BENTON Cacao Moist and Mild Cream Review

When we think of cacao, we think of chocolate, right? However, did you know that cacao extract has moisturizing properties? 

I was sent this Cacao Moist and Mild Cream from BENTON for review purposes, but I'm excited to try a cacao product that's not greasy and heavy like typical cocoa butters.

Cacao, otherwise known as cocoa, is high in antioxidants and blocks harmful free radicals in the body. The exotic bean also contains omega 6 fatty acids which helps in cellular healing (hello, beautiful skin)!

Benton's Story

“Benton is inspired by and named after the movie 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' in which Benjamin Button grows younger with time...It may just be a fictional movie, but wouldn't most people have the same desire to be young again? Benton desires to restore your skin back to its original, healthy recipes, rather than to give temporary effects with harmful ingredients. Benton presents freshly made products by sticking to small batch production." 

Price: $16

Size: 50g

Shelf life: 6 months

Scent: None

Claims:

• Lightweight texture
• Suitable for summer
• Moist finish
• Water-oil balance
• Mild formula

Ingredients:

Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Water,   Sorbitan Olivate, 

1,2-Hexanediol,  Pentylene Glycol, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Extract,  Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract,   Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate,   Polyglutamic Acid, Madecassoside, Beta-Glucan,  Carbomer, Arginine, Xanthan Gum

I noticed that the cream was very lightweight. It seemed to literally melt from my body heat into a watery essence which would be appropriate for summetime (not so much for colder seasons when skin gets drier).

As you can see, the cream gave my skin a dewy complexion (which is totally different from a greasy feeling and appearance).

Overall, this cream is extremely lightweight and appropriate for all skin types. As an eczema sufferer, I found that the cream did little for my flaky patches but did wonders on my face. Plus, the fact that the cream is made from natural ingredients and unscented is a huge plus for those with sensitive skin like me.

Comparisons of Innisfree Sunscreens: Perfect UV Protection Essence Water Base, Oat Mild Moisture Sun Cream, Perfect UV Protection Cream Triple Care

I recently posted on Reddit asking what people wanted to see reviewed and the new Innisfree sunscreens came up at the top of the list!

Commonalities:

• SPF 50+
• PA+++

What an anticlimactic list.

Perfect UV Protection Essence Water Base SPF 50+ PA+++

Ingredients:
WATER, ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, HOMOSALATE, GLYCERIN, ETHYLHEXYL SALICYLATE, DIETHYLAMINO HYDROXYBENZOYL HEXYL BENZOATE, CAMELLIA SINENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, OCTOCRYLENE, CETYL ETHYLHEXANOATE, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, CURCUMA LONGA (TURMERIC) ROOT EXTRACT, SALVIA HISPANICA SEED EXTRACT, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, BEHENYL ALCOHOL, HYDROXYACETOPHENONE, POLYGLYCERYL-3 METHYLGLUCOSE DISTEARATE, FRAGRANCE, SACCHARIDE HYDROLYSATE, PROPANEDIOL., TROMETHAMINE, CARBOMER, ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, SODIUM HYALURONATE, POLYACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER-6, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, PHENOXYETHANOL, CERAMIDE NP, CENTELLA ASIATICA EXTRACT, PORTULACA OLERACEA EXTRACT, PEG-10 RAPESEED STEROL, DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE, GLYCERETH-20, T-BUTYL ALCOHOL, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA (WITCH HAZEL) LEAF EXTRACT, OCTYLDODECANOL, CITRUS UNSHIU PEEL EXTRACT, CAMELLIA JAPONICA LEAF EXTRACT, ORCHID EXTRACT, OPUNTIA COCCINELLIFERA FRUIT EXTRACT, ECHIUM PLANTAGINEUM SEED OIL, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL UNSAPONIFIABLES, CARDIOSPERMUM HALICACABUM FLOWER/LEAF/VINE EXTRACT, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM BENZOATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE
Sunflower oil + Jeju green tea extract= protection against UV rays
Hyaluronic acid + ceramides= hydration
Portulaca oleracea extract + centella asiatica extract= astringents

Price: $16 USD
Size: 50 mL
Shelf life: 1 yr
Fragrances: Herbal. Only detectable if sniffed up close. Gone within 10 minutes.
Claims:

• 5-free system: animal ingredients, mineral oils, synthetic fragrances, tar dye, talc 

Initial thoughts:

• Super light! It feels pretty much like some of the Biore sunscreens (Aqua Rich Watery Essence, Perfect Milks)
• The color is actually a super pale "yellow". Definitely not noticeable when spread onto skin and not even that noticeable when squeezing out of the tube.

Oat Mild Moisture Suncream SPF 50+ PA+++

Ingredients (Couldn't find an ingredients list ANYWHERE. Jolse even listed ingredients as "none". To make matters even worse, Google translate wasn't picking up on the tiny squished letters in any photo I took so I had to translate all this sob sob. Also, pretty sure some of these aren't real ingredients. I tried to fix as many faulty ones as I could but idk how good of a job I did here lol):
Cyclomethicone, purified water, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, propanediol, dicaprylyl carbonate, cetyl diglyceryl tris(trimethyl-siloxy)silylethyl dimethicone, cetyl ethylhexanoate, aluminum hydroxide, 1,2-hexane diol, distearyl dimonium hectorite, oat kernel extract, chia seed extract, Centella asiatica extract, Houttuynia cordata extract, hemp seed oil, sunflower seed oil, Cardiospermum grandiflorum flower/leaf/vine extract, orange peel oil, scented geranium flower oil, hydrogen dimethicone, magnesium sulfate, stearic acid, polyglyceryl 2-dipolyhydroxystearate, dimethicone crosspolymer, butylene glycol, phenyl trimethicone, fructooligosaccharides, saccharide hydrolysate, pullulan, ethyhexylglycerin, octyldodecanol, sorbitan sesquioleate, polyglyceryl 3-polydimethylsiloxyethyl dimethicone, tocopherol
Oat kernel extract= intensive moisture

Price: Official price unknown but bought for $13 USD
Size: 40 mL
Shelf life: 1 yr
Fragrances: Citrus. FUCKING strong...I applied it to my arm for photos and the scent wafted to my nose almost immediately. Never goes away...it's kind of headache inducing after a while not gonna lie.
Claims:

• Hypoallergenic: gentle enough for babies
• Moisturizing

Perfect UV Protection Cream Triple Care SPF 50+ PA+++

Ingredients:
WATER, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, ZINC OXIDE (CI 77947), DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, PEG-10 DIMETHICONE, DICAPRYLYL CARBONATE, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), ISODECYL NEOPENTANOATE, NIACINAMIDE, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, CAMELLIA SINENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, MICA (CI 77019), DIMETHICONE, MAGNESIUM SULFATE, METHYL METHACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, METHICONE, PHENOXYETHANOL, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, FRAGRANCE, DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, STEARIC ACID, POLYGLYCERYL-6 POLYRICINOLEATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, ADENOSINE, IRON OXIDES (CI 77492), TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE, BIOSACCHARIDE GUM-1, IRON OXIDES (CI 77491), IRON OXIDES (CI 77499), HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, CAMELLIA JAPONICA LEAF EXTRACT, ORCHID EXTRACT, CITRUS UNSHIU PEEL EXTRACT, OPUNTIA COCCINELLIFERA FRUIT EXTRACT, SACCHAROMYCES FERMENT LYSATE FILTRATE
Sunflower oil + Jeju green tea extract= protection against UV rays

Price: $16 USD
Size: 50 mL
Shelf life: 1 yr
Fragrances: Herbal. Only detectable if sniffed up close. Gone within 10 minutes.
Claims:

• 5-free system: animal ingredients, mineral oils, synthetic fragrances, tar dye, talc 
• Water resistant
• Triple care: UV protection, anti-aging, whitening
• Long lasting

Initial thoughts:

• This sunscreen is tinted! It's not obvious, but triple care is beige.

For reference, I bolded sunscreen filters, made moisturizing ingredients green, and questionable ingredients red. It seems like the oat and triple care are both physical sunscreens while the essence is chemical.

Oil Control:

Essence, oat, and triple care after less than a minute (with flash). You can really see the color discrepancy. Oat got so excited, it wet itself as soon as it got to the paper. Not even kidding.

After around 10 minutes with the paper held in front of a bright light so that you could clearly see all the oil that oozed out. The speed at which the oil circles grew plateaued at this point but continued to slowly grow. Obviously oat is the oiliest, then triple care, and then essence.

NO ESSENCE I HAD HOPE IN YOU. This is after around 8 hours, simulated to be like a whole day of work indoors.

Moisture Test:
Essence and oat both claim to have hydrating properties so I put them to the test! I have mild eczema (the flaky kind, not the red easily irritable kind) on the insides of both my elbows so I put an equal amount on both.
Immediately: Essence mildly burned upon application but oat was fine. I didn't feel anything with oat.
10 minutes: The side with oat on it started to itch occasionally. Not that much, but I just felt the urge to scratch a few times. I felt nothing with essence.
1 hour: Both were completely absorbed into my skin. The skin with oat went back to its rough, flaky state while essence felt like normal skin.

Swatches:

Sunscreen alone-- essence, oat, and triple care. Oat and triple care have white casts while essence looks like my normal skin with a very slight yellow tinge. 

Essence, oat, and triple care under makeup. Natural lighting and flash above. The white casts aren't a problem under makeup.

Outdoor Test:

I went outside to tan my arm for 3 hours with the strips of sunscreen on it and applied the sunscreens onto different parts of my face as well. My face becomes oily all over when going outside so I didn't need to worry about which zones were oilier than others.

Oat and triple care have a similar consistency, like a normal sunscreen but not very oily. I might be imagining this, but oat might be slightly thicker. Essence feels like water upon application but quickly takes on a light sunscreen texture once it sets in.

I was really digging the texture of my skin with oat and triple care on it. It feels sort of tacky and rubbery? Not oily at all, it kind of feels like smooth dry rubber.

The area where essence was applied onto started to get oily after around 10 minutes! It wasn't as oily as western sunscreens but it was noticeably oilier than the other two sunscreens.

Admittedly, I don't tan very easily. I go outside every other day and I've only seen my body have tan lines around 5 times in my entire life. I still wanted to show you guys a picture just in case you were curious. This is with makeup washed off.

Waterproof + Longevity Test:

Only triple care claimed to be waterproof so I tested it by applying it to only half my hand and waiting 15 minutes for it to set. I then ran water over my hand for around 1 minute and gave the water 2 minutes to soak into my skin.

As you can see, the water droplets stayed on the side where triple care was applied onto.

After 5 hours, I ran my hand under some water again and it was still waterproof! However, I did stay indoors all day so that might be why it was so well preserved. 

Essence:

• Lightweight, appropriate for indoors and shit for outdoors
• Moisturizing! Did well on eczema and did not irritate it either
• Little to no fragrance
• No white cast whatsoever

Oat:

• Heaviest and oiliest of all the sunscreens
• Not moisturizing, if anything it was slightly irritating to my eczema
• High fragrance. It could double as a perfume to be honest
• Surprisingly matte "rubbery" texture. I like how it feels on my face
• White cast if worn without makeup, but under makeup it is fine

Triple Care:

• Normal sunscreen texture. Creamy
• Waterproof
• Little to no fragrance
• Matte "rubbery" texture that I enjoyed outdoors and indoors
• White cast if worn without makeup, but under makeup it is fine

Overall...

Triple care is suitable for outdoor use while essence is suitable for indoor use. Oat, to be frank, kind of sucks. I guess that's why it's not on the official Innisfree website...jkbutnotreally. If I had to pick only one, I'd pick triple care. I actually like essence and triple care equally, just for different uses.

I know I didn't test if triple care was whitening and anti-aging but if you want, I will update you guys in the future!

P.S. Any other beauty bloggers might wanna join the Maple Tree Blog's AB See link party! Increase traffic and network with other bloggers through this special bi-monthly event :) This week's theme is Back to Basics and I think my sunscreen is an imperative part to any skincare routine.

Hokkaido 100% Pure Horse Oil vs. Eczema

Imagine my surprise when my eemo handed me a bright, red box with the label "100% Pure Horse Oil" on it. 

Trying my best to be as polite as possible, I feign a smile and graciously accept the gift with open arms. My eemo is a tour guide for Koreans who visit Japan so she flies to Japan every other week and often picks up things that interest her. This week, it had to be horse oil.

Not gonna lie, I felt pretty disgusted when I found out that horse oil was being used as a beauty product. But then I realized that I was just being a culturally insensitive little bitch. (Hey, don't get me wrong if you don't support horse oil if you're vegan or if you care for animals. I'm just saying that if you're alright with other animal products don't hate on the horse oil.)

Horse oil blew up last year in Korea as an alleged cure-all for acne, eczema, and other skin conditions. It's been used for hundreds of years across Asia and the first account of it being used was 

found in an ancient Chinese medicine book called Bencao Gangmu.

This seems to be a no-brand horse oil but since it just appears to be horse oil with no other ingredients, it should be the same as other horse oil brands. Thanks to my boyfriend (he's starting up his cooking blog so please check him out!) for translating the Kanji, which says: Hokkaido Pure Horse Oil Highest Quality.

This 70 mL glass jar came in a nice box but I lost it since I received this last year :( The price was 3,500 yen. 

The consistency is very similar to coconut oil, which I've also used as a moisturizer. It melts into a liquid at body temperature yet maintains a creamy, solid state in the jar. I really hate putting oil on my face so I reserve this only for the eczema on my face and body. The oil just sits on top of your skin and takes the longest time to soak in.

Last year, I had an unknown skin rash (probably eczema) that grew on my eyelid overnight. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING I did would help it go away, even pills or steroids. This is where my eemo comes in, swooping with her horse oil. I was pretty desperate at this point to get rid of the rash so I slathered a layer of horse oil onto it before I went to sleep to dream about normal looking eyelids. When I awoke, my eyelids looked significantly better and were not flaking! They still didn't feel like normal skin, but I was happy to know that something was working.

I don't use this oil anymore after I discovered ceramides, but it was one of the products that helped my weird eyelid rash. It's an alright moisturizer/oil for super flaky skin but I wouldn't recommend it for daily wear if you don't have the patience to let it soak in. Putting makeup on top of the unsoaked oil will result in your face looking and feeling like a greasebomb.

Left: unmoisturized eczema

Right: eczema after leaving a layer of horse oil on overnight

On application, it feels like nothing. But then my eczema slowly starts to burn (not in an unbearable way, it's just common in my experience whenever I put a moisturizer on my eczema). As you can see, the photo on the right is less flaky and scabby than the photo on the left but it's nothing dramatic or life-saving. 

I'll stick to my ceramides, thank you very much. 

Sponsored Review (Jolse): MISSHA Pore Clear Cleansing Brush

Hey guys!

It certainly has been a while...;; I apologize for my spontaneous hiatus; it really wasn't planned or anything. The past year has been really hectic...juggling school and violin is already a challenge for me so blogging regularly on top of that was just unrealistic. I'm currently on winter break so hopefully I will get a few posts in (before I disappear again..?).

Do any of you even remember me ; - ; ? I really did miss my readers and blogging...but putting that aside, how is everyone's winter break? I hope you're enjoy this beautiful holiday season with your friends and family :)

Alright, onto the review portion of this post!!

Today I'll be reviewing the MISSHA Pore Clear Cleansing Brush sponsored by Jolse. 

I'm really ashamed to say this, but this review is over a year overdue...lol.......sorry orz; I'm actually terrible. Like I mentioned above, school and violin has been devouring my time (but I guess that really shouldn't be an excuse for me being so incompetent in keeping up with my sponsors) so I couldn't really get to my blog and reviewing things until now. Thank you to all my sponsors for being so tolerant with  me! If you've read my previous reviews on products from Jolse (here and here), then you'll know how much I adored this site.

I'm happy to say that Jolse is still the amazing site it was in the past, and even better! The site really has changed since I've last seen it but it still has so many sales, discounts, and free samples available to its customers. Please do check it out!

Sponsored Review (Jolse): Etude House Ice Shot Cool Band Freeze Foam

Hello!

As you can see, I'm updating more often because I have so many products I want to review and I still want to talk about Korea, so I hope you don't find my excessive posting to be spammy > o <

I'm sure you've all heard about this famous (maybe infamous) Etude House Ice Shot Cool Band Spray that I will be reviewing today.

This product was sponsored by Jolse. Please do check them out as they have sales and discounts every single day! They free shipping internationally which is also a plus. 

They have also sponsored the Holika Holika Jewel Light Under Maker in #01 Plumping White which I have reviewed in my previous post.

Thank you so much JiEun-ee unnie!

Now onto the review! As usual, here are the official photos:

Here is also a (very cheesy) video that goes more into detail with this product.

Sponsored Review (WISHtrend): OST Original Pure Vitamin C 20 Serum

Hello my lovely readers!

Today, I will be reviewing one amazing product, the OST Original Pure Vitamin C 20 Serum.
(I feel like all my review posts start out like this L-LOL;; Is this too boring? ; u ;)

Picture credit: http://www.wishtrend.com/

This serum was kindly sponsored by WISHtrend.

WISHtrend is an amazing online store which ships worldwide, and has a huge range of Korean cosmetics to choose from. If you have not already read my post on WISHtrend, please do so here!
Their shipping is relatively fast-- I received my package within 10 days.

This item is ranked as the best selling item in Singapore and WISHtrend.

Price: 

$25 at WISHtrend

Pros:

♥ 20% of the serum is pure Vitamin C (hence the name? haha~)

♥ Whitens skin

♥ Fades scarring

♥ Removes blackheads/whiteheads

♥ Improves and evens out complexion

♥ Softens and moisturizes skin

♥ Prevents premature signs of aging

♥ Gently exfoliates

♥ Tightens pores

♥ Reasonably priced

Cons:

★ Sticky

★ May sting skin

★ Smells slightly medicinal (but it also smells like oranges)

★ Glass packaging, so it may break easily

International Giveaway: First Monthiversary / TY 50+ Followers ♥

Hello dears!

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to comment on my blogposts, followed my blog, and supported me as a noob to the blogsphere. This blog is the first blog that I've ever created with the exception of tumblr (which I don't really consider a blog since most people just reblog photos haha;;) so I really appreciate the patience that some of the more experienced bloggers have shown me. 

In three days, it will be the date of my first monthiversary on Blogspot, and I'd like to take this opportunity to give back to you all! 

I'll be reviewing each item soon, but I have multiples of each product so the items that will be sent out   are brand new. If you guys happen to be wondering how I got my hands on so many samples and products, it's because some of them are free from online shopping and have accumulated over the past few months. Some are also sent to me by my grandmother who lives in Korea (she always sends multiples so that my mother and I can share haha...I have like twenty five sheet masks all aloe, green tea, and tea tree orz;;) And then all the LANEIGE samples are stolen from the local Hmart L-LOL (it said to take one sample, but I came like everyday so technically I did take one per each trip? haha~) The rest were purchased with my own money c:

Alright, without further ado, let's see what you can win~

Banner link

WISHtrend: The Hub of Korean Beauty Secrets

Hello lovelies!

Fun fact: did you know that South Korea is about twelve years ahead of the US in terms of skincare technology? That's right! TWELVE YEARS. Amazing right?

That's why a majority of Koreans have flawless skin, and why all my skincare products are imported from South Korea!

Sadly, there are people all over the world who want to achieve flawless skin and cannot get their hands on products in Korea.

But I've found the solution: WISHtrend

Review: Atomy Evening Care 4 Set

Hello! 

My first review on this blog will be on the Atomy Evening Care 4 Set~

I actually started using it because my mother constantly raved about how amazing it was to me ^^; 

I was a bit skeptical because I had never heard of it before, but I did notice that her skin quality had improved dramatically. Her complexion is smooth, fair, and young in comparison to the dull, freckly skin she had a month or so ago. And so, I decided to conduct some research!

Originating from Korea, the Atomy Skincare Line has been broadcasted on MBC, KBS, SBS, and YTN! It is claimed as a "miracle" skincare line and has cured acne for many people, both female and male ; u ; 

Now, without further ado, let's get to my review~