Laneige White Plus Renew Original Essence and Eye Cream

While laser treatments got rid of the most visible splotches of melasma and hyper-pigmentation on my face, my complexion is still very uneven and probably will stay that way (that's what them folks in white lab coats said). It's not tragically uneven, nothing that a couple of pat-pats of my favorite cushion foundation wouldn't fix.

But, of course, that's not going to stop me from searching for the best and most effective skin brightening cosmetic product out there. Unfortunately, my skin is rather stubborn, and what works wonders for other people, does diddly squat for me, like Shiseido White Lucent, for example. Or SK-II Spot Specialist treatment. DiorSnow does seem to work, with "seem" being the operative word here. But since I'm not independently rich, buying DiorSnow on a regular basis is out of the question. I needed something cheaper. Something cheaper that would also "seem" to work.

Najwieksze plamy melasmy i przebarwienia na mojej twarzy zostaly mniej wiecej skutecznie usuniete laserem. Ale moja cera nadal jest "plamista" i ponoc juz taka pozostanie (tak znachorzy skorni twierdza). Nie jest to jakas tragiczna plamistosc, kilka pacniec podkladem poduszkowym i po klopocie.

Ale, oczywiscie, to wcale nie znaczy, ze przestalam szukac kolejnego magicznego produktu, ktory obiecuje rowny koloryt cery. Niestety, to co dziala dla wiekszosci ludzi, u mnie robi absolutnie wielkie nic, jak na przyklad Shiseido White Lucent, czy SK-II Spot Specialist. DiorSnow wydaje sie robic cos tam, ale "wydaje sie" jest tu najwazniejszym okresleniem. Jako ze nie jestem niezaleznie bogata, a jeny na drzewach nie rosna, kupowanie DiorSnow na okraglo nie wchodzi w ogole w rachube. Wiec poszukiwania czegos tanszego, co wydawaloby sie dzialac, byly moim priorytetem.

And that's how one wonderful sunny day, against my better judgment, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, said a quick prayer and ordered the very famous and universally acclaimed Laneige White Plus Renew Original Essence. I was ordering it from W2Beauty, and Alice very kindly added the equally famous Laneige White Plus Renew Eye Cream for me to review, as well.

Laneige and I have a very stormy and difficult relationship.
Why?
Their products break me out like there's no tomorrow.
I don't mean a small zit here and there. No. I mean huge, red, painful cysts filled with evil looking puss. That's what Laneige Sleeping Pack does to me. That's what Laneige Water Bank gel does to me.

So needless to say, I was more than just a little worried when putting the White Plus Renew stuff on my face.

I've been using both of these products for almost two months now, and I'm ready to give you my honest and unbiased opinion.

I tak to pewnego pieknego dnia, wbrew logice i samej sobie, wzielam gleboki oddech i kliknelam na oslawiony w Azji Laneige White Plus Renew Original Essence. Kupowalam w W2Beauty i Alice bardzo uprzejmie dodala Laneige White Plus Renew Eye Cream dla mnie do zrecenzowania.

Laneige i ja nie bardzo sie lubimy.
Dlaczego?
Bo Laneige'owskie kosmetyki strasznie mnie wysypuja.
Nie jakis tam pryszcz czy dwa, ale wielkie, bolesne, czerwone gule wypelnione zielonym swinstwem.
Takie sa efekty uzywania Laneige Sleeping Pack na mojej twarzy. Takie sa efekty uzywania Laneige Water Bank gel.

Wiec, teraz juz jasne dlaczego bylam pelna obaw wklepujac White Plus Renew na twarz.

Mam oba te produkty juz dwa miesiace i czas teraz na moja bardzo szczera i nie zawsze zachwycajaca opinie.

I admit that I was convinced to give Laneige a try after reading a glowing review on Agathblog. The author is probably *the most*, trustworthy Polish language blogger reviewing Korean cosmetics.
So if it worked for her, and she also has somewhat problematic skin, it should work for me, too. Right?

The Essence, or rather, Laneige White Plus Renew Original Essence is the stuff of Asian legends. It boasts an impressive list of ingredients (you can find them in English over at Agathblog, just scroll down a bit), and those who are interested in such things, can get a lot more excited about it than me. I stopped at "Silybum Marianum", which is simply milk thistle. I knew it was supposed to be good for your liver, but skin? You learn something new every day.

In addition to powerful plant extracts, it features Laneige's patented whitening technology - Melacrusher™.


Przyznaje sie, ze do sprobowania Laneige zachecila mnie recenzja u Agathblog. Jako ze jest to chyba najlepszy polski blog o koreanskich kosmetykach i autorka naprawde zna sie na rzeczy (w przeciwienstwie do mnie), postanowilam jej zaufac. Czytam tego bloga juz od dluzszego czasu i autorka i ja niezaleznie od siebie bardzo czesto wybieramy takie same, lub bardzo podobne kosmetyki. Wiec skoro Laneige zadzialal dla niej, to pomyslalam, ze mozliwe, ze i u mnie beda dobre efekty.

Ta esencja, a raczej Laneige White Plus Renew Original Essence to legendarny produkt w Azji (z wyjatkiem Japonii, oczywiscie, bo my to takie galapagos jestesmy). Ma imponujacy sklad (do wgladu w tym wpisie na Agathblog) pelen ekstraktow o ktorych ja nie mam zielonego pojecia. Dodatkowo chwali sie opatentowana technologia Melacrusher™.

The magical essence came in a 40ml glass bottle with an eye dropper applicator (or a Pasteur pipette, if you want to sound fancy).

Owa magiczna esencja przychodzi do nas w 40ml szklanej butelce z pipetka.

The essence is white, light (and according to my dear friend - it looks just like sperm, please forgive her, she works at a fertility clinic) and it absorbs easily without leaving a sticky residue. One pump gives you enough essence for the entire face.
As most Korean cosmetic products, this essence has a quite strong, vaguely floral scent ("smells a lot better than sperm," my friend said). It drives me up the wall and makes me sneeze. But 99.99% of people are not as sensitive to certain smells as I am.

Esencja jest biala, leciutka i wyglada jak cos, hmmm... jak cos. Wchlania sie latwo, nie zostawia klejacej warstwy. Jedna pompka, a raczej pipetka, wystarczy na cala twarz.
Jak w wiekszosci koreanskich kosmetykow, tak i ten ma dosyc silny zapach. Jakis taki kosmetyczno-florystyczny. Irytuje mnie on strasznie i kicham po nim niesamowicie. Ale 99,99% ludzi nie jest tak wrazliwych na zapachy w kosmetykach jak ja.

The leaflet that was in the box was the same for both products, it just explained step by step the entire Laneige White Plus Renew line.
This is what it had to say about the Original Essence:


Ulotki w pudelkach byly takie same w obu przypadkach, wyjasnialy cala linie Laneige White Plus Renew. Tutaj opis Original Essence:

It claims to brighten your complexion and even your skin tone. Simple enough, right?

I've been using it for 6 weeks now. And?

Hmmm...
My skin does look a bit brighter and while maybe not whiter, it's definitely more glowing. Though, in all honesty, that might be due to the fact that I've been sleeping a bit longer recently and look more rested in general.

That's the good part.

And the bad part?
It broke me out. Not as severely as the sleeping pack, but enough to make me want to toss this damn essence out the window.

So what to do now? I've developed this routine. One week of Laneige White Plus Renew Original Essence, and one week of rest. Using it that way, I only got one zit on my forehead and could stop before any more appeared. During my week off, I'm hoping that the bump will disappear, and then I can start anew. I'm aiming for zero zits and a brighter face. Wish me luck.

And what about the eye cream?

Wiec, ulotka twierdzi, ze esencja rozjasnia cere i wyrowna jej koloryt. Proste, prawda?
Uzywam obu kosmetykow od ponad 6 tygodni. No i jak?

No mozliwe, ze faktycznie moja cera wyglada ciut bardziej jednolicie (choc rownie prawdopodobne jest to, ze spie teraz ciut dluzej i generalnie wygladam na bardziej wypoczeta).

A minusy?
Ano takie, ze mnie po owej magicznej esencji wysypalo. Nie az tak tragicznie jak np po Sleeping packu. Ale jednak na tyle, ze w chwilach slabosci chcialam po prostu wywalic to za okno.

Wiec co robic teraz? Ano, mam taka rutyne - jeden tydzien Laneige White Plus Renew Original Essence, i drugi tydzien bez niczego na twarzy. W ten sposob jakiekolwiek wypryski beda mialy czas aby sie zagoic.

A jak sie miewa krem pod oczy?

While this Laneige White Plus Renew Eye Cream was provided to me by W2Beauty for review purposes, the opinions below are mine, and Alice has no idea what I am going to write.
And hey, this is my very first official affiliate product review! Wow!

The cream, all 15ml of it, comes in a handy plastic tube with a metal applicator tip.

Dostalam ten krem w ramach wspolpracy z W2Beauty. Jednak wszystkie opinie tutaj przedstawione sa moje wlasne.
Moja najpierwsza sponsorowana recenzja. Yay!

Kremik ten przychodzi do nas w plastikowej tubce o pojemnosci 15ml z bardzo upierdliwym aplikatorem.

The fun part is watching the cream change its color.
How?
Like this:

Najbardziej interesujacym punktem programu jest obserwowanie jak ten krem zmienia kolorek po rozsmarowaniu.
Jak tutaj:

It comes out of the tube white, but when you spread it out, it becomes luminescent beige. It's very soft, very silky and again - absorbs very quickly. And again - the annoying floral scent is here.

I didn't expect much from it. I hoped it would do something magical with the area under my eyes. I just wanted to look more awake and rested.

The leaflet promised this:


Wychodzi z tubki na bialo, potem zamienia sie w opalizujacy bez. Znowu mamy silny zapach.
Nie oczekiwalam od tego kremu cudow. Mialam nadzieje, ze moze zrobic cos z moimi sincami, bo chcialam wygladac na rzeska i wypoczeta.

Ulotka obiecywala to:

To be honest I didn't notice any significant moisturizing effects. However, my skin is very dry and needs loads of moisture.
Easy application? I don't think so. I ended up using my fingers.
Lighter complexion? Hmmm... I'd have to say "yes".

It's not "lighter" in the Michael Jackson sense of the word, but lighter as in "brighter", "glowing", "fresh" and "rested". That's the good part.

The bad part is that while it didn't significantly break me out (I'm using it following the same "one week on and off" routine as the essence), the results of "brighter, glowing, fresh and rested" are only temporary. Maybe they will become longer-lasting with time? I certainly hope so.

Tak szczerze, to nie widzialam jakichkolwiek wlasciwosci nawilzajacych. Moja cera potrzebuje duzo nawilzenia. Ten krem niestety tego nie daje.

Latwa aplikacja - nie sadze. Ta metalowa koncowka do niczego sie nie nadaje, smarowalam w koncu paluchami.
Jasniejsza cera pod oczami? Tutaj musze powiedziec, ze "tak".

Szkoda jednak, ze efekty sa tak krotkotrwale. Mam nadzieje, ze kiedy uzywam tych cudakow systematycznie, moje skora rowniez bedzie bardzo systematycznie wyrownana kolorystycznie.

I am not an ingredient expert, but if you're into that sort of stuff, here is the Laneige White Plus Renew Eye Cream ingredient list courtesy of Agata from Agathblog.

Sklad Laneige White Plus Renew Eye Cream (dzieki uprzejmosci Agathblog):

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Polysilicone-11, Squalane, Niacinamide, Mica, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract, Yeast Extract, Broussonetia Kazinoki Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Silica, Titanium Dioxide, Polysorbate 20, Glycerin, Polyacrylate-13, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Propanediol, Alcohol, Polyisobutene, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Polyacrylate, Tin Oxide, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance

It's time to start thinking whether or not I am going to repurchase these two. Right now, I am still undecided. I want to finish both products first and I'll make a decision then.

Of the two, I must say I am happier with the eye cream. I like the healthy glow it creates. I just wish it was more of a longer lasting, if not permanent, effect.

I'm also happy that this eye cream doesn't irritate my under eye area and does not cause any allergic reactions, what with a semi-permanent case of allergic conjunctivitis is a very good thing.

Czas zaczac sie zastanawiac czy kupie te specyfiki ponownie. Na razie nie wiem. Najpierw musze wykonczyc to co mam, i wtedy podejme ostateczna decyzje.

Z tych dwoch, jestem bardziej zadowolona z kremu pod oczy. Podoba mi sie taki bardzo stonowany, delikatny blask. Szkoda tylko, ze efekt jest tak krotkotrwaly.

Podoba mi sie rowniez to, ze krem pod oczy nie irytuje moich slepiow. A przy niemal chronicznym zapaleniu spojowek to bardzo wazna rzecz.

Overall, if your skin is not overly sensitive and you're not prone to hideous breakouts, it should work for you like a charm.
I have very dry skin, and though it says "for all skin types" on the packaging, in my opinion, I think these two are better suited for normal to combination skin types.

W podsumowaniu...
Jesli twoja cera nie jest super wrazliwa i nie ma sklonnosci do wypryskow, i esencja i krem pod oczy powinny dzialac bez najmniejszych problemow.

Ja mam bardzo sucha skore i choc na opakowaniu stoi, ze "dla kazdego rodzaju cery", jak dla mnie, to oba te produkty nadaja sie o wiele lepiej dla cer mieszanych, normalnych i tlustych.

Both of these products are available from all major internet retailers selling Korean skin care. Laneige is a mid-price brand, so expect to spend anywhere from 40 to 50 dollars for the essence (40ml) and from 30 to 40 dollars for the eye cream (15ml).

Oba te produkty sa bardzo latwe do nabycia w byle sklepie internetowym sprzedajacym koreanskie kosmetyki. Laneige to marka srednio-polkowa, wiec trzeba sie przygotowac na wydatek rzedu 40 do 50 dolarow za esencje (40ml) i od 30 do 40 dolarow za krem pod oczy (15ml).

If you are interested in purchasing this essence or eye cream, or any other Korean beauty product, you can order it online from Alice of W2Beauty. By clicking on the link, or the banner in the sidebar and using this registration code: 182991708, you can receive $5.00 off your first order (above $30.00). Free worldwide shipping directly from Korea, and lots of samples and other freebies with every order. Enjoy!!! 

Jesli chcecie kupic ta esencje lub krem, lub inne koreanskie kosmetyki z wiarygodnego zrodla, mozna to zrobic zamawiajac od Alice z W2Beauty.
Klikajac na ten link, lub w banner w pasku obok i wpisujac ten kod przy rejestracji: 182991708, otrzymacie $5.00 znizki przy pierwszym zamowieniu (powyzej $30.00).
Wysylka darmowa, prosto z Korei, na caly swiat, a w kazdym zamowieniu duzo probek.
Milych zakupow!

This blog entry takes part in the weekly K-Beauty Blog Hop series.

Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder

Have you ever wondered why those K-pop chicks always look so radiant, and so bright and sparkly? Why their skin is seemingly glowing?

I have.

They would have you believe it's magical skincare, serums and essences and bottles and jars of really expensive creams and potions.

The answer is a lot simpler. And fortunately, also a lot easier to reach for a mere mortal, like you and me.

It's highlighters.

I have tried the famous Meteorites. They did nothing for me.
I have tried the famous Hourglass (it was a b*tch to find it in Japan). It made me look sick.
I have tried the Manizer sisters. They made me look like a truck stop hooker.

I was finally happy with the Koh Gen Do illuminati duo. Oh pardon me, Illuminator duo.
But that didn't stop me from sniffing around and looking for something new.

And because I like balls (hmmm, that sounded all sorts of wrong), sparkles and pastel colors, when I saw these sparkly pastel balls, I was sold.


Czy bylyscie kiedykolwiek ciekawe jak to mozliwe, ze dziewoje z koreanskich girlbandow maja zawsze taka promienna cere? Ze wygladaja tak swietliscie i nieskazitelnie?

Mnie to zawsze ciekawilo.
Bo dziewoje te zazwyczja reklamuja cuda wianki, magiczne kremy, esencje, serum (jaka jesli liczba mnoga od "serum"? sery? sera?), ktore sa albo drogie, lub drozsze. Skoro one wygladaja tak promiennie i swietliscie, to ty tez mozesz, jesli tylko wydasz pareset dolarow (nie chce mi sie bawic w przeliczenia).

Na szczescie dla zwyklych smiertelnikow, odpowiedz jest duzo prostsza. Oraz duzo latwiej (i tansza) do osiagniecia.

Highlightery. Rozswietlacze.

Taaa...

Probowalam slynnych Meteorytow. Nie zrobily dla mnie nic.
Probowalam slynnego Hourglass (znalezienie tego w Japonii bylo nie lada wyczynem, na szczescie mam bardzo swiatowe kolezanki w pracy). Wygladalam jak powaznie chora.
Probowalam Mary Lou i jej siostry. Niestety look a'la budzetowa pani do obslugi osobistej (tej wykonywanej na kleczkach) nie bardzo mi pasuje.

W koncu bylam zadowolona z moich Illuminati, sorry, Illuminatorow od Koh Gen Do. Ale one wcale nie przystopowaly moich zapedow hajlajterskich.

Ciagle weszylam i szukalam czegos nowego.

Wiec kiedy zobaczylam te swiecace kulki, w pieknych pastelowych kolorkach, po prostu musialam je miec.

This is Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder. Nice to meet you!

To be honest, I have a very complicated relationship with highlighters. Or rather, my skin has. 

I want to be radiant like them Korean chicks. 

My skin says "get that skanky bimbo shine off of me."

I want to glow. 

My skin says "ugh, you might be a Pole, but you're not a pole dancer."

I want to be bright and sparkly. 

My skin says "tis your face, not a freakin' disco ball!"

So I'm not really sure what I was hoping for when I bought this Retigen Brightening Color Powder.
I couldn't find any reviews online, at least not in any language I could easily understand.

I guess it was the balls that spoke to me. My initial idea was to use them as something to mix with my stubborn Meteorites.

They balls came in a very shiny, very silver box.


Oto Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder, bardzo mi milo cie poznac.

Tak miedzy nami, to ja mam bardzo skomplikowane uczucia do rozswietlaczy. A raczej, moja cera ma.

Ja chce byc tak samo rozswietlona jak te koreanskie dziewoje z girlbandow.
Moja cera mowi, ze nie chce wygladac jak blachara z Nowej Huty.
Chce byc pelna blasku.
Moja cera mowi, ze tego typu blask to sie do tancow na rurze nadaje.
Chce byc promienna.
Moja cera mowi, ze twarz to nie kula disco.

Wiec nie mam pojecia co myslalam, kiedy kupilam ten Retigen Brightening Color Powder.
Nie moglam znalezc zadnych recenzji w internecie, przynajmniej nie w jezyku do ktorego nie potrzebowalabym translatora.

To chyba ta magia swiecacych kulek. Tak mi przyszlo do glowy, ze mogalbym wymieszac je z moimi topornymi Meteorytami.

Kulki przyszly w swiecacym, srebrnym pudelku:

It looks very simple and very basic.

Inside there was this:


Wyglada prosto i przecietnie.
W srodku bylo to:

I was ready to scream bloody murder trying to open the container. Why?
The snap and pop maneuver.
Well, not exactly pop off, but to lift the lid, you have to twist it.
It would have helped if I'd paid attention to the sticker on the lid, but consumed with lust and desire, I couldn't be arsed with such small, pesky details.

When I finally managed to open it, I saw this:


Bylam gotowa drzec sie wnieboglosy otwierajac ten pojemniczek. Dlaczego?
Bo trzeba bylo przekrecic, zeby odskoczylo.
Byloby mi duzo latwiej, gdybym zauwazyla strzalke i instrukcje na wieczku, ale zaslepiona pozadaniem, nie zwracalam uwagi na takie drobne szczegoly.

Kiedy uporalam sie z przykrywka, zobaczylam to:

The brush is pretty much useless but it's small and cute. And yes, it does have the Iope logo on the other side, but I just didn't think to turn it over while taking photos.

Pedzelek jest do kitu (nawet taki laik jak ja to widzi), ale jest maly i pasuje do srodka.
Tak, ma logo Iope na drugiej stronie, ale nie przyszlo mi do glowy, aby go odwrocic logiem do gory do robienia zdjec. No coz, dobrze, ze glupota nie boli.

The product is protected by an inner lid (same as with cushion foundations), but here, instead of an inner sticker, we get a blob of soft, round sponge to keep the balls in top shape.

And under the sponge?

Sparkly wonderland!


Produkt znajduje sie pod wewnetrzna przykrywka (taki sam patent jak w podkladach poduszkowych), ale tutaj, zamiast naklejki, mamy ochronna gabeczke. Jej jedyne zadanie to pilnowanie kulek pod spodem.

A pod gabeczka?

Promienna kraina czarow.

We get 20 grams of these pretty babies.

And according to the geniuses at Amore Pacific (the parent company of Iope), these lovelies not only make you look lovely, but are also good for you.
Why?
Just like all the products in this particular series, they are formulated with pro-retinol. Hence the name of the line - Retigen.

That's all I can tell you, because even though there was a leaflet in the box:

Cale 20 gramow tych babelkow.

I wedlug geniuszy w Amore Pacific (koncern do ktorego nalezy linia Iope), te babelki nie tylko maja spowodowac, ze bedziesz wygladac jak gwiazda k-popu, ale na dodatek sa dobre dla cery.
Dlaczego?
Bo tak jak wszystkie inne produkty w serii Retigen, maja w skladzie pro-retinol. Stad tez nazwa serii- Retigen.

To tyle, co moge na ten temat powiedziec.
Mimo, ze jest w pudelku ulotka:

It was somewhat lacking in concrete information.

Jest ona uboga w bardziej dokladne informacje.

So, this is what they say.
What do I say?

My first tries were disastrous. The balls are very soft and it's very easy to overapply. So unless you're aiming for the my-face-is-a-disco-ball look, be careful. Remember, easy does it.

Here you can see my hand in all its K-pop glowing glory:


Na ulotce to co mowia oni.
A co mowie ja?

Moje pierwsze eksperymenty byly tragiczne. Kulki te sa bardzo miekkie i niesamowicie latwo jest nimi przedobrzyc. Trzeba delikatnie i lekka reka.

Tutaj moja dlon jako gwiazda k-popu:

By itself it's almost too much for me. Though I admit, I was a bit heavy handed here so you could see the effect. This was taken in natural light and wasn't edited in any way.

But mixing some of the Iope balls with my Rose Meteorites produced the results I was after.

Do I like Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder by itself? To be honest, not that much.
Would I buy it knowing what I know now? Probably not.


Sam z sobie, ten rozswietlacz jest dla mnie zbyt intensywny. Choc przyznaje sie, na potrzeby zdjecia, nalozylam go dosc chojnie. Zdjecie w swietlne naturalnym i nieedytowane.

Ale mieszjac kulki Iope z Meteorytami, uzyskalam calkiem przyjemne rezultaty.

Czy lubie Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder solo? Tak szczerze, nie za bardzo.
Czy kupilabym ten produkt teraz, wiedzac jaki jest i co robi? Raczej nie.

Is it a good product? Yes, it is.
Will I find use for it? Most definitely.

But I wish I had bought this instead.


Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder has been discontinued by the brand, but you can still get it online.
I bought mine from TGI Wholesale, and though it seems to be out of stock over there right now, by all means check in and visit, they had the best price around.

Alice from W2Beauty also sells these balls.


Czy jest to dobry kosmetyk? Absolutnie!
Czy znajde dla niego jakies dodatkowe zastosowanie? Absolutnie.
Ale jednak zaluje, ze zamiast Iope nie kupilam tego.


Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder juz nie jest produkowany, ale mozna nadal kupic go przez internet.
Ja kupilam w TGI Wholesale, i choc w tej chwili jest wyprzedany, to i tak warto ten sklep odwiedzic, bo maja bardzo przyjemne ceny na inne produkty.

I Alice od W2Beauty rowniez sprzedaje te kulki.

If you are interested in purchasing Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder, or any other Korean beauty product, you can order it online from Alice of W2Beauty. By clicking on the link, or the banner in the sidebar and using this registration code: 182991708, you can receive $5.00 off your first order (above $30.00). Free worldwide shipping directly from Korea, and lots of samples and other freebies with every order. Enjoy!!!

Jesli chcecie kupic ten produkt, lub inne koreanskie kosmetyki z wiarygdnego zrodla, mozna to zrobic zamawiajac od Alice z W2Beauty.
Klikajac na ten link, lub w banner w pasku obok i wpisujac ten kod przy rejestracji: 182991708, otrzymacie $5.00 znizki przy pierwszym zamowieniu (powyzej $30.00).
Wysylka darmowa, prosto z Korei, na caly swiat, a w kazdym zamowieniu duzo probek.
Milych zakupow!

PS. This entry takes part in the K-Beauty Blog Hop weekend.

Fasio Smart Curl revisited

I have this thing about mascaras. Being very light skinned with nearly white lashes, mascaras are an everyday necessity for me. On very rare occasions when I walk around mascaraless, people keep asking me if I'm ok. "Because you look very sick today," they tell me.

So what is this thing I have about mascaras?
Being not only very light skinned with nearly white lashes, but also of a certain age and with plenty of wrinkles around the eye area, I realized that black mascaras, hmmm... how to put it nicely? Make me look old. A lot older than I am.
Black is a very strong color and much too harsh and too blunt for my eyes. I don't want to emphasize my wrinkles, I want to gently diffuse them. The question is how.

One way is to use a mascara that isn't black. But... living in Asia, those are really hard to come by.
So imagine my joy when earlier this year, during a routine trip to the drugstore, I discovered that Fasio Smart Curl is now available in brown. Fasio is one of many brands produced by the cosmetic giant Kose.

Mam malego swira jesli chodzi o tusze do rzes. Bedac swinska blondynka (choc w rzeczywistosci farbowana), z niemal bialymi rzesami, tusze sa dla mnie koniecznoscia dnia codziennego. Bo kiedy chodze sobie bez maskary, to ludzie pytaja sie mnie, czy przypadkiem nie jestem chora.

Wiec co to za swir?
Bedac bardzo bladolica z niemal bialymi rzesami, do tego w pelni wieku (ahem, ahem) z pelnia zmarszczek w okolicach oczu, zdalam sobie sprawe ze czarne maskary, hmmm... jakby to delikatnie okreslic? Postarzaja mnie. Dosc mocno.

Czarny to bardzo silny i ciezki kolor i w kontrascie z moja skora podkresla kazda zmarszczke i kazda niedoskonalosc regionu oka. A przeciez nie to to chodzi. Brazowe kolory nie maja az tak drastycznie negatywnego efektu.

Tyle ze mieszkajac w Azji, brazowej maskary to ze swieca szukac...
Wiec latwo sobie wyobrazic, ze podskoczylam z radosci, kiedy podczas zwyklej wizyty w drogerii (tak jakos na poczatku lata), odkrylam, ze Fasio (jedna z wielu marek firmy Kose) robi teraz Smart Curl w kolorze brazowym.

I wrote about Fasio Smart Curl here.
It's a heavy duty "waterproof" mascara that is ideal for kafunsho (Japanese hay fever season).
Well, technically, version L is not supposed to be waterproof, but my very diligent tests prove otherwise. But that's Japanese mascaras for you. 

My old Fasio (in black) served its purpose, but when it was all gone, I wanted something fancier.
And last week that something fancier saw its end as well.

So I dug through my stash and opened a new tube of Fasio Smart Curl version L, this time in brown.

Pisalam o Fasio Smart Curl tutaj.
To tusz na ekstremalne warunki, "wodoodporny", idealny na katar sienny, kiedy cus cieknie nam z oczu.
Technicznie, wedlug opisow producenta, wersja L nie jest wodoodporna, ale moje bardzo szczegolowe testy na wlasnej skorze mowia co innego. Ale tak to jest z japonskimi tuszami, one sa nie do zdarcia.

Kiedy stary Fasio (kolor czarny) sie skonczyl, zachcialo mi sie czego bardziej snobowatego.
Ale nawet i Helenka R musi sie z czasem skonczyc. To mialo miejsce w zeszlym tygodniu.
Wiec przekopalam moje zapasy i znalazlam kolejne Fasio Smart Curl L, tym razem jako braz.

Say "bye bye" to Helena, say "hello" to Fasio.

Only the color is different, the formula is still the same. The annoying fibers still rule supreme.

Pozegnanie z Helenka, przywitanie Fasio.
Tylko kolor jest tym razem inny. Formula nadal taka sama. Czyli - klaczkowata.

Again, it serves its purpose.
You won't get great lashes, but you'll get lashes.

You will be free to sneeze and cry and rub your eyes. Fasio Smart Curl will stay put.

I jak poprzednio, robi co ma robic.
Nie da nam "wow" rzes, ale da nam rzesy.
Bedzie mozna sobie smarkac i plakac i swedzace oczy drapac. Fasio Smart Curl sie z miejsca nie ruszy.

Yes, it's a scary eye, but no filters were applied to this photo.

As all Japanese drugstore mascaras, Fasio Smart Curl is quite harsh on the lashes. It should be used with a mascara base / primer.

I use these two, and they both work great.



Oko straszy, ale zdjecie nie zostalo potraktowane filtrami.

Jak wszystkie japonskie drogeryjne tusze, tak i ten potrafi zrujnowac rzesy. Z tego powodu powinien byc uzywany na baze / primera do maskar.

Ja mam te dwie bazy, obie dzialaja bez zarzutu.

There are also some concerns how to remove this mascara without removing the entire eye.
Using a primer (mascara base) makes eye make up removal a lot easier.

Unfortunately, this being a Japanese mascara, it needs a Japanese eye make up remover product.
I use this combo:

Sa obawy jak usunac Fasio bez przypadkowego usuniecia sobie calego oka.
Tutaj wlasnie stosowanie primera znacznie ulatwia sprawe.

Niestety, jest to japonska maskara i najlatwiej jest ja zmyc japonska dwufazowka.

Ja uzywam tego kombo:

There is a special remover for this mascara made by Fasio. I did buy it but I haven't tried it yet.

Technically, version L is supposed to be removable with water, but good luck with that. Yes, I've tried. No, it doesn't work.

So, what do I think about Fasio Smart Curl (L) mascara this time around?

I still think it's a decent product, and for the price of 1200 yen (plus tax) it's a very good deal if you're on a strict budget.

Fasio robi specjalny "usuwacz" to swoich maskar. Kupilam go, ale jeszcze nie uzywalam.

Wedlug zapewnien producenta, wersje L mozna zmyc woda. Nie wiem, moze w jakiejs bajce jest to mozliwe. W rzeczywistosci takich cudow nie ma. Tak, probowalam. Nie, woda sie tego nie zmyje.

Wiec czy moja opinia o tuszu Fasio Smart Curl (L) zmienila sie od ostatniego razu?

Nie. Nadal jest taka sama.
Uwazam, ze to solidna mascara w swojej przedzialce cenowej. I za 1200 jenow (plus podatek) nie ma tu na co narzekac.

Iope Air Cushion RX versus XP

A few days ago I was reading a list of interesting phobias, and I was very disappointed that mine wasn't included. Because in addition to heights, shared bath water, onsens and swimming pools, I also have a phobia of mismatched foundation.

Some women apparently don't care all that much if their foundation is a shade (or several) darker or lighter than their neck. I do care. To the point of obsessing about it. I've been known to take a quick selfie in the morning, just to see how the color of my face may look like to others.

And after completing the grueling (took almost two years) and very painful laser treatment to have melasma (hyper-pigmentation from hell) removed from my face, I made an amazing discovery - most of my liquid foundations are now way too dark for me. So now you know what exactly fuels my cushion obsession - I need to replenish my makeup stock in shades that are more suitable.

If you're new to Korean cushion foundations, please click the Cushion Foundation tab in the top bar and take a closer look.

Kilka dni temu czytalam artykul wymieniajacy najdziwniejsze fobie. Niestety moja fobia nie znalazla sie na liscie. Bo, oprocz leku wysokosci i fobii onsenow oraz wody kapielowej i basenowej uzywanej przez ogol, mam rowniez fobie zle dobranego podkladu.

Z tego co widze w internetach, to wielu kobietom (tak, nawet blogerkom urodowym) fakt, ze ich podklad jest o odcien (lub kilka) zbyt jasny lub ciemny niz skora na szyi, zupelnie nie przeszkadza. Mnie przeszkadza. Do tego stopnia, ze czasem robie selfie rano, zeby zobaczyc kolor twarzy, tak jak widza go inni.

Kiedy skonczylam dluga i bolesna terapie laserem, aby usunac melasme z twarzy (przebarwienie z piekla rodem - na tle hormonalnym), to zrobilam niebywale odkrycie. A mianowicie, ze niemal wszystkie podklady w mojej kolekcji sa teraz dla mnie za ciemne. Albo za zolte. Wiece teraz juz wiecie co jest powodem mojej obsesji poduszkowej - musze uzupelnic zapas podkladow w odcieniach, ktore lepiej by mi teraz pasowaly.

Jesli nie bardzo wiesz czym podklad w poduszce, to kliknij na zakladke w menu u gory. Koncept poduszki wyjasnilam juz przy wczesniejszych recenzjach.

Both Iope Air Cushions (XP and RX) in N21 are worthy contenders to the title of Near Perfect Match. The title of Perfect Match belongs currently to Hanyul Luminant Cushion.

I've already reviewed Iope Air Cushion XP SPF 50 PA+++.

So today let's take a look at its younger sister - Iope Air Cushiom RX SPF50 PA+++. It was released earlier this year (in May, if I am not mistaken) and I wanted to buy it while I was in Korea in June. However... at that time it proved impossible to find a store that would have the N21 shade in stock.

Obie poduszki Iope Air Cushion (XP i RX) w odcieniu N21 sa godnymi rywalkami o tytul Niemal Perfekcyjnie Dopasowanego Podkladu. "Niemal", bo tytul Idealnie Dopasowanego Podkladu nalezy w chwili obecnej do Hanyul Luminant Cushion.

Recenzowalam juz Iope Air Cushion XP SPF 50 PA+++.

Wiec dzis przyjrzyjmy sie jej mlodszej siostrze - Iope Air Cushion RX SPF50 PA+++. Weszla na rynek chyba w maju tego roku (o ile sie nie myle) i chcialam ja kupic jak bylam w czerwcu w Korei. Niestety, nie moglam znalezc odcienia N21 w zadnym sklepie. Wszedzie byl wyprzedany.

I'm not a fan of gold packaging. I think it looks cheap and tacky. But this is exactly what we have here - there's lots of gold in the new version.

Things only get worse (gold packaging-wise):

Nie jestem fanka zlotych opakowan. Wyglada to zazwyczaj tanio i tandetnie. Ale to jest to, co tutaj mamy - duzo zlotych odcieni.

Dalej juz jest tylko gorzej (jesli chodzi o zloto):

The contents are the usual cushion foundation set. We have a compact, a refill packet and a leaflet.

The RX compact is all plastic gold and shine and frankly, compared to the understated XP, it looks gaudy and cheap.

Gold works with designs and quality that are more high end. And this is not it, unfortunately.

Here we have XP and RX side by side:

W pudelku mamy tradycyjny zestawik poduszkowy - kompakt, refill i ulotke.
Kompakt wersji RX jest plastikowy, zloty i swiecacy, i porownujac do skromnej bialej wersji XP, wyglada to to tandetnie i tanio.

Zloto robi swoje w haj endzie. Tutaj niestety efekt jest odwrotny od zamierzonego.

XP i RX obok siebie:

I prefer the clean and minimalistic white version.

The white version looks a lot better when it's opened.

Unfortunately, the RX is not so pretty. Or maybe I just really dislike this particular color.

Zdecydowanie wole czysta i minimalistyczna biala wersje. Biala wersja wyglada tez duzo lepiej, kiedy kompakt jest otwarty. Niestety RX nie wyglada tak ladnie. Albo po prostu naprawde nie lubie tego nieco sraczkowatego kolorku.

Inside the compact - the usual - the cushion is enclosed in a plastic cartridge. When you open the lid, you see the protective seal:

Kompakt to tradycyjny poduszkowy cartridge z pokrywka. Podniesiemy pokrywke i mamy nalepke chroniaca poduszke wlasciwa.

Under the seal sits a blob of spongey cushion (or cushioney sponge) saturated with foundation:

A pod naklejka - gabczasta poduszka (albo poduszkowa gabka) nasaczona podkladem:

Fortunately, the old adage not to judge a book by its cover is true here as well. Don't judge a cushion by its compact.

Iope Air Cushion RX in N21(Ice Vanilla, the "N" stands for "natural") is a very light shade, that can be described as pinky beige:

Na szczescie prawda jest przyslowie, zeby nie oceniac po wygladzie. Bo choc kompakt nie zachwyca, to w srodku kryje sie calkiem dobry podklad.

Odcien N21 (Ice Vanilla, "N" jest jako "naturalny) to jasny kolor, ktory mozna okreslic jako rozowawy bez.

This photo was taken in natural light and has not been modified in any way.

And how does it compare to XP?

Here you go.

Zdjecie w swietle naturalnym bez filtrow.
Jak sie to porownuje do XP?
Ano tak:

I'd say that it's a tad bit darker than XP. There's more yellow in RX than in XP.

However, when blended out side by side, that slight difference disappears.

And here's the fun part. Even though XP is lighter initially, it darkens a bit when it oxidizes.

RX is a bit darker right out of the compact but it does not change its color at all when it oxidizes.

So what are other big differences between these two cushions?

Wydaje mi sie, ze RX jest ciut ciemniejszy niz XP. RX jest tez odrobine zolciejszy.
Ale kiedy oba sa rozprowadzone, to ta nieznaczna roznica znika.

I tutaj to co mi sie w RX podoba.
Choc XP jest na poczatku jasniejszy, to ciemnieje kiedy sie utlenia.
RX jest ciut ciemniejszy juz na poczatku i nie zmienia koloru, kiedy siedzi na twarzy.

A jakie sa inne roznice pomiedzy tymi poduszkami?

Amore Pacific, the company behind Iope, claims that Iope Air Cushion RX offers whitening and wrinkle improvement, as well as sun protection and cooling. Of course the tiny amount of foundation we normally apply is not enough to offer any kind of sun protection, so it's still necessary to use a proper sunblock.

Hmmm... cooling... To be honest, I didn't notice any, apart from the initial coolness when applying the foundation. But then again, now that summer's over, it's a lot cooler anyway. Maybe that's why I can't really tell.

After a month of use I did not notice any whitening or wrinkle improvement effects.

And initially, I didn't even feel any difference between RX and XP whatsoever. The first sign that it was a different product came after about a week of continuous use when one day I decided to revert to XP for a change. That was when I finally realized that RX is indeed different.

So how to put it gently? Iope Air Cushion RX seems more suited for mature skin. It somehow makes my skin feel more supple and more moisturized. Or again, it might be the fact that the season has changed and the weather's different. Or maybe RX is a bit richer than XP...

One thing I know for sure - I'm not a fan of the scent of this cushion.

Iope to marka ze stajni Amore Pacific, i producent twierdzi, ze Iope Air Cushion RX posiada rozjasniajace i przeciw-zmarszczkowe wlasciwosci, plus filr przeciwsloneczny i efekt ochladzajacy.
Oczywiscie maciupka ilosc podkladu, jaka wystarcza na twarz, nie oferuje zadnej ochrony przed sloncem, wiec i tak trzeba uzywac osobnego filtra.

Efekt chlodzacy? Nie zauwazylam. Ale z drugiej strony lato sie skonczylo, jest chlodno teraz na okraglo.
Po miesiacu uzywania nie zauwazylam zadnych wlasciwosci rozjasniajacych i przeciw-zmarszczkowych.

I poczatkowo, nie widzialam zadnych roznic pomiedzy RX i XP w ogole. Pierwszy znak, ze to dwie inne poduszki byl moze po tygodniu uzywania RX, kiedy jednego dnia nudzilo mi sie i postanowilam w ramach roznorodnosci, nalozyc na twarz XP. Dopiero wtedy poczulam wyrazna roznice - wracajac do starej wersji poduszki.

Jakby to powiedziec... RX jest wygodniejsza dla "dojrzalej" cery. Moja cera wydawala sie jakas taka jedrniejsza i lepiej nawilzona. A moze to znowu zasluga zmiany klimatu? A moze RX jest naprawde "bogatsza"?

Jedno wiem na pewno - zapach tej poduszki irytuje mnie niesamowicie.

Here are the ingredients kindly translated by Agata of AgathBlog - thank you so much!!!

Tutaj sklad przetlumaczony przez Agate z AgathBlog - bardzo dziekuje za pomoc!!!

Mineral Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cyclohexasiloxane, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Arbutin, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Acrylates/Ethylhexyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Glycoproteins, Lipase, Chitosan, Decyl Glucoside, Ubiquinone, Ribes Nigrum (Black Currant) Seed Oil, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Polysilicone-11, Isopropyl Palmitate, Lecithin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isostearic Acid, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Acrylates/Stearyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Disodium EDTA, Adenosine, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Hesperidin, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Prunus Mume Fruit Extract, Silica, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Fragrance

Conclusion - it's a solid cushion. I like it OK. It does what it's supposed to do - it provides light to medium coverage, and when used with a base, it lasts for about 8 hours (office work) without touch ups.

But if you already have the older XP version, would I recommend that you run out and buy this one? No. (Though some sites would have you believe otherwise).

If, however, you are new to cushions and want to try this form of foundation, then, by all means, get yourself Iope Air Cushion RX. It's a solid product that does what a good cushion is supposed to do.

I bought mine from TGI Wholesale, and while the initial order process was a bit confusing (they will email you to confirm your order, and you have to respond to that email so your order can be shipped out), they have good prices and nice customer service.
No, I am not an affiliate, nor is it a sponsored link!

Podsumowujac - to solidna poduszka. Jest w porzadku. Lubie ja. Robi to co ma robic - daje lekkie do sredniego krycie, i kiedy kladziona jest na baze, siedzi na twarzy przez jakies 8 godzin pracy biurowej bez poprawek.

Ale jesli juz masz XP, to czy jest sens leciec i kupowac RX? Uwazam, ze nie. Choc sa blogi i strony (glownie sklepowe), ktore maja zupelnie odmienna opinie - ze RX jest ci do szczescia absolutnie niezbedny.

Ale jesli jestes poduszkowa swiezynka i zastanawiasz sie nad zakupem, to Iope Air Cushion RX jest bardzo dobrym wyborem.

Gdzie kupic?
Ja swoja kupilam w TGI Wholesale i choc caly proces zamawiania, platnosci i potwierdzenia zamowienia byl nieco upierdliwy, to sklep ten ma dobre ceny i bardzo pomocna obsluge. Moge ich z czystym sumieniem polecic. Nie, nie wspolpracuje z tym sklepem.

PS. This post takes part in the K-Beauty Blog Hop series hosted by several English-language bloggers, including Harlot Beauty.

Ten wpis bierze udzial w cotygodniowym serii K-Beauty Blog Hop, zorganizowanym, miedzy innymi, przez Harlot Beauty (po angielsku).