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Review: O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum

23. October 2013

EDIT: A new version of the O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum has been released, which is called C21.1 Advanced Serum. If you have sensitive skin I can recommend you to check out the review on the new formula >>here<<.

A couple of month ago I took part in one of Wishtrend’s giveaways and I was very lucky to be chosen as one of the winners. Around two weeks later I got a package from Wishtrend containing the popular O.S.T. Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum. I’ve read a couple of reviews for this serum before and it did seem to work greatly on most of the reviewers, so I was especially curious for the effects.

The brand O.S.T or C20 is best known for exactly this serum reviewed here. O.S.T or C20 belongs to the same manufacturer as COSRX and Ciracle and is a Korean brand. The signature packaging of the O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum is the orange cardboard box containing a brown glass bottle with an orange label. Many people will ask themselves why to use a vitamin C serum in their skincare routine? Usually, Vitamin C serums help to keep your skin nourished. Vitamin C can help brighten your skin, it can act as chemical peeling when used in a high concentration and it has anti-aging properties. Sounds promising!

The O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum has a volume of 30 ml and a shelf-life of 12 months after opening, although, since it is a vitamin C serum which oxidizes by time, you should use it up as quickly as possible. The cardboard box shows the detailed Korean description of the packaging. You can find English description on Wishtrend.

Ingredients of the O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum are:

Water, Ascorbic Acid, Ethanol, Sodium Lactate, Butylene Glycol, Glucose, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Rosa Davurica Bud Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil. Sodium Hyaluronate, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Xanthan, PEG-180, Gluconolactone, Beta-Glucan, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Zinc PCA, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Tocopherylacetate, Lecithin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ubiquinone, Diisopropyladipate, phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben

According to COSDNA the ingredients of this vitamin C serum are safe to use. There are some minor irritants though. Apart from vitamin C, the key ingredient, the O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum contains a mostly different moisturizers, some plant extracts as antioxidants, but also alcohol (Ethanol). Methylparaben is also listed in the ingredients. Sodium lactate, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide are some of the positive ingredients here, acting as moisturizer and brightener. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and thus can prevent our skin from aging early. The content of Vitamin C in this serum is very high compared to other vitamin C serum. It contains 20 % vitamin C. You have to know that a high concentration of Vitamin C doesn’t mean automatically that it is more effective concerning anti-aging. Normally, a high concentration of Vitamin C aims at a visible effect, because it tends to operate as a peeling by loosening dead and old cells. This is not a bad effect and stimulates the skin to regenerate itself, but keep in mind that it won’t affect the inner cell layers of your skin which have to be aimed if you really want an anti-aging effect.

The orange color of the packaging may be simple, but it reminds people of orange fruits, especially oranges, which makes them think about vitamin C automatically. The bottle inside comes with a sealed cap and a separately packed pipette. The pipette is very useful for the application of the serum and makes it possible to apply the serum carefully. Since vitamin C can oxidize the brown bottle is a good choice to prevent this, but you are even more safe if you store it additionally in the fridge, because warm/high temperatures can degrade the vitamin C as well.

Also make sure to close the cap of the bottle always tightly! As you can see in the image above, the color of the serum is a very light yellow. The color becomes more pigmented the longer you keep the serum, so it is best to use it as soon as possible, once the bottle is opened. A strong yellow color only means your vitamin C serum has oxidized!

As to the structure of the serum: it is a bit less fluid than water, similar to oil and has a similar thick consistency. When applied on the skin it leaves the skin with stickiness. I had no problems with the stickiness as long as I applied it only before sleeping. During daytime I didn’t want to have the sticky feeling. Finally, I started mixing 2-3 drops of the serum with my toner or moisturizer in the morning, which worked great and was much less sticky than putting it on your skin alone. The scent reminds me a bit of oranges. So, what effects did this serum have on my skin? I tested it for around 2 months now and it does some nice work on the skin: my skin feels more even and smooth and appears cleaner. I didn’t see a whitening effect or any effects on my black-/whiteheads (but I really don’t have many of them to begin with…). It seems the peeling effect by the vitamin C works really nice and the skin regenerates itself a bit, resulting in the nice feeling of my skin which I had. Since I liked the effect of it I can recommend you to try O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum by yourself. Perhaps it improves your skin, too and/or even helps with the other skin problems. One negative part I recognized was, that the serum stings the first few minutes after application. After a while this effect is not noticeable anymore though. If you tend to have dry skin like me, this serum can be a bit drying, but you can either mix the serum with a moisturizer or apply moisturizer afterwards.

I really like the O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum! It is affordable compared to other concentrated vitamin C serums and it is effective in terms of smoothing your face and making it look healthier. EDIT, since I can know compare this Vitamin C serum to the reformulated O.S.T C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum: The O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum is much more intense than the O.S.T C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum. On the other hand the C21.5 doesn’t contain any parabens or other artificial ingredients. It doesn’t contain alcohol either. Also, it is not as sticky and doesn’t sting as much as the C20. Nevertheless, I had the feeling that the C20 was more effective on my skin. I had more visible results on my skin. Which of the two is the better serum for your skin I cannot tell, but I can recommend you to try rather the C21.1 if your skin is very sensitive. Go for the cheaper C20 if you have quite normal skin. Both serum, the old and the new version can be purchased at Wishtrend. The old O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 comes with free shipping and retails for 14.99 US$ at the moment, which is really affordable for a vitamin C serum. The new O.S.T C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum retails for 24.99 US$. Both bottles contain 30 ml. Check out my blog for the monthly coupon codes for your shopping experience at Wishtrend. Also, keep in mind their friend-referral program: You can receive a 5 Us$ referral coupon if you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration and you’ll receive this voucher immediately. There will be a specific field in your registration form called “friends invitation program” where you can put the code mentioned above. This way new customers can safe 5 US$ which is a great possibility to safe some money.

Rating:

43 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Beyond The God of Patches Bye-bye to Facial Wrinkles Sheet Mask

17. October 2013

I bought these a couple of Beyond The God Of Patches sheet masks quite a while back and I really wanted to review them so badly, but I never dared to tear open these cute packages. I’m absolutely in love with the design of these ♥ As you can see below I ordered three masks, but there are quite a few more available. These masks are from the Korean brand Beyond which is part of LG Household & Health Care. I wrote a review a couple of days ago about one of their facial foam cleanser >>here<<.

These masks are super cute, each of them designed with an animal face wearing either the mask or looking somehow individually.

I will review the Beyond The God of Patches Bye-bye to Facial Wrinkles Sheet Mask today, which is a whole face sheet mask. The bear on the package looks so cute, although (s)he seems to be unhappy about wrinkles :’D ♥

The information on the backside is in Korean and English, too (click to enlarge). As you can see in the image above. The product description says:

A pure cotton, anti-wrinkle mask sheet ideal for erasing the fine lines and facial wrinkles that can betray your age. Saturated with royal jelly and nectar, natural sources of energy, this highly-enriched serum provides life and vitality to rough, patchy skin and locks in moisture, slowing down the aging process.

Active Ingredients: Adenosine, Royal Jelly Extraxt, Honey Extraxt

Sounds good in first place. Royal Jelly and Honey are both known to be good moisturizers, which helps to decrease the appearance of fine lines and Adenosine is supposed to be anti-inflammatory when used in cosmetics as far as I know.

Now, how were my experiences with this mask? First of all, when I opened the package I was relieved that this mask had a pleasant flowery-sweet scent. It was so nice and calming, especially because I took a shower before and was snuggling myself in my bed XD ♥

The mask itself had a nice soft feel and was saturated thoroughly with the essence. I feared it would be dripping, but it dripped nowhere except on my fingers while applying it. There was also some left over essence for my neck inside the package of the mask. Since it was soaked well and my room is rather cooled down in the moment it gave me a refreshing sensation on the same time. I guess you can put it inside a fridge if you live somewhere with hot climate and it will have the same cooling sensation on your face. After 20 minutes I took the mask of and massaged the rest of the essence into my skin until it was absorbed. My skin was not sticky afterwards, and it felt nicely moisturized and firmer, too.I don’t have much of lines or wrinkles, just one or two tiny ones, but since my skin was moisturized very well they were not visible at all. The next day my skin still felt smooth and nice. As it seems, I had no problems at all with this mask and I simply love it and I would re-buy it any time. ♥

I bought these masks at www.testerkorea.com for 2500 Won which is around US$ 2.50. Shipping depends on the weight of the goods you buy.

Rating:

17 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty NOTD review

Review: Etude House Look At My Nails Maple Syrup

14. October 2013

Here is another nail polish from Etude House, but this time it is not a matte nail polish like in my last review about Etude House’s Petit Darling Nails Matte Nail Polish (review here). This time it is a jelly type nail polish called Etude House Look At My Nails Maple Syrup from Etude House spring collection this year. There are five shades available, all shades are in the pink and beige color range.

The shade Maple Syrup is a dusky pink shade which comes in a glass bottle decorated with some swirls and ornaments. You can find the words “look at” written on the bottle as well. I like the design of the bottle. It is not something special, but girly in its own way.

The nail polish brush is not very broad and not really long. Nevertheless, I had no problems in applying the nail polish. The polish itself is rather on the runny side, so you have to be a bit carefull about the amount of nail polish on the brush.

An opaque color can be achieved on the nails with two coats. Three would even be better, but I’m not patient enough for waiting so long for each layer to dry, especially, because these jelly type nail polishes need longer anyway. Below you can see an image of my nails with two coats. This nail polish really has a nice glossy effect (click to enlarge). The color looks like the color inside the bottle.

All in all I love this nail polish. I was on the hunt for a pink shade like this. Also, I like the jelly/glossy effect. I should have ordered more shades of this last time (I ordered this one at Keautystore, but they don’t have it anymore). You can get this from www.testerkorea.com for example, for around 1500 Won, which is around US$ 1.50. Shipping depends on the weight. There is also a new range available, but I don’t know if they are of the same consistency. They are called “Look At My Natural Nails” and I saw these on W2Beauty.

Rating:

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21 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Beyond Phytoganic Facial Foam

12. October 2013

Todays review is about Beyond’s Phytoganic Facial Foam. Do you know Beyond? If not: Beyond is a natural cosmetic brand and part of LG Household & Health Care and thus a korean brand. I discovered them when I saw some ultracute sheetmasks they have (and I bought the sheet masks,too, but didn’t review them until know >_<”’).

Facial Foam means nothing else than a cleanser. I was a bit confused first, especially because you find only few information in english. So what is “phytoganic”? I’m not an expert, but the term phytogAnic is not something I know. On the other hand there is the term phytogEnic or Phytogenics, which means derrived from plants. I guess it simply means, that the ingredients they use for this cleanser are mainly derrived from plants and herbs (if anybody has more information about this, pls comment :D )

The description is taken from http://www.beyond.co.kr:

(I hope the translation is correct :D)

Refreshing, rich, dense foam cleanser which eliminates skin impurities. Natural ingredients and natural herbs to reduce irritation of the skin and clear mind and body.

Dermatologically Tested

No Chemical Preservatives

No Chemical Colorants

Against Animal Testing

Eco Beauty Lab

Recyclable packaging

Ingredients: Water, green tea extract *, Lau Rick acid, pre-Stick acid, disodium coco cancer Podium acetate, potassium hydroxide, Coca Polyimide di yieyi, Butylene Glycol, Lavender Flower Extract *, basil flower / leaf extract *, marshmallow root Extract *, H. cordata Extract *, Chamomile Flower Extract *, Rosemary Leaf Extract *, Fennel Extract *, apple water, glycerin, potassium chloride, panthenol, magnolia bark extract, white willow bark extract, wanggyul extracts, propolis extract, one hundred kinds of KEVIN extract, chamomile flower / leaf extract, sodium tetra two dt A, mugwort extract, olive oil, Meadow foam seed oil, tocopheryl acetate, geranium oil *, lavender oil *, rosemary leaf oil *, Fragrance (* certified organic ingredients)

If you open the tube the first thing to recognize is the really refreshing herbal scent. If you don’t like herbal scents, you’ll probably not like it. The product inside the tube is a clear gel which can be lethered to foam with water. In the picture above I just used a tiny bit of water, but if you really wash your face you can get the foam described in the product description above. It does a good job in cleaning, too. At the moment I use the lighter Chocolate Latte Foam Cleanser from Missha (>>here<<) in the morning and this one in the evening. Somehow I can keep telling myself that it reduces the daily stress…^_^”’

If you are a fan of natural products you should try Beyond’s Phytoganic Facial Foam (the one I bought is a travel size tube) or have a look at the other products by Beyond. I have nothing bad to say about this cleanser, since it does a good job. The tiny tube contains 30 ml and does only cost 1600 Won (around US$ 1.6) at www.testerkorea.com– it’s super cheap, so it is worth a try.

Rating:

7 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Etude House Rose Drawing Show Creamy Eyeliner BE103

11. October 2013

Yesterday I reviewed the Rosy Tint Lips from Etude House’s Autumn Collection 2013 called “& Rose” and today I’m going to review the second product I ordered from this line, the Etude House Rose Drawing Show BE103 Creamy Romance, which is the lightest color of the four shades provided.

left: Etude House Rosy Tint Lips, right: Etude House Rose Drawing Show

The design of this creamy pencil is simple, but cute. The color of the pen is pink, with the name ornamented on it. The cap is designed with imprinted lace motif.

This pen can be used as eyeliner or highlighter. It can be smudged directly after application in order to create a smokey effect. After drying it should be waterproof and long lasting. I think you can also use it on top of your normal black eyeliner to give it a shimmer, but I didn’t try it. There are three other colors available which are pigmented more than this color. You can find a review for the other three eyeliner at Mizuchan’s blog. She did a great review on them ♥

As you can see, the color is a very light one. The texture is normal for a pen liner, at least for this one. I expected it to be more creamy, but it has the normal creamy-ness of other pen eyeliner I own. The other shades of the Rose Drawing Show Eyeliner Pen look indeed also more creamy.

In the picture above you can see the swatch of the liner on my hand. It is providing a nice shimmer without being opaque. That’s why I like to use it most as highlighter under my eyes, like in the image. I also used the Rosy Tint Lip as blush in this picture :) The tip has to be sharpened, once it becomes blunt. There is no sharpener provided, so keep this in mind when you consider to buy. The staying power is good, unless you start to rub your eyes to intensively.

I got my Etude House Rose Drawing Show Creamy Pen from W2Beauty. If you are not yet registered, you can receive a 5,00 € voucher after registration using my link or the sponsor code 088505 and you can use it immediately for any order from 30 $ onwards. You can also get it from various other shops:

W2Beauty for US$ 8.74 (free shipping option)
Testerkorea for 6000 Won/ US$ ~6.00 (shipping costs depend on weight)

KoCoMall for US$ 6.48 (shipping starts at US$ 3.77)
ebay around US$ 8.00, depending on the seller (shipping depends on seller)

I like this eyeliner pen more used as a highlighter than an actual eyeliner. The color is not pigmented enough to be a stand-alone eyeliner. The other colors seem more suitable for this. Nevertheless, I don’t regret buying this, because I integrated it into my daily make-up routine :D

Rating:

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27 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Etude House Rosy Tint Lips

10. October 2013

I was super excited when I saw the first promotional pictures on Etude House’s Autumn Collection 2013 called “& Rose” and I picked up one of the new Rosy Tint Lips directly. I chose No. 3 “Rose Petal”. There are 8 different shades available in total. By the way, did you know that Etude House’s “& Rose” collection is inspired by the fairytale “The Sleeping Beauty”? I love fairytales and this collections color range fits perfectly to “The Sleeping Beauty” in my opinion.

The Korean brand Etude House is one of the best known Korean brands for cute packaging. If you are a lover ofcute, 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 …As the name of the collection is “& Rose” the packaging is very beautifully covered with painted roses and fulfills all our expectations.

The product description is written in English on the side of the cardboard box, too :D

With a tinge of red,
she blossoms like a rose in full bloom.
The story of her and the rose, &Rose…

The velvet type Tint Lips comes with a soft delicate texture and rich color to express lips of rosy petal.

Directions:

Tip 1) Delicate Petal Lip Gradiation: Dab a certain amount onto center of upper and lower lips and use tip to evenly spread.

Tip 2) Rose in Full Bloom Lip Cover: Smoothly glide onto lips, starting from the inner to outer direction.

Tip 3) Soft Petal Cheeks: Dispense a certain amount and dab lightly onto both cheeks, blending quickly with fingers.

The tube of the tint has the color of the shade you pick and is very simply, displaying the name of it in a curly, cute font/ornament. The tip of the tint consists of a sponge applicator. The lip tint has to be squeezed out of the tube through the applicator. The applicator should help you to create either gradient lips or fully colored lips. And here is the major downside of this product: the tube is made from a really hard plastic and you have to squeeze very hard in order to get some product out of the tube. I read some reviews before and they all said that the plastic was hard to squeeze, but I didn’t imagine it would be like this…

The sponge applicator is also something I have mixed feelings about. I know that some but think that I dislike it because it can be unhygienic, but that is not my main issue (the sponge cap can be taken off and cleaned). The Aritaum Cushion Tints I raved before (here and here) did have a sponge applicator, too. It is easy to create gradient and soft effects with help of sponge applicators like this. But, unlike the Aritaum Cushion Tints, here the product comes directly out of the sponge, so if you don’t want a gradient effect, but clear lines the applicator will probably mess around the borders of your lips. In this case I’d recommend you to use a lip brush.

Now, what about the product itself: I thought Rose Petal would have a slightly different color, but it is more a pink tone. It is a very nice shade nevertheless. Also, I like the matte appearance of the color on the lips. You have to be a bit careful with dry lips though. The lasting power is not amazing, but it is okay, as long as you don’t eat and drink. But, what I really like is the scent of the lip tint, since it smells of roses ♥ You can also use it as blush, and I tried it as well. The color is really pigmented, so be careful not to put too much on your cheeks, normally the stain on the sponge after you used it on your lips is more than enough (germophobics should clean the sponge applicator afterwards, or simply use sanitized fingers).

I bought mine at W2Beauty. If you are not yet registered, you can receive a 5,00 € voucher after registration using my link or the sponsor code 088505 and you can use it immediately for any order from 30 $ onwards. You can also get it from various other shops:W2Beauty for US$ 11.29 (free shipping option)
Testerkorea for 8500 Won/ US$ ~8.50 (shipping costs depend on weight)
KollectionK for US$ 9.89 (shipping to Germany starts at US$ 4.99)
ebay fom US$ 9-19, depending on the seller (shipping depends on seller)For the lip tint itself, I like it very much. I really am disappointed about the design of the tube and the whole applicational discomfort caused by it. Nevertheless it is worth a try. I’m thinking of de-potting it or something like this…

Rating:

20 Comments

asian fashion contact lenses fashion geocolouredlenses PR Sample

Review: Geo Eyescream Rayray Gray XMU-A15 ♥sponsored♥

9. October 2013

This is a review of Geo Eyescream Rayray Gray XMU-A15, a gray/brownish circle lens kindly sponsored by www.geocolouredlenses.com. Grey lenses are something I’ve been curious to try for a long time, since I’ve always liked how they looked with dark hair. ^_^

The product description and specifications below are taken from their web page:

Specification

Power Range: 0.00~-8.00

Diameter: 14.5mm

Base Curve Radius: 8.7

Water Content: 38~42%

1 year disposable

* It is advisable to dispose it within 4 months for regular use or if it starts to cause dryness.

* Please handle with clean hands and soak it with solutions after every usage.

You can see, that these lenses have a brown colored inner ring. The design is really pretty. These are also larger in diameter than the Geo Magic CM-904 I reviewed before (>>here<<).

Design:

These lenses are grey colored with a inner circle of brown color. They get darker towards the outer circle, giving the eyes a dolly effect. The color looks nice in natural light and is not artificially opaque but creates a gradiating color effect.

Comfort

These were even more comfortable to wear than the Geo Magic CM-904 (>>here<<). I had strangely some difficulties in putting these lenses into my eyes, because they tended to fall out before attaching to the eye, but once they were in properly they were super comfortable.

Enlargement:

I think that this enlargement is the perfect size for me, without being too scary. I have already large eyes and if I wear to extreme lenses I look like a alien. These give the eyes a dolly effect and some enlargement.

Shipping:

Shipping was provided with tracking number and arrived after 10 business days which is good for standard shipping. Since shipping is free, you cannot complain about the delivery time. The lens vials were securely packed withing bubble wrap.

You can buy these lenses at www.geocolouredlenses.com for US$ 17.33. they do offer FREE international shipping and all their lenses are genuine. Most of their circle lens models are available with corrective power. Geo lenses are a reliable Korean circle lens brand and the only USA FDA approved circle lens brand. You can find information about geocolouredlenses here:

web store link: www.geocolouredlenses.com

on Facebook

on Instagram

on Tumblr

In total I really liked wearing these lenses. They were comfortable and they provided a nice color. :) Thanks to geocolouredlenses again!:D

Total Rating:

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 www.geocolouredlenses.com, which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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

12 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Skinfood Black Sugar Perfect First Serum

4. October 2013

When discovered that my latest order from Keautystore contained a sample of Skinfood’s Black Sugar Perfect First Serum I was really excited. I’ve been using the Black Sugar Scrub foam for some time now and it is really a product I like a lot. Let’s see what my first impression based on Skinfood’s Black Sugar Perfect First Serum Sample is:

My review is based on a sample, that’s why I cannot say anything about the bottle the serum is provided in full size. But it comes with special cotton pads with two sides. These two sides are necessary for the suggested application of the product. One side of these pads is rougher, and the other side is smooth. With the rough side you have to wipe your skin, in order to remove dirt and dead cells, with the second and smoother side you pat the skin in order that it absorbs the remaining serum. The pads provided by Skinfood here, are supposed to be robust. You can use any other robust cotton pad with two different sides, that’s at least what I did.

Here is the description taken from Keautystore:

A first serum that provides exfoliating, brightening, wrinkle-smoothing and hydrating benefits in a single formula. Use daily for soft, smooth skin.

Hoe to use:

Immediately after cleansing put a generous amount onto a cotton pad and wipe over the face.

Shake well before use.

As much as I know, black sugar is a dark brown sugar with high molasses favour. It is rich in potassium, iron, calcium and other minerals. Brown and black sugar are often used as skin exfoliator, as in the Black sugar Foam Scrub. Also here they help to remove the dead cells in the wiping step. Also, molasses contains vitamin B, which is an antioxidant that prevents and reverses signs of photo-aging of the skin. Another positive fact of this product is that it doesn’t contain benzophenone, mineral oil, silicon, acrylamide, talc, or sulfate.

This picture belongs to Skinfood

The serum itself is a clear liquid. I applied it on a cotton pad and wiped it over my skin, after using a cleanser before. Looking at the cotton pad there was still a visible amount of dirt and dead cells which were removed. Afterwards I did the pat-movement with the other side of the cotton pad until the serum was absorbed. I felt a slight remain of stickiness. Since you should continue with the rest of your skincare routine after using the serum I added a moisturizer on my face. After this step the stickiness was no problem anymore.

The skin feels clean and clear afterwards, but I didn’t see an immediate brightening effect. The sample sachet contains enough serum for 3-4 times use, but I don’t know if this is enough to observe any long term effects like brightening. Thinking about it’s anti-aging properties, I’d say that the benefits of antioxidants on preventing photo-damaging are known. Since this products contains vitamin B through the black sugar I hope that this will do its job ;)All in all, this serum is quite promising and worth a try. I’d be curious to try the full size product, especially the cotton pads provided extra for the product.

You can buy the full size product containing 120 ml at Keautystore. If you decide to buy something at Keautystore I can offer you a 5 % coupon code that they provided me. So if you plan to order at their store you can put my email address in the “referred email” box (which would make me very happy ^_^) and use coupon code listed below:

email: [email protected]

5 % coupon code: blog115

♥

Here is the banner and Link to their store:

(Also, if you order there, you can write reviews for the products and the samples you got and earn reward points. This is really a nice idea for review junkies. You can get 1 $ per review and additional credit for images.)

Here are a couple of shops were you can buy the serum:

Keautystore: US$ 42.00 (shipping is not included)

W2Beauty: US$ 30.09 (free shipping option)

KollectionK: US$ 33.99 (shipping depends on country)

Mootta: US$ 21.00 (free shipping for orders from US$ 50 onwards)

Testerkorea: around US$ 21 (shipping depends on weight)

Rating:

9 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: TheFaceShop Face It Aura CC Cream

2. October 2013

I wanted to do this review much much earlier, but due to shipping problem in Germany it was really delayed until know. There have already been a lot of reviews about this product, but nevertheless I want to share my thoughts about TheFaceShop Face It Aura CC cream with you.

Here is the description taken from TheFaceShop’s official web page:
usable for all skintypes, recommended for normal skin
description:
Brightening + Anti-wrinkle + SPF effect
Creates a “Spotlight Makeup” : turns up the wattage of your skin tone with enhanced skin luminosity
“A Born-color Cream” : just like you were born with a brighter ,healthier & naturally luminescent skin!
*12H Long-wearing : with its innovative darkening-proof formula, the makeup is maintained morning-fresh & bright for 12 hours.
*12H Hydrating: promotes Clear & lively skin tone
Super blendable & layerable texture allows buildable coverage & easy touch ups on-the-go.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? I was skeptical nonetheless, because most CC creams had a coverage which was to light for my tasting and were not able to replace my routinely used BB cream. But I read a lot of good reviews about this CC cream and so I gave it a try. The packaging contains a lot of description, too (you can enlarge the images). They put also some images on how you can add the refill. The fact that you actually can put a refill is great and is the first point I like about this product.

The pact itself is sturdy, but handy on the same time. The design is very clean and mature with a light pink color.

When you open the pact, it comes with a mirror on the one side and the CC cream container on the other. In between there is an application pad.

Now, in order to apply the CC cream you have to push the container and the CC cream is pumped through the hole in the middle of the container (you have to remove the sticker before). This CC cream looks like a BB cream. It is not based on color changing beads, but has an even tone. TheFaceShop Face It Aura CC Cream is available in two shades: light beige and natural beige. I bought natural beige. Below you can see the swatch of the CC cream on my hand. As you can see, I’m still a bit tanned from my vacation and this CC cream has a shade comparable to Missha’s No. 21, if I remember correctly. Nevertheless, it can be blended in nicely. I think the shade will work even better for me in winter :)

The coverage is really, really great. I didn’t expect it, because most CC creams have a lighter coverage, but this one does a good job and a better job than the Skinfood’s Vita Water Drop CC cream I reviewed before >>here<<. Below you can see an image of my face with and without the CC cream. You can clearly see how good the coverage is, it even covers my birth mark at my mouth’s corner. Also my skin tone is evened out and brightened up. Unfortunately, because of the SPF it is difficult to get a nice picture while using flash light. I also didn’t have any problems layering this CC cream on that parts of my skin which are not dry. With help of the sponge it looked always nicely blended and not cake-y. But, if you have dry parts in your skin or dry skin in general I recommend you to you to use a moisturizer before, otherwise it will not look nice, but a bit powdery/flaky. I don’t agree with their claim on being hydrating for drier skin types. For oily and normal skin it might be okay.
The staying power was nice, nevertheless, even if I would not say it lasts for 12 hours, but it lasts really a long time. Since I have skin on the drier side I cannot say anything about oil control. It performed nice enough for me.

I love this CC cream! I was very skeptical about CC creams because I didn’t like formulas with color changing beads, but this one is a normally toned cream without any color adapting beads. The coverage is great and comparable to BB creams, like Missha’s Perfect Cover. It evens out the skin tone, has SPF and the application is great, too. I can live with the part of having to use a good moisturizer before, because I do this anyway. Moreover, it fits perfectly into any handbag :D I am totally happy with this buy!

TheFaceShop Face It Aura CC Cream contains 20 g and costs US$ 39.00. If you decide to buy something at Keautystore I can offer you a 5 % coupon code that they provided me. So if you plan to order at their store you can put my email address in the “referred email” box (which would make me very happy ^_^) and use coupon code listed below:

email: [email protected]

5 % coupon code: blog115

♥

Here is the banner and Link to their store:

Rating:

28 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Skinfood Egg White Pore Mask

19. September 2013

Hey :)

This review is based on a sample I got from Skinfood’s Egg White Pore Mask. I’ve been always curious about that mask, since I heard a lot of people do like it.

Here is the description taken from Skinfood’s official web page:

A pore-refining cleanser with egg white extract that penetrates deeply into pores to remove pore-clogging oil.

[Egg white Story]Egg white, enriched with albumin, promotes firmer skin and smaller pores.

* To UseAfter cleansing, apply to the face except the eye and mouth area. Wash off with lukewarm water in 10 ~ 15 minutes.

I have to point out that I’ve always loved Skinfood’s packaging. They have a vintage kind of design and logo and it really looks nice to me. The sample sachet design is as you expect it to be. Simple colors, but a little drawing on the front and the logo which makes it nice on it’s own way. The full size product comes in a jar.

The amount of product in the sample sachet is sufficient for 3 times use. This is great, because you can try the mask more then once and get a better view on the effects. The product itself has a thick creamy consistency. It can be spread nicely over the face and doesn’t fall off. The scent is flowery and clean, which I prefer over citrus scents :)

After 15 minutes the mask becomes starts drying and you can wash it off. What I experienced was super soft skin. I loved touching it afterwards.*_* The skin feels cleaned and refreshed, too.

Concerning the effect on the pores, they appear to be a bit smaller or less visible after use, but the effect vanishes after some hours. As you can see I got freckles after my summer holidays :D

I didn’t experience any firming, but I don’t know if this effect is only visible after long time usage.

However, I like to repurchase this mask, simply because I loved the softening effect and it is a quick re-freshener. I also liked the scent a lot, because it was a simple and pleasant flowery scent.

You can purchase Skinfood’s Egg White Pore Mask here:

W2Beauty for US$ 15.49 (free shipping)

testerkorea for appr. US$ 8 (shipping costs depend on the weight of the product)

ebay for US$ 7-10 (shipping depends)

Rating:

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