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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review TesterKorea

Review: Nature Republic Body & Nature Provence Peach Body Butter | TesterKorea

7. March 2016

// PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY / SKINCARE //

This is round No. 2 for the 1st Realtesters from TesterKorea. I have prepared three more reviews (see my Instagram) for you which I will be sharing within the next days. I will start with the Nature Republic Body & Nature Provence Peach Body Butter. I love body butters / lotions / milk / oils. I’m using them after each and every shower…since I have dry skin and I love hot showers, which makes the skin even drier (I know…but I simply cannot stand a lukewarm shower except in hot summers).

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

Nature Republic is a Korean brand founded in 2009 and using the slogan ‘journey to nature’. They are one of many Korean brands addressing natural cosmetics and their consumers. One of their most famous products is probably the Nature Republic Aloe Vera Soothing Gel, which comes in this huge container and is super affordable, too. I haven’t tried many products from that brand although many of their products really look interesting…somehow I decide to buy rather from Innisfree and Etude House in the end. And the moment I’m deciding to buy something from Nature Republic it is usually sold out…:D

The Nature Republic Body & Nature Provence Peach Body Butter comes in a cute jar in a peachy-pink color, showing some illustrations of peaches as well. The illustration fits nicely to the key ingredient of this body butter, which is obviously peach. The descriptions on the jar in Korean, but if you peel up the sticker on the bottom of the jar it reveals the English description. I discovered this after I made the pictures for this post. You can check the ingredients of the body butter on COSDNA. Taking a look at the list you will spot that the body butter contains kernel extract, leaf extract, fruit extract, and flower extract of peach, which have great moisturizing properties. But it also contains cocoa seed butter, which is a great moisturizer, too. Furthermore, Glycerin provides the skin with moisture. A second closer look will reveal two silicones in the ingredients as well (Cylclohexasiloxa and Cyclopentasiloxane). It is common for body products that they contain silicones, because they have the effect of making the skin smoother. The disadvantage of silicones in body creams is that they build a layer on top of your skin instead of sinking into it. This causes a peeling of the product after a while.

The texture of the Nature Republic Body & Nature Provence Peach Body Butter is thick and silky-smooth. It feels like hardened butter, but can be spread nicely on the skin, making it soft. The body butter smells amazingly of peaches. I do not like too artificial peach scent, but I liked this one. I already used it excessively on my body and it really makes the skin silky smooth (silicons), but also feels moisturizing. I had the peeling problem in areas like elbows and knees, where the product started to build crumbles after a couple of hours, especially when I rubbed with my fingers onto the skin. Apart from this I cannot say anything negative about this body milk.

Nature Republic Body & Nature Provence Peach Body Butter reminds me of the body butters by The Body Shop. I loved and still love using these, but this one from Nature Republic comes close to them as well. The scent is divine. If you like peach scent you will be in peach- heaven here. The design is cute, too. It retails on TesterKorea for 13500 Won (~11.44 US$) for 150 ml of volume.

What is your favorite body care product? Do you prefer body butters or oils / lotions /milks?

Also, check out my previous reviews for TesterKorea:

Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack

Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream

Etude House Tint My Brows Gel

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

asian cosmetics beauty Etude House PR Sample review

Etude House Pink Bird Box February “Berry Delicious Collection”

6. March 2016

After some delays at the post office and customs I finally was able to receive my Pink Bird Box for February all dedicated to the new Etude House Berry Delicious collection. This collection is so adorable and cute and I was longing for the products from the first moment I saw the advertorial pictures on Etude House’s Social Media. And the theme fits perfect to my blog’s name, don’t you think the same? :D

First of all, some words about the Korean brand Etude House: Etude House is one of the best known Korean brands for cute packaging. If you are a lover of cute, girly and pink packaging, reminding you of being a child and the princess you always dreamt to be, THIS is your brand. Their packaging is usually so adorable that you cannot keep yourself from impuls-buys – only because you saw the packaging… Etude House has a blogger program called Pink Bird. Selected blogger will receive a monthly box for a defined period of time packed with selected products for reviewing purpose. I’m really proud and happy to be part of their Pink Bird program!

The Etude House Berry Delicious Collection is the main spring/summer line of Etude House for 2016. As you can see from the collection name, the theme of the collection is all about strawberries. The February Pink Bird Box comes with four products of the Berry Delicious collection, all of them covered in lots of strawberries :D. The box contains the Etude House Berry Delicious Any Cushion, the Etude House Berry Delicious Color in Liquid Lips_Juicy in shade “RD305”, the Etude House Berry Delicious Fantastic Color Eyes, and the Etude House Berry Delicious Cream Blusher in “RD301”. Additionally, the Pink Box came with a Berry Delicious Make-Up Pouch, which I fell deeply in love with ♥

Etude House Berry Delicious Precious Mineral Any Cushion

The Etude House Berry Delicious Precious Mineral Any Cushion is a cushion foundation, which creates beautiful pearly bright skin with its full coverage and smoothing effects according to the description. It is the first Etude House cushion I’m using, so I cannot compare it to the other Etude House cushion, but since it says “Precious Mineral Any Cushion” it will be the same as Etude House’s first cushion, the “Precious Mineral Any Cushion”. It comes in two shades, N02 (light beige) and W13 (natural beige). I received the light beige cushion, which is slightly brighter than my natural skin tone, but still goes well with it. The cushion comes in a pink and red cardboard box with the Berry Delicious logo printed on top. It has the English and Korean description written on, too. You can also look up the ingredients >>here<<, if you are interested. It contains safe ingredients and uses Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide and Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate for sun protection and has SPF 50+/ PA++.

The cushion itself comes also with strawberries all over. It is so pretty! It comes with a rubycell sponge inside and has a mirror attached to the inside of the lid. The real cushion is comes in a container with a plastic lid to prevent it from drying. As all cushion pacts this kind of containers are very convenient to use and perfect for travelling or handbags. You can remove the container with the cushion from the cushion case and refill it with a new one, once it is empty. All other Etude House cushion foundation refills should work…and if I’m not mistaken all products from Amore Pacific should work, too….Since the design is so cute it is nice that you can actually keep the case and reuse it.

When applying the foundation with the sponge you will feel the signature cooling effect of cushion foundations. The foundation leaves a matte finish and has medium coverage. After some time the foundation starts to get flaky around my nose and smilelines, which is due to the matte texture and my dry skintype. All in all the finish is very nice and natural- except for the flaking after some time and the need to touch it up somehow. It evens out the skintone as well. The foundation has a light and fresh floral scent.

Etude House Berry Delicious Cream Blusher

The next product is the Etude House Berry Delicious Cream Blusher. The cream blusher doesn’t have an additional cardboard box but simply comes as it is in a small round plastic container with strawberry design.

Shade “RD301” is a pink/red cream blush. It comes with a sponge for applying the product, but I find it easier to use the fingers. It has a plastic sheet for separating the sponge from the blush which is imprinted with tiny strawberries.

The color applies smoothly and looks very pretty on the cheeks. Since it is a cream blusher it is also long-lasting. And, it smells of strawberries! There are three colors available for the Berry Delicious Cream Blusher. I’m showing you shade #1 here.

Etude House Berry Delicious Color in Liquid Lips_Juicy

The Etude House Berry Delicious Color in Liquid Lips are described as moisturizing strawberry moisture which softly melts on the lips, with the sweet and sour colors and expressing juicy, wet lips. They provide watery and long-lasting finish. Previously, Etude House released Color in Liquid Lips in last summer, but I never bought any of these lip tints- I do not know why. The Berry Delicious versions of the Color in Liquid Lips of course have the strawberry theme again and are designed like berries. The product comes in a cardboard box with Korean and English descriptions, too.

A total of 9 shades are available for these lip tint. I’m showing you the shade RD305 “Berry Very Much”. This lip tint comes with an angled applicator for applying the product. The texture is creamy and reminds me of the Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint. It has a strawberry scent though and gives a nice color on the lips, which is pigmented and yet not too overly bright. The creamyness vanishes with time and leaves a decent stain on the lips for a pretty long time.

Etude House Berry Delicious Fantastic Color Eyes

The last product from this months Pink Bird Box is the Etude House Berry Delicious Fantastic Color Eyes in “#8 Strawberry Fondue” and is dedicated to the topic “when strawberries meet chocolate”. There is a second eyeshadow palette available for the Berry Delicious collection, too. The beautifully designed palette comes in a similar cute cardboard packaging, which English and Korean description. The eyeshadow palette comes with 6 different eyeshadow shades with different textures and an applicator with two sides.

The colors of the palette have adorable names which are imprinted on a plastic sheet to protect the eyeshadows. Hazelnut Chocolate and Berry Milk Chocolate are matte colors without any shimmer particles. Sugary Butte, Fresh Strawberry and Dip!Dip! contain larger shimmery particles and the shade Cheese Berry has a more subtle shimmer. The colors create some fall-off when using a brush to apply and have a light pigmentation, which can be enhanced when using an eyeshadow primer. The colors are nicely blendable though. I like the selection of colors and surprisingly I really enjoy the three shimmery colors of this palette more than the matte colors.

Last but not least, the pouch is perfect, too! I cannot wait to use it in future.

All four products used together can create a lovely makeup already and I’m feeling ready for spring and summer :D The new Berry Delicious collection comes even with more product, which you can check out >>here<<. There is a mascara, lip treatment and body skincare products. I definitely would love to try the Berry Delicious Strawberry Body Peel & Wash and the Strawberry Body Milk. There is also a super cute bread sponge available :D

I love the products in this month’s Pink Bird Box. They are so pretty and as a strawberry lover I fell in love directly. The Etude House Berry Delicious Any Cushion retails for 21.60 US$, the Etude House Berry Delicious Color in Liquid Lips_Juicy retail for 12.40 US$, the Etude House Berry Delicious Fantastic Color Eyes retails for 16.80 US$, and the Etude House Berry Delicious Cream Blusher retail for 11.00 US$.

For all the news about ETUDE HOUSE’s products, you can follow their global Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/etude.gl

or their official Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/etude_official

or their online shopping mall:

http://www.etudehouse.com/

Did you try any of the new products already? Tell me about it in the comments below! And if you like to read my previous reviews on Etude House Pink Bord Boxes click >>here<<.

Etude House Pink Bird

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Etude House Berry Delicious

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

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advertorial asian cosmetics beauty other Wishtrend

Wishtrend March 2016 Coupons

4. March 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream

Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum

Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0

Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione

ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner

Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum

Lailly 7 Seconds Make-Up Booster

Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion

COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum

COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

I’m from Honey Mask

Boutique Bebe Hair Salon Protein Treatment

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

ElsihaCoy Aloe & Lavender Mask Sheet

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack and Lip Tint Cleanser

OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum

Confume Argan Treatment Oil

Pongdang Donkey Milk Emulsion

Klairs Rescue Moisture Kit Part 1 and 2

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack

CareLab Powerful Pudding Mask

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Oil Cleanser and Sugar Facial Polish

Rojukiss Multi Vita Cleansing Powder

Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask

Damoae Therapy Shampoo and Tonic

Skinmiso Rice Foam Cleanser

Klairs Illuminating Supple BB Cream

O.S.T. Pure Vitamin C20 Serum

Wish Formula Panda Eye Essence Mask

ONL Saladit Essential Juice Sheet Masks

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

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Insobeau Perfect Deep Clean One-Step Cleansing Water

3. March 2016

When it comes to cleansing waters I’m a total newbie. Everybody was raving the Bioderma Cleansing Water, but I never tried it – even not today. I have so many cleansers I want to use up before buying new stuff. Then I received a MeMeBox which contained the Insobeau Perfect Deep Clean One-Step Cleansing Water. Finally a cleansing water I could try.

Insobeau is a not widely known Korean brand, which was introduced to me by MeMeBox, as many of those brands you usually do not get to know outside of Korea. The name was derived from “In Natural Science Of Beauty”. They have a range of makeup and skincare products, but so far this is the first product I tried from this brand. The Insobeau Perfect Deep Clean One-Step Cleansing Water is a cleansing water which can be used to remove makeup, so it is suited for first step cleanser…but can also be used as second step cleanser. The cleanser comes in a cute pink plastic bottle containing 200 ml. The advantage of cleansing waters towards foam cleansers is that they are designed to be friendly to senstitive and dry skintypes, but also people whose skin cannot cope with oily residues on the skin can preferably use cleansing waters.

The Insobeau Perfect Deep Clean One-Step Cleansing Water comes in a cardboard box of the same pink color as the bottle. The cardboard box comes with Korean descriptions only, and also the official webpage is in Korean. Although the packaging design is very simply it also looks pretty, and yet girly. The plastic bottle is slightly milky, which is really nice, too. The ingredients are mostly safe to use. I spotted one red labelled ingredient, which is the preservative Methylisothiazolinone. The other ingredients are safe to use and can be checked via COSDNA. The cleansing water contains also plant extracts like Aloe Leaf Juice and Fennel Leaf Extract for moisturizing, and Lemon Balm Extract, Orange Peel Extract, and Camomile Extract for anti-inflammatory effects.

The bottle has a regular opening, so you can easily spread the water onto cotton pads. I personally would also like the option of a pump applicator, but I didn’t see any cleansing waters like this yet. The bottom of the bottle has the expiration date printed on. I applied the cleansing water using soft square cotton pads (e.g. from Muji) and wiped them all over my face and neck. I repeated the procedure on a second cotton pad until the makeup traces were all gone. Done! I finished rinsing with water and using pH adjusting toner afterwards. You can also use a foam cleanser after the cleansing water, but I discovered that the second wipe already was clean enough for my usually light makeup.

The cleanser has a strong performance. Using one soaked cotton pad I’m able to remove all kinds of color makeup. The cleansing water is definitively a good makeup remover.

I used this cleansing water up in a record time and really enjoyed using it for all kinds of makeup removing, be it on my face or for in-between brush cleansing. And I ordered my second cleansing water (this time I ordered one from ElishaCoy- and hopefully it will be similar effective to this one). I think that cleansing waters can be a great option for sensitive and dry skintypes, to avoid too much rinsing and cleansing and stripping off all the good fats on your skin. It can be a good first cleanser for people with oily skin, because it doesn’t leave an oily residue like some balm or oil cleansers. The volume of 200 ml is a good amount of cleansing water and with a retail price of 9000 Won it is affordable, too.The famous Bioderma Cleansing Water contains 250 ml (there is also a larger size with 500 ml) and costs around 17 US$.

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review Wishtrend

Review: Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream

27. February 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Recipe Slowganic Cleanser Lemon

25. February 2016

I’m usually not picky about my cleansers and I love trying new ones…and to admit I have a bunch of unopened cleansers flying around, which are waiting to be tested. One of these cleansers I started using recently is the Recipe Slowganic Cleanser Lemon.

Recipe by Nature is a Korean brand which was introduced to me for the first time by MeMeBox and I’ve tried a Recipe by Nature Spray Essence Water previously. I really love the packaging design of their products. It is not cute, but clean and still modern with a vintage-esque vibe to it. The Recipe Slowganic Cleanser is a pH balanced cleanser made from 98% natural ingredients and is available in three different types: lemon, green tea and adlay.

Recipe Slowganic Cleanser Lemon comes in a pretty cardboard box with an illustration of the actual product jar. A lemon is displayed to show which of the three cleansers you have here. The description on the cardboard box is only in Korean, and also the official product page only has Korean description. You will find some English description on MeMeBox though. The ingredients are also listed on COSDNA and you can check them >>here<<. Most ingredients are green labelled and you will find many plant extracts in the ingredients list, but also discover that there are quite some potential irritants and three red-labelled ingredients. The red-labelled ingredients are Triethanol Amine, Methylisothiazolinone, and Benzyl Alcohol. The irritants are mostly the oils used for cleansing. If you have oily skin I can recommend you to use a second cleanser afterwards.

The product contains these plant derived oils: olive oil, jojoba seed oil, camellia oil, macadamia oil, marjoram oil, evening primrose oil, lime oil, lemon peel oil, basil oil, borage seed oil, brazil nut oil, sweet almond oil, argan nut oil, ylang ylang flower oil, sunflower oil, and wild geranium oil…quite a list!

When you open up the cardboard box you will see a large plastic spatula on top of the cleanser, which comes in a jar. I love the preserving jar style of the cleanser. It makes me feel like the product is hand-made. You can open the jar by removing one of the metal clips. Between the lid and the product you will find a plastic sheet.

Removing the sheet reveals a fluffy, white colored cream. It has a mousse-y and bouncy texture and has a fresh citrus scent. Using the included spatula you can take out an appropriate amount from the cleanser and apply it on the dry skin. By massaging the spongy cleanser it will take off the makeup and can be washed off with water. The cleanser has a pH between 4-5. I made a test using different makeup product on my arm and using the cleanser. I think it cleanses off nicely the BB cream and makes the skin feel very fresh and clean. It is not as effective with color makeup. Maybe I have to massage it for a longer time.

Despite the lack of power for color makeup I still think that the Recipe Slowganic Cleanser Lemon is a good cleanser and especially, it does not feel drying on the skin. It has a good pH between 4-5 and leaves the skin clean and refreshed. I really like to use it as first-step cleanser using a second foam cleanser afterwards. It doesn’t leave any oily residue, and sometimes I only use it on its own as well. I’d like to try the other two types of this cleanser, especially the green tea version. The Recipe Slowganic Cleanser retails for 18000 Won on the official site and contains 100g. You will find it for 20 US$ on MeMeBox, on testerkorea for ~18 US$, and for around 19 US$ on ebay. What is your favorite cleanser? Did you try any products from Recipe by Nature?

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Beyond Alice in Glow Oil Tints

24. February 2016

I’m really late for this review, since the Beyond x Alice in Wonderland Collection launched half a year ago! Nevertheless. since the Beyond Alice in Glow Oil Tints are amongst my favorite lip tint I still wanted to share my opinion with you. I also discovered that Beyond will launch a new Cushion with the Alice in Wonderland theme soon ♥

Beyond is a Korean natural cosmetic brand and part of LG Household & Health Care. It is dedicated to sustainable beauty and had been against animal testing since its foundation. They have an official site which is available in Korean and English. The Beyond eco philosophy states:

‘Beyond believes that you are part of nature and can become more beautiful. The solution and wisdom of beauty lies in nature. With this belief, we respect “Eco Values” throughout the entire process of everything we do from ingredients, production, distribution and disposal. Our research into Eco Values, which we consider part of our know-how, enhances the value of true beauty.’

Their products have minimal chemical colors and fragrances, their packaging is recyclable and has minimum waste. Their products are also free from parabens and dermatologically tested. I tried few products of this brand before, but I never disliked their products. They have a super cute selection of sheet masks, too, which I can really recommend.

The reason to buy the Beyond Alice in Glow Oil Tints is obviously the packaging design and the Disney Alice in Wonderland theme. I knew I had to get my hands on at least something from this collection, and since I loved the Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight Oil Tint it was time for me to try more tints of this kind. There are five different shades available for the Beyond Alice in Glow Oil Tints and I selected two of them: No. 03, a pink red shade, and 04 a cherry red shade. The packaging design is dedicated to the Guardians of the Queen of Hearts and comes with a beautifully illustrated cardboard box. The same illustration of the guardians is found on the tint bottles, each containing 4.5 g.

The formulation is a oil based tint, but in contrast to the Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight you do not need to mix it before applying. It is a bit thicker than the Oil Tint of Tonymoly, reminding me of the texture of a gloss, without being as sticky as one. The Beyond Alice in Glow Oil Tints contain Royal Black Tea for moisturizing and giving elasticity to the lips, apart from the oils in the tint. You will also smell a nice black tea scent mixed with a fruity hint if you use the lip tint. This is also one of my favorite aspects, because I love the scent!

The applicator is a doe-foot applicator with a hole in the middle. It does a good job in applying the tint. The tint itself feels very smooth on the lips. Since it is oil based you will feel how it smoothens the lips and moisturizes them. The lips don’t feel dry, even when the gloss dries off. In the swatches on my hand the shades look identical and at first I had to check the labels twice in order to be sure if they are different or not, but on my lips I see that No. 4 is more pigmented and has a hint of purple. It is not much visible on the pictures though. I also feel that the tint intensifies if you reapply the tint after a couple of hours. The stain itself lasts quite some time and wears of in a way that it looks still natural and that you can reapply without any problems of clumping etc. Both tints have a very natural stain, despite the light stain they give and they are perfectly useable for every day.

Although I was initially disappointed that the two shades I picked look very similar and that the pigmentation is quite natural I love the texture of the Beyond Alice in Glow Oil Tints and I use them surprisingly often. The stains also disappear very naturally, which makes it convenient for every day use and if you do not have the time or patience to touch up your lips every few hours. I love the scent, too, and I probably do not have to tell you how much I love the design. I’m very happy about these two precious tints in my collection. They retail for 10000 Won and you can find them on ebay or amazon for ~14 US$. Did ou try any of the products from the Beyond x Alice in Wonderland collaboration? Do you have any favorites?

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Review: Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack | TesterKorea

18. February 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some words about Peptides in Cosmetics:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Review: Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream | TesterKorea

17. February 2016

// PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY / SKINCARE //

The Missha Super Aqua Marine Stem Cell Defending Cream was the first Korean skincare product I used and I bought two, or even three jars of it because I liked it so much back then. When I heard about the newest addition to the Missha Super Aqua family I was really excited to try it: the Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream is part of a full new moisturizing skincare line consisting of toner, emulsion essence and the cream which I’ll be reviewing here. As I announced via Instagram I’m honored to be part of TesterKorea’s Real Tester, who offered me this product for reviewing purpose, amongst some other products, like the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel I reviewed before.

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

The product I’m reviewing here is from the famous Korean brand Missha. Missha has a lot of online stores all over the world and are available in US/Canada, Australia and even in Germany. It is the first Korean brand with a physical store in Ingolstadt in Germany, too! Missha is against animal testing. The products always come in a very mature and luxurious packaging and the design is usually very elegant although simple. I think that it can be liked by almost everyone. The Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream follows these criteria as well: The signature color of the Super Aqua Ice Tear collection is ice-blue. The cream comes in a blue cardboard box with descriptions in both Korean and English. It states description, directions and the ingredients of the products.

According to COSNDA the ingredients in this hydrating and refreshing cream are safe to use. It contains Alcohol den., which can be a potential irritant, but apart from this is used to thin down the consistency of a cream. Glycerin is the main moisturizing ingredient in the list, but the cream also contains Urea. You’ll find a bunch of plant extracts from the Ice Plant, Oarweed, Devil’s Apron, Spirulina Platensis, Lotus Flower, and Chinese Plum. The algaes Oarweed and Devil’s Apron are also used in products of the high-end brand ‘La mer’. They act as skin protectors. The other extracts act as humectants and have moisturizing properties. Sea Water provides minerals and trace elements. Raffinose, which is a sugar and also included in the list, has moisturizing properties. Lactic Acid has brightening properties. All in all, a nice ingredients list for a moisturizing cream. The cream comes in a sturdy jar containing 50 ml, but it doesn’t come with a spatula unfortunately. If you want to keep it hygienic you should use a spatula instead of your fingers for taking out the cream. The Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream is a mixture between gel-type and regular cream. It feels light upon application and emollifies into a watery essence-like product on the skin. This makes it feel refreshing, too. It also leaves the skin moist. The scent is nice and a mixture between flowery and soapy.

The Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream is a simple, but effective moisturizer. Although the list of the ingredients is not too overfilled with fancy ingredients it still contains some important ones for moisturizing the skin: There are Urea and Glycerin for one, and a bunch of plant extracts, most of them are algae ( I was surprised to see two of the ingredients being part of products from the famous brand ‘La mer’ as well). On top, you have Raffinose and Lactic Acid and the Sea Water. I really like the list and although a simple moisturizer I can definitely see that many people might like this skincare range. I didn’t use it for a long time yet, but so far it didn’t break me out and was a hydrating and refreshing experience. The product retails on TesterKorea for 11520 Won, which is around 9.69 US$. The price is really affordable and perfect for people starting a skincare routine, aiming at a hydrating and light cream. It might be a nice refreshment during hot seasons, too, because the formula feels very watery. If you are looking for the deeper nourishment of the skin this cream might be too lightweight for you. Did you try any products from the Missha Super Aqua line? What do you think of the Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear line?

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

asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review TesterKorea

Review: Etude House Tint My Brows Gel | TesterKorea

15. February 2016

I love Etude House’s eyebrow products! I’ve been using the Etude House Color My Brows and I’m still using the Etude House Perfect Brow Kit, and the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel is the newest addition to my collection. As I announced via Instagram I’m honoured to be part of TesterKorea’s Real Tester, who offered me this product for reviewing purpose, amongst some other products I cannot wait to share with you.

Let’s start with the review for the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel: The Korean brand Etude House is one of the best known Korean brands for cute packaging. If you are a lover of cute, girly and pink packaging, reminding you of being a child and the princess you always dreamt to be, THIS is your brand. Their packaging is usually so adorable that you cannot keep yourself from impuls-buys – only because you saw the packaging…Looking at the packaging of the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel it appears simple, but yet feminine. The combination of the gray-brown color and the pink makers it look adorable in a way. The product comes in a cardboard box which shows the Korean and English description. The product is one of the newer products from Etude House. The gel comes in 3 different shades and works similar to lip tint like the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack, that means you apply a layer of the gel, leave it to dry and peel it off after a while. This new-concept eyebrow gel tint is designed for a long-lasting eyebrow makeup.

The three shades available are #1 brown, #2 light brown and #3 gray brown. I chose gray brown, because I have naturally black eye brows and I think the gray brown will suit my eyebrow color best. The ingredients of the Etude House Tint My Brow Gel are harmless according to COSDNA. There are minor irritants, but no bothersome ingredient. And although the product is made for simply tinting your brows it contains some plant derived ingredients with anti-inflamatory, antioxidant and moisturizing properties. As I said before, the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel works like a kind of non-permanent tattoo. The bottle reminds of a liquid eyeliner and comes with a thin brush-type applicator. The gel has a sticky consistency and reminds of brown colored glue. The brush is thin enough to create proper outlines for your brows. Below you can see how the gel looks when swatched on the back of my hands. First you apply a proper amount of the gel. After a while it will start to dry. When you peel off the dried product you will see that it stains the skin. After 1.5 h waiting the stain is already properly visible and shows in a light gray brown. After one day (including washing hands and showering) the stain is still visible, but is looks more light and the color changed to a light yellow-brown.

When using the product on your eyebrows Etude House advises you to trim your eyebrows first and not to apply skincare products or makeup. Then you should apply a liberal amount according to the desired shape of the eyebrow. Dry the gel for at least 2 hours. For stronger coloration you can apply the gel before going to bed at night and remove it the next morning. After the gel dried completely you can remove it starting from the tail of the eyebrow, but don’t be too forceful. Etude House also says to not use a cleansing product (product with detergents) or apply force on the eyebrow area within 24 hours of using the product. Below I applied the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel on my eyebrows. As you can see, my eyebrows are dense and very dark, but I have some spare areas at the front and on the arch of my eyebrow. I applied the gel according to the desired shape of my eyebrows and waited for 2 hours. You can see that the spare areas look slightly more filled, but it doesn’t look too strongly pigmented and not unnatural either. The effect is comparable to a light brow powder, giving a natural finish.

Do I like the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel? Yes, I do, and I think people with spare eyebrows or very bright color of eyebrows will like this product a lot! It looks natural and it is long-lasting. The downsides are that you have to be patient and maybe you need to practice a couple of times before you know how to paint your desired eyebrow shape. The gel contains 5 g and depending on the thickness of the layers you apply on your eyebrow it will last for a while. The price for the gel is not expansive either, so it is worth a try, especially if you love using eyebrow products. If you are already too lazy to use an eyebrow pencil or powder this product will not make it any easier or quicker though. The product retails on TesterKorea for 7650 Won, which is around 6.50 US$.

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

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