asian beauty – sarah fynn

Kao – Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++ 2019 Edition

It’s been a while since I did a k beauty sunscreen review. I have picked up a few over the last months and started to put them to test.

Today will be a full review of Kao – Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++ 2019 Edition. This is a very popular k beauty SPF which my fellow skincare enthusiasts love.

What the brand says

This updated version of Biore’s most loved UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel SPF 50+ PA++++ is powered by the innovative Micro Defense formula to prevent uneven application. The colorless essence forms an invisible waterproof shield on skin without feeling sticky. Hyaluronic acid, royal jelly and other moisturizing ingredients keep skin comfortable and hydrated. Excellent as a primer!

Experience

Type of sunscreen– chemical

I have been using this sunscreen in the mornings as the last step of skincare before makeup. It’s lasted about 3 weeks. When I’m working from home I would also use it for reapplication.

I have not experienced any irritation

What I liked: this gel cream goes on so easily and spreads evenly on the skin. I feels so hydrating on the skin and absorbs to leave a dewy finish. It’s got new generation chemical filters which offer better protection. This has a high PA rating 4 so you are also getting excellent UVA protection. It’s got hydrating and antioxidant ingredients for hydrating and added protection against pollution. It layers so well over serums and creams and doesn’t pill when reapplied!

Is it invisible on dark skin? This sunscreen is 100% invisible on dark skin. No flashbacks

What I didn’t like: has a strong scent of alcohol but this doesn’t linger too long

Verdict

I can see why this SPF is so popular! I used the 2019 version and this formula is great. A very nice gel cram texture that feels hydrating on the skin. This sunscreen offers excellent protection against the sun plus the added hydration and antioxidant ingredient make it a well-rounded formula.

I will repurchase.

Kao – Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++ 2019 Edition is £7.26 on Yesstyle

Kose Clear Turn 30 Botanical Essence In Cotton review

I have been incorporating Asian skincare items in my routine since March and so far so good! I have a few reviews of the items I have picked up form YesStyle on the blog and making my way through the rest of them.

Today’s post will be a full review and demo of the Kose – Clear Turn 30 Botanical Essence In Cotton. These are cotton pads soaked in 30 unique essences from botanical extracts and promise to soften and hydrate the skin.

Experience

These are like square sheet masks and the directions are to apply after cleansing and leave on for 5 mins. It doesn’t state the essences on YesStyle. It comes in a big pack of 72 squares.

I originally got these to use as neck & chest masks when I have my sheet mask on. It doesn’t work well as a neck sheet mask because it doesn’t stay in place understand but for the face and chest, it works well. The squares have a subtle pleasant scent and I did not experience any irritation from them. I have used the squares as sheet masks (in the pic below) however lately I have been using them as toner wipes, using them in the mornings, one for the face and another for the neck before misting with Vitamin E from the BodyShop. These square are pleasant to use and they do leave my skin hydrated. It doesn’t leave a sticky residue and it doesn’t pill under other skincare.

It is well packaged. I have had this pack open since March and they are still wet and haven’t dried out on me! The only con I can think of is that the squares are quite thin, they come out in duos instead of one but they can be separated easily. The cotton material doesn’t break apart when wiping the face with it.

Verdict

These are great to use as sheet masks or toner wipes. I find them hydrating and very easy to use. The bulk size of these means they will last ages and they won’t dry out! Not great as neck sheet masks (what is though? it’s a tricky area) but fantastic for the face and chest! I am very happy with this and will purchase again. If you love sheet masks, I will recommend this. This is my second product from Kose and I am impressed. I will definitely keep my eye on this brand!

Kose – Clear Turn 30 Botanical Essence In Cotton is £13 on YesStyle*

Use my code SARAHF1 for 5% off your 1^st order and 2% off all future orders

Other Asian beauty reviews

Missha SPF 45 review

Some By Mi Cleansing Bar & Toner review

OMI Waterproof SPF 50 review

Catch you later

*affiliate link

Missha Essence Sun SPF 45 Review

Sunscreen. SPF. Sun protection! Dark skin needs it too! I have tested a lot of sunscreens, see my first sunscreen edit for dark skin here. I have turned my attention to Asian sunscreens since I discovered Yes style and I also heard they are invisible on the skin. I purchased 6 Asians SPF’s so far and this is the first full review I have up! (I have a mini review of the Etude House SPF 50 on my Instagram).

Missha Essence Sun SPF 45 PA +++ is water & sweat resistant and protects against UVA &UVB. It has 6 essences: Aloe, Cucumber, Mulberry Root, Liquorice, Portulaca Oleracea, and Witch Hazel extracts to nourish and hydrate the skin

Experience

This sunscreen is a lightweight white lotion with a light fresh scent. The lotion blends into the skin easily and leaves it feeling smooth and hydrated. I have not experienced any irritation from using it. I have been using it for the month of April and I have now finished the tube so I can do a full review on it. I used it every morning on my face and sometimes on my body. For some reason, I thought essence meant the texture of the product would be very watery but I didn’t realise it was because it was formulated with 6 difference essences. This sunscreen applies better when I pat it onto the skin instead of rubbing it in (its more matte when it’s rubbed into the skin). I realise the demo picture is not great but on the left is where the SPF is pat on, on the right is when it’s been rubbed into the skin. You can see a slight difference in the finish

Is it invisible on black skin? YES! It does look a bit scary on but I let it sit for a few seconds and it becomes invisible. No ash, no grey, no cast! This works very well under makeup too- no flashback! It has a semi dewy finish- not too shiny or matte. It is a high factor sunscreen and the PA rating is the protection grade of UVA (this is what causes the skin to brown)

Verdict

I LOVE this sunscreen. It didn’t start well tbh, I was rubbing it into the skin which made my skin feel very dry and matte. I fell in love with it after I started patting it onto the skin instead. This product is completely invisible on the black skin and it’s very affordable too! Its works well under makeup or alone. My only con is that the tube wasn’t full when it arrived, I took the picture before I started using the product and it looks like it’s only half filled( the box was sealed when it arrived) I think the packaging works very well with the product. I would repurchase (I have 4 more SPFs to go through)

For more details on the PA rating system, check out this article by Paula’s Choice

YesStyle no longer stock MISSHA products but it’s available on Amazon for £3.39 for 50ml

I will be doing an Asian sunscreen edit for dark skin once I finish testing about 4 more products. I am going to get more soon.

YesStyle Korean Beauty Haul

Hey guys I hope all is well! I have an exciting post today, I have been obsessed with Korean and Japanese skincare for a while but a recent chat with a friend about sunscreens led me to discover YesStyle, a website that sells K & J beauty from all the top brands plus clothing and accessories etc. I will share the products I got (because that’s why you’re really here) then about YesStyle- shipping, customs charge and a discount code! This will be a long post but it will be worth it!

Sheet Masks

You guys know I love sheet masks but getting them individually can run my costs up! I discovered that a lot of K & J beauty brands not only have a TON of sheet masks but they also sell them in bulk! I got 3 different masks

Kose Clear Turn Essence Mask Vitamin C* and Clear Turn 30 Botanical Essence in Cotton*

Kose is a very popular Japanese skincare brand and YesStyle have a lot of their products and excellent reviews. The clear turn essence mask (blue box) come in a pack of 30 and a lot of varieties. I obviously chose the Vitamin C pack for brightening. What’s really cool about this pack is that it dispenses like face wipes and I can’t wait to play around with it. Clear Turn 30 Botanical Essence in Cotton (green box) are square cotton pads drenched in 30 diff essences. The green box is for moisture and skin softening. This comes in a pack of 72! I got these squares because I normally re-use my sheet masks on my neck and chest after using it on my face however with these, I can have my sheet mask on plus 2 to 3 squares on my neck and chest! I am so hyped about this SMH. UPDATE- after this post I noticed a small crack in the Kose sheet mask packaging which meant some of the essences had leaked out. When I received the package a few items were wet but I thought it was down to something else. Anyway although the sheet masks were not dried out and still fine to use I messaged Yes Style to tell them what happened. I did not ask for a refund or replacement. They replied the next day apologising for this and said they would send me a replacement for free! A few days later I got a dispatch email and a week later I got my new sheet mask intact! I’m very pleased with their customer service because in the same week I was dealing with Pixi and the service I got from them so appalling!

Mentholatum Rohto Melano CC Concentration Measures Mask*

Another popular J beauty brand, this is a vitamin C sheet pack that comes in a pack of 20! This pack also has Vitamin E to help moisturise the skin. Love the packaging and again it’s small, compact and dispenses like wipes!

Sunscreens

This is what led to my obsession lol. I bought two of the most reviewed sunscreens that could be dispatched within 24hrs (more on that later) I got the Etude House Sunprise Mild Airy Finish SPF50* and the Missha Essence Sun SPF 45*. Etude House is a South Korean brand and this particular sunscreen has over 500 reviews. I watched a few videos that say its clear on dark skin but after a quick patch test I am not entirely convinced. Missha is another K beauty brand and this particular SPF is also very popular. Of course full reviews will follow

Acids

I have been very interested in PHA after using a few products last year with it. I really liked how it was gentle on my skin and left it hydrated as well. There isn’t a lot of budget friendly options with PHA and infact I have only seen one serum under £20! Some By Mi is a popular K beauty brand and their AHA BHA PHA Miracle line is very popular and most of all affordable! Infact I saw a few J & K beauty brands with PHA products so you already know what will be happening! I got the Miracle Starter Kit* which has mini sizes of the range and perfect for testing the products out. I must admit I am a little disappointed by the sizes but I am adding this to my routine straight away.

Eye masks

Finally I got a pack of Purederm 30 sheets Collagen Eye Zone Mask*. A very popular K beauty item and I am very happy with the price I paid for it! This is cost effective because I was buying individual patches which come up more expensive in the long run.

I made two separate orders (dont ask) and each order came with GWP. I got the Tony Moly Collagen and Hyaluronic acid sheet masks

Shopping on YesStyle

YesStyle was very easy to navigate and they have a TON of J & K beauty brands and items. The items are listed in English (don’t worry) and on the item page it tells you where the brand is from which I think is really great. Another great feature is, once you go on the brand’s main page (which can be accessed via the product page) they show you the brand’s overall customer rating which I found helpful for choosing brands I would like to try! Almost everything is on sale and there is also a free gift offer. You will also receive 5% off your 1^st order!

Dispatch– one thing to be careful of, every item has different dispatch times and Yes style make this very clear on the product page. Under the price of the product, they tell you if it ships within 24 hrs or 7 to 21 days. Again very helpful because I was very eager to receive my items ASAP so I only shopped for items that were dispatched within 24 hrs and YesStyle honoured this: so all my items were dispatched within 24hrs!

Shipping– my 1^st order was dispatched on 22^nd Feb (ordered on 21st) and 2^nd order dispatched on 23^rd feb (ordered on 22nd), both arrived on 2^nd March so about a week and it was premium standard shipping which is free after £30. NO CUSTOMS charge! I wasn’t charged a fee AND YesStyle also list on their website that they will refund any custom fees if you have to pay (obviously show proof) I think it’s in the form of credit but I am not too sure.

I have a discount code! Use QJJJLJ for 5% off your order as a new customer or 2% off your order for current customers

Final thoughts

I have been obsessed with YesStyle since I discovered it! I will be getting a lot more Asian beauty from there as they are very expensive via Amazon. The shipping isn’t too bad so I will be ordering in advance if I am running out of something! If you love K/J beauty and are searching for a legit and affordable way to shop it, make sure you check out YesStyle I will be bring reviews of every item once I start using them! Be sure to follow me on Instagram for updates! I will also be sharing an updated skin care routine soon!

*affiliate link used. If you decide to make a purchase through my link, I will earn a small commission which goes towards the upkeep of the blog (and allows me to keep bringing you excellent content) but the price remains the same

UPDATE- I got some more sunscreens! Post coming soon

Catch you later