Cremorlab - second impressions

This is going to be a long mega-post, so go grab a sandwich, or a coffee. Yes, you may need some caffeine just to stay awake.
Go on, I'll wait.

I'm going to get a drink myself.

This review has been simmering here since last fall. Yep. Nine months. If it were a baby, it would be screaming for some breast milk now.

Anyway, where was I?
Ah, yes... Cremorlab.

Actually, it's good I waited out the Cremorlab hype with these products. It gave me enough time to get to know them and to form an opinion of sorts about the brand in general.
And what a huge difference a year makes!
It seems that Peach and Lily stopped pushing Cremorlab in every single advertorial, the hype is done and over now. So what did Cremorlab do to fall from the K-beauty pedestal? Nothing really, apart from being boring and expensive.

Yes, expensive...

I bought all of today's products myself, and the only reason I could afford them was a huge discount at SkinGarden in Shin Okubo in Tokyo.

I've been getting quite frequent emails from people asking me if I could buy them Cremorlab this and Cremorlab that in Shin Okubo and unfortunately, I can't. One, because I am not a buying service, and two, because this is not how sales in Shin Okubo work.

You see, the huge discounts you can find at places like SkinGarden come with a trade off of short expiration dates, usually a year or less. Some products at 90% markdown are waaaay past their prime, I have seen SanDaWha and ElishaCoy that were so expired I'd be afraid to handle them without a hazmat suit.

Such are the risks of buying discounted Korean cosmetics in Shin Okubo. Those stores buy less than fresh overstock for super cheap and try to unload it as fast as possible. Once a brand is gone, it's gone for good.

That was the case with Cremorlab. Maybe some day it will appear in Shin Okubo again. If that happens, I will carefully check the dates on every single product and buy like there is no tomorrow. But until that happens, I will pass on Cremorlab. There is no way in hell I am paying the standard online prices.

But let's get started, shall we?

Last year, nearly exactly to the day (can you believe it?), I was writing about Cremorlab sunblock.
Today I will tell you about the rest of the Cremorlab goodies:

• Cremorlab Enriched Moisture
• Cremorlab Smooth Pudding
• Cremorlab Aqua Essence Water Fluid
• Cremorlab Fresh Water Gel

and

• Cremorlab Body Lotion.

I have finished all of them a long time ago. Some were multiples (Aqua Essence and Fresh Water Gel), and some were not.

 My overall impression of the products?

I liked them. I really did.
They were simple, functional, basic, boring skincare. They did not irritate, they played well with each other and with others and they left my skin looking supple, smooth and ... ran out of ideas for more s words here... Anyway, you know what I mean.

They gave me nothing to complain about. Except the price, that is.
And maybe the fact that apart from moisture and plumpness, they didn't do much else. For that kind of money I expected bells and whistles and skingasmic experiences to live up to the Peach and Lily hype.

Instead, it turned out that hype was just that. Hype. A year later there are new K-beauty darlings and Cremorlab is no longer the cool kid on the blog. You'd think that it would translate into lower prices, but noooo...

A new Korean beauty online shop selling Cremorlab - Brush and Powder, keeps the prices firmly in the Peach and Lily territory.
But unlike Peach and Lily, it runs frequent "buy one get one" Cremorlab promotions. And guess who will be dropping some change on a BOGO Cremorlab next time it happens? Yours very truly, that's who. Because despite all my bitching and moaning, and Cremorlab's ridiculous magical water mythology, it IS a good brand with decent products.

Wait, what? Magical water?

Yep.

I took this screenshot last year. It seemed to mysteriously vanish from the Cremorlab website. Or they buried it so deep, I can't find it now.

Pity, because this blurb is pure PR drivel gold.

I have enlisted the help of a Korean speaking friend and we've been trying to contact Cremorlab to find out the exact location of this magical hot spring in Geumjin where the water used in Cremorlab products reportedly comes from. No luck. The company simply ignored us.
In other PR blurbs, now no longer appearing on Cremorlab's website (at least not in English), it stated that their water had unique red wine color. 

We have emailed the tourist board in Gangwon Province and asked them for help in locating this mysterious hot spring. They had no clue either. Gangwon IS famous for hot springs, but this particular one proved hard to find. Red wine color and all. Nobody knows...

Not sure about you, but this kind of stuff always pushes my BS alert into overdrive.

Yes, miracle blending indeed...

Here is another blurb of the same, but this time from Lotte Duty Free website:

Anyway, what does T.E.N. stand for?


Apparently, for this:

• T = Thermal water therapy
• E = Eco-energy
• N = Natural nourishment

Exciting stuff, right?


So let's get this party started, shall we?

• Cremorlab Enriched Moisture T.E.N. Cremor for Face (45ml)

The bar is set pretty high with claims of highly effective hydration, brightening and nourishment.
No, this photo was not taken in black and white, the box really is that simple and spartan.

Until you turn it over and see this:

Yep, it's printed in Japanese and in English. How very fancy. Here we have the blurb about the red wine color.

Why is the box in Japanese if Cremorlab is a niche Korean brand?

You see, apparently, Cremorlab is one of those arrogant Korean brands who think that having Japanese packaging is the key to success in the Japanese market. Whamisa is another such brand. Idiots. They should have learned from the flagship Amore Pacific failure. It takes a lot more than Japanese writing on the box to succeed in Japan.


Cremorlab touts its eco-friendly cred, but as you see above, it's just lip service. The amount of waste that goes into preparing country specific packaging for every product is mind boggling. And very, very eco-unfriendly. Japanese language stickers satisfy all legal requirements for imported products, are much cheaper to produce and have a much lower carbon footprint. But noooo... Cremorlab is so green and eco-friendly, they had to produce individual boxes for the Japanese market. Idiots.
Let me repeat it one more time. Idiots.

K-beauty fans used to fawn over Cremorlab's minimalistic design. I don't find it particularly worth of fawning over. Maybe because many Japanese products in the comparable price range follow similar esthetics.

Now, whoever at Cremorlab thought it would be a good idea to have white print on a very pale whitish-gray background needs to be fired. It looks clean but is impossible to read. Hello Cremorlab, ever heard of visually impaired people? If it was the US of A, you'd get your ass sued by someone who's nearly blind and can't read the blurbs on your containers.

All creams came with spatulas. Personally, I didn't bother with them and just used my fingers. I think I tossed them as soon as I opened a box, that's why you can't see any in most of the photos.

Cremorlab Enriched Moisture had a light, fluffy texture.

It hydrated and moisturized like a champ. I didn't notice any brightening. Nourishing can be debatable, but my skin did feel more plump and smooth.

Cremorlab Enriched Moisture swatches:

You can see that initially it looks very rich, and then - magic! it absorbs completely and fully. There is no shiny cast, there is no residue. There is no sticky film. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just happy, plump skin.

As you can see above, the ingredient list is printed in Japanese as well. There was no Korean and no English version.

Cremorlab Enriched Moisture T.E.N. Cremor for Face ingredients (in English):

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Isotridecyl Isononanoate, Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate, Dimethicone, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Triethylhexanoin, Polyacrylamide, Panthenol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hamamelis Virginiana (witch Hazel) Water, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (broccoli) Extract, Orchid Extract, Theobroma Cacao (cocoa) Extract, Glycine Soja (soybean) Oil, Yeast Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (licorice) Root Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (matricaria) Flower Extract, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Myristyl Myristate, Bis-diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Tribehenin, Pentylene Glycol, Peg-40 Stearate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Sorbitan Stearate, Laureth-7, Caprylyl Glycol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Bisabolol, Adenosine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butylene Glycol, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, 1,2-hexanediol, Algin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polysorbate 60, Myristyl Alcohol, Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate

As you can see, the ingredient list in English has a very different order from what's printed in Japanese on the box. Let's just say, some of the extracts dropped to the very bottom in the Japanese version. Which leads me to believe that despite Peach and Lily's assurances that their ingredient lists were reshuffled to comply with the American regulations, they are not.

Later, when I have a moment, I will add the Japanese listing in English. Japan is very strict about the ingredient order in cosmetic products. Korea, on the other hand, tends to fudge things somewhat so the products appear "better" ingredient-wise than they really are.

Here is a nice write up about the differences between Korean and American ingredient lists: link.

~~~

Time for contestant number 2.

• Cremorlab Smooth Pudding T.E.N. Cremor for Face (60ml)

Cremorlab Smooth Pudding was my favorite from the whole lineup. I would pile it on after my Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Radiance Serum and let my skin drink it all up.

I didn't notice any anti-wrinkle results. I did notice, however, that my skin was amazingly hydrated, moist, supple, plump and glowing.

Last fall while waiting in a waiting room somewhere I grabbed a women's magazine and started paging through it carefully. An article about skincare caught my eye. It advocated something, which I dubbed "force feeding". The basic principle was that you are supposed to force your skin to drink as much moisture as possible. Winters in Japan are notoriously dry, my dry skin tends to crack, flake and peel. I went home, pulled out my Cremorlab lineup and started force feeding. Turned out my skin was a bottomless pit when it came to moisture. It would immediately eat up whatever I gave it. And it wanted more. And more.

The texture was indeed very smooth and very puddingy. The name didn't lie.

Cremorlab Smooth Pudding swatch:

Again, initially it looks very rich, and then - magic. It's all absorbed into satiny nothing. There is no sticky film, no filmy residue. Nothing. Just moist, fluffy skin.

No surprise to anyone that we run into the same ingredient order problem as with Enriched Moisture.

The Japanese and English language versions don't match up.

Cremorlab Smooth Pudding T.E.N. Cremor for Face ingredients (in English):

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Hydrogenated Poly (c6-14olefin), Butyrospermum Parkii (shea) Butter, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (lavender) Water, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (witch Hazel) Water, Orchid Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (licorice) Root Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (matricaria) Flower Extract, Yeast Extract, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Pentylene Glycol, , Polysorbate 60, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Dimethicone, Acrylates/c10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arachidyl Glucoside, Silica, Sodium Acrylate/sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Potassium Hydroxide, Isohexadecane, Adenosine, Polysorbate 80, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-hexanediol, Algin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Caffeine, Xanthan Gum, Alcohol Denat., Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Fragrance (parfum)

Again, the differences in the ingredient order between the Japanese version on the box and the English listing provided by Peach and Lily are quite shocking. I was under the impression that Peach and Lily had the reshuffled American ingredient order. But apparently no.

I guess I'll have to get my stuff together and post the Japanese translation as well.


OK, moving on.

~~~

Next up is:

• Cremorlab Aqua Essence Water Fluid T.E.N. Cremor (50ml)

The name of this essence is very misleading.
It's neither "water" nor "fluid". And yes, I do think that "aqua" and "water" in the same name is a bit of an overkill. Especially if your product is neither.

Here you have a review of Cremor Aqua Essence Water Fluid by the lovely adoredee - link. She wasn't particularly pleased with this product.
I, on the other hand, loved it.

Make no mistake, despite what you can read about it on the internet, this is not an essence in the traditional sense. Not a "booster serum" either.

It's just a plain, old moisturizer.

It claims to do three main things: anti-wrinkle, whitening and super mega hydration.

I have gone through 2 bottles of it, and while I loved it for the super mega hydration (no lie here), I noticed zero whitening and zero anti-wrinkling. If anything, whatever superficial anti-wrinkle results it did offer were due to superior hydration. Plump skin looks visually less wrinkly than dry skin.

Cremorlab Aqua Essence Water Fluid comes in an airless pump bottle. Yay!

The "essence" looks like that:

See what I mean? Not very "aqua" and not very "water". "Fluid"? Hahaha! Nice joke, Cremorlab!

Cremorlab Aqua Essence Water Fluid swatch:

See? This is why I loved Cremorlab. It absorbed to nothing on my dry, dry skin. Initially I used it after my toner and before the Hanyul serum. I found that it wasn't the best order for me (despite what other websites claim) and started using it after the serum. The results were immediate. Soft, hydrated, plump skin. Happy, happy, yay, yay!


Ingredients in Japanese:

Cremorlab Aqua Essence Water Fluid T.E.N. Cremor ingredients (in English, from Peach and Lily):

Water, Butylene Glycol, Isohexadecane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Rosmarinus Officinalis (rosemary) Leaf Extract, Glycine Soja (soybean) Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (lavender) Water, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (witch Hazel) Water, Orchid Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (licorice) Root Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chamomillarecutita (matricaria) Flower Extract, Yeast Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Glycerin, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Octyldodeceth-20, Peg-5 Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Acrylate/sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Bisabolol, Caprylyl Glycol, Arginine, Polysorbate 80, Acrylates/c10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Adenosine, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, 1,2-hexanediol, Algin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polysorbate 60, Cetearyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Alcohol Denat., Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Dehydroacetic Acid

And no surprise to anyone at this point, the order is completely different. Shockingly different.


Hang on, this is the final stretch. Only two more products to go!

~~~

• Cremorlab Fresh Water Gel T.E.N. Cremor for Face (100ml)

Yes, it's really THAT big. It's not a typo. 100 ml. For real.
The jar is huge (relatively speaking) and it almost justifies the non-sale price of US$48.00

I used it as a sleeping pack. Yes, on top of all the other Cremors. I kept it by the futon and just smeared it on when it was time to go to bed.
If this goes on a "buy one get one" sale at Brush and Powder, I am totally buying it.

Oh yes, the design. Here you can see the details. Alien doodles, as my friend called them.

The gel is really gelly and kind of watery:

I loved this Cremorlab Fresh Water Gel. No matter how many layers were on my face before I got to put it on, it always managed to somehow sink it and keep it all together. Important when you consider the pillow mess that some sleeping packs can create.

Cremorlab Fresh Water Gel swatches:

The gel claims to be soothing and smoothing in addition to highly effective hydration. This one actually did all three. The skin looked fresh and rested in the morning.

Japanese ingredients:

Cremorlab Fresh Water Gel T.E.N. Cremor for Face ingredients (in English from Peach and Lily):

The first ingredient should be "water" but it's not included in their listing. Oh well...

Butylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, 1,2-hexanediol, Sodium Glutamate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Orchid Extract, Yeast Extract, Glycerin, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Lavandula Angustifolia (lavender) Water, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Glycine Soja (soybean) Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (licorice) Root Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (matricaria) Flower Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Water, Rose Flower Oil, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Algin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Polysorbate 60, Silica, Cetyl Peg/ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Hamamelis Virginiana (witch Hazel) Water, Alcohol Denat.

And of course the ingredient order is very different than the Japanese language version. I also think there is a typo in the listing provided by Peach and Lily, because "water" is not listed at all, yet it clearly is the first ingredient.


~~~

And we are almost, almost done.
This is the last item for today:

• Cremorlab Body Lotion T.E.N. Cremor (250ml)

Comes in a standard pump bottle.

The texture was very similar to the smooth pudding but more sticky.

It was OK as a body lotion. Unlike Cremorlab's facial products, this one left a filmy layer. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was there. It moisturized, it did its job. But for that kind of money, I expected, I dunno... more... I guess. I'm glad I got it for really cheap in Shin Okubo, otherwise I'd be might pissed it I had paid full price for it.

This one's totally not worth it. Skip it.

Cremorlab Body Lotion T.E.N. Cremor ingredients (in English via Peach and Lily):

Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, ceetyl Ethylhexanoate, Butylene Glycol, cetearyl Alcohol, Sorbitol, Butyrospermum Parkii (shea) Butter, Cyclopentasiloxane, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Glycine Soja (soybean) Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extrat, Hamamelis Virginiana (witch Hazel) Water, Orchid Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (licorice) Root Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (matricaria) Flower Extract, Yeast Extract, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Cyclohexasiloxane, Sorbitan Stearate, Pentylene Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Peg-100 Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Acrylate/sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Allantoin Polysorbate 80, Tocopheryl Acetate, 1,2-hexandediol, Algin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Stearyl Aclohol, Xanthan Gum, Caffeine, Alcohol Denat., Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Yellow 5 (c1 19140) 

Of course they are arranged differently than the Japanese version printed on the box. Of course.


Final thoughts:

So there you have it.

Of all the products presented today, I'd repurchase all (except the body lotion) if I could get them on sale.
There are other Cremorlab products I'd like to try, so you bet I'll be waiting for a "buy one get one" sale over at Brush and Powder.

Folks in Europe can get Cremorlab from Honeysu.

These are NOT affiliate links. I'm just putting them here for your convenience.

When I translate the ingredient lists from the Japanese boxes, I will add them here for comparison purposes. Somehow, I am more inclined to believe the Japanese language version ingredient order, because it simply makes more sense. They make Cremorlab look less than a formulation darling that it's been advertised to be for the western audience.

Still, even despite that, Cremorlab is solid, basic skincare and if you can find it somewhere on sale, jump on it. Chances are you'll like it.

SainTFengel - new Taiwanese brand - first impressions part 1

Yes, unbelievable. I am back.

With my deepest apologies to all my readers. My new job is the stuff that Japanese job horror stories are made of. And to add injury to this insult, my beloved laptop moved on to Laptop Heaven. I ordered a new one, but... Adobe Photoshop had me spitting nickles and pissing cement. Seriously, their cloud subscription system is beyond awful. Unfortunately, I don't have 2 thousand bucks just lying around to buy one of the few copies of CS6 still out there, so I'm kind of stuck right now.

But the good news is that I am back to blogging. And that is all that matters, right? Right!

Today's review is loooong overdue. The kind people that sent me these products have been incredibly patient. Thank you!
But the good news is that this long delay gave me enough time to try all the products and really get to know them very thoroughly. So thoroughly that I have already finished some of them. Which is the best news of all, because nothing is more annoying than a sponsored review after a week of using something. Or not using at all, because "it wasn't right for my skin..., blah blah blah".

So, let's get started, shall we?

SainTFengel. Spelled just like that.

Sorry, I am not a fan of this name. It claims to be the name of a holy Scottish prince who never aged (according to the company's blurb), but google results bring back nothing. So there you have it. An immortal Scottish prince, who eventually disappeared. Sounds familiar? It's been a while since I watched "Highlander"...
Here is what the company says - SainTFengel brand story.

The SainTFengel brand concept (printed in the pamphlet white on black, why??? why???) is the usual PR stuff. What caught my attention, however, is the fact that the company operates its own R&D department with in-house product research. Nice! So when SainTFengel contacted me for a review, that bit of information convinced me to say "yes".

Here you have the link to what it says about it on their website - SainTFengel brand concept.

You know that I am a big fan of Taiwanese skincare, especially skincare made by doctors (fun fact - I wrote about Dr Wu nearly exactly a year ago, plus minus 2 days). I was happy to see that there is also a real life doctor behind SainTFengel - Dr. Tsong-Ming Chang, who has a PhD in something. According to his bio, he is the Chief of R&D at HungKuang University in Taiwan.

Of course, I had to google it. This university has, among more mundane offerings such as nursing, something called "College of Human Ecology", where one of the departments is listed as Department of Applied Cosmetology. And that is, apparently, where Dr Chang is a "distinguished professor". And what about his Research and Development position? It checks out - he's the dean.

Not sure what the link is between SainTFengel and HungKuang University and I don't really have the time to dig deeper here. Most likely, SainTFengel is our doctor's side gig for some extra moolah.
But I'm glad that the story checks out (unlike in the case of some other brands, who lie through their teeth).

image source: SainTFengel website


There are seven products in the SainTFengel portfolio right now. I got to try all of them. They were sent to me for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
The brand rep actually read my blog and was very much aware of my outspoken, oftentimes rude and uncompromising style, yet she was absolutely confident that I would love SainTFengel skincare. It takes balls of monumental proportions to claim that and based on that alone, the brand won my respect.

So, did I love the products? Read on and find out.


SainTFengel - the airless pump and spray edition. 

From left to right, you can see:

• SainTFengel Energizing Floral Spray Serum (100ml / 3.4 fl oz)
• SainTFengel STF Anti-Aging Serum (30ml / 1 fl oz)

and

• SainTFengel Anti-Dark Circles Brightening Eye Cream (15ml / 0.5 fl oz)

Let's starts with the guy in blue.

SainTFengel Energizing Floral Spray Serum
(100ml / 3.4 fl oz)

Here you have the official info about SainTFengel Energizing Floral Spray Serum from the company's website - link. Watch the video, if you have a minute, it's worth it.

And if you are too lazy to click, this info comes directly from the pamphlet:

That mysterious PENTAVITIN® is none other than Saccharide Isomerate.

The claims set the bar very high. Maybe too high even.
I wanted to love this spray. I was in the market for a new hydrating mist. This seemed like a perfect product for me. Brightening! Hydrating! Soothing! Anti-inflammation!

Unfortunately, the smell killed it all.
This spray claims to have a floral scent. If you look at the ingredient list, you expect roses and daisies. I love roses. Rose fragrance is one of my most beloved scents.

But this thing here? It reeked. It smelled like an old grandma. The scent wasn't heavy, but nevertheless, it made me gag. The scent disappears about 2 minutes after the application (yes, I timed it!), but in those 2 minutes my eyes started to water, my nose started to drip and I was gasping for air.
The only way I could apply it onto my face was if I had a fan in my hand.
Still, the experience was not pleasant at all.

I gave this SainTFengel Energizing Floral Spray Serum to my friend, and she loves it. She has normal to dry skin of the aging variety and she says it became her favorite refreshing mist. She uses it not as a setting spray, but as a prep step before the makeup. She's asked me for more, because her mother absolutely adores the scent. Yep. Adores.

As you can see it dries to a slight sheen. It takes quite a while to fully absorb.

So there. Your mileage may vary by a couple thousands miles, apparently.

SainTFengel Energizing Floral Spray Serum ingredients:

And here is the CosDNA analysis - link.

Here is what it says about the SainTFengel Energizing Floral Spray Serum in the product leaflet that was included in the box:

So there you have it.
I had high hopes. But the scent shattered them all. There are cheap rose fragrances, and there are classy rose fragrances. This one is cheap and not particularly rosey either. If the brand can change it to a classy rose scent, I'll be pouncing on this spray like a cougar on a young chicken.



Time for contestant number 2:

SainTFengel STF Anti-Aging Serum
(30ml / 1 fl oz)

Here you have the link to the English language product page on the brand's website - SainTFengel STF Anti-Aging Serum.

I watched the video and unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I was unable to replicate the hydration results presented there. I found it a bit misleading that the levels were very conveniently tested on one of the thinnest bits on the human body - the piece of skin between your thumb and forefinger.
Testing it on the back of my hand, or on my forearm, or on my face (the proper place to apply this serum) I have been unable to replicate their results.

If anything, I would say that this serum did not provide any substantial hydration for my dry skin. It had to be followed with heavy duty moisturizers. This was one of the reasons why I initially put it away and wasn't so keen on continuing my tests.

Then came our lovely Japanese summer. 99% humidity and ridiculous heat. The kind of weather that makes you question every skincare product you put on your face. The kind of weather that makes you pray for something non-sticky, something absorbing in record time, something that leaves your face feeling soft, but dry.

I reluctantly dug out this serum and gave it a second chance. Bingo!
SainTFengel STF Anti-Aging Serum seems to be custom made for this dreadful weather.

I use it in the morning after my toner and followed with a light moisturizer (if needed) or directly with a moisturizing SPF.

Here is what it says about SainTFengel STF Anti-Aging Serum in the official product pamphlet:

Yes, I know...
If you are launching a new brand, the least you could do was hire a proofreader to check your PR materials. Especially if your native language is not English.

So, let's see... After over a month of daily use did I notice any significant changes in my skin? Or even insignificant changes? Or any changes at all?

Nope. Not really.
The only thing I noticed is that SainTFengel STF Anti-Aging Serum plays well with others. You can put stuff on top of it and nothing pills and nothing bunches up.

If it is doing something, it is doing it so stealthily that I can't really notice anything.

SainTFengel STF Anti-Aging Serum dries matte, as you can see:

And it stays matte even in million degree weather.
Because of that I am suspecting it would work wonders for oily and combination skins.
For dry skin under normal conditions, unless one day I can reproduce their hydration results, not so much.

SainTFengel STF Anti-Aging Serum ingredients:

The company provided me with an INCI listing and I entered it into CosDNA for your viewing pleasure - link.

Here's a blurb from the leaflet that came in the product box:

So there you have it.
Despite magical hydration claims, SainTFengel STF Anti-Aging Serum does not hydrate my dry skin under normal conditions. In fact, if anything, it leaves it feeling slightly dry. Because of that, it works well in hot and humid weather. I did not notice any visible changes in my skin, nothing good, but nothing bad either.

It seems to me that SainTFengel STF Anti-Aging Serum is more suited for oily or combination skin, as it definitely (and let me repeat - definitely) controls sebum production. This fact has been confirmed by an oily skinned friend. She was quite pleased with how it behaved on her oil slick of a face and how it layered nicely with whatever makeup she put on top of it.
We shared this bottle and that's why it's practically empty now.



And, finally, last but not least, our contestant number 3.

Saving the best for last!


SainTFengel Anti-Dark Circles Brightening Eye Cream
(15ml / 0.5 fl oz)

This is what the company has to say about SainTFengel Anti-Dark Circles Brightening Eye Cream - link to the official product info.

I must admit, I was skeptical but I found myself really liking this eye cream. It's pretty rich, it takes time to absorb, and it seems to really nourish the eye area. I didn't expect any major fireworks, and there were none. Instead, I got a really solid, functional eye cream.


Here is the official product pamphlet spiel:

I can't really say if it does anything to dark panda circles, because I no longer have any. Getting Restylane fillers under my eyes took care not only of most of my deep undereye lines (the small lines are still there), but also magically eradicated my dark circles. Serious esthetic medicine voodoo.

The only issue I have with SainTFengel Anti-Dark Circles Brightening Eye Cream is that it's not moisturizing enough. Despite its richness, my dry skin needed more moisture. And then, the same old hot and humid weather story happened. Our lovely Japanese summer arrived in all its evil glory and suddenly it turned out that this cream was enough. More than enough.
It leads me to believe that it would work like a charm on oily, combo and normal skin under "normal" conditions. If your eye area needs some TLC, this cream is for you.

Honestly, there is nothing here that I can bitch about. I like this cream. I've been using it both morning and night and I am nearly done with the bottle.

The company says SainTFengel Anti-Dark Circles Brightening Eye Cream is fast absorbing. This has not been my experience. If anything, this cream takes its sweet time to sink in. But once it sets, you can pile other stuff on it. Again, it plays nicely with others. Actually, that seems to be true of all SainTFengel products.
I put SPF on it - no problems.
I put concealer on it - no problems.
I put foundation on it - no problems.

SainTFengel Anti-Dark Circles Brightening Eye Cream ingredients:

I'm not going to analyze them for you, because I am not a cosmetic chemist, and besides, you all can read. No need for me to rehash it again and feel self-important.

What I can do is enter them into CosDNA for you - link.

This is what the leaflet included in the box says:

As you can see this last entry is short and sweet, because SainTFengel Anti-Dark Circles Brightening Eye Cream gives me nothing to complain about.



I do have a few general complaints about SainTFengel overall product presentation.
You see, a well formulated cosmetic is truly successful only when people buy it and use it. To get people to buy your products, you need to appeal to them. And to appeal to your customers, you need to pay attention to details.

If you don't look too closely, it seems that SainTFengel is paying attention. There are pamphlets and bilingual leaflets and a detailed website. There are ingredient lists in English and in Chinese. There are hygienic airless pumps and spray bottles.

Things start getting a bit shoddy when you get closer.
The English language descriptions desperately need proofreading. The ingredient lists need to be presented in a proper INCI format. And how come they are not available on the brand's website?
The company logo looks cheap and tacky, and the graphic design on the packaging just screams "stuff for old ladies".
If you are trying to position yourself as a mid-range or premium brand, you need to look like a mid-range or premium brand. Not like something that can be found on the bottom shelf at a local Chinese market.

Cleaning up the visuals will go a long way towards the general appeal of the brand and this is something that SainTFengel should seriously consider if they want to sell to the western audience.

Anyway, that is just my opinion.

If you want to try any of SainTFengel products (the camellia cream, trust me, it's worth it, just wait for the review, it's coming soon), you can find them on Yesstyle - non-affiliated link.
That camellia cream, mark my words....


PS. I will add the moisture percentages (taken with my own skin analyzer) photos as soon as I find that memory card.