I'm back with a Part 2 of my samples collection that I've been trying over the last two weeks. It was supposed to go up yesterday but I've been so ill that I didn't manage to get it up on time. Truth be told, I totally skipped my skincare routine in the last 2 days because when you're sick, nothing seems appealing but a skincare chat is just what I need to cheer me up right now. So let's get into it!

#1 Lioele Triple the Solution BB Cream :

I have to be honest this review isn’t the best one I’ve done because I didn’t wear it outside. Only around the house but I had it on from morning to night and here are my thoughts. The reason why I wore it indoors only is the shade doesn’t match me. When I first put it on it was very light  but after 5-10 mins, it starts setting and does suit my skin a little better but still it’s meant for pink undertones so it’s never going to look quite right on my olive undertone. It’s a shame that it only comes in ONE shade because I loved the finish, formula and coverage. It’s surprisingly good coverage for a bb cream and can be built to a medium to full if you layer it on. It has a thick consistency and this is the only thing that covered my dark circles without needing concealer. It creases on the lids and undereyes, so setting those areas is highly recommended. I’m amazed! It’s not matte but not super dewy either. A good in between and SPF30 is always appreciated.

Full Size : 50ml for $30
Buy The Lioele Triple Solution BB Cream here.

#2 Etude House ‘The Pink Vital Water’ range:

I got the whole set from this range to try out in minis which includes – A serum, a toner, an emulsion and a cream. Well I wish I had opted for another set and not this one because as is the case with all etude house skincare, it contains alcohol denat and some other ingredients that react badly with my skin. I tried the cream and overnight I broke out on my cheek that refused to budge for 2 weeks at least even with me constantly trying remedies and acne lotions that work for me normally. Also, I have to tell you that I never break out except hormonal break outs. I do get bumps but not cystic acne which was the case with this product. I tried the serum and emulsion too and they were bit gentler but that thick cream destroyed my skin. Never again!

Buy the Etude House Vital Water trial set here.

#3 Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Clay Masks:

This is a new concept of clay masks which comes in different colours for different concerns and you have to apply it to targeted areas for ‘multi masking’ – the new trend that doesn’t make too much sense to me tbh, but I thought I’d try it anyway. How cute are these samples though? They look like little capsules. The full size products come in colourful tubes. I did try the multimasking method( kind of like contouring with masks) and also tried using each all over my face and I definitely prefer using it as a normal mask. They’re gentle on the skin, made my skin less oily and made it look bright. Every time I used this, someone told me my skin is looking good, haha including my mom. That’s a good sign right?

Full Size: 70g for $9 each
Buy Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Clay Masks - Hydrating, Calming, Refining, Vitalizing  here.

#4 Cosrx Overnight Spa Masks:

Last but not the least are these very popular Cosrx sleeping masks similar to the Laneige one. You put it on like a thick moisturizer and go to bed, wake up next morning and wash it off. I’m glad I got to try both the varieties because they’re quite different. The Ultimate moisturzing Honey Mask is a gel texture, sort of like an aloe vera gel with a cooling sensation and I found it very sticky and uncomfortable to keep on and didn’t really see a huge change in my skin. However, the Ultimate Nourishing Rice Mask has the thick, creamy texture that I absolutely love as I find it so moisturizing. I loved putting it on my skin and woke up to considerably softer skin. It sat on my skin much more comfortable. I'll probably be getting the Cosrx Rice Sleeping Mask in full size but not the honey one, it’s just not for me.


Full Size :140g for $15
Buy Cosrx Honey Moisturizing Mask and Cosrx Rice Nourshing Mask here.

There you go! Another samples mini-reviews done. You can check out my Kbeauty Samples #1 post and also let me know if you have you tried any of these products before?

Happy September, everyone! I can't believe how fast 2017 is moving. So here I am again with another K-beauty product review. After I had a really strange reaction to the last toner I reviewed on the blog (which was actually a long time ago IRL but it took me a while to get the review up), I’ve upgraded to a much better brand and toner since. It is considered as the holy grail of Kbeauty toners by many and the brand itself has a great reputation for creating products with no harmful ingredients and eco-friendly. This is the second brand I have tried after Innisfree that shares the same philosophy of creating products which are gentle to the skin and can be usually used by all skin types. This product has won several beauty awards and you can find this in everyone’s routine who uses Asian beauty. So without further ado, let’s get into the details.

Quantity : 180ml

Price: $25

It is Vegan and Cruelty Free! No Parabens or Artificial Colours either.

Ingredients: Water, Butylene Glycol, Dimethyl Sulfone, Betaine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Natto Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Centella Asiatica Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Polyquaternium-51, Chlorphenesin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Carbomer, Panthenol, Arginine, Luffa Cylindrica Fruit/Leaf/Stem Extract, Beta-Glucan, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Lysine HCL, Proline, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Acetyl Methionine, Theanine, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Copper Tripeptide-1

This was such a huge step-up from any other toners I’ve used. I can’t compare it to the previous Nature Republic one which was really bad for me but I think this product even beats certain toners I’ve tried from some of my favourite brands like Vichy or La Roche Posay in the past which are also very popular in the west. This is a hydrating toner. So toners in Asia are not always the kind which strips your skin and for taking off makeup buildup. Those tend to be super watery. This one however is a bit more viscous than a normal toner, it’s somewhere in between a toner and a serum in consistency. I don’t use this on a cotton pad because I think the cotton pad soaks it all up since it is thicker. Instead I just take a few drops on the palm of my hand and then pat it all over my face like I would with a serum and it absorbs instantly without wasting any product.

It is infused with Phyto-Oligo which helps moisturize the skin and Wheat amino acids for reducing inflammation. Hence, I think it is fantastic for sensitive skin or if you have any skin problems like rosacea that can get worse with harsh products, this one will definitely work for you. This toner is to be used after cleansing or double cleansing as per usual and it helps balance the Ph levels but also provides a ton of hydration back into the skin that is stripped by so much cleansing. I believe it can be used by dry, combo and oily skin types because it’s neither drying nor greasy. It sinks right in like a serum so it is perfect for everyone. It is 100% alcohol free which is exactly what I was looking for. It can be used for the 7 Skin method because it is so gentle. It is also a fragrance free formula which is hard to come across in K-beauty because they do like their aromatic products. It has a mild, clinical smell to it – kinda smells like sugar syrup to me I don’t know why. But you get the point, it’s a non-existent smell.

This step has transformed my routine I’m not gonna lie. My skin is looking fantastic ever since I started using this and this is the product that changed my mind about toners. Before discovering Korean hydrating toners, I always assumed toners are  harsh, chemical laden products that always break me out and I never used one religiously before this came along. It’s a holy grail of toners for sure and I don’t know if any other toner I try in the future can come close to this. It will be a real challenge to find something better than this especially without having to go to super luxe brands and shelling out $100 on a product. The quantity is so generous considering I only need 4 drops every time I use it – that is morning and night after cleansing and it has been very kind to my skin without stripping it out or making it overly greasy and has not broken me out. I use it before any serums, facial oils or moisturizers that go on top of it and it prepares a nice base for the rest of my routine.

If you are someone that has never tried K-beauty before then I would highly recommend you get this one product. Just this one product alone can convince you to convert to Asian skincare.

Places to Find it: Wishtrend , Style Korean, Amazon, Althea. You can use my Wishtrend Code :1318350607 to get $5 during checkout.

Innisfree is the first Korean brand I ever tried so it will always have a special place in my heart. This is where the love affair all started. I freaking love their gentle yet effective products that are a treat for anyone with sensitive skin. Most of their products are infused with ingredients from the infamous Jeju Island (which is now on my bucket list, thanks to them) If I could have my entire routine from this brand, I totally would! How often can you say that about an affordable – mid range brand really?  My love for trying new skincare is the only thing that stops that from becoming reality because I’m all about the experimentation from time to time. I have quite a few products from them and I’ve been nothing short of impressed with them.

So Innisfree have so many different skincare ranges where each range is formulated for specific skin types and concerns and each of them have the usual line of Korean products like creams, emulsions, toners, essences etc.

The Green Tea range is my personal favourite and it comes in 4 sets – Green Tea Fresh, Green Tea Balancing and Green Tea Moisture and Green Tea Seed Range.

Green Tea balancing is the range for combination skin! It’s got ingredients like green tea extracts (70%) and plant derived butters that are supposed to balance the oily parts and dry parts of the skin while still protecting it.

Quantity: 50ml

Price: $18

Ingredients: The Green Tea Extract (69.5%), Propanediol, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Orchid Extract, Cocoa Seed Butter, Camellia Leaf Extract, Prickly Pear Extract, Tangerine Peel Extract, Tangerine Extract, Orange Extract, Grapefruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Extract, Shea Butter, Betaine, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, C14-22 Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Lauric Acid, Myristic Acid, Behenyl Alcohol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Stearic Acid, Arachidyl Glucoside, Arachidyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, PPG-5-Laureth-5, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Fragrance  

Free from Parabens, Mineral oil, imidazolidinyl Urea, synthetic colorants. This product is Vegan and Cruelty Free!

Where do I even start with this cream? I’m a fangirl really. First up – No parabens, mineral oil, or alcohol denat. Not just in this cream but that’s pretty much the case for most of their products if not all. The alcohols you see in the ingredient list are fatty alcohols that are actually good for the skin. It comes in a cute little green tub with 50 ml of product which I think is fabulous.  The texture of this cream is very light, whipped- like but it is very moisturizing. This cream definitely leaves a dewy finish on the skin but also works beautifully under makeup. If you’re more on the oily side then you’d prefer using this at night and get the lotion version of this for daytime. However, sometimes it’s a real treat to apply it in the morning as well or under a super drying foundation. This cream has the most amazing smell. It has a herbal/fresh/garden/spring like scent to it which makes me feel refreshed every time I use it. I won’t say it’s overpowering at all though.

This makes my skin moisturized from within. It is seriously hydrating but also completely sinks into the skin leaving behind a dewy finish. It keeps my skin hydrated all day and night. When I wake up, my face does look a little too glowy bordering on greasy but it’s just the extra oil that my skin produces and not the actual product. Once I cleanse my face in the morning, my skin looks well hydrated. It also layers with other products pretty well. It is usually the last step in my routine but I do occasionally use the Laneige WaterSleeping mask over this moisturizer and they work well together giving me amazing results.

This cream is so so gentle on my skin! When I had the weird blotchy reaction to a toner I used, this cream calmed my skin down and stopped the itchy feeling right away. It doesn’t aggravate any spots or redness. I love all the ingredients in it and it is genuinely great for combination skin because my dry skin patches are looking much better lately. I have been using this cream every single day since I got it a month ago and I will probably repurchase it when I run out. If not the balancing version, I’d like to try the Green Tea Seed Cream which is very popular as well. It’s crazy that I generously use this stuff every night, sometimes morning as well but it looks like I’ve just started using it. It's safe to say that I'm not parting with this product anytime soon.

Note: Innisfree is a Cruelty Free brand in Korea where this product is made but it sells in China.

Places you can find this : Style Korean, Innisfree , Jolse, Amazon 

I’ve received a ton of samples with my Kbeauty orders recently and I also bought a few sets just to try them out. Yes you can buy kbeauty samples for a dollar or two, sometimes more depending on where you buy it but still super inexpensive to try out a product before buying them. Since they’re not all easily accessible and take weeks to actually arrive, I think it’s such a great way to try and test out products. It is also a massive help when your skin hates a product, you can be informed right away and don’t have to deal with a full size product that is of no use to you. It’s pretty much impossible to return them or even pass them onto someone else unless you know a lot of K beauty addicts. So I hope these mini reviews/first impressions can be a nice and quick way to get introduced to some products.

#1 Laneige Water Sleeping Mask: An absolute cult classic product. Everyone who is already into K-beauty has tried it, I’m sure but I know there are a lot of people reading this who haven’t heard of it. This product is something you need to try. It’s a sleeping mask that you put on over your moisturizer at night for added hydration and plumping. It is a pale blue gel cream that showed results from the first use. I went to bed with redness on my cheeks and between my eyebrows which always happens to me because of dryness. I woke up with zero redness and a glowing complexion the next morning. I use a moisturizer every night anyway but this never happens instantly. It takes a week or more to soothe my sensitive skin when it has been irritated. I’ve used it three days straight so you don't need a lot of product to spread it all over your face. Honestly my skin looks so beautiful, I don’t even want to put on foundation. The full size is quite pricey but I’ll have to splurge on this one product.

Full Size:$28 for 70ml

Buy Laneige Water Sleeping Mask here.

#2 Berrisom Timetox Revitalizing Gel Toner: Well I’ve heard of watery toners and serum like toners but this is the first time I’ve ever found a toner that is a gel. Its consistency is exactly like an aloe vera gel, cooling but very sticky. I feel like the stickiness doesn’t completely go away even after you layer a moisturizer on top. I started feeling pretty hot and icky soon and I think it’s not something I’d use at night. Might work much better under makeup and help adhere to makeup because of its sticky texture but I wasn’t a huge fan.

Full Size: $20 for 130 ml

Buy Berrisom Timetox Revitalizing Gel Toner here.

#3 Ogana Cell Peptide Concentrating Amazing Lotion: I was over the moon to receive this sample and you’re probably thinking what’s so special about this little, white sample? Well, the original size of this product retails for $180 - $200. This is a specially formulated lotion/emulsion for sensitive skin by dermatologists and is packed with high content of peptides. It’s a very light lotion with mild to no fragrance. I put it on after my morning toner and this feels so beautiful on the skin. It sinks in after 10 minutes so I let it take it’s time and what’s left behind is beautifully moisturized skin. No stickiness, no oiliness and no stretchiness either. The perfect feeling of moisturization without leaving any residue. This is a fantastic product but I don’t think I’m getting the full size anytime soon unless I win the lottery then I’ll pick one up for sure.

Full Size: $180 for 180ml

Buy Ogana Cell Peptide Concentrating Amazing Lotion here.

#4 Etude House Moistfull Collagen Cream: I was excited to try this one out because it’s one of the most hyped up products from the brand Etude House. It is a gel cream texture as well but a lot of dry skinned people swear by it and people even say that it’s their perfect winter cream. So I decided it to test it out at night and although it works fine as a moisturizer, I feel like it sinks in pretty fast and leaving my skin a little dry like I’ve just cleansed it. I don’t find it rich enough to be used as a night cream. I've heard of a "deep cream" variety of this range as well and maybe it will be a little more hydrating. Also it contains alcohol which explains the cooling feeling just after application. I have totally cut out alcohol denat from my skincare so I’ve just been using it as a body lotion and won’t be repurchasing.

Full Size: $16 for 75ml

Buy Etude House Moistfull Collagen Cream here.

#5 Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask: Another product that is similar to the Laneige water sleeping mask but for your lips. First off this smells like bubblegum so I love, love, love the smell. However the texture of this is like a clear lip gloss and even looks like it on the lips. It has high shine, is kinda sticky and sort of sits on the lips. It does work wonderfully and makes chapped lips look healthy the next morning but the feeling of having something sit on my lips all night is a bit weird to me. I prefer a balm/salve that you rub in and it sinks in completely. Although I’ll use this one up especially during the day because my lips need moisturization all the time but I don't think I'll be repurchasing because I have other lip treatments at the moment.

Full Size: $16 for 20ml

Buy Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask here.