Ignorant consumers are... well... ignorant

As a teen I suffered from a very common affliction. My mouth just wouldn't shut up. And since as most teens, I was an all-knowing expert with opinions on nearly everything from child rearing to brain surgery, spending longer than a few minutes in my company was simply unbearable.
Fortunately, my father, a very wise man who had my best interest at heart, one day simply had enough and told me to STFU. He didn't say it like that of course. He used a lot gentler and a lot more fatherly words. But the core message was the same - if you don't know what you're talking about, it might be a lot smarter to just shut up and watch others make fools of themselves.
Before I had time to take his advice to heart, I stopped being a teen and, along with that, grew out of the habit of spewing nonsense.

Not everyone was as fortunate as me.

Then, there's this uniquely Polish genetic trait of compulsively correcting everything and everybody and thus, by pointing out the mistakes of others, proving one's own self worth.

I suffer from it as well. However, with age came the realization that 99% of the time I'd rather be drinking Starbucks, or watching my cat chase a newspaper ball than point out the minutiae mistakes of others. I mean, who cares? Right? Right.

However, every now and then, that remaining 1% kicks in.

One of my commenters, Alicja, a Polish woman writing her comments in English, does not share my love of Starbucks and cats. She'd rather be scouring the internet in search of errors in blog posts to point out. And as she's an expert on nearly everything, from economy to skincare, there are plenty of errors out there for her to correct.

Under the Dear Amore Pacific post she was an economy expert. What she said actually made sense. The only problem was that despite her English fluency she was unable to detect my sarcasm and irony and took the entire rant seriously. I didn't even think it was at all possible. I was so clearly over the top in that post... Oh well...

Under the most recent A-True review we see Alicja as a skin care expert, medical expert, cosmetics industry expert, beauty historian expert, Asian culture expert and a few others.

It started innocently enough. In a true Polish fashion, she pointed out my "misspelling" of a certain word. Somehow, it never crossed her mind that the word was misspelled on purpose - to avoid using a registered trademark.

In her comment Alicja attacked the quality of Asian skin care.
I could almost agree with her. Half the time I attack it myself. There are some brands that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole (or a hungarian, whatever...)

But then she took it a step further.

She said:

These Korean skincare products seem like a scam. Looking at the ingredients, there is nothing unusual or special in them...

I suppose she was referring to the A-True items I was reviewing. But then again I'm not sure. She didn't make it all that clear. And if that's the case, then what is she doing reading a blog devoted to Asian skincare?

Then she said:

Want tea in your skincare? You can actually apply cold tea directly to your skin and you will get the same benefits.

Really? The day they start making tea with sodium hyaluronate, then yeah, maybe.

She repeatedly referred to Asian skincare as "gimmicky".

Usually, when I see someone so misinformed that it hurts, I let them be. After all, ignorance is bliss. Let her be happy.

But Alicja didn't stop at that, oh no...
What piqued my interest was this part of her comment:

I do believe in sun filters and even though I am probably older than you, my neck looks younger for sure. It is maybe because I use no pillows (my doctor told me long ago that no pillows is better for your complexion, face and neck) or maybe because I use old fashioned European and American creams that are specially formulated for the neck. Thicker than for the face and very effective indeed. Examples: 3Lab SuperCream and 111Skin.

She says she's older than me but her neck looks younger. Whether she meant her neck looks younger than the rest of her, or her neck looks younger than my neck, that's debatable.
But that got my attention.

Why?

I like my neck and want to keep it looking young. Younger than the rest of me.

Just like Alicja, I also believe in sun filters. And I also sleep without a pillow.

Her doctor told her to sleep without a pillow. How interesting. If she only knew that sleeping without a pillow is one of these ancient "gimmicky" Asian skin care tricks to keep one's neck wrinkle-free.
In a later comment it did turn out her doctor was of Asian origin.

So... on one hand it's all "gimmicks", and on the other - it works? So finally, which is it?

Her mention of "old fashioned European and American creams" also got me very interested.
I love trying new things, and I don't discriminate. Asian, American, European, as long as it works, I'm willing to try it.

So I hopped over to the 3Lab website, started looking around and got a strange feeling of deja vu.

Take a look for yourself:

image source


Ginseng skincare? Eastern therapies?
And those packaging designs... They looked vaguely familiar, don't they?

I started reading the ingredient lists. Here's the one for the neck cream recommended by Alicja:

image source


It looked suspiciously Asian influenced.

I poked around the site some more.
And may the wonders never cease!
Marine infused skincare, fermented ingredients, ginseng.

And get that - even a cushion product. For all of US$100.00.

image source


Yes. A cushion for one hundred bucks.
I admit, I am very curious. I'd like to try it.

Hmmm... This is what an "old fashioned" American company looks like?

I went to the "About Us" page.

And yes, you guessed it. The company is run by an Asian-American couple.
And yes, you guessed it again. Of Korean origin.

Which brings us to this point - just how much of a wanna-be nouveau riche (or utterly lacking in common sense) our dear Alicja must be? I mean, to shell out all that money and not even look at the ingredient list, or check out the company's webpage?

The other company - 111Skin also sells ridiculously overpriced skincare with such breakthrough ingredients as hyaluronic acid and arbutin. And oh yes, lots of centella asiatica. And ferments.

image source


There are two possibilities:

• 1. All that matters to Alicja is the price tag - the bigger the better.
• 2. She just randomly picked those two companies as examples of what she thinks a fancy older woman would buy and never actually tried their products. Because I just can't believe she was never curious about the companies and what they stand for.

3Lab is Korea-lite for affluent American women, who like Alicja, shun Asian skincare. Their products copy Sulwhasoo, su:m37, Lirikos, Amore Pacific and just about every other high end Korean skincare company out there.

111Skin is for affluent women who like to brag just how much they spend on their cosmetics. I'll pass. Any company that charges almost 600 pounds for a jar of cream, yet can't properly spell "glycerin" on their website is not worth my time.

image source


Alice didn't have an answer why, if she thinks Korean skincare is a scam, the products she recommended came from Asian-inspired companies?
She skillfully deflected this uncomfortable fact and started to talk about placenta.

Now, placenta is a common cosmetic ingredient, not only in Asia. These days most companies use sheep placenta. And it's no coincidence that the majority of new western arrivals on the cosmetic placenta scene hail from Australia and New Zealand.

image source


Alicja was quick to inform me how her placenta was taken away from her, allegedly to be sold to Korean companies for skincare purposes.
Which lead me to believe that Alicja gave birth a long while ago. Or her placenta was taken for a more shady reason.
Very conveniently for her story, Alicja, though perturbed by what happened, chose not to pursue it further. Strange indeed.

Human placenta is expensive to procure and many companies prefer less risky and more easily obtainable animals product.

While placenta has been used as a folk remedy in many cultures for thousands of years, skincare benefits of placenta haven't been conclusively researched. Alicja likened this placenta craze to a cream containing fat-free milk and marketed to naive women, who are afraid of getting fat.

The main difference that fat-free milk is fat-free milk, and placenta is a nutrient rich substance was lost on Alicja. She claimed to have an embryologist in her family who "looked into it for her."

I was duly impressed. As no substantial research on placenta skincare benefits has yet been published, it was truly impressive to have someone do all that research just for her. Because how otherwise could she have arrive at the conclusion that the placenta hype is "BS".

Hmmm...
So is collagen in skincare, as the molecule is too large to penetrate the empidermal layer.
And so is Human Oligopeptide-9, one of the key ingredients in Alicja's favorite neck cream, as again, hard science has proven that the molecule is too big to penetrate the skin.

I asked Alicja about her double standard regarding ingredients, but sadly, instead of answering, as most people when they ran out of credible arguments, she deflected and changed the subject.

She changed the subject several times.

One of the topics she gave us her expert opinion on was this:

When I see Asian skincare and makeup companies imitating, yes, imitating American products and ideals, I just feel bad for them. There is no need to get lighter skin at all. I will never understand why Asian women should desire to have lighter skin. The horrible bleaching products are really a cultural misunderstanding.

The incredible thing is that it was written by a person who claims to have lived in Asia in her younger days. Indonesia, to be exact. Wow! Alicja is just like Barack Obama! Incredible.

Ah... Where should we begin...

I thought that anyone who is familiar with Asia, and a person who used to live here certainly should be,  is aware of that fact that Asian preference for lighter skin has nothing to do with imitating American beauty ideals.
Unless, of course, Americans invented time machines and visited, oh, let's say 8th century Japan, and even earlier - Korea and China.

Or maybe it was the other way round? Maybe it was the Heian era courtiers who time traveled to the "west" circa 19th century and were so taken with the glorification of pale skin by the upper classes that they decided to bring that idea back to their own timeline?

Only Alicja knows that...

The rest of us, backed up by historical research, cosmetic history research and cultural anthropology, knows that in early Asia pale skin was a hallmark of high breeding. Of women who didn't have to slog in the rice fields. Of women who had the time and resources to spend on cosmetic pursuits.

In other words, pale skin in Asia was desirable for the very same reasons it was desirable in 19th century Europe - it was a status symbol.

Imitating Americans? Don't think there were any light skinned Americans prancing around in 8th century Japan. Maybe imitating Europeans then? Very unlikely.

Here is a very good summary of the evolution of Japanese beauty ideals - The Fair Face of Japanese Beauty - Cosmetics for Japanese Women from the Heian Period to Today.
I didn't even know it was available in English.
Incidentally, it was referenced, just a day before Alicja left her comment, by one of my favorite bloggers in this post.

And as to "Asian skincare and makeup companies imitating American products"?
Surely, Alicja meant it as a joke.

And if not, then unfortunately for her, industry analysts disagree:

The influence of Asia in skin care is expected to remain a strong highlight in 2015 including novel concepts, products, formats and benefits. To exemplify, Neutrogena’s latest offering – one of the last innovations to hit the shelves in the US in 2014 – claims to bring Asian technology to the West. Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost range consists of three key products; a Gel-Cream, a Water Gel and an Eye Gel Cream which aim to lock in moisture and draw water into the skin. Hydration is considered to be a key benefit in Asia, from cleansers to toners to face masks and moisturisers.  

Skin care is expected to continue to have an Asian trend focus with Chanel’s newest product to hit the shelves in the US called Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro-Serum, indicating that the quest of hydration is set to be strong across both side of the price spectrum. Asia is also influencing skin care as the region is well-known for multi-step routines involving an array of products, with many Western brands adding product offerings like essence and emulsion to their portfolio. Examples include Philosophy’s Brighten My Day All-Over Skin Perfecting Brightening Essence and Embryolisse Emulsion Hydra Mat Freshness Care, among others. The trend has also transpired in colour cosmetics where after the explosion of BB creams across all markets, air cushions a new make-up format from South Korea has started moving west too. L’Oréal’s Lancôme is the first Western brand to adopt this trend, with its Miracle Cushion foundation.
Source

Though again, there's this possibility of time travel - from the late 20th century in Asia to the US in 2017, where Asian cosmetic undercover agents saw all these amazing western products packed with ingredients of Asian origin. They brought them back to their time, reverse engineered and voila! Asian skincare explosion.

Of course there is this inconvenient fact that two of the worlds oldest cosmetic companies are Japanese - Shiseido (founded in 1872) and Kanebo (1887).

For those who still don't believe where the current skincare inspirations come from, here is another entry from Euromonitor - Asian Shades of Skincare.

Alicja claims to work providing solutions for her clients.
Let's hope her solutions are in a field that she is more familiar with than cosmetic and skincare industry.

But personally?

I don't think Alicja exists.
Nobody is that ignorant. Nobody can function with such a myopic view of the world (as evidenced by other thoughts in her comments). What a sad existence that would be.

I think Alicja is a persona created by someone to get a reaction out of me.
In that case - congratulations.

Success!!


PS. First rainbow powder ever? Formulated by Shiseido in 1917.
But I'm sure those f*ckers just time traveled again, and stole the idea from Guerlain Meteorites, those Japanese bastards!

A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Essence and Cream

Disclosure: I bought one of them and the other one was provided to me for review purposes by Berdever. However, as always, all opinions presented here are mine, and mine only. The fact that I received a product for free does not influence my review one way, or the other.

Wyjasnienia: Kupilam jeden z nich, drugi dostalam do recenzji od sklepu Berdever. Ale jak zawsze, wszystkie opinie przedstawione tu na blogu sa tylko i wylacznie moje. To, ze dostalam kosmetyk za darmo nie ma zadnego wplywu na moja recenzje, stety lub niestety. 

~~~

Everybody who's been reading this blog for more than 5 minutes, surely must have noticed that I love A-True cosmetics. I love them even if they try to eat my face alive, as was the case with the (in)famous A-True sheet mask.

Today we will take a look at two items that claim anti-wrinkle properties through the power of darjeeling back tea.

I love tea. As it happens, right this minute I'm channeling Captain Picard and drinking a cup of delicious blue flowers Earl Grey. And though A-True also does an Earl Gray line, we're going to talk about Darjeeling today. More specifically, these two products:

• A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Essence

and

• A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Cream.

(C'mon? I mean, what's up with those stupid names? And here we have yet another fine example of the Korean obsession with the word "first").


Kazdy, kto czyta ten blog przez dluzej niz piec minut, na pewno juz sie zorientowal, ze kocham kosmetyki marki A-True. Kocham je nawet wtedy, kiedy maska plachtowa A-True chciala mi zywcem zezrec twarz.

Dzis poznamy sie blizej z dwoma produktami, ktore twierdza, ze walcza ze zmarszczkami poprzez cudowne moce czarnej herbaty typu darjeeling.

Kocham tez herbate. Wlasnie udaje kapitana Picarda i popijam sobie "Earl Grey. Hot." w przeswietnej wersji "blue flowers". I choc A-True rowniez oferuje linie Earl Grey, dzis bedzie o Darjeeling. A bardziej dokladnie, o tych dwoch kosmetykach:

• A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Essence

and

• A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Cream.

Some people, mainly those of the LDS persuasion, are going to disagree, but the general consensus is that tea is good for you.
Tea bags for swollen, red eyes? Yep, that's a classic home remedy that I suppose nearly every woman has tried one time or another. Black tea compress to soothe sunburn? Been there, done that.

A-True builds on the same tradition, except in a very scientific and skincare fancy way.

In the leaflets that come inside the boxes, you can read the PR version of the origin of A-True tea cosmetics:

Ludzie, glownie ci, ktorzy biora Nauki i Przymierza na powaznie, nie zgodza sie z tym stwierdzeniem, ale generalne zdanie na swiecie jest takie, ze herbata jest dobra dla zdrowia.
Torebki herbaciane na spuchniete oczy? To klasyk, ktory znany jest chyba kazdej kobiecie. Kompres z czarnej herbaty na poparzenia sloneczne? Bylam, zrobilam, dziala.

A-True kontynuuje ta tradycje uzywania herbaty, lecz robi to w bardziej naukowy i kosmetycznie ekskluzywny sposob.

W ulotkach, ktore znajdowaly sie w pudelkach, mozna przeczytac pr-owska wersje pochodzenia herbacianych kosmetykow marki A-True:

For those with attention deficit disorder, or those who don't have the patience and/or time to read all that, the cliffs notes version is on the back of the box:

Dla tych, kotrzy nie maja ani czasu, ani cierpliwosci, aby to wszystko czytac, wersja na szybko jest na odwrocie pudelka:

Awesome! The important part here is that many people are confused by the word "France".
No, A-True is not a French company. It's a Korean company using a French tea brand to make their cosmetics.

Compagnie Coloniale is a real tea company, and yes, indeed, it's French.
So that's where the tea, the raw material, comes from.

And the tea in these two products we're talking about today, according to the leaflet, is Darjeeling F.O.P.

Super! Najwazniejszym punktem tutaj jest, ze slowo "Francja" zmyla bardzo wiele osob. Nie, A-True to nie francuska firma. To koreanska firma kosmetyczna, ktora wytwarza swoje produkty uzywajac francuskiej marki herbacianej.

Compagnie Coloniale rzeczywiscie istnieje i jest prawdziwa marka herbaciana. Tak, z Francji.
Wiec to stad A-True czerpie swoj surowy surowiec, ze tak powiem.

Herbata w opisywanych dzis dwoch kosmetykach, to wedlug ulotki, Darjeeling F.O.P.

F.O.P stands for Flowery Orange Pekoe.
However, when looking online at different Darjeeling grades, we can quickly determine that there is no such grade as F.O.P.

There is SFTGFOP (Super Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe), and FTGFOP (Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe), and even TGFOP (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe). But no FOP.
But hey, nobody cares about those pesky, little details, right?


F.O.P. znaczy Flowery Orange Pekoe.
Ale jesli poszukamy informacji o roznych klasach herbaty Darjeeling, to bardzo szybko mozemy zauwazyc, ze nie ma tam nic takiego, jak F.O.P.

Jest za to SFTGFOP (Super Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe), i jest FTGFOP (Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe), i nawet TGFOP (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe). Ale nie ma FOP.

No ale kto by sie takimi szczegolami przejmowal, co nie?

~~~

Anyway, where were we?

Ah, yes! Anti-wrinkle.

I have no idea if tea, any kind of tea, has anti-wrinkle properties. This was my first chance to find out.


Lecz, o czym to mowilismy?
A tak! Przeciw-zmarszczkowe to i tamto.

Nie mialam pojecia czy herbata, jakikolwiek jej rodzaj, posiada wlasciwosci przeciw-zmarszczkowe. To byla moja szansa, aby sie dowiedziec i przetestowac na wlasnej skorze.

Both cosmetics come packaged in paper boxes. Recycled paper boxes.
The essence bottle and the cream jar are both plastic. It pretends to be fancy, dark, heavy glass. But in reality it's dark, lightweight, non-fancy plastic.

I personally don't mind. Though for that price (US$50.00 plus each!) I'd expect better quality packaging. This was just screaming "drugstore".
It also opens a recycling can of worms, because as far as I know, cosmetic product packagings need to be made of virgin plastic. Later, they cannot be fully recycled, but only down-cycled. Therefore, glass, which is virtually infinitely recyclable, is the more eco-friendly option. But glass is expensive. Profit margins for cosmetic companies would go down. Oh well... everybody wants to make a buck.

(All this makes me appreciate the big European legacy companies that still package their cosmetics in glass. So next time you bitch and moan about that heavy glass foundation bottle, stop and think about the bigger picture.)

Oba kosmetyki przychodza do nas w pudelkach. Z recyclingowanego papieru. I dobrze!
Butelka esencji i sloiczek kremu sa z plastiku. Udaje on ekskluzywne, ciemne, ciezkie szklo. Ale w rzeczywistosci jest ciemnym, lekkim, tanim plastikiem.

Osobiscie mnie to nie przeszkadza. Ale za taka cene (ponad 50 dolcow za sztuke), oczekiwalabym czegos bardziej posh. To az krzyczalo "sieciowa drogeria".
Pozostaje rowniez kwestia ekologiczna, bo o ile dobrze sie orientuje, opakowania produktow kosmetycznych musza byc wytwarzane z dziewiczego plastiku (czyli nie moga pochodzic z recyclingu). Nie moga tez byc pozniej w pelni recyclingowane na kolejne opakowania, ale tylko na inne rzeczy, o bardziej prozaicznym zastosowaniu.
Tak wiec szklo, ktore mozna recyclingowac niemal w nieskonczonosc, jesli duzo bardziej ekologicznym materialem. Ale za to jest drogie. I zysk dla firm kosmetycznych bylby mniejszy.

(Ale to z kolei daje mi nowy punkt uznania dla europejskich marek selektywnych, ktore nadal pakuja w szklo. Wiec nastepnym razem, kiedy narzekasz na ciezka, szklana butle z podkladem, pomysl bardziej globalnie).

~~~

OK, OK, back to the topic.
Don't judge a face cream by its plastic jar, right?

Let's start with the A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Essence.

OK, OK, wracamy do tematu.
Nie ma co oceniac kremu po jego plastikowym sloiczku, nieprawdaz?

Zaczniemy od A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Essence.

What's an "essence"? It's one of the many steps in a Korean skincare routine. It usually comes after cleansing and toning and before serums and emulsions.

I like essences very much. They prep my skin for what's to come and provide an instant relief after toning. I have very dry skin. I need all the relief I can get.

Co to jest "esencja"? To jeden z wielu mini-podpunktow w koreanskiej pielegancji. Zazwyczaj przychodzi po oczyszczaniu i tonowaniu, a przed serami i emulsjami.

Ja bardzo lubie esencje. Przygotowuja one moja twarz na to co bedzie nakladane potem, i daja mi natychmiastowa ulge po myciu i tonerze. A mam sucha cere. Kazda natychmiastowa ulga jest bardzo mile widziana.

When brand new and unopened, you can see that the cap on the bottle is secured with a sticker.

You peel off the sticker, take off the cap and see a standard issue pump:

Kiedy nowa i nieotwarta, jak widac, butelka zabezpieczona jest naklejka.
Odlepimy ja, sciagniemy zamkniecie i widzimy standardowa pompke:

I hate this pump. It's exactly the same generic, mass market pump that's used by a bazillion other cosmetic brands. It needs a light touch, otherwise you risk spitting a jet stream of essence all over your bathroom sink. And as all cheap pumps, it tends to go all funky on you when you least expect it. Just be careful, that's all I'm saying. (All other A-True pumps are exactly the same - hate!)

When you press it gently, this is what comes out:

Nienawidze tej pompki. To zwykla masowa pompka, taka sama jak w tysiacach innych kosmetycznych produktow, glownie tych z drogerii. Nalezy sie z nia obchodzic delikatnie, bo inaczej moze nam wypluc przesadnie duzo esencji z przesadnie wielka sila. I jak wszystkie tanie pompki, ma tendencje do zacinania sie tak gdzies w polowie opakowania. (Wszystkie pompki na kosmetykach A-True sa takie same - nienawidze!)

Jesli przycisniemy delikatnie, to mamy to:

White-ish, thick-ish, delicately scented goo.

"It's not an essence," exclaimed my friend. "It's an emulsion," she added.

Yes, it does resemble the type of light moisturizer commonly referred to in Asia as "emulsion". And surprise, this essence moisturizers lightly just as an emulsion would.

Bialawa, malo gestawa, delikatnie pachnaca maz.

"To nie esencja!" powiedziala moja kolezanka. "To jest emulsja," oznajmila.

Fakt, ta "esencja" bardziej przypomina lekki rodzaj nawilzacza znany w Azji jako "emulsja". I niespodzianka - rowniez lekko nawilza, tak samo jak zrobilaby to emulsja.

I didn't think I would like it. But I do. A lot. It has become my go-to daily light moisturizer. It makes my face feel deliciously soft. It does not cause any breakouts or any other adverse reactions.

The only problem? It did nothing for my fine lines and wrinkles.

Yet, I am willing to forgive this major fail and actually repurchase this emulsion, oh pardon moi, this essence, because it's a perfect light moisturizer for the hot, sweaty, steamy summer months ahead. It works so well in my daily skincare routine, it agrees with my serums and creams and sunblocks.
It absorbs quickly and, get this, leaves NO greasy residue.  My skin absorbs it completely.
My oily friend loves it, too. She says it dries to a semi-matte, semi-satin finish. There's no greasy shine, she says.

My verdict? Even though it did nothing for my wrinkles, I like it. I will repurchase.

Here are the ingredients for the A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Essence:



Nie myslalam, ze sie z nia polubie. Ale jednak! Polubilysmy sie. I to bardzo. To moje codzienne lekkie nawilzanie. Robi moja cere mieciutka, swiezutka i bardzo przyjemna w dotyku i w wygladzie. Nie powoduje zadnych wysypow, ani innych nieprzyjemnych reakcji.

Jedyny problem? Nie zauwazylam zadnych wlasciwosci przeciw-zmarszczkowych.

Jestem jednak w stanie wybaczyc to niedociagniecie, i zakupic ta emulsje, o pardon mnie, esencje, ponownie, bo to idealny lekki nawilzacz na japonskie lato. Wpasowuje sie tez znakomicie z reszta mojej pielegnacji. Zgadza sie z serami, kremami, filtrami, wszystkim.
Wchlania sie szybko i calkowicie, nie pozostawia zadnego uczucia tlustosci. Moja przyjaciolka z cera tlusta tez jest z tej esencji bardzo zadowolona. Mowi, ze na jej skorze daje efekt ni to pol-matu ni to pol-satyny, ze nie ma zadnego tlustego swiecenia.

Moja opnia? Choc nie bylo to przeciw-zmarszczkowe, to lubie to i kupie ponownie.

Tutaj sklad A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Essence:

Now, let's move onto the A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Cream.

A teraz czas na A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Cream.

Comes in a matching box.
"For Youthful and Firming Care," it says on the box.

We shall see...

Przychodzi do nas w pudelku o takim samym dizajnie jak esencja.
Dla "pielegnacja odmladzajaco napinajaca" mowia nam na pudelku.

No, zobaczymy...

In the box we have a 50 g jar of cream, a spatula and a leaflet (not pictured here).

Just as with the essence, when new and unopened, the top is protected with a sticker.

W pudelku mamy sloiczek z 50 gramami kremu, szpatulke i ulotke (nie zalapala sie na zdjecie).
Tak jak w przypadku esencji, kiedy nowy i nieotwarty, zakretka sloiczka zalepiona jest naklejka.

There's an inner lid to protect the contents.
When I opened the jar for the first time, I didn't see this inner cap. Why? It got stuck inside the screw top. It took some effort to extract it and place it back on the cream to take the photo.

And here we have the cream:

Mamy tez wewnetrzna pokrywke dla ochrony zawartosci i swiezosci.
Kiedy po raz pierwszy odkrecilam ten sloiczek, nie widzialam tej wewnetrznej pokrywki. Dlaczego? Bo byla wcisnieta w zakretke. Musialam niezle sie nagrzebac, aby ja uwolnic, zeby pstryknac ta fotke powyzej.

A tutaj mamy sam krem:

It looks thick and rich, but it's not. It's actually pretty light.

Wyglada na gesty i bogaty, ale nie jest. Jest dosyc lekki, powiedzialabym.

I admit I'd prefer something richer. A lot richer. But then my skin needs rich, heavy, super nourishing stuff. This isn't it.

The cream moisturized, but that's all it did. For me, it didn't moisturize enough. I can see it will work a lot better during summer. Also, I'd chance to say, it will be a good cream for oily skin folk.
Both the cream and the essence have delicate quasi-tea scents that disappear fairly quickly upon application.

Now, what about its anti-wrinkle properties?
I honestly didn't notice any.
Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada.


Przyznam sie, ze wolalabym cos bardziej tresciwego. Ale to dlatego, ze moja skora ma takie wymagania. Bedzie jednak idealny dla tlusciochow.

Ten krem nawilzal. Ale to jedyne co robil. Dla mnie zima nie nawilzal wystarczajaco. Latem bedzie idealny. I krem i esencja maja delikatny herbaciany zapach, ktory bardzo szybko sie ulatnia. A szkoda, bo jest bardzo przyjemny i odprezajacy.

Ale co z dzialaniem przeciw-zmarszczkowym?
Tak szczerze, to nie wiedzialam zadnego.
Nic. Zupelnie nic.

It did nothing to prevent new lines. It did nothing for my existing lines.
It was a nice moisturizer, that's all.

And here I am torn.
Because I actually like this cream. I know it will work great as the weather gets hotter and more humid. But then again, if all I'm looking for is light moisture, then I already have the essence. Which I can pair with a more substantial cream, if needed.

However, as a basic day cream to wear under makeup, this worked great.

Bottom line? If this cream cost 20 bucks, I'd buy it again. For more than 50 dollars, no thank you. I'll pass.

(If you want a GREAT cream from A-True, buy the White Snow Tea Brilliant Aurora Cream. That's what I just did, because hello, Berdever has a promotion 30% off on all A-true products until April 30th).


Nie zrobil ten krem nic aby zapobiec nowym zmarszczkom. Nie zrobil tez nic z tymi, ktore juz mam.
Byl milym srodkiem nawilzajacym, to wszystko.

I tutaj mam problem. Bo w zasadzie to lubie ten krem. Na gorace, potem zalane lato bedzie idealny. Ale jesli jedyne co chce to lekkie nawilzenie, to mam juz esencje. Ktora moge polaczyc z bardziej tresciwym kremem, jesli tego moja cera bedzie wymagac.

Ale znowu, jako krem na dzien pod makijaz, to ten byl idealny.

Ostateczna opinia? Jesli kosztowalby jakies 20 dolarow to kupilabym ponownie. Ale za okolo 50, to podziekuje.

(Jesli koniecznie szukasz WSPANIALEGO kremu od A-True, to polecam White Snow Tea Brilliant Aurora Cream. Wlasnie skorzystalam z promocji 30% znizki w Berdever, i sama kupilam. Kupilam tez lotion z tej linii, bo esencje White Snow Tea Brilliant Aurora juz mam.)


~~~

After a few days of using the A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Cream, one night I stuck the spatula into the jar and surprise!!!

Po kilku dniach uzywania A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Cream, wsadzilam szpatulke do sloiczka. I niespodzianka!!!

(Please excuse the ratty towel background, this was taken with the phone in the bathroom).

So let's see how deep this rabbit hole goes.


(Prosze wybaczyc farfoclowaty recznik, bylam w lazience, pstrykalam telefonem).
Wiec sprawdzmy jak gleboka ta krolicza norka jest:

The answer? All the way to the bottom.

The inside of the jar was literally empty.
There's no way in hell there was 50 grams of cream in there.
I guess now I'll have to weigh all new creams before I start using them, and then again weigh empty containers to determine whether or not the quantity is as it should be.

Needless to say, this was a very unpleasant surprise.

The packaging info says this:


Odpowiedz? Gleboka az do samego dna.

Srodek sloiczka byl w zasadzie pusty.
Nie widze jak to mozliwe, aby znajdowalo sie tam 50 gramow kremu.
Chyba teraz bede musiala zaczac wszystko wazyc przed otwarciem, i potem po skonczeniu produktu, aby naprawde sprawdzic, czy znajduje sie w srodku tyle kosmetyku, ile byc powinno.

Byla to raczej nieprzyjemna niespodzianka.

Na opakowaniu mamy to:

40 ml for the essence, and 50 grams for the cream.
Oh well...

Here are the A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Cream ingredients:


40 ml esencji i 50 gramow kremu. No coz...

Tutaj sklad A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Cream:

The blurb on the leaflet is the same as for the essence, except here macadamia oil is also mentioned. I didn't bother to take a photo.

And what about the expiration dates?
Here they are:

Opis produktu na ulotce jest niemal identyczny jak w przypadku esencji. Tutaj rowniez macadamia olej jest wspomniany. Nie robilam zdjecia.

A jak z datami waznosci?
Sa tutaj:

Final verdict?

• Are these decent products? Yes.
• Overpriced? Yes.
• Anti-wrinkle anything? Nope.
• Moisturizing? Yes.
• Gentle? Very much so!
• Suitable for sensitive and breakout prone skin? Yes.
• Suitable for oily skin? According to my oily tester - yes.
• Suitable for dry skin? Depending on how dry your skin is, you might need more moisture.
• Day or night? For the cream I'd say day. You might want something more substantial at night.
• Works under makeup? Yes, very well!

Finalowa opinia?

• Czy sa to dobre produkty? Tak.
• O wygorowanych cenach? Tak.
• Przeciw-zmarszczkowe cokolwiek? Nie.
• Nawilzajace? Tak.
• Delikatne? Jak najbardziej tak.
• Dobre dla cery wrazliwej? Tak.
• Dobre dla cery tlustej? Wedlug mojej tlustej testerki - tak.
• Dobre dla cery suchej? Tak, ale w zaleznosci od tego jak sucha jest twoja cera, mozesz potrzebowac dodatkowego nawilzenia.
• Na dzien czy na noc? Krem powiedzialabym zdecydowanie na dzien. 
• Nadaje sie pod makijaz? Jak najbardziej tak.

Of the two I much prefer the essence, as you can tell. Here, I have absolutely nothing to complain about. Except maybe the pump and cheap, plastic bottle. For that price I'd like to see something a bit more luxurious.

Jak widac z powyzszego, bardziej lubie esencje. Tutaj nie mam nic do zarzucenia. No moze oprocz pompki i taniej, plastikowej butelki. Za taka cene oczekiwalabym czegos bardziej powiewajacego luksusem.

Maybe I'm judging the cream too harshly, but I think there are better options.
I know that next time instead of this, I will get the A-True White Snow Tea Brilliant Aurora Cream. My anti-wrinkle needs I will take elsewhere.

You can purchase these, and many other A-True products from Berdever.pl.
As far as I can tell, Aga (the lady running the shop) has the best prices around.
She speaks English, so if you shoot her an email (kontakt "at" berdever.pl, just replace "at" with @ and remove the spaces), she'll be happy to help you out. She can quote your prices in dollars, of course.

And guess what?
She's running a promotion right now - 30% off all A-True products - until April 30th.
(I could pass this promotion up and just got A-True White Snow Tea Brilliant Aurora Cream and A-True White Snow Tea Brilliant Aurora Lotion).

Happy shopping!!!


Moze oceniam krem za bardzo surowo, ale uwazam, ze A-True oferuje lepsze opcje.

Wiem, ze nastepnym razem zamiast kremu dzis opisywanego, kupie ten: A-True White Snow Tea Brilliant Aurora Cream.
A dzialania przeciw-zmarszczkowe polece komu innemu.

Caly asortyment A-True jest do nabycia w sklepie internetowym Berdever.
I z tego co widze w necie, Aga (przemila dziewczyna prowadzaca ten sklep) ma najlepsze ceny na A-True jakie udalo mi sie znalezc.

I co najlepsze?
W tej chwili ma promocje na wszystko A-True. 30% znizki. Do jutra, czyli do 30 kwietnia.
(Sama juz skorzystalam i kupilam A-True White Snow Tea Brilliant Aurora Cream oraz A-True White Snow Tea Brilliant Aurora Lotion).

Milych zakupow!!!

Do-it-yourself sake kasu mask

I don't drink sake. In fact, I don't really drink any alcohol at all. Why?
A) the stuff doesn't agree with me, and
B) it ages your skin so fast that most of the time you don't even notice you're all shriveled up and splotchy until it's after the fact.

So why am I interested in sake?

Sake is made by fermenting rice. When sake is all done and ready, there's plenty of strange smelling and doughy-looking gunk left over.


Jak widac z opoznienia, nie bardzo chcialo mi sie tlumaczyc wersji polskiej. Sorry!

Nie pije sake. Tak serio, to nie pije zadnego alkoholu. Dlaczego?
A) nie mam takiej potrzeby, i
B) alkohol postarza skore tak szybko, ze zanim sie zorientujesz, to skora juz ma plamy, wisi i jest wyglada jak suszona sliwka. Ze o krostach nie wspomne.

Wiec dlaczego nagle interesuje mnie sake?

Sake robione jest przez fermentacje ryzu. Kiedy napitek jest juz gotowy, pozostalosci z fermentacji tego ryzu rowniez sa gotowe. Wygladaja troche ciastowato i pachna troche dziwnie.

That gunk is called sake kasu (a.k.a. lees from sake production), and in Japan, where nothing ever seems to go to waste, it has plenty of uses, mainly in the kitchen. It's loaded with nutrients, and supposedly, very good for you.

It also happens to be very good for your skin.
Remember the story of SK-II's Pitera? Sake ferment? Rings a bell?

Yep, sake kasu is the mother of all rice ferments, albeit in a solid form.


Te pozostalosci nazywaja sie sake kasu, i w Japonii, gdzie nic sie nie marnuje, maja one wiele zastosowan, gownie w kuchni. Sake kasu ma szalone wlasciwosci odzywcze, i ponoc jest bardzo zdrowe.

Ponoc jest tez bardzo zdrowe dla cery.
Pamietacie historie SK-II'owego cudu pod nazwa Pitera? Sake ferment? Brzmi znajomo?

Tak, dokladnie. Sake kasu to matka wszystkich ryzowych fermentow. Tyle ze w swej oryginalnej, solidnej formie.

Just as sake has a few different grades, the same can be said about sake kasu.
Depending on the grade, kasu can differ in color, texture, consistency, and also, the trace amounts of alcohol still in it. Low grade kasu is full of alcohol, and while useable in the kitchen (alcohol evaporates during cooking), it's not really good (or can be even harmful) for your skin.

Why am I telling you all this?

Because SK-II is expensive (and my skin doesn't like its treatment essence). And My Beauty Diary sake masks are hard to find (and my skin likes them very much).

Tak jak sake ma kilka stopni doskonalosci (od zwyklego codziennego, do bardzo wypasionego), tak samo i sake kasu.
W zaleznosci od stopnia, kasu moze roznic sie kolorem, tekstura, konsystencja, i rowniez sladowymi ilosciami alkoholu. Kasu niskiej jakosci jest pelne alkoholu, i o ile nadaje sie do uzycia w kuchni (alkohol wyparowuje podczas gotowania), to niestety nie nadaje sie do celow kosmetycznych. A wrecz moze byc szkodliwe.

Dlaczego o tym wszystkim pisze?

Ano dlatego, bo SK-II jest dla bogatych (a moja cera nie lubi sie z ichna treatment essence). A My Beauty Diary sake sheet maski nie sa latwe do dostania tu u mnie (a moja cera bardzo sie z nimi lubi).

To remedy this situation, I decided to do what many Japanese women do. I went straight to the source and got me a bag of kasu directly from a sake brewery.

Choosing a brewery is important.
You want people who know their sake. You want people who are famous for their sake. Or at least, you want people who make sake in a place famous for its sake.
We decided on a brewery in Fukui prefecture. And yes, Fukui prefecture is famous for its sake.

Zeby rozwiazac ta sytuacje, postanowilam zrobic to, co robia Japonki. Poszlam prosto do zrodla i zamowilam worek kasu bezposrednio od producenta sake.

Selekcja wytworni sake jest bardzo wazna.
Musimy zamowic od ludzi, ktorzy znaja sie na sake od pokolen. Od ludzi, ktorzy sa znani ze swojej sake. Albo przynajmniej od ludzi, ktorzy robia sake w miejscu, ktore z sake slynie.
Dlatego tez wybralismy wytwornie w prefekturze Fukui.
Tak, prefektura Fukui slynie z sake.

Fukui prefecture marked in red. Image: wikipedia.

Some breweries are very aware of the fact that women use sake kasu for skincare purposes, and some don't give a fark.
You want an aware brewery, because such kasu will be of higher grade and with the least amount of residual alcohol possible. Some breweries even offer ready-made sake kasu face packs. The brewery we ordered from was one such place.

My kasu arrived in a 2 kilogram bag, and of course I did take photos. Lots of them. I swear I did. I just managed to reformat the memory card before transferring all of them onto my computer. Yes, I'm very lucky that stupidity isn't a painful affliction.

Niektore wytwornie bardzo dobrze zdaja sobie sprawe z tego, ze wiele kobiet uzywa sake kasu w celach kosmetycznych. Niektorym wytworniom to wisi.
Lepiej wiec zamowic od ludzi, ktorzy zdaja sobie z tego sprawe, poniewaz takie kasu bedzie lepszej jakosci i z jak najbardziej niska zawartoscia alkoholu jak tylko mozliwe. Niektore firmy nawet oferuja juz gotowe sake kasu maski na twarz. My zamowilismy wlasnie z takiej firmy.

Moje kasu przyjechalo w 2-kilowym opakowaniu. Zdjecia byly, ale sie zbyly. Sorry!

On the internet, you can find many different skincare recipes for sake kasu.
I decided to go with the most basic one:

Blend some kasu with purified water.
Spread on your face.
Wait for 20 minutes, or so.
Wash off.
All done.

I recommend using a blender.


W internecie jest wiele kosmetycznych przepisow na maski z sake kasu.
Ja poszlam z tym najprostszym:

Zmiksowac troche kasu z woda (ja uzywalam takiej z apteki).
Posmarowac na twarz.
Odczekac jakies 20 minut.
Zmyc.
Gotowe.

Polecam uzywanie blendera, albo innego food processora.

You can do it by hand, but it can be a tedious process.

Kasu smells exactly the same as SK-II's Treatment Essence. I know that some (many) women can't stand that smell. It's been compared to urine, among many other things.

Mozna to zrobic recznie, ale to mozolny proces.

Kasu pachnie (smierdzi?) dokladnie tak samo jak slynna Treatment Essence od SK-II. Wiem, ze wiele kobiet tego smordku nie znosi. Jest on porownywany do, miedzy innymi, szczochow, ze tak powiem.

30 grams of kasu is almost too much for a single use face mask. I'd recommend 20 grams. 
30 gramow to ciut za duzo jak na jeden raz. Wg mnie 20 gramow wystarczy.

To remedy this situation, because no one wants to keep on their face for 20 minutes something that smells like piss, you can substitute the water (or part of it) with aloe juice, or yogurt.

Aby pozbyc sie tego moczowatego zapachu, bo nie kazdy ma ochote wachac siki przez 20 minut, mozna zamiec wode (lub czesc wody) na sok z aloesu lub jogurt.

I didn't mind the pissy smell. What I did mind was the herculean task of blending this stuff. To make my life easier and at the same time pack the mask with some extra nutrients, I decided to add honey to the kasu/ purified water mix. And then, almost as an afterthought, a few drops of tomato seed oil, as well.

Mnie akurat szczochowaty zapach nie przeszkadza. Mam kafunsho (sezonowe alergie) i nie jestem w stanie wyczuc zadnych zapachow.
To, co mi przeszkadzalo, to syzyfowa praca mieszania tej mieszanki. Zeby ulatwic sobie zycie, dodalam miodu do mikstury. A potem, tak na odczep sie - kilka kropel oleju z nasion pomidowac.

Tomato seed oil is supposed to be a powerhouse of all things good for your skin. It's claimed to be so good it should make you look younger in mere seconds. Or somesuch.

Olej z nasion pomidora ma byc kosmetycznym cudotworca. Ponoc odmladza w kilka sekund.

Mixture ready to blend.
Gotowe do blendowania.

It didn't make me younger. Sadly. But what it did was change the consistency of the mixture just enough to make it more comfortable to use.

Mnie tam nie odmlodzil. Ale za to zmienil konsystencje tej papki na tyle, ze latwiej bylo ja uzywac.

After blending. You can blend until your mask is perfectly smooth. I'm too impatient for that.
Mozna miksowac az do pelnej gladkosci bez grudek. Ja nie mam tyle cierpliwosci.

My mask wasn't runny (a common complaint if you add too much liquid), but if yours is, here is an easy way to fix it.
Are you familiar with the dry, compressed sheet mask capsules? The type that is intended for a do-it-yourself mask with a treatment liquid of your own choosing?

Moja maska nie byla za bardzo wodnista (to czesty problem jesli doda sie za duzo wody), ale jest twoja jest, to mozna to bardzo latwo naprawic bez dodawania ekstra kasu.
Potrzeba do tego kapsulkowej suchej, upakowanej maski plachtowej. Ten typ sheet maski przeznaczony jest do robienia wlasnych masek plachtowych przy uzyciu wlasnego wyboru esencji i tonerow.

This is what you can do - take a capsule, rehydrate it just enough to unfold it, and put it on your sake kasu'ed face. Problem solved.

Wiec co zrobic? Wziac taka kapsulke, nawodnic ja tylko na tyle, zeby sie rozlozyla i wsadzic plachte na sake-ukasowana twarz. Nie ma problema.

Just spread it on your face.
Usmarowana twarz.

When I washed my face after using the honey and tomato seed oil enhanced recipe for the first time, I couldn't quite believe my eyes.
My face was uniform in color, clear, luminous and very, very pale.
I credit this do-it-yourself mask with helping to heal the massive outbreak after the disastrous A-true sheet mask experience.

Kiedy zmylam wszystko z twarzy, po uzyciu przepisu z miodem i olejem z nasion pomidora po raz pierwszy, nie bardzo chcialam wierzyc wlasnym oczom.
Moja twarz byla jednolitego kolory, czysta, przejrzysta, lsniaca od srodka. I bardzo, ale to bardzo, blada.
Nie mam watpliwosci, ze to wlasnie kasu pomoglo mi wyleczyc masywny wysyp, kiedy A-true sheet maska chciala zezrec mi twarz.

Use a dry paper mask capsule to keep the kasu on your face moist longer.
Mozna uzyc kapsulkowej maski plachtowej, aby utrzymac wilgotnosc kasu na twarzy dluzej.

I've been playing around with various sake kasu face pack recipes, but this one, with honey and tomato seed oil, seems to be the most effective for my skin.
I use it weekly.
Since the start of my sake kasu experiments, I have had no major breakout episodes. My skin is ridiculously clear. Apart from stubborn redness around my nose (it's allergy season and I blow my nose a gazillion times a day), my skin looks really good and really healthy. Even my pores appear somehow smaller. The immediate results last for about a day. The extreme paleness effect is very temporary, which is a pity, and disappears within a couple of hours.

Bawilam sie z kilkoma roznymi przepisami, ale ten z miodem i olejem z pestek pomidora wydaje sie byc najlepszy dla mnie.
Uzywam mniej wiecej raz w tygodniu.
Od kiedy zaczelam bawic sie z kasu, nie mialam zadnych powazniejszych wysypow. Moja cera jest niesamowicie czysta. Az sie sama dziwie.
Oprocz zaczerwienienia wokol nosa, bo jest teraz sezon na alergie i smarkam jak nawiedzona, moja cera wyglada nadspodziewanie dobrze i nadspodziewanie zdrowo. Nawet moje pory sa takie jakies mniejsze i malo wyrazne.
Natychmiastowe rezultaty trwaja przez okolo jeden dzien. Efekt ekstermalnej bladosci jest bardzo tymczasowy (okolo 2 godziny), co mnie nie cieszy, bo ja lubie byc blada jak sciana tynkowa.

The extra paper mask keeps the kasu in place and makes life a lot easier.
Ta dodatkowa papierowa maska trzyma kasu na miejscu i bardzo ulatwia zycie.

What stays, however, is the incredibly clear and fresh looking skin.

In conclusion, this do-it-yourself sake kasu mask does everything that I expected, but didn't get, from SK-II Facial Treatment Essence.

I'll continue to experiment with different ingredients and brands of kasu and plan to post relevant updates in the future.

Co nie jest tymczasowe, to bardzo czysta, przejrzysta i swiezo wygladajaca skora.

W podsumowaniu, to domowe kasu zrobilo dla mnie wszystko to, na co mialam nadzieje, a czego nie dostalam od SK-II Facial Treatment Essence.
Bede eksperymentowac z roznymi kasu i postaram sie dodawac nowe wpisy na ten temat.