Empties & Mini Reviews [July 2017 - December 2017]

Brands Included: COSRX | Missha | TheFaceShop | the CREME shop | Hada Labo | SCINIC | Kikumasamune | Mamonde

1. COSRX

• COSRX - AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner
• As somebody with oily, acne-prone skin, I found this product to work fine, but it did not seem to do quite as much as I would have hoped it would. It could be because the formulation is so gentle and I need a higher percentage of AHA/BHA, but this product would be ideal to those with sensitive skin. Will not repurchase. 4/5.
• COSRX - Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
• When my skin was doing particularly bad, this was my absolute go-to product. It hydrates, heals, and soothes the skin very effectively. I think everybody should try a snail product at least once in their lifetime. Will repurchase. 5/5.
• COSRX - Ultimate Moisturizing Honey Overnight Mask
• While COSRX tends to impress me more than disappoint, I was sad to find that this product did next to nothing for my skin. As an overnight mask, I expected it to act as an occlusive to seal in all of the hydration and moisture from the products I used underneath, but it felt like it would simply dissipate from my skin. I did love the texture of the actual product though. Will not repurchase. 2/5.  

2. Missha

• Missha - Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Borabit Ampoule
• This is a holy grail item for me. With its long list of extracts I can always expect this product to hydrate my skin and make it look more radiant. And because it has a very small percentage of retinol, I can comfortably use it every night without irritating my skin but still see the benefits that retinol brings -- lightening of acne scars, smoother skin texture, a more even skin tone, and less acne in general. Will repurchase. 5/5.
• Missha - Near Skin Smart All-In-One Cream
• I wanted to love this product so much. Its ingredient list might suggest that it could easily become a product loved by many, but for whatever reason this product did very little for me. I do not think that it truly functions as an all-in-one product, but rather, a slightly heavier gel-cream. That being said, it must be one of the very few products by Missha that had absolutely no fragrance. While it did not make my skin worse, it did seem to make it more oily and did not wear well under makeup. Will not repurchase. 2/5.

3. TheFaceShop

• TheFaceShop - Jeju Volcanic Lava Pore Mud Pack
• Simply put, I found this product to be very drying (and ultimately damaging to my skin more than anything else). My skin is not particularly sensitive, but this product made it feel as though it was. Will not repurchase. 1/5.
• TheFaceShop - Chia Seed Moisture Recharge Cream
• After discovering that my holy grail Chia Seed Moisturizing Cream had been discontinued, I decided to give this newer formulation a try. I was pleasantly surprised. Just as the original cream, it soothed my skin, thoroughly moisturized my skin without turning it greasy, and worked well under my makeup. The only thing that gets me about this product is that its scent seems more artificial (more “perfume-like”) than natural. Their first formulation will always be superior, but this is an acceptable replacement. Will repurchase. 4.5/5. 

4. the CREME shop

• the CREME shop - Chia Seed Calming Spritz Toner
• I thought I had stumbled onto an amazing dupe for my beloved Chia Seed Soothing Mist Toner by TheFaceShop, but unfortunately, I was very disappointed by this product. It burned my skin instead of soothing it, smelled strongly of perfume, and was drying rather than hydrating. I managed to finish the bottle by using it on my body. After only a few uses, I was reluctant to use this on my face. Will not repurchase. 0/5.

5. Hada Labo

• Hada Labo - Gokujyun Lotion (Clear)
• This is a perfectly light toner that effectively plumped up my skin, reducing the look of the fine lines on my forehead and under my eyes. I found that it was perfect for layering when I wanted that extra bit of hydration. Will not repurchase only because its main ingredient, hyaluronic acid, can be found in many Asian beauty products that provide additional benefits. 5/5.

6. SCINIC

• SCINIC - Honey All In One Ampoule
• Smells amazing, feels amazing, and simply is amazing. I loved how thick this product was while at the same time it felt light on the skin because of how well it absorbed. (Note that it will feel sticky until it does fully absorb.) It soothed my skin, improved my skin’s texture, was healing, and helped fade some post-acne scars. Will repurchase. 5/5.

7. Kikumasamune

• Kikumasamune - High Moist Lotion
• The most hydrating toner I have ever used to date. It delivers immediate hydration upon application due to the many ceramides it contains and improves the skin with its star ingredient, fermented sake. Perfect for layering. Smells of bananas and bubble gum. Will not repurchase only because of its controversial ingredient (horse placenta) and there is a dupe of this product. Still, I cannot deny that this is an amazing product. 5/5.

8. Mamonde 

• Mamonde - Rose Water Toner
• The highest rose-containing product that I currently know of (90.98%) that smells of natural roses and not artificially perfumed. I love that I could use it effectively as an astringent toner to remove any makeup I might have missed with my cleanser and to prepare my skin for the following products I used on top of it. It made my skin smooth and helped reduce my acne. Will repurchase. 5/5.

Empties & Mini Reviews [Oct. 2016 - June 2017]

Brands Included: Missha | TheFaceShop

1. Missha Products

• Missha - Time Revolution Clear Toner
• A very mild AHA and BHA formulation with fermented ingredients. It has never caused any irritation and it helps with my acne a lot. My skin is also noticeably smoother after using this product. Will repurchase. 5/5.
• Missha - Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence (Moist)
• Features fermented ingredients, but despite its claim of being moist and hydrating, this product simply felt like an expensive water I was putting on my face with absolutely no change in the quality of my skin. Will not repurchase. 1.5/5.
• Missha - Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Borabit Ampoule
• One of my holy grail products. It effectively makes my acne marks fade quicker and is even hydrating. Will repurchase. 5/5.
• Missha - Time Revolution Night Repair Vital Intensive Lotion
• I love this product for nighttime usage because it is effective, but I dislike the shine that comes along with this product. As with all of the “Night Repair” products in this line, it features a small amount of retinol which I rather prefer since it does not dry out my skin as harshly as higher concentrated retinol products do. That being said, I did have a mishap with this product when I didn’t have an effective hydrating routine. I mistakenly used it day and night. But still, changing up my skincare routine, I found that it fades my acne scars promptly and gives me a smooth complexion. Will likely repurchase if it becomes available again. 4/5.
• Missha - M B.B Boomer
• My first real primer, so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I enjoy the baby powder-like scent and how moisturizing it feels when I put it on my face. I had a backup for when this ran out (or expired, in my case), but I don’t use it as much these days since many of my creams double up as a primer. Will likely not repurchase for the time being. 3/5.
• Missha - Signature Essence Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ (No.21)
• For quite some time, this was one of my favorite cushions. I love how it improves the quality of my skin in that it becomes brighter and seems to glow from within if used daily. To this day, this is still one of the only BB cushions I know of that can go over dry patches and not accentuate them. That being said, it doesn’t have the greatest coverage. Perfect for the natural, “no makeup” look, however. My only qualm with it right now is that its currently lightest shade (no.21) doesn’t seem to match my skintone anymore. Not sure if it oxidized or my skin just became more pale. Will likely not repurchase unless my skin tans up a bit or if they come out with a lighter shade. 4/5.
• Missha - Signature Essence Cushion Intensive Cover SPF50+/PA+++ (No.21)
• After trying the cushion described above, I had high hopes for this product because it was supposed to have the same formulation but provide more coverage. It sounded perfect for my acne situation. However, like all “high coverage” products, this turned out to not feel hydrating at all. In fact, it only make my skin appear shiny and feel greasy. Coverage was great, but it accentuated my flaky patches like nobody’s business. Will not repurchase. 1/5.
• Missha - The Style Fitting Wear Sebum-Cut Pressed Powder (No.1 Clear Mint)
• One of the best pressed powders I’ve ever used. Its very miniscule mint color gets rid of redness (albeit not in severe cases), and mattifies my skin very well when it becomes oily and shiny. Even on dry patches, it doesn’t seem to accentuate them very much as one might expect. I just hate how often I have to wash the puff that comes with it. Will repurchase. 5/5. 
  

2. TheFaceShop Products

• TheFaceShop - Rice Water Bright Light Cleansing Oil
• Hated this product due to its drying nature and strong perfume scent. Has a high pH and many possible acne-triggering ingredients. Will not repurchase. 1/5.
• TheFaceShop - Deep Firming Cleansing Oil
• One of my favorites. Non-drying and has a light scent. Gets rid of grits and flaking. Will repurchase. 5/5.
• TheFaceShop - Chia Seed Fresh Cleansing Water
• Not one of the best cleansing waters out there, but works decently. Has a light scent that I’m in love with. Even with its huge amount of product, I don’t think it’s worth the price. Will not repurchase. 3.5/5.
• TheFaceShop - Chia Seed No Shine Hydrating Water
• First off, I didn’t know what “hydrating water” even was, like was it supposed to be a variation of the Fresh Cleansing Water? Was it a toner? Secondly, contrary to belief, this is not hydrating. Smells wonderful but didn’t make any difference to the quality of my skin. Better off using this as a toner. I liked the big size though. Will not repurchase. 3.5/5.
• TheFaceShop - Blemish Zero Clarifying Toner
• An effective, somewhat mild AHA/BHA toner. I didn’t like how strong the scent was, even though I do like lemon among other fruity scents.  Will not repurchase. 3/5.
• TheFaceShop - Chia Seed Soothing Mist Toner
• One of my holy grails. Scent is light and fresh. Gets rid of redness, inflammation, and irritation of the skin in cases of acne breakouts or drying, stripped skin. I just wish it came in a bigger bottle. Will repurchase. 5/5.
• TheFaceShop - Chia Seed Moisture-Holding Seed Essence
• Features little “beads” that explode with moisture as you rub it into your skin. I didn’t care for this product as it did not change the quality of my skin. It also tended to make my face look shiny and feel greasy, which I personally can’t stand. Smelled great, though.  Will not repurchase. 1/5.
• TheFaceShop - Calming Seed SOS Care Essence
• Although this product didn’t hydrate nor moisturize my skin very much, it was effective in that it could be used when my skin was stripped, irritated, or red and inflamed. It is appropriately named. Will not repurchase (because there are better, more effective products out there). 3.5/5.
• TheFaceShop - Chia Seed Moisturizing Cream
• Another one of my holy grails. This product manages to moisturize and hydrate my skin. Rids me of skin woes like redness, irritation, and inflammation. Smells light and fresh and does not feel heavy on the skin, nor does it make my face shiny. Doubles up as an amazing primer before makeup application, too. Will repurchase. 5/5.
• TheFaceShop - Chia Seed No Shine Intense Hydrating Cream
• I had high hopes for this product because it’s a newer variation of my holy grail, the Chia Seed Moisturizing Cream. Contrary to my high expectations, I found that this product didn’t soak in and just kind of sat on top of my skin. It also smelled more perfume-like than the original variant. Oh, and the best part? Despite its claim of “no shine,” it did make my face shiny and it felt greasy. Will not repurchase. 1/5.
• TheFaceShop - Arsainte Eco-Therapy Aqua Radiance Cream
• Had an amazing scent that I can’t begin to describe, and even though I wanted to love it so badly, it also seemed a lot like the product described above. Will not repurchase. 1.5/5.

Review: Missha - MISA Geum Sul Overnight Cream

Packaging: This product comes in a fairly large, light pink glass tub (80ml) accompanied with a spatula for ease of use and a twist-off top. It feels like a very sturdy jar that would likely not break if you dropped it (although I advise against doing so). The cap is decorated with the signature Misa Geum Sul flower, and although it did come with an inner seal, I ended up throwing it out because the cap twists for what seems like forever, keeping the contents fresh enough on its own.

Price: It goes for over $50 for the retail price, but I managed to snag it off of Jolse for only $23 USD while it was on sale. What a steal, am I right? Admittedly, I have only had this product for one month and have already made it through a quarter of its contents, so I expect this to last me about two more months’ worth. That being said, I could imagine this lasting much longer for somebody who applies with a less liberal hand than I do.

Consistency: I just want to start by saying this: I usually stray from products that feel thick and rich. The thought is scary to those of us with oily skin because, more likely than not, we have already had the unfortunate experience of clogging our pores by putting something too heavy on. I know. I get it. When I first felt the consistency of this product, I was worried. Yes, it is thick and it seems like it could easily be too rich for my oily skin. But to my surprise, it is amazing. It spreads nicely – almost feels like a soft butter upon application – and get this: I apply this liberally every night and have not experienced any clogged pores or an excessively oily face by time morning comes around. It has easily become my favorite step in my skincare routine because it feels so nice to put on my face. And if it is not evident by the photos I provided above, I have every reason to believe that adding this product to my nightly routine has made a real difference in the quality of my skin.

Scent: To the people who dislike strong fragrances or herbal ones: you will not like this product. The first time I got a whiff of this product, I scrunched my nose and was not convinced I would ever enjoy it. It smells similarly to the other Misa Geum Sul products I have already reviewed, but in a much stronger fashion. It is particularly earthy and I have no idea if that is just how ginseng smells, but after using it for a month, it has grown on me. Perhaps it is because I just love how effective it is and associate it with the joy that brings me. Who knows.

Ingredients: Taking a look at this product’s CosDNA analysis, the ingredient list looks similar to the Misa Geum Sul First Essence Booster that I reviewed in an earlier post. It has an amazingly large concoction of extracts, which I became a fan of after the positive results I saw from Missha’s Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Borabit Ampoule. And, since this is another product from the Misa Geum Sul line, we see the familiar ginseng ingredient at the very top of the list (first ingredient) which has been found to effectively whiten the skin. It also features the following:

• Cordyceps Sinesis Extract - Revitalizes tired skin
• Deer Antler Extract - Firms dull, sagging skin 
• 7,100 µg of Pure Gold - Detoxifies skin 

But an ingredient that surprised me was the Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Fruit Extract, because I had recently read an article that suggested that pumpkin extract contained many vitamins, one of the more important ones being vitamin A. This interested me because vitamin A is part of the retinoid family (source). Retinoid.. sounds familiar, does it not? When we think of retinoids, we think of the magical ingredient “retinol,” which a 2016 study confirmed

increased epidermal thickness… [and] showed a significant reduction in facial wrinkles following 12 weeks of retinol application.

And, another promising study in 2016 revealed that the oil from pumpkin seeds in particular

is an important source of many healthy components such as antioxidant and antimicrobial agents. Furthermore, the presence of tocopherols, sterols and polyunsaturated fatty acids in pumpkin oil make it an excellent drug in pharmaceutics and cosmetics which would provide potential protection against skin problem, e.g. dermatological wound. 

Having considered the ingredient from this angle, it would make sense as to why my face has been clearing up since I started using this product, but we also have to remember that the ingredient is likely not very concentrated; it is unlikely that this ingredient made a significant change on its own with it being somewhere closer to the middle of the ingredient list than the top… But still, as it stands, I find the formulation of this product to be effective in its claim to whiten, brighten, and moisturize my skin.

Overall Review: It feels like it does exactly what an overnight cream should do, which is to seal everything in and make your skin radiant come morning time. It does not cause any acne/clogged pores despite its seemingly rich consistency and formulation. I love this product so much that it has actually convinced me to purchase the remaining products from this very line: the toner, emulsion, cream, and eye cream. With the great results I have seen so far, I can only imagine what I might see with the addition of the other Misa Geum Sul products. 5/5.