ETUDE SoonJung Hydro Barrier Cream

Today’s blog post is on something I’ve been hearing a lot about in the AsianBeauty subreddit, so I snapped it up when the price is right on Amazon Prime Day. I’ve been on the look out for a face cream that is just moisturizing enough for my liking. Here’s what I think of the ETUDE SoonJung Hydro Barrier Cream.

ETUDE SoonJung Hydro Barrier Cream

What I love about this product? It is light for being a decent heavy-duty face cream. There is no real scent to this and a little goes a long way. The description online states the following:

92.2% OF MOISTURIZING AND MOISTURE-PRESERVING INGREDIENTS: A hydro soothing cream that moisturizes and comforts skin
INGREDIENT CALLOUTS (FRAGRANCE-FREE): Free of animal materials, mineral oil, pigment synthesis, synthetic perfume, polyacrylamide, imidazolidinyl urea, triethanolamine, PEG surfactants, paraben
SKIN BARRIER & SOOTHING CARE: We have investigated in finding the causes of sensitive skin such as dryness and weakening of the skin such as dryness and weakening of the skin barrier to bring out solutions to healthy skin care. It contains “Panthensoside”: Panthenol (Protection of skin barrier & maintenance of hydration) + Madecassoside (Soothing effect for irritated skin)
DERMATOLOGICALLY TESTED: The product has passes various skin tests to verify its hypo-allergenic formula. NON-COMEDOGENIC! Tested on skin to prove that the product does not cause breakouts or make the skin worse. HYPO-ALLERGENIC! Patch test completed to measure the scale of irritation on skin
NON-IRRITATING, LOW pH FORMULA (WEAKLY ACIDIC): SoonJung’s formula helps women and men’s skin to maintain the correct, low pH level. Chemicals with an alkaline pH are detrimental to skin’s protective barrier, making it more prone to dryness and other various external factors. Low pH products calm down and take care of your sensitive skin

The product itself is white but not opaque. It is not like a thick cream but more of a thick gel. It’s not sticky and I don’t find it to be oily. It took me a few days to get used to it as I found myself trying to use more product than I needed to. It kept my face well-hydrated through the cold winter nights.

What I don’t like about this product? As a random buy from Amazon’s Prime Day last year, I’m glad I got this for a really good price as it’s not cheap at full price. While I do like it, I don’t find it to be life-changing. I still prefer the face cream type of texture over this, so I’ll only grab one as a backup if it goes on a good sale.

More information on this brand and their other products is available here.

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COSRX Two in One Poreless Power Liquid

It’s Valentine’s week! My husband and I already went out for dinner last Friday night. We definitely aren’t going out for it on the day of or during the weekend. I know it’ll be busy. We did stop by 2 Hobby Lobbys to search for specific Valentine’s stickers but the one 2 minutes away from me didn’t even have a full aisle of stuff left. My husband was very surprised as Valentine’s hasn’t occurred yet. The second one had at least an aisle worth of stuff and I found one sticker sheet that wasn’t what I was looking for but was right up my alley. To unwind after my sticker hunt I decided to write up my next blog post which is on something I’ve been using recently. Here’s my thoguhts the COSRX Two in One Poreless Power Liquid.

COSRX Two in One Poreless Power Liquid

What I love about this product? This is a random pick from Amazon’s Cyber Monday sale a few months ago. Several COSRX products went on a pretty good sale, so I picked a few up. Their website states “Two in one, skin-smoothing essence-toner that visibly tightens and reduces the look of pores.” Is this a toner or an essence? It’s like a cross between the two with how moisturizing and quick to dry it is. It is watery but thicker than water and clear. I get a cooling sensation upon application and it absorbs faster than I thought it would without leaving a residue of any kind. This has a scent even though it says it doesn’t have one but it’s a non-factor as it dissipates pretty much almost immediately after it soaked into my face. I refer to this as the “odorless” scent cause I do detect a scent still. This is one product that you can see results immediately even after first use. I know you can’t really change pore size but whatever voodoo this does….it delivers. My pores look smaller and the overall skin texture of my face looks smooth and supple.

What I don’t like about this product? It’s not priced too high at $25 for 100 ml / 3.38 fl oz but I’m definitely getting this again only when it’s on sale since I know I can get it for close to half that.

More information on this brand and their other products is available here.

ETUDE Sunprise Mild Watery Light SPF50+/PA+++

Aside from sheet masks, one of the beauty products I looked up heavily on in K-beauty are sunscreens — face sunscreens to be specific. I’m pretty picky about them in the sense that I do NOT like the scent and feel of regular sunscreen on my skin anywhere. Today’s blog post is on the ETUDE Sunprise Mild Watery Light SPF50+/PA+++.

ETUDE Sunprise Mild Watery Light SPF50+/PA+++

What I love about this product? It is light, leaning to slightly watery. So it goes on pretty fast, easy and nice. It is white and has a slight pleasant citrus scent. The description online states the following:

HYDRATING & MOISTURIZING: Moist sun gel with skin friendly liquid formula that lightly glide a thin layer onto skin with a clean finish
BYE UV RAYS & SKIN DRYNESS! HYDRATING UV DEFENSE SUNSCREEN: Great Sunscreen for those with sensitive skin! Will not cause breakouts and protects your skin from UV rays
WATERY TEXTURE LIGHT FINISH : Does not feel on skin and adapts to your skin tone. This sunblock does not change your skin color and you can barely feel it on your skin. Does not create a mask effect
MILD INGREDIENTS : Relieve stressed-out skin from UV rays. Berry & Plant extract soothes and hydrates the skin
RECOMMEND FOR: People who want to protect their skin with hydrating sunscreen and people in need of mild sunscreen, which stays comfortable

The scent isn’t strong and it pretty much dissipates quickly. I do get a whiff of it once in a while and since I like it — it doesn’t bother me at all. The most important thing to me is it is not greasy like most generic sunscreens are. I hate that feeling on my arms and legs and even more so on my face, so that’s a good thing. It has good enough SPF protection for what I’m looking for and it is pretty moisturizing. It feels a little heavy for me during the Summer but it’s good for Fall and Winter. My skin is normal to oily for reference.

What I don’t like about this product? If I have to be very picky, I’d like it to be a teeny bit less greasy than it is. It would be perfect if the consistency is like a face lotion, where it doesn’t have even a slight greasy afterfeel. There is a different version of this product that may or may not be more of what I’m looking for but I haven’t tried it yet. Also, while there are a few online retailers that carry this, it is still not as widely available as some other K-beauty brands. I actually ordered this one from Yesstyle and it took a while to arrive in the US.

More information on this brand and their other products is available here.

Esfolio Pearl Essence Mask Sheet

The weather has started to get warmer that it’s pleasant in some of the late mornings to early nights. The nights are still cool that I watch to see if my face needs extra moisture still. Today’s post is on a sheet mask I found at a recent TJMaxx trip. This came in a box of 10 and was on clearance, so I can’t pass it up. Here are my thoughts on the Esfolio Pearl Essence Mask Sheet.

Esfolio Pearl Essence Mask Sheet

First thoughts? The packaging is very cute even though it has a clean look. The scent of this caught my attention. It’s on the strong side and it smells like mix of baby powder and laundry detergent. My husband agrees with this assessment. It does dissipate mostly once the sheet mask is on my face but you can still smell it. The sheet mask is soft and fits my face quite well. The essence clings on the sheet mask really well and it’s more like a gel in terms of viscosity. I just used another sheet mask today and the essence in that is viscous almost like water and this is not like that at all. I left it on my face for a long time until the sheet mask felt dry to the touch that it’s starting to stick to my skin. My skin looks bright after use and I finished it off with the face cream I’ve been using.

Esfolio Pearl Essence Mask Sheet (details on back)

Any negatives? I’m not a huge fan of the gel-like texture of the essence to be honest. This is the most “solid” essence I’ve experienced with a sheet mask. It’s not a big deal but just not as easy to apply. The scent though, I’m not a huge fan and it’s strong but it does dissipate some when on my face. While it’s not a deal-breaker, I don’t think I’ll be repurchasing this once I use the rest of the box up.

More information on this brand and their other products is available here.

Curtain Call: Clarins Stretch Mark Minimizer

Happy Monday! Today’s post is on another Curtain Call entry. I’ve recently finished a tube of this up and opened a new one. Being that this is the third tube I’m on, I think I’m ready to give my thoughts on this. Here’s what I think of the Clarins Stretch Mark Minimizer.

Clarins Stretch Mark Minimizer

Product description found online:

A targeted cream that visibly reduces the appearance of stretch marks.

How To Use:
Warm product between your palms
Apply using circular massage movements—concentrating on areas where stretch marks form: thighs, hips, abdomen, breasts and lower back
For optimal results, use Body Tonic Treatment Oil in the shower before applying Stretch Mark Minimize
Crowberry extract promotes elasticity
Centella Asiatica and soothes

What I love about this product? The formula is nice and light without a discerning smell. I started using this in conjunction with another Clarins product when I was starting my second trimester in 2018. One of the normal changes that happens during pregnancy is getting stretch marks, usually on the stomach and thigh areas (breasts too for some women). I read up on how to best prevent stretch marks and the thing that is mentioned most is staying well hydrated with water consumption and keeping your skin nicely moisturized. I couldn’t decide between this and the other Clarins product, so I got both and decided to use both at the same time. I have a tiny few stretch marks in my left inner thigh anyway so I decided to start using this more as a preventative action for the ones that will crop up during pregnancy than a solution to my old existing stretch marks. Right after pregnancy, when I had a minute to fully look at my body in a way I couldn’t with a huge belly, I saw that I had almost no new stretch marks at all. I diligently used both Clarins products on my belly and thighs even after pregnancy to help minimize the appearance of the newer stretch marks. Fast forward to 2023, years after giving birth in 2019, I have no visible stretch marks at all that was caused by pregnancy. The tiny ones I got from pregnancy faded over time that they are not noticeable at all. The product is a white body cream that is easy to spread on desired areas. I use this on my thigh and butt area after showering for the most part. A little goes a long way — one of these tubes last me for about a year and a half or so BUT I only apply it to my thigh and butt areas (and a little on the stomach) as mentioned earlier. And while this product worked really well for me, everyone’s body chemistry is different. I would hope that whatever makes this work for me will work for everyone across the board, but results may vary.

What I don’t like about this product? It is not as readily available as I’d like it to be and is kind of pricey. Checking my email on a previous order of this item from Sephora in 2018, this 6.8 oz / 200 ml tube retailed for $56 before tax. Right now, it’s out of stock in a lot of online retailers where Clarins products are sold.

More information on this item and other products the brand carries is available on their website here.