Skincare Review: Akoco K-Beauty Goodies

Akoco sent over a few K-Beauty products and I have been playing with me for a few weeks now. I have been doing a longer morning routine are now more discerning as to how most products work.

I am no stranger to cleansing pads but the Latte Bubble Deep Cleansing Pads from Sonreve feels so gentle on the skin while cleansing. To use, you wet one side with water and lather before wiping the embossed side on the face. You can use the rougher side afterward before rinsing but I only do that when I want to exfoliate.

To tone, the Fresh Calming Balancing Toner Pack from Laneige promises to refresh the skin and restore the skin’s moisture and oil balance. I have not tried the bottled version of this one but this toner pack is very travel-friendly. I know we can’t travel right now but the thin packaging would be very useful when we do. For now, I have been using this while checking my emails. It feels calming and not stripping.

I never thought I’d be able to mask while I work but this is where we are now. The Aloe Soothing Mask Pack from Benton aims to revitalize, hydrate, nourish, and moisturize the skin using aloe leaf water, camellia sinensis leaf water, glycerin, pentylene glycol, and sodium PCA. I have tried this before and it’s soothing and relaxing to the skin, especially when your skin is feeling sensitive.

The No-Sebum Mineral Powder from Innisfree claims to be a replacement for oil control paper. This is also another product that I have tried before and it does mattify the skin. It’s great for those who don’t wear much makeup but wants to keep the skin matte.

The Sonreve Latte Bubble Deep Cleansing Pads, Laneige Fresh Calming Balancing Toner Pack, Benton Aloe Soothing Mask Pack, and Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder were provided by @akoco. Available at akoco.com

Skincare Review: Good Molecules Clarify & Cleanse Bar and Caffeine Energizing Hydrogel Eye Patches

Working from home now allows me to do a longer skincare routine. Featuring this morning’s routine feature these new vegan and cruelty-free drops from Good Molecules.

The Clarify & Cleanse Bar claims to be a gentle soap-free cleansing bar that clarifies and detoxifies the using salicylic acid, kaolin clay, rosehip oil, and grapeseed oil. This cleansing bar instantly makes a foam. As with most soaps, it was also easy to rinse off my face. It left my skin feeling soft, refreshed, and clean. The only con I could think of is that dissolves easily.

The Caffeine Energizing Hydrogel Eye Patches contains caffeine, acetyl tetrapeptide-5, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid to brighten, hydrate, and reduce puffiness around the eyes in just 10 minutes. As with most eye patches, this is relaxing and soothing to the skin. I like using this while I work because it feels so hydrating and relaxing. I have yet to see it’s brightening benefits but this definitely de-puffs the eye area.

The Good Molecules Clarify & Cleanse Bar and Caffeine Energizing Hydrogel Eye Patches were provided by @goodmolecules. Available at getgoodmolecules.com

Skincare Review: Lilah B Aglow Cleansing Butter and Priming Oil

Fully veering away from the luxurious pebble Lilah B is known for, the brand showcases its new products in bottles and tubs. The thick rose gold-accented glass packaging is very different yet equally luxurious and very on-brand. Vegan and cruelty-free, these new drops are all welcome additions to my stash – new skincare products to compliment their pigmented and uncomplicated makeup siblings.

The thick glass bottle packaging first popped up when Lilah B launched the Aglow Face Mist ($48) last year. It’s a mist that helps create dewy and glowing skin. I like using it before applying my serums in the morning.

Joining the Aglow family are the Cleansing Butter and Priming Oil to help cleanse the skin and set it for makeup.

The Aglow Cleansing Butter ($44) promises to cleanse, soften, and condition the skin using rosehip extract, snow mushroom extract, and lavender essential oil. This buttery cleansing balm feels luxurious as it dissolves into an oil-like texture as soon as it comes to contact with the skin. It emulsifies on a milky consistency easily and rinses off quickly with water. It leaves the skin feeling so smooth and moisturized without the tacky filmy feeling, which really surprised me. I have never experienced my skin feeling this moisturized after the first cleanse. It’s something you really have to experience.

Upon first use, I had the feeling that the Aglow Priming Oil ($68) would work better with dry and normal skin types because of its oily yet runny feeling wrapped in a light cream texture. I was right. However, it also worked for my oily skin. Claiming to be a serum, moisturizer, and primer that aims to nourish, hydrate, soften, and smooth the skin with tamanu oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, purple tea extract, grapeseed extract, and lavender essential oil. I used this in the morning after spritzing the Face Mist and before applying SPF. It cuts my routine in half, which is really convenient. Since it’s colder nowadays, this helps bring plumpness and dewiness to my skin. What surprised me though is how this didn’t make my skin look greasy. It didn’t make my foundation slide off either. It’s become my go-to for that glowy look which is achieved when it’s combined with my stick foundation.

I’m really impressed with these new additions in Lilah B’s portfolio. They all feel gentle and nourishing to the skin and I would recommend them to those looking for products that would help in hydration, nourishment, and radiance. These products are also formulated without gluten, parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances.

The Lilah B Aglow Cleansing Butter and Priming Oil were provided by @lilahb. Available at lilahbeauty.com

Skincare Review: I Dew Care Scoop Shop Hydrating Duo

It’s always fun to try products from I Dew Care because they are just too cute. Take these ice-cream inspired products from their Scoop Shop Hydrating Duo.

The Berry Melting ($23) is a cleansing balm cleanser that has blueberry fruit extract, jojoba oil, and glacial water to cleanse the skin while leaving it soft, smooth, and moisturized. Its texture is similar to the solid cleansing balms I like.

Once massaged onto the skin, however, it turns into a very thick oil. It retains the purple tint once mixed with water, which is fun. It smells like sweet berries as well. What I had a hard time, though, was rinsing it off. I think this is might be best removed with a cleansing cloth instead of water as it takes a few rounds of rinsing to remove and even then, it leaves a thick film on the skin. It does remove dirt and makeup though, even stubborn eye make up. It leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth but I like my cleansing balms to leave no trace and oil once rinsed.

Cake My Day ($25) is exactly like a birthday. It smells and looks like the cake you blow the candle on when you were a kid. It’s actually a wash-off mask that promises to nourish, hydrate, and balance the skin using hyaluronic acid and squalene.

It’s a creamy mask, the texture similar to ice cream, and it doesn’t completely dry. Due to the creaminess, this also takes a few rinses to wash off. I find it easier to wipe off before rinsing. The “sprinkles” also don’t melt but it doesn’t feel harsh on the skin due to its smooth texture. What I really like about this though is how plump and moisturized my skin feels afterward. No mask has ever done that at the same level for me so, I like using this when my skin is feeling dry and tight.

In this set, I like the Cake My Day whenever I want additional moisture and extra softness for my skin. The Berry Melting is something I wouldn’t really go for but those with drier skin might enjoy it.

The I Dew Care Scoop Shop Hydrating Duo was provided by @idewcare. Available for $29 at us.memebox.com

Skincare Review: Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Revitalizing and Foam Cleanser

The Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm from Banila Co is my OG first cleanser. I bought it during my first trip to Korea, before I even started this page, and have compared all my cleansing balms to it ever since. It set the standard as to how I want my cleansing balms to be – solid texture that melts to oil as it removes makeup and dirt can be rinsed with water and doesn’t leave a film on the skin. I had tubs and tubs of the original one, the one where the packaging is more colorful until they released other variants.

Since then, I have moved to the Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Revitalizing ($24) which uses the Zero Balance Technology with Resveratrol along with grapeseed oil and olive oil to cleanse the skin without stripping it. I may have other cleansing balm holy grails but this will always have a special place in my heart. It has the same sherbet-like texture, it still removes all traces of makeup, and it still leaves the skin feeling refreshed and thoroughly cleansed.

The Clean It Zero Foam Cleanser ($14) promises to gently cleanse the skin, reduce irritation, draw out impurities from clogged pores using active botanicals, hot springs water, vitamin e, and vitamin c. True to its claim, this feels really gentle on the skin as it cleanses. I prefer cleansing foams over other types of second cleansers so, it was easy to like this one. It also doesn’t leave any residue after rinsing but it doesn’t leave the skin feeling to stripped or dry either.

Of course, nothing would beat the Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm but the Clean It Zero Foam Cleanser is a welcome addition to the family, especially those who are just getting in to skincare.

All these products were formulated without parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and mineral oil so they feel gentle on the skin.

The Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Revitalizing and Clean it Zero Foam Cleanser were provided by @banilaco and @bluewheelmedia. Available at banilausa.com