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Review: MapleHolistics Natural Beauty Products

14. October 2015

I’m so sorry for the being absent in the last couple of days…or weeks, but today I’m back with a new review! :) Actually, here are 3 reviews I will be discussing in this post, all of them dedicated to a couple of really awesome MapleHolistics Natural Beauty Products. It could be especially interesting for those of you looking for products with a short ingredients list consisting only on the necessary…and of course for all of you who love natural beauty products! Upon request by MapleHolistics I was allowed to choose products of interest and they were so kind to send me all the products I was interested in, which were a argan shampoo and conditioner and a vitamin C serum. They were so kind, that they even included a lip balm on top! Since I really do like all of the products and I’ve been testing them very thoroughly I can really recommend you to keep on reading and maybe also take a look at the range of products by MapleHolistics.

MapleHolistics is a US based beauty company that has been around for the past few years. They develop and manufacture their own all natural cosmetics, which is also animal cruelty free, and focus mainly on shampoos and conditioners. Nevertheless, you will spot some skincare and bath and body products on their web page, too. I decided to do a review about the Argan Oil Shampoo and the Argan Oil Conditioner. Argan Oil is one of my favorite haircare ingredients, since it makes my hair less frizzy and manageable. I love the Argan oil products from Confume, for example and I’m using them almost daily. I also chose the Vitamin C Serum by MapleHolistics. I was drawn to this serum by the short and really good ingredients lists here. And last but not least I received a Acai Berry Lip Balm on top.

I’ll start of with the Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner: MapleHolistics Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner is designed for men and women. It comes in a red plastic bottle with a simple design. Some illustrations on the label make it still look appealing. Since the bottle of the shampoo and the conditioner is both red, the difference of the two products lies in the color of the label, which is red/brownish for the shampoo and white in case of the conditioner. Also the consistency of the products is different: The shampoo is more runny and has a milky color whereas the conditioner is a white balm product. The scent of the Argan Oil Shampoo and the Conditioner is very subtle and not heavily perfumed at all. In order to dispense the shampoo you can press the cap. This kind of bottle is convenient if you are traveling.

All the MapleHolistics Natural Beauty Products I received came with a information card. The card lists the effect of the key ingredients, but there is a full ingredients list on the label of the bottles, too. Here are the key ingredients of the shampoo as listed on the web page of MapleHolistics:

Argan: Also known as ‘Moroccan Oil’ and one of the rarest oils in the world, argan helps supply shine and a healthy look to hair with its abundance of vitamin E, carotene and essential fatty acids.

Peach Kernel: Contributes valuable regenerative and moisturizing properties, and is great for sensitive skin.

Jojoba: As it closely resembles sebum naturally produced by the scalp, jojoba is one of the skincare industry’s most favored ingredients and has a host of therapeutic properties.

Avocado: Enriches the formula with its high vitamin content, which includes vitamins A, B1, B2, D, and E.

Camellia Seed: Nourishes the complexion and helps condition the scalp, while providing healthy antioxidants to rejuvenate hair and scalp alike.

Almond: An excellent moisturizer,which is rich in proteins, olein glyceride, linoleic acid and vitamin D to help soothe dry and irritated areas on the scalp.

Botanical Keratin: Keratin is a family of fibrous structural proteins, which contribute to the composition of hair. As it is essential to hair’s formation, insufficient quantities of keratin may be a contributing factor to having frizzy and unmanageable hair. This naturally derived ingredient helps to replenish the ideal keratin content for strong, durable hair.

Honey and Vanilla: With their light and sweet fragrances, these ingredients enrich the formula for a balanced and soothing experience.

The Argan Oil Conditioner has these key ingredients listed additionally, apart from Argan Oil and Jojoba Oil

Shea Butter and Green Tea: These helpful ingredients are fast-absorbing and commit moisturizing qualities to dry and delicate hair strands. Shea butter, in particular, contains vitamins A and E, making it an excellent natural moisturizer for the hair. It locks in moisture without leaving the hair greasy or heavy. Green tea contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which strengthens hair roots, activates hair follicles and promotes hair growth.

Pomegranate, Hibiscus and Sea Buckthorn: Certified blend assists in repairing damaged hair follicles to revitalize healthy, flowing hair. Pomegranate contains ellagic acid, which prevents the moisture in the hair from drying out. Hibiscus (“the flower of hair care”) helps prevent dryness, dullness, and hair damage. It also prevents problems like dandruff, split ends, and premature graying. Sea buckthorn, on the other hand, contains high levels of Omega 3, 6, 7, and 9, as well as vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K that promote healthy skin and hair.

Both products work great on my hair and although the Argan Oil Shampoo is sulphate free it leathers up really nicely and generates a soft foam. Furthermore my hair does not feel dry after using these two, which is my main concern with other sulphate free shampoos. The hair is shiny and I can comb it easily even while it is still wet. I definitively like this shampoo and conditioner and it is worth to have a look at it, if you are on the look for a sulphate free shampoo at the moment. The bottles contain 8 oz and retail for 12.97 US$ for the shampoo and 7.89 US$ for the conditioner. It is probably more expansive than a lot of drug store hair products, but after all I think it is worth it.

The next product I tried and really enjoyed using it the MapleHolistics Vitamin C Anti-Aging Serum. You know I love the O.S.T Vitamin C Serum and I repurchased it a couple of times already, but this one impressed me because of its mild formula and short ingredients list. If both versions of the O.S.T C20 Vitamin C serum are too strong for your skin I can recommend you to check out this Vitamin C Serum instead. Like all the Vitamin C serums I tried so far it comes in a brown glass bottle with a pipette attached to the cap. The liquid is almost clear with a slight yellowish tint. Unlike the Vitamin C serum from C20 this one doesn’t have the same watery texture, but a more serum-like, thicker texture which feels very soft upon applying it to the skin. Moreover, it has almost no scent. It absorbs fast without stickiness and works well with other products. Nevertheless, I always wait a couple of minutes after applying any vitamin C serum before I continue with the other skincare steps. The ingredients list is short and contains these ingredients:

Water, Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate), Vegetable Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Vitamin E Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Ferulic Acid, Algae Extract, Pullulan Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate

So this serum contains not only Vitamin C, but also Vitamin A and E, plus hyaluronic acid and quite important Ferulic Acid to stabilize the Vitamin C. Really a lovely ingredient list! My skin didn’t react to this serum and I’ve been testing it for a month now. Definitively a very good serum! The bottle contains 30 ml and and retails for 11.77 US$ which is affordable compared to other Vitamin C serums.

Lastly, here is my impression on the Acai Berry Natural Lip Balm by MapleHolistics. This is a solid, but simple lip balm consisting mainly of Shea butter, coconut oil, cocoa butter and sunflower seed oil. Vitamin E and Aloe leaf extract give some extra moisture and nutrition to your lips. It has a fruity-sweet scent reminding of berries and does a good job in hydrating the lips. Moreover, it comes in this bullet shape and is more hygienic than lip balms which come in containers where you have to use your finger. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it in the shop, but this lip balm contains 4.25 g in total. It was really a nice surprise to receive this and I’m using it daily and I’m totally happy about it, too!

Although I didn’t know MapleHolistics before I’m very pleased and positively surprised about the MApleHolistics Natural Beauty Products. I liked all three of them and I can recommend you to check out their products if you have the chance. There is also the possibility to check out http://www.mapleholistics.com/free-products/ in order to get your hand on a free product. Moreover, I wanted to point out that their blogger connection is being sponsored by edumuch.com. Last but not least, I hope you accept my apologies for my rare postings in the last days, but I promise there will be a bunch of new reviews within the next time. ♥

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Review: Lensvillage The Dolly Eye Crayon 217 Green Lenses

23. September 2015

The Dolly Eye Crayon 217 Green Lenses were provided to me for sponsoring by LensVillage weeks ago. My apologies for the late review! I love green eyes, but it is difficult to have natural looking green eyes with lenses if you have dark brown eyes naturally. Usually the colors don’t come through nicely, or it looks way to artificial, so you only can wear them for cosplay, costume partys or Halloween. Let’s see how these lenses by The Dolly Eye turn out!

I wear my regular contact lenses a lot, so my eyes are in general used to wear contact lenses. Some words about my eyes in advance: My prescription is -0.25 and -0.5, which is why I choose plano lenses mostly, because these small steps of prescription are usually not available for fashion lenses. Also, my eyes have astigmatism, which is the reason that lenses which are not adjusted to my base curve might feel uncomfortable more quickly than for normal eyes.

I received these lenses from The Dolly Eye from LensVillage. The lenses came in the typical vials, together with a buisness card and a regular lens case. I got the lenses without prescription. The vials are really cute from their design, because of the colors and the hearts on the labels. You can find the description of The Dolly Eye Crayon 217 lenses >>here<<. They are also available in 5 other colors: blue, grey, brown, pink and violet. Here are the properties for the lenses:

Diameter : 14.8 mm
Water Content : 38%
Base Curve : 8.6 mm
Life Span : 1 Year Disposal

Here are my thoughts on The Dolly Eye Crayon 217 Green Lenses:

Design:

The green of the lenses is a darker green color, almost turquoise. It is a pretty color and shows off on my dark eyes, too, but it doesn’t blend in naturally. It will look better on blue or green eyed persons and will probably intensify their natural eye color.

Comfort:

These lenses are not comfortable for m personally, but that is because of the base curve. The material of the lenses is soft, so I think that people with normal base curve will be able to wear these lenses for some hours, before feeling their eyes being dry.

Enlargement:

It has a visible enlargement, and since the color stands out heavily against my natural eye color it looks also dolly, almost creepy :D Perfect for Halloween or Cosplay.

These won’t be the lenses I would wear daily, rather these are better suited if you want to make an appearance. I think they can be also suited for a upcoming halloween costume. You can find The Dolly Eye Crayon 217 Green Lenses at LensVillage for US$ 19.50 >>here<<.

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

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Review: Hanaka Macaron Facial Masks

21. September 2015

Here is another example of asian cosmetics and super cute packaging: The Hanaka Macaron Facial Masks! These mask packs come in small containers, which paired up form a macaron! This is such a cute idea and I fell in love with that concept directly, when I spotted these on Beauteque.

Hanaka is a Taiwanese brand. It is quite known for products with some cute packaging. The Hanaka Macaron Facial Masks come in different colors and each color is targeting another facial problem. There are 10 different kinds: Hyaluronic acid, Collagen, Q10, Arbutin, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Tea Tree, Red Wine, Volcanic Mud and Glacial Mineral Mud.

I selected the Hanaka Macaraon Facial Mask Hyaluronic Acid and Red Wine Polyphenols. You can guess which color could be which :D

The Red Wine Polyphenol mask on the left (in the pink colored container) is a targeting firming, smoothing and improvement of elasticity of the skin by the antioxidants in red wine. This mask is supposed to be brightening, elastic, firming, hydrating, moisturizing, repairing, soothing, whitening, and have anti-wrinkles properties. It is suited for all skin types. The ingredients of the Hanaka Macaron Facial Mask Red Wine are:

Water, Helianthus Annus Seed Oil, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Cactus Extract, Phytocelltec, Hyaluronic Acid, Trehalose, Grape Seed Oil, Vitamin B5, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Red Wine Polyphenols, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Beta-Glucan, Cucumber Extract, Soy Isoflavones, Polysorbate 80, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol.

If you check the ingredients in COSDNA they do not look like any harmful ingredients. Most of the ingredients have either moisturizing or antioxidant properties.

The Hyaluronic Acid mask on the right (in the blue colored container) has the main task of replenish, retain, and store moisture. It is suited for anti-aging, brightening, firming, hydrating, repairing, revitalizing, whitening. This mask is suited for all skin types, too. The ingredients of the Hanaka Macaron Facial Mask Hyaluronic Acid are:

Water, Carbopol, Hyaluronic Acid, Arnica Extract, Cactus Flower Extract, Fagus Sylvatica Extract, Punica Granatum, Beta-Glucan, Sapphire Powder, Copper Petide, Glycyrrhizinc Acid, Phospholipids, Perfume.

The ingredients list is short and according to COSDNA the single ingredients are useable without any risk (>>here<<). The list contains some moisturizers and some ingredients with anti-inflammatory effects.

The two masks I selected have different textures: The Hyaluronic Mask has a gel-like texture, whereas the texture of the Red Wine Mask is a yoghurt texture. Both masks are wash-off masks, so you leave them on for 15-20 minutes and wash them off with lukewarm water afterwards. The skin after using these definitively feels hydrated and since both masks are cooling the face feels refreshed, too. The Red Wine mask also makes your skin feel like you’ve used some cream or nourishing moisturizer. It really feels supple and soft. The Hyaluronic Mask contains some menthol or peppermint ingredient or scent (it is not listed in the ingredients, but it definitively feels like mint- ingredient on the skin), so if you don’t like the sharp cooling effect of mint/menthol product, I would not recommend you the Hyaluronic Mask. The Red Wine Mask on the other hand had a very pleasant, creamy scent. The Hyaluronic mask makes your skin feel cooled and refreshed in first place, but I found that the Red Wine mask was more beneficial in terms of making the skin smooth and bouncy.

I like these kinds of tiny containers for wash-off masks like the Hanaka Macaron Facial Masks, and the fact that these look like macarons really is a major selling point. From the two masks I liked the Hanaka Macaron Facial Mask in Red Wine better than the Hyaluronic version. The cooling effect was too sharp for my face and I prefer the nourishment the Red Wine Mask provides to the skin and the feeling of like you just put on some good moisturizer. You can get the Hanaka Macaron Facial Masks from Beauteque for 3.90 US$ each. Each container comes with 8 g of product which is enough for one usage and covers your face properly. In order to have a cute macaron you need two of the containers. I saw there are also boxes containing 10 pieces, which look super adorable and like a perfect present. Maybe Beauteque can get their hand on these, 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.beauteque.com/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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Review: Eos Jewel Brown Lenses

9. September 2015

This review for Eos Jewel Brown Lenses by KLensPop is super late, similar to my other lens reviews, but I simply didn’t have any access to my old data these past weeks, which makes it super hard to write any reviews at all. Nevertheless, here it is finally!

KLensPop kindly send me these lenses and I received lenses from them in the past, but since some time they always send their lenses in these illustrated cardboard boxes, which is a very cute idea. Especially, since the backside of the box contains a cute comic on how to use the lenses. Furthermore, apart from the lens vials, you receive a lens storage container and tweezers. The box also contains instructions inside, also on how to care for your lenses. I love this idea they included into their delivers, since it is very important to take care of your lenses and be hygienic with them. You will put the lenses in your eyes and you don’t want to get an infection there, believe me! (Sometimes it happens nevertheless, that you will get some irritation, but if you see your eyes are getting to red, simply give them a break from lenses until your eyes look normal again)

Eos Jewel Brown are simple soft lenses with a natural pattern. They are manufactured in Korea. You can find the description of the Eos Jewel Brown Lenses >>here<<.

Diameter : 14.0 mm, Graphic Diameter: 13.4 mm
Water Content : 38%
Base Curve : 8.6 mm
Life Span : 6 month using period

Here are my thoughts on the Eos Jewel Brown Lenses:

Design:

The design is natural, but not too special. The dotted pattern blends in nicely with my brown eye-color.

Comfort:

These lenses are quite comfortable, since they are not overly large. I can wear them some time, before my eyes get tired. Probably, on eyes with normal base curve these are very comfortable. I had some problems at the beginning because they didn’t sit properly on my eyeballs.

Enlargement:

The lenses do enlarge slightly, but keep looking natural. It has no dolly effect.

These lenses work nicely with brown/darker eye-colors, but I guess it would look pretty with green colored eyes especially. The hazel-ish brown color makes the eyes pop a bit more than my regular plain brown eyes. It doesn’t look creepy with flash photography either.

And lastly, a selfie showing me wearing the lenses. The lipstick I’m using is Innisfree Color Glow Lipstick by the way. Since it is September it is time for cherry and burgundy shades again. Yeah!

All in all all, these lenses are nice for everyday use and come in a lovely packaging with all the information you need. You can get them from KLensPop for 25 US$. I would rate these lenses 7 out of 10, considering they are not perfect for me because of the base curve, but daily useable delivering a natural but still enhanced look.

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

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Review: My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Packs

8. September 2015

I chose two different kinds of the My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Packs from Beauteque because this brand is not often seen on stand-alone Korean beauty online shops. I tried the regular My Beauty Diary Sheet masks in the past and liked them, but not the 2-Step Mask Packs. It sounds really fun, so I picked up the My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Pack and the Fresh Repair Mask Pack.

My Beauty Diary is a very popular Taiwanese skincare brand, which has a wide range of sheet masks on the market. Their sheet masks are not expensive, but I heard that their are many fake masks on the market. It is good to know which resellers are trustworthy, before you blindly buy the masks. The My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Packs combine a sheet mask with a cream you can apply after the mask to pamper your skin. The My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Pack comes in a regular version (light purple packaging) and a Fresh Repair Version (light blue packaging). Both masks are formulated with snail filtrate and help to moisturize and nourish your skin. The Fresh Repair Version is especially recommended for dry and sensitive skin-types.

The packaging design of both masks is cute and the colors are very pretty, too. Both masks have illustrations of snails all over the packaging, which hints to the key ingredient snail filtrate. The backside of each sachet is filled with Taiwanese descriptions and directions. The ingredients are listed in English though. You can find English descriptions on Beauteque, too (>>here<< and >>here<<). Below you can see the sachet of the My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Pack. It has a light purple color theme and is divided into a bottom part containing the snail mask and a upper part containing the snail repair cream. The direction is easy: after cleansing and toning you apply the mask for 20-30 minutes, then you add the snail repair mask on top to enhance and complete the effects of the sheet mask. I added the ingredients of the snail mask and the snail repair cream to COSDNA. There are some potential irritants and acne triggers included in the ingredients list like triethanol amine (snail mask) and cetearyl alcohol and myristyl myristate (snail repair cream). Also, the snail repair cream contains mineral oil. The snail filtrate is called “glycoproteins” simply, which made me first wondering where the snail filtrate was :D

The My Beauty Diary 2-Step Fresh Repair Mask Pack has a very similar design, except the colors are light blue and the illustration is a bit different. Also here the backside of the sachet is full of Taiwanese description, but the ingredients are written in English. Like with the previous mask the sachet is divided into a lower part containing the snail recovery mask and an upper part with the snail fresh repair cream. The ingredients are listed on COSDNA as well and are very similar to the My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Pack above (snail recovery mask and snail fresh repair cream). Also here the potential irritants mentioned above are included. The Snail Fresh Repair Cream doesn’t contain any mineral oil on the other hand. The ingredients list of both products are VERY similar. Also, they feel both very similar on the skin and don’t differ in their results in any obvious way. One point, since the fresh repair mask is said to be better for dry and sensitive skin: the ingredients list here contains peppermint and menthol, and since I know that people react to this I wanted to point it out. The regular repair mask on the other hand contains licorice root extract and hydrolized rice protein, which both are quite a popular ingredients for brightening/evening out the skin tone. From using each mask only once I cannot evaluate any differences between the two masks though. Also, I do not know the concentration of the single ingredients on the list.

Regarding their performance both masks did a good job in moisturizing the skin. The sheet masks were attached to a plastic foil which had to be removed before using it. The material of the sheet mask was very thin and soaked fully with the clear essence. I would say the mask was even dripping from too much essence. The fit of the mask was not the best for me, but this depends on your facial shape after all. After leaving on the sheet mask for around 20 minutes the mask was not dried at all. I think it can be left even longer than 20 minutes. The snail cream included for step 2 is a rich and thick, white cream. It does not feel greasy, but dries off in a matte finish. It also absorbs quickly, even when you apply a thick layer. The sachet contains enough cream to really apply a thick layer, or use it at least two times. Both products, the masks and the creams have a very light fruity scent, which is barely noticeable. If you do not dip your nose right into the cream or essence I do not smell anything.

Both My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Packs are good moisturizing sheet masks, but they do not differ very clearly from each other. I wished the ingredients lists would contain less irritants nevertheless. The idea of having a sheet mask with a second step is really a nice idea if you want to pamper your face from time to time. I also really like that the included creams dry off with a matte finish and absorb quickly, too. The My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Packs can be bought on Beauteque individually for 3 US$ each. You can also buy it in boxes for 15.99 US$. Do you have a favorite sheet mask from My Beauty Diary?


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

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Review: Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive

3. September 2015

// PR SAMPLE / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

In the last years many brands have started to release essences containing fermented yeast filtrate, similar to the famous SKII Facial Treatment Essence. One of these many products has been claimed a good dupe, or even an improved version of the SKII essence: the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence. I tried some samples from this essence in the past and I really did like it back then, but never purchased a full size version. Then, earlier this year Missha announced to reformulate the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence (short: Missha FTE), which was called the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive. Many people were not happy about the reformulation. Nevertheless, I wanted to give this version a chance and started to in-cooperate it into my daily skincare routine after I kindly received this from Missha Germany for reviewing purpose. I do not have any direct comparison between the two versions (apart from my weak memory using the samples), but I will do a short breakdown on the new and removed ingredients. As far as I can tell I do like the new Missha FTE intense nonetheless!

Missha is one of the worldwide famous Korean brands, especially their Missha M Perfect Cover BB cream is one of the most famous BB creams. They have a lot of online stores all over the world and are available in US/Canada, Australia and since some time they even opened up an online store for Germany, and a physical store in Ingolstadt in Germany! The products always come in a very luxurious looking packaging and the design is usually very mature and elegant and I think that it can be liked by almost everyone. The Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence is no exception here: it comes in a hard plastic bottle (I think it was a glass bottle previously) with a silver cap, and the cardboard box is made of silver reflecting paper. You can see the lightly yellowish solution through the bottle, too.

The Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence is a highly concentrated essential essence, which is used as first step after cleansing your face. It rises the skin moisture and radiance level and has soothing and smoothing properties. It claims to have wrinkle repairing and whitening properties. The Korean and English description is included on the cardboard box (you can click to enlarge the image below). A label with the German description is added on the packaging, since I received the product from Missha Germany. The bottle of essence comes with 130 ml of product and has a shelf-life of 9 months after opening.

Ingredients: old vs. new

The ingredients are listed on the cardboard packaging, but also on the official Missha web pages. The list is also included in the COSDNA databank, and you can check whether the single ingredients are rated positively or negatively. Luckily, the Missha ingredients are safe to use, as you can check here. Since I mentioned the reformulation of the Missha FTE earlier here is a quick info about it. Below, the ingredients of the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence are listed:

SACCHAROMYCES FERMENT FILTRATE, BIFIDA FERMENT LYSATE, PROPANEDIOL, NIACINAMIDE, POLYQUATERNIUM-51, AMARANTHUS CAUDATUS SEED EXTRACT, BETAINE, ULMUS DAVIDIANA ROOT EXTRACT, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, PIPER METHYSTICUM LEAF/ROOT/STEM EXTRACT, WATER, TREHALOSE, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, HYDROLYZED CORN STARCH, PHENOXYETHANOL, BETA VULGARIS (BEET) ROOT EXTRACT, PHELLODENDRON AMURENSE BARK EXTRACT, CASSIA ALATA LEAF EXTRACT, DISODIUM EDTA, ADENOSINE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, RAFFINOSE, TROMETHAMINE, ACETIC ACID, LACTIC ACID, DISODIUM EDTA, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, SODIUM HYALURONATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE, HEXAPEPTIDE-9

The newly added ingredients are marked green. These ingredients are not included in the old version of the Missha FTE. I will go through the properties of these 8 new ingredients in the following:

Betaine: a anti-inflammatory stabilizator, which has calming/soothing properties for the skin

Trehalose: moisturizing properties

Butylene Glycol: has similar properties as propylene glycol, but with a lighter texture; skin conditioning properties and acts as solvent

Disodium EDTA: stabilisator, chelator, and preservative

1,2-Hexanediol: humectant, emolient

Caprylyl Glycol: skin conditioning and moisturizing properties, also a preservative

Potassium Sorbate: preservative

Hexapeptide-9: a synthetic peptide containing Glutamine, Glycine and Proline residues (different amino acids), it acts as skin conditioner/ smoothening

The ingredients which have been removed from the formulation are: Licorice Root Extract (Glycyrrhiza Glabra), Polyquaternium-51, Centella Asiatica Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, and Pentylene Glycol.

Licorice Root Extract: an antioxidant, has anti-inflammatory and skin-conditioning properties, also used for fragrance

Centella Asiatica: skin conditioning and calming/soothing properties

Portulaca Oleraca: anti-inflammatory and skin conditioning properties

Rosmarinus Officinalis: anti-inflammatory, used for fragrance

Chamomilla Recutita: skin conditioning/ smoothening

Pentylene Glycol: anti-inflammatory, emollient

Polyquaternium-51: humectant

When I’m comparing the two lists of the new and removed ingredients I see that mainly ingredients have been changed into ingredients with similar and same properties. So why did they change it at all? My first idea was, that they wanted to get rid of the fragrance ingredients the product had. The new formula doesn’t have a specific scent, or rather smells like many essences with fermented ingredients smell of. The old formulation didn’t have any specific scent to me either. The second idea is, that many people react to specific plant extracts. By removing some of the plant extracts and changing them to synthetic ingredients the risk for allergies is reduced. The third point might be that the cost for the new ingredients is cheaper than the old ones. The last idea seems to be the most likely one :D The only ingredient which is not really replaced properly is the Licorice Root extract. This is such a powerful ingredient considering brightening and anti-aging that it is really sad they removed it. Yet, we do not know the concentration of the Licorice Root extract in first place, so it is not really sure how much this effects the properties of the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence as a whole.

Apart from the newly added and the removed ingredients the key ingredients of both formulations are the same: yeast ferment filtrate, also known as “Pitera”. The Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence contains two types of yeast ferment filtrate: Saccharomyces and Bifida in a concentration of 80%. Yeast ferment filtrate is nutrients-rich. It contains many vitamins, amino acids and proteins and helps to improve the moisture level of the skin. Other great ingredients of the Missha FTE are sugars, like Raffinose and Trehalose, which have moisturizing properties and ingredients like Niacinamide and Lactid Acid, which have brightening properties.

I’ve been using the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive since I received it 8 weeks ago almost every day twice (morning and evening routine). From time to time I switched to the May Coop Raw Sauce alone, mostly I used both together. There is no scent / light fermented scent. The consistency of the Missha FTE is water-y. It is clear and runny, but absorbs into the skin quickly. It feels the skin hydrated and smoothed instantly, like a thin film on the skin. I really like this feeling and it makes you want to touch your face constantly. The overall face looks brightened and less dull. Adding other products on top works nicely and doesn’t cause any flaking at all.

Unfortunately, I cannot compare the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive to the old version directly, but I really love how this product works in my skincare routine. It leaves the skin with a nice feeling and -having tried the Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence before- I can say that I prefer the Missha FTE. The Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence has a much more intense yeast ferment scent (contains 90% of yeast ferment filtrate) and yet doesn’t leave the skin as smooth as the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intense does. I’ve bought the COSRX Galactomyces 95 White Power Essence recently, but have not tried it yet (this one has even 95% of yeast ferment). I will be comparing it to the Missha FTE Intensive for sure. In terms of wrinkle-care I do not know how much the Missha FTE impacts on this, since every change will be also an effect of my whole skincare routine. Adding products with moisturizing properties is never wrong if you want to prefer skin-aging though. And the Missha FTE does definitively moisturize and brighten up my skin instantly and makes it feel super smooth. There are so many brands these days, each with their own yeast ferment filtrate essence that it can be difficult to decide for a specific one, but considering the price the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence is definitively preferable to the SKII Essence. The Missha Time Revoltion The First Treatment Essence Intensive retails for 38.90 € from the German Missha store (49.00 US$ from Missha US!).

You can also get this product from:

W2Beauty for 38.50US$ (use coupon berries10 for 10% off and free shipping)

Amazon.de for 18.01€

Amazon.com for 28US$

Btw.: Missha Germany also deliveres outside Germany. So if you are somewhere in Europe it might be faster to consider ordering from them instead of Korea. My package arrived after 2 days, which is awesome when thinking about the 2-4 weeks of waiting when ordering from Korea :D Take a glance at their webpage, instagram, and facebook and support the spreading of Korean cosmetics within Europe! Also, Missha is one of the Korean bands which are against animal testing!

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.missha-germany.de/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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asian cosmetics beauteque beauty PR Sample review

Review: From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack

31. August 2015

I’m really happy about writing this review, because I really like the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack. This product was kindly sponsored by Beauteque, online retailer of Asian cosmetics. Some of you might have seen the bunch of products I selected from them for reviewing on my Instagram account :) I really like using sleeping mask, since I love the feeling of my skin on the next day after using these kind of masks. Usually sleeping masks or packs boost your skin over night with extra moisture or nutrition. Since the skin absorbs and works more efficiently during night such products are always a great idea.

From Nature‘s motto is “messanger from nature’s power”, and therefore this Korean brand uses natural ingredients in their cosmetic products. eChoice is a line by From Nature, and the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack is what I’m reviewing here today. According to the description, this sleeping mask “infused with jasmine, rose, chamomile, green tea, and white tea extracts, boosts its oriental tea complex that works to deliver deep nutrition, moisture, and soothing effect overnight.” The From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack “creates moisturizing, transparent, illuminating, and water-based bright, resilient, luminous skin.” This sounds really promising for a sleeping pack.

The sleeping pack line from From Nature eChoice comes in two choices: the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack and the From Nature eChoice Fermented Beans Sleeping Pack. Beauteque is currently only offering the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack. The packaging of the plastic tube containing 70 g is simple, but it shows the image of herbs and a bowl of tea (probably). The description on the tube of the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack is in Korean only, but you find the instructions and the short description on Beautque, too. The ingredients of this sleeping mask are listed on COSDNA, and the list is neither long, nor harmful. Most of the ingredients are plant extracts from jasmine, rose, green tea, white tea, and chamomile. If you know about reacting to any of these ingredients you should be careful when using this sleeping mask though. apart from these the key ingredient here is the Lactobacillus Ferment, which was the main reason for me to try this sleeping msk. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial activity when applied in concentrations of 5% or more. It has skin coditioning properties, too. So this fermented oriental tea complex from the plant extracts mentioned above has a concetration of 100ppm, as stated on the packaging.

The From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack has a light and almost transparent gel texture. The scent is very pleasant and lingers on the skin. It reminds me of the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack in its structure and scent and feel on the skin. It is very waterful/moisturizing when blended on the skin, too. In order to use it you apply a proper amount to your face as last step of your skincare before you go to sleep. Next morning, you wash it off with lukewarm water. After using this the skin feels very soft and nice.

In my opinion, the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack is a great option for those who find the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack too expensive. The From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Mask does a good job in moisturizing and smoothening the skin over night and costs only 12.00 US$ at Beauteque. It has a very relaxing scent, too! Also, if you like fermented ingredients the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack is a really recommendable product to try.

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

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asian cosmetics beauteque beauty PR Sample review

Review: Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner

27. August 2015

One of the products I’ve herd of since the beginning of my asian cosmetics product addiction is the Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner. It is a must-have product for so many people it seems, and I still don’t know why it took me so long to finally try it. The Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in classic black color was kindly sponsored by Beauteque, online retailer of Asian cosmetics. Some of you might have seen the bunch of products I selected from them for reviewing on my Instagram account :)

Dolly Wink is a Japanese brand produced by the Japanese model Tsubasa Masuwaka, who represents the Gyaru trend. Dolly Wink is a brand presented by Koji. All the Dolly Wink products have a picture of Tsubasa Masuwaka somewhere on the packaging. Moreover, the packaging design tends to be cute and girly and contains a lot of pink colors. The Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner, which is available in black or brown, comes in such a pretty packaging, too. This eyeliner pen has a pink color and golden ornaments all over, with a black cap in order to prevent the pen from drying. The brown version has a purple color and a brown cap.

As most Japanese products it doesn’t come in a cardboard box, but attached to a cardboard sheet and packed in plastic. For the images I removed the plastic, so the pictures are nicer. The backside of the cardboard sheet contains the Japanese descriptions. Unfortunately, there is no English description for it, but according to the description on Beauteque this “liquid eyeliner dries quickly and is resistant to sweat, water, and tears! It is absolutely smudge-free, the vivid black line lasts all day long. The Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner includes a fine point brush”.

You can find a description on how to use the Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner there, too:

To Use: Before applying the liquid eyeliner, fill up the gap between lashes using any pencil eyeliner. Draw a fine line from the inner corner of the eye. (Do not make the line thick. A thick line may result in a smaller-looking eye.) Draw a fine line extended 2-3mm out of the outer corner of eye. To make your eye more impressive, add a short line under your eye at the outer corner over a pen type eyeliner.

The brush tip can create fine lines, but also broader ones. The color is pigmented, although not the blackest color I’ve seen. For a eyeliner pen it is pigmented though, for even more pigmented eyelines I would use a gel eyeliner. If you look closely you will see that it bleeds a little bit when swatched on my hand. The bleeding is not visible on my eyes, since the skin has a finer structure there. When applied on my eyes I face the problem of uneven pigmentation, depending on the pressure you give the pen. If you let it dry and add another layer it will be evenly pigmented though. Since it dries quickly it is no problem in layering the strokes. For the image belwo I only applied it regulary, like I would do on a normal day. It doesn’t feather/bleed, but the eveness of the color is still improveable. Unfortunately, I found that the eyeliner is not long lasting. It does not smudge, but wears off (nicely) when rubbing. Water/sweat and rubbing wears it off, too. This is my third liquid eyeliner pen I tried. I love the easy application of these eyeliner pens, but out of the three I tried (Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner Pen and the Miracle Romance Sailor Moon Star Power Prism Eyeliner are the other two I tried), I still like the Kiss Me Heroine Make Eyeliner Pen most.

The Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner Pen has a super cute packaging and is easy to use and I can understand why many people love it. If I had the choice I would tend to repurchase the Kiss Me Heroine Make Eyeliner Pen though. The price of all these eyeliner pens is roughly the same though. You can buy the Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner from Beauteque for 15 US$. What is your favourite liquid eyeliner pen? Any recommendations for a deep black and strongly pigmented one?

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

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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base

25. August 2015

The Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base, or also known as I-MIIX Magic Capsule Silky Make Up Base, is not only prettily designed but also contains visible color capsules that contain a moisturizing and makeup-preserving essence. This is the last item for BNTnews in August, and funnily I saw that the packaging the BNT girls received was different. Some received the same packaging like I did, which is named I-MIIX and some received the packaging named Catalina Geo. I don’t know if one is the old version and the other a new one though.

CatalinaGeo is a Korean brand, with quite some sub-brands. One of these is Lamy Cosmetics, of which I reviewed the Lafine Vegetable Deep Cleansing Cream yesterday. Catalina Geo imports their products into 12 countries, so if you have a look at their official page you might check out if their products are available in your country, too. Europe is not included or example, but US, Australia and a bunch of Asian countries are included. The packaging of the Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base is quite girly and magical, with ornamental design and a purple color.

The cardboard box contains Korean and English description and the ingredients are listed on the cardboard box, too. You can find them on >>COSDNA here<<. It unfortunately contains triethanolamine and some acne triggers. If you have sensitive skin you should check out the single ingredients before using it. The description says that it does not contain oil, in order to be safe to use for sensitive skin types, but there is also mineral oil included here, which I would not recommend to use as primer for sensitive skin types.

The Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base comes in a 35 ml pump bottle. You can see the white colored pearls inside a clear liquid through the bottle. Apart from the white color there are other colors available, too. There are five colors in total: purple, green, pink, blue, and white. This Make Up Base fixes skin’s tone, protects from UV rays and improves skin’s natural color.

In order to use the Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base you have to shake it first. One pump is enough to cover my face. The pump crushes the pearls and you will receive a white colored mixture of the capsules and the clear liquid. The more you shake before you pump, the better the two phases will combine. After comparing it on my face before and after using it, I must say that I do not see much difference. The skin looks a bit brighter, but the moisture level and the dewiness stays the same compared to my usual skincare routine. It does not make lines disappear, nor does it reduce the appearance of pores. I find primers like the Lailly 7 Second Make-Up Booster do have proven as better suitable primers compared to the Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base. I didn’t see any differences in the longlivity of my make-up either.

Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base is a pretty designed capsule make up base, but out of the four products I received from BNTnews in August this is my least favorite. I simply cannot see any major differences this base provides. Maybe it doesn’t work with my skincare routine, or with my skin type, I’m not sure. I would also love to know if any of the other color capsules are better suited for my skin. Here are the official descriptions for the product: worldwide an australian. The price of 45 AU$ (38 US$) is quite high in my opinion, so I would not repurchase it personally.

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

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

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

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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Lafine Vegetable Deep Cleansing Cream

24. August 2015

Lafine Vegetable Deep Cleansing Cream is another product which was provided for August from BNTnews. There are so many diferent kinds of cleansers, like foam, water, gel, oil, cream or balm/sherbet type ones that it is often not easy to decide which one is the favorite one to use. I usually like the double cleansing method, where you first remove your makeup with one heavy cleanser and then use a lighter cleanser for getting rid of additional oils and wastes on the skin. In the morning on the other hand I only use water, or a light cleanser which doesn’t irritate the skin too much. The Lafine Vegetable Deep Cleansing Cream is suited for both times of the day in my opinion.

Lafine is the first brand of Lamy Cosmetics, a Korean Cosmetics Company which is part of CatalinaGeo. Catalina Geo imports their products into 12 countries, so if you have a look at their official page you might check out if their products are available in your country, too. Europe is not included or example, but US, Australia and a bunch of asian countries are included. The Lafine Vegetable line contains 3 different products: Lafine Vegetable Deep Cleansing Cream, Lafine Vegetable Firming Massage Cream, and Lafine Vegetable Foam Cleanser. There are two different versions of the packaging, an old one, which looks lovely and is covered with a vegetable print illustration all over (I think this one is also the one which is imported to other countries), and a simple one, which I show you here. The Lafine Vegetable Deep Cleansing Cream comes in a cardboard box showing pictures of the different vegetables which are the ingredients in this cleansing cream. The main color of this product is green.

The cardboard box has English and Korean descriptions, directions and ingredient list written on it. The ingredients are added to >>COSDNA here<<. This cream is made of five skin-friendly vegetables, which are cucumber, tomato, parsley, water parsley, and carrot. Moreover, this cleansing cream contains granules for a soft and deep cleansing. It is supposed to efficiently eliminate makeup residues and wastes and leave a soft and pleasant vegetable fragrance on skin. Apart from the vegetable extracts included here, there are also some other ingredients, which are more doubtful like Mineral Oil, Triethanolamine, and BHT. If you know about any reactions to these ingredients I would not recommend you to use this product. I didn’t have any negative experience with my skin so far. The cream is free from paraben, benzophenone, talc, animal oil, and triclosan, which is positive. It is not advised to be used for your eyes.

Lafine Vegetable Deep Cleansing Cream comes in a simple, green plastic jar containing 200 ml of product. There is a plastic separator between the lid, were you will find a plastic spatula. I was very happy to see that, sine the last cleansing creams I tried never had any spoon or spatula included.

The Lafine Vegetable Deep Cleansing Cream has a white color and contains small green and red colored grains. These granules disolve while massaging the cream on your skin. In order to use the cleansing cream you apply a good amount of the cleansing cream on your face and massage it until the grains are melted away and the makeup starts to dissolve. Then you wipe of the cream with a tissue and either rinse the residue with lukewarm water or follow by your foam cleanser. the Lafine Vegetable Deep Cleansing Cream has a pleasant cucumber scent which is really lovely and refreshing, too.

The cleansing performance of the Lafine Vegetable Deep Cleansing Cream is good, too. Testing it on my arm below, you see that it removes all kind of different makeup clearly. It makes the skin feel not dry at all, but feels like applying a cream already. If you do not like the residue it will be removed after using a second cleanser. Using water the skin will keep the moisturized feeling. The pH of this cleansing cream lies at pH 5, which will be good news for some of you on the search for low pH cleansers.

Lafine Vegetable Deep Cleansing Cream has surely some ingredients, which I don’t like too much, nevertheless I like using it! The cucumber scent is refreshing and lovely, and for a cleanser it has a perfect pH of 5 and works nicely in dissolving all different kinds of makeup. I love the feeling it leaves on the skin, since it makes it feel like you already have used some moisturizing products afterwards. If you don’t like that feeling the residue can be easily removed with lukewarm water or with your second (foam) cleanser. The version I reviewed here is a new version which has been produced this year and therefore it is still hard to find online (and the old version is out of stock), but I guess it will be available more easily in some time. Here is the official description of the product on >>CatalinaGeo<<.

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

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

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