Unboxing: Summer 2024 Skincare Haul

As my skincare stash from Hong Kong is dwindling now, I decided to scope out some new products. But between summer sales, late-night T&T runs, and Amazon Prime Day, it got a little out of hand:

Fresh x Juno Shen Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence in Juno Purple, Lotus Youth Preserve Resurfacing Dream Serum, and Sugar Roll-On Deodorant Antiperspirant

Kumano Hatomugi Lotion and Etude House Soonjung pH 5.5 Relief Toner

Curel Japan Intensive Moisture Care Moisture Facial Lotion II, Moisture Facial Milk, and Moisture Facial Cream

Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Serum, Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Cream Moisturizer, Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer, Water Sleeping Mask, and Pink Lemonade Lip Sleeping Mask

Farmacy Honey Halo Ultra-Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer and Mango Lip Smoothie

Kracie Naive Face Wash in Peach Leaf and Yuzu Ceramide and Shiseido Super Mild Green Citrus Body Soap

Off & Relax Refresh Spa Shampoo and Spa Treatment

Kracie Limited Edition Ichikami Moonlight Beauty Shampoo and Conditioner Set

BTS TinyTan x Toy Story Shu Shu & Sassy Hand Cream in Jin as Alien, Suga as Hamm, J-Hope as Forky, Jimin as Rex, and Jungkook as Buzz Lightyear

BTS TinyTan x Toy Story Shu Shu & Sassy Hand Cream in Jin as Alien, Suga as Hamm, J-Hope as Forky, Jimin as Rex, and Jungkook as Buzz Lightyear

But this should last me until next year, right?

Unboxing: BTS x AmorePacific Lip & Pop Edition Lip Sleeping Mask Set

Obviously, when I found out that BTS was coming out with a second collaboration with AmorePacific for more Lip Sleeping Masks, I had to get in on it. Their first collaboration was a purple Lip Sleeping Mask in Gummy Bear (which smells exactly like grape Hi-Chew candy, my favourite flavour in the Hi-Chew world) that came out last December. This second collaboration is a set of three Lip Sleeping Masks called "Lip & Pop Edition," which is themed around BTS' three English-language singles: "Butter," "Permission to Dance," and "Dynamite."

BTS x AmorePacific Lip & Pop Edition Lip Sleeping Mask Set
BTS x AmorePacific Lip & Pop Edition Lip Sleeping Mask Set
This set was released for global customers in late October on Weverse Shop, where it was available for about five minutes before selling out. It had retailed for $33 USD with a $45 USD shipping cost to Canada. So I scoured the Internet to see if I could get it elsewhere, but as it turns out, most of the sites that are selling this set are charging over $70 USD for it, anyway. I ended up getting my set from Holiholic, which is selling this set "on sale" for $54.50 USD — the cheapest I have seen it available for as of this posting. (Still cheaper than getting it from Weverse Shop with shipping, so it's a win in my books.)

BTS x AmorePacific Lip & Pop Edition Lip Sleeping Mask Set
The packaging of the BTS x AmorePacific Lip & Pop Edition set is designed to look like a turntable in the shades of purple (to represent BTS, of course), orange (to represent "Permission to Dance"), yellow (to represent "Butter"), and beige (to represent "Dynamite"). It is described as "a set of lip sleeping masks that provides smooth, firm lips by gently melting away dead skin on the lips overnight." While it is marketed as a lip mask that you leave on while you sleep, it's essentially a smoothing lip balm that you can use whenever you so choose. Note that the formulation of these Lip Sleeping Masks is exactly the same as Laneige's Lip Sleeping Mask — AmorePacific owns the Laneige brand.

  BTS x AmorePacific Lip & Pop Edition Lip Sleeping Mask Set: "Butter" (Butter), "Permission to Dance" (Peach Iced Tea), and "Dynamite" (Sweet Candy)
BTS x AmorePacific Lip & Pop Edition Lip Sleeping Mask Set: "Butter" (Butter), "Permission to Dance" (Peach Iced Tea), and "Dynamite" (Sweet Candy)
The contents of the BTS x AmorePacific Lip & Pop Edition set are as follows:

"Butter" Lip Sleeping Mask (8g) — Named after BTS' song, "Butter." Described as a "lip mask with a creamy texture and the sweet scent of butter." Like all of the AmorePacific/Laneige Lip Sleeping Masks, it has a high-shine finish. Both the jar and the lip balm itself are coloured bright yellow, but the product is virtually colourless when applied on skin. While it does smell somewhat buttery, I find it more akin to caramel popcorn. The scent on this one is fairly intense. 

"Permission to Dance" Lip Sleeping Mask (8g) — Named after BTS' song, "Permission to Dance." It's described as a "lip mask with a skin-comforting texture and the scent of peach iced tea for a dreamy moment." (This is not to be mistaken for the original "Permission to Dance: On Stage" Sleeping Lip Mask, which was created for their concert series of the same name and was purple with a Gummy Bear scent.) Like all of the AmorePacific/Laneige Lip Sleeping Masks, it has a high-shine finish. The jar is coloured bright orange, while the lip balm is coloured peach. It provides a very light, sheer peach tint on the lips, but is not particularly noticeable. It does accurately smell like peach iced tea, but it's pretty faint.

"Dynamite" Lip Sleeping Mask (8g) — Named after BTS' song, "Dynamite." It's described as a "lip mask with the scent of sweet candy in the joyful vibe of a rhythmic disco." Like all of the AmorePacific/Laneige Lip Sleeping Masks, it has a high-shine finish. The jar is coloured beige, while the lip balm is coloured a light cotton candy pink. It provides a very light, sheer pink tint on the lips, but is not particularly noticeable. It is meant to smell like "sweet candy," but I find it to smell more specifically like strawberry gummy candy. Like "Permission to Dance," the scent itself is quite faint.

Now, if you're looking for value, you're not going to find it in this set. The Laneige Lip Sleeping Masks usually come in 20g sizes and retail for $24 USD, which is $1.20 USD per gram. This set originally retailed for $33 USD (and good luck actually finding it for sale at this price anymore) and contains a total of 24g of product, which is $1.38 USD per gram. But given that most retailers are selling this set for upwards of $70 USD, you're looking at an average cost of about $2.90 USD per gram. So basically, this set will only really be worth it if you a) love BTS, and b) love the Laneige Lip Sleeping Masks. As I fall into both categories, I will happily revel in my well-moisturized, buttery, peachy, candy-scented lips — value be damned.

Unboxing: Sephora Spring VIB Sale 2022 Haul

It's April, which means it's that time of year. Yes, the Sephora VIB sale has landed upon us. As per usual, I stocked up on enough skincare to last me until the VIB sale in November.

Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Exfoliating Toner and Revitalizing Toner
Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Gel Moisturizer and Cream Moisturizer
Peace Out Dark Spots Serum and Laneige Hydro UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50+
Fresh Floral Recovery Calming Mask and Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum
Dior Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm in Rosewood
I got bothtoners and bothmoisturizers (one set for day, one set for night) from Laneige's new revamped Water Bank collection, Fresh's new overnight mask that's supposed to help with uneven tone and rough texture, a serum by a brand called Peace Out that's supposed to be super effective in reducing dark spots, and Laneige's new facial sunscreen with SPF 50+ that's supposed to leave no white cast. I also got a small bottle of my beloved Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum to get me by until I can get to a Nordstrom to buy a full-size bottle, and a cheeky new Dior tinted lip balm in a pretty sheer rosy nude colour. I'm not ready to go head-first into wearing full makeup, but I figure now that there's no longer a mask mandate, I can start wearing lip product in public again...