eye cream Archive | Berries in the Snow

Review: Innisfree Orchid Eye Cream

11. October 2017

We all know how delicate our skin around the eyes is, and it is also the first area where we will observe fine lines and wrinkles. Therefore, it is important to use moisturizer around your eyes, even in younger ages. My current eye cream is the Innisfree Orchid Eye Cream, which I heard many positive things about prior to my bought. After testing this cream for the past months I would like to share my impression with you.

Innisfree is an eco-friendly Korean skincare and makeup brand focusing on natural ingredients from Jeju island and recycle packaging. The design of their products is simple and neat and nicely reflects the ideology of the brand. Innisfree products are usually free from harmful ingredients. They belong to the Amore Pacific group.

Innisfree has different lines for their skincare products. The Orchid line with its purple packaging design is dedicated to total care. It contains Jeju Orchid as a key ingredient, which is rich in antioxidants and thereby acts anti-aging. The Jeju Orchid Innisfree Orchid Eye Cream makes your skin smoother, more healthy and elastic and also improves the skin tone.

The Innisfree Orchid Eye Cream comes in a jar containing 30 ml, which is a lot! Although I’m already using this for months I’m still in the top quarter of the jar. Since the area around our eyes is not that large you only need a bit every day. It would be great if Innisfree comes up with a tube version of this product because it guarantees a more hygienic use of the product.

Ingredients of the Innisfree Orchid Eye Cream

The ingredients of the eye cream are listed on the cardboard box and also on the official Innisfree page. You can also find the ingredients listed on COSDNA and Skincarisma:

WATER, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, SQUALANE, CETYL ETHYLHEXANOATE, LIMNANTHES ALBA (MEADOWFOAM) SEED OIL, ARBUTIN, COPERNICIA CERIFERA (CARNAUBA) WAX, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER, GLYCERYL STEARATE, CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, ORCHID EXTRACT, CAFFEINE, CAMELLIA SINENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, CAMELLIA JAPONICA LEAF EXTRACT, OPUNTIA COCCINELLIFERA FRUIT EXTRACT, CITRUS UNSHIU PEEL EXTRACT, ADENOSINE, C12-20 ALKYL GLUCOSIDE, C14-22 ALCOHOLS, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, LAURIC ACID, MYRISTIC ACID, BEHENYL ALCOHOL, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, STEARIC ACID, ARACHIDYL GLUCOSIDE, ARACHIDYL ALCOHOL, XANTHAN GUM, PALMITIC ACID, POLYGLYCERYL-3 METHYLGLUCOSE DISTEARATE, POLYSORBATE 20, POLYACRYLATE-13, POLYISOBUTENE, PROPANEDIOL, PEG-100 STEARATE, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, DISODIUM EDTA, FRAGRANCE

The product is free from parabens, sulfates, alcohol, and EU allergens. It has brightening functions by using arbutin, and anti-aging properties due to the adenosine. Caffeine will revitalize and there are a bunch of plant-based ingredients included, too!

The Innisfree Orchid Eye Cream has a thick cream formula with a floral scent. It clings to the skin when you apply it and feels very nourishing, but also has a cooling feeling to it. It absorbs very quickly, once patted in and leaves a very light tackiness at first, but does not feel sticky. The tackiness disappears after some moments as well and leaves the skin with a more firm and elastic touch. It does not cause any problems with makeup applied on top once it is absorbed and feels lightweight, too.

I started to use this cream on my lids as well for some months because I had the feeling that the skin there was starting to lose its elasticity. At first, it was a strange feeling to have cream applied above the eyes, but once it dries down you will not feel it any longer. In my experience, the skin above my eyes now feels much better than it did before. Also in general, this eye cream provides enough nourishment and moisture to make the lines less visible and the skin more elastic.The skin feels very smooth after applying the cream.

If you are looking for a nourishing and anti-aging eye cream I can recommend you the Innisfree Orchid Eye Cream. I feel that it has improved my skins elasticity and gives it the right amount of hydration and moisture. If you are sensitive towards scents you won’t be liking this eye cream, though: the floral scent is noticeable and lingers for a while. I’m personally very happy with my purchase and I can only confirm the other positive reviews about this cream. I bought the Innisfree Orchid Eye Cream from Beautytap, but there are also other suppliers for this product:

Beautytap for 24US$ (check out my Coupons & Discount page for special deals and codes)

Beautytap for 24US$ (15% off coupon upon registration)

Beautytap for 24US$

Did you try any products from the Innisfree Orchid line? What is your favorite eye cream? I will definitely consider to try out more products from this skincare line.

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asian cosmetics beauty IASO PR Sample review

Review: IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX

29. January 2016

I have another new Korean brand for you today: It’s the prestige brand IASO! I was able to try one of their products, the IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX, and I’ve reviewed it for you as usual. This eye concentrate is the updated version of the IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate and it has got a changed ingredients list, which you won’t find on the official page yet.

First thing I noticed with IASO is the sleek and luxurious design of their products. The packaging is simple, with no frills. The IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX is part of the anti-wrinkle skin care line and all the products from this line seem to have a golden signature color. Somehow, golden packaging represents already luxury and seems more mature, too. Perfect for the target age of this line. The brand name “IASO” is derived from the name of the eldest daughter of the Greek god of medicine. The brand is founded on the professional knowledge of dermatologists, using plant ingredients for clear, healthy and radiant skin. They did not and do not perform animal testing on their products.

The IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX comes in a useful and sleek tube with a pump. It contains 30 g of product. The cardboard box contains description and ingredients in English. According to the description you should use your ring finger for applying the serum and pat it into the skin gently. That’s in general the way to go best with eye cream, since the skin around our eyes is especially thin. The eye care concentrate is made for all skin types and for use at day or night.

You can look up the ingredients on COSDNA. If you compare them to the ingredients of the old version you will see that it is changed in many aspects: it got rid of a bunch of irritants, but also of ginseng and ginkgo plant extracts. Instead it contains Niacinamide. The list of the new formulation still contains a bunch of preservatives in form of parabens and also three red-flagged ingredients which are BHT, Sodium Metabisulfite (both preservatives), Benzophenone-3 (sunscreen). It would have been nice if they had removed these ingredients aswell, while they were changing the formula.

The amount of one pump is more than enough for both eyes. The IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX has the formulation of a milky gel. It has a fresh and subtle scent. When you spread the gel over the skin it feels very moist and almost watery. It is not feeling heavy or greasy and absorbs relatively fast, leaving the skin slightly tacky. This makes it difficult to be used during day time, if you want to use a concealer for your eyes and dark circles. But the tackyness also mediates a firming effect on the other side. As far as moisture this concentrate gives a good amount of it and I’ve gladly incorporated this eye concentrate into my night-time routine.

The IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX is great in its moisture performance. The design and application of the product are easy and it targets customers which like high-end brands. With 69 US$ as price-tag I would say this is the biggest bummer for this product, especially considering that the improved formulation still has some ingredients, which should not be necessarily added. I would love to see them remove the doubtful ingredients, this would make the heavy retail price at least more justifiable. The product as such is a good one, but I can not and will not encourage you to buy it, since there are more affordable and similar effective products on the market. Nevertheless, IASO has some other interesting products, which might be of more interest. My sister did a review of their Dr. IASO AC Booster on her blog Lovely Attitude. you might want to check out her review aswell.

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://go-iaso.com/ 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: SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Set Part 2

22. December 2015

There is something about oriental ornaments that makes one think about something super luxurious and high quality directly…Please, let’s just appreciate this packaging design of SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Set for a moment! This skin care set contains all the products you need for an elaborate skin care routine from cleanser to essence. I divided this post into two parts. The first part is about the cleanser, skin and emulsion, whereas this second part will be about the eye cream, cream and essence. You can read the first part >>here<< if you have missed it!

SNP is a Korean brand developed by dermatologists and focusing on the creation of functional cosmetics combined with the knowledge of scientific cosmetic research. You may have heard from this brand before, mainly because of their sheet masks. I’m also a big fan of their hydrogel eye patches! But I never tried a full skin care set of this brand which makes it even more exciting to try out this beautiful set!

The products come in a ornamented gift box and if you open the box the inside looks even more breathtaking! All the products are embedded in a red fabric. This looks like a perfect present for any cosmetics lover! The set consists of the SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Skin, SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Emulsion, the SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Essence, SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Cream, and SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Eye Cream. The skin and emulsion also come in an additional travel size. Also, there is a plastic spatula for the cream.

All the products contain 7 different herbal ingredients such as wild ginseng, a kind of figwort, a kind of sage plant, sophora root, codonopsis, pilose bellflower and leguminosae. All these plant extracts are put through a 2-step fermentation process to gain the so-called extract “seonsu”, which is also known as “miraculous water”. Seonsu is a patented herbal fermented solution which supplies nourishment to the skin and maintains health. The skin care line is designed to have anti-aging benefits. The order of use for the products is like this:

Cleansing Foam -> Toner -> Essence -> Lotion -> Cream -> Eye Cream

SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Essence and SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Eye Cream

The SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Essence, which is used after cleansing and toning your face is designed to provide moisture to the skin, aswell as nourishment. Like the previously described products the essence contains a bunch of herbal essences and the fermented herbal solution. The ingredients are:

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, PPG-17/6 Copolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Bis-Peg-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Trehalose, Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Carbomer, Potassium Hydroxide, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Polyacrylate, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Fragnance, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cucurbita Pepo Fruit Extract, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Aspergillus Ferment, Scrophularia Buergeriana Extract, Salvia Miltorrhiza Root Extract, Codonopsis Lanceolata Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Codonopsis Pilosula Root Extract, Pueraria Mirifica Root Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Cimicifuga Dahurica Root Extract, Angelica Polymorpha Sinensis Root Extract, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, C14-C22Alcohol, Squalane, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Triethylhexanoin, Butyrospermum Parkii, Arachidyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Dimethicone, Ceramide 3, Cholesterol, Tromethamine, Peg-100 Stearate

The ingredients are almost all green labelled according to COSDNA. The key ingredients are the same as with the Toner and the Emulsion before and it is mostly herbal extracts you find here. There are some minor irritants here aswell, so be sure to patch-test the product before you use it. The essence has a clear gel-type consistency, which spreads nicely on the skin. It has a tacky feeling while absorbing, but the feeling disappears slowly, especially after using the emulsion and cream afterwards. The essence comes in a convenient pump bottle, which I really do like, although the bottles of the toner and emulsion look way more pretty.

The SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Eye Cream comes in a tiny jar with a pretty lid, similar to the big bottles of the toner and the emulsion. In general the eye cream jar is a miniature version of the cream. The eye cream is supposed to be a highly concentrated herbal eye cream, which absorbs quickly into the thin skin around our eyes. If we look at the ingredients list below, you will spot that it contains a bunch of flower extracts and oils in addition to the herbal ingredients:

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Trigylceride, Hydrogenated C6-14 Olefin Polymers, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Behenyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Cetearyl Glucoside, Potassium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Arachidyl Glucoside, 1,2-Hexanediol, C14-C22Alcohol, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Squalane, Fragnance, Dimethicone, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Triethylhexanoin, Butyrospermum Parkii, Adenosine, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Aspergillus Ferment, Scrophularia Buergeriana Extract, Salvia Miltorrhiza Root Extract, Codonopsis Lanceolata Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Codonopsis Pilosula Root Extract, Dimethicone, Ceramide 3, Carbomer, Cholesterol, Tromethamine, Camelia Japonica Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Olea Europaea fruit Oil, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cucurbita Pepo Fruit Extract, Soy Isoflavones, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Pueraria Mirifica Root Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Cimicifuga Dahurica Root Extract, Tocopherol, Angelica Polymorpha Sinensis Root Extract, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract, Punica Granatum Extract,TBHQ

According to COSDNA almost all ingredients are safe to use with some minor possible irritants. The consistency of the eye cream is a cream-type one which emolifies quickly into the skin. It feels richer than the emulsion, but also absorbs fast.

SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Cream

The SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Cream is probably the key piece of the whole set. It comes in a beautifully ornamented jar. A spatula is included in the set, so you do not have to use your fingers, which is more hygienic. The cream is designed to give high moisture and nutrients to the skin. It has the herbal ingredients as key ingredients as the whole line has, but it also contains olive oil. Here is the full ingredients of the cream:

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Diisostearyl Malate, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Triethylhexanoin, Di-C12-13 Alkyl Malate, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Caprylic/Capric Trigylceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyacrylate-13, Peg-100 Stearate, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii, Propanediol, Polyisobutene, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Glucoside, C14-C22Alcohol, Squalane, Polysorbate 20, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Fragnance, Adenosine, Arachidyl Glucoside, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Disodium EDTA, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Aspergillus Ferment, Scrophularia Buergeriana Extract, Salvia Miltorrhiza Root Extract, Codonopsis Lanceolata Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Codonopsis Pilosula Root Extract, Ceramide 3, Carbomer, Cholesterol, Tromethamine, Cucurbita Pepo Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Beta-Glucan, Soy Isoflavones,Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Pueraria Mirifica Root Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Cimicifuga Dahurica Root Extract, Angelica Polymorpha Sinensis Root Extract, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract, Punica Granatum Extract

As for all of the products of this set, there are mostly green flagged ingredients according to COSDNA with some minor irritants and acne triggers. Other than that, the cream is a rich and nourishing one with a soft, creamy texture. It makes a great night cream in my eyes, or is nice for dry skin and for cold seasons, since it is so rich.

From these three products the cream is definitively the highlight, but I do like the essence aswell. If I would choose one product from the whole line it would be the essence, but I wished it also came in a more beautiful bottle like the cream or the toner and emulsion. Of course the design of the whole box is awesome and it will make the most beautiful gift for someone. If we look closer at the ingredients we mainly spot a whole bunch of different plant extracts. The products all contain fragrance, but the scent is a herbal one. I had to get used to it at first, but that is typical for most products with oriental medicine inspired ingredients. Take a look at part I for the toner, essence and cleanser. I hope this review was helpful! By the way, the whole set retails for a proud 160000 Won (around 160 US$)!

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:

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

Just as a short reminder: All products mentioned and reviewed on this blog are of my personal opinions. This product here was sent to me for reviewing purpose by http://www.bntnews.co.uk/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: White Cat Super Berry Silky Eye Balm

24. November 2015

White Cat was absolutely a unknown Korean brand for me until I received the White Cat Super Berry Silky Eye Balm from BNTnews this month. This multifunctional eye balm can be used either before or after makeup and works as a primer, but also has anti-aging benefits and improves wrinkles and dark circles. It is useable on the rest of your face, too, for example on the T-zone or on your lips as lip balm. It seems to be really a nice multipurpose product in a super adorable packaging!

White Cat is a Korean brand using safe natural ingredients for all ages and preferences.Their products are designed to be natural friendly, hypo-allergenic and keep your skin healthy and beautiful. I really like that their official web page is also available in English. All their products seem to have a typical design in pink with leopard print all over. The logo displays a white cat, therefore the name, too. The packaging is really pretty and cute in my eyes.

The White Cat Super Berry Silky Eye Balm combines 12 berry ingredients: Chinese matrimony vines, raspberries, amqui berries, korean black raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, acai berries, bilberries, black currant, cranberries,blueberries, and raspberry vine. These berries are rich in antioxidants and therefore have great anti-wrinkle and anti-aging properties. They provide moisture and nutrition. White Cat also claims to uphold the principle of paraben-free, artificial scent free, and artificial color free. They do not use any of the 20 toxins used in cosmetics as announced by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The other ingredients have been added to COSDNA and you will find that the list doesn’t contain any unsafe ingredients, but some minor irritants. If you know that you can react to any of the ingredients make sure to patch-test the product before. Half of the ingredients lists consist of the berry fruit extracts mentioned above, but you will also find titanium dioxide (UV protection), squalane (moisturizing), and beeswax (nourishing, emollient) inside this balm.

The White Cat Super Berry Silky Eye Balm comes in a cute pink jar containing 15 g, which is quite a lot for an eye cream. Since it also has a balm texture it feels like forever until I will use this up. On the other hand, if you also use this as a primer all over your face as it is also recommended on the official product page it might use up more quickly. The white balm texture has a super soft and silky touch. It has also a matte finish and because of that makes fine lines less visible. It feels very light on the skin, too, but still provides moisture. I liked using this during day time before my makeup, but it also can be used above the makeup. If you want to use it above your makeup you should be very careful with the amount, because otherwise it may be cakey. Just put on little by little in order to prevent this. Also, if you use this on your eyelid you also have to be more careful with the amount of balm, otherwise it will settle in your eye crease. The White Cat Super Berry Silky Eye Balm also is practically scentless. If you stick your nose into the jar you will recognize a faint berry/oil scent, but actually, you smell nothing if you use the product.

Below there is an image of the skin under my eyes without and with the White Cat Super Berry Silky Eye Cream. you can see how the balm blurrs the area under my eyes and makes the deeper lines less noticeable.

All in all, I’m happy about getting to know a new Korean brand. The packaging of the White Cat products and this White Cat Super Berry Silky Eye Balm is adorable and looks nice on the dressing table among all the other cute Korean products I have. I also do like the silky balm texture and that the balm appears to be matte while still being moisturizing. And of course, it is multi-functional, which is always a plus! All in all, I’m happy with the White Cat Super Berry Silky Eye Balm. Hopefully the White Cat products will be getting more popular and we will be able to try other products from this brand. Retail prize for the White Cat Super Berry Silky Eye Balm is 32000 Won, which is around 32 US$ depending on the exchange rates.

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:

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

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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beauty PR Sample review

Review: Lavera Illuminating Eye Cream

2. November 2015

If you are a user of natural cosmetics you will have heard of the German brand Lavera. A while ago I was lucky enough to receive this Lavera Illuminating Eye Cream for testing and although I’m not that consitent in grabbing natural cosmetics only I do attempt to try them more often than in the past. The Lavera Illuminating Eye Cream is an example for a good daytime eye cream made of natural ingredient.

Lavera, one of the well-known German natural cosmetics brands was founded 25 years ago and is known and available in 40 different countries all over the world. Their ingredients are mainly plant-derived and moreover they are against animal testing. The Lavera Illuminating Eye Cream is a good example for this, since it is free of paraben, mineral oil, silicon, micro beads, phtalaten, synthetic scents, -color and -preservatives.

The Lavera Illuminating Eye Cream has pearl extracts and caffein as key ingredients, but the ingredients list contains some more potential substances, like hyaluronic acid, titanium dioxide, shea butter and some other plant ingredients. You will find all the ingredients on the packaging, but the description is in German only. The ingredients are also labelled whether they are from certified organic agriculture or if they are natural essential oils. This tube of eye cream contains 15 ml of product.

The packaging is simple, yet pretty, showing some pearls on it. The tube is a regular small-sized eye cream tube made of plastic. I think that these tubes are reasonable for eye cream, although it is more convenient to have a pump dispenser.

The Lavera Illuminating Eye Cream has a cream consitency and a pale pink color. It contains shimmery pearl extract and glimmer, which reflects the light on the skin when blended in and makes the skin appear more bright and glowy. Tired eyes and a dull expression can be reduced this way. It has a creamy babypowder scent and absorbs quite quickly after patting it in. If you use conceiler under your eyes you should definitively give the cream enough time to set, otherwise it will not work with other products.

All in all, the Lavera Illuminating Eye Cream is a good product and especially for day time use. The reflection of the light gives the skin a nice shimmer, which doesn’t look to heavy or unnatural. Peaople sensitive to scents will find the scent maybe to strong. The scent definitively lingers when I try the cream on my hand, but under my eyes I do not notice it. You can also use the eye cream on your lips, cheeks or eye lid for some reflecting shimmer. The Lavera Illuminating Eye Cream retails for 9.45€. If you live in Germany you can find it in your local druf store. I can advise you to check out the official Lavera page. There is a 2 € coupon for the Lavera Illuminating Eye Cream available >>here<<. You can find some Lavera products also on Amazon!

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.dm.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: Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program Part 2

15. July 2015

Some of you have been probably waiting for my second part review for the Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program. In the first part I showed you already this gorgeously packed set consisting of 28 ampoule vials and two eye cream tubes and I talked about my impression. Today I will go a bit into the detail considering the ingredients and my verdict after using it for 28 days.

Coréana is quite a well known Korean company with the motto “art through nature”. It has quite a variety of brands, like Senite or Biodefense and many more. Sho is one brand of Coréana using horse oil as key ingredient. Horse oil or “Mayu” has been very popular in Korea in the last months, especially during winter, because of its deeply moisturizing properties. The Sho EGFactor line combines the horse oil with EGF in order to have even more anti-aging properties. This Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program contains two items: an ampoule and eye cream.

Everything has a beautiful golden color. Even the vials have golden caps. I love the ornaments on the eye cream containers and their syringe shape. I showed some more details about the eye cream packaging in the first post, too. All in all, the Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program is a beautifully packed gift, targeting more mature skin and therefore makes a good present for your mother maybe?!

Now, let’s take a closer look at the ingredients of the Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program this time: The key ingredients of this anti aging kit are Jeju’s horse oil and EGF as the name already says.

Horse Oil

Let’s talk about Mayu first: Mayu (korean), Bayhu (japanese) or Horse Oil has been used in ancient times but it became popular again recently. Horse oil has been known as home remedy for treating dry and chapped skin for many years. It is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and is close to human sebum in its composition and therefore absorbs fast into the skin, which leads to a more elastic and hydrated skin with an improved barrier. By the way, in order to obtain horse oil no horses have to be killed! It is taken from underneath the mane without harming the animal and refined afterwards.

EGF- Epidermal Growth Factor

The second key ingredient is EGF. What is EGF and what does it actually do for our skincare? EGF is the short term for Epidermal Growth Factor. In the ingredients list you will find it as human oligopeptide-1. The EGF targets specific receptors in the cell (EGFR) and is the necessary molecule for this receptor in order to work. From the name you can already tell that it promotes the cell growth, so it is important for our body, since dying and growing cells are a regular process in our body.

Short excursus: It is important to note the difference between the receptor and the EGF: EGF is not carcenogenic! Mutations in cells can cause an overexpression of the EGFR for example, which means we have too many of these receptors in our cells, which can lead to uncontrolled growth of cells, means cancer. Other proteins can put the EGFR in a permanent on-state, which leads to uncontrolled growth of cells aswell.

But does EGF have anti-aging properties? Since the EGF should address wrinkles in first place it has to affect the collagen production somehow in order to be beneficial for our skin. When EGF is applied with a cream it has to be absorbed into the dermis, the inner layer of the skin, to have any effect, and only a very, very small amount of topically applied EGF will be able to reach the dermis at all. And even if it helps to produce collagen it does not have any effect on the degradation of the old collagen. In conclusion we can say that the EGF may be responsible for a plumping effect of the outer skin layer, but it will not have any effect on the inner skin layer and therefore will not reduce wrinkles.

Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program Ampoule

I’m starting off with the Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program Ampoule first. As I described in my first review, the ampoule comes in 28 tiny brown glass vials with a golden cap. In order to open them, you have to push the cap, which is super hard! I’m not kidding! I’m struggling every time when I want to open up a new vial and sometimes I have to ask my bf to open it, because it takes such an effort. I do not know why they designed the vials like this, because it is not convenient to have such a hard time with the ampoule every night before going to bed. They could have either made a large ampoule bottle with a dropper instead, or if they wanted to pack these up in single portions they should have taken these tear-shaped capsules which you can tear open. The ampoule itself has a golden, clear color and has a gel-oil-type consistency and a pleasant scent. It takes some time to absorb, but if you are patient it will sink into the skin, leaving it moist but with a tacky feeling. The packaging description says that one ampoule vial is for one day use of your face and neck. Each vial contains 2 ml, but I personally think that 1 ml is more than enough for face and neck. Taking the whole amount of the product makes it only more difficult to absorb and may result in a sticky feeling, too. I started to use the ampoule before my final moisturizer, but I decided that it is better to mix it with my night time moisturizer instead of applying it separately. My skin doesn’t feel dry nor dehydrated in the next morning, since the barrier of night cream and ampoule keep all the moisture inside. I’m sure this ampoule will do great work in cold seasons. The ingredients of the ampoules are:

water, glycerine, dipropylene glycol, morinda citrifolia fruit extract, alcohol, xylitylglucoside, saccharide isomerate, hydrolyzed elastin, hydrolyzed collagen, morus alba twig extract, human oligopeptide-1 (0.1 ppm), acetyl glycosamine, sodium hyalurunate, glycosaminoglycans, colloidal gold, acetyl heptapeptide-9, anhydroxylitol, xylitol, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymere, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, PPG-26-buteth-26, glyceryl acrylate/acrylic acid copolymere, butylene glycol, horse fat, phenoxyethanol, fragnance, potassium hydroxide, ethylhexylglycerin, disodium EDTA, benzoic acid, dehydroacetic acid, yellow 5, red 4, blue 1

The ingredients are safe to use according to COSDNA and you can have a more close look at them >>here<<.

Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program Eye Cream

The Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program Eye Cream comes in these two beautiful syringe-shaped containers. Each of them contains 10 ml, which is quite a lot for eye cream. The good thing about having two of them is, that I could put one in my own bathroom and the other one at my bf’s apartment :D. Although the packaging states, that this product is an eye cream you will find in the directions to apply it all over your face. I don’t know if this is a translation mistake, or if this is really meant to be. I only used it for my eye area after all. The eye cream is a cream type, light product, which melts into the skin easily and absorbs very quickly, leaving a matte and not greasy finish. It is not heavy either, so you can use it also on your eyelid and not only for your under eye region. I have absolutely no complaints about the eye cream, since it absorbs fast and feels nice on the skin. The pump type syringe container is very easy to use and you can even close and open it, so it can e carried around without spilling product. The ingredients for the eye cream are:

water, propanediol, cetyl ethylhexanoate, caprylic/ capric triglyceride, morinda citrifolia fruit extract, cetearyl alcohol, glycerine, cetearyl olivate, methyl gluceth-20, sorbitan olivate, pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, dimethicone, hydrolysed elastin, morus alba twig extract, hydrolyzed collagen, human oligopeptide-1 (0.1 ppm), tocopheryl acetate, sodium hyalurunate, lecithin, acetyl heptapeptide-9, colloidal gold, glyceryl stearate, beeswax, hydrogenated vegetable oil, PEG-100 stearate, sodium acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl, tarate copolymer, xanthan gum, isohexadecane, polysorbate80, horse fat, phenoxyethanol, fragnance, ethylhexyl glycerin, disodium EDTA

The ampoule and the eye cream have quite some ingredients in common as you can see. You can check all the ingredients on COSDNA >>here<<.

My final verdict for the Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program is that the products on their own are good products and will be nice for dry skin types. Both products are hydrating and feel nourishing for the skin. But, is there any improvement considering their anti-wrinkle claim? I do not see any changes in the amount of fine lines I have (for example on my forehead or under eyes) after using this program for the advised 28 days and longer. Since I like the hydrating properties of it I will continue to use them up, but in case you are looking for a anti-wrinkle wonder I can assure you that this product will not change anything. Now, the negative points for the Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program are the design of the ampoule vials and the price tag of this set. The vials are so hard to open and I do not see the sense in that point. Especially in the evening you don’t want to use all your last powers to open up a tiny ampoule vial. For lazy people this will be a reason to skip the ampoule. And the price tag is for this set is….enormously high! You can find it on ebay for around 100 US$. I saw it on RoseRoseShop discounted from 296 US$ (???) to 59.26 US$. Would I spend 100 bucks for this skincare set? No! 50 US$ seems much more reasonable, and it is considerable to buy this set a a mother’s day gift or similar.

This product was provided to me by BNTnews for reviewing. Don’t forget to visit the other BNTGirls Doris, Celine, Alene, Kim and Bella and check out their reviews. And visit BNTnews for the latest Korean news and trends:

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

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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Review: Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program Part 1

5. June 2015

If I’m buying cosmetics I’m usually on the hunt for budget cosmetic finds. I’m not a person longing for luxury cosmetic brands, because in my experience the cheaper ones do a good job, too. When I received the May BNT Beauty Box there was one item which looked like a high-end brand to me from first glance: the Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program. This anti-wrinkle kit is a skincare program designed for 28 days of use in order to boost your skin with Jeju horse oil and EGF for a timeless and younger looking skin. This is probably the most expensive cosmetic product I have tried in my life so far! In this post I will show you the content of this kit and include my first impression. I didn’t use it for the full 28 days yet, so I will be making a second review part for this product, where I will take a closer look at the ingredients and show you some before and after pictures (if there is any difference). First, let’s take a breath and look at this amazing and elegant packaging:

Coréana is quite a well known Korean company with the motto “art through nature”. It has quite a variety of brands, like Senite or Biodefense and many more. Sho is one brand of Coréana using horse oil as key ingredient. Horse oil or “Mayu” has been very popular in Korea in the last months, esecially during winter, because of its deeply moisturizing properties. The Sho EGFactor line combines the horse oil with EGF in order to have even more anti-aging properties. This Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program contains two items: an ampoule and eyecream.

The items are packed in a beautiful box, in golden and brown colors. It is a hologram on the box, so you see if it is an original product or a fake. The logo of Sho shows a horse and reflects the key ingredient. You can flip open the lip and you will find the logo with the horse inside aswell. the inside of the box has a golden color, too.

You can already tell from the packaging that this is a more expensive product. The is even a transparent paper with golden imprints to separate the lid of the box from the products.

Finally, you’ll find the ampoules and the eye creams inside. There are two seringe shaped eyecream containers and 28 small vials with the ampoule. To be honest, I thought there would be one eye creeam container and I was totally surprised to see the two seringes inside the box.

Even for the products the colors are in brown and golden. The eyecreams even have some beautiful golden embroided ornaments and really look pretty.

Ususally, the eyecreams I have used were either packed in a regular tube, or a jar. I have never seen an eyecream packaging like this.

You can twist one end of the seringe to open or close it and by pressing on that end you can push out some eyecream from the tube.

The material is plastic, but it seems good quality plastic, too. If you press down the bottom you’ll get a nice dollop of the eyecream, which is more than enough for the eyes. The eyecream is a creamtype one, which is supposed to treat and brighten the eye area through a soft, easily absorbed texture that suits even sensitive eyes. The eyecream has a light floral scent and absorbs quite quickly. It doesn’t feel greasy or heavy. Each of the eyecream seringes contains 10 ml of eye cream.

The ampoules contain 2 ml and each ampoule is designed for one use. The 2 ml seem small but it is more than enough for the face AND the neck. The ampoule is designed to prevent the skin from dryness while preserving oil-moisture balance. In order to open these small vials you have to push aside the golden cap. I found it quite difficult to open so far, but maybe I’ll get the hang of it :’D

The consitency of the ampoule is not oil-like, but rather like a gel-type emulsion. It has a clear, light golden color. It is a bit sticky and takes quite some time to absorb, but it isn’t greasy at all. The scent is the same floral scent as the eye cream has.

As I said at the beginning: I didn’t use the Coréana Sho EGFactor 28 Days Timeless Program for many days, so I cannot tell you any details about how effective it is yet. So far I didn’t react negatively and I’m really curious if there is any difference after the 28 days of use :D As for the packaging and the overall design, this kit is definitively eyecandy! I hope this first impression made you curious to read my second part of this review in a couple of weeks. I will include the ingredients and give a final verdict for this product then. What is your first impression on this anti-aging kit? It may be a pretty present for next mother’s day, do you agree?

This product was provided to me by BNTnews for reviewing. Don’t forget to visit the other BNTGirls Doris, Celine, Alene and Bella and check out their reviews. And visit BNTnews for the latest Korean news and trends:

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

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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Review: Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream

24. July 2014

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

I loved the previous eye cream I reviewed by Laneige because of its hydration, but since it was only a sample I bought a new one: Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream! Phew, it is a long name so I will shorten it to Mizon’s Snail Repair Eye Cream throughout the review ;) There are a lot of people out there who are familliar with the Mizon Snail Repair skincare line and snail mucus has been a highly raved ingredient in the past year and still it is. Mizon’s Snail Repair Cream has a lot of fans and this is the eye cream in this skincare range. Some of you might be wondering, because it comes in a jar ususally, but since some time ago Mizon offers this size for the cream and the eye cream, too. Since you normally don’t use a lot of eye cream throughout the day, I find that jars are normally like forever lasting and if you don’t like the cream you end up wasting a lot of product. I was really happy about this travel size tube ( which was affordable, too!) and bought it right away.

Mizon is a Korean brand and as already mentioned the Multi Funcional Formula Snail Repair Line is the most well known amonst their products. I reviewed the really recommendable Snail Recovery Gel Cream earlier and this is the perfect product for snail mucus newbies. And don’t worry, the cream or nothing about it 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 had a sealed packaging with a reflective sticker, and this one also has a sign that it is approved by the KMAC (Korean Model Association Certificate). Honestly, I don’t know this certificate or know what it means and I didn’t find anything on google either. Any information anyone?

As already said earlier, the cream comes in a standard tube with a screwing cap. I would have preferred a pump instead of jar or normal tube, because it is more hygienic, but a tube is already more hygienic than a jar in my opinion. The tube comes in a cardboard box containing the description in English and Korean. Also the ingredients are written in English, which is great. The components of the cream are not harmfull according to COSDNA and mostly green flagged. There are some irritants/acne triggers though, so if you have sensitive skin, you may check the ingredients first. The main ingredient is the snail secration filtrate, which is on first place in the list. It makes 80% of the cream, which is a great amount. Snail secration filtrate is supposed to promote wound healing and have a positive effect on photodamaged skin.

Note that you can find the production date (not the expiration date!) on the top of the tube.

The application of the cream is easy. You need only a tiny amount of the cream which can be dosed easily by the tube. The cream has a white, creamy consistency and does not look like snail mucus at all. It has no scent either. While applying the cream the consistency turns more watery and aborbs fast into the skin, leaving it without any traces or greasiness. It makes the skin feel matte and healthy.

Do I like the this cream: Yes. It is a good eye cream for the day time. I also had no problems with it when applying concealer for example. In terms of moisture, I still think that Laneige’s Waterbank Eye Gel is my favourite. This one gives you a more healthy look. I can’t say that it makes my fine eye lines vanished, but it helps to make the under eye area look nurished. I can recommend this eye cream as a good daily eye cream. At night, I use another eye care product (serum) atm. You can find the tube for 10.37 US$ at W2Beauty. If you want to try the tube I would look at www.testerkorea.com.

Who knows this eye cream or would like to try it?

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Review: Laneige Waterbank Eye Gel

28. June 2014

Today’s review will be on Laneige’s Waterbank Eye Gel, a gel type eyecream claiming to be extra moisturizing. Laneige has a whole skincare line named “Waterbank” for moisturizing skin. I had a couple of samples for this cream and here is the impression this eye cream left to me.

The main color of this line is blue, therefore the fullsize product comes in a blue colored jar. The fullsize contains a spatula, too, in order to be able to leave the product in the jar as hygienic as possible. I don’t know how much product is contained in each sample sachet but each sachet had enough eye cream to be used a couple of days, since you only need a tiny bit for the skin around your eyes.

This eyecream claims to be moisturizing and also vitalizing. The ingredients list is quite long, but most of them are green flaged according to COSDNA. The sample sachet contained ingredients in English, and also the directions were in English, which is great.

As to the consistency of the eye cream: it is a milky gel type cream, which reminds of a balm. Also the feeling of the gel is more like a balm, than a gel/cream. As soon as it is worked into the skin, it feels like turning into water. It feels moisturizing and refreshing on the same time, while absorbing fast into the skin. Also the moisturizing effect stays for the whole day. I had the feeling my eye area was still hydrated at the end of the day, when I applied the cream in the morning ♥ The scent is the typical scent you might know from Laneige. It is fresh and soapy, without being to strong and irritating.

All in all, I didn’t expect this cream to be such a good moisturizer, but it is! I love the effect and how the effect is still noticeable at the end of the day. If you are looking for a really good moisturizing eye cream, then I would recommend you to buy Laneige Waterbank Eye Gel. The only downside is, that it is a bit expensive, since it is from Laneige. But since one does not need a lot of eyecream per day, I think that the fullsize jar will go a long way until it is empty. I’m seriously thinking of buying the jar as soon as I have finished my other opened eyecreams. You can buy Laneige Waterbank Eye Gel at ebay for around 40 US$.

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Review: Skinfood Royal Honey Eye Cream

14. May 2013

Hey ♥

I had a sample for Skinfood’s Royal Honey Eye Cream and I’ll give a short review for it here. It’s part of Skinfood’s Royal Honey line, which seems quite popular. The packaging of this line is very nice, too. All products have a yellow color with brown stripes somewhere, referring to bees :D

The description on Skinfood’s official web page says:

Details: A treatment eye cream with royal black honey and royal jelly extracts that moisturizes and adds a nice honey glow to delicate skin around the eyes.

Royal Black Honey: Royal Black Honey is natural raw black honey from South Asian forests, one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. Royal Black Honey enriches with a myriad of nutrients that are amazingly good for the skin.

* To Use After toner application, apply around the eyes with gentle strokes.

The packaging of the sample is really cute, as well. It’s shaped like a honeypot and has a bee swirling around it. :D

The cream itself is a rich creme. It seems richer than Skinfood’s Salmon Brightening Eye Cream (review >>here<<) and its consistency is thicker. I didn’t have the feeling that the cream emulsifies on the eye once you start blending it in. It needs longer to absorb into the skin than the Salmon Brightening Eye Cream, too. Nevertheless it moisturizes really good. Due to the rich, creamy consistency it doesn’t feel as light as the Salmon Brightening Eye Cream. I didn’t see any effect on dark circles though. The cream has a pleasant honey-like skin, which is not to intense

All in all, I would say that Skinfood’s Royal Honey Eye Cream is a good moisturizing Eye cream which nourishes the skin under your eyes really good. But for use during daytime I’d prefer the Salmon Brightening Eye Cream, which also performs better with dark circles.

You can buy the full size product containing 30 ml in a tube at W2beauty for US$ 22.60. The Salmon Brightening Eye Cream (30 g) costs US$ 23.60. If you use my link or the sponsor code 088505 for registration at W2Beauty you’ll get a 5.00 $ voucher after registration.

♥ Don’t forget to take part in my giveaway >>here<< ♥

♥ And I’d be happy if you follow me via bloglovin’ (or facebook) ♥

Rating:

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