skincare Archive | Page 29 of 30 | Berries in the Snow

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

23. October 2013

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating:

43 Comments

beauty beauty boxes

Unboxing: Glossybox October 2013

22. October 2013

It’s time for another Glossybox post, since we have October by now a new box arrived at my doorstep yesterday :) Topic of this month was Beauty Balance and below you can see how this topic was put into the box this time:

So these are this month’s products I received:

Balance Me Shine On Tinted Lip Salve in Super Soft Beige

(14.22€/10ml – contained full size product)

Description: We have created an exquisite blend of oils to soften and nourish, including virgin coconut oil, jojoba oil, rosehip oil, castor oil and sweet almond oil. These oils provide the extra staying power for the salve, keeping your lips glossy and maintaining the colour. The colour tint is formulated with natural mineral make-up, designed to deliver strong colours, and is an exclusive blend of mica, titanium dioxide and iron oxide. The beautiful aroma of the salve is 100% pure natural essential oils, so is subtle and sophisticated without being overpowering.

Ingredients: Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, Lanolin, Ricinus communis (castor) oil***, Cocus nucifera (virgin coconut) oil***, Cera alba (beeswax), Butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter***, citrus reticulata (mandarin red)*, Rosa canina (rosehip) fruit oil, Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, Mangifera indica (mango) seed butter, Theobroma cacao (cocoa) butter, citrus paradisi (grapefruit)*, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract, citrus limon (lemon)*, Mica, Titanium dioxide, Red iron oxide, Limonene**, Linalool**, Citral** *natural pure essential oil **naturally occurring in essential oils ***certified organic ingredient

Bellápierre Mineral Blush Desert Rose (29.99€/9g – contained travel size product)

Description: Discover fabulous, good-for-you cheek colour. Love those defined cheekbones the stars always seem to have? All you need is a fine, natural mineral blush to give you that radiant look of the stars! These blushes offer a hint of soft, pure colour that will help any and every woman enhance her own natural beauty! These creamy, super sheer all-mineral blushes give you a beautiful, healthy tone that looks natural. Bellapierre Mineral Blush Powder creates a soft, radiant glow that’s ideal for all skin types, including sensitive and problem-prone skin. BellaPierre Mineral Blush Powder comes in four sheer shades, including Desert Rose, Autumn Glow, Amaretto, and Suede, all suitable for a variety of skin tones. Due to the sheer, translucent and skin-hugging effect of the mica mineral, your natural skin tone shines through when you use our blush powder.

Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides

Great Length Daily Moisture Shampoo (16.90€/250ml- contained travel sized product)

Description: Daily Moisture can be used on all hair types as it’s extremely gentle. It will help to clear away dry ends and also balance the scalp environment. Daily Moisture contains Aloe Vera, this helps to leave the hair feeling silky and manageable. Active ingredient GSP-T® will protect hair against environmental damage and premature aging. Any damage caused to the outer cuticle will be repaired by our AQUARICH® ingredient, this will also help increase volume and give hair maximum shine while reducing static.

Ingredients: Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulvate, Cocamidopropyl, Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Glycol Distearate, Glycerin, Aloe BarBadensis, Leaf Juice, Vitis Vinefera (Grape) Seed Extract, Avena, Strigosa (Oat) Seed Extract, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Laureth-4 Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Polyquaternium-47, Lauryl um Eta, Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Parfum, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool

LCN Lovely Girls Sprinkle Rose (4.90€/3.5g – contained full size product)

Description: Create a beautiful, delicate and natural eye makeup with this pressed powder eye shadow in the shade of LCN’s “lovely girls sprinkle rose” . With its marbled surface and the silky texture it is particularly easy to apply and seduced creative looks.

Ingredients: TALC, MICA, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, CI 77891, PARAFFINUM LIQUIDUM, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, DIMETHICONE, MAGNESIUM STEARATE, LANOLIN OIL, CI 77491, DIMETHICONOL, DEHYDROACETIC ACID, PHENOXYETHANOL, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, CERA ALBA (BEESWAX), CI 77742, CI 77007, CI 75470, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, ETHYLPARABEN, BUTYLPARABEN, ISOBUTYLPARABEN, CI 77510

Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer (32.50€/50ml – contained sample sized product)

Description: Oxygenating Cream moisturizes, protects and softens: this universal cream meets, in a single product, the essential needs of hydration for all skin types.
Its special composition based on high-quality plant extracts and organic vegetable oils, such as Rosehip oil* and Sweet Almond oil*, helps ideally balance the skin’s hydrolipidic film.
Rapidly absorbed after application, it provides a makeup base for prolonged wear.

Ingredients: Aqua, Caprylic/capric triclyceride, Aloe barbadensis leaf extract*, Methyl glucose sesquistearate, Propanediol, Glyceryl stearate, Glycerin, Stearyl alcohol, Rosa moschata oil*, Prunus Amygdalus dulcis oil*, Butyrospermum parkii butter*, Persea gratissima oil*, Glycerin, Benzyl Alcohol, Chamomilla recutita extract*, Dehydroacetic acid, Potassium sorbate, Sodium benzoate, Parfum, d-Limonene, Citral, Linalool.

Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream (39 €/118 ml – contained two sample sachets)

Description: Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream is an all-natural, multi-purpose skin care balm.

Egyptian Magic is based on an ancient formula that blends olive oil with several bee products in a secret way to produce a skin cream with a remarkably curative and regenerative effect on skin and hair. The combination of ingredients reputedly originates in Ancient Egypt, where it was found inscribed in hieroglyphics in a pyramid at Giza.

Other uses for Egyptian Magic include: hand cream, night cream, scar reduction and bruising reduction.

Ingredients: olive oil, bees wax, honey, bee pollen, royal jelly, bee propolis.

I’m really curious about the Naobay cream and the Egyptian Magic cream. But I still have a couple of moisturizers I have to use before. The blush has a nice color which I will probably wear often and the eyeshadow is also very nice and wearable.

Rating:

If you want to try GlossyBox by yourself, just go to their web page (here). They have different kind of boxes, too.

♥ You can follow me on bloglovin’, facebook or since recently on instagram :D ♥

10 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

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

17. October 2013

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

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

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

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

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

Active Ingredients: Adenosine, Royal Jelly Extraxt, Honey Extraxt

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

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

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

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

Rating:

17 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty Beautychamber review

Review: Mitomo DayLight& Mi 109 Herb Mask Sheet Lithospermi Radix ♥sponsored♥

15. October 2013

I have so many sheet masks to review, I don’t dare buy anything new until I’m done, haha. Better I start of with one of the reviews. Here is a Japanese mask from the company Mitomo called DayLight& Mi 109 Herb Mask Sheet containing Lithospermi Radix. I received this mask from BeautyChamber. Thanks again!

Mitomo is a Japanese company selling a lot of different sheet masks, but also other skin care products. They have a official site at www.mitomos.com. This sheet mask I will review is one of their Herb Sheet Masks containing Lithospermi Radix. Lithospermi Radix is used in Chinese and Japanese Traditional Medicine because of its anti-inflammatory properties. There is a short description on Lithospermi Radix on the front of the sheet mask packaging, which is in english, too!

I must say, the scent of this mask was not pleasant to me…I was really reluctant to put it on my face at all, but finally I did, and then after a while I didn’t smell the scent anymore-luckily. The mask sheet was soaked nicely with the clear essence. It was not dripping or anything. Unfortunately, unfolding was a bit difficult, because there was no plastic sheet attached or similar. Nevertheless it didn’t tear appart. After I removed the mask and the remaining essence was absorbed my skin stayed sticky.

sorry, for my chipped nails >_<

By the way, except of feeling moisturized I didn’t feel anything special about this mask, unfortunately…
Since it is okay in this point and has a terrible scent on the other hand I would not repurchase it personally. But perhaps someone had made other experiences with this product? Please feel free to comment :)

You can get this mask from BeautyChamber. I don’t know how much this mask costs, because it is not listed on the online store, but you can ask for a quote. Check out the facebook page of BeautyChamber, too: https://www.facebook.com/beautychamber2013

http://beautychamber.bigcartel.com/

Rating:

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

♥ You can follow me on bloglovin’, facebook or since recently on instagram :D ♥

6 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Beyond Phytoganic Facial Foam

12. October 2013

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

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

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

(I hope the translation is correct :D)

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

Dermatologically Tested

No Chemical Preservatives

No Chemical Colorants

Against Animal Testing

Eco Beauty Lab

Recyclable packaging

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

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

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

Rating:

7 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Skinfood Black Sugar Perfect First Serum

4. October 2013

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

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

Here is the description taken from Keautystore:

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

Hoe to use:

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

Shake well before use.

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

This picture belongs to Skinfood

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

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

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

email: [email protected]

5 % coupon code: blog115

♥

Here is the banner and Link to their store:

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

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

Keautystore: US$ 42.00 (shipping is not included)

W2Beauty: US$ 30.09 (free shipping option)

KollectionK: US$ 33.99 (shipping depends on country)

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

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

Rating:

9 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty Beautychamber PR Sample review

Review: Christine Ladies Argireline Ultra Tightening Mask ♥sponsored♥

27. September 2013

Hey,

Here is another sheet mask review again :D This is about Chistine Ladies Argireline Ultra Tightening Mask sponsored by BeautyChamber. Christine Ladies is a Taiwanese high-end brand. This mask is one of the best selling products from this brand and is available in two types, one is for tightening and one for whitening.

Here is the description of the mask taken from BeautyChamber’s web store:

TIGHTENING:
What makes this mask stand out among millions of others in the market is that it uses Japan’s invisible mask fabric which is 100% cotton fabric with thickness of only 0.03cm. It is able to fully absorb 20ml of essence.Using skin density difference principle, it allows the essence to be quickly transferred to the underlying skin with zero distance between the skin and mask; penetrating the barrier of skin cells so the essence can be 100% utilized.
EFFECTS: Protect skin tissues, repair damaged cells, smooth fine lines, tighten, whiten and moisturize and to increase skin radiance, keeping it in its best condition.

Ingredients: Aqua, Propylene Glycol, sodium Hyaluronate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Butylene Clycol, Saccharamyces, Podophyllum Peltatum Filtrate Extract, Aloe Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Chlorphenesin, Ethoxylated Alkylphenol, Ethoxylated Sorbitan Ester, Fragnance

Most of the ingredients above have moisturizing properties, which makes me assume, that this mask works good on dry skin. The packaging is a shiny dark red. Since this mask is from a Taiwanese high-end brand, the packaging is very mature and simple. I hope you can read the description on the backside. The material is very shiny and reflecting, I couldn’t get a better picture for it >_<”’ The description is in English :)

The fabric of the mask is very thin. It is the first sheet mask that I tried having a very thin and delicate fabric. In order to make it a bit easier to handle the sheet is attached to a plastic film. The mask is soaked thoroughly with the clear essence. While unfolding and arranging it for use I had to be careful not to mess around, but once it was on my face it didn’t drip or anything else. I didn’t like the scent of the mask, but after a few minutes I didn’t smell it anymore and it was okay. While having the mask on my face it was very moisturizing and refreshing. After half an hour the mask did still contain essence and wasn’t dried up. I took it off and left my face to adsorb the rest of the essence on my skin. After that the skin didn’t feel sticky. I felt a pluming effect, too. Unfortunately, I had only one of these masks to try, so I cannot speak about long-term effects. I also didn’t see a whitening effect.

You can get this mask at BeautyChamber for US$ 20 for a box of 6 masks, which is quite expensive compared to other sheet masks. Check out the facebook page of BeautyChamber, too: https://www.facebook.com/beautychamber2013

http://beautychamber.bigcartel.com/

Rating:

♥ You can follow me on bloglovin’, facebook or since recently on instagram :D ♥

12 Comments

asian cosmetics MOOTTA PR Sample review

Introducing MOOTTA and Review on Innisfree It’s Real Masks

30. August 2013

Hello ♥

Did you hear about MOOTTA already? It’s a new start up company in South Korea focusing on Fashion and Beauty. MOOTTA’s main issue is to bring fashion- and beauty-trends from the South Korean Capital Seoul to everybody in the world.

I’m always curious about new companies providing Korean products, since I really love Korean beauty products for quite a while now, and I was always eyeing with their fashion. Unfortunately, a lot of products are limited to Korea only, so I’m always happy if I discover new stores that can provide me with new products that I don’t know yet. Did you know that “mootta” is Korean and means to ask?

Here is how the web store of MOOTTA looks like:

taken from www.mootta.com

MOOTTA‘s web appearance is very clean and nice and easily to navigate. They have a section for beauty and several sections for clothing and accessories. There is also a designer section where you can find pieces of work of various designer, including the finalist of Project Runway Korea. They are trying to provide clothes from designers which are unique and represent Seoul fashion.

The products in the beauty section are selected products from the beauty show in Korea called “Get It Beauty”, where the contestants test and evaluate products without knowing from which brand it is (btw: I like the concept of testing products which are similar without knowing which is which, in this way you tend to be a lot more objective).

MOOTTA was kind enough to send me two sheet masks for reviewing purpose. Both masks are from Innisfree’s It’s Real Mask line. They were neatly packed within a paper bag showing MOOTTA’s logo on it. The masks were send via EMS and arrived after 4 days. I will review the Innisfree It’s Real Rice and the Gold Kiwi Sheet Masks for you today and in a week I’ll be coming up with some other surprise for you. I’ll hope you’ll stay tuned *^_^*

There are 20 different Innisfree It’s Real Masks available. Each displaying the main ingredient used on the package. I like the design of the packaging, although it is not especially cute, but it looks nice and promising. Also, the instructions are written in English on the backside of each package.

taken from www.innisfree.co.kr

Here is the description taken from MOOTTA’s web page:

description:

Innisfree It’s Real Mask is enriched with ingredients, which offers groundbreaking result in brightening up and moisturizing dull skin.

Wonderfully moisturized, deeply nourished and plumped, skin emerges infinitely regenerated. Your skin can be renewed, refined, resilient and radiant upon using it.

application:

1. Apply a sheet of mask to toned face.

2. Leave on for 10 – 20 minutes before tearing off the mask.

3. Gently massage the whole face with fingertips for better absorption

On the back side you’ll find the Korean description. On the Rice mask you’ll also find the instructions and the ingredients in English (I don’t know why it’s all in Korean on the Gold Kiwi mask, probably another batch).

The cotton sheet is smooth and not too thin, neither too thick, and in both cases nicely soaked with the essence without being drippy. Their is no extra-foil attached to the cotton sheet, so you have to be a bit more careful while unfolding it. There is not a lot of essence left within the packaging, but enough to put the rest on your neck, for example.

Concerning the fit of the cotton sheet to the face: A lot of people keep complaining if a sheet mask is not fitting to they face shape. Sheet masks are designed to fit most people, so they have to make a compromise between a lot of different face shapes and sizes. I don’t blame any company for not providing the best fitted cotton sheet for my face. Until now I could always fold the sheet in a way that it stayed on my face nicely and even, and that’s the same case here. :)

I’ll review know each sheet mask separately, because they were different in they consistency and their effect:

Innisfree It’s Skin Rice Mask

The essence of this mask is not a clear liquid, but milky. In my opinion it felt creamier on the skin. The scent was pleasant and didn’t smell like rice at all, but clean and soap-y. I left the mask on my skin for about half an hour and took it off.

After taking off the mask the essence is soaked nicely into and on the skin, but it wasn’t absorbed completely. I waiting for another couple of minutes, but the skin stayed kind of greasy/creamy, probably because the consistency of the essence is more on the creamy side. I decided to go to sleep and have a look at my skin on the next day. And…drum roll….the essence was absorbed, my skin was so plum and soft the next morning I had to touch my cheeks all the time :D My skin also didn’t react negatively to the mask. I was absolutely happy with the result.

Innisfree It’s Skin Gold Kiwi Mask

The essence of the Gold Kiwi Mask is a clear liquid. The scent was fresh and fruity and reminded of Kiwi or something similar :D. I left the mask on my skin for about half an hour and took it off.

Also here, after taking off the mask the essence is soaked into the skin. I waiting for another couple of minutes, before it was absorbed completely and just left a slight stickiness. This one did feel completely different to the creamier Rice Mask.. The next day the stickiness was gone and the face looked refreshed, but it didn’t provide such a nice plum feel of the skin like the Rice mask.

Comparing both masks, I can definitely say, that I loved the Rice Mask a lot. The effect was visible on the next day and my skin felt great. Compared to this, the Gold Kiwi Mask is “simply” refreshing. Nevertheless, both masks have a nice scent and didn’t break me out or anything, and thus are good masks.
You can find them >> here <<. Do you have any favourite Innisfree It’s Real Masks? Which one did you try?

Thanks to MOOTTA again, for sending me the masks!

You can check out MOOTTA via the following links:

http://www.mootta.com
http://instagram.com/mootta_fashion
https://www.facebook.com/Moottafashion

At the moment they offer a discount coupon on items in their “our picks” section until end of october. You get 20 % off using the code mentioned above.

Rating for the Rice Mask:

Rating for the Gold Kiwi Mask:

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

♥ Don’t forget to take part in my giveaway. It’s still going a few hours! ♥

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

12 Comments

beauty beauty boxes

Review: Lioele C.A.D. Oxygen Pore Skin and Lotion

19. June 2013

Hello ♥

Another review for a sample I got with my Keautybox Sample Kit from Keautystore (review >>here<<). This is a miniature Set of Lioele’s C.A.D. Oxygen Pore Skin and Lotion.

Here is the the product description taken from Keautystore:

Lioele C.A.D Oxygen Pore Skin is a special treatment that provides an abundant amount of oxygen and moisture to your skin. Aquaporins and oxygen carrier ingredients help to control pores and remove dead skin cells. This product activates skin power to keep skin moist, soft, reduces skin trouble. It is suitable for oily skin, rough skin, skin with enlarged pores, and blackheads. Amino acid complex together with natural moisturizing factor (NMF) provides great skin hydration and leaves skin soft and smooth.

Benefits: Moisturizes, Pore Control, Removes Dead Skin Cells, Softens, Reduces Skin Trouble, Hydrates, Smoothes

How to Use: After washing your face, apply proper amount on face and neck.
INGREDIENTS: Water, Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, PEG60Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Portulca Oleracea Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Lysine, Histidine, Arginine, Aspertic Acid, Threonine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Proline, Glycine, Alanine, Valine, Methionine, Isoleucine, Leucine Tyrosine, Cysteine, Phenylalanine, Betaine, Phenoxyethanol, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Fomes Officinalis (Mushroom) Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Methyl Perfluoroisobutyl Ether, Ethyl Perfluorobutyl Ether, Acetyl Hexapeptide-37, Fragrance, Blue 1 (Cl 42090)

Lioele C.A.D Oxygen Pore Lotion is a special treatment that provides an abundant amount of oxygen and moisture to your skin. Absorbs deeply and promptly for pore tightening with soft and provides skin with a soft and silky texture . Aquaporins and oxygen carrier ingredients help to control pores and remove dead skin cells. Amino acid complex together with natural moisturizing factor (NMF) provides great skin hydration and leaves skin soft and smooth.

Benefits: Moisturizes, Pore Control, Removes Dead Skin Cells, Softens, Reduces Skin Trouble, Hydrates, Smoothes

How to Use

1. Used after applying skin toner.
2. Apply appropriate amount of lotion all over face.
3. Gently tap skin with fingertips to help absorb. INGREDIENTS: Water, Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, PEG60Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Portulca Oleracea Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Lysine, Histidine, Arginine, Aspertic Acid, Threonine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Proline, Glycine, Alanine, Valine, Methionine, Isoleucine, Leucine Tyrosine, Cysteine, Phenylalanine, Betaine, Phenoxyethanol, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Fomes Officinalis (Mushroom) Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Methyl Perfluoroisobutyl Ether, Ethyl Perfluorobutyl Ether, Acetyl Hexapeptide-37, Fragrance, Blue 1 (Cl 42090)

This Lioele C.A.D Oxygen Miniature Set comes in two small bottles, one for the toner and one for the lotion. The small bottles are very solid and have a simple design in light blue. Unfortunately, the solid plastic is a problem for applying the emulsion, since it hardly comes out of the bottle. You have either to put this bottle upside down and wait or you take a small spatula or something similar and take it out this way.

Below, I will show you a picture of the toner:

The toner absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave you skin sticky. It cleans residual makeup quite good and makes you feel refreshed. But, since it contains alcohol it feels drying on my dry skin.

The emulsion can be used after the toner and it should provide moisture to your skin. Below you can see the milky lotion:

The emulsion leaves a little bit of a sticky feeling after it absorbs, but the skin feels smooth afterwards. The scent of both products is pleasant and flowery.

Both products contain alcohol, so they’re not suited very much for people with dry skin like me. The lotion didn’t provide enough moisture for my skin, but I guess this product works better for oily skin.I won’t recommend this product for dry skin, but it may be better for people with oily skin. The miniature set contains 5 ml each, you can buy it at Keautystore for US$ 3.80. The full size bottles contain 155 ml each and cost US$ 26.40 for the toner and US$ 28.80 for the lotion. There is also a set available. If you decide to buy something on www.keautystore.com I can offer you a 5 % coupon code that they provided me. So if you plan to order at their store you can put my email address in the “referred email” box (which would make me very happy ^_^) and use coupon code listed below:

email: [email protected]

5 % coupon code: blog115

♥

Here is the banner and Link to their store:

Rating:

♥ And I’d be happy if you follow me via bloglovin’ (or facebook) ♥

♥ remember to import your blogs from google reader to bloglovin’ or similar, since google reader will shut down soon♥

2 Comments

beauty

Review: Skinfood Watery Berry Blending Cream

15. May 2013

Hello ♥

Another short review on Skinfood’s Watery Berry Blending Cream, based on samples of this product that I got. This interesting product consists of two components, a gel and a cream, and claims to be very moisturizing. The idea is: by mixing the two components together by yourself, you can customize the cream to your needs.

The product is described in the following text by Skinfood:

Watery Berry Blending Cream is a blendable cream that promotes soft, glowing skin with berry extracts and sodium hyaluronate. Custom-blend the hydrating clear gel and nourishing cream core depending on your skin type and condition.

After serum/emulsion application, dispense the clear gel and cream in a 2:1 ratio on the back of your hand. Mix well and apply to skin. Adjust the blending ratio according to your needs.

Berries Story: Cloudberries, lingonberries, and raspberries from Lapland, a region famous for its Santa Claus Village, provide superior antioxidant properties.

Sodium hyaluronate Story: Sodium hyaluronate holds up to 30 times its volume in water, transforming dry skin into a soft, glowing texture.

I wish I could translate the description for you. Especially the part where they compare this cream to the royal honey cream. If anyone is able to translate I’ll be happy if he mails me or comments :D

The sample looks like this: it is made from two sachets, each containing one of the components. One sample contains enough for about two applications. Although I must admit that it is really difficult to get a 2:1 ratio by pushing out the sample from the sachet. The jar might be easier to handle…:D

You can accustom this cream to your need, depending on your skin type. If you have dry skin, you mix more of the cream core, the so called “nutrition core” and if you have oily skin you mix more of the gel or “transparent cream”. I like the idea of customizing your cream by yourself. ♥

The cream feels nice on the skin. Because of the gel-like part it is really bendable and nice in its feeling on the skin. It needs some time to absorb, but afterwards it is possible to apply BB cream or similar above without flaking or caking. It is usable at night, too…At least it worked for me, hehe. It is a nice moisturizer and makes your skin feel supple, too. If anybody with oily skin has tried out Skinfood’s Watery Berry Blending Cream, I’d like to know if it worked out for them, too. Btw, the cream has a nice sweet and fruity smell, but it doesn’t linger too long, nor does it become unpleasant.

The full sized product comes in a jar, I don’t know if they provide a spatula, but according to the advertising picture it should have one. The jar contains 50 g of product and costs on W2beauty for US$ 25.60. If you use my link or the sponsor code 088505 for registration at W2Beauty you’ll get a 5.00 $ voucher after registration.

♥ Don’t forget to take part in my giveaway >>here<< ♥

♥ And I’d be happy if you follow me via bloglovin’ (or facebook) ♥

Rating:

15 Comments

Older Posts

Newer Posts