The Beauty Wolf

Category: cream/moisturizer (Page 3 of 4)

WHAT THE BEAUTY BLOGGERS USE: FEATURING CHARLOTTE CHO OF SOKOGLAM

November 3, 2014 /

We write, we curate, we cull the herd, we try it all, we pare it down, we’re always searching for the standout stars. Do you ever wonders what the bloggers themselves are using? I’ve rounded up my favourite ladies in the game and asked them about their personal line-ups and thoughts on skincare!
CharlotteCho
Today I’m featuring Charlotte Cho, the brains (and absolute beauty!) behind Soko Glam. The write up on Soko Glam says it all:
“Soko Glam is dedicated to discovering Korean cosmetics & beauty trends. With our thoughtfully curated selection from the most innovative and trusted brands, we invite you to explore Korea’s best in beauty.”

I’m a huge fan of Charlotte, she’s been featured in several well known publications and curates the Soko Glam online boutique. With her flawless skin and classic beauty, you can’t look at her without thinking “Giiiirl, what are you using? Because I want to look like that.”

I started by asking what she uses in her morning routine. She let us know that recently it consists of:

charlotteAM
Shingmulnara: Ultra Light Sun Gel SPF 30 PA++ (this was featured in the Get K-Beauty Box)
I then asked her to let us in on what she uses for her nighttime routine. She let me know that the evening is the time when she tests new products so it’s ever changing (I think this is the case with most of us beauty bloggers!) Currently she’s using:
charlottePM
Skinfood Lemon Brightening Cleansing Oil
Su:m37 Rose Cleansing Stick
Missha Super Aqua Hydrating Toner
Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel
Banila Co Brightening It Radiant Cream
Su:m37 Water-full Cream

I also wanted to pick her brain and find out what her favourite beauty products are right now. Charlotte always looks so put together and cute, so I was especially interested in these answers!
charlotteproducts
Charlotte says:

IOPE water fit lipstick, because Jeonjihyun is my spirit animal (and it’s super moisturizing).
Clio Waterproof Pen Liner – I never liked liquid eyeliner until I used this one. It’s a game-changer!
Tony Moly Petite Bunny Lip gloss for cuteness and a sheer tint!
The secret to the glow-y dewy face without looking too shiny? A good sheer highlighter makes my face glow (in a matte) type of way?

I then wanted to know if she had any other beauty recommendations, any tools or anything that didn’t quite fall into the skincare of makeup category.
Charlotte says:

“I have a lot of annoying baby hairs so this bow hair pad is everything!”
http://sokoglam.com/collections/hair-body/products/lioele-pink-hair-pad
(The Beauty Wolf says: I know that pain all too well, baby hair club unite. Those little things are super useful when you’re doing masks or your routine!)

The one thing I’m always curious about is how people get into the game. Whenever I get a chance, I love to find out more about these self starters who’ve gone onto success. It’s one thing to toy around with the idea, and a whole other to try to make it happen. So I asked, what was the catalyst that propelled her from just daydreaming about it to actually doing it?

Charlotte says:
“My husband Dave and I loved living in Korea and we have always been very passionate about the people and the culture. It was the perfect opportunity to share with the rest of the world one of the things Korea does best – skincare and cosmetics! It really wasn’t easy leaving stable careers and taking this leap into entrepreneurship, but I’m so glad we did.“
Finally, I asked her what she thought the future held for her, and what her thoughts were on what she’s doing now:

Charlotte says:
“I want to keep doing what I am passionate about: testing and curating Korean beauty products and making the discovery process enjoyable for others! 
In the past year, I started receiving emails from people who have experienced positive results after trying out my 10-step Korean skincare routine. Knowing I made an impact on someone’s confidence and skin has been incredibly rewarding which made me decide to go back to school to become a certified esthetician! I’m not sure what the future holds for me, but I’m truly grateful to be part of this journey and happy about where I am now.”

So there you have it folks, a peek behind the curtain at one of the best out there. Thank you so much Charlotte for participating, it was a pleasure!

Who else would you guys like to see featured? Let me know in the comments below 🙂

HOLIKA HOLIKA PIG COLLAGEN JELLY PACK REVIEW

October 17, 2014 /

holikaholikapigcollagen1
This review is not for vegetarians, and most certainly not my vegan readers out there. As you can guess from the name, Holika Holika Pig Collagen Jelly Pack is full of collagen extracted from a pig’s skin. If that doesn’t put you off, and you’re looking for a great moisturizing sleeping pack, keep reading!

Collagen is one of those ingredients you hear a lot in the skincare world. Collagen is something that’s found naturally in all of our skin. It’s what gives that bounce and firmness. As you age your skin loses the firmness of the collagen, which is why it’s such a popular injectable. While no cream on earth can give you the same kind of results injections can, collagen applied topically can help hold in moisture, which can give a temporary plumping effect and help relieve fine lines caused by dryness. This is exactly what Holika Holika Pig Collagen Jelly Pack does.

There doesn’t seem to be anywhere else online with the English ingredients listed for this product so I took the opportunity to type them out for you:

hydrolyzed collagen extract, cyclopentasiloxane, cyclohexasiloxane, butylene glycol, glycerin, bis-peg-18, methyl ether dimethyl silane, polysorbate 20, water, peg-240/hdi copolymer bis-decyltertadeceth-20 ether, caprylyl glycol, ethylhexyglycerine, tropolone, zea mays (corn) starch, microcrystalline cellulose, sucrose, mannitol, mica, titanium dioxide, tocopheryl acetate, ci 77491, tin oxide, acrylates/c10-30 akyl acrylate crosspolymer, potassium hydroxide, adnesone, trehalose, beta-glucan, sodium hyaluronate, placental protein, phenoxyethanol,ethylhexylglycerin, dipropylene gylcol, portulaca olercea extract, rubus idaeus (raspberry) fruit extract, opunita ficus-indica stem extract, avena sativa (oat) meal extract, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, rosmarinus offininalis (rosemary) extract, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) extract, thymus vulgaris (thyme) extract, bergenia ciliata root extract, viola mandshurica flower extract, impatiens balsamina flower extract, honey extract,euterpe oleracea fruit extract, biosaccharide gum-1, arnica montana flower extract, gentiana lutea root extract, achillea millefolium extract, artemisia absinthium extract, gold, disodium edta, ci 17200, fragrance

You’ll notice the main ingredient is collagen, always a good sign when the namesake of the product is actually listed first in the ingredients. If you plug the list into the Cosdna website you’ll see that this is chock full of moisturizers and scores only a 1 on the scale for potential acne triggers. There’s also some notable anti-inflammatory ingredients and emollients. Basically this is an amazing, light, non-irritating, soothing, moisture bomb. There are other products on the market such as EGF, people often ask, what is EGF? EGF is a great anti-ageing product that works similarly to Pig-Collagen.

If you’re not familiar with sleeping packs, the quick rundown is it’s just an extra bonus treatment that works as you sleep. You follow your existing skincare routine, apply this product as your last step at night, go to bed as normal, and that’s it!

The texture is what I describe as creamy jell-o. It wiggles and jiggles but it also has a fluffy richness that’s not typical of a gelatine. If you’re worried about the potential smell, don’t be, this has a light baby floral scent. I say baby floral because it registers somewhere between floral and baby powder for me. The pack comes in a twist off jar packaging and includes a little spatula so you don’t have to potentially contaminate the jelly with your fingers. I always appreciate the included spatulas, plus when you’re done with the product you can always keep it for your jar creams. The colour is a light piggy pink colour and flecked throughout with little bits of actual gold.
holikaholikapigcLLgenswatch

As you can see from the picture this is a very light gel product, not a cream. It may feel a little occlusive for the first few minutes you apply it, but within 10 minutes it sinks into the skin leaving behind minimal stickiness for a product like this. I apply this about 15 minutes before bed and have never had any issue with pillow transfer or mess. Upon waking in the morning my skin definitely feels plumper and more moisturized than if I hadn’t worn the pack overnight. It’s never once broken me out and it’s always performed wonderfully. This product is light enough that even oily skin could use it in the winter should they feel they need a little moisture boost in certain areas overnight. In summer this is a great treatment to leave in the fridge for a refreshing cooling effect. Holika Holika Pig Collagen Jelly Pack reminds me somewhat of Clinique’s Moisture Surge in colour and even texture, but it works way better for me. It’s what I wish Moisture Surge actually was.

Available on Amazon here:
http://www.amazon.com/Holika-Collagen-Jelly-Sleeping-Facial/dp/B00KA5WOGS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430699384&sr=8-1&keywords=HOLIKA+HOLIKA+PIG+COLLAGEN+JELLY+PACK
Ebay here:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Holika-Holika-Pig-Collagen-Jelly-Pack-80g-Korea-cosmetics-/281317008986?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item417fcce65a
and here:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Holika-Holika-Pig-Collagen-Jelly-Pack-80g-/351040225319?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51bba0c027
I absolutely love this product and I recommend it to anyone looking for a light textured but high performing moisturizing treatment.
Five out of five moisturized turtles, easy!
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BAD SKIN MILK BOMB ULTRA CREAM REVIEW

October 5, 2014 /

BadSkinMilkBombUltraCream

Bad Skin Milk Bomb, what a name.
This is one of those products I got last winter that got put away for the warmer weather. It’s starting to get chilly again, and with the heater in my building kicking in, dry skin is a-comin’. It’s time to turn an eye back to this super oddly named, super emollient cream.

First thing’s first. This cream does not give you bad skin, it’s supposed to address it. It is however a milk bomb. As is sometimes the case with some of the lesser known Korean products, there’s not a whole lot of English language information about this one. What I can give you is the scant, poorly written, somewhat hard to read translations I could find:

“Whitening functional authentication, anti-wrinkle functional authentication

  1. Abundant moisturizing membrane – efficacy of milk as it is, using milk protein as the main base instead of purified water
  2. Containing overflowing nutrient ingredients – plenty of nutrients good for the skin, such as honey, yogurt, almond oil, macadamia nut oil, etc.,
  3. Bouncy elasticity – bouncy and elastic moist skin moist
  4. Smooth skin texture – Exfoliation and skin texture
  5. Milky whitening – niacin polyimide (B3) components contained in milk to be highly enriched once more! Clean skin without blemishes!

Water storage capacity enabled threefold moisturizing membrane

1st milk moisturizing membrane

extract of milk, protein, honey, yogurt, etc. forms this powerful primary moisturizing membrane

2nd trophic membrane

almond oil, argan oil,macadamia nut oil form secondary oil trophic membrane

3rd moisturizing membrane

contains low molecular weight hyaluronic acid + low molecular weight Aru acid at the same time. It provides moisture dermis and endodermis of the skin at the same time as a powerful moisturizer.

Milk Protein Extract

114 nutrients are contained in milk, which is a complete food with excellent effect on health and beauty. Glycoprotein in milk helps generate collagen to give a firmer skin and relieve wrinkles. In addition, it makes the skin clean, flexible and moist due to the synergy effect of natural ingredients including milk containing- lactic acid, niacinamide, ceramides, minerals, vitamins A, C, E, etc. beneficial to the skin.

Specifically, milk contained in Bad Skin Mink Bomb is made “‹”‹from the clean ranch of Jeju only.”

So basically what we have here is a milk based cream featuring honey, yoghurt, nut oils, and argan oils. Pretty much as moisturizing and rich as it gets. If your skin is dry, this cream is your friend. It’s lighter in texture than you would imagine given the ingredients, but it’s still moisturizing as hell. It’s a whipped milky yoghurt consistency that sinks in very nicely but not completely. It has no smell whatsoever, so if you’re sensitive to fragrances, you’ll dig that aspect. It comes in a basic screw top container but they provide a little spatula scoop to keep our grubby fingers from contaminating the product. Always a plus for that type of packaging. Also, I think the packaging might be recyclable so they must have got their wholesale packaging from a company like Impacked in order to make their product more sustainable.
badskinmilkbomblutracream1

I would say dry skins would really be into this stuff, especially if you prefer a thick barrier type cream, but even if your face skin is combination you could use this just around the eyes and mouth for extra protection from harsh winter winds. You can kind of get an idea of what I mean by thick barrier cream by seeing the pictures below. As you can see it does do a good job of hydrating my hands. I sometimes make a homemade mask pack for my hands with this stuff, I slather on a thick later of cream and wrap my hands in saran wrap for 20 minutes while jammin’ to Wu-Tang Clan’s C.R.E.A.M on repeat, Ok, that last part is optional. (LBR it shouldn’t be, Wu-Tang forever!)
badskinmilkbombultracream2

This is a neat little cream with cute packaging, it’s not remarkable but it’s not bad!
3 out of 5 turtles!

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TONY MOLY MY LOVE CURE BALM REVIEW

May 17, 2014 /

TONYMOLYMYLOVECUREBALM
Confession: I totally bought this for the packaging. Horses? Yes ma’am, need it. Basing a purchase on a cute package could have gone really wrong for me, but thankfully it did not! Because of the packaging being my sole motivation, and there not being hardly any English information out there about this adorable little product, I was kind of flying blind when testing it out. All I could gather initially was that this is a multipurpose balm type cream containing avocado. With a little digging (and begging for some Korean to English translations) I found that this not only contained avocado oil which is an antioxidant, but also carrot extract, and portulaca extract. Portulaca extract is also an antioxidant in addition to being a source of vitamins A, C, and E, and co-enzyme Q-10. Pretty sweet jackpot of ingredients for a whimsical purchase.

tonymolymylovecurebalm2
The balm is about the constancy of a hard pomade at first, but it warms with your fingers and becomes more of cream with massage. You get 30 grams of product in the tin and it’s roughly the size of a travel aromatherapy candle, fitting because it has a lovely smell that I really like, clean and somewhat like a floralish perfume. I keep sniffing it whenever I open the tin like
smellllll

It says that this can be used anywhere, including the lips, but with the strong fragrance I found it to be a little too much for that area. Where this product really shines for me is as a cuticle and hand balm!
tonymolymylovecurebalm1

I absolutely love it rubbed into the hands and around the nails, especially overnight while wearing sleeping gloves. You wake up with super moisturized glowing hands. It’s helped a lot with my end of winter, dry, brittle cuticles. It’s also good on the feet used the same way overnight. Plus the smell is enjoyable so it’s a nice aromatherapy type scent to sleep with. This balm is limited edition, so hurry and pick yours up soon if you’re interested in one! I got mine at W2Beauty here and don’t forget  you can enter my sponsor code 071087605 at sign up to get five dollars off your first purchase!
I give this delightful little surprise of a balm 4 out of 5 turtles, I only wish it were a permanent item!
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SULWHASOO CONCENTRATED GINSENG RENEWING CREAM REVIEW

May 13, 2014 /

sulwashooconcentratedginsengcream
Once upon a time, I used to be a counter manager for a higher end cosmetics company. I would have this inner soul cringe every time I had to sell a woman some b.s. cream upwards of $100 that I knew good and well wasn’t going to deliver on anything that it promised. They would send us away on these “business meetings” which were just corporate brainwashing sessions about the latest skincare product. I’d sit there hating life because I knew from the first cursory glance at the labels that these products were no better than going home and just putting $5 vaseline on your face. But in between photoshoots and makeup gigs I needed a day job so I had to grin and bear it. It left me pretty jaded when it came to high end skincare. I said it would have to take something pretty dramatic to get me to cave in and try those waters again. Well guys, something pretty dramatic happened, and it’s name is Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream.

This cream is like the most luxurious, melt into your skin, slap your mama, butter souffle from heaven. I love it. Why? Let’s have a look at the description of this cream and the ingredients:

“Formulated with the roots, berries, and water of rare five-year-old Korean ginseng, this treatment stimulates cell regeneration to revitalize and ultimately restore youthful looking skin. Additional Korean herbs such as milk-vetch and white mulberry promote an ageless complexion, as jojoba, avocado, mango seed, and sunflower oils moisturize and condition for soft, smooth skin.”

Ingredients:
Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Water, Glycerin, Squalane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Beta-Glucan, Trehalose, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glyceryl Stearate, Perilla Ocymoides Seed Extract, Phytosteryl Isostearyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Octyldodecyl Myristate, PEG-40 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ophiopogon Japonicus Seed Extract, Licorice, Hydrolyzed Ginseng Saponins, Panax Ginseng Berry Extract, Glutinosa Root Extract, Chrysanthemum Morifolium Flower Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Adenophora Stricta Root Extract, Lycium Chinense Root Extract, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-yuen Seed Extract, Angelica Tenuissima Root Extract, Honey, Morus Alba Root Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Angelica Acutiloba Root Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Vitis Vinifera, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Terminalia Chebula Fruit Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Acetyl Glucosamine, Mangifera Indica, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Phytosteryl/Behenyl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Persea Gratissima, Jojoba Esters, PEG-100 Stearate, Polyacrylate-13, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Glyceryl Linoleate, Pantethine, Retinol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Dimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Cyclodextrin, Tocopherol, Dimethiconol, Polyisobutene, Salicylic Acid, Polyquaternium-51, Tocopheryl Linoleate, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Caffeic Acid, Polycaprolactone, Glyceryl Linolenate, Lauryl PEG/PPG 18/18 Methicone, Glyceryl Arachidonate, Dextrin, Polysorbate 20, Methoxy PEG-114/Polyepsilon Caprolactone, Phytosphingosine, Disodium EDTA, Benzophenone-5, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance
.
As you can see the first ingredient is the ginseng root extract, “rare five-year-old Korean ginseng” to be exact I guess. This ginseng’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are well established. If you want one of the most in depth breakdowns of the ingredients of this cream and what they mean (plus the best reviews ever) please check out what Skin&Tonics has to say about it. Since ginseng is the first and most prominent ingredient, do be braced for the unmistakable ginseng smell, because this cream certainly has it. Even if you’re not a fan of that particular fragrance, I’m willing to bet you’ll get over it quick once this stuff is actually on your face. It melts right in and leaves your skin pretty much instantly softer, exactly like how I wish those creams I used to sell all those years ago would have preformed. It’s extremely hydrating, and it leaves a glossy effect on your skin as you can see in the photo below:
sulwashooconcentratedginsengcreamswatch
If it’s doing that to my gross dry hand above, think of what it will do on your face. Because of that I think mature skins would particularly like this cream, especially impatient ones, because you’ll notice it doing it’s thing right away. I’m afraid that oily skin types might not care much for that aspect of it, unlike their drier peers will love and appreciate it. I’d also venture to say that combination skins would also like this cream, especially if they concentrated it just on the drier areas. It’s a pretty inclusive cream, it would do well for a variety of skin types. The only ones I would think wouldn’t care for this would be the very oily, just because I know how much they tend to hate any sort of sheen. This cream is effective without being heavy at all. Like I said before, it really just melts right into the skin, I can’t say that enough. It’s texture is such a pleasure. It manages to be extremely hydrating and give your skin a definite suppleness without being occlusive or suffocating. At no time did this cream cause me any breakouts whatsoever. What it did do was leave my skin smoother, calmer, and with insane softness. There’s a richness there that’s just so very nourishing to the skin, really it’s phenomenal and a perfect ending to your skincare routine. Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream gets a very well deserved 5 out of 5 turtles, plus an extra turtle for convincing this old jaded soul that there are some luxury creams out there that actually work.
turtle-fullturtle-fullturtle-fullturtle-fullturtle-full+turtle-fullIf you’re looking to buy this cream, I’d really suggest getting it from W2 beauty. If you’re going to make the splurge not only do they have this cream discounted and on sale right now, they’re also so very generous with samples and have free shipping available worldwide 🙂 Plus if you’re a first time customer, you can get a five dollar voucher to use immediately on your purchase by entering my sponsor code 071087605 when you sign up for an account!
It’s also available on ebay here:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Sulwhasoo-Concentrated-Ginseng-Renewing-Cream-60ml-Free-sample-/121108700295?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c32a41c87
And Amazon here:
http://www.amazon.com/Sulwhasoo-Ginseng-Concentrated-Cream-60ml/dp/B005D4Q6R4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430700602&sr=8-1&keywords=Sulwhasoo+Concentrated+Ginseng+Renewing+CreamYou can get deluxe samples here on Amazon if you’re not yet ready to take the plunge!
http://www.amazon.com/Sulwhasoo-Concentrated-Ginseng-Renewing-Cream/dp/B00M1Y7ZEM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1430700602&sr=8-4&keywords=Sulwhasoo+Concentrated+Ginseng+Renewing+Cream

Same on ebay
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Sulwhasoo-Concentrated-Ginseng-Cream-Samples-5mlx10pcs-50ml-Free-Tracking-ship-/261478038806?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ce14e3d16

In the words of Donna Meagle and Tom Haverford, “treat yo self“.


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