Diorsnow Bloom Perfect Brightening Perfect Moist Cushion SPF50 PA+++

Whoa!
A month without a new post!
How did that happen?

My new job punched me in the face, full force, so hard that it took me a month to get up and get my sh*t together. No, I don't work for the UFC as an MMA fighter. I'm just a proper Japanese salarywoman now. With work meetings that last into eternity, and nomikais to attend, and urgent paperwork to take care of, and weekend work, just because. That sort of stuff.

What keeps me going is payday (that's the reason I took this job in the first place) and one of my co-workers, who looks like a Japanese version of Robert Downey Jr.

Anyway, what was I going to talk about today? I forgot already.

That should tell you everything you need to know about this sad mess that is Dior's first attempt at a cushion foundation. That I am more excited to tell you about the guy I work with than this cushion. The guy is hot, this cushion is not.

If someone had told me this two months ago when I first bought this cushion, I would have died laughing. But here I am, two months later, ready to finally admit the truth.

This Diorsnow Bloom Perfect Brightening Perfect Moist Cushion SPF50 PA+++  is as far from perfect as you can get without leaving our solar system.
There is no other way to put it - this Diorsnow Bloom Perfect long name cushion sucks.
And it sucks big time.

Actually, it shouldn't surprise me. Dior does everything on a grand scale. So no wonder that if they do something that sucks, it's sucking on a grand scale, too.

I love Dior. I have always loved Dior. I have loved Dior even when the products I bought were not working for me. Because Dior, you know? Just the name alone makes me feel important and fancy.
I live and die by Dior mascaras and Dior fragrances.
When Diorsnow first appeared on the market (yes, I am that old), my panties nearly melted off from sheer excitement.

When last year the news came out that Dior was working with Amore Pacific* to create a cushion foundation, it was as if a heavenly cherub choir was singing. I mean, Amore Pacific. Cushion. Dior. Impossible to f*ck it up, right? Right? RIGHT???

* Amore Pacific is a South Korean cosmetics giant, the home of such brands as Laneige and Iope among many others, that basically created the cushion foundation as we know it. 

And then the cushion landed.
And everything has changed.

My world will never be the same.

So let's get this train wreck started, shall we?

First, the name.

Really? Are you freakin' kidding me?
Diorsnow Bloom Perfect Brightening Perfect Moist Cushion SPF50 PA+++ ???

Who the f*ck thought of this ridiculous name? Did they have a company-wide contest for the longest and most incomprehensible name and the janitor, who didn't speak any English, submitted the winning entry?

Second, the price.

Really? Are you freakin' kidding me?

Yes, I know that this Diorsnow long name cushion is sold with a refill, the way Asian cushions are, but seriously, 8500 yen plus tax?

What is this cushion made of? Unicorn farts and pixie dust?
Probably I'd bitch less about the price if this was a decent cushion, but alas, it is not.

Luckily, I didn't completely lose my mind because Dior and only bought a refill.

And luckily, because it was developed with Amore Pacific, it actually fits into Amore Pacific cushion compacts.

Third, the performance.

Really? Are you freakin' kidding me?

Really, if I am going to spend that much money on a luxury cosmetic, I expect it to be, you know, luxury and stuff.
What I don't expect it to do is to oxidize within 30 seconds of being applied.
And I don't expect it to totally rub off and disappear within 3 hours of being applied.

This cushion was released in Japan the same day that the Shu Uemura cushion hit the stores and, of course, I was at the Dior counter that afternoon ready to shop.

I'm glad they added that by Dior disclaimer, but I'm sure there will still be naive souls out there reading it and believing that it was Dior who came up with the first cushion ever.


I asked the sales assistant for the lightest shade, 005, and she dutifully swiped some on my hand. And we both stared in utter horror.
She looked at the cushion label, she looked at printed color table, and thinking the cushion was mislabeled, actually went to open a new one.
She swatched it on my arm again, and the same thing happened. The swatch turned into a dark mess within 30 seconds.
Her exact words were "I don't know why it's so dark, but it's too dark for you. I can't sell this cushion to you. The color looks nothing like the swatch table. I'm so sorry."

This cushion comes in 3 shades: 005, 010 and 020 - dark, darker and the darkest.

005 was supposed to be the lightest, developed with fair-skinned Japanese women in mind. I am not Japanese, but there is plenty of Japanese base makeup I can wear. Because it's light enough for me. And because it doesn't oxidize immediately upon application.

A week later, at a different Dior counter, the sales staff was much better prepared. They clearly knew that this shit oxidizes like crazy and were instructed on how to apply it.
I was sat in front of the mirror and flat out told that the color is supposed to be that dark. Because, guess what? It's supposed to be applied onto a pasty white primer base to look good.

Having said that, the sales lady grabbed not one, but TWO bottles of different white primers and went to work. When she turned me into a white faced geisha, she then applied a layer of cushion on top of it all.

She also clearly knew that this cushion has a lasting power of zero, because she then proceeded to use copious amounts of powder to set it all into place. She didn't stop until she turned me into a noh mask. And despite her best efforts the foundation still managed to darken. She pretended it was supposed to look like that. As if having a face several shades darker than the neck is a new fashion trend, or something.

When I was leaving the counter, I overheard another customer, a middle aged Japanese woman, complaining that "Why is this foundation so dark? Is this the lightest color?"

That somehow leads me to believe that Dior's mindset is still stuck in the colonial times, when them Asian savages were considered yellow faced beasts.
Asian brands somehow manage to make a variety of shades to suit a variety of lighter skin tones (darker skin tones, that's unfortunately, another story), both Asian and non-Asian. And a western brand apparently took the reference to "yellow race" quite literally.

What the fuck Dior?

Swatch of Diorsnow Bloom Perfect Brightening Perfect Moist Cushion SPF50 PA+++ in shade 005:

Anyway, is there anything I like about this cushion?
Apart from the fact that it looks like a Korean cushion and fits into Amore Pacific cushion compacts, no, not really.

Fourth, the ingredients. 

Really? Are you freakin' kidding me?

Its magical brightening powers are supposed to come from its star ingredient - edelweiss a.k.a. Leontopodium alpinum.

But when you look at the ingredient list, you will see that Leontopodium alpinum extract is the 36th ingredient out of 48 ingredients total. Ahead of this magical extract we have "parfum" and nearly all other fragrance ingredients in the formulation. Which makes it clear that the poor edelweiss is there in trace amounts, only for marketing purposes.

Diorsnow Bloom Perfect Brightening Perfect Moist Cushion SPF50 PA+++ ingredients:

So there you have it.
What should have been tears of joy that we finally get a decent cushion from a western brand, turned into the weeping hour over my own stupidity for buying this nonsense.

At least the puff looks familiar, wouldn't you say?

And the other side:

Conclusion:

I should have listened to myself and sat this one out.
But I didn't. Because Dior, you know.
Stupid me.

~~~

Po polsku:

Poniewaz podklad w poduszce Diorsnow Bloom Perfect Brightening Perfect Moist Cushion SPF50 PA+++ to kolaboracja Diora z poludniowo-koreanskim gigantem kosmetycznym Amore Pacific, oczekiwalam poduszki o poludniowo-koreanskim standardzie (czyli o swiatowym standardzie).
Amore Pacific to koncern do ktorego naleza takie marki jak, miedzy innymi, Laneige i Iope. Marki Amore Pacific sa znane ze swoich podkladow w poduszkach i co roku plasuja sie na czolowych miejscach w kosmetycznych rankingach.
Od Diora oczekiwalam takiej samej jakosci.

A tymczasem to co zaserwowal nam Dior pod postacia Diorsnow Bloom Perfect Brightening Perfect Moist Cushion SPF50 PA+++ to kosztowny bubel.

Podklad ten utlenia sie w ekspresowym tempie i ma zerowa trwalosc. 
Skladnik, ktory jest na czolowym miejscu marketingowej papki, edelweiss (szarotka alpejska), znajduje sie na 36 miejscu w skladzie. Caly sklad ma 48 pozycji i powyzej szarotki znajduje sie cala gama skladnikow perfumowych. To mowi samo za siebie.

Pomimo zapewnien, ze kolory tego podkladu zostaly dobrane z mysla o azjatyckich karnacjach, sa one malo trafione. Co wraz z ekspersowym utelnianiem powoduje, ze mamy trzy odcienie koszmarnej zoltosci - ciemny, ciemniejszy i karykaturalny.
Nie wiem czy eksperci kolorystyczni od Diora wiedza, ze Azjatki raczej stronia sie od slonca i ze wiele z nich odcieniowo plasuje sie w okolicach NC15. A jak ten podklad ma sie do NC15 to widac na swatchach.

Podsumowujac, Diorsnow Bloom Perfect Brightening Perfect Moist Cushion SPF50 PA+++ to bubel.

AMOREPACIFIC Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ in 100C

Yes, we will talk about the flagship Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion today. It's about time.

Dzis w koncu bedzie o podkladzie w poduszce marki Amore Pacific - Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion. 

I'm a huge fan of Caroline Hirons and I tend to hang out on her blog and YouTube channel quite a bit. Why do I like her? Because, unlike most beauty blogebrities these days, she's not 25 years old and she's not perfect.
And judging by the numbers of followers, many people feel about her in exactly the same way I do.

So yeah, a couple of months ago I was reading the comments on her blog and realized that there was one question that her fans keep asking her over and over, and which she very conveniently ignores.

And the question being:

Why don't you write something about Asian skincare products? Do you use Asian skincare? Please tell us more about Asian skincare!

Actually, that's two questions and one random comment, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

And whenever I see such questions directed at Caroline Hirons, I laugh so hard that Coke Zero squirts out of my nose. Why?
Because Ms Hirons, bless her heart, is a business. And any idiot who thinks that her posts are unbiased and non-sponsored, is indeed that - an idiot.

So the reason why Ms Hirons doesn't write about Asian products is very simple. No Asian companies have reached out to her PR people yet (and no, Tatcha is not an Asian brand).
Plus, she really likes those overpriced western "niche" brands, you know, those with "cutting edge" and "revolutionary" ingredients that are virtually identical to Hada Labo, but which cost 70 pounds per bottle.

UPDATE: 

Caroline Hirons actually responded on her blog that she doesn't specifically seek out Asian products, but if she comes across something, she will review it.  
I like her answer. It sounds honest. And it shows that Ms Hirons recognizes that Asian beauty is not something she is familiar with.

Przyznaje sie, ze jestem fanka Caroline Hirons (link do jej strony powyzej w wersji angielskiej). Czytam jej bloga i zagladam na jej kanal na YouTube. Dlaczego ja lubie? Ano dlatego, poniewaz w przeciwienstwie do innych blogebrytek, Caroline Hirons ma juz swoje lata, wyglada na swoje lata i nie udaje perfekcyjnie wypacykowanej lalki. I po komentarzach na jej blogu, widze, ze wiele jej fanek ma podobne odczucia.

Fanki owe pytaja sie jej o rozne marki pielegnacyjne i coraz czesciej widze tez pytania o to co pani Hirons sadzi o azjatyckich kosmetykach. I zawsze kiedy widze to pytanie, to az krztusze sie na mojej Coke Zero ze smiechu.
Dlaczego? Bo pani Hirons jest biznesem. Azjatyckie marki nie wpadly jeszcze na pomysl, aby sie do niej podlizac. A szkoda, bo jesli Caroline Hirons mowi, ze produkt jest dobry, to rzesze fanek poslusznie, jak dobrze wytrenowane lemmingi, od razu leca i kupuja. Nawet jesli ow produkt, oczywiscie marki niszowej i drogiej, bo w takich lubuje sie pani Hirons, pelen "rewolucyjnych" skladnikow i innych cudow na patyku, ma sklad niemal identyczny jak drogeryjne Hada Labo. A kosztuje 70 funtow za butelke.

I'm not sure whether Amore Pacific ever got in touch with Ms Hirons PR folks, but seriously, they should. She does endorse big name luxury brands, providing they are sufficiently expensive.
And Amore Pacific, with its flagship namesake brand, fancy ingredients, and equally fancy price tags fits nicely into that category.

Imagine what she could do for Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion, if she mentioned it on her blog! Literally thousands of good, little lemmings would run out to buy one.

Amore Pacific zamiast tracic czas na obijanie sie na instagramie, powinien skontaktowac sie z PRowcami pani Hirons. Bo Amore Pacific wpasowuje sie idealnie w jej upodobania. Marka jest droga, ekskluzywna, pelna fikusnych skladnikow, w ladnych opakowaniach. I na dodatek, zazwyczaj robi to co obiecuje.

Mozna sobie tylko wyobrazic jakie cuda marketingowe pani Hirons moglaby zadzialac dla Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion, jesli opisalaby ja na swoim blogu. Tysiace grzecznych lemmingow natychmiast wyciagnelo by karty kredytowe.

And unlike those natural niche nonsense brands that Ms Hirons is so fond of, but which copy their ingredients wholesale from Asian products and think that an average woman is too dumb to notice, Amore Pacific is actually worth buying.


Why is it worth buying?
Because it's good. It might be overpriced, yeah, I agree with that, it might spout inflated claims here and there, but overall, it's a solid higher end brand with solid higher end products.

And this cushion - Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ is no exception. It's not a coincidence that it gets rave reviews in the US (where you can buy it at Sephora). Because it's good. It's really good. And if you've read more than two posts on this blog of mine, then you know this is not something that I say lightly.

I w przeciwienstwie do tych srutututu niszowych marek, ktore pani Hirons tak bardzo kocha, a ktore kopiuja swoje formuly od azjatyckich produktow i mysla, ze przecietna konsumentka nie zauwazy, Amore Pacific jest calkowicie wart polecenia. I kupienia.

Dlaczego?
Bo jest dobry. Tak. Jest drogi. Za bardzo drogi. Ale poza nielicznymi wpadkami, jest to solidna marka wysokopolkowa z solidnymi wysokopolkowymi produktami.

Dzisiejsza poduszka - Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ potwierdza ta regule. To nie przypadek, ze ta poduszka zbiera wspaniale recenzje w USA. Jest naprawde dobra. I stali czytelnicy tego bloga wiedza, ze ja nie rzucam takich slow przypadkowo.

~~~

So, yes, let's get this party started.

Even though in the US there is only one Amore Pacific cushion available (correction - it seems that Neiman Marcus started to carry the anti-aging version with SPF25 as well), there are two in Hong Kong, and three in Korea.

Wiec, do dziela!

W USA dostepne sa dwie wersje poduszki Amore Pacific: Treatment Color Control z SPF 50+, oraz Anti-Aging z SPF 25.
W Hong Kongu dostepne sa dwie wersje - na obrazku ponizej.
A w Korei - trzy: jedna Treatment Color Control i dwie wersje Anti-Aging, ktore roznia sie SPF.

image source: AmorePacific Hong Kong


As far as I could see, in the US you only get the Treatment Color Control Cushion (and exclusively at Neiman Marcus the anti-aging version with SPF 25). Hong Kong gets both types - Anti-Aging Color Control Cushion and Treatment Color Control Cushion. And Korea gets 2 types of Anti-Aging, where the main difference seems to be the level of SPF protection.

As it is normally the case in such situations, different shades are available in different countries.
Here's a handy compilation that I put together just for you:

I jak to zazwyczaj w takich sytuacjach bywa, rozne kraje oferuja rozne odcienie:

My Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion is labeled as 100C. I got it on G-Market (a Korean e-commerce site similar to Amazon). And even by G-Market standards, it was pretty expensive (comparable to the prices in the US).

Moja Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion jest oznaczona jako 100C. Kupilam ja na G-Markecie (koreanska strona cos pomiedzy e-bayem a Amazonem). Cena mojej poduszki byla porownywalna do cen w USA.

So what is this Amore Pacific, I hear you say?

It's the largest beauty company in South Korea. In 2014 its total revenue equaled 2.877 billion euro (by comparison, L'Oreal had total revenues of 22.532 billion euro).

Other differences - L'Oreal was founded in 1909, Amore Pacific in 1945; L'Oreal employs around 78 thousand people, Amore Pacific less than 12 thousand; L'Oreal and its many brands are very well known worldwide (including South Korea) while Amore Pacific is strongest on its home turf. When you consider the revenue of 2.877 billion euro in that context, then suddenly it turns out that Amore Pacific packs quite a punch.

And while we are at it, I am never sure how to spell "Amore Pacific" properly. Is it AMOREPACIFIC? Or AmorePacific? Or Amore Pacific?
Because I am lazy by nature, and to please the search engine gods, I am going to use all three spellings interchangeably.

Amore Pacific to najwiekszy koncern kosmetyczny w Korei Poludniowej. Powyzej zrobilam male porownanie pomiedzy L'Oreal a Amore Pacific (po angielsku).

Anyway, back to the cushion at hand.

If this is the first time you are seeing a cushion foundation compact, please click on the Cushion Foundation tab in the top menu and work your way backwards.

So, basically, a cushion foundation is a chunk of sponge that is saturated with foundation and housed in a special compact. You dab on the sponge with an applicator puff and then pat pat with the applicator on your face. Can't get any easier. No need for makeup brushes, beauty blenders, or getting your fingers dirty.

Amore Pacific is famous for its cushions. Iope, Laneige, Hera, Sulwhasoo are all Amore Pacific brands famous for their cushions. And yes, I think I have nearly all of them. (Nope, I don't have a problem, I simply like my cushions).

Confusingly, Amore Pacific is also the name of the flagship brand of AmorePacific corporation. And that Amore Pacific brand also has its own cushion, or two.

As you could see in the photos above, the box is simple and stylish.
The compact is also simple and stylish. (See Lancome, this is how it's done!)

Ale wracamy do tematu poduszek.
Czym jest podklad w poduszce?
To kawalek gabki nasaczony podkladem i umieszczony w specjalnym kompakcie. Naciskamy aplikatorem na ta gabke, aplikator nabiera dokladnie tyle podkladu ile potrzeba i packamy sie na twarzy. Nie smarujemy, nie myziamy, ale wlasnie lekko przyciskamy aplikator do skory. Nie sa potrzebne pedzle, blendery, a paluchy pozostaja czyste.

Amore Pacific slynie z poduszek. Iope, Laneige, Hera, Sulwhasoo - to marki ze stajni Amore Pacific, ktore slyna ze swoich poduszek. 
Zeby narobic zamieszania, Amore Pacific to rowniez marka ze stajni Amore Pacific. I ktora rowniez ma swoja poduszke, lub dwie, lub trzy.

Jak widac ze zdjecia, pudelko jest proste i ladne. Kompakt jest rowniez prosty i ladny (Lancome moglby sie kilku rzeczy nauczyc od Amore Pacific).

Cushion refills from other higher end Amore Pacific should fit into it as well, so if you want, you can get away with filling it up with Iope or Laneige if you need a replacement refill.
Dior Blooming Cushion refill also fits into the Amore Pacific compact.

Wkladki wymienne od innych wyzszo-polkowych marek ze stajni Amore Pacific powinny sie w ten kompakt rowniez zmiescic. Jak i wklad do poduszki Dior!

That's the underside. As you can see, this refill was manufactured in September of 2014. Don't worry, I'm already done with it.

It's really easy to replace the refill, just pop it out of the compact. The trilingual leaflet in the box provides handy instructions in Korean, Chinese and English:

Ulotka w trzech jezykach (angielski, koreanski i chinski) pokazuje nam jak wymienic wklad:

The leaflet also mentions that the puff is anti-microbial (RubyCell technology), which means it inhibits the growth of bacteria, which means you don't have to wash it after every single use.

Ulotka rowniez wyjasnia, ze aplikator ma wlasciwosci antybakteryjne (technologia RubyCell), wiec nie trzeba panikowac jesli nie mamy szans go wyprac po jednym, czy dwoch, czy trzech uzyciach.

Do not bend or fold the puff in two when you are applying makeup. You will break it. The idea is to tap gently to achieve that flawless, photoshopped finish.

What else was in the box? Apart from the compact (already preloaded with a refill) and a leaflet, a replacement refill is also provided for your convenience. So, while the whole box may seem very pricey, you are actually getting 30 grams of foundation in all.

Nie zginaj tego puffa w pol kiedy nakladasz podklad. Zniszczy sie. 

Co jeszcze jest w pudelku? Kompakt juz z zaladowanym wkladem, oraz dodatkowy wklad wymienny. Wiec w sumie dostajemy 30 gramow produktu.

Despite the much touted SPF 50+/PA+++, you'd be pretty stupid to rely on this cushion (or any other cushion for that matter) as your sole sunscreen. It's simply physically impossible to apply enough product to be adequately protected from the sun. Please be smart and always use a separate sunblock. Unless, of course, sunspots and skin cancer are your thing.

Inside the compact, it's pretty much all standard stuff:

Choc poduszka ta jest oznaczona jako SPF 50+/PA+++, tylko totalne bezmozdze uzywaloby jej jako jedynej formy ochrony przeciwslonecznej. Dlaczego? Po prostu jest to fizycznie niemozliwe, aby nalozyc tyle podkladu aby uzyskac ochrone SPF 50. To znaczy sie, z pewnoscia mozna na upartego tyle tego podkladu nalozyc, ale wtedy ludzie naokolo nas zaczna sie dziwnie na nas patrzyc.
Wiec warto zainwestowac w osobny filtr. No chyba ze ktos marzy o wczesnym starzeniu, plamach poslonecznych i raku skory, wtedy jak najbardziej, sama poduszka w zupelnosci wystarczy.

W kompakcie, wszystko jak byc powinno:

As always, the cushion surface is protected by a sticker. Some people actually replace this sticker after each and every use, for as long as the sticky part will hold. I don't bother and chuck it in the garbage.

Gabka z podkladem zabezpieczona jest naklejka. Wiem, ze niektorzy uzywaja tej naklejki wielokrotnie, aby dodatkowo zabezpieczyc poduszke przed przedwczesnym wysychaniem. Ja nie. Naklejka laduje w koszu.

This is what the cushion surface should look like. The pores should be quite fine to help dispense the proper amount every time you press it with the applicator puff. Finer pores also keep the sponge from drying out too quickly.

Tak powinna wygladac powierzchnia poduszki. Male pory w gabce sprawiaja, ze aplikator nabiera tyle podkladu ile potrzeba. Male pory pomagaja rowniez chronic gabke przed przedwczesnym wysychaniem.

My Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion is labeled as 100C, which is, as you can see, quite light beige.

Here's the swatch bonanza taken using different light sources.
AmorePacific Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ in shade 100C:

Swatche AmorePacific Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ w odcieniu 100C:

It's quite yellow on my hand, and it looks just as yellow on my face. And despite being labeled as 100C, it's still too dark.

So, can I get away with using it at all? You betcha!
I loved the gorgeous finish it gives me so much that I've been working around the less than perfect color match.
Because, let me tell you, everything else about this cushion is perfect. For once the advertising blurbs were not lying.

Jak widac, odcien 100C to jasny bezowy zoltek. Za ciemny dla mnie, ale i tak go uzywam. 
Dlaczego? Bo efekt koncowy wynagradza fakt, ze musze nosic golfik, kiedy mam ochote na ta poduszke.
Bo, chyba po raz pierwszy mi sie zdarzylo, ze marketingowe obietnice producenta zostaly spelnione.

The finish is light, airy, healthy, it glows without being wet and dewy.  There is no rolling, no pilling, no emphasizing of large pores or wrinkles.
It moisturizes just enough during warmer months (not enough for winter with the heaters going on full blast), it doesn't cause any breakouts (and I break out from thinking about chocolate and looking at BB creams), it leaves the skin looking somehow better at the end of the day when you remove your makeup.
And oh yeah, it stays in place during our horrid, humid summers.

Seriously, everything that's on that leaflet, I've confirmed through my diligent field testing.

Wykonczenie jest lekkie, przejrzyste, dajace efekt zdrowej wypoczetej cery, bez mokrego efektu "dewy". Nic sie nie roluje i nie walkuje. Nie podkresla porow i zmarszczek.
Nawilza wystarczajaco na lato, ale nie wystarczajaca na zime. Nie powoduje wysypu nieprzyjaciol. Po usunieciu makijazu cera jakims cudem wyglada lepiej niz rano. 
A, i jeszcze jedno - trzyma sie na twarzy podczas wysokiej wilgotnosci powietrza i upalow.
Dokladnie wszystko to, co obiecuje ulotka. 

Bamboo sap instead of water doesn't excite me one bit, but it's there and I suppose it provides some skincare benefits.
Though honestly, I don't really care. I'm not an ingredient nazi.

Sok roslinny z bambusa zamiast wody w skladzie nie podnieca mnie. Ale podejrzewam, ze ma jakies wlasciwosci pielegnacyjne.

And speaking of ingredients, here they are:

AMOREPACIFIC Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ ingredients (shade 100C):
Sklad poduszki AMOREPACIFIC Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ odcieniu 100C:

Phyllostachys Bambusoides Juice, Zinc Oxide, Cyclopentasiloxane, Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Phenyl Trimethicone, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Ethanol, Arbutin, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Acrylates/Ethylhexyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Lecithin, Isostearic Acid, Isopropyl Palmitate, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Acrylates/Stearyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Dimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Water, Silica, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Fragrance

In short, would I recommend buying AmorePacific Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++?
If you can afford it, absolutely, go for it! You won't regret it.

This is the Porsche of the cushion world. It's priced accordingly, but just like a luxury car, it makes good on its price tag.

Wiec, czy moge polecic AmorePacific Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++?
Absolutnie. Jesli ktos moze sobie na nia pozwolic, to jestem pewna, ze nie pozaluje.

To jest odpowiednik Porsche w swiecie podkladow poduszkowych. Drogi, ale wart swojej ceny.

Incidentally, a few months back, a certain Polish beauty blogger living in Singapore expressed her displeasure at the mediocre performance of several cushions that she had tried. As it turned out, they were all rock bottom Amore Pacific brands, the cheapest of the cheap heap.

Based on that she proceeded to tell her thousands of followers that cushions are all hype and no substance. When it was suggested to her to try a quality cushion foundation from one of the higher end Amore Pacific brands, she responded that she didn't see why she should. After all, her cheap cushions were also "Amore Pacific" and, according to her, there couldn't be that much difference between different Amore Pacific brands.

While I normally don't endorse the "price equals quality" mentality, her reasoning made my scratch my head in disbelief so hard my coworkers thought I had lice.

That blogger was like someone who only ever test drove a Škoda, and thought it was a disappointing experience. Yet at the same time didn't want to try driving a Porsche, an Audi, or a Bentley, a Bugatti and a Lamborghini, because all of those cars are made by the same company - Volkswagen Group.

So yeah, don't make the same mistake. Fortunately this AmorePacific Treatment Color Control Cushion is a lot cheaper than a Porsche.

Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Radiance Serum

When I bought this Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Radiance Serum (I think it was on RoseRoseShop, but it might have been W2Beauty, I don't remember), I made a mistake.

You see, I used to use Hanyul White Chrysanthemum something or the other in the past, and it was lovely. But that was before I got all serious about blogging about Asian skincare products.
So earlier this year, when my dear friend from France asked about skin tone evening serums, I naturally ran to the net and purchased the first White Chrysanthemum item that caught my eye.

It turned out to be a good mistake, in several ways, actually.


But first things first.

"White chrysanthemum?" I hear you say.
"You mean, like this?" I hear you say.

image source: wikipedia

I mean, it's a chrysanthemum for sure. And it's definitely white.

Yeah, I thought so, too.
But as always with cosmetic products, the devil's in the details.

I remembered reading something about white chrysanthemum tea being a popular drink in China. But as far as I could recall, it didn't actually involve huge white flowers, of the kind usually placed on graves in a certain European country on November 1st.

I started digging. And sure enough, what they call "white chrysanthemum" in China is what we call "golden chamomile" or "Chinese chamomile" in Europe.

And yes, the "white chrysanthemum" drink I remembered drinking smelled more like chamomile tea than a cemetery on All Saints' Day (my Polish readers will understand the reference).

So you expect this:

image source: wikipedia


But in reality, you get this:

image source: wikipedia


Quite a difference, right?
Yeah, I thought so, too.

So that's the bad news. It's not white, it's golden, and it's not a chrysanthemum of the usual variety, but something more resembling a chamomile.

Luckily for us, that's the end of bad news.

And for the good news? Luckily for us, there's plenty of it.

1. Chamomile and chrysanthemums are actually related.
This one here is called Chrysanthellum indicum in Latin and "gamguk" in Korean. 

2. Chrysanthellum indicum extract happens to be quite awesome. According to multiple sources, it has:

• - anti-aging properties

• - anti-inflammatory properties

• - and according to a research paper published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, is an effective and well-tolerated topical agent (used as 1% cream) for the treatment of moderate rosacea.

3. Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Radiance Serum claims to have 1000 ppm (part per million?) of this magical "gamguk" extract.

Wait a sec.
My Japanese friend has a question.

Hanyu???!!??

No, not Yuzuru Hanyu *). Though in all fairness, this boy is the fairest of them all and totally could have his own skincare line.

Hanyul.

image source: Amore Pacific

Hanyul is one of the many, many brands from Amore Pacific. And Amore Pacific is the largest beauty company in South Korea. Or one of the two largest. The other being LG (yep, that LG).
Hanyul's tagline is: "Traditional natural cosmetics from the nature and folk remedies of Korea."

Pity they limit themselves to Korea, because just imagine the perfect blend of Hanyu and Hanyul. The marketing possibilities are endless.
I'd buy it. Just because.

But what were we talking about here?

Ahhhh... yes... Hanyu Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Radiance Serum.

It's a Korean skincare product that claims to even out your complexion, reduce dark spots and blemishes, improve your skin's natural radiance by preventing the formation of melanin.
It also claims to have anti-wrinkle properties.

As a serum, it goes on your skin after cleansing and applying toner.


In a typical Hanyul fashion, one side of the box is printed in English, the other - in Korean.

The bottle has the characteristic Hanyul shape. But sadly, it's plastic. It looks like nice, luxurious glass, but it's just cheap plastic. Korean skincare companies like to fool you like that.

The bottle is semi-transparent (you can see how much stuff is still inside if you hold it against the light) and holds 40 ml of product.

The serum is white, its texture is very light and deliciously delicate. It's not oily, it's not watery, it's just right.

It does smell like chrysanthemums, though. It's not a strong smell, but it's there. And it definitely likes to linger. I absolutely hate this scent!!!

The serum absorbs completely, leaves the skin feeling soft and very lightly hydrated. There is no sticky film or other residue.

The bottle is equipped with a pump. But it's not the airless type, you can unscrew it and suck every last bit of what's still left in the bottle.

The leaflet included in the box has the usual useless information in two languages. However, the Korean version is more extensive and includes the ingredient list as well.

Basically, the only thing you can read in English is this:

So yeah. That's what they say.

What do I say about Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Radiance Serum?

This is a very confusing product.
I used it once a day, in the morning. I felt like it wasn't doing much, so I stopped and put it aside for a while.
My skin reacted immediately.
Sometimes the best way to determine whether a product works or not is to stop using it.

So yes, this serum is indeed doing something. I can't tell you what it's doing, but I can definitely tell you what happened when I wasn't using it.

My skin lost its radiance and returned to its usual pinkish and I-look-like-I'm-slightly-drunk ruddy state.
Not using it made me realize how gentle and delicate and subtle this serum is.
The changes are minimal but they are there.

And the best part?
There was no adverse reaction whatsoever.
My skin was calm, smooth, less pink, radiant, bright and healthy.

I'm so in love with this Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Radiance Serum that I nearly wept when I reached the bottom of the bottle.
I wanted to run and repurchase immediately.

But I didn't.

And I won't.

Why?

The smell. The flowery scent that makes me think of All Saints' Day. I just can't stomach another bottle of this sensory abomination.

99% of people will tell you it's a pleasant, refreshing fragrance. And they are right.
But if you are sensitive to scents, you will, literally, be able to taste it.



Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Radiance Serum ingredients (courtesy of HwaHae):

So there you have it.
A delightful brightening serum that is suitable for dry, sensitive and delicate skin, and which would be perfect, if not for the annoying fragrance.


If you want to try it, most Korean online stores carry it. Pricing varies, so it pays to shop around.

So that was Hanyul.

~~~

And this is Hanyu *)

*) Japanese Figure Skating God