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asian cosmetics beauty MeMeBox PR Sample review

Review: Oolu Ginseng Gold Cleansing Foam and Mist

3. December 2016

Here is the last review for the Oolu skincare range I received from MeMeBox and it is about the Oolu Ginseng Gold Cleansing Foam and Mist. I already shared reviews for Oolu by Dr. OhKims and reviewed the Oolu Orchid Emulsion and Toner and the Oolu Moisture Liquids previously, so if you are curious about the brand head over to my other reviews, too.

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.”

Again, like the products I reviewed before both products are beautifully packed in flowery cardboard boxes.

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, for the there was one single Orchid Flower inside the bottle of Oolu Orchid Toner. Here, the Oolu Ginseng Gold Mist contains a piece of ginseng! Also, the ingredients used in Oolu Cosmetics are Ecocert and from organic origin and they are free from animal testing!

Oolu Ginseng Gold Cleansing Foam

I will start with my impression of the Oolu Ginseng Gold Cleansing Foam, since cleansing is usually the first step in your skincare routine. I expect from a foam cleanser to create a nice lather and be gentle to the skin by being at maximum pH 7, but even better be slightly acidy. Also, since I have dry skintype I do not like the squeaky clean feeling but prefer some moisturizing, or at least some mild formulation that doesn’t dry out.

The Oolu Ginseng Gold Cleansing Foam claims to be purifying, refreshing and moisturizing. This handmade organic cleanser is infused with Ginseng and Gold as the name already suggests. The ingredients are listed below:

Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Myristic Acid, Palm Kernel/Coco Glucoside, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Panax Ginseng Root, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract, Euphrasia Officinalis Extract, Alchemilla Vulgaris Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Gold, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Rosewood Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil

You can also check the ingredients in COSDNA. The ingredients list is not too long and most of the ingredients are plant derived extracts. Ginseng extract, which is the key ingredient has skin conditioning properties. It is also said that it boosts the collagen production of the skin and has soothing properties. The cleanser also contains Lactobacillus and Bifida Ferment Filtrate. According to COSDNA the ingredients are all green labelled apart from the gold, which is labeled yellow. But mostly the amount of gold is so small that it won’t be responsible for any harm.

The performance of the cleanser is okay for a foam cleanser. It won’t remove your waterproof makeup completely, but all in all it cleanses the skin of most products. I measured the pH at 8 lathered up with water, which is slightly higher than I would love it to be. Still I didn’t experience drying of my skin luckily either. I guess it is an okay cleanser but probably not my first choice, although I like the ingredients lists. The Oolu Ginseng Gold Cleansing Foam comes in a plastic tube containing 130 ml.

Oolu Ginseng Gold Mist

After cleansing your face it is time for a moisturizing toner. The Oolu Ginseng Gold Mist can be used directly after using the Ginseng Gold Cleanser to lock in the moisture in your face, but since it is a mist you can also carry it around, for example during summer and use it to refresh your face. The key ingredients of the mist are the same as with the cleansing foam, ginseng and gold. According to its description it will keep your skin dewy without any stickiness, while helping brighten, firm, and reduce signs of aging. Plus, other natural extracts nourish the skin, strengthening it and preventing damage.

The ingredients of the mist are listed below:

Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract, Euphrasia Officinalis Extract, Alchemilla Vulgaris Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Royal Jelly, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Ginseng Root, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Gellan Gum, Adenosine, Sodium Citrate, Gold, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Rosewood Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil

You can look up the ingredients on COSDNA. Again, most of the ingredients are plant-based and green flagged.

I really love this mist! It has a liquid jelly consistency and feels like more than water on your face. It actually makes the skin feel hydrated. You can see a piece of ginseng root inside the bottle, too. The is a clip to protect the pump of the spraying bottle from being released. I kept it, in case I want to carry the mist in my bag sometime. After spraying I pat the moisture until fully absorbed and it doesn’t feel sticky on the skin at all. The pH of the mist lies at 5 which is great, because you can use actives afterwards.

The Oolu Ginseng Gold Cleansing Foam and Mist are another couple of nice products from Oolu. 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 key ingredients inside the solutions. Out of the two products I would love to repurchase the mist! I like its texture and pH and the hydrating effect it provides. Both products are available from MeMeBox for 18 US$ (cleanser) and 28 US$ (mist).

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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Unboxing: YumeTwins Box November 2016 “Breakfast”

2. December 2016

TokyoTreat also offers a subscription box for Japanese cute things called YumeTwins. I received the YumeTwins Box November 2016 a couple of days ago and I’m happy to share its content with you today. The topic of this months YumeTwins Box was “Breakfast”, the most important meal of the day, as it is said!

YumeTwins Box is a monthly subscription box service located in Japan and delivering cute and kawaii stuff from Japan. They state that it centers around the terms Yume Kawaii, which is a new Kawaii movement that has developed, being a mix of cuteness, fairytale and darkness.

Each YumeTwins box contains 8-10 items reaching from plushies, squiechies, collectible keychains and figures, stationary and accessories. The box can be either subscribed monthly, or in packages of 3, 6 or 12 months. The YumeTwins Box November 2016 contains exactly 8 items and revolves around the topic “Breakfast”, since breakfast has an important role in Japanese culture. Traditional Japanese breakfast is very hearty, serving fish, rice, eggs, pickles and miso soup. But of course there is also western breakfast available in Japan.

The box was packed to the top, mainly because it contained a HUGE plushie this time: the Shinada Baby Nature Plushies are suuuper soft and fluffy and there were different types available in the boxes. My box contained a baby alpaca *_* Isn’t it adorable? The plushie is not really related to breakfast, but still it is so adorable..and maybe it can be part of a tea party instead ;)

Another Hit-item in the YumeTwins Box November 2016 were the Re-ment’s Sailor Moon Sweets Mascot. These are blind boxes containing one out of 6 cute and tasty looking Sailor Moon themed charms. In my box the Tuxedo charm was included. Since the charms are designed as sweets this fits nicely into the breakfast topic.

Another charm was also part of this month’s box: the Sumikko Gurashi Sushi Rubber Keychain Charm! In Japan you can have Sushi for breakfast at fish markets, although it is not really a typical breakfast food. Still, the key charms are so cute and I love the rubber material they have.

Japan is known for their adoreable stationary and of course the box needed some notepads, too. My box contained a Obento Mate Mini-Notepad, illustrated with cute pandas/bears and typical food which is part of a japanese bento (onigiri, bunny-apple-slices, octopus sausages…). I love these kind of mini-notepads!

More stationary of course: the Sanrio Kirimichan Post-Its and Sanrio Gudetama stickers! I know you guys love Gudetama and lately there have been so many fun beauty product collaborations with this egg mascot. Egg is the key breakfast product in most countries all over the world, so it is super fitting into the breakfast theme. Kirimichan is not so well-known as Gudetama, but it is also a food themed character from Sanrio, depicting a salmon piece. Fish is very important in traditional Japanese breakfast, so this one fits in perfect, too!

I fell in love with the Rilakkuuma Tea Party Darjeeling Tea Bags at first sight. These adorable teabags have a cardboard Rilakkuuma illustration which acts as a holder for the teabag on the same time. So adorable and perfect for a tealover, especially for breakfast!

The last item of the YumeBox November 2016 is the Enogumasan 2-Way Marker. Enogumasan is a bear character from popular japanese stationary maker Kamio. The marker has two sides, a thicker and a thin side. And of course it is super cute. Not necessarily a breakfast themed products but still I love it!

YumeTwins Box made me totally happy and I love the concept of this subscription box. If you are a Japan stationary and cute stuff lover you will adore this box. I love how they have a theme for it and try to find products that fit to the theme. In the magazine which is included in the box you will find the descriptions from the products but also some more information about the topic, which also gives you more insight about japanese culture. The YumeTwins Box retails for 29.99 US $ including worldwide shipping. The 3,6, and 12 month plans have a discounted price. EDIT: I just read the news that they made a Makeover for YumeTwins Box. The new YumeTwins Box will contain only 5 items, but they will include in EACH Box high Quality plushies, lifestyle goods and premium character goods worth over 50 US$. The new YumeTwins Box changes are based on a survey among their subscribers. For their launch there is a Grand Renewal Sale, where subscribers can get UP TO $60 DISCOUNT on the YumeTwins plans until Dec 8th, 2016 using coupon NEWYUMETWINS! Don’t miss your chance to try it!

If you are interested in TokyoTreat and YumeTwins Box visit their webpage, their instagram, or their facebook page.

What do you think about YumeBox?

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

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Unboxing: Fembox October 2016

29. November 2016

A couple of days ago I received a newly launche beauty box on the German market, the so-called fem.box. This monthly subscription box comes packed with products revolving around beauty, fashion, lifestyle and health. I loved the composition of the first fem.box and here I want to share with you what was inside:

The ambassador of the fem.box is Fernanda Brandao is a brasilian singer, actress, moderator and fitness expert that gained popularity in Germany by the pop group “Hot Banditoz”. She also has hadquite some TV appearances here in Germany within the last years. The fem.box advertises not only to be a box for beauty lovers also, but have more versatile components. And I must say the first box really lived up to its claim.

The products of the fem.box are packed in a square cardboard box. I really liked the blue and purple aquarell design of the box. It came with a description card and a post card saying “being happy”, which is super sweet.

First of all the box was packed with so many products that they did not fit into the box. Secondly, there was really so many different kinds of products that it was really a delight to discover all the single ones. See for yourself how many products were in this box:

And here is the card with the product description and some tips for being lucky:

Since it is a beauty box there were some beauty products included. The new Herbal Essences Clearly Naked Daily Clean Shampoo was the first thing that caught my attention. I didn’t see that shampoo in the drugstore yet and so I was super curious about it. It is free from silicons and free from artificial coloring and can be used daiuly without damaging the hair. I didn’t try it yet, but I will let you know about it as soon as I tried it. The bottle contains 250 ml and retails for 2.49 €.

The fe,box also contained a daily moisturizer, the M.Asam Aqua Intense Supreme Hyaluron Cream. This perfume free moisturizer is directed towards dull and dry skin and makes your skin smooth. As the name says it contains Hyaluronic Acid to giuve moisture to your skin. The jar contains 50 ml which retails for 24.75 €. I’m looking forward to try this one too, as you know I have dry skin and I’m always happy about moisturizing creams.

The Koziol Cotton Pad Dispenser and the Demak’Up Expert Cotton Pads are a perfect team aswell. I never had a cotton pad dispenser before, but now, since I have one, I do not want to miss it anymore. It is fixed in my bathroom now and makes it so easy to take out the cotton pads. And it looks pretty, too! The Demak’Up Expert Cotton Pads are great too! They are quite dense and have a honeycomb pattern, which helps with cleaning the skin even better. The dispenser retails for 22.45€ and the cotton pads (70 pcs) retails for 1.59€.

As for health and fitness, the box came with three products: the #DoYourSports “Black Cat Double Fascia Ball, The Women’s Best High-Protein Pralinées and the Kulau Organic Coconut Water Renew. I never tried a fascia ball before but I heard and can do great stuff for shape and soreness. This ball is designed to massage along your spine. It retails for 12.99€. The Women’s Best High Protein Pralineés are a sweet snack with a high protein content. Perfect to satisfy your sweetooth and still take care of your diet. 8 of these pralinées retail for 2.39€. The Kula Organic Coconut Water Renew is a slightly sweetened coconut water. For sweetening agave syrup is used. Additionally it contains vitamins and anti-oxidants from aronia berry and pomgrenades. It retails for 2.49€.

The highlight of the box is the Welcome Gift they provided with this fem.box: a Paul Hewitt “Phrep” bracelet. This maritim bracelet retails for 29.90€ and looks simply beautiful when combined with the right style and accessories.

According to the maritim colors and the anchor clasp you can guess already that Paul Hewitt is from northern Germany. I love the vibe it delivers and I can already smell the ocean and hear the seagulls :D

All in all, the fem.box October 2016 was really a total surprise! It contained so many items and the price of 19.95€ per box/month is a real steal here. The subscription can also be quit every month if you do not want your box anymore and the shipping costs are included in the price. The box only ships to Germany at the moment, but since it has just launched who knows what the future brings to us!

How do you like this new subscription box?

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://fit.fembox.de 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: Hansaeng Cosmetics Rin Bi-Gyeol Yun Cream

21. November 2016

Another hanbang Korean skincare product review for you! I reviewed a product from this brand and skincare line before so maybe some of you still remember. Today’s review is about the Hansaeng Cosmetics Rin Bi-Gyeol Yun Cream provided to me by BNTnews

Hansaeng Cosmetics claims to be a true oriental medicine based cosmetics company with a know-how reaching back to 50 years experience. Their Rin Bi-Gyeol Yun skincare range is a highly functional oriental cosmetics based on fermentation of ginseng- 6 year fermented ginseng and 15 other oriental medicine extracts to be more precise! The skincare products of this range consists of a toner (skin), essence, emulsion, and a cream. I reviewed the emulsion before and here is now my experience with the cream from the line.

I really like oriental medicine in my skincare and I love fermented ingredients, too, so this line seems to be perfect. The Hansaeng Cosmetics Rin Bi-Gyeol Yun Cream has anti-wrinkle and whitening properties and is supposed to help you with dry and dull skin and vitalize and make your skin feel supple. Already the emulsion fulfilled all these points and I loved to use it as my daily moisturizer. The cream even gives you more of what already the emulsion gives.

The beautifully illustrated cardboard box contains the description of the product and the ingredients in English and Korean. You can check the ingredients via COSDNA >>here<< and you will find some minor potential acne triggers and irritant but most of the ingredients are green flagged. The key ingredients are niacinamide (brightening) and adenosin (anti-wrinkle). Phellinus linteus, Mulberry root, and gold help to strengthen the skin and make it smooth. You will find even a lot more herbal ingredients in the list, which combine to this rich and thick cream. Apart from these ingredients you will also find fermented ginseng (Lactobacillus).

The Hansaeng Cosmetics Rin Bi-Gyeol Yun Cream comes in a yellow colored jar encapsulated by a plexiglass shell. The material and the golden-colored lid gives it a very luxurious appearance. Inside the jar you will find a thick light-yellow colored cream.

The cream is really rich and suited especially for very dry skintypes or mature skin. I have dry skin but the emulsion had been enough in terms of richness, so this has to be applied very carefully. A little goes a long way! Despite being rich the cream doesn’t make the skin greasy but leaves it bouncy. When applying to much you will feel the heaviness though. There is a flowery scent to the cream, which is pleasant, but could be too much for people who prefer scentless products.

I think that the Hansaeng Cosmetics Rin Bi-Gyeol Yun Cream makes good choice for people who have a lot of dryness and flaky skin. It really helps to smoothen out and nourish the skin but is not greasy as pure oil. For normal dry skintypes the emulsion is already more than enough for a daily moisturizer, but people with mature skin and super dry skintype will love the cream.

The Hansaeng Cosmetics Rin Bi-Gyeol Yun Cream contains 50 ml and retails for 40.95 US $ from Kmall24. You can find more information in English >>here<<.

This product was provided to me by BNTnews for reviewing. 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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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: MAXCLINIC Purifying Vitamin Oil Foam & Cloud Embo Massage Brush

20. November 2016

From the moment I started using the asian double cleansing method I loved it! Double cleansing is easy and really makes a difference in your skin condition once you use it for a while. For the method you use two cleansing steps: in the first one, you remove the makeup, usually by using an oil cleanser, in the second step you clean your face by a foam cleanser for example. For many people this sounds like too much, because it takes to much time, so combination products are always popular. I reviewed the MAXCLINIX Caviar Massage Foam Oil in the past and today I will review another similar product, the MAXCLINIC Purifying Vitamin Oil Foam. Additionally, I will show you the Cloud Embo Massage Brush which completes this cleansing routine. Both products were kindly offered to me by BNTnews.

Max Clinic is a Korean brand. Unfortunately, the description is only in Korean, but this explains probably, why this brand is rather unknown to people outside of Korea and even to many lovers of asian beauty products. The packaging design of the products is simple and neat and both products came packed in cardboard boxes.

The MAXCLINIC Purifying Vitamin Oil Foam comes in a sturdy plastic container with a pump. It has a clear, plastic protective cap, too. The pump dispenser is a bit inconvenient, because it is not the long type of dispenser, where you easily can put your hand below, but you’ll always have to hold the bottle at an angle, so you dispense the product into the middle of your palms. Other than this the packaging looks elegant and the material is not appearing cheaply, but rather sturdy.

This massage and cleansing oil has a thick oil/jelly texture when pumped out. The formula contains capsules, which probably contain the vitamins. In order to use this cleanser you first dispense one pump on your palms and massage it on your dry face. After massaging, wet your hands and continue massaging. The oil becomes a bit foamy, although it doesn’t generate huge amounts of foams. The cleansing oil is a clear, oil type (of course), yellow-ish colored product and smells nicely. I didn’t find any information about the ingredients…but the packaging says “natural ingredients”, so I hope that’s true.

While cleansing your face this product doesn’t make your skin feel dry. The pH though lies at 7 and is not suited for those people in need of low pH cleansers. I experiened that the cleanser removes most makeup, but not all of it efficiently. Since it is claimed to be an all in one product this is a bit disappointing. The skin itself feels clean though, but for removing all your makeup you will need eye-and lip makeup remover.

The best way to use this product is in combination with the Cloud Embo Massage Brush. This super soft brush has two sides: a V-Padding Massage side and the Cloud Embo side. It is suggested to apply the oil cleanser first with your dry hands, then use the V-Padding Massage side of the brush to massage your face. Then, with the wet brush side brush your face in circular movements.

The oil cleanser lathers up into a much nicer foam when used together with the brush. And the bristles of the brush are so soft and nice and are perfectly suited for sensitive skintypes too.

Once the brush has been used make sure to rinse it off with clear water, then squeeze it out and leave it to dry thoroughly. The embo brush will be as soft as during the first time you used it. I love it!

I must say that for a all-in-one product I am not totally happy with the MAXCLINIC Purifying Vitamin Oil Foam. The foam it creates without using the help of a brush is really few. Also, it is not able to remove your eye makeup properly. The Cloud Embo Massage Brush on the other hand is great! I love that it has a massage side and I love how soft it is. You can buy the cleanser from ebay for around 17 US$ and the brush for 20 US$.

This product was provided to me by BNTnews for reviewing. 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.

asian sweets food PR Sample TokyoTreat

Unboxing: TokyoTreat Box October 2016 | Autumn Flavors and Halloween

17. November 2016

While I’m writing these lines I’m already nibbling some chocolate from this Japanese candy and snack subscription box. I did an unboxing for TokyoTreat Box in the past and here is another one, this time for the TokyoTreat Box October 2016, which was themed “Autumn Flavors and Halloween”!

TokyoTreat is a monthly subscription box service located in Japan and delivering handpicked candies and snacks directly from Japan. The range of their snacks and treats reaches from sweet to savory and the best part is that they have free worldwide shipping for their subscription boxes.

They have differently priced and sized boxes for subscribing. The smallest and also cheapest retails for 14.99 US $ and contains 5-7 full-sized Japanese candies and snacks. The medium (called regular) sized box contains 8-12 full-sized candies and snacks and a DIY Candy Kit for 24.99 US $. Lastly, there is the premium option for 34.99 US $ containing 13-17 candies and snacks , one DIY Candy Kit, 1 drink and one special item, which can be a drink, Gachapon Toy or Premium DIY Kit.

The TokyoTreat box I received is the one from October and it is the Premium box containing all the possible products you would have received (including the products from the small and regular box). Since October is mid of autumn and also the Halloween month the items in this box revolve around these two topics! I will divide the products into the box categories, so you will get a better overview of how the box is structured.

TokyoTreat Box Small

The SmallTokyoTreat Box for October contains 6 different products: Lotte Koala’s March Halloween Edition, Pipo Chocolate, Uncle Pierre’s Strawberry Cream Roll Cake, Hip Hop Berry Soft Candy Stick, O’Zack Hot Carnival Chili Lime Flavor, and Onion Taro. I love the Koala March Biscuits and every time I’m at the Asian super market I will grab one of these. The Halloween edition is most adorable and so cutely designed. If they had been available during Halloween here I would surely have bought a bunch of them for the Halloween Party! While writing this post I’m eating the Pipo Chocolate. These small balls of covered chocolate remind me of m&ms (without nuts) and are nice to eat in-between. The Uncle Pierre’s Strawberry Cream Roll Cake was a perfect desert to bring to work. Cute design and soft and fluffy cake. Despite being a chocolate and biscuit lover I also really liked the O’Zack Hot Carnival Chili Lime Flavor chips. I love the combination of chili and lime generally! Onion Taro are onion flavored corn puffs. I didn’t try them yet, but corn puffs are always popular with everyone. I also didn’t try the Hip Hop Berry Soft Candy Stick yet, but it is a soft candy stick with two flavors. Soda on the outside and berry flavor on the inside. Sounds nice!

TokyoTreat Box Regular

In addition to the products mentioned above the Regular TokyoTreat Box contains four more products: Nyoki Nyoki Corocon, Look Purple sweet Potato and Sweet Chestnut Chocolate, Premium Hi-Chew – Chardonnay White Grape Flavor, and Peppered Soybean Jerky! Nyoki Nyoki Cocoron is a DIY Candy Kit creating three different types of candy with grape, melon or orange taste. You only need to add some water. I didn’t try it yet, but those DIY candies are fun especially with kids. The Look Purple sweet Potato and Sweet Chestnut Chocolate was again my highlight and also a perfect Autumn themed product. these chocolate bites are either filled with a purple sweet potato filling or a chestnut filling and I loved both of them! And most of all I loved the idea of that kind of fillings! I didn’t try the Premium Hi-Chew – Chardonnay White Grape Flavor but they are chewy candies with a center made from Chardonnay Grape Juice. The outside coating is made with the juice of Muscat of Alexandria. I’m looking forward to try these, although grape flavor is usually not my favorite for candies – but Japanese love grape flavored candy! A completely new world for me was the Peppered Soybean Jerky! I tried beef jerky in the past, but I didn’t know that there was actually a vegetarian version for it! These are tasteful, salty and slightly spicy. Thumbs up!

TokyoTreat Box Premium

Last but not least, there were 6 more products and one Sticker for the TokyoTreat Premium Box in addition to all the products above: Tropicana Season’s Best – Mix Fruit Juice, Kinoko No Yama – Chestnut Chocolate Autumn Edition, Wasabi Nori Taro, Bubbly Salty Lemonade Puccho Gummy, Meiji Grape Wine Gums, Halloween Themed Chopsticks, and the TokyoTreat Original Halloween Sticker. The Tropicana Season’s Best – Mix Fruit Juice contains highly seasonal persimmons in addition to apple, pear, peach, grape and oranges. Unfortunately, the Persimmon taste was not really recognizable. For me it tasted like a typical multivitamin juice. I didn’t try the Wasabi Nori Taro and I’m a bit hesitating to do. It is a dried fish snack with wasabi flavoring. I also didn’t try the Bubbly Salty Lemonade Puccho Gummy yet. These lemonade flavored gummy have a pinch of salt added. I liked the Meiji Grape Wine Gums, a soft whine gum with grape flavor. As you can see from the sticker it was a bonus item! My favorite from these 6 prosucts were the Kinoko No Yama – Chestnut Chocolate Autumn Edition! I loved them and they were the first product to be opened and consumed from the whole box. Loved the chestnut taste in the chocolate filling and love the shape…tiny mushrooms, so adorable! Additionally to the sweets there were Halloween themed Chopsticks included and a Sticker from TokyoTreat! Really a lovely idea!

All in all they made a good themed box which fits perfectly into Autumn and Halloween mood. I loved that the box included chestnut flavors for example. I’m a sucker for chocolate and biscuits, so the Koala March and the Kinoko No Yama were the first to be eaten!

I love how the TokyoTreat Box October 2016 fits into its Autumn and Halloween theme. The products were also well balanced between sweet and savory. It is also super nice to have three sizes of the box to select. Of Course, if your taste is not open to everything food subscription boxes are not really the best option, but if you are curious for Japan’s typical snacks I can recommend this box. Ah, you can also check out my giveaway here, by the way.

If you are interested in TokyoTreat visit their webpage, their instagram, or their facebook page.

What is your impression of the TokyoTreat subscription box and the products for October?

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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://tokyotreat.com 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:

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 sweets food Japan Candy Box PR Sample

Unboxing: Japan Candy Box September 2016 and Giveaway

11. November 2016

The last Japan Candy Box unboxing has been months ago. Time for a new one for this Japanese sweets subscription box! This is the Japan Candy Box September 2016! And as usual, there will be a giveaway at the end of this post where you have the chance to win a Japan Candy Box, so it is worth continue reading! ;) Let’s see what delicious sweets I received this time:

Japan Candy Box is a Japanese sweets subscription box by Blippo. Apart from the Japan Candy Box they also have the Kawaii Box, which contains cute toy items, stationary, tiny plushies and so on. I’m very happy to be able to show you the Japan Candy Box September 2016! I love to try out sweets and food from different countries and one thing I especially love about Japanese products is the cute packaging design and the little details they include to make the product most enjoyable. Some of the product I knew already, but there were some new and also delicious discoveries, too!

Each Japan Candy Box comes with a cute card listing the items that were included in the box. There are a total of 10 items for this month including all kinds of Japanese sweets and snacks.

You already see all the colorful packaging of the different sweets and snacks popping up in the picture below. And of course all the products are cute and funny regarding their design.

Usually, there is one DIY kit per box but for this month there were even two DIY Kits: Popin’ Cookin’ Oekaki Animal Candy Land DIY Kit and Kracie Dodotto Octopus Eggs DIY Kit. With the Popin’ Cookin’ Oekaki Animal Candy Land DIY Kit set you can make your own sweets. There are molds with differently shaped animals which you can use to create muli-colored soda-flavored gummy animals. Kracie Dodotto Octopus Eggs DIY Kit sounds not really like something that I would love to eat, but seems that you can create soda-flavored bits of candy looking like octopus eggs that can be eaten with a fizzy candy powder on top. The DIY Kits are especially fun for children!

The box also contains some savory snacks, Calbee Vegetable Snacks and Tohato Caramel Corn. I love the idea by Calbee of making snacks with other vegetables as potatoes, but bell pepper, carrot and tomato. also, they have no extra oil or fat added. I love how the Tohato Caramel Corn has a face printed on the packaging.

The majority of the box is candy like the Kanro Pure Mini Gummies, Coris Soft Centered Grape Gum, and Kabaya Mixed Fruit Bottle Candy. Love how all three of them have purple colors :D It seems also that Japanese people love grape and especially candies with grape taste. The Kanro Pure Mini Gummies are made from 100% fruit purée with no artificial colors or flavors. These soft fruit gummies are covered in sour powder. The Coris Soft Centered Grape Gums are the perfect Trick or Treat Candy! These soft grape flavoured gum balls have a soft cola paste center, but one of the three tasty bubble gum treats is actually a super sour flavour sweet in disguise :D Lastly, the Kabaya Mixed Fruit Bottle Candy are tiny, hard candy pieces with different fruity flavours (apple, grape and orange). I love the cute packaging design of this one!

Japanese sweets are also known for anime themed packaging or other cute illustrations, like the Lotte Pokemon Ramune Candy, the Doraemon Ramune Squash Soda Bubble Gum and the Coris Berry Mix Soft Candy. They all have the most adorable packaging designs.

I love the Lotte Pokemon Ramune Candy Design. It displays Pikachu and has Ananas flavour. These round candy start frizzing when you eat them. By the way, Ramune is quite popular these days in Japan and it is a citrus flavoured soda drink. The Doraemon Ramune Squash Soda Bubble Gum contains five stripes of bubble gum, each wrapped in a paper with a different Doraemon design.

The Japan Candy Box for September 2016 was full of versatile candy and snacks from Japan. I knew some of the brands, but I didn’t try any of the products in one of the previous Japan Candy Boxes. I missed the biscuits or chocolate flavoured products in this box though. I love how they added the messages into the cardboradbox, too! If you are interested in your own Japan Candy Box you can make a monthly subscription for this box. You can choose between several options: either to order only one box, to order three boxes (3 months subscription), 6 boxes (6 months subscription) or 12 boxes (1 year subscription). Each box retails at 19.90 US$. For the 6 months and the 12 months subscription you pay a bit less per box. Now, if you have reading so far you’ll probably be curious for the giveaway. Here it is: You can win a Japan Candy Box of you own sponsored by Japan Candy Box. For entering the giveaway please take part with help of the Rafflecopter gadget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

♥ The giveaway is open internationally! Good luck to everybody! ♥

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

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beauty Garnier PR Sample review

Review: Garnier Ultimate Blends Delicate Oat Haircare

9. November 2016

Years ago I turned my back towards western haircare, because I made the experience that eastern haircare products made my hair simply more manageable. As time went by I occasionally came by the situation that some of my haircare products have been emptied before I could order any back-up. In these moments I needed to go to a local drugstore and check for their haircare products. For a while now Garnier introduced their Ultimate Blend series, where each haircare routine is dedicated to a key ingredient. I’ve been excited to try out the different versions since then(especially when the Ultimate Blends Honey were introduced). A while ago I was lucky to receive their latest addition to the Ultimate Blends series, the Garnier Ultimate Blends Delicate Oat haircare line.

The Garnier Ultimate Blends Delicate Oat line is designed for people with sensitive scalp and fragile hair. It is enriched with protein-rich ingredients, like oat and rice. Oat milk is rich in antioxidants, and rice cream, which provides moisture. The formula soothes the feel of sensitive scalps and leaves hair feeling protected and irresistibly soft to the touch according to the description.

Oat is a protein rich and low-fat cereal. Oat milk helps to soothe and nourish the hair without making it feel heavy or greasy. Rice Cream is produced by grinding of small grain rice. It is said, that is has moisturizing and protective properties for the hair and it is protein rich, too.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Delicate Oat haircare consists of four products: the shampoo, the conditioner, a treatment and a heat protection spray. The products are free of paraben and contain natural extracts. The shampoo and the conditioner come in regular plastic squeeze bottles containing 250 and 200 ml, respectively. At first I had some problems with squeezing out the products because every time I tried I squeezed out too much of it. After a while I got a feeling for how to handle it.

The treatment comes in a jar containing 300 ml. I know that most hair treatments come in jars, but actually I would prefer a pump or a tube, which is easier to handle while showering.

The Garnier Ultimate Blends Delicate Oat has been tested by me for some weeks already. Actually, I already finished one bottle of shampoo and conditioner before receiving the products to test and I didn’t have any problems with them during the time.

The shampoo of the Garnier Ultimate Blends Delicate Oat has a liquid, light cream consistency. It is a milky formula and you have to be careful while dispensing it (a pump would avoid this). You need a bit more product for it to lather up and build a nice foam, especially if you have long hair like me. The smell though is divine! It is the scent of sweet flowery milk, at least for me :D the conditioner and the treatment have the same scent. Both have thicker, creamy formulations. Still the treatment is even creamier than the conditioner. I discovered that the conditioner alone doesn’t manage my frizzy and tangled hair. I need the treatment or a good hair oil to be able to detangle properly. But the shampoo and conditioner used on their own make my hair super lightweight and soft.

The Garnier Ultimate Blends Delicate Oat does a good job in providing nutrients and moisturizing the hair. I love the packaging design and the color combination of white and light pink and I adore the scent. For me, the conditioner doesn’t provide enough for detangling my frizzy hair. I need to use the treatment together with it. Still I love the fact that the formulation is free of parabens and contains natural extracts, yet it contains silicons. I personally do not have sensitive scalp, only dry hair, so I cannot say how it will work on someone else, but I personally didn’t have problems with this haircare line. The great thing is that you can get the Garnier Ultimate Blends for a few bucks from your local drugstore. Still, although I liked and like using it, it does not compete with my favorite haircare product from Shiseido.

Did you try the Garnier Ultimate Blends Delicate Oat products? What is your favourite haircare?

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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.garnier.de/ 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.

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 Facial Oil are:

*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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