[ETSY][REVIEW] Rock Hound Soap - Amethyst Quartz Crystal Soap

I ordered and received the Amethyst Quartz Crystal Soap from Rock Hound Soap a few days ago. It is very realistically made and came (pun intended) rock solid. My dad thought I had actually bought a crystal home rather than soap! Hahaha.

The soap came in a package and a plastic wrap:

Rock Hound Soap! Looks just like a crystal in the bag.

Out of package. I don't know why I took a picture of it vertically. Oops.

Picture of it on the side with a chunk removed. It breaks off as a crystal too!

I ordered it as unscented, so it is just regular glycerin soap in a crystal form. It's good for sensitive skin.

I placed my order on 4/25/15, and it was delivered on 5/6/2016. It was shipped out the first week of May, which is within their expected turn around time in the shop's policy.

I think it is a great gift that is under $15. 

Disclaimer: All pictures were taken and edited by me. Any color differences are due to camera and monitor differences. All items were purchased by me with my own money unless otherwise stated. I was not endorsed for this review of another Etsy seller. 

Etsy Review: Herbolution Makeup Cleansing Oil!

I volunteered to be a tester for a fellow Etsy seller's product: Herbolution's makeup remover cleansing oil! I paid for shipping and it arrived within the week!

The oil is quite thick in consistency, so definitely use only a few drops and on a moistened cotton ball or cotton pad. It smells like watered down tea tree oil.

Such a cute little glass bottle and a 10% off coupon!

I normally do not use makeup, but I always use waterproof sunscreen. Right now I am trying a non-physical option: EltaMD spf 50 UV sport waterproof sunscreen. It is extremely hard to take off, so the first thing I did was test this cleansing oil on my face.

First I put two drops on a moistened cotton ball, then rub rub rub!

The before and after looks pretty drastic. It did not leave an oily feeling on my skin, but I put a warm moist towel on my skin anyways, as per instructions. I then washed my face with a facial cleanser and definitely felt my skin being smoother and cleaner on the side I used the oil!

Now to test it on some eyeliner over primer. Products used:

The before:

After equal amounts of time gently rubbing: 

Hmm it seems like Nature Republic is not coming off. Also, the eyeliner is being pushed around on my skin.
MAC and Maybelline came off very easily!

 Some more rubbing, a lot harder this time:

You can still see some eyeliner on the bottom from the Nature Republic!

Conclusion: The cleansing oil takes off gel and pencil liner quite easily, but the waterproof liquid eyeliner required rubbing that may be too hard on the eyelids. I later tested again and found that if I used more cleansing oil it would come right off, but that also left me with greasy eyelids. Fortunately the oil dried relatively quickly.

Recommended use: Spread oil evenly over the moistened cotton pad/ball and use it to break up makeup. Don't expect it to clean everything off! Definitely use another gentle cleanser afterwards to get everything off. 

Summary: Thicker than I am used to for a cleansing oil, but that is easily resolved by spreading evenly on a moistened cotton ball/pad. Would recommend for makeup that isn't very waterproof or for double cleansing. It is better than plain oil in that it isn't very greasy and has a nice tea tree oil scent.

Thanks for letting me review the product!

Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for review! I volunteered to review it and paid shipping. All photos were taken by me. Results may vary due to different skin types and makeup used! 

New Ear Cuff

I have not released any new products in  my stores for a while, but I assure you one will come soon!

I am currently working on new ear cuffs that cover more of the ear. Here are two prototypes:

Left and Right ear wraps!

Don't they look so pretty? It's unfortunate that I still have to work on not scratching the metal and the exact measurements for each. But follow me on here, Tumblr, Pinterest, or check out either of my stores to be the first ones to know when I finally release these cuffs for sale! 

Co wash for Asian hair

After months of trying out co-washing, I finally decided to write a post on how co-washing worked for my damaged Asian hair. I decided to try co-washing because daily shampooing seemed to be drying out my hair even more and caused many split ends.

First, what is co-washing? 

Co-washing is simply washing hair with handfuls of conditioner (no really, one handful for the scalp and one for the ends). The conditioner must not contain silicones, or else it will accumulate and weigh down your locks. The biggest difference between shampooing and co-washing is that you must use large amounts of conditioner and rinse for a very long time to ensure all the conditioner has come out. 

Trial and Error

I have always washed my hair daily and then applied conditioner to the ends, so not using shampoo was a significant change to my hair.

Take 1: V05 Strawberry and Champagne Conditoner

I started co-washing with V05 Strawberry and Champagne conditioner. The first two days my hair felt softer than ever before, but on the third day, my scalp was a bit smelly and my hair was rapidly losing volume. By the fourth day, my hair was matted, so I caved and washed with silicone-free shampoo. This made my hair smooth and full of volume! I stuck with this pattern of washing every 3rd day, but that only made my hair become greasy faster. 

Take 2: V05 Strawberry and Cream Conditoner

I swapped conditioners to V05 Strawberry and Cream, which is noticeably heavier and more moisturizing than V05 Strawberry and Champagne. It actually smelled like Strawberry and Cream! The downside is that it made my hair crunchy after a few days, even if it did smooth down the frizz better than V05 Strawberry and Champagne Conditioner. This is likely due to protein in this conditioner. You must maintain a balance of protein vs moisture in your hair, so definitely don't overdo it with this conditioner!

Take 3: V05 Chamomile Tea Conditioner

This conditioner was more moisturizing than the first conditioner I tried, but it is really hard to wash out, making my roots greasy after 2-3 days, so I still could not escape washing my hair with shampoo every few days. Hence, I had to cycle conditioners to delay build-up. 

Take 4: V05 Vanilla Mint Tea Conditioner

This is my holy grail conditioner for sure, because it cleansed my hair like shampoo and left behind a wonderful scent. It took out the buildup from my other conditioners and gave my roots volume back. At this point, I cycled V05 Chamomile Tea Conditioner with this conditioner and was truly co-washing for a few months! 

The downside is that eventually my hair became too dry from the cleansing effects of this conditioner. In fact, it began to build-up on my hair too! Hence, I was forced to shampoo it out. 

I had returned to the old habit of shampooing every few days, and this was gradually reverting my hair to its old icky state. I also began to lose more hair than usual!

Take 5; Suave Ocean Breeze
This one is quite similar to the Vanilla Mint Tea in that it helps remove build up from other conditioners. In some ways it is even better because I have yet to get build up from this conditioner! The only downside is that it left my ends very dry! 

Current Solution: Mix Co-washing w/ Shampooing and Water-only

To prevent the disgusting matted look, but also the frizzy dry look, I mix the two on a schedule. I wash with either of the Strawberry conditioners for 2-3 days. When my hair begins to lose volume, I wash with Vanilla Mint Tea or Suave Ocean Breeze for 2-3 days. Finally, I lather on the Strawberry and Cream conditioner or Chamomile Tea conditioner so that my locks feel slick. Then I wash it all off with silicone-free shampoo. The next day, my hair is bouncy and shiny. The day after I only wash with water to prolong that state. 

This new cycle has really worked for my hair, making it smoother than it used to be. I highly recommend you to try it too if your hair is damaged! 

On Scents
I think everything but VO5 Green tea conditioner smells wonderful. Suave Ocean Breeze is definitely a gender neutral scent because it smells a bit "salty" like the ocean. Vanilla Mint Tea and Chamomile Tea are definitely sweet smelling teas. Strawberry Champagne does not smell like strawberries at all, and leaves virtually no scent on the hair after washing it out. The strongest smelling one is Strawberries and Cream, which definitely smells like what it should.
For long lasting scent I would suggest Vanilla Mint Tea, Strawberry and Cream, and Ocean Breeze.

On Thickness

Green Tea, Vanilla Mint Tea, Strawberry & Cream, Ocean Breeze

Unfortunately, I ran out of the other conditioners, so I could not get a picture to compare. As you can see, Ocean Breeze is the thickest of them all, while Green Tea is more fluid. Strawberry Champagne and Chamomile Tea have a consistency similar to Green Tea. Due to their fluid nature, more conditioner must be used to really coat the hair to get it to work. 

I hope this long post filled with several months of experimentation helps you transition or make the choice to co-washing! It can be done, even with Asian hair!

Also, I have just opened a new Storenvy! Please check it out. Unlike my Etsy store, I offer flat rate shipping! See here.

Disclaimer: All products were bought by me and all photos are taken by me. Everyone's hair is different, so I cannot guarantee similar results for your hair!

NYC Tudor City Teal, Essie Pure Pearlfection

A review of multiple nail polishes!

First up: NYC Tudor City Teal + Essie Pure Pearlfection

Tudor City Teal seems more of a mint green than a teal, but still a wonderfully bright color for the spring and summer. Application is great; it's not very streaky and opaque with two coats! My biggest gripe is that it dries quite matte, so I decided to layer Essie Pure Pearlfection on it.

No Essie topcoat. Quite matte.

Essie Pure Pearlfection is basically a silver microglitter coat. It is gorgeous and smooths out any bumps in my bottom layers! The combination is amazing in the sunlight and the best part is that my nails were chip free for 5 days straight! 

Gorgeous glitter!

NYC Tudor City Teal and Essie Pure Pearlfection are an amazing combo that I highly recommend. 

This review represents my honest opinion and was not endorsed by either company. All products were bought with my own money and all photos taken by me.

A small update on my Etsy:

Posted a modeled pic of my gothic cross cuff set recently! Get it here. And stay tuned! 

New Chain Cuff Earring

Another limited edition chain cuff earring is now available! This time I have used silver plated french hooks to maximize the movement of these beautiful Swarovski heart crystals and the cute open wings.

Two crystal color options are available: one is a girly pink, the other is a gorgeous deep blue.

Alternate color option! Swarovski crystal heart in Bermuda Blue. 

Get it today before someone else does!

Pinterest!

I finally made a Pinterest to post all my Etsy photos and my blog photos!
Please follow me here:
http://pinterest.com/everlastinghail/

More boards to come! (hint: I love desserts. Actually I love food too.)

I am also working on new Etsy items! Here is a sneak preview:

As always, keep track of my tumblr: http://everlastinghail.tumblr.com/  

and my store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Everlastinghail

for updates! 

Etsy: New Gold Starpearls and New Gothic Cross Pictures!

New addition to the starpearl ear cuff! Gold stars are now available, check it out here!

No piercings required!

Gold stars!

I also updated photos for the gothic cross ear cuff and the gothic cross chain ear cuff set! 

The gothic cross cuff is still on sale! Get it here. 

On sale!!

This set features sterling silver studs for those with allergic skin like me! Get your set here.

Etsy Contest

My feather crystal cuff earring was entered into the Etsy Contest!
Please vote for me here:

http://etsycontest.com/?votefor=Everlastinghail

Please also continue to play to support the Etsy community! Any of the items on the site can be bought from their respective stores. Take a look!

Please also follow me on tumblr: http://everlastinghail.tumblr.com/
and check out my store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Everlastinghail?ref=si_shop
Thanks~

Next up will be a nail polish post on the B.S.N. brand! Stay tuned!

Facial Peeling Gel Review: IOPE Moisture Skin Soft Peeling Gel, Ecopure Aloe Peeling Gel & Etsy Update

As promised, a review of two Korean Facial Peeling Gels! I will be reviewing Ecopure Aloe Peeling Gel and the IOPE Moisture Skin Soft Peeling Gel. 

Both are marketed for people with dry or combination/dry skin, like mine. Ecopure boasts of being 89% natural and "5 free," which is about the limit of what I can understand from the bottle. IOPE was recommended to me by a Korean beauty salon salesperson, who really understood my skin type!

To experiment, I am using them on my hands.

Before.

IOPE is on the right and Ecopure is on the left. Texture is quite different because Ecopure turns a bit grainy just from spreading it and is a bit more sticky because of the aloe content. 

Ecopure on the left, IOPE on the right.

Also note that IOPE has small, blue beads to help with the massaging: 

See the little beads in the photo? I don't think they make a difference.

After rubbing! There is practically no difference in the amount of gel rubbed off. The beads just disappear. 

After cleaning it off, my hands feel significantly smoother. There is practically no difference except that Ecopure will dry a little slower due to the aloe content.

After washing it off. 

Although on the hands it is quite similar, it is a different story when used on the face. Although both do not remove whiteheads and blackheads, they bring them to the surface to make them easier to remove with a blackhead mask or washing off with a  washcloth.

Differences: 

IOPE dries out my skin a lot more, so it actually creates some more flaky skin after the scrubbing on areas that were originally dry and flaky. However, my cheeks are extremely smooth after using it. To combat the dryness, I always use a moisturizing mask or a heavy moisturizer afterwards. The good thing is that the drying effect wipes out acne effectively and even shrunk my pores after a year of use.

Price: Expensive. $30 a bottle (100 mL)

Ecopure is extremely moisturizing, to the point that after use there is no flaky skin and I only need to use some toner. Due to this, I would only recommend it to people who have dry skin, since otherwise it may be overly moisturizing. I have not seen any differences in my pores or acne. 

Price: Relatively inexpensive. $13.95 a bottle (150 mL).

Overall: Choose the one best for your skin type. Both are good for smoothing out the skin, but IOPE does not work well on skin that is extremely dry and flaky. IOPE caters more for people with acne, while Ecopure moisturizes. 

Finally, an Etsy update:

Limited edition! Only one available. It is a cuff to stud earring featuring three mini stars dangling off a silver plated chain. The stud is genuine 925 stamped sterling silver. You can buy it here. 

It can also be seen on tumblr: http://everlastinghail.tumblr.com/  Please follow me!

A special note: If you notice I have watermarked that image, because someone stole my blog picture without permission or crediting me! Please know that all photos are my property, so please do not take them without permission or crediting. You can always ask me first if you want to use something from my blog. This includes text!  

This review represents my honest opinion and was not endorsed by any company. All products were bought with my own money and all photos taken by me.

Update on Etsy Store: Single Cuff Earrings

So I never got around to updating about my Etsy store status.
Here are two ear cuffs that I posted a while ago:

Swarovski Crystal Pearl Ear Cuff

This version is very girly, because this is in pink. =P

Double Star Swarvoski Crystal Cuff

I love how the light shines through the crystals here! The stars are made of stainless steel and very cute.

Something even better about these: they come with color choices: 

Gorgeous Swarovski crystals! Again, my camera cannot capture their beauty.

Please visit my store here! 

Also, a new nail polish review coming soon, as well as comparison of two Korean peeling gels!

Cuff Earrings

I started making cuff earrings in October as a prop for a Japanese project. I had to interview "Gackt"so I made my partner a Gothic cross cuff and gave him heavy guyliner to match his role. (He looked better goth, imo). I sold my cuffs in school and there was a huge response.

Cross Cuff, the original version.  

Wire Cross Cuff Earring

And then a disaster happened: my supplier for the cuff component went out of stock and I had orders waiting.
So I started making wire cuffs and it is really great, because I can do quality control, make different designs, and it is hypoallergenic because it's made from silver plated wire. Of course it's a little more time consuming, but that's okay. Plus it's adjustable!

Last weekend I finally made an Etsy. I just started, but I'll be adding more items soon. Please visit~