su:m37 Flawless Regenerating Eye Cream review

Recently I finished my last sample of su:m37 eye cream, so it's time to review! It's my first su:m product and I was encouraged to try it by few very positive reviews on other blogs, including My Asian Skincare Story. Let's see how it worked for me.

Product description: Eye cream with fermented ingredients, smooths and regenerates eye area.

Why fermentation is such a big deal? In general fermented (in other words broken down) ingredients nourish our skin better than normal ingredients and are able to penetrate our skin better. Our body is home for over a 10 thousand different microorganisms - some of them are using fermentation to help cells get energy. Su:m37 has copied this process and created a fermentation complex, that includes five types of microorganism fermentation: Sphingobacterium, Sphingomonas, Corynebacterium, Lactobacillus and Bacillus.

Except of microorganism fermentation we can also find many other fermented ingredients in this cream, like fermented extracts of rice, licorice, Ginkgo Biloba, lavender, thyme, raspberry, soybean, olive... and many many more. There are also oils: anise, rose, lime, clove, rosemary, May Chang, Ylang-ylang. And since we are talking about fermentation they couldn't skip Saccharomyces, type of yeast, one of the best known fermented ingredients, famous thanks to"first essence" type of products, like SK-II Treatment Essence or Missha First Treatment Essence.

Full list of the ingredients you can find here.  

For me the full size version of this product is very expensive, so despite of positive reviews from people I trust, I still wouldn't buy full size straight away. I ordered set of 10 samples from Tester Korea, which has been recommended to me as a reliable source of genuine samples. Samples are also available on e-Bay, but not from any of my trusted sellers, so I didn't want to take the risk.

The cream itself has great texture, thick and rich. I love rich eye creams, I like to feel my eye cream under my eyes. Despite of thick texture, cream absorbs into skin quite well, it takes about a minute or so, giving us a little bit of time for gentle eye massage. After is absorbs fully it doesn't leave any residue or film on the skin, so it's perfect to use with make up. Cream is very moisturising and nourishing. It has very characteristic, herbal scent, which I don't mind, but some people may find it unpleasant. In general it was nice to use and I enjoyed testing it out.

As for the results, I wasn't really sure if it did anything for me except moisturising, so I decided to take a picture and make a little comparison:

As you can see I have three major concerns with my eye area: dark circles, under eye bags and two horizontal lines under lower eyelid. My dark circles were always there, since my childhood.  It's just the blood vessels being close to the skin surface and causing the purplish cast on the skin, there is no fix to this, eye cream won't help. My under eye bags turned out to be a "tear through", a lack of tissue underneath the skin on the eye socket line, causing the illusion of puffiness. Again, eye cream won't solve this problem, only filling will, for example hyaluronic acid injections. At the moment I'm using special creams with non-invasive filling substances, which I will write more about soon. The third problem of my eye area are wrinkles, which been there for a while. Actually the deeper one, the one closer to the lash line has been there always, I found it even on pictures where I'm 13 years old. So again, no eye cream will fix this, it's just the part of my feature. The only concern that eye cream could help with is the lower wrinkle, that is actual sign of ageing.

So, did su:m37 addressed my wrinkle problem? I'm not sure to be honest. Firstly I was sure, that there is no difference, now when I look at this photos I may see a subtle difference, the wrinkles seem shorter on the newest photo. What do you think, can you see any difference there?

What I'm sure of it's that su:m37 kept my eye area moisturised and restrained my wrinkles a little bit (when skin is dry wrinkles appear deeper). I wonder if effect would be any better if I would continue using this cream for longer - I may come back to it one day, but at the moment I've already started testing another eye cream. It may be good to use as a prophylactic, to prevent my wrinkles from deepening, but I must admit that I'm a bit reluctant - if I start using such an expensive product i my twenties, what would I use in my forties, pure gold?

Price: from £80 for 20ml jar. I bought set of 10 samples, 1ml each, for approx. £2.

Pros:
+ moisturising and nourishing
+ rich texture
+ absorbs easily
+ keeps my wrinkles restrained
+ impressive list of ingredients
+ a little goes a very long way - 10 samples lasted me for two months of use

Cons:
- pricey
- popular among counterfeiters - you need to be careful and make sure you buy it from reliable source
- a bit odd smell

Summary:
I'm glad I could test this product and put something higher end on my face, as usually my skincare regimen is build on much cheaper products. But even though I quite enjoyed using it, I won't buy full size version - at the moment I simply cannot afford it, also I'm not sure if I liked it enough to spend £80 on it. Still, I think it's worth to buy some samples since quite a few people claim it to be miracle product. With less than £2 for two month supply in samples it's worth checking out. For now I say goodbye to Flawless Eye Cream, but I do plan buy some other su:m37 samples.

Memebox Anti-aging first impressions

Memebox is a beauty box containing Korean cosmetics. Every box has some theme to it, for example colour, smell, ingredient, type of product etc. I kept an eye on their website since last fall, I've bought couple of items on sale, but I was sceptical about boxes. I don't exactly like the idea of buying cosmetics at random - I do often buy some products without knowing the ingredients or without reading any reviews on them, but at least I am buying a certain item, for example eye cream and I can choose brand, capacity, price etc. while Memebox is almost completely random. And every time they launched some box that sounded interesting to me, it was sold out in a blink, so I could never find anything that I would really really want. My first two boxes I bought in January and I bought them mainly because of the content spoilers. I bought "Anti-ageing" box, because of the snail cream and serum with Acetyl Hexapeptide, botox alternative. I also bought "Best Beauty Forward" box, because of "first essence" with Galactomyces.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?) my adventure with Memebox ended almost as soon as it started. Exactly one day after I purchased my boxes I received an e-mail from Memebox informing that from the 10th of February they will ship only to the USA, Korea and China. I can see in my blog statistics that I have a lot of views from USA, so I hope those who can still enjoy Memeboxes will find this post useful.

So here is my first (and almost last) box:

I apologise for the poor quality of those pictures. My camera is about to die :/

Box description: Anti-aging is everyone's beauty concern, no matter what age. And so, we've curated a mean anti-aging box that defies the laws of gravity - no more lines, no more wrinkles, no more saginess! With all the best goodies for combating visible signs of aging, this breakthrough box is packed with high-performance products that dramatically counteract all the signs such as wrinkles, lines, loss of firmness, dullness and dehydration!

And that's the products:

1. Bory Wrinkle Repair Serum 50ml
 

 
Product description:  This antiaging Wrinkle Repair Serum works on skin to remodel and rejuvenate the skin's surface for the look of firm and supple skin. It contains EGF to enhance collagen production and Acetyl Heaxapeptide, a natural ingredient with properties similar to that of Botox, to relax facial muscles and prevent creation of fine lines and wrinkles.

This description is printed on the little leaflet included in the box and there is a mistake - Acetyl Hexapeptide, is not a "natural ingredient" - it's synthetic peptide. But never mind. The serum is in nice, glass bottle with pump applicator. Pump is protected with special cup, that prevents it from accidental push and spillage. It has consistency of light lotion and smells a little bit like Nivea Soft. It absorbs quite quickly and doesn't leave any film on skin, for my oily skin it seems to be suitable both for AM and PM use.

I translated ingredients from Korean and you know what? There is no Acetyl Hexapeptide in there. And no EGF. I could understand if it would be a Memebox's mistake, but on the cardboard packaging of the product, on one side of the box there is description in Korean mentioning Acetyl Hexapeptide and EGF and on the other side of the packaging there is list of main ingredients in English and full list of ingredients in Korean and they are both lacking those two substances. Are they trying to fool me or what? But before I publish the ingredients I will double check my translation with someone smarter than me, maybe I am a fool...

Edit 03.2015: I contacted Agath from Agath Blog, who is much more experienced in Korean ingredients translation than me. Agath confirmed my assumptions - product does not contain neither Acetyl Hexapeptide nor EGF. Shame on you, Memebox.

Full list of ingredients:
Purified water, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10 Liposomes 5%), Sodium Hyaluronate, Raffinose, Ethanol, Polyquaternium-51, Centella Asiatica Extract, Chamomile Flower Extract, Licorice Extract, Green Tea Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Butylene Glycol, PEG-15 Glyceryl Stearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Perfume, Allantoin, Methyl Paraben, Benzophenone-9, Disodium EDTA, Tartrazine
 
According to Memebox this product is worth $48. I don't know if it's true - according to the Internet this product doesn't exist :P the only results on Google are the posts about the box itself. It is not available on e-Bay, Gmaret, Amazon...

2. Esthetic House Collagen Herb Complex Eye Cream 100ml

Product description: Now you can have it all. This jumbo sized eye cream will give you the lifted look, the firmer feeling and glowing radiance from around the eyes. The intensely nourishing formula contains marine collagen, herbal complex and adenosine to firm, lift, define and brighten the area to improve visible signs of ageing around the eyes, mouth, brow bone, neck and other areas.

When I first saw the big tube I was quite excited thinking it's a hand cream. I can never have too many hand creams, I got placed strategically everywhere: in bedroom, in living room, in every handbag, in workplace locker, in car... However my excitement didn't last long as I read the product description. Eye cream? Seriously? Who puts eye cream in such a big tube?

Feeling sceptical I decided to translate ingredients. Here they are:

Purified water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glyceryl Stearate/PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Stearic Acid, Dimethicone, Olive Oil, Caprylyl Glycol/Glycerol, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Shea Butter, Allantoin, Chrysanthemum flower extract, Honeysuckle extract, Rosa Rugosa Extract, Rose Extract, Hollyhock Extract, Safflower Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Perfume, Tomato Extract, Elm Root Extract, Magnolia Extract, Gallnut Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Goldthread Extract, Human Oligopeptide-1, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA

Collagen is sixth on the list. Collagen is natural protein present in our skin - it's amount decreases with age what causes wrinkles and sogginess, so it became popular ingredient in anti-aging cosmetics. However you need to know that Hydrolyzed Collagen does not penetrate deep into skin, simply because it's particle is too big - so it won't magically increase the amount of collagen in our skin and make wrinkles disappear. But it will moisturise and condition skin.
In general the ingredients look fair to me, there is promised collagen, there are some plant extracts, there was even enough room for some adenosine and EGF at the end of the ingredients list. I have some anti-wrinkle eye cream from L'oreal that contains almost only silicons, so comparing these two Esthetic House's cream seems to be a miracle in a tube. Probably I won't use it as an eye cream as I currently testing a very good eye cream from su:m37 and I have a tube of Japanese eye cream waiting for it's turn. But I think I will use it up for my neck and neckline, eventually hands.

Cream has a nice, silky texture. It's lightweight and has pleasant, subtle smell. It leaves a bit of film on skin, making it smooth in touch.

According to the Memebox this jumbo tube is worth $42. Again, I am not able to verify this information - when googled it shows up only box's description, it is not available on Gmarket nor e-Bay.

3. Enesti Day to Day Pomegranate Acerola Foaming Cleanser 160g
 

Product description: This daily pomegranate and acerola infused foaming cleanser effectively removes make up and oil, opens and de-clog pores, enhances skin's elasticity and brightens up the overall complexion.

No surprises here, very typical Korean face wash. Thick, pearly cream which resembles shaving cream - massaged into wet skin turns into thick, rich foam. It takes only a pea size to wash the whole face and neck, so 160g would last for good couple of months use. It cleanses well and leaves skin squeaky clean and a little bit tight. As a cream it has a little bit weird fruit+something sour smell, but after turning into foam it has a lovely smell of... bubble gum. I love it! I am very sensitive to smells and bubble gum is one of my favourite smells ever. So this smell and a big capacity would make it quite a good product right? Well unfortunately this foam has one, very important con - high base pH of 9. Two months ago that wouldn't bother me at all, I would just use it and enjoy bubble gum smell, but since I switched to slightly acidic cleanser I would never go back to base. Since I use face wash with pH 6 I didn't have a single breakout on my face, not a single spot, even during my period! So forgive me, bubble gum, but I'm not going to risk it. Maybe I will use it from time to time to pamper myself with that smell, but for sure it's not going to became my everyday cleanser.

According to Memebox this foam is worth $14. Unfortunately I cannot find it anywhere else, so I can't confirm it's price.

4. Puresmile Mask 5 Pack Box

5 different mask sheets:
Pearl: Hydrates skin and locks in moisture
Bee Venom: Softens and smooths the skin's texture, delivers radiant glow
Snail: Repairs, renews and rejuvenates skin
Red Ginseng: Delivers vital nutrients to the skin and enhances skin's elasticity
Vitamin: revitalises and energises dull skin

I haven't tried any of them yet, but I'm quite excited about them. I love mask sheets! ^^

According to Memebox this pack of 5 masks is worth $6. On Gmarket you can buy pack of 8 masks for $5.40, so a little bit cheaper.

5. Tosowoong Snail Natural Pure Cream 45ml

Product description: This intensive skin regenerating, anti-blemish cream contains snail mucin, known for it's regenerative properties. Snail mucin and galactomyces help to control excessive sebum production, the core of acne and skin blemishes, and supports natural cell regeneration to decrease appearance of wrinkles and other flaws.

I really like the appearance of this product, both cardboard box and tube. It is plain and simple, smart. The tube is soft and you have to squeeze it to get the product out. The texture is light and creamy, doesn't leave any film on skin. It's moisturising just right for my oily skin, I think it will do good both AM and PM.

In the ingredients there is snail secretion filtrate (30%) on the first place followed by birch leaf water (20%). Comparing to some other brands 30% of snail secretion filtrate seems a bit low and disappointing, I came across statement that there has to be at least 80% of ssf in cream to make it work properly, but I don't know if it's true. I didn't translate the rest of the ingredients yet, I will use the cream and once I put up full review there will be ingredients there :)

According to Memebox this cream is worth $26. On Tosowoong official website the price shown is 21500 won, so approx $19.50, on e-Bay prices are between $14 to $36.

SummaryIn general I'm pleased with the box, it didn't blow my mind, however I don't think it was a waste of money. For $25 I got snail cream worth $20, some mask sheets, "hand" cream an serum, which may contain Acetyl Hexapeptide. Not bad. The experience of buying cosmetics in box was interesting, but for sure it's not going to became my favourite way of shopping, so I don't really feel upset about Memebox stopping international postage. Despite there I will just continue spending my money on e-Bay ;)

Sidmool Secret of Red Astaxanthin Concentrate Review

I always had problem with defining my skin undertone: warm or cool? Yellow or pink? When I look on my hands I would say I have yellow undertone, but then my face is obviously pink. Pink to the point when it started to annoy me. And I'm no talking about pink cheeks (I think everyone know as least one person who has always pink cheeks ;) ), but about the whole face being pink, like I'm constantly blushed.
In my flat the bathroom mirror is hung perpendicularly to the toilet. So whenever I go to the loo I'm used to see something pink in my peripheral vision - my pink, not necessarily beauty, face. But one morning when I went half awake to my bathroom I almost had a heart attack when I caught a glimpse of something white in the mirror. I came closer and could not believe my eyes - my face was pale and bright. What happened? Well, I'm using Sidmool Astaxanthin Concentrate from over a month.

Product description: Secret of deep ocean - astaxanthin, natural anti-oxidant for milky skin.
How to use: after the essence, apply an appropriate amount gently around the eyes or spread over face with gentle pat.

Astaxanthin is natural pigment of animals and plants, giving them red colour. It's in shells of prawns, crabs and lobsters, feathers of flamingos and in salmon's muscles. Astaxanthin has ability of absorbing UV rays and it's one of the strongest known antioxidants - it is estimated that astaxanthin can be up to six times more effective as an anti-oxidant than vitamin E and Beta-karoten! Astaxanthin also accelerates skin renewal process, strengthens the protective function of the epidermis, prevents water loss from skin, stimulates production of collagen and elastin. Applied topically can reduce melanin production by as much as 40%.
Sidmool's concentrate is made of Astaxanthin in 98,7% . Remaining 1,3% of the product is Butylene Glycol (solvent) and plant extracts: grapefruit extract (rich in vitamin C, brightening and purifying), eucalyptus and clove extracts (antibacterial), Sophora Angustifolia extract (inhibiting melanin production) and Yuzu fruit extract (skin brightening).
Looking just at the ingredients product seems to be perfect for skin battling with first signs of ageing, acne and pigmentation - perfect for me then!

INCI: Astaxanthin, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Flower Extract, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Citrus Junos Fruit Extract, Cellulose Gum
Ingredients Analysis [HERE]

Product is in a plastic 30ml bottle with pump applicator. The bottle is packed in  characteristic for Sidmool brown cardboard box. The concentrate is runny, so to apply it I first have to pump some on my palm and then pat into skin. I use two or three pumps for my whole face - two if I want to top it up with some other products, three if I finish my skin care regimen with it.

The liquid is a bit oily, takes a while to absorb and leaves filmy feeling on skin. Maybe some dryer skins would find it suitable for day use, for my oily skin is a nighttime only product. It's perfect to use after high frequency treatment - after Darsonval my skin is a bit dried out and absorbs everything like crazy. After treatment  concentrate is absorbed so well that I can easily top it up with some other product, for example Baviphat Sleeping Pack.

My product is running low and the pump catches air - that's why the bubbles appear

After application my skin is moisturised, smooth and soft. I didn't have any breakout in a while (suspicious =.=), so I'm not sure how the product would work for severe acne sufferers. For me it does fantastic job of toning down my skin tone, which is now brighter and more even. I'm not pink like a piglet any more, finally my face doesn't stand out from my neck so much. I don't know what had caused this pinkness on my face at the first place, but whatever it was it has been defeated by Sidmool :)

Piglet no more!

Price: approx. £10 on e-Bay.

Pros:
+ moisturises and smooths skin
+ evens out skin tone, brightens
+ very good ingredients with high astaxanthin content
+ considering the outstanding results very cheap

Cons:
- a bit oily
- takes a while to absorb

Summary: I am really pleased with this product, I'm about to finish off my bottle and I'm sure I'm going to buy it again. I think this product will stay on my "Certainty list" - products I rely on and always keep them handy in case some new product won't work out. I am pleasantly surprised how even my skin tone is now and I'm sure it's thanks to this particular product and the moment I am using up all my "old" skincare - Hada Labo Kiwamizu, Purebess Snail Gel, Baviphat Sleeping Pack - none of them has such a powerful whitening properties. The only thing that makes me wonder is why I noticed the change in my skin tone so suddenly - but it's probably because when I get up to work it's dark yet and when I'm coming back from work is dark already, at work I wear make up so for a long time I didn't have chance to have a look at myself in natural light.

Purebess Snail School Recovery Gel Cream Review

Product description: Natural cosmetic science with snail & EGF to moisturise and regenerate your skin. Contains 90% of Snail Secretion Filtrate. No artificial preservatives, artificial colour, alcohol, mineral oil and paraben. Minimum skin irritation while skin tightening and softening, moisturising and regenerating.

Here it goes, I'm about to say the words that will probably appear in many of my reviews: I wasn't planing to buy this BUT... I actually kept my eye on Benton snail line, but then I read Purebess snail gel ingredients analysis on this blog and it made me wanting to try it This budget snail gel, contains not only the secretion filtrate, but also:

• Tremella fuciformis (also known as snow fungus, silver ear fungus or white jelly mushroom) - a species of fungus, one of the most popular fungi in Chinese cuisine and medicine. It provides several skin care benefits: increases moisture retention in skin, prevents senile degradation of micro-blood vessels in the skin, has anti-inflammatory properties, brightens skin. Anti-oxidant. 
• Human Oilgo Peptide-1 (EGF) - known as a "beauty factor" - eliminating scars and speckles by improving the texture and condition of the skin, anti-wrinkle by rejuvenating skin by stimulating cell proliferation.
• Althaea Rosea (common hollyhock) Flower Extract - emollient, antibacterial, and possible anti-inflammatory properties.
• Aloe vera leaf extract - moisturiser and anti-irritant used for it's rejuvenating, healing and soothing properties.

Full ingredients list: Snail Secretion Filtrate 90%, Water, Glycerin, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Sodium Polyacrylate, Betaine , Human Oligopeptide-1, Butylene Glycol, Althaea Rosea, Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Carbomer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance
Ingredients analysis [HERE]

Product arrives in cardboard box, inside we will find soft tube with 50g capacity. Tube is sealed.
Gel is clear and unscented. It spreads easily on the skin and take a few seconds to absorb, bu once it's absorbed it leaves skin matte. It's very light - too light to be used on it's own, I use it on top of Hada Labo Kiwamizu lotion and Secret Key Snail+EGH Essence. I have oily skin and this set is just about right for me - moisturising, but not too heavy. It's a bit too light for the nightime though, I like to give my skin a bit more to absorb while I'm sleeping, so I top up my set with Baviphat Snail Sleeping Pack (review coming soon).

What I like most about this product is how calming and healing it is - during the first few days after I got it I had terrible cold and blocked nose, that I have to blow every five minutes. As you know the skin around nose get's quickly irritated, so normally everyone can tell at the first sight that you're sick, because your nostrils are so red. Well, not with this product! As an experiment I was applying it few times daily around my poor nose and guess what - not a sign of red, irritated and dry skin! I was well impressed.
This is another product (next to Secret Key snail gel) that in my opinion completely beats famous Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream. It costs roughly the same, but has more snail secretion filtrate in it (Mizon - 74%, Purebess - 90%) and performs better - my main issue with Mizon's gel is that my skin is really really shiny after using it, while Purebess leaves my skin matte. Overall gel is rather neutral for sebum control.

Price: from £5 on e-Bay.

Pros:
+ absorbs completely into skin, no residue left
+ leaves skin matte
+ calming and healing for irritated skin
+ simple ingredients list with high snail secretion content
+ cheap

Cons:
- not enough to be used as only moisturiser - has to be backed up with some other moisturising products, for example essence


Summing up: a good basic skin care product. Definitely worth trying if you are looking for some soothing and light day moisturiser - with that price you can't go wrong ;)

Why it's important to check ingredients? L'oreal Youth Code Night Recovery Cream

One of the advantage of working in the superstore is possibility of being the first to grab a bargain. Some time ago we had range change in our skin care section and I grabbed discontinued L'oreal's night cream for £3, while the full price was £15 or so. Product was discontinued because L'oreal decided to refresh the range and change the packaging.
I must admit that I wasn't planing to review this product. I bought it only because I realised I am running out of my night cream and it takes at least two weeks for order from Korea to arrive, so I needed something quickly. From all the superstore available night creams I got that one, not only because of price, but also because I feel sentimental about L'oreal. My friend gave me for my 16th birthday L'oreal Pure Zone (line designed for young, acne troubled skin, discontinued now) gift set, that contained face wash, toner, cream and some spot product in handy cosmetic bag. I enjoyed using the series, however as a teenager I didn't have any regular income (no pocket money :P) and I struggled to save money to buy the whole series again, so I had to choose one favourite product (cream) and continued using it for through the whole high school. The cosmetic bag in this gift set was great - I still use it now, after 7 years and it's in great condition :)

But let's focus on the Youth Code. I bought it couple of months ago, when I was waiting for my Secret Key's set to arrive. I used it only couple of times, it seemed ok, but as soon as Secret Key arrived I have put it away and forgot about it. About two weeks ago I finished my snail cream and the snail gel is too light for night use, so I started to use L'oreal again... here it is:

The cream is packed in heavy, glass jar, 50ml capacity. Jar was packed into cardboard box, box was sealed in foil. Unfortunately I have thrown away the box, so I can't give you original product description, but the new version's description is:
Mature skin and young skin behave differently when exposed to external aggressions. As you age, skin takes longer to recover and responds more slowly.
L’Oréal Paris introduces new Youth Code Night Recovery Cream, inspired by gene science.
Every morning, wake up to visibly younger-looking skin:
1st morning. Intensively hydrated, skin appears less creased. Complexion is refreshed.
After 7 nights. Skin recovers a smooth, more rested appearance and signs of fatigue appear reduced.
After 28 nights. Wrinkles appear visibly reduced. Skin looks rejuvenated.

Promises, promises...

 

Cream has nice, lavender colour, the colour appeals to me as something shooting and calming (again: promises, promises...). It also has very strong smell - smell is very characteristic, perfume like, posh. It stays on skin for a long period of time, on the face we will smell it only for a while, but at the moment I have it on my hands and every time my hand goes close to my face I can still smell it (after 30mins), even though I catched cold and my nose is blocked. This intensive smell is the first thing that rose my suspicions: do my wrinkles need perfume?

Cream has nice texture, rich, but not too heavy. It absorbs fairly quickly and leaves skin matte, so matte that there is still no shine in the morning. I have oily skin and I suppose I could use this cream on a daytime, but in reduced amount, as it leaves film on the skin. Moisturising effect is fair. So what's my problem with this product?
Since February I am taking antibiotics to keep my acne at bay. My acne type are painful bumps on the skin, accumulating under the skin surface (professionally called nodules), they take long time to heal and leave scars. Usually there was only one, max two appearing at once on my face, mostly around mouth, chin and lower cheeks area. Since I'm on antibiotics I didn't have a single nodule, sometimes before my period some pimple would appear, but nothing major or painful. So my nodules stayed away until I reached for this cream - after week of using it three nodules appeared. Three! That's my record! I have never ever experienced three at one time before! The first one went away quickly, the second one I nipped in the bud (my irreplaceable Lioele Acne Patches), but the third one was haunting me for good couple of days. What annoyed me the most was the fact, that they appeared on my jaw line, place that was always trouble free, where my skin used to be fair and smooth. Despite of this cream I didn't introduce any new product into my skincare, I didn't change the diet or supplements, I didn't change antibiotics dose, I wasn't before my period - so I am 99,9% sure the Youth Code is to blame.
I decided to look into ingredients list. I have already thrown away the packaging, so I had to research for a while to find the ingredients list, but when I found it I am no longer surprised that I caused me to break out:

AQUA / WATER, SQUALANE, CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, GLYCERIN, CETYL ALCOHOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE, PEG40 STEARATE, MYRISTYL MYRISTATE, OCTYLDODECANOL, ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE, SORBITAN TRISTEARATE, MANNITOL, POLYACRYLAMIDE, TEREPHTHALYLIDENE DICAMPHOR SULFONIC ACID, NIACINAMIDE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, PANTHENOL C1314 ISOPARAFFIN, TRIETHANOLAMINE, CAPRYLOYL SALICYLIC ACID, ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, LAURETH7, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, CYCLODEXTRIN, DISODIUM EDTA, FAEX / YEAST EXTRACT, DISODIUM SUCCINATE, SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS / SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS ROOT EXTRACT, MORUS BOMBYCIS / MORUS BOMBYCIS ROOT EXTRACT, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, CHLORPHENESIN, CI 15985 / YELLOW 6, PARFUM / FRAGRANCE, CITRAL, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, ALPHAISOMETHYL IONONE, BENZYL BENZOATE, GERANIOL, CITRONELLOL, COUMARIN. 

Let's state something - I am not ingredients expert, I still have to google a lot and go through the ingredients with CosDNA. But even I can see that this ingredients list is up to no good. First we got slapped in the face with silicons, then potentially comedogenic surfactants (Cetyl Acohol, Myristyl Myristate), then there are two UV filters (in a night cream? What for?) and then finally yes, we do have some good ingredients:
Yeast extract - rich in protein that can nourish the skin, contains beta glucan that can prevent skin from ageing and improve skin immunity and moisture; rich in various vitamins B that can flatten wrinkles, reduce pigmentation and soften the skin.
Baikal Skullcap root extract - used in traditional folk Asian medicine thanks to it's anti-inflammatory, shooting, anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties. It soothes irritated skin, prone to allergies, rashes, eczema, preventing inflammatory process in epidermis. The extract of this plant tones skin and stimulates natural collagen production. It also showed whitening effect on skin and ability to reduce sun and age induced pigmentation.
Chinese mulberry root extract - stimulates collagen production, has a strong brightening effect, lightening sun and age spots,has a strong anti-inflammatory effect on skin, healing and calming irritations.
And while you think everything is going to be alright, the ingredients list finishes of with... wait for it... 4 preservatives and 9!!! fragrance agents. I really don't understand how my skin could resist those three good ingredients...
CosDNA ingredients analysis [HERE]

Price: I bought it as a discontinued item fo only £3, the new version costs about £16.

Pros:
+ mattifies skin, no shine even in the morning
+ moisturises

Cons:
- INGREDIENTS!!!
- strong smell
- price, for those ingredients that price should be illegal, seriously.

Summing up: well, considering how little I payed for it, I don't really regret the purchase - it was an interesting experience, I would have never thought that cream can "defeat" antibiotics. I am going to avoid this comapny's creams, which is a bit of a shame, I have theirs toner and micellar solution, that have nice, simple ingredients lists and perform well. I should have check the ingredients list before I actually bough it/applied it on my face, but I didn't thought about it, as I bought many Korean products without the ingredients check and none of those harm my skin in any way. Just to give you some comparison: have a look onto Secret Key's snail gel ingredients, product made by company considered by some bloggers with more experience in Asian skincare and able to spend more money on it, as an "average brand", brand that is relatively cheap. A few good for skin ingredients right at the top of the list, no preservatives, only one fragrance agent. And all of that for 1/3 of L'oreal's price...

Secret Key Snail + EGF Repairing Gel Cream Review

Review of another Snail Product from Secret Key ^^ Enjoy!

Product description: Take control of your skin, keeping it lightweight, cool and refreshed! Low irritation skin therapy with added hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) extract.

Contains only natural preservatives: extract from Chinese pepper, pasque flower and usnea are good natural preservatives and have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.

Main ingredients:

• Snail secretion filtrate - protects skin from infection, reduces inflammation, effective in treating acne and scarring, anti-wrinkle
• Human Oilgo Peptide-1 (EGF) - known as a "beauty factor" - eliminating scars and speckles by improving the texture and condition of the skin, anti-wrinkle by rejuvenating skin by stimulating cell proliferation
• Witch hazel extract - a strong astringent & antioxidant, has antibacterial & anti-inflammatory properties, effective in acne treatments
• Aloe vera leaf extract - moisturiser and anti-irritant used for it's rejuvenating, healing and soothing properties
• Beta glucan - a natural compound, extracted from plants, that helps to maintain a youthful appearance for skin
• Lemon extract -  a natural source of Vitamin C and antioxidants, protects skin against sun damage and works anti-inflammatory

 Product is a 50ml plastic jar with extra security lid under the plastic screw cap. It comes in cardboard box.

Product is a clear gel with nice floral scent. For me it looks and smell a little bit like a hair styling gel :P The consistency is light, but not runny.

The product is really lightweight on the skin - on the beginning I had problem with finding the right amount to apply and I was using too much , but even generously applied it doesn't make skin feel oily. It's moisturising and refreshing, non sticky. I use it with Secret Key Prestige Snail + EGF Ampoule & Cream (cream at PM and gel for AM) - after two weeks of regular use I noticed a great improvement in my skin elasticity and moisture level. The gel is getting used up a bit quicker than Prestige Cream - I use the series for a month now and I already used up half of my gel and only 1/3 of the cream.
What I like most about this product and what makes me like it much more than Mizon's Snail Gel Cream is that it doesn't leave skin shining. Mizon's gel was well moisturising and took good care of my skin, but after application my skin was madly shining which was soooo annoying. Secret Key's gel absorbs to almost-matte finish:

The other thing that makes Secret Key's snail gel beat Mizon's snail gel is the fact that latter contains silicone (a lightweight one, but still). Secret Key's snail gel has quite impressive no-nonsense ingredient list and contains a few ingredients good for skin. The downside is that in Secret Key's product snail secretion filtrate is not on the first place in the ingredients list and we don't really know how much of a snail there is in a snail product, when Mizon tell us on the label that their gel is made in 74% of snail secretion filtrate.

Price: from £6 on e-Bay.

Pros:
+ lightweight
+ well moisturising
+ doesn't leave skin shiny
+ nice smell
+ cheap

Cons:
- the manufacturer doesn't say how much of the snail secretion filtrate actually is in the product

Summing up - I really like this product and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for lightweight moisturising and improvement in skin elasticity :) All the Secret Key's Snail Products are working really well for my skin and I am planing to continue using this series to see what it can do in a long term. Snail secretion filtrate is supposed to be good in scar healing as well, so I hope it will help me beat my acne scars, but it's a ling term process so I just have to continue use and see how it goes.

Ingredients: Water, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata Extract, Human Oligopeptide-1, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aloe Babadensis Leaf Juice, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Beta-Glucan, Nonoxynol-12, Disodium EDTA, Arginine, 1,2 -Hexanediol, Fragrance
Ingredients analysis [HERE]

Double Review: Secret Key Snail+EGF Prestige Ampoule & Prestige Repairing Cream

I was looking for some Snail products to help my skin heal my acne scars. While I was browsing my favourite e-Bay seller's shop I came across the Secret Key - it was affordable and I couldn't find any reviews about the cream, so I just decided to try it and make one myself ;)

 Snail+EGF Prestige Ampoule

Product description: Snail muscus filtrate acquired from nature keeps hydration and protects skin from outer harmful substances.
5 free system: no mineral oil, no benzophenone, no coloring, no animal oil, no animal test
 
Major ingredients:

• Arbutin - skin lightening
• Human Oilgo Peptide-1 (EGF) - known as a "beauty factor" - eliminating scars and speckles by improving the texture and condition of the skin, anti-wrinkle by rejuvenating skin by stimulating cell proliferation
• Adenosine - helps prevent wrinkles, reduces UVB sun damage, increases the production of elastin and collagen reducing skin sagginess and improving tone
• Snail Muscus Filtrate -  protects skin from infection, reduces inflammation, effective in treating acne and scarring, anti-wrinkle
• Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract - optimizes and reinforces collagen synthesis, rich in potassium and therefore regulates the intercellular pressure and retain the water content in the skin
• Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Leaf Extract - a powerful antioxidant 

The ampolue comes in a 30ml glass bottle with glass pipette applicator, packed in golden cardboard box. The packaging is quite simple yet elegant, making it look like a high end product.

The ampoule itself is a clear, runny liquid with nice, but very subtle smell, I literally have to stick my nose into the bottle to smell it. It's only a little bit sticky when we try it between two fingers and doesn't feel sticky on the face at all. It is very lightweight and well moisturising, absorbs into skin very quickly. I have an oily skin and this works well both as an only moisturiser and underneath some cream. I use it all over my face, including eye area and I noticed a big improvement in my skin, especially under my eyes. I have problem with bags under my eyes since like always, tear through is very visible. After approx. 3 weeks of using this under my eyes I noticed great improvement in my skin elasticity, skin is firmer, appearance of the tear through improved. Of course my bags didn't completely go away, but there is an improvement :)

Price: from £9 on e-Bay.

Pros:
+ lightweight
+ well moisturising
+ helps improve skin elasticity

Cons:
- the manufacturer doesn't say anywhere about how much snail muscus is actually in the product
- very opaque bottle, so we can't see how much of the product we got left

Snail + EGF Prestige Repairing Cream

Product description: Snail muscus filtrate acquired from nature keeps hydration and protects skin from outer harmful substances. Snail beauty ingredient penetrating through dermis, activating cell proliferation, reproducing damaged skin.
5 free system: no mineral oil, no benzophenone, no coloring, no animal oil, no animal test.

Key ingredients:

• Snail Secretion Filtrate - protects skin from infection, reduces inflammation, effective in treating acne and scarring, anti-wrinkle
• Human Oilgo Peptide-1 (EGF) - known as a "beauty factor" - eliminating scars and speckles by improving the texture and condition of the skin, anti-wrinkle by rejuvenating skin by stimulating cell proliferation
• Arbutin - skin lightening
• Adenosine - helps prevent wrinkles, reduces UVB sun damage, increases the production of elastin and collagen reducing skin sagginess and improving tone
• Macadamia Seed Oil - contains Palmitoleic acid that is vital for delaying skin and cell aging, Oleic acid that has regeneration and moisturizing properties, Linoleic acid that helps to prevent skin water loss and Plant phytosterols that are calming and healing
• Birch sap - traditional herbal medicine that is antiseptic, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory
• Shea butter - helps with dry skin, eczema, skin problems; deep moisturizing, skin regeneration, skin healing properties.

Full ingredients: Purified water, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Macadamia Seed Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Arbutin, Microcrystalline wax, Beeswax, Birch sap, Sodium Hyaluronate, Shea Butter, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, C14-22 Alcohol, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Polysorbate 60, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Human Oligopeptide-1, Adenosine, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Anisate, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance
Ingredients analysis [HERE]

  
 The cream comes in glass 50ml jar, packed in golden cardboard box. Packaging altogether is simple yet elegant, making it look like a high end product. I really like the lid of the jar, that is smooth and glossy on the top and rough and matte on the side, easy to grab and open. I know that a lot of people consider jar packaging as a unsanitary, but I like jars the most - I can always use up the whole product without the struggle. Just make sure you apply the cream with clean hands and you will be fine.

The cream has rich consistency and lovely smell, same like ampoule but much stronger - we can smell it immediately after opening the jar. Smell is hard to describe, it's a combination of floral and herbal notes, a little bit medicinal, but my nose likes it ;)
The cream is super moisturising, rich, but not oily. I have an oily skin and rather use it at nightime, but I used it couple of times in the morning and it was fine, I just had to be careful with amount used. I think people with normal/dry skin could easily use it both AM & PM.
As for the performance - this cream is my cosmetical discovery of the year. The first effects I noticed were after a week of PM use, on my neck & neckline. I have sensitive skin and skin allergy that makes my whole upper body dry and itchy. I am taking antihistamine, that helped a lot, but my neck and neckline were still very dry, after every shower I was literally runing from the bathroom to the bedroom to apply some moisturiser on my itchy skin. After week of using this Repairing Cream my skin calmed down, became well moisturised and smooth again. I honestly can not belive how good my skin is - now I can even ocasionally skip my neck moisturising in the evening and it will be still good in the morning. Miracle! I also notice improvement on my face, skin is smooth and well moisturised, no breakouts at all. My acne scars are still there, but I realize that I will take a long time for them to fade - that's just the nature of the acne scars.

Price: from £8 on e-Bay.

Pros:
+ well moisturising
+ rich, but not greasy and not sticky
+ skin is so nice and smooth after it
+ lovely smell
+ a little goes a long way

Cons:
- for AM us on an oily skin I would recommend very little amount or just use some lighter product
- the manufacturer doesn't say how much of the snail secretion filtrate actually is in the product (in opposite to for example Mizon, where we can find percentage on the label)

Summing up: I really liked both of the products. I also use Secret Key Snail + EFG Cleansing Foam (review yet to come) and Secret Key Snail Repairing Gel, so I use ampoule + gel in the morning and foam + ampoule + cream in the evening. After couple of uses I noticed improvement in my skin moisture level, after couple of weeks elasticity of my skin improved. They are definitely good value for money - after I used them up I am planning to buy them again at least once, to see what they can do during long time use. I would strongly recommend them to anyone :)