REVIEW: HADA LABO Shirojyun Essence (Serum)

I love this serum and I've been using it for awhile now with noticeable results to my freckles and acne scars.  The Shirojyun is a "Whitening Essence" produced by the popular Hada Labo Japanese skincare brand owned by parent companies Rohta and Mentholatum.  The concept behind the Hada Labo brand is "Perfect & Simple," something that is reflected in their minimal ingredient lists.  

REVIEW: PTR Glycolic Acid 10% Hydrating Gel

This product has been in my skincare routine for a long time and I never travel without it.  I tend to have dull and flaky skin on my cheeks and chin while an oily forehead and nose.  I'm classic combination skin with sporadic break-outs that range from small pimples to painful, scarring cystic acne. 

REVIEW: Etude House Moistfull Super Collagen Eye Concentrate

This is one of my favourite lower-end eye creams.  Aside from how affordable this product is, the light-weight formula, fresh scent, and high moisture content make this Etude House Moistfull Super Collagen a regular in my skincare routine.  

REVIEW: Mamonde Pore Clean Toner

Launched in May 2015, Mamonde's Pore Clean Toner is designed to effectively remove any dirt, sebum, and dead skin cells that clog our pores. The product's star ingredient is heartleaf houttuynia extract, which Mamonde claims can effectively control oily skin, while cooling and tightening enlarged pores. 

REVIEW: su:m37 Water-full Line

su:m 37 is a higher end skincare brand from LG Household & Healthcare LTD, a branch of LG electronics. Having been impressed by other su:m37 products I've tried before, like the Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick and Time Resetting Skin Softening Emulsion, I had pretty high hopes for the Water-full Line.  After religiously testing it out on my skin for the last several weeks, I've put together a small summary of each product in the line with the exception of the Water-full serum which I don't have.

REVIEW: Hera Sun Mate Daily SPF 35

When I'm looking for a sunscreen, I prefer something that is hydrating since most sunscreens tend to dry out my skin.  I also look for broad UVA/UVB protection with a mix of both chemical and physical sunscreen components.  It's a huge bonus if my sunscreen can act as a make up base too, since it reduces the need for me to add one more product onto my skin before foundation or cover up. Lastly, I look for something that won't break me out since I have combination skin that is prone to cystic acne.  Hera's Sun Mate Daily SPF 35 PA +++ meets all of those requirements and I've been using it religiously for several months. 

REVIEW: A'Pieu Essential Source Snail Vital Finish Cream

Aside from just wanting moisturization in my routine, I want a final step that has anti-inflammatory and skin repairing effects.  With those requirements in mind I started looking at products with snail mucin, an ingredient that is widely known in Korea for have skin-repairing benefits, several months ago.  After some careful research, I settled with A'Pieu Essential Source Vital Snail Finish Cream, which contains 80% snail secretion filtrate. 

REVIEW: HERA Aquabolic & Waterin Lines

This review covers my favourite items from Hera:

• Hera Aquabolic Line: Moisturizing Water and Moisturizing Emulsion
• Hera Waterin Line: Gel Serum and Gel Cream

I use the Aquabolic products in conjunction with Hera's Waterin Gel Serum and Waterin Gel Cream - they are part of a full skin care routine. These products are my absolute favourite right now and represent a core part of my baseline skincare routine.  [You can read about my baseline skincare routine here]

REVIEW: IOPE Essential Tone & Wrinkle Care Eye Cream

I got this eye cream in MEMEBOX's Superbox IOPE 2.  I started using it at the beginning of December and I'm currently approaching the end of my 10th week with it in my skincare routine.  Although I always try to test a product for a minimum of two months, I decided to write up a review since I really think this eye cream has helped my fine lines and dryness during the winter.

Before I get into my experience, here's a quick overview of the product itself!

The eye cream contains very nice ingredients like shea butter and jojoba oil.  Shea butter helps to moisturize the skin while retinol increases cell turnover, stimulates collagen production with long term use, and refines the texture of the skin which reduces fine lines.

The eye cream is dispensed in a long, thin squeeze tub with a pointed tip for easy application under the eye and around the brow bone.  This keeps the eye cream from any unnecessary contamination from fingers and it's easy when packing away in a slim travel pouch too.

Oddly enough, there are no ingredients listed on the box or anywhere on the tube. I also didn't receive a leaflet with the product - I don't know if this is unique to MEMEBOX's IOPE products or something else.  If I find the full ingredient list, I'll post them here.

I use this eye cream only once a day at night time since I use a different one during the day, Etude House Collagen Eye Cream (I'll be reviewing that one later).

Since using this eye cream, I've noticed a clear improvement in the texture of my skin around eye area, the skin is staying supply and moisturized throughout the day, and fine lines and dry wrinkles from the harsh winter season have been significantly reduced in appearance.  However, I haven't noticed any brightening effect or change to my dark circles.  Nevertheless, this is still ranks very highly on the top of my list for a good winter eye care product!

	Efficacy	Price	Formulation	Design	Total
IOPE Tone & Wrinkle Care Eye Cream	4.5/5	3.5/5	4.5/5	5/5	17.5/20

You can purchase this at the following, trusted e-shops:
RoseRoseShop - Reg.  $70.06, Sale $56.04

Note: You can probably find this product for much less from various Ebay retailers, online K-Beauty shops, or through GMarket.  I've seen this product being sold from as low as $18 to as high as $96 on some sites.  I won't be listing these different sellers just because I only list shops I have personally purchased items from and know that they have good shipping, customer service, and sell authentic goods :) 

REVIEW: TONYMOLY BCDation vs BCDation all master

Last September, TONYMOLY introduced the BCDation all master, a revamped version of the original BCDation foundation. It's marketed by the company as an improved version that is "air light".  To be honest, I had never tried TONYMOLY foundations before this and Hyuna's commercial ad for the BCDation all master was what convinced me to go out and buy it.  Hyuna can sell anything to me! ^o^ 

REVIEW: Paula's Choice Resist BHA 9

In mid 2014, I started to get stubborn cystic acne on my cheeks and closed comedones along my jaw. UGH. Nothing I did helped until I incorporated retinoids and acids into my skincare routine.  However by late 2014 I was still plagued with small break outs from time to time and the closed comedones were just not going away.  I absolutely loathed washing my skin and feeling those clogged pores and bumps underneath my skin *shudder*.  To fix that, I went on a mad hunt online for something to reduce those stubborn bumps and blackheads, and after reading about this spot treatment from Paula's Choice called the Resist BHA 9, I knew I had to have it.