Unboxing Beauty

AmorePacific was the first K-Beauty brand I tried and I didn’t know how  K-Beauty would change how I feel about my skin forever.  I love and adore their Enzyme Treatment and have tried a few other things from them, including a wonderful and expensive eye cream (review here).   I also did a review on a few of their Time Response skincare products  here and if you are really interested, all of my AmorePacific reviews are here.  I received these products complementary from AmorePacific in exchange for a review. 

My skin type and concerns:  Oily, aging, blemish prone, pores, hyper-pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles.

I received some of these products complementary to review and was not paid.  All reviews are my own honest opinion and  I never have been asked to write copy for a brand.  This blog post might contain promo codes, affiliate, paid links and referral links, which using my links will help generate a small commission that helps support my blog at no extra cost to you. 

Key Ingredient

AmorePacific has a USDA certified organic green tea farm located on the beautiful Jeju Island in South Korea, where they grow 2,401 different varieties.  They use  a proprietary extraction process where they double squeeze the fresh, superior  green tea leaves to create a highly potent and concentrated extract. It has three and half more  amino acids than regular green tea , which delivers intense hydration and nourishment  to your skin.   Green tea is full of powerful antioxidants and due to its high concentration of polyphenols ~ catechins, tannins, flavonoids ~ helping to soothe, protect and repair your skin from both internal and external aging stressors. Green tea helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and  wrinkles while restoring your skin’s moisture barrier over time.  

AmorePacific didn’t just stop with green tea leaf water and extracts.  More green tea is in these products with epigallocatechin gallate, rich in catechin, antioxidant, helping suppress oxidation and  preventing free radical damage.  

Time Response Skin Reserve Gel Crème  For the purposes of disclosure, a lot of Amore Pacific skincare products are pretty scented.  In some cases, the scent is fine and in other products, I just cannot tolerate it.  Let’s see how these creams worked for me.  The Time Response Collection is AmorePacific’s gold standard of anti-aging skin care, using superior green tea, to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and smooth out fine lines, while deeply nourishing the skin. ⁣ This is Amore Pacific’s spin-off of their signature luxury cream, in a lighter texture ~ It is still  made with their exclusive patented AbsoluTea™,  the first ever green tea made just for skincare. AbsoluTea™  uses a dual infusion extraction method, including cold brew infusions, which will result in higher concentrations of catechin and amino acids.  This does have the green tea leaf water, leaf extract, flower extract and epigallocatechin gallate.  AbsoluTea took 15 years worth of research with more than 228,000 experiments. This tea has been cultivated to be rich in amino acids and antioxidants. 

Time Response Skin Reserve Gel Crème is a skin-plumping cream, helping to improve the appearance of tone, firmness and elasticity while hydrating and smoothing your skin.  This has green tea seed oil for nourishing the skin with nutrients, along with moisturizing, sealing in that moisture and stimulating collagen production to help firm and bring bounce back to your skin.  Beta-glucan will stimulate the production of collagen, speeds up wound healing, soothes and calms skin due to its anti-irritant and  strong anti-inflammatory properties; moisturizes, locks in natural moisture, anti-aging/anti-wrinkle due to its antioxidant properties while helping helps repair your moisture barrier.

Fermented soybeans natto gum can penetrate your skin more easily and deeper to stimulate collagen production, improving skin elasticity. Natto contains vitamins, amino acids, enzymes along with along with PGA ~ polyglutamic acid. PGA helps moisturize and can penetrate to the deepest layers in your skin, all the while locking in moisture and helping  increase the production of NMF (Natural Moisturizing Factor)⁣

Betaine is an amino acid that is a humectant and anti-irritant, providing silky smooth skin and soothes and calms skin while antioxidant niacinamide and licorice provides skin brightening benefits and pore care.  

Ingredients: camellia sinensis leaf water, butylene glycol, water , dimethicone, glycerin, PEG-75, betaine, camellia sinensis seed oil, glycereth-26, glyceryl polymethacrylate, 1,2-hexanediol, ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer, octyldodecyl myristate, propanediol, hydrogenated poly(C6-14 olefin), polyglyceryl-10 stearate, niacinamide, sodium polyacrylate, fragrance, hydrogenated lecithin, hydrogenated polydecene, caffeine, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, glyceryl caprylate, dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline, PEG-5 rapeseed sterol, ethylhexylglycerin, disodium EDTA, adenosine, beta-glucan, palmitic acid, natto gum, glycine soja (soybean) seed extract, PPG-5-laureth-5, camellia sinensis leaf extract, butylphenyl methylpropional, limonene, dextrin, theobroma cacao (cocoa) extract, geraniol, citronellol, alpha-isomethyl ionone, linalool, hydroxycitronellal, poloxamer 235, epigallocatechin gallate, ethoxydiglycol, tocophersolan, poloxamer 338, phenoxyethanol, panax ginseng root extract, glucose, potassium hydroxide, acetic acid, magnolia obovata bark extract, caprylyl glycol, tocopherol  cosDNA

The Time Reserve Collection always comes in this beautiful frosted matte gold packaging with a bright gold top.  This actually smells more dry tea to me than floral ~ I am not saying there isn’t a floral under-note, but the dry tea is very apparent to my nose. This cream is a light beige shade and has a gel-cream texture. It is lightweight, but once I start to tap it into my skin, I can feel how protective it is ~ it leaves a light occlusive  film on my skin, and it is very slick and smooth, due dimethicones in here.  There is no sticky or oily residue to this cream for me.  My skin feels so soft, so supple and has a glossy sheen to it. Due to the nature of this cream, I use it as a night moisturizer for my oily, dehydrated skin.  

It doesn’t clog my pores or cause breakouts, just leaves my skin nice and plumped up with moisture with a smooth refined texture.  I would say that all skin types could use this and drier skin types would use this as  a day time moisturizer.

Moisture Plumping Nectar Cream is really a treat for oily skin types!  This is a lightweight face gel-cream that is absorbs quickly into my skin. Compared to the price point on the Time Response Skin Reserve Gel Crème, this is a STEAL!  This uses a Bamboo Nectar ingredient, which is a blend of King bamboo sap and Kin bamboo essence ~ anti-inflammatory bamboo  contains over 70% 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.   Bamboo also is a very soothing ingredient that is good for sensitive skin, as it is an anti-irritant, retains moisture and helps combat free radicals as it does contain anti-oxidant proprieties as well.  

This also has the infamous green tea complex along with some moisturizing and nourishing ingredients with shea butter, squalane, meadowfoam oil as well as antioxidant-rich green tea oil, ceramides and cholesterol as well as lot of humectants and emollients.

Adenosine is a yeast derived, amino acid and it became popular after it was found to help improve the reduction of wrinkles, smoothing your skin and anti-inflammatory. Adenosine is safe to use day and night, unlike vitamin C and retinol.  Caffeine helps reduce puffiness, by stimulating and improving blood circulation 

Nelumbo nucifera (lotus) is one of those ingredients, like soybean and snail slime, that barring allergies, seems to work on all skin types.   Lotus flower is full of antioxidants, minerals, amino acids, flavonoids, proteins and vitamin C ~ all  to help with aging ~ antioxidants help combat free radicals and reverse some of the damage caused by it, such as hyper-pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles. Lotus is fantastic for those who are struggling with oily, blemish prone or clogged/large pores, as it purifies your skin ~ your pores will look smaller and tighter and since lotus contains a natural source of AHA (alpha hydroxy acids), it will help gently exfoliate your skin, removing excess dirt, debris and oil, unclogging pores and stimulating cellular renewal. 

Ingredients: Phyllostachys Bambusoides Juice, Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Glycerin, Propanediol, Methyl Trimethicone, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Squalane, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Sodium Carbomer, Panthenol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Phytosteryl/Behenyl/ Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Tocopherol, Ceramide NP, Cholesterol, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Caprylate, Stearic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Palmitic Acid, Linalool, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Limonene, Geraniol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Citronellol, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Phytantriol, Poloxamer 407, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Caffeine, Theanine, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Kaempferol, Camellia Sinensis Flower Extract cosDNA

This is the silver version of the Time Response Skin Reserve Gel Crème!  The jar is a light shiny silver while the cap is a bold bright silver.  The cream is a creamy white gel-cream with a light floral scent ~ it isn’t as strong as some others that I have used in the past.  The texture is about the same as Time Response Skin Reserve Gel Crème but once it spreads out,  I can feel and see the difference.  This turns into a watery-like cream, very hydrating and wet!  It dries down nicely, with no dewy finish or shine.  Even though this has more ingredients that I view for drier skin types, such as shea butter,  I love this cream!  I used it a lot over the summer time as a day time cream and it didn’t cause any breakouts nor did it clog my pores.  My skin feels like it has been drinking water and it is so hydrated. 

Which one is right for you?  Well, it does come down to one main factor ~ your budget.  The Time Response Skin  Reserve Gel Crème is pretty expensive at $450.00 for 50 mL, whereas the Moisture Plumping Nectar Cream is $160.00 for 50 mL.  I found for my skin type, I got more use out the Moisture Plumping Nectar Cream as I could use it during the day and in the summer months, as well as night time and year round.  Time Response Skin  Reserve Gel Crème will be a night time moisturizer for me as it does leave a sheen on my skin, but it is oh so effective for skin plumping.   Even those these are gel creams, I feel all skin types can use them. 

Where To Purchase

Sephora carries a huge line of AmorePacific products and Sephora can ship internationally to selected countries.  

• Moisture Plumping Nectar Cream 50mL $160.00

AmorePacific USA has its own store and they always have free shipping, free samples and Gift With Purchases specials going  on.  Get a complimentary deluxe sample by using my referral link with your first purchase. They also have AfterPay, so you can split up your payments into 2 months (every other week)

• Time Response Skin  Reserve Gel Crème   50mL $450.00
• Moisture Plumping Nectar Cream 50mL $160.00

[ disclaimer:  blog post contains products received for review purposes and affiliate links ]