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Valentine’s Day Special: Kissable Lips in 3 Steps

12. February 2016

// AFFILIATE LINKS / LIPS / VALENTINE'S DAY //

Valentine’s Day: Some love it, others hate it utterly! Either way, I have some pampering tips for you today, no matter if you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not: I will show you my 3 steps routine for achieving soft and smooth lips. ♥

There is nothing more bothering than dry and flaky lips. Especially in cold or very dry seasons almost everybody has made experience with dry and chapped lips. Not only does it feel bothersome, but also does it make any lip color makeup much more difficult. I hate it when special colors accentuate any dry flake on your lips! But apart from drinking a lot of water and using lip balm you can follow some easy steps to make your lips smoother and give them a nice pampering session.

First Step: Scrub Your Lips

First, you have to get rid of all the dead skin cells. Using a lip scrub is the most convenient way to do this. You can either buy a lip scrub, or make a simple DIY lip scrub using honey, sugar, and olive oil. I’m using the Missha M Soothing Care Lip Scrub and the Shara Shara Kissing Sugar Lip Scrub at the moment. I love the lip scrubs which come in a tube like the one from Missha, because you can take them with you while you’re showering and give your lips an occasional scrub. I’m using my fingers for scrubbing over my lips, but you can also use a tooth-brush (maybe another from the one you are using for your teeth…). The best way is to use circular motions to get rid of most of the dead skin.

Second Step: Lip Mask Patch

The second step gives your lips deep nourishment and moisture: Lip Mask Patches are hydrogel masks designed for the area around your mouth and for your lips. I love the lip patches from Pure Smile, but also other brands have these kind of lip patches. The Pure Smile Choosy Lip Patches have different types of essences: milky, fruity, honey, herb, peach, and many more! They contain Vitamin E, Collagen, and Hyaluronic Acid, which will make your lips soft and hydrated. The best part with lip patches is, that it looks ridiculously funny while wearing them, because the patch is shaped like an oversized lip.

Third Step: Lip Balm

The last step is the one we probably use mostly: Every woman has some lip balm somewhere in her handbag at least…or too many different lip balms which makes it difficult to decide which to use. After you scrubbed your lips and boosted them with a lip mask you can use a lip balm to seal them and keep them hydrated. My favorite two lip balms at the moment are the Tonymoly Mini Peach Lip Balm and the Classic Carmex Moisturizing Lip Balm. I also do love the Smith’s Rosebud Salve, but my jar is almost empty and the tin is so worn off that you cannot read the label anymore :D.

When using these easy steps of lip care on your lips they will be like new! Smooth and hydrated lips, perfect for your Valentine’s Date or any other occasion you want to – or even just for yourself, to feel even more pretty than you already do! ♥

Where to get the products mentioned above:

Missha M Soothing Care Lip Scrub – W2Beauty for 10.43 US$, Missha Germany for 7.80 €

Shara Shara Kissing Sugar Lip Scrub – Testerkorea for ~5 US$ (currently sold out)

Pure Smile Choosy Lip Patches – Amazon.com for ~5 US$, also on ebay

Tonymoly Mini Peach Lip Balm – Qdepot for 8.99 US$

Classic Carmex Moisturizing Lip Balm – Amazon.de for 5.79 €, Amazon.com for 6.98 US$

Smith’s Rosebud Salve – several stores for ~6 US$

What are your lip care remedies? Do you have any favorite products or DIY tips?

8 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample q-depot review

Review: NoTS 28 Remedy Perfect Solution Set

11. February 2016

I love Korean deluxe sample sets, since they contain every product you’ll ned when you are on vacations. They are also great for getting to know a brand or a specific skincare line, therefore I was really happy when I was offered to review the NoTS 28 Remedy Perfect Solution Set by Korean cosmetics online shop Qdepot. So far this brand is still new to me, and apart from the NoTS Silk Glow Stick Foundation I haven’t tried any products from this brand. But finally I can now try some of their skincare products:

Unlike brands like Etude House or Tonymoly the Korean high-end brand NoTS is yet not widely known among people outside Korea. NoTS stands for ‘noble through skin’ and was founded in 2011. It is supposed to be natural functional cosmetics with eco-friendly ingredients. Since it is a high-end brand the products are more expansive than drugstore brands like Etude House or Tonymoly. Their packaging design is also not girlish or fun, but more mature and targeting another age group than the two other brands. The NoTS 28 Remedy Perfect Solution Set comes in a silver cardboard box and contains 4 products. The NoTS 28 Remedy skincare range is made for sensitive and acne prone skintypes and is a multipurpose range targeting also anti-ageing and having whitening properties.

The set contains the NoTS 28 Remedy Acne Pore Deep Cleanser, The NoTS 28 Remedy Balancing Toner, The NoTS 28 Remedy Intensive Serum, and the NoTS 28 Remedy Repair Cream. These four product already build a perfect tiny skincare routine. From the 4 products the cleanser stands out most, because it has orange-colored fonts and cap on the white plastic tube. The other three products are simple but elegant. The bottles and jars have a white color and silver fonts and caps. They are made of hard plastic and seem to be very sturdy and perfect for travelling without fearing for them that they’ll break or leak.

The backside of the silver cardboard box reveals the Korean description for the 4 products, but you can check Qdepot for English description of the single products. The first step of your skincare is usually a cleanser. The NoTS 28 Remedy Acne Pore Deep Cleanser is a cleanser containing salicylic acid. It also contains a bunch of plant ingredients. All in all there are some minor irritants within the ingredients list, but the formulation is color-, scent-, and alcohol-free. The deluxe size comes with 25 ml volume, whereas the full size contains 120 ml. The foam cleanser has a white consistency and a pH of 7 when mixed with water. It cleans of almost all the makeup as you can see in the picture below. It is a bit weak towards lipliner, eyeliner, and smudgeproof eyeshdow formulations, but it cleans nicely the BB cream. The cleanser builds a soft foam when lathered and doesn’t have any specific strong scent.

After cleansing your face you would use the NoTS 28 Remedy Balancing Toner and the NoTS 28 Remedy Intensive Serum. Both products come in bottles with a pump applicator, which is very convenient to use. The toner contains 15 ml in the deluxe sample size and 100 ml in full-size. It is a clear toner with a light gel texture. It is not completely watery when pumped out of the tube, but when spreading it the texture feels watery. It has a faint alcohol scent and the ingredients list reveals that it includes alcohol. Apart from this the toner contains many plant derived ingredients. Unfortunately, it contains Triethanol amine and Triclosan, which are red labelled according to COSNDA. Especially since it contains Triclosan I wouldn’t recommend using it because Triclosan is highly discussed and already banned in many cosmetics (in Europe). The NoTS 28 Remedy Intensive Serum is used after the toner. It also comes in a pump bottle containing 12 ml for the deluxe sample and 35 ml in the full-size. The serum is clear and like a gel. It also contains alcohol and has a faint alcohol scent like the toner. Apart from this the other ingredients look good. Similar to the toner the gel formulation melts like water when spread and therefore absorbs quickly and feels refreshing. The last step of your skincare routine would be the NoTS 28 Remedy Repair Cream. The cream comes in a jar containing 10 g, the full-sized jar contains 30 g. The cream has a thick, creamy consistency and a strong herbal scent. It contains a whole bunch of plant derived ingredients, similar to the serum, and also contains Niacinamide and Adenosin. The cream also contains some red labelled ingredients according to COSDNA, which are Triethanol amine and BHT. And it also contains Salicylic Acid, and some minor irritants. It also contains Zinc Oxide as UV protection, which is great. The cream applied nicely on the skin, but leaves the skin a bit tacky first. There is no greasyness though. The strong herbal scent lingers quite some time unfortunately.

It is nice that these kind of deluxe sample sets give us the opportunity to try out a whole range of new products. Out of the 4 products my favorite is the serum. I wouldn’t recommend using the toner because of the Triclosan. The cream has a very intense herbal scent and it is kind of bitter, too. Also, for a high-end brand it contains too many irritants and not so great ingredients. The cleanser is probably a good choice for oily skintypes and acne-prone skin, because of the salicylic acid. For me it was too drying, and since my skin is dry anyways it is not the perfect cleanser for my skintype. Also, considering the higher prices of NoTS products I would advice you to get some samples of the products from this range before, since they may contain irritants.

You can get the products at Q-depot. The Cleanser retails for 26.88 US$. The Toner is available for 67.20 US$. The serum costs 75.60 US$, and the cream retails for a proud 102 US$. Q-depot is an online retailer for Korean cosmetics. They have already quite a variety of the most popular Korean brands and they keep adding products frequently. The site is easy to navigate, too. And they offer free samples for each order and free shipping for orders above US$ 69. What I like especially, that they have an extra section for cruelty-free products, which contains brands like Iope, Innisfree, Etude House, etc. I didn’t see that before for most of the online stores, so that’s something really innovative and nice. Also, they are committed to contributing 3% of their group’s net profit for social causes in different countries. So you can shop for your favorite Korean products and do something good, too. Also,Q-depot is having a promotion were you can get 25 US$ coupon upon signing up. The coupon is useable for a minimum purchase of 69 US$.

Here are also some useful coupons and free gifts you can use and receive when ordering at the moment:

Coupons

Get $10 OFF on orders $129+ Coupon Code: A83RvEYo

Get $70 OFF on orders 99+ Coupon Code: LuGf8ZMX

Get $5 OFF on orders 69+ Coupon Code: Uxurfv9C

Get $3 OFF on orders 49+ Coupon Code: ERP9pDYT

Free Gifts

Orders 69+ – Free Missha Misa Gumsul Mask (worth $3.58)

Order 99+ – Free Tony Moly Kiss Kiss Lip Patch (worth $6.39)

Orders 129+ – Free Face Shop Lovely Mix Pastal Cushion Blusher (worth $8.99)

Have fun shopping!

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://q-depot.com/, which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

beauty PR Sample review Vivant Skincare

Review: Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System

9. February 2016

Did you ever get a customized skincare routine proposal? A while ago I was approached by Vivant Skincare and they asked me whether I would be interested in the Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System. I was not sure, if it would be possible to stick to the products from Vivant Skincare for the recommended 30 days, but I tried my best and here is my thorough review for the products I received.

Vivant’s history as a leading skin care brand goes back more than 50 years and is based on the formulations of researcher, cosmetic surgeon and dermatologist James E. Fulton, M.D., Ph.D., the co-developer of Vitamin A acid, known as Retin-A®. Vivant Skincare offers solutions for each and every skin concern, be it acne, hyperpigmentation, aging and even more. They have different series of cleansers, toners, correctors, hydrators, body care, masks and eye and lip treatments. I’m sure that there is a product suited for everybody within their product range. When they approached me and I agreed on reviewing their products and asked them for specific product suggestions. After a couple of days I received an email by the director of Vivant Skincare, Susan. She is the daughter of James E. Fulton and she gave me a very detailed explanations on which products she would advice me and what she will send to me. She also stated that she found my page through reddit, and you could see in her email that she was familiar with Korean skincare routines. She even send me her personal email and cell phone number in case of any questions, which speaks for a good customer service and availablity.

One of the key ingredients of the Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System is mandelic acid. Susan stated the following when she emailed me about the products:

“One of [my father’s] discoveries was that Mandelic Acid, derived from bitter almonds, is a different kind of AHA; an exciting new 3 in 1 skin care therapy, effective in treating photo-aging, irregular pigmentation and acne. Developed for skin too sensitive for glycolics and benzoyl peroxide, it is perfect for sensitive skin that has a tendency to break out or is prone to hyperpigmentation from over exfoliation. I am sending you a Mandelic Wash and a toner, it would be a perfect AHA for you to try. If the toner is too much for your dry skin back off and try it one day on, one day off. The Cleansing Milk I am enclosing can be used one day on, one day off if the mandelic wash is too drying. I am also going to send you a Vivant Rejuv RX with peptides. […] I would like you to eventually start to use the Derm-A-Renew serum from the Vivant line but only after your skin has acclimated. “

So, the Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System consists of 4 main products: a cleanser, a toner, a corrector, and a hydrator. In contrast to most toners known from asian beauty routines the toner here is meant to prepare the surface of the skin for better penetration of the skin by the Vivant Skincare serums. The Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System comes with an insert which describes how to use the products. Within 4 weeks the skin is adjusted to the routine by slowly increasing the steps from week to week.

I received a total of 7 products: The Vivant Skincare Cleansing Milk, the Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash, the 3% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Toner, the Day Treatment Lotion, the 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum, the Rejuv RX Peptide Concentrate, and the Derm-A-Renew Gentle Peptide and Vitamin A. I used the products like this for more than 30 days, but after the first 30 days I made some adjustments, which I will describe at the end of this review:

Routine in the mornings:

1. Cleansing Milk or Mandelic Acid Wash

2. Rejuv RX Peptide Concentrate

3. Day Treatment Lotion

Routine at night:

1. Mandelic Acid Wash

2. Mandelic Acid Toner

3. Mandelic Acid Serum, after a while replace this with the Derm-A-Renew

First of all the packaging of the Vivant Skincare products is designed in a simple, neat, and clean way. It reminds of typical products you would receive in a pharmacy. The serums come in brown glass bottles with included pipettes attached to the lids. The small bottles contain 1 oz (~29.6 ml). The other products (cleansers, lotion, and toner) come in white plastic bottles. You can press the lids down on one side to reveal the opening. All in all the packaging design is convenient to use. Unfortunately, the caps of the plastic bottles may leak if you carry them around. This happened to me two times with the Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash. The other products however never leaked out, so it may be that it was only a problem with this bottle. Since I’m already speaking of the cleanser I will start of with their performances aswell.

Vivant Skincare Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash and Vivant Skincare Cleansing Milk

I received two different cleansers, the The Vivant Skincare Cleansing Milk and the Vivant Skincare Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash. The Madelic Acid 3-in1 Wash is a gel-type cleanser. It is a clear, light-pink gel which lathers up into a bit of foam. It is not a rich or dense foam though. The gel cleanser has a pH of 3 when mixed with water. It has a light bitter scent of almonds. It is not only a facial wash, but can be used on the body, too. And even more, it can be used as shampoo for fighting dandruff and acne. You can check the full ingredients list >>here<<, and as you can see the list is very short, which I like, and contains mainly safe ingredients, too. The key ingredients are Mandelic Acid, Green Tea Extract, Grape Extract, Kiwi Fruit Extract, and Honey Extract:

Madelic Acid: As we learned before the Mandelic Acid acts as a mild chemical exfoliant and is used as natural antibacterial to suppress pigmentation, treat inflammatory, cystic acne and rejuvenate photo-aged skin.

Camellia Sinensis (Japanese Green Tea) Leaf Extract: It is rich in Vitamin E and C and also known as powerful anti-oxidant with anti-inflammatory and astringent properties. It helps to maintain the collagen formation and healthy skin.

Kiwi Fruit Extract: This extract is high in omega-3. Kiwi has excellent antioxidant properties to rejuvenate tired skin and slow the aging process. It helps to diminish the appearance of fine lines and dark eye circles, making the skin appear more radiant.

Honey Extract: Honey is a natural humectant with long-lasting hydration. It contains enzymes with anti-bacterial properties to clarify the skin and has been used for centuries as beautifying ingredient.

Grape Seed Extract: Grape Seed Extracts is a potent antioxidant that shuts down free radical activity.

The Vivant Skincare Cleansing Milk is a lotion-type cleanser. It has a milky consistency and a nice, sweet scent. I prefer this scent over the scent of the Mandelic Acid 3-1 Wash. The Cleansing Milk has a pH of 4. The full ingredients can be looked up >>here<<. As with the above cleanser the ingredients list is very short and neat. The key ingredients are Grape Seed Extract and Glycerin.

Glycerin: Glycerin or Glycerol is a humectant present in all lipids. Glycerin combined with other emollients or oils is part of most moisturizers and in this way makes the skin soft and moisturized.

Both cleansers perform good on cleansing the skin from basic makeup, but they are weak when used on color makeup. Therefore, I would advise you to get rid of your makeup first by using any proper makeup remover. Below you can see that both cleansers are weak when cleansing lip products and eyeshadow. Eyeliner, BB cream and water-soluble mascara were removed by both cleansers.

Next products of my Vivant Skincare Routine are the 3% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Toner and the Day Treatment Lotion. Let’s take a closer look at these:

Vivant Skincare 3% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Toner and Vivant Skincare Day Treatment Lotion

As I already said before the 3% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Toner is not designed as moisturizing toner, but is an astingent toner. You will already see from the ingrdients list. The ingrdients list is short but it contains SD Alcohol in 2nd place. So, I know that many are wary when they hear that alcohol is inlcuded in a specific product. I shared an interesting article on this topic on facebook recently. Usually, SD Alcohol is used to thin down a product, which makes sense for heavier creams for example. The 3% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Toner is a clear, watery solution. The toner has a strong alcohol scent. The key ingredients are Witch Hazel and Mandelic Acid.

Witch Hazel: Witch Hazel has antioxidant properties. It acts as astringent and anti-inflammatory.

Actually, I’m not sure why they used SD Alcohol here, since this is a toner and not a cream. The toner clears the remaining makeup from the skin, when used, but it also dries out the skin as far as I experienced. The toner might be suited better for oily skin, or skin with acne problems. Nevertheless, I used the toner 1-2 times a day during 30 days, but after that I changed to my regularly used toners for adjusting the pH.

The Vivant Skincare Day Treatment Lotion is a daily SPF moisturizer. It has SPF 15. The moisturizer is a thick, white-colored cream. It is similar to many of the heavy sunscreens, which I usually avoid using. But what I liked about this lotion is that it can be mixed with loose powder or mineral makeup for creating a tinted moisturizer. The moisturizer has a scent, but it is similar to the scent of pharmacy creams, not any perfumed scent. I did not like the scent too much. The full ingredients are listed >>here<<, and the key ingredients are Aloe Leaf Juice and Zinc Peptides.

The ingredients list contains some minor irritants and acne triggers. Octinoxate, Octisalate, and Titanium Dioxide are used as sunscreens.

Part of my Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness Systems were the Rejuv RX Peptide Concentrate during the day and 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum at nights. After three weeks I replaced the Mandelic Acid Serum with the Derm-A-Renew Gentle Peptide and Vitamin A.

Vivant Skincare 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum

The first serum to use during the Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System is the Vivant Skincare 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum. At the beginning it is used every night. Later it is replaced by the Derm-A-Renew Gentle Peptide and Vitamin A. The Vivant Skincare 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum is an alcohol free and mild serum to treat acne, discoloration, and age spots. It also targets the appearance of fine lines. It is a clear water like serum. It has a bitter scent of almonds, too. The serum is very light and absorbs fast into the skin. I discovered that my skin feels smoother after using it for a week already. The full ingredients list is again quite short and contains safe ingredients. The key ingredients are mandelic acid, urea, lactid acid, and niacinamide:

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

Urea: Urea binds moisture to the skin and keeps skin smooth and supple. It promotes re-hydrationand has anti-inflammatory properties aswell.

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

Vivant Skincare Rejuv RX Peptide Concentrate

The Vivant Skincare Rejuv RX Peptide Concentrate is a serum which enhances firmness and elasticity. It also relieves rednesses. The ingredients contain some minor irritants, but other than that it is short like all the products from Vivant Skincare I tried. The key ingredients are Oligopeptides, Lactid Acid, Urea, and Niacinamide. The downside is that this serum contains SD alcohol. Like with the toner I do not think that it is necessary to have SD Alcohol here. The serum is clear and watery, like the mandelic acid serum, but instead of the bitter scent this one smells of alcohol. It also doesn’t feel really moisturizing. After 30 days I stopped using this regularly, and I didn’t see any differences for my skin. By now I do not use this anymore, but instead I’m using the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum instead during day time.

Vivant Skincare Derm-A-Renew Gentle Peptide and Vitamin A

The last product I added to my Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System is the Vivant Skincare Derm-A-Renew combines peptides and vitamin A for improving the skintone and texture. It is a milky, light yellow product. It is still fluid enough to be taken out with the pipette. It has a mild, nice scent and applies easily without being greasy. The ingredients list contains some minor irritants and it also contains a red labelled ingredient, BHT, a preservative. The Vitamin A derivate used here is Retinyl Propionate. Apart from this it contains Oligopeptides, Lactid Acid and Niacinamide.

Retinyl Propionate: Retinyl Propionate is a synthetic ester of retinol and propionic acid. While retinyl palmitate is an earlier form of retinol, it does not have the same effects as retinol. Instead, retinyl palmitate can be effective in boosting collagen fiber production in your skin, which can help you look younger. It does not have the same exfoliating effects as retinol however.

From the three serums this is my favorite since I like how it applies and how it smells. It feels like a nice boost to the skin, but does not feel too aggressive or drying.

My final thought on the Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System is quite positive. First of all I like the customer service and the option of getting a personalized skincare routine kit. Therefore I think that it is great for people starting a skincare routine. I also had a couple of products within my customized Vivant Skincare Routine which I really liked, but of course there were also some products which I liked less. From the two cleansers I preferred the Cleansing Milk because it was less drying and had a nicer scent than the Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash. Both of the cleansers are great if you are looking for low pH cleansers. The Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash contains 8 oz (236.6 ml) and retails for 31 US$. The Cleansing Milk comes with the same amount and retails for 29.50 US$. The Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Toner was far too drying for my skin, even if only used occasionally. Sine it has the purpose to balance the pH and get rid of any excess sebum you can replace it with another pH adjusting toner with the same properties, maybe one without alcohol. 4 oz (119.3 ml) retail for 44 US$ which is also quite expensive compared to the ingredients contained here. I really appreciate the idea of a Day Treatment Lotion with SPF and I wish that more moisturizer would consider to add this to their formulation. The scent and the thickness of the moisturizer were not my cup of tea really, so I switched to my regular moisturizers and sunscreens. This adds an additional step to the routine, but I don’t mind that specifically. The Day Treatment Lotion contains 4 oz (119.3 ml) and retails for 33 US$. I do like the 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum and Derm-A-Renew Gentle Peptide and Vitamin A! I like the key ingredients used in booth serums and I like how they make the skin feel. The Rejuv RX Peptide Concentrate on the other hand was again too drying for me, probably because of the alcohol. It was not so bad as the toner, but still from the three serums I would choose this to opt out. The downside for the serums is that they are really expensive. The Rejuv-RX retails for 106 US$ and is the most expensive out of the three serums. The 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum retails for 50 US$ and the Derm-A-Renew Gentle Peptide and Vitamin A retails for 87 US$. The Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System including the Mandelic Acid Wash, Toner, Day Treatment Lotion and the 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum can be obtained in a Kit for 130 US$. I’m really thankful that Vivant Skincare has offered me their skincare products to review and I hope that my experiences with the products will help you in case you want to go for any of the products.

Did anybody try products from Vivant skincare before? Or did you ever get a customized skincare routine and how were your experiences?

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

6 Comments

advertorial Allgemein beauty other Wishtrend

Wishtrend February 2016 Coupons

3. February 2016

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

Wishtrend February 2016 Coupons

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

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

Coupon Code: FEB10DISCOUNT
Requirement 1: Shopping cart order must be 50 US$ and over to be able to use the 10% off coupon
Requirement 2: Coupon code cannot be combined with any other discount or voucher code.
Only valid until the end of February 2016

The second promotion code is a special gift you will receive by using the code below. The voucher is valid on any orders of 30 US$ or more at Wishtrend! This months free sample are two free Skqin Sissi Sheet Masks in gold and silver.

Voucher Code: SKQINSISSIMASK2016
Orders +30 US$
Only valid until the end of February 2016

Wishtrend February 2016 Coupons

Moreover, since some weeks Wishtrend is having a new promo each Tuesday called Try It Tuesday. They have different coupons each Tuesday that you can use to get a free sample or product on your order. It is worth following Wishtrend’s Social Media (Facebook and Instagram) to see when they are offering this coupon!
Also, there is a new product by COSRX available at Wishtrend, the COSRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion: I’m super excited for this product and it will be part of my next Wishtrend order definitively.

Wishtrend February 2016 Coupons

Another new item is the Yellow Tumbling Rubar by 23Years Old. This is a oil balm bar with reminds me of the Sum37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick. Another product I would love to try!

Wishtrend February 2016 Coupons

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

Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum

Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0

Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione

ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner

Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum

Lailly 7 Seconds Make-Up Booster

Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion

COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum

COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

I’m from Honey Mask

Boutique Bebe Hair Salon Protein Treatment

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

ElsihaCoy Aloe & Lavender Mask Sheet

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack and Lip Tint Cleanser

OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum

Confume Argan Treatment Oil

Pongdang Donkey Milk Emulsion

Klairs Rescue Moisture Kit Part 1 and 2

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack

CareLab Powerful Pudding Mask

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Oil Cleanser and Sugar Facial Polish

Rojukiss Multi Vita Cleansing Powder

Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask

Damoae Therapy Shampoo and Tonic

Skinmiso Rice Foam Cleanser

Klairs Illuminating Supple BB Cream

O.S.T. Pure Vitamin C20 Serum

Wish Formula Panda Eye Essence Mask

ONL Saladit Essential Juice Sheet Masks

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

asian cosmetics beauty IASO PR Sample review

Review: IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX

29. January 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Review: Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack

22. January 2016

When it comes to DIY sheet masks rice paper has been often discussed as possibility. Now, Lamy Cosmetics has come up with pre-cut and essence included rice paper masks: The Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack!

Lamy Cosmetics is a Korean cosmetics company with 6 different brand. The brands are Renoma, Geo, Sortie, Lafine, Catalina Geo, and Mennen. I reviewed products from Lafine and Catalina Geo previously, so the company name was known to me, but I know that many of you will not have heard of these brands before. The Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack comes in three versions: tumeric, green tea and black rice– Since the mask sheet is made of real rice paper (yes, the one you may know from your kitchen) the name “Rice Paper Eating Mask” makes somehow sense. Also the three key ingredients are widely known as ingredients from our more or less daily food.

Why using rice as main ingredient of this natural mask pack? The sheet masks claims to have a wearing sensation which is completely different compared to the others sheet masks made of synthetized material. This way the mask is suitable for sensitive skin types and can be used safely without any irritation.

Moreover, the ingredients of the sheet mask essence uses patented herbal ingredients. It contains diverse herbal ingredients such as rh-EGF capsulized with lecithin, plant stem cells, Chinese redbud, and fermented red ginseng to nourish, reduce irritation and skin’s stress as well as keeping its health. The ingredients and description for the sheet mask are written in English and Korean on the backside of the mask sachets.

The essence of all three masks has the same ingredients. The only difference between the three masks are the rice paper sheets. The Lamy Real Eating Mask Tumeric has a sheet made of Rice, Tumeric, Water, and Salt. The Lamy Real Eating Mask Green Tea has a sheet made of Rice, Green Tea, Water, and Salt. Lastly, the Lamy Real Eating Mask Black Rice has a sheet made of Rice, Black Rice, Water, and Salt.

The Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack have to be used as following: First, clean your skin with a toner after washing your face. Then, spread the essence included in the package on your rice paper mask sheet. Let the essence be absorbed by the rice paper for around 2 minutes. Afterwards, you can put on the mask from the center of your face stroking it to the outsides. Remove the product after 15-20 minutes and then finish your routine with your base products. Since the rice paper will turn from its hard, paper-like consistency into a jelly sheet you should not pull the mask while applying, because it is easily torn.

The essence for all the mask contains a bunch of plant extracts-some known from traditional chinese medicine, like ginseng, and Rehmannia glutinosa. The list also contains Bifida Ferment Lysate and Lactobacillus Ferment Filtrate. Ferment filtrate is nutrients-rich. It contains many vitamins, amino acids and proteins and helps to improve the moisture level of the skin. Lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) extracted from milk, and honey and sugars (Trehalose and Raffinose) for nourishing and moisturizing are also worth to be mentioned here.

Below, you can see how the structure of the rice paper changes, after applying the essence on the rice paper. The essence has a light scent, but it is not heavy in my opinion. It is a clear liquid, with a consistency between gel and water. It distributes easily in the plastic container of the rice paper mask.

Once the sheets are soaked you will see that the consistency of the rice sheet masks resembles hydrogel masks. It is jelly and thin. The tricky part comes here: the difference between rice paper and hydrogel masks is, that the rice paper mask is much more prone to be torn apart. Honestly, I didn’t manage to use any of the masks without tearing at least a tiny bit of it. The second problem is, that it does not adhere to the skin as tightly as hydrogel masks…even not like regular cotton sheet masks (or whatever fabric used for the sheet masks). I could not wear the masks for longer than 10 minutes because it started to fall off at the one or the other side. Nevertheless, I must say that the essence is great. When absorbed completely the skin feels soft and smooth and no sign of irritation or anything.

Now, I really do like the performance of the essence of this mask, but is it worth buying a sheet mask made from rice paper? Honestly, I would not buy the mask myself. I would rather to buy an essence with similar ingredients (or one that I really like) and a pack of rice papers or compressed paper masks (or even cotton sheets or pads). It will have the same effect, or even better, and you can mix in your favorite serum etc together with the essence and soak your preferred material. Surely, the Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack is a great product for you if you are too lazy to cut your rice paper or whatever into pieces, but even that is not the biggest deal, is it? If you want to give it a try anyways you can find these masks at Lamy Cosmetics, or on ebay or Amazon.com. It retails for 6000 Won (or around 8 US$ from ebay/Amazon). Did you try rice paper masks already?

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

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

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

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Wishtrend January 2016 Coupons

7. January 2016

Time for the first Wishtrend Coupons in 2016! As usual I will summarize the coupons and benefits that you can use while shopping on one of my favorite online retailers for the more unknownKorean beauty products: Wishtrend. If you don’t know ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner, but love Korean or Asian cosmetics and skin care products I can recommend you to check out their online shop, especially for one of my favorite products, the O.S.T. Vitamin C Serum. You’ll also find some products sold at Wishtrend on my Top 30 favorite asian cosmetics for 2015, like the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C serum or the ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner . Also, they have listed brands like COSRX, Tosowoong and Mizon. You can find a list of all the products I reviewed from Wishtrend at the bottom of this post. Furthermore, they have really a great affiliate program for blogger and I can advice you to join it if you are one. Here are the Wishtrend coupon codes for January:

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

Coupon Code: NEWCOUPON2016
Requirement 1: Shopping cart order must be 50 US$ and over to be able to use the 10% off coupon
Requirement 2: Coupon code cannot be combined with any other discount or voucher code.
Only valid until the end of January 2016

Voucher Code: SKQINSISSIMASK2016
Orders +30 US$
Only valid until the end of January 2016

Moreover, since some weeks Wishtrend is having a new promo each Tuesday called Try It Tuesday. They have different coupons each Tuesday that you can use to get a free sample or product on your order. Below are some examples for the past offers. It is worth following Wishtrend’s Social Media (Facebook and Instagram) to see when they are offering this coupon!

Last but not least I wanted to show you some new items I spotted on Wishtrend: There is a new product by 23yearsold called Sibiton Cream. This cream contains Seabuckhorn oil and other seed oils and should be perfect for moisturizing dry skintypes.

Wishtrend January 2016 Coupons

Another new item, or items are the new products from the Lei Lani Poruji line. The line consists of Toner,Emulsion, Essence and Cream and is directed towards anti-acne care. The packaging looks nice, too., doesn’t it?

Wishtrend January 2016 Coupons

I would advice you to check out their “Free Shipping Area”, so you don’t have to spend the saved money for shipping costs. They have quite some nice items available there, changing from time to time. At the moment they are providing the OST Vitamin C serum for 14.99 US$ in their free shipping zone, and I spotted the Monstory Green Mon Fresh Mask there aswell! Oh, and Wishtrend is having their own brand now called “by Wishtrend”. There are only three products so far, but I’m sure there will be many more in future.

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

Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum

Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0

Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione

ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner

Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum

Lailly 7 Seconds Make-Up Booster

Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion

COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum

COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

I’m from Honey Mask

Boutique Bebe Hair Salon Protein Treatment

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

ElsihaCoy Aloe & Lavender Mask Sheet

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack and Lip Tint Cleanser

OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum

Confume Argan Treatment Oil

Pongdang Donkey Milk Emulsion

Klairs Rescue Moisture Kit Part 1 and 2

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack

CareLab Powerful Pudding Mask

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Oil Cleanser and Sugar Facial Polish

Rojukiss Multi Vita Cleansing Powder

Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask

Damoae Therapy Shampoo and Tonic

Skinmiso Rice Foam Cleanser

Klairs Illuminating Supple BB Cream

O.S.T. Pure Vitamin C20 Serum

Wish Formula Panda Eye Essence Mask

ONL Saladit Essential Juice Sheet Masks

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

asian cosmetics beauty beauty boxes Etude House PR Sample review

Etude House Pink Bird Box December “Play 101 Sticks”

4. January 2016

As promised on my Instagram account I will start this week with one of my three unboxing posts: The Etude House Pink Bird Box for December is fully dedicated towards the new cooperation of Etude House with makeup artist Pony. They recently have launched a new series of products called the Play 101 Sticks. If you are curious about some of Etude House’s newest product continue reading, but be aware that this post is picture-heavy, similar to the previous post about the Etude House Pink Bird Box. :D

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

I was so excited to see the products for this month since it contains the products from the new collaboration of Etude House with one of my favourite Korean make-up artists Pony. The box contained a Play 101 Stick Foundation, two different Play 101 Stick Multi-Color, the Play 101 Stick Contour Duo, and the Play 101 Stick Brush. A couple of samples for the upgraded Etude House Moistfull Collagen Cream and an Eyebrow Guide Minibook were included additionally.

The new Play 101 Sticks Series consists of four different shades of the Multi-Stick Foundation. Then there are 6 different colors for the Multi-Color Sticks which can be used on Lips and Cheeks for example. Apart from these 10 Play 101 Sticks there is also a Contour Duo and a Brush available in this new collection. All together it is a very versatile useable collection and it already caught my attention when I spotted these on Etude House Facebook page for the first time.

There are also two Youtube tutorials with Pony where she explains two different looks which can be created with the Etude House Play 101 sticks. The looks are called “Slim & Small Look” and “Bohemian Look“. It seems you can create a lot of amazing looks with the Etude House Play 101 Sticks! I received the sticks in shade 01 (multi-stick foundation), 11 and 13 (multi-color sticks). The packaging design of the Play 101 Sticks is similar to the Play 101 Pencils. The cardboard boxes also have descriptions in English (click below to enlarge), but you can also find the descriptions and ingredients on the global Etude House page.

The Etude House Play 101 Multi-Stick Foundation is available in 4 shades. Shade 01 is the lightest shade of the foundations. It is an okay match for my skin tone, but 02 would be even better probably. This Multi-Stick Foundation works similar to other stick foundations. You have to apply stokes on your face and blend it in with a sponge or brush (or fingers). The foundation has a convenient twist-up mechanism. like all the Play 101 Sticks.

The Etude House Play 101 Multi-Color Sticks have a very versatile use. You can use them as blush on your cheeks, but they are also useable on the lips or eyelid. Shade 11 is not my favorite color to use on the lips, but it can be used to contour the cheekbones, or as a brownish blush, but also as eyeshadow base color.

Shade 13 is a light pink color with golden shimmer. This is my absolute favorite of the three Play 101 Sticks! The color s super pretty as blush, but also gives your lips a nice shine. It can be used as sparkling/highlighting eyeshadow, too. The color is sooo lovely!

The Etude House Play 101 Stick Contour Duo is a double-ended twist-up crayon. It is not a bold stick like the previous ones, but a more narrow crayon. Also here you will find the English description on the cardboard box and on the official site.

One side of the Contour Duo is a white-cream colored highlighter, the other one is a brown contouring shade. The caps for both sides are clear plastic caps, so you can see the color of the end you are using.

The Play 101 Multi-Stick Foundation has a heavy cream formula. It blends in, drying matte and powdery. The Play 101 Multi-Color Sticks on the other hand are very creamy and remind me of the 3CE Creamy Cheek Blusher, which was in my Top 30 Favorite Cosmetics list for 2015. The Multi-Color Sticks are much more easy to blend in than the Foundation Stick. Also the Contour Duo is creamier and more blendable than the foundation.

In order to apply the foundation you can either use your favorite foundation blush or a sponge, or you can use the brush Etude House offers, the Etude House Play 101 Stick Brush. It is a short brush which comes in a plastic zip-lock bag. It has the perfect size for travelling, which makes the whole Etude House Play 101 line a perfect travelling makeup: Easy to use, twist-up mechanism, versatile.

Below you can see how the products look when used on my face. Unfortunately, the foundation is too powdery and heavy to be blended in nicely into my skin. Probably it works better for people with oily or normal skin. For me, it doesn’t look like it melts into the skin, but more like a layer on top of my skin, which I do not like. The other products work perfectly find. I even applied the Multi-Stick in shade 13 on my lips and it really looks pretty and gives a rosegold sheen. It also looks nice on top of your favorite lipstick for example.

All in all, I really like the concept of the Etude House Play 101 Multi-Sticks! I’m not a fan of the Foundation Stick though, because it doesn’t properly blend into my skin and looks to powdery for my liking. The Contour Duo is super convenient to use, and I love the Multi-Stick in shade 13 because of the color. Definitively, you should try one of the Etude House Play 101 Multi-Sticks at least. I’m very happy with the Etude House Play 101 Sticks after all! Did you try any of the products already? Tell me about it in the comments below!

Etude House Pink Bird

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

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Top 30 Asian Cosmetics Products 2015

29. December 2015

2015 went by so fast! I cannot believe it is almost 2016! Like last year I want to share my favourite 30 asian cosmetics products which I reviewed in 2015 with you. My post last year was “only” a top 20, but it was too hard to me to decide for only 20 products and I ended up with 30 :D I tried to be as versatile as possible and divide the sections into different categories of make-up, skin care, masks, hair products… Here is my selection of products for 2015:

Asian Make-Up Products

Let’s start off with my favourite products in general, which are my beloved lip make-up products! My three favourite lip products 2015 are:

Innisfree Creammellow Lipsticks: I was already a huge fan of the Innisfree Color Glow Lipsticks, but these were even greater in terms of creamy-ness and gloss. Super moisturizing and so pretty colors. Check out my review >>here<<.

Aritaum Water Sliding Tints: Another super moisturizing lip product. Similar to the Innisfree Creammellow lipsticks these are super sliding over the lips and feel very moist. The color payoff is strong, too, despite the texture. Nevertheless, a great product which I love to use! Check out my review >>here<<.

Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight: I’ve really become fond of these oil tints! The Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight is so far my favorite in terms of color and feel on the lips! Definitively worth a try! Read my review >>here<<.

Next are my favorite Blush/Contouring products 2015:

Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher: I discovered this blusher far too late, since it is not a newly launched product at all. Still, I love the subtle color and the cute and yet simple packaging…and it was one of the winners of Get It Beauty Blind Test. Read my review >>here<<.

3CE Creamy Cheek Stick: I love this convenient stick type application and the texture of this blush! And, to tell the truth, I’m also in love with the new Etude House Play 101 sticks, which have some similar blush-colors….(don’t worry, there will be upcoming reviews). Read my review >>here<<.

Too Cool For School Art Class By Rodin: I was never much into contouring but this contouring compact makes it easy and has some nice colors aswell. And the most beautiful packaging! Click to read my review >>here<<.

This year was mostly cushion BBs for me. I tried some regular bb creams, but it weren’t my favourite yet. My favorite cushion BB creams 2015 are:

Missha Magic M Moisture Cushion: I love the Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream and the Missha M Moisture Cushion turns out to be a great cushion bb aswell! I also tried the regular version, which I did like, too. But for my dry skin the moisture version is my favorite. Read my review >>here<<.

Innisfree Intense Ampoule Cushion: A lovely cushion. similar to the Missha Moisture Cushion but a bit more nourishing. Perfect for winter! Read my review >>here<<.

O’melon Chameleon Essence Queen Cushion: This is one of the most beautiful cushions I’ve seen so far…and it has three colors! It is super pretty and has a unique concept. Read my review >>here<<.

Asian Skin Care Products

Let’s get to the skin care products I reviewed this year and which ones I liked most. I’ll start of with my favorite cleansers 2015:

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleanser Oil: I loved the scent of this oil cleanser. Honestly, I’m really a big fan of Klairs products, but from the whole line I had two favourites, which were the toner and this cleanser…and later this year I fell in love with the new Klairs vitamin C serum, too…Such a great brand! Read my review >>here<<.

Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick: Almost everybody who tried this stick cleanser fell in love with it…You have to like roses and rose scent and coconut oil for loving this. If you do, this cleanser gives you the maximum of luxury while cleansing your face. Read my review >>here<<.

Skinfood Rose Shake Point Make-Up Remover: Another favorite for rose scent lovers is this point makeup remover from skinfood. It is also available in a milk version, which I want to try next time. Read my review >>here<<.

My favorite toners 2015 are:

ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner: I love the scent so much!!! I bought the cleansing water of the same line and I hope it will be as great as the toner. Read my review >>here<<.

Klairs Supple Preparation Toner: As I said above, I really enjoyed the Klairs products I tried this year. This is one of my favourite toners so far! Read my review >>here<<.

CosRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner: The brand CosRX had quite a go this year aswell…I still have some products which I didn’t review yet, but which are already waiting to be used. Probably they would be on this list if I already used them :D A great brand aswell! Read my review >>here<<.

My favourite cream-type products 2015 are:

Chico & Chica Astazet 4.0.: I enjoy the ingredients and the texture of this cream very much. I would say it helps to improve the skin, although it is hard to tell which products are really responsible when having an elaborate skin care routine. Read my review >>here<<.

BRTC Aqua Rush Cream: This cream has such a lovely texture, which is first like a balm and then magically melts away like water! Click >>here<< for my full review.

Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione: Another water drop texture cream with whitening properties. You could almost say it is a mixture between moisturizer and CC cream. Read my review >>here<<.

Some other favorite skin care products I tried:

Missha First Treatment Essence Intensive: This essence makes the skin feel so soft and smooth! And although reformulated it will not be less effective than the previous formula. Read my review >>here<<.

Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum: Compared to the OST Vitamin C serum this might not be as aggressive and effective, but still it contains some powerful and great ingredients. I started to like this a bit more for everyday use, especially if you have sensitive or not so troubled skin. Click >>here<< to read my review.

Tosowoong Syn-ake Natural Pure Essence: Cheap but efficient brand with great ingredients! Read my review >>here<<.

CosRX Acne Pimple Master Patch: I was amazed how much a patch can change. I do not have many pimples, but each time I spot one I cover it with this patch and the next day it is gone. amazing! Read my review >>here<<.

Asian Hair Products 2015

My favorite asian hair products this year were and are:

Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoo and Conditioner: This hair care line makes my hair super smooth and manageable! The scent is awesome, too, and I love the luxurious pump containers and the fact that you can buy refills. I’m on my second refill now, and still love it! Read my review >>here<<.

Confume Argan Treatment Oil: I love the scent and I love the texture of this hair oil. From the four oils I have I use this one the most! Read my review >>here<<.

Asian Sheet Masks and other Masks

3CE Water Wrapping Facial Mask: Super moisturizing and such a soft cotton sheet mask, which became one of my favourites. Read my review >>here<<.

Moonlab Real Cooling Themometer Mask: I reviewed this a couple of days ago, but it was such a great sheet mask that it had to be in my list for 2015. This sheet mask is super cooling and is made of coconut water. Read my review >>here<<.

From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack: This is my favorite alternative to the famous Laneige Sleeping Mask. It is not expensive at all and worth a try! Read my review >>here<<.

I’m from Honey Mask: I love honey and I love this wash-off mask, which has such a lovely scent and makes my skin super glowy and smooth! If you didn’t try this mask you definitively missed an experience! Click for my review >>here<<.

Other recommendable products:

BornPretty Dual Nail Dotting Tools: These make it possible to create so many different nail arts. And they are super affordable, too! Read my review >>here<<.

Smile Brilliant Professional Teeth Whitening Kit: This is no asian product, but still worth mentioning, since it is a super affordable way to whiten your teeth like at a dentist. Read my review >>here<<.

I hope you enjoyed reading my Top 30 Asian Cosmetics Products post and I wish you a happy new year! What were your favorite products in 2015? I will not be able to post any reviews until January, but I have a lot of new and interesting products for you in 2016! Take care! ♥

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Review: Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask Skin Radiance

23. December 2015

This is the first time I heard of a cooling sheet mask containing liquid ice and the first time I heard of the brand Moonlab. The Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask for Skin Radiance is a Bio-Cellulose Mask with dual functionality of whitening and wrinkle improvement.

The brand Moonlab is a Korean brand, but is was absolutely new to me until now. There is an official webpage called PureskinWorld were you can find Pure Skin and Moonlab products, but for Moonlab there are only the Real Cooling Thermometer Masks which are available in three different versions, the Moisture Supply, the Nutrition Supply and the Skin Radiance Mask. I will show you the Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask Skin Radiance Mask in this post. As said before, the Skin Radiance mask is directed towards Whitening and Anti-Wrinkle. It is an ice cooling mask that cools down skin which is overheated by sun exposure, excessive exercise or external stimulation and helps to make the skin less dull and more radiant and bright.

The ingredients of the Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask are great, too. According to COSDNA all the ingredients are safe to use. You can have a look here for all the ingredients of this mask, but the list is also written in English on the sheet mask packaging. The two key ingredients are liquid ice and snow lotus extract. The liquid ice is responsible for the cooling effect and refreshes your skin. The Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask for Skin Radiance has a skin temperature decreasing effect of 6.5°C! Snow lotus extract has brightening and relieving properties. Apart from these two ingredients there are a bunch of other ingredients worth mentioning: Niacinamide for brightening, Hyaluronic Acid and Pseudoalteromonas Ferment extract for moisturizing, and even snail secretion filtrate for its anti-inflamatory effects. Also, there is a stable, water-soluble form of vitamin C that functions as an antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate) in the ingredients list. Last but not least, a whole bunch of plant ingredients build up the rest of this mask! I probably do not have to mention how much I liked this list of ingredients!

The sheet masks come in a cardboard box containing 4 sheet masks packed in separate sachets. The sachets have a thermometer displayed on the right side, which has a thermal indicator function. When the temperature of the mask is 15°C or less the symbol changes its color from silver to blue and indicates the perfect temperature for using it. But that’s only optional, but really a funny idea. Apart from that the design of this sheet mask is very medical/scientific, with a clipboard illustration and the bars showing the effect of the temperature decrease.

The Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask is a bio-cellulose mask, a gel type mask sheet made of fermented coconut juice with bacteria. It adheres very neatly to the skin and doesn’t slip around like some hydrogel masks for example. I really like how soft and jelly it feels nevertheless. Due to the fact that the sheet masks are made of bio-cellulose the thickness of the sheet may vary because it is made from fermented coconut water. The bio-cellulose mask is protected by a plastic paper from one side and a cotton type sheet on the other. The essence is a clear type with a fluid, but not completely watery texture. It has a mild scent, which is on the flowery side, but I couldn’t define it properly. You can use the mask for 10-30 minutes, but even after 30 minutes it still has its cooling sensation. And yes, the cooling sensation is really more obvious than with regular sheet masks! You really feel how your skin tightens up from the cold. Afterwards the skin feels brightened and vital and refreshed and really softened!

I really loved using this mask and apart from the 3CE Water Wrapping Facial Mask, this has become one of my favourites! I can imagine that this mask is super great for hot seasons and weather, but also after exercising. I used up 3 of these already and saved one…A pity the box comes only with 4 pieces of this mask and the retail price of 26000 Won (around 26 US$) makes it quite an expensive mask, too. But I’d say it’s worth the money! I couldn’t directly see any longterm effect considering whitening or anti-aging with only three masks, but it has definitively a direct tightening effect because of the cooling..and it contains Niacinamide and vitamin C, so the chances are good that it does a tiny bit of anti-aging and brightening, too. Nevertheless, I would like to try the other versions of the Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask! Did you try a Bio-cellulose mask before? did you know about the brand Moonlab?

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

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

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