Spotlight | Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam.

Shopping for makeup and cosmetics in Korea has always been a delightful experience. Aside from the well-known fact that shopping districts in Korea are lined with various brands of cosmetics stores, their sales staff are also very cordial and helpful towards customers, especially foreigners. The best part? They give away free samples with every purchase, and are extremely generous with it!

This was how I first got my hands on the Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam. I received like five or six sachets when I went hoarding at the Innisfree store in Myeongdong last spring, fell in love with the product from the first time I used it, and decided to buy a full-sized tube when I chanced upon a huge sale at the Innisfree store in Hongdae.

Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam.

Originally priced at 8000 won, I got this 150 mL tube for half the price. Quite a steal, huh? :)

English and Hangul text at the back of the tube.

Product description (click to enlarge).

A pore-cleansing foam made with scoria from the volcanic island of Jeju, this product absorbs sebum and washes away impurities while leaving the skin soft and smooth.

Green Complex and 5-Free System.

It's also enriched with the Jeju green complex which consists of camellia sinensis, camellia japonica, cactus, and mandarin to keep your skin nourished and healthy.

Natural benefit safety seal.

And it's free from harmful ingredients such as parabens, mineral oil, synthetic colorants, ingredients from animals, and imidazolidinyl urea, a formaldehyde-releasing preservative. As such, this product bears the 5-Free System logo, which you can find on the side of the tube.

Flip-top cap.

The tube is made of soft plastic - easy to squeeze, with rounded, non-poking corners.

The tube opening, still sealed.

As for the product itself, it's a white-colored cleanser with a fairly thick consistency. A pea-sized amount of the cleanser yields a rich lather, so I reckon it will take months before I can empty out this 150 mL tube. Also, it has a mild scent that's neither floral nor citrus-y, but pleasant nonetheless.

Just a little goes a long way.

Sudsy! :)

As I have mentioned earlier, this cleansing foam is made with volcanic scoria, a dark-colored igneous rock with round bubble-like cavities. Formed from lava as it cools after a volcanic eruption, these rocks are fairly rare and free from impurities.

Tiny orange particles made from volcanic scoria.

You can see this volcanic scoria in the form of tiny orange particles which dissolve easily as you build a lather. These tiny clusters don't come in abundance, and they don't have that 'exfoliating feel', unlike the particles contained in face scrubs and exfoliating creams. Hence, this cleansing foam is alright for daily use. I actually use this twice daily, and I love how my skin feels soft, smooth, and squeaky clean after each use.

Now that we're entering the hot summer months, my skin tends to generate a lot more oil than the usual (I have sensitive skin, for the record) and I love how this cleansing foam helps in unclogging pores and keeping excess oil at bay. Definitely one of the best cleansers I have ever tried!

What I love:

- Affordable price.

- Thorough cleansing.

- Very economical; a pea-sized amount generates a thick lather.

- Safe for sensitive skin.

- Reduces excess sebum, unclogs pores.

- Made with natural ingredients.

- Does not contain harmful chemicals.

- Cruelty-free.

What you might not like:

- The brand is not available in the Philippines, but can be bought from online stores like Seoul Shopper.

Spotlight | Innisfree No-Sebum Blur Primer.

I'm a huge fan of the Korean cosmetics brand Innisfree - from their BB creams to their clay mask, to their ever-popular face mist. My only gripe, however, is that this brand is not available in the Philippines. And the only way for me to get my hands on their products is through online stores, or ask the husband to buy them in Korea.

And so when I finally had the chance to visit South Korea and set foot in Myeongdong, I made it a point to shop at Innisfree to my heart's content. One of the (many) items that I bought is the No-Sebum Blur Primer.

Innisfree No-Sebum Blur Primer, 10000 won.

Simply put, it's a primer that makes the skin texture smooth and bright, as if giving a blur effect, covering skin bumps caused by pores and fine wrinkles.

Product description in English and Hangul at the back of the box. 

It contains 'natural mint' and 'Jeju mineral powder' to manage the oil and moisture balance of the skin, thus making the skin soft and smooth for hours. 

Natural mint and Jeju mineral powder.

It also contains other ingredients from Jeju, such as Green Persimmon extracts which makes the skin supple and clear as it tightens the pores, and the Jeju Green Complex which makes the skin healthy and glowing. 

Comfortable skin made possible by natural ingredients from Jeju.

The Innisfree No-Sebum Blur Primer comes in a very handy, 25 mL squeeze tube. The plastic tube is pretty easy to squeeze, and the dispenser tip allows you to control the amount of product you want to use.

Squeeze tube.

Product description on the tube, written mostly in Hangul.

The product is beige in color and has a soft, velvety texture similar to that of The Face Shop's Velvet Skin Primer. But unlike that primer, which has a rather watery consistency, this one tends to lean more on the creamy side.

Squeezed a bit of it on my skin.

It has a very faint minty scent, barely noticeable, really. You'll only catch a hint of it when you smell the product from the tube since the scent dissipates as soon as you spread the primer on your skin.

A few seconds after application.
Left, without primer. Right, with primer.

I love its lightweight formula, its soft, velvety feel, and how it keeps my makeup intact for hours. It does a good job of minimizing the appearance of fine lines and neutralizing the red patches on the skin. Plus its mattefying effect is perfect for this time of the year (ergo, the scorching hot summer months in the tropics). And while this product may be silicon-based, it had no adverse effects on my skin - no itchiness, no rashes, no breakouts whatsoever. 

After priming.
Left, without primer, Right, with primer.

What I love:

- Handy packaging.

- Lightweight formula.

- Velvety texture.

- Conceals fine lines, smoothens skin.

- Keeps makeup intact.

- Contains natural ingredients.

- Eco-friendly and cruelty-free.

- Affordable price.

What you might not like:

- It is silica-based, so take caution if you're allergic to silicon.

Wearing the Innisfree No-Sebum Blur Primer underneath my makeup.
Also, I'm so loving my Wine Red hair. :)

Since Innisfree is not readily available in the Philippines, I plan to shop for more Innisfree items (and other Korean cosmetic brands) the next time I fly to Seoul and sell them in my online store. What do you think? I need extra cash for all the traveling that I'll be doing in the next three years, haha! :)

Spotlight | Innisfree Green Tea Mineral Mist.

After having discovered the wonders of face mists about a year ago, it has become a habit to bring a bottle (or can) in my purse wherever I go. My current favorite is the Green Tea Mineral Mist by Innisfree.

Innisfree Green Tea Mineral Mist.

A brand made even popular by its endorser, the Prince of Asia Lee Min Ho, Innisfree also takes pride in being one of the most environment-friendly skincare brands in Korea with the use of organic ingredients for their products and eco-friendly materials for their packaging.

A product of Jeju Island! :)

Case in point, the 4-Free system, as indicated in this Green Tea Mineral Mist. The 4-Free system means this product is free from these four ingredients are harmful to the skin - ethanol, artificial dye, animal material, and mineral oil.

4-Free System.

Now here's a brief description of the product which I stumbled upon on the web:

"Enriched with Green Tea and Green Complex from Jeju island, Green Tea Mineral Mist revives dry, stressed skin by supplying abundant moisture. Formulated with moisture from our freshly-squeezed green tea, this hypoallergenic and ethanol-free facial mist instantly replenishes moisture to your thirsty skin."

Made with organic Jeju green tea.

Grown in healthy, volcanic soil, the green tea from Jeju Island is known for its pure quality and its richness in amino acids and minerals that help keep the skin hydrated. In addition to the organic green tea water,  this product also contains panthenol which encourages cell growth and the production of moisture.

Green Complex.

To use, hold the can a few centimeters away from the face, then spray with your eyes closed. Afterwards, gently pat your face for better product absorption.

Spritz!

I love the cool, refreshing feeling I get each time I spray this mist on my face. And I love how this product leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth afterwards. It's light and non-sticky, and the scent is amazing, too - fresh and sweet, yet very subtle. 

A spritz or two to get me through the hot summer day.

Spray this on your bare face to give your skin a nice, healthy glow. Or you can spray this over makeup for that instant dewy effect on the skin. And because the product dries quickly, you need not worry about your mascara running or your foundation caking. 

Here's how the product looks like when sprayed on the skin.

And how your skin looks like afterwards.

My only gripe about this product is the nozzle. It doesn't spray as fine as other face mists that I've tried, and the nozzle is a bit hard to control. I usually end up with a bit of white residue on my face, but nothing a good pat (or a dab with a tissue) can't fix.

What I love:

- Handy, travel-friendly packaging.

- Made with natural ingredients.

- Chemical-free.

- Light and non-sticky.

- Easily absorbed by the skin.

- Makes the skin feel cool and refreshed.

- Moisturizes the skin.

- The scent.

- Hypoallergenic; safe for sensitive skin.

- Affordable price.

What you might not like:

-  The nozzle is a tad difficult to control.

- Not locally available, so I purchased mine online.

After spraying my face with some Green Tea goodness. :)
Products Used:
FACE: Etude House House Beauty Shot Face Blur,
The Saem Gem Miracle Black Pearl O2 CC Cream,
Benefit Erase Paste in Medium.
EYES: Shiseido Eyebrow Pencil in Brown,
K-Palette Real Lasting Micro Eyeliner in Black,
Forever 21 Love & Beauty Eyeliner Pencil in Brown,
Missha Viewer 270 HD Lash Curl Mascara.
CHEEKS: Tony Moly Cristal Blusher in Pleasure Peach.
LIPS: Laneige Silk Intense Lipstick in Beige Chiffon.

The Innisfree Green Tea Mineral Mist comes in two sizes - 50 mL and 150 mL. I bought my 50 mL can from Kkochipida for only Php 195. I'm thinking of buying asking the husband to buy the bigger size next time, and I reckon it won't be long before I do he does. I checked the price on Emart, and the 150 mL bottle sells for 11000 Korean won (around $10 or Php 450).

Are you a fan of face mists, too? Which brand is your favorite? :)

Project BB Cream | Innisfree Eco Natural Green Tea BB Cream.

I was on the verge of purchasing a new BB Cream over the weekend, after having received gift certificates from one of my favorite online shopping sites. However, the penny-pinching side of me suddenly remembered that I still have a few BB Cream samples in my makeup stash, all waiting to be tried. Thus, I decided to save the gift certificates for a rainy day and just make do with what I have right now.

And with that, I give you my review of the Innisfree Eco Natural Green Tea BB Cream - the 14th BB Cream that I have tried since I started this blog (in 2011) and began my love affair with Korean makeup brands.

What I have is the 4mL sample size, which looks like this.

Innisfree Eco Natural Green Tea BB Cream.

This BB Cream comes in two shades, #1 Bright Moisture and #2 Natural Moisture. This one is the latter.

Mostly (as in 95%) Hangul text at the back.

Go for the full size and you get a 40 mL plastic squeeze tube, which look like this.

Full sized tube, 40 mL.

While there's mostly Hangul text at the back of the sachet, the description in front is enough to give you an idea of what this BB cream contains and what it does.

'Enriched with Green Tea seed oil from pure Jeju Island. Green Tea revives dry, stressed skin by supplying abundant moisture."

And as you can see, it has SPF29/PA++ - a pretty decent SPF number for me. Now here's how the product looks like.

A few dots of the BB Cream at the back of my hand...

The shade has yellow undertones, and is a lot lighter than what I was expecting, considering this one is the 'darker' shade among the two variants. Kinda reminds me of Skin Food's Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea BB Cream - perhaps the palest shade of BB Cream that I've tried.

Spread it evenly... (left side without BB Cream, right side with BB Cream)

The texture, however, is thick and it's a bit tricky to blend. Squeeze out too much and you'll get a slight grayish cast on your face. But with the right amount and proper blending, you'll get light to medium coverage that's good enough to cover skin imperfections.

Wear time is okay - about six to seven hours with a primer on. I must say though, that I did feel a bit of oil in my T-zone by the fourth hour (I wear eyeglasses, take note) which I needed to blot off and dust with a bit of powder afterwards.

And voila, it adjusts to my skin tone nicely!
(Left side without BB Cream, right side with BB Cream.)

Now while I do love the dewy finish and the natural glow this product gives, I am not crazy about the scent. To be brutally honest, I abhor dislike it at the first whiff. It smelled funky, like some Oriental medicine or something, and nothing, I say nothing, like green tea. So for someone who hardly complains about the scent of makeup and cosmetics, this is a first for me. It wouldn't have been an issue if the scent goes away within minutes, but no, the scent lingers longer, much too longer than I would have wanted.

As for the price of the full-sized product (which I doubt I would buy anyway), it's quite affordable at 14000 Korean Won. That's around $13 or Php590 when converted. Unfortunately though, there are no Innisfree stores yet here in the Philippines. I do my Innisfree shopping online, or through the kindness of my husband who's still in Seoul as of this writing. :)

What I love:

- Contains green tea, which moisturizes the skin and delays skin aging.

- SPF29/PA++.

- Light to medium coverage.

- Dewy finish.

- Gives the skin a natural, healthy glow.

- Affordable price.

- Contains all-natural ingredients.

- Cruelty-free.

What you might not like:

- A bit tricky to apply.

- Oil control is so-so.

- The scent. Ugh!

Wearing my Lisa Loeb glasses. :)
Products used:
FACE: Majolica Majorca Skin Lingerie Pore Cover,
Innisfree Eco Natural Green Tea BB Cream,
Missha Undereye Brightener.
EYES: The Face Shop Lovely Me:EX Design My Eyebrow,
BYS Waterproof Eyeliner, Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara.
CHEEKS: Human Heart Nature Perfect Glow Mineral Blush.
LIPS: EOS Blueberry Potion, Miners Matte Factor in Warm Red. 

Have you tried this BB Cream before? Do let me know if you have, and if you share the same sentiments with me. I'd like to verify if it's just my nose being overly sensitive to the scent, or it just really smells that way. Haha! :)

Sneak Peek | My Konjac Sponge.

Weather was warm and sunny over the weekend, and it was business as usual for most establishments here in Laguna, including courier and delivery services. Even our mailbox had been bustling since last Friday, with a steady flow of deliveries - utility bills, credit card bills (spare me, please), PhilPost claim stubs, and best of all, products from my favorite brands and generous sponsors.

I received quite a few items over the weekend, but this package from Updated Trends really got me stoked.

Plant not included, lol.

If you can remember, Updated Trends is the Philippines' exclusive distributor of Sleek Makeup. The latest addition to the store's product line is this brand - My Konjac Sponge.

Konjac, the plant from which these sponges are made, thrives in tropical and warm subtropical countries such as India, China, Japan, and Korea. Konjac is well-known in these countries as a food ingredient, as well as its various health-giving properties.

In Japanese cuisine, Konjac (also known as konnyaku) can usually be found in dishes like oden and sukiyaki. While in China, Konjac is usually consumed in jelly or tofu-form. In Korea, it has become quite popular as an exfoliant and a face massage accessory, as in the case of My Konjac Sponge.

With five variants to choose from, my Konjac Sponge can be used even on the most sensitive skin. Babies included!

Moon Korean Ocher, Php 365.

The Moon Korean Ocher (in orange) is tailor-made for ultra-sensitive skin as it contains nothing but natural plant fiber. No chemicals, no coloring, no additives. 

Water Drop Bamboo Charcoal, Php 365.

The Water Drop Bamboo Charcoal (in gray) is best for oily and troubled skin. Enriched by charcoal extracted from homegrown bamboos in Korea, this sponge is effective in eliminating blackheads and unclogging pores

Moon Original, Php 345.

Originally designed for babies, the Moon Original sponge is also suitable for adults, particularly those with normal skin. It is super soft, pH balanced, and free from additives.

These sponges are manufactured in one of my favorite tourist destinations - Jeju Island, Korea. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jeju Island is home to the majestic Jeju Volcano, and to one of the cleanest and purest water in the world.

And just as My Konjac Sponge is gentle on skin, it's gentle to the environment, too. These sponges come from naturally sustainable and biodegradable ingredients, and are made by hand in a sterile and safe environment. They are also tested to the highest standards and have UK and EU certification for hygiene and purity.

I'll be posting more about each of these sponges in the days to come. Bath time is sure gonna be fun with these new buddies!

In the meantime, you can check out My Konjac Sponge's official website or place orders via Updated Trends on Multiply or Facebook.

Many thanks to Ms. Smile  for these babies, and to My Konjac Sponge, who never fails to greet me on Twitter. :)

Review | Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask.

While my skin is nowhere near the likes of Song Hye Kyo or Lee Min Jung, I'm thankful that it's not acne-prone or troublesome, to the point that I would need treatment or regular visits to a derma clinic.

Around two or three weeks ago however, while I was doing my makeup, I noticed that my once small and almost invisible pores have opened up and become recognizable. I freaked out at the sight of dots, dots, and more dots patched on my inner cheeks. Add a sequence of numbers on those tiny holes and you might as well play 'connect the dots' on my face.

I was quite surprised to see these, as I have a basic skincare routine which I follow religiously. But I guess constant exposure to the elements have taken toll on my skin. Remember, I now leave the house on a daily basis since Yue started school. That means everyday exposure to the sun, the wind, and San Pablo City traffic.

My skin needed rescuing, and fast! The first thing that came to mind was the Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask.

Sachet + Jar.

I ordered a few sachets first from my favorite seller of Korean cosmetics. After about three uses and getting satisfying results each time, it was only then that I decided to go full-size.

As the name implies, this Innisfree clay mask has volcanic properties that originated from Jeju Island. These volcanic properties are actually called 'volcanic clusters' - lava spewed by the volcano that have hardened through time. This pure ingredient has the capacity to absorb sebum, remove impurities, and moisturize the skin. 

What makes this ingredient so precious and rare is the fact that volcanic clusters can only be found in the island of Jeju.

The clay mask, up close.

The mask itself is a brownish-gray cream. It has a very light scent that's common to most clay masks. Unlike mud packs, this one dries faster and doesn't feel like cement once it dries.

Remember my gripe about Korean cosmetics? How most of the boxes and labels are written in Hangul without the English translation? That's what sets Innisfree apart from the other brands.

Not Hangul! :)

Their products have English texts on their boxes - from the description, to the instructions, all the way to the ingredients.

Tree-hugger!

In addition, Innisfree uses eco-friendly materials - recycled paper for the boxes, low-carbon plastic for the containers, and labels made from tangerine skin.

See that blue handkerchief on the foreground?
That's actually a freebie that came with my clay mask. As part of their Eco-Friendly drive, Innisfree launched the Eco-Handkerchief Campaign in 2010 which aims to preserve trees by minimizing the use of tissues. Neat, huh?

My son stays away from me when I have a mask on, lol!

Now aside from using this all over your face, you can use this solely for blackheads and zits, too.

For blackheads: Apply a generous amount of the clay mask on your blackheads zone (aka the nose). Let it dry, and wash off after 10-15 minutes. Wipe off the sebum using a small piece of cotton or cotton buds.

For breakouts: Before bedtime, dot the troubled area with the clay mask. Leave the mask as is. Wash off in the morning.

I usually don't end my product reviews with a numerical value, but if I were to rate the Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask with stars, I'd give it five, plus the moon. Haha! That's how highly I think of this product.

The Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask is currently on sale at the Innisfree website and at E-Mart for 12,000 KR Won. That's more or less Php 450 when converted to our currency. 
You can check out my trusted seller of Korean cosmetics, too. :)