COSRX Archive | Berries in the Snow

Review: CosRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion

11. April 2016

//KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Everytime CosRX releases a new product the whole asian beauty lover community seems to be freaking out with joy and looking forward to get their hands on it as quickly as possible. And no doubt, most of the products I tried from this brand are worth to be repurchased and additionally are really budget-friendly. So, no wonder when the CosRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion was launched a couple of weeks ago I was determined to buy it.

CosRX is an affordable Korean brand “offering good quality beauty items for 10 years”. The brand name is composed of Cos for cosmetics and RX for prescription. Brand like Ciracle and C20 (yes, the famous vitamin C serum) are also part of COSRX. One of the rather popular skincare lines from COSRX are the AHA/BHA skincare products. Their products feature key ingredients which show a visible effectively and a simple no-frills design. On top the prices of their products is affordable compared to similar products with the similar ingredients. I tried quite some CosRX products in the past and I will make a quick list of them at the end of the post (and I have still a bunch of products from this brand waiting to be tested, too!).

Going back to the CosRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion, the name drew me in for two reasons: the first one is the part about ‘oil-free’. With summer approaching here (very slowly of course-today morning it is still 4°C…) the skin will be more oily that usual, even for my dry skin my T-zone gets shiny during summer. In order to avoid any additional greasyness an oil-free product is of course a perfect solution! The second part is the ‘Ultra Moisturizing’ which assumes that it still contains the moisture needed for my dry skin overall.

The packaging of the CosRX ist simple as usual, still the pump bottle has a frosted material, which makes it look elegant on the other side. The bottle cones in a cardboard box with detailed English and Korean descriptions, so the ingrediento are also listed on COSDNA.

I use this emulsion and I add a second moisturizing cream on top, or at night I pair it with a sleeping cream. The emulsion has a milky almost balm-like texture with a fresh citrus scent. It disolves like a gel and leaves a fresh and moist feeling and is not greasy, as expected. The key ingredient birch sap has skin conditioning properties and leaves the skin satin-like and smooth, but hyaluronic acid, panthenol, and some other ingredients act moisturizing. I need some pumps of this emulsion to satisfyingly cover my face. I can imagine that this amount of hydration is enough for normal and oily skintypes. I still need some more moisturizers oin top. I still hope that this will be suited to wear on its own in summer. The product is also mild and doesn’t irritate the skin. I had some irritations on my cheeks some weeks ago because of the cold weather and my hot showers, and many products seem to leave a light burning sensation, but the CosRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion worked perfectly fine luckily.

The CosRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion is a good emulsion which will be widely loved by oily and normal skintypes. If you like citrus scents you will like this product even more. The fresh scent and the hydration effect combined with no greasy feeling makes this product a perfect buy for summer-time. The bottle contains 100 ml and retails for 20 US$ from Wishtrend and Beautytap. I have included this emulsion tightly into my skincare routines and I’m happy my skin likes it although it is having some problems with irritations at the moment.

Don’t forget to check out my post for current discounts and coupon codes >>here<<!

Here are my other reviews of CosRX products:

COSRX Propolis Light Ampule

COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum

COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

Did you try the CosRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion? Leave me a comment below :)

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asian cosmetics beauty review Wishtrend

Review: COSRX Propolis Light Ampule

28. March 2016

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Happy Easter holidays everyone! Instead of easter eggs, I have a new review for you in my Easter basket…The COSRX Propolis Light Ampule is one of the products I’ve been using for a long time now, but I always was too busy to write the review. That does not mean that I do not like it- on the contrary! I really enjoyed and enjoy using this, especially since my cheeks have been extremely dry and reddened in the last weeks.

COSRX is an affordable Korean brand “offering good quality beauty items for 10 years”. The brand name is composed of COS for cosmetics and RX for prescription. Brands like Ciracle and C20 (yes, the famous vitamin C serum) are also part of COSRX. One of the rather popular skincare lines from COSRX is the AHA/BHA skincare products. I’ve been using the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum and the COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner in the past and I really enjoyed using them, especially the toner.

The packaging design of all the COSRX products is simple and similar. They all come in a white cardboard box with a black area where the product name is written in. The rest of the cardboard box contains detailed descriptions in English and Korean. You can click on the image below to enlarge and read the description. The ingredients are listed on COSDNA and the list is remarkably short- it only contains what is needed, which makes me also very fond of the product.

The key product is Propolis Extract and it is in the first place of the list. Propolis is a resinous mixture collected from barks of trees by bees to seal their chambers with the larvae. Propolis has antibacterial and antifungal properties and thus protects the larva, but this also makes it useful in skin care, especially for troubled skin, but it also has skin conditioning properties and makes your skin feel smooth. You will also spot glycerin and hyaluronic acid as moisturizing ingredients, too. Also, the Cassa Obtusifolia Seed Extract has skin conditioning properties, as well as panthenol.

The COSRX Propolis Light Ampule is an ampoule (concentrated serum) and comes in a transparent glass bottle with an attached dropper to the cap. You will see that the ampoule has a light yellow color. It has a thicker fluid texture, no scent, and spreads easily with a moist texture. Ones it is rubbed in it absorbs quickly but leaves a light tackiness, which decreases after few minutes. The skin feels soft in the areas where the ampoule has been applied. According to the description, the ampoule can be either mixed with a BB cream or daily moisturizer or used on its own. Mostly, I used it during my nighttime routine, but it is also wearable during the daytime. Sometimes it made my bb cream/cushion foundation fade quicker than usual, but this happened mostly when I was in a hurry and had no time to wait for proper absorption. Compared to the ampoule I was using before from the Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program, this ampoule is much lighter and less heavy and therefore it fits to have it named “Light Ampule”.

The COSRX Propolis Light Ampule is perfect for anyone who never tried an ampoule before. It is light, has a moist texture and still gives the skin a nice glow. The ingredients are really nice and to the point and the price is affordable, too. You can buy this ampoule from Beautytap for 24 US$. I really like this ampoule and there are no negative points I can give this product, despite the simple packaging :D.

Don’t forget to check out my page for current coupons and discounts >>here<<!

Do you have a favorite ampoule? Leave me a comment below :)

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beauty other

Graveyard: November – February Empties 2015/2016

1. March 2016

My last emties post was back in October! So here is a long post about my November – February Empties 2015/2016 this time. I hope this can give you an idea of which products I really liked and didn’t and which I would love to repurchase.

Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask – I loved these! I would really like to repurchase them as well, but I still have a huge amount of sheetmasks, so it will take some time until I have the chance. Read my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Yes!
Cossu Body Ade Rose – This body wash smells so amazing, given the fact that you love the scent of roses. The body wash was part of a Cleopatra themed MeMeBox and I loved using it. Unfortunately, the pump was not working properly, which made it hard to use. It was labelled with a price-tag of 29 US$, which I’m still doubtful about. For a cheaper price I would consider repurchasing it. Repurchase? Maybe.
COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner – A very good toner which I can recommend you to try. I didn’t repurchase it because I wanted to try something else, but still I can say that there are many bloggers whoc love this toner. See my review >>here<<…Repurchase? Yes.
Fairydrops Platinum Mascara Film Type – I enjoyed using it, but it started to clump quite fast. It does a good job in legthening and curving the lashes, but it doesn’t give the amount of volume I’d like to have. Here is my >>review<<. Repurchase? No.
Dove DermaSpa Goodness³ Body Lotion – This bodylotion has a nice scent, but unfortunately it starts peeling and doesn’t really sink into the skin. Read my review >>here<<. Repruchase? No!
Too Cool For School Egg Mousse Pack – I love Too Cool For School’s packaging design, no doubt about that, and this pack made the skin tightened and smooth, but I couldn’t use it too often because of my dry skin. People with oily skin might love this, or if you have dry/combination skin apply it only on your T-zone. Here is my >>review<< Repurchase? Maybe.
Nivea In-Shower Make-Up Remover – This didn’t work for me. I tried it in the shower, I tried it on its own. It simply doesn’t work the way it claims, I still have panda-eyes after using it and my makeup isn’t removed. Repruchase? No!
Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion – The first Cushion I used up, after flipping the cushion over and over and getting out all the mini-bits from this awesome bb cream. I still have two refills, so I’m really happy and can advise you to give it a try, especially in cold seasons. Read my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Yes!
Shiseido Extra Gentle Shampoo For Dry Hair – A good shampoo, which didn’T feel drying on my hair, but still I preferr the Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoo over this one. Repurchase? Another shampoo from Shiseido maybe.
Lush The Olive Branch – A mediterranian smelling shower gel with a herbal scent. This was nice, but a kind of more manly scent. Repurchase? Probably not this one exactly.
HIPP Shampoo and Showering – I bought this for the obvious reason of the Seal packaging! It’s kid’s shampoo and has a nice baby-powdery scent and is gentle. Repurchase? Yes!
Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner Pen – I love this pen! A pitty the pretty ornaments were vanishing by the time. Read my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Yes, but there are so many other brands to try.
Avène Very High Sunprotection 50 + – This is a really heavy sunscreen and it leaves a good thick white cast and has a neutral cream scent (which I do not like that much). Repurchase? No!
Too Cool For School Egg Mousse Soap – This super rich and dense foam was really fun, but to drying to use on my face, so I used it as shaving foam. Read my review >>here<<. Repurchase? No.
Figs & Rouge Lip Balm Cherry Blossom – This had a bad taste the second moment, so I didn’t really use it up. Also, I’m not much into cherry scented products. Repurchase? No.
Schwarzkopf GlissKur Damage Repair Hair Treatment – I love this line of hair care because it smells of chocolate. I also liked using this hair treatment. Repurchase? Yes.
Purederm Make-up Cleansing Tissue Green Tea – These were part of a MeMeBox, too. I really like Cleansing Tissues, especially after a long night when you are too lazy to cleanse your face or when travelling. Unfortunatelly, these were’nt the most effective tissues I used. Repurchase? No.
COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch – My secret weapon for a newly appearing pimple. I still have more of these, but I wanted to pint out that I really love them. See my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Yes.
a;t fox Lifting Cream and Moisturizing Gel Cream – Another product from my MeMeBox hoardings. Such a lovely packaging, but the creams were so-so. Nothing special. Repurchase? No.
Palmolive Aroma Sensations Feel Glamorous Shower Gel Peeling – a lovely shower peeling with a nice scent. Repruchase? Maybe.
bebe Young Care (Johnson’s) Smoothie Shower Gel – Loved the scent! Repurchase? Maybe.
Rojukiss Multi Vita Cleansing Powder – This is the first cleansing powder I’ve been trying. I really like the fact that cleansing powders are so leightweight and perfect for travelling because there is no danger of leaking. I discovered that there is a risk of them to clump when stored in humid places (like the bathroom). Read my review >>here<<. Repurchase? MAybe another cleansing powder.
Kneipp Bath Oil – I have a couple more of these and I like the scent a lot. I like Kneipp products in genereal :D Repurchase? Maybe.
Aussie Miracle Dry Shampoo – The size of this was perfect for travelling. Unfortunatelly the spraying nozzle didn’T work anymore after 3 uses and I had to discard it. Repurchase? Maybe.
ISANA Young Make-up Remover and Cleansing Gel – A cheap drugstore cleanser. I didn’t like the scent and it is not the most effective makeup remover either. Repurchase? No.
Kneipp Almond Blossoms Showering Gel – They have a body oil from the same line and I’m so much in love with the scent! Repurchase? Yes!
Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream – A BB cream which I can totally recommend. I was using it way more often on everyday occasions than my other BB creams. It has a nice tone and leaves a nice finish as well. Read my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Yes, but I have too many BB creams to use up.
Trusted Health Products Botanical Splash Body Oil – A body oil with a fruity orange-citrus scent which is very refreshening.Read my review >>here<< Repurchase? Maybe.
Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo – This thick brown herbal shampoo works nicely, but can be leaving your hair dry. I used a hair treatment alweays after using it. This is only a travel-sized bottle, I still have the large bottle to use up. Read my review >>here<<. Repurchase? No, I’ll stick to my Shiseido or Damoae Therapy Shampoo, which I adore both!
OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum – This was my second bottle of the C21.5 Vitamin C serum, but unfortunately, I dropped the bottle when I was half through it and all the rest of my precious serum was lost T_T Read my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Yes.
MapleHolistics Vitamin C Serum – Despite my love for the Vitamin C serums from OST I really enjoyed using this serum! Read my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Maybe.
Lailly 7 Second Make-Up Booster – A nice makeup base with a baby powder scent. Read my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Maybe, but I have some other makeup bases to try.
Balea Cleansing Oil – If you have the possibility to get Balea products I can recommend you this cheap cleansing oil from the drug store dm. It costs a few euros (2-3 €) and is a good makeup remover. Still, asian cleansing oils have a nicer scent and seem to be more luxurious to the skin, but for quickly and simply cleansing your face this is great. It is also great for cleaning your makeup brushes and sponges. Repurchase? Yes!
BRTC Aqua Rush Cream – Wow! I used this up so quickly, despite having many other moisturizers to be tried. I loved the waterdrop texture of this cream. It was so refreshening. Read my review >>here<<. Repurchse? Maybe!
ElishaCoy Vita Capsule Cleanser – I didn’t review this product yet, although I hav it for quite a time. It was not my cup of tea to be honest and too drying on top, but it came with the ElishaCoy 3D Spin Cleanser (which is not available any longer on Wishtrend it seems), which I enjoy using few times a week. Repurchase? No.
Confume Argan Gold Treatment – I didn’t review this in detail yet, but I loved it! I used it up so quickly, too! Definitively recommendable for those having dry and frizzy hair! Also available on Wishtrend. Repruchase? Yes!
Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program Eye Cream – This was a good and nourishing ey ecream and had a really nice packaging, shaped like a seringe. I used up two of these and really liked it. Read my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Maybe.
Klairs Gentle Black Sugar Facial Polish – I preferr this over the one from Skinfood because it is more gentle. You can read my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Maybe.
Sum37 M;iracle Rose Cleansing Stick – I’m crying because I used it up already and I probably won’t be able to afford this luxurious cleanser in near future :D Lovers of rose scent will adore this cleansing stick! Read my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Maybe one day, hopefully!

Hopefully, this post helps you to deside whether it is worth buying a certain product or better ditch it from the beginning. Do you know any of these and did you try them yourself? What is your opinion on these products I showed above? I’d be happy about your comments ♥

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beauty empties

Graveyard: May – October Empties 2015

7. November 2015

I realized my last product empties post was for March & April! I always took the pictures for the empties posts but never made one, so here is a massive May – October Empties 2015 post! As usual, I didn’t include any sheet mask sachets or sample sachets, because it would simply be to messy. But as far as posible I tried to document the products I used up in the past months.

Stylenanda’s 3CE Water Wrapping Facial Mask – I reviewed these before and I absolutelly love how soft the cotton of these sheet masks is and how soft and nice the essence hydrates the skin. One of my favourite moisturizing sheet masks so far. Click for the review >>here<<. Repurchase? Yes!
Innisfree Jeju Bija Anti Trouble BB Cream – This was past expiration date and had to be tossed. I used it mostly mixed with other BB creams because it was to drying for dry skintypes. Click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? No.
Heart Face Ultra Pore Care Sleeping Pack – I was super Excited to try this Sleeping Pack since it smelled so amazingly of Rose Water. Unfortunatelly, my skin didn’t like one of the ingredients, so I ended up using it on my dry body parts like knees and elbows. Worked fine for them, a pitty though that I couln’t use it as sleeping mask. Repurchase? No.
Innisfree Eco Safety Perfect Waterproof Sunblock – This was a lovely sun cream after all. I would think about buying the fullsize or one of the other versions of it. Click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Maybe.
Skin House Face Calming Galactomyces Cream – I loved this cream! It absorbed nicely and made the skin feel bouncy. I used it up so quicly after all. click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Yes.
Forencos Selene Project Silk Mask Series – I liked some of the sheet masks from this series and I also made a second in depth review on this set of sheet masks. I didn’t like the ampoule which was included for each sheet mask though. Click for my reviews >>here<< and >>here<<. Repurchase? Probably not.
Merz Special Beauty Talent – This cream was a complete dissapointment. I didn’t like the scent and it didn’t do anything for making my skin less dry, bumpy or anything it was promised to do. Repurchase? No!
It’s Skin Have A Pomegranate Cleansing Foam – Unfortuantelly, this Foam Cleanser was too drying for my skin. Click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? No!
CosRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid – I did like this, although I do not have any Whiteheads to begin with. But for a AHA product this one is great. I can recommend you to check out the COSRX products in general because they do a nice job. Click for my reviews on the other COSRX products >>here<<. Repurchase? Maybe.
Skin79 BB Cream Miniatures – This were past expiration date, too. I used all of them from time to time, but I cannot say that one of these was my HG BB cream. click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? No.
Etre belle Liplift Peel Exfoliator – Pretty much an average lip scrub. I like the tube it comes in. Repurchase? No.
Skinfood Rose Shake Point Make-Up Remover – I love this Point Make-Up Remover from Skinfood. It also comes in a Milk version which I want to try next. Click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Yes!
Rituals Sakura Scrub – Another product which I absolutely love! It smells so great and I cannot stop smelling my own skin after using this scrub. Same for the complete Cherry Blossom Line from Rituals! Repurchase? Yes!
Alverde Body Butter Vintage Rose – Guess what, I bought this body butter for the pretty design! It had a nice scent, too, but not as rosy as I had hoped. Nevertheless, a good product and also natural cosmetics! Repurchase? Maybe.
Benton Honest Cleansing Foam – This cleansing foam was surprisingly mild and not drying like other cleansing foams. I really enjoyed using this one, although I was really wary, because I had a negative experience with the Benton Snail Bee Steam Cream. Click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Maybe, if I have used up all my cleansers :D
Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel – So far my favourite suncream I used. Absorbs fast, doesn’t leave the skin sticky or oily, feels hydrating enough for dry skin. Click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Yes!
Rituals Cherry Blossom Body Milk – Also here: I love the scent of this line! Definitively want to rurchase it!
Dermasel Shower Gel Pomegranade – Just a regular showe gel. Had a nice scent, too, but it was not so lingering as the Rituals scents. Repurchase? No.
Johnson and Johnson (Bebe) Beautifying Eye Cream – I like the illuminating eye cream from Lavera much better than this one. This one didn’T absorb completelly and always left kind of a film underneath your eyes. Repurchase? No.
Meishoku DET Clear Bright & Peel Peeling Gel – Another product which I love! I can recommend you to try the MEishoku DET Clear Pelling Gels. They are perfect for using in the shower, too! I’m so sad this one is empty. Click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Yes!
Xaivita+ Goat Milk Whitening Cream – This cream is super great! I used it up quickly. It absorbs super fast and leaves the skin nourished. I still have a facial soap from this line and I want to make a review of both products together., so please be patient for more details. I can imagine to repurchase it! Repurchase? Yes.
Banila Co Clean It Zero – This mini jars of Banila Co Clean It Zero cleansing balm are great for travel! I already used the first of them, but I still have a couple more of these. There will be a review about these, too. Repurchase? Yes.
O.S.T C21.5 Vitamin C Serum – I like both vitamin C serums from O.S.T. and I can recommend you again and again to try a vitamin C serum for yourself. These are affordable and effective, too. At the moment I’m using a Vitamin C serum by MapleHolistics, but the bottle slipped out of my hand some days ago, so I will be out of vitamin C serum again…Probably I’m going for O.S.T again. Click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Yes!
Coreana SHO EGFactor Eye Cream – One of the best eye cream tubes I’ve had so far. The seringe shape was super convenient and you could close and open it easily. The cream was nice, too. I still have one of these at my bf’s house. See my review >>here<<. Repurchase? No, too expensive.
Shara Shara Fairy’s Synergy Sun Cream – Despite the creepy doll packaging and the defect pump this was not such a bad product. Nevertheless, the packaging puts me off. Repurchase? No.
Schwarzkopf Gliss Kur Ultimate Oil Elixir – I like these large jars of hair packs and treatments. This one smells of cacao. Liked it. Repurchase? Maybe.
Etude House Help My Finger Quick Drop Dry – I love these Quick Dry Drops for Nail polish. I ususally don’t have enough patience to wait ad ruin my nails almost immediatelly. These are great to prevent some of that damage. I bought a similar quick dry drop from Essence this time. Click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Yes.
Confume Argan Hair Treatment Ampoule – The Confume Argan Oil is one of my favourite hair oils at the moment. These treatment ampoules are great for a more intense treatment after washing your hair. I like them a lot. The review is still in progress though! Repurchase? Yes.
Dear by Eprani Believe in a Bottle Moistfull Booskin – One of the best Korean Toners (Skin) I tried so far! Lovely scent, makes the skin feel great and definitively worth a try! Repurchase? Yes!
Shiseido Hada Senka Hoshitsu Lotion – This Japanese Toner (Lotion) is great for homemade sheet masks or soaked cotton pads. Definitively worth a try, too. Click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? Maybe.
Nelafantasia One day Whitener Magical Whitening Lotion – This was also past expiration date. This whitening cream contains titanium dioxide and makes the skin appear brighter. The packaging is lovely, but I didn’t use it often after all. Repurchase? No.
Alverde Repair Hair Butter – I didn’t like that at all. It was too rich to be used on dry or freshly washed hair and too hard to wash out when using as a pack before washing the hair. The scent was not to my liking either. Repurchase? No.
Schwarzkopf Essence Ultime Omega Repair Hair Mask – Another Hair Pack. I liked the version from above more, though. Repurchase? No.
Ingobeau Perfect Deep Clean One-Step Cleansing Water – My first cleansing water and now I’m eager to try more. I loved this so much and it was super effective in removing all kinds of makeup. It has a nice pH, too. There will be a review, soon. Repurchase? Yes.
Nivea Care face and body cream – This was not as heavy and rich as the regular Nivea Cold Cream, but lighter. If you like Nivea you might like it. Repuchase? MAybe.
John Frida Frizz Ease Dream Curls – I like this conditioning spray from Fritt Ease. This makes my curls look more defined and nice. I bought it in the past and I can imagine to repurchase it in future again. Repurchase? Yes.
Beautiful A.M. Moisturizer and P.M. Revitalizer – A pitty these are empty know, since it starts to get colder here in Germany. Facial oils are great for my dry skin in these times. These were light oils which absorbed fast and were not heavy. Click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? I want to try other facial oils.
O’SUM’s Aloe Vera Soothing Mist – I do not use up many mists, but here I am with one. I tried to make use of the benefits of mists more often this summer. click for my review >>here<<. Repurchase? I want to try other mists, too.

That was quite a lot! I hope it’s useful for some of you nevertheless. Sorry, for the long and boring post! :’D

Do you know any of these and did you try them yourself? What is your opinion on these products I showed above? I’d be happy about your comments ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review Wishtrend

Review: COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum

15. June 2015

Despite the fact that my main skin concern is dry skin, which has improved greatly since I’m using asian skincare and an asian inspired skincare routine, I still have another skin concern which is in correlation with increasing age: enlarged pores :’D I have visible pores in my T-zone, especially on my nose and what would be nicer than to make them appear smaller. Of course using BB/CC creams and or primers hides them, still it would be nice to have them smaller even without makeup. For that purpose I have started to use the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum, a daily useable serum containing BHA to gently deep cleanse pores. After using it for around 50 days (maybe more, but I was inconsistent), here is my impression:

COSRX is a affordable Korean brand “offering good quality beauty items for 10 years”. The brand name is composed of COS for cosmetics and RX for prescription. Brand like Ciracle and C20 (yes, the famous vitamin C serum) are also part of COSRX. One of the rather popular skincare lines from COSRX are the AHA/BHA skincare products. I’m using the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum in combination with the COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner I reviewed previously. The packaging design of all the COSRX products is simple and similar. They all come in a white cardboard box with a black area where the product name is written in. The rest of the cardboard box contains very detailled descriptions in English and Korean. You can click on the image below to enlarge and read the description.

The cardboard description also contains the rather short ingredient list of the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum. The ingredients are also listed on COSDNA, if you want to check upon them >>here<<. The main ingredient of this astringent serum is White Willow water, which makes 80 % of the ingredients. Since it is an astringent serum for removing the sebum from clogged pores the second ingredient is alcohol, but although I have dry skin and usually too much alcohol in products makes my skin feel irritated I don’t have that feeling here. I focus for the application on my T-zone mainly, too. The Beta salicylate, the BHA, makes 0.5 % of the ingredients, and helps to exfoliate the troubled areas and smoothen the skin. Condition for the BHA to work is a low pH. The serum itself has a pH of 6-7 according to my meassurement, it says 7 on Wishtrend. Therefore it is important to use a preparation toner with a low pH before. Apart from these ingredients the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum contains Hyaluronic acid for moisturization and Zinc Oxide for UV protection. Nevertheless, you should keep using sunscreen during daytime when using BHA/AHA products!

The COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum contains 100 ml in a pump bottle made of sturdy, frosted plastic. You see an orangy liquid through the bottle. When you receive it, you will notice floating white particles in the liquid and some white residue on the bottom of the bottle. This is the sebum absorption powder as stated in the description and you have to shake the bottle before every use of the serum, so the powder dissolves in the solution. The serum is made for all skintypes for daily use in the morning and evening, but if you have very sensitive skin COSRX suggests to only use it in the evening and 2-3 times a week. Since it is an astringent serum to remove oil and clogged pores I use a cotton pad to swipe the serum over my target areas. It is important to also leave the product until it is fully absorbed, so the effect of the ingredients is not weakened.

The bottom of the bottle has the production and the expiration date printed on and you will find further Korean description on the body label of the bottle and below the sticker. The serum has a shelf-life of 12 months.

I use a couple of pumps on my cotton pads while applying the serum. The serum has a clear, runny consistency and a light alcohol-scent which dissapears super quickly and leaves a scentless finish. The serum absorbs quickly, too, and is not sticky.

The immediat effect of the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum is definetly the deep cleanse of the pores. Even after double cleansing this astringent serum shows some dirt on the cotton pad used. The area around my nose looks cleared up and the pores look less visible, which is only ahort time effect. But what about longterm effects of this serum? As I said at the beginning, I did not use this product religiously day and night, but I’d say I used it for around 50 days in total, maybe more. I’m half-through the bottle now. Below you can see a closeup of my nose starting from the first day I used it up to today. Despite the different lightening conditions you can see that the pores appear less deep. From only looking at the mirror I thought there are no huge changes, but seeing the closeup convinced me, that if used regulary I’m sure that the effects are even better to see. At the moment I do not use any other BHA/AHA products apart from this serum and the Treatment Toner, but I want to start using Mizon AHA serum in the evenings now. Let’s see how all the three (together with my OST Vitamin C serum) work together.

The COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish clearly fulfills its purpose as astringent serum for deep cleansing pores. It immedieatelly makes the pores appear smaller and clearer and even on longterm you can see some changes. If used regulary day and night I’m sure the results will be even more visible. I’d say this is a good BHA serum for people with sensitive skin to start with. I’m in love with it and so far it fits nicely into my skincare routine. Let’s see how it works in combination with a stronger AHA serum and if I will keep repurchasing it or not. ~~You can get the COSRX BHA Summer Poire Minish Serum with a volume of 100 ml from Wishtrend for 13.80 US$.~~ It seems the product is currently out of stock!

Check out my other reviews for COSRX products >>here<<.

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asian cosmetics beauty review Wishtrend

Review: COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

28. May 2015

// SKINCARE / KBEAUTY / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Finally, here is my review on the famous COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner. I’ve read so many reviews about it that I knew I had to try it! I loved my Klairs Supple Preparation Toner, but since I emptied it quite quickly there was time for a new product to try.

COSRX is an affordable Korean brand “offering good quality beauty items for 10 years”. The brand name is composed of COS for cosmetics and RX for prescription. Brands like Ciracle and C20 (yes, the famous vitamin C serum) are also part of COSRX. One of the rather popular skincare lines from COSRX is the AHA/BHA skincare products. I’ve also bought the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum and the COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch.

The COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner is an astringent toner with exfoliating properties, which prevents whiteheads, blackheads, and blemishes. The toner is thereby not only addressing troubled skin types, but also dry skin types promising hydration and exfoliation in order to fight flaking skin. The toner comes in a typical packaging for COSRX products. The packaging design is simple: the toner comes in a milky plastic bottle inside a cardboard box. the cardboard box contains very clear descriptions in English and Korean. I really appreciate the list of advice they put in English!

The ingredient list for the COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner is quite short and all the ingredients are listed on COSDNA and are safe to use (click >>here<<). The toner contains willow bark water and apple fruit water as main ingredients. Both have a concentration of 10%. The willow bark water has astringent and anti-inflammatory properties, so it is really a useful ingredient. Apple fruit water on the other hand only has fragrance properties. It would have been great if there had been 10% of apple fruit extract instead of water because the extract has skin conditioning properties! Glycolic acid (an AHA) and Betaine Salicylate (a BHA) are the two ingredients which are giving the name to this product. BHAs and AHAs are chemical exfoliators, which work their wonders in low pH. But, these two ingredients are only in a 0.1 % concentration each, so the exfoliating effect is not comparable to high concentration BHA/AHA products.

As you can see above the concentration of the AHA and BHA is written on the label of the bottle. The bottle contains 150 ml and according to the description on Wishtrend the COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner has a pH of 3.9 (I measured a pH of 4 with pH strips). The production and expiration date is printed on the bottle of the tube.

I’m using this toner in the mornings and evenings by spraying it on a cotton pad and blotting the cotton pad over my face, especially over my T-zone. After applying the toner I use Vitamin C serum or other BHA/AHA products.

I do love the spraying nozzle. It sprays a fine mist of the product, and it helps not to use too much of the toner accidentally. Also, it is very hygienic to use, because neither your hands nor the cotton pad touches the nozzle. the toner is a watery, clear solution with a hint of a fruity scent which disappears immediately. The toner also absorbs fast into the skin and does not feel sticky. It works super good with the OST Vitamin C21 serum, and after using it for a month I feel my skin around my nose and forehead feels smoothened. Since I don’t have a lot of troubles or blackheads/whiteheads I cannot say anything about its effects on those problems, but I feel that it works well with my skincare routine. And most important, the COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner didn’t break me out either.

I’m personally very happy with this toner, and it looks like a perfect addition for my skincare routine. I love the feeling of it being not sticky and I like the short ingredient list. Also, it works great with my vitamin C serum and makes my skin feel smoother. If COSRX would change the apple fruit water to apple fruit extract I would love this even more! You can read another positive review on the COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner on Moi Sanom’s blog 35th Of May >>here<< (interesting for troubled skin types). Also, take a look at this comparison review between the COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner and the Mizon AHA BHA Daily Clean Toner by Cat from Snow White And The Asian Pear >>here<<. I didn’t try the Mizon toner myself but seems that for her the latter works better. It is a good product worth trying, but as you can see it can be different from skin to skin how good this works. The COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner retails for 16 US$ Wishtrend and Beautytap. Also check out my page for coupons and discounts >>here<< to save some bucks!

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beauty empties

Graveyard: March and April empties 2015

19. May 2015

Here are my product empties for March and April and a quick impression on each product. I’m a bit late for the post, but hopefully you like it anyways :) As usual, I didn’t include any sample sachets or sheet masks masks, because it is too messy to keep these.

1. Rosemine Floral Remedy Foaming Cleanser. Repurchase? Maybe someday. I have to many cleansers right now.

You can read my review on this foaming cleanser >>here<<. I love the packaging and it had a nice scent. The foam was thick and soft and the cleanser contained rose petals.

2. Happy Bath Rose Essence. Repurchase? I would love to!

This bath and shower cream had the most lingering and nicest rose scent! If you are a lover you will love this…but I remember it was marked quite expensive, sadly.

3. Shib Jang Ceng Chun Ji Heang Hand Cream. Repurchase? Yes, please.

This moisturizing and nourishing hand cream has a long name, but nevertheless it does a great job as hand cream. It contains ginseng extracts, shea butter and olive oil and was not sticky, not greasy and I loved using it!

4. Lush Whoosh Shower Jelly. Repurchase? No.

I like the idea of shower jelly and it was quite fun. Nevertheless, this specific product scent was nbot my favourite, but I could imagine getting other versions of it.

5. Kerastase Elixir Ultime. Repurchase? Maybe.

I received this hair oil trial the last time I was giving my hair a cut. It is a nice and lightweight oil and I could imagine to try it again. Unfortunately, Kerastase products are quite expansive.

6. Boutique Bebe Hair Salon Concentrate Protein. Repurchse? Maybe.

You can read my review >>here<<. I enjoyed using these two hair treatments and I can imagine that I would repurchase them again from time to time.

7. Mise en scène Perfect Repair Treatment Pack. Repurchase? Yes!

This treatment was georgeous. It made the hair super soft and easy to comb after an instant. Although labelled for twice a week use I was using it almost every second day because I loved the effect. I would like to repurchase this again. Although I read in some that they think the scent is old-women scent, but I got used to it and even liked it after all. I still have the Mise en scène Perfect Serum and I’m planning to write a comparative post between a couple of hair oils.

8.Dewytree Real Collagen nutrition serum. Repurchase? Maybe.

There is still an upcoming review for this :D I enjoyed this serum and I love the pump bottle it has and the subtle rose/flower scent.

9. Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream. Repurchase? Maybe.

a hydrating cream which contains hyaluronic acid and is very nice on the skin. You can read my review >>here<<.

10. Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum. Repurchase? Maybe.

Another hydrating product from the Klairs Rich Moist soothing line. I was enjoying all the products, especially in winter. Read my review >>here<<.

11. Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil. Repurchase? Yes! As soon as I’ve finished my other cleansers.

This is the best cleansing oil I have tried so far and I can recommend you to try it! Read my review >>here<<. I love the scent, I love how it cleanses. A great product!

12. Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner. Repurchase? Yes!

Suprisingly, I fell in love with that toner, although I thought it will be my least favourite of the Klairs products. It has a nice pH of 5 and is really a good preparation facial toner. Read my review >>here<<.

13. Hanskin Bio Origin BB creams. Repruchase? Maybe the ampoule BB.

I wrote a comparison review on these two BB creams >>here<<. I liked the ampoule BB better than the other one, but both are descent products.

14. COSRX Natural BHA Skin Returning A-Sol. Repurchase? A good product to have in case of emergency!

I received this selfmade trial version of COSRX Natural BHA Skin Returning A-Sol in a giveaway by Sam Murakami from ColorCrush (check out her blog/videos). Thanks again for the lovely giveaway, dear ♥ I must say I had a positive impression on this product and I would love to try it for a longer time, if I have some more skin troubles (hopefully not). This treatment contains propolis, AHA/BHA and works great on troubled skin. It has an acid pH of 4 and should be used after a pH lowering toner and before your other moisturizing steps (including moisturizing toner/essences/serums/creams/ampoules etc). It is on sale at Wishtrend atm!

15. Yadah Vita-Whitening Aqua Gel and Puregreen Moisturizing Cream. Repurchase?No.

These two sample sized creams were a dissapointment. First: the lids were not closing properly, so I assume that some of the product either leaked out or evaporated/dried up after a while, although I didn’t open it before. Due to this my skin didn’t like the creams. One was to heavy balmtype and the other didn’t absorb either.

16. Tonymoly Eggpore Nose Pack Package. Repurchase? These, or other nosepacks.

I like to use nosepacks occasionally, although they say they are not good. But I love the feeling of seeing some dead skincells and dirt and babyhair pulled of by these kind of patches, although it is quite gross, especially when my bf does use these :D

Do you know any of these and did you try them yourself? What is your opinion on these products I showed above? I’d be happy about your comments ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review Wishtrend

Review: COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

16. April 2015

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Luckily, getting older also brings us a couple of advantages, like less pimples and acne. I had lots of them during my puberty, but times changed and my skin got better and today I’m really happy with my skin apart from having occasionally one or two pimples after eating too much unhealthy food or during the special time of the month. But still we all know the feeling of getting these red bumbs on our face and resisting as good as we can to touch it, or even worse, to squeeze it. I never tried anti-pimple patches before, but the COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch got so much worldwide attention within the beauty community (it was mentioned by “Cosmopolitan”), that I wanted to try them myself. During Wishtrend’s February promotions they gave one sachet of these for free on every order, and since these patches are quite cheap I bought a second one for me and one for my sister. By the way, during this month you can get a free ElishaCoy Sheet Mask from Wishtrend :)

COSRX is a affordable Korean brand “offering good quality beauty items for 10 years”. The brand name is composed of COS for cosmetics and RX for prescription. Brand like Ciracle and C20 (yes, the famous vitamin C serum) are also part of COSRX. One of the rather popular skincare lines from COSRX are the AHA/BHA skincare products. I’ve also bought the BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum and the AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner and I’m looking forward to write the reviews for these two. But let’s get back to the COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch first:

These anti-blemish patches come in a simple sachet packaging. COSRX products have usually very clean and simple packaging designs, reminding of prescription medicine. The sachet has a zip-lock opening, so you can easily store the remaining patches and keep them safe from dust and dirt. Each sachet contains one sheet of patches. There are 24 patches on each sheet (9 large patches (12 mm), 5 medium patches (10 mm) and 10 small patches (7 mm)). Apart from the patches you’ll find an instruction paper in Korean inside the sachet. The backside of the sachet also contains Korean description, but also shows a short English instruction.

All in all, these patches are very easy to use. You find some more English description on Wishtrend about the COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patches. The light yellow colored patches can be applied on a pimple oder blemish after the area has been cleaned and dried of course. It keeps dirt from getting on the inflammated are and also keept you from touching it. The patches are party transparant, so they are not too obvious. I read that some people also use makeup above the patch. So, the patch helps healing your targeted area, and what should I say more….it works. I tried it on a little pimple on my forehead. I applied the patch in the morning. In the evening I removed it, cleansed my skin again and went to sleep. The next morning the pimple was gone. You can see the pictures below:

For my low blemish concerns these patches work perfectly. I cannot speak for anyone with more severe skin troubles, but if you are looking for some good and effective anti-acne patches I would recommend these. There must be a reason that so many people seem to like these patches. It proved its effectiveness to me and mabe my before and after pictures encourage you to try it. A sachet of these COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patches containing 24 anti acne patches retails for 4.25 US$ at Wishtrend. and for 5 US$ at Beautytap. Check out my page for coupons and discounts for both shops >>here<<. And see my other reviews for COSRX products >>here<<.

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