Mise En Scene Perfect Repair Treatment Pack Review

Hello everyone! How are you? Today I'm reviewing the Mise En Scene Perfect Repair Treatment Pack. You might have seen it in my Haul #3 post a while ago. I started using it then, and I'm still using it now. For the longest time, I have been a strong advocate of the Ryeo shampoo and hair care lines. I love that brand so much that I refused to try anything else in Korea. However, I received a sample of this while I was purchasing some stuff at Aritaum. After using it on a trip, I was so impressed with the result that I bought the full size item the moment I returned to Seoul.

In case you are unfamiliar with the brand Mise En Scene, it's basically a hair care brand under Amore Pacific. They sell hair dye, shampoo, treatment, and essences. Mise En Scene offers a few different variations for the hair treatment packs. I know they have one for curl that is bright pink tube and one for shine that is yellow tube.  As I know, their Perfect Repair Hair Serum is quite popular. You can find Mise En Scene at Aritaum, Olive Young, Watsons, Homeplus, E-Mart, and basically usually wherever hair products are sold in Seoul. Their prices are quite affordable.

This product is 7 000 Won (around $7 USD) but I got it on sale for 3 500 Won.

Claims

The Mise en Scene Perfect Repair line targets hair that have damaged by hair dye, hot tools, and perms. It contains seven different types of oil to nourish hair. These oils are argan oil, camellia oil, marola oil (?), olive oil, coconut oil, apricot oil, and jojoba oil. 

Directions

1. Shampoo your hair and rinse
2. Apply product to the tips of hair and leave on for 1 - 2 minutes
3. Rinse off

The Perfect Repair is in an orange tube with a black lid. The squeeze tube allows you to get every bit of product out. The treatment pack has a creamy consistency. It's runnier than I thought it would be and as a result of it's thin consistency, you can easily squeeze out too much product.

Scent

It has a very artificially sweet and slightly powdery scent. I find it overwhelming during application but after rinsing it off, it's fine.

Performance

I've been using this for five months now and so far so good! It's really easy to apply and really easy to wash out. I love how I can just rinse this out after 1- 2 minutes (I usually leave it on for up to 5 minutes). When I'm in a rush and I need instant moisture, I just pop this on.  I'm not sure what they put in this, but my hair becomes extremely smooth, soft, and silky after using this. It also feels really light and airy. There hasn't been any build up and my hair is still responding positively to it. I have dyed hair but this product doesn't strip the colors out like some other products. I usually use this once a week or once every two weeks.

If you have any questions about this product, please ask!

Thanks for dropping by!

x Chrissie

9 comments amore pacific, argan, Aritaum, hair, hair repair, Korean, mise en scene, oil, pack, repair, review, treatment

[REVIEW] Hanyul Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foam

There's been many products that I've tried this past month, but none of them pushed me to do a review as this product has. I've recently finished my Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleanser and in the process of debating whether or not to repurchased it, I started to use a few of the deluxe samples of the Hanyul Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foam that I had.


Hanyul is a brand that I was unaware of until Actress Jun Ji-Ji Hyun (from My Love From Another Star) began endorsing it. Her picture has been all over the Aritaum store windows. Out of curiousity and need of a new skin care routine, I purchased the Hanyul Optimizing Serum and the Essential Rice Emulsion. I received some Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foam foam samples with my purchase.


Originally, I disregarded these purchases because of it's plain packaging but after I had finished my Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleanser, I really needed something. My oh my, did this cleanser take me by surprise.
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I'm a little embarrass to say that until I tried this product, I had no idea what Artemisia is. In case you're like me, I'll provide you with a brief introduction.

According to the Merriam-Webster, Artemisia is "of composite shrubs and herbs (as the sagebrushes and santonicas) that have strongly scented foliage and small rayless flower heads".

The word Artemisia is named after Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt, wild animals, and the forest.  

I have always been really interested in mythology so I find this snippet of information really interesting to learn about.

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Claims

According to Hanyul, the Artemisia used in the Cleansing Foam, as well as their Pure Artemisia line, is from Ganghwado island. Artemisia is said to be used in baths because it contains skin purifying qualities.

The Hanyul Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foam aims to remove impurities without stripping the skin of moisture.

 The Pure Artemisia line targets dull skin by using the skin purifying powers of Artemisia.

Price

180ml / 18 000 Won

Hanyul can be found at all Aritaum stores.

Packaging

The Hanyul Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foam comes in a simple green squeeze tube and a plastic white lid - very simple and plain, no frills. Although initially I found this packaging to be very boring, I eventually realize that the plain simplicity of the packaging is to reflect the pureness of the product.

Product

The cleansing foam is white. It looks no different from most cleansing foams. It's pretty solid so it's quite easy to control how much you want to squeeze out of the tube.

Performance

 Cleansers are usually the things I pay the least attention to among all the items in my skincare. Unlike with moisturizers and serums, I tend to stick to the same cleanser from start to finish - just because I usually don't notice much difference between one and another except the scent.  I began using this product with no expectations in mind but it has really blown me away with it's performance.

Lately, I've been experience quite a few clog pores. They're probably the result of a combination of longer days and the inability to wash my face half way through the day. Anyhow, I can feel these clog pores whenever I touch my face and they have been frustrating me. My skin must've gotten used to the Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick because it no longer has much effect on me anymore.  That being said, when I had finally ran out of it, I didn't know if I wanted to repurchase it or not. This is where my random samples of the Hanyul Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foams come into the picture.

The Hanyul Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foam has a very clean herbal scent. It smells very natural and pure. I'm not really sensitive to scents, so it doesn't bother me. As with most scented cleansers, the smell usually washes off anyways. However, if you're not keen on herbal scents at all or if you're extremely sensitive to smell, you may want to avoid Hanyul.

It's recommended that you use approximately 2cm's worth of product per use but I usually use less than that as it foams up really easily and really well. I like to massage this product all over my face so that it fully cleans off any dirt, pollution, oil and sweat that may be on it.  During this time, the herbal scent of the cleanser really relaxes me. The foam washes off easily. My skin feels really clean and soft after using this cleanser. It doesn't feel stripped of moisture but it also doesn't feel like it added moisture. I find that my moisturizers absorb easily after using this product. Over time, the longer I use this product, the less clogged pores I feel on my face. I'm really satisfied with this product.

I don't recommend anyone to use this to clean off base makeup though. Usually cleansing foams are too gentle to remove heavy duty things like base makeup. Foundations and BB creams should be properly removed with a cleansing oil or a cleansing cream first.

The Good:
- removes impurities really well
- doesn't stripe my skin of its moisture
- lathers really well
- rinses off easily

The Bad:
- may be only available online for people outside of Korea

Overall

I found this cleanser to be the perfect balance between cleansing and moisturizing for me. I have really enjoyed this cleanser and I'm ready to order the big size. In my preference, I like this more than the Sum37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick because I feel that it cleanses my skin better.  The Sum37 Miracle Rose Cleansing stick is still a very nice product and I would recommend it over Hanyul Pure Artemisia Cleansing Foam to people with really dry skin as I do feel that Sum37 is more moisturizing.

Btw: I have dry - combination skin.

4 comments amore pacific, Aritaum, care, cleanser, cleansing foam, cosmetics, hanyul, Korea, Korean, Seoul, skin, skincare

Hera Sun Mate Daily SPF 35+++ Sun Protector Review

Hello everyone! Today I will be reviewing the Herea Sun Mate Daily SPF35 PA+++. If you have read my review on The Face Shop Super Perfect Sun Cream, you know that I'm extremely picky when it comes to sun cream. Nevertheless, sun care is extremely important year round and I shall continue on my quest to find the perfect one.

Hera is quite a bit more expensive than The Face Shop and this product retails for 32 000 Won (about $30 - 32 U.S.D.) Let's see how well it did for me.

The Hera Sun Mate Daily is a cream-type sunblock that can also be used as a make up base. It comes in a simple orange squeeze tube with a plastic twist off lid.  It has a nice little safety seal. The hole that dispenses the product is quite small so you can really control how much product you want to squeeze out.

The consistency of this product is that of a cream. It's slightly thicker than that of The Face Shop Super Perfect Sun Cream but it doesn't feel thicker on the skin. It spreads out nicely and absorbs quickly.

As you can see the actually sun cream is not white. It's more of a beigey pink which won't give you that white cast on your skin that some sun creams can give you. However, it also won't give you any coverage. This is strictly a sun cream not a tinted moisturizer and shouldn't be treated as such.

Performance: It's really moisturizing and easily absorbed. I love how it also just feels like a normal moisturizer. There is shine after application but no white cast. People with dry skin might find that this sun block is great for their skin because it is so moisturizing. However I have combination skin so I find that I tend to look really oily right after applying it. It really looks like I had rubbed facial oil on my face so I don't like to wear this on its own. Since it can also be used as a base, I like to layer my BB cream or powder on top. The moisture from the sun block makes the powder or BB cream look really natural and also adhere better to my skin thus increasing the staying power of my base makeup. Because this product has a beigey color, it blends in easily with whatever bb cream I have on. Due to the humidity of summer in Korea, I sweat A LOT.  Sometimes, some sun blocks lift up into a white layer and stream down my face. Hera Sun Mate Daily did not. It stayed on well and it also held onto my base makeup. Another thing I really loved about this sunscreen is that it does not roll up. When I touch my face, it doesn't come off in little rolled balls as some other sun creams do (cough: Missha Sun Milk - review coming soon).  As with all sun blocks, you should reapply every few hours. 

Ingredients:

Overall:  I really like the staying power of this sun block but I really don't care for how oily it looks on its own. It's a beautiful as a base but not meant for me to wear it alone. Because it is so incredibly moisturizing, I really recommend people with dry skin to try this out. People with oily skin might find that this is way too oily for them.

2 comments Hera, high end, Korean, review, skincare, SPF, summer, sun block, Sun cream, sunscreen

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple (해동 용궁사) in Busan, South Korea

If you follow me on Instagram (id: chrissieblogs), then you would've known that I visited Busan a few months ago. It's taken me quite a long time to go through the pictures but I've figured that there a few places and pictures which I want to share with you :).

The first place that I'll introduce to you guys is the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple also known as the Korean Dragon Temple or Temple by the Ocean. There are a few English names but basically it's a Buddhist temple - a very old and well known one in Busan. 

Before I arrived at Busan, I had no idea what this place was. I learned about this place with my friends when we looked at a Busan tourist map. 

Although Busan has a subway , it doesn't get close to Yonggungsa Temple, so my friends and I had to take the bus. From Haeundae, we took a bus all the way to the "entrance" of this temple. I say "entrance" because the bus dropped us off at the bottom of the hill, and we had to take a ten minute hike up the hill to reach the real entrance. Because Busan's roads are quite narrow, the traffic was really bad.  It took us an hour  to two hours ride to reach here. I felt like we were literally going at snail speed.  

Going back to Haeundae took even longer! It was impossible to catch the bus from the exit of the temple because it was full by the time it reached us. I think in total we had to wait almost two hours to get on the bus and it took another two to get back to Haeundae.  Maybe, it was only because we went during the holidays. The point to remember if you're visitng Busan during holidays: take the subway if possible.

Anyhow onto the pictures!

There were many stalls along the path to the official entrance of the temple. The stalls sold many different things - snacks, accessories, herbs, clothes and many more.

You can even find fresh herbs like this. 

After passing all the stalls, I eventually reached this bamboo path that lead to the temple.

Getting closer, I could see so many bright colors.

There are many high and low points in this temple as it is situated on a cliff. 

From under the paper lanterns.

There were so many more lanterns than I've ever seen and in so many different colors.

I love the view. The temple was beautiful from all areas.

As you can see, there were tons of people who visited this temple. Most of them were tourists.

There were many people that climbed down onto the rocks to touch the water. I tried to do that too but it was actually quite hard.

Anyways, this was my visit to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. Although I would like to tell you more about this temple, I really can't as I also don't know and I don't want to just copy and paste things. I can only show you some pictures from my trip! I can say that this is one of the most beautiful Buddhist temples, I've ever visited. It's on a cliff! You really can't beat that. 

4 comments travel

Aritaum Honey Melting Tint #3 Strawberry Chips Swatches and Pictures

Hi everyone, how are you all doing today? I hope well!

About a month ago, I reviewed the Aritaum Honey Melting Tint. It seems you're all quite curious about them so today I'm back with swatches and pictures of the very popular #3 Strawberry Chips.

My opinion on this lip tint collection remains the same as what I wrote in the original post. So if you want to read about it, just click the link below:

Chrissie Tee's Aritaum Honey Melting Tint Review

Strawberry Chips is a lovely, bright neutral tone pink. It's a very sweet pink - the type of pink that pops into one's mind when one think of the color pink. Although it seems very normal, it's actually quite hard to find such neutral and traditional pink as this one.   It's extremely wearable because you can apply a light layer for a natural, every day use or apply a more solid coat if you want your lips to pop out but not look too out there. 

How does it compare to S14 Pink Lemonade?

Pink Lemonade (left) - Strawberry Chips (right)
Originally, I thought there would't be much difference between Strawberry Chips and Pink Lemonade, but there's actually a lot. Pink Lemonade leans much more on the cool side with some blue undertones. It's brighter and it's going to pop more. Whereas the Strawberry Chips is more of a tradition sweet pink, Pink Lemonade is more of a trendy, stand - out but wearable pink. If you're going for a little bit of attitude, I'd say Pink Lemonade is going to give much more kick than Strawberry Chips. Both colors are great to have and beautiful in their own ways.

Once again, if you would like to look at the other colors and read my full review, click here.

Other than that, see you next time!

Leave a Comment Aritaum, lip

PureHeal's Propolis 90 Ampoule Review

Like me, you might wonder: What is propolis? Why does it sound so chemically? Well don't fear, propolis is something natural from bees.

According to the box:

" Propolis is mysterious mixture of natural materials made by honeybees, which collect the sap of plants and mix them with their saliva, adding beneficial enzymes. It is rich in flavonoids and other organic compounds, minerals, vitamins and amino acids to protect the skin from both internal and external irritants and repair damaged skin. It helps restore skin to health by soothing sensitive skin".

It also claims "90% Propolis Extract Ampoule Helps to protect skin and relieve sensitive skin problems".

The picture below will give you more information ^^.

Source of the Picture: Qoo10: http://list.qoo10.sg/item/PUREHEALS-PROPOLIS-90-AMPOULE/412494687

This product has a dual function of whitening and anti-wrinkle. 

When I was at Seoul Station, waiting for my train, I wandered into the gift shop they had in the middle of the hall - I forgot the name but you cannot miss it. It's the only one that is smack middle of the hall. I was so suprise to see that in addition to traditional gifts and souvenirs, it also sold cosmetics from brands that don't have their own road shop (or at least none that I've seen) - such as Lioele and PureHeal's. PureHeal's had a collection of items being displayed there but this was the one that really caught my attention.

It retailed for 14 000 Won (or around that) / 30 mL.

Scent

From the jar, it has a very strong, unusual scent. It's smells a little sour and kind of reminds me of lemons - only kind of because it doesn't have the freshness that lemon scents have. It's just not my cup of tea and luckily after rubbing the product into the skin, the scent fades off. 

Texture 

This product has a very liquidy, slightly viscous texture. It spreads out easily and isn't sticky at all. After rubbing it into the skin, the product disappears. On my skin, I saw no extra glossiness as the product absorbed completely.

As you can see it comes in a simple yellow glass bottle with a glass dropper and rubber squeezer. This allows for control of how much product you want and sanitation. I found that half a wand of product was enough for my face.

The product is actually a clear liquid. This is only one droplet from the wand. 

The product spreads easily so you don't need a lot.

Once rubbed in, the product absorbs completely and leaves no traces. If you apply another moisturizer on top - that's another story.

Performance

I apply this product twice a day, once at night and once in the morning. After seeing all those claims about this product, I really had high expectations. There are quite a few acne scars on my cheek that I had hoped this product would fade as it did claim to repair damaged skin. However, after using this product for around three months, I haven't noticed any significant difference in my skin nor the scars. Which is a little bit disappointing as this product claims to have many benefits . I had expected it to whiten (brighten*)  my skin and improve my wrinkles as well as protect my skin from my environment. It didn't fulfil it's claims.  I'm still prone to redness, breakouts and I don't think my skin is any less sensitive to my environment. 

One thing this product does really well is that it's highly moisturizing. Even though the product was absorbed so quickly into my skin, I felt like the moisture really stayed. 

Ingredients:

propolis extract, aloe barbadensis leaf water, niacinamide, peg-40 hydrogenated castor oil, hydroxyethylcellulose, sodium polyacrylate, 1,2-hexanediol, honey extract, sodium hyaluronate, butylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, caramel adenosine, anise fruit extract, licorice root extract, argania spinosa kernel oil, safflower seed oil, sunflower seed oil, rose flower oil, tagetes minuta flower oil, mentha arvensis leaf oil, elettaria cardamomum seed oil, thyme oil, clove leaf oil, tea tree leaf oil, vetiveria zizanoides root oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil , Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil

The Good:

- quickly absorbed

- no stickly layer

- highly moisturizing

- dropper allows for precision

- affordable

The Bad:

- none of the claims worked for me - except from providing moisture

- strange scent

Overall

I wouldn't repurchase this product. Besides providing a good amount of hydration, I felt that it didn't live up to its claims. However, just because this product didn't work for me, doesn't mean it won't for you. Each person's skin is different and how effective something is depends on your lifestyle, genetics and many other factors. 

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Innisfree Melting BB Cushion Review

My first BB cushion was from Hera and my second BB cushion was from Iope. While both of them are nice they never really impressed me the way this one has. This review comes a bit late as this product has been discontinued and replaced already. I never expected to like it as much as I actually do right now. It is the Innisfree Melting BB Cushion. (There's a chance that you can still find this on online stores ).

Innisfree has released two new BB cushions for the summer: Long Wear Cushion and Water Glow Cushion. They are highly promoting the Long Wear Cushion for the summer. I've tried it out on my hands so far and I found it to be a bit dry. However, that might come in handy to combat humidity.

Price: 20 000 Won (no refill) - 15g of product

12 000Won / refill

When I first tried BB cushions I really loved how convenient it was. As someone who wakes up at dawn for work, I like to sleep as much as I can (they're not exaggerating when they say Koreans sleep very little).  BB cushions saved me so much time because I didn't need to blend. All I had to do was pat - pat - pat - then I looked somewhat more awake and presentable. 

When you open the case, it looks just like the others. You see a special puff.

Under the puff, you'll see a plastic cover.

Lifting the cover, you'll see a seal - which you remove completely after the first use. It's not really sticky. So even if you wanted to keep it on the product, it's not possible.

Performance: 

Whereas both the Hera and Iope cushions made my skin look dewy and radiant, this BB cushion actually makes my skin look a lot more natural. It doesn't have as much of a dewy shine as the other ones have but it's not completely powdery matte either. It just looks like natural skin. I would say it gives light coverage - enough to even out skintone and light dark circles but not even to cover blemishes. I suppose you can build it up but at most it can only be medium coverage. I've got some pimple scars along my chin and no matter how many layers I pat on, I cannot cover them at all.

Although it can't completely cover my dark circles, I love how this product doesn't sink or dry up under my eye area. For some reason, it just seems to airbrush that area the way no other product has done before. Also, this product really covers my pores really well. It seems to cover the pores on my cheek really well and makes my skin look so flawless. 

Although it claims to be longlasting, I found that it lasts about 4-5 on me. Reapplication and touchups are quite easy to do. 

I think matching your makeup and skincare to the season is really important. Something that you hate in the Winter, you might love in the Summer and vice versa. Take my Hera BB cushion as an example, I loved it in the Autumn and Winter but once it hit summer, it was completely useless. Under Korea's intense summer humidity, it would lift up from my skin and be a very obvious white milky cast. It's summer here and I find that the Innisfree Mineral Cushion also lifts but it's not as severe as the Hera.

The Innisfree Mineral Melting BB Cushion has a slight herbal scent. It's noticeable in the product but not on the skin.

The Good:

- natural finish

- lasts longer than other BB cushions that I've tried

- reapplication is easy

- convenient to use

- saves time in the morning

The Bad:

- only light - to almost medium coverage

- discontinued

- lifts slightly under sweat

Leave a Comment amore pacific, base makeup, bb cream, bb cushion, cushion, foundation, Innisfree, Korean cosmetics, makeup