[ETUDE HOUSE] skin [mal:gem] _ fresh *Oil Control Toner*

[ETUDE HOUSE] released around the same time as the SHINI STAR products some toners which are endorsed by korean boyband SHINee as well. The skin [mal:gem] line consists of five (5) different toners and a emulsion. I got the one for oily skin: fresh (Min Ho).

You can get the following types:

- fresh (Min Ho)

- smoother (Onyu)

- moist (Jong Hyen)

- deep moist (Key)

- essential (Taemin)

- emulsion (Moisturizer + Essence + Cream)

Here the TV spots with either SHINee or Dara (2NE1):

Description: [mal:gem] - The Korean word for cleanness, clarity and pureness. Skin Malgeum hypoallergenic toners promote clean, clear and pore complexion with moisturizing and pore cleansing formulas.

* fresh: Oil control toner which controls excess sebum while providing enough moisture to keep the skin matt. Bamboo extract and sebum control ingredient keeps skin clean and fresh.

The fresh toner comes in a green-white packaging. On this packaging you can find the description and ingredients in Korean and English. They also show you the different ways of using the skin [mal:gem] toners: as toner, 30-seconds mask, whole face sheet mask or facial mist. You can buy the mist bottles and dry sheet masks seperately!

The toner itself comes inside a milky, translucent plastic bottle with a white twist-off lid and contains 250ml.

Some of the ingredients in the fresh toner are Water, Alcohol, Bamboo Juice, Lemon Fruit Extract, Orange Fruit Extract, Bilberry Fruit/ Leaf Extract, Sugar Maple Extract, Sugar Cane Extract, Orchid Extract, Panthenol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract, Citrus Unshiu (Satsuma Mandarin) Peel Extract and Fragrance.

The watery consistency is colorless and has a very fresh & fruity scent but it's not too sweet or citrus-like. Somehow I always have to think of a pineapple when I smell it. I love it!

I used this product just as a toner but would like to try it out as a sheet mask, too. I use it in the evening only and my skin looks much cleaner and my blackheads seem to disappear (especially the ones on the nose). 

For me it's a very nice toner and I hope that the oil control will work good as well!

How to use: Dispense solution onto toner pad and use pad to wipe all areas of face and neck.

Price: around 14,- €/ US$18
Bought at: eBay (cosmetic.love)   

What I love:  

I can say that I like everything atm!

What I don’t like: 

Nothing yet!

Will I buy this again? Yes, I would! Got a trial kit which includes smoother and deep moist, too.

[Holika Holika] fairy water Pure Fresh *Toner & Oil Paper Cream*

The last few days I wasn't really active in my blog because I still recover from a cold but I see that I got already 61 followers. I'm quite happy about that so thanks to everyone!!

Since I get most of my Asian cosmetic over eBay I noticed that many seller don't have the stuff they sell in-stock. They usually buy it after you ordered it. [Holika Holika] released last year a mild skincare line called fairy water. This product line is available as Pure Fresh (blue) for combination/ oily skin and as Pure Aqua (purple) for normal/ dry skin. I couldn't find these products at eBay so I just asked one seller if he/she can sell it and a few days later I purchased the Pure Fresh Toner and the Pure Fresh Oil Paper Cream.

This mild skincare line is free of 6 chemicals: Artificial Color, Artificial Flavoring, Benzophenone, Mineral Oil, Ethanol (Alcohol) and Paraben. 

These products can be used by people with sensitive skin!

Description: Hypo-allergenic skincare with 6 irritant-free formula for your delicate skin. Magical fairy water makes your skin moist and revitalized.

Pure Fresh Toner:

This toner for combination/ oily skin comes in a medium-sized translucent, blueish bottle. It looks like a glass bottle but I'm pretty sure it's rather hard plastic. The bottle contains 170ml and has a white twist-off lid.

Inside the hole is a small plug to prevent the toner from coming out when you don't want it. You can easily remove the plug before first use.
The Pure Fresh Toner is colorless and got a herbal/ citrus-like scent. 

The main ingredients are: Chamomile Water, Daisy, Tea Tree, Lavender and Calendula.

I like that this toner doesn't burn on my skin and will use it in the morning.

  

Pure Fresh Oil Paper Cream:

The cream for oily skin is inside a light blue tube and contains just 25ml. I wished it would be bigger! It has almost the same size as the goodbye PORE EVER Primer from [ETUDE HOUSE]. The lid is a simple white twist-off lid again.

Like the toner the cream also got as main ingredients Chamomile Water, Daisy, Tea Tree etc.. It is called Oil Paper Cream coz it will absorb the sebum on your skin like those oil-absorbing paper sheets.

The consistency is rather watery like a lotion or essence and not creamy. The whitish cream is easy to spread over my face, makes it sleek and keeps it oil-free for longer. Unfortunately, I also got some dry areas on my skin and for those the Oil Paper Cream isn't enough. Have to use another cream as well.
The scent is a bit weird but also not very strong. I would say it is a floral/ herbal scent!

I like the fairy water line because it is made for sensitive skin but also for either dry or oily skin. 

I will use both products for my morning skincare regime because these won't irritate my skin and make it more red.  

Use the toner with a cotton pad and the cream as last step. There is also a emulsion available which you would use between these two.

Price: around 12,- €/ US$16 (Oil Paper Cream); around 13,- €/ US$17 (Pure Fresh Toner) 

Bought at: eBay (zinopark)

What I love: 

Mostly that it's good for sensitive skin AND oily skin. 

My skin looks less oily after using the cream!!

What I don’t like: 

There is nothing I dislike yet. 

   

Will I buy this again? Not sure yet but I will get the Pure Aqua Cream for my dry skin areas.

[ETUDE HOUSE] WONDER PORE Freshner

Right after I finished my [baviphat] 'Tea Tree Toner' I started to use one that cleans pores and reduces their size. It's the (new) WONDER PORE Freshner from [ETUDE HOUSE].

I hope that this product will work better on my skin now since I use the clarisonic.

I got the big size but since recently you can get it in a smaller 250ml size as well.

Beside the Freshner there are also Soda Capsules available which I will review later.

The Freshner contains Alcohol, Hyaluronic Acid, Sea Water, Lemon Fruit Extract, Rice Bran Extract, Dandelion Leaf Extract, Japanese Apricot Fruit Water and others.

Description: This product is total solution for pore care, preventing enlarged pores, less firmer skin and skin troubles by eliminating what hurts skin health from within.

The packaging is made of plastic and light blue. On the back is the description in Korean and English. The big bottle contains 500ml! It is a plastic bottle which is translucent/ blue with a sticker and a light blue flip-top lid.

When you open the flip-top lid you see a pump. You need to press a cotton pad 2-3 times on it to get the Freshner out of the bottle.
The product itself is colorless and a bit scented.

The product says it is a 7 in 1 TOTAL PORE SOLUTION:

- Deep Cleanses Pores

- Maintain ph 4.5 +/- 1

- Control a large amount of the sebum

- Minimize appearance of pores

- Refine the skin tones

- Keep the elasticity of pores

- Moisturize inside and outside of skin

Currently I use this toner in the morning only coz for the evening I got another one. You can use it as a Facial Mist, too. Just put some of the product in a Mist Bottle and spray it over your face (recommended before sleeping).

How to use: Soak the makeup cotton with the Freshner and wipe your face from the center of your face to the outside. With gentle patting, let the skin absorb the leftover Freshner.

Price (500ml): around 23,- €/ US$30
Bought at: eBay (rubyruby76) 

What I love: 

There is nothing I really love atm. 

What I don’t like: 

Nothing I don't like.

Will I buy this again? Could be but then probably just the small 250ml size.

[Holika Holika] AC MAGIC CLEAR *Toner & Emulsion*

I received my clarisonic Mia Skin Cleansing System a few days ago and tried it out once today. I used it for 2 minutes because 1 minute seemed too short for me. After the Mia switched off automatically I still had one cheek to clean. Anyway, I will try to manage it in 1 minute.

I got the Tangerine one which is a pretty pastel orange and a limited color. Now, I'm just waiting for my replacement brush heads.

A product line from [Holika Holika] I wanted to try out is AC MAGIC CLEAR. It wasn't easy to find these products but luckily I found a shop in Singapore who sold those. I decided to get the Powder in Toner and Powder in Emulsion. This line is specially made for acne-prone skin!

Powder in Toner:

Description: Contains Calamine powder to clean skin. Trouble use only pink skin. 

As described this toner contains a powder. Those powders are usually for removing excess oil and mattifying the skin. Before using you have to shake the bottle 4-5 times.
The product comes in a paper box which is kept in different blue, white and grey shades. The bottle is milk glass and has a translucent/ red twist-off lid with the 'witch' icon. It contains 150ml!

Powder in Emulsion:

Description: Contains Calamine powder for clean skin. Trouble use only emulsion.

After using toner, apply proper amount on face.

The packaging of the emulsion is the same as from the toner. The bottle is milk glass as well and contains 150ml. The twist-off lid got the 'witch' icon and is also translucent/ red.

It has a rather watery consistency - it's not as thick as a lotion. 

The color is white and it's slightly perfumed.

You have to shake the bottle to get the product out.

I used both products just a few times yet. Therefore I can't really tell if it works or not.
But when I use the Emulsion right after the Toner my skin starts to burn really bad. That doesn't happen when I just use the Toner. Maybe both products together are too much for my skin.

With my Order I got some Freebies:

A purple tote bag and a purple feather pen - both from [Holika Holika].

Price (each): around 14,- €/ S$22.50 (excluding shipping costs) 
Bought at: iheartkoreanbeauty.com

What I love: 
There is nothing I really love yet.

What I don’t like:  
It's hard for me to get the products out of the bottle especially the emulsion.

Will I buy this again? Maybe but it's not easy to get Online.

[baviphat] Tea Tree It Trouble Catch Toner

The first Toner I got from South Korea was the Tea Tree It Trouble Catch Toner from [baviphat]. 

I think they changed the design of this product and the name to 'INDI GiRL TEA TREE TONER'.

You can get the following things from this product line:
- It Trouble Cleansing Foam
- It Trouble Catch Toner
- It Trouble Catch BB Cream
- It Trouble Catch Gel Emulsion
- It Trouble Catch Spot Solution

Tea Tree is known to be good for oily and trouble skin and that's the reason why I purchased it. I don't see a difference to the 'Tea Tree Toner' I can get at [THE BODY SHOP], though.

Description: Toner with tea tree oil and Witch hazel extracts to soothe troubled skin and regulate sebum secretion. Also contains Portulaca Oleracea L. extracts which has anti-inflammatory properties and green tea extracts helps to soothe and moisturise skin.

The translucent plastic bottle contains 250ml which last for more than 6 month. I almost used up the toner! It has a simple black flip-top lid.

The toner has a green color and a strong tea tree (oil) scent. 

I use it only in the evening and I don't think that it made my skin really cleaner. 

Somehow my skin looks quite the same as in the beginning. But this problem I have with most of the cosmetic products I used.

How to use: After cleansing your face use the Tea Tree Toner together with a cotton pad and spread it over your face. Pat lightly for better absorbtion! 

Price: around 15,- €/ US$19 

Bought at: eBay (BELLOGIRL)  

What I love:   

The product last for many month. 

What I don’t like:  

There is nothing I don't really like. 

Will I buy this again? No, for me it's the same as the Tea Tree Toner from 'THE BODY SHOP'.