[innisfree] rosemary sebum & pore lotion

In the evening I like to use a lotion under my face cream. Usually it's a product for acne or oil skin and so I came to [innisfree]'s rosemary sebum & pore lotion. This lotion belongs to the Nature Solution Skincare Line and is available in five (5) different kinds:
- rose clear skin
- rosemary sebum & pore lotion
- jasmine aqua capsule lotion
- camomile mild soothing lotion
- lavender moisture firming lotion

I got oily skin with some enlarged pores and dry areas. Because of that I got the rosemary type but would also try out the camomile one for sensitive skin.

Description: Enriched with rosemary and green complex to maintain optimal moisture balance and to create clean and clear skin.

The clear plastic bottle has a silver twist-off lid and contains 200ml. The sticker on the bottle is made of recycled paper and has only the description and ingredient list in Korean on it. Since the bottle has no pump you have to squeeze it to get the lotion out.

The sebum & pore lotion contains 200mg Rosemary Extract and Mint Extract. Rosemary controls sebum while mint keeps your pores elastic. This product line is free of Paraben, Mineral Oil, Artificial Dyes and Animal Material.

The lightweight lotion has a milky white color and changes to a watery consistency when I spread it over my face. It moisturizes and mattifies my skin after it got absorbed. My pores are less visible as well. Unfortunately my skin sometimes gets dry and flaky on some areas and therefore a mattifying product alone is not always good for my skin. I have to use another face cream over it afterwards! The scent is kinda strong and smells like herbs - probably rosemary.

[innisfree]'s rosemary sebum & pore lotion does a good job in keeping my oily skin areas matte and minimizes the appearance of pores. If you like a natural product and want a moisturizing yet mattifying product for your oily/combination skin you can give it a try!

How to use: Smooth in the morning and/or evening over thoroughly cleansed and toned skin of face and neck. 

Price: About 10,- €/ US$13.50
Bought at: eBay (rubyruby76) 

What I love: 
The mattifying effect and that my pores are less visible (the smaller ones anyway).  

What I don’t like:
Not moisturizing enough (or too mattifying) for dry skin areas. Can use it mostly in combination with a face cream only. 

Will I buy this again? I don't think so but the camomile one would be interesting to try, too.

[A'PIEU] Aqua Nature Fresh Bamboo Soothing Gel

Since a few months I like to use aloe vera gel in the morning and evening underneath my regular face cream.
I've already reviewed the ALOE VERA 92% SOOTHING GEL from [NATURE REPUBLIC] and now I got a similar product but with bamboo instead of aloe vera in it: [A'PIEU]'s Aqua Nature Fresh Bamboo Soothing Gel.

I tend to stick to products from [ETUDE HOUSE], [Holika Holika] or [SKINFOOD] but it's always nice to try out another cosmetic brand. [A'PIEU] belongs to [MISSHA] and contains mainly natural ingredients, similar to [NATURE REPUBLIC] or [SKINFOOD] I guess.

Official Website: http://shop.beautynet.co.kr/apieu/

I got the Fresh Bamboo Soothing Gel because it is said to be good for oily & combination skin. For those with dry & normal skin it's also available as Deep-sea Soothing Gel.

Description: AQUA NATURE provides pure and natural energy to your skin, with its high moisturizing benefit. With AQUA NATURE, you will experience the beautiful innovation to your skin with the pure and harmonious ingredients from natural water.

The Fresh Bamboo Soothing Gel comes in a clear plastic container with a milky white twist-off lid. The conatiner contains 200ml and has only a short english description on the front, while on the back is everything written in korean.

This Fresh Bamboo Soothing Gel is just one product of a whole bamboo skincare line. There are also available a toner, serum, emulsion and cream.
The main ingredients are Bamboo Water (5.0%), Swiss Alpine Herbs, Lavender and Chamomile.

Like the aloe vera gel its consitency is gel-like, non-sticky and highly moisturizing. The green-colored gel has a fresh scent and gets absorbed by my skin quite fast.
It can be used on the face and body!

After using [A'PIEU]'s Aqua Nature Fresh Bamboo Soothing Gel for a few weeks now I can say that I like it a little bit more than the aloe vera soothing gels I tried before. Not only because it is recommended for those with oily & combination skin, but also because my skin feels less 'tight' afterwards. I'm sure I could use it alone by itself but I still apply a face cream over it.

How to use: After cleansing your face or body and toner application, apply gel gently on the face or body.
You can keep it in the fridge for a more cooling sensation.

Price: around 10,- €/ US$13 
Bought at: eBay (iamlove-shop)  

What I love: 
The fresh feeling and that my skin doesn't feel super tight and oily afterwards.   

What I don’t like:   
Nothing yet! 

Will I buy this again? I would buy it instead of aloe vera gel again!

[Holika Holika] Oil Queen Cotton *PRIMER, PACT & MAKEUP FIXER*

[Holika Holika]'s product line for oily skin, named Oil Queen Cotton, was on my wish list since I saw them for the first time. The first product which I got was the Oil Queen Cotton PACT, followed by the PRIMER and MAKEUP FIXER. The powder pact is available as a loose powder as well but I didn't get this one because it reminds me too much of the [innisfree] NO-SEBUM Mineral Powder.

Description: No more too much oily skin trouble!

The whole Oil Queen Cotton line comes in the same cute design: a light blue/ pink outer packaging with white clouds on it. The descriptions are always in Korean and English on it.

Oil Queen Cotton PRIMER:

Description: Sebum control primer that controls overflow of sebum and changes the skin from an oily skin to a soft skin. SPF15

The primer is inside a white bottle with a pump on top and contains 30ml.

Some ingredients are Water, Silica, Cotton Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Geranium Maculatum Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Fragrance and a lot more.

All products are free of Mineral Oil, Paraben, Talc, Vaseline and Ethanol, so it's also good for sensitive skin.

 

The soft scented, lotion-like primer has a whitish color with a hint of apricot/ beige. Because of its color it brightens up my skin what I don't like too much. That might be good for Asians but my skin is pale enough already, so I would prefer a colorless primer.

 Anyway, my skin feels moisturized, soft and looks less shiny afterwards but that effect only last for a few hours.

How to use: After base skin care, softly apply focusing on parts with sebum.

Price: around 10,- €/ US$12
Bought at: eBay (f2plus1)  

Oil Queen Cotton PACT:

Description: Sebum control Pact that controls overflow of sebum and changes the skin from an oily skin to a soft skin. SPF30

The powder pact is housed inside a white compact container which contains 8.5g of product.
A sponge and mirror are included!

The main ingredient is again Cotton Extract 0.05%. The ingredient list on the powder pacts outer packaging is written in Korean only but it's also free of Mineral Oil, Paraben, Talc, Vaseline and Ethanol.

The Oil Queen Cotton PACT is available in one shade only: white!! It's a finishing powder which you apply after your make-up. This way it will help to keep your skin longer oil-free. But be careful while applying because too much of it makes your skin white.

How to use: Use the built-in puff to take the legitimate amount and lightly tap on the face, focusing on the T-zone.

Price: around 9,- €/ US$7
Bought at: eBay (f2plus1) 

Oil Queen Cotton MAKEUP FIXER:

Description: Sebum control functional mist that controls overflow of sebum and lengthens the duration of makeup.

The rather small, milky white bottle with a spray pump contains 70ml.

Beside Cotton Extract 0.05% it also contains Water, Alcohol, Fragrance, Calamine, Wild Geranium Oil and Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract. 

It shall contain Island Glacier Water, too.

This makeup fixer is colorfree without a strong scent. It has a very fine mist what is good because so I won't get big water drops on my face or make-up.
Unfortunately, my face still gets oily after a few hours and I already used all three products together.

How to use: After makeup, lightly spray on the entire face focusing on parts with sebum.
Shake well before usage.

Price: around 10,- €/ US$8
Bought at: eBay (f2plus1)  


All in all, it's quite a nice product line for oily skin. It doesn't keep my skin oil-free for a super long time, though, but it still does a good job and might work way better on your skin!
However, I would prefer a colorless primer instead of one that brightens up my already pale skin tone. I will use it mostly on my T-zone only (same as the powder pact).
Among these products I would re-purchase the MAKEUP FIXER!

[Holika Holika] Pore sea stem *Tightening Mask*

One of [Holika Holika]'s latest new product line consists of five (5) products exclusively made for oily skin with enlarged pores. Since I have some enlarged pores on my nose and cheeks I decided to get at least one of these products. For now I have the Pore sea stem Tightening Mask only but still thinking about getting the Cover Balm, too.

Anyway, the five available products are:
- Mineral Scaling
- Tightening Mask
- Finish Serum
- Cover Balm
- Mineral Freshener

Description: Sleek brush mask that tightens pores with coral and marine mineral components.

The outer packaging of the Pore sea stem Tightening Mask is light blue with some colorful coral prints on it. The description of the product is in Korean and English on it.

The large, but rather flat tube, is also kept in light blue, contains 100ml and comes sealed with a twist-off lid. A brush attachment is seperately included.

Some of the ingredients of the Tightening Mask are Water, Alcohol, Coral Extract, Sea Water, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Wheat Protein, Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract and more.

The included white brush has soft bristles and can be closed/ openend.

The masks consistency is gel-like with a hint of pink color. The scent is ok as well, kinda marine-like!

When using the mask you have to unlock the cap and squeeze the tube until you can see some product coming out where the brush is. Then apply the mask with circular motions on your skin, especially on areas with enlarged pores.

The mask is barely visible on the skin and seems to get a bit absorbed as well (when dried).

I used the mask only a few times but I didn't see any improvement on my skin yet. Even right after using this mask I didn't notice any change on my pores size.

Furthermore, I find it a bit inconvenient to apply the product with the brush because it's not foaming etc. It might work better when you apply it without circular motions, though.

How to use: Straighten out your skin texturewith a toner and unlock the brush. Take the right amount and spread out the content. Wash off the product after 10~15 minutes.

Price: around 13,- €/ US$16
Bought at: eBay (f2plus1)

What I love:
Nothing really atm. 

What I don’t like: 
The mask is barely visible and I didn't notice any change yet.

Will I buy this again? No! But might get the Cover Balm.... or the Mineral Scaling (is it a cleanser??).