Unboxing Beauty

disclaimer: products received for review purpose.  all opinions my own & are honest.  blogpost contains affiliate links

I received a huge gift from Memebox  a couple of weeks ago, feature the brand TreeAnnSea.  I wrote an intro blog post at that time (click here to read), and I am slowly rolling out my reviews. The two watery products are the first ones to get a full review

Who is TreeannSea ?

TreeannSea is an eco-friendly beauty brand that uses ingredients from desert, the water and botanical ingredients to create their skincare products.  They use natural ingredients and try to have 80% of raw botanical ingredients in their products.  TreeannSea are made using the EWG Skin Deep environmental database as a guide and they use 0-2 grades only (low hazard ingredients).  They do not use any of the harmful chemicals: synthetic flavors, synthetic preservatives ~ phenoxyethanol, parabens series, synthetic pigments, synthetic surfactants ~ SLS/SLES and do not use animal testing.  All of their products bottles and packaging are completely recyclable.  TreeannSea believe in social responsibility and they participate in fair trade practices.

 

Eskimo Mella  This is a skin care line that is good for oily, combination and sensitive skin types, although I see no reason why this couldn’t work for drier skins. The star  ingredient in this line is USDA Organic Tremella Fuciformis or Snow Fungus, which is pretty cooling looking mushroom.

image credit from wikipedia

Tremella Fuciformis  (Snow Fungus) is a white gelatinous parasitic fungus that has been used in TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) for centuries, as well as for culinary dishes.   It draws water to the skin, just like hyaluronic acid, helping keep your skin hydrated and moist, plumping up fine lines and wrinkles. It is supposed to be 120% more efficient than HA, as its particles are smaller than hyaluronic acid ~ it penetrates your skin better and more easier.  Snow fungus is a natural organic alternative to hyaluronic acid.  It contains Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin ~  we need produce it when we get it thru exposure to the sun and also in foods and supplements.  Also, snow fungus is an antioxidant, helping combat and reserve free radical damage,  including lightening of hyper-pigmentation spots.

Tangerine seems to be the scent for the Eskimo Melle line of products, and this does contain tangerine peel oil ~ this contains limonene, which I learned acts as a booster to help other ingredients penetrate your skin easier and faster.

 

TreeannSea Eskimo Mella Smoothing Cleansing Water (200 mL RV $21.00) Cleansing water are fantastic ~ I am glad to see that other skincare enthusiasts getting on the bandwagon with cleansing waters.  I’ve been using them for a long time and whereas they aren’t a replacement for actually washing your face with soap, this is perfect for freshening up, first thing in the morning ~ to remove night skincare products and its residue from your face as you are waiting for your coffee to brew ~ and when I get home from work and I just want to remove my makeup and daily grime from my face.  I have very oily skin, so  I find that I want to remove that layer of oil more often during the day and do not want to immerse myself with water and soap ~ it is also impossible when you work or go to school to wash your face all the time ~ that takes time.   I also use it after I cleanse my face or wash off packs, to remove any residue of skincare product that I missed. 

Not only does this have the snow fungus ingredient, but two ingredients that were of interest to me: papaya leaf extract which is full of vitamins A, C and E and contains carpaine, which helps suppress  bacteria, fungus and other toxins and can also speed up wound healing.  This ingredient also will soften your skin, smoothing fine lines and wrinkles.  This cleanser contains premium mineral (carbonated) water from Northern Italy and I was a bit surprised by this water’s reaction to my face  ~ it fizzes!!  The photo below is on my hand, so it isn’t as dramatic, but the first time I used this, I actually though I had soap residue on my face as my skin had a foaming product on my face ~ that is how much this bubbled up on my face.

To be clear, the bubbles do go away, but it was unnerving at first.   Mineral water is beneficial to your skin due to, well, minerals (of course!)  Mineral water contains a high content of silica,  which is a crucial item when it comes to your skin’s connective tissue, collagen. By stimulating certain cells, silica helps strengthen your collagen and elastin, which in turn will help firm and tone your skin and plump up your skin, so fine lines and wrinkles are not as noticeable.  I also think the bubbling action goes deep into your pores and assist in cleaning your pores but I have no proof of that.  It is pretty cool to see the bubbly!

This bottle has a HUGE opening so be careful as you apply this water to a cotton pad ~ it just gushes out.  In my original unboxing, I mentioned that I could smell the tangerine and some herbal ingredient ~ lavender.  I need to update that scent now that I have used this on my face.  It smells bitter to me ~ like the white pith of an orange ~ and whereas it isn’t awful, it is annoying.  Thankfully, it is not floral, so I can tolerate it, but the scent of this product is a bitter citrus/herbal scent.

I did do a pH test, so this has a level of 6 to 6.5, so it is mildly acidic.  Plain water is a pH 7 for comparison.   This cleansing water claims that my pores will look smaller and tighter and I didn’t notice that effect as I used this. 

Ingredients: carbonated water, decyl glucoside, glycerin, saponaria officinalis root extract, gentiana lutea root extract, carica papaya (papaya) leaf extract, pueraria lobata root extract, utica dioica (nettle) extract, zanthoxylum piperitumfruit extract, pullsatilla koreana extract, usnea barbata extract, tremella fuciformis extract, butylene glycol, potassium cocoyl glutamate, potassium olivoil PCA, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) extract, rubus idaeus (raspberry) fruit extract, althaea officinalis leaf extract, portulaca oleracea extract, citrus nobilis (mandarin orange) fruit extract, gossypium herbaceum (cotton) seed extract, fucus vesiculosus extract, morus nigra fruit extract, mentha piperita (peppermint) extract, grifola frondosa extract, 1,2-hexandiol, caprylyl glycol, citric acid, citrus tangerina (tangerine) peel oil  cosDNA analysis

image source

image source

TreeannSea Eskimo Mella Fertile Soothing Toner   (200 mL RV $23.00) I really love this toner ~ this has a slight yellowish tint to it as it contains 90% chamomile flower water, so don’t worry and think it has gone bad.  It is a natural coloring due to that ingredient.  The “soothing” name is due to its abundance of chamomile, which will calm down the skin and relieve redness effectively as it has antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.  It helps to relieve skin issues and irritations because it soothes and lessens swelling and redness, while healing skin and stimulating cellular renewal.  This also contains witch hazel, which is an oily and acne-prone skin’s best friend because it has antibacterial and antiseptic qualities which helps clear up acne and it removes excess oil from skin.  It can speed up healing and is a powerful anti-inflammatory, which also helps soothe skin.  Witch hazel also refreshes and rejuvenates skin, refines the pores and seal in moisture.    This soothing toner contains many botanical ingredients, such as lavender, which has wound healing proprieties due to its antibacterial, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory compounds. It is also is a soothing and invigorating ingredient as well; raspberry is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredient, high in anthocyanins that contain 150 flavonoids.  Anthocyanins help protect your connective tissue from being damaged by enzymes and they also repair damage. It helps fight free radicals, while soothing and conditioning your skin.  Marshmallow root is full of flavonoids, anthocyanins and polysaccharides, of which the latter forms a protective gel over your skin to help soothe your skin and reduce inflammation.

Unlike the cleansing water, the toner has a small pin hole opening so the liquid comes out in a more measured amount.  In my unboxing blog post, I mentioned that I could smell a faint herbal scent of chamomile ~ after actually using it on my face, I find the scent to be definitely chamomile with some lavender and it is very pleasant.

The pH level of this toner is about around a 5.5, which makes it mildly acidic and pretty much suitable for all skin types.

This does hydrate nicely too ~ my moisture level tests put this around at an increase of 64%, which is really nice for a very watery toner. It absorbs fast and without an sticky or tacky residue, making this a great all-year round hydrating toner. 

Ingredients: chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower water, glycerin, tremella fuciformis polysaccaride, tremella fuciformis extract, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) extract, rubus idaeus (raspberry) fruit extract, althaea officinalis (marshmallow) leaf extract, portulaca oleracea extract, citrus nobilis (mandarin orange) fruit extract, gossypium herbaceum (cotton) seed extract, fucus vesiculosus extract, morus nigrafruit extract, mentha piperita (peppermint) extract, grifola frondosa extract, pueraria lobata root extract, zanthoxylum piperitumfruit extract, pullsatilla koreana extract, usnea barbata extract, carrageenan, ceratonia siliqua gum, gellan gum, cellulosegum,1,2-hexandiol, allantoin, caprylyl glycol, panthenol, crinum asiaticum extract, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) water (0.05%), xanthan gum, chamomile essential oil, polysorbate 85, anthemis nobilis flower oil  cosDNA analysis

image source

image source

Final Thoughts

The TreeannSea Mella Smoothing Cleansing Water is okay for me ~  the fizzy action of the water is fun, but I am turned off by the bitter scent of it.  I don’t think it has done much for my skin other than cleanse it, which makes it an expensive cleansing water item.  I will use this until it is gone, but I won’t purchase it.   However, I really enjoyed using the Mella Fertile Soothing Toner as I love the scent of herbal chamomile, felt it really hydrated and soothed my skin.  I don’t think it brightened it (so far), but it is a pleasure to use and it felt so nice on my skin.  When I just want to have a light weight toner without a lot of dry time, this is one that I would use. I don’t believe I have ever tried a skincare product where it was made with 90% chamomile water and this is a major selling point for me ~ chamomile is a great ingredient for those who suffer from blemishes or other skin issues, and we need a soothing, calming product.  Two major thumbs up for the Fertile Soothing Toner!! 

You can mix and match TreeAnnSea skincare products across lines ~ if you check out their website (click here)  and then click on the product, they will show you the other products that work well with that one ~ you can have an Eskimo Melle with a Desert line, or a Madagascar item with Eskimo Melle.  Have you tried any of the TreeannSea products? Which ones and how did you like them?

Where To Purchase

You can purchase TreeAnnSea products at Memebox USA (click here)

If you live outside of the USA,  I would recommend going to the TreeAnnSea website (click here), pick out the products you want and send the links and item names to Korean Buddy, which is a shipping service that I use.  If you want to save 50% off your first order handling fee with Korean Buddy, tell ’em Beauty Finds For Me sent you ~ send them my website url as a referral (https://beautyfindsforme.wordpress.com)  I use them all the time ~ in fact, I purchased some new items from Innisfree recently from the Innisfree Korean site, as those items are not yet available elsewhere.

Promos with Memebox

• Free shipping off your order of $35 or more
• If you are new to Memebox, you use my referral link here and get 20% off your first order of $25.00 or more!
  
• WELCOME for 15% off for your first purchase (may not work all the time)
  
• If you purchase from Memebox and this is your first time purchase, you can use promo code 101smiles for 10% off. 
• MAKEUPLOVE for 15% off any order (may not work all the time)
  

 

 disclaimer: products received for review purpose. all opinions my own & are honest. blogpost contains affiliate links