What's an "Etude House" anyway?

(aka Why Etude House is the Closet Makeup Geek's Brand of Choice, aaka Why I should Stop Buying From Etude House for the remainder of January)

Etude House is one of the strangest Korean brand names I've encountered. In English, the word "etude" refers to a musical piece that requires a high level of skill to play. Literally speaking, therefore, an "Etude House" is a house where really difficult music is played. That doesn't sound right - Etude House is a makeup store, not a classical concert hall!

In French, the word "etude" means "to study". Study House?! That's a terribly nerdy name for such a girly store! I like it though, it's very me! Geeky on the outside, girly on the inside!

Weird name aside, I SUPER LOVE THIS BRAND! I even made two more hauls after my first visit, much to my wallet's dismay.

Below is Haul 2, which I bought last December 29.

Peach Skin Pact (because I want to try out the dewy look), Cute & Sexy Eyes quad #1, Code B Eyelash Curler, 3 bottles of nail polish

This qualified for a GWP, which was the Code B Eyelash curler. Still haven't used it yet as I'm DEATHLY SCARED of curling my eyelashes. I'll have to get one of my kikay-er blockmates at school to teach me haha

And this is Haul 3, which I bought last January 2.

Strawberry Lolly Pop hand lotion, BB Magic Pact (to replace my Elianto baked powder which recently hit pan), two Petit Darling Eyes matte shadows, Dear Darling matte lipstick 07, and 3 more bottles of nail polish

This also qualified for another GWP: the Etude House folder with a Korean actor on it. I chose not to get it though. LOL sorry, not a fan. XD (If it were a geek icon like sexy sexy Zac Quinto I would've gotten it, though. >:D But then again, what does the actor who plays Sylar in Heroes and Spock in Star Trek have to do with makeup?)

Reviews of these products coming soon! In the meantime, I should probably glue my hands together so I don't end up spending my money on makeup for the rest of the month. :P

Awards

Sis Jing gave this to me last year, and I only noticed now! Sorry I didn't post it sooner, and thank you! <3

And then sis Sarah gave me this Happy 101 award! Thank you!

Post 10 things that make you happy, try to do at least one of them today.

1. Painting my nails
2. Playing DS games
3. Listening to techno music
4. Having totally random YM conversations with friends
5. Losing weight without putting in too much effort (I KNOW, NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DO. XD)
6. Blogging
7. Shopping
8. The beagle puppy that my neighbor has
9. Ordering interesting looking things in restaurants (like the Cha Soba at Teriyaki Boy - image from the Black Tie, White Tie blog, not from Teriyaki Boy itself but that's pretty much what the dish looks like)
10. Grocery shopping (Idk why but I do like doing this LOL)

Let's see, I did 2, 3, 4, 6 and 10 today. Half! Not bad!

A Lazy Person's Sugar Scrub for Dry Lips

December weather has been drying up my lips badly. I've increased my water intake and lip balm application to help combat some of it, but I still end up having to exfoliate dead skin nightly. I normally use my toothbrush to exfoliate every few days, but having to do it EVERY day kind of hurts. :|

A guest post on one of my favorite blogs wrote about a less painless and much easier way to exfoliate lips. None of that fancy schmancy extra-virgin-olive-oil-mixed-with-unspeakably-frilly-things shit, just plain old (pot) lip balm and sugar.

The "recipe" called for a smooth, non-sticky lip balm, and I felt like using something citrusy, so I used this:

The Body Shop Born Lippy Satsuma Shimmer Lip Balm

Refined sugar was also one of the ingredients, but the kitchen was out of that. I've found that brown sugar works just as well too.

Anyway, all you do is put some lip balm on your finger, dip that finger into the sugar, then scrub gently onto your lips. Simple, painless and delicious!

(Images copyright The Body Shop and veer.com)

Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint in #1 Red

Merry Christmas!

Price: P328.00
Location Bought: Etude House SM Megamall
Date Bought: December 20, 2009

Packaging: very simple tube with a doe-foot applicator. Definitely function over form.

Side Note: Contrary to what "TINT" may suggest, I believe this is a product meant for the lips ONLY. Nothing on the packaging says it's also suited for cheeks.

Color: a warm cherry red

Pigmentation: VERY VERY VERY VERY STRONG. Seriously. Look at it on my hand below.

It's still there even after I've tissued it off!

Actual Usage: dries to a lightweight, non-drying finish that makes you look like you've just eaten Lipps Candy. I love it!

It looks even more amazing under gloss! (Here I used TBS Merry Cranberry.)

And just like my hand, it stays even after I've tissued it off!

The Ultimate Test: since this product's lasting power seems to be really strong, I tested to see if it would last all throughout Christmas Eve and Noche Buena. Here it is before going to Christmas Eve mass.

(NOTE: pictures from this point on were taken using a cellphone)

And here it is before Noche Buena.

After Noche Buena (with A LOT of eating and drinking and mouth wiping, mind you), it faded slightly, but still looks practically the same!

Unbelievable lasting power, definitely HG material.

The Body Shop Body Butter in Pink Grapefruit

This was an early Christmas present from one of my aunts. It came with a matching shower gel, but since I don't like using shower gels - they don't make me feel as clean as soap can LOL - I gave it to my sister.

My old body butter is still going strong, but Pink Grapefruit is pretty good too. Smells just like grapefruits (aka pomelos), which I love to snack on with a sprinkling of rock salt!

Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher #2

Price: P328.00

Location Bought: Etude House SM Megamall

Date Bought: December 20, 2009

Packaging: the blush is housed in a VERY GIRLY domed  plastic container with an EVEN GIRLIER puff inside. The plastic feels durable and professional.

Side Story: Remember my brother who wouldn't go near the store? I showed him the uber girly puff and he totally freaked out. I quote, "P*TA, anong KABAKLAAN YAAAN?! May kinalbo ka bang rabbit?!" LOL!

Color: medium pink, actually quite similar to the blush found in the herbench Dainty Lass palette, but without the shimmers

Pigmentation: VERY WEAK, doesn't show up well on my hand, not even on my finger

Actual Usage: gives a very light just-flushed appearance to my cheeks, which I actually like. Doesn't photograph well just like ELF Candid Coral, though.

Great for real life, terrible for photo ops.