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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream

30. July 2015

My last review for BNTnews Beauty Box July is about the Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream. Although from all the super interesting items this month the May Coop Raw Sauce was my favorite I saved the Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream review for last because it has the most interesting formula. Keep reading if you want to know more:

Personally, this is the first time I realized the brand Amaranth. I saw some reviews before, but it never was really present in my head. This Korean brand though belongs to the Samsung company. The Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream belongs to the Messaline Special Care Series, which has the motto: “Pave your way to beautiful and healthy skin. It meets your needs”. The line consists of four products divided into four steps. The Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream is step 1 of the series. Step 2 is the Messaline Vibrant Shimmering CC Cream, step 3 the Messaline Bubble Berry Mask Cleanser and step 4 the Messaline Overnight Moisture Sleeping Mask.

According to the description of the Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream it gives“elasticity and moisture to the skin and makes moist and healthy skin by vegetable moisture water drops containing Rosa Centifolia flower Water, Panax Ginseng Root Extract and Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extracts”. The cardboard box of the cream contains only Korean description, but inside the box was an instruction paper with some English description, too. Apart from that the packaging design is elegant in blue and gold with reflective paper (which made it a bit hard to take a pictures). The cream itself comes in a pump bottle/tube with the same colors made of sturdy plastic with a clear cap.

Apart from the Korean description on the cardboard box you can find the English ingredients listed on the side. I added them to COSDNA and you can check them >>here<<. Unfortunately, there are some ingredients I didn’t hope to see. These ingredients are silicon, alcohol and parabens. The other ingredients are mainly plant extracts, like cabbage rose, red ginseng and chamomile extracts to boost moisturizing and elasticity. According to the description this cream is used after cleansing and toning, but seeing that it contains silicon and the fact that it is smoothing the face it sounds more like a primer to me.

The Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream has the consistency of a gel-type cream when you pump it, but now comes the special part: the cream transforms into water once rubbed. It forms tiny water droplets and feels really moist that way. This formula is called water-drop texture, and you will find some other products like that within the Korean beauty market. The water-drop texture makes it particularity very fast absorbing, and the skin really feels moist during application, as if you use a toner. It has a nice floral scent, too, maybe a bit rose-like scent. It definitively makes the skin feel smoother (silicon), but although it feels moist while application I would not say that it is rich enough for dry skin-types (also because of the alcohol). Moreover, since it is more similar to a primer I applied it after my regular moisturizer. I was a bit confused nevertheless, if I should apply it before or after sunscreen. I tried both, but I’m not sure about either way. If you have any recommendations for that part I would be very thankful.

The Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream is really interesting considering its water-drop texture. It smooths out the skin, too and is a nice primer considering that fact. I dislike some of the ingredients and I wish it would not contain alcohol or parabens. And I’m a bit confused about how to use it the best way. Probably, I wouldn’t repurchase it, but since it contains 60 g of product it will last me some time anyways. I couldn’t find it in the known online stores, so it is a bit tricky to now how much it retails. But from the looks of it I’m sure it is a more pricey brand.

This product was provided to me by BNTnews for reviewing. Don’t forget to visit the other BNTGirls Mary, Celine, Alene, Joanne, Chermaine, Faith, Mitha, Laura and Blair and check out their reviews for the July BNT Beauty Box. And visit BNTnews for the latest Korean news and trends:

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♥ And if you have time please visit my post about the July Japan Candy Box. There is even a giveaway where you can win a Japan Candy Box for yourself ♥

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: May Coop Raw Sauce

29. July 2015

I’m super excited to review the May Coop Raw Sauce today, which was featured in ‘Get it Beauty’ by Secret’s Song Ji Eun. This is my first time trying a product from May Coop, but apparently this brand is getting more and more attention lately. Time to take a closer look at this toner, emulsion and essence 3 in 1 product:

As I said above, the Korean brand May Coop is really new to me and until it was featured in ‘Get it Beauty’. I had never heard from that brand before. It seems it is a more high end brand according to the very beautiful packaging and the materials used. It also seems that they are focusing on natural ingredients.

The May Coop Raw Sauce is a multifunctional essence that combines the effects of a toner, an essence and a emulsion/lotion in one. Unlike most cosmetic items that are made of water, this one contains acer maple water instead. It is quite a trend in Korea right now to use products containing other liquids as replacement for water. The description of the product packaging says acer maple water, but the translation of the ingredient list says maple sap. I think they mean the maple xylem sap, because 93 % maple sap/ syrup would be super sticky and sugary. You can find the ingredients on COSDNA. Apart from a whole bunch of plant ingredients it sadly contains alcohol. So if you have sensitive skin be aware of this point. On the other hand, the main ingredient here is maple tree sap, which makes 93 % of the total volume. All the other ingredients fall into the remaining 7 %.

The design of the cardboard box of the May Coop Raw Sauce is like a wooden box. It has the key points of the essence listed on one side, shaped like wooden rings. The features of this multipurpose essence are: Humectant, Nature 701 Complex, Organic Grain extracts, Natural Moisturizing Factor, Eco-cert Certified Fructan, and Acer Maple Water. Maple xylem sap is mainly a watery solution of hormones, mineral elements and other nutrients of the plant. The maple xylem sap is a very effective moisturizer as its rich in glycerin and reinforces skin’s immunity. The similarity to the water molecule size of the skin allows the maple xylem sap to penetrate deaper into the skin than regular water. Another key ingredient seems to be the skin-nourishing fructan powder (eco-cert certified), which is supposed to strengthen the skin.

The May Coop Raw Sauce comes in a 150 ml frosted glass bottle. The cap is from plastic, but has the same wooden pattern as the cardboard box. The bottle comes separately packed in a canvas, which gives it another high-quality touch. the regular drop dispensing opening of the bottle is sealed by a plastic in order to prevent leaking.

The glass has the same description in wooden rings like the cardboard packaging. According to the official site May Coop Raw Sauce fulfills these three points: intensive moist supply, intensive nutrition supply, constantly strengthening. The May Coop Raw Sauce is a watery liquid (a tiny bit thicker than water though), which has a light yellow color. It has a fragrant smell to it, which is stronger than most of the other toner/essences I use atm, but the scent is nice and doesn’t linger long. Apart from that, the May Coop Raw Sauce feels moisturizing, and is not sticky after absorption. although it contains some alcohol it doesn’t feel drying (probably since the amount is not much). Although quite moist and labeled as multi-function product I still use many other products in combination and I do not skip my usual moisturizer. I’ve only used this for 2 weeks so far, so I cannot make any remarks about long-term effects like strengthening, but I think it fits nicely into my skincare routine, doesn’t give me any breakouts and feels like an extra hydration boost for my face.

I enjoyed trying the May Coop Raw Sauce very much and I’m happy it found a place in my skincare routine. I yet don’t know if I will repurchase it again and if it will replace any of my other steps in future, but it will be used up to the end for sure. The May Coop Raw Sauce is available at Peach and Lily for 42.00 US$ or at Koreadepart for 38.27 US$. From the official May Coop page you’ll find it listed for 36000 Won. Although it is a multi-purpose product it is more on the expensive side. On the other hand, the detailed packaging and material makes up for the price. Also the volume is more than enough to last for a long time, since not much product is needed. So probably, it will take some time before I’ve used up this precious product.

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♥ And if you have time please visit my post about the July Japan Candy Box. There is even a giveaway where you can win a Japan Candy Box for yourself ♥

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: Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo

28. July 2015

// HAIRCARE / PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY //

The BNTnews beauty box for July contained another shampoo from the Korean brand Daeng Gi Meo Ri, which I introduced to you in one of my previous reviews. This review will be about the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo, a softening and protecting shampoo full of oriental medicine inspired ingredients.

The name of the brand and product sound very long and complicated to someone with no Korean language knowledge, but the brand name Daeng Gi Meo Ri can be translated in this way: Daenggi is a traditional Korean ribbon which is tied to the braided hair of unmarried Korean women. Meori means simply hair in Korean. Like the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Ja Dam Hwa The First Scalp and Hair Cleansing Treatment this Korean shampoo works on your hair by using oriental medicine inspired ingredient, like traditionally used herbs, roots, and flowers.

The Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo comes as a 500 ml pump bottle along with a 145 ml travel sized bottle in a kit. Both bottles are packed in a cardboard box with a lot of Korean description all over. On the backside the most important facts are listed and it displays an image of some herbs at the top, too.

According to the description it contains more than 35% of ripe and enriched medicinal ingredients as well as a patented substance extracted from Giant Crinum Lily (Crinum asiaticum). The Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo is full of vitamins and minerals, and it uses marine phyto-complex to protect the scalp with green algae (Caulerpa racemosa) extracts, antioxidative chlorella (a single cell green algae) and deeply moisturizes with fermented Pseudoalteromonas (marine bacterium). Moreover, it contains Tripterygium wilfordii root, false daisy (Eclipta prostrata) and hazelnut extracts for energizing and vitalizing tired and dry scalps. Furthermore, it contains keratin and camelia to treat damaged scalp from within and reinforce its elasticity. It uses natural surfactant so it does not irritate. You can find some more Korean description >>here<<.

taken from http://doorimall.net

I also found the picture above there and it lists the 15 herbs used for the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo. Apart from some of the ingredients already mentioned above I could detect these ingredients (hopefully correctly translated with help of google translate): gujeolcho (Siberian chrysanthemum), ginseng (Panax ginseng), Chinese arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis), Mulberry (Morus), Rehmannia glutinosa, Siberian ginseng (acanthopanax), lotus, bamboo, and pigweed (Portulaca oleracea). Apart from all these oriental ingredients let’s take a moment to take a closer look at the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo packaging design. I think the bottles look super pretty. I love the ornaments around the pump, which is the stopper for the pump in the same time. All the golden and dark green color makes it look super luxurious already.

I love how it comes with a smaller bottle in travel size! But now, let’s get into the real review for the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo. First, what makes it special? On the one hand it is the ingredients of course, which gives it the name, but on the other hand, what I personally found very special was the recommendation to wash twice with this shampoo and to not use any other hair products during treatment. I have dry, frizzy and naturally wavy/curly hair, so usually I’m always using conditioner with any shampoo I use and moreover I’m using hair treatments, hair oil or entangling mists/serums every other day, too. My scalp is not dry, nor do I have any problems with an itchy scalp. For dry scalp, it is even recommended to use this shampoo in the morning and evening for a short period of time. I’m washing my hair almost every day, if not every second at least. For two weeks I have been using the shampoo as advised. I washed my hair twice with the shampoo and didn’t use any other hair products. The shampoo has a brown color and a herbal scent (mostly ginseng-ish). It foams up very nicely already after the first washing and one pump was enough for my long hair. Nevertheless, the natural cause of this was, that my hair became super dry and frizzy already after one usage. The hair didn’t feel soft and smooth like when using my regular shampoo and conditioner, nor was it easy to comb. I was struggling a lot with that, but I kept using the shampoo as recommended. After one week I felt that my upper hair felt smoother after washing once dried. The hair around my scalp looked more shiny, too, but the length of my hair and the ends continued to be very dry and tangled.

My conclusion considering the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo is, that I cannot use it on its own. I love what it makes which my upper hair and the way the hair near my scalp feels, but it is too drying for the long ends of my naturally dry hair structure. If you have dry hair and would like to try this shampoo on your own I would recommend you to use a hair pack on your ends nevertheless. That’s the way I’m using this shampoo now and it works much better for my hair. People with oily/normal hair or people with shorter hair might love the shampoo as it is. I love that it comes in a pump bottle and that it contains so many plant-derived ingredients and I love that it makes my hair partially more soft and shiny, but I would rather prefer a shampoo which also provides enough moisture for long and dry hair. The Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo retails for 25500 Won from www.doorimall.net. The kit is available on Amazon.com for 37.99 US$. I tried another Korean herbal shampoo before, the Damoae Therapy Shampoo, which was supposed to be used in a similar way. But in contrast to the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Spacial Shampoo, it came with a tonic to use after washing, which helped to comb my hair. Also, the Damoae Therapy Shampoo felt like a conditioner when used for the second wash, and if you like herbal shampoos and have dry hair I can definitively recommend you the Damoae Shampoo instead.

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

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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash

27. July 2015

Spring and summer are always the seasons where the make-up choice gets more colorful. Therefore, I’m introducing the new Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash to you today, a colorful mascara selection by my favorite Korean design cosmetic brand Too Cool For School.

Too Cool For School is a Korean brand, known for a unique packaging design. Their products are in the mid-pricey region and slightly more expansive than Etude House for example. The Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash belongs to the Check line of Too Cool For School, which all have a checkered/plaid pattern design as common characteristic. I like plaid pattern in general and it reminds me of school uniforms and/or punk(rock) fashion.

The Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash mascara comes in a checked cardboard box. The paper of the the box has not only the checked pattern printed on, but also has the pattern imprinted into the surface, so you can feel it. It looks like a high quality packaging that way. The description on the cardboard box is short and in Korean only, but you will find a lot of pictures and more Korean description on the official Too Cool For School page.

Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash is a colorful volume mascara, which helps creating a unique makeup look. It is available in three shades, which are No.1 Nuts Brown, No.2 Royal Blue and No.3 Raspberry Pink. I received No. 3 with my BNTnews Box for July, a pink/plum colored mascara. The Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash mascaras come in smaller containers than other mascaras have regularly. Therefore the wand is also shorter, which makes it a bit easier to use and to control.

The consistency of the mascara is creamy. The texture is soft yet not cakey and allows a long-lasting effect. This product presents the Curl-up Polymer technology, which preserves a water and sweat-proof C-curve for a long time. The wand has a curved shaped, too, as you can see in the images. I tried the mascara on my bare lashes for the images below and used one layer and I must admit that it does a good job in curling the lashes and holding the curl. My lashes are naturally dark, so it is difficult to see bright colors on them. It gives them rather a light pop of color than being super pigmented. since I never were super colorful eye make-up I’m not bothered by that fact. I think it will look much brighter and colorful on people with naturally light/blonde lashes. On the Too Cool For School page you will even see some suggestions on how to in-cooperate these mascaras into pretty eye make-up looks.

I really like the small size of the Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash mascaras, since it is very travel friendly. Nevertheless, I would love if they added a regular black color to it, although I would be intrigued to try the brown version. Although I’m not really wearing very bright and colorful eye make-up I’m positively surprised by the pink color, since it makes the eyes appear softer and might look good with very minimalistic make-up, too. Considering the curling effect, this mascara does what it promises and give a nice curl, too. The Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash mascaras retail for 12000 Won from the official Too Cool For School page. Since it is a new item it might take some time before it is available in other online stores.

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♥ And if you have time please visit my post about the July Japan Candy Box. There is even a giveaway where you can win a Japan Candy Box for yourself ♥

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: Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint

25. July 2015

I didn’t make a lip makeup product for quite some time, but I have some new additions to my stash. This here is the Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint, a long lasting lip tint which was introduced by SISTAR’s SoYou. I’m not much into K-Pop, but I know that many of you are familiar with the K-Pop idols.

The Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint comes in 7 different shades and if you know the Korean language you will find a lot of decsription about the product on the official Korean page. The cardboard packaging of this lip tint on the other hand doesn’t have much descriptions printed on, except from the shade. The shade I will show you here is No. 4 “Lol Lol Lol”, a coral pink tone. The design of the lip tint container is simple, yet elegant, with a golden cap which holds the applicator.

The Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint is supposed to be a long lasting lip tint providing moisture without being sticky. Moreover it is supposed to give high pigmentation for smooth lips and have a refreshing lip-gloss formula. When swatched on the back of my hand the first thing I notice is the bubblegum scent this lip tint has. It applies like a milk type tint, not a water or oil based tint. The color is vivid , but can also be blended in in order to create a more toned down look or gradient lips.

Application of the Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint on my lips is easy and feels very smooth. It reminds me of the matte lip products like Skinfood Milky Rose Vita color Lip Lacquer, which have a more velvety feeling on the lips. The finish is not matte, but it isn’t glossy either. I would say it has the typical finish for milk type lip tints. The pigmentation is good and it even is nicely visible on darker lips. Usually I have problems with pink shades because they do not show up nicely on my lips or settle to heavily in my lip lines, but this one looks nice and spreads without being patchy. Although it has a bubblegum scent the taste of the Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint is not sweet as I expected, but somehow salty…I do not like the taste to much, but it is still better than the usual bitter taste of most lip tints. The lasting power of this lip tint is not strong either. Without drinking or eating it holds up to 2-3 hours, but as soon as you drink or touch your lips in any other way it will transfer and fade. It doesn’t look odd while fading though.

I do not have many lip tints of that color, since I usually choose the cherry and red shades, so it is nice for me to have a pink/coral shade in my collection now which also shows up on my lips. This is also the reason why I’m using the Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint surprisingly often in the last weeks. I couldn’t find any translated ingredients here, so I didn’t include them into my rating, but all in all this is a solid lip tint. The price of 19000 Won on the official Forencos page is quite high though, so I would personally not buy it again, although there are some other interesting colors for the Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tints. Did you try any products from Forencos already? What are your impressions?

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♥ And if you have time please visit my post about the July Japan Candy Box. There is even a giveaway where you can win a Japan Candy Box for yourself ♥

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 Missha PR Sample review

Review: Missha M Magic Cushion

21. July 2015

// PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY / MAKEUP //

Four or five years ago my addiction for Asian beauty products started with my first BB cream, the Missha Perfect Cover BB, and today I’m happy to introduce to you the newest addition to the Missha BB cream family, the Missha M Magic Cushion!

Missha is one of the worldwide famous Korean brands, especially their Missha M Perfect Cover BB cream is one of the most famous BB creams. They have a lot of online stores all over the world and are available in US/Canada, Australia and since some time they even opened up an online store for Germany, and a physical store in Ingolstadt in Germany! The products always come in a very luxurious looking packaging and the design is usually very mature and elegant and I think that it can be liked by almost everyone. The Missha M Magic Cushion comes in a very simple, yet elegant, white cardboard box as well, as you can see from the images.

The cardboard box contains the Korean and the English description. You’ll find the ingredients also listed on COSDNA >>here<<, but they are also listed on the cardboard box. I want to point out the fact, that if you look carefully below, you will notice that you’ll find a sticker on the side where the ingredients are listed. Below that sticker, you will find another ingredients list. Both lists are identical considering the single ingredients but in a different order. On this topic, you might want to check out the article by Tracy from fanserviced-b. She points out how the ingredients are listed in a different order depending on the labeling rules of the specific country.

Nevertheless, I want to point out some key ingredients for the Missha M Magic Cushion. The packaging states Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, and Ethylhexyl Salicylate as active ingredients. These three ingredients are the sunscreens included in this product and give the Missha M Magic Cushion SPF50+ and PA+++. Thus, the key targets of this cushion bb cream are winkle-care, whitening and UV blocking, in addition to giving a flawless appearing skin. Other ingredients which can be pointed out are bamboo water and baobab fruit extract which provide the skin with moisture, and hazel extract which has soothing properties. There are also some other plant extracts and oils included in the ingredients list.

Compared to other brands Missha jumped the cushion bandwagon quite late. They released a DIY cushion case previously (you can find my review >>here<<), and I’m sure many were a bit confused and thought that the Missha Magic Cushion Case was already a real cushion. But the Missha M Magic Cushion was released later and so far there are three different cushion bb creams by Missha available in Korea: the Missha M Magic Cushion, the Missha M Magic Moisture Cushion, and the Missha Signature Essence Cushion. Missha US and Missha Germany only released the Missha M Magic Cushion so far, but I’m sure the others will be following soon. The design of the Missha M Magic Cushion is like all the other cushion foundations: it comes in a round container like most pacts come with. The container has a mirror in the lid, in order to be easy to use on the way and work as a perfect product to carry around in your handbag. There is also an application puff inside the container. These, typically blue colored ruby-cell sponges are super soft and perfect for applying a natural looking layer of the bb cream. I also have the feeling, that the ruby-cell sponges are kind of cooling while patting the product on your face.

Now, below the second plastic lid, you’ll find the “heart” of the cushion, the sponge soaked with the BB cream/ foundation. This plastic container inside the pact case can be removed and replaced once empty. Some brands can even exchange their refills amongst each others cases, some can’t. I have an Innisfree, a Pongdang and a Missha Cushion so far, but they cannot be exchanged with each other. The Missha M Magic Cushion also doesn’t fit into the Missha Magic Case, but it fits with the other Missha cushions.

The Missha M Magic Cushion is available in two shades: #21 Light Beige and #23 Natural Beige. Since it is summer at the moment I chose #23. I’m a bit tanned at the moment and although it looks a bit bright on the swatch on my hand, it looks okay on my face. Although the Missha M Magic Cushion has a semi-matte finish it doesn’t feel drying, but rather moist.

Also, if you have used primers or achieved a nice glow with your skincare routine before it doesn’t cover the glow, but leaves the natural shine on your cheeks for example. The coverage is medium and it doesn’t make the skin look unnaturally cakey. I will review the Missha M Magic Moisture Cushion in comparison soon, but so far I love this cushion. The finish is pretty and it lasts quite long without getting dry or flaky around my chin or nose. It does not make my skin oily either, probably because of the silica-bead powder, which is supposed to absorb sweat and sebum. The scent of the Missha M Magic Cushion is kind of creamy, but not flowery like the Missha Perfect Cover BB cream for example. It is not super strong either.

So far I am very happy with the Missha M Magic Cushion. I had high expectations for it, since I love the Missha Perfect Cover BB cream, and I was afraid to be disappointed with the cushion, but at the moment I’m using it daily. I still love the Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion though, but it is shade 21 and a bit too light for me atm ;D I’m very curious about the Missha M Magic Moisture Cushion though and I hope that I will like it as much as this one. I received the Missha M Magic Cushion from Missha Germany. They deliver within Germany, but also outside Germany. So if you are somewhere in Europe it might be faster to consider ordering from them instead of Korea. My package arrived after 2 days, which is awesome when thinking about the 2-4 weeks of waiting when ordering from Korea :D The Missha M Magic Cushion retails for 15.40 €, and they had a launching event where it was only 10 €! I can recommend you to take a glance occasionally at their webpage, instagram, and facebook. By the way: Missha is one of the Korean bands which are against animal testing!

You can also find the Missha Cushions on any other official Missha Store or Amazon.com.

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

5 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review Wishtrend

Review: Lailly 7 Second Make-Up Booster

16. July 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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asian cosmetics beauty 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:

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

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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Forencos Selene Project Silk Mask Series Favorites

14. July 2015

Did you read my previous review about the Forencos Selene Project Silk Mask Series? I’m talking about my Forencos Selene Project Silk Mask Series Favorites today, since BNT News was so friendly as to send me another bunch of these mask. This sheet mask series has a very interesting theme, since it contains 7 sheet masks for one week use and each sheet masks is related to the greek gods who are behind the single days of the week.

Forencos is a Korean brand which sells environmental cosmetics since 1988. The brand has quite a range of skincare and makeup products, but in the internationally known Korean online shops they don’t have a lot of products from this brand, which is why it is quite unknown. They have 7 main issues within their brand philosophy: skin rejuvenating, skin refreshing, skin revitalizing, skin relieving, skin regeneration, skin revival and skin resolution. You will find all the 7 sheet mask in my previous review >>here<<, but here is a quick reminder about this sheet mask series: The 7 sheet masks of the Forencos Selene Project Silk Mask Series each come in a different color and have a different key ingredient. These sheet masks consist of two steps. Each mask has a sachet with a mask base ampoule attached, which contains 2 ml of the ampoule and is used before applying the sheet mask (the only exception is the first sheet mask, where you have to use the ampoule afterwards).

Since the sheet mask try to relate ancient Greek mythology to the single days of the week here is the purpose of all the seven sheet masks in a short summary:

Tuesday: Detox with Hephaestus
The weeks begins on a Tuesday with Hephaestus, god of metallurgy, fire and volcanoes. Jeju’s volcanic ashes eliminate dead skin cells and clean and contract pores.

Wednesday: Moisture with Poseidon
The caviar extracts that Poseidon, god of the sea, gives to your skin has a similar texture with it in terms of amino acids, minerals and vitamins. Moisturizes and increase collagen production.

Thursday: Relax with Dryas
Australian indigenes were already using tea tree leaves to cure infectious diseases. Tea tree oil is amazing at calming and soothing the skin.

Friday: Regenerating Midas
24k pure gold treats wrinkles and helps blood circulation while delivering minerals.

Saturday: Elastic Gaya
Horse oil is similar with human sebum and helps control its secretion. It also contains ceramide for skin regeneration and elasticity.

Sunday: Illuminating Helios
Pearl was loved by Cleopatra for its high mineral and amino acid concentration as well as for the bioactive substances it contains. Its reinforces skin’s immunity and acidity for a bright complexion.

Monday: Selene’s total care Swiftlet’s bird nest contains 2000 times more sialic acid that human saliva and 200 times more than royal jelly for a total turnover: moisture, elasticity, skin tone, it cleans and protects the skin.

After trying the whole Forencos Selene Project Silk Mask Series for a second time I have made the following conclusions:

1. I do not like the ampoule: The mask base vita ampoule which is attached to each of the sheet masks contains 2 ml and has a very gluey consistency. It warms up the skin and is supposed to improve the effects of the sheet mask. It contains 8% Vitamin C and the key ingredient adenosine as anti-aging ingredient, which is nice, but the consistency of the ampoule is hard to work with. Not only is it gluey while applying, but it doesn’t absorb into the skin either and leaves a sticky film on the skin. I would not advise you to use the whole sachet, which is way to much. Instead, I only use a tiny bit of the ampoule before applying the mask. The skin feels still sticky, but not as bad as with the whole 2 ml.

2. The whole mask series used regulary for a week may show a nice improvement of your skin: Personally, I didn’t see any changes with my skin condition before and after, but I have to add that my skin condition at the moment is good and it is difficult to observe such changes. I can, however, suggest you to take a look at another review from Kim Kine. She is one of my dear blogger friends and she has a awesome and very honest blog and she shows a nice before/after picture of her skin using the Forencos Selene Project Silk Mask Series.

3. My three favorite sheet masks from the Forencos Selene Project Silk Mask Series are the ones containing black pearl, swallow’s nest and mayu: as I said before, it is difficult to see any changes of your skin, if your skin is in a good condition already. Also, using all these different sheet masks daily makes it difficult to see what the single sheet masks do for your skin on their own. Another point which makes it hard to select a favorite is the point that all the sheet masks have the same scent and the same fabric. The fabric of these masks is super soft since it contains silk and the sheets are thin and thoroughly soaked with the essence. So, how did I choose these three masks as my favourite masks? All of the masks of the series (apart from the first one, which is a pore minimizing vocanic ash mask) leave the skin hydrated and feel refreshing. My main reason for choosing these three in the end are the key ingredients!

Although I cannot read Korean and I did not find the full ingredients yet, you will find some hints on the backside of each mask from the Forencos Selene Project Silk Mask Series. In the blue box below the English name of the mask is written that the mask contains 750 mg of swallow’s nest. Swallow’s nest or Swiftlet’s Nest is believed to be very nutritious and is consumed as food. Swiftlet nests contain sialic acid which is supposed to be 200 times more nourishing than royal jelly. The swiftlet nests are made from the saliva of the birds (not from twigs etc!) and therefore are rich in minerals like calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium. Its vitamins help to recover tired skin. The proteins in the swiftlet nest extract contain EGF components that are beneficial for the skin, too. At first, this maybe gross to hear, but similar to snail mucin, also bird’s nest extracts contain beneficial ingredients for the skin.

The next ingredient is Black Pearl! Pearl powder has been used in ancient times for facial treatment because it is rich in nutrients. Pearl powder contains many amino acids, minerals (calcium, zinc, magnesium), and proteins and acts as an antioxidant. Moreover, it is said that pearl powder evens out the skin tone and helps to rejuvenate the skin in general. The Forencos Helios Black Pearl Whitening Silk Mask contains 500 mg of pearl powder.

Last, but not least one of the recent Korean trend ingredients: Mayu, Bayhu or Horse Oil! Also here, this ingredient 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. The Forencos Gaia Mayu Elastic Silk Mask contains 50 mg of horse oil.

All in all, I like the Forencos Selene Project Silk Mask Series! I love the topic and the variety of different key ingredients for each day. The masks have an interesting concept and although I do not like the mask base ampoule I would recommend you to give this series a try. This Forencos Selene Project Silk Mask Series containing 7 sheet masks retails at the official Forencos page for around 21 US$. As far as I checked it, it wasn’t available at any other of the online stores I normally buy Korean products from.

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

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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Daeng Gi Meo Ri Ja Dam Hwa The First

10. July 2015

I love the ingredients used in traditional asian medicine, like ginseng or ginger, so when I received Daeng Gi Meo Ri Ja Dam Hwa The First Scalp and Hair Cleansing Treatment with my BNTnews beauty box in June I was very excited to try it. I previously saw an episode of Get it Beauty, where they pointed out the importance of also using scalp treatment along with your regular hair care and though I never heard of that approach before I was willing to give it a try.

The name of the brand and product sound very long and complicated to someone with no Korean language knowledge, but the brand name Daeng Gi Meo Ri can be translated in this way: Daenggi is a traditional Korean ribbon which is tied to the braided hair of unmarried Korean women. Meori means simply hair in Korean. Daeng Gi Meo Ri Ja Dam Hwa The First is a multi-function product that washes scalp and boosts hair’s vitality by using traditional Korean medicine inspired ingredients.

First thing to notice is the beautiful packaging! The cardboard box and the tube containing the treatment shampoo are both very luxuriously ornamented with an oriental flower pattern in red and golden colors. I love the design! The cardboard box also contains a lot of Korean description, so if you speak and read Korean you’ll find a lot of information there (click below to enlarge).

Since the shampoo is oriental medicine-inspired it contains ingredients like white ginseng and ginger and the patented formula containing crinum lily extracts provides tired scalp and hair with energy, strength, and beauty. Moreover, silk extracts from golden cocoons and proteins protect the hair while reinforcing firmness and glow. It also contains a real herb complex made of green tea, camomile, sage, calendula and henna to moisturize the hair deeply. The foam created by the natural surfactant softly helps eliminate wastes on scalp, too, which is why this is not only a shampoo, but a scalp treatment, too. The tube contains 250 ml of the red coloured shampoo-treatment, which has a flowery/herbal scent. It is described as a subtle wild flower fragrance. The Daeng Gi Meo Ri Ja Dam Hwa The First also creates a nice foam while lathering it up in your hair and I really enjoyed the scent while using the shampoo. Unfortunately, it doesn’t provide my hair with enough moisture in order to make it shiny. After only using this shampoo-treatment on its own my hair feels pretty dry and tangled. I tried to keep using it on its own hoping my hair will get used to it, but I discovered that I simply cannot use this product without using a conditioner or deep hair treatment afterwards.

In conclusion I must say that this product doesn’t suit my hair. It makes it too dry and tangled and I have used other products that suit better. I even could not figure out where to buy it online or how much it retails, but according to other hair products from this brand it must be around 20 US$. If you want to try an oriental medicine inspired shampoo that really worked for me check out my review on Damoe Therapy Treatment Shampoo. It really made my hair soft and shiny and I had the feeling my fine hair felt more firm and fuller! Other than that I still prefer using the Shiseido Tsubaki line as my daily hair care.

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♥ Oh, and if you have time, feel free to join my two giveaways! You can click on the images to be redirected :) ♥

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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