White Formula Extreme Hyaluronic Acid Essence First Impression

my first essence! i've been eyeing one for a while, this seems to fit my needs and budget well, so i purchased it after seeing pretty good reviews on urcosme, the taiwanese peer review site for beauty products.

white formula is a taiwanese brand, i think it's pretty new in town, for they have just reached the singaporean shore a few months ago. i got this from hong kong because just 6 months ago, it wasn't in singapore yet.

this is purely for hydrating and moisturizing - packed with hyaluronic acid. read on.



on the back the product description.
let me do some translation!

"complete hydration - the ultimate and improved version. get hydration in just one drop thanks to the high density hydration delivery technology.

the high density water delivery techonology couple concentrated hyaluronic acid allows for the instantaneous release of moisturizing factors. with 4 patented beefed up hyaluronic acids, it is able to penetrate the skin to supply strong and long lasting effects of moisture induction, moisture replenishment, and moisture retainment. you just need one drop for perfect hydration.

- high technology moisture induction hyaluronic acid SYN-HYCAN, aims to inject dry skin with water, works in synergy with collagen.

- low molecular weight hyalurnoic acid Hyalo-Oligo, able to penetrate deep into the skin, allows the skin to be hydrated inside out.

- high density water retaining hyaluronic acid Sodium Hyaluronate, forms a strong net to keep the water in.

- concentrated hyaluronic acid Hyaloveil-P, powerful moisturizing capabilities, constantly supplies the skin with hydration."


ingriedients list.
even though it's a taiwanese brand, it's made in korea!

it comes with suggested usage instructions:

suitable for extremely dry, dehydrated, and sensitive skin.
use it twice a day, morning and night. after cleansing your face, take an appropriate amount of the essence and gently massage it into the face and neck.



pump dispenser.


i really like the blue bottle, looks pleasing and relaxing to my eyes! there are also simple instructions (same as the one on the box) at the back of the bottle.




it's slightly more viscous than the whitening lotion.



similar to the whitening lotion this is extremely slippery, and there is a slight stickiness to it, when i apply it on my face and pat it with my palms, it will resist me from pulling it away from my face (as with all other products containing hyaluronic acid).

IN A NUTSHELL

texture: slightly viscous, very slippery, spreads easily and absorbed quickly.
after-feel: a slight adhesive feeling, skin feels soft and hydrated.
fragrance: no fragrance. in fact, there's a chemical smell to it because they didn't add any fragrance to cover it up.

IMHO

i've only started using it recently, so i can't give too much comments yet. as far as the texture goes, i kinda like it. the slippery feel makes me think of the snail mucin products (even though i've never tried it, but i've linked slippery-ness to moisture retaining effects). the scent is a little turn off because the chemical scent is quite apparent, and the thought of slathering chemicals on my face isn't that appetizing at all. nonetheless, it is a very hydrating product and i can get away with it as my creams at night, perhaps even in the day. but that sticky feeling is something i try to avoid during day time because i need it to be compatible with my make up (meaning, my face should feel hydrate and smooth, not hydrated and slightly sticky, which may result in uneven application of my powders!).

full review will be up in at least 2 months time for me to observe any differences.

my gf picked this up from HK for HKD$110.

Innisfree Olive Real Skin (Review)

i'm only doing my research for this product right now as i'm writing this because i received this as a gift from my relative. it's a toner, but koreans call then "skin". this is different from what americans call toners though. this is NOT an astrigent. asian toners are meant to be used after washing our face to prepare our skin for the other skin care we'll be using after. by hydrating our face with the toner, it supposedly allows the skin to absorb active ingredients better later.

most toners i've used are oil free, so this is definitely something new for me. it contains organic extra virgin olive oil. it's emulsified to form this slightly thick emulsion that is surprisingly light on my skin and is absorbed quickly. the scent is SO LOVELY - a slight tinge of citrus.

from its website, it claims to be

A highly enriched hydrating skin with nutritious organic olives to fill in the skin with nutrition.
so this is a very basic toner that aims to hydrate the skin. nutrition wise.. ERRR. if my skin is getting nutrition from the outside, i'll have to be very worried.


their brand is all about being organic and eco friendly, part of their brand image i guess!



it's nice of them to include english ingredients and usage information.


i look a look at its ingredients, the top ingredients are water, propanediol, butylene glycol, and butylene glycol, all are humectants that will help retain moisture on the skin.

olive oil is pretty high up there too! don't worry about the alcohol because this toner is NOT DRYING at all. the alcohol is probably there to open up pathways for the skin to absorb more product. there're a lot of other natural extracts, even though i don't know their purpose and effects. 

apparently they don't contain parabens, but they have phenoxyethanol as the preservative to make its shelf life longer.




it comes with a little white stopper to prevent spillage. you can throw that away after you transport it home safely! the opening may be a little too huge for my liking. i try to do a magic trick everytime i pour it out of the bottle by tipping the bottle really really quickly, so quickly that you can't see my hands move at all.



it's a little cloudy, afterall, it's an emulsion. a little bit thicker than water, but still quite watery.



from start to finish it didn't even take a minute. it absorbs very quickly. my hands returned to its matte looking state after all that patting. on my face, there can be a little sheen (but that is desired by me).

IN A NUTSHELL

texture: slightly viscous, spreads easily and absorbs quickly.
after-feel: no adhesive feeling like the hyaluronic acid toners made me feel. skin feels soft and hydrated but not for long.
fragrance: slightly citrus scented, makes me feel like a salad with the olive oil dressing and a dash of lemon juice.

IMHO

i've used this for a good half a year, but i haven't been very consistent with it as i switch in and out with the whitening toner that i have. it does a good job preparing my skin for what comes next. i feel that the oil in the toner helps open up my skin to other oil based ingredients in my creams, so that's a good thing.

since there isn't that sticky feeling that hyaluronic acid toners give me, those who dislike that feeling may be interested in this product. however, i feel that this product isn't moisturizing on its own. i definitely need to throw on a cream after that. you know how come oils can make you feel dry? you'd be surprised that this toner doesn't leave me feeling oily at all. i guess all that olive oil got absorbed by my skin instead of sitting on top forming a protective film to keep it hydrated.

all in all, i enjoy using this product, partly because i really love the scent. it makes applying my skin care a pleasure.

White Formula Intense Brightening Laser Toner with Arbutin First Impression

anything with "whitening" will catch my attention because i'm constantly trying to brighten my skin tone. this is something new in the market, in fact, at the time of purchase it was still unavailable in singapore. i had to ask my gf to get it for me from hong kong.

white formula is a brand from taiwan, and their lotion/toner has gotten really good reviews on the urcosme.net ranking, hence i wanted to give it a try. at a price point of HKD$88 for 290ml, i have nothing to lose. if this doesn't work as a whitening toner, it'll still be good enough for just hydrating.



on the back the product description.
let me do some translation!

"a highly efficient triple action whitening formula, it contains arbutin for penetrative whitening, mandelic acid for exfoliation type brightening, and stabilized vitamin c inductor AA2G, an effective whitening ingredient, activating an all round whitening mechanism - exfoliation first before penetration into the skin to reverse the darkening process, getting rid of melanin formation completely. There is an addition of patented compound RADIANSKIN^TM to correct spots and to brighten the skintone. Does not contain alcohol, fragrances, it is gentle to the skin. Consistent usage will result in bright and clear skin all year round.

- gentle penetrative whitening ingredient arbutin, it is absorbed into the skin easily to inhibity tyrosinase to prevent melanin production.

- exfoliative whitening ingredient mandelic acid genltly removes surface epidermis to improve melanin accumulation problem.

- effective and stabilized vitamine c inductor AA2G will release high concentration vitamin c continually to reverse melanin that has already formed."



i took a look at its ingredients, the top ingredients are water, butylene glycol, and propyl glycol, all are humectants that will help retain moisture on the skin. butylene glycol is probably what makes the formula so slippery.

malic acid is quite high up in the ingredient list, an alpha hydroxy acid, it helps in removing dead skin cells, serving a similar function as mandelic acid. and then there is the usual sodium hyaluronate the water magnet. i believe sodium chondroitin sulfate is also there to attract water to the skin.

the skin whitening agents are arbutin, ascorbyl glucoside (AA2G), and alpha-arbutin.

comes with a slew of preservatives (all 4 parabens plus phenoxyethanol).




the bottle has a small open that dispenses enough product by flipping the bottle over quickly over your palm.



it may look watery on my palm, but it's actually slightly, just a tiny bit viscous. the lotion is extremely slippery, making it feel like it's very moisturizing.



even though it's very slippery, it is easily absorbed into the skin with a few pats. there is a slight stickiness to it, when i apply it on my face and pat it with my palms, it will resist me from pulling it away from my face.

IN A NUTSHELL

texture: slightly viscous, very slippery, spreads easily and absorbed quickly.
after-feel: a slight adhesive feeling, skin feels soft and hydrated.
fragrance: no fragrance.

IMHO

so far i've only used it for less than a week, and i really like how it feels on my skin. my previous lotion is the hadanomy collagen lotion, which is quite meh when it comes to hydrating. but the white formula lotion, even though it's touted as a whitening lotion, it is HIGHLY HYDRATING. it's too early to tell the whitening effects at this point in time, and i can only report the immediate effects that i feel, and it's moisturizing capabilities surprised me. my face feels so soft and supple after using it! i will top this up with a cream (either simple moisturizer or hadanomy gel cream).

i also like that it's not entirely watery, it's slight viscosity means it doesn't drip all over my palm when i spread it open. also, when i pat it onto my face, i feel that the texture helps it spread over my skin more evenly, whereas if it was watery like water, it tends to congregate into droplets.

full review will be up in at least 2 months time for me to observe any differences.