Christmas NYE Party Ready Nail Art by Rachel Yap, Posh! Nail Spa

Christmas N.Y.E designed by Rachel Yap, Posh! Nail Spa

Get ready to deck the halls with festive nails with our last collaboration with Posh! Nail Spa featuring nail designer, Rachel Yap's Christmas N.Y.E nail art. This easy to do nail art is made using the Half Moon Eyes’ Nail Me Water Decals in no. 4 and no.6. Now you can countdown with reindeers  Christmas and New Year's Eve with these party-ready nails and make (or break) some resolutions! Here’s a tutorial on how you can get these nails without leaving the comfort of your own home:

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Althea's Christmas Stocking Stuffers

Christmas time is near, so it’s time to spread some cheer! We love any occasion that allows us to spoil loved ones (and ourselves!) with products that’ll keep everyone looking their best. In a rut trying to look for the perfect gift this festive season? Give the gift of beauty with these mermaid-approved stocking stuffers that’ll be sure to bring about a glad tiding or two.

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Althea Box 2: Cute Box

As much as we’d like to deny it, attractive packaging is like a magnet that pulls the money out of our purses. K-Beauty is no stranger to products that will make us go “ooh-la-la” with intriguing yet functional products that don’t compromise on quality. Althea has specially selected a bunch of super adorable products to make even the coolest of us squeal on the inside (admit it, you totally did it too) and put it all together into our aptly named “Cute Box”. Here’s the beauty breakdown on our most captivating box yet!

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Althea Christmas Specials

hear ye hear ye!

This Christmas, the pixies from Althealand has prepared something fun for all our fans to join in the festive cheer! Come stalk our Facebook as we prepare Christmas updates every weekday until Christmas day to tickle you funny or make you get lucky! That's right, we're throwing Christmas gifts to our fans starting with Instagram. Follow us there on @altheakorea to see our 12 days of Christmas song where we actually give the daily prizes out! Here's how our song goes...

1st December, 2016


2nd December, 2016

On The 2nd Day Of Christmas,
Althea Gives Out For Free,
2 The Saem Palettes, and
A Pore Sonic Just For Me!

The song goes on for 12 days, with every day a different prize. The finale comes when we have all 12 days up. Then perhaps we might throw in an Instagram Video singing challenge to sing Althea's 12 Days of Christmas song and win fabulous prizes. On Facebook,  we have a festive calendar lined up till Christmas Day 25/12/16 for our fans to look out for!

join our singing challenge from 13 - 30 December, 2016

Facebook Christmas Calendar

Merry Monday Christmas Product Suggestion

Tickle Tuesday Funny Christmas Fact

Winter Wednesday Snow Queen Makeup

Twinkle Thursday Contest / Quizzes / Treasure Hunt

Frosty Friday Althea Christmas Greetings

On our blog, we have the Althea 2016 Beauty Awards poll so don't forget to cast your vote on what's the best product in each category! Our beauty writer a.k.a Althea Mermaid would be really excited to see the results.

Blog / Youtube Your Althea Christmas Wish List!

We'll also be starting a Christmas Wish List for bloggers & YouTubers to join. Stay tune for this if you're a blogger or a Youtuber! You're free to wish anything you want & maybe it would come true this Christmas 💖

AND of course we're going to have a Limited Edition Box this Christmas! Althea has yet to release the posters but don't tell anyone you heard it from us first (hoho) spy pics for your eyes only! There are three different box sizes this year end to keep your goodies intact! Introducing the EXTRA-LARGE box for large products or large hauls! (ssshhhh). 

Like what you're reading? We still have surprises up our sleeves for you which we called it the "time bomb". So make sure you're following us... and who knows? This Christmas your wishes may come true.

Love,
Tammy
Head of Creative Communications

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Happy Day Nail Art Tutorial

Happy Day Nails designed by Bora, Posh! Nail Spa

Got a case of the Monday Blues? Don’t worry, we’ve got this Happy Day nail tutorial to brighten up your day! These cute nails are simple to do yet catch a lot of attention thanks to the bold colours and designs. We paired up with Posh! Nail Spa and nail designer Bora came up with this cheery salon-ready look that you can get without leaving your front door. She used Half Moon Eyes’ Nail Me Water Decals in no. 1, no. 4 and no.6. Here’s a tutorial on how you can get these nails without leaving the comfort from your home:

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Lizly What A Lovely Palette Review

one palette to kill them all

It can be heartbreaking shelling out lots of cash for an eyeshadow palette that doesn’t live up to expectations. Chalky formulas, lack of pigmentation, and short wear-time can sometimes make both us and our purses cry in despair. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a compact palette that comes with a decent selection of colours, generous amount of product and give superb pigmentation, all without breaking the bank? Althea’s brought in their latest shining star: the Lizly What A Lovely Palette that does all that AND looks cute in your hand when you need a touch-up or two! If this hasn’t become a must-have in your beauty stash, it will be by the time you get your hands on one. Here’s the beauty breakdown on one of our best eyeshadow palettes yet!

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Althea Box 1: Life-proof Makeup Box

Althea Box #1 Life Proof Box

There’s nothing more heartbreaking than putting in heaps of effort to look your best (and winking at yourself in the mirror after because you know you look amazing), then having it melt off your face within a couple of hours. Trust us, we’ve all been there: your foundation starts looking patchy, half your eyebrows are gone, and you look like a not-so-hot mess. The key to making sure your makeup stays on all day is a combination of long-lasting formulas as well as application techniques to really ensure that your face looks as good as possible, for as long as possible.

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Weird K-Beauty Products

weird K-Beauty products on Althea

Halloween has just passed and we can still smell the spices from witches’ brew and feel the chill from the breeze as they zoom by on their broomsticks. The autumn air is still thick with falling leaves and cozy gloom as October rolls by. You know this time of the year brings: comfort and warmth sprinkled with a bit of spooky fear and ghouls, topped with a range of weird and wonderful beauty products. As we tread into November, let’s take a quick peek at some of our favorite unconventional beauty treats (no tricks here!).

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SPOOKY EERIE HALLOWEEN NAIL ART TUTORIAL

"Spooky Eerie" by Nail Designer: Cha Yee, Posh! Nail Spa

With Halloween just around the corner, we thought hey let's have some eerie fun with our second nail art tutorial instalment with Posh! Nail Spa! Nail designer Cha Yee obviously have a lot of fun creating her version of gory blood chilling Halloween nail art using the Nail.Me Water Decal. She used design no.3 and no.4 for this look with an added touch of yes, bloody hand prints and a crime scene investigation nail art on it. We say, you did a spooktacular job with this one Cha Yee! Here's how you can make your own D.I.Y Nail Art Tutorials using the Nail.Me Water Decal from Althea.

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Althea Beauty Box Launched!

introducing the Althea Beauty Boxes

We hear you! Our wishing well is full of wishes about Althea Beauty Boxes "When is Althea launching beauty box?" "Will there be a beauty box?" "Please sell beauty boxes!". Unveiling the latest addition to the Althea Korea family are our line of limited edition beauty boxes, specially curated by the fairy team in Seoul. Expect 2 - 3 thematic boxes every month from October onwards and get ready to snag them before they go OOS! (out of stock).

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Piolang Monster Pack

Halloween’s coming up, and we’ve found a product that doesn’t just scare the kids away, but pampers and does your skin good while you keep the treat hoggers at bay! Piolang’s Monster Pack looks like it could be a gimmicky marketer’s dream, but this product houses a cocktail of tried and tested ingredients including aloe vera extract, arbutin protein, hyaluronic acid and a range of plant extracts package into this two-part pack.

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Sponges and Puffs Explained

It’s fantastic to be a hands-on person with skills like cooking and carpentry, but with things like makeup, sometimes tools are just that little bit better at getting the job done. It’s easy to get lost in a plethora of different tools and gizmos, but you can’t go wrong with the fundamentals: makeup sponges and puffs. Wet ‘em, squeeze ‘em, dab ‘em - these beauty babies are versatile and great for applying anything from skincare to highlighter for that flawless looking base. It’s My on Althea carries a range of different sponges and puffs that’ll be the answer to your streaky, patchy makeup problems. Here’s the beauty breakdown on the different types and how to make the most out of them for your look!

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Hello Sailor Nail Art Tutorial

"Hello Sailor" by Eline, Posh! Nail Spa

As the year comes closer to its tail end, the colder days are starting to hit home. But don't let the gloomy weather knock you down; bring back the sunshine and warmth into your look with this super cute sailor inspired nail look! These adorable nautical nail decals are from Half Moon Eyes, and they're just as easy on the eyes as they're easy to use. Althea collaborated with Posh! Nail Spa and came up with this tutorial on how you can achieve this salon-ready look, right at home.

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Korean Beauty Expiry Dates

It starts off as a slight nagging in the back of your mind: how long have I really been using this product for? Does it feel weird on my skin or smell different? Then it evolves into mild paranoia and anxiety as you turn to check for the expiry date. We’re all familiar with the moment of panic when we brave through and glimpse at the worrisome number at the bottom of the bottle. How can the date on this product be from 6 months ago when I just bought it last month??

As much as we’d like our products to live as long as our never-ending conquest for eternal youth, the reality is, unfortunately, a little harsher and products will go bad after a period of time. Expiry dates can be a finicky thing to deal with, especially when the Western and Asian beauty products have different ways of labeling them. The last thing you want is to put on a product that’ll harm your delicate skin, cause unnecessary irritations or worse, cause a reaction that’ll leave behind permanent scarring. Here’s the beauty breakdown on Korean beauty product dates to save your face (and potentially your purse too!) the hassle.

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Petitfee Eye Patches

Dark circles under the eyes can really be the bane of a flawless face. Purple, puffy and almost bruised-looking, the shadows under your eyes can make you look tired, sickly and generally unlively. While lack of sleep is the more common thought for this (nights out, anyone?), panda eyes can be attributed to more than just that. Some of these reasons include allergies, heredity, stress from overworking, excessive exposure to the sun and even diet related reasons like too much salt in your food.

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10 ขั้นตอนเคล็ดลับการดูแลผิวแบบสาวเกาหลีมาเอง

อันยองงงงง เพื่อน ๆ หลายคนคงเคยสงสัยใช่ม่ะ? ว่าอะไรคือเคล็ดลับที่ทำให้สาวเกาหลีนั้นมีผิวสวย สุขภาพดี แบบไร้ที่ติขนาดนั้น ความลับที่แท้จริงแล้วนั้นมีมากมายหลากหลายไปหมด เรียกได้ว่าเป็น “ล้านขั้นตอน” เลยทีเดียว ซึ่งเหล่าหนุ่ม ๆ สาว ๆ ชาวเกาหลีนั้นได้บำรุงและปฏิบัติกันมาอย่างช้านาน เพื่อความขาว กระจ่างใส และคงความเรียบเนียน ดูอ่อนเยาว์ โดยยึดตามหลักการง่าย ๆ ที่จะเป็นกุญแจที่ทำให้ผิวมีสุขภาพดีนั้นก็คือ ความชุ่มชื้น ความชุ่มชื้น และความชุ่มชื้นนั่นเอง! แค่นี้นี่นะ?! ซึ่งเมื่อผิวของคุณนั้นมีความชุ่มชื้นแล้ว ความสว่าง กระจ่างใส และความเป็นผิวสุขภาพดีก็จะตามมา นี่แหละที่เป็นเคล็ดลับที่หนุ่ม ๆ สาว ๆ เกาหลี หรือเหล่า K-Pop ชื่อดังนั้นมีผิวพรรณที่สุขภาพดีอยู่เสมอ

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What's The Snail Deal?

The beauty industry is like a jungle: a self-sustaining ecosystem that is constantly providing life and improving itself. It’s always full of enthusiasts and researchers looking for the next big thing, be it a new miracle exfoliating peel or the physical embodiment of immortality in a jar. New super ingredients are making their way into the spotlight time and time again, and while snail slime is usually not something you’d think of putting on your face, it has been embraced by big cosmetic brands in both Asian and Western worlds. Does putting snail slime really work on your skin? Is it worth the hype? While snails are more conventionally thought of served on a plate with garlic and butter, here’s the real beauty breakdown on what snail mucin does for your skin.

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Armi Millare Shares Her Beauty Secret

Armi Millare's unique sense of style

We had the opportunity to interview a very inspiring lady from the Philippines, Armi Olbes Millare the voice of Up Dharma Down (Filipino rock band). Armi's soft-spoken wisdom reveals years of life experience evidently from pursuing her passion in what she believes - life, philosophy, music, food and shall we add her love for cats. We stalked her down and asked her five questions.

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B&Soap Face Packs

Let us be the first to say this: face masks are AWESOME! They leave our skin feeling bouncy, plump and full of life! We’re big fans of putting away a little time during the week to pamper ourselves, ensuring our skin looks and feels great (so much so that we’ve made Tuesdays and Thursdays mask days in the office!). While sheet masks are a convenient and popular choice, sometimes we need a little extra lovin’ from face packs which pack a little more punch (pun intended) to really give our skin that extra care. 

WHAT ARE FACE PACKS?

While many might be familiar with face masks, the term “face packs” might raise a couple of eyebrows. By definition, face packs are essentially liquids or pastes which are applied onto the face and allowed to sit for a period of time. They set and sometimes dry, transferring the goodness and benefits to the skin before being removed either by peeling off or washing away the product. These perks come in wide variety and can include (but definitely do not limit to) hydration, moisturization, brightening, whitening, anti-aging and skin purifying. Face packs offer skin a little more tender, loving care and usually carry more potent formulas than the conventional sheet masks, so while it might be messier, the payoff is definitely worth it.

Depending on your skin concern, picking one might take a little bit of time and research, but we’ve broken down a some of our favorites from B&Soap for you to take a quick peak at! 

Apate Black Pack

Charcoal has been around for many, many years and it’s powers of purification and toxin-absorption are well-known across the world. This pack gets its dose of goodness from Scoria found in Jeju Island which is rich in charcoal and mud to really get into those pores and clear them out. It also contains Trehalose and hyaluronic acid which act as moisturizing and hydrating agents that helps prevent moisture loss from the skin. Great for those looking for pore care and minimization, This unique mask gently exfoliates and cleanses out without drying them out, leaving you with balanced skin that’s soft and clean. 

Scadi White Pack

For those looking for a fairer, brighter complexion, this might just be up your alley. This pack may not be for those with super sensitive skin, but it does contain natural, soothing ingredients like jojoba seed oil, camomile, green tea, as well as fermented rice extracts to ensure that your skin stays calm throughout the whitening process, and keeps your skin moisturized too! With a delightfully whipped texture, this lightweight pack is great to layer on thick and let sit for it to really work its magic to give you a lighter, smoother complexion. 

Mamie Blue Pack

Trust us: having blue skin is actually a good thing with this pack! This intriguingly coloured product is infused with peppermint extracts that soothes and clarifies your complexion while fine bean granules gently scrub away dirt and dead skin cells. Perfect for those with troubled skin or oilier complexions, this pack helps to calm skin down while balancing oil and moisture levels of the skin using deep sea mineral rich water. Did we mention that this comes with a yummy peppermint scent too? Perfect for refreshing your skin as well as your senses! 

 Breni Yellow Pack

Fit for a queen’s pampering, this pack’s star ingredient is honey: a powerful moisturizing agent that’s rich in anti-aging properties and healing properties (antibacterial and anti-inflammatory). Combined with other natural extracts including almond oil, shea butter, lime and aloe vera, this pack is the perfect combo for tired, dull skin that needs that little extra boost to perk it back up.This creamy product is rich in vitamins to nourish the skin and improve its texture, giving you a complexion that’s revitalized and supple to the touch. 

Now you know all the details; here’s a few simple steps on how to use face packs: 

1. Cleanse skin, pat dry, then apply toner to prep skin
2. Apply pack evenly on skin using spatula / hands (avoiding eye lip areas)
3. Leave on for 10-20 mins
4. Rinse pack off with water
5. Pat dry and follow up with your skincare regime.

Face packs are a great skin tool to keep in your beauty arsenal, and is definitely a great way to treat your skin.

Do you have a favorite face pack which you keep going back to time and time again? Or if you haven’t had the chance to try one out, which of the ones above catch your eye? Let us know in the comments below! Have a magical day! 

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Tried & Tested: Heelbow Tok

Don't you just hate those ugly flaky cracks you get around your elbows and heels? If you do, here's the solution you need to remove the hardened, flaky skin! I managed to get my hands on the Heelbow Tok from Althea Korea to find out if this really does the trick. If you're just as curious as I am, please read on to find out.

Here's a little introduction on the product: Heelbow Tok is an essence to combat dry or rough skin, specifically that on elbow or base of the foot. It's made in Korea and has a super cute tagline that says "its mom's solution" (love it!). The Heelbow Tok comes in a 30ml tube, and what fascinates me the most is the applicator/exfoliator it comes with, meaning that it doesn't require you to get your hands dirty. It claims that in just 1 minute a day, this Heelbow Tok would exfoliate, hydrate and repair the skin all at once. Is it too good to be true? There's only one way to find out!

I decided to test this out on my mom's heel (appropriate, since it claims to be "mom's solution"), and I was pleasantly surprised that the Heelbow Tok works like a charm! If you're anything like me, you'll wish not to have flaky hard skin on your heels. Without proper care, the condition of your heel might get worst! This happens because our heel lacks moisture and it is hard for skin in that area to exfoliate naturally. This happens frequently to those who love wearing heels as it stresses out the heel's skin. But now, we have the Heelbow Tok to save the day!

All you need to do is to "tok tok tok"- tap around the heel area with the product and a moisturizing serum will lightly cover the heel area, providing moisturizing benefits to the dry area. This product also has a baby powder scent which I believe gets rid of unpleasant foot odor. In just a minute, the heel area feels smoother and more hydrated. From the images above, it's pretty obvious that this product works really well. This is great for those who have busy schedules as all you need is a minute a day to achieve flawless heels!

I tried this on my elbow too and I was just as amazed at the results! After a week of consistent use, my heels and elbows have improved tremendously in looks and feel too. Aside from the fact that it works really well, this product is also easily affordable from Althea Korea. Now everyone can have smooth, crack free elbows and heels! Make sure you check out althea.kr to check this product out!

Tried & Tested by Aliza Sara

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Kocostar Ggongji Hair Pack Review

hello my name is Aliza!

Don't you hate bad hair days? From what I know, usually bad hair days are caused due to lack of nutrition for your hair, and that's why I'm putting the Kocostar's GGONGJI Hair Pack to the test that from althea.kr. The GGONGJI hair pack has been specially designed to solve split ends and treat damaged hair. Perfect timing because my hair is badly damaged (plus I'm guilty of not being a fan of the conditioner) lol. So let's find out!

GGONGJI Hair Pack

I have to say that I love how it comes in a hot pink packaging. On the front packaging, it states that Ggongji means ponytail in Korean and that it's a simple & easy DIY hair care. And if you flip it over, you'll see guidelines on how to use the product in Korean. So, if you can read Korean, congratulations! But if you can't, then I guess you can just follow my step by step tutorial here.

What's Inside?

tear open to remove

a hair mask & pink rubber band for you to tie your hair up

Step 2: Grab hold of your ponytail 

Step 3: Turn the mask over & tie a pony tail 

Make It Pretty

put a ribbon on

tie it up into a bun

You can leave this one for 30 mins but it is recommended to use this for about 2 - 3 hours for best results (intense care) at home or wear it outside! You can pull this off with a ribbon / clip to make it look presentable. I did my groceries and shopping wearing this.

After 3 Hours 

you may remove after 30mins / 1-2hours (intensive)

removing the mask

my hair is not wet!

I thought the treatment would make my hair wet, but surprisingly, it didn't! It felt like a leave-on conditioner. I didn't rinse my hair out and honestly, I was amazed at how soft my hair felt after this!.

Before & After

before the treatment

after the treatment

Can you believe what you're seeing?! I know, it took me a while to think that a 3-hour treatment mask would do so much good for my hair. It beats paying hundreds at salons to get my hair to look as soft and smooth like this. So, if you're tempted to get yourself a pack, you can always get it from Althea.kr. I LOVE this hair mask despite it being my first hair mask! If you have tried it yourself, please share your experiences below by leaving a comment.

 

for more information watch this video on how to use!

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