For those who are new: my skin type is combination-dry and not at all sensitive. I get from visibly dry skin if I don't care for it in cold months, to slightly oily T-zone in warmer months. Right now it's something between the two states, but when I ordered these things, it was very dry. Spots are rare, but again if I don't care for it, I'll have a couple which tend to leave a mark and I know that at least mineral oil clogs my skin. I've had a lot of these products for a while now and I've mostly been testing them in pairs side by side, but on their own, so I didn't use my trusted Nuxe oil or other products because I wanted to see how they work and also it's easier to see which is clogging your pores. Link to the previous part.
SULWHASOO Capsulized Ginseng Fortifying Serum
Sulwhasoo is a brand that comes highly praised, especially their ginseng line, but it's a brand that makes you weep at the sight of their prices. So I got samples from eBay, five 8 ml bottles with a pump. I heard it's great for restoring elasticity which my skin started lacking. It's a thicker serum that needs time to sink in and it leaves a sort of a wet/sticky layer for a while, but eventually it completely absorbs. The smell immediately from the bottle is very strange, kind of earthy, but once you start rubbing it on the skin, it becomes more parfumey and I'm guessing ginsengy - I've grown to love it, but it's very strong. In terms of effects, my skin has been behaving much better than in the past couple of years, though I did change a lot, but this certainly isn't ruining anything. I can't say I see amazing, visible results like improved elasticity and it's the product I've been using the longest on this list (about a month of its own, though I've had it for longer), but when I don't use it, I don't feel my skin is just right, so I'll keep using it.
eBay, 17.98 $ for five 8 ml bottles (seller chikendragon, arrived in 23 days)
BANILA CO. Miss Flower & Mr. Honey Essence Oil
I ordered this as a cheaper sort of replacement for Estee Lauder ANR that supposedly also has better ingredients (it's not a dupe like Missha's Time Revolution, though). ANR does wonders for my skin, so I can only hope this does about the same, since ingredients sound fantastic - collagen, niacinamide, honey, propolis, several oils, adenosine and I hear also a mild and stable form of vitamin C - basically all the good things. I got this a couple of days ago, so this is the only real first impression out of all the products, but it's a clear (not brown as you might expect from the bottle), thick serum that is very rich and stays on the skin for several hours as a slightly sticky layer, actually I can feel it's still there in the morning. I'm still tinkling with the amount because more than one drop of this already feels heavy, but my skin isn't as dry as when I ordered it (it would come so handy back then). This is a product only those with dry skin will love, as on others I think it will feel heavy. In the past days that I've been using it, I haven't seen much more effects other than it gives a great healthy glow (stronger than with essences, more properly dewy looking). The scent is amazing and it's similar to the cream from this line, so it's pretty much a proper floral honey scent, but unfortunately, it disappears in a minute after application. The packaging is stunning and it's one of the prettiest skin care items I own - it a mix of glass and gold and it comes with a pipette.
eBay, $20.36. Seller RoseRoseShop, I ordered this on March 3. together with a tracking number and they shipped it on 4. April, so a month later. Why I don't know because it was marked on eBay as shipped a few days after payment, but the same happened with two parcels ordered weeks apart. I waited 69 days in total and when I finally opened the parcel, I saw that the cap was unscrewed and it leaked all over the cardboard box. I lost about a half of the product which just sucks so much. I managed to get a promise of a refund though, so at least that's something.
SKINFOOD Black Sugar Perfect First Serum 2X Essential
I heard some great things about this one, about how it makes the skin look better and mostly more radiant. Naming it a serum is somewhat strange to me because it's light and more like toner-meets-serum type of product. Like all Skinfood products I've tried, it's got a stronger scent which is a bit alcoholic from the start, but otherwise sugary with a hint of lemon. I've said in the previous part of New in that I've been testing this alongside with Secret Key Essence and I see little difference between the effects of the two. My skin has a healthy glow and that's mostly it. It's quite light, so it absorbs fast leaving no residue behind. This is a sample, but the packaging is super cool though, it looks like some alcohol drink or some other food item, but the opening is so small, I have to shake it violently for the product to get out - I'm not sure if it's the same at full-size too. I'll update you about this one in time.
eBay, $3.25 (RoseRoseShop, arrived in 48 days. 30 ml)
SKINFOOD Royal Honey Essential Toner
This was one of the first lines that grabbed my attention when I started exploring Korean skincare because I really wanted something with a honey scent (found it at Banilla). I only got samples, but four will last me a while. It surprised me because it's thick like a serum, actually thicker than Black Sugar Serum and that makes it feel so luxurious. It's also heavily fragranced, so apart from Sulwhasoo serum, it's got the strongest fragrance out of all the products I got and I actually love it for that. It's a warm, but heavy floral-cosmetic type of scent with a hint of honey. Despite the texture being thick, it absorbs fast and doesn't leave any stickiness behind. It made my skin feel softer and nourished, but my skin wasn't clear (I've been skipping both COSRX BHA and EL ANR). I'm not sure about it yet, though it definitely works wonderfully for dry skin.
eBay (RoseRoseShop), $3.25 (4 x 7 ml)
TONYMOLY Timeless Ferment Snail Emulsion
I don't know why I got these, but I wanted to see if snail products in general are cool or not for my skin (so far I loved Tony Moly Jeju Prestige cream, which I ordered more samples of, but none of the rest snail products I've tried. At most my skin wasn't clear). The emulsion is quite thick, so getting these out of the bottles is a challenge that involves some violet shaking, but mostly I can't get it out - that is some seriously unfortunate sample packaging. It smells like an orange based drink and the texture is somewhat thick, but doesn't appear to be heavy - as I said, I can't get much out of the tester bottles. I'll update you about these.
eBay(RoseRoseShop), $2.69 (2x 5ml)
TONYMOLY Panda's Dream White Sleeping Pack
Though I did in part get this for the packaging, it was actually Zlatana's review that made me finally buy it. Judging by the name, I'd expect something heavy for intensive nourishment overnight, but it's in fact a light gel-cream that in a thin application works like a moisturiser for oily-combination skin, but in a thick coat it creates an layer of moisture on the skin that lasts until morning. I've been using it under makeup, as it truly is like a light moisturiser for combination-oily skin, but it's enough my dry skin too. It's got a simple, clean-laundry type of scent that is strong, but doesn't last on the skin. It's likeable, but in the three-four months that I have been waiting for this cream (I hate postal services and customs with passion right now), I got a sample of the Panda's Dream White Magic Cream and I love it more than this, because it made my skin look so good and it also smelled more special to me. I'd love to buy that one as well.
This is the same story as with the Pokemon cushion - ordered in January, the parcel got lost, ordered again, this time from TesterKorea (6.34 €, arrived in 35 days), then the first parcel arrived after 97 days. Yay! She says sarcastically. So I have two and I'm giving one away (giveaway for Slovene residents only).
SKINFOOD Royal Honey Essential Queen's Cream
This was nothing like what I expected from reading reviews. I bought samples of these because I was looking for a simple moisturiser that I could use under makeup in the morning (found it unexpectedly in Panda's Sleeping Pack), but this has a thick balmy consistency, actually very similar to Banila co. Miss Flower Mr Honey moisturiser, meaning it's for dry skin and it sits on top for several hours, but by the morning it's completely absorbed. This is a cream I'd only use before bed or when my skin is super dry. It's got a similar effect than the toner (I didn't use these on top of each other, but one of each side of the face to see proper results), meaning it made my skin softer, but this one is also more intensely nourishing. It's a bit heavy for my taste, but for when my skin is super dry, it's nice. It's a pretty big line, though, so they have a serum and emulsion, which are probably lighter for these summer months. It's got the same scent as the toner in this line, so heavy and sweet floral cosmetics one with a hint of honey, but at toner it's stronger.
eBay (RoseRoseShop), $3.44 (for 10 samples)
SKINFOOD Miracle Food 10 Solution Sun Essence SPF50+ PA+++
I got this because of the packaging, but even so Asian sunscreens come highly recommended to those who are looking for something more elegant, by that I mean easy to wear, less suffocating or classic sunscreen-like. I hate applying sunscreen in the morning, so my reasoning was that if I get something pretty in a convenient packaging, I'd like to use it more. This is actually not that different from European sunscreens, so it's not that special. It's a light lotion, but it takes really long to set and you get that classic sunscreen shine, plus it's still slightly tacky after it sets (in about 10 minutes). You also need to rub it in a bit longer to get the whiteness to disappear. I made the mistake of applying foundation over it right away just once, but it's definitely one you'll want to wait for it to dry. The scent is nothing special, but nice. It's somewhat lemony, but not in a cleaning supplies kind of way. The packaging is super practical. It's like those of Skin79 BB creams, so a big button on the top and a small dispenser that allows you to squeeze out the desired amount, even if you want a drop, but it can also clog easily. Now I wish I'd gone with something else first, something I've heard reviews saying it's light, but the packaging is so lovely, I'd regret it. I'm using it daily, but wish for something lighter, while I plan to use this on my neck. I hear Bioré is not as light any more since the change, so on my wishlist are:
- Etude House Sunprise Mild Airy Finish Sun Milk SPF50+ / PA+++,
- Nivea Sunscreen Sun Protect Plus UV Milky Essence SPF50+ PA++++ (before you get excited, it's not sold here. Because that makes sense, right?),
- Missha All Around Safe Block Essence Sun SPF45/PA+++
- A'Pieu Pure Block Natural Daily Sun Cream SPF45/PA+++ (by Tamara's recommendation).
Let me know if you tried any of these or if you have other recommendations.
Let me know if you tried any of these or if you have other recommendations.
Jolse,15.18$. It took 39 days to arrive and I got charged customs related changes (not actual tax or customs, though, since it was under 22€) because it said on the box it's 5$ and I guess they didn't believe it. I suggest you write in the comments before checkout to write the correct value or add the invoice somewhere outside on the box, to avoid such situations if it's under 22€.
COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch
Another product I got based on an overwhelming positive feedback. It's packed like something used in surgery - seriously this has like three layers of plastic around it. A pack contains 24 patches in different sizes, which you place on a spot and once the patch turns white, so basically sucks all the gunk from the pore, you remove it. I've used these a few times and it really works on those big, brewing volcanos where you know the spot will turn white and you can't pop it because it'll become infected, making your life miserable for several days. Those type of spots are the ones I get on the chin and this patch made it smaller by 90% overnight, but the spot completely disappeared in the next days with the help of other COSRX products (BHA and whitehead liquid). But there were some other times when these didn't do much of a difference and that was on the spots that weren't on my T-zone. Also, small patches fall off while sleeping, so only big ones are truly reliable, which means you get a lot less useful patches than 24. Still so far these are most effective spot treatment I've tried, but they aren't 100% reliable and I also recommend you check out their other spot fighting products.
eBay, $4.25. Seller iamlove-shop (Jolse on eBay), took 17 days.
ETUDE HOUSE Missing U Hand Cream
Panda
Yeah, I got this for the packaging, duh. And it's peach, so that's two things. How can I be so juvenile and shallow? But you know, the most childish looking products were also some of my favourites in terms of results. It's a very light hand cream and it doesn't need much time to absorb. It's nice for everyday use, but it won't be enough for very dry skin. The scent isn't really peachy, actually it reminds me of some kids medicine, and it's somewhat gently fruity sweet. The packaging is adorable, but it holds only 30 ml. This exists in other version like seal, duck and bird.
eBay, $5.11. Seller picknsale, arrived in 20 days.
TONYMOLY Pokémon Purin (Jigglypuff) hand cream - there are several versions of these, but this one is described as having a peach scent and it's pretty good,. It's not quite properly peachy, but it's close enough in that refreshingly sweet, slightly sour kind of way and more like peach than Etude House. The texture is quite light, so these are more like maintainers than really for some hard-core nourishing, but it sinks in in about a minute.
TONYMOLY Banana Hand Milk - this has a strong banana sweets scent (those Casali bananas or something. I don't know, I never liked them), but it dissipates after a few minutes. It's a cream-balm type of formula of medium thickness and it needs a few minutes to absorb completely. It's nice, but L'Occitane's are way better. The scents of these Asian hand creams disappear so fast.
One more part will be up soon. I put all the sheet masks in a one post, but I also post updates about them in my Instagram Stories. By the way, if you have any recommendations for what to try next, let me know in the comments.
Giveaway (for Slovene residents only)
Giveaway še vedno traja, tako, da še enkrat lepim isti Rafflecopter obrazec. V nagradi sta Tonymoly Panda's Dream Sleeping Pack, ki je v tej objavi in Pokemon Mini Cover Cushion foundation 01. Zraven bo še par mask in testerjev. Edini pogoj je, da mi napišete od kje ste in tako potrdite, da imate prebivališče v Sloveniji . Giveaway bo trajal do 21. maja. Če še niste polnoletni, vprašajte starše za dovoljenje.
Have a great day!
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