Skin Food’s Peach Sake Toner claims to minimize shine and the appearance of pores. It’s a toner that I’ve seen in quite a few recommendation lists, so when I received in my BomiBox a few months back, I was quite excited.
This toner was a replacement of my Hadalabo Gokujyun Lotion, which I liked quite a bit but also used alongside an astringent. After a few uses of the astringent alongside the Peach Sake toner, I ran out and was only reduced to using this product after double-cleansing. After several weeks of use, I am really disappointed with it. I don’t think it preps the skin for skincare well and it’s a little too drying for my taste. For acne-prone, combination skin like mine I highly recommend using it with either an astringent or pimple pads or some kind of active like BHA, because this toner won’t help with preventing break-outs.
However, I find it refreshing and enjoy its light scent. It feels like water on the skin, but unfortunately it only has its nice packaging and scent going for it.
On Hwahae, a Korean beauty review app, this toner has a 2.99/5 rating from 177 people as of writing this post, with a total of 8 bad or irritating ingredients (including hydrogenated castor oil, parabens, and fragrances). That is quite the bad reception, so maybe Skin Food got the point since I couldn’t find this product on their Korean site, though it is still (scarcely) sold elsewhere.
Its American price is $12.75 on their official site versus 9,000 KRW ($8) on the MemeBox Korea site (though it’s sold out/discontinued).
During this time of the year, most stores are having crazy sales and it’s a little hard to keep up and not over-spend. When my mom and I visited Nature Republic on 14th Street here in NYC, I went a little insane and couldn’t keep myself from spending too much on things I didn’t necessarily need but, hey, everything was 40% off! (That’s how they get you!)
So let me show you everything my mom and I got from the Independence Day Nature Republic sale~!
Mom’s short haul:
Botanical Hyper Liner, 02 Brown ($12.90) | 보테니컬 하이퍼 라이너, 2호 브라운 (9,900원)
While I don’t personally use liquid liners, primarily because I don’t wear make-up often enough and they are crusty and dry by the time I attempt to use them, my mom likes them. This little thing was $12.90 before the sale, which seems ridiculous to me. After consulting my mom on her thoughts on it, she shrugged shoulders and made a ‘meh’ face, so I guess that’s the review for this product.
After trying it on my hand, it was a lot dryer than I expected, taking a few tries to get a proper line, though my attempts to smudge it produced nothing – either on the smudging finger or on the lined surface.
Eco Crayon Eyes 01 White ($7.90) | 에코크레용아이즈01화이트 (6,000원)
This is a standard eye crayon eye-shadow stick with lots of glitter. Not much to say about it other than the fact that it’s really creamy and it looks really pretty on my mom! 🙂
While this one isn’t as smudge-proof as the liner, it didn’t completely disappear but rather rubbed off. Either way, this would be a very pretty color on girls with lighter skin-tones for all over the lid and for inner corners for those with darker skin.
While the packaging for these is cute, I’m not a fan of the tubes, which look a little too yellow in real-life but hopefully the quality of the sun-creams makes up for it.
The consistency is similar to most sun-creams – creamy, not runny, and not too heavy. The consistency itself is somewhat reminiscent of the Cosrx Aloe suncream, as opposed to the Biore one, which is less dense.
SPF 50 PA +++ Provence Calendula Aqua Cooling Sun Spray, Buy 1 Get 1 Free ($24.90) | 프로방스 카렌듈라 아쿠아 쿨링 선스프레이 (26,000원)
This is a spray-on sunscreen that you can use even on your face! (Well, according to the sales-associate at least) It’s very non-fuss and doesn’t make your face oily, though I’m not a fan since I like being moisturized at all times, especially in the summer since the sun sucks up all of my moisture and oily creams are my style. But best of all – it was buy 1 get 1 free (not pictured, since mom snatched it before I could take pictures and ran confidently into the sun)!
Mom got a free eye-cream mask with her purchase of $35 or above, which was passed down to me (will return with a review). The mask feels like a pair of thin plastic glasses just by feeling.
Animal Eco Pouch | 동물 에코 파우치
Super cute, made of seemingly good quality, and most importantly – free! We got it from spinning the wheel right outside of the store!
All of mom’s stuff
My haul:
[EXO Edition – Xuimin] Hand and Nature Handcream – Cotton Baby ($8.90) | [엑소 에디션 – 시우만] 핸드 앤 네이처 핸드크림 – 코튼베이비 (6,600 원)
While I did get the Xiumin version accidentally (meant to get Baekhyun), I’m not too heartbroken because I like all of EXO and this just gives me an excuse to go back and buy more of these (marketing team has won over me). I’ve tried the Kai version before and enjoyed it well enough so I decided to buy it again because of the sale, not that I’m in need of tiny hand-creams but oh, well. Plus, it comes with a cute photo-card (marketing team has won over me).
Besides the fact that this single eye-shadow is very over-priced, even with the 40% off, it’s a pretty orange color with lots of shimmer. It’s the perfect summer shade for me – I like putting it all over the lid for an extra fresh look.
Provence Air Skin Fit Makeup Base, 02 Green ($16.90) | 프로방스 에어 스킨 핏 메이크업 베이스, 02 그린 (12,900 원)
I’ve been trying to learn how to use base make-up for the past few weeks, starting with 3CE’s Back to Baby Lavender version. After pairing the two, I’ve really seen a difference with my cushion foundation and like the results a lot. This one is very creamy and a little goes a long way. It definitely brightens the skin and hides a lot of the redness.
The main reason why I originally went into Nature Republic was to look for a toner to replace my old one, which was sort of like a BHA treatment. However, after some thinking I decided that my skin needed a bit of a break from the actives, as it had gotten used to it and would immediately break-out if I stopped using them. The reason I decided to go with this is because it clears the skin and also moisturizes it (also because it’s summary). So far, it’s ok – definitely moisturizing but not anything noteworthy.
I originally tried this after receiving a sample, which I absolutely loved. So I finally went ahead and purchased this at $20, which I thought was a pretty good deal. It smells really good and I love how soft it makes my skin.
Honey & Herb Sleeping Pack ($10.90) | 허니 앤 허브 슬리핑팩 (9,900 원)
Picked this sleeping pack on a whim since I love sleeping packs and honey products. It smells like honey mixed with beer (which smells really good) and is gel-like in consistency.
Truth be told, I don’t know why I got this. While I do get oily, it’s usually not to the point where I need yam paper but this does have a nice mirror which can be kept after finishing the paper.
Provence Calendula Daily Sun Block SPF 50 PA+++, Buy 1 Get 1 Free ($20.90) | 프로방스 카렌듈라 선블럭 (15,900 원)
Similar to the ones my mom got with a different factor. I usually use creams like these as the last step in my morning skincare routine, prior to applying makeup. For reapplying make-up, I use the ice-puffs I’ll show you below.
Bonus round – Free stuff (my edition)
EXO Chen gift pack
This came free with purchase – Chen notebook, hand mirror, and stand. I really love the mirror – it comes in handy and I’ve found myself constantly using it. The notebook isn’t lined so I don’t know when I’ll use it but if Chen looks at me all the time, I’ll make sure to do all my studying.
Phyto Origin Boosting Essence | 피토 오리진 처음 에센스
Again, free with purchase – this is an essence with some cotton puffs (in the paper box). I’m currently using another Nature Republic essence but I’m very excited to try this afterwards. Just to let you know, because I’ve seen some other stores doing this, none of the gifts which are free-with-purchase were expired or even close to expiring, so that was great to see! I also can’t find this on the NR site, so I wonder if it was discontinued.
Red Ginseng Essential Solution Sheet Mask
Free masks are always the best (though NR are not my favorite). I won this from the spinning wheel outside of the store.
EXO (Baek Hyun, Chan Yeol) fans
Don’t know when I’ll use these (maybe at the beach this weekend?) but, hey, at least they look cute!
My haul 2.0:
So I was watching some beauty videos on YouTube and saw one girl using the NR ice puff sun-block. I had previously been eyeing it because of my reluctance in reapplying sun-cream over make-up, so I thought it would be a good solution. So after watching the video, I finally went ahead and bought it (couldn’t help myself because I was in the area >>).
Provence Calendula Ice Puff Sun SPF50+PA+++ ($25,90) | 프로방스 카렌듈라 아이스 퍼프 선 (19,900원)
I did use this twice so far and while I’m not totally converted, I do like the concept. It’s not as smooth as a cushion but it does look good, especially as a reapplication in the middle of the day.
It also came with two extra mini-puffs (for a total of three per box), so that’s great! I was really happy because I’m always in need of extra puffs! Great for other cushions and for when the puffs get dirty and need to be thrown out.
Here’s how the spray looks on the puff. It suits me well – not sure how it’ll sit on darker skin-tones. But it’s not moisturizing at all so you need a good base underneath.
Bonus round – Free stuff (my edition) 2.0
Q-tips + Honey Sheet Mask
While gifting Q-tips might be weird to some people, I think it’s a great gift! Q-tips are so versatile and can be used for so many things, so thanks NR for giving me useful things. Also, as previously mention, free masks are always welcomed. I got this as a $25 or more gift-with-purchase. 🙂
Lastly, just to reiterate, all the products that were bought on 4th of July were discounted. The prices I put up are the original prices that were on my receipt prior to the applied discount (I ended up saving around $60 and my mom saved around $20). The last product was on a Buy 1 Get 1 Free sale.
So that’s it for my giant Nature Republic Summer Sale Haul! Wooh, so many products to try. Funnily enough, I’m already in need of skincare products despite this giant splurging (girl needs a Vit C serum and some pimple patches). Thanks for reading! See you soon~!
Ever wanted to know the newest releases in Korean music? I’ve compiled this list of new songs, EPs, and albums that were released this past week, including Monday June 26 through Sunday July 2. Of course, this list does not include all new releases in Korea during this time but I’ve included all I deemed notable. If you think I missed anything or have any suggestions for future weekly lists, please let me know!
-Lily
Monday, June 26th
The NuTs – Bad Love (Lovers in Bloom OST Part 3) <더 넛츠 – 사랑은 나빠 (무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다 OST Part 3)> [Single]
HNB (Park Woo Dam, Woo Jin Young, Jung Won Cheol, Jo Yong Geun) – Be Your Light | <HNB (박우담, 우진영, 정원철, 조용근) – 빛이 될게> [Single]
LOOΠΔ – Singing in the Rain (Jin Soul) | <이달의 소녀 – Singing in the Rain (진솔)> [Single]
Ben – Like Destiny (My Sassy Girl OST Part 4) | <벤 – 운명처럼 (엽기적인 그녀 OST Part 4)> [Single]
This post has no other purpose than to allow me to introduce myself – hi, I’m Lily and I’m here to blog.
While I do not like putting constraints on myself regarding what I write, like, or feel, I’m starting this blog with the underlying theme and concept of discussing and reviewing primarily Korean entertainment, beauty and fashion, as well as exploring Korean and Asian culture in New York City. Despite my plan on not sticking to these themes at all times, for the purpose of this intro, let’s say that’s what I’ll be rambling on about.
So I’m going to do what all novice programmers do and type ‘Hello World,’ hoping that blogging will be a less life-sucking activity than programming.
Similar to the ones my mom got with a different factor. I usually use creams like these as the last step in my morning skincare routine, prior to applying makeup. For reapplying make-up, I use the ice-puffs I’ll show you below.
This came free with purchase – Chen notebook, hand mirror, and stand. I really love the mirror – it comes in handy and I’ve found myself constantly using it. The notebook isn’t lined so I don’t know when I’ll use it but if Chen looks at me all the time, I’ll make sure to do all my studying.
Bada (Mida) 