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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Set Part 2

22. December 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Cream

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

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

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

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

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

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

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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Set Part 1

21. December 2015

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

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

SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Cleansing Foam

The cleansing foam is a hypoallergenic foam that effectively eliminates wastes and excessive sebum. It creates a rich, soft foam with more than enough bubbles. The cleansing foam comes in a regular tube. The product has a creamy, shiny consistency. Mixed with water the pH is around 8, which is slightly alkaline, so if you have problems with cleansers with high pH this one is not the right cleanser for you. For me it doesn’t really change anything, whether the pH is high or low because usually I use an pH adjusting toner afterwards. But, I must say that the more alkaline the cleanser is the more drying it can leave the skin, so it would not be my first choice to be honest. The cleansing performance is okay, but it is not an ideal makeup remover. As you can see below it does get rid of powders, bb cream and mascara, but it has problems with lip products. The ingredients of the SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Cleansing Foam are:

Glycerin, Water, Potassium Hydroxide, Myristic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Peg-8, Lauric Acid, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Polyquaternium-7, Fragnance, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Fruit extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, C14-C22Alcohol, Squalane, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Triethylhexanoin, Soy Isoflavones, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Butylospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Arachidyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Pueraria Mirifica Root Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Cimicfuga Dahurica Root Extract, Trifolium Pratense (Clover) Flower Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Dimethicone, Ceramide 3, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Carbomer, Cholesterol, Tromethamine, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Aspergillus Ferment, Scrophularia Buergeriana Extract, Salvia Miltiorrhiza Root Extract, Codonopsis Lanceolata Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Codonopsis

The ingredients are marked mostly green on COSDNA, but there are some potential acne triggers, too. Please check out >>here<<.

SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Skin and SNP Za Aryeon Eun Yoon Emulsion

The emulsion and the skin (or toner) are also based on herbal ingredients, like the whole line. The two products come in beautiful bottles of hard plastic. They are quite large, but not too heavy in the hand. It is really nice that the set comes with two smaller travel-sized bottles for the emulsion and the skin, since it would be really inconvenient to take along the larger bottles with you. The bottles have both regular openings. For the toner it is no problem to pour it out like that, but I can imagine that it will be difficult for the emulsion when it gets more empty over the time. A pump or a bottle which can be squeezed would be better suited for emulsions.

The skin/ toner has a liquid, watery consistency and an herbal scent. It absorbs fast and feels refreshing. The ingredients are:

Water, Glycerin, Methyl Gluceth-20, Alcohol, PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer, Bis-Peg-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl silane, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Trehalose, Panthenol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crossploymer, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Fragnance, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Aspergillus Ferment, Scrophularia Buergeriana Extract, Salvia Miltorrhiza Root Extract, Codonopsis Lanceolata Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Codonopsis Pilosula Root Extract, Cucurbita Pepo Fruit Extract, C14-C22Alcohol, Squalane, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Triethylhexanoin, Soy Isoflavones, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii, Arachidyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Pueraria Mirifica Root Extract, Angelica Polymorpha Sinensis Root Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Cimicifuga Dahurica Root Extract, Angelica Polymorpha Sinensis Root Extract, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, Dimethicone, Ceramide 3, Carbomer, Peg-100 Stearate

According to COSDNA there are two red flagged ingredients, which are Alcohol and Triethanolamine. The other ingredients are mostly green flagged. Again, there are some potential acne triggers and irritants, so be sure to patch-test in advance. Other than that the toner does quite a good job as first step of the skin care routine. It refreshes the skin, which may be a bit dry because of the cleansers used. The damp skin makes it easier for the following steps to penetrate the skin.

The emulsion has a lotion like texture. A light cream which is not too heavy or rich and suited perfectly for oily skintypes, or for wearing it at daytime, if the emulsion plus the cream is too much for the skin. It has the same herbal scent as the toner. The ingredients are:

Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Triethylhexanoin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylic/Capric Trigylceride, Hydrogenated C6-14 Olefin Polymers, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Glyceryl Stearate, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Peg-100 Stearate, Trehalose, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Butyrospermum Parkii, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Palmitic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Carbomer, C14-C22Alcohol, Squalane, Xanthan Gum, Triethanolamine, Panthenol, Fragnance, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Adenisine, Arachidyl Glucoside, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Aspergillus Ferment, Scrophularia Buergeriana Extract, Salvia Miltorrhiza Root Extract, Codonopsis Lanceolata Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Codonopsis Pilosula Root Extract, Beta-Glucan, Ceramide 3, Cholesterol, Tromethamine, Cucurbita Pepo Fruit Extract, Soy Isoflavones, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Pueraria Mirifica Root Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Cimicifuga Dahurica Root Extract, Angelica Polymorpha Sinensis Root Extract, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract, Punica Granatum Extract

According to COSDNA Triethanolamine is the only red labelled ingredient. As before the others are mainly green labelled with some potential acne triggers and irritants. The emulsion absorbs quickly into the skin and doesn’t leave any greasyness or heavy feeling. It makes the skin soft on the same time and gives it some moisture.

From these three products the emulsion is my favourite so far. Of course the design of the whole box is awesome and it will make the most beautiful gift for someone. If we look closer at the ingredients we mainly spot a whole bunch of different plant extracts. The products all contain fragrance, but the scent is a herbal one. I had to get used to it at first, but that is typical for most products with oriental medicine inspired ingredients. In the next part I will take a closer look at the cream, eye cream and the essence. So far, I hope this review was helpful! By the way, the whole set retails for a proud 160000 Won (around 160 US$)!

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

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review RosRoseShop

Review: Benton Honest TT Mist

19. December 2015

Somehow, up to today I never could convince myself to regularly use mists in my skin care. There are really many people who love mists, but so far I only used mists frequently in hot summer days in order to cool down. Still, I’m still trying to use more mists and somehow get the hang of it some day. Today’s review is about Benton’s Honest TT Mist:

The Korean skin care brand Benton did unleash a noticeable raving amongst lots of bloggers. Especially the high quality of the ingredients, without any additional fragrances or other fillers did impress most people. Also, the key ingredient in their famous Benton Snail Bee skin care line being snail secretion filtrate in first place and adding bee venom on top made it widely appalling for skin care junkies. Apart from all the raving people there were also incidents of people breaking out from the Benton Snail Bee line, and I had also a similar experience. As soon as I stopped using it my skin recovered. Nevertheless, I tried their BentonHonest Cleansing Foam a while back, which I did really like and so Benton is getting a new chance with me. Here is their newest addition to their skin care line, the Benton Honest TT Mist.

Like all Benton products the packaging is very simple. We have classy white color with some text on it. The cardboard box comes with Korean and English descriptions. The Benton Honest line is designed to have honest formulation and natural ingredients. This mist, for example uses tea tree leaf water instead of regular water. The tea tree water makes 80 % of the whole product. 5 % is tea tree extract and 7% hyaluronic acid. This leaves 8 % for the other ingredients. You can check the whole list of ingredients on COSDNA.

The purpose of the Benton Honest TT Mist is to sooth and make your skin balanced between oil and moisture. It can be used either as a toner before your skin care routine, or as a makeup fixer after you put it on. Also, mists are great to refresh yourself in-between! The difference between the Benton Honest TT Mist is, that it comes in a tube instead of a regular bottle. Benton calls it Vacuum Bottle in their advertisement.

I was surprised when I saw how travel-friendly and small it was and it is not heavy either. Instead of a regular tube opening or pump we have a spraying nozzle. Otherwise it would not be a mist, would it? The nozzle makes it possible to have a fine mist. Nevertheless, please keep in mind to use it from around 30 cm away from your face. The Benton Honest TT Mist is a watery liquid, which is unscented and transparent. Since the ingredients are very few and it contains mainly tea tree water I think that it is suited nicely for people with troubled or sensitive skintypes. The fewer the ingredients, the less is the risk of any irritation! I feel that the mist is very refreshing, but I have that feeling with all mists. My main skin concern is dryness, and I think this mist is a good moisture splash for in-between. I do not feel that it does any type of long-term moisturization, but it feels soothing.

I know that Lush has a similar toner containing tea tree water. If you are a fan of Lush’s toner you might like this one, too! I didn’t feel any difference in the moisturization level of my skin by using this mist yet, but I will definitively use it up. Will this be my all-time favourite mist? I do not know…maybe it is time for me to try out all those mists out there to see whether I can get used to it or not. The price for the Benton Honest TT Mist is super budget friendly though: it retails for 6.07 US$ at RoseRoseShop, who were so kind to offer me this mist for reviewing. What’s your favourite mist?

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

Fell free to join my giveaway with Japan Candy Box, too! Did you see it already?

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asian cosmetics beauty beauty boxes Etude House PR Sample review

Etude House Pink Bird Box November “Snowy Dessert Collection”

16. December 2015

If you follow me on instagram or facebook you already know that I was offered to be part of the Etude House Pink Bird Program and I’m really honoured and happy to present to you my first Etude House Pink Bird Box today! The theme of Etude House November Pink Bird Box is “Snowy Dessert Collection”, which is the name of Etude House’s Christmas Collection 2015 on the same time, and as the name already reveals, this box contains products of that collection! If you are curious about some of Etude House’s newest product continue reading, but be aware that this post is picture-heavy :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 is having 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. Since I’m really a huge fan of Etude House I’ve always looked up to other bloggers who were part of the program in the past and read their posts of previous Etude House Pink Birds eagerly, and now, having a pink bird box in my own hands, makes me really proud and also ashamed, since some of the past pink birds are people I could call blogger-idols :D (please check out bloggers like for example HelloPrettyBird, MangoBeautyTips, or BeautyJunkie…there are many, many more of course!).

Opening the Etude House Pink Bird Box November was super exciting! I was so curious about the products of the Snowy Dessert Collection, but also about the other sample kit of the new Honey Cera skin care line, which was part of the Etude House Pink Bird Box, too. Inside the box there was also the Etude House magazine and some advertorial flyers of the two lines which are part of the box. The Etude House magazine is really cute and contains some how-to instructions and makeup tips. Are you interested in some pictures from the magazine? Let me know in the comments!

The products of my Etude House Pink Bird Box November were Etude House Snowy Dessert Play 101 Pencils in shade No. 71 and No. 73, Etude House Snowy Dessert Pudding Tint No.3 Grapefruit Tint, and Etude House Snowy Dessert Ginger Cookie Blusher. Moreover, there was a Honey Cera 4-in-1 Kit, containing the Etude House Honey Cera Nourishing & Elasticity Cream, the Etude House Honey Cera Priming Eye Serum and the Etude House Honey Cera Toner and Emulsion.

Let’s start off with the products from the Snowy Dessert Collection 2015: This collection is designed to remind you of all these tasty and lovely Christmas desserts, only here you cannot eat them, but instead use them for your next makeup. The collection contains 5 new and limited colors of the Etude House Play 101 Pencils (I reviewed some of their pencils in the past >>here<<), 5 colors of the Snowy Dessert Pudding Tints, the Snowy Dessert Ginger Cookie Blusher and Contour Maker, two different Snowy Dessert Hand Creams and two Snowy Dessert Scented Tablets. You can check out the whole collection on Etude House Online Shopping Mall.

I was most excited about the Etude House Snowy Dessert Ginger Cookie Blusher, because it was one of the products I was thinking about to buy, before I knew that I would receive the Pink Box. The packaging of this Blusher is really adorable and fits perfectly to Christmas. The Snowy Dessert Cookie Ginger Blusher comes in a cardboard packaging designed like an oven! This is so cute! I fell in love with this packaging at once!

The Snowy Dessert Ginger Cookie Blusher is a two-toned blusher with a bronze color. It has a sweet ginger bread man imprinted and I really hesitated to use my brush on this blusher, because I feared the cute ginger bread man would disappear. So far I’ve used this blush quite often but you still see the ginger bread man luckily!

The color of this blusher is very light and swatched on my hand you hardly see anything apart from a glowy, bronze shimmer. Nevertheless, when I applied it on my cheeks the color is more vibrant and visible, resulting in a brownish/ bronze color which is more than lovely for fall and winter season. The Snowy Desser Ginger Cookie Blusher contains 9 g of product and retails for 16.80 US$. It doesn’t come with a puff or a brush. Some pictures below I also will show you how my complete facial makeup looks like and how the color of this blusher turns out on my cheeks.

The Etude House Snowy Desser Pudding Tint in Shade 3 called Grapefruit Pudding comes in a cardboard box designed like those cake boxes you will receive at some bakeries. Another super adorable designed product! Once you open the cardboard box you will find the tint in a small jar together with a spoon/spatula.

The Snowy Dessert Pudding Tint has a pudding texture, as the name suggests, which also remind me a bit of some mousse or other desserts like that. Kind of a bouncy texture. The spatula has a soft plastic tip. You can use it like a spoon to scoop out the pudding tint. The spreading of the tint is better done with the backside of the spoon, or with a separate lip brush or your fingers. The color of the pudding tint is super vibrant and highly pigmented, but also can be blended in as soft gradient. As for the staying power of this lip tint the stain is visible quite a long time. It may be not as vibrant as when you apply it, but it doesn’t look bad either. If you have dry lips you should exfoliate your lips definitely in advance, otherwise the vibrant pink color will cling to every dry lip flake or wrinkle. The lip tint jar contains 5.5 g and retails for 10.40 US$.

The Etude House Snowy Dessert Play 101 Pencils, which I received in shade No.71 and No. 73 are both pencils with a shimmering finish. They come in a plastic box and have a stripe design. No. 71 is a light pink color, whereas No. 73 is a light pearly color.

Both shades are super pretty for the under-eye area or the inner corners of your eyes for highlighting. You can twist up the pencils and there is also a tiny sharpener included for sharpening the tip of the pencils. The texture of the product is a creamy type pencil, so it is also useable as eyeshadow for example. I love the shades, because they are really subtle and yet have such a pretty sparkle. Each pencil contains 0.5g and retails for 7.80 US$.

In the image below I used all the products I received from the Snowy Dessert Collection to create a makeup look. I used the Ginger Cookie Blusher on my cheeks, the Grapefruit Pudding Tint on my lips and I used the Play 101 Pencil shade No. 71 on my lid and shade No. 73 under my eyes for highlighting. I really like the combination of all the colors for this soft and yet fresh look. There are some discounted Snowy Dessert Makeup Sets available on Etude House which come with a Snowing in my Hand Snow Pen as gift!

Last but not least the Etude House Pink Bird Box November contained the Honey Cera 4-in-1 Kit. The new Etude House Honey Cera line contains honey as key ingredient for nourishing and moisturizing. Furthermore, it contains Royal Jelly and Ceramide. Royal Jelly has nourishing properties like the honey and Ceramide strengthens the skin barrier. Also, you will find extracts of the Helichrysum italicum or also called Italian Immortelle or Curry Plant in the Etude House Honey Cera Line. The purpose of this extract is soothing and moisturizing. Aim of this line is to make the skin plump and nourished and give it the “honey-look”. These ingredients are perfect for winter-time and for dry and rough skin types!

I cannot say anything about the long-term effects of this set since it is too few to make any conclusions, but from my first impression I really like this kit. The scent is a nice sweet and flowery scent, but nothing like honey as I imagined before. Unlike most other toners the Honey Cera Toner has a milky color, but the consistency is watery nevertheless. It absorbs quite fast without stickiness. The emulsion is a lightweight lotion, whereas the cream has a thick and nourishing consistency. The cream also leaves the skin a bit tacky afterwards, but definitively the nourishing and firming aspect is noticeable. The eye serum looks like a balm but is very light and doesn’t feel heavy. It feels nice under and above the eye. Toner and Emulsion contain 15ml each, the eye serum contains 4 ml and the cream contains 10 mg of product. If you order any of the Etude House Honey Cera products in fullsize you will reveive one of this kits with your order!

Finally, I’m at the end of my first Pink Bird Box review. Did you like the content of Etude House Pink Bird Box November? I really like the topic of the Christmas themed products and the winter-proof skincare items to combat dry winter skin. Which are your favourite products? Did you try any of the products already? Tell me about it in the comments below!

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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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review Wishtrend

Review: Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop

7. December 2015

// PSR SAMPLE / SKINCARE / KBEAUTY //

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I love including vitamin C serum in my skincare routine. I’ve tried a couple of them already, but Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop was not on my list yet. I was very happy, that Wishtrend asked me whether I wanted to try this rather newly launched vitamin C serum because I’ve been very happy with all of the Klairs products I tried so far. Let’s see how the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum performs!

Klairs is a Korean brand sold on Wishtrend. It is eco-friendly, claiming to produce products which are animal-testing-free, alcohol-free, paraben-free, and artificial-color-free. Their products address people with sensitive skin and people who want to moisturize their skin. I reviewed some of their products before, like the Klairs Illuminating Supple BB Cream or the Klairs Gentle Black Cleansing Combo, which both convinced me in their effects. I also did like the Klairs Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner, which by the way has been updated and improved recently to a larger volume and more moisturizing ingredients. But let us return to the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop for this post.

Klairs is known for very simple packaging design, reminding me of the brand Kiehl’s for example. compared to the other products the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum has not just a simple black and white packaging but has imprinted a holographic illustration of the bottle on the cardboard box. I really love how colorful the packaging is, depending on where the light shines on it. And yet, the packaging design is clean like we are used to from this brand. The vitamin C serum comes in a clear, thick plastic bottle with a dropper…WAIT?! What? A clear bottle for a vitamin C serum?! But we know that vitamin C oxidizes with sunlight exposure. This is the reason while a serum like C20 is packed in a brown glass bottle! A closer look at the bottle reveals the sentence: “Hybrid Stabilization Technology”. It seems the ascorbic acid used in this serum is stabilized and thus not so prone towards oxidization according to Klairs. I know that ways to stabilize vitamin C are ferulic acid or vitamin E. Both of these are not included in the ingredient list as far as I can tell. Another way to have stabilized vitamin C is to use derivates. I see that the ingredient list contains also Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, which is a stable and water-soluble derivate of ascorbic acid. Nevertheless, I still do not know how they manage to stabilize the ascorbic acid listed as the third ingredient in the list. The product description it is stated that you should keep the product cool, dry and avoid its exposure to sunlight.…okay, why don’t they just make the bottle darker then?! Maybe because of the content of only 5% of vitamin C the effect of whether vitamin C is still stable or already oxidized is too small to feel the difference? I don’t know to be honest. I would recommend you store it in a dark place or simply inside the cardboard box anyways…

Compared to 20 % vitamin C which you can find in OST C20 Vitamin C serum 5 % sounds like nothing. So what is the advantage of using a higher dose of vitamin C in your serum? Vitamin C is an antioxidant and thus can prevent our skin from aging too early and from sun-damage. 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 chemical 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. I know that for many the C20 Vitamin C serum with its high concentration is to harsh on the skin. With 5 % vitamin C serum you won’t have any problems with using it on sensitive skin, but you also won’t have the effect of regenerating skin. The benefit of the Klairs lies much more in the combination of all the ingredients together. You can check out the ingredients on COSDNA. The second key ingredient of Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop is that vitamin C is paired with Centella Asiatica extract. Centella Asiatica extract has various benefits since it has anti-bacterial, smoothing and soothing properties. Triterpenes are one of the key compounds within the Centella Asiatica extract. They stimulate the synthesis of collagen and fibronectin with the skin cells. One of the subgroups of the triterpenes (madesaddoside) has shown positive effects on wrinkles and sun-damaged skin in combination with vitamin C. Apart from these two key ingredients you will find a bunch of other plant extracts with different moisturizing and anti-bacterial properties, which round up the formula of this serum.

The included dropper makes it easy to use the product. The serum has a clear color and is slightly runnier than oil. Unlike the C20 serums, this vitamin C serum doesn’t feel like water either but has a similarity to light oil or ampoule. When you distribute it on your face it has a smooth feeling. Additionally, the serum also has kind of a warming effect on the skin. I was really surprised about the formula, because it really reminded me of facial oil first, but didn’t make the face look greasy. It gives your skin a nice glow though. The scent is a citrus-herbal-lavender scent to me, but it is not overpowering.

Since I didn’t use it for a long time yet, I cannot show you any long-term effects, but even if I could I think you would not see much of a difference because my skin has been in a good condition for quite a while now. I can say for sure that it is much milder than the C20 vitamin C serums, yet, on the other hand, I don’t think that you can call this a pure vitamin C serum because of the low concentration. The main reason why this serum is great and probably efficient for many is the combination of the ingredients and especially the combination of vitamin C with Centella Asiatica extract.

I’m really fond of Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop because of the mild and pleasant formula and the benefits it combines by the combination of the two key ingredients vitamin C and Centella Asiatica. If you have sensitive skin I definitively recommend you this over the C20 serums, but if you are looking for a chemical peeling effect and quick renewing of your skin I still say that the C20 serums are better suited. I’d rather call the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum not a pure Vitamin C serum. It is more a great combination serum of a bunch of great ingredients with nice long-term effects. You could call it a cell-renew serum or something like this, but it is totally worth a try! You can get the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop on Wishtrend for 23.00 US$. Don’t forget to check out the Wishtrend monthly vouchers in order to save some money on your order and get freebies. Also, if you are interested in Vitamin C serums, here is a list of my past reviews:

OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum

OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum

Tunemakers VC3 Vitamin C Derivate

Maple Holistics Vitamin C Serum

Which is your favorite Vitamin C Serum so far?

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

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asian cosmetics beauty Perhaps Unicorn PR Sample review

Review: Perhaps Unicorn Facial Massage Stone

4. December 2015

Did you ever want to adopt a unicorn? I did so recently! I was contacted by Perhaps Unicorn whether I wanted to adopt one of their unicorns and now I’m the owner of The Love Unicorn! You are probably wondering what the heck I’m talking about, right?! Those of you who are interested in asian cosmetics for some time have probably stumbled upon facial massage tools every now and then. There are many different types, but most common are so-called massage stones shaped in a special curved way so you can use them perfectly along the shape of your face. And, if you look closely at the shape of these massage stones, you will see the resemblence it shares with a horn!

Perhaps Unicorn is a retailer of 100% handcrafted gemstones for facial massage, avoiding plastic and other material which can be harmful to the skin. Their Unicorn Facial Massagers are hand-crafted and polished, gentle on the skin, and just heavy enough to use. Furthermore the stones contain natural gemstone variations which makes each unicorn facial massage unique to you. Perhaps Unicorn is offering two different Unicorn Facial Massage Tools, the Love Unicorn made from Rose Quartz and the Lucky Unicorn made from Aventurin.

According to the description from Perhaps Unicorn it says:

“Rose quartz is referred to often as the “Love Stone.” It represents unconditional love and opens the heart chakra. Rose quartz allows you to attract all types of love into your life: self-love, family, platonic, romantic, and unconditional. Rose quartz has high energy, and this strong energy can enhance love in virtually any situation.”

My Love Unicorn came packed in a box made of recycled paper with the silhouette of a unicorn’s head printed on the lid. Inside the box there was a beautiful red velvet pouch with the same unicorn head symbol imprinted. You can use the pouch to store your massager safely. The massage stone is beautifully handcrafted and polished. It doesn’t have any sharp edges or other flaws. It is not heavy and has the perfect size to fit in my hand. The rose quartz and its pink color are really lovely.

But how do you use these kind of facial massage stones? The key term is ‘Gua Sha’, a traditional chinese massage technique to stimulate the blood and lymph circulation. Gua Sha is used as accupunctual massage all over the body using several differently shaped stones. You can however use the technique with the unicorn facial massager, since the design is practical and versatile and can be used for all parts of the face and certain parts of the body aswell. Before you start the massage you need to use a facial oil or massage cream on your face and neck. You can also use your favourite oil cleanser for example. Then your start to glide the facial massage stone over your skin with light pressure in specific directions. Below, I created a printable cheat sheet on how to use the facial massage stone on your face and which parts of the stone you have to use for which area of your face. You repeat the strokes up to five times and on both face-halfs. It should take you about 10-15 minutes. Afterwards, your face will feel warmer because of the increased blood circulation. Since you will stimulate the lymph circulation aswell, your skin will be less swollen, too, and appear thinner or more defined.

I really appreciate a good facial massage and these facial massage stones are perfect for that purpose! The packaging is super pretty aswell, and the idea of having adopted a unicorn is awesome! If you are now curious about Perhaps Unicorn, or you want to adobt a unicorn of your own just take a look at their web page! The Love Unicorn retails for 25 US$. You can use the code Berries10 for 10% discount on your purchase. Oh, and feel free to grab your cheat sheet on how to do a facial Gua Sha >>here<<!

Do you use facial massage tools?

Fell free to join my giveaway with Japan Candy Box, too! Did you see it already?

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

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Wishtrend December 2015 Coupons

3. December 2015

Time for the Wishtrend December 2015 Coupons! The year is almost over and it passed so quickly. You can use these new Wishtrend coupons and gifts for your shopping experience at 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, the O.S.T. Vitamin C Serum. You’ll also find some products sold at Wishtrend on my Top 20 favourite product list for 2014, like the Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil. 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 December:

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 December. Below, you’ll find the coupon code for this:

Coupon Code: LASTCODE2015
Requirement 1: Shopping cart order must be 55 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 December 2015

The second promotion code is a special gift you will receive by using the code below. The voucher is valid on ANY orders at Wishtrend, but only in limited quantities! This months free sample is a free free Berrisom SOS My lip Patch (2.90 US$ value). I heard these are quite effective, thus this would be the perfect time to try them for free.

Voucher Code: LIPPATCH2015DEC
ANY ORDER
Only valid until the end of December 2015, limited quantities

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 CosRX, the Make Me Lovely Cream. This BB cream will give you a glowy and lovely finish, look natural and moisturize your skin with 45% of Lavender water. I haven’t tried it yet (I have to use up my BB creams!), but I would love to try it someday :D Then there are Hello Kitty shaped Pore brushes from Tosowoong! If you are a Hello Kitty lover you should definitively check them out.

Lastly, this new product by 23years old is especially interesting for dry skin types. It is a Aqua Bab Modelling Mask. The bottom of the container is the mixing bowl on the same time. The idea is super nice. I will put this in my Wishlist definitively.

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:

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 Mishibox PR Sample

Unboxing: Mishibox November 2015

2. December 2015

And here is another unboxing, but this time I’m super excited to introduce to you my first ever Mishibox! Yeeeii! I was eagerly waiting for the moment Mishi Box would start shipping to europe and finally I’m able to try them on my own! This monthly Korean beauty subscription box is packed with with a combination of 4 – 6 deluxe-sized samples and full-sized Korean beauty products from a wide range of Korean brands. Today I present you the content of the Mishibox November 2015:

MISHIBOX is a U.S.-based online retailer providing a wide selection of Korean beauty products. Apart from their online store they also offer a monthly Korean beauty subscription service that delivers a combination of 4-6 deluxe-sized samples and full-sized Korean beauty products. This way they are trying to help you to discover your favorite Korean beauty products. Their aim is to make Korean beauty products easily accessible to everyone regardless of where you live or what language you speak. Mishi (pronounced “me-she”) is their bunny mascot! When I first discovered about Mishibox I directly subscribed for their newsletter, because they planned to deliver worldwide one day. When I received their Email that finally Mishibox was shipping to Germany aswell I was sooo happy! And here it is finally, my first Mishibox:

The pink box was filled with 6 products in total, 2 of these being sample sized products, one mini-sized product and 3 products in full-size. Each box comes with a product description card, which is very detailed and even reminds us how we can distinguish between expiration and manufactured date and were we can find the list of translated ingredients. I really like the effort they put into the box by translating all the ingredients for example. You can even participate in a Mishibox Selfie Contest in order to win something! So lovely!

The theme of the Mishibox November 2015 was snail mucin. Two of the full-sized products are using snail mucin in their ingredients list. The variety of different brands in this box is nice, too: we have known brands like Etude House, Tonymoly and Secret Key, but also less known brands like D’Ran and White Cat. The product types are also versatile. Although all the products are skin care items you will find a cleanser, a sheet mask, a cream, a toner and emulsion, and an eye cream. It’s almost a complete skin care routine! Below I will go into the details of each of the products. Nevertheless, I will do a full review once I’ve used the products for some time.

The main product for me was the D’Ran Wonder Snail Treatment Cream. This nutrience-rich and highly moisturizing cream is perfect for upcoming winter days. Snail mucin is the key ingredient here and it contains 10% of it. Some other nice ingredients of this cream are Glycerin, Silkworm Cocoon Extract, Niacinamide, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (jojoba) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Camellia Sinensis Callus Culture Extract and Human Oligopeptide-1 (also called EGF). The jar comes with 100g of content in a beautiful jar, too. It retails for 43 US$ which is super expensive, but it makes me even more happy to find this in a 20 US$ subscription box! I’m looking forward to use this cream, especially since I already tried a product from D’Ran before and was happy with it. Other than the one product from the past, this brand is hardly known to me.

The second item containing snail mucin is the Secret Key Snail + EGF Repairing Eye Cream. This eye cream is supposed to be very popular and it comes in a typical eye cream type. Snail secretion filtrate and EGF are the key ingredients here aswell, but it also contains some plant and fruit extracts and even some fermented plant extract. The tube contains 30 g and retails for 17 US$.

I was very happy to spot a sheet mask from the new brand White Cat. I just recently reviewed their eye balm and this is now the second product I can try from this brand. There were three types of this sheet mask which were selected randomly for each Mishibox in November. I received the White Cat Charcoal Pore Tightening Mask, which is directed towards pore care as the name already suggests. The masks from White Cat are free from paraben, mineral oil, benzophenone, petrolatum, imidazolidinyl, urea, talc, silphate and BHT. and I’m still loving their logo with the white cat :D The White Cat sheet masks retail for 3 US$.

The Tonymoly Fresh Cleansing Tissues in Mishibox November 2015 are provided in a miniature size. These water-type facial cleansing tissues contain baking powder for removing makeup and I’m not sure whether I like that or not, since baking powder is usually drying on my skin. But it also contains 5 natural oil ingredients to moisturize and nourish the skin. I will definitively try these, but I’m not sure whether I will like them or not. :D This small packaging of 15 tissues retails for 5 US$.

The last two items in Mishibox November 2015 were the two sample sized bottles from Etude House Age Defense line: there is a bottle of the Age Defense Essential Softener and a bottle of the Age Defense Essential Emulsion. I love these kinds of miniature bottles, especially for travelling! I didn’t try any products from Etude House’s Age Defense line yet, so I’m curious about these, too!

My first impression of Mishibox and their subscription box is very positive. Although all the products in their November box were skin care products there for items for almost all skin care routine steps. The themed ingredient snail mucin was included by two full-sized products containing snail mucin. The variety of brands was well balanced with known and unknown Korean cosmetic brands. The total value of 68 US$ for a subscription box sold at 19.95 US$ is awesome! If you are interested in Mishibox you can use my referral ID and get a discount code for $5 USD off your order (min. $30 USD) for your first purchase. At the moment their box subscription is closed due to high demand, but you can put your name on the waiting list. Mishibox also has a product store where you can buy a specific product, too. Until 4ths of December they are having Blackfriday sales with up to 30% off by using the coupon BFSALE2015. Did you try Mishibox already? How do you like their subscription box? Did you know any of the products I received?

Fell free to join my giveaway with Japan Candy Box, too! Did you see it already?

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

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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: BRTC The First Ampoule Essence

23. November 2015

Apart from the Black Friday Deals I shared today I still have a regular beauty product review for you! Here is the other product from BRTC I was able to try, the BRTC The First Ampoule Essence. Actually, I think the full name is 1st Essence Treatment The First Ampoule Essence, but anyways… Here we have a so called first essence, similar to the Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence. I received this essence together with the BRTC Aqua Rush Cream from BNTnews, so I also used them in combination. Similar to the Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence the key ingredient is ferment filtrate to moisturize, soften and brighten up your skin.

BRTC is a ‘derma-technology cosmetics brand’ from Korea. It stands for ‘Bio Remedies Therapeutic Cosmetics’. They have products which are dermatological tested and safe for a variety of skintypes. They have different product lines each targeting another skin concern. The BRTC The First Ampoule Essence is a skin booster containing 95.3% of fermented patented ingredients and is supposed to sooth irritated skin and make it healthy. Like most of these kind of essences this product comes in a frosted glass bottle. The design is simple, too. Actually, I have the feeling that all first essences I’ve seen so far look like that :D

The cardboard box containing the bottle has descriptions in English and Korean and in contrast to the BRTC Aqua Rush Cream they even listed the English ingredients. We have here a two different ferment extracts, one from galactomyces and the other from lactobacillus. apart from the fermented extracts we have a bunch of plant/flower extracts like chamomille, hyacinth, green tea and lavender. Allantoin (soothing properties) and niacinamide (brightening properties) are also included. Generally, the ingredients lists is pretty short as you can check on >>COSDNA<<.

The claims of the product are brightening, improving skin texture, nourishing, creating a protective film, improving skin elasticity and moisturizing. I did not use this product long enough to see if it improves my skin in terms of skin texture or elasticity, but it is definitively moisturizing. Also, similar to the Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence you will feel a kind of nourishing film on the skin after applying it. I used this in the same way like I did with the Missha First Essence: in the mornings and evening after cleansing, toning and using actives I pour a bit of the essence on my hands and pat it into my skin. It has a watery, scentless texture and also absorbs very fast. What I like about the bottle is, that it has a scale on the side where you can see how much you are using.

Since I didn’t use this long enough I cannot say anything about the long term effects of the BRTC The First Ampoule Essence. Compared to the Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence I think that this one shows less immediate results. After using the Essence from Missha I have the feeling my skin brightened up directly. Also it contains many smoothing and conditioning ingredients which make the skin super soft. The BRTC The First Ampoule Essence also makes the skin feel softer, but the effect is less drastic. I do like the frosted glass bottle though and I like the scaling on the side of the bottle. Since I do not have any negative remarks on the product itself, this essence is a good essence all in all, but I still have a bottle of COSRX Galactomyces Essence to review and I would like to compare all three essences (COSRX, Missha and BRTC) together. Until then, I hope this review is still helpful! The bottle contains 150 ml and is a bit pricey with 38000 Won retail price.

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

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

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

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Black Friday Deals

23. November 2015

It’s that time of the year: Black Friday is shortly ahead and many online shops have revealed their Black Friday Deals. I made a list of some of the deals I noticed so far. Hopefully, this is helpful for you:

I will start with one of my favourite shopping sites: Wishtrend! They have Black Friday Promotions starting from 23rd November to 29th November (CST). They discounted many of their bestselling products, reduced the value for free shipping and the best part is probably the special gift for orders above 99 US$: You will get a makeup pouch with the code WISHPOUCH. Furthermore, they still have their regular November coupons, which I listed in my post >>here<<. Also be sure to use your chance of receiving a 5 Us$ referral coupon, which you can receive if you are a new customer. It works like 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. Below is a list of all the Black Friday deals they offer, but there will also be Cybermonday deals starting from 30th November to 2nd of December.

The next Black Friday Deals worth mentioning are the ones from MeMeBox. Unfortunatelly, this is only for US and Candian asian beauty junkies. MeMeBox has a Pre-Black Friday Color Sale, were you get 30 % discount on the MeMeBox I’m series products. From 20th-26th November each day is dedicted to another color palette.

Then, there is the Black Friday insanity schedule from 26th November 9PM to 30th November 9AM (PST). They have up to 80 % off their bestsellers. Furthermore, for the first time, they are adding vault boxes to the Black Friday lineup. Vault boxes are large boxes full of some of our most popular products (16 products in each box). Two different kinds are offered: one featuring K-beauty skincare and makeup, and the other featuring K-beauty makeup. Both boxes are steeply discounted from retail value: the K-beauty skincare and makeup vault box, worth $363 retail, will be priced at $149, and the K-beauty makeup vault box, worth $195 retail, will be priced at $79. Below are pictures for these two vault boxes:

Moreover, there will be a year of masks bundle that includes 100 of our best masks at an even steeper discount, north of 70% off. The year of masks bundle will be sold for $79, a steal for what is worth $302 retail. There is also a buy one get one free masks during MeMeBox’s Black Friday promotion. Finally, there is a surprise for their members on Cyber Monday!

Oh, and did you see that they have the new Pony Effect Brand?! I would love to try some of her items, since I love her tutorials so much. For those who are not living in US or Canada and still want to try the items from Pony Effect you should check out W2Beauty. There you can get the Pony Effect products with international shipping. When using my affiliate link for W2Beauty or enter the code 088505 in the registration form you’ll receive a 5 US$ voucher, which can be used immediately for purchases over 30 US$.W2Beauty also has a discount voucher of 10 % with the coupon W2ENDYEAR15, which can be used on top of other coupons.

Q-depot is also having Black Friday Sales from 23rd-27th November with up to 50% discount. Also, Q-depot is having a promotion were you can get 5 US$ coupon upon signing up. The coupon is useable for a minimum purchase of 69 US$.

Born Pretty Store Black Friday Deals also start from 23rd November. You can get 10 US$ coupon for 2 US$. This can be used for orders above 15 US$. The second deal they have starts on 27th November. With every order over 10 US$ you will get a 10 US$ voucher and 10 US$ giftbag. You can also use the promotional code KBX31 for 10 % discount on your order. They do offer free international shipping by the way.

Ibuybeauti offers 12 % discount for every item plus 3 % Reward Points.

Jolse offers 15 % off all products and 20% off CosRX products from 20th November unti 29th November.

Blippo is having Pink Friday Sales with up to 80% discount. They have many cute stationary and other stuff.

Etude House is having a Black Friday Sale from 25th November to 29th November (ET) with storewide 30% discount using the code BLACKFRIDAY2015 and additional 10% off their bestsellers.

Mishi Box is having 30% off everything from 27th November to 4th December with the coupon BFSALE2015. The coupon is not valid for the subscription boxes. If you’re using my referral link you can get 5 US$ off (min. order $30 USD) discount code for your first purchase, too.

Testerkorea is having up to 30% Sale from 23rd November to 30th November during Black Friday, too.

That’s it for now. If there are any other news I will update this post. Have fun shopping!

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