The FaceShop - Mango Seed Collection {review}

Following on the success of my last purchase of TheFaceShop skin care products (the Chia Seed Collection), I went ahead and bought two items in the Mango Seed collection. Well, to be fair on my purse, there was a fabulous promotion whereby upon spending an extra W2000 (about $2) for the cream, the store included a full size Mango Seed Essence. So I thought what the heck, I've never tried an essence before (it didn't matter that I had no idea what an essence was) into my little shopping basket it went.

Mango Seed Heart Volume Butter

This particular cream is the 'Heart Volume Butter' and apparently, when massaged into your skin while following a particular set of massage techniques (notice the picture above with those very specific moves lol) leaves your face plump and full of volume. Sounds amazing. But can it really be true? Most of the skin care products I have seen in stores here in Korea are sold alongside images of facial massage techniques and exercises, and patting and rubbing of the face. In essence, the more you massage the products into your skin, the more you are increasing the circulation, and, in a very small way, 'plumping' up your face and I guess, decreasing wrinkles. But, it's all a bit much for me. I already use a wide range of products on my face, I simply do not have time to make sure each one is applied with just the right amount of plumping and patting and massaging...but that's up to you :)

What the box promises:

Promise of mango seeds for Good Moisturization
1. Contains extracts of mango from Sudan (really?)
2. Contains ingredients obtained through fair trade
3. Moisturization and long lasting radiance
4. Say Goodbye to dry skin - 5 Solutions : puffiness, itchiness, poor absorption of makeup, poor elasticity, redness
5. Formulated without 7 additives (but what are these additives??)
6. Dermatologicallyt Tested

I was rather disappointed with the moisture content of this cream. It goes on beautifully, and smells amazing (this may or may not be a good thing for you, and you may not want to be smelling like a freshly picked piece of fruit all day). I say fruit as the fragrance was definitely not mango, but rather a light and fresh summery smell. I also had to use quite a lot of product to cover my whole face. As the jar only contains 50ml of product and goes for on average, a price of W22 000 a pop, you don't want to be having to restock after only a few weeks worth of use.

I found that my skin was better moisturized after the Chia Seed lotion (and lotions are technically a lot lighter than creams). I have read that for more moisture, you can apply cream after using lotion to combat extra dryness. I have combination skin, but winter has set in here in Korea and I always find the skin around my nose area gets dry very easily during this time of the year. Which is why I had such high hopes for the Mango Seed range (which is also more pricey than the Chia Seed range).

I now use this cream at night, in place of a night cream, and I do always wake up with very radiant looking skin (but that's probably more to do with the amount of water I drink and the number of hours of sleep I try to get).

I think this Volume Butter would be best suited to normal skin types, and for those people who are in the warmer seasons. It hasn't given me any extra moisture that I was hoping for, but does leave my skin feeling silky soft and smelling wonderful.

Mango Seed Spray Heart Volume Essence
I'm not entirely sure what this spray is supposed to do. There are no English instructions on the box it came in. I use it as a spray on toner to revitalize and add moisture to my skin. Alone I find it's not enough no that's it winter here. I spray it on my face straight after cleansing, and then apply a toner after, and then follow up with my SkinFood Black Sugar Skin Perfecting Serum (review to follow soon). It smells great, and definitely gets lapped up by my skin after cleansing. I haven't noticed any brightening or extra volume in my skin after the past few weeks of use. But, as it only cost me an additional $2 it was worth a try.

Are there any other Korean skincare brands that you enjoy using?

 I'd love to hear from you x

The FaceShop - Arsainte EcoTherapy {review}

This is my second review of products from The Face Shop (you can read my review on the Chia Seed collection here) and the reason...I just love all of the products I've used so far from this brand of skin care  here in South Korea. 

With all my reviews I aim to be as honest as possible with the products I review. I have not been sponsored in anyway, and the views here are entirely my own.

Most skin care lines here in Korea consist of the following types of products:

Cleanser (cream/oil/foam)

Toner

Essence/Serum

Lotion/Emulsion

Cream

This may all seem a little excessive, but Koreans (and I think I can generalise to most Asian people) have the most incredible skin. All the ladies at my school look at least 10 years younger than their actual age. They must be doing something right, and I think their skincare (and the fact that they spend NO time in the sun baking like us Westerners do) has a lot to do with it.

-Cleanser is your first line of cleansing the skin to remove all traces of makeup and impurities

-Toner is to get rid of oil & dirt left after cleaning, to moisturise & to neutralise the ph balance of the skin

-Essence/Serum is a light, concentrated treatment to correct skin problems. It is easily absorbed and penetrates deep into your skin. Some beauty experts advise waiting 5-10 minutes AFTER applying your essence before you apply any other moisturizer. Essence or serums are essentially clear, thick, liquid moisturizing products. Some companies tend to label their products as serums, while others label them as essences. Serums tends be slightly more concentrated than essence.

-Emulsion is a much lighter, daytime moisturiser 

-Cream is a much more rich product, usually used if your skin is very dry or in need or more moisture

Arsainte Ecotherapy Multi-Care Cleansing Foam

I've only used this cleanser a few times as I am trying to finish up the vast array of other cleansers I seem to have amassed in my short time here in Korea (I just can't be helped when it comes to products!). But it seems to do a good job of cleaning my skin without stripping it and leaving it feeling dry and leathery. The product description says that it can be used as a mask too, when left on the skin for 5 minutes. I'm looking forward to trying that out in the next few weeks. I'll let you know how it goes on my Facebook Page. 

Arsainte Ecotheraphy Extreme Moisture Tonic with essential

"An essence toner that needs to be shaken before usage to mix the aroma essential oil and golden palm oil, uses bamboo extracts instead of water"

I love the fact that I have to shake this toner to combine all of the essential oils and bamboo extract before using it as I can actually see the different levels of moiuture that will be absorbed into my skin. The fragrance  is light, fresh and very exotic, leaving my skin feeling renewed and glowing after each application. 

Being an 'essence' toner it is a multi-beneficial product, combing essence and toner in one, allowing me to save a little time on my beauty regime (ok, not a lot of time but still, those few extra seconds do count!). It prepares my skin for my moisturiser and aids in retaining moisture.

I then follow with my Olay eye cream (which I have been using and loving for the past 2 years) and finally my Chia Seed Lotion. I had been using the Chia Seed Watery Lotion and although I liked using it, I have used this toner the last time I was in Korea and wanted to try it again. Both the Chia Seed and this Arsainte toner are wonderful products, but I do feel that the Arsainte is more moisturising as it contains essential oils, and so its perfect for me here in Korea as we are heading into winter when my skin is always more dry.

With winter approaching, I am on the lookout for a new moisturiser/serum. If you have any recommendations, please pop me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.

x

TheFaceShop ~ Oil Cut Sun Cream {review}

Oh what a wonderful find here in South Korea. This suncream from my favourite South Korean cosmetic brand, The FaceShop, works like a charm on my combination to oily skin. In the 100% humidity, it is still vital to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. But layering on a whole bunch of products usually leaves me looking like an oil slick once I head out the door.

The 'oil cut' range of sun care from The FaceShop takes care of that for me. It sets all my skin care products (I am still loving this Chia Seed range of skincare I bought a few weeks ago) and is the perfect base for makeup. With an SPF of 40, not only does it protect my face, but it prevents my skin from becoming shiny throughout the day. It is seriously long lasting, and I mean its a real Long Wearing product, you really have to cleanse your skin to remove all traces of it. This suits me just fine as I know that even with the humidity, I'm not going to be sweating it off. 

I do apologize for all the sweaty talk, but unfortunately, no matter how glamorous us Westerners here in South Korea may start out the day looking, within the 10 minute walk to school I am reduced to a hot, sticky mess, complete with frizzy hair, and rosy red cheeks. At least I won't have any wrinkles to add to the mix...

x

Have you tried any other great suncreams? I have heard good thing about Innisfree and Neutrogena too.