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 - Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Borabit Ampoule

Packaging: This product comes in a purple glass bottle equipped with a glass dropper. What I particularly like about its packaging is when you pull out the dropper, there is a plastic lining (see photo above) that removes excess product on the outside of it which takes care of the issue of dripping – a problem that most dropper applicators have. I use just three or four drops on my whole face.

Price: You’ll find that most places you look, this product sells for ~$50 (Missha US, Missha Canada), but you can find it for better prices around ~$35 (Jolse, Cosmetic-Love). This product generally lasts me around three months and is considered less expensive than the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair dupe that retails at over $100! So, this is a great deal if you ask me.

Consistency: As with most serums, immediately after application there is a slight sticky feeling left on your skin, but I do find that this product absorbs rather quickly despite its semi-thick consistency. On days when my skin is really dehydrated, it almost feels as though my skin “drinks” this product right up! I use it day and night; I love it. This suits skins of all types.

Scent: The scent is very, very subtle and I find it a little hard to describe, but I can only assume it is the concoction of extracts I’m smelling. (It is by no means bad!)

Ingredients: This product is absolutely loaded with extracts! If your skin is sensitive to extracts, then this may not be the product for you, but if you don’t have this issue, then allow me to introduce you to its glorious ingredient list:

Water, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Glycereth-26, Juniperus Chinensis Xylem Extract, Sorbus Commixta Extract, Bis-peg-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Betaine, Leuconostoc Ferment Filtrate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ethyl Hexanediol, Dimethicone, Grifola Frondosa (maitake)/ophioglossum Vulgatum Extract Ferment Filtrate, Peg-11 Methyl Ether Dimethicone, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ppg-26-buteth-26, Polysorbate 20, Carbomer, Glyceryl Caprylate, Triethanolamine, Chamomilla Recutita (matricaria) Flower Extract, Dimethicone/vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Rice Extract, Lactobacillus/rice Ferment Filtrate, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Sea Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Octyldodecanol, Carthamus Tinctorius (safflower) Oleosomes, Acacia Arabica Stem Bark Extract, Hydrolyzed Extensin, Adenosine, Xanthan Gum, Aronia Arbutifolia Extract, Beta Vulgaris (beet) Root Extract, Brassica Oleracea Capitata (cabbage) Leaf Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (carrot) Root Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium (blueberry) Fruit Extract, Dipropylene Glycol, Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cyclomethicone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Disodium Edta, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Cassia Alata Leaf Extract, Dextrin, Lactobacillus Ferment, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Manilkara Multinervis Leaf Extract, Theobroma Cacao (cocoa) Seed Extract, Lauryl Methacrylate/glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer,Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/soybean Ferment Extract, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Saccharomyces/viscum Album (mistletoe) Ferment Extract, Yeast Ferment Extract, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Dimethiconol, Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/leaf/vine Extract, Helianthus Annuus (sunflower) Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Alpha-glucan Oligosaccharide, Limnanthes Alba (meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Beta-sitosterol, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Propylene Glycol, Cholesterol, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Ceteth-24, Choleth-24, Glyceryl Arachidonate, Glyceryl Linoleate, Glyceryl Linolenate, Ubiquinone, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Maltodextrin Crosspolymer, Cetyl Phosphate, Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Retinol, Lecithin, Phenoxyethanol, Cucumis Melo (melon) Fruit Extract, Amaranthus Caudatus Seed Extract, Biotin, Brassica Campestris (rapeseed) Sterol, Peg-5 Rapeseed Sterol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tripeptide-10 Citrulline, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Bht, Ceteth-3, Ceteth-5, Copper Tripeptide-1, Silica, Tripeptide-1

Ingredient List Source: Missha US

I’ve bolded some of the ingredients that stand out most to me. First, we see many different kinds of ferments, all of which strengthen and protect your skin barrier. Next, we see niacinamide which brightens up your face. Last, but not least, we see retinol near the bottom of the list. In general, we can easily assume that the majority of this product is composed of the first five or so ingredients, but why might it be good to see retinol at the very bottom of the list? Well, you could purchase a more potent retinol product if you wanted, but then you face photosensitivity due to the sun, irritation, redness, and peeling. With a product like this, we can safely assume its percentage of retinol is fairly low, but still effective enough despite this fact. I didn’t realize I had fine lines on my forehead from raising my eyebrows so often (haha..), but I did when I realized they weren’t there anymore (!) due to this product. It managed to smooth them out within two weeks, and as a plus, its high percentage of niacinamide faded my old acne marks. To top it all off, this product seemed to do as it advertised: it strengthened my skin barrier by providing it with nutrients and a surge of hydration and moisture.

Overall Review: This is one of those products you might not realize how much you need until it’s gone. If you feel that your face is perfect, you may certainly feel this way as you use it, but upon using it up, you may be surprised! I was using many products when I had first purchased this, so it was hard to say what was contributing to my skin progress, but when it was gone, I found out just how much I needed it. I’ve purchased this product twice now, and I can say with certainty that I will be purchasing it again and again in the future. It’s simply one of those products I can’t go without. I’m simply smitten. 5/5.