Showing posts with label korean beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label korean beauty. Show all posts

K-Beauty Skin Care ~ What's new in my skin care rotation feat. Neogen, Innisfree and Cala Products

*pr sample*


Ok, skin care time :) I been rotating so many products in the past few weeks. So brace yourself this post will be a quite long.


Korean skin care is really popular this day. Well all Korean stuff are like the music, drama and food. 
I do love the food tho! Haha. But the skin care is truly amazing!
In this post I will focus on three bands: Neogen, Innisfree and Cala Products.


By Neogen I only have 1 product to talk about and it is Neogen Bio Peel Gauze Peeling Lemon Pads. They retail for $27 and are available at Sephora and Soko Glam. 
This pads are amazing. Like no joke! The first time I used it I was blown away with the results. Yes first time use results! My skin was so soft and looked brighter! Its a chemical and manual exfoliator that uses natural ingredients and innovative triple pad technology. It gently removed dead skin while the AHA chemical exfoliant deeply penetrates to dissolve dirt and oil in the skin. Lemon extract delivers abundance of Vitamin C for skin brightening benefits.


The pads are locked in a bulky jar and are soaked with lemon essence. And once you open it, you can smell the freshness of lemon. I smells really yummy. What I like about this pad is that there is a sleeve that you put your fingers in and you can use both sides of the pad. I prefer the rough one as I love to exfoliate my skin. I usually use it after I cleanse my face right before toning. The pads have to be used after you double cleans your skin, and you can't use them as a makeup removers. It just don't work that way. I mainly focus on the places on face where all the dirt is. Nose (trying to get rid off those blackheads) and around my nose just clean up all the dirt that is stuck in my pores. And well my neck as well, as we can't forget about that. The exfoliation process is not as rough as I thought it would be, but it sure does scrubs away all the debris and all that dead skin. After I use the other side of the pad, which the soft fabric takes away all the left overs that were left on my face.  After that I rinse my face and voila, soft, bright, glowy skin .. welcome! :)

No wonder they are cult favorite and no wonder Korean ladies have such a beautiful skin. These are so worth the money and once I run out I will get another jar! 


Let move on to Innisfree. Can you believe that until Gen Beauty I had no idea they existed. Of course my sister in law knew of them coz she loves all Kbeauty and anything K related .Prior to Gen Beauty I was invited to an even held at their Lexington location (right across from Bloomingdales).I remember it was super rainy that day and I left work early just to get to this event. The store is beautiful and so inviting and all the gorgeous skin care! The best part? Everything is darn cheap! Anyways at the event Innisfree was showcasing the Hydrating Green Tea line and they showed how proper use each and every product. I got hooked! Like this line is so wonderful! BTW did you kn ow the brand was created and its own by Amore Pacific since 2000! And as you know Amore Pacific is the high end Kbeauty brand sold at Sephora. So there you go! Innisfree not only sells good skin care but also interesting makeup! I swatched a variety of eye shadows and I fell in love with few.
The products I use in my routine are:


* Hydrating Sleeping Mask with Green Tea ~ I love sleeping mask, how about you? I tried so many in the past and I really liked them all. Sleeping mask do wonders to your skin. Innisfree mask is enrich with squeezed green tea from the pure Jeju island to deliver moisture and nourishment deep into the skin. Jeju is the volcanic island in South Korea, know for its abundant plant life, natural unpolluted environment and its cleanliness . The sleeping mask contains Dual Moisture-Rising Technology TM delivered from organic green tea and green tea seed oil. Green Tea is extracted from fresh green  tea leaves that are in rich with amino acids and minerals that keep the skin moisture.The seed oi preserves moisture under the skin for extended period of time to prevent dry skin. The product contains the white capsules that dissolve once your apply and massage them in the skin. I love that feeling. These capsules are filled with organic, natural ingredients and help brighten your skin. The formula is light and absorbs really fast and it has creamy almost gel like texture. The sleeping mask can be used along with night cream (just wait a bit fr the cream to absorb before you apply the mask on, or it can be used by itself, with skipping the night cream. All up to you. I use with both. Winter cold air makes my skin super dry and I really need extra moisture in my skin. For using it minimum three times a week I notice that my skin become soft, smooth and supple. Definitely recommend this one to all my friends and family as it it really good. Plus at $19 price point anyone can afford it :)


* Intensive hydrating serum with Green Tea Seed ~ Same as with the sleeping mask the serum contains eco friendly Jeju island 100% fresh green tea and green tea seed to provide hydration.
The serum contains also citrus extract such as grapefruit, orange and tangerine which help moisture, tone and brighten the skin. The serum come in a plastic bottle that is travel friendly. The pup is covered by a cap that stays in place and keep the germs and bacteria out.  The serum texture is runny,  a bit thicker than water. And it smells of green tea mixed with floral and citrus-y notes. Once applied to the skin it absorbed quickly and leaves no trace of grease or nothing like that. Aside of boosting hydration in my skin I have not see any other benefits but this serum. I like to use it on days that my skin need extra moisture. But overall if you have better hydrating serums at home that do better keep them :) Unless you really want to try it and see what it will do for your skin, go ahead :) Get it at Innisfree website for $25


* My real squeeze masks. ~ these are so good and so affordable. I am going to get more and send to my family. LOL I actually did buy around 10 of them at the event without knowing there was a 7 day booklet with 7 masks in my goodie bag. Most of them were extras so I took to my work and gave to my co-workers :) I have not yet to try all the "flavors" of masks tho. I tested 3 so far and let me tell you a bit, with out making this post super long. Each masks comes in 3 level of hydration: water base (light and fresh), Essence base (deeply hydration) and Cream base (intensely nourishing) . They are made from 100% eucalyptus fibers. The booklet I got contained following: Green Tea (hydrates and nourishes), Pomegranate (brightness and firms), Rose (brightness and smooths), Lime (brightness and hydrates), Bamboo (moisturizes and replenishes), Manuka Honey (moisturizes and replenishes), Acai Berry (firms and smooths). And Fig (tone and brightening). Out of all I tried 3 so far:


- Rose - the first one I tried out of them all. I love any skincare with rose in it. It give brighter and smoother skin and it contains rose flower juice as a main ingredient. It has very nice rose scent to it. Reminds me of rose toners :) Which I adore! I kept mask on for about 20 min, after which I took it off and rub remaining essence into my skin and neck. Skin definitely look more hydrated and smooth. This mask is water based. How can you tell, well look at the bottom right corner you either will see a water bottle, serum bottle or cream jar, and that how will you tell which level of hydration each mask contain.


- Acai Berry - it have a cream base hydration. Acai Berry is a powerful antioxidant and has anti-aging properties. This mask is a a lot thicker then rose one as it is cream based. It is really moisturizing. If you skin feels dry, this one would be the best choice. Again I massaged renaming essence into my skin :)


-Green Tea - the essence is so hydrating and moisturizing in this mask. Again this the water based mask and the essence stays on the mask. I love how my skin felt after it. Hydrated and my pores looked smaller. It have a light scent ot it nothing crazy. This one on par with rose are my favorite.
Now I will make an effort and try the reaming ones.
The real squeeze mask retails at $1.80/



Now let's move on to CALA Products are these are the most newest in my routine and the main focus on why I decided to write this post.
I got three products: Cleanser, Toner and Sheet Mask pack.


So first thing is the cleanser, actually Deep Cleansing Foam. The cleanser contains aloe vera extract filled with antioxidants and vitamins to purify the skin.  It helps to remove all dirt, impurities from the skin.


 I am trying to like this product but I can't. I didn't like the way it made my face feel.
 So greasy and sticky. Ugh I had to go over with more cleanser and scrubs to get rid of it. I really don't think its normal and I don't like the feeling. I had really high hopes for it. ($8.75)


 The toner on the other hand is really nice. Ultra Hydra Toner - moisturizing and soothing hyaluronic acid deeply hydrates as rich botanicals calm and replenish, ultra hydrating hyaluronic acid and shea butter protect moisture from within the skin, enhancing it natural moisture barrier for refreshed, nourish skin. I really do like the toner. I been using it for a week now and we are a good friends. Especially for this time of year my skin really need that extra hydration. So mostly I been reaching for hydrating skin care. I love that this toner contains hyaluronic acid that have so many great benefits for the skin. It have a slight flowery scent. Plus can we talk about the ombre bottle?!? I adore it! ($23.75)


The last product I have from CALA is the sheet mask - Skin Smoothies Daily Boost Sheet mask - I got pack of 5. contain real tomato, apple, strawberry, cherry and pomegranate juice. They also have a green version available, that at some point would really love to try. I was a bit scared to use this one as it has a tomato juice. Don't get me wrong I love tomatoes and ketchup (LOL) but I notice that at some point tomato tends to break me out. So I was hoping this mask will be good, and that good it was.  I used it once so far and really like it.


It gave my skin extra boost and my skin feel and looked better. Much more awakened and brighter. Just felt good. I used it night time but I feel like this would be such a good mask to use in the morning before applying your makeup. (box of 5 $7.50)

Have you heard of any of the mention products?
Have you tired any?

K-Beauty Skin Care I been Loving Lately ~ 24K Gold Series by Maqueology and Morgan Miller Cleansing Wipes

*pr sample*


I love skin care! Just as much as I love makeup. Trying and discovering new brands its really fun :) Some products will work out some don't. 

I notice that I have in my skin care stash good amount of K-Beauty skin care. So I will share with you few of my favorites :)

The brand I will be mainly writing is Masqueology and Morgan Miller. I am not 100% sure but they might be some how connected coz when I got in the mail Morgan Miller wipes the sender was Masqueology. I will have too look more into that later.


Lets start with Morgan Miller Cleaning Wipes. I own three Charcoal, Avocado and Rose.  I love testing facial cleansing  wipes. Some work for me some don't.  These three are fab!  But I must say that out of all i prefer the Charcoal Green Tea ones. I think they are soaked more and smell better. But that is just my opinion. I do like the avocado and rose ones as well, but if I have to repurchase definitely Charcoal will land in my basket. Both remove makeup with ease and I just need one wipe to clean my entire face. Now I did review before DermaE wipes and their tissue was a lot thicker then this one. I do like thicker tissues but these since they were soaked better then dermaE they worked just as good :)


* Charcoal Green Tea ~ pre-moistened , gentle and soft wipes. Charcoal removes chemical and toxins. When activated charcoal is applies to the surface of the skin it draws out the bacteria, pollutants and other harmful particles trapped underneath the skin. Green Tea extract acts as antioxidant that protects skin form damaging effects brought by pollutants and harmful elements.  ($9 for 60 wipes. get it here)


* Avocado ~ is packed with vitamins such as Vitamin C and E, that are essential for keeping skin healthy. It have an antioxidant properties which rid the skin of free radicals. ($9 for 60 wipes, get it here)


* Rose and Chamomile ~ the rose and chamomile formula helps  hydrate and reduce swelling of the skin. Rose have anti-inflammatory properties that reduce redness and swelling of the skin and also acts like a moisturizer. Chamomile contains essential oils and skin treating properties such as  anti-inflammatory , anti-fungal, antiseptic, and antioxidants. It also acts like a natural moisturizer that brings back the glow. Out of all these have the most beautiful packing. But I like these least coz of the very strong rose scent. I don't mind rose scented products, but this one was just too much. ($9 for 60 wipes, get it here)


Now, Masqueology. Korean brand that is affordable and can be found at Walmart.
I reviewed before their 24K under eye gels and now I will share my opinion on rest of the 24K products. The gold have been very popular in skin care for many years. They said even in ancient Egypt, Cleopatra would put gold on her face to keep her skin radiant and young.
Gold have many benefits like increase elasticity, collagen depletion, lightness skin complexion, stimulate the cells making the skin firm, improves blood circulation, and prevents pre-mature aging.


* 24K Gold Serum ~ is an anti-aging formulation to give moisture and elasticity to the skin while helping to restore the skin youthful complexion. It leaves skin smooth and refreshed.  I love the beautiful glass bottle it comes with. Feel really luxury! It comes with a droplet as any other serum would. It have gold flakes in it. And it looks so beautiful! Little gold sparkles in clear liquid it takes my breath away! The serum sinks into the skin and leaves nice radiant look. These are scented just like the whole line is but unfortunately this scent I hate. ( $18, purchase it here and Walmart)


* 24K Gold Gold Cream with shimmer  ~  first off it smells better then the serum and again beautiful packaging, that feels luxurious.  The cream is formulated with gold and hyaluronic acid to help hydrate the skin for maximum moisture while gold pearls give all over sun kissed glow. Vitamin A and E gives instant illumination for healthy looking skin while helping against fine lines and wrinkles. Now this packs a lot of shimmer on my face. I use it more often at night time, but if I need a radiant glow-y look I will apply it under neath my foundation and voila! But yeah, if you are someone who don't like the shimmer or any kind of sparkle on your face, stay away from this creme. It will make you shine like a disco ball :)  ( $18, purchase here and Walmart)


* 24K Gold Eye Cream ~ with gold and adenosine will work to lift the eye area while helping against wrinkles and fine lines. I be honest I haven't use this one a lot. But just as a creme is packed with shimmer and it makes my under eyes bright. Again I will be using mostly night time, coz of all that shimmer. If you ask, the shimmer wash off easily.  ($$16, purchase here and Walmart)


Just fyi I added links directly to a retailer but it is way cheaper at Walmart. Over all I really enjoy this line. Beautifully packaged, affordable and well works great! Looking forward trying more products by the brand in near future.

* products provided by Octoly, Masqueology and Morgan Miller for honest review #octolyfamily #gifted #honestreview



Korean Skin Care ~ Masqueology 24K Gold Under Eye Gels

*pr sample*




Before Octoly I never heard of  Masqueology Skin Care. Did you? 
I found the brand in my Octoly free store and when I saw the 24K Gold Under Eye gels I need to have it. Can you believe I have never use under eye gels before?  They like a mask for you under eyes. Just put it on and relax :) 



The hydrogel under eye patches with gold and collagen will lift and firm the eye area while helping against dark circles. They hydrogel will give moisture and elasticity to the skin. 



They come in a cute gold packaging that contains 15 pairs of eye gels. They are really gold! They are single use masks for under eyes. lightweight and lightly scented. I do like the scent tho. If you are not a fan you will not like it coz once the eye gels are on the skin they still have a scent to it. I used it twice so far and I really been liking it. It definitely gave a kick of moisture to my under eye area. I did see that they did firm my under eyes. As I don't have much problems with dark circles I can't comment on how they work. 
I used them after a clean my face. I placed each under my eyes and relax. Keep them on for 10-20min and take them off, gently rubbing reaming serum in. I think they are in soaked in some sort of serum. 
I think they are great addition to any skin care routine. Plus for the price why not give it a shot? 
Walmart carry them for only $10 ! which is a steal if you ask me. 
I can recommend them enough.  If you shopping at Walmart pick them up :) 
you can shop them here

Fave skin care picks IG @villemo20

I really want to try more of the 24K line and other products by the brand :)

till next time!
~Monica 

Amarte ~ Overnight Express Therapy

*PR Sample*




Amarte began in Korean in 1994 as a skin care initiative within prestige dermatology clinic. In 2004 Amarte had become well establish high end skin care brand in East Asia. Today Amarte is becoming known throughout the world. 

Amarte Overnight Express Therapy is one of the best skin care products I tried so far. This new Korean sleeping mask delivers intense hydration, softness, firmness and luminosity. 
I have never used any sleep mask before and I see I did missed a lot. They are amazing! Especially this one! Feels like silk and absorbs super fast into the skin. Doesn't feel sticky or greasy. It have a nice fruity scent. Works great on my oily skin! Best part it didn't break me out! woohoo! 
After all my skin care steps I apply Amarte Overnight Express Therapy last, as a final step. 
In the morning I wash it off with cleanser. My skin is super soft when I touch it. Feel good too! I been using it every night for a psat week and I am so happy with the results. Such a game changer in my skincare routine. Definitely a must try. Trust me you will feel results within days. 
The key ingredients:
* Silk Fibroin ~ (Silk Extract) an antioxidant protein matrix that brightness skin and stimulate collagen production.
* Propolis Cera ~ an antioxidant , anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial healing emollient.
  * rh-Oligopeptide-1 ~ a nanoencapsulated peptide based epidermal growth factor that enhances cell renewal. 



Product comes with a pump which I love! I pump out only one time and I get just the right amount of product to apply to my face. The packaging is pretty too, yellowish-gold! It is just the right size, lightweight. It does have a gold rim around the lid. Amarte name and logo in gold and rest writen in black ink. On the top of the lid there is also Amarte name written in gold. 



Amarte Overnight Express Therapy can be purchased on AMARTE Website.
Price: $79

Miss Tutii ~ Asian Beauty Box




Attention Ladies and Gentleman  we have a new awesome subscription box on the market.
If your a fan of Korean, Japanese or any other Asian Skin care brand , you are in luck!
Miss Tutii will be your perfect choice.
They offer 3 different kind of subscription :
1.) TutiiMask ~ $12. each month you will receive 6-8 masks ranging form sheets mask, face, lip, eyes and body.
2.) TutiiBag ~ $15. each month you will receive a bag of 4-5 deluxe samples or full size products.
3.) TutiiBox ~ $25. Each month you will receive full sized or premium brand samples (e.g. SKII, IOPE, SHISEIDO).
 Free Shipping in USA.



And the best part is if you don't like a product that came in you bag or box you can swap it for different one! 
Tell me what other subscription box offers that?!?

You can use VILLEMO20 for 20%off!!!! 

Now lets take a look what came in January TutiiBox :)
~ SK II clear Treatment Lotion (full Size) $70
~ SNP Animal Sheet Mask $4
~ LALA Ultra Light Sun cream SPF35 $24
~ MY SCHEMING Black Sheet Mask $3.50
~ TONYMOLY Petit Bunny Gloss Bar $10
~ ETUDEHOUSE Missing You Hand Cream $8




Overall I am very impressed with my box! Box is worth is $119.50 and you pay only $25 :) Great deal! I heard of most of the products but I have never tried any of them. I really looking forward to try SKII and Etude House. hand Cream and Bunny Lip gloss bar are so cute! 
All the goodies come in cute PINK box :) yes PINK how awesome! The box is also totally reusable! 
So again if you like Asian Skin care or you know someone who does, or you just simply want to try it~ look into Miss Tutii. FYI they also ship International ;)
Read more on their website ---> MissTutii.

Don't forget to use my code at check out VILLEMO20 and it will save you 20%! Ends January 31st, after it will give you 10% only.
NOTE: this is not an affiliate code, I don't make any $$$ form it :)





Dermaesthetics Beverly Hills ~ Korean Skin Care Line




I wanted to write a review of these two products for a while now. I really don't know what took me so long. 
Anyways I want to introduce you to new (to me) Korean Skin Care Line. Founded by Dr. Anne Lee, who with help form her friends and family launched in Beverly Hills new skin care line. Products sold globally all over Asia, Americas and Middle East. 
I received form them 3 products to test.I will be only writing about two of them. the 3rd one didn't worked for me. I wish it could but oh well, I will send it over to my mom and I will later write a review on what my mom think of it :)



Lets start with Green Apple Premium Cleansing Oil ~ is Macadamia Nut oil based pre- cleanser, used to clean away all the makeup, sunblock and oil on the surface of the face. With the power blend of Macadamia Oil and Vitamin E and other natural extracts this water soluble cleansing oil breaks down makeup leaving skin fresh and ready for next cleansing step. It can be use around eye and mouth area. 
This cleanser works so good. Removes my stubborn makeup with ease. I find it works really great on my eyes and when I wear liquid lipsticks ( you know the kind that only oil based makeup remover can remove). Super easy to use. Just pumped few drops on my dry hands and rub into my skin. To take it off, I wet my fingers in a warm water and massage until turns white. Wash it off and use makeup wipe to get off the rest of the makeup and oil form m face . Then I reach for my daily cleansing gels and finish my routine. I also found it works great for my oily skin. It don't make it more oily or what so ever.
Definitely is a must try product. Also I does have  smell to it. Not really annoying ( like some can be) This one is really pleasant. 

My daily skin routine I finish with Clear Complex PM Purity Gel ~ I can't even express how much I love this gel! Its a gel that is to be used night time only and it is formulated to be used on breakouts skin types. For me is the best on all the 'surprise' zits/pimples I get once in a while. Simply after I finish washing my face I apply this gel at the very end. It can be used as a all over or just on the spots. I prefer spots. Whenever I see a pimple coming out I apply the gel on. One time I was getting one on my chin and it hurt like crazy. You know , if you have a acne problem that they do hurt a bit. So I applied the purity gel on it and the next morning the pimple was smaller and it didn't hurt at all.! Life saver! So whenever I get my surprise zits this little bottle is coming to my rescue and keeps them at bay! ;) 

I am so pleased with both products. Both works great for me and I continue using them all the time. Such an amazing staple in my skin routine. Highly recommend them to you.
Paraben and cruelty free line

Check the links below to shop.
Green Apple Cleansing Oil
 PM Purity Gel
Dermaesthetics Website