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Review: A’Pieu Apple Acid Visible Peeling Gel

30. January 2015

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Did you like my review about the Meishoku Peeling Jelly? Then you might be interested in A’Pieu Apple Acid Visible Peeling Gel, too. Similar to the product by Meishuku this peeling gel works with apple acid extract and other fruit extracts to chemically exfoliate your skin.

First of all, some words about the Korean brand A’Pieu: The name comes from french language and is supposed to mean “basic”. The brand is targeting a younger audience and providing the elemantary steps and products for your skincare routine in the 20s…but I think you can also use it in your 30s or whenever you want :D The packaging of their products is cute and adorable, without being to princess-y, like Etude House, for example. Here, the packaging of the A’Pieu Apple Acid Visible Peeling Gel is rather simple, but by having some apples printed on the front it gives it a bit of a cute twist. The peeling gel comes in a simple tube containing 100 ml.

The backside of the tube contains Korean description only, which makes it difficult to understand the directions or know more about the ingredients. Like most peeling gels it is supposed to be used on the dry and clean face. After massaging the gel into the face it will form crumbs/ agglomerated product which help to create a peeling effect. This product uses apple acid and other fruit extracts for chemical exfoliation. These fruit derived acids are also known as AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids). They exfoliate old keratin off your skin, which becomes smoother this way. This has the effect of a brightened up dull complexion, too. It also helps to free blocked pores and to help dry and flaky skin to get smooth again. The crumbs you get with these peeling gels are no dead skin cells, it is just the way the formula of peeling gels work. The result of these peeling gels are therefore not correlated with the amount of peeling crumbs while using. You will feel the effect in the smoothness of your skin after using such peeling gels.

The A’Pieu Apple Acid Visible Peeling Gel has a gel type and milky formula. The color is a very light green and it has the scent of green apples. I would have preferred sweet apple scent instead of green apple scent, but I know there are some lovers for this type of scent. The product itself feels a bit grainy on the skin when you massage it and soon enough it forms some peeling crumbs.

After using and washing the peeling crumbs of the skin feels softened and clear and the product does a good job in general. Comparing it to the Peeling Jelly from Meishoku I like the one from A’Pieu less. I had the feeling that the Meishoku Peeling Jelly was less drying and also more convenient to use since it could be used on wet face, too. I also did like the scent more. But if you want to try an affordable peeling jelly or it is your first time using AHAs in your skincare the A’Pieu Apple Acid Visible Peeling Gel is a nice product. It retails for 15.61 US$ at W2Bauty.

What is your favourite chemical peeling product?

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Skinfood Rose Shake Point Make-up Remover

30. January 2015

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE //

After I fell in love with the Skinfood Rose Essence Soft Cream Blusher I had no choice, but trying out other products from the Skinfood Milky Rose collection. I bought the Skinfood Rose Shake Point Make-up Remover from the same line and I’ve been using it for quite some time. This is also one of the items which were mentioned in the previous guestpost by Chie here. Here is my impression of this make-up remover:

Skinfood is one of these brands which are competing with Etude House in terms of design– in my opinion at least. It is a Korean brand with vintage appearing design of their products which occupied my heart very quickly. The products are using the beneficial effects of ingredients, which are familiar to us in terms of “food” like vegetables and fruits. Their motto “Food that is good for your health, is also good for your skin.” reflects this brands’ ideology nicely. Their spring make-up collection of 2014 was called “Milky Rose”and the design of the products offered within this collection is beautifully selected, showing vintage-style rose drawings and pastell pink packaging. The design is really beautifully chosen and fits perfect for a spring collection. Apart from the Skinfood Rose Shake Poinr Make-up Remover liptints, nailpolish, blusher and a make-up fixer were offered.

As you can see, the make-up remover from this line is no exception and has a beautifully designed packaging with rose printing. The Skinfood Rose Shake Point Make-up Remover comes in a hard plastic bottle which has a transparent pink color. You can see the two phased removing liwuid through the bottle and it appears in a soft pink color. The Skinfood logo, the little angel, is engraved into the plastic bottle.

The backside of the bottle shows the description of the product in Korean and English. It also has the production and expiration date printed there. The bottle contains 160 ml make-up remover. The main ingredient of this product is Rosa Centifolia Flower Water. The scent of the Skinfood Rose Shake Point Make-up Remover is therefore a nice rose scent as I expected and it is one of the reasons I love this product. Apart from the scent Rosa Centifolia Flower Water is a great ingredient with lots of benefits. The obtained water from these flowers contains the etheral oils and lots of beneficial substances. Also, the pH of rose water is lower than pH7. I meassured the pH of the Skinfood Rose Shake Point Make-up Remover and it lies between 5-6. Also, the rose water has soothing and astringent properties, which makes it a good product for sensitive skin.

The remover is a two phased liquid. The instruction says to shake it before using it. Once you shake it, the phases combine to a milky fluid.

Since the cap has a small hole for dispensing you can use it easily on a cotton pad. I would have preferred if it came with a pump bottle, because that’s even more convenient, but since you have to shake it before using it it is only a minor comment.

I used a selection of various make-up products on my arm and wiped it away with a soaked cotton pad and as you can see it removes all the products easily. The product on the right is mascara, and when I removed the mascara it was not fully dried yet. This leads me to my only complaint about the Skinfood Rose Shake Point Make-up Remover, since it does have problems to remove dried fibertype mascaras with one cotton pad only. I didn’t have any problems removing eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipsticks, but it needs some extra wipes for mascara.

Although this product shows some weakness in removing some stubborn mascaras I still love and recommend this to 1. rose scent lovers and 2. people with sensitive skin. This remover makes the skin feel soft after using it and it didn’t feel any irritating, neither did I feel that my skin is feeling dried. It is available at testerkorea for 6900 Won (around 7 US$) which is affordable, too. I really like and use this almost every day before cleansing my face :)

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Unboxing: MeMeBox The Empress’s Secrets

19. January 2015

The last MeMeBoxes I ordered in 2014 (apart from the Innisfree Box which was unfortunately cancelled) were the MeMeBox The Empress’s Secrets and Cleopatra. Both boxes arrived before Christmas, but I was busy with a bunch of other reviews and Chrismas holidays that I didn’t have a chance to show you the content of these boxes. So, today I will be showing you what was inside the MeMeBox The Empress’s Secrets. If you like it you should keep an eye on MeMeBox webpage because they will be restocking some of the old boxes during their Big Box Party this week :) You can check out the Cleopatra Box >>here<<.

MeMeBox is a box service company, offering a wide amount of different beauty boxes. Unlike most western beauty boxes which have to be subscribed for on a monthly basis, MeMeBoxes can be preordered but that doesn’t force you to buy more than the desired box. They ship to many countries and the products they send in their boxes are mainly Korean. Apart from their monthly Global Boxes, they also have a huge amount of themed boxes, MiniBoxes, Boxes where you know what is inside, so called Superboxes with a higher value and so on (check out the links at the end of the post)…just check out their online store and you’ll find a huge selection of different boxes. Since they have become very popular within the blogger community they sell out pretty fast, but they bring up new beauty boxes so fast, that you cannot keep up with them anyways. That was at least my experience during the last year. At the moment they seem to be focusing on their own brand and some collaborations with well-known blogger in the asian beauty blogger community. At the end of this post I will make a list of all the discounts they offer at the moment, too.

The MeMeBox The Empress’s Secrets comes with 5 products in total, four of them in fullsize, the other one as a deluxe sample. I ordered the Empress Box because I previously had the Oriental Medicine Box and I was hoping for this one to be similar. Other than the Oriental Medicine Box, in this box you will not find any ginseng related products. Let’s take a look at the product card from this box:

As you can see, this box focusses on skincare, as I expected from the name already. Here is the description for this MeMeBox:

Let’s take things way, way back to ancient Korean times.

Queens in ancient Korea used a chock full of nature’s most precious ingredients to beautify and enhance their natural beauty. Various ancient herbs, oriental medicines, flowers, rice powders and more natural and effective recipes were prized among the royalty, and their effectiveness and potency is still prevalent today.

Designed to enhance the skin’s regeneration, revitalization, anti-inflammation, and hydration functions, this royal box will surely leave you with a beautiful and enchanting glow. Unbox The Empress’s Secrets box to reveal the mystical beauty secrets and solutions of the east!

These products were included:

1. Tosowoong Syn-ake Wrinkle Free Essence – fullsize (100 ml for US$ 30)

This anti-aging essence contains Syn-ake, a synthetic peptide whith a similar structure to snake venom, and other great ingredients, like galactomyces ferment. It is supposed to firm your skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. I never tryied any of the syn-ake containing products, but I’ve been always very curious to try, so I was happy about this essence.

2. Purederm Make-up Cleansing Tissue – fillsize (3ea for US$ 6)

Cleansing tissues are great for travelling and I like the fact that these contain green tea leaf :) I already used a couple of them and I like to have them. I would also have loved some sheetmasks in this box instead, but this isn’t bad either.

3. Soy BIO+ Fermented Lumpoule – deluxe sample (5 ml x 2, fullsize contains x 14 for US$ 174)

This super expensive ampoule with fermented soy bean lump was in a couple of other boxes already. I didn’t have any of the boxes containing it, so I was pretty happy about it, especially since a lot of people seem to like it…but with this price it is not likely that I will or can repurchase this, even if I do like it.

4. Daltokki Facial Scrub – fullsize (90 ml for US$ 30)

Another item I was happy about. I somehow like the packaging design of this product and I like the fact that it contains rice cake as ingredient. I’m really curious about this facial scrub andf I hope it will offer a gentle exfoliating of the skin.

5. Lime Nature Double Very Moisturizing Cream – fullsize ( 75 ml for US$ 39)

This is the only product from the box containing various medical herbs! I’m always happy about rich creams, since my skin tends to be dry and I’m looking forward to try this cream, but thanks to the MeMeBoxes I tried I still have a lot of creamy creams to empty before I can start with this :D

People in need of new skincare items will love this box! It contains cleansing tissues, a moisturizing cream, a facial scrub, an essence and an ampoule and thus contains all the steps you need for a proper skincare routine. I like the products in this box and I will be using all of them in future. I would have wished for more ancient korean themed products or product packaging, like the Daltokki Facial Scrub for example, but the products themselves are great.

What do you think of this box? Any product you love?

If you are curious about MeMeBox and their products, aswell as their enourmous selection of different beautyboxes check out their page >>here<<. Check out the value sets and the possibility to upgrade to free express shipping, too. MeMebox has also a couple promotions:

receive 3 US$ OFF for purchases above 30 US$ in January using the code 426GGJ

using my affiliate link or the code AFFILIATE-7711-I8PV5-MWLL will get you $5 OFF discount on any orders above $100 (shipping charges not included, can be combined with other coupons)

using my affiliate link or the code AFFILIATE-0319-ZKQVT-DBNX will get you $10 OFF for orders above 150 US$ (shipping charges not included, can be combined with other coupons)

You can also read my previous unboxing posts:

MeMeBox My Cute Wishlist No. 4

MeMeBox My Cute Wishlist No. 3

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 15

MeMeBox Nakedbox No. 24

MeMeBox Diet Box

MeMeBox My Cute Wishlist

MeMeBox Oriental Medicine Box

MeMeBox Scentbox Bundle

MeMeBox 10 Minutes Box

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 11

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 10

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 8

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 6

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asian cosmetics beauty honestskin PR Sample review

Review: Iope Super Vital Cream VIP Kit

15. January 2015

Here is another review from the honestskin Special Gift Event about the Iope Super Vital Cream VIP Kit. This kit comes with 5 products from the Iope Super Vital Extra Moist line, and honestly speaking it is the first Iope skincare line I’m trying. I was really happy therefore, that this kit was part of the gift event I received.

Iope is a Korean high-end brand and part of the Amore Pacific family, similar to other brands like Laneige, Innisfree and Etude House (and many more of the known Korean cosmetic brands). The brand focusses on innovative biological technologies in their cosmetics. Thus their brand image and approach is not cute or girly, but rather mature and scientific. The product packaging reflects this by being elegent and high quality. Also here the Iope Super Vital Cream VIP Kit comes in a golden reflecting cardboard box. It looks very luxurious (but makes photography hard due to reflecting material).

The description on the packaging is not very detailled and it is in Korean only. Probably it lists what kind of products is included in the VIP kit. This set contains 5 products in total: The Super Vital Extra Moist Softner (20 ml), the Super Vital Extra Moist Emulsion (20 ml), the Super Vital Extra Moist Serum (5 ml), the Super Vital Cream Bio Intensive (7 ml), and the Super Vital Extra Moist Eye Cream (3ml). You’ll find some of the ingredients for the products on COSDNA (Softener, Emulsion, Serum, and Cream). Most of the ingredients are green flagged, but you’ll find some irritating ingredients like alcohol, PEG and Triethanol amine. You’ll also find some great ingredients like niacinamide, titanium dioxide, ascorbix acid, and various plant extracts. You’ll also find caffeine in some of the ingredient lists.

The products in this kit are all travel sized and come in a plastic packaging. Unlike the fullsized products, the packaging looks less sturdy and elegant, but still the golden color of all of the products gives it a luxurious touch. The softener and the emulsion do have normal bottle packaging. The serum comes with a pump dispenser. The cream comes in a tiny jar and the eye cream in a tube. It was harder to get ptoduct out of the softener and the emulsion, because the plastic of the bottle is very hard. You have to shake it a couple of times. The pump dispenser also needed a few pumps before the first product could be pumped out. Other than this the packaging was fine. The back side of the tubes, bottles and jars contains a short description in Korean, too.

I swatched the five products on my arm below and as you can see the softener is a liquid toner with a bit of a gel-like structure. It has a soft flowery scent and feels moist on the skin. After a few pats it will absorb and leave your skin soft. The eye cream has a rich creamy texure which melts away on the skin nicely and leaves the skin moisturized and nourished. The eye area feels hydrated for quite a long time. The serum has a gel – like consistency and the same flowery scent as the softener. it has a slight stickiness to itself, but feels also moisturizing. It is not oily after application. The emulsion and the cream are my favourites out of this set. The emulsion has a light milk-type formula. It feels lightweight and yet deeply moisturizing. Actually, although I have dry skin I only use the emulsion during daytime, because it delivers enough moisture especially with the serum in advance. The cream has a butter-like creamy texture and is a VERY rich cream. I’m apllying it during the night and the next morning my skin is still moisturized and my T-zone is even shiny. Both have a very nice flowery scent which I liked a lot.

The Iope Super Vital Cream VIP Kit is very recommended to people with dry to very dry skin. Also people with dull skin will like this. The products in this kit are highly moisturizing and very nourishing. The Super Vital Cream Bio Intensive cream is not recommended for people with oily skin. It made my dry skin oily on the T-zone when I applied it over night. People with super dry skin might love to try this out. The eyecream was rich and hydrating and is great for people with lines. The extra moisture and lipids will make your lines appear finer. If you only have dry lips you might want to try the Laneige Waterbank Eye Gel instead. A downside is the price, of course. Since it is a high end brand the Iope Super Vital Set with the fullsized items (not the travel sized items I showed you here!) retails for 95.34 US$ at honestskin. Before you go ahead and buy the fullsized product I would advise you to look for a trial kit like the one I showed here.

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Top 20 asian cosmetics products 2014

7. January 2015

Hello my dearest readers! Happy new year to all of you! I know I’m a bit late for a roundup of last year, but I didn’t want to start into 2015 with simply a new review, which is why I decided to show you my favourite 20 asian cosmetics products which I reviewed in 2014. It was quite difficult to decide because I have quite a few products I liked last year, but I could shorten it to 20 products, including makeup, skincare, nails, masks and even a hair product. I still have some products I bought last year, but I didn’t review them, and I decided to not include them into my top 20 of 2014, but rather save them for this year, after I did the reviews :) Here is my selection of products:

I’ll start off with my favourite makeup products last year being the following:

Belleme Cosmetics Get your Crayon in “Bad Girl”: This lip crayon had a burgundy color and was one of my favourite lip crayons I used last year. the color is very pretty and I love the simplicity of the design of Belleme products. They look pretty and simple, without being too mature. >> Read my review here <<

Innisfree Color Glow Lipstick: I know that Innisfree already has an improved version of this lipstick called Innifree Creammellow Lipstick, and I already bought two lipsticks of the new ones and I love them (more than the Color Glow ones), but nevertheless I have to point out how much I adored and still love using the Color Glow Lipsticks…the colors are beautiful and pigmented and the lipsticks feel not drying at all. >>Read my review here <<

Aritaum World Glam Coating Tint in “Shanghai”: A beautiful and bright red color which looks so pretty on the lips. This tint is quite long lasting and has a smooth texture. The scent and taste is also pleasant and I’m carrying this tint in my handbag most of the time. >> Read my review here <<

Pony X Memebox Eyeshadow Palette: Here is a more recently reviewed product which I love using, although I rarely use eyeshadows. This palette made me overcome my laziness of applying eyeshadow – I still dont use eyeshadow daily, but now I’m using some on the weekends at least :D The palette contains some nice natural shades and has matte and shimmery eyeshadows. >> Read my review here <<

Missha Magic Cushion Case: This D.I.Y. cushion case is awesome and I’m loving it! I’m using it daily since I bought it and it is fun to mix and match your own BB cream (or CC cream) in this case and helps me to use up some of my not suitable BB/CC creams, too. >> Read my review here <<.

Etude House Princess Happy Ending Belle Rose Cheek Blusher: Apart from the packaging which is georgeous (it is Disney and princesses…what else to say?!) the color of this rosegold blush is beautiful! The rose shaped form of the blush even adds more beauty to this! >> Read my review here <<

Skinfood Rose Essence Soft Cream Blusher: Again, lovely packaging and a matte drying cream blush with rose scent! I love the scent so much ♥ >>Read my review here <<

Now, let’s take a look at some nail products:

Etude House Sweet Idea Bunny Nails: The idea of this bunny nail set is really cute and I also love it, that one bottle has a broad brush and the other one a fine one, which makes nail art easier. >> Read my review here <<

Innisfree Eco Peel Off Base Coat: Since I have this peel off coat I can use my glitter nail polishes more often without having to worry that I’ll spend a hard time to clean my nails again. >> Read my review here <<

Etude House Help My Finger Quick Dry Drop: I don’t know why I didn’t try a quick drying drop for nail polishes earlier…it made my life so much more convenient since I’m owning this. I can only recommend you this kind of product if you love using nail polish! >> Read my review here <<

My favourite skincare products 2014 were these:

Secret Key Snow White Cream: I used this creamy cream daily and it is almost empty now :D It has a nice scent and makes your skin look more even and silky. It is a nice primer for BB creams and really makes the skin less dull…additionally it has a beautiful packaging and a nice baby powder/ soapy scent. Worth every penny! >> Read my review here <<

Meishoku DET Clear Bright & Peel Peeling Gel: This japanese brand is not well-known, but I can recommend you to try this peeling jelly if you love peeling jellies anyways. It is cheap, can be used in the shower and makes the skin super smooth. >> Read my review here <<

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil: I’m in love with this cleansing oil from the moment I first tried it. It cleans away makeup reliably and it smells of sweetened black tea to me..moreover my skin feels still moisturized and not drying after using it…great for colder seasons and people with dry skin! >> Read my review here <<

The Face Shop Mango Seed Silk Moisturizing Face Butter: This deeply moisturizing formula convinced me totally…it made my dry skin feel perfectly moisturized and the scent of the Mango Seed Line is heavenly, too. I have to many facial creams at the moment, otherwise I would have repurchased it already! >> Read my review here <<

Additionally to the skincare products mentioned above I have some mask recomendations for you, too:

Beyond The God of Patches Sheet Masks: Adoarably designed sheet masks which do a nice job in moisturizing. >> Read my review here <<

Care Lab Powerful Pudding Mask: This is a fun mask feeling like jelly and afterwards hardening on your face like a hydrogel mask. The idea is great and the packaging design cute. >> Read my review here <<

ONL Saladit Essential Juice Sheet Masks: There is a nice selection of vegetable masks here and each targets another skin concern. I found that some of them were really nice masks so they are definitively worth a try although not well known. >> Read my review here <<

Skinfood Strawberry Bkack Sugar Wash Off Mask: I love the Skinfood Packs and Masks and this one has a great scent (strawberry) and makes your skin smooth by being gentle to it on the same time. >> Read my review here <<

Wish Formula Panda Eye Essence Mask: Eye masks can be very relaxing and these are additionally boosted up with ferment extract and vitamin C… I enjoyed using these a lot! >> Read my review here <<

And last but not least my favourite hair care product from 2014:

Damoae Therapy Shampoo: I’m not a fan of herbal scents, but this shampoo works great! It makes your hair feel great and healthy and gives it a nice shine. It is pricey though, but if you have a look at my before and after pictures this shampoo really worked for me and made my hair stronger and nicer. >> Read my review here <<

These were my 20 favourite products of 2014! I hope you enjoyed the post and I’m looking forward to present you many new posts in 2015! There will be some exciting ones right ahead and I would be more than happy if you continue to read Berries in the Snow for 2015!

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Review: Dr. G Red Spot Laser

11. December 2014

Here is another review I did for Beautifan, the review blog of Ibuybeauti. It is about the Dr. G Red Spot Laser Treatment. When I started watching the Korean Beauty Show “Get It Beauty” there was one item they mentioned during a show (I don’t remember which one, do you?) which caught my attention: the Dr. G Red Spot Laser, a balm type treatment for scars and red spots. I don’t have much of a troublesome skin, but I do have some scars from the past and if I do get a pimple, the marks are usually very visible and for a long time. This product claims to help to fade these marks and that’s why I was curious to try it.

Dr. G was an unkbown brand to me (it seems brands with some “Dr.” in the name give the impresion that they workespecially well. There are a lot of “Dr.” brands …Dr. G is developed by Dr. Gun-Yong Ahn, the founder of Gowoonsesang. This might be a more familiar name for you, since it is the world’s 2nd largest medical skin care group. Gowoonsesang means ‘Beautiful World’ in Korean. With help of clinical experiences on skin restoration Dr.G. treated and restored skin of many patients. He gained a reputation in the skin restoration area. The brand Dr.G was developed by request of patients who wanted daily skin care after the dermatological treatment. There are 5 skincare lines of Dr.G suitable for people in different ages, like the Trouble Care Line for acne skin and the Luxury EGF Line.

The Dr. G Red Spot Laser is supposed to help troubled skin by clearing up acne scars and pimples. It is advertised to remove red and black spots and it is supposed to care for bumby scars and thus create a clear skin. It has a very rich texture with 50 % red recovery complex. This red recovery complex consists of Centella asiatica and Huttuynia cordata. Both have wound healing and antibacterial properties. Apart from these plant extract the balm contains natural ingredients for skin protection and soothing, like Poria cocos, an asian fungus with astingent and soothing properties, and Phyto Oligo, known as Althaea rosea flower extract / Aloe barbadensis leaf extract, for moisturizing. Additionally, it contains 5 Vitamins: B3, B9, C, E and F. The product was tested and declared as non-comendogenic, which means it doesn’t block pores.

Dr. G Red Spot Laser comes in a cardboard box in mint and yellow colors. The packaging looks very medical and also contains a prescription paper like most items you get from a pharmacy. The balm itself comes in a sleek tube, with a simple white and yellow design. The instruction papers contain detailled descriptions in English and Korean.

The product itself has a balm-type consistency and a milky color. It absorbs fast and doesn’t feel sticky. But your skin feels moisturized and nurished. I applied it on the back of my hand in the images below.

I tested this cream on my face for 3 weeks. I applied it on some of my scars and on one or two red spots I had. I could feel the skin being softer and the marks appearing softer, but it didn’t make them fade any quicker than without cream or treatment. The scars didn’t show any differences either. In a conclusion I would say, that people with troubled skin might like this balm. For me, it didn’t do much, but my skin is in a quite good condition anyways. If you have fresh scars or marks it will probably help your skin to recover since it really contains good ingredients. If you have a good skin condition, you won’t find this product useful. Very old scars won’t be changed probably. The Dr. G Red Spot Laser costs 11.30 US$ at ibuybeauti. Shipping is calculated by weight. the tube contains 30 ml of product and since it can be used on the spots you want to treat olny, it will last for quite some time.

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: D’Ran Wonder Serum

3. December 2014

Remember when I received the MeMeBox Oriental Medicine? It contained some really great products, amongst these the D’Ran Wonder Serum I’m reviewing today. This serum contains 20 kinds of Korean medical herb extracts and is supposed to nourish and revitalize your skin.

D’Ran is a Korean brand affiliated with Kordeal Asset, a company for nature and bio beauty. D’Ran is the name of their cosmetics and skincare brand, which also produces the here presented Wonder Serum. There are different Wonder Serums available, targeting each a specific skin concern. The D’Ran Wonder Serum for Nourishing and Revitalizing is supposed to help the achievement of brilliant and elastic skin by offering norishment and various anti aging properties. The product comes in a milky glass container with a pump dispenser. The design of the serum is simple and not really special, but since the pump dispenser has a golden colored part it makes the product look very noble and mature.

The ingredients are written on the label in English, which is really great for a product focussing on Korean medicine:

Water, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, PEG-32, Dipropylene Glycol, Niacinamide, C14-22 Alcohols, Phytosqualane, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Triethylhexanoin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Arachidyl Glucoside, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Ceramide 3, Cholesterol, PEG-100 Stearate, Dimethicone, Tromethamine, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, Beta-Glucan, Royal Jelly Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Avena Sativa (Oat) Meal Extract, Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Extract, Glycine Max (Soybean) Seed Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Ficus Carica (Fig) Fruit Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Seed Extract, Phellinus Linteus Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Tricholoma Matsutake Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Ganoderma Lucidum (Mushroom) Extract, Morus Alba Fruit Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Polygonum Multiflorum Root Extract, Red Ginseng Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Placental Protein, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Panthenol, Arbutin, Fragrance, Human Oligopeptide-1, Copper Tripeptide-1, Camellia Sinensis Callus Culture Extract, Methylparaben, Allantoin, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Acetate

You’ll find an evaluation od these ingredients on COSDNA. The ingredients are mostly green flagged and the serum contains a lot of different plant extracts. Moreover, it contains hyaloronic acid for moisturizing, niacinamide for brightening, and snail secretation filtrate for its anti inflammatory properties. All of these are really great products which I love to use :)

The pump dispenser is protected by a plastic cap, too. Unfortunately, the dispensing part of the pump is very short, so you’ll always have to tilt the bottle, so that the serum doesn’t run down the container instead of on your hands or fingers. The serum itself has a clear color and a thicker consistency. It can be spreaded easily and smells of herbs, especially of Ginseng. It absorbs after little time and doesn’t make the skin look greasy. But it has a slight stickiness to itself. If you use other products afterwards it might dissapear though.

The bottle contains 30 ml and I almost emptied it during the last 4-5 months. I was using 1-2 pumps in the morning and evening. I didn’t see any super obvious changes, despite that my skin feels nourished and I really enjoy the relaxing herbal scent. It adds some moisture to my daily skincare, too. Moreover, I didn’t have any breakouts while using it, so I think it is a pretty descent product, which I was glad to be able to try. I’m really looking forward to the MeMeBox Empress Edition and I hope it will contain some similar and nice products like the ones from the MeMeBox Oriental Medicine. According to the product description from MeMeBox this product retails for around 30 US$, unfortunately, it is not available at their shop.

♥ PS: Check out my post on Beautiful AM Moisturizer and PM Vitalizer. There is a giveaway for you, too :) ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Care Lab Powerful Pudding Mask

29. November 2014

Did you try any so-called pudding masks yet? I have a review for Care Lab Powerful Pudding Mask I discovered at Wishtrend. This mask is not like the sheet masks, which are basically cotton sheets soaked in essence, but here we have a mask consisting of two components which work their wonders as soon as they are combined.

First of all the brand Care Lab (or C Lab) is a Korean brand available at Wishtrend which started as medical cosmetic brand called “Histolab”. They are focussing on soft natural ingredients. The Care Lab Pudding Mask is available in 4 different versions, each targeting another skincare problem. The Powerful Pudding Mask has face shaping properties and claims to affect the appearance of pores. There are also pudding masks addressing dry skin, sensitive skin and for giving your skin vitality. The packaging of these masks is lovely. Each Care Lab Pudding Mask comes in a plastic bag containing the two components of the mask and a instruction paper.

The main part is the component for the pudding. It comes in a square plastic container with a lovely design. The second container is much smaller and contains the “Booster Powder”. Unfortunately, the instructions are written in Korean only, but it is illustrated nicely, so you will understand most of it without being able to read it.

In order to use the pudding mask you simply add the powder onto the pudding component and mix it with a specific brush or a clean spoon or spatula. It doesn’t come with a spatula, but Care Lab sells a special brush which costs around 2 US$.

The product description on Wishtrend is very thoroughly and you will find a translation of all the ingredients of this mask there in English. According to COSDNA the ingredients are safe (>>click here<<). It contains a couple of plant extracts, too. The main ingredients are peppermint, chestnut shell, tea tree oil and japanese cypress. Peppermint soothes sensitive skin while offering refreshment to the pores. Chestnut Shell contains Tannin component which can help to reduce the appearance of pores. Tea Tree Oil instantly tightens up enlarged pores and freshes them up. Japaness Cypress offers deep hydration with upgrading the skin elasticity.

I used the container of the jelly component to mix it with the powder, but I dicovered that the whole packaging is way too much for one usage. So if you have two clean jars you could keep the two components separately and only use the half of it. In this way one of these masks could be used two times.

The jelly component has a clear appearance and the word “pudding” describes it perfectly. The booster powder is a fine, white powder. According to the instruction you have to mix the two components for around 30 seconds. Then you can apply it on your face. Using a brush will make it easier to apply, but also here I used a spoon and my fingers and it worked quite nicely. I was first afraid that the jelly stuff might fall off my face, but I discovered that the product starts to get more solid. The consistency became comparable to the solid gel masks.

The scent of the mask is a mild peppermint scent, which is not too strong. It feels cool and refreshing on the skin, but also moist. After 20-30 minutes the mask can be removed. By know it has become solid, so you can just peel it from your skin in large patches. The skin beneath feels tightened, but hydrated. I didn’t see any effect on my pores though, although I didn’t expect anything in first place. I neither do have super huge pores, nor do I believe that the effect will be visible after one usage. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this mask. I like the refreshing feeling the pudding consistency gives the skin and I like how it turns more solid and can be peeled off at the end. The scent was nice, too. I’d definitively like to try out the other masks from Care Lab, but this time I know that one packaging can be divided for two usages. Each Care Lab Pudding Mask Bag costs 6.90 US$ at Wishtrend. They have Black Friday Sale right now (until end of November) so they are cheaper at the moment. I also made a post about the promotions they offer for November >>here<< (You can get free silk finger balls ;)). 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.

Did anybody try these pudding masks from Care Lab already?

♥ PS: Check out my post on Beautiful AM Moisturizer and PM Vitalizer. There is a giveaway for you, too :) ♥

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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Allgemein asian cosmetics beauty

Review: Shara Shara Real Sauce Lemon Sheet Mask

27. November 2014

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

It is time for another sheet mask review again. Let’s take a look at Shara Shara’s Real Sauce Lemon Sheet Mask, which I received with my MeMeBox Nakedbox. The box contained three masks from it, so I could test it out a couple of times, too, which is a nice in order to see its effect.

Shara Shara is kind of a newer brand compared to Etude House or Missha etc. It attracts the attation mainly by a very girly and cute packaging design, using bright colors and illustrations. The subtitle of their official page is “the romantic lounge for ladies”. You’ll find a lot of doll faces and comic figures on their products, too. The Shara Shara Real Sauce sheet mask is available in 11 different forms and the lemon sheet mask is one of these. The design of the masks is pretty cute and colorful and I really like it. It displays a lemon on the front, so you directly know the main ingredient of this mask just by looking.

The backside of the sachets contains the description of the mask written in Korean. The ingredients are written in English, too. You can find the ingredients listed on COSDNA >>here <<. Most of them are green or yellow flagged. There is one red flagged ingredient which is Triethanol Amine, which is a pH Adjuster. On the other hand, it contains quite some good moisturizing ingredients like hyaloronic acid and glycerin.

It is a cotton sheet mask, so the material of the mask is soft and feels nice on the skin. The sheet is super soaked in the essence. I could say that it is almost dripping. You can definitively use the excess essence on your arms and neck etc. It was a bit difficult to unfold the mask though, because there is no plastic separator to make it easier. Apart from this the application was pretty much normal. The mask contains lemon essence, which means it is supposed to be vitalizing and refreshing. It is said that it controls oil and provides moisture on the same time. I can not tell anything about the oil controll, because my skin is quite dry at the moment, but I could see the moisturizing effect. My skin felt hydrated and soft and I can say that I was pleased about the effect. The scent is pretty strong in my opinion, and it smells like citrus/lemon scent is supposed to be. Citrus scents are not my favourite, unless they smell like the real fruit like the Beautiful AM Moisturizer facial oil or the Illi Fresh Moisture Bodylotion. Here the scent reminded me to much of artificial lemon scent, which I didn’t like personally too much, but that is again a matter of preference :) All in all the mask did a good job, like you expect from sheet masks: refreshing and moisturizing!

Each sheet mask sachet contains 20 g and costs 3.66 US$ at W2Beauty.

Tell me who tried these Shara Shara Real Sauce masks already? Which is your favourite?

♥ PS: Check out my post on Beautiful AM Moisturizer and PM Vitalizer. There is a giveaway for you, too :) ♥

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beauty review trusted health products

Review: Beautiful A.M. Moisturizer and P.M. Revitalizer and Giveaway

26. November 2014

Winter is the season for extra moisture and care of your skin. Apart from the cream or gel type moisturizers, which are generally used in our skincare routine, it is also great to have some facial oils at hand. I’ve been trying Beautiful A.M. Moisturizer and P.M. Revitalizer from the company Trusted Health Products for more than a month now and finally it is time to give you a review on these two fcaial oils. Moreover, there will be a giveaway opened to my dear readers from US, Canada, England and Australia. Keep on reading for more information at the end of the post.

Trusted Health Products is a company dedicted to offer the “Purest and most Natural Products available anywhere in the world today”. Their products are GMO-free, 100% Pure & Natural, and have No Additives of any kind. Beautiful A.M. Moisturizer and P.M. Revitalizer is a dual facial oil combo from this company and it consists of a combination of live fruit, nut and plant extracts for feeding the skin. It claims thereby to promote a youthful, moist and beautiful glowing skin. It is not only recommended to dry skin, but also to oily or acneprone skin, since it says that it balances your natural skin condition. It has anti-aging properties, too, and should have a firming effect on the skin. Moreover it claims to reduce the appearance of pores and make your skin look smoother in general. You’ll find a detailled description for the product >>here<<.

The ingredients of Beautiful A.M. Moisturizer and P.M. Revitalizer are natural. The Beautiful A. M. Moisturizer used during the day contains 100% Pure Botanical oils of almond, orange, lemon, avocado and olive. The P.M. Revitalizer contains 100% Pure Botanical oils of almond, orange, lemon, evening primrose and apricot. all these oils have their specific benefits:

almond oil moisturizes, soothes and softens the skin, it relieves itching from dry skin and gives the complexion an appearance of improvement and glow.

orange oil cleanses the skin through natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and helps fighting acne and restores smooth appearance to skin.

lemon oil is a natural cleanser, preventative for wrinkling and aging. Significantly increases the anti-oxidative potential of the skin bio surface (to help stop damage to the skin).

avocado oil significantly increases the soluble collagen content in the skin to enrich dry, damaged, chapped or wounded skin. It is loaded with vitamins A, D and E.

olive oil works as cleanser and moisturizer. It has shown preventative effects for formation of skin cancer and tumors.

evening primrose oil contains nutrience which are essential for cell structure and improve the elasticity of the skin. There is evidence that it can help reduce wrinkles and even help repair stretch marks. It is also rich in omega 6 fatty acids.

apricot oil is light and gently moisturizes skin. It contains vitamins A and E, it soothes the skin and slows signs of aging as well as firming and toning.

From the ingredients it seems that these two bottles are packed with good stuff, which can be beneficial for your skin and skin condition. For application it is advised to use 2-3 drops on each cheek and spread the oil softly over your face. They also write that when you start to use these two oils it will affect like a detoxing on your skin. They also state that there might be breakouts during the first 30 days of usage, which will go away after a couple of days. Luckily, I didn’t experience any other breakouts than my normal occasional ones and my skin stayed in its good condition as before.

The two bottles don’t have the most fancy or beautiful design, they are just brown glass bottles, but as extra, they imprint your name on the labels of the bottles, which is a super cute idea and makes it much more personal. I love this idea :) The bottles have a normal screwing cap and a drop dispenser or dropper, so you can controll precisely how many drops you want to use. Unfortunatelly, it is not that easy going and you’ll have to give the bottle a shake in order to make the drops come out. I can say, that I never had the problem that I used too much oil, because the dispenser is a bit harder to use.

Although the bottles are so small they last you for quite a while, at least for two month, if not even more. I use both oils in my day and night skincare routine and I’m really happy about the moisturizing effect. First of all, the oils have both a nice orange scent, which is really relaxing. Both oils absorb fast and do not leave your skin greasy or sticky at all– although one might think that oils woul’d definitively make your skin look greasy. It is not the case. It absorbs quickly, makes the skin feel smooth and give it a natural moisturized glow. The scent will linger on your skin for some time, but it is not unpleasantly strong.

All in all, I can say that these two facial oils have replaced my normally used and loved moisturizing creams, but I still use toner, essence and serum ahead. The oils go well with that combined skincare routine, too. I recognised that the skin feels soft after application and has a nice glow. It also works fine when BB creams or foundation is applied afterwards. I’m positively surprised how much I like these oils and I will definitively continue to use facial oils in my skincare routine. The two-bottle-set containing the Beautiful A.M. Moisturizer and P.M. Revitalizer is sold for 29.97 US$. At the moment you can get also free standard shipping until 1st of December because of Black Friday Sales and they have some other deals, too. Apart from this, for a limited time, the manufacturer is willing to offer my readers one FREE bottle. They said they would love to have my readers try out Beautiful A.M. Moisturizer (for women) or You’re the Man A.M. Moisturizer (for men) and agreed to send one bottle FREE if my readers would pay a minimal shipping and handling charge. This is a one-time only offer! They also agreed to include 2 eye-opening reports – The Poisons You Put On Your Face Everyday and Why Your Skin Care Products Have Never Worked: The Truth Revealed .” That’s a total value of over $40.00. Click here to get your FREE Bottle and FREE reports now! (This has nothing to do with the giveaway below).

So, apart from the offers I stated above I have a giveaway for readers from US, Canada, England and Australia. To all my other readers, don’t be sad, there will be other giveaway opportunities for sure :)

Three of you can win one bottle of Beautiful A.M. Moisturizer.You don’t have to pay any shipping or handling costs. all you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below. You have to be a reader of my blog and I will check for entries, so please don’t cheat. :) The giveaway is open until 12th of December.

Eligibility Requirement: You – or anyone in your household – may win one bottle of Beautiful one time only. Previous winners please do not apply.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And finally, here is also my rating for this product :)

Did anybody try these two products already? What facial oils are you using? Make sure to visit their Trusted Health Products Website, too and like them on Facebook.

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

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