The Beauty Wolf

Category: Skincare (Page 5 of 9)

HANYUL RICE ESSENTIAL SKIN SOFTNER REVIEW

July 10, 2014 /

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In all honesty, I had been so loyal to my Benton toner that I had a wee bit of apprehension about trying this product, I’m so glad I got over myself and gave it a shot. It’s now made it’s way into my permanent lineup.

The Hanyul Essential Rice Softner is essentially a toner, but soft (hence “softner” I’m guessing?). If we take a look at the ingredients we see a lot of stand out goodies.
Water, Alcohol, PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer, Glycereth-26, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Monascus/Rice Ferment, Rice Extract, Yeast/Barley Seed Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root (Cnidium) Extract, Angelica Acutiloba Root Extract, Soybean (Glycine Soja) Seed Extract, Cocao Extract, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl, Adenosine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dextrin, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance. *Rice Extract

Check out that collection of fermented ingredients, I’m always a big fan of ferments and get excited to see them make appearances. Also that Niacinamide checking in high on the content scale, nice! Skin&Tonics has a wonderful breakdown of what those ingredients mean for your skin here.


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The formula is like a really thick water with a lot of slip. It glides on easily and absorbs very quickly, especially if you pat it onto the skin. It’s also very hydrating for a toner step, but not exceedingly so, you won’t feel like you’re drowning in it. This would be a safe choice for just about any skin type but would be especially appreciated by drier types since it does offer an extra oomph of moisture. My skin feels somehow plumper after I work this into it. The smell of this product very obviously stems from the fermented ingredients. It’s not the most pleasant smell but it is very faint and disappears once you apply your next steps.

I find that I need very little of this product to get the full benefits because of its viscosity. Two drops are enough for my entire face and neck. Getting those drops might prove problematic for some though. That’s because the container this comes in, while beautiful and sturdy, is HEAVY. I appreciate it, it feels substantial and luxurious, but I can see why others might somewhat dislike it. I guess product concept testing and exploring product visibility with these products are very crucial. If you feel lost about concept testing, you can learn more here. User feedback should be taken seriously, especially for cosmetic products. Other than the weighing factor, I cannot think of a single thing about this product that I don’t love.


I was sent this product by Alice at W2Beauty and decided to go ahead and get a selection of products from the Hanyul lineup to test with it. Since I started using the Hanyul line, this product included, I feel like my skin has gone to the next level. It was already at a good starting point with my former lineup, but testing this particular line out has brought me above in beyond. I’m majorly impressed with Hanyul! My skin is brighter, calmer, and overall more hydrated throughout the day than it was before. All in all I give Hanyul Rice Essential Skin Softner five out of five turtles

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If you’re at all interested in picking up this Softner, along with anything else from the Hanyul line, I really do recommend you do so at W2Beauty , and I don’t just say that as a blogger sent a sponsored product. All of the extra goodies Alice always packs in her parcels make every shipment feel like Xmas to me, add that to their free international shipping and it’s a no brainer. And as always if you sign up with my code 071087605 you can get $5 off your first purchase. I highly recommend this line if you have been looking for something to take you to the next level.


This review contains products sent to me for consideration but my review is 100% honest and unswayed. (I really, really, dig this stuff!).



SHISEIDO HADA SENKA MINERAL UV GEL SPF50 PA+++ REVIEW

June 5, 2014 /

shisedosenkamineraluvgelAhh, the never-ending quest for good sunscreen. I really wish the world at large would have figured out just how horrible the sun’s rays are sooner, so we wouldn’t be scrambling like we are now (many of us having gone through skin cancer, premature aging, and childhoods peppered with sunburns). I think I’ve talked about it before, but it was the removal of skin cancer from the tops of my ears that really made me sit up and get serious about the sun. I grew up in the south in a time where people coated themselves in butter to get as dark as possible and sunblock was only for the palest of non-tanning white kids. Nowadays you’ll find me in long sleeves in the dead of summer cursing the beaming rays and testing out a non-stop revolving door of sun products. That very activity is what lead me to today’s product, Shisedo’s Hada Senka Mineral UV Gel SPF50 PA+++

If we take a look at the ingredients on the Cosdna site we see a couple of things here, the most important being that this protects from both UVB and UVA rays. UVB rays are the one that will burn you up like a steamed hotdog, UVA rays are what make you look like an old leather crypt keeper. It’s very important that whatever product you ultimately choose, that you make sure you’re protected from both kinds of UV rays. If you’re curious about the “PA” you typically see on Japanese and Korean sunscreen offerings, wikipedia solved that mystery for me:
“PA system
Asian brands, particularly Japanese ones, tend to use The Protection Grade of UVA (PA) system to measure the UVA protection a sunscreen provides.

The Protection Grade of UVA (PA) system is based on the PPD reaction and is now widely adopted on the labels of sunscreens. According to the Japan Cosmetic Industry Association PA+ corresponds to a UVA protection factor between two and four, PA++ between four and eight, and PA+++ more than eight.”

After finding that out I’m always on the look out for that sweet, sweet “+++”.

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Now, let’s get down to business. This bottle is a lot smaller than North American sunblocks if that’s what you’re used to. As you can see in the picture above, the whole thing almost fits in my hand, and I have tiny itty bitty hands. Before use, be sure to shake the bottle vigorously to mix everything together. You’ll hear a little mixing ball inside helping things along. Once you squeeze out the desired amount you will see how liquid-y this is, which is a texture I love for my sunblocks. The consistency is extremely light. When you first apply this to your skin there is a slick feeling and a sheen, but it quickly dissipates and dries nearly matte (I guess this is thanks to the inclusion of alcohol in the ingredients). This makes it easy to layer your product to get the best coverage. It’s suggested you use 1/4 tsp to get the maximum benefits from sunblock. That’s quite hard to do with heavier formulations. This is extremely easy and user-friendly. That is probably the greatest selling point for this particular product. Another thing that I really liked was that it did not cause me any breakouts.

Now, back to that alcohol. I normally don’t worry much about alcohol in products personally. But for some reason, this time around, the alcohol really did a number on me. However, I wouldn’t take my experience as typical, I have some factors that are pretty rare. I have a disease called lupus (let me take this time to say, seriously, f*ck lupus) and it’s been bothersome lately. During the first half of the month I starting testing this, everything was just perfect. But recently I’ve been dealing with some lupus related flare-ups and for me that usually manifests on my skin, mostly on the soft tissues. The alcohol in this coupled with the lupus crap made for a horrible reaction around my eyelids and mouth. I had huge red puffy flaky skin around those two areas. I’m steal dealing with the fallout from it now, which is why I haven’t been able to take photos and do reviews lately, I apologize for that! But like I said, that is a rare circumstance and I don’t think for a minute this product would do this for a regular user. It’s a really good sunblock, especially for oiler skins and the for the summertime. The almost matte finish it leaves you with makes for a good base to put your bb cream or foundation on top of without any interference. The high SPF and PA+++ rating is also another plus. I’m not exactly sure how to rate this product, do I base it on my personal experience or how I think it would fare for someone else? I’m just going to have to go with a middle of the road 3 out of 5 turtles. Drier skins and skins going through any sort of irritation or trouble should probably avoid this particular product and opt for something more moisturizing, but I encourage oiler skinned people looking for something light and layer friendly to check it out.
You can grab yours here on ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHISEIDO-Hada-Senka-Mineral-Water-UV-Sunscreen-Gel-40ml-SPF-50-PA-FREE-SHIP-/181762255798?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a51dfebb6

and here on Amazon with Prime shipping
http://www.amazon.com/Shiseido-SENKA-Sunscreen-Mineral-Water/dp/B004Q1WT58/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434120105&sr=8-1&keywords=SHISEIDO+HADA+SENKA+MINERAL+UV+GEL

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SKINFOOD BLACK SUGAR CLEANSING OIL

April 23, 2014 /

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When I bring up oil cleansing as part of a two step cleansing process to people, more than half of the time they scrunch up their face at me and tell me that don’t have time for that. Some people are too obtuse to reason with, but those of us who are on the two step cleansing train already know how great it is. Stubborn waterproof makeup, sunblock, bb cream, mascara, all gone in a gentle instant. If you’re not already doing the two step cleansing routine, you should definitely be at least willing to give it a try. I’m almost positive you’ll never go back to doing things the old way! I’ve tried a variety of oil and sherbet cleansers, the most recent being Skinfood Black Sugar Cleansing Oil.

Let me start by telling you what I love about this particular oil cleanser, the pump. It has a long narrow hooked spout that perfectly dispenses what can sometimes be a messy product. Each time you depress the pump it gives you the perfect amount. The oil itself is, well, oily of course. I put it on my dry face and gently massage away my makeup. I find this works wonders on my insanely stubborn Tony Moly gel eyeliner and waterproof mascaras.
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As effective as this cleansing oil  is you might think you would have a hard time rinsing it clean. Absolutely not! It rinses clean with minimal effort. After you’ve used and rinsed away this oil cleanser, you follow up with your normal cream or foaming cleanser.

My sole complaint about this is the scent. Since it’s called Black Sugar one would assume it would smell, well, sugary. At the very least somewhere on the baked goods scale, but nope, this stuff smells like straight up PineSol. It has the most misleading name ever! It’s so lemony and antiseptic scented that as great as this stuff works, I find myself dreading using it. That being said, scent preference is so subjective, someone else might absolutely love the smell, this is just a personal opinion of mine. The product itself works great, the dispenser is great, the scent is it’s only negative.
Available on Ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SKIN-FOOD-Black-sugar-Cleansing-Oil-170ml-Korea-cosmetic-/271249056008?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f27b42108

Amazon with Prime shipping
http://www.amazon.com/Skinfood-Black-Sugar-Cleansing-Oil/dp/B005T5CARW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433881255&sr=8-1&keywords=skinfood+black+sugar+cleansing+oil

Skinfood Black Sugar Cleansing Oil gets 4 out of 5 clean little turtles.
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BENTON SNAIL BEE HIGH CONTENT SKIN TONER REVIEW

April 17, 2014 /
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I’ve been sitting on this review for awhile. As soon as this product was released I started to receive the inevitable questions about which Benton product choice reigns supreme for me.  But before I get to that, let me start with a brief introduction of this little wonder.
Snail Bee High Content Skin joins the Benton family, taking it’s place alongside BHA Aloe on the toner throne.  As is the hallmark of Benton products this is chock full of natural, highly skin beneficial ingredients.
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Let’s have a look at them:
Snail Secretion Filtrate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Human Ogliopeptide-1, Bee Venom, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Plantago Asiatica Extract, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Ulmus Campetris (Elm) Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Athaea Rosea Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Betaine, Bacillus Ferment, Panthenol, Beta-Glucan, Allantoin, Azelaic Acid, Adenosine
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 As you can see it’s pretty much a dream, full of great natural ingredients with no fillers (I expect nothing less from them honestly). If you’re wondering exactly who this is aimed at, as I’ve said with their other products I’d say pretty much anyone and everyone. Dry skin, oily skin, normal skin, this could potentially do well for just about everyone. Who I think would really see the most benefits would be someone with sensitive skin, especially those dealing with superficial redness. With the inclusion of the snail secretion and the green tea water, it’s a pretty powerful little calming potion.
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The texture is just ever so slightly thicker and more viscose and water. It’s absolutely not sticky, it’s actually quite the opposite. It’s very refreshing. After using this product for a few months I can say it’s a soothing, calming, concoction that made my skin brighter, calmer, and clearer.
Now, on to what everyone has been asking me. I kept hemming and hawing over where I was going to land on the ‘there can only be one, make your choice’ side. Since there’s now two toners, and I loved the last one so much, I had to pit these two high performing gems against each other and let them fight it out. So, which do I prefer between the Aloe BHA toner and Snail Bee High Content Skin toner? I’m going to have to go with the High Content Skin on this one. Not that I don’t still absolutely love the Aloe, mind you. I just think for me personally, the benefits of the High Content edge out the competition. It was a close call though, they’re both excellent products. However, I do find that the BHA Aloe toner is more moisturizing compared to this one. If that’s the most important thing for you, you still might prefer to stick with the Aloe. Also of note, some people have found that they have a sensitivity to the inclusion of Alcea Rosea extract (commonly known as hollyhock),  an ingredient in the Aloe toner. There’s some good news for those people because the High Content Skin does not contain that ingredient. So if you wanted to love the Benton toner in the past and didn’t, I would strongly suggest you give this one a try! For me, this is perfection in a bottle. Keeping in line with the insane love and devotion I have to Benton products this deserves higher than my highest rating. 5 out of 5 turtles plus an extra turtle for being so damn awesome.

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BENTON SNAIL BEE HIGH CONTENT LOTION REVIEW

April 16, 2014 /
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I had the highest hopes for this product. I don’t think I’ve ever put so much effort into getting a product to work for me.  Let’s just jump right into this and have a look at the ingredients:
Snail Secretion Filtrate, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetyl Ethyl Hexanoate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Niacinamide, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Squalane, Urea, Human Ogliopeptide-1, Bee Venom, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Cetostearyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bacillus Ferment, Azealic Acid, Alcea Rosea Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Beta-Glucan, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Plantago Asiatica Extract, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Ulmus Campestris (Elm) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Adenosine“Nooooooooo!” Was my first thought when I got a look at the ingredients list. While this is packed full of great natural ingredients, there’s also some decidedly unnatural, potentially triggering ingredients as well. I’m going to link you to my girl Skin & Tonic’s review for an in depth breakdown of the ingredients (because no one does it better lbr).

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The lotion has a light consistency and is odorless, I think that’s about the only thing people can agree on about this product.  The reviews have been all over the place for this stuff. Some of my friends absolutely love it. Some people think it’s a mess. I think I’m somewhere in-between. When I first started using it, I found that it didn’t melt instantly into my skin the way other Benton products do. It tended to kind of sit on the face the way a physical sunblock does. I still wasn’t ready to give up on it because I actually liked the way my skin felt with it after it had finally sunk in. Soon after starting the trial I also added another product to my mix, Paula’s Choice BHA 2% liquid exfoliant . Once I had been using that for about a week I noticed the Benton lotion’s absorption improved dramatically. Despite the improvement I still wasn’t 100% satisfied, I kept toying with my routine and I found that adding some generous drops of my essential oil du jour with each pump of lotion(either passion fruit oil, baobab oil, or argan oil) made everything just right for me. This can be used either on it’s own, or as an emulsion step before your cream. I have an oiler skinned friend who found the steam cream to be too heavy for her and loves this lotion on it’s own as the last step in her routine. On the other hand I know someone who found this to be heavier than the steam cream and didn’t like it at all. Like I said, the reviews are all over the place on this one. Personally I use it as an emulsion before my cream, and it really works for me once I tweaked it just right.  I’ve also had no break outs and no irritation. However, as much as I love Benton and their products, I do hold them to a higher standard and I can’t give this the full 5 out of 5 turtles.
It’s available on amazon here
http://www.amazon.com/Benton-Snail-High-Content-Lotion/dp/B00ISV7CN6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1433881740&sr=8-3&keywords=BENTON+SNAIL+BEE+HIGH+CONTENT+LOTION

and ebay here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Benton-Snail-Bee-High-Content-Lotion-/191039867044?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c7add08a4

It does work nicely for me but the inclusion of the potential no-no ingredients and the slow absorption earns 3.5 out of 5 turtles.
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