skincare Archive | Page 23 of 30 | Berries in the Snow

Wishtrend April 2015 Promotions

8. April 2015

Here are finally the April promotions and gifts for our shopping experience at Wishtrend. If you don’t know Wishtrend, but love korean or asian cosmetics and skincare products I can recommend you to check out their online shop, especially for one of my favourite 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 the brand COSRX, which is gaining a lot of popularity these days. I bought two products from their AHA/BHA series and I’m looking forward to try them! Here are the coupon codes for April:

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

Coupon Code: WISHAPR2015
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 April 2015

The second promotion code is a special gift you will receive by using the code below. The voucher is only valid on any orders at Wishtrend! You will receive in addition to the free samples you’ll normally get a ElishaCoy Vitamin Collagen Mask Sheet!

Voucher Code: WISHGIFTAPR2015
ANY ORDER
Until the end of April 2015

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! 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:

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack and Lip Tint Cleanser

OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum

Confume Argan Treatment Oil

Pongdang Donkey Milk Emulsion

Klairs Rescue Moisture Kit Part 1 and 2

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack

CareLab Powerful Pudding Mask

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Oil Cleanser and Sugar Facial Polish

Rojukiss Multi Vita Cleansing Powder

Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask

Damoae Therapy Shampoo and Tonic

Skinmiso Rice Foam Cleanser

Klairs Illuminating Supple BB Cream

O.S.T. Pure Vitamin C20 Serum

Wish Formula Panda Eye Essence Mask

ONL Saladit Essential Juice Sheet Masks

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

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: It’s Skin Have A Pomegranate Cleansing Foam

1. April 2015

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Another cleansing product review, and this time it is my least favourite cleanser I’m using currently, the It’s Skin Have A Pomegranate Cleansing Foam (I still have two or three other foam cleansers to use up, a cleansing water and cleansing balms…I think I have enough supplies for this year :D).

I think this is my first It’s Skin product I’m reviewing here on Berries In The Snow. Unfortunately, I do not really like it. It’s Skin is a Korean brand made by dermatologists at Seoul University and it was created to recover the natural power of the skin. The brand is not expansive, but on the same level like Etude House. They also have some cute designs for some of their products, so in general it is an interesting brand, especially their Power 10 Formula bottles intrigue me and I heard positive reviews about it. The It’s Skin Have A Pomegranate Cleansing Foam is part of 5 different cleansing foams in the It’s Skin Have A cleansing foam line, which are Orange, Banana, Greengrape and Eggshell.

Each of the five cleansing foams comes in a packaging displaying a picture of the key ingredient. The It’s Skin Have A Pomegranate Cleansing Foam has- of course- a pomegranate displayed. The pink colored plastic tube looks kind of cute, too. The ingredients are listed on COSDNA and there are some irritating ingredients used as emulsifiers, but most of the ingredients are safe. Also, the plant extracts, like the key ingredients pomegranate is one of the last ingredients, which is a bit dissapointing. It smells of pomegranate though, but not heavily. The foam itself has a white, shimmery, cream texture. It foams up nice, but not as a super dense foam either. The PH of the cleanser lies at 8, which makes it quite drying for the skin. Below you can have a look how the cleanser performes on my arm with a couple of makeup products. As you can see, this foam cleanser is – similar to the Benton Honest Cleansing Foam I reviewed before- not suited to remover waterproof makeup. It can serve enough as second cleanser, if you remove your makeup previously with a cleansing oil or balm. Unfortunately, it leaves the skin dry and tense, which is the reason I do not like this cleanser.

I would recommend the Benton Honest Cleansing Foam over this cleansing foam, because you can really feel a difference how the two cleansers leave your skin after cleansing. The Benton cleanser is really gentle and leaves the skin hydrated, but the It’s Skin Have A Pomegranate Cleanser makes my skin feel tight and dry. If you want to try it anyways you can find the It’s Skin Have A Foam Cleansers at W2Beauty for 13.14 US$.

What is your favourite foam cleanser? did you try any of the It’s Skin cleansing Foams?

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asian cosmetics beauty Jolse PR Sample review

Review: Benton Honest Cleansing Foam

23. March 2015

As you might remember, my relationship to Benton products is not the best. I tried they Benton Snail Bee Steam Cream and the Snail Bee High Content Skin, but my skin didn’t seem to like either of the two products. There are many different opinions towards Benton skincare products and there are people in love with it and other people don’t like it. Nevertheless, when I heard about the new Benton Honest Cleansing Foam I was curious about it, and somehow I was lucky enough to receive the reviewing opportunity for this product by Jolse.

The Korean skincare brand Benton did unleash a noticable raving amongst lots of bloggers. Especially the high quality of the ingredients, without any additional fragnances or other fillers did impress most people. Also, the key ingredient in their famous Benton Snail Bee skincare line being snail secretion filtrate in first place and adding bee venom on top made it widely appalling for skincare 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’m giving the Benton skincare a new chance by trying their newest addition to their skincare line, the Honest Cleansing Foam. This cleanser promises not only to cleanse your skin, but also deliver the necessary moisture to the skin. This is a high promise, since most foaming cleansers tend to be drying.

The cardboard box of Benton’s Honest Cleansing Foam consists mainly of description either in Korean or English. It describes how to use the product and the full ingredient list. You can check the ingredients on COSDNA, too, and they are safe to use. The ingredients are mainly plant extract and oils. Inside the cardboard box you will find a tube containing the foam cleanser. Similar to the cardboard box the packaging of the tube is very simple. The white plastic tube comes with a simple black cap. The tube was sealed when it arrived, so you can be sure that it was unopened before.

The backside of the tube shows some Korean and English descriptions again. The Benton Honest Cleansing Foam has a shelf life of 6 months after opening and contains 150 g volume. The tube (and the cardboardbox) also show the web address of the official Benton page.

The foam cleanser itself has a white creamy texture with a glossy appearance. If foams up nicely with a foaming net, but the foam is not as dense as for the Rosemine Floral Remedy Cleanser. The pH is unfortunately between 7-8, so people using more acid cleansers will have to skin this one. It has a light soapy scent, which gives the feeling of being clean and fresh.

The Benton Honest Cleansing Foam has an average perfomance when it comes to makeup. As you can see below it has problems with waterproof makeup. It will serve nicely if you are using a two step cleansing routine with an oil cleanser at first. I would not rely on the Benton Honest Cleansing Foam for washing off makeup. Apart from this, it leaves the skin in a nice condition, and here is my most surprising verdict from this cleanser: I thought the Rosemine Floral Remedy Cleanser was gentle to my skin, but this feels amazing afterwards! It feels like having cleansed with an oil cleanser. It is not stripping at all (even though the pH is higher). Speaking for dry skinned people, this foam cleanser was really the first one (despite the Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick– if you would count it as foam cleanser) that did moisturize my skin after washing it!

Do I recommend the Benton Honest Cleansing Foam? So, if you are looking for low pH cleansers this one is not for you. If you are looking for a one step cleansing product I wouldn’t recommend this cleanser either. But if you are using a two step cleansing routine and you don’t want to remove special makeup from your skin and your previous foam cleanser have been too drying I can recommend this one to you. I tried it or almost three weeks now and I didn’t have any negative reactions towards this product either, which really makes me happy considering my previous experience with Benton products. You can get this foam cleanser from Jolse and it is discounted to 11.88 US$ at the moment.

Just as a short reminder: All products mentioned and reviewed on this blog are of my personal opinions. This product here was sent to me for reviewing purpose by www.jolse.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: OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum

18. March 2015

You may know that one of my favourite products from Wishtrend is the OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum. I reviewed it previously, but I didn’t have any before and after pictures. Nevertheless, I was really impressed how the serum changed my skin and made it so much better in various aspects. When I saw that there was a new version of this I was most excited to try this new OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum. And, as you might guess I had high expectations for this serum. Could it hold up to them?

The brand OST or C20 is best known for the popular OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum in it’s signature orange packaging and the brown bottle. This serum is highly effective in terms of using the peeling ability of ascorbic acid in order to improve the skin condition. Despite being effective, it had some minor cons, for example it was very sticky, it was too aggresive for people with sensitive skin and it contained some artificial ingredients. The new OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum has a completelly different ingredient list and as the name says, the amount of vitamin C serum has been increased, too. The original serum contained 20 % of Vitamin C whereas in the new formula you will have 21.5 %. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and thus can prevent our skin from aging too early. The content of Vitamin C in both serums compared to other vitamin C containing products is rather high. It contains 20 % (21.5 %) Vitamin C. You have to know that a high concentration of Vitamin C doesn’t mean automatically that it is more effective concerning anti-aging. Normally, a high concentration of Vitamin C aims at a visible effect, because it tends to operate as a peeling by loosening dead and old cells. This is not a bad effect and stimulates the skin to regenerate itself, but keep in mind that it won’t affect the inner cell layers of your skin which have to be aimed if you really want an anti-aging effect.

As with the previous serum the cardboard box comes with a lot of description in Korean and in English. It is very detailled in how to use it and what precautions to take. The new serum has even more details in English, than the previous packaging. The ingredient list of the new formula is very short. You can look them up on COSDNA and you’ll discover that the ingredients are safe to use and that there is no artificial ingredient either. The ingredients of the old serum were safe to use, too, but the list of substances is much longer as you can look up >>here<<. Since both products contain Vitamin C they have to be stored in a cool place. They also do have to be protected from sunlight, in order to prevent the vitamin C from oxidizing. When I received the product the manufacturing date was really fresh, which is important for vitamin c products, too, because they have a short shelf life. Usually, I would recommend you to use it up as quickly as possible after opening.

You will find more information and detailled description about the serum on Wishtrend, too. The signature orange cardboard box contains a brown glass bottle and a separately packed dropper. You can simply exchange the lid of the bottle with the dropper after opening.

The dropper makes it very easy to take out the watery and runny product. The OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum has a clear color, which is also a sign that the vitamin C serum is fresh. If it turns yellow the vitamin in the bottle has started to oxidize. The scent of the product reminds me a bit of oranges, but with a different scent combined, which I cannot figure out. The scent is not strong and doesn’t linger on the skin, so it doesn’t matter anyways.

I’ve been using the OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum for 3 weeks now in the evening and on most days in the morning, too. When used during daytime keep in mind to use a sunblock, too! Below you can see how the serum effected my skin.

I had some redness, when I started to use the serum. After 3 weeks the pictures show that the redness has decreased and I could feel that my skin is smoothened. Apart from this I didn’t experience any changes in my skin structure. I used this serum in combination with the Klairs Moisture Rescue Kit I reviewed previously. I used it after the Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner and the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum and before putting the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream. Sometimes I mixed the cream with a few drops of the vitamin C serum instead. The Klairs products may have contributed in reducing redness, too. The OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum is definitively less sticky than the old formula, but it is still a bit sticky, which is why I still like it better mixed with some other product.

Did the new OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum fulfill my expectations? I’m not sure. Somehow I have the feeling that the old formula was more effective. I remember with the old formula, that I felt a stinging experience the first times I used it. I didn’t have any feeling like this for the new formula. Maybe, this new formula is better suited to sensitive skintypes than the old one. I could observe a decreased redness in my face, but I cannot assure that it is only due to the new vitamin C serum, but it will be a combination of my skincare routine as a whole. Maybe if I repurchased this serum I would go for the old version, just because I had the feeling it worked better for me (and to confirm my observation). I can recommend you to try this new formula of the C20 if you were unhappy with the previous ingredients. This formula is almost completely different and doesn’t contains any parabens or other artificial ingredients. It doesn’t contain alcohol either. The old formula does have some cons, like the extreme stickiness and the ingredients, but I would not claim that the new formula shows better results, even with a higher concentration of vitamin C. Both serum, the old and the new version can be purchased at Wishtrend. The old OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 comes with free shipping and retails for 14.99 US$ at the moment, which is really affordable for a vitamin C serum. The new OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum retails for 24.99 US$. Both bottles contain 30 ml. I made a post about the promotions from Wishtrend for March >>here<<. Also, keep in mind their friend-referral program: You can receive a 5 Us$ referral coupon if you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration and you’ll receive this voucher immediately. There will be a specific field in your registration form called “friends invitation program” where you can put the code mentioned above. This way new customers can safe 5 US$ which is a great possibility to safe some money.

I shared this post with the Asian Beauty Blog Link Party! Feel free to check out the beautiful reviews presented in their threads:

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

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick

11. March 2015

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Now, this is really a long time in my draft! I bought the popular Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick before it was sold out the first time. Since it was sold out I decided to postpone the review until it is back in stock :D The product is now back in stock, but it took me months to finally finish this review :D. Most of you will have probably heard about this cleansing stick and I guess a lot have been intrigued to try it. So did I and here is my impression:

This is the first product I’m trying from the high end brand Sum 37. This Korean brand focusses on products with natural fermentation ingredients which are on top artificial scent free, artificial color free and compose preservatives free. The brand is part of LG Household and Healthcare. The name is derived from the Korean word for “breathe” and by using good ingredients the motto of Sum 37 is to make the ‘skin breath happily’. The design of the products is mature and luxurious looking, which fits with their pricetag. The Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick is a facial cleansing product containing fermented rose flower extracts. It not only helps you to clean your skin, but in the same time makes a good facial massaging product.

The Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick comes in a cardboard box. The paper feels already luxurious and sturdy, with a matte finish. The name of the product and the description is made with golden color. since these parts are reflective it was a bit hard to take a picture. The box I show you was sold during Christmas-time, which is why you have the snowflakes printed on the packaging. The description is written mostly in Korean, with some pictures displaying how to use the stick. It contains a short description in English on one of the sides.

The pretty cardboardbox reveals a pale pink stick of sturdy plastic. It has the logo printed on it in golden letters. On the backside of the stick you’ll find some Korean description again. The top of the stick is a simple cap and the bottom can be rotated in order to push the stick out, similar to a lipstick or lipbalm.

The bottom also has the expiration date printed on it. The stick itself has a size which fits good into the hand. The volume of the product is 80 g.

The cleansing stick is a cleanser in a solid form. It contains coconut oil as one of the main ingredients, which makes the product solid at room temperature. As soon as the stick gets into contact with warmer temperatures, like our skin, it melts. The second key ingredient for the Sum37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick is the fermented damask rose extract. You will even find rose petals inside the cleansing balm (similar to the Rosemine Floral Remedy Cleansing Foam, only that this one is a foam cleanser). Apart from these two key ingredients all the ingredients listed for this product are safe according to COSDNA. It contains also a couple of other plant oils and extracts, so if you have any reactions with specific plant extract you might want to check out the ingredients list first.

When using the Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick you first have to wet you face, then you push up the stick by turning the bottom. You do not need to push it out fully, 1 cm is enough, I even need less. Then you massage the stick over your skin. Afterwards you can soak and lather the product on your skin. It won’t create a lot of foam like most of the foam cleansers do, but it will clean away most of your makeup. In the picture below you see that it cleans off all the makeup and simply a light trace of the orange pencil liner remains. Since most people use some kind of makeup remover for eyes and lips before cleansing, it is of less importance. But even if you do not use any makeup remover before, you’ll be able to take of most of your makeup efficiently with this cleansing stick. The scent of the product is nice and of course you can smell the roses! The pH of the product lies between 5-6, so it is a weak acid and your natural skin barrier is protected while cleansing.

What do I like about the Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick? First of all, it is super travel friendly, since it is a cleanser in a solid form. Then, I love roses and rose scent, but I know that some people don’t like the scent or have sensitive skin that has problems with rose extracts. Another plus is the ingredient list and the point that it contains fermented ingredients and has the perfect pH for the skin. You really have this spa experience while using this cleanser, first giving yourself a facial massage and then cleaning it thoroughly. It does not only have the label of a high end brand but it also feels like one. The pricetag for the Sum 37 Miraacle Rose Cleansing Stick is high and that is the major disadvantage. This is also the reason I can not make myself to use it everyday, but rather use it occasionally. Another small downside is, that some product melts to the sides of the stick, so if you would simply put on the cap after using you would have a lot of cleansing balm messed around in the cap. I take the excess melted balm with my finger and use it on my face, or reduce the amount of product I push up from the beginning. Would I recommend you to buy it? Yes, even for the pricetag it is worth at least to try it once. I don’t know if I will be able to repurchase it ever again, but I love my cleansing/spa experience with the Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick and I would love to try other products from this brand. This one retails for 36.50 US$ at W2Beauty.

♥ PS: Don’t forget to take part in the Instagram loop giveaway! ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Rosemine Floral Remedy Foaming Cleanser

3. March 2015

I reviewed the Rosemine Plumpy Tint a while ago and here is my review for the Rosemine Floral Remedy Foaming Cleanser, which was part of the MeMeBox Rose Scentbox, too. This is one of my favourite foam cleansers so far and I’ve almost used it up.

The brand Rosemine is made by the Korean cosmetic manufacturing company called “EVAS”. The name is not chosen randomly, I think, because they stress the point, that their brand is wants to “give people clean & safe lifestyle (by Christian principle)”. I’m feeling a bit discomfortable if a cosmetic brand or company also makes religious remarks, since skincare and cosmetics should be reaching beyond religious aspects…Apart from my critisism towards the brand’s philosophy I want to point out that I really do like this cleanser. Ilove the floral packaging design, and also the Rosemine Plumpy Tint did convince me design-wise. The cardboard box the foam cleanser comes in is printed with a floral pattern and looks very pretty.

Unfortunately, the cardboard box only contains Korean description, but from the images of the products webpage I could conclude that this cleanser contains a bunch of different flower extracts, especially rose extracts. It also smells of roses, which is really nice if you love rose scented products. Moreover, you’ll find rose petals within the foam, which reminded me of the Sum37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick (I still am planning to do a review for it…>_<). The cleanser also contains coconut, which is a beneficial ingredient aswell. The foaming cleanser comes in a tube which has a matching design to the cardboard box. It looks really girlish with the flowers and the pink and white stripes and the baby blue cap.

The backside of the tube has some short Korean description printed on, too.

How does the Rosemine Floral Remedy Foaming Cleanser perform? First of all, the product comes out as a beige, shiny and yet creamy product. It contains rose petals (unfortunately, in my shot there is none XD), and creates a dense and full foam. If you love foam cleansers you will like the foaming ability of this cleanser. You only need a small amount to create enough foam for the whole face, especially when using a facial brush/electric facial brush or a foaming net, like I do use in the picture below. I use a chickpea sized amount of the product usually. The cleanser has a pH of 7, which might be not acid enough for some people.

I usually use this cleanser as a second step after I use the Klairs Cleansing Oil, but even on its own this cleanser performs great and removes almost all makeup products. In my test below you can see that it cleansed away everything and just some very light stains from the lip products remained.

I have mostly dry skin and some foaming cleansers might additionally feel drying on my skin, but I didn’t have the feeling here. The skin doesn’t feel squeeky, but simply clean and refreshed afterwards. I would even call this an alternative for the Sum37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick, if you love it because of the rose ingredient. It retails for 18900 Won (~19 US$) on the product site. If you would like to try it I would recommend you to ask at testerkorea at their “want” section.

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beauty empties

Graveyard: January and February Empties 2015

28. February 2015

I tried to use up as much as possible, before I by new products in 2015, and for the first two months I did a good efford in also emptying my sample stash. Here are my product empties for January and February and a quick impression on each product. As usual, I didn’t include any sample sachets or masks.

Frizz Ease Shampoo & Conditioner for curly hair- Repurchase? Maybe.

I used and liked the fullsize of this in the past quite often (these are travelsized tubes), but atm I’m in love with my Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoo, that I don’t want to go back to any western brands :D Within the western drug store brands these are still my favourites.

Iope Super Vital VIP kit- Repurchase? No.

I used up the complete items of this kit and I’m really proud I did without changing to another line inbetween. You can find my review of this highly nourishing and moisturizing line >>here<<.

Secret Key Snow White Cream- Repurchase? Yes.

I loved using this. It gave a nice finish to the face and it smells great! The packaging is very pretty, too! Read my review >>here<<.

Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream- Repurchase? Maybe.

I used this eyecream during daytime because I think it is not moisturizing enough to be used at nights. I like the size of this eyecream and the fact that it is really affordable and can be used up in a realistic period. I could imagine repurchasing it, but I would rather try other eye creams first :D Find my review >>here<< .

SXM I Value Body Amoule- Repurchase? No.

This was part of the MeMeBox Diet Box and I was really curious about this ampoule. You take some drops and put it to the desired regions of your body. I could feel the skin being somehow tightened while applying but it did not show any longterm effects for me.

Shiseido Benefiance NutriPerfect Day Cream- Repurchase? No…sigh

This creamy cream is rich in its consistency and hydrates skin nicely. It also contains SPF 15. I enjoyed trying out this tiny tube, but since it is an expensive brand I don’t think that I’ll be repurchasing.

Welcos Confume Argan Treatment Hair Ampoule- Repurchase? YES!

I’m in healthier-hair-heaven since I bought Confume Argan Oil and Confume Treatment Hair Ampoule! My hair has been frizzy and dry since forever, but these products are amazing! This is the first of 5 tiny bottles and I love it! This indeep hair treatment doesn’t need to be rinsed out. It is mixed by a bit water and turns milky and warmer….can be used on wet and dry hair…I will buy more definitively! and I’ll be doing a review for both the argan oil and the treatment soon!

Only you Green Tea Jasmin Moisturizing Body Lotion- Repurchase? No.

I think this was a gift and came together with a shower gel. The scent was really nice. The bodylotion took a bit longer to absorb, though.

Lancome La Vie Et Belle shower Gel- Repurchse? No.

This was a gift with an order. I like the scent, but other than that there is nothing special about this shower gel.

Kneipp Almond Blossom Oil- Repurchse? Yes.

I used up the fullsized bottle of this last year and I loved it and this tiny version is no exception. The scent is soooo nice and it makes the skin feel very soft.

L’Occitane Karite Handcream -Repurchase? I would love to.

This is a rich and nourishing hand cream with a nice scent. There is nothing negative to say about this and I would love to try more handcream from L’Occitane.

Kerasys Moringa Miracle Essence- Repurchase? Yes!

A very nice smelling and softening hair essence which I loved to use. It is not as super effective as the Confume Argan oil, but it is nice for everyday use without making your hair greasy!

Do you know any of these and did you try them yourself? What is your opinion on these products I showed above? I’d be happy about your comments ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Laneige Water Bank Essence

21. February 2015

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

This review was in my draft for quite a long time and it is only a short one, nevertheless I would like to share it with you, since I know that some might be interested in products from the Laneige Water Bank line. This review is about a deluxe sample from Laneige’s Water Bank Essence. I reviewed the Laneige Water Bank Eye Gel a while back and it is one of my favourite eye creams in terms of hydration so far.

Laneige is a Korean brand, part of the Amore Pacific Group. The brand name comes from the french word for snow which is “la neige”. The brand name reflects the beauty of young women between 24 and 32 years by focusing on water as source of life. Therefore the products design is more mature and clean, reflecting the image of moisture obtained through water. I’m only showing pictures of the sample sized product, but the full-sized Water Bank Essence comes in a blue glass bottle and looks exactly like that mature and clean product. The deluxe sample has a simple plastic packaging in light blue and doesn’t look anything special.

Although it is a sample product it comes in a pump dispenser like the full-sized product. The deluxe sample contains 15 ml in contrast to the 60 ml full-sized bottle. I’m always very happy about pump dispensers, since it makes the application always more easier and it is more hygienic, too. I needed two pumps from this essence each time I used it on my face. This essence can be used in the morning and in the evening after cleansing and before using your regular moisturizer and it is supposed to give your skin more and long-lasting hydration for the whole day.

The sample product doesn’t come with much description. The back side of the product contains some information in Korean, but other than this there are no more details here. You can find an English description on Laneige’s official US homepage >>here<<. Note, the essence is called serum here…I don’t know why. Also, if you buy this from Korean suppliers, there are two versions, the Water Bank Essence and the Water Bank Essence EX. The latter is the improved version of this essence and doesn’t contain alcohol as second ingredient, so I would recommend you to use the new version. The main ingredients for this moisturizing essence are Hydro Ion Mineral Water, Quinoa extract, Olive Squalane and Tilandsia Extract. You can find a list of both the Water Bank Essence and the Water Bank Essence EX ingredients >>here<<.

The Laneige Water Bank Essence is a milky, runny liquid, which can be spread easily and gives your skin a light moisturized feeling and a velvet-y finish. I really liked how the essence makes the skin feel on its own. If it absorbs it is not sticky. Moreover, it has the typical fresh and nice Laneige scent, which I liked for all the products I tried from this brand. If you have dry skin like I do I would not only rely on this essence for moisture, but also add some cream afterwards. All in all, this is a solid and nice essence and I would love to try the full-sized product in future. The downside is, that it is more expensive brand than regular drug store brands, but I say it is definitively worth a try. 60 ml retail for 46.01 US$ at W2Beauty for example. If you use my affiliate link 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$. What is your favourite essence at the moment? Did you try any products from the Laneige Water Bank Line?

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review Wishtrend

Review: Klairs Moisture Rescue Kit Part 2

10. February 2015

A while ago Wishtrend send me the Klairs Moisture Rescue Set for reviewing purpose, which contained a skincare routine in form of four products from the brand Klairs. As you might have seen from my previous reviews of this brand I really do like their products and this is why I’m really happy to be able to review these items for you. I devided this post into two parts and they gonna be picture-heavy. Yesterday I posted Klairs Moisture Rescue Kit Part 1 about the Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner and the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum. Todays review will be on Klairs Moisture Rescue Kit Part 2 and I will talk about the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask and the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream.

Klairs is a Korean brand sold on Wishtrend. It is eco-friendly, claimimg to produce products which are animal-testing-free, alcohol-free, paraben-free, and articial-color-free. Their products adress people with sensitive skin and people who want to moisturize their skin. I reviewed the Klairs Illuminating Supple BB Cream and the Klairs Gentle Black Cleansing Combo before, which both convinced me in their effects. I was interested in this Rescue Moisture Set especially, because as you know, my skin tends to become drier in winter as it is right now. This set consists with everything you need for a solid skincare routine, starting with toner, serum and moisturizer. The mask sheets on top are a great addition for days you want to treat yourself with extra moisture.

After the toner and the serum application I talked about yesterday we arrive at the most important step in your skincare routine. At least in my opinion a good daily and nighttime moisturizer is the important step I would never miss. The Klairs Rescue Moisture Kit comes also with a moisturizing cream for your skincare routine, the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream. This cream is available from Wishtrend for quite some time, and in contrast to the former versions, the new version of this moisturizing cream contains more product for the same price. The volume changed from 45 ml to 50 ml, which is nice. The Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream is a rich moisturizing cream for normal and dry skintypes. It is designed to give immediate and long-term hydration for a radiant complexion.

The cream is targeting people who:

– need a moisturizer for your dry skin.
– want a moisturizer cream that reduce’s the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and dry rough skin texture.
– want your skin to deliver a soft and glowing appearance
– want the best face moisturizer that will cure skin peeling and flaking.
– want to relieve the feeling of tight itchy dry skin.
– want a moisturizing that has a creamy texture that absorbs evenly into the skin, leaving the skin feeling smooth to touch.
– need a creamy moisturizer to serve as a better, more hydrating base for makeup.

Typically for Klairs products, the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream comes in a cardboard box made of recycled paper. The box contains a detailled description Korean, but it also mentions some of the points which are important for Klairs products in English, like that the product is alcohol-free, artificial color-free, artificial fragnance-free, paraben-free, no animal testing and respect the enviroment.

The cream itself comes in a jar made of sturdy brown colored plastic. You can see the product through the jar. The design fits to the other Klairs products and I like its simplicity. Unfortunately, the cream doesn’t come with a spatula. The ingredients are listed on Wishtrend and according to COSDNA this cream doesn’t contain any red flagged ingredients. Most of them are green or yellow flagged. There are some ingredients which can be irritating to some people, so please be sure to check the ingredients if you know that you are sensitive to special ingredients. The cream contains Glycerine and Hyaluronic Acid as main moisturizing ingredients, but also a lot of plant extracts. Moreover it contains yeast derived Beta-Glucan, like the other Klairs products I described in the first part of the Klairs Moisture Rescue Kit.

The label of the jar contains some shorter description, mostly in Korean. Like the other products it also lists an official webpage and an email address for contacting in case of questions etc. I like this idea especially. It even lists a phone number!

Below the lid of the jar you’ll find a plastic cover protecting the product from dirt. The production and expiration date is printed on the bottom of the jar.

The expiration date is in two years, but th shelf-life for the cream after opening is 12 months. The Klairs Rich Moist soothing cream is a cream type moisturizer. The cream has a rich and creamy structure, but melts easily into the skin once distributed. It has a herbal and refreshing scent and feels cooling upon application. Normally, I don’t like herbal scented product, but I must admit that I do like the scent here, maybe also because the product feels refreshing and cooling on the skin. After the cream absorbs it leaves the skin smooth and gives it a moisturizing glow, but no greasyness. I also would say, that despite the fact that the skin looks more glowy the finish of the cream is on the matte side, maybe a bit silky.

All together, this cream is my favourite from all the products I tested in this Moisture Rescue Kit. I love the finish of the cream and I love the refreshing effect of it. It provides a good amount of moisture for my dry skin, but it is not too much and can also be combined with a second lighter moisturizer like an emulsion if you need more hydration. Also, makeup application afterwards is no problem, since this cream provides a good canvas for other products, too. The jar retails for 23.99 US$ on Wishtrend and I think that it is a normal price for a lot of Korean moisturizing creams. I would not mind a larger volume nevertheless and a spatula. :D

So, apart from the regular skincare routine steps, like toner, serum and moisturizer, the Klairs Moisture Rescue Kit also came with a couple of sheet masks from Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask. I reviewed these sheet masks previously >>here<<. I think that this moisturizing sheet mask is a perfect masks for using multiple times a week, maybe some of your prefer even a daily use of hydrating masks and this one is definitively a good choice then.

Similar to the other products of Klairs, the design is simple and contains a lot of text. Here, all the text is written in English on the front side of the sheet mask sachet. The back side contains the description in Korean, but the ingredients are listed in English. You can also check the ingredients on COSDNA. Similar to the toner and the serum it contains one red flagged ingredient, which is the preservative Methylisothiazolinone. The key ingredient of this mask is hyaluronic acid, which is the second ingredient in the list. Apart from this a couple of plant extracts are also part of the ingredients for this mask. It also shows in some images how to use the mask. This sheet mask is an essence type sheet mask made of 100% cotton. It feels very smooth upon application, is soaked well with the essence without being too dripping. It is a refreshing and hydrating mask and you can boost the effect by putting the sheet mask into the fridge before using it, so it has a cooling effect, too.

I think that this mask is a good every-day mask. It fullfils all the expectations you have for a moisturizing mask. The scent is pleasant and not too strong either. It is also affordable and retails for 1.99 US$ on Wishtrend. If you buy 10 masks you’ll even get 3 for free additionally, and if you buy 20 masks you will get 10 for free. So if you are a daily sheet mask user you can even safe some money here.

I hope you liked the two posts about the Klairs Moisture Rescue Kit. I tried to put as much helpful information as possible :) I made a post about the promotions from Wishtrend for February >>here<<. Also, keep in mind their friend-referral program: You can receive a 5 Us$ referral coupon if you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration and you’ll receive this voucher immediately. There will be a specific field in your registration form called “friends invitation program” where you can put the code mentioned above. This way new customers can safe 5 US$ which is a great possibility to safe some money. If you did not, please check out the first part of the review about the Klairs Moisture Rescue Kit >>here<<. Below you will find some other reviews on Klairs products which I did before:

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Oil Cleanser and Sugar Facial Polish

Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask

Klairs Illuminating Supple BB Cream

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review Wishtrend

Review: Klairs Moisture Rescue Kit Part 1

9. February 2015

A while ago Wishtrend send me the Klairs Moisture Rescue Set for reviewing purpose, which contained a skincare routine in form of four products from the brand Klairs. As you might have seen from my previous reviews of this brand I really do like their products and this is why I’m really happy to be able to review these items for you. I devided this post into two parts and they gonna be picture-heavy. Klairs Moisture Rescue Kit Part 1 will talk about the Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner and the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum. Klairs Moisture Rescue Kit Part 2 will be about the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask and the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream.

Usually, the first step after cleansing your face is to balance the pH of the skin and helping it to keep moisture by using a toner. This is different from western astringent toners, which tend to be an additional cleansing step here. By giving the skin moisture and an adequate pH it helps other products of your skincare routine to be more effective, too. The Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner claims exactly to have this fuction. It is supposed to be a good start for your facial skincare routine. According to the very throout description from Wishtrend this toner is designed for people who

– need a facial toner that re-hydrates and refreshes skin.
– prefer an alcohol free toner that neutralize skin surface impurities such as excess sebum.
– want a gentle yet effective toner for everyday use.
– have sensitive skin and need products that are free from chemicals and harsh ingredients.

It sounds like a good toner for almost everybody according to the description. The packaging of this toner fits perfectly to all the other products from the Klairs range. It is a simple and yet vintage-like design, focussing on few decorations but a lot of text on the packaging. If you have several Klairs products together they look quite pretty together in the bathroom. The Klairs Supple Facial Prepation Toner comes in a hard plastic bottle. The plastic is brown, but you can see through it in order to check the amount remaining in the bottle.

The labels contain a clear description in Korean and English. The ingredients are also listed in English. You can also find the ingredients in the product description on Wishtrend. The ingredients can also be checked via COSDNA. Mostly they are green flagged, but there is also one red flagged preservative included (but in a small quantity, as it is almost the last ingredient on the list). Apart from this it contains a couple of plant extracts and hyaluronic acid as moisturizing ingredient. Moreover the key ingredients are phyto-oligo and Betaglucan for antiinflammatory effects. The pH of the toner has a weak acidity and lies at 5.

The bottle has a regular drop dispensing opening which is closed by a white plastic lid. Although the bottle is of hard plastic you can lightly press it and make the toner come out more easily. The toner itself is transparent and a bit less runny than water. It feels thicker than water, too, but I wouldn’t call it geltype, yet. It feels refreshing on the skin and has a light scent which is a mixture between herbal and flowery scent. After it absorbs the scent is not noticeable anymore. Also, it doesn’t leave stickyness or greasyness on your skin.

All in all, I like this toner. The pH it provides is perfect for other products to be effective. It feels also quite moisturizing, refreshing and isn’t sticky or greasy. I would say it is a perfect toner for everyday use. What I don’t like about the toner is the higher price compared to other toners. The 150 ml bottle retails for 21.99 US$ on Wishtrend. It still lasts for quite some time I have to admit though (I’m using it for almost three weeks and I’ve only used 1/5ths of the amount). The opening is easy to use. I directly applied it on my hands, but you can also use it with a cotton pad. Alöl in all, I’m totally happy about having this toner in my skincare routine at the moment!

The next step in my skincare routine using the Klairs Moisture Rescue set is the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum, a serum designed to boost the moisture level of your skin and give your skin a healthy and moisturized glow. This serum is designed for people who

– have sensitive skin that needs a calming, soothing serum lotion for sensitive skin.
– have dry, dehydrated skin that needs deep long-lasting moisturize.
– want to smooth and reduce redness and irritation on your skin.
– want to cure your skin constant flaking and peeling.
– want to smooth out fine dehydration lines.
– want to prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

We have here a very basic serum focusing on moisturizing properties, perfect for dry skintypes. On the other hand this serum is designed to have soothing properties, too, so people with irritated skin are addressed aswell. Also here the design fits to all the Klairs products, having a lot of text on their packaging instead of cute or colorful illustration.

The serum is delivered in a cardboard box, unlike the serum, which was only packed in plastic. The cardboard box made of recycled paper contains descriptions in Korean and English. You can also find a detailled description on Wishtrend.

The serum comes in a pump-type bottle made from brown see-through plastic. The pump comes with a protective cap, too. The serum is clear and more of a gel-type consistency than the toner. It has the same scent as the toner, which is a mix between herbal and flowery scents. The ingredients are listed on COSDNA and a lot of vegetable plant ingredients are part of it. also Hyaloronic Acid is the second ingredient in the list, providing moisture. Phyto-Oligo is also listed as main ingredients here. The lists also contains two red-flagged ingredients which are Triethanol amine and the same preservative used in the toner called Methylchloroisothiazolinone. If you know that you react to those two ingredients I would advice you to not use these two products or be careful and make a skin reaction test before. I didn’t have any negative reactions on my skin while using any of the products from the Klairs range yet. After using the serum on the skin it feels almost creamy rubbing it into the skin. It feels moist and hydrating, but it also leaves the skin noticably softer. Also here I didn’t experience any stickiness after it fully absorbed into the skin.

Also for the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum I can say that I was positively surprised how I liked the serum. The feeling of it on the skin was nice and also the point that it wasn’t sticky. This made the application of other products afterwards and of any makeup much easier. I also do like the pump -type bottle. What I don’t like is the small amount of only 50 ml. I used up more than 1/3rd of the bottle already within the three weeks of use. The price on the other hand is relatively normal for a serum. The bottle retails for 22.99 US$ on Wishtrend. The serum is available with free shipping right now!

Both these products are nice products. If I had to choose which one I would by myself from the two mentioned I would choose the toner propably, but only in order to buy a serum with other properties, like anti-aging, etc. I also made a post about the promotions from Wishtrend for February >>here<<. Also, keep in mind their friend-referral program: You can receive a 5 Us$ referral coupon if you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration and you’ll receive this voucher immediately. There will be a specific field in your registration form called “friends invitation program” where you can put the code mentioned above. This way new customers can safe 5 US$ which is a great possibility to safe some money. I’ll try to do the post about the second part of the Klairs Moisture Rescue Kit about the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask and the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream as soon as possible and I hope this review was helpful for you, too. See my other Klairs product reviews here:

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Oil Cleanser and Sugar Facial Polish

Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask

Klairs Illuminating Supple BB Cream

Do you have any favourite product from Klairs? What are your experiences?

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