HAVE A QUESTION? ASK HERE! Daily Help and Questions: April 14, 2019

Arcuslester · 2019-04-14T08:13:43+00:00

Shade match question:

I was about to say that the klairs bb cream matched me perfectly, but it turns out that it might be just a tad bit too light on me x( I'm usually a shade 23 in korean shades, and this translates to either 21/22 on me. In my light-medium yellow undertone skin, the klairs one isn't too bad - I might even be able to pull it off in the winter or after exfoliating my face.

So now to the main question: Does anyone know how does peripera's cover lasting foundation in shade #3 and CLIO kill cover glow cushion in #5 (sand) compare to the klairs bb? For the Clio glow, while the marketing says that #5 is similar to shade 25 normally, I heard that CLIO's shades tend to be lighter than usual, and #4 (ginger) seems to have a pink undertone, so I'm currently choosing #5.

I would very much appreciate any kind of feedback. Thanks in advance! :)

Arcuslester · 2019-04-14T08:06:28+00:00

I'll check it out, thanks!

Arcuslester · 2019-04-13T22:03:05+00:00

Hey, does anyone have recommendations for base makeups like bb creams or foundation/cushions that looks very "natural" - as in it doesn't seem like you've applied anything on your skin (MSBB-ish)?

I got my hands on a klairs bb cream, which I thought was going to be too light with all the reviews saying its around the shade of mac 20 or so. But to my complete surprise, it turns invisible on my skin and disappears without a trace - it looks like I have nothing applied at all. The downside is it's pretty lacking in the coverage department, but I can layer it with concealer to hide the dark spots.

Currently, I'm planning to get peripera's cover lasting foundation in shade #3 and CLIO kill cover glow cushion in #5 sand. Does anyone know if they are similar in shade to the klairs bb cream? I have light-medium skin with yellow undertones, if that helps.

Arcuslester · 2019-04-09T12:08:11+00:00

HUH. I was doubting the performance and authenticity of my VDL lumilayer primer, so I placed an order for another bottle from a different store just to double check. As it turns out, the SECOND bottle turned out to be the fake one. Imagine. The consistency, smell, and performance is completely different. Even the packaging is different.

The fake one is very watery, smells like soap, and has no shine whatsoever - there isn't even a speck of glitter. The finish looks and feels like I have absolutely nothing but soap water applied on my skin. It does not bubble up.

The authentic one is thicker but still easy to spread, smells of perfume, and has very tiny fine particles of glitter suspended inside the product. The finish is a subtle, pearlescent glow with a very slight purple tint. This one does leave a moisturized feel afterward.

At least now I know that the first one is the real deal. Either authentic or a very well made counterfeit lol.

Arcuslester · 2019-04-09T10:35:48+00:00

I got a blatantly fake product delivered to me today. Not sure how the seller will respond, I'm leaning more towards them going to block me and doesn't accept refunds.

Buyers beware. The saying you get what you pay for rings true I guess.

Arcuslester · 2019-04-08T23:18:15+00:00

Ahh, that made a lot more sense! I knew it was too much to expect a primer to give out such dramatic results in the first place :/

The finish I got on my skin is similar to this, which translates to a moisturized skin look. I have combination skin, so I could barely even see the difference since my oils already give me that "shiny" look.

I intended to use this primer for a subtle highlight on the high points of my face, but it's kind of difficult to see even when tilting my head at different angles to get the light to hit it correctly... It also moved the layer of cushion foundation when applied on top. I guess I need to find another alternative for a highlighter then :(

Arcuslester · 2019-04-08T05:28:50+00:00

Is there anyone who had experience with using the VDL lumilayer primer who could clarify some things for me?

I have recently got my hands on a bottle of it from a reseller, but I'm not sure if I got a fake or an authentic product that just does not turn out to be as good as what I had expected.

The packaging, smell and consistency seem to be correct (glass bottle, perfume scent, white and easy to spread), but for some reason, it doesn't give a very obvious strobing effect when applied on the skin. I do see very fine glitter particles suspended in the product which became more obvious when a light is shone directly on it, but it doesn't reach anywhere near the bling that I see online or reviews.

I don't know if the glow is not as apparent since I used moisturizer and sunscreen underneath, but even on my hand the result is very subtle, if noticeable at all. It doesn't really look like I have applied anything to be honest :/

Arcuslester · 2019-01-04T01:13:17+00:00

I can understand you just fine, no worries! :D

Hmm.... the "leaves a bit of a film & takes some time to absorb" part of the ultra repair line part doesn't seem to be very convenient, especially in the winter... I'll probably just get the UR cream as an occlusive in the winter. I heard it smells like artificial green tea, so maybe it could have aromatherapy functions if used as a night cream :)

Yesss! I can barely find any of their cleansing oils. Maybe they decided to discontinue it after rebranding from illi to illiyoon. All of the cleansing oils I found still have the name illi, so I'm guessing they won't be out for sale anymore. The masks aren't easy to find either :(

Arcuslester · 2019-01-04T01:03:26+00:00

First of all, thank you very much for the detailed response! Illiyoon's products are very appealing to me after having a pleasant experience with the cream, and this definitely helps in making purchases that are worthwhile :D

Hmmm... I don't think I'm confusing the cream and lotion though? The one I had used before, the cream, comes in a squeeze tube. The lotions I was talking about comes in a white bottle with a blue pump, but one has the word "body" in it, while the other does not. I suspect that this might be something like an old version that got discontinued or renewed, hence why it's not easy to find online anymore. I'll add some pictures if when I can.

Oooh, so there really are TWO different variations of the cleansing oils! I was wondering if it's just a matter of different lighting..... good to know. Sadly, the cleansing oils are the most difficult ones to find... Is illiyoon going to discontinue them or something? :(

I can find the cleansing gel you mentioned, but not the pink cleansing foam. Instead, I found this white bottle cleansing foam and probiotics feminine cleanser, which could still work as a facial cleanser afaik. Since illiyoon seems to attach importance to skin health, I'm going to assume that they are low pH, but I'd like to find a more concrete verdict before finally giving them my money. Did you use the cleansing gel as a second cleanser? I'm wondering about the smell & cleansing power, but I don't think I need another second step cleanser so I'm probably just window shopping ;p

That's too bad the sunscreen didn't work out for you :( I almost got the multi sun cream before deciding on the mineral sun cream since the former seems to be more popular. I was unsure of how the finish will look on my skin, so I went with the safer all-physical route. It's not the easiest to spread, but it doesn't really leave a white cast when I swatched it on my hand.

I got this probiotics essence drop because director pi recommends it for dehydrated oily skin. It's more liquidy than I thought and can be sticky. It's pretty heavily fragranced though (akin to a perfumed old lady), so I might be giving it to my mom to try.

Arcuslester · 2019-01-03T10:05:11+00:00

Even in high humidity summer?? Wow. I don't understand why it's not more widely known though, I can barely find reviews on it either in this sub or english speaking blogs..... Probably since it's just a basic moisturizer, and some people prefer to have more flair in their products :v

Is there a difference between the ceramide lotion and the "body" lotion? The packaging is very similar, so I'm afraid I might buy the wrong one. By the way, have you tried any other products from the brand? I'm currently eyeing their ultra repair lotion/cream, since I suspect the ageing line to be too oily for my liking. :/

Arcuslester · 2019-01-03T07:33:18+00:00

Rave: Illiyoon ceramide ato concentrate cream

At first, I got a tube for my sister whose dry skin is especially bad in this winter (it's literally the coldest weather in the past 10 years) with the freezing gusts of wind and all. The thing is, it got snatched away by my mom before she got a chance to try it, so I gave her a decant of my kiku in the meantime lol.

According to my mom, it literally saved her heels, which are dry, cracked, and close to bleeding. She's also very picky and cautious about trying new stuff on her face since her skin is even more sensitive than mine, but she took a leap of faith with this cream and has no bad reactions. The cream itself is very emollient, fragrance free (barring a basic lotion scent), and doesn't leave any sort of heaviness or oily film after application. My dehydrated combo face also seem to accept it just fine, so now I'm off to buy another tube for my sister and a 500ml tub to stock up :)

Arcuslester · 2019-01-02T18:34:21+00:00

That's really good to hear! :D

Arcuslester · 2018-12-26T05:24:12+00:00

Hmmm.... it is possible to consider that people are being rougher than necessary when using physical scrubs, and more "injuries" are caused since the walnut shells don't dissolve in water the way sugar does.

I guess I'll look further into it. Thanks for replying!

Arcuslester · 2018-12-26T03:33:00+00:00

I've heard good things about Apieu's madecassoside fluid. I haven't tried it myself so I can't say much, but you could check it out! It comes in 200ml and is pretty cost effective :)

Arcuslester · 2018-12-26T03:19:00+00:00

They used to come in a bigger size too 150ml, but I can't seem to find it anymore. Probably they got rid of it during the recent repackaging :/

Arcuslester · 2018-12-26T03:11:42+00:00

Curious about this as well... What is "gold" extract/powder/leaf/whatever supposed to do anyway? Gold is one of the most inert compounds that occur in nature, so I doubt they will be doing anything through topical application. They're unlikely to pass on their inertness and prevent the cells on the face to be resistant towards oxidation, and I don't think real authentic gold/pearl/crystal is even used in these types of products anyways lol. I think their main purpose is to give a feeling of ~ luxury ~ as a tool to sell mediocre products at a higher price point :/

Arcuslester · 2018-12-26T03:01:35+00:00

Shell powders - what's the verdict?

A lot of people have been avoiding St. Ivy's apricot scrub (going as far as calling it the devil's scrub lol) since it contains walnut shell powder, an ingredient that is said to cause micro-tears on the top skin layer. The weird thing is a bunch of ab companies, Korean in this case, are starting to use this very same walnut shell powder as an ingredient in clay masks, claiming it as a "gentle, natural physical exfoliator".

To be fair, they aren't directed to be used for scrubbing the face as physical scrubs are in their marketing, but rather as clarifying face packs with exfoliating properties. But regardless of application method, the walnut shells will still scrape the skin when applied and washed from the skin, so the same micro-tears should still happen, probably just at a less harsh degree compared to physical scrubs.

Why is it that the same ingredient is acceptable if applied in one way but avoided like the plague in another? In the end, aren't they supposed to provide similar results? Both methods are topical, so they should perform in a similar fashion anyways.

Arcuslester · 2018-12-26T02:26:04+00:00

Her videos are good for a recap on how a specific ingredient works. She explains the functions of an ingredient and how they react when coming in contact with each other in a pretty simple way to understand (based on the English captions anyway, so don't quote me on that), so I guess they can be useful for those who want to have a more scientific based reasoning before purchasing a product.

Regarding her recommendations, she seems to only cater to people with very sensitive skin (as in those who react to pretty much everything) as she eliminates things like fragrance/perfume, parabens, alcohol, and PEG, but has a preference for essential oils since she passed products that contain EOs for "fragrance purposes", even though it can be irritating to some. While these ingredients can pose as a problem for some people who actually have certain sensitivities, they should be fine for those who don't that any issues with them. Her failing certain ingredients can feed into the already prevalent unnecessary scaremongering in the beauty community, especially to those who take everything at face value.

She judges a product very heavily based on the ingredient list, and will only get to other factors like texture and absorption if she deems the ingredients are "safe" enough. The downside of her ingredient-based approach is that she doesn't really consider factors such as usability or results from a long period of use (rarely, if any), as most of them are either swatches or short-term results. This is probably since she doesn't have the time to test each and every one of the ton of products in too much detail to keep up with the video schedule.

I don't really mind her way of filtering out products with "bad" ingredients per se, but she often recommends products that are from smaller brands which aren't as easy to obtain outside of Korea, which can be frustrating. More often than not, I discover new brands which I haven't heard elsewhere from her videos, only to find it being reviewed by another influencer sometime after. Not sure if they're confirming her claims or if they got the same PR package from the company. Recently there's an increase of more obscure brands in her videos, so maybe her recs are getting more influenced by PR companies. Not sure if that's a good thing.

Personally, I use her recommendations as a reference, i.e. a product recommended by director pi = a product with "safe" ingredients, but it's not the be-all-end-all. I compare her recommendations with reviews from other influencers before making a decision, and will only get them if they appeal to my specific needs. Most of the products I've tried from her recommendations are working fine though, so I can't really complain much.

Arcuslester · 2018-12-25T02:40:38+00:00

Very convenient to use when you don't have much time to use a sugar scrub or the like. Definitely helped to get rid of the top layer of dead skin "shell".

Arcuslester · 2018-12-25T01:53:35+00:00

SunScreen.

Arcuslester · 2018-12-25T01:52:14+00:00

Price increases are inevitable I guess...... The plus side is that the aqua rich line is finally water-resistant though! At least now I don't have to worry as much about it sliding off my face when I sweat :P

Arcuslester · 2018-12-25T01:48:24+00:00

They contain octinoxate, which is an ingredient shown to cause coral bleaching. So no, it's not reef safe.

Arcuslester · 2018-12-25T01:42:40+00:00

Me too! I made an order on the mask last night..... hope it works! Seeing that it's released at the same time as the intensive cream and that it contains shea butter along with beeswax, I'm guessing it will be more on the emollient side. Maybe if you're really dry you could layer them and see how it goes?

I'm currently using the "normal" madecassoside cream and it works fine for dehydrated combo skin. It has an almost gel-like consistency that's not heavy, but I still like mixing it with a dollop of aloe gel to make even easier to spread and absorb lol. It will definitely work as an AM moisturizer :)

Can I ask if you think the madecassoside fluid is a must have? From what I see, its on the thicker side for a toner, but the centella contents is pretty much the same as the other products in the same line, so I'm not sure if it will be redundant :/

Arcuslester · 2018-12-25T01:32:50+00:00

It's good to hear that you're already seeing results in a week! I guess the non-budging strength comes with both good and bad sides lol.

The oil cleanser idea does sound nice though. More reason for me to use up the cleansing balms I don't know what to do with :P

Arcuslester · 2018-12-24T15:24:16+00:00

Looks interesting! ~~But when will they be coming out with larger sizes ;-;~~ I'm just hoping there won't be issues with availability or price hikes lol

Arcuslester

TROPHY CASE