CC creams tend to be more forgiving on my skin. With all the benefits you can get like UV Protection with SPF 30 PA+++ (and don't get me started on sun care), anti-wrinkle and whitening effects, soothing the skin and evening out imperfections, and acting as a moisturizer and makeup base, I think this is something you should check out as well.

RUCY'S VANITY TWO WAY CAKE (Php 320.00) - It comes in two shades, #21 Natural Beige and #23 Dark Beige. Yet another affordable Korean cosmetic from Rucy's Vanity which I am loving to bits! I mean, come on, it's got a lid on the powder which prevents it from spilling should you happen to break it (though I don't see why you'd do that but hey, accidents happen!). The foam/puff that comes with it is small so you might want to use a brush for full coverage application instead. The foam/puff though is great for touch-ups. Remember DAB, NOT RUB! (Watch my Korean makeup tutorial video below and you'll see what I mean!) I'm using this as my go-to daily face power foundation now.

RUCY'S VANITY LIP & CHEEK RED TINT (Php 80.00) - For all lip/cheek tint fans out there, here's something for you. I love that it doesn't necessarily stain your fingers during application like most similar products do. It's not so sticky either and leaves a very pretty not so subtle tint. And yes, it's got green tea and collagen in it! Need I say more?

So there we have it, ladies and gents, for my Rucy's Vanity Korean Cosmetics review. Because I've reached 1,000 subscribers in my YouTube channel, I feel I owe it to my viewers and blog readers to give you a little something extra.