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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample q-depot review

Review: It’s Skin Power 10 Formula Propolis Ampoule

2. November 2016

Another propolis ampoule I’ve been trying since I finished up the COSRX Propolis Light Ampule: I received the It’s Skin Power 10 Formula Propolis Ampoule by Korean cosmetics online shop Qdepot and I’ve been testing it for quite a while now. Actually, I’ve been wanting to try something from the It’s Skin Power 10 Formula line a long time already, so I’m happy I was offered this opportunity.

It’s Skin is a Korean brand made by dermatologists at Seoul University and it was created to recover the natural power of the skin. The brand is not expansive, but on the same level like Etude House. They also have some cute designs for some of their products, so in general it is an interesting brand, especially their Power 10 Formula intrigued me for a long time. There are 12 or even 13 different kinds of ampoules reaching from Vitamins to Q10, and even yeast filtrate. I guess you will find every possible ampoule. I decided to try another Propolis Ampoule since I enjoyed the previous one already so much.

The It’s Skin Power 10 Formula Propolis Ampoule comes in a glass bottle with an attached pipette as lid. The bottle is yellow colored, but transparent enough to see how much product is left inside. Of course the key ingredient here is Propolis. 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 skincare, especially for troubled skin, but it also has skin conditioning properties and makes your skin feel smooth.

If you check COSDNA you will see that the ingredients list is not too long, which is quite positive. Apart from Propolis the ampoule contains honey, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, which are all great and effective ingredients for anti-inflammatory effects, hydration and brightening. The majority of the ingredients is green labelled, too.

The It’s Skin Power 10 Formula Propolis Ampoule has a milky consistency, which is not totally liquid like a toner but shows some substance. It is easily blended in though and turns into a watery solution once starting to rub it in. It makes the skin feel smooth while applying and glides over the skin– not in the same way as oil, but in a silky smooth way, if you know what I mean. The scent is nice, too, and not overly strong. The ampoule absorbs quickly without a sticky or greasy feeling, but it leaves a nice glow on the skin. I use a few drops on my skin until I feel I have used enough to cover my face and neck.

It is hard to say which ampoule I would prefer, the one from COSRX or the It’s Skin Power 10 Formula Propolis Ampoule. Both are different in their consistency and in the feeling they leave on the skin. The COSRX serum has the shorter ingredients lists and doesn’t contain any potential triggers. Since it is a light ampoule it is probably suited better for sensitive skintypes. The Propolis serum from It’s Skin feels “heavier” without being heavy on the skin, but the texture feels richer. I like both ampoules but if I had both at hands I would prefer the COSRX one for summer season and the one from It’s Skin for winter. You can buy the It’s Skin Power 10 Formula Propolis Ampoule from QDepot for 18.13 US$.

Q-depot is an online retailer for Korean cosmetics. They have already quite a variety of the most popular Korean brands and they keep adding products frequently. The site is easy to navigate, too. And they offer free samples for each order and free shipping for orders above US$ 49. They are committed to contributing 3% of their group’s net profit for social causes in different countries. So you can shop for your favorite Korean products and do something good, too. Also, Q-depot is having a promotion were you can get 5 US$ off your first order by using the code SW5OFF (orders +50 US$) or 10% off your first order using SW10OFF.

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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://q-depot.com/, 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 Fermented Hydrogel Facial Masks

23. August 2016

I will continue with my reviews for the Whamisa Fermented Hydrogel Facial Masks, which were also sent to me by Honeysu together with the Whamisa Sea Kelp Mask I reviewed previously (you can read my review >>here<<).

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. 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. Here is my impression of the Whamisa Fermented Hydrogel Facial Masks:

There are three different versions of the Whamisa Fermented Hydrogel Facial Masks, as listed in the following.

Whamisa Organic Seeds & Rice Fermented Hydrogel Facial Mask with Lactobacillus

I’ll start off with the Whamisa Organic Seeds & Rice Fermented Hydrogel Facial Mask. This mask is directed towards lifting, anti-aging and soothing. It contains seeds and rice which have been fermented by Lactobacillus. The essence of the mask has a jelly consistency and a brownish/yellow color with a very distinct scent, which reminds me of asian food. Scentwise it is my least favorite mask from the three hydrogel masks. The ingredients are as followed:

Essence: Aloe Maculata Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Hordeum Vulgare Seed Ferment Filtrate, Lacxtobacillus/ Rice Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Phaseolus Angularis Seed Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Glycine Soja (Soybean) Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Ferment Filtrate, Corylus Avellana (Hazel) Seed Oil, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Xanthan Gum, Lavendula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Aniba Rosaedora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalos (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Adenosine, Linalol

Sheet: Water, Hordeum Vulgare Seed Extract, Aloe Maculata Leaf Extract, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Lactobacillus/ Rice Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Phaseolus Angularis Seed Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Glycine Soja (Soybean) Ferment Filtrate, Xanthan Gum, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract

According to COSDNA the ingredients are safe to use and there are no acne triggers or irritants. All ingredients except of linalool are labelled green and therefore safe to use. Linanool has to be labelled because it is a common allergica as a fragrance. What I discovered is, that the essence and the sheet mask both contain their ferment filtrate and extracts. In total there are 6 ferment filtrate based on Lactobacillus. Ferment Filtrate is nutrients-rich. It contains many vitamins, amino acids and proteins and helps to improve the moisture level of the skin. Other main ingredients are aloe, plant-based oils and extracts. My eye fell on the Licorice root extracts, which I really do love as ingredient. Licorice Root Extract is an antioxidant, has anti-inflammatory and skin-conditioning properties.

Whamisa Organic Flowers & Aloe Vera Fermented Hydrogel Facial Mask with Lactobacillus

The Whamisa Organic Flowers & Aloe Vera Fermented Hydrogel Facial Mask with Lactobacillus is directed towards lifting, whitening and moisturizing, using the key ingredients aloe, green tea and dandelion. Also here, a quick look at the ingredients reveals a bunch of fermented plants and roots by Lactobacillus. The essence of this mask is similar to the previous one and has a jelly consistency. I could smell a more flowery/citrus scent compared to the Seeds & Rice mask, which I preferred.

Essence: Aloe Maculata Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Chrysanthemum Sinense Flower Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Rhizomr/ Root Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Aloe Maculata Leaf Ferment Filtrate, Helichrysum Arenarium Flower Extract, Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract, Paeonia Suffroticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Aniba Roseodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Citrus aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, d-Limonene

Sheet: Water, Aloe Maculata Leaf Extract, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Lactobacillus/Chrysanthemum Sinense Flower Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Rhizome/Root Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Ferment Filtrate, Xhantan Gum, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract

According to COSDNA the ingredients are safe to use and there are no acne triggers or irritants. All ingredients except of D-Limonene are labelled green and therefore safe to use. Limonene has to be labelled because it is a common allergica, but it is also a natural fragrance and occurs in citrus fruits. Also here both the essence and the sheet contain the ferment filtrate.

Whamisa Organic Fruits & Tomato Fermented Hydrogel Facial Mask with Lactobacillus

The Whamisa Organic Fruits & Tomato Fermented Hydrogel Facial Mask with Lactobacillus is directed towards lifting, revitalizing, and toning using key ingredients like tomato, banana. and apple. Like the two previously mentioned masks this mask also includes the Lactobacillus ferment filtrate of various other plants. Also here the jelly serum has a yellowish color and a citrus scent. This one has the most fresh scent so to say.

Essence: Aloe Maculata Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Pyrzs Malus (Apple) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Citrus Junos Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Actinisia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus / Tomato Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Corylus Avellana (Hazel) Seed Oil, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffroticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Honey, Xanthan Gum, Lavendula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Aniba Roseodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Ornage) Peel Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, d-Limonene, Linalol

Sheet: Water, Aloe Maculata Leaf Extract, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Lactobacillus/Pyrzs Malus (Apple) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Citrus Junos Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/ Actinisia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Xhantan Gum, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract

According to COSDNA The ingredients are safe to use except for Linolool and D-Linolene, which are labeled yellow and are both fragrances (read above). Again we will find so many ferment filtrate of so many plants and fruits in the essence, but also in the hydrogel sheet.

Performance of Whamisa Hydrogel Facial Masks

All three masks are made from 95% organic ingredients and 100% natural ingredients. They are free from parabens, mineral oil, synthetic dyes, silicone and fragrances, too! The sachets of the mask contain a really rich amount of the essence and there is quite a lot left over which can be used elsewhere like neck and arms. The high amount of essence also leads to a very slippery sheet mask. It is really a bit tricky to unfold and I feared to tear it apart. Also, the mask keeps sliding, so I recommend you to lay down while using it. The first of the mask was other perfect either and it didn’t cover my forehead properly but that is something I personally do not count negatively. You will observe that the mask is slightly thinner after using it because the serum is absorbed by your skin, still there is never the point while using it the recommended 20 minutes that it gets dried out. Do not use it before makeup. I discovered that it tends to peel.

I do like these masks despite the slippery and the poor fit. The hydrogel feels soft and there is plenty of serum. The ingredient list is beyond great and it really leaves the skin with a glow. Although not suited for applications before makeup I really can advise you to try these masks at least once despite their price. You can get this mask from the Belgian online retailer Honeysu for 7.50 € 5 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 (~8-9 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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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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asian cosmetics bbcosmetic beauty PR Sample review

Review: Elizavecca 3 Step Sheet Masks

12. July 2016

You might have stumbled upon the giveaway I did on my Instagram account in collaboration with BBCOSMETIC?! If not, there is still a little bit time to enter the giveaway. Today’s review will be about the prices you can win: The Elizavecca 2 Step Sheet Masks! There are three different types of this mask available called Anti-Aging EGF Aqua Mask Sheet, Pore Solution Super Elastic Mask Sheet, and the Aqua White Water Illuminate Mask Sheet, all packed in an adorable packaging:

The Korean brand Elizavecca has gained quite some popularity among asian beauty lovers. The Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask of this brand really made a round in the asian beauty blogger community, and to my shame I must admit that I didn’t try it yet. Actually, this is my first product from Elizavecca…:D And it is not only the first time I’m trying the brand Elizavecca, but also the first time trying a sheet mask with 3 included steps! I did reviews of a 2 Step Sheet Mask by Forencos, which included ampoule and the sheet mask before, and I do like the idea of having many skincare steps combined to one sachet. The Elizavecca 3 Step Sheet Masks contain a cleanser, a sheet mask, and a third skincare product which fits to the specificities of the sheet mask.

Each 3 Step sheet Mask comes in a sachet with some cute illustrations of girls wearing sheet masks. The caption says “Liar Beautiful Girl”, which doesn’t make much sense, but anyways…Each of the three steps is in a separate chamber of the sachet, labelled with the numbers 1 to 3. The descriptions on the backside of the sachet are in Korean only.

Aqua White Water Illuminate Mask Sheet

Aqua White Water Illuminate Mask Sheet is targeting skin elasticity for for baby-smooth skin. It contains nutritious serum and EGF as key ingredient. As a first step you use the Bubble Water Cleansing Foam, in the second step the Anti-Aging Elastic Serum is provided. The third step is the Anti-Aging EGF Aqua Mask Pack. The cleansing foam is a regular foam cleanser with a neutral pH of 7. It foams up nicely, but also leaves the skin a bit tight. It is NOT the most drying cleanser I tried though. The serum is a clear gel-like fluid which feels moisturizing and nourishing. The mask is made of a think, see-through cotton, which is soaked densely with the essence. This mask feels moist and refreshed and has also nice cooling effect.

Pore Solution Super Elastic Mask Sheet

The Pore Solution Super Elastic Mask Sheet is for clearing up the face. It contains nutritious essence and bird’s nest extracts are for pore care and elasticity. First step is the pore cleansing foam. Second step is the Play Back Moisture Essence, and the last step is the Pore Solution Super Elastic Mask Pack. Also here the cleansing foam appears a regular foam cleanser with a neutral pH of 7. The essence feels hydrating and moist and is a bit more fluid than the serum from the previous mask. The sheet mask itself is a black sheet mask though.

Aqua White Water Illuminate Mask Sheet

The Aqua White Water Illuminate Mask Sheet is directed towards brightening and moisturizing the skin containing vitamins and glutathione as key ingredients. Here the first step is again cleansing the face, this time you’ll be using the Real Aqua Cleansing Foam. The second step is the sheet mask here. It is called the Aqua White Water Illuminate Mask Pack. As a last step you’ll use the Vita Aqua Moisture cream, a balm-type cream, in order to seal the moisture within your skin and give it a boost in hydration. The cream leaves a Sticky feeling and is better suited for the evening.

Below you can see the comparison between the textures of the sheet masks. The regular sheet mask on the left versus the black pore care sheet mask on the right.

I really like the Elizavecca 3 Step Sheet Masks. First of all, they are perfect for travelling, because you can take a small skincare routine in one sachet with you. Secondly, I like how well soaked the sheet masks were. Then, of course, they have a pretty and cute illustration on their sheet mask, too. :D Out of the three I liked the Aqua White Water Illuminate Mask Sheet most, because I loved the balm-type cream for sealing the moisture onto the skin. It is perfect for the nighttime routine. The other two were also suited for use during daytime. I received these sheet masks from BBCOSMETIC and they retail for 19.80 US$ for 10 pieces of one of the types and 12.99 US$ for 6 sheet masks (2 from each type). You can also use the voucher Q2C8JX9N45R3O in order to get 10 % discount on bbcosmetic. If you still have time feel free to join my giveaway on Instagram and you can test and try the sheet masks yourself!

What do you think of these multi-step sheet masks? Seems they are getting more and more common in the Korean beauty market.

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And don’t forget to take part in my Instagram Giveaway! You can win some sheetmasks there, too! :)

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

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beauty food Indigo Nutrition PR Sample

DIY Coconut Matcha Body Butter with Indigo Nutrition Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

25. May 2016

// PR SAMPLE / DIY / BEAUTY //

Coconut oil is one of those household products you will be able to find easily available and very versatile and useful. Surely, the main purpose of coconut oil is cooking. It can be used with higher temperatures and gives an exotic flavour to the dish. Furthermore it is quite healthy, since it is more heat resistant than other oils for example. However, coconut oil also has many other uses, and especially a huge amount of beauty uses and it has become one of my favorite ingredients and must-have products.

I received a huge jar Organic Virgin Coconut Oil from Indigo Nutrition for reviewing purpose and I decided to use this review to share one of my quickest DIY beauty recipes with you: an easy one-ingredient DIY Coconut Matcha Body Butter!…Okay, to be honest, I used two ingredients: Matcha powder and coconut oil, but mainly for the color :D The recipe works absolutely fine with only coconut oil.

Coconut oil can be used for haircare, bodycare, makeupremover….there are so many options and you can really be creative with using it. When I do not use it for cooking I’m using a nut-sized bit of the oil as extra care for my dry ends of my hair. Another way I love using coconut oil is a s body moisturizer. That scent is simply amazing!

Here is my recipe for a quick DIY Coconut Matcha Body Butter made from coconut oil. You can go with one ingredient only, which is the coconut oil, but if you want to you can add some vitamin E or essential oils. I tried one with matcha powder this time:

Mainly you will need these things for making your own coconut body butter: a handmixer (or kitchenaid), coconut oil, a bowl, and a jar to store your product afterwards. The steps are super simple to follow:

Put a desired amount of coconut oil into the bowl. It should not be too few, because you will want to use the mixer.
Add whatever ingredient you want to combine, like Vitamin E, or essential oils. I went for some matcha powder.
Warm up the bowl in a sauce pan with water until the coconut is melted and you can combine your ingredients nicely.
When everything is combined put your bowl into the freezer for 20 minutes until the coconut oil has retained a more solid consistency, but still soft enough to be mixed.
Start mixing your coconut oil mixture until it turns solid and creamy like butter. This might take some minutes (depending on your mixer)
Fill the butter into a jar and keep it stored in the fridge until used.

You will get the softest butter, which melts instantly into the skin and stays creamy and spreadable despite being in the fridge. Just have a look at the pretty green color the matcha powder gave it! On top, with a good quality virgin coconut oil you will smell of coconut all day! Get the Indigo Nutrition Organic Virgin Coconut Oil from Indigo Nutrion and try your own simple coconut body butter!

Let me know if you try the recipe for the DIY Coconut Matcha Body Butter! :)

What are your favorite uses for coconut 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 https://www.indigo-herbs.co.uk which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Kicho Sheep Oil Cream

23. April 2016

By now anybody familiar with asian beauty products has become familiar with strange or unusual ingredients, like snail mucus, donkey milk or horse oil. If you are crazy about trying products like this (or simply curious) I have another one for you here: the Kicho Sheep Oil Cream! But before the animal lovers will scream and run I can assure you that no animal have been harmed for the production of this cream. I must admit that I was eyeing the products from this brand for a long time and I was really thrilled to receive it by BNTnews this month, so let’s get right into the review:

Kicho cosmetics is a Korean brand and has the saying “We provide pure nature greatness to your skin”. I read so many reviews on their products, especially the sheep oil ones, and I hope I will be able to try more from this brand in future to get a better inside into this brand. First of all, I love the design of the packaging of the Kicho Sheep Oil Cream. It looks elegant and feminine on the same time with a beautiful flower printing. The cardboard box is not only pretty from the outside, but even inside the box the beauty continues: The flower pattern continues inside and reveals a beautiful, square glass jar with a metal lid with a vintage imprint on it.

There is also a holographic authentication sticker on the cardboard box, to make sure that you have bought an original cream from Kicho.

The bottom part of the cardboard box contains descriptions about the product in English and in Korean. Some sheep illustrations add a bit of cuteness to the packaging here. The ingredients are listed on the bottom of the box and they are also included in COSDNA if you want to take a closer look. The key ingredient is Lanolin made from pure Lanolin from New Zealand lamb wools purified with German Technology. So what is Lanolin exactly?

Lanolin

Lanolin is also called wool wax and is produced by the sebaceous glands of sheep to protect their wool from getting wet and protects the sheep from climate and weather. Actually, it is obtained by cleaning the obtained freshly shorn wool from sheep, so you do not need to fear that animals are harmed for obtaining lanolin and the name sheep oil is a bit misleading here because one thinks of horse oil directly. Also, as you might have thought first, Lanolin is not a new fancy ingredient but has been used for more than hundred years and cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. Also, thinking of Lanolin as fat is also not correct, because it lacks glycerides, but contains of sterol esters instead. By hydrolizing lanolin you will obtain lanolin alcohols, which are rich in cholesterol, and lanolin acids. 40 % of the lanolin acids are AHA’s (alpha hydroxy acids)! Also, studies have shown that Lanolin has chemical and physical similarities to human stratum corneum (the skin layer you actually see when looking at your skin) lipids. These lipids regulate the hydration state of your skin. So lanolin is great to protect your skin from water-loss and it also is a great skin softener. Also, since it has semiocclusive properties your skin can still breath. And on top of that the healing properties of lanolin are great and it helps to recover rough and dry, itching and cracking skin better than glycerin or petroleum. Nevertheless, it still might be that you react allergic to lanolin, so be sure to patch test products before using them.

They combined the Lanolin with multivitamins from 8 types of berries from all over the world: Cranberry, Blueberry, Strawberry, Goji Berry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Sea Buckthorn, and Acai Berry. Berries are rich in anti-oxidants, which are great for the skin, and add to moisturize and brighten up the skin. The cream is free from fragnance, paraben, mineral oil, steroids, formaldehyd or chemical preservatives. Instead it contains the natural preservative totarol. Totarol was isolated for the first time from heartwood of Podocarpus totara, a yew tree found in New Zealand. Totarol has antimicrobial properties.

Unfortunately, the cream doesn’t come with a spatula, but you can simply use a small spoon or similar. I think it is especially important to work with clean fingers or spoons here, since it does not contain chemical preservatives. The light-yellow cream has a rich and balmy texture, which melts off into the skin easily and absorbs without leaving the skin greasy. It has a nice citrus scent, too. It feels really hydrating for the skin and I applied some on my dry elbows and felt how instantly softening the cream was. It makes the skin feel considerably smoother and more supple and the effect lasts for hours, too. Also, a little of this cream goes a long way so it will last you some time, too.

My final verdict is that I’m in love! This cream makes my skin supple and soft and most important my skin feels like this for hours. I think that the effects of the Lanolin show off pretty nicely in this cream and all in all the whole combination of ingredients works great. Since the ingredients list is not free of minor irritants it is import to check for yourself whether these ingredients suit your skin or not, but I can give dry skin types having troubles with itchy or cracky skin some thumbs up and encourage you to consider a moisturizer containing lanolin for your skin. For some people the balmy texture might appear to rich, although it really is not leaving a greasy residue, but still for those this cream might work great as semiocclusive cream in the night-time routine. You can get this cream from the official Kicho Store for 58 US$ or from Amazon US for 59.99 US$, or from Cupidrop for 58 US$. As you can see the main downside is the price, but this tends to be usual for products containing Lanolin…

This product was provided to me by BNTnews for reviewing. Don’t forget to visit the other BNTGirls Kim, Bella, Mary, Celine,Alene,Joanne,Chermaine,Mitha, Blair and many more…check out their reviews for the March BNT Beauty Box. You can find my previous reviews for BNTnews >>here<<. And visit BNTnews for the latest Korean news and trends:

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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.bntnews.co.uk/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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food recipes

Energizing Carrot Smoothie

10. March 2016

Only few of you might know that I actually love cooking. Occasionally you will find me post some pictures on my Instagram. And despite my love for food I never posted any recipes on my blog. I want to make Berries in the Snow more versatile, than writing one review followed by the next and maybe you saw some of my recent fashion posts for example. Yet, one of my ideas is to post some recipes from time to time. Please tell me what you think about it? I’ll start of with a very simple recipe, which is my favorite energizing carrot smoothie.

I love drinking a smoothie in the morning! I never have been much of a breakfast person. Mostly I’m satisfied with a bowl of cereals and for around 2 years I started to drink smoothies from time to time. I started with the regular green smoothies, made of leafy greens and fruits, but I discovered that this much simpler carrot smoothie just makes me feel more awake in the morning.

You only need three simple ingredients for this recipe: apple, ginger, and carrots! Since it can be difficult for a smoothie maker to use carrot you can go with 100% carrot juice, either using a juice extractor or by simply buying some carrot juice. You should try to find a juice without additives, just simple pure carrot juice. Optionally, you might want to add a teaspoon of olive oil or coconut oil.

Carrots are rich in provitamin A, but it is not so easy for our bodies to resorb it. Provitamin A is used to build up vitamin A. Vitamin A and provitamin A are both fat soluble, so adding some oil helps out body to absorb the vitamin. The oil already helps a lot, but also the smaller the pieces of carrots are, the easier it is for our body to resorb the provitamin A. So, a carrot smoothie with a bit of oil is perfect to get the most out of the carrots.

For preparing our energizing carrot smoothie we need to chop all the ingredients and toss them into our blender or smoothie maker. You do not need to peel the ginger, but wash it before use.

Start to blend up the ingredients. If you feel the juice is not enough add some more, until your blender has created a smooth and yet liquid consistency.

Et voilà, it’s as simple as this! If you like you might sweeten the smoothie with some honey, but I like it as it is. The spiciness of the ginger just gives me that energy I like for breakfast.

Do you love self-made smoothies? Hope you like my recipe and I hope to hear some feedback, too! Bon Appétit!

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review TesterKorea

Review: Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack | TesterKorea

18. February 2016

Now, this is not a newly launched product like the two previous reviews, but a product with a good reputation in Korea: The Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack, a multifunctional product for exfoliation, brightening and lifting on the same time. As I announced via Instagram I’m honoured to be part of TesterKorea’s Real Tester, who offered me this product for reviewing purpose, amongst two other products, the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel and the Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream.

First, some information about TesterKorea: if you know me and my blog for some time you will know that TesterKorea is my favorite online retailer for larger Kbeauty hauls. I’ve purchased products from them many times and they never failed me. Also, they are quite popular for offering many free samples and having a LARGE variety of samples for sale aswell. If you do not know a specific products and you want to test it first the place to recommend is TesterKorea. Also, they have a huge amount of different products from many brands, so you can be sure to find what you are looking for in most cases. Unlike other online retailers they do not offer free shipping, though, but their shipping is based on weight. The cheap prices of the products themselves totally balances the shipping costs in my eyes – especially for larger hauls. They even have a specific topic where you can request a product, if it is newly launched. They are also quite fast in listing the latest products from most brands. Considering the fact that I know they are a reliable retailer and have a good reputation makes me even more happy that I’m part of the 17 members of their 1st Real Tester round-up

The Korean brand Proformula was new to me up to now. The name is made up by the two terms “Skin Professional” and “Formulation”. Proformula has a 3-Step System. The first step is to examine the active ingredients, the second step is the dermatological test, and the third step is to provide an optimized solution for the skincare concerns. Proformula doesn’t have many products, but all I saw on the official page were skincare products. The packaging design is simple black and white with no frills or pretty illustrations, simply text. This can be professional looking and attract customers this way. The Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack comes together with a brush for applying the mask. Both come in a cardboard box containing mostly Korean, but also some English description.

The cardboard box states that the product is free from parabens, synthetic fragrances and dyes, minerals, benzophenones, silicones, propylene glycol, triethanolamine and SLES. If we look at the full ingredients list we see that there are no harmfull ingredients included. According to COSDNA almost all ingredients are green flagged. Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack contains 7 % of AHA and is a mild chemical exfoliation. The AHA used is Lactic Acid:

Lactic Acid: Lactic Acid is an AHA (Alpha hydroxyl acid). It is derived from sour milk that hydrates the skin by sloughing off old dead skin cells. It has whitening properties and is an astringent.

Also, a couple of plant extracts and fruit extracts have skin conditioning properties and help the exfoliation and make the skin feel smooth. Another two key ingredients are Niacinamide and Adenosine:

Niacinamide: Niacinamide is a water-soluble form of Vitamin B, which has a firming effect with anti-inflammatory properties.

Adenosine: Adenosine is known for having anti-aging properties and providing for healthy skin and elasticity.

Hyaluronic Acid and Aloe Leaf Juice provide the skin with moisture. Furthermore you will find a couple of other moisturizing chemicals in the ingredients lists.

Some words about Peptides in Cosmetics:

Also, according to the description the formulation uses peptides for elasticity and a lifting effect. The three peptides used are Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, and Acetyl Hexapeptide-8. I know that many of you do not know what peptides do and if they can do anything at all when applied topically on the skin. Peptides are chains of amino acids. Usually, the name of the peptide tells us how many amino acids are part of the peptide. A tetrapeptide is made from 3 amino acids for example. Our body uses peptides for messaging, that means a peptide is a molecule which sends a signal to a cell. Let’s think about collagen for example: the breakdown of collagen forms peptides, which give the signal to make new collagen. By applying this specific peptides on our skin we might be able to tell the skin to produce new collagen.

The Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack comes in a sleek tube containing 30 g. The included brush has a good length and is used to apply the product on your face. The formulation of the Lifting Pack is a lightly yellow colored gel with a high viscosity. It’s similar to glue and very sticky. The product has a slightly bitter scent with a hint of fruityness.

The bristles of the brush are very soft, but once you start to spread the pack with the brush it becomes sticky and makes the application a bit harder. Nevertheless, I still think it is better to use the brush than to use your fingers. It is recommended to use the pack 2-3 times a week. You apply the pack in a thin layer from the inside of the face towards the outside. After 15-20 minutes the pack dries and you can wash it off with luke-warm water.

Below you can see the process of using the pack on my skin. First I applied a layer of the Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack. After 15 minutes the mask dries. You will feel how the skin tightens up. It really looks frightening, because your face looks suddenly so wrinkled and dried…almost as if you were dying :D This was the moment when I decided that it was time to wash off the pack. My skin felt smoothed and firmer after using the mask. Nevertheless, my skin was feeling dry, too. The pack contains some moisturizing ingredients, but this was not enough for my skin. I have dry skin, so the experience might vary for people with oily skin. If you have dry skin like me I would recommend to add an especially rich cream to your skin after using this pack.

The Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack convinces with a good ingredients list and is perfectly suited for people who want to start to incorporate AHAs into their skincare routine. I liked using it and I do feel that it is lifting and smoothing out the skin. It leaves my skin a bit dry after all, which is why I can only recommend you to use a rich cream or oil after this pack if you have dry skin. This mask has also some creepy side-effects, since it really looks horrifying on your skin after 15 minutes. The skin looks so wrinkled up and old, as if the pack wants to tell you how you will look like if you do not use it, haha. You can get the Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack from TesterKorea for 30400 Won, which is around 25.51 US$. What’s your favorite AHA containing product?

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

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beauty

Valentine’s Day Special: Kissable Lips in 3 Steps

12. February 2016

// AFFILIATE LINKS / LIPS / VALENTINE'S DAY //

Valentine’s Day: Some love it, others hate it utterly! Either way, I have some pampering tips for you today, no matter if you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not: I will show you my 3 steps routine for achieving soft and smooth lips. ♥

There is nothing more bothering than dry and flaky lips. Especially in cold or very dry seasons almost everybody has made experience with dry and chapped lips. Not only does it feel bothersome, but also does it make any lip color makeup much more difficult. I hate it when special colors accentuate any dry flake on your lips! But apart from drinking a lot of water and using lip balm you can follow some easy steps to make your lips smoother and give them a nice pampering session.

First Step: Scrub Your Lips

First, you have to get rid of all the dead skin cells. Using a lip scrub is the most convenient way to do this. You can either buy a lip scrub, or make a simple DIY lip scrub using honey, sugar, and olive oil. I’m using the Missha M Soothing Care Lip Scrub and the Shara Shara Kissing Sugar Lip Scrub at the moment. I love the lip scrubs which come in a tube like the one from Missha, because you can take them with you while you’re showering and give your lips an occasional scrub. I’m using my fingers for scrubbing over my lips, but you can also use a tooth-brush (maybe another from the one you are using for your teeth…). The best way is to use circular motions to get rid of most of the dead skin.

Second Step: Lip Mask Patch

The second step gives your lips deep nourishment and moisture: Lip Mask Patches are hydrogel masks designed for the area around your mouth and for your lips. I love the lip patches from Pure Smile, but also other brands have these kind of lip patches. The Pure Smile Choosy Lip Patches have different types of essences: milky, fruity, honey, herb, peach, and many more! They contain Vitamin E, Collagen, and Hyaluronic Acid, which will make your lips soft and hydrated. The best part with lip patches is, that it looks ridiculously funny while wearing them, because the patch is shaped like an oversized lip.

Third Step: Lip Balm

The last step is the one we probably use mostly: Every woman has some lip balm somewhere in her handbag at least…or too many different lip balms which makes it difficult to decide which to use. After you scrubbed your lips and boosted them with a lip mask you can use a lip balm to seal them and keep them hydrated. My favorite two lip balms at the moment are the Tonymoly Mini Peach Lip Balm and the Classic Carmex Moisturizing Lip Balm. I also do love the Smith’s Rosebud Salve, but my jar is almost empty and the tin is so worn off that you cannot read the label anymore :D.

When using these easy steps of lip care on your lips they will be like new! Smooth and hydrated lips, perfect for your Valentine’s Date or any other occasion you want to – or even just for yourself, to feel even more pretty than you already do! ♥

Where to get the products mentioned above:

Missha M Soothing Care Lip Scrub – W2Beauty for 10.43 US$, Missha Germany for 7.80 €

Shara Shara Kissing Sugar Lip Scrub – Testerkorea for ~5 US$ (currently sold out)

Pure Smile Choosy Lip Patches – Amazon.com for ~5 US$, also on ebay

Tonymoly Mini Peach Lip Balm – Qdepot for 8.99 US$

Classic Carmex Moisturizing Lip Balm – Amazon.de for 5.79 €, Amazon.com for 6.98 US$

Smith’s Rosebud Salve – several stores for ~6 US$

What are your lip care remedies? Do you have any favorite products or DIY tips?

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Tonymoly Perfect Lips Shocking Lip Red

2. February 2016

// AFFILIATE LINKS / KBEAUTY / LIPS //

This lip tint by Tonymoly has become my favorite long-lasting lip tint and tattoo and I wanted to share this review with you for a long time already. It’s the Tonymoly Perfect Lips Shocking Lip and as you could have guessed already if you’ve been following me for some time it is a lip tint in my favorite color red. A while ago I reviewed another of Tonymoly’s lip tint as my favorite product, the Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight. Seems Tonymoly slowly becomes my favorite lip tint brand :D

The Korean brand Tonymoly is best comparable to Etude House regarding its popularity. Unlike, Etude House though, the packaging is not princessy-cute, but offers cute designs, too. Especially fruit-shaped products (apples, bananas, mango, peach…) and other creative packaging shapes make this brand interesting for western consumers and therefore very popular.Lip tints have been super popular in Korea for years and there has always been a huge amount of different lip tints by various brands. Mostly, you came across either water-based lip tints or milky-type lip tints. In contrast to lip gloss or lipstick the lip tints look much more natural and are not sticky. They are also perfect for creating the gradient lips which is also popular among Koreans. The new trend have been oil based lip tints, which are less drying than the water-based lip tint. Another new trend are tattoo lip tints. A very popular example for tattoo lip tints are the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack, which I really like and I reviewed them before >>here<< and >>here<<. The Berrisom My Lip Tint Mask needs a bit patient though, because you apply them, leave them to dry and have to peel it off. The Tonymoly Perfect Lips Shocking Lip works a bit different though:

The Tonymoly Perfect Lips Shocking Lip is available in 4 different colors: Pink (01), Red (02), Ruby (03), and Orange (04). It comes in a regular tint tube with a diagonal applicator for applying the product. There are two ways to use this product: you can either use it as overnight mask on your lips, or you apply it directly anytime you want. The tint is made from food coloring which is safe for the skin to use, this means that the stain will really be long-lasting, and if you use your fingers you will have the stain on your fingers all day! This means, that you should be careful to apply the tint very accurate, because it makes life easier for you aswell ;)

The product contains a lot of nourishing ingredients like rose hip oil, vitamin E, safflower seed oil, argan oil, jojoba seed oil and shea butter, which makes it great as overnight lip mask. But I was worried about staining my sheets, so I only used this lip tint during day time. I find the oil based lip tints feel more moisturizing, but still I didn’t find my lips feeling dried out. If you apply the tint fully on your lips it first looks very pigmented and has a gloss to it. The gloss will dry off and you will be left with red stained lips. For a softer look you can apply the tint on the inner parts of your lips only and use a cotton swab to blend it out. The lasting power is amazing. I’m using it in the morning and despite eating and drinking my lips are still stained in the evening. The color is not as vibrant as in the morning for sure, but there is still enough color on the lips.

You can simply touch it up in the evenings for a second time and it will be perfect for any evening occasion. Below you see how long-lasting and pigmented the swatch on my hand is even after washing my hands. Taking a shower removes the vibrant color, but still the stain is visible.

Do I have to tell you how much I love this tint? I can definitively recommend you to try one of these if you are looking for a long-lasting stain on your lips! I bought mine at W2Beauty for 13.55 US$ and it is totally worth every cent. For those living in the US you might want to check out the prices here on amazon.com, too. Did you try any of these Tints from Tonymoly?

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