My Secret Valentine Goodies from Etude House and SkinFood

Happy belated Valentine's!

I know, so very, very late! Things have been a bit hectic on my end but I have lots of upcoming posts, I promise!

This year instead of hosting a Secret Valentine gift exchange like last year and the year before, I participated in Sheila's instead, and guess who turned out to be my Secret Valentine? None other than hostess herself!

I actually didn't know until Valentine's Day, when she told me herself on Twitter. She had sent me two packages and unfortunately the one directly from her got lost somewhere along the way. I think someone lonely just wanted to steal my Secret Valentine, haha.

The package I did receive came from Korea (ebay seller: ZinoPark, ebay store: D.I.O mall)! I'd been curious to try these products from Korean brands Etude House and SkinFood.

Etude House Missing U Hand Cream #3 "Panda Story"

This is a cute little product which I like to keep on my desk. To be honest, I think this product is all about the packaging and cuteness factor. You don't get a lot of product, only 30 mL, which is the bottom portion but you can always refill it with another hand cream. I haven't used it much yet so I can't say how moisturizing it is, but judging from the ingredients (click on the image further below to enlarge), I don't have high expectations (shea butter is somewhere in the middle of the list). The peach scent is light and mild, which doesn't stand out like the Sexy Girl peach cream which I had once loved, but reminds me more of peach-scented bath products at Japanese and Korean markets. (I mean that it is pleasant, soft scent.)

All that being said, I still like it because it is cute and it was a gift! =)

SkinFood Honey Glossy Rouge #353 Peanut Jelly

I saw this in person at the SkinFood store at Irvine Spectrum, which is how I knew I would like the color, hehe. I don't know why it's called Peanut Jelly and looking at its picture online, it looks like a dark, sort of brick red (including above), but I think it's a really pretty, berry reddish-pink color. The texture does feel very smooth so I can't wait to try it.

SkinFood Fresh Fruit Lip & Cheek in Peach

This product had also caught my eye but I think I was expecting something more similar to Canmake cream blushers. This is also very small, but since the texture feels a bit sticky and more like a gloss, I think I will be using this on my lips rather than my cheeks (which was my original intention). The color is not what you would expect for "peach," but it's still a pretty pink. It can be more of a darker pink or an almost-bubblegum pink, depending on the lighting. It seems sheer but I will try it on both my lips and cheeks just to see the difference.

The seller also included several SkinFood samples, which is really nice as I've heard the stores in Korea often give a lot of samples but the one here doesn't (according to a Yelp review).

Thank you, Sheila, for both hostessing the Secret Valentine exchange and also for being my Secret Valentine!! =)

If you're curious, I was the Secret Valentine of Diana/xMayaari! I was surprised when I drew her name, hehe, but happy since we have been friends through blogging for years now. I really had to restrain myself from giving myself away, especially since I often chat and tweet with her, hehe.

I came across this cute Valentine card while shopping. What do you think? Isn't it mostly true? haha

 

Not too long after that, I found my "perfect Valentine!" These Ferrero Rocher confections were on sale at Rite Aid for only $3, score! I kind of think I should have stocked up, but then again, I am afraid of cavities and visits to the dentist.

 

Don't worry, I didn't just have chocolates on Valentine's Day...I had all-you-can-eat Korean bbq! I don't think you understand my love for kbbq, hehe, I have it at least once a month, and for a while, I used to have it almost weekly, hahaha. *dies from gluttony* Here are pics from dif visits to a place called Gen, which actually is not my fav place but its popularity shut down my favorite, hole-in-the-wall place that was down the street from it.

hmm it's crispy so prob beef tongue

Hawaiian pineapple teriyaki steak

prime steak

chadol / beef brisket and veggies

Followed by Yogurtland which is conveniently located across the street.

mango yogurt, cheesecake yogurt, strawberries, mango, Cap'n Crunch cereal, strawberry popping boba and mango popping boba =P~

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day and have been well! ♥ I will be back soon with Korean masks reviews and many more posts (you should see my Google calendar I use for my blog schedule, hehe).

P.S. The last two pics were from my Instagram.