Nature Republic- Real Flower Rose Sleeping Pack

 Dear regular readers : Are you getting tired of my ....dislike of Nature Republic??

If so, well you are about to encounter a number of reviews, where surprise surprise, I like Nature republic!!!
......
Now Nature Republic is never going to be my favorite Korean brand, but I have to admit, I dislike it less.

So let me introduce you to Nature Republic's Real Flower Rose Sleeping Pack.

In pink..... There were 3 colors, pink, orange and yellow. But they don't have English names or descriptions, so I have no idea what is different about them.
I picked pink because..... It was the prettiest?

The outside is shaped like a rose bud. Do you think it's tacky? Or not so?
It's not my taste, but I don't find it so frilly as to be ugly. For something that is shaped like a giant rose, it's about as tasteful as it could be....

Inside is a little white plastic cover, which helps seal the very runny contents inside.

The sleeping pact is interesting..... It's filled with rose petals, big chunky bits of roses, in a loose runny mask.
It looks kind of disgusting..... But it also looks eerily similar  to Fresh's rose mask (Which I want!!! But there is not a Fresh seller near me..... :( . I think the similarity to Fresh, is the Whole reason I bought the Nature Republic Real Flower Mask.

The pack is supposed to contain Polynesian lagoon water, and real rose petals...  I don't know whether Polynesian lagoon water is something special or not.... Nature republic loves to say where it's water is from, Is that important???
I will say this about it, it smells like a rose.
Like a real rose. The scent is gorgeous.  IT has a hint of fake, but overall it smells real. It smells amazing (If you how roses smell.)

How it feels is both amazing and lumpy.... The pack itself is really light and watery.  Which is how I like my sleeping pack. It is super moisturizing. Not quite as good as the Etude House sleeping pack. But then, nothing is that good! I do wake up with moist, younger looking skin. It really does help me wake up with my skin better moisturized, looking dewy.
It is also really gentle. I have started using retinol, and my skin does NOT like it.... It ends up super sensitive to the touch.... And in fact, regular moisturizers can sting. This is very light and gentle. I really like to use it when my skin is extra sensitive.

The clumps of rose petals are..... not as irritating as I expected.
They do end up as little clumps on the face..... Not very attractive.
But they do seem to break down overnight. I never find bits on my pillow.

Overall, I really like this pack. I love the scent, I love how moisturizing it is, and I don't mind the clumps of rose petals.
If any one figures out the difference between pink yellow and orange, let me know!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Skinfood Gold Caviar Line

Skinfood's Gold Caviar Skin care line
The line includes the essentials, Toner, Emulsion(moisturizer) at least 2 kinds of creams, Ampoule, Serum and Dual eye creams.
I have the full size of the Serum, and the eye creams. All of which I love!

Gold Caviar Toner

Clear Toner, though in the little plastic sample it might look orange, but that's just the bottle. It has real flecks of gold dispersed within it. The toner is thicker than western toners, but not a gel (*sigh* Gel toners are my favorite).

Scent- Perfumed, exactly what the scent is I can't tell, it smells like generic perfume. However, the scent isn't strong, and once it applied it dissipates quickly. It doesn't bother me in the least, plus without perfume, would it smell like fish(caviar) EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

Texture- Not a gel, but thicker than western toners. It has little flecks of gold in it! yay! They do not show up on the skin once the toner has been applied.

Effectiveness- A nice light toner. The smell is faint, and the texture is nice. I've used this Toner sooo many times. I've gotten countless samples of it! I really do enjoy it.

Buy?- Maybe. It's on the expensive side for Skinfood, and it's not a gel toner. I just prefer a gel (no cotton pad need for application!). But on the other hand, its really gentle, makes my skin feel a bit softer, and the only lightly scented. If anyone is thinking of picking it up, you really can't go wrong.

Gold Caviar Emulsion, Gold Caviar Collagen Cream, Gold Caviar Lifting Prime Skin

- I lumped the three together in one review because they are all so similar, they are just variations of moisturizers from the same line from Skinfood. Therefore, the scent is all the same, and the same as the Toner and Serum. Its a light perfumed scent. Not strong or offensive, or even distinct. 

I have the cavair emulsion (moisturizer), the Gold Caviar collagen cream, the Gold caviar lifting prime skin, plus I think there is a gold caviar cream.... What the difference between all of them is....

Not much.

The Gold Caviar emulsion is the runniest and the lightest. But still a med-heavy moisturizer.

the Gold Caviar lifting prime skin is thicker.

The Gold caviar collagen cream seems the same as the lifting prime skin.

The emulsion and collagen cream are the most similar, they both absorb quickly, without leaving a white cast.

The Lifting prime seems to be a different composition.

If you look at the picture, it leaves a white cast.

Beyond that the differences are small. I like Lifting prime the least. It leaves a residue, and the white cast. Which is really peculiar. I can't figure out why it's so different.

It's a toss up between the emulsion and the Collagen cream. The cream if you want more heavy duty moisture, and emulsion for something lighter.

Gold Caviar collagen serum

I love this Serum, I love it so much I bought the full size! See the review Here.

Holika holika - A new Korean brand!!!!!!!

Holika Holika
Korea has come out with a brand new brand *snickers*.
I came across when in Seoul a couple of weeks ago, tucked away in meyong-dong, across from Forever 21.
Holika Holika

The building definitely makes an impact, all pink with a giant clock and witch riding a broom.
And the shop ladies are all wearing cute purple witch costumes!!!!!!!! I didn''t take a picture of the shop ladies though.... I thought that would be a little creepy!
It's seriouly exciting!

The store itself is really pretty, lots of magical themed displays, gold, purple, swirls, black cats. oooo

                                      

The poster is of Matsushima Emi. But Holika's main endorsement is CNblue.

                              

I got this folder, with a CNblue member on it, with some of the stuff I but at Holika!

Holika Holika only came out in March, I was there only a couple of weeks after opening (sadly I don't live near Seoul, other wise I would have found out sooner.
The brand is by the same makers of Enprani, but much much cheaper.
The whole theme of Holika Holika is witches and magic, which I think is too cute.
I immediately bought a ton of stuff!

Apple shine-peeling sheet mask, Cream shadow, peach BB cream

Garden recipe body scrub,  Pore cover mousse

My favorite item is this plumping cream. It's bizarre, and comes in a cute bottle!

My other favorite, a gel toner! Its super nice :) 


But I do have bad news for all my readers, the brand is so new, that none of the items are avaliable on G-market yet....
So you will all have to wait...
It probably won't be long though, because a second store already opened up in Myeong-dong, in Seoul. 2 stores in 2 months, that's quick :D

Etude House - Sweet Appleade Body lotion

Etude House - Sweet Appleade Body lotion
Price: 6000won ($6)
Size: 300ml


Torn between the peach body lotion and the apple(my favorite scent usually!) I picked up both, in different forms (sort of justifying the double purchase....).
And while body oils aren't really my thing, this sort of body lotion is!
I ADORE food scents. This one is yummy. It's not a realistic green apple smell, it definately smells like candy. But it's not overpowering, or sickly sweet. It's a really nice smell, well balanced.


The moisturizer is pretty basic, it's light, creamy and moistrizing. It's no better or worse than the average body lotion I find here in Korea. The only difference is the scent and packaging.
But since it's pretty inexpensive for a body lotion (for some reason here in Korea they are really expensive.... Like $10-12 just for a regular size of lotion that at home would be $4 or 5...), plus I love the scent, it's a great buy for me. I will be buying the body wash, foot spray, body oil.... etc....

Tony moly peach hand cream

Tony Moly - Peach Hand cream
Price: 4500won ($4.50)

When I bought this, I didn't know what it was.... I know that the Tonymoly tomato is brightening and the Apple is a peel, so I figured since the peach smelled good it must be something lovely.
Tonymoly is a brand here in Korea that I haven't really gotten into yet. Mostly because the products have little to no English on them....
The Peach, has nothing at all in english.
When I'm out shopping, it's hard to be enticed by something without knowing what it is.... I tend to be drawn to brands like skinfood and etude house which offer a little bit of information.
(I totally get that I'm in Korea, and I don't expect there to be English on everything, or anything really. I don't fault a brand for being all in it's native language, it just makes it harder for me to buy stuff.)

Anyway, I found out once I brought the Peach home, it is a hand cream.
Apparently it is both Anti-wrinkle and whitening; containing vitamin C, peach and apricot extracts.
It's random that hand creams are anti wrinkle... But it can't hurt... right?
The hand cream is thick, with a yellow/cream color and a strong peach scent.
the smell is nice, part really peach, with a slight tinge of fake/chemical. I really like it.
The cream texture is smooth and lovely. It absorbs really well, and the scent isn't overpowering when applied.

Its a nice hand cream. It's just not an amazing hand cream.

Etude House - Hand bouquet - Rich collagen hand cream

Etude House - Hand bouquet - Rich collagen hand cream
Price: 5000won ($5.00)
Writing about hand creams might be as boring as Shit. The only thing worse would be reading about them.
But oh, do continue reading....

Ah my beloved Etude house, has an assortment of moisturizing products. So far, some I have hated. The stupid lemon sugar moistrizer which, frankly, blew.

So why I was tempted to buy the Rich Collagen Hand cream I don't know.
Probably because it was in a pretty display at the front of the store. *damn product placement*

This hand cream is AMAZING. I am madly in love with it, and carry it absolutely everywhere with me.
it comes out of the tube thick, and with a soft buttery yellow color.
It absorbs beautifully, and the smell is light.

Best of all, its a thick heavy cream, that leaves my hand feeling smooth and well moisturized for ages and ages.

Nature republic - hand me love hand mask

Nature republic - Hand me love hand mask
Price: 2000won ($2)
If you have any interest in Asian skin care, you’re probably mask crazy like me.
The Asian sheet mask craze has been slow to transition of to North America, but there are lots of people obsessed with them!
Here in Korea, sheet masks have moved on from being just for the face. Sure there are more specialized ones, for the eyes, for laugh lines, fore head lines, chin sagging, etc. If there is a face concern, then there is a mask for it.
But the masks have moved on to other parts of the body, including the hands and feet.
This seems bizarre to me.
So of course, I had to buy some to try them out.

They generally come in a long packet, divided into two sections. The first contains the actual sheet mask, in a glove shape. You put on the mask, then apply the second section, the plastic glove. Which is supposed to cover the sheet mask, and keep moisture in. It’s basically the same idea as saran wrap.
So I open up the Nature republic Mask, put on the gloves. They are not huge, but are definitely big enough to fit a wide range of hands. They are moist, like a sheet mask for the face, but unlike them, the excess essence is like hand lotion,  this is white and creamy.

I open up the second half, which is an ordeal, since I wasn’t smart enough to open both sides at once, and now my hands are too slick to rip open the other side of the package.
Finally I open up part two.
I pull out two clear piece of pink, hand shaped plastic.
And stare at them in confusion.

They aren’t plastic gloves, they are hand shaped pieces of plastic, ie, you cannot open them because there is only two half gloves…
So you can’t put them on over the gloves at all.

… WTF?
So I wait 20 minutes, then remove the sheet gloves.
I rub in the excess.
My hands feel moist, but not super well moisturized.
The next day, no difference.
Nothing. My hands feel softer after using regular old hand cream!
I admit though, the whole thing might have been improved if there had been actual plastic gloves.
Has any one else experience this? Are there supposed to be actual gloves????

Etude house Lemon sugar moisturizer

Etude house Lemon sugar moisturizer
Price: $3.50 (3500won)
After scenting the Lemon sugar perfume by Fresh (Available usually at Sephora), I fell in love with a lemony scent. Anything with title lemon sugar is pretty much an instant buy. I bought the lemon sugar moisturizer and body cream from avon (which was the most disgusting nauseatingly intense perfumed body lotion ever).
When I saw the Etude house body moisturizer I scooped it up. The scent is more lemony than sweet. But not so intensely lemon that it smells like cleaner. Honestly, it’s ok. Nothing more nothing less.
The moisturizer itself…. It’s abysmal.
For some reason Korean moisturizers are generally terrible! I don’t get it. You rub them in, they are wet, moist and nice, they sink into the skin nicely. But as soon as they dry, they give the skin a weird dry texture.
It’s like talcum powder… Your skin is smooth, but with a dry powdery sort of feeling (not actually powdery though….)
I hate it. It makes my hands feel too dry, and I have to put more and more on. I never feel better moisturized.
So I hate this moisturizer. I never use it. It bothers me. I’ve tossed it in a closet, and will forget about it…

Tony Moly Man cream 

Price: 13500won ($13.50)

This is a review of something you won’t see often here, or a Men’s moisturizer. Me not being a guy, and not particularly like ‘guy’ scents, Men focused products don’t interest me.

But my boyfriend was with me at Tony Moly, and I’ve been trying to convince him to do basic skin care. Ie. Wash with a cleanser, moisturizer and use sunscreen.

He’s not a Metrosexual sort of guy in the least. So it’s a bit of a stretch.

But who wants to look old before there time? 

I’m not pushing though (trying to change people is self delusional), just showing him options.

And here in Korea there are tons of men skin care lines. So for a guy, it’s not as scary as it might be at home.

We picked up the Tony Moly moisturizer. They have a few different lines. But this was one of the higher priced ones.

I personally think he picked it because the bottle is nice.

It’s heavy glass. So if you were going to order it for a male friend, I would not recommend it!

There is no included dispenser. This drives me nuts, since its very difficult to get creams out of glass bottles!

The first thing I noticed about the product was the scent. It’s strong.

In fact my boyfriend said it was way too strong the first time he actually applied it all over his face.

But, since it’s been open for a bit now, the smell has really diminished, and its now much subtler. 

The texture is very light. It absorbs really quickly, and it does moisturize well.

Stars  3/5

Re purchase  -  No. There are cheaper alternatives in more convenient bottles,  and the moisturizer isn’t amazing enough to compensate.

 Tony Moly Caviar Skin Care

I got samples of just about a complete skin care regime.

Toner, serum, eye cream and moisturizer.

So I thought I'd give some initial thoughts...

The packaging both in the mini’s and the full size products is less than inspiring. 

That’s ok though, as much as I love beautiful things, It’s more important to me that my skin care works.

Toner - Thick almost gel like. A slightly unpleasant smell, chemical and old lady-ish, but not overwhelming.  No toned feeling.

Essence/ Serum- thick, really thick and white. Doesn’t absorb well, doesn’t make the skin feel softer, same smell. My skin actually started to burn and itch just slightly after using this.

Eye cream, thick, absorbs better. But very thick. 10 minutes late I can still feel it on

Moisturizer - same unpleasant smell, which, with all four products on I can still smell. It’s not thick, but I can still feel it on my skin. I actually applied a lot less than I do with other products, but my skin feels almost greasy.

Basically, The samples were big enough I got nearly 3 days use out of the whole line, and more from the toner and serum. But... They suck. I am definitely NOT going to buy the line, or anything from it...