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Review: Aprilskin Magic Snow Sun Cushion

2. May 2017

// PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY / MAKEUP //

You know that I love cushions and I have quite some in my stash, but I didn’t have a sunscreen cushion in my collection until recently. During last summer vacation, I thought that it might be nice to try a sunscreen cushion for touching up the sun protection during the day and therefore I decided to go with the Aprilskin Magic Snow Sun Cushion in a first test which was provided to me for reviewing purpose by StyleKorean.

Aprilskin is a Korean natural cosmetics brand which was raved a lot about during last year, especially for their cushion foundation. The brand is fairly young and was founded in 2014, but since then has won a numerous amount of prizes for their products. All though I love cushions I didn’t buy ny of their raved cushions and so I was happy to be asked by StyleKorean and be able to choose a product from this brand. I decided for the Aprilskin Magic Snow Sun Cushion.

The Aprilskin Magic Snow Sun Cushion is an ultra-lightweight sunscreen that comes in a cushion compact. It is mildly formulated, making it suitable for children and adults according to the description. Furthermore, it doesn’t leave a white cast and yet has SPF 50+ /PA+++. The UV-protection is mineral based and still, it claims to leave no white traces. As you know, sun protection has to be renewed from time to time, but I personally am quite a lazy person. I discovered that I hardly ever touch up my sun protection on my skin and a cushion would make that far easier than a tube.

The Aprilskin Magic Snow Sun Cushion comes packed in a cardboard box in a light pink color. The cushion compact itself has also a nice pink pattern on the lid and looks really feminine. The description on the cardboard box is only in Korean, but Aprilskin’s official site offers an English translation, too.

Here are the ingredients of the product, which I also added in COSDNA:

Water, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Butylene Glycol, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Triethanolamine, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Octocrylene, Glycerin, Stearyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Lavender Oil, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Evening Primrose Flower Extract, Blackberry Fruit Extract, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Xylitylglucoside, Xylitol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Raspberry Fruit Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Tea Tree Leaf Oil, Banana Fruit Extract, Apple Fruit Extract, Pear Fruit Extract, Orange Fruit Extract, Grape Fruit Extract, Serine, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Hydroxide, Pseudoalteromoonas Ferment Extract, Alanine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Proline, Madecasoside

I marked the sunscreens within the list in blue.

Frankly, I’m no sunscreen expert. The field is so complex and until now I never had the time to really go deep into the topic. The product description says, that this cushion only uses physical sunscreen. I spot already two chemical sunscreens from looking at the list: Octinoxate (Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate) and Avobenzone (Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane)….mh…that’s the first disappointment … Checking the other sunscreens I spot that Octocrylene and Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate (Uvinol A Plus) are chemical sunscreens, too. Commonly used physical sunscreens are Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide, but I do not spot any of these here. I’m quite confused…is this product using physical sunscreens at all?!

Inside the cushion compact is the typical application sponge. In order to use the sunscreen cushion, you dab the application puff on the cushion sponge until the product is transferred. Then you dab the puff on your face in a patting motion. Don’t smear or rub it on the skin.

Of course, the cushion compact comes with a mirror inside the lid, too, so it is perfect for carrying around and use it while not at home, too. Unlike cushion foundations, the sponge in the compact is not soaked with BB Cream or Foundation, but with sunscreen. Therefore the color of the sponge is white.

The sunscreen has a creamy consistency. It gives a visible glow to the skin but doesn’t leave any white cast. While applying it on the skin I can feel a cooling effect of the product. The scent of it is also flowery/fresh. It contains some plant-based ingredients like Lavandula, chamomile, and tea tree oil, which create the scent of the product. I didn’t have any problems with the application of the product and it also can be touched up and layered without any further problems.

Aprilskin Magic Snow Sun Cushion has a nice texture and finish, but I’m disappointed that it is not a physical sunscreen as it states on their page. I personally am not someone who refuses any chemical sunscreens, but I prefer it if the description of products are correct. As I said, I’m no sunscreen expert, so if there is anyone who can explain more about the chemicals used here I would be happy to hear about it. Let me know in the comments or write me an email/PN. Oh, and since some of the chemical sunscreens may have effects on hormones and hormonal pathways I would not use this sunscreen on children, despite its mild formulation.

I received this product from StyleKorean, but they do not have it listed in their shop at the moment. They have other cushions from Aprilskin though, so have a look if you are interested. The Aprilskin Magic Snow Sun Cushion retails for 26.99 US$ from Amazon.

Did you try any sunscreen cushion already? If you have a favorite let me know. Oh, and what is your favorite sunscreen? I’d be interested to hear about it.

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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.stylekorean.com/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review Stylekorean

Review: Sense of Care Hydrogel Eye Patches

5. March 2017

I love hydrogel eye patches! It has such an refreshing and cooling effect on tired eyes, be it in the mornings or in the evening. I received the Sense of Care Hydrogel Eye Patches awhile ago from StyleKorean, just in time when my SNP Bird’s Nest Aqua Eye Patches have been finished. Here is a quick review about these patches:

The brand Sense of Care (SoC) is distributed by RainbowBeauty. I didn’t know that brand previously, so actually I don’t know if the brand is called SoC or Sense of Beauty :D If anyone knows more, please let me know. The have a bunch of skincare products available on their site, mainly masks. There are three versions of the hydrogel eye patches available: SoC Gold Snail Hydrogel Eye Patch, SoC Black Pear-EGF Hydrogel Eye Patch, and the SoC Pearl-Diamond Hydrogel Eye Patch.

I received the Sense of Care Black Pear-EGF Hydrogel Eye Patch and the Pearl-Diamond Hydrogel Eye Patch. All the eye patches come in jars containing 60 pieces of hydrogel patches. The patches are directed towards all skin types and are skin translucent, have moisturizing and nutritious properties. In order to use the patches you have to wash your face first, apply toner around your eyes and place the patches in a proper position onto the skin. Leave the patches for 20-30 minutes before you remove them.

The SoC Black Pearl-EGF Hydrogel Eye Patch has a high level of amino acids and minerals. It contains Titanium Dioxide and hyaluronic acid as key ingredients. I also spotted Saccharomyces Ferment filtrate and Snail secretaion filtrate, aswell as collagen and EGF. The SoC Pearl-Diamond Hydrogel Eye Patch contains nano diamond for vitalizing and brightening. Most of the ingredients within the Pearl-Diamond Patches are identical to the Black Pearl-EGF Patches. To be honest the differences are so small that for me it appears that only the color of the hydrogel eye patch and the packaging is really the difference.

Each jar comes with a plastic spoon to take out the patches. Since they are made from hydrogel it can be a bit tricky and slippery to take them out. As you can see both eye patches are made from a translucent hydrogel material. The jars are filled with the essence and keep the patches moist and nice. You have to be careful to seperate the patches and not to take out several eye patches that were stuck together.

Applying hydrogel patches can be sometimes a hazzle. Depending on how much essence is on the patch it might slide around and not stay on its place as desired. There are days that the patches don’t stay at all and other days were they are stuck perfectly. By the way you can also use the patches on your smilelines. Below you see how the Pearl-Diamond Patch looks like when applied.

The eye patches have a cooling effect and of course the essence will moisturize the area around your eyes perfectly. I always have the feeling that I look more awake and relaxed after applying eye patches in general and the SOC Hydrogel Eye Patches have the same effect on me. The skin looks refreshed and more healthy afterwards. I didn’t feel any specific differences between the two types though. For me the effect was similar in both cases.

I’m not sure whether I would repurchase these hydrogel patches. They are good, but also not really much different than other patches I tried. These patches will also last me some while so I doubt that I will be buying other ones any soon. :D It is a bit dissapointing though that there is no real difference between the two types of eye patches.At the moment they are not available at StyleKorean anymore but on the official site they retail for 19500 Won (~20 US$). I would say that the price seems fair for the amount of patches in each jar.

Did you try any products from this new Korean brand already?

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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.stylekorean.com/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review Stylekorean

Review: Banila Co. Miss Flower & Mr. Honey Cream

13. February 2017

// PR SAMPLE / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

‘ve been reading positive reviews over and over for this cream and I’m so happy to be able to show you my own review for the Banila Co. Miss Flower & Mr. Honey Cream today, which were sent to me by StyleKorean. I knew that I would love the packaging design, there was no doubt about this, and I knew that since it contains honey as key ingredient, that it would be working great on my skin, but this review is more than that. It is a love letter…and what is better than a love letter so shortly before Valentine’s day :D ?!

Banila Co. first came into my focus when everybody started to rave about their Cleansing Balm. I even bought a couple of samples of it in order to try but I didn’t have the chance to write the reviews yet. Other than that this Korean brand reminds me of benefit when I look at their logo and design of their skincare and makeup products. Also their design is modern and trendy, appealing to young women. There is a whole skincare range of Banila Co. Miss Flower & Mr. Honey products, and they all have that eye-chatching packaging design with a pink/red/yellow color scheme and golden ornaments of flowers sprinckled on it. The scheme is super lovely and makes you think of a field of colorful flowers in spring. There is an Essence Oil, Essence Stick, Hydrogel Mask Sheets, Heating Pack, and this Cream I’m showing here:

Banila Co. Miss Flower & Mr. Honey Cream comes in this beautiful honey comb shaped cardboard box. It contains descriptions in English and Korean, showing the full ingredients list. By the first glance you will already see a couple of ingredients that will get your attention: honey extract, a ferment filtrate, royal jelly, plant based oils, niacinamide, and sugars. Everything a good skincare product needs to have. A check on COSDNA will give you more insights on the ingredients. There are some minor irritants and acne triggers. That is normal for a cream containing many plant based ingredients, like plant oils, but also some of the chemicals, that are often used in skincare products might be not suited for sensitive skin types. Therefore it is always and with any skincare product important to make a patch test on another skin area previous to using the product on your face. I’ve said this previously and yet I still want to point it out over and over again.

The description on the cardboard box says that this cream contains 42% of Aureobasidium Pullulans Ferment and Honey Water for moisturizing and nourishing the skin and make it smooth and luminous. Aureobasidium Pullulans is a yeast-like fungus and its ferment has skin conditioning and moisturizing properties. Also, it keeps the skin protected from environmental influences. Honey/ honey extract is a superb moisturizer and has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Royal jelly has similar properties, but also is a rich source of proteins and vitamins. It promotes cell growth and the production of collagen and elastin for firming the skin.

When opening up the box the first thing that will appear is a clear plastic spatula. This is still something that I miss with many products, especially western brands. Of course everybody will wash their hands before using a product on your face, but still, when using several products after another you do not want to contaminate your other products. A spatula is a great thing to scoop ouit the desired amount of your cream without using your fingers and avoid at least some contamination. Below the spatula you will find the jar of your Banila Co. Miss Flower & Mr. Honey Cream. If you look at it from the top it really reminds you of a honey comb cell. The yellow, sturdy jar is made from a plexi glass bottom and a plastic lid. The lid can be closed tightly, too.

The jar contains 70 ml which is a lot, and the cream will last quite some time. It is one of the largest jars in my bathroom cabinet at the moment (I do not count huge body butter jars here). All in all, packaging and design wise this product is a total hit!

The Banila Co. Miss Flower & Mr. Honey Cream is rich in oils and butter and also these ingredients are responsible for a thick and occlusive texture. The cream is a heavy, lightly yellow colored balm and somehow when I opened it up the first time and a rich honey/flower scent came to my nose my first instict said that I want to eat this cream at once! I was able to keep myself from it though but believe me or not the scent is really delicious and rich and totally yummy! Even my boyfriend caught attention of the scent and said that it was delicious! Just a warning for people who hate scented products here: do not buy this cream! The scent also lingers a great deal of time.

When spreading the Banila Co. Miss Flower & Mr. Honey Cream you will feel the satin texture of the balm, and you will also feel the moisture and the richness of the cream. Your skin will be glowy and plumped up instantly, but since it is so rich it will leave your skin with a film, which is not lightweight, but not unpleasant either. It is occlusive and it locks in your previously applied products like serums and essences perfectly into the skin and gives it a luxurious plumpness on top. Actually, I would describe it as a kind of spa-like experience! The overwhelming and calming scent, and the better-than-vaseline silky texture that melts into the skin. Totally lovely, and totally recommentable! It is not recommendable for using it during daytime though, especially if you wear makeup on top or suncreen. Any product applied afterwards won’t be able to absorb into the skin. This makes this cream suited perfectly for your nighttime routine. All the goodness of your skincare products you will apply will be locked into your skin and you will wake up with the plumpest and most glowing and beautiful skin in the morning! This cream is amazing!

I’m proud and happy to be able to say that I found my holy grail product for a rich and occulsive cream that is perfect in all its ways for my nighttime routine. I will totally repurchase the Banila Co. Miss Flower & Mr. Honey Cream and I never had a skincare product I was so eager to use every evening. The scent and the texture and its richness brings so much joy to me and I’m happy that I can share my opinion with you now. Personally, I have dry skin, especially the cheek area, so my skin loves a good and thick cream. I can imagine that people with already oily skin won’t be as happy about the texture of this cream. Also, if you have a lot of sensitivities you should check the ingredients previously. For people that do not like scented skincare products this cream is not suited at all-which is sad, because this spa-experience of this cream is so unique! If you have a good skincare routine I can still advise you to add this cream at the end of your routine as evapration barrier. Your other skincare products will penetrate much better into your skin and you will wake up more radiant, smooth and glowy the next morning. I’m totally in love with this product ♥

I received this product from StyleKorean, but they do not have it listed in their shop at the moment. Still, you can get this cream from W2Beauty for 39.47 US$, from TesterKorea for ~38.68 US$, Amazon.com for 43.75 US$.

Did you try any products from this new Korean brand already?

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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.stylekorean.com/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review Stylekorean

Review: Heimish Dailism Serum Rouge Lipsticks

1. November 2016

I’m honestly super excited to share about this review of the Heimish Dailism Serum Rouge Lipsticks, which were sent to me by StyleKorean. Heimish is recently one of the most anticipated Korean brands and has been mentioned in many big magazines like Allure. I also read a couple of other reviews by fellow bloggers and it seems that they have quite some quality products worth a try. I’m happy to introduce three colors of the Heimish Dailism Serum Rouge Lipsticks to you today:

Heimish is a Korean cosmetics brand which just launched this year in March. It gained a lot of attention through the easy and modern style of their products and the use of every day colors in their makeup range. They have not only makeup like eyeshadow palettes, lip products and makeup, but also cleansers. The first time I heard about the brand the cleansing balm (I linked the lovely review by “the point of vu” here) got my attention.

The Heimish Dailism Serum Rouge are the moisturizing lipstick range from Heimish. There are a total of 8 shades available from which I will show you the shades “All Night”, “Morning Glow” and “Early Bright”. The creamy type lipsticks containing vegetable oils are supposed to apply smoothly and provide a high fit with a visible color pigmentation.

The lipsticks are packed in cardboard boxes with a pretty and soft design in pink and geometric pattern on the sides. Each of the sleek lipsticks has a purple metal packaging with a magnetic locking mechanism which helps to close the cap tightly and prevents from going loose in your handbag for example. Love this mechanism of closing the cap! The lipstick bullets are 3 g each.

The Heimish Dailism Serum Rouge Lipsticks contain sunflower seed oil extract, brazil nut oil extract, rosehip oil extract and chinese oil extract. These oils help to moisturize your lips while wearing lipstick and prevent them from drying. When applying the lipsticks you will see that they glide super softly over the lips. It has a perfect creamy lipstick formulation and doesn’t feel drying on the lips.

The colors look slightly different from the colors of the advertorial pictures. I chose one dark and two nude lipstick colors. “All Night” is a vibrant fuchsia pink color and the darkest red-ish shade from the Heimish Dailism Serum Rouge. “Morning Glow” and “Early Bright” appeared like nude/beige colors in the advertorial image but turns out that “Early Bright” is a pale rose color and “Morning Glow” a peachy coral shade.

The color pigmentation upon applying is good and the colors are clearly visible, even the light ones show up on my lips. Of course, the staying power is not good as it is with matte lipsticks or stains, since creamy lipsticks tend to transfer and be removed easily from the lips as soon as you drink or eat something, but still in winter and for every day use these are perfect to hydrate and care for your lips despite having some color on them at the same time. Unfortunately, due to my darker natural lip color, “Morning Glow” and “Early Bright” only show slight differences when applied. In the swatches on my hand the colors show their differences. If you want to show the differences of these two shades it is better to use a lip concealer before applying the lipstick.

I really like these lipsticks. I love the packaging and the closing mechanism of the cap and I love the creamy soft texture of the lipstick itself. Perfect lipstick for dry seasons and therefore I can recommend it. Especially if you like every day colors and more sheen lipsticks these will be totally yours. I wished they had more red shades though and that the advertorial pictures would show the right colors for the swatches. It would it make much more easy to select a color. The lipsticks are available from Stylekorean for 10.46 US$.

Did you try any products from this new Korean brand already?

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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.stylekorean.com/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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