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asian cosmetics beauty Najoba PR Sample review

Review: Whamisa Organic Flowers Deep Rich Toner

9. December 2016

Good news for my fellow German kbeauty lovers: Whamisa skincare is now also available in Germany through the online store for natural cosmetics Najoba. Apart from the Whamisa Organic Flowers Facial Oil I also had the chance to test the Whamisa Organic Flowers Deep Rich Toner:

The Korean brand Whamisa is relatively young and was founded in 2010 as certified natural cosmetics brand. Their key ingredients focus on plant based fermentation extracts. The brand name is written in Chinese characters which have the meaning of flowers and beauty and the use of four key components of natural materials in their products. The attractive ingredients are combined with a beautiful packaging design in light colors. Some of the products are decorated with flower illustrations, as you can see here, too.

The Whamisa Organic Flowers Deep Rich Toner has been on my wishlist for a long time! Instead of water, you will find here a lot of plant derived extracts and liquids. Similar to the Oolu Moisture Liquids I reviewed previously (Oolu is a sister brand of Whamisa) this toner contains oil to give a special care and moisture to your skin.

Whamisa Organic Flowers Deep Rich Toner contains 97,4 % of pure ingredients derived from nature. It also contains Fermented plant extracts. These ingredients help the skin to protect itself from harmful environment and dryness by nourishing and creating a skin protective film.

By the way, Whamisa products are formulated without Parabens/Synthetic/Chemical Preservatives, Artificial Dyes and fragrances, Petrochemicals, Silicon/Mineral Oils, EDTA, Animal Origin ingredients. Their products are environmental friendly and free from animal testing. The ingredients of the Whamisa Organic Flowers Deep Rich Toner are listed below:

Ingredients: *Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract , *Chrysanthemum Morifolium Flower Extract, *Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, *Lactobacillus/Chrysanthemum Sinense Flower Ferment Filtrate, *Lactobacillus/Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Ferment Filtrate, *Lactobacillus/Teraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Rhizome/Root Ferment Filtrate, Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, *Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, *Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, *Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, *Helichrysum Arenarium Flower Extract, *Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, *Glycerin, Propanediol, **Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, **Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, **Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract, Xanthan Gum, Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, *Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, ***Fragrance

*Certified Organically Grown **Natural Preservative ***Natural Origin

You can also check the ingredients via COSDNA. Almost every ingredient is green labelled, and it is so pull of natural ingredients, too! The Lactobaccilus ferment filtrate of the plants is nutrients-rich. It contains many vitamins, amino acids and proteins and helps to improve the moisture level of the skin. Aloe extracts and plant-based oils boost the moisture the toner gives to your skin.

The Whamisa Organic Flowers Deep Rich Toner comes in a milky glass bottle. The bottle looks really high-end and pretty, especially with the flower illustrations on it. In order to use the toner, you pour the liquid gel-like product into your palms or on a cotton pad and pat it on to your face. You use the toner after cleansing your face, and in contrast to western toners asian toners are designed to moisturize your skin after cleansing and not to remove left-over makeup. The formula locks in te moisture into your skin and leaves a slightly tacky feeling, making the skin feel moisturized. I love the smooth feeling of the toner, that is provided by the oils in the ingredients. Usually, I do not like tacky or sticky products, but I usually continue to use other products on top and then the stickiness is not noticeable any longer. If you only use toner after cleansing and no other serums and creams you might not like the stickiness. Anyways, apart from that this toner really does a good job in moisturizing the skin.

Whamisa Organic Flowers Deep Rich Toner is my most used toner at the moment. Due to the cold weather I love the extra moisture this toner gives to my skin. There is also an original version and a fresh version of this toner available, depending on your skintype these might be worth a closer look, too! My only downside for Whamisa products in generall is the price, especially if offered by shops outside of Korea. Of course a high price is justified by the origin of the ingredients, since it is natural and organic cosmetics, and for non-Korean sellers they also have to add the costs for export. Still 39 € for 120 ml bottle of toner can be considered quite expensive. You have to see it as a light essence or serum. With this in mind, the price can be considered good actually, since it is really providing enough moisture to skip additional moisturizing essences, and just use a cream on top.

What is your favorite moisturizing toner? Did you try Whamisa products already? What was your impression?

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Just as a short reminder: All products mentioned and reviewed on this blog are of my personal opinions. This product here was sent to me for reviewing purpose by http://www.najoba.de/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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asian cosmetics beauty MeMeBox PR Sample review

Review: Oolu Orchid Emulsion and Toner

13. November 2016

Let’s continue with the reviews for the wonderful brand Oolu by Dr. OhKims: Today I’ll share my impressions with the Oolu Orchid Emulsion and Toner! First of all, who else loves orchids? Such a beautiful and exotic flower which is great in retaining nutrients and water and thus it is also popular in skincare. The Oolu Orchid Emulsion and Toner, which were sent to me by MeMeBox uses these flowers as key ingredients for their skincare here:

Oolu is a sister brand of Whamisa. If you know Whamisa you might already have thought about the resemblance in their packaging design and style. Both products are belonging to Dr. Ohkims Cosmetics. That is why both brands are focussing on natural cosmetic products and especially fermented plant extracts. The description for this brand stated at MeMeBox says:

“When plastic surgeons from Korea, the world’s leading nation in plastic surgery, create an organic skincare line, everyone ought to take note. The doctors behind Oolu, by Ohkims Cosmetic, believe natural beauty is the best beauty, so they curated choice floral leaves that help strengthen skin’s self-regenerating powers. A 1,656-hour fermentation process from selection to blending and steeping maximizes the natural benefits of these organic ingredients. Then the premium products, from toning mists to mask packs, are hand-made to ensure the highest quality. As they say, true beauty takes patience.”

I received a whole bunch of products from Oolu but I didn’t want to fit them all in one post, instead I divide the post into three parts starting with the Oolu Moisture Liquids, which I reviewed a couple of days ago and now continuing with the Oolu Orchid Emusion and Toner. Again, both products are beautifully packed in flowery cardboard boxes. The products themselves come in plastic bottles with metal screwing caps.

What makes Oolu cosmetics so special is that the key ingredient is preserved in the fluid products. For the Oolu Moisture Liquids there were jasmine and rose petals and blossoms inside the bottles. Here the Oolu Orchid Toner contains one single Orchid Flower. It is so pretty to look at! Also, the ingredients used in Oolu Cosmetics are Ecocert and from organic origin and they are free from animal testing!

Oolu Orchid Toner

Of course the signature color for the Oolu Orchid Emulsion and Toner is purple. The Oolu Orchid Toner is a liquid solution, almost like water with a light purple color. Toner is used after cleansing the face. You spread a bit into your palms or onto a cotton pad and pat it into your damp skin. I usually use my hands instead of a cotton pad, so I can benefit from the warms of my hands. The product tends to absorb more quickly then. The ingredients of the Oolu Orchid Toner are:

Orchid Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Helichrysum Italicum (Everlasting) Flower Extract, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Leaf Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Bellis Perennis (Daisy) Flower Extract, Lilium Tigrinum Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Orchid Flower, Adenosine, Rosewood Oil, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Geranium Maculatum Oil, Brassica Oleracea Capitata (Cabbage) Leaf Extract, Beet Root Red

You can check the ingredients on COSDNA, too. According to COSDNA all the ingredients are safe to use and green-labelled. As I said before, the ability of orchids to retain moisture and nutrition makes it a great ingredient for anti-aging and strengthening the skin’s barrier. Additionally, the Oolu Orchid Toner contains Hyraluronic Acid and Glycerin for providing the skin with moisture. Moreover, the toner features a bunch of plant extracts and oils. This is why the toner doesn’t feel like water, although it is a runny liquid. The oils make it feel richer and it feels more nourishing on the skin, but doesn’t make it greasy. In contrast to the Oolu Moisture Liquids the Oolu Orchid Toner doesn’t contain alcohol. The scent of the product is mild and flowery.

Oolu Orchid Emulsion

The emulsion also features the signature color of the Oolu Orchid line, which is a purple color. The Oolu Orchid Emulsion is a lotion-type, light cream. It has a more runny texture than thick creams and is perfect for daily moisturizing. It is used after the toner. If you have serums and essences you should use them after the toner but before the emulsion. The ingredients of the emulsion are listed below:

Orchid Extract, Corylus Avellana (Hazel) Seed Oil, Rice Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Leaf Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Shea Butter, Sorbitan Olivate, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Cetearyl Olivate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Adenosine, Rosewood Oil, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Geranium Maculatum Oil, Brassica Oleracea Capitata (Cabbage) Leaf Extract, Beet Root Red

You can check the ingredients via COSDNA for their properties. According to COSDNA there are three potential irritants included, which are Cetearyl Alcohol, Jojoba Oil and Apricot Oil. If you know that you react to these ingredient make sure to patch test before you use them. Apart from this all the ingredients are safe to use and green labelled. Also here, the key ingredient is orchid extract with its anti-aging and smoothing properties. Additionally you will find mostly plant extracts and oils in the ingredients list. Although the texture of the lotion is very liquid and light it needs more patience until it absorbs into the skin. It needs a couple of extra rubs and pats as I discovered. Once it absorbs it doesn’t leave the skin sticky or greasy but simply hydrated. It has a pleasant flowery scent.

For the Oolu Orchid Emulsion and Toner I can say that both products are really nice. I love the fact that Oolu cosmetics uses natural and organic ingredients and mostly plant extracts. I also love their packaging, especially their cardboard box, design and the idea of the flowers in the solutions. I especially like the toner here, because it contains the oils and feels nice and smooth on the skin. In contrast to the Oolu Moisture Liquids it doesn’t contains alcohol either, pure essences and extracts instead, which is lovely! The emulsion has the downside that it really takes a bit longer to absorb and to rub it into the skin. Once it is absorbed it feels nice though! My second downside for the emulsion is the bottle. I hate it when emulsions come in bottles like this! I always prefer pump containers here! It makes it so much easier to use…Both products are available from MeMeBox for 28 US$.

What do you think of Oolu Cosmetics so far? Would you like to try them?

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Just as a short reminder: All products mentioned and reviewed on this blog are of my personal opinions. This product here was sent to me for reviewing purpose by https://us.memebox.com/ , which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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asian cosmetics beauty Najoba PR Sample review

Review: Whamisa Organic Flowers Facial Oil

7. November 2016

Good news for my fellow German kbeauty lovers: Whamisa skincare is now also available in Germany through the online store for natural cosmetics Najoba. I received the Whamisa Organic Flowers Facial Oil for testing and since the temperatures are constantly dropping with the days it is always a good idea to have a facial oil at hands. Here is my impression:

The Korean brand Whamisa is relatively young and was founded in 2010 as certified natural cosmetics brand. Their key ingredients focus on plant based fermentation extracts. The brand name is written in Chinese characters which have the meaning of flowers and beauty and the use of four key components of natural materials in their products. The attractive ingredients are combined with a beautiful packaging design in light colors. Some of the products are decorated with flower illustrations, as you can see here, too.

The Whamisa Organic Flowers Facial Oil is made of 98 % of pure ingredients derived from nature. It provides deep moisture and absorbs into the skin without any stickiness according to the description. Fermented organic ingredients help the skin to protect itself from harmful environment and dryness by nourishing and creating a skin protective film. The facial oil is also supposed to improve the immunity of the skin by balancing the oil-moisture barrier. The skin is feeling more elastic, moisturized and brightened.

*Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, *Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, *Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, *Corylus Avellana (Hazel) Seed Oil, *Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Daucus Carota Satica (Carrot) Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Oil, *Lactobacillus/Chrysanthemum Sinense Flower Ferment Filtrate, *Lactobacillus/Nelumbium Speciosum Flower Ferment Filtrate, *Lactobacillus/Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Rhizome/Root Ferment Filtrate, **Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, **Paeonia Suffruitcosa Root Extract, **Glycyrrihiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Geranium Maculatum Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil

*Certified Organically Grown **Natural Perservative

You can check the ingredients also on COSDNA and you will see that the list is quite short, and that all the ingredients are green labeled. Since some of the oils can cause potential irritations or Acne please be sure to patch test before use. Apart from the plant-based oils like Argan oil, jojoba oil or Camelia oil the product contains also Lactobacillus fermented plant extracts. Ferment filtrate is nutrients-rich. It contains many vitamins, amino acids and proteins and helps to improve the moisture level of the skin.

The Whamisa Organic Flowers Facial Oil comes in a milk glass bottle with an attached pipette for dispensing the oil. you can see the yellow colored oil through the glass. In contrast to regular oils like olive oil you will see that this oil is more fluid. It has a light flowery/sweet scent which reminds me of the Whamisa sheet masks I reviewed previously. In order to use this facial oil in your skincare routine you place 1-3 drops on your palms after your regular moisturizing skincare. The you rub the palms to your face and pat until absorbed. I leaves the warming feeling of oil on the skin while applying and feels nourishing directly. It absorbs after a few rubs and leaves a very adorable glow on the skin, without being greasy. Depending on your skintype the amount of the oil varies. You can also mix one drop or two with your regular moisturizer.

I love the Whamisa Organic Flowers Facial Oil. It is not as heavy as pure argan oil, which I used last winter when my skin was too dry, but it still gives that noticeable protective film to your skin. My only downside for Whamisa products in generall is the price, especially if offered by shops outside of Korea. Of course a high price is justified by the origin of the ingredients, since it is natural and organic cosmetics, and for non-Korean sellers they also have to add the costs for export. Still 45 € for 30 ml bottle of facial oil can be considered quite expensive, but be assured that there are facial oils on the market with less effective ingredients/mineral oil and so on sold for even more.

What is your favorite facial oil?

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Just as a short reminder: All products mentioned and reviewed on this blog are of my personal opinions. This product here was sent to me for reviewing purpose by http://www.najoba.de/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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asian cosmetics beauty Honeysu Official PR Sample review

Review: Whamisa Organic Facial Mask Pack Sea Kelp

2. August 2016

A Korean brand that was really in focus for many kbeauty bloggers in the last year was Whamisa, a natural cosmetics brand using certified organic ingredients for their products. The brand was hard to purchase outside Korea first but more and more online retailers started selling their products. Honeysu is one of the first retailers in Europe (based in Belgium) selling Whamisa products and I was more than happy to be asked to review a bunch of Whamisa masks. Eventually, you saw the picture on Instagram I posted. Today, I will tell you about my impression of the Whamisa Organic Facial Mask Pack Sea Kelp, whereas next time I’ll be focussing on their hydrogel masks:

The Whamisa Organic Facial Mask Pack Sea Kelp is quite a special mask because it is not a soaked cotton sheet or regular hydrogel, but it is made from 100% sea kelp, which is the reason why this mask has a green color. The mask is purely made of natural ingredients and consists in 90.37 % of organic ingredients. I want to point out some of the ingredients of this mask below:

Kelp

Kelp is not only healthy for eating, but also does it have benefits for the skin. It is rich in antioxidants and minerals and thereby benefits the skin in terms of anti-aging. In how far a mask sheet made of kelp influences the skin is not clear, since usually the effectiveness is correlated with the procession of the kelp, eg. by using the extract.

Lactobacillus/ Aloe Maculata (?) Ferment Extract

I’m a bit irritated about having Aloe maculata here instead of the commonly used Aloe Vera (Barbadensis). Aloe Maculata is a aloe plant growing in South Africa. The gel of this plant forms foam with water, which is why it is used as soap. It produces a yellowish gel, which has similar properties like aloe vera, so it is primarily moisturizing and antibacterial/ anti-inflammatory. I also read that Aloe maculata is more resistant to higher salt concentrations, so maybe this is one of the reasons why using this, since sea kelp is used for the sheet mask. I wrote Whamisa an email asking about the Aloe and hopefully they will reply and tell me whether there is a specific reason in using this Aloe specimen instead of the more commonly used Aloe Vera (also confusing: the import label says Aloe Maculata, whereas the official page of Whamisa in its English translation says Aloe barbadensis). Ferment filtrate is nutrients-rich. It contains many vitamins, amino acids and proteins and helps to improve the moisture level of the skin.

Licorice Extract

Licorice extract is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and skin-conditioning properties and brightening. It is also used for fragrance in some cosmetics.

You will find the other ingredients listed on COSDNA, and you will discover that most of them are plant derived extracts and oils. I love the ingredients lists in total!

The Whamisa Organic Facial Mask Pack Sea Kelp is targeting wrinkles and dull and swollen face. But not only: it also improves the smoothness of the skin and the moisture level and has been tested by Gyoung Hee University. The sheet mask is divided into two parts, an upper part and lower area, folded between plastic sheets. The sheet mask has a marine green color and feels like soaked paper, kind of thin and slimey. The first thing to discover is the scent it has: it smells very strongly of algae (it is 100% kelp, so do not expect anything else :D) and if you are sensitive towards these kinds of scents you will probably have a hard time to leave this on your face. Since I have a salt water fish tank myself I was well prepared and kind of used to the scent, although it is surely not my favorite scent for skincare. The kelp sheets were soaked thoroughly with a yellowish, sticky essence. They are so nicely soaked, that the lower part of the mask kept sliding off my face. I can advice you to put this sheet mask on and lie down, so it will stay on your face and you will have some time to relax. Generally, I would advice you to use this mask in the evening, since the yellow essence tends to make the skin a bit yellowish at first and needs some more time than other sheet masks to absorb. Once it absorbs it definitely leaves a tacky and tighter feeling on the skin and seems to brighten up the skin. It also gives a nice glow and feels moisturzing. I didn’t experience any irritations while using this mask.

Whamisa totally has four different sheet masks. The Whamisa Organic Facial Mask Pack Sea Kelp mask is one of them. Furthermore there are three different hydrogel sheet masks available, which I will review in a couple of days as well. Don’t they look beautiful together?

I do like the Whamisa Organic Facial Mask Pack Sea Kelp and it has been my first kelp mask and my first Whamisa product in the same time. I can also understand the raving of many bloggers about this sheet mask. The scent of the mask is something special though, which might put you off if you do not like the strong algae scent. It also does have a superb ingredients list and all the products are labelled whether they are certified or not. I wish that more brands will take such a way of labelling more serious. My only tiny downside is the price, since Whamisa products are more expensive than other Korean brands. On the other hand the high price is justified by the origin of the ingredients. After all it is up to you whether to want to spend more money and know where your ingredients are from that you are putting on your face, or you prefer the cheaper versions – which I didn’t try, so I cannot compare it for you here (Whamisa was the first kelp mask I got to know, but is no secret that Tonymoly came up with a kelp mask, too).

You can get this mask from the Belgian online retailer Honeysu for ~~12 €~~ 9 US$ sale until supplies last (Yes, the price is for one mask and yes, it is really expensive compared to other sheet masks)! They ship within Europe quite affordably and most important super fast- but they also ship to other countries (higher shipping costs though). Honeysu doesn’t carry many brands, but they focus on products with non-harmful ingredients. I must say I really like the looks of the shop and I love their Instagram account. The pictures posted are always so beautiful! For my readers from the US you can get this mask from Amazon, too (14.88 US$).

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Just as a short reminder: All products mentioned and reviewed on this blog are of my personal opinions. This product here was sent to me for reviewing purpose by https://www.honeysu.com which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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