UPDATE: I started writing this post in May when I was close to finishing my bottle of this essence. So in the overall thoughts, I will also include my feelings after finishing the bottle and not using this product for about a month.
This product has been heavily touted in Korea as 'the' dupe for SKII's signature and best-selling product, the SKII Facial Treatment Essence. Except, instead of paying around AUD$120+ for a 150ml bottle of SKII's product, this is priced at around AUD$35-40 for the same amount (!!!)
I'm sure that many/most of you will have heard of/seen or even had the chance of trying the SKII brand. The reason behind that brand's huge success is due to the 'special' ingredient used in all their products. This being a certain strain of yeast 'Pitera' which has been said to be able to increase the rate of the skin cell turnover cycle aka. helps to keep skin looking young by increasing the speed of regeneration. I don't want to go on too much about it and bore you all, so if you are interested in knowing more about it, I found this link very helpful ;)
Since the 'My Skincare Routine' post which I published about three months ago now, I have made a few changes to the a few of the products I was using. There are two major reasons to this: firstly, a change in weather/climate conditions; and also because some changes to my skin condition due to my recent dietary and sleep habits.
I'm sure that many/most of you will have heard of/seen or even had the chance of trying the SKII brand. The reason behind that brand's huge success is due to the 'special' ingredient used in all their products. This being a certain strain of yeast 'Pitera' which has been said to be able to increase the rate of the skin cell turnover cycle aka. helps to keep skin looking young by increasing the speed of regeneration. I don't want to go on too much about it and bore you all, so if you are interested in knowing more about it, I found this link very helpful ;)
Since the 'My Skincare Routine' post which I published about three months ago now, I have made a few changes to the a few of the products I was using. There are two major reasons to this: firstly, a change in weather/climate conditions; and also because some changes to my skin condition due to my recent dietary and sleep habits.
I have never tried the SKII Essence before, so I'm not sure how this one compares exactly, but in a way that's a good thing because I started using this product without any pre-conceived expectations.
First impressions:
When opening the bottle and taking a sniff, I was pleasantly surprised that there was no scent! To be honest, I am a little bit wary of products which have strong smells, especially when they are products for my face...
I have been using this for about 2-3 months on and off now and this is what how I feel about it after using it for that amount of time.
What I like (Pros):
- Like I said before, I really like that there is no scent at all.
- Since it has a very liquid consistency, I can feel that the product is easily absorbed into my skin
- The essence is quite moisturising. I suffer from pretty dry skin, so usually I have to put quite a lot of products on (as you would be able to tell if you read my 'skincare routine' post. However, with this essence, I can use it with just my toner if I'm having a lazy day and my skin won't become dry or oily either.
What I dislike (Cons):
- I'm not a big fan of the packaging. I know that companies like to use glass bottles to store essence in, and that's more hygenic and safe due to plastic bottles having the ability to release chemicals and things like that. I'm totally fine with that even though glass is heavier and a bit of a nuisance to carry around if travelling. The thing I don't like however, is that way that the essence is dispensed. Since there is no pump or dropper, and the opening is quite small, one has to tip the bottle and sometimes give it a shake or two to get the essence onto the cotton pad. Again, this was most done for hygiene reasons, but I really think that it would have been a good idea for them to make the lid into a dropper design...
First impressions:
When opening the bottle and taking a sniff, I was pleasantly surprised that there was no scent! To be honest, I am a little bit wary of products which have strong smells, especially when they are products for my face...
I have been using this for about 2-3 months on and off now and this is what how I feel about it after using it for that amount of time.
What I like (Pros):
- Like I said before, I really like that there is no scent at all.
- Since it has a very liquid consistency, I can feel that the product is easily absorbed into my skin
- The essence is quite moisturising. I suffer from pretty dry skin, so usually I have to put quite a lot of products on (as you would be able to tell if you read my 'skincare routine' post. However, with this essence, I can use it with just my toner if I'm having a lazy day and my skin won't become dry or oily either.
What I dislike (Cons):
- I'm not a big fan of the packaging. I know that companies like to use glass bottles to store essence in, and that's more hygenic and safe due to plastic bottles having the ability to release chemicals and things like that. I'm totally fine with that even though glass is heavier and a bit of a nuisance to carry around if travelling. The thing I don't like however, is that way that the essence is dispensed. Since there is no pump or dropper, and the opening is quite small, one has to tip the bottle and sometimes give it a shake or two to get the essence onto the cotton pad. Again, this was most done for hygiene reasons, but I really think that it would have been a good idea for them to make the lid into a dropper design...
Overall experience/thoughts:
To be completely honest, I don't have much experience with essences and this is only the second one that I have used for an extended amount of time. I didn't use to think that essence was an really important step, but after using the Hera one and this one too, I think that I was really wrong before.
After not using this essence for about a month, my skin's condition dramatically worsened. The dry patches around my nose that I got after catching a cold about three weeks ago are still not going away. My skin has become dull and dry and the sensitivity of it has increased meaning that it's easy for me to get redness again :'(((((
Now of course, it's very likely that these issues are due to my recent unhealthy and robot like lifestyle (bad food, no sleep, no exercise, no immune system, no fun, no shopping, no anything), and also the stress from preparing (and dying) for exams. However, I really think that if I had continued using this product during the past month, it would not have reached this extent of damage.
Would I repurchase?
YES! So that I can look like a decent human being again, as soon as my stupid flu decides to leave my body (second time I have become sick in the past month), I am going shopping and taking advantage of the the 20% off STOREWIDE sale W Cosmetics is having right now to stock up on everything that I have been deprived of for the past month.
To be completely honest, I don't have much experience with essences and this is only the second one that I have used for an extended amount of time. I didn't use to think that essence was an really important step, but after using the Hera one and this one too, I think that I was really wrong before.
After not using this essence for about a month, my skin's condition dramatically worsened. The dry patches around my nose that I got after catching a cold about three weeks ago are still not going away. My skin has become dull and dry and the sensitivity of it has increased meaning that it's easy for me to get redness again :'(((((
Now of course, it's very likely that these issues are due to my recent unhealthy and robot like lifestyle (bad food, no sleep, no exercise, no immune system, no fun, no shopping, no anything), and also the stress from preparing (and dying) for exams. However, I really think that if I had continued using this product during the past month, it would not have reached this extent of damage.
Would I repurchase?
YES! So that I can look like a decent human being again, as soon as my stupid flu decides to leave my body (second time I have become sick in the past month), I am going shopping and taking advantage of the the 20% off STOREWIDE sale W Cosmetics is having right now to stock up on everything that I have been deprived of for the past month.