Review: Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner

I cannot do without toning in my skincare routine. It just doesn't feel complete without a toner. It's especially crucial for my oily and acne-prone skin which is laden with makeup almost everyday because it helps to get rid of the excess junk on my skin that was not removed by the makeup remover and cleanser. Furthermore, most toners restores the pH level of your skin quickly - when you use cleansers (well most of them lah), your skin's pH level gets tampered. This disturbance is not beneficial to the skin and without a toner, the skin will still work to reinstate the pH level, but with toner, this work gets done quicker. I also truly believe that a good toner can act as a humectant - it helps a moisturiser moisturise better by locking in the moisture (this sentence like tongue twister haha). 

In the past, I used the Michael Todd Organic Lemon Toner and it was a great toner. It didn't break me out and the refreshing smell was a huge plus, especially when applying in those dreary mornings. My moisturiser was also absorbed quickly and it kept my acne at bay. But, the huge problem is cost and long shipping time. Michael Todd is based in USA and so purchasing items and having them delivered to my house in Singapore is not cheap and not fast enough. 

Hence, a change is needed. 

I recently subscribed to a lot of Korean beauty youtubers and many of them were gushing about the Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner. I bought mine from Qoo10 for S$20.70 (500ml) with free normal mail. 

I was both excited and anxious. This promised 10 benefits, how exciting right?? But at the same time, I was hoping that this will not cause my skin to break out. 

In case my photo's too small, here are the stated 10 benefits of the Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner:

1. Balances skin's ideal pH level
2. Refines skin tones
3. Keeps the elasticity of pores
4. Removes skin surface's dead skin cells
5. Cleanses pore insides with cooling effect
6. Deep cleanses pores
7. Minimizes appearance of pores
8. Controls a large amount of sebum
9. Moisturizes inside and outside of skin
10. Completes smooth glass-like texture (???)

I think they cheated a bit. Isn't point 5 exactly the same as point 6? Okay maybe the addition of "cooling effect" creates the difference. Also, what is point 10?? Why do I want "glass-like texture"??

But you know what, let's not judge a product by its English description. 

My order of Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner came with 50 pieces of Etude House Wonder Pore Daily Cotton Pad. These cotton pads have two sides with different textures - one more rough to help with the dead skin cells and the other smooth and soft just like other cotton pads. 

I use the Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner with the given cotton pads only at night because I don't want to use the rough side on my skin twice in a single day. It's necessary to exfoliate and remove dead skin cells, but too much can also harm your skin. 

But then again, when all 50 pieces have been used up, I don't think I will get more of such cotton pads from Etude House. The usual cotton pad will do just fine. 

My most favourite aspect of the Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner is the brilliant product packaging! It's similar to those nail polish removers used at nail salons! You just take a cotton pad and with the cotton pad, cover the top of the toner and press down several times. The product is dispensed easily with less effort and less mess. Also, it's a great recyclable bottle! Good job Etude House!

Yes, I'm more excited about the product packaging than the product itself.

Personally, I think the Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner is alright. It didn't break me out and it definitely made my moisturiser sink in faster. But I don't see a difference in the size of my pores (I have used this for close to a month) and I don't see any skin texture refining. I'm only using it because it prepares my skin for my moisturiser well. And of course, the product packaging gave it many many bonus points.

If you have oily, acne-prone skin, the Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner will be a suitable toner to use. However, if you have normal to dry skin, you may want to skip this as the high alcohol content may be too drying for your skin.

Since I bought the 500ml bottle, I think I'm good in the toner department till the end of the year. Repurchasing it will not happen though. I think I want to find a toner that can help more with my acne-prone skin, like reducing redness of acne areas. I can always get another one and replace the packaging with the Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner's right? :D

Have a great day ahead guys! :) Do let me know if you know of any suitable toners that I should try!

DIY: Green tea and tea tree oil toner

I'm running out of my Michael Todd True Organics Lemon Toner and I don't really want to repurchase this time round. Not because it's not good, it's quite excellent actually and I'm finishing my third bottle now, but because I want to make my own toner with as few ingredients as possible. I'm also trying to make my own because toners can be expensive - I use so much at any one time because I'm using a cotton pad and it doesn't feel like I'm pouring out a lot. Hence, I need to make my own toner that's both effective and economical at the same time.

I scoured Googleland and I decided to go with this green tea and tea tree oil concoction. I have already used it for a week and it has been amazing. The only downside is I need to make a fresh batch every week - you can't keep it longer for 7 days!

Products used:

• Small spray bottle or normal bottle 
• Green tea
• 100% pure tea tree oil 

I got my spray bottle from Daiso, green tea from NTUC Fairprice and I bought the 100% pure tea tree oil from iherb.com. It will best to use 100% pure tea tree oil; the 10% - 15% mixtures won't work as well. If you have sensitive skin or you have never used tea tree oil on your face before, please PLEASE do a skin patch test first - I have a colleague who's allergic to tea tree oil and she found out the wrong way. 

Steps:

• Brew your green tea NOT in boiling water. The water needs to be 70°C - 80°C. Excessive heat will "kill" the green tea. 
• Pour around 50ml of green tea into the spray bottle and drink the rest hehe. 
• Place the spray bottle in the fridge and wait for it to cool down. 
• When the green tea has cooled down, add in 4 drops of tea tree oil. Since we are using the 100% tea tree oil, we don't need so much in one bottle. My general rule: 2 drops per 25ml. 
• Mix, mix, mix and leave it in the fridge. 
• Use whenever needed! 

Remember to throw it out after 7 days and make a brand new batch. I always note down the date of manufacture (wah like factory haha) on a label and stick it on the bottle. That way I know when I need to redo another batch! I just made a new batch today so here's a photo! Finally can use my pretty stickers from Taobao HAHA. 

Exciting times indeed! 

Weekend skin pamper (Saturday)

During the weekdays, I don't usually pamper my skin very much. I'm always rushing for time in the mornings before work, so it's a quick cleanser-toner-moisturiser routine for weekday mornings. On weekday nights, I'm too tired to do anything fancy, so it's also a quick cleanser-toner-moisturiser routine, with the occasional mask or acne cream. 

That's precisely why I tend to go out all out during the weekends. I go crazy on the skincare front and pamper my skin as much as possible. Some of you may think I'm cuckoo to be using so many products, but seriously think about it, there's no way you can undo things when you regret in the future. Better start early! Also, this does not mean I'm using random products on my skin. Nope, nope, nope. I have used the products mentioned for quite a while and they are products that are suitable for my skin type (oily, acne-prone) and they don't break me out at all. 

On Saturdays, I like to tackle my acne-prone skin. On Sundays, I tackle my large pores. Here are all the products that I use on Saturdays. Do note that some products are repeat ones, I don't have like 7 different cleansers and 7 different moisturisers for 7 days lah. I want but aiyoh no space no space. 

Morning

Step 1: SK-II Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser
Step 2: Michael Todd True Organics Organic Lemon AHA + DHAE Toner
Step 3: Annie's Way Aloe Anti-Acne Jelly Mask
Step 4: Leaders Insolution AC-Dressing Skin Clinic Mask
Step 5: The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion
Step 6: Innisfree Jejubija Anti-Trouble Spot Essence W

Night

Step 1: Garnier Pure Active Multi-Action Foam
Step 2: SK-II Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser
Step 3: Michael Todd True Organics Organic Lemon AHA + DHAE Toner
Step 4: Michael Todd True Organics Antioxidant Carrot Multivitamin Serum
Step 5: Enavose Bitter Almond Decongestant Serum
Step 6: The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion
Step 7: Innisfree Jejubija Anti-Trouble Spot Essence R
Step 8: Clinique All About Eyes Serum
Step 9: Clinique All About Eyes Rich
Step 10: Innisfree Capsule Recipe Pack (Aloe Sleeping Mask)

I really love the Innisfree Capsule Recipe Pack Sleeping Mask. Always wake up with damn nice and smooth skin.

Next up - Weekend skin pamper on Sundays!!

Review: Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Lotion

The Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Lotion has swiftly become a staple in my daily skincare routine. it retails for 4.99 pounds at boots! 

This product smells like heaven. Every single time I apply it, I feel like drinking the entire thing. If you come from Singapore, you will be familiar with the range of fruit teas from Pokka. The Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Lotion smells like a blend of Pomegranate Tea and Blueberry Tea. I really want to gulp it all down but WHY IS IT INEDIBLE?! ARGH! 

That is the main reason why this lotion (more like a toner?) has become a must-apply for my nightly skincare routine. 

Since it's a "Deep Pore" formulation, I don't apply it twice a day, as directed on the bottle. Instead, I just apply it once at night. Products that deal with deep pore cleansing tend to break you out after the first few applications, so I wanted to somewhat slow down that process haha. No idea if it's working or not, but so far so good!

The Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Lotion is free from all bad things on earth!! Ok I'm obviously kidding but it's great that they inform their consumers of the toxic chemicals that they do not advocate! Very good!

Packaging: I actually love the whole blue-purple theme. It looks super sanitary. Maybe it's just me, but I really pay attention to packaging when it comes to skincare. The fancier it is, the more I will turn away from it. I prefer clean-cut, simple packaging because well, if you are good, you don't need to cover it up with fancy packaging right?

The Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Lotion claims to:

• help unclog pores
• remove excess sebum
• remove makeup
• soften skin (from the hydrating fig extract)
• keep bacteria away from the skin (from the willow bark and licorice extract)

This product is actually a two-in-one product - a cleanser and a toner. 

For those living in tropical countries and like to apply makeup, I'd advise you to use this as an additional step in cleansing away the makeup. Just using this product alone will not remove all the makeup and so it will not get rid of all the impurities and dirt! The best time to use this is after you are done with removing makeup and cleansing (with your trusted makeup remover and cleanser). It helps to get rid of the remaining impurities and prepares the skin for the next step. 

Ingredients List

Smell: DIVINE. Always looking forward to applying this on my skin every night.

Effectiveness: Up till now (which is around 3 weeks after usage), I have yet to see any remarkable difference in my skin condition. However, it did help to slow down the rate of breakouts that I get. Usually when I get a breakout, I GET A BREAKOUT. BOOM BAM WHAM. But with this, I still occasionally get spots, but only two spots at one time at the most, so that's an improvement right?

Will I buy it again? Yes I will. If I'm able to! The smell really is too good! Why am I so attracted to smells and packaging, I don't know why! ARGH! But yes, this is a good product. Case closed. HAHA. :)

Long weekend's gone. BOOHOO. But have a great week ahead guys! :)