Review: Mizon Mela Defense White Boosting Toner & Mela Defense White Capsule Essence

This week's review will be a double feature of two of the Mizon Mela Defense White line, which is specifically focused around reducing melanin damage in the skin and even includes a sunscreen to prevent further damage.**

The packaging of this line is half the appeal, it's all cherry blossoms, brushed pink metal, and prettiness.

**Since this product contains an AHA, sunscreen is a must in order to counteract the photosensitizing effects of the AHA.

I admit that I purchased these after spending months lusting after the packaging, and finally decided to let go and indulge my curiosity when RoseRoseShop removed the shipping charge for all Mizon items.

In this post:

• Information about the Mela Defense line
• Why I bought them
• Gratuitous pictures of the pretty boxes
• Ingredients Analysis and pH results
• My experience and final thoughts

Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick Review

Today I'll be reviewing the much-buzzed-about, hard-to-find, ever-elusive Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick.  I just finished off my 2nd tube and I am about to crack into a brand-new pristine one, so I figured now was a good time to review it while the new tube is still untouched and pretty.

Nonetheless, it is what's inside the packaging that counts, right?

Su:m37 has gorgeous packaging of course, but they also make excellent (if expensive) products.

If you are at all interested in Asian cosmetics, you have probably heard of the mythical MRCS; it's rarely stocked, sells out immediately, and is usually offered at exorbitant prices when available.  It causes buying frenzies, backups purchased before the first has arrived, and other questionable shopping practices (not that any of these apply to me.  Heh. Heh. Heh...)  It's almost like a Korean Beauty goal: Achievement Unlocked: Purchase Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick!

So you might be asking, what is the fuss about?  The primary benefits of the MRCS, in my opinion, are as follows:

• Low pH foaming cleanser (click here to read about why the pH of your cleanser is actually a big deal)
• Is cosmetically elegant, delicately wrapping your skin in a luxurious froth of fermented rose
• Has a novel packaging/application method that is travel-friendly

And that's it.  You might be looking at that list and thinking "this thing is so hyped I was expecting it to pay my mortgage and take me on fabulous vacations to Spain" and I do think that people get a bit too caught up in the buzz, but I have also purchased 4 of them and only have one left.  Clearly it's got something goin' on for it.

In this post:

• Methods of use and length of use
• Ingredients Analysis
• Where to purchase it
• Alternatives/Dupes
• Final thoughts

Weekday Randomness: Testerkorea Haul, Physical Sunscreens, & Exploding Liptints

I have done a few mini-hauls so far this year but I've be busy with other things and haven't had a chance to post about any of them.  With the exception of the Avecko haul I posted last weekend, my orders have small, filled with necessities, or otherwise not deserving of their own post.

Still, this haul was quite the surprise when I opened it, for less-than-pleasant reasons.

If you are squinting at that picture and wondering "is that a ziploc bag?!" you would be correct.

In this post:

• What I purchased, and why
• What it cost me, and how long it took
• What exploded en route
• Physical sunscreens from my magical Sunscreen Fairy Godmother 

Lunar Sale Avecko haul & Why you need to know what ePOSTg is

It's been a weekend of roller coaster emotions.  I went from elated that my package was here, in despair that it had been stolen, to elated when it was found, all within 48 hours.  I'm worn out.

I placed this order in early February during the Lunar Holiday (New Year) full knowing that my items would be greatly delayed on their domestic journey to Avecko, and then that Avecko themselves would be going on holiday as well.

I didn't mind; the prospect of snagging some delicious holiday flash sale deals like I did in my first two Avecko hauls (click here for those goodies!) and I was almost completely out of the Leejiham (LJH) Tea Tree 90 Essence, so it was an opportune moment to make a mini-haul and pick up some goodies.

I stalked my package daily, multiple times a day once it arrived in the US; it was a comforting bright spot in an increasingly stressful start to the year.  Then it went missing.

In this post:

• My rage and despair over the loss of my package
• Why ePOSTg is a really important thing to know about
• Unboxing of my Avecko package (at last)
• What I purchased, how much I saved, and why I bought them

Aritaum Ginger Sugar Overnight Lip Mask Review

I'm doing a quick mid-week request a review on the Aritaum Ginger Sugar Overnight Lip Mask, which I received earlier this year in a mini haul from Testerkorea.  This is going to be a pretty quick review, because I wasn't able to find a full ingredients list, even on Korean sites.  If you find it somewhere, let me know!

I've been using on nights where my lips feel dry or are chapped, as it's not a 'balm' in the usual sense, it's literally an overnight sleeping pack ... for your lips?

Plus, its got Ginger Sugar in the name.  I love ginger.   I love sugar.  I love sugared (candied) ginger.  I am constantly out of lip balm because I lose them almost instantly.  Sold!

You might be looking at this barely-touched lip balm and think I didn't like it, but that's not the case. 

Review: Cosrx AHA / BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner vs Mizon AHA BHA Daily Clean Toner

This week I'm going to be doing a mini-review of the Cosrx AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner and comparing it to my trusty Mizon AHA BHA Daily Clean Toner.  Why a mini-review, and not a full review, you might ask?  You'll see shortly.

Before we start, I just want to add a note about what I expect out of these types of toners.  My expectations are pretty low, actually:

1. I expect them to be a suitable pH to lower my skin's pH after cleansing to prepare it for my actives (Vit C, BHA, and AHA), 
2. I expect them not to leave residue on the skin that would interfere with the ability of my actives to work directly in my skin, 
3. I expect them to be non-irritating.  

That's all I need.  With such minimal expectations (I pay no need to the brand's claims such as "prevents whiteheads, blackheads, and blemishes with the perfect blend of all-natural ingredients and mineral water to rejuvenate and replenish your skin."  Yeah, no.  It's a just a pH-adjusting toner.  Its job is to ready my skin for my next steps, I'm not expecting magic here.  Most people don't even need a pH adjusting toner, I just live in the desert so my skin dries out too fast to wait around for it to naturally adjust itself.  But I do, and it does, so here I am.  Onward!

In this post:

• Ingredients overview of Cosrx vs Mizon
• A small pH testing snafu and ensuing rage-shopping
• pH of Cosrx Natural BHA Skin Returning A-Sol
• pH of Mizon 8% AHA Peeling Serum (control) and AHA BHA Daily Clean Toner
• pH of Cosrx AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner 
• My observations and experience with Cosrx vs Mizon

I'm also incredibly surly today because I realized halfway through my prep, when it was too late to stop, that I had ordered the wrong size of test tubes.  RAGE!

The Hanbang Set Project, Part V: The End has Come - Reviews, Swatches, and Final Thoughts

At last, here's the final installment of my February special project aka My Adventures with the Mysterious Hanbang (한방) Buyonghwa Jeonghyo set.  It's been a crazy month, with hours spent every day working on this project: transcribing, translating, researching, slamming my head on my desk, and drinking copious amounts of fermented Vitis vinifera.

The flash of my camera got realllly excited here.  Maybe it liked the shiny lids?

In this post:

• Recap of the project
• Reviews and photos of each product
• pH testing results
• Swatches to show texture
• Final Thoughts

I have mixed feelings about the end of this project; on the one hand, I am sad that I will no longer be using this gorgeously-packaged set (I'm keeping the jars, but will be decanting some for friends and family to try, so the leftover product will not go to waste), but on the other hand, I'm eager to get back to an unrestricted, customized skincare routine tailored to my skin's problem areas.

For someone who is accustomed to having a wide range of products to choose from on a daily basis, depending on how my skin feels that day, it was definitely a little stifling to limit myself to a single line.

That being said, it was very novel to try a full line that was designed to be used together and it's something I've always wanted to try!