Earlier this year I started suffering from some quite sever cystic acne breakouts caused by hormones, pollution and stress which gave me a major blow to my confidence, I rarely left the house my skin was so bad and when I did I would usually wear a mask. I completely changed my skincare routine as almost everything I had used previously seemed to irritate me and started using less products with less ingredients. It's taken a while for my skin to return to a better condition but I am seeing some improvements so I thought I would share my experiences on some of the products I've bought from
Wishtrend a company that strives to use provide more natural, cruelty free, beauty products which is based in
South Korea. I've tried a few of their products in the past and always been pleased with the results so thought this would be a great place for me to start and create a new routine for my irritated, recovering skin.
"The By Wishtrend Green Tea & Enzyme Powder Wash is a mild powder cleanser to use on a daily basis. Consisting baking powder, coconut-derived surfactant, and enzymes, it controls blackheads while hydrating. As a low irritant cleanser for sensitive skin, it helps to exfoliate your skin a daily basis. "
I've never tried a powder face wash before but really liked the idea of it as I travel a lot and it would be easy for me to pack as I wouldn't have to worry about any liquid restrictions. I'm also a big fan of green tea as an antioxidant and baking powder as a natural cleanser so I had high hopes for this and after using it for a few weeks I'm overall very happy with it! I really like how you can tailor the texture of the wash to your needs, so should you need something more exfoliating you use less water or something lighter less powder. Admittedly it did take me a few tries to get the powder to water ratio I liked right but I eventually found that a small amount of powder worked quite well to adequately cleanse my whole face. I always felt really fresh and clean after using this wash and it didn't dry my skin out at all like some washes do. I also liked that there was no fragrance to as fragrance is something that can really irritate my sensitive skin. I do think the bottle is kinda big for the amount of power you actually get in it and I ended up transferring it to a smaller bottle so it was easier for me to travel with but other than that I'm really pleased with this product and how well it cleansed and soothed my irritated skin.
"The Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner is the second version of the Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner. The unscented toner is the second version of the original toner that excluded all essential oil, which makes it scent-free. While the original toner contains non-irritating all natural essential oil, the unscented was made to provide an option for customers’ preference to scents."
This is a newer version of their popular Supple Preparation Toner which I have used previously and had good results with but this one is unscented and therefore better for sensitive skin or skin which is prone to irritation. What I really like about this toner is that it has a thicker texture so leaves your skin feeling soft and hydrated for longer without feeling sticky. I personally found the original toner had a strong lavender scent so prefer the unscented version but both work well it just depends if you prefer your cosmetics scented or unscented and how sensitive your skin is.
"The Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop is a serum to rejuvenate the skin. It contains concentrated pure vitamin C and key ingredients directly from nature. Its innovative multi-solution and non-irritating formula is to revitalize, maintain, and transform the skin. "
Out of all the vitamin C products I've tried I found this one to be the most effective at brightening skintone and reducing acne scars, it's the only product I found that actually made a visible difference to my skin. I've been using this serum for a few years now however I found it best not to use daily as it can sometimes irritate my sensitive skin so I tend to store it in the fridge to keep it fresh and use a few drops to treat my hyper-pigmentation and acne scaring every few days and you really don't need to use more than a few drops on your skin to feel the effects. This is also a favourite of my Mum's to after I recommended it to her as she found it really brightened and evened out her skintone. It can be a bit irritating to use on especially sensitive skin or days that your skin is feeling irritated from acne etc. but I found if you mix in a few drops with moisturiser it works just as effectively.
"The concentrated formula of the Rich Moist Soothing Cream provides immediate, long-term moisture for a more radiant, hydrated complexion. It works deep within the skin to provide much needed soothing and moisture. Infused with yeast-derived beta glucan, it supports the skin’s natural moisture barrier and defense system."
If you suffer from dry, sensitive skin this moisturiser is perfect! Whenever my skin is especially dry I find after using this that my skin immediately is more hydrated and soft. I also like to keep it in the fridge as I find on days when the weather is warmer or days when my skin is flaring up and feels irritated that it really cools, soothes and calms it down. This moisturiser also works well with the Freshly Juiced Serum should you need to add a little extra treatment into you routine as both work well together, and don't contain any ingredients which negates each others properties, and keep your skin moisturised and soothed.
"Oval shaped, highly adhesive acne patch suitable for covering several adjacent acne spots at once.
26 patches in 3 different sizes (15x23mm Large 8ea, 11x16mm Medium 9ea, 9x13mm Small 9ea)
Patch that not only helps the acne disappear without a scar, but also helps soothe and calm the spot.
The border of the patch is thinner to strongly adhere to curved areas such as jaw line and hair line."
Acne patches are a must! I've tried all different types from COSRX and while they are all very effective these are definitely my favourite and the ones I will be purchasing from now onwards. I love that they come in different sizes and the bigger sized ones are great for covering up a few pimples in the same area, I also prefer the oval shape as I think it adheres to the skin better, especially around places like your nose and chin. They're also really thin so hardly noticeable and I often wear these under my make-up as they are very discreet and easy to cover with concealer or foundation to blend into your regular make-up. Whenever I have a particularly angry spot that is irritating me or one that has popped I put one of these on it and within a day it's already calmed down and healed, definitely a must have for anyone that is prone to getting pimples.
Wishtrend also included a bunch of free samples in my order which I can't wait to try out and are also perfect for me to travel with when I have overnight or weekend trips and don't want to pack so many things. COSRX & Dear Klairs are my favourite Korean beauty brands and in the past I was always able to find them in store at ALand or online at
Style Korean however I've found that often the items I want are out of stock when I visit so I decided this time it would be more convenient to order from Wishtrend as they are the creators of Dear Klairs and also stock COSRX and other cruelty free brands, they also offer great prices and fast international shipping. In the past I would hoard my favourite products but I found that especially with the serums that they can go bad before I've even had the chance to use them especially with the warm humid climate in Thailand so now I only buy in small quantities I intend to use immediately after purchase. Their service is so fast and reliable now I need not worry when I'm running low on my favourite products as I can just place an order with them and it will be with me within a week, so if you're looking to purchase more cruelty free Korean beauty products definitely check them out!
What are your favourite cruelty free beauty brands?
Love & Sunshine
Cate
xoxo
Disclaimer: These items were all purchased by myself with my own money and I was not asked to write this review I simply want to share my experiences of these products in the hopes it might help others, this post does contain affiliate links of which I will get a small percentage of the sale should you decided to purchase using my link.