My Facial Wash Reviews: The Face Shop vs. Missha vs. Skinfood

I do not splurge on facial washes. I find no meaning in using an expensive facial wash (such as Obagi or SK-II, which I've tried both. Not worth the price!~) when what one really needs is just a facial wash that cleanses well and smells good :-)

The only thing I check when I buy a facial wash is if it has Vitamin E in the ingredients list. Vitamin E breaks me out, so I steer clear from any topical products with this as ingredient.

The Missha Latte Foaming Facial Wash in Green Tea has been my facial wash for nearly six months.
It's pretty cheap (about PHP 250.00 at TLCShop, so of course, I get it cheaper here in Korea) and very yummy flavored (everything green tea to me is yummy~). It is foamy and does a good job with cleansing.I've stopped using cleansing oils for a bit, so in lieu of a cleansing oil, I do double cleansing~washing my face twice to ensure total removal of the bb cream from my face. This one works because it is non-drying and is very creamy so it does not irritate the skin even if you do double cleansing.

I bought a tube of The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam (PHP 495.00 at TLC Shop) because a client, who hoarded three tubs in one go, was raving about it. TFC's Rice Bright Wash supposedly has face brightening properties~ thus the promise of brightening the face while cleansing. I must first say that it smells really nice~ like cereals with a sweet twinge.
Of the three facial washes, this one is the most moisturizing. But for me at least, I felt it has the weakest cleansing ingredients because though it smelled nice and felt gentle on the skin, there was a slick feel, like a thin layer of oil that was left behind even after washing with water. I guess this wash will work for those with drier skin and those who want a moisturizing facial wash.

A month ago, Skinfood released their Tea Salt line of facial washes. There are actually three variants - Green Tea, Lavender, and Lemon. I always liked Skinfood facial washes, so despite it being a bit expensive (PHP 565.00 at TLC Shop), I bought the Lemon Tea Salt Mask Foam.
Oh wow! The first time I used this, I beamed. It is a lemon milk flavored facial wash (the lemon variant is for pore tightening :-)) with fine salt granules. Think St. Ives' Apricot Scrub, only with finer scrub particles and yummier flavor. It's the scent that will make one a fan here-- citrusy with a milky, vanilla undertone. And yes, the scrub grains are really fine sea salt! A few particles strayed near my mouth, and yep, these were salty! It is my current facial wash (though I still have the opened tube of TFS' Rice Bright Cleansing Foam). What's nice is that this serves both as a daily facial wash and a mild facial scrub. Only thing is, if you have irritated skin or you have a cut or a wound, do not use this. The salt in the scrub will make your irritated skin and your wound throb. This product seals my belief that Skinfood excels at making value for money facial washes and masks.


Of the three, the Missha Latte Foam has always been my staple-- it's cheap and creamy and works well during the colder months in Seoul. I also like Skinfood's Lemon Tea Salt Wash because even if it's a bit more expensive, you do get basically a daily facial scrub and a facial wash in one. I also like that they used something simple and natural like salt for the scrub grains. As for The Face Shop's Rice Water Bright, though it's actually pretty okay, it didn't wow me with its brightening promise and is not something I will repurchase soon.



What about you? What's your favorite facial wash?

MY JUNE ROAD TESTS: SF, Kiehl’s, Tony Moly, Etude and Strawberry Milk Soap!

These are stuff I’m testing out now but haven’t found time to blog about. (A Crystal Clear Note: All items posted in this blog are bought personally by me with my own money. )

KIEHL’S ULTRA FACIAL TONER

I found a nice deal at an online sampler shop in Korea for this expensive toner . I have the travel version, not the full sizes. My comment so far: Nothing special, will not purchase the full size any time soon.



ETUDE PUT YOUR HANDS UP DEO MULTI-POWDER

It’s a Deo Powder you can use all over your body ~ pits, back, calves, wherever. It has a built-in puff applicator which makes using it very convenient. Just puff some and go. I used it on its own to the office, and I didn't sweat muchbut maybe because it’s pretty cold at the office. Will do a full roadtest during one of my weekend jogs to see if it can withstand this humid summer.



SKINFOOD GREEN TEA FOOT MIST

I needed something to combat the sweaty feet that summer brings. So far so good. Its smell is a bit astringent–like but bearable. I use this with Korean shoeliners.


LG SAY STRAWBERRY MILK SOAP

I wanted something yummy-smelling and LUSH-like (but not priced as prohibitively as LUSH) and saw these at the local grocery. In the shower, it really smells like strawberry milk and is pretty moisturizing. Sad thing is, the scent doesn’t really last. I will stock up on this though when I come to the Philippines and use it as a car freshener. (Do you also do this neat and cheap trick? Stashing a bar of fragrant soap in the car in lieu of an air freshener? It really works! My mother uses Happy Bath bar soaps for this but I think this Strawberry Milk Soap will be a nice yummy change of scent)

TONY MOLY MAXI POWER FOOT PEELING LIQUID

I have very high hopes for this! It's supposed to remove dead skin cells, relieve any itching, deodorize and refresh your feet. You soak your feet in the peeling solution with the accompanying plastic socks for about 1.5 hours, rinse the solution off and wait for your feet to peel on the fourth day. I used this for the first time last night so I guess my foot will start peeling on Wednesday. I have ugly brown feet so I hope this works! Will give feedback if this lives up to its promises.

A LOOSE COMPARISON: SKINFOOD PEACH SAKE vs. SKINFOOD RED ORANGE SUN POWDER

After months of use, I have finally finished my pan of SF Peach Sake Silky Finish Powder. To those new to this blog, let me reiterate my love for this Skinfood product. It is the best oil controlling loose powder I've tried to date. It comes in only one neutral shade ~ white. Which means it will fit most complexions. It is not meant to be a full coverage powder, so do not expect your flaws or blemishes to dissapear with this (For a loose powder with buildable coverage, you can try the 3W Palgantong Powder instead). What it promises to do however is to keep your face from the oilies and it does a superior job of sucking away the shine.


Now, most people I know would not not even consider trying out a new powder. Like, why rock the boat, when you've found a great product?

Well, I would like to put the blame on "reseach purposes for the shop". But that is of course untrue. I wanted to try Skinfood's Red Orange line, the Summer 2011 new release. And what better time to try than now and get the thing I've ran out of~ loose powder!


So this is the Red Orange Sun Powder:

What it promises:

Sun Protection~ It has SPF 45 +++, the highest I've seen in loose powder.

Oil Control ~ manages shine because of the red orange extract.

Light Coverage ~ light, finely milled powder. Comes in two shades, #1 Light Beige, #2 Natural Beige

Skin Vitamins ~ apparently this powder was formulated with vitamins to help the
skin combat darkening and provide added protection.



Price: More or less in the same price range as the Peach Sake Powder.




The Innards:

A powder puff is provided with the powder. Unlike the Skinfood Peach Sake Powder where the container has a typical plastic powder separator, the powder dispenser/separator for Red Orange is made of fine woven mesh. Think woven fabric with tiny holes in it. Now this is my biggest issue with this powder. If you go out of your way to make a good product, shouldn't you have spent enough time to test out your container? I don't really know what the logic is with this new powder sieve. But this I have to say: It is the worst loose powder dispenser I've ever tried. Why? See what happens when you accidentally tap on the powder container. Voila!

See all the wasted precious powder? It's a messy sight. You have to be very gentle with this powder sieve otherwise, you'll be wasting a whole lot of fine talc.

*Sigh* Is it me just being ignorant on how to use this powder container, or is there really something wrong with the container's design?


The Powder:

The product itself is good. Plus it's pretty light on the skin. I tested it on a not too hot weekend (15 deg C) while running around doing errands-- shipping out stuffs, going to Myeongdong, buying stocks. And yes it does have a pretty okay oil control.

However, the shade of this powder is a bit too pink for me. Or maybe it's because of the high SPF.

Here comes a boring explanation: Most make-ups/foundations/powders with high SPFs (sun protection factor) give off white casts. This is particularly obvious in photos. The reason is simple. Most make-ups get their SPFs from Titanium Dioxide. It's a white powder which acts as a physical barrier between the sun and your skin. Because it is white, it reflects and gives off a greyish cast on the complexion. This is the culprit for the white casts. For the Red Orange Powder, yes there is a bit of a white cast here. But because I use it only as a finishing powder, it's really not too bad. Plus, the surest way to combat a white cast is to highlight your cheeks with a great looking blush and a strong lip color.

On a range of 1 to 5, I give this a solid three. Peach Sake Silky Powder is about 4. Will I buy it again, probably not. I'll stick with my tried and tested Peach Sake Powder.

Let's Talk About Vita Tok

Finally, I found a Skinfood Pact that I love!

I have always felt shortchanged by the pacts from Skinfood. Aside from their Peach Sake Silky Finish Powder, I've been mainly dissapointed with Skinfood powders (having tried the Omija Complexion Pact, Carrot Pact and the Rice Shimmer Powder), it might just be my ugly skin haha, but the finishes of SF pacts have always seemed unnaturally off-color on my skin. Which is why aside from the Peach Sake Silky Finish Powder, I have never been loyal to any powder/foundation from Skinfood.

My normally oily skin has become dry and prone to flaking. I attribute this mainly to the M2 Skin Refinish Lotion that I've been using nightly. As much as I love the great finish and concealing power of my expensive Lotree Rosa Davurica Triple Cake, I've noticed that after
a few hours, flakes of dead skin and powder particles accumulate on my cheeks and jawline. I have tried using a moisturizer (also from Lotree) and a primer (Anna Sui Moisturizing Primer) but the flakes were still ever present.

I was set to buy a new BB pact from Missha. See, I have tried and finished Missha's Perfect BB Pact and I thought it was right to go back to it. It's a cream based pact, in between a powder and a liquid foundation. I've gotten complements when I was using this, I think precisely because it has very good coverage haha. But it is a bit expensive and is not really lightweight on the skin, so hmmm, was thinking if plunking another 25k won (about 1.3k in Pesos) was worth it.

Well, hello there, serendipity!

On a trip to Skinfood to buy some stocks for the store, I chanced upon a new product from their Vita Tok line. Vita Tok Water Pact -- the word "water" alone got me interested since I needed that for my parched skin. I tried it on my hand and I loved the smooth, almost airy application.

So yes I bought one and after three weeks of use, here's my talk on the Vita Tok Water Pact.


What it supposedly does, according to Skinfood: It has Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid to keep the skin moist. It is an emulsion type pact which dries into a light powdery finish.

What I like about this product: Not too expensive at about PHP 900.00. There is a separate container for the applicator sponge which makes using it more hygienic. The emulsion-type foundation is amazingly light on the skin. Not creamy (like most BB creams and BB pacts) but smooth-watery. It is hard to describe the lightness of this pact because it does dry to a light powdery finish after a few seconds. I like that it does its work by preventing the flakes from forming on my face but is not too heavy nor oily, so I suppose if one's face is not too oily, this will work.

Another good thing is the shade ( I use the darker shade, #23 Natural Beige). Unlike the Omija and Carrot pacts which have extremely yucky ~ off white cast even for the darker shade #23/#2 (at least for me), this one fits my skin color to a T. I like that using this pact is almost like using a moisturizing primer and a light coverage foundation in one single step.

I also like the scent, which is a fruity scent bordering on citrusy. None of those powdery and perfume-y fragrance which I hate.

What it can't do for you: The coverage is sheer. I guess if you build it up, you can get a medium coverage at best. This is meant for the Spring/Summer season so it is really meant to be applied lightly to get that no-makeup look. While it does not cause my face to oil up, I don't really think it has much oil control, so this is not one for those who want an oil absorbing pact (though I do use the Peach Sake Silky Powder to touch up within the day, so this too might work for you.)


You can get it at your SF stores, or at the shop as I brought a few pacts as stocks last May when I came home to Pinas.

This might seem like a PR thing aight? But I seriously love this pact. It trumps the pricey Lotree Pact (which is drying) and even BB Creams. I currently use only this pact and the Benefit Finding Mr. Bright Kit for my everyday office make-up. Saves me a lot of time getting ready for work!

Five From Skinfood

I have something to say to those who have yet to see the light about Skinfood. I’m sorry but despite what some would tell you, Skinfood is not a high-end cosmetics line in Korea. In fact, it’s not even mid-level (mid-level brands are Missha, Laneige and Hanskin). It is, as what my Korean friend /workmate would tell me, “something for the college students”. (Of course, one reason why it’s considered high-end in Pinas is the outrageous markups on Skinfood products.)

But it being inexpensive and readily available in Korea doesn’t make this brand of lower quality. On the contrary, it is a testament to this brand’s popularity that one is most likely to see a Skinfood Store anywhere you go in Seoul. (I’ve lived in three different apartments , in three different locations in and at the outskirts of Seoul since 2005 and in every apartment (or officetel, as Koreans would point out) there ‘s always a Skinfood nearby. And the fact that this brand never goes on Sale. Ever. That says a lot about a brand’s confidence, right?

Like any other brand, Skinfood has its good and weak points. For one, I hate SF’s eye shadows. They suck. Very light color pay-off. At the same price (and they are pretty cheap, I admit), I can get great shadows from Innisfree or Lioele.

But I have also my favorites. Here are five Skinfood products I’ve used again and again . As you can see there are no new releases from this list. These are products I’ve used for at least a year.

Skinfood Shea Butter Lip Care in Raspberry

Natural rosy, pinkish lips in lightly scented reaaaaallyyyy moisturizing lip balm! It is so good, I sometimes use it on its own (without lipstick!) even at work.

Skinfood Black Sugar Mask Wash-off

The name is a misnomer. It’s actually a scrub not a mask. As the name implies, it has sugar granules and some supposedly mineral and vitamin rich softeners . But what I really like about this “mask” is how good it is as an exfoliant. The sugar beads are fine enough not to feel too abrasive, but you do feel like you are exfoliating when you rub the sugar mask on your skin. And the best part is, after rinsing off the mask, your skin really feels soft! It’s supposed to be used about twice a week, but I often use it at the end of the day to remove any debris and stress (Haha, yes, scrubbing your face can relieve stress!).

Skinfood Cappucino Wash Body Scrub (Phased Out~ Sad)

It’s like slathering a Starbucks Frap all over your body. It smells that good! Plus the beads are also great for exfoliating. (Apparently, the beads are real coffee nibs). However, since January this has been off all Skinfood stores. The SF clerks I’ve asked confirmed that it’s been discontinued. I wonder why though, as this has always been a bestseller. Now where do I find a yummy flavored body scrub at the same reasonable price? 

Skinfood Rose Cheek Chalk in Peach

The cheapest and most cost –effective blush I’ve used. Ever. The finish is matte. And it is amazingly long lasting. Twelve hours at the office with no blush retouch and there’s still color to my cheeks. I love this blush. (I tried a comparable product from TFS and the pink sank into my skin in just a few hours!).

Peach Sake Silky Finish Powder

It is a lightly scented loose powder with silica(to refract the light and provide a bit of illusion of smoothness) and oil-absorbing ingredients. Though most of my clients rave about Skinfood’s Buckwheat Loose Powder (which comes in two shades), I like the Peach Sake Powder precisely because it has no shade and is very very light on the skin. More importantly, it really works as a mattifier for BB creams/liquid foundation.

These are my top five picks from Skinfood. How about you? What’s yours?

(All the images shown above are from the official Skinfood website)