Okay, so this is probably like over 3 months late. I thought I would give myself a second chance with this blogging thing by making a new blog and everything, but obviously, I am still terrible(!!!) at it. For those who have actually been coming here and expecting a new post, my sincere apologies :( But I'm here now so let's take a look at my first ever product review! :D
So the product I would like to review today is a BB cream by Hera called the UV cushion mist. But before that, a little overview of the brand (if you want to get straight into the review, feel free to scroll down).
Hera is Korean cosmetic and skincare brand which was started by the (huge) parent company Amore Pacific in 1995. Amore Pacific pretty much controls all the popular brands for makeup and skincare ranging from the 'low-end' Etude House (cute and pink, aimed towards teenagers and young adults, more focused on cosmetics), 'mid-range' Laneige (for those who is starting to take skincare more seriously), all the way up to the high ended Hera (my brand of choice) and the extremely exclusive and coveted Sulwhashoo (apparently 'the' brand amongst the celebrities of Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, China etc. and rich Korean, middle aged women).
I was first introduced to this brand during my first trip to Korea at the beginning of this year while looking for a souvenir for my grandma in a department store in Busan. I ended up getting her the Cell Bio cream and the lovely assistants there gave my two trial sets of products they felt would be suitable for my skin. This experience and the improvements in both my grandma's and my skin after using our respective products, while I was staying with her in Hong Kong, was what started my fascination with this brand.
After coming back to Brisbane, I started looking into the brand some more and I found out about their cosmetics range. At the time, I wasn't really focused on getting anymore more makeup since I had just done a massive haul in Korea, but after looking at a few rave reviews on the UV Cushion Mist and the limited edition case they had just released, I caved (I'm a huge sucker for limited edition packaging).
So the product I would like to review today is a BB cream by Hera called the UV cushion mist. But before that, a little overview of the brand (if you want to get straight into the review, feel free to scroll down).
Hera is Korean cosmetic and skincare brand which was started by the (huge) parent company Amore Pacific in 1995. Amore Pacific pretty much controls all the popular brands for makeup and skincare ranging from the 'low-end' Etude House (cute and pink, aimed towards teenagers and young adults, more focused on cosmetics), 'mid-range' Laneige (for those who is starting to take skincare more seriously), all the way up to the high ended Hera (my brand of choice) and the extremely exclusive and coveted Sulwhashoo (apparently 'the' brand amongst the celebrities of Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, China etc. and rich Korean, middle aged women).
I was first introduced to this brand during my first trip to Korea at the beginning of this year while looking for a souvenir for my grandma in a department store in Busan. I ended up getting her the Cell Bio cream and the lovely assistants there gave my two trial sets of products they felt would be suitable for my skin. This experience and the improvements in both my grandma's and my skin after using our respective products, while I was staying with her in Hong Kong, was what started my fascination with this brand.
After coming back to Brisbane, I started looking into the brand some more and I found out about their cosmetics range. At the time, I wasn't really focused on getting anymore more makeup since I had just done a massive haul in Korea, but after looking at a few rave reviews on the UV Cushion Mist and the limited edition case they had just released, I caved (I'm a huge sucker for limited edition packaging).
I remember paying around $55 AUD for this one but it may have ended up being a bit more considering the conversion rates and whatnot. I did take a look on Ebay as well, but the sellers on there were selling this edition for much more (I think around $70+ from memory) and I felt that I could trust Gmarket a bit more since I could be sure that it would be coming directly from Korea. I got this in the shade C23, and it came with a refill included in the box.
I'm not too sure if this edition is still available now, but I do know that W Cosmetics (a dream come true for me) sells the regular version for around $60 off the top of my head (it's 45,000won in Korea last time I checked, so the price is actually pretty much the same as buying it in Korea when you factor in conversion rates). And they now have stores in Brisbane City, Indooroopilly and Garden City so us Brisbane girls have it a lot easier now when it comes to buying Korean cosmetics/skincare
When it first arrived, of course I was oohing and ahhing over the packaging cause seriously, how pretty is it?!! It looks even better in real life as the 'face' has a nice shimmery finish, which I love. But enough about that, how is the actual product?
For the lovely readers who lead busy lives, here is a summary of how I feel about the Hera UV Mist Cushion. For those who have more time on their hands, keep reading for a more comprehensive review :)
I'm not too sure if this edition is still available now, but I do know that W Cosmetics (a dream come true for me) sells the regular version for around $60 off the top of my head (it's 45,000won in Korea last time I checked, so the price is actually pretty much the same as buying it in Korea when you factor in conversion rates). And they now have stores in Brisbane City, Indooroopilly and Garden City so us Brisbane girls have it a lot easier now when it comes to buying Korean cosmetics/skincare
When it first arrived, of course I was oohing and ahhing over the packaging cause seriously, how pretty is it?!! It looks even better in real life as the 'face' has a nice shimmery finish, which I love. But enough about that, how is the actual product?
For the lovely readers who lead busy lives, here is a summary of how I feel about the Hera UV Mist Cushion. For those who have more time on their hands, keep reading for a more comprehensive review :)
Summary
Pros:
1. Great for everyday looks/ days where you're feeling lazy but still want to look decent.
2. Coverage is not exceptional, but I feel that its amazing for a BB cream
3. Love the finish it gives! Its not overly dewy, but it looks my skin look glowy and fresh
4. No need for touchups(!!!) Perfect for lazy people like me. The photo I took at night was after a long day running around on what I consider to be a hot day for: university, shopping (trying on clothes), dinner with a friend etc.
5. Doesn't not make my skin all oily after a few hours (I never need to blot throughout the day anymore)
6.HIGH SPF. I love that its got high SPF because it means that I don't have to buy&use a separate facial sunscreen under my makeup, and I won't feel guilty for exposing my face to the sun without sunscreen on.
7. Environmentally friendly. I'm a bit of a greenie, so I love that it is a refillable product. Once you have finished up one sponge of product (lasted me about 4 months of pretty much daily use), you can push out the container its held in and snap a new one in. On top of that, you can keep the pretty case :D Also, the initial price seems a bit "for real?!" since its $60 for a BB cream. But I see it as an investment. Firstly, it comes with a refill so you can pretty much divide the $60 in half. And each refill lasts about 4 months so 8 months of glowing, fresh skin for $60 in total. Plus, the refills after that will cost you about $20-25 each so I don't think its too bad! :)
Cons:
1. I feel that the colour I chose is a pretty good match for me, but there are only two options, and I got the darker one (I'm usually around a NW25-30 with MAC foundations and no.4 Natural for Bobbi Brown). So your skin has to be relatively fair to use this. Its not surprising since it's a Korean brand and most girls there either has porcelain pale skin or is striving towards it so many brands limit their shades a bit. But its such a great product, so its a pity that not everyone can try it.
2. Not easily accessible. The brand is not as big as ones like Etude House, Missha, 3CE, Laneige etc. so it is a bit harder to find compared to the more well known ones. Even with W cosmetics, this is the only Hera product they have, and I haven't seen Hera skincare or other cosmetics in any other stores which sells this kind of Korean stuff. Of course you can get it online, but I know many girls like to swatch it and see if they like how it feels and looks on them first so it can be troublesome.
Would I repurchase?
I'm already on my second container and I'm still loving it. No breakouts or other skin problems have resulted from me using this BB cream and I really love how it makes my skin look. And since I will only have to buy refills from now on, I would DEFINITELY repurchase <3
1. Great for everyday looks/ days where you're feeling lazy but still want to look decent.
2. Coverage is not exceptional, but I feel that its amazing for a BB cream
3. Love the finish it gives! Its not overly dewy, but it looks my skin look glowy and fresh
4. No need for touchups(!!!) Perfect for lazy people like me. The photo I took at night was after a long day running around on what I consider to be a hot day for: university, shopping (trying on clothes), dinner with a friend etc.
5. Doesn't not make my skin all oily after a few hours (I never need to blot throughout the day anymore)
6.HIGH SPF. I love that its got high SPF because it means that I don't have to buy&use a separate facial sunscreen under my makeup, and I won't feel guilty for exposing my face to the sun without sunscreen on.
7. Environmentally friendly. I'm a bit of a greenie, so I love that it is a refillable product. Once you have finished up one sponge of product (lasted me about 4 months of pretty much daily use), you can push out the container its held in and snap a new one in. On top of that, you can keep the pretty case :D Also, the initial price seems a bit "for real?!" since its $60 for a BB cream. But I see it as an investment. Firstly, it comes with a refill so you can pretty much divide the $60 in half. And each refill lasts about 4 months so 8 months of glowing, fresh skin for $60 in total. Plus, the refills after that will cost you about $20-25 each so I don't think its too bad! :)
Cons:
1. I feel that the colour I chose is a pretty good match for me, but there are only two options, and I got the darker one (I'm usually around a NW25-30 with MAC foundations and no.4 Natural for Bobbi Brown). So your skin has to be relatively fair to use this. Its not surprising since it's a Korean brand and most girls there either has porcelain pale skin or is striving towards it so many brands limit their shades a bit. But its such a great product, so its a pity that not everyone can try it.
2. Not easily accessible. The brand is not as big as ones like Etude House, Missha, 3CE, Laneige etc. so it is a bit harder to find compared to the more well known ones. Even with W cosmetics, this is the only Hera product they have, and I haven't seen Hera skincare or other cosmetics in any other stores which sells this kind of Korean stuff. Of course you can get it online, but I know many girls like to swatch it and see if they like how it feels and looks on them first so it can be troublesome.
Would I repurchase?
I'm already on my second container and I'm still loving it. No breakouts or other skin problems have resulted from me using this BB cream and I really love how it makes my skin look. And since I will only have to buy refills from now on, I would DEFINITELY repurchase <3