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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Hwajin Cosmetics Homme Terrior All In One

23. March 2016

A rare occasion for me to review a skincare product for men! Actually, I did not only test it by myself, but forced my better half to apply it, although he rarely applies any skincare items. I received the Hwajin Cosmetics Homme Terrior All In One as last item for March from BNTnews and here are my boyfriend’s and my thoughts on it:

Hwajin Cosmetics is a Korean brand absolutely new to me, but it seems they have a range of skincare and household items. The Homme Terrior line is a skincare line designed for men as the name tells us. I also saw that other BNTgirls have received different items like BB cream etc from this line. When I first saw the bottle I thought of perfume or aftershave and I was really surprised to see that this product is actually a multipurpose lotion. It comes in a sturdy bottle in black with some golden details. I didn’t get any ingredients list of this product and it seems that it has launched just recently, because I didn’t find any pricing either. But thanks to BNTnews I have some information nevertheless.

Hwajin Cosmetics Homme Terrior All In One is designed for moisturizing, firming, nourishing and balancing the oiliness and moisture of the skin. Since men like to keep it simple it is really a good idea to name a product ‘All In One’ and give it all the skincare properties needed in one single and easy step. The lotion has compounds derived from resurrection plants, herbs, apricot kernels and others to soften and refresh the damaged and rough skin of men. A patented extract mixture from herbs and licorice soothes and moistens the skin. The key ingredients are:

Lemon extract: the rich vitamin C and the citric acid exfoliates and cleanses the skin

Bamboo extract: the antibacterial and antioxidant effect of the bamboo sap makes the skin moist and healthy

Herb extract: a mixture of extracts from rosemary, chamomile, green tea leaf, licorice, polygonum cuspidatum, centella asiatica and scutellaria

Iceberg water: the ultrapure water collected from Newfoundland, Canada

The ingredients sound really nice and also the texture of the lotion is promising. The Hwajin Cosmetics Homme Terrior All In One has a gel-type, milky consistency and feels moist upon application. It has a light scent, which is not heavy, but fresh and also not too “masculine” either. The lotion is very light and absorbs quickly into the skin without leaving a greasy stain or heavy feeling.

The Hwajin Cosmetics Homme Terrior All In One is a perfect product for lazy people, who want a simple one-step skincare routine. It is not designed for heavily moisturizing dry skin, but it gives a good amount of moisture and makes the skin feel softer- perfect for daily use. The design is sleek and in my opinion the bottle looks elegant aswell. This might work if your want to convince your boyfriend to take some care of his skin, too. Unfortunately, I do not know the retail price yet and neither any specific online store to get it from, but I will update if I have any news.

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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advertorial asian cosmetics beauty other Wishtrend

Wishtrend March 2016 Coupons

4. March 2016

Here are the coupon codes for March on Wishtrend! As usual I will summarize the coupons and benefits that you can use while shopping on one of my favorite online retailers for Korean beauty products: Wishtrend. If you don’t know Wishtrend, but love Korean or Asian cosmetics and skin care products I can recommend you to check out their online shop, especially for one of my favorite products, e.g. the O.S.T. Vitamin C Serum. You’ll also find some products sold at Wishtrend on my Top 30 favorite asian cosmetics for 2015, like the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C serum or the ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner. Also, they have listed brands like COSRX, Tosowoong and Mizon. You can find a list of all the products I reviewed from Wishtrend at the bottom of this post. Furthermore, they have really a great affiliate program for blogger and I can advice you to join it if you are one. Here are the Wishtrend coupon codes for March:

As usual, I’ll start off with the 5 Us$ referral coupon you can receive if you are a new customer. The principle is easy as this: If you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration you’ll receive a 5 US$ voucher immediately. There will be a specific field in your registration form called “friends invitation program” where you can put the code mentioned above. This way new customers can get 5 US$ off, which is a great to save some money on your first order.

Second, there is also a 10% discount Wishtrend coupon available for January. Below, you’ll find the coupon code for this:

Coupon Code: 16MARDISCOUNT
Requirement 1: Shopping cart order must be 50 US$ and over to be able to use the 10% off coupon
Requirement 2: Coupon code cannot be combined with any other discount or voucher code.
Only valid until the end of March 2016

The second promotion code is a special gift: You will receive one free Klairs Sheet Mask (value 1.99 US$) by using the code below.

Voucher Code: BESTMASK16MAR
All orders
Only valid until the end of March 2016

I also want to point out two new arrivals on Wishtrend. First, the Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream which will be launching in a couple of days. I reviewed the cream already >>here<< and I can recommend you to try it. It is really a lovely cream and the people from Klairs did a good job here. The Midnight Blue Calming Cream is a comforting moisture cream that provides the skin with intense, soothing hydration. It is formulated using revolutionary guaiazulene combining with Centella asiatica extract and various peptides to recover damaged skin cells from stress and stimulation.

The second product I spotted are the new body lotions from Pongdang. I really love the Pondang Donkey Milk Emulsion and these new Pongdang Desert Rose Moisture Body Lotion look really pretty. I think I will give them a try as well.

I would advice you to check out their “Free Shipping Area”, so you don’t have to spend the saved money for shipping costs. They have quite some nice items available there, changing from time to time. At the moment they are providing the OST Vitamin C serum for 14.99 US$ in their free shipping zone, and I spotted the Monstory Green Mon Fresh Mask there as well!

I did a couple of reviews on various Wishtrend products in the past. You might like to check these out, if you are interested in purchasing these:

Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream

Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum

Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0

Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione

ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner

Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum

Lailly 7 Seconds Make-Up Booster

Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion

COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum

COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

I’m from Honey Mask

Boutique Bebe Hair Salon Protein Treatment

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

ElsihaCoy Aloe & Lavender Mask Sheet

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack and Lip Tint Cleanser

OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum

Confume Argan Treatment Oil

Pongdang Donkey Milk Emulsion

Klairs Rescue Moisture Kit Part 1 and 2

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack

CareLab Powerful Pudding Mask

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Oil Cleanser and Sugar Facial Polish

Rojukiss Multi Vita Cleansing Powder

Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask

Damoae Therapy Shampoo and Tonic

Skinmiso Rice Foam Cleanser

Klairs Illuminating Supple BB Cream

O.S.T. Pure Vitamin C20 Serum

Wish Formula Panda Eye Essence Mask

ONL Saladit Essential Juice Sheet Masks

Do you have any favourite item from Wishtrend? What would you love to try from their products?

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review Wishtrend

Review: Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream

27. February 2016

When I tried out the first product from the brand Klairs I would have never thought of that it becomes one of my favorite skincare brands. I’ve tried so many of their products and there wasn’t a single one which I despised. Now, I was able to try their newest product, the Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream which will be launching on 10th of March. Another exciting news for you: Wishtrend is still looking for 20 beauty testers for the Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream. Click >>here<< to see how to apply. Recruiting period will be until 1st of March!

Klairs is a Korean brand sold on Wishtrend. It is eco-friendly, claiming to produce products which are animal-testing-free, alcohol-free, paraben-free, and artificial-color-free. Their products adress people with sensitive skin and people who want to moisturize their skin. I reviewed some of their products before, like the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum or the Klairs Gentle Black Cleansing Combo, which both convinced me in their effects. I also did like the Klairs Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner, which by the way has been updated and improved recently to a larger volume and more moisturizing ingredients. The new Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream was designed for those people loving the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing line, but still had concerns about irritated skin. Here is the explanation by Klairs:

“The KLAIRS’ Rich Moist Soothing line is loved for its excellent calming & moisturizing effects by many consumers. We believe the primary reason for the popularity of the Soothing line was due to the high satisfaction most of our customers felt from the powerful moisturizing effect. However, we wanted to design the optimal product for the few customers who were still experiencing irritations from external stimuli with additional skin concerns. After a long-term of researching with the R&D team, the KLAIRS’s Midnight Blue Calming Cream was created to go that extra mile.”

So the Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream is a comforting moisture cream that provides the skin with intense, soothing hydration. It is designed for targeting the irritated areas of the face and therefore is mainly used for smaller areas, but can be spread easily and also used on the full face. The cream comes in the typical Klairs design with simple packaging and vintage-esque appearance. The cardboard box has the English and the Korean description available and you can check the full ingredients >>here<<. The cream is formulated using guaiazulene combined with Centella asiatica extract and various peptides to recover damaged skin cells from stress and stimulation.

Guaiazulene: Guaiazulene is a herbal ingredient extracted from Chamomille. Due to its natural purple color the cream appears blue. It has soothing and cooling properties on inflammation and damaged skin and also affects skin regeneration. It is often used as ingredient for burn ointments.

Centella Asiatica Extract : This extract has healing properties and helps regenerating damaged skin and preventing scars. It is anti-inflammatory and has skin conditioning properties.

Other ingredients as Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide 3, Butyrospermum, Parkii (Shea Butter), Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil have moisturizing properties. Also, you will spot soybean ferment extract in the list. Unfortunately, the cream also contains Triethanol amine and a few potential irritants, so be sure to check whether you are allergic to any of the ingredients. The cream also contains three different peptides: SH-Polypeptide-1, SH-Polypeptide-9, and SH-Polypeptide-11. I talked about peptides in my review for the Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack.

The directions for use are to apply a small amount on the affected area in the morning and evening after using toner and serum as last step of the skincare routine. Wait until it absorbs fully, so your makeup will not pile up. The cream is a blue cream, as described above and it has the classic facial cream consistency, except for the color. The Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream comes with a spoon/ spatula and you can take out the cream out of the jar without using your fingers. The blue color is gorgeous, but even more amazing is the herbal scent the cream has. It is not a bitter herbal-flowery scent, which I do not like, but it has the scent of fresh herbs from a meadow with wild flowers growing all over….that’s my imagination at least :D It does contain Ylang Ylang and Eucalyptus, too…and a Camomile of course. I love the scent! The cream is easy to spread and also doesn’t take to long to absorb. It dries off matte and doesn’t leave any greasy residues. It is not a deep moisturizer, but it doesn’t claim to be one, so if you have dry skin you can or should still keep using a moisturizer with this cream. I’m still not sure if it is best to apply the midnight blue cream before the moisturizer or after. I tried both, but I didn’t feel any differences between the two ways. I personally think it makes more sense to apply the calming cream first onto the desired areas and add a moisturizer on top. What are your suggestions?

Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream Vs. Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream

The first question I had in mind was how the Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream compares to the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream? I used up my first jar of the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream super quickly, because I liked the texture and it was nicely spreadable onto the skin. I’ve started a second ja recently. The most obvious difference between the two cream is the color, which is resulting in the different key ingredients. The Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream has Glycerine and Hyaluronic Acid as main moisturizing ingredients, but also contains a lot of plant extracts. Moreover it contains yeast derived Beta-Glucan for soothing and also Ceramide 3. Unlike the Midnight Blue Cream it doesn’t come with a spatula. The spreadability of both creams is similar, but the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream absorbs few seconds more quickly than the Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream. Unfortunately, I do not have any meassures to compare the amount of moisture each of these creams is providing, but once absorbed both creams are not greasy but dry off matte. I think that the two creams make a good duo for using on the skin on almost all skintypes (of course given the fact that your skin doesn’t have any allergies to any of the ingredients).

I propapbly do not have to repeat myself and tell you how much I like the brand Klairs. Having tried almost all their products I can say that I like both the Klairs creams and I think that the new Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream is a great addition to the rich moist soothing line. I can recommend you to try the cream! Grab your chances and be one of the 20 testers for this cream or wait until it launches on March 10th. The cream retails for 24.50 US$ and has a volume of the jar is 30 ml. The cream is available at Wishtrend and you will find all the information about this new product >>here<<. Ah, and by the way, you can look up my other reviews on Klairs products >>here<<. Would you like to try this cream?

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

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review Wishtrend

Review: Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop

7. December 2015

// PSR SAMPLE / SKINCARE / KBEAUTY //

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I love including vitamin C serum in my skincare routine. I’ve tried a couple of them already, but Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop was not on my list yet. I was very happy, that Wishtrend asked me whether I wanted to try this rather newly launched vitamin C serum because I’ve been very happy with all of the Klairs products I tried so far. Let’s see how the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum performs!

Klairs is a Korean brand sold on Wishtrend. It is eco-friendly, claiming to produce products which are animal-testing-free, alcohol-free, paraben-free, and artificial-color-free. Their products address people with sensitive skin and people who want to moisturize their skin. I reviewed some of their products before, like the Klairs Illuminating Supple BB Cream or the Klairs Gentle Black Cleansing Combo, which both convinced me in their effects. I also did like the Klairs Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner, which by the way has been updated and improved recently to a larger volume and more moisturizing ingredients. But let us return to the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop for this post.

Klairs is known for very simple packaging design, reminding me of the brand Kiehl’s for example. compared to the other products the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum has not just a simple black and white packaging but has imprinted a holographic illustration of the bottle on the cardboard box. I really love how colorful the packaging is, depending on where the light shines on it. And yet, the packaging design is clean like we are used to from this brand. The vitamin C serum comes in a clear, thick plastic bottle with a dropper…WAIT?! What? A clear bottle for a vitamin C serum?! But we know that vitamin C oxidizes with sunlight exposure. This is the reason while a serum like C20 is packed in a brown glass bottle! A closer look at the bottle reveals the sentence: “Hybrid Stabilization Technology”. It seems the ascorbic acid used in this serum is stabilized and thus not so prone towards oxidization according to Klairs. I know that ways to stabilize vitamin C are ferulic acid or vitamin E. Both of these are not included in the ingredient list as far as I can tell. Another way to have stabilized vitamin C is to use derivates. I see that the ingredient list contains also Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, which is a stable and water-soluble derivate of ascorbic acid. Nevertheless, I still do not know how they manage to stabilize the ascorbic acid listed as the third ingredient in the list. The product description it is stated that you should keep the product cool, dry and avoid its exposure to sunlight.…okay, why don’t they just make the bottle darker then?! Maybe because of the content of only 5% of vitamin C the effect of whether vitamin C is still stable or already oxidized is too small to feel the difference? I don’t know to be honest. I would recommend you store it in a dark place or simply inside the cardboard box anyways…

Compared to 20 % vitamin C which you can find in OST C20 Vitamin C serum 5 % sounds like nothing. So what is the advantage of using a higher dose of vitamin C in your serum? Vitamin C is an antioxidant and thus can prevent our skin from aging too early and from sun-damage. A high concentration of Vitamin C doesn’t mean automatically that it is more effective concerning anti-aging. Normally, a high concentration of Vitamin C aims at a visible effect, because it tends to operate as a chemical peeling by loosening dead and old cells. This is not a bad effect and stimulates the skin to regenerate itself, but keep in mind that it won’t affect the inner cell layers of your skin which have to be aimed if you really want an anti-aging effect. I know that for many the C20 Vitamin C serum with its high concentration is to harsh on the skin. With 5 % vitamin C serum you won’t have any problems with using it on sensitive skin, but you also won’t have the effect of regenerating skin. The benefit of the Klairs lies much more in the combination of all the ingredients together. You can check out the ingredients on COSDNA. The second key ingredient of Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop is that vitamin C is paired with Centella Asiatica extract. Centella Asiatica extract has various benefits since it has anti-bacterial, smoothing and soothing properties. Triterpenes are one of the key compounds within the Centella Asiatica extract. They stimulate the synthesis of collagen and fibronectin with the skin cells. One of the subgroups of the triterpenes (madesaddoside) has shown positive effects on wrinkles and sun-damaged skin in combination with vitamin C. Apart from these two key ingredients you will find a bunch of other plant extracts with different moisturizing and anti-bacterial properties, which round up the formula of this serum.

The included dropper makes it easy to use the product. The serum has a clear color and is slightly runnier than oil. Unlike the C20 serums, this vitamin C serum doesn’t feel like water either but has a similarity to light oil or ampoule. When you distribute it on your face it has a smooth feeling. Additionally, the serum also has kind of a warming effect on the skin. I was really surprised about the formula, because it really reminded me of facial oil first, but didn’t make the face look greasy. It gives your skin a nice glow though. The scent is a citrus-herbal-lavender scent to me, but it is not overpowering.

Since I didn’t use it for a long time yet, I cannot show you any long-term effects, but even if I could I think you would not see much of a difference because my skin has been in a good condition for quite a while now. I can say for sure that it is much milder than the C20 vitamin C serums, yet, on the other hand, I don’t think that you can call this a pure vitamin C serum because of the low concentration. The main reason why this serum is great and probably efficient for many is the combination of the ingredients and especially the combination of vitamin C with Centella Asiatica extract.

I’m really fond of Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop because of the mild and pleasant formula and the benefits it combines by the combination of the two key ingredients vitamin C and Centella Asiatica. If you have sensitive skin I definitively recommend you this over the C20 serums, but if you are looking for a chemical peeling effect and quick renewing of your skin I still say that the C20 serums are better suited. I’d rather call the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum not a pure Vitamin C serum. It is more a great combination serum of a bunch of great ingredients with nice long-term effects. You could call it a cell-renew serum or something like this, but it is totally worth a try! You can get the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop on Wishtrend for 23.00 US$. Don’t forget to check out the Wishtrend monthly vouchers in order to save some money on your order and get freebies. Also, if you are interested in Vitamin C serums, here is a list of my past reviews:

OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum

OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum

Tunemakers VC3 Vitamin C Derivate

Maple Holistics Vitamin C Serum

Which is your favorite Vitamin C Serum so far?

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

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asian cosmetics beauty Missha PR Sample review

Review: Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive

3. September 2015

// PR SAMPLE / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

In the last years many brands have started to release essences containing fermented yeast filtrate, similar to the famous SKII Facial Treatment Essence. One of these many products has been claimed a good dupe, or even an improved version of the SKII essence: the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence. I tried some samples from this essence in the past and I really did like it back then, but never purchased a full size version. Then, earlier this year Missha announced to reformulate the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence (short: Missha FTE), which was called the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive. Many people were not happy about the reformulation. Nevertheless, I wanted to give this version a chance and started to in-cooperate it into my daily skincare routine after I kindly received this from Missha Germany for reviewing purpose. I do not have any direct comparison between the two versions (apart from my weak memory using the samples), but I will do a short breakdown on the new and removed ingredients. As far as I can tell I do like the new Missha FTE intense nonetheless!

Missha is one of the worldwide famous Korean brands, especially their Missha M Perfect Cover BB cream is one of the most famous BB creams. They have a lot of online stores all over the world and are available in US/Canada, Australia and since some time they even opened up an online store for Germany, and a physical store in Ingolstadt in Germany! The products always come in a very luxurious looking packaging and the design is usually very mature and elegant and I think that it can be liked by almost everyone. The Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence is no exception here: it comes in a hard plastic bottle (I think it was a glass bottle previously) with a silver cap, and the cardboard box is made of silver reflecting paper. You can see the lightly yellowish solution through the bottle, too.

The Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence is a highly concentrated essential essence, which is used as first step after cleansing your face. It rises the skin moisture and radiance level and has soothing and smoothing properties. It claims to have wrinkle repairing and whitening properties. The Korean and English description is included on the cardboard box (you can click to enlarge the image below). A label with the German description is added on the packaging, since I received the product from Missha Germany. The bottle of essence comes with 130 ml of product and has a shelf-life of 9 months after opening.

Ingredients: old vs. new

The ingredients are listed on the cardboard packaging, but also on the official Missha web pages. The list is also included in the COSDNA databank, and you can check whether the single ingredients are rated positively or negatively. Luckily, the Missha ingredients are safe to use, as you can check here. Since I mentioned the reformulation of the Missha FTE earlier here is a quick info about it. Below, the ingredients of the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence are listed:

SACCHAROMYCES FERMENT FILTRATE, BIFIDA FERMENT LYSATE, PROPANEDIOL, NIACINAMIDE, POLYQUATERNIUM-51, AMARANTHUS CAUDATUS SEED EXTRACT, BETAINE, ULMUS DAVIDIANA ROOT EXTRACT, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, PIPER METHYSTICUM LEAF/ROOT/STEM EXTRACT, WATER, TREHALOSE, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, HYDROLYZED CORN STARCH, PHENOXYETHANOL, BETA VULGARIS (BEET) ROOT EXTRACT, PHELLODENDRON AMURENSE BARK EXTRACT, CASSIA ALATA LEAF EXTRACT, DISODIUM EDTA, ADENOSINE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, RAFFINOSE, TROMETHAMINE, ACETIC ACID, LACTIC ACID, DISODIUM EDTA, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, SODIUM HYALURONATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE, HEXAPEPTIDE-9

The newly added ingredients are marked green. These ingredients are not included in the old version of the Missha FTE. I will go through the properties of these 8 new ingredients in the following:

Betaine: a anti-inflammatory stabilizator, which has calming/soothing properties for the skin

Trehalose: moisturizing properties

Butylene Glycol: has similar properties as propylene glycol, but with a lighter texture; skin conditioning properties and acts as solvent

Disodium EDTA: stabilisator, chelator, and preservative

1,2-Hexanediol: humectant, emolient

Caprylyl Glycol: skin conditioning and moisturizing properties, also a preservative

Potassium Sorbate: preservative

Hexapeptide-9: a synthetic peptide containing Glutamine, Glycine and Proline residues (different amino acids), it acts as skin conditioner/ smoothening

The ingredients which have been removed from the formulation are: Licorice Root Extract (Glycyrrhiza Glabra), Polyquaternium-51, Centella Asiatica Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, and Pentylene Glycol.

Licorice Root Extract: an antioxidant, has anti-inflammatory and skin-conditioning properties, also used for fragrance

Centella Asiatica: skin conditioning and calming/soothing properties

Portulaca Oleraca: anti-inflammatory and skin conditioning properties

Rosmarinus Officinalis: anti-inflammatory, used for fragrance

Chamomilla Recutita: skin conditioning/ smoothening

Pentylene Glycol: anti-inflammatory, emollient

Polyquaternium-51: humectant

When I’m comparing the two lists of the new and removed ingredients I see that mainly ingredients have been changed into ingredients with similar and same properties. So why did they change it at all? My first idea was, that they wanted to get rid of the fragrance ingredients the product had. The new formula doesn’t have a specific scent, or rather smells like many essences with fermented ingredients smell of. The old formulation didn’t have any specific scent to me either. The second idea is, that many people react to specific plant extracts. By removing some of the plant extracts and changing them to synthetic ingredients the risk for allergies is reduced. The third point might be that the cost for the new ingredients is cheaper than the old ones. The last idea seems to be the most likely one :D The only ingredient which is not really replaced properly is the Licorice Root extract. This is such a powerful ingredient considering brightening and anti-aging that it is really sad they removed it. Yet, we do not know the concentration of the Licorice Root extract in first place, so it is not really sure how much this effects the properties of the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence as a whole.

Apart from the newly added and the removed ingredients the key ingredients of both formulations are the same: yeast ferment filtrate, also known as “Pitera”. The Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence contains two types of yeast ferment filtrate: Saccharomyces and Bifida in a concentration of 80%. Yeast ferment filtrate is nutrients-rich. It contains many vitamins, amino acids and proteins and helps to improve the moisture level of the skin. Other great ingredients of the Missha FTE are sugars, like Raffinose and Trehalose, which have moisturizing properties and ingredients like Niacinamide and Lactid Acid, which have brightening properties.

I’ve been using the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive since I received it 8 weeks ago almost every day twice (morning and evening routine). From time to time I switched to the May Coop Raw Sauce alone, mostly I used both together. There is no scent / light fermented scent. The consistency of the Missha FTE is water-y. It is clear and runny, but absorbs into the skin quickly. It feels the skin hydrated and smoothed instantly, like a thin film on the skin. I really like this feeling and it makes you want to touch your face constantly. The overall face looks brightened and less dull. Adding other products on top works nicely and doesn’t cause any flaking at all.

Unfortunately, I cannot compare the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive to the old version directly, but I really love how this product works in my skincare routine. It leaves the skin with a nice feeling and -having tried the Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence before- I can say that I prefer the Missha FTE. The Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence has a much more intense yeast ferment scent (contains 90% of yeast ferment filtrate) and yet doesn’t leave the skin as smooth as the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intense does. I’ve bought the COSRX Galactomyces 95 White Power Essence recently, but have not tried it yet (this one has even 95% of yeast ferment). I will be comparing it to the Missha FTE Intensive for sure. In terms of wrinkle-care I do not know how much the Missha FTE impacts on this, since every change will be also an effect of my whole skincare routine. Adding products with moisturizing properties is never wrong if you want to prefer skin-aging though. And the Missha FTE does definitively moisturize and brighten up my skin instantly and makes it feel super smooth. There are so many brands these days, each with their own yeast ferment filtrate essence that it can be difficult to decide for a specific one, but considering the price the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence is definitively preferable to the SKII Essence. The Missha Time Revoltion The First Treatment Essence Intensive retails for 38.90 € from the German Missha store (49.00 US$ from Missha US!).

You can also get this product from:

W2Beauty for 38.50US$ (use coupon berries10 for 10% off and free shipping)

Amazon.de for 18.01€

Amazon.com for 28US$

Btw.: Missha Germany also deliveres outside Germany. So if you are somewhere in Europe it might be faster to consider ordering from them instead of Korea. My package arrived after 2 days, which is awesome when thinking about the 2-4 weeks of waiting when ordering from Korea :D Take a glance at their webpage, instagram, and facebook and support the spreading of Korean cosmetics within Europe! Also, Missha is one of the Korean bands which are against animal testing!

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.missha-germany.de/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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Review: Dr. G Red Spot Laser

11. December 2014

Here is another review I did for Beautifan, the review blog of Ibuybeauti. It is about the Dr. G Red Spot Laser Treatment. When I started watching the Korean Beauty Show “Get It Beauty” there was one item they mentioned during a show (I don’t remember which one, do you?) which caught my attention: the Dr. G Red Spot Laser, a balm type treatment for scars and red spots. I don’t have much of a troublesome skin, but I do have some scars from the past and if I do get a pimple, the marks are usually very visible and for a long time. This product claims to help to fade these marks and that’s why I was curious to try it.

Dr. G was an unkbown brand to me (it seems brands with some “Dr.” in the name give the impresion that they workespecially well. There are a lot of “Dr.” brands …Dr. G is developed by Dr. Gun-Yong Ahn, the founder of Gowoonsesang. This might be a more familiar name for you, since it is the world’s 2nd largest medical skin care group. Gowoonsesang means ‘Beautiful World’ in Korean. With help of clinical experiences on skin restoration Dr.G. treated and restored skin of many patients. He gained a reputation in the skin restoration area. The brand Dr.G was developed by request of patients who wanted daily skin care after the dermatological treatment. There are 5 skincare lines of Dr.G suitable for people in different ages, like the Trouble Care Line for acne skin and the Luxury EGF Line.

The Dr. G Red Spot Laser is supposed to help troubled skin by clearing up acne scars and pimples. It is advertised to remove red and black spots and it is supposed to care for bumby scars and thus create a clear skin. It has a very rich texture with 50 % red recovery complex. This red recovery complex consists of Centella asiatica and Huttuynia cordata. Both have wound healing and antibacterial properties. Apart from these plant extract the balm contains natural ingredients for skin protection and soothing, like Poria cocos, an asian fungus with astingent and soothing properties, and Phyto Oligo, known as Althaea rosea flower extract / Aloe barbadensis leaf extract, for moisturizing. Additionally, it contains 5 Vitamins: B3, B9, C, E and F. The product was tested and declared as non-comendogenic, which means it doesn’t block pores.

Dr. G Red Spot Laser comes in a cardboard box in mint and yellow colors. The packaging looks very medical and also contains a prescription paper like most items you get from a pharmacy. The balm itself comes in a sleek tube, with a simple white and yellow design. The instruction papers contain detailled descriptions in English and Korean.

The product itself has a balm-type consistency and a milky color. It absorbs fast and doesn’t feel sticky. But your skin feels moisturized and nurished. I applied it on the back of my hand in the images below.

I tested this cream on my face for 3 weeks. I applied it on some of my scars and on one or two red spots I had. I could feel the skin being softer and the marks appearing softer, but it didn’t make them fade any quicker than without cream or treatment. The scars didn’t show any differences either. In a conclusion I would say, that people with troubled skin might like this balm. For me, it didn’t do much, but my skin is in a quite good condition anyways. If you have fresh scars or marks it will probably help your skin to recover since it really contains good ingredients. If you have a good skin condition, you won’t find this product useful. Very old scars won’t be changed probably. The Dr. G Red Spot Laser costs 11.30 US$ at ibuybeauti. Shipping is calculated by weight. the tube contains 30 ml of product and since it can be used on the spots you want to treat olny, it will last for quite some time.

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Review: Wish Formula Panda Eye Essence Mask

18. April 2014

I love using eye masks, when I feel my eyes are tired and I recognise puffiness around my eye area. The cooling sensation directly makes me feel relieved. Since there are a lot of those eye masks, I’m currently trying several different ones. That is how I stumbled upon Wish Formula Panda Eye Essence Mask from Wishtrend.

This eye mask comes in a black sachet with a cute panda bear on it smiling at you :D. The ingredients are written on the front directly, and in English, too. Each sachet contains two eye masks, one for each eye.

Here are the ingredients of the eye mask:

water, ascorbic acid, saccharomyces, Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Ferment extract, butylene glycol, saccharomyces/Imperata cylindrica Root ferment extract, sodium lactate, lactobacillus/soybean ferment extract, black strap powder, arbutin, 1,2-Hexanediol, bacillus ferment, centella asiatica extract, aspergillus/Saccharomyces/Glycyrrhiza uralensis root extract ferment filtrate, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil, xanthan gum, arginine, tocopherylacetate, backhousia citriodora leaf oil, adenosine, honey, phenoxyethanol

The ingredients are really nice and no harmful ingredients are contained. Yeast fermented extracts are one of the main ingredients. Also, it contains Vitamin C and vitamin E. You can check the ingredients on COSDNA >>here<<. On the back side of the sachet the instructions are written on Korean only, but the image of how to wear the eye mask are sufficient enough for using the mask.

This eye mask is supposed to hydrate the skin around your eyes and provide nourishment with different extract in order to prevent the skin from aging effects. As soon as you open the package you should use it right away, so that the vitamin C does not oxidise. The color of the essence is yellow. The eye mask sheets are not separated by an additional plastic foil but stick together. The sachet also contains a quite amount of leftover essence. I used the leftover essence by its own the days after using the mask itself.

The eye mask delivers a proper amount of moisture for the skin around the eye area. Also, it gives you a cooling sensation, especially if you keep it in the refrigerator before. After using it my eyes look less tired and puffy. Since the ingredients are really nice and the effects of both vitamin C and yeast fermented extract are known, I’m sure, that these eye masks will show some kind of longterm effect (see my review on OST Vitamin C serum if you are interested >>here<<). I really want to try more of these eye masks. You can get these masks from Wishtrend for 2.99 US$ each or in a box with 10 sachets for 18.99 US$. If you are not yet registered on Wishtrend you can use the promo code 17939205 or my invite link to receive a 5 US$ coupon before making your first purchase.

As you can see I’ve changed my rating system. I’m using a scale of 10 points for the categories design, application, ingredients, hygiene, effect and price. The average points build total rating. Hope you like this way better than it was before :)

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Review: Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream

30. October 2013

I took the pictures for this post months ago, but I was somehow too busy and lazy to write a review. I know there are a lot of reviews already about the Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream and I can only advise you to read more than one review if you are unsure to buy this. I bought 2 tubes of this gel cream several months ago from f2+1 on ebay since it was really cheap and I was so curious how effective the snail secretion filtrate will be, since it has a high content of it.

Mizon is a Korean brand and the Multi Funcional Formula Snail Repair Line is most well known amonst their products. They have very affordable and promising skincare products in their product range. The Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream is the perfect product for snail mucus newbies. And don’t worry, the cream or nothing about its consistency will make you think of snails, except the name…and for animal lovers: no animal was harmed for obtaining snail mucus. All Mizon products I tried so far have a sealed packaging with a reflective sticker to show the authenticity. The product comes in a pale pink cardboard box and inside you’ll find the tube for the Snail Recovery Gel Cream. Using a tube is a great idea, since it is more hygienic than a jar, if you tend to use your fingers. The tube comes with a screw cap. The design is simply, but the color and the snail shape on the tube make it cute in a way.

The Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream claims to have a multifunction formula. The description on the packaging states:

“Certified for Winkle Care by KFDA. Lightweight snail gel cream containing 74 % of snail secretion filtrate.
Directions: Apply an appropiate amount on face after cleansing, dabbing until absorbed.
Ingredients: Snail Secretion Filtrate, Butylene Gycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Bis-peg-18 Methyl Ether, Dimethyl Silane, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Glycosyl, Trehalose, Hydrogenated Starch, Hydrolysate, Triethanolamine, Dimethicone/vinyl, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Di methicone, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Caprylyl Glyocol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Polyacrylate, Centella Asiatica Extraxt, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Tropolone, Copper Tripeptide-1, Allantoin, Panthenol, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Adenosine, disodium EDTA”

Why should one use Snail Secretion Filtrate?

Snail Mucus claims to be rich in hyaluronic acid and antioxidants and thus help our skin to regenerate stimulating the formation of collagen, elastin and dermal components that repair the signs of photoaging. Also, it claims to minimize the damage generated by free radicals that are responsible for premature skin aging (there is a wikipedia entry for snail mucus, too.).

Mizon’s Snail Recovery Gel Cream is a clear gel with a watery consistency. It absorbs quickly into the skin and doesn’t leave any stickiness. Nevertheless, since I have dry skin, it is not moisturizing enough and I’ll recommend to use a moisturizer afterwards. The gel has no specific scent on its own. What where the results after using nearly two tubes of Mizon’s Snail Recovery Gel Cream? I discovered I don’t get any breakouts anymore. Sometimes a pimple appears, but it is as rare as it ever was. I think the combination with the O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum did the trick for me. It supports the healing of little pimples or red skin, at least it was my feeling. If this gel would be more moisturizing, it would be my perfect every-day cream. But considering the prize I can live with applying another moisturizer additionally :D Nevertheless, this makes me curious about the Mizon All In One Repair Cream…I didn’t see any effects for anti-aging, despite firmer skin in general, especially if I put a lot of this gel over night. (Don’t expect this cream (or any other) to make your wrinkles disappear).

If you are curious about snail secretion filtrate products and don’t want to spend a lot of money on other creams, I can recommend you to try the Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream. It worked out for me, although it is not yet the perfect solution I’m wishing for, but I don’t regret buying it and I could imagine buying it again. Each tube contains 45 ml and is available on various seller on ebay for around 4 US$, which is super affordable!

Rating:

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Review: Declaré Anti-Irritation Serum

19. July 2013

Hello ♥

Some while ago I was selected from www.parfuemerie-pieper.de (a German perfumery) to test a serum from Declaré, a brand from Switzerland. I was really happy being selected for this test, because the weather here had been cold for a long time (finally it is summer) and my skin was stressed and dried up really badly.

The serum I tested is called Declaré Anti-Irritation Serum and below you can see the package I received. Very cute packaging! Thanks to the Pieper-team at this point!

Here is the description from Declaré’s web page (in German):

Anti-Irritation Serum – reduzieren Sie die sichtbaren Zeichen von Stress, Müdigkeit und Irritationen – rasch und nachhaltig! Das kostbare Serum mit dem einzigartigen Declaré src-complex™ ist die wirkungsvolle Pflegeergänzung für Ihre gestresste, irritierte und sensible Haut. Die Kombination wertvoller Aktivkomplexe macht dieses ultra-leichte Serum so wirkungsvoll: Zeichen von Stress, Müdigkeit und Rötungen werden sichtbar gemildert, der Teint wirkt gleichmäßig und erstrahlt herrlich frisch und entspannt. Durch den Einsatz von Hyaluronsäure und Feuchtigkeitskomplexen wird die Haut aufgepolstert und das Erscheinungsbild feiner Linien und erschlaffter Partien wird reduziert. Gleichzeitig stärken wirkungsvolle Pflanzenextrakte die hauteigene Schutzfunktion und machen Ihre Haut widerstandsfähig für tägliche Stressfaktoren. Für perfekt gestärkte, gepflegte Haut und einen entspannt-frischen Teint.

Ingredients:

AQUA [WATER], BUTYLENE GLYCOL, PROPYLHEPTYL CAPRYLATE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, SACCHARIDE ISOMERATE, HYDROLYZED YEAST PROTEIN, BISABOLOL, ECTOIN, CALENDULA OFFICINALIS EXTRACT [CALENDULA OFFICINALIS FLOWER EXTRACT], CENTELLA ASIATICA LEAF EXTRACT, GLYCERYL CAPRATE, SODIUM HYALURONATE, PANTHENOL, AMMONIUM GLYCYRRHIZATE, RUSCUS ACULEATUS EXTRACT [RUSCUS ACULEATUS ROOT EXTRACT], HYDROLYZED LUPINE PROTEIN, ESCIN, C14-22 ALCOHOLS, CARBOMER, C12-20 ALKYL GLUCOSIDE, POLYGLYCERYL-2 LAURATE, POLYGLYCERYL-10 LAURATE, LECITHIN, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, TOCOPHEROL, TOCOPHEROL, DISODIUM EDTA, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, PARFUM [FRAGRANCE], PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM BENZOATE, CI 16 035 [Red 40] 61212

Basically it says that it reduces dullness, tired appearance and irritations of you skin. Your redness should minimise and your skin gets moisturized and your skin tone is evened out. By soothing your skin in this way and providing moisture the appearance of fine lines is reduced, too.

Here are the pictures for the packaging:

The bottle looks nice and high-quality, somehow it looks mature, too, because of the golden cap.

The cap has an integrated pipette to obtain the serum. It provides the perfect amount for covering your face.

On the bottle you’ll find the description how to use the product, but the package contained also a detailed instruction/manual within. the bottle contains 50 ml which is really a lot considering how much you need for covering your face.

While turning the cap you can either suck the serum inside the pipette or release it. If the cap is down it is released. If it is up, you know there is serum inside your pipette.

The consistency of the serum is runny. It is a slightly milky fluid with a flowery/soapy scent that I really like a lot.

Did it work? Yes it did! My skin is not as dry as it was before. It is less irritated and feels smooth. I loved trying this product and I still love it. It needs some time to absorb and first it feels a tiny bit sticky, but after continuing with your skin care routine you don’t feel it anymore. I’m happy I got it for testing and I know that it will be my best friend as soon as the weather gets colder again.

It can be purchased for around 40 Euro, which is quite a lot and in my opinion the only downside of the product. But it will promise you high quality on the other side.

Rating:

♥ I’d be happy if you follow me via bloglovin’ or facebook or instagram ♥

For all UK residents: www.koreankosmetic.co.uk will be at a Korean Pop-up shop in London in August the 4th 2013 from 11am-6pm – they’ll have an own stall with their products from the online store! They’ll be giving 20% off everything from the retail price if you purchase on the day. You can find the information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/654870901209494/

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