Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask

The Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask is another goody that was included in the Gothamista collaboration with Wishtrend (read my post on the Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream here)and I'm so glad I had the chance to try it.
Beauty products always appeal when they have a bit of a novelty factor and this mask has a cool texture that certainly fills that brief. It looks and feels like some kind of chilled pudding; by that I mean it's bouncy and light and sort of like a thick baked custard that breaks apart and melts when you smooth it on the skin. It's an awesome censorial experience that makes it quite a fun product to use really. I guess the texture is quite similar to The Body Shop's Bouncy Sleeping Mask that was very popular a few years ago - the texture is such that it 'self settles' back to a smooth finish after you've scooped out what you need. It's weird and it's cool.

Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask 

The thick texture of the mask helps it to adhere to the skin, so the ingredients can get to work and do their thing. Speaking of ingredients, the mask includes Niacinamide, Adenosine and of course Vitamin E.
Niacinamide is a form of Vitamin B3 which helps to reduce inflammation and ease redness, reduce the appearance of pore size, help the skin retain moisture, minimise signs of sun damage and fine lines, prevents excessive sebum and protects against environmental stressors. An all-round great ingredient really!
Adenosine is a yeast-derived ingredient that has been shown to have some anti-inflammatory and 'wrinkle smoothing' effects while Vitamin E is of course a much loved nourishing and anti-oxidant ingredient.
The purpose of the Freshly Juiced Mask is to hydrate, moisturise and brighten as well as improve the overall appearance and texture of the skin. It's recommended that the Vitamin E Mask is applied after Vitamin C products as it helps stabilise Vitamin C products. therefore enhancing the brightening, antioxidant effect. So pop this mask on after your Vit C serum to ramp up the effects!
While this is labelled as a mask, it can really be used as a moisturiser, day and/or night or as a sleeping pack. It's not a mask that you rinse or wipe off; this one is designed to stay put. I have used the Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask a handful of times (not in conjunction with Vit C though I might add) and have not only found joy in the unique texture, but can report that it feels lovely and comforting on the skin (it sort of melts in like an essence/ mousturiser) and gives my face a little bit of a glow. It's a nice product and to be honest I'd repurchase for the texture alone!
You can find Klairs Freshly Juice Vitamin E Mask at Wishtrend for 27USD or here in the UK from Skinspace for £24.60 for 90ml.

Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream

The Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream seems to have quite the cult following and I'll admit that the name alone was enough to make me want to buy it. I'll also admit that I've never really been hugely interested in Korean skincare. I have no idea why really because it's such a huge industry!  Nonetheless I've got a few bits to try at the moment thanks to Gothamista's Box of Wishes from Wishtrend. The box contains products from popular Korean brands Klairs and I'm From which are both skincare brands that specialize in clean/ green ingredients and sensitive skin. The Midnight Blue Calming Cream was the item that made me want to try the box but I'm so far extremely impressed with the other products. I don't think there are any 'filler' products in the box at all- a really great selection! 

Because I'm very much into anything to soothe and/or protect the skin at the moment (see my previous post), the Midnight Blue Calming Cream couldn't have come into my life at a better time. Specially designed for sensitive skin, the cream is full of non-irritating and soothing ingredients including Guaiazalene, which comes from chamomile oil and is what gives the cream its beautiful blue colour. Other ingredients include Argan Oil, Ceramide 3, which helps to strengthen the skin's barrier, and Centella Asiatica Extract. I've recently discovered that Centella Asiatica is an ingredient found in loads of Korean Skincare products; it's a type of plant rich in antioxidants that is used in wound healing and also promotes collagen synthesis, which is quite interesting.

Strictly speaking, the blue cream is designed for oily, acne prone and sensitive skin and its purpose is to calm rather than moisturise. The formula creates a sort of 'barrier' on the skin to protect it as it soothes. The cream is primarily for applying to areas of irritation rather than to cover the whole face, though I don't imagine there would be any issues if you did coat your face in the stuff. I've been dabbing it onto the sides of my nose and around my eyes, which are both areas that have seen a bit of irritation since starting with Retirides. This cream offers instant and lasting relief so I'm very happy to have it in my skincare stash at the moment!
As mentioned, my tube of the Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream came in the Gothamista Box of Wishes but you can find it at most Korean Skincare stores online for around £28 (for the limited edition 60ml tube) or £22 for the 30ml jar. It's also available in the UK from *Skinspace.

*Affiliate Link

Korean Beauty at Boots

The K Beauty craze has been steadily gaining momentum for the past few years. From features on the Ten Step Korean Beauty Routine (which I am still yet to try) popping up online and in magazines to an influx of Essences and Bubble Masks appearing in major retailers including TK Maxx and online at favourites such as Cult Beauty, we are waking up to the kitsch and kawaii world of Korean beauty buys. 

Boots is the most recent retailer to pick up on the trend, which is obviously an excellent thing for curious points card customers! 

Boots have stocked a range of Sheet Masks for a little while, so they'd already tapped into the K Beauty trend but now they've upped their game with the introduction of 3 major South Korean beauty brands.

Skinfood

Skinfood is a brand I have tried before and coincidentally, the two items I tried are from the Black Sugar range that Boots now stock. I tried both the Black Sugar Perfect Cleansing Cream and the Black Sugar Honey Mask Wash Off a couple of years ago now but back then I had to order them from Yes Style and have them shipped all the way from South Korea. If I remember correctly, I enjoyed the mask the most - it's sticky and gooey and packed full of grainy sugar and smells a bit like Coca Cola. I haven't tried the Black Sugar Perfect Essential Scrub 2X but I just might now that it's so easy to get hold of! Skinfood products at Boots start from £16 and at the moment it looks as though they are only stocking the Black Sugar range but I imagine they will expand if the range does well.

Caolion

Caolion is not a brand I know much about and I'm yet to try any of their products, but it seems to be very much focused on pores! Products include the Pore Tightening Day and Night Glowing Duo (not pictured) which features a pot of day cream and a pot of sleeping mask, the Premium Hot and Cool Pore Pack Duo which includes a 'steaming pore pack' and a tightening pack, the Pore Tightening Hot and Cool Foam Cleansing Duo which is another dual system that features a pot of 'Pore Blackhead Steam Foam Cleanser' for night and a pot of 'Pore Tightening Cooling Foam Cleanser' for morning and the Pore Blackhead O2 Sparkling Soap  which could be a good place to start with the brand as it's only £4.

Oh K

Oh K takes the cake when it comes to cuteness - their products are perfect for tweens, teens and any grown ups who enjoy a bit of kawaii in their lives. Boots stock over 30 Oh K products and you'll find everything ranging from kitsch scented brushes and panda handcreams to scented erasers and drink bottles. Personally I'm worried I'm going to buy myself the Oh K Cat Mug for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

*Images owned by Boots.