REVIEW: IT'S SKIN POWER 10 FORMULA YE EFFECTOR WITH YEAST EXTRACT

As you may know from reading my blog, I'm a big fan of It's Skin Power 10 Line. While Power VC used to be the most popular one, it seems that recently Power YE has taken its place as it's the only product out of the entire line to actually have a 60ml version. I received some free samples from It's Skin and quite liked them, so I decided to buy a full-size bottle.

Description (http://en.koreadepart.com): 
- Formulated with yeast extract
- Provides vitality and elasticity for skin

Size: 30ml

Ingredients: water, butylene glycol, glycerin, polyglutamic acid, pseudoalteromonas ferment extract, saccharomyces polypeptides, triethanolamine, carbomer, methylparaben, chlorphenesin, fragrance, disodium EDTA

My opinion: It's Skin Power 10 YE was previously compared to Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair (ANR) and Lancome Genefique on a Korean beauty show and it came out as a winner. I've never tried Lancome Genefique before, so I can't comment on that. I did, however, use one bottle of Estee Lauder ANR (old version) and I was not impressed. It did nothing to my skin: my face didn't get worse but it didn't become better either. It honestly felt like applying some kind of sticky (and expensive) water. 

I first used Power 10 YE in the summer, and it felt a little bit tacky on my skin (it didn't clog my pores or break me out though). However, it was perfect for my dehydrated skin in the autumn/winter. It sank in so quickly and left no sticky trace behind. It brightened and moisturized my skin really well. It wasn't hydrating enough for extremely cold days though, but I just applied a gel moisturizer on top and the combo was moisturizing enough for me. While Power 10 VE is perfect for the summer, Power 10 YE is definitely my stable in the colder months.

Score: 8/10

Repurchase?: Yes :)

REVIEW: IT'S SKIN POWER 10 FORMULA SYN-AKE EFFECTOR

One thing I really love about It's Skin is that they are super generous with their samples, even when the customers don't buy anything! Thanks to their generosity, I've been able to tried about 15 samples of Power 10 Syn-ake. This one and Power 10 Propolis are called the "Upgrade versions", so their prices are higher than the regular ones.

Description (source: itsskin.com/eng): Highly concentrated ampoule containing peptides with properties similar to snake venom will hinder movement, improving even the facial expression wrinkles that are difficult to smooth out.

Ingredients (source: http://en.koreadepart.com/item/1306395531/its-skin-power-10-formulasynake): syn-ake, adenosine, baobab extract, indian fig extract, malt extract, lactobacillus fermentation, yeast fermented filtered ingredient (This list includes only the key ingredients. I used Google Translate to translate the ingredients list on itsskin.com, and although there're a lot of errors in the translation, I can see that Power 10 Syn-ake contains paraben.)  

Price: 563,000 VND (about US$26.5)

My opinion: This serum is quite watery and it absorbs quickly into my skin, even in summer. It's moisturizing and brightening without clogging my pores or breaking me out, but the effects are average. This is supposed to be an anti-aging product but it doesn't provide as much hydration as Power YE, Power VC or Power CO. I have oily combination skin and Power Syn-ake isn't hydrating enough for me in winter. It also fails to plump up and brighten my skin like Power 10 VE. I don't notice any anti-aging benefits either. This is an okay serum and I quite like it, but not enough to purchase a full-size bottle. In my opinion, it's not worth the extra money and I'd rather buy the regular Power 10. 

Pros:
- Moisturizing and brightening
- Non-irritating

Cons:
- Not moisturizing enough for dry skin or oily combination skin in winter
- Unimpressive effects in comparison with regular Power 10 
- Contain paraben

Purchase?: No.

2013 BEST AND WORST BEAUTY PRODUCTS

As today is the last day of 2013, I wanna tell you what I think are the best and worst beauty products of the past year. Many categories will be absent because 1) I rarely use these kinds of products (e.g. eyeshadow and eyeliner) or 2) I haven't found anything good enough to put on the list (e.g. moisturizing cream and shower gel). Since my skin has been both oily and dry in 2013, some categories will contain products for these two skin types. Most of the items have been reviewed on this blog, so if you want to read my detailed reviews, just click on their names. Some haven't been mentioned before, but I'll work on their reviews as soon as possible. Without further ado, let's see what's on my list this year.

BEST OF BEAUTY

SKINCARE

1. Best makeup remover:
- For eyes: Biore Cleansing Oil - In Cotton Wipes (review coming soon)
- For face and lips: Bifesta Cleansing Gel

2. Best cleanser:
- For dry skin: Etude House Baking Powder Bubble Cleansing Moist
- For oily skin: Shiseido Perfect Whip foam 

3. Best lotion/toner:
- For dry skin: Hada Labo SHA Hydrating Lotion
- For oily skin: It's Skin Supersize Peeling Softner (review coming soon)

4. Best eye cream: 
- Skinfood Salmon Brightening Eye Cream

5. Best serum:
- It's Skin Power 10 Formula VE Effector with Vitamin E Derivatives

6. Best acne treatment:
- It's Skin Prestige Creme D'escargot

7. Best lip balm:
- Nivea Essential Care (review coming soon)

8. Best mask:
- For hydrating and brightening: Mandom Beauty Barrier Repair Mask HA
- For deep-cleansing/exfoliating: The Body Shop Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask

9. Best sunscreen/sunblock:
- For face: It's Skin 2PM Sunblock SPF50+ PA+++ (review coming soon)

- For body: Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Water Base SPF50+ PA+++ (review coming soon) (This product isn't in the photo because I've used it up and haven't repurchased yet)

MAKEUP

1. Best makeup base:

- It's Skin 2PM Sunblock SPF50+ PA+++ (yup, this sunblock is an AMAZING makeup base!) (review coming soon)

2. Best BB cream:

- For dry skin: It's Skin Prestige Creme D'escargot BB

- For oily skin: Skin79 VIP Gold Collection Super+ Beblesh Balm

3. Best compact powder:

- For dry skin: Tonymoly Cats Wink Clear Pact (review coming soon)

- For oily skin: Skin79 Sun Protect Beblesh Pact SPF30 PA++ 

4. Best blusher:

- KATE Cheek Color S in PK-1

5. Best eyebrow powder:

- KATE Designing Eyebrow N in EX-5 (review coming soon)

6. Best lipstick:

- Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 040 Rendezvous

7. Best mascara:

- Kose Esprique Full Impression Waterproof Mascara (This product isn't in the photo because I've used it up and haven't repurchased yet) (I briefly mentioned this in my Fairydrops Volume Burst Mascara  Waterproof review)

BEAUTY ACCESSORIES

1. Best eyelash curler:

- Shiseido Eyelash Curler: This baby curls my lashes like a dream without pinching my eyelids. It also lasts forever. I've been using it for 3 years and it's still going strong :)

2. Best powder brush:

- The Body Shop Retractable Blusher Brush: I use this one to apply my face powder. It's soft and gentle on my skin. It also doesn't shed. I love that it's compact and retractable because I can toss it into my bag and bring it with me easily.

3. Best eyebrow shaver:

- Etude House Eyebrow Razor: I think this one has been discontinued, but it will probably last forever. It feels gentle on my skin and shaves my eyebrows well. The design and color are cute too.

BODY CARE

1. Best body scrub:

- It's Skin Fairy Jasmine Body Scrub (review coming soon)

- The Body Shop Bath Gloves (review coming soon)

2. Best hand gel:

- The Body Shop Absinthe Purifying Hand Gel (review coming soon)

3. Best hand cream:

- It's Skin Mini Bebe Hand Cream (review coming soon)

4. Best deodorant:

- Nivea Anti-perspirant Whitening Deodorant

HAIRCARE

1. Best shampoo:

- Essential Damage-care Rich Premiere Shampoo (review coming soon)

2. Hair serum:

- The Body Shop Grapeseed Glossing Serum 

BEST PACKAGING

- Jill Stuart Fruit Lip Balm N 001

             BEST SCENTED-PRODUCT

- Skin79 Lemon Brightening Mask

WORST OF BEAUTY

SKINCARE

1. Worst cleanser:

- Tonymoly Clean Dew Tea Tree Seed Foam Cleanser

2. Worst cream:

- The Face Shop Arsainte Eco-therapy Crystal Water Super Gel (review coming soon)

3. Worst sunscreen:
- Banana Boat Natural Reflect Lotion Sunscreen SPF50+ (review coming soon)

4. Worst lip balm:
- The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Lipcare Stick (review coming soon)

MAKEUP

1. Worst BB cream:

- Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion SPF50+ PA+++

2. Worst mascara:

- Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Care (I mentioned this in my Fairydrops Volume Burst Mascara Waterproof review)

BEAUTY ACCESSORIES

1. Worst facial brush:

- Tonymoly Pore Cleansing Brush

2. Worst powder brush:

- It's Skin Powder Brush: This brush sheds CONSTANTLY. The hair feels harsh on my face and falls off when I wash or use it. Whenever I apply powder with this, it leaves strands of hair all over my face.  

HAIRCARE

- Worst shampoo: The Body Shop Rainforest Shine Shampoo (review coming soon)

That's the end of my ranking list. Thank you so much for reading my blog in the past 2 months. I hope to continue receiving your support in the year to come. Happy new year!

REVIEW: IT'S SKIN POWER 10 FORMULA VC EFFECTOR WITH VITAMIN C DERIVATIVES

It's Skin Power 10 VC is the first serum from the Power 10 line that I've ever used. Since then, I've tried 8 different types of Power 10 serum and haven't had time to go back to this yet, but it always holds a special place in my heart :)

(Source: itsskin.com)

Description (from It's Skin English website): Brightening serum containing vitamin C and green tea components suppresses the formation of freckles that can make skin look dull and dark, and tightens pores to leave skin fair and luminous.

Size: 30ml

Price: 467,000 VND (about US$21)

Ingredients (from ratzillacosme.com): water, butylene glycol, glycerin, polyglutamic acid, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil, ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, methylparaben, triethanolamine, carbomer, camellia sinensis extract, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, chlorphenesin, fragrance, disodium EDTA

My opinion: This serum has a thick consistency and it feels sticky on my face. Despite that, it doesn't clog my pores or break me out even in the hot summer weather. It does have a brightening effect, but to be honest, I think Power 10 CO and Power 10 LI works better in this aspect. I don't notice any pore tightening effect. It doesn't make my skin look as glowing as Power 10 VE. OK, so I guess now you're wondering why I said that this had a special place in my heart if it doesn't perform that well in terms of brightening and pore minimizing. Well, that's because of its moisturizing property. As I've mentioned countless times on my blog, I suffered from a very bad case of dry and damaged skin because of Tonymoly Pore Cleansing Brush, and although this serum didn't completely cure that, it helped so much in soothing and repairing my skin. So, if you have dry/sensitive skin, I highly recommend this product.

Pros:

- Moisturizing

- Non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic

- Brightening

Cons:

- Sticky

- No pore tightening effect

- Contain paraben

Repurchase?: Yes, but not immediately coz there're other things I wanna try first :)

REVIEW: IT'S SKIN POWER 10 FORMULA CO EFFECTOR WITH PHYTO COLLAGEN

As the weather gets colder, I want something more moisturizing for my skin, so after finishing It's Skin Power 10 Formula VE Effector, I switch to It's Skin Power 10 Formula CO Effector with Phyto Collagen.

Description from It's Skin website: Collagen serum concentrated with vegetable collagen extracts hydrates the skin from the inside, giving it a look of effervescence and resilience immediately after applying.

Size: 30ml

Ingredients (taken from ratzillacosme.com): hydrolyzed extensin, water, butylene glycol, glycerin, polyglutamic acid, carbomer, triethanolamine, methylparaben, disodium EDTA, chlorphenesin, fragrance

Price: 467,000 VND (about US$21)

My opinion: It's Skin Power 10 CO has a gel-like consistency. When I first apply this on my face, it feels sticky but after about 5 minutes, it sinks into my skin. Although it contains collagen, it doesn't make my skin as plump and dewy as the VE Effector does. However, this is more moisturizing and the brightening effect is much more obvious! This alone is hydrating enough for me and I don't need any follow-up moisturizer. It really improves my skin tone and fades my acnes scars (in fact, it works even better than the famous Power 10 VC), though it doesn't prevent acnes. When I wake up in the morning, my skin isn't oily at all but I think it's because the weather is so dry right now. I tried some samples of this in the summer and it did feel a little bit greasy, though it didn't clog my pores or break me out. I think those with very oily skin should only use it in colder months.

UPDATE: Although it's winter, the past few weeks have been quite warm and sunny, so my T-zone becomes quite oily. This serum seems to clog my pores a little bit and cause some blackheads :( So this serum is suitable for cold and dry weather only :(

Pros:

- Moisturizing and brightening

- Fade acne scars

Cons:

- May clog pores and cause blackheads for oily skin in warm weather

- Contain paraben

Score: 8/10

Repurchase?: Yes :)

REVIEW: IT'S SKIN POWER 10 FORMULA VE EFFECTOR WITH VITAMIN EDERIVATIVES

I have quite bizarre skin: it's oily on the T-zone and dry on the cheeks. In the past, I always had troubles finding a perfect moisturizer. Gel moisturizers are not hydrating enough, sometimes even drying (The Face Shop Arsainte Eco-therapy Crystal Water Super Gel, I'm looking at you!), and cream ones are too greasy and oily to the point of giving me clogged pores and blackheads (giving It's Skin Biyunjin Gold Cream the evil look). Recently, I've found out that my skin reacts much better to essence/serum. My favorite line is It's Skin Power 10 Formula because of their effectiveness and affordability. So far, I have used Power 10 VB, VC (reviewed here), PO, Li, Syn-ake (reviewed here), Propolis, YE (reviewed here), GF, CO (reviewed here) and VE. My most favorite, and also the one I'm currently using, is Power10 VE.

Description from It's Skin website: Essence containing vitamin E (tocopherol) capsules that directly provides nutrients to the skin to make it look lustrous and smooth.

Size: 30ml

Ingredients (taken from ratzillacosme.com): water, rosa centifolia flower water, butylene glycol, polyglutamic acid, boswellia serrata resin extract, vanilla planifolia fruit extract, propylene glycol dipelargonate, candelilla wax, phenoxyethanol, triethanolamine, carbomer, tocopherol acetate, methylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, propylparaben, disodium EDTA  

Longevity: One bottle can last me for about 2 months if I use it once a day.

Price: 467,000 VND (about 21 USD) 

My opinion:

This essence has a watery consistency with tiny white capsules in it. Once I apply it onto my face, it sinks in right away, leaving my skin feel smooth and hydrated without the oily or greasy feeling. The effect is even more noticeable when I use it in conjunction with Hada Labo SHA Hydrating Lotion: my skin feels so much plumper, dewier and healthier ^^ This essence seems to sooth my acnes as well because they tend to become smaller and less red the day after. I often have cystic acnes around that time of the month, but ever since using this (it's been a month already), they stop coming! The only downside to me is that when I wake up in the morning, my T-zone is quite oily. However, that always happens to me, even when I don't apply anything the night before, so it really doesn't bother me that much. After washing my face though, my skin just GLOWS and feels extremely plump and smooth ^^ I don't use this under makeup though because it's not hydrating enough and my cheeks feel a little bit tight when I apply BB Cream on top of this.

Pros: 

- Suitable for oily skin

- Hydrating without being oily and greasy

- Make skin feel plumper and smooth
- Have a brightening effect

- Deflate and prevent acnes
- Fade acne scars

Cons: 

- May not be moisturizing enough for dry skin. If your skin is dry, I recommend you use another moisturizer on top of this.

- No oil-control property.

- Contain paraben (which doesn't bother me, but if you want to avoid paraben, then skip this). 

Verdict: 9/10

Repurchase?: Yes, in fact, I've already bought 3 new bottles :)