I have always wanted to try Hada Labo's product after watching Jeon Ji-Hyun's advertisement (bet you have that moment too, right? :p).
Then I came about Hermo was doing 11:11 sales where you can choose any 2 Hada Labo's full size lotion at RM79.60! To be honest, I was going to purchase their Blemish & Oil Control Hydrating Lotion, however it went out of stock before I checkout my shopping cart. (T_T)
So I went for my second choice - AHA/BHA Mild Peeling Lotion.
Hada Labo's AHA/BHA Mild Peeling Lotion | 170 ml
Read on to find out more about this lotion/toner! :)
Here's a continuation of MUJI skincare review from preview post.
Despite knowing there are a variation of moisture level among its toner selection, I really wanted to know if it's legit. From the outlook, the light toning water looks the same!!
In this post, I will be reviewing on MUJI's Light Toning Water (High Moisture).
MUJI's Light Toning Water (High Moisture) | 200ml
Interested to find out whether it does have higher moisture level than the previous toner? Continue scrolling! :))
A big fan of Japanese minimalistic and functional houseware ideas, I fell in love at once ever since I found out MUJI has their own skincare line!
When I heard my friend she is travelling to Japan this summer, I quickly grabbed the chance (arigato Marcilla!!!) For those who are staying at KL, you're lucky, because there is a physical store located at 4th floor, Midvalley Shopping Mall.
MUJI's Light Toning Water (Moisture) | 200ml
Currently there are two product lines under the skincare brand: anti-aging and sensitive skin.
Recently my skin is showing me lots of anger, so I think I need lots of help to calm this sensitive skin. That's why I chose this series and I bought two toners: moisture and high moisture.
Particularly today we are going to talk about the Moisture Toner. To find out more about this product, continue scrolling! :))
Are you surprised? It is the very first time my blog features Japanese skincare products. I have to be honest and upfront with you that I am not familiar with Japanese skincare products, total newbie, but here we are.
Let's do this together!
I remember a chapter from Marketing class last time saying, "the best marketing is word of mouth". It's always more convincing to try a new item when a friend introduces to you, than stumbling into random stuffs in drugstores or online stores.
Credits to this friend of mine who introduced me to this product line during our recent trip to Hong Kong, as we were shopping in SaSa store. There she goes like, "Remember the mist I showed you earlier? This is it! I think it is really nice. You should try."
I didn't purchase it right away as I have limited luggage space. However, it didn't take me much longer to purchase it when Hermo has replenished their stocks.
Brand and Product Line Information
I-Mju is a subsidiary skincare brand of Naturie. Particularly, the brand commits itself to produce high quality products with minimal impact on the environment, in conjunction of Japan's advanced technology and natural raw material, in respect of our mother nature. (Respect to it's brand motto.) (source)
For instance, I-Mju's Hatomogi product line, which consists of (1) Skin Conditioner and (2) Skin Conditioning Gel, are formulated with Job's tears ("Hatomugi" in Japanese, "薏仁" in Chinese). From its outlook, it is very similar to Barley.
Job's tear's extract is no stranger in skincare industry. It is said effective in increasing Hyaluronic Acid (HA) production in our skin cells. And HA is well-known as a moisture-binding ingredient that keeps our skin plump and hydrated.
As it features natural ingredients, environmental friendliness and cost effectiveness, the product line quickly rise in popularity, and even featured in Cosme as Best of 2016 (Japan's largest beauty and cosmetics portal website).
Personal experience and review
Today we will just look at I-Mju's Skin Conditioner (a.k.a. the toner). Please do follow up on the Skin Conditioning Gel in the coming week.
Speaking from the obvious, it is quite a big bottle (500ml) as compared to usual toner size found in the market. The transparent bottle makes it easy to tell how much product left. It has water-like texture (non-greasy and non-sticky) and milky in color (as shown in photos).
Almost everything written on the packaging is in Japanese. I am clueless of what is it about @@. Seriously I won't even keen to understand it, or even purchase it, if it's not because of friend's recommendation. And now, I am thankful because it is a good recommendation.
If you are keen to know its product ingredients, check it here in Skincarisma.
To parts of product description which I can "decode", I am quoting it down here.
"Coiz Seed Extract : A secret ingredient that moisturizes your face and body for smooth and beautiful skin." -I-Mju's Hatomugi Skin Conditioner
"无香料.无着色.低刺激性" which means "no fragrance. colorless. low irritant."
To use, simply untwist the cap.
There are three (3) advisable ways to use this product, as suggested by SaSa:-
As toner: Apply with cotton pads on a cleansed face;
As mask: Soak 4 cotton pads with lotion and leave on face for 3 mins;
As body care: Apply on skin after bathing.
[updated on 10/3/2018 (Saturday)]
Product highlights (according to I-mju):-
A moisturizing and non-sticky lotion that penetrates easily into areas of dry skin.
Provides ample moisture to the skin, keeping it smooth and free from roughness.
For best results, pour a generous amount of Hatomugi lotion onto cotton pads and apply it as a face mask for approximately 5~10 minutes daily.
It soothes the skin after sunburn, and has a cooling and tightening effect.
Can be used as a face and body mist.
Use generously after a shower or bath by lightly padding it into the skin for moisturizing effect.
Fragrance and color free.
I have only tried on by using as a toner, which I am going to demonstrate here. As you can see (below), the cotton pad remains the same color after pouring the Skin Conditioner onto it (circled in red).
Then I proceed to swipe my face with the damped cotton pad. Here's the result. Dirt are collected on the cotton pad (circled in red).
Besides the aforementioned ways to use the product, you can also use it as facial mist. An empty mist bottle was a GWP (gift with purchase) when I purchased the Skin Conditioner on Hermo.
Not too worry, this mist-type bottle can easily be found in convenient stores, i.e. Daiso. To use, simply fill in the mist bottle, slip it inside your bag and spray whenever needed. It has this mild cooling effect when you spray it onto your skin, which is really refreshing, especially during hot and dry days.
Pros
Multi-tasking toner;
Mild, even for sensitive skin;
Cooling effect;
No strong and irritating fragrance;
Cost-effective.
Cons
Parabens and Alcohol detected in ingredient list;
Very subtle smell which reminds me of Kerosene / Thinner(?).
Overall, I enjoy using this Skin Conditioner as toner alternatively in my morning skincare routine, interchanging with Mamonde's Rose Water Toner. Nothing more, nothing less.
Best part is you can get this value pack (Hatomugi Skin Conditioner + Skin Conditioning Gel) from Hermo for RM68.
I know I came across this product waaaay too behind from the hype. If you are interested to read on my personal thoughts on this toner or perhaps you are still considering on whether to purchase, continue scrolling. ;) Bear with me, I will be quick.
Mamonde's Rose Water Toner | 마몽드 로즈워터 토너 | 250 ml
Fun fact on how to pronounce the brand name. How would you pronounce "Mamonde"? Aha! It caught me too. The word 'Mamonde' is originated from French (translated as 'my world' in French, pronounces as "may-mon-d"). However, in this case, Korean brand Mamonde is pronounced as "ma-mong-deu". Have you got it correctly now? :D
It is made of sturdy pink plastic bottle. Not squeezable. At first, I thought the toner itself carries subtle pink; that's because I got the wrong illusion from the pink transparent bottle. So yeah, the bottle is transparent, so you know exactly when to stock in.
Basically, the product description everything is written in pure Korean, printed in white font on the packaging itself.
Don't worry, there are always English-translated product description for us all. ;) Source Althea.
Great. One of the selling points is that Mamonde's Rose Water Toner is made of 90.89% of Damask rose water from Bulgaria than just water. That's a very bold claim.
Besides, they also claimed that they maintained the rose water essence by undergoing low temperature ultra-high pressure sampling process to minimize the change in the active ingredients.
Last but not least, the product is free from 3 ingredients: synthetic pigment, animal ingredient and mineral oil. Hence, slogan as "3 FREE".
The product came in just the bottle packaging itself, without any box packaging or wrapping material. There is a pink seal adheres on the flip-top white cap to indicate the product is new. Do check on the pink seal before purchasing it (at physical stores, if possible).
Untwist the top cap on your first use. There is a protective seal which you need to remove before using it (as below). Another indicator that the product is new.
As you can see (below), the toner itself is transparent. I do noticed that it's consistency isn't exactly like water, but slightly slippery and heavy than water. That's when I read about ieyra h.'s review then I learned that the slippery feeling is due to glycerin. Source: ieyra h. So that wasn't an illusion after all (heh).
One thing that kept me off-guard was the strong rose scent. Geez, I did not expect to be that prominent. To a certain sense, it is successful in delivering that selling point. For decades, rose scent is known as therapeutic and relaxing because of its aromatic scent.
Generally, people would love to carry the scent, but too much of one thing does not necessarily pleasing. I am not too sure whether it is artificial scent or whatsoever, but bear in mind, if you are sensitive to fragrance, perhaps you have to reconsider on your purchase.
Now, this toner is claimed to be multi-functional: 1) normal use on cotton pads, 2) moisturizing mist, and 3) calming DIY sheet mask pack.
So far I have only tried on the first 2 methods for the past few months. Not really into DIY sheet mask, so yeah (I skipped).
Usually I will dab my cotton pads with Mamonde's Rose Water Toner in my morning routine. It helps to freshen up. A gentle morning call for the skin and mind. And I will proceed with the remaining AM routine accordingly.
My personal favourite would be the mist. Pour the Rose Water Toner to an empty spray bottle and carry them around (as below). Use when necessary. I used to put a mist bottle in my bathroom, so that I can spray it on my face once I cleansed my face. To lock the moisture in.
Are you having issue with large pores? Are you looking for a toner to tackle your pore issues?
Today I am going to share with you one of my favourite toners that does wonder.
From time to time, I am experiencing acne breakouts problem and large pores. Probably because of my eating diet and hormones. That's life.
And I have this bad habit of extracting blackheads and whiteheads at home. I do it myself. I am not a professional. Just can't stand watching them without touching. Hands get "itchy".
But extracting blackheads and whiteheads without proper after-treatment would worsen the skin issue (I learned it in a hard way T.T). A pore-tightening toner would comes in handy.
Etude House's Wonder Pore Freshner | 에뛰드 하우스 원더 포어 프레쉬너 | 250ml / 8.45 fl, oz.
It was about a year ago since I first purchased Etude House's Wonder Pore Freshner out of curiosity. I can really observed improvement on my pores when I finished my first bottle. However, I didn't repurchase it as I thought of trying other products, which I regret now.
Changing from one product to another, I wasn't greatly satisfied with my options. Finally, I made an "U-turn".
As per product description,
"Etude House's Wonder Pore Freshner is a total solution product that effectively cleans the inside and outside of pores with its Special Peppermint Extract."
"This Freshner balances pH levels, making skin pure like baby skin and preventing skin troubles caused by pH imbalance."
It is a 10-in-1 ultra pore solution that helps
Balance skin's ideal pH level;
Deep cleanse pore;
Refine skin tones;
Minimize appearance of pores;
Keep the elasticity of pores;
Control a large amount of sebum;
Remove skin surface's dead skin cells;
Moisturize inside and outside of skin;
Cleanse pore insides with cooling effect; and
Complete smooth glass-like texture.
Now I am going to share with you my super-simple home DIY pore-tightening mask! ;)
All you gonna need are a pore-tightening toner and cotton pads.
In this simple tutorial, I will be using Etude House's Wonder Pore Freshner and Olive Young's Multi Cotton Puff.
This item is currently not available in Malaysia. Actually, I bought it back at South Korea. What's so special about this cotton pad? o.o
This cotton pad can be divided into 5 layers/sheets! Yes, turning 1 into 5! On top of that, it is (slightly) stretchable to cover large skin surface. Made of 100% cotton.
Thanks to Hanbyul, a Korean Beauty Youtuber, for her recommendation. That's why I purchased it and really love it :D
Check out Hanbyul's video here featuring Olive Young's Multi Cotton Puff
Back to my tutorial. Get one multi cotton puff and generously dampen it with the toner. Divide it into five sheets (as below).
Then apply it onto targeted areas (which needed pore-tightening) accordingly. Leave it for about 15-20 minutes. Once you remove the cotton pads, you can feel the cooling soothing effect on the skin. Very simple yet very effective! ;)
This product is available at Etude House concept store, Hermo and Althea.
To be very honest with you, I have totally no idea of the brand Benton before this. Very much inspired (in many ways) by Liah Yoo, Youtube Beauty Creator, I have then decided to try on one of her skincare favourites. (showing love to Liah!! ...and most likely she won't read this anyway haha)
Benton's Aloe BHA Skin Toner | 200ml
Suitable for all skin types, Benton's Aloe BHA Skin Toner uses aloe barbadensis leaf water instead of plain H20 (water). Besides that, it contains Beta-Glucan (an anti-inflammatory and promotes collagen production), Snail Secretion Filtrate (helps in reducing acne scarring and even out overall skin tone) and Betaine (protects against cellular dehydration).
The highlight of the highlights? It contains active ingredient Salicylic Acid (0.5%) which is a beta hydroxy acid (BHA) that is often used as an acne treatment. Being said that 0.5% is the highest percentage of BHA which is allowed in Korea Cosmetic Industry, Benton has naturally gained the public's affection.
In fact, a few months earlier I suffered from some kind of skin infection which caused quite some little red patches on my face, mainly on the cheeks (as below).
I noticed after using Benton's Aloe BHA Skin Toner and Snail Bee High Content Essence, my skin condition improved and much more stabilized/under-control. Don't get me wrong. I still have acne breakouts occasionally.
The packaging is simple and clean. I like the dark green background with white fonts. Previously, they used spray nozzle (but customers didn't like it); hence, their updated packaging comes with push-nozzle (as above).
Let's take a moment to understand the brand a little bit more.
From Bentonofficial website, the brand's name and vision is actually inspired by the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". The story was about an old man who starts aging backwards and ultimately dies as a new born baby. During the mist of the bizarre consequences, he has no choice but to leave Daisy, his love interest. The turning point for the brand Benton is, what if Daisy could have also turned the time back on her physical appearance, would she be happier? Would they be happier?
Wow. Amazing brand story.
Check out Liah Yoo's Korean Skincare Secrets : LAYERING TONER 7 TIMES?! 🌊 The 7 Skin Method Explained where featuring Benton's Snail Bee High Content Skin.
Guess what I'm going to do next???
YASSSS how about experimenting the new Korean skincare trend? LAYERING TONER FOR 7 TIMES!!!!!!!
Liah uses Benton's Snail Bee High Content Skin in the video. And today, I'm going to demonstrate by using Aloe BHA Skin Toner.
Let's get started~ ^^
Give it a pump of 2~3 times. Apply it all over the face and neck area.
First layer should be quickly absorbed by the skin. Apply the second layer.
...And the third layer...
...And continue with the forth layer... The skin takes longer time to fully absorb by now...
...Honestly I'm getting a bit annoyed at this point already... the fifth layer...
...This is taking ages... longer waiting time... the sixth layer...
At last, the seventh layer of toner. We made it!! \\(^0^)//
Before vs. After
Well not much of difference you can see from the appearance, but definitely my skin is soft and "chok-chok" (very moisture in Korean) after 7 times layering. It is really mind blowing to see my skin can actually absorb so much of "moisture". In other words, could it also imply that we might feed our skin so much less than it needs?
Other than applying skincare, we must also be reminded to drink more water to keep our body and skin hydrated (a serious reminder for myself too ><).
Social Icons