f(x) 'Red Light' MV Inspired Look - Krystal

Hey, I love it when my favourite K-pop groups make a comeback, especially girl groups because I always look forward to seeing their concept for their 'teaser' photos and music video, and to possibly get some inspiration from those. Think of these concepts as 'cosplay' with all the different hair colours and costumes but not based on any particular character and are created by their stylists. f(x) recently came back with their 'Red Light' title track and album and their style is not overly cute nor sexy (the two concepts that many girl groups aim for these days) but instead consists of dark makeup and camo-style outfits. From seeing f(x)'s teaser photos and music video, I was immediately inspired to create one of their looks on myself and share on my blog for fun. Here's how it went:  

  I decided to base my look on f(Krystal) because out of all the members, hers looked the most dramatic and when it comes to inspired looks like these, the more dramatic the better! And she dyed her hair platinum blonde and then I remembered I had a blonde wig (which I rarely use) and was perfect for this :D   Here are more shots of Krystal from the MV:

She wore a headpiece and a crown   The thing that really captured my attention from the look was the one black, smokey eye and the other almost completely bare with a coloured contact lens on. This was pretty consistent with all of the members however I felt that Krystal stood out the most with her super dangle-y headpiece and ice-like crown/headband (where would I get one of those?!)   As I say for all of my inspired looks, my intention is not to create a replica or tutorial on how to get this look - this is just my own interpretation where I have used items that I already had, to look as close as possible to the items worn by Krystal.   A tick for the blonde wig, a tick for an army-green jacket but with the headpiece... that was where I had some issues. Considering that I never wear headpieces or anything on my head (if you see me with a headband a la cat ears, it means I'm wearing them for a special occasion), I wasn't thinking about buying one and thought I could just wrap some gold chains around my head... but that didn't work.    I had a browse online and found this one and thought it was perfect but now it's sold out!!! And it's called 'Crystal' like Krystal too, omg. I settled for the cheapest one I could find in the store ($4, online it's still full price) to wear and draped gold chains over it. Unfortunately I only had two gold chains and I didn't have crosses but I had butterflies:

Accessories sorted!

These are the products (minus tools such as brushes) that I used to achieve the inspired look:

FACE:

ELES Age Defying BB Cream 30*

Tony Moly Crystal Light Gold Beam

Rimmel Stay Matte Dual Action Concealer 

Ardell Brow Sculpting Gel

EYES:

GEO Angel Blue Lenses

Australis Eyeshadow Primer

ELES Signature Shadow Quad in Minimalist*

ELES Mineral Matte Shadow in Sand*

Australis Eye Pencil in Blackest Black

Rimmel Soft Kohl Eye Liner Pencil in 071 Pure White

Maybelline HyperSharp Liner

Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner (still trialling for review purposes)*

Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof Mascara

Dolly Wink Eyelash Glue

Taiwan Bottom Lashes in 011

LIPS:

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 625 Iced Amethyst

Couleur Caramel Rouge a Levres Lipstick in 119*

I used the lightest shade of BB Cream that I had to correspond with Krystal's pale complexion and used concealer for extra coverage. I highlighted my nose bridge, brow bone, cheek bones and cupid's bow. For my brows, I kept them a natural brown like Krystal's and used my light brown brow gel to fill and lighten them up a bit. I couldn't see any blush on Krystal's cheeks so I didn't apply any.

Krystal's contact lens is a blue-green colour with no limbal ring (the black around a circle lens to give a dolly look) however I didn't have any other lenses that were blue so I used my GEO Angel Blue ones. This gave my eye a more doe-eyed look compared to Krystal's.

Left eye (no lens):

I applied eyeshadow primer all over my lid and applied black matte eyeshadow right up to the groove of my eye socket. I also applied the eyeshadow to my bottom lash line. I then used the brown matte eyeshadow and placed it right above the black eyeshadow and directly under the black used on the bottom lash line. I blended these together to create a smokey look and minimise any harsh lines. I winged my eyeliner, curled my lashes and applied a few coats of mascara. I used bottom lashes (half) that had a similar thick-thin style.

Right eye (lens):

Again, eyeshadow primer went on first and then a sand-coloured matte eyeshadow all over my eyelid and bottom lash line. Using my liquid eyeliner, I drew a thin line on top of the lashes and applied white eyeliner on my waterline. I finished it off with curling my lashes and applying mascara to the top and bottom lashes.

It all sounds pretty straight forward but it took me a few tries to get the smokey eye right and the way I wanted it to be. Perhaps it's because I hadn't done one in such a long time. Anyway I'm glad I only needed to do it on one eye or else it would've taken me even longer!

And finally to the lips:

It's so weird seeing the blonde against the bottom half of my face... doesn't even look like me o_o

I made my top lip look thinner than usual and my bottom lip slightly thicker (not like it needed to be any more thick haha). Krystal's got a dark ombre lip going on with purple matte lip products. I've only got one purple matte lipstick and it happens to be my darkest one, so I used it for the centre of my lips. The outer lipstick is a lighter purple and has a creamy consistency, hence the glossiness. I could have went for fully-matte lips but I didn't want to risk drying out my lips, plus I prefer smooth, glossy lips!

So there we go, the finished look where I had a few hiccups along the way with the accessorising and makeup application but overall I'm pleased with how it turned out :)

In the end I even added a small 'freckle' near the side of my nose, Krystal-style!

Oh and here's the full MV if you're keen to see the rest of the girls' looks and/or listen to their latest track:

Questjen for you:

Whose look did you like the best in the Red Light MV?

If you don't know their names, you can identify them by their hair colours/styles

I could say good things about each look and although I was most inspired by Krystal's, I was fangirling the most over Sulli! I wanted to recreate her look too but I didn't have brown lenses or the right accessories~

She's the youngest member of f(x) and she's all grown up looking more and more stunning

I hope to do more of these inspired looks in the near future and if there are any requests, feel free to shoot them my way!

Follow @thequestjen

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, nor am I affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. Products marked with a * had been provided for consideration.

FOTD: Smokey Summer 'Earth Goddess' Look

It's the last month of summer over here in Australia but it certainly doesn't feel as though it's coming to an end any time soon because the days just keep getting hotter and hotter!

This look that I'll be sharing is by ELES called 'Earth Goddess' which uses earthy tones and is reminiscent of a hazy warm summer. Instead of a blush, bronzer is used to give off a healthy, sun-kissed glow to the face.

Products used:

ELES Age Defying BB Cream 30 in Light

ELES Mineral Sheer Bronzer - Rio De Janeiro

ELES Signature Quad in Naturalist

ELES Dimensional Cake Liner in Chocolate Spice

ELES Lush Mascara in Black

ELES Brow Blender Pencil in 04 Dark Taupe

ELES Micro Bubble Lipstick in Micro Mocha

Tony Moly Crystal Light Gold Beam

Shiseido Eyelash Curler

The look by ELES

One of the featured products of this look is ELES' Age Defying BB Cream 30. I love using BB creams as I find that they're an amazing alternative to foundation, providing an all-in-one with sunscreen protection, moisture and of course coverage. There are three shades - Light, Medium and Deep.

Wearing the BB cream in the shade Light

This BB cream gave me nice, even coverage and felt really lightweight on my skin. With a Broad Spectrum SPF 30, this is perfect for summer and I have rarely seen other BB creams on the western market that provide this high of an SPF protection. Since it does have a high SPF protection, it has that typical sunscreen scent which I don't mind. I would recommend wearing this BB cream during the day to prevent damage from UVA/UVB rays. 

I'm normally not a fan of using bronzer but when I recreated this look, I somehow developed a liking for it (sounds cheesy I know) and now I'm not as afraid of using it! I followed the ELES tutorial of sweeping the bronzer to the cheekbones, under the jawline and along the perimeter of the forehead. And the fact that this bronzer is sheer, it's much easier to work with and blend in to not look so harsh/unnatural.

I'm still not great with contouring however I gave it a red hot go with the bronzer along with my gold beam highlighter from Tony Moly, which I used on the high points of my face such as my (non-existent) nose bridge, the top of my cheeks and on my brow bone. I can tell how obvious it all looks in the picture and I definitely wouldn't go out looking that bronzed! This was purely done for fun to try and sculpt my face by adding shadows :)

Look at dat glowww

Sucking in those cheeks to make my cheekbones stick out, and to make my lips look more pouty

Speaking of my lips, at first I was feeling a little uneasy with using a dark reddish brown shade as I'm usually wearing light or dark pink lipsticks. Fortunately it turned out looking awesome, especially with my smokey eyes and bronzed cheekbones. It's also got that slight classy look to it - I love it! It's super creamy as well :)

Overall this look was really fun to do, especially considering the fact that I hardly go for smokey eyes, use bronzer or wear a brown-toned lipstick! It was like stepping out of my comfort zone and transforming into... an earth goddess. Okay I'll stop with the cheesiness...

Questjen of the week:

Do you use or have you used bronzer before??

It's hardly something that I hear about and I was wondering whether anyone uses it religiously. I have a couple of bronzers and I've barely touched them! I can't imagine myself hitting pan on any of them soon!

Disclaimer: Products from ELES were provided for consideration with no obligation to share or review. This is not a sponsored post, nor am I affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in this post. All opinions stated by me are 100% honest. 

Follow @thequestjen

Inspired Look - Goo Hara (Damaged Lady - KARA MV)

Hello, I have a makeup look to share which was inspired by the gorgeous Goo Hara from the K-pop girl group KARA in their latest music video 'Damaged Lady'. The first time I saw the teaser for this MV, my eyes were instantly drawn to Hara's amazing look with those stunning grey contacts and bold ombre lip. I have seen some people do a tutorial for this look and they did amazing jobs. From seeing other people's take on this look, I felt inspired to recreate this look with a slight smokey eye.

Just to reiterate, this is not a replication of her look which is why it looks nothing like it! I like being creative with looks that I see and changing them a bit to better suit my features (or make do with products that I already have).

Plus Hara is such a doll and there's no way that I could look as good as her with the same makeup application! Our features are completely different and I'm not a pro with makeup replications/transformations (unlike Promise Phan on YouTube).

I love her smirk hehe (which I fail to do)

There's also a tutorial that I chose not to follow (credits to Elisa)

This is the music video teaser that had me captivated by Hara's look, seen in the first 5 seconds:

And a few gifs from the MV:

The products that I used to achieve this look:

EOS Gray 307 Lenses

Gi & Gary Eyelashes B3 2L Black

Dolly Wink Eyelash Glue

ELES Signature Shadow Quad in Nouveau Riche

Essence I Love Runway Highlighter

Models Prefer Matte Black Kohl Pencil

Mimididi Flashing Diamond Powder Eyeshadow in 02

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in Light

Australis Eyeshadow Primer

Revlon Lipstick in 070 Soft Nude

Maybelline Colour Whisper in 95 Mad for Magenta

Natio Rich Colour Creme Gloss in Passion

Benefit Fake Up Concealer in Medium

Diamond Blush

Shiseido Eyelash Curler

Dolly Wink Eyebrow Pencil in 3 Dark Chocolate

Heroin Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner

Maybelline The Mega Plush Volum'Express Waterproof in Very Black

I wore gold and black just like Hara

 These were the only grey lenses that I had

I want to quickly showcase the eyeshadow quad that I used to create my smokey brown eyes. It is from the brand ELES which you may be familiar with if you're a frequent reader of my blog:

ELES Signature Shadow Quad in Nouveau Riche

RRP $99.00 AUD

The reason why I love featuring ELES cosmetics on my blog is because they're great quality and is a brand that I completely trust. They are cruelty-free and the formula of all of their mineral makeup products are superb. These eyeshadows are hypoallergenic, oil-free, talc-free, dye-free,  and fragrance-free! I love that they are also packed with vitamins A, C and E to condition and protect the delicate eye area so that you can be sure not to experience any irritations and that this product is safe to use on all skin types.

The application is smooth and gives a velvety finish. They were a breeze to blend together to create the smokey look. With some eyeshadows, it is a must to wear eyeshadow primer underneath however with these ones, it wasn't necessary for me to wear primer because even with the swatches without primer underneath, they stayed on well.

Also, I liked how they are shimmery but not too shimmery. The amount of shimmer is perfect for me and the brown shade was great to use not only as eyeshadow but also for contouring!

A golden smokey brown with a hint of orange

 

The ombre lips was a bit of a challenge for me but it was quite a lot of fun to try out!

I did my best with accessorising with items that I already had at home to go with the look

Studded, dangly earrings and hair up in a messy low bun

 I also used these easy stick-on nails that had gold patterns

Overall I enjoyed recreating this look and I hope to see more K-pop artists with dazzling eye makeup. I've missed doing these inspired looks - it's been a while since I've see an artist's look that I've really admired.

 What did you think of my look?

Questjen of the week:

 Do you like seeing inspired makeup looks?

It doesn't just to have be from me but from anyone. Though I'd like to hear your thoughts on whether you enjoy seeing these types of posts from me, especially since it's been ages since I last did one! Should I do more of them? Or do you have any suggestions? Please let me know :D

❤ Jen xx

Disclaimer: ELES product provided for consideration. This is not a sponsored post. I am not affiliated with any of the companies/products mentioned.

Etude House vs. Missha BB Cream - Honey Beige

HELLO! It's great to be back after roughly two months of not blogging :) I didn't intend to be away for this long but I got to a point where I really needed to sort out my priorities and figure out how I wanted to manage/use my time wisely. Yes I know, blogging for me and for many is purely a hobby... but a very time-consuming hobby. I was lacking in time and therefore could not fit in blogging into my schedule. Not to worry now though, as I am back and have pretty much all the time in the world for the next few weeks ^^ A few weeks is better than nothing, right?

Quick update for anyone who's interested - a fair bit has happened during my hiatus (not intending to be dramatic, just saying)... I became a year older and out of my teens, the boy and I celebrated being together for half a decade, my only active lens sponsor mukuCHU closed down and Google Reader discontinued at the start of this month. Now I encourage you to use Bloglovin' if don't already, to stay updated with your favourite blogs. Hopefully one of them is mine (why else would you be here... haha). Click here to follow me, thanks!

Ah, and also during my hiatus I made a discovery... of Honey Beige BB creams! In case you're unaware, the typical 'Asian' BB creams usually cater for those with fair skin which has always made me feel rather left out... because I'm more on the medium side. I'm not a fair-skinned Asian and I've accepted the fact that I'll never be one.

It's nice how the Western BB creams have medium shades to suit a wider variety of skin tones but personally I feel that the quality of theirs haven't quite reached the standard of Japanese and Korean ones. For example, the Garnier one just feels like a tinted moisturiser, offering minimal coverage. The light-medium shade matches me quite well but in terms of overall quality and coverage it doesn't quite cut it for me.

So I did a little bit of research and discovered that Missha has a Honey Beige BB cream (I need to thank Tezza who mentioned this to me a while back - thanks girl!) and also Etude House, both being Korean brands and both having the same name for their shades. I don't know why I found that interesting but somehow I did... and really I shouldn't have because how many foundations under different brands have a shade called 'Natural Beige'...?

I ended up buying both as I couldn't decide which to choose from... and ta-da I've decided to do a side-by-side review! As always, my reviews are 100% my own honest opinions and you can choose to agree or disagree. This was not sponsored in any way.

I'm glad I purchased both because I was then able to pick a favourite from the two. You're free to scroll down to the end of the post to find out which one I liked more but hey, don't spoil it for yourself :P If you can, please read what I've got to say, mk? :)

Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream Bright Fit SPF 30 PA++ #W24 Honey Beige - RRP $22 AUD @ Yesstyle

Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 PA++ #27 Honey Beige - RRP $32 AUD @ Yesstyle

Already we can see an obvious difference between the boxes. Personally, the Etude House looks more girly/cutesy whereas the Missha box appears more sleek, shiny and generally more pricey. I'm a big fan of anything that's pink and sparkly so I guess the Etude House box is a better match for my taste/style but nonetheless, I still love the slightly more mature-looking packaging by Missha.

 2NE1's Dara is the face of this BB Cream! I love her :D

Both Korean and English on the box

There's a rectangular swatch of the shade on the top - a very handy guide

Surprisingly all in English on the box

To me I feel as though the Missha BB Cream is targeted more towards Westerners based on the packaging and writing. I wonder if there is a Korean version of the packaging...

Both have this pump mechanism which is hygienic

I haven't tested to see whether they can be unscrewed but I know that I can use up the whole product without needing to remove the pump - I could easily cut open the tube! No wastage

Here are the swatches and I didn't do an 'oxidation' test but I think it's fair to say that Etude House BB Cream oxidises faster than Missha, even though I swatched the Missha one first

The shades are similar though not the same despite both being called 'Honey Beige'. I will share a comparison picture where I use one on one side of my face and one on the other.

First let's do a coverage comparison test, starting with the Etude House BB Cream:

 As you can see, the Etude House BB Cream covered my redness well. It also did a pretty good job with making my uneven skin tone appear more even. It's a nice match to my skin tone

I'd say that they both have fairly equal coverage. Could you tell that I'm wearing two different BB Creams?!

It looks like I'm wearing blush but nope I'm not! This BB Cream looks as though it brings out the natural flush to my cheeks which I guess for some isn't such a bad thing. 

And look at the gloss on my cheek - some may find it oily-looking but I like it! My skin is dry and these BB creams moisturise my skin so well. I hardly have a glossiness to my face so I'm really liking the finish of these. If you're not a fan then you can easily apply some face powder on top for a matte finish.

Now to the question - Is there one that I prefer?

Let's recap on the similarities between the two (whether positive or negative) before I make my decision:

• Tube and pump mechanism
• English on the tube and box
• The shades
• The scents (most BB creams smell the same)
• The coverage
• Claim to be whitening, anti-darkening, anti-wrinkle

Now to the differences:

• Design and colour scheme
• 60g and 50mL
• SPF 30 and 42
• No Korean writing on one of them (possibly targeting the Western market?)
• Oxidation, undertones
• Prices differ by $10 AUD

 Overall Thoughts on each

I can't comment on the whitening, anti-darkening and anti-wrinkle effects and to be honest I don't even know if all of that is legitimate. However I won't go against these claims as I have nothing to prove or disprove.

The shades are similar but the undertones are slightly different. If you are unaware of undertones, Google can help you with that (I'm bad at explaining things). To me I feel that the Etude House BB Cream is more suited to those with cool undertones (I think this is what I have) and the Missha BB Cream is more suited to those with warm undertones (which probably explains the pinky/orangeness).

Design and colour scheme of course comes down to personal preference. For me I'm not overly fussed... just as long as the packaging looks presentable and the product works well! I love both :)

Correct me if I'm wrong - 60g is more than 50mL, yes? I'm not sure if grams are exactly equal to millilitres but I've always thought that 1g roughly equates to 1mL. The Etude House BB Cream is 60g and Missha's is 50mL. I'm assuming that there is more product in the Etude House one.

We're all aware that the higher the SPF the product is, the more sun protection it can offer, yes? It's important to protect our skin from sun damage from harmful UV rays and preventing premature skin aging and skin cancers. Although it sounds like a high difference between 30 and 42, it actually isn't. An SPF product of 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays and a product of SPF 45 blocks about 98% of rays, so it is only a 1% difference but overall it is better to choose a product with higher SPF.

There is approximately a $10 AUD difference between the two. It's not surprising that the Missha BB Cream is a little bit more pricey because of the sleek, gold packaging which screams high-end. Etude House's packaging looks more suited to younger/girly girls and if they are targeting these users, having a more affordable BB cream is the way to go. Not trying to be stereotypical but from a marketing point of view, it could be seen that way.

Any regrets on purchasing both?

No, none at all! Purchasing both meant that I could do a comparison review and when one runs out, I'll still have the other one. And seeing as they were both Honey Beige, I was curious about which would suit me more or if they were both exactly the same. I am no longer curious and I finally own some Korean BB creams! It turns out that they're not exactly the same and have different undertones - something that wasn't aware of before purchasing. I've decided that I will use the Etude House BB Cream during Winter and the Missha BB Cream during Summer due to its warmer undertone being more suited to my tanned skin from the sun.

And because it's Winter over here now, you can guess which one I'd be using more, and liking a little more - the Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream Bright Fit. Phew, that's a very long name!

I won't do a pros and cons list for each as I reckon this review is long enough as it is. I've said everything that I want to say about them and what I may see as a pro or a con may not be the same for you. As I said before, it usually does come down to personal preference with products such as BB Creams.

Thanks for reading my review and hopefully it wasn't too boring! I know I went into quite a lot of detail haha, I get a bit carried away when I write review (what can I say, I love doing them!). Leaving you now with the commercial that Dara did for the Etude House BB Cream which is so cute and funny:

Questjen of the week:

Which is your favourite BB Cream and why?

Now that you know mine, I'd love to know which is your favourite ^^

♥ Jen