wishtrend | Berries in the Snow

Review: Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0

16. November 2015

// KBEAUTY / AFFILIATE LINKS / SKINCARE //

I know that many people have concerns with hyperpigmentation, freckles and dark spots from old or newer breakouts. All of these are natural, but still, we want to get rid of such flaws as quickly as possible, and so skincare products with whitening and mark care properties are usually products which interest me most. I posted on Instagram that I was using the Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0 Damaged Spot Clearing Facial Cream, and I know that many of you are curious about this product. Nevertheless, instead of posting a quick review, I wanted to use it for several weeks/months before I gave my impression for this product. After all, I ended up using the tube almost completely, but here is finally my review:

The first time I knew about the brand Chica y Chico is from Wishtrend. Honestly, apart from their super exaggerated advertorial images, I do not know much about this Korean brand. The products available at Wishtrend always look quite interesting though. They also have an official page >>here<< where you can check for all their product range. The Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0 is a cream in a series of functional skincare creams. Each cream targets a specific problem, so the Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0 contains as key ingredient Astaxanthin and has whitening and mark care properties, but there is also the Beta-Salic 2.0 (chemical peeling containing Betaine Salicylate), the Retinolin 3.0 (wrinkle care containing Retinol Q), the Tota-S 3.0 (acne care containing Totarol), the Tre-Hy 8.0 (moisture care containing Trehalose), and the Suntana 8.0 (sunscreen). I’ve also tried and used the Chica y Chico Retinolin 3.0 and the Beta-Salic 2.0, but the reviews are still upcoming.

All these functional skin care products have a similar style in their packaging: They are simple and clean in their design, each of the products has a signature color. The Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0 has an orange signature color. There is a thick orange bar where the percentage of the key ingredient is written on, which is 4 % in this case. The tiny tube containing 30 ml comes in a cardboard box. Mostly, the information on the box is written in Korean, but some of the description and the direction is written in English, too. I used this cream every morning as my daily moisturizer for around 3 months. As the directions suggest, I applied a small amount all over my face, then reapplied the cream on my main focus areas. On lazy days I only applied one layer.

You can find the ingredients of the Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0 on COSDNA. The key ingredient of the cream is the Astaxanthin, as I mentioned before. This ingredient is a strong antioxidant, so it helps the skin to recover from sun-induced damages by influencing the Melanin activity. According to the description of the product, Astaxanthin is 100 times more effective than Vitamin C or E. apart from the Astaxanthin the cream contains fermented extracts from different plants, Niacinamide, and extracts from a tropical plant called Urucum, which also is supposed to protect the skin from sun damage and oxidative stress. Generally, the ingredients look quite nice, but I will advise you to check the ingredients lists anyways, just in case there are any irritant ingredients for you.

The Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0 has a thick consistency and a yellowish color. It spreads thickly, so I would advise you not to put too much on your skin at once but work it into your skin in layers. Once absorbed it leaves the skin matte and doesn’t peel, doesn’t feel sticky and doesn’t look greasy. The finish is nice to work with during the daytime and it didn’t cause me any problems using my other products or makeup.

Speaking of other products, of course, the before and after results, I’m showing below is a result of the combination of products I’ve been using within the last three months. Also, keep in mind that the time I took the images are in summer (before image) and fall (after image), that means that my skin color may also have changed due to the lack of sun for example. My main target where my sun spots/ freckles, which I have for more than a year now. You can see that the color of the freckles has been faded within the last months of using the Astazet 4.0. My general skin color has also brightened up. Apart from the Astazet 4.0 cream I’ve been using regularly Vitamin C serum (which I’m using for a very long time, so the changes are not caused by the vitamin C serum), Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence and Missha’s Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence. These products have surely contributed to my skin brightening, but they are probably not responsible for the fading of the freckles.

Do I recommend the Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0? Yes. Will this cream give you guaranteed results? I cannot say since skincare is affecting every skin type differently! But there is a chance that your skin reacts similarly to mine. When you have a look at the ingredients you will see that it contains good and potentially effective ingredients and using anti-oxidants on your skin has never been a wrong idea after all. If you are interested in trying the Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0 you can get it from Wishtrend for 18.68 US$. You can check out my posts on the monthly Wishtrend coupons in order to get some extra benefits when shopping on Wishtrend. Also, keep in mind their friend-referral program: You can receive a 5 Us$ referral coupon if you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration and you’ll receive this 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 save 5 US$ which is a great possibility to save some money.

Did you try the products from the brand Chica y Chico already? Did you know about Astaxanthin? Tell me in the comments below :)

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asian cosmetics beauty review Wishtrend

Review: Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione

11. November 2015

I’m a huge fan of products with waterdrop texture and I must confess that this was also the main reason why I bought the Delight 18 I.U Whiteining Cream Glutathione. Of course, the cute packaging and the fact that I didn’t try any product from this brand before were also some arguments, but mainly it was the fact that this product forms tiny water droplets while rubbing it into the skin. I had tried products like this before and I always loved the watery feeling. Other examples of products with waterdrop texture are the Lioele Water Drop Sleeping Mask and the Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream.

It seems Delight 18 is a new Korean brand and I’m really happy that Wishtrend introduced this brand in their shop. At the moment they offer 7 different products from this brand, but on the official page you will also spott a most adoreable cushion and some other products…I hope Wishtrend will have the cushion available soon. The Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione is a functional cream with whitening properties for the face. I.U stands for innocent (pure) and unison (harmony).

Although the packaging design is simple I really like it and think that it will be attracting many people mainly because of the packaging. The basic colors used are black, white and red. Somehow this design reminds me also of the Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight …is it a coincidence that both of the have the word “Delight” in their names?! The description on the packaging of the Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione is in Korean only, but you will find the English description on Wishtrend.

The two main functions of the Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione is to whiten and to moisturize the face. The key ingredient for whitening is Glutathione, a tripeptide formed from the three amino acids cysteine, glycine and glutamic acid. It works as a major antioxidative and usually in our bodies prevents us from oxidative damage. It is also used as a whitener because of its ability to to inhibit the melanin synthesis. All the ingredients used in the Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione are listed on >>COSDNA here<< and you will see that the list of ingredients is quite short and positive. You will also find titanium dioxide for brightening and UV protection and also niacinamide. Nevertheless, I would still use a sunscreen, like with any other functional BB/CC cream.

Apart from the moisturizing ingredients in the formula the main key to give a feeling of hydration is the waterdrop-forming formula. Below you will see how the white thick Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione starts to form the tiny droplets by rubbing it into the skin. Because of this watery formula the product seems to glide over and into the skin and feels really refreshing. The scent is a clean, creamy scent, which is lingering on the skin. I do like it, because it is such a clean scent. By the way, don’t put too much cream on your face at once. Because of the formula it is better to apply little by little and rub it into the skin until absorbed before adding more. Oh, and the cream comes in a pump bottle, too, which makes it super easy to use and is more hygienic than a jar (the inside bottom moves up the more you use and if you look closely in the pictures you can see that I have used 1/5 of the total volume of 30g).

When applying the cream it will directly brighten up your complexion. The skin looks brighter and also less dull. Also, it corrects the skintone and makes your complexion look more even. It is also not sticky, nor dioes it have a greasy finish. The finish of the cream on its own is skin-like and neither glowy, nor satin-like. If you apply hydrating ampoules and creams underneath the Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione will keep the glow these products give you.

My verdict for the Delight 18 I.U Whiteining Cream Glutathione is really positive! I’ve been using this on my no-make-up days and I can just use it like this as a substitute for any BB cream or CC cream. If I want more coverage I still prefer using a BB cream or foundation, but for lazy days and an okay or good skin condition this is absolutelly perfect. It brightens up the skin and makes you appear more awake and healthy. I would definitively prefer this over any CC cream with low coverage, especially because of the hydrating water drop formula, which feels super nice on the skin. After being so positive about the Delight 18 I.U Whiteining Cream Glutathione I would love to try out other products from this brand! If you are interested in trying the Delight 18 I.U Whiteining Cream Glutathione you can get it from Wishtrend for 23.50 US$. You can check out my posts on the monthly Wishtrend coupons in order to get some extra benefits when shopping on Wishtrend. Also keep in mind their friend-referral program: You can receive a 5 Us$ referral coupon if you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration and you’ll receive this 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 safe 5 US$ which is a great possibility to safe some money.

Did you try the products from the brand Delight 18 already? What are your impressions?

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asian cosmetics beauty review Wishtrend

Review: ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner

9. November 2015

After I used up the COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner, I stumbled over the ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner, a multi-use toner for face and body containing hyaluronic acid. Moreover, it has a slightly acidic pH of 5.5 so it was a great substitution for my previously used pH adjusting toner. I really like this toner a lot and I’ve already used it half way up…sadly! :'(

Wishtrend has quite a range of ElishaCoy products and I usually do like their products, too. The brand is a Korean company focussing on natural ingredients. They are quite popular for their “Always Nuddy” BB creams. They also have a couple of sheet masks and I even reviewed one of their masks in the past (Aloe & Lavender Mask Sheet). The ElishaCoy Moist Up line consists of quite some products, which come in a pink signature color. Apart from the ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner there is a cream, a cleansing water, a bubble cleanser, a serum, and a sleeping mask available on Wishtrend. The line is designed for moisturizing the skin with help of the key ingredient hyaluronic acid.

The ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner comes in a 200 ml bottle made of hard plastic. The bottle is delivered in a cardboard box with a simple and yet beautiful flower design. The pink bottle itself looks really neat and pretty, too. The cardboard box has Korean and English descriptions written on it. The ingredients can be checked via COSDNA. The lists contains a lot of different fruit and plant extracts and moisturizing ingredients like panthenol, trealose, and the previously mentioned hyaluronic acid. It also contains niacinamide and biotin. The only irritating ingredient is alcohol, but although I usually feel with products containing alcohol that they are drying I do not have the feeling here.

According to the discription the minerals and fermented flower extracts in the ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner help the skin to retain a balanced oil-moisture level of the skin. As you can see below the bottle is used up already halfway, and I didn’t experience any irritations or negative effects while using this toner. First thing you will notice with this clear toner with a liquid, waterlike consitency, is the scent! It has a fruity scent which I absolutelly love! I’m using a cotton pad and apply the toner on my face as first step after cleansing my face. The ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner absorbs quickly and feels hydrating, leaving the skin soft and refreshed. It works also nicely with the products I’m usinmg afterwards and I had never had any problems of clumping or flaking of the layered products with this toner.

Honestly, I’m super obsessed with the ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner! I love the packaging, the scent, the feel it leaves on the skin! My only concern is the alcohol, which might not work for senstive skintypes. Normally, when I’m using products containing alcohol my skin can react to it, but strangely, here I do not have any problems with the formula. The other ingredients included are really nice, too, and it has a pH between 5-6 (I remeassured with my own pH stripes), which is lovely, too. I like it so much that I ordered the ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Mild Cleansing Water recently, and I’m super eager to try it out and hopefully love it, too! If you are interested in trying the ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner you can get it from Wishtrend for 23.99 US$. You can check out my posts on the monthly Wishtrend coupons in order to get some extra benefits when shopping on Wishtrend. Also keep in mind their friend-referral program: You can receive a 5 Us$ referral coupon if you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration and you’ll receive this 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 safe 5 US$ which is a great possibility to safe some money.

What is your favourite toner at the moment?

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Allgemein

Review: Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum

18. October 2015

Large pores are a skin concern that many of us have, especially with raising age the pores around our nose get more visible. Usually, most people just grab a primer and hide their pores instead of trying skincare products that try to tighten the pores. The Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum is exactly such a serum. It is supposed to have moiosturizing and tightening properties and to make the use of primers unnessesary over time. I was really curious how this serum would work on my pores, too, so I grabbed the chance and tried it myself.

Skinmiso is a Korean brand which is sold on Wishtrend. I tried the Skinmiso Rice Foam Cleanser previously, and it was a good cleansing product, but a bit drying for dry skintypes. The Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum is quite popular product by Skinmiso and I have read a couple of reviews where the serum showed good effects on the pores. The packaging design o Skinmiso products is simple and similar for all their products. They have a white and blue packaging design which looks kind of medical. Also the tiny cross next to the brand logo makes it look like medicine.

On the cardboard box of the Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum you will find mostly Korean, but also some English description. Wishtrend offers the full English description of the product. The ingredients are also listed on Wishtrend and you can find them on COSDNA, too. The Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum contains some irritating ingredients, so be sure to check previously and to patch test before using it regulary.

The Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum comes in a bottle with an included dropper. The bottle contains 30 ml of the product, but you cannot see through the bottle to check the amount of the serum. By holding the bottle against the light you might see a bit of a shadow though. Since it is a serum it is applied after your cleansing step and after toner. After applying the milky colored serum on the target areas you can tap with your fingers until the serum is absorbed. You will feel a tightening effect on your skin. It is recomended to wait 20 minutes after application to see the full effects of the serum.

I’ve used this serum for 2 weeks now and I can definitively say that I feel the tighteining effect it has on the skin. I also think that it gives a good moisture oil balance on the targeted area (I used it mainly on my T-zone and the area around my nose). By looking at my skin before and after the application I cannot see a difference in the size of the pores. Also not after having used it for two weeks. Maybe it takes longer to see visible effects. Nevertheless, since it helps my T-zone to be less shiny during the day I think that especially people with combination or oily skin might like to try this product.

Since I feel a tighteining effect and I like the oil-moisture balance the product delivers I will continue to use the Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum. If I will see any visible changes I will be updating this post. So far I can definitively say that oily skintypes and combination skintypes might like to try our this serum, too. Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum retails at Wishtrend for 32.99 US$. You can check out my posts on the monthly Wishtrend coupons in order to get some extra benefits when shopping on Wishtrend. Also keep in mind theirfriend-referral program: You can receive a 5 Us$ referral coupon if you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration and you’ll receive this 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 safe 5 US$ which is a great possibility to safe some money.

Do you have any favourite pore treatment product?

3 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence

17. September 2015

Although I’m using the Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence for quite some time now I never did a proper review on it. I must say that I absolutely love this essence and I would be so happy if the Tosowoong Syn-Ake Line would be more widely available. I received this Essence with one of my many MeMeBoxes. I still hope MeMeBox will start to ship to Germany again :’D

Tosowoong is a Korean brand founded in 2004 and having the saying to make beauty innovations. The most popular items from this brand are probably the Tosowoong Makeon Princess Gel Pencil Eyeliner Pencil boxes which come with cute illustrations of various princesses. I didn’t know about any of the skincare products they had until I received some in my MeMeBoxes. The packaging of their skincare lines is usually simple, and the ingredients lists are rather short and functional. The Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence is part of the Syn-Ake line, which is directed to anti-aging. Syn-Ake is a artificial peptide similar to snake venom and has been used and developed as anti-aging ingredient in Sweden. It had popularity amongst famous actresses and models, too, if I remember correctly. As you see the packaging of the Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence is rather simple. It has a black color with white fonts. The front of both the cardboard box and the plastic pump bottle has listed the English key ingredients. The backside and sides are Korean only.

Rasberry fruit extract, Niacinamide, Bifida Ferment Lysate, rh-Oligopeptide-1 (EGF), and Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate are listed as key ingredients. Using google translate I could identify some other plant (flower and fruits, espeially all kinds of berries) extracts, Glycerin and Allantoin as ingredients. I honestly do love the ingredients and the fact that this contains two kinds of yeast ferment, plus all these berries and niacinamide on top.

As I mentioned above, the Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence comes in a pump bottle, which makes it easy to apply the product. I usually use 2-3 pumps for my face. The product has a clear, gel-like formula that absorbs quite fast into the skin. I feel like it brings out the effects of the Missha FTE even more and makes my face instantly brighten up when I’m struggling with a dull face. It doesn’t feel heavy and is not sticky. Also, it goes well with other skincare steps I use after applying this essence and never causes any flaking etc. It is practically scentless, too!

I’m super pleased with the Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence and I want to repurchase it once it is finished. I know that Wishtrend has some Tosowoong products, but they don’t have the Syn-Ake line. I wish they would add it! The bottle contains 100 ml and it is available from RoseRoseShop (6.95 US$) and from ebay (around 10 US$). I can recommend you to give it a try!

BTW: the winners of my Japan Candy Box and Kawaii Box Giveaways were confirmed and they will receive their winnings at the end of the month :) Congratulations!

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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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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: O’melon Chameleon Essence Queen CC Cushion

23. August 2015

I’m always excited when trying new Korean brands I didn’t know before, like the O’melon Chameleon Essence Queen CC Cushion. Did you hear of that brand already? It was my highlight of the August BNTnews beauty box (two reviews are still to be made the next days).

O’melon is a Korean cosmetic brand, which doesn’t have a lot of popularity outside Korea, as it seems. For me it was the first time I heard of this brand. Moreover, the product I’m reviewing here is a CC cushion, which I’m always very curious to try. I never thought I would have more than one cushion foundation, but as time proceeds my collection seems to grow :D The O’melon Chameleon Essence Queen CC Cushion first of all comes in a very luxurious and pretty packaging. Even the cardboard box the cushion compact comes in is made of reflecting color-changing paper, which has a rainbowish shade depending on the light. Unfortunately, the beauty of such packaging is hard to capture for me in images, so you will mostly see pink/purple colors :D This color changing material used for the packaging fits perfectly to the name of the product, since a chameleon can adjust its color towards its environment.

The O’melon Chameleon Essence Queen CC Cushion is a CC cream in a cushion compact, with SPF 45 PA+++. The packaging description is in Korean only, apart from the ingredients, which are luckily written in English on the side of the cardboardbox. I added the ingredients to COSDNA and the used components are safe to use. Moreover, this is the first time I saw the ingredients of a CC/BB cream which contains a whole bunch of amino acids. Apart from the amino acids there are various plant extracts included, hyaluronic acid, pearl extract, collagen, but also alcohol.

The beautiful cardboard box contains an even more beautiful cushion compact, seated on a velvet-y coated plastic holder in classic red. The compact has a very pretty golden lid with sparkling dots, which reflect the light in different colors, too.

The O’melon Chameleon Essence Queen CC Cushion contains 15 g of product and has a shelf-life of 12 months after opening. I couldn’t find a price, but I guess it will be more expensive than Missha Cushion for example. A replacement puff is included inside the cardboard box, too.

The shade I received is called #11 Cover Beige and like all the other cushion compacts you will have a container with the CC cream insde the pact and a mirror in the lid. The puff applicator sits on top of a plastic lid which keeps the CC cream inside from drying. cushion foundations have a characteristic cushion sponge inside this container, which is soaked with the CC/BB cream or foundation.

So what is so special about the O’melon Chameleon Essence Queen CC Cushion? This 3-shade CC cushion is supposed to flaunt perfect waterproof coverage. The three shades contained are beige (50%), white (25%), and pink (25%). The different colors have each their own purpose:

Beige: Covers dull tone, freckles, blemishes and pimples.

White: Contains various plant extracts to help complete smooth and natural makeup and preserve it.

Pink: Contains rose essence for a healthy and bright complexion.

The colors show off on the sponge in a pretty swirl and the cushion reminds me a bit of the Elishacoy Pink Blooming Cushion.

The O’melon Chameleon Essence Queen CC Cushion is also equipped with a vegetal cooling essence to sooth heated skin and treat wrinkles while boosting elasticity and thus it is advertised for summer use. Since it has a satin finish it does not look greasy on the face for most of the day. actually, I’m surprised how long lasting this cushion is. after a whole da it gets a bit flaky around my chin, but when reapplied over the area it looks great again. While patting the three colors on your face they start to blend with each other, since the colors are not pre-mixed as you can see below. This can be a bit tricky because in order to have all the three colors you have to push the puff on the sponge in a way you will get all colors. The CC cream feels cool on the skin, like advertised. If it treats wrinkles and boosts elasticity I cannot say. I didn’t feel any changes. The shade is similar to other Korean shade 21 BB/CC creams. It is a bit lighter than my skintone at the moment, but it is still wearable. The coverage is good, too. It covers for example my birth mask at the corner of my mouth nicely. Rednesses of the skin are evened out, too.

Altogether, I’m positively surprised by O’melon Chameleon Essence Queen CC Cushion. I really do like the packaging design and the idea of having a CC cushion with skincare components. The three colors of the O’melon Chameleon Essence Queen CC Cushion look lovely together, too. It would be nice to know what other shades are available for this cushion and what the price tag says for the product. Did anybody else try this brand before? I would be curious about your impression, if you know that brand.

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, and Blair and check out their reviews for the August BNT Beauty Box. 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 review Wishtrend

Review: Lailly 7 Second Make-Up Booster

16. July 2015

I’m too lazy to use primer before applying makeup, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have any. Mostly, I use my TheFaceShop Face it! Primer Moisture Fitting, but recently I have a new addition to my base make-up family, the Lailly 7 Seconds Make-Up Booster. This prepping cream is supposed to provide the skin with the perfect oil-moisture balance, so that the makeup used afterwards is long-lasting and flawless.

I do not have a lot of information about the Korean brand Lailly, and apart of the three products available at Wishtrend I did not see any other products from this brand. The products available at Wishtrend a cooling pore pack, a steaming pore pack and the Lailly 7 Seconds Make-up Booster I’m reviewing today. all the products have the same, simple design and come in a black jar with simple lettering on it.

The front label of the plastic jar displays the name and some short English description. This product has four main functions: Whitening, Anti- Wrinkle, Make-up Boosting, and Face-Conditioning. The key ingredient of the Lailly 7 Seconds Make-Up Booster is Aronia Melanocarpa (Chokeberry) Fruit Extract. Chokeberries are high in Vitamin C and are packed with antioxidantes. Apart from Chokeberry extracts the Lailly 7 Seconds Make-Up Booster contains a bunch of other fruit extracts with anstringent properties. Furthermore, the product contains on the one hand niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, and on the other hand titanium dioxide, Isoamyl p-methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl salicylate, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate as sunscreens. It does not state what SPF it has unfortunately. There are some minor irritants also included in the ingredient list, but all in all the majority of the ingredients is green flagged at COSDNA. You won’t find the ingredients in English on the product label, since the backside is written in Korean only, but Wishtrend has listed the ingredients on their product page.

The jar contains 50 ml of a light blue colored, cream-type product. There is no spatula included, so you have to take out the product with your (clean) fingers, or use your own spoon or spatula in order to keep it hygienic. Lailly 7 Seconds Make-Up Booster is made for all skin types and is “made to cover, protect, and strengthen the skin in just 7 simple seconds!” It is recommended to people with blemish-prone, rough skin, people with enlarged pores, and people whose skin is refusing to work with make-up. The cream product has a nice baby powder scent and can be easily applied and rubbed into the skin. It blends in nicely and leaves the skin with a glow and brightens up the skin tone. Using make-up after the Lailly 7 Second Make-Up Booster has absorbed works nicely. The foundation or BB cream used above this primer doesn’t clump and it lasts longer before it gets patchy at the usual nose/chin area – but not all day long. It doesn’t make pores invisible though, much more it smoothens the skin and gives it a healthy glow.

The Lailly 7 Seconds Make-Up Booster is a solid makeup boosting primer giving the skin a nice glow and containing a bunch of good ingredients and sunscreen. Like most primers it also contains silicone though and cetearyl alcohol. I don’T use primer everyday, but for an occasionally user of primer this one does a good job in evening out the skintone and smoothening the skin for better make-up absorption. It retails for 18.50 US$ at Wishtrend. Also, check out the July promotions on Wishtrend before grabbing your products. Keep in mind their friend-referral program: You can receive a 5 Us$ referral coupon if you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration and you’ll receive this 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 safe 5 US$ which is a great possibility to safe some money.

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asian cosmetics beauty review Wishtrend

Review: Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion

19. June 2015

After using and loving the Pongdang Donkey Milk Emulsion for quite some time now I’ve been really interested in trying more products from Pongdang and the next thing I discovered was the Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion. There are so many cushions right now and I’m tempted to buy more, although I do not really need anymore :D

Pongdang is a Korean brand by people’s. It has a small product range with simple products focussing on the ingredients as it seems to me. They have a webpage >>here<< but it is in Korean. The products have a clean design, which is what was most obvious for me for this brand. You can find their products on Wishtrend. The Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion is a cushion foundation containing 13 different marine extracts for providing moisture to the skin. Apart from that the cushion has SPF 50 and PA+++ in order to protect the skin from UV radiation. The cushion claims to be brightening, moisturizing, and long-lasting.

The cushion foundation comes in a cardboard box made from recycled paper. The design is very simple, typical for Pongdang products. You will find English and Korean description on the cardboard box, too. You can find the ingredients in COSDNA >>here<<, but they are also listed in English on the packaging. Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion contains various sunscreen components like titanium dioxide, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl salicylate, Tinosorb S, and 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor. The latter is labelled red in COSDNA. The key ingredients are also separatelly listed on the cardboard box. Furthermore the product is 6-free, which means it contains 6 non-added formulas. It is written in Korean on the cardboard box which these 6 are, but unfortunatelly I didn’t find the translation. The 13 marine extracts are Marine Collagen, Brown Algae, Agar-agar, Seaweed, Laver, Gom Pi, Gulfweed, Sea Staghorn, Holmes, Sea Mustard, Kelp, Hypnea Cornuta and Fusiforme. You can find further description on Wishtrend, too, or on the official Korean webpage >>here<<.

The cushion foundation itself comes in the regular cushion pact. It comes with a mirror and an application puff inside, too.

The puff feels different than the puff for Missha or Innisfree Cushion and it doesn’t seem to be a ruby-cell puff. Therefore, it doesn’t feel that soft as my other puffs. Another thing I noticed is, that the puffs from my previous cushion foundations have kind of a cooling effect, which is not the case here.

The inside is the same as for all cushion foundations. There is a seal for the soaked cushion inside and the lid to protect the cushion from trying closes properly, too. The sponge is also soaked thoroughly and one touch with the finger will be enough to get a propper amount of the BB cream. Unfortunately, there is only one shade available, which is quite light compared to my skin color at the moment. My face is usually a bit lighter than my hand, but still this BB cream leaves a bit of a white cast due to the bright color in general. Maybe it fits better in winter…The container with the cushion can be removed from the case, so it seems as if there are also refills for this BB cream, but I didn’t see them anywhere online yet.

The coverage of the Pongdang Glow BB Cushion is medium to high. It covers all my freckles and discoloration and gives the skin an even color. Due to the product description I expected this BB cushion to be similar to the Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion, which is one of my favourite bb/cc creams at the moment. The Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion leaves my skin feel moisturized and gives it a natural glow. The Pongdang Glow BB Cushion on the other hand has more of a matte finish and despite the name it doesn’t feel moisturizing at all. Also, the application is very difficult, especially with the included sponge and makes areas like my nose and chin look flakey. It is not buildable either and starts to flake once you try to apply another layer. Moreover, it is not touch-proof and you will leave marks on your complexion every time you touch your skin. With a ruby-cell puff the application works better, and you can create a nice(r) finish, but still the texture is not easy to work with. The scent of the BB cream is a soapy one, but it is not intense.

After loving the Pongdang Donkey Milk Emulsion so much I had high hopes for this cushion. According to the description, the dewy finish and the moisturizing properties of the Pongdang glow BB Cushion intrigued me to try this, but I must say that I don’t think that the product fulfills these claims. The name therefore is also not properly chosen, since I don’t see any dewy finish at all. Maybe, it works better on other skintypes, or maybe I did something wrong here…anyways, if you want to try this because of a dewy finish go for the Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion instead. Although this cushion is not my favourite I’m still curious about all the other items from this brand. I have heard that their regular BB creams are good, too. Maybe it is better to check out one of them instead. The Pongdang Glow BB Cushion retaills for 19.55 US$ at Wishtrend and has a volume of 20 g. Also, check out the June promotions on Wishtrend before grabbing your products. Keep in mind their friend-referral program: You can receive a 5 Us$ referral coupon if you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration and you’ll receive this 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 safe 5 US$ which is a great possibility to safe some money.

♥ And remember to take part in my 2nd bloganniversary giveaway! ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review Wishtrend

Review: COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum

15. June 2015

Despite the fact that my main skin concern is dry skin, which has improved greatly since I’m using asian skincare and an asian inspired skincare routine, I still have another skin concern which is in correlation with increasing age: enlarged pores :’D I have visible pores in my T-zone, especially on my nose and what would be nicer than to make them appear smaller. Of course using BB/CC creams and or primers hides them, still it would be nice to have them smaller even without makeup. For that purpose I have started to use the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum, a daily useable serum containing BHA to gently deep cleanse pores. After using it for around 50 days (maybe more, but I was inconsistent), here is my impression:

COSRX is a affordable Korean brand “offering good quality beauty items for 10 years”. The brand name is composed of COS for cosmetics and RX for prescription. Brand like Ciracle and C20 (yes, the famous vitamin C serum) are also part of COSRX. One of the rather popular skincare lines from COSRX are the AHA/BHA skincare products. I’m using the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum in combination with the COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner I reviewed previously. The packaging design of all the COSRX products is simple and similar. They all come in a white cardboard box with a black area where the product name is written in. The rest of the cardboard box contains very detailled descriptions in English and Korean. You can click on the image below to enlarge and read the description.

The cardboard description also contains the rather short ingredient list of the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum. The ingredients are also listed on COSDNA, if you want to check upon them >>here<<. The main ingredient of this astringent serum is White Willow water, which makes 80 % of the ingredients. Since it is an astringent serum for removing the sebum from clogged pores the second ingredient is alcohol, but although I have dry skin and usually too much alcohol in products makes my skin feel irritated I don’t have that feeling here. I focus for the application on my T-zone mainly, too. The Beta salicylate, the BHA, makes 0.5 % of the ingredients, and helps to exfoliate the troubled areas and smoothen the skin. Condition for the BHA to work is a low pH. The serum itself has a pH of 6-7 according to my meassurement, it says 7 on Wishtrend. Therefore it is important to use a preparation toner with a low pH before. Apart from these ingredients the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum contains Hyaluronic acid for moisturization and Zinc Oxide for UV protection. Nevertheless, you should keep using sunscreen during daytime when using BHA/AHA products!

The COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum contains 100 ml in a pump bottle made of sturdy, frosted plastic. You see an orangy liquid through the bottle. When you receive it, you will notice floating white particles in the liquid and some white residue on the bottom of the bottle. This is the sebum absorption powder as stated in the description and you have to shake the bottle before every use of the serum, so the powder dissolves in the solution. The serum is made for all skintypes for daily use in the morning and evening, but if you have very sensitive skin COSRX suggests to only use it in the evening and 2-3 times a week. Since it is an astringent serum to remove oil and clogged pores I use a cotton pad to swipe the serum over my target areas. It is important to also leave the product until it is fully absorbed, so the effect of the ingredients is not weakened.

The bottom of the bottle has the production and the expiration date printed on and you will find further Korean description on the body label of the bottle and below the sticker. The serum has a shelf-life of 12 months.

I use a couple of pumps on my cotton pads while applying the serum. The serum has a clear, runny consistency and a light alcohol-scent which dissapears super quickly and leaves a scentless finish. The serum absorbs quickly, too, and is not sticky.

The immediat effect of the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum is definetly the deep cleanse of the pores. Even after double cleansing this astringent serum shows some dirt on the cotton pad used. The area around my nose looks cleared up and the pores look less visible, which is only ahort time effect. But what about longterm effects of this serum? As I said at the beginning, I did not use this product religiously day and night, but I’d say I used it for around 50 days in total, maybe more. I’m half-through the bottle now. Below you can see a closeup of my nose starting from the first day I used it up to today. Despite the different lightening conditions you can see that the pores appear less deep. From only looking at the mirror I thought there are no huge changes, but seeing the closeup convinced me, that if used regulary I’m sure that the effects are even better to see. At the moment I do not use any other BHA/AHA products apart from this serum and the Treatment Toner, but I want to start using Mizon AHA serum in the evenings now. Let’s see how all the three (together with my OST Vitamin C serum) work together.

The COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish clearly fulfills its purpose as astringent serum for deep cleansing pores. It immedieatelly makes the pores appear smaller and clearer and even on longterm you can see some changes. If used regulary day and night I’m sure the results will be even more visible. I’d say this is a good BHA serum for people with sensitive skin to start with. I’m in love with it and so far it fits nicely into my skincare routine. Let’s see how it works in combination with a stronger AHA serum and if I will keep repurchasing it or not. ~~You can get the COSRX BHA Summer Poire Minish Serum with a volume of 100 ml from Wishtrend for 13.80 US$.~~ It seems the product is currently out of stock!

Check out my other reviews for COSRX products >>here<<.

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