Unboxing Beauty

As promised, I’ve been testing out a few products for the late spring and early summertime ~ a;t Fox and theYeon products, to be specific.   I wanted to try out some products that were more designed for warmer months and my oily skin type.   I requested these products on testerkorea.com and once they received them, I was able to order them.  I will group these by brand and how I use them.

TheYeon products in this review are

• Cooling Sherbert Cream
• Calming Powdery Toner for oily skin
• Calming Powdery Serum for oily skin

a;t Fox products tested are

• Tea Toc Boosting Water
• Tea Toc Water Cream

 

 

First up, theYeon products.  Just to recap,  some key ingredients that are found in the Jeju Hallabong Energy line

Hallabong (Mandarin Orange) ~  Has astringent and toning properties and are a great source of Vitamin C, which is known to improve and even out skin tone and texture.  Vitamin C is also important to stimulate collagen, which helps with anti-aging. 

Kiwi ~ Kiwis actually contain more Vitamin C than oranges, and this will help slow down the appearance of aging as well as repairing your skin.  Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds, and prevents rough and dry skin.   Kiwi extract will help soften your skin.  Kiwi is also a great source of Vitamin E, which helps decrease facial lines and the depth of facial wrinkles and is also a major source of antioxidants, which help combat free radicals and reverse the damage caused by them.

Broccoli ~ Broccoli is a superfood it not only contains antioxidants like beta-carotene and Vitamin C, it also has Vitamin B complex, Vitamin E ~ which creates radiant skin and shiny hair as it revives skin tissue, Vitamin A and K, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Amino Acids and Folic Acid (Vitamin B9).  All of these vitamins help care for your skin and keep it glowing and healthy.  Broccoli also contains glucoraphanin, a phytonutrient, which has been reported in reversing sun damage on your skin.

Aloe Vera ~ Aloe Vera is a powerful moisturizer that doesn’t leave your skin feeling oily or greasy.   It soothes, treats inflammation, helps speed up skin healing and also has a plethora of antioxidants ~  beta-carotene, Vitamin C and Vitamin E, which help improve your skin’s firmness and keeps your skin moist and hydrated.  It also contains over 75 different nutritious ingredients, including minerals, enzymes,  amino acids, salicylic acid and much more.

image from http://www.theyeon.kr/

Lemongrass ~ Lemongrass will help reduce/limit the bacterial and microbial growth on your skin, as it is an  anti-microbial and anti-bacterial herb.   This means it will also help protect your skin from infections and it will help cure fungal infections on your skin as well.   Lemongrass is also an astringent and will help reduce the appearance of your pores, control sebum (oil) production and temporary firm your skin.

Avocado ~ This ingredient is in Cooling Sherbert Cream.  Avocados are full of antioxidant carotenoids, such as alpha and beta caroten ~ and these antioxidants combat free radical and environmental damage and protect your skin from premature aging.  It is also full of Vitamin C, which helps stimulate the production of collagen, which leads to firmer skin and Vitamin E, another powerful antioxidant, combating not only free radical damage, but protecting and reducing the effects of UVA and UVB sun exposure radiation.  It also has an omega-9 fat, high oleic acid, which helps create a moisture barrier, making skin soft and moisturized, while regenerating damaged skin cells and reducing facial irritation and redness.

Salix Nigra (Black Willow) Bark ~  This ingredient is in the Calming Powdery products. Willow bark is a natural salicylic acid (beta hydroxy acid) and will help exfoliate dead skin cells and is an anti-inflammatory

Enantia Chlorantha Bark ~ This ingredient is in the Calming Powdery products.  This bark from a native African tree is well known in medicinal circles for helping to regulate sebum and also destroying free radicals that are harmful to your skin.  It also reduces inflammation and keeps your skin healthy.

 

theYeon Jeju Hallabong Energy Cooling Sherbet Cream   I admit, I did purchase this for the cute Hallabong container!  I have NO idea what a Cooling Sherbert cream is ~ I thought maybe it was a cream that would have cooling properties.  Nope, no such luck.   This is not an overly heavy moisturizer, but it is does have some slickness and weight to it that caused me to use this as a sleeping pack and not as a daytime moisturizer.  The texture is almost like putting a thicker hand cream on your face ~ which could be due to the fact it has beeswax as its fifth ingredient.   The texture is not unpleasant, but for me, it is too much for the daytime.  If you have normal to dry skin, you probably could wear this as a daytime moisturizer.

This has, like most of the Hallabong line, a delightful tangerine/citrus scent.   I did not notice any cooling properties, but I did like how smooth and soft my skin felt the next morning, which does mean that the claim that it absorbs and retains moisture is true.   My face did not feel greasy nor did I experience any blemishes from using this cream for over a month.  Did it perform wonders on my face?  Well, no.  This is a nice cream, but I will not be repurchasing it again, as I feel it is too hard to get and too pricey (with the added shipping costs) for what it delivers.   It isn’t a bad facial cream, however.   Full Size 100 mL Value 24,300 won (approximately $21.64 USD)

Description: Hallabong cooling energy with unusual properties, such as cream, sherbet sherbet Bali said softly absorb the moisture that is naturally moisturizing cream on the skin for a long time.  (oh…so much is lost in translation!)

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Beeswax, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract, Cymbopogon Citratus (lemongrass) Extract, Portulaca Oleracea extract, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Magnesium Sulfate, PEG-10 Dimethicone, trehalose, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, disodium EDTA, Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Red 4 (CI 14700), fragrance cosDNA.com analysis

image from http://www.theyeon.kr/shop/product/product_detail.php?catCode=002000140003&productID=139424

image from http://www.theyeon.kr/shop/product/product_detail.php?catCode=002000140003&productID=139424

 

TheYeon has a few products specially designed for oily skin and I purchased the two calming powdery products.

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theYeon Jeju Hallabong Energy Calming Powdery Toner For Oily Skin  This toner does have alcohol in it, as it is for oily skin ~ it seems that any type of product for oily skin or pores is going to have this ingredient in it.  That said, I am fine with it, as I will follow up with a serum and moisturizer.   The powder settles to the bottom of the container and you can see that in the photo below (on the left).  I have to shake it well to mix up the contents (photo on the right) and then I use a cotton pad to wipe this on my T-Zone.   It does give a matte finish, but that only lasts until I put another product on it or wait 30 minutes.  I did not find this helped with controlling the oil in my skin, but it did not cause any breakouts and I believe it helped keep my blemishes at bay.  This has the wonderful scent of tangerines.  However, I much prefer the ADE Peeling Toner over this one.  I might repurchase this if the ADE Peeling Toner is discontinued.   This toner doesn’t wow me but it did get 1/2 of the job done, which was to keep my blemishes at bay.   Full Size 200 mL Value 19,300 won (approximately $17.19 USD)

Description: The excess oil with fresh, fluffy and clean skin pores toner for managing up pores, absorb excess oil from the skin surface and gives a smooth soothes the tired skin toner that controls the sebum in the pores and helps cultivate smaller pores.

Ingredients: Purified water, alcohol, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Fruit Extract (5%), propylene glycol, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Cymbopogon Citratus (lemongrass) Extract, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract, Salix Nigra (Black Willow) Bark Extract, Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract, Ethoxydiglycol, Butylene Glycol, PEG-8, Panthenol, allantoin, zinc oxide, Sodium Magnesium Silicate, calcium chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, sodium citrate, disodium EDTA, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Oleanolic Acid, phenoxyethanol, fragrance, Yellow 6 (CI 15985)  cosDNA.com analysis

 

image from http://www.theyeon.kr/shop/product/product_detail.php?catCode=002000140003&productID=139411

image from http://www.theyeon.kr/shop/product/product_detail.php?catCode=002000140003&productID=139411

image from http://www.theyeon.kr/shop/product/product_detail.php?catCode=002000140003&productID=139411

 

theYeon Calming Powdery Serum for Oily Skin   This serum is supposed to control oily skin, minimize the appearance of pores and mattify your skin.  It really didn’t do the latter at all.  I do not yet know the difference between this serum and the regular one ~ that will be for the fall/winter testing ~ but this was a serum that didn’t leave my skin greasy (check), my pores looked smaller (check), but my skin was did not have a matte finish.   I purchased this product for the matte finish promise and I feel that it did not live up to that.  This product did not make me breakout and had the classic citrus scent to it.   I might be doomed to never find skin care products that will produce a matte finish.  Full Size 50 mL Value 19,300 won (approximately $17.19 USD)

Ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, alcohol, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Fruit Extract (5%), Dipropylene Glycol, silica, dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone cross polymer, dimethicone, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Extract, Cymbopogon Citratus (lemongrass) Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract, Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract, Salix Nigra (Black Willow) Bark Extract, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, C12-14 Pareth-12, Oleanolic Acid, phenoxyethanol, fragrance, triethanolamine, disodium EDTA, Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Red 4 (CI 14700)  cosDNA.com analysis

 

image from http://www.theyeon.kr/shop/product/product_detail.php?catCode=002000140003&productID=139413

image from http://www.theyeon.kr/shop/product/product_detail.php?catCode=002000140003&productID=139413

image from http://www.theyeon.kr/shop/product/product_detail.php?catCode=002000140003&productID=139413

 

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a;t Fox is a small company that started out as a tea/dessert cafe that also sold cosmetics!  I love their Tea Toc Detox tablet ~ I know folks think that is gimmicky, but I do like it.   I am very interested in their Tea Toc line, which does consist of the tablet, a water booster and a water cream.

This line is free from parabens, artificial colors, mineral oil, talc, formaldehyde, benzophenone, sulfates and surfactants.   Some of the key ingredients in a;t Fox Tea Toc line are

• Saccharomyces/Camellia Sinensis (green tea) Extract Fermentation Filtrate ~ an antioxidant to help combat free radicals and reverse skin damage as well as an anti-inflammatory
• Aloe Barbadensis ~ one of its many users is to attract and keep moisture and is also an anti-inflammatory.
  
• Melissa Officinalis (lemon balm) ~ helps to help wounds quickly and also prevent new blemishes.
  
• Salvia Officinalis (sage) ~ Sage is an antiseptic, astringent, antibacterial and  anti inflammatory, and will also assist in stimulating your circulation and help heal your skin quickly.
  
• Citrus Paradisi (grapefruit) ~ Packed with Vitamin C,  it helps to cleanse and clear oily skin, while fighting blemishes and toning skin and tissues.
  
• Houttuynia Cordata ~ an herb with powerful detox properties, an astringent and anti-inflammatory.
  
• Ginkgo Biloba ~ this leaf is an anti-inflammatory and will reduce redness, helps control oil, is an antioxidant that will help boost collagen production.
  
• Mentha Piperita (peppermint) ~ anti-bacterial properties, cleanses and closes pores, has salicylic acid.
  

 

a;t Fox Tea Toc Boosting Water   I totally LOVE this water.  This is a boosting water, and I do not use it to cleanse, but after I cleanse and right before my toner, for both my morning and night time skin routines.  It has a light green tea/floral scent to it, not overpowering at all and it does disappear. A booster is really for the products that follow it ~ to helps those products to absorb better into your skin.  I don’t know if it works, but I love the way this water feels on my skin.  I also follow their recommendation to place cotton pads with the water on my face for 10 minutes.   I found this on their blog.naver site and despite the horrible google translation, I got the gist of what they were advocating.

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This has over 90% of fermented green tea filtrate extract, plus allantoin, for smooth & silky skin and betaine, a humectant ~ it attracts and retains moisture.   Full Size 300 mL Value 20,500 won (approximately $18.26 USD)

Description: Fermented Jeju green tea provides moisture into the deep skin instantly. This boosting water makes immediate moist effect to deep skin and gives re-freshness to the skin surface.

Ingredients: Saccharomyces/Camellia Sinensis (green tea) Extract Fermentation Filtrate (Fermented Jeju Camellia Sinensis 91.42%), Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, PEG-8, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Betaine, Trehalose, Glycereth-26, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis (lemon balm) Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance  cosDNA.com analysis

 

 

image from http://www.atfox.co.kr/shop/goods/goods_view.php?goodsno=46&category=001001

fermented green tea, aloe barbadensis, melissa officinalis (lemon balm), salvia officinalis (sage), citrus paradisi (grapefruit), houttuynia cordata, ginkgo biloba, mentha piperita (peppermint) 

image from http://www.atfox.co.kr/shop/goods/goods_view.php?goodsno=46&category=001001

 

 

a;t Fox Tea Toc Water Cream  This is an oil-free gel moisturizer for oily skin and was probably one of the biggest disappointments.  Again, this product did not make me break out in acne and it did moisturize my skin, but I felt it was lacking in something.  The scent of this gel was a fairly strong green tea/floral scent, not a dry tea, but sweet.  The fragrance did go away quickly, but it took forever for this gel to dry on my skin.  My face felt tacky and sticky, but it was moisturized!

As I already spend a lot of time on the skin care part of my morning routine, this extra wait time was not welcomed, as I need to put on my makeup ~ which made it impossible to do so while this gel was still drying.  Honestly, I cannot wait for this product to be used up ~ I am so determined to finish it that I am using it on my arms!  haha   It isn’t a horrible cream, but perhaps this would be better on skin types that aren’t as oily as mine or can absorb it  better.  Full Size 100 mL Value 20,500 won (approximately $18.26 USD)

Description: Jeju green tea ferment is an oil-free moisturizing cream which quickly relieves the dried skin by providing water balance and removes skin impurities.

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, PEG-75, Glycereth-26, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Sodium Hyaluronate, Betaine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arginine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Allantoin, Saccharomyces/Camellia Sinensis (green tea) Extract Fermentation Filtrate (Fermented Jeju Camellia Sinensis 0.1%), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis (lemon balm) Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract,Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance  cosDNA.com analysis

image from http://www.atfox.co.kr/shop/goods/goods_view.php?goodsno=47&category=001001

fermented green tea, aloe barbadensis, melissa officinalis (lemon balm), salvia officinalis (sage), citrus paradisi (grapefruit), houttuynia cordata, ginkgo biloba, mentha piperita (peppermint) 

image from http://www.atfox.co.kr/shop/goods/goods_view.php?goodsno=47&category=001001

What did I really like from this testing period?  a;t Fox Boosting Water, hands down.  A far, far second is theYeon Calming Powdery Toner.   I am interested in repurchasing the Boosting Water, but everything else did not wow me.   It isn’t as if they did not keep my skin hydrated, they did.  However, I saw no reduction in the oiliness of my skin with the Calming Powdery products, the Water Cream was too sticky for me and Cooling Sherbert did not cool my face.    I am glad I purchased these to try out, but the expense of these products, plus shipping costs are just a bit too prohibitive for me to want to try them again (with the exception of the Boosting Water).

I plan to do some more reviews in the upcoming months, so keep a look out on what I will test out next!

Do you have any of The Yeon or a;t Fox products?  What do you think of them?   It is so hard to find them here in the states and I am really loving the Tea Toc Water!

 

 

[ descriptions in italics from official product packaging/website http://www.theyeon.kr and http://www.atfox.co.kr ]