Product: Etude House – Vitamin A & Vitamin C Essence Masks
Price: ~USD 1.49 each @ soompi (kimnvy)
Review:

These are two out of the three Etude House Essence masks that I purchased a while back. I used both the Vitamin A one and the Vitamin C one in the two nights before I went to get my wisdom teeth removed. I figured that I’d be in too much pain and too loopy to really take good care of my skin afterward, so I might as well treat it well before to prep for it. Personally, I really liked both of the masks and I couldn’t really tell the difference between the two – they both just as well, in my opinion.

They have a light fragrance to them but its nothing too strong or noticeable. Since these are essence masks, I’m supposed to pat the remaining essence into my face after waiting the 15-20 minutes. I actually waited a full 30 minutes before peeling off the mask. My skin definitely felt extremely hydrated and it left a sight glow to my skin. I felt that the masks made my skin look a lot healthier. Also, compared to the Skinfood Herb Salad Essence mask, I had no problem with patting in the remaining essence to dry – it didn’t make my skin feel sticky or anything

I only get one or two occasional active pimples now that I’m on Tazorac (usually around that time of the month) and I feel that the mask really helped with decreasing the dark spots that active pimples leave. I really wish I knew where to buy these masks in bulk, that would be awesome. Personally, I like the Vitamin A mask more because I feel that Vitamin A is a great anti-aging and healing agent. If you’re looking for hydrating though, the Vitamin C mask would be better.

Rating: 5/5

I’ve been itching to buy stuff and waiting as patiently as I could for this package to come! Retail therapy is always nice to have, since it helps keep a girl sane when all other aspects of her life has gone down the drain. I bought this two weeks ago from mstar, a soompi seller who was kind enough to do a personal order for me. Considering the products came all the way from Korea – two weeks is reasonable. My orders from Sasa (HK) usually take around the same time, sometimes a little shorter.

From left to right, top to bottom, I bought:

Parsley and Mandarin Toner (For Troubled Skin)
Parsley and Mandarin Emulsion (For Troubled Skin)
Peach Sake Pore Serum
SAMPLES!!

Seeing the samples that came with the packages really made me happy.

The samples that I have include: Broccoli Sun Cream SPF 42 PA+++, Agave Cactus Toner, Agave Cactus Emulsion, Orange & Mint Body Wash and Salmon Brightening Eye Serum. Yay for the eye serum since I’ll probably need it – if I ever stop crying. My poor eyes. T_T

I will do review of these products after I’ve gotten the chance to use these products for two or three weeks, so be on the lookout if you’re a Skinfood fanatic or are interested!

If I plan to create a blog with a focus on Asian skincare products, I think it would be smart if I included one of the hottest trends in Asia – BB Cream AKA Blemish Balm Cream. An easy Google search would probably lead you to a good description of what this product is or does, along with some resourceful reviews. I found out about BB Cream through Soompi’s Forums and I think that their Official BB Cream Thread would be the best place to begin your research. I also consult Taciturnity Serenity for reviews – Kimoko is the absolute BB Cream Queen and probably will have a review of something you’re interested in.

What? For those of you who don’t really want to read through everything (although I suggest you do if you really are interested!), here is the basic rundown: BB Cream is much like a tinted moisturizer with benefits, such as whitening, anti-aging, and healing properties. It was first created for patients who had undergone cosmetic surgery, but was made famous in Korea and has since spread to various other Asian countries. In terms of coverage, it varies between tinted moisturizer and foundation, although this varies on brand. Generally, it can be used as a make-up base or it can be worn alone.

Why? There are probably a lot of BB cream reviews out there to read, but I simply wanted to offer my own personal experience with different BB Creams – as a person that has struggled with moderate-severe acne for several years. I always had to take BB cream reviews with a grain of salt, since most reviews are made by people with relatively nice, clear skin (compared to mine).

BB Creams: Here are the BB Creams that I own and have tried so far. There will be little to no order in which I post up the reviews, but please let me know if there’s a particular one you want reviewed first/next!

Carpe Diem
Coogi Flowertox 3 action bb cream
Hanskin Super Magic BB Cream
Hanskin Glossy Magic BB Cream
Gowoonsesang Brightening Balm SPF 30
Missha M Perfect Cover BB SPF42 PA+++ (#23)
Skin79 Intense Classic Balm UV SPF20 PA++
Skin79 DermaRX BB Cream
Skinfood Aloe Sun SPF20 PA+
It’s Skin’s BB Cream