Mizon Original Skin Energy Hyaluronic Acid 100 30 ml Review

Ingredients:

Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Copper Tripeptide-1, Butylene Glycol, Sclerotium Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tropolone, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Capryl/capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Stearic Acid, C12-c20 Alkyl Glucoside, C14-22 Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cholesteryl Hydroxystearate, Cholesterol, Ceramide 3, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract, Beta-Glucan, Adenosine, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA.

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- I have similar problem with Mizon's serum as any other hyaluronic acid products, I need to use squalane with it to not experience the tightness

- Pills if layered two layers (but who else would do that except me?)

- I wouldn't say it's "amazing" at hydrating the skin (more soothing)



+ If used one layer, doesn't pill, so it works for daytime too (compared to The Ordinary's Hyaluronic Acid serum)

+ Feels calming/soothing

+ Bottle looks like a jewel! Sturdy too. Dropper works well.

+ Sinks into skin fast, only slight stickiness that goes away soon

+ Multitasker product: hydrates, soothes, smoothes (but, requires squalane too)

* Overall I feel that Mizon's Hylauronic Acid Serum is a lot better than what I thought it would be! I guess I wasn't expecting much? I tried to postpone using it in fear it would break me out or something but now I'm just happy I bought it. It has a lot of plant extracts and other things I was afraid of.

* I noticed I soon started to favor Mizon's serum over The Ordinary's, even though I don't see the same results in fading PIE or hydration. Maybe it's just because it's more pleasant to use and soothing. I've tried to use Mizon for day, TO for night.

Price: 

USD$ 7.95, with shipping about USD$ 9.50 / 30 ml

Bought from: 

Beautynetkorea

Buy again? 

You know what, I actually might. Especially if I find the serum somewhere super cheap.

Worth the money? 

I think so! It's not overly expensive, it's pleasant to use, it really works, the bottle is pretty. If you want to try a serum and don't know which one to choose, maybe this could be it. However even though the bottle is not too expensive, it's only 30 ml and as a nice product, I wanted to apply it liberally and I felt like half of it was gone before I even noticed. If I keep using it like this it's finished in two or two and half months.

Canmake Be My Baby BB Cream SPF 50+ PA++++ 20 g Review

Ingredients:


Aqua, Cyclopentasiloxane, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Octinoxate, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Triethylhexanoin, Pentylene Glycol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Sodium chloride, VINYL DIMETHICONE/METHICONE SILSESQUIOXANE CROSSPOLYMER, Butyloctyl salicylate, BisEthylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Tribehenin, Butyrospermum Parkii Oil, Ensulizole, Butylene Glycol, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, vitamin E, Squalane, Ceramide 2, Sodium Hyaluronate, Titanium(IV) Oxide, Talc Powder, Iron Oxides, Hydrated silica, Dimethicone, Aluminum hydroxide, Methylhydrogenpolysiloxane

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- Sadly the Canmake BB cream is a bit too dark for me... I look surprisingly tanned. Takes an effort to blend it well and up to my neck and ears because they look pale against the parts with BB cream! It is very healthy looking natural tan however, so nothing else wrong with it except that my neck and arms etc are a shade lighter and it looks a little weird! Especially during winter.

- Because the finish is so natural, it doesn't quite hide proper (rosacea like) redness etc.

- I don't think it's buildable, it starts to cling to patches and accelerates facial hair. Best as a thin light layer.

- If you sweat, turns ugly patchy. Then again, most foundations do. I just happened to accidentally test this one.

- Small tube, gets pricy to order from Japan.



+ My skin seems to like it! No clogged pores or weird irritation in the evening when I wash it off. It's amazing. My skin looks almost or close to as good as in the morning.

+ Finish is quite natural, not too shiny or too covering, it takes a while until sebum appears, with powder on top it's alright almost 8 hrs! Very good also without powder, my skin but better look.

+ Feels light, doesn't dry my skin.

+ Minimal fragrance, barely smell anything.

+ Seems to melt seamlessly to the oily parts of my face.

This picture shows why the BB cream is not a perfect match for me. It's not properly blended (obviously)
so the difference is not quite that big afterwards, but still noticeable. But I think since taking
these photos I have already tanned despite sunscreen use.

* Even though the color of the cream is too dark, the shade is somewhat ok. Very yellow. Maybe too much.

* I'm guessing that for sun protection my skin likes Tinosorb S/BisEthylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine (UVA&UVB), Octinoxate/Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (UVB and weak UVA) and Ensulizole/ Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid (only UVB). This is similar to Pladerm's Dual Sun BB Cream that also doesn't break me out/clog my skin. Interestingly products with Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate have clogged me, but I don't know if it's the culprit.

* I would like to try other products from Canmake but I don't know how their other foundations are shade wise. I think something like Perfect Serum BB Cream looked quite orange/dark as a swatch. At least I know I should get the lightest possible shade.

* I have to say, it surprised me how small the tube is even though I knew it would be only 20 g. It is very tiny.

* My skin gets noticeably less oily with Canmake's BB Cream than Pladerm's BB Cream. However the color and shade of Pladerm is spot on. Both are not buildable and they cling to dry spots, to pimples, and hair. Pladerm is easier to apply, it's more runny. But it's very dewy as well and it adds to the sebum problem.

Price: 

 $12.69, Canmake website says 650 yen in Japan / 20 g 

Bought from: 

Ebay seller japan-beauty-of-quality

Buy again? 

If I tan. I guess it's maybe/no, maybe for summer. I wish there would be a lighter (and brighter yellow?) shade, then I would click several into my shopping cart immediately!

Worth the money? 

It annoys me how much more expensive it is outside of Japan. The tube is small. But it is very suitable for clog prone skin. If it is your shade, I do highly recommend it. It's definitely not for a cool toned or pale skin! Maybe it's more for normal-oily skin that doesn't have much bumps, because it does cling to my dry patches, but melts quite beautifully to my oily forehead.

Wishlist 2018

Wants/Curious

My wishlist for 2018, I may or may not buy (or request as a gift) something from here... truly, I don't need anything but I just record things I have taken an interest in. Quite many of these are in luxury product price range for me too. My 2017 Wishlist, I guess still relevant as I haven't found an eye cream/serum or new foundation or sleeping mask or sunscreen or...


* Kicks Beauty Vitamin C peeling pads

* Herbivore Botanicals Lapis Facial Oil

* Burt’s Bees Complete Nourishment Facial Oil 15ml

* EKOPHARMA Helsinki Herukka Siemenöljy (blackcurrant seed oil)

* Green People Facial Sun Cream SPF30 Scent Free 50ml

* Madara Superseed Soothing Hydration Organic Facial Oil

* Sukin Sensitive Facial Moisturiser 125ml

* ELIZABETH ARDEN ADVANCED CERAMIDE CAPSULES

* First Aid Beauty Anti-Redness Serum

* Goodal Sensitive Relief Lotion

* Paula’s Choice Calm Redness Relief Serum

* TOO FACED Love Light Prismatic Highlighter ( 9g )

* Deciem NIOD COPPER AMINO ISOLATE SERUM 2:1

* Deciem NIOD Flavanode Mud

* Deciem NIOD Modulating Glucosides

* Jurlique Purely Age-Defying Nourishing Cleansing Oil

* RENARDBLANC Multilayer Sun Block

* The Body Shop OILS OF LIFE INTENSELY REVITALISING CLEANSING OIL-IN-GEL

* Missha Near Skin Total Ceramide Cream

* Basiron AC gel

Dr. Young CentellaSCA Cream 50 ml Review

Ingredients:

Centella Asiatica Extract (57,12%), Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Polysorbate 60, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Betaine, Water, Pentylene Glycol, Microcrystalline Wax, Allantoin, Dipottassium Glycyrrhizate, Asiaticoside, Hyaluronic Acid, Dextrin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extraxt, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin.

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- I really have to think hard to come up with negatives for CentellaSCA Cream! Well, it's not heavy duty cream if you're looking for those qualities, not enough on its on for aging and dehydrated skin

- Also, I don't really see it "strengthening the skin" or being "special care" or very soothing; didn't notice any difference with my skin's redness or brightness or PIE



+ Very pleasant light cream gel

+ Absorbs in about a minute completely, no stickiness

+ Layering the gel cream works well, doesn't feel heavy

+ Considering the lightness, moisturizes well! Not enough alone for my aging skin but for example with a couple of drops squalane oil, just perfect for daytime

+ I didn't notice pilling or anything else funny when worn under makeup

+ Not irritating,  however I don't know if soothing either

+ No fragrance, maybe a slight stuffy smell but barely that either

* If you're looking for a centella asiatica cream/gel/moisturizer and Missha Near Skin Madecanol Cream is too thick/balmy/sticky for your taste and skin, I think Dr. Young's CentellaSCA Cream could be an excellent choice! They are about the same price too.

* I'm considering gifting this product to my sister who has an dehydrated oily and acne prone skin, she has liked Benton's aloe propolis gel as well and this is somehow similar in feel? Except I think CentellaSCA cream is better, or my skin likes it more at least.

* Near Skin Madecanol Cream feels a lot more occlusive compared to CentellaSCA Cream, but somehow CentellaSCA Cream feels more moisturizing/hydrating.

* When I started using this cream (I think October/November?) my skin wasn't very happy because I had been testing so many new things in a short time, I had overexfoliation and hormonal acne etc. First I added Squalane and my skin seemed to love it, then CentellaSCA cream and it worked very well in that situation. Certainly didn't make anything worse! Let's hope that it doesn't break me out now, my skin is in better condition and I haven't used it for a while. It does seem to have comedogenic ingredients. Sometimes I don't notice if something breaks me out if everything at the moment seems to be the problem...

* If I would have to choose between Missha Near Skin Madecanol Cream and this, I would maybe still prefer Missha's Cream. At least for winter. I really learned to love the balm texture it had.

Price: 

About $15.29 USD / 50 ml with shipping

Bought from: 

Rubyrubyshop

Buy again? 

Maybe? For those days when I want to play it safe. It is a good moisturiser but is it good enough to repurchase?

Worth the money? 

I think this gel cream suits all skin types and is so pleasant to use! Also at the same I wonder if a daily cream is worth so much as it gets used up so quickly and it didn't offer me anything "special". I will not stop searching for new centella asiatica products, but I certainly do not regret buying Dr. Young's CentellasSCA Cream.

BB / CC / Foundation Cream Comparisons / Swatches

I don't like shopping for foundations. Quite often it's such a pain to find a match, not to mention, it's a high chance they break me out. My skin has a yellow undertone but many foundations seem to steer to orange if they are warm which is just the worst look, because my skin is still quite neutral warm/bright/red splotches. Just the other day I swatched a lot of L'Oreal and Maybelline foundations at the store and none of them matched (too orange-ish, even light colors). Max Factor didn't have that problem as bad. I still find Lumene's shades the best compared to all other supermarket makeup brands, rarely the lighter shades go orange.

Out of the the next three, Pladerm seems to match the bright yellow in my skintone the best; Lumene is neutral, it matches well the overall tone without highlighting anything specific (warmness or coolness or redness.). The photo makes it look almost grey but it's not true. The Ordinary on the other hand, yikes. The shade is supposed to be "Light Neutral" but I find it looks unnatural on me, kind of steers to... orange. I had to be a lot more careful when trying to blend it on my face. However all of these shades are wearable on me and it also is a personal taste how you want to look and what shades to highlight. Both The Ordinary and Lumene clog my pores/break me out a little.

Pladerm Dual Sun Cream Blemish Balm SPF 48 PA++ Review

The Ordinary Serum Foundation 1.2N Light Neutral

Lumene CC Color Correcting Cream SPF 20 Light Review

Here are some random foundations I thought I would swatch together. The only new one is Lumene's Instant Glow Beauty Serum. As you can see (despite not so good photos - my skin is so red), Canmake's BB Cream is almost exactly the same shade like the discontinued Lumene's Glow Foundation. Their finish and feel is completely different though, Lumene is more liquidy and doesn't have the coverage of Canmake. Both give a very healthy look on my face, as if I had tanned, on a verge of being too dark. Can't be layered because then they become too dark. Missha's Perfect Cover BB Cream in 21 is way too gray to look comfortable, too light as well. Good for all the zombie looks! But honestly it's wearable as a thin well blended layer or mixed with something else. Lumene's Beauty Serum in Light is actually technically too light for me, but because it is so light, sheer and glowy, it works, it just disappears in! I had a sample of the Medium, and when I tried it on my face, it looked so unnatural. Maybe I used too much? This made me do a mistake later however, Lumene's Fresh Skin Tint I also bought in Light - and it is a smidge too light, sadly. Can't be layered at all. The formula is super good anyway and one day I might go for the medium shade!

Canmake Be My Baby BB Cream SPF50

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF42 PA+++ in 21 Light Beige

Lumene Invisible Illumination Instant Glow Beauty Serum in Universal Light

Lumene Nude Perfection Glow Foundation in 1 Classic Beige SPF15

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF42 PA+++ in 21 Light Beige

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF42 PA+++ in 23 Natural Beige

If you ask me, Missha should totally do a shade 22 that would be in between these two, even though they both do blend in nicely and are similar. Still, 21 is too light for me, 23 is better.

Lumene's CC Cream in Light (at least this old version I have) is considerably darker/oxidizes darker than Lumene's Beauty Serum and Fresh Skin Tint in Universal Light shades. So maybe Ultra Light matches Universal Lights from CC line up. I feel that maybe Fresh Skin Tint is a bit cooler/pinker shade and slightly lighter compared to Beauty Serum that leans more yellow. That also could explain why on my face Fresh Skin Tint looks a bit too light. Of course this is just my speculation while staring at my arm swatches. :) None of them lean to orange however and they all look very wearable, neutral shades to light skintones and they are not full coverage so that gives a lot leeway. Still I wish Lumene would do some in between "Universal Light-Medium" shade! Considering I always seem to fall between the shades, maybe I am also shade matching wrong or try to match too critically.

Lumene Invisible Illumination Instant Glow Beauty Serum in Universal Light

Lumene Invisible Illumination Instant Glow Fresh Skin Tint in Universal Light

Lumene CC Color Correcting Cream SPF 20 Light Review