Etude House Missing U Panda and Pink Dolphin Hand Cream Review

Etude House has a line of hand creams called Missing U, with each product focusing on a protecting a particular species. These protects spread awareness and part of the proceeds go toward that cause. The original series includes #1 Harp Seal, #2 Fairy Penguin,  #3 Panda, and #4 Pink Dolphin. I reviewed the Harp Seal before here and the Fairy Penguin here.

What first drew me to this hand cream series and to Etude House in the first place was seeing it on the drama Shut Up Flower Boy Band. I know I said this in the Harp Seal review, but I'll state it again. Ye Rim hands Infinite's Myungsoo the Pink Dolphin hand cream, which I honestly thought was the ugliest thing I've seen. How can you turn a dolphin's snout into a 2D surface. But because Myungsoo's had contact with this one (they probably chose the most ugly one to boost its sales), I had to get this one. When I was in Seoul, I bought the two I'm missing, the Panda and the Pink Dolphin.

I gave most of my thoughts about the products in my Harp Seal review, so here I'll do a quicker review of the packaging, the hand cream container, and the cream itself, for the Panda and Pink Dolphin. Etude's English website also has information on this hand cream series here.

The packaging is environmentally friendly; it is printed on 100% recycled paper and with soy ink, and has won a packaging award in 2011. This is the panda one.

And here is the similar packaging for the dolphin. I like the graphic of the pink dolphin in its natural habitat~

The backside states the "Panda Story" in Korean and is very descriptive. The side has a translation in English, but the "Panda Story" is much shorter than the Korean one. It reads:

"Our endangered animal friends are rapidly becoming extinct from the planet... I really want to see you...

I miss you!

Hi~ I am Panda

I live in China, love to eat bamboo and practice kung-fu."

It also states that this cream contains herbs, shea butter, and olives, to "moisturize, heal and soothe hands." While it is a hand cream, you can also apply it to arms.

The story for the pink dolphin story states: "I live in the Amazon River, love to swim and chat with friends." Like the other Missing U hand creams, it is also made with the same ingredients and has the same directions.

The hand creams fit in my hand and contain 30ml. They're so adorable; I love how the arms are 3D, adding to the cuteness.

The panda is peach scented, as indicated on its belly. To me, it smells like a typical flowery lotion scent, not necessarily peachy like Tony Moly's peach hand cream. The pink dolphin is fiona scented. I have no idea what "fiona" could be besides a name of a person, but the picture on the container looks more like a peony flower. To me, it smells like potpourri (which isn't a bad thing!). You simply unscrew the top, and inside there's a clear plastic cover and then the cream.

Overall, I love this series and I'm glad I have the complete collection! The containers are cute (...I'll eventually accept the Pink Dolphin's appearance), and the creams do their job in moisturizing my hands. I'm sorry I didn't blog much about the cream itself, but I do mention it on the other posts.

SkinFood Nail Vita Essence Review

While at the SkinFood branch in San Francisco, I completed my 9-stamp reward card (every $10+ purchase earns one stamp). My reward is to choose one of any vita nail polishes. SkinFood has an extensive nail polish collection, with nearly half of these products being a vita nail polish. I chose the Nail Vita Essence.

The front label states that this product "contains Vitamin & keratin. Advanced formula colours and covers in one quick, mistake-proof stroke." The silver label on the lid is for the US market, with a full list of ingredients in English.

The backside has information printed in Korean.

On SkinFood's website, this product is actually considered under "Nail Care," and not "Nail Color." As an "essence," this product visually leaves no color or texture on the nail. According to this webpage, the vita essence is to protect nails by preventing them from weakening or breaking. It also states to apply to nails often to protect them. Lastly, the site states that the color on nails may depend on the amount applied.

This nail essence doesn't have a strong scent, but sniffing it does reveal a subtly sweet, potpourri scent. I applied one coat of this essence to my index and ring fingers. The top photo indicates the moment just after I applied the layer, as you can see those nails are clear but have a shiny tint. Eventually the essence starts to dry and look like lacquer, or a very thin layer of gloss. After 35 minutes, my nails were fully dried and looked just like my naked nails, as seen in the bottom photo. Another time, I applied three thick layers onto my nails, and they still looked as if I hadn't applied anything. This product seems more like one of those "fun" beauty products that don't actually produce results. I'm sure my nails are being protected by this essence, but because it isn't the norm to apply products purely to strengthen nails, I don't deem this Nail Vita Essence as an essential.

SkinFood Mini Haul!

Today I stopped by SkinFood in San Francisco's Stonestown Galleria, my favorite store of the city (it used to be YesStyle, until they closed this past January).

This location is lacking employees and therefore hiring (I'd love to work here!). There was only one woman working here, and she was super friendly, knew products to recommend and definitely knew how to sell products.

My original intention was to buy a body scrub, and I only found one kind in the entire store. So my first purchase was the Pink Salt Body Scrub for roughly $19. His purchase came with a plastic spatula and a bag of samples, including Gold Caviar Toner, Black Sugar Scrub and another mask for my skin type (I chose dry and therefore was given Rice Mask). I had forgotten that I chose "dry" before...should have asked for a different sample! Also California charges for bags now. I had the choice of this free paper bag or a slightly bigger plastic bag for $0.10.

This sales representative is so smart; she saw that my stamp card was one away from completion and suggested I buy another $10 worth to get the free nail polish. I agreed and added on the Orange & Mint Foot Scrub for roughly $13. My free Vita Nail Essence was chosen from approximately half of SkinFood's entire nail polish collection, wish gave me from plenty to choose. This additional purchase also came with the Royal Honey Gift Set!

The sales rep offered me to purchase an additional $20 worth to receive another free gift, but I seriously had to stop myself from going overboard! Now I'm excited to try out all the samples and scrubs, which I'll review!

Tony Moly Red Apple Hand Cream Review

Tony Moly is known for its super naturalistic and adorable food packaging. I'm a sucker for the brand's fruits, so I had to get the Red Apple Hand Cream! According to Tony Moly's English webpage (which is very functional and informative for English readers), this hand cream is for all skin types and uses honey and butter to moisturize skin, so it's recommended especially for the fall and winter seasons. Apple acid extract is also a key ingredient that relieves hands of dead skin cells and dry cuticles. And lastly, this cream has a soft, custard texture with a sweet apple scent.

The container of this cream is simply a shrunken version of Tony Moly's Red Appletox Honey Cream, as this hand cream contains 30 g of product. From top to bottom, this glossy apple has a deep orange-to-red ombré effect to look as perfect and realistic as possible.

Here is the bottom of the container. In Korean, it states and ingredients and other information.

This container has a screw-off lid that, once opened, reveals a sturdy plastic lid to protect cream from coming out.

The cream smells like freshly washed apples; it's not overly sweet or strong, but rather refreshing. It has an opaque pale yellow hue. This product is very creamy and glides on my hands very smoothly. The amount in my palm is the perfect amount for moisturizing both hands thoroughly. The directions online say to rub over hands, then tap the product into your hand until there's no more sticky residue. I didn't really feel this stickiness in the first place though.

The Pros

• The packaging...need I say more? ;)
• The scent is refreshing and sweet, and not sugarcoated.
• While the product is rather creamy, it's not too heavy or light.
• It moisturizes very well!
• There is no greasy feeling afterwards; after a few minutes, the cream has mostly absorbed into my skin and I can comfortably use my hands on the computer and whatnot.

The Cons

• Tony Moly's fruit products never disappoint!

Overall, I love anything with cute packaging and Tony Moly never disappoints in this department! A miniature apple will look great along with my other fruity products. Also I love this hand cream for its creamy texture, scent and effective moisturization.

The Face Shop Fruit Bowl Lemon Hand Cream Review

Realistic food and drink items seem to be the trend in Korean cosmetic brands. The Face Shop has its own collection of realistic looking (though not as pretty as Tony Moly's) fruit hand creams. This line consists of the Apple and Blueberry (which both look very unrealistic and like any ordinary container, or even a lame toddler's play toy, no offense), as well as the Lemon, which looks much more realistic. Here's how the Lemon looks like. It still looks like a play toy, but more realistic than the other two. And that annoying expiration date is printed so obnoxiously!

The ingredients and information label is printed vertically on the side of the container. This label strategically has perforation where the lid turns and slits at the ends so the label won't come off even after unscrewing the lid. You can also get a sense at how big this is compared to my hand.

Once the lid is unscrewed, there is a clear plastic film to protect the cream from seeping out. The lid always screws back on so the labels line up properly. According to The Face Shop's website, all three fruits contain 30 ml of product and can be used on all skin types. This cream is meant to moisturize and hydrate hands using "botanic butter ingredients."

The cream has a slight lemon scent that resembles Purell hand sanitizer. It has a translucent, pale yellow hue that easily becomes  more clear when spread. The amount on the left is enough to cover my hands. It feels very light and runs like gel. The more I rubbed my hands, the stronger the lemon scent appeared. Afterwards, the cream left my hands with a layer of shiny grease, which can be seen on the right.

The Pros

• The scent is light and refreshing, and makes me crave carnival lemonade!
• The lightness of the cream is nice.

The Cons

• The exterior packaging could look more realistic, though it's not a bad design currently.
• The greasiness is overbearing...I definitely can't use this cream throughout the day. I honestly shouldn't be writing my review on this right now, right after using it on my hands.

Overall, I am not a fan of this hand cream. I'll just be using it right before bed so the greasiness can stay contained in my bed and quickly use up this lemon to add it to my collection of cute hand cream jars.

The Face Shop Mini Pet Floral Hand Cream Review

While many products from The Face Shop don't focus on cute packaging, they do have the Lovely ME EX line that includes several adorable products, such as hand creams and lip balms, that are also small enough to be convenient while on-the-go.

Within the Lovely ME EX line, The Face Shop has four Mini Pet hand creams in the shape of a cute pet peeking out of a colorful flower pot. Each animal designates a specific scent: baby powder, sweet fruits, white floral and fruity floral. All of these hand creams are 30 ml and are for all skin types. In the photo, you can get an idea of just how small the container is. According to the product's page on The Face Shop's website, these creams are light, not sticky and absorb well, containing moisture and nutrients for soft hands. And after testing this product, I totally agree that everything that the website stated about this cream is definitely true!

I decided to start of with the Mini Pet Floral, which has a cute pastel pink kitten poking out of its hot pink flower pot. The pot screws open just under the lip of the pot. Inside, there is a clear plastic film to avoid the cream from spilling. The lid always closes back so the kitten is facing the "Mini Pet Floral" label.

This hand cream has the white floral scent. The scent is initially a bit strong when first scooping the cream from the pot, but it doesn't remain that strong once I rub it on my hands. This white cream is very light and smooth, and the amount in the picture is the perfect amount for my hands. 

The Pros

• At first the packaging may seem childish, but the cuteness has really grown on me!
• A little goes a long way; despite being such a small container, this cream will definitely last for awhile.
• My hands don't feel greasy at all; just five minutes after using this cream, I'm willfully typing this review on my computer without leaving gross grease marks. My skin absorbs the cream really quickly, which is very convenient for on-the-go.
• My hands are well-moisturized!

The Cons

• There is nothing I don't like about this product!

Overall, I love this hand cream! My hands feel moisturized and I absolutely love the non-greasy feeling. I'll definitely use this every night before going to bed to have continuing moisturized and non-chapped hands during this winter.

Etude House Missing U Fairy Penguin Hand Cream Review

Etude House always has adorable packaging, and the Missing U hand cream line is no exception.  I reviewed the Seal hand cream from this line before; here's the link.  I bought the Penguin in September in one of Etude House's Hong Kong locations because I fell for its cuteness.

This Missing U Endangered Animal line offers products that bring awareness of endangered animals around the world.  One side of the box has English, explaining where the fairy penguins are located.  At the same time, this line is environmentally friendly, as made clear on the other side of the box with its labels.  This box is made entirely of recycled paper and printed using soy ink.  The hand creams from this line has also won two awards for design.

Here is the English side that states the mission of this line, an introduction of the fairy penguin, the main ingredients and the directions.  This is a hand cream, but it can also be used on arms.

You can see just how small this hand cream is, as it fits in the palm of my hand.  The arms are in different positions, showing realism and detail in creating the looks of this penguin.  In between the arms is a cotton bud, showing the scent is like cotton.

The inside packaging is more updated since nine months ago when I had bought the Seal.  There is a thin, clear film protecting the lotion from leaking to the top of the lid.  After twisting off the lid, I immediately smelled the strong baby powder scent.  This scent is really innocent and different, but smelling it for too long might overwhelm me.  The side of the box states that this cream is a blend of herbs, shea butter and olives "to moisturize, heal and soothe hands."

Here is a swatch of the cream.  It's more on the runny side so a little goes a long way.  The amount on my palm is the perfect amount to cover my hands thoroughly and the residual smell is rather pleasant and light, not overbearing at all.  I will definitely use this as a daily lotion to keep my hands from drying out.

Overall, I love this hand cream.  The packaging is to die for, and I like how Etude is spreading awareness through its products in this line.  And the lotion itself works well and leaves a pleasant scent.  I'll definitely be collecting more from Etude's Missing U line!

Tony Moly Peach Anti-Aging Hand Cream Review

Tony Moly is known for its adorable, realistic beauty products.  This cute hand cream is no exception!  According to online descriptions, the Peach Anti-Aging Hand Cream contains peach and apricot extracts and other vitamins and ingredients to improve wrinkles and aging.  The result is supposed to be smoother, softer and whiter hands.

This peach is about life size, fitting in the palm of my hand.  The packaging itself is very similar to its nature counterpart.  The finish is matte, mimicking peach fuzz.  The color gradient, from cream to peachy pink from bottom to top, is also like a peach seen in Asian culture (red envelopes, cartoons, etc.).

The top half of the peach twists off, revealing a flat, white lid.  Surprisingly the lid doesn't have 'Tony Moly' imprinted, but instead is just a flushed lid.  This is to prevent the cream from spilling if the product weren't placed upright.

The color is white, from seen inside the peach, there is a slight, pale pink hue.  The texture is very rich, creamy and smooth.  This hand cream is definitely very moisturizing for even the driest, chapped hands, making my hands feel very smooth and soft despite previously being dry and rough.

Pros

• The packaging is too adorable!
• 30 grams is a lot for using just on the hands, so this can go a long way.
• The peach and apricot scent is very strong and lovely.  I smelled it right after I opened the lid, it's so intense!  Also with my hands typing, I can still smell the cream.
• This cream has been ranked as my go-to cream for when my hands are super dry and seeking moisture.  I'm amazed at just how healthy, smooth and soft (not to mention yummy-smelling!) my hands are right now.

Cons

• Maybe if you're sensitive to fragrance, then this product could be a problem.  But I see nothing wrong with this hand cream!

Overall, I love this product.  It is definitely another win for Tony Moly!  The sugary fruit scent reminds me of peach gummy rings, which is pleasing.  I didn't actually know that this product is supposed to whiten your hands until I read up on it, so I really hope the cream does just this.  This cream already moisturizes my hands to perfection, so if it whitens as well, I'd be a super happy camper!

The Face Shop Fruit Garden Hand Lotion Review

My friend gave me her lotion from The Face Shop, so I'll review it. She offered to me a few months ago but I declined because of the unpleasant smell, but yesterday she threatened to throw it away if I didn't take it.  I have never been a fan of The Face Shop besides for endorser Kim Hyun Joong, so I hope that bias doesn't play a role in this review.

This is the Fruit Garden Hand Lotion in Chamomile and Lilac.  The packaging of this lotion looks very cheap and years old.  It is a cream colored squeeze tube bottle with sticker labels plastered in the front and back.  It may be the case that this old-styled design is an older model, because I searched on The Face Shop's website and their hand lotions look much more professional.

The lotion is opaque white with a pretty runny, watery consistency. It's an average lotion which I think suits normal skin, but not moisturizing enough to heal super dry, chapped skin.

Pros

• The runny consistency allows for s little to go along way
• The bottle is a decent size to carry around in a purse (2.36 fl. oz.)
• It moisturizes well for normal skin

Cons

• The scent is VERY unpleasant, and I really can't stand it. It reminds me of old lady potpourri; sorry for being non-descriptive!

Overall, it is an average lotion with unflattering packaging and an overwhelmingly cringe-worthy scent. In all, I wouldn't get this product because my skin is usually dry and needs more moisturizing effect and the smell is unbearable to me. I don't even know how I'll finish up this bottle!

Korean Beauty Brand: Etude House and Missing U Harp Seal Hand Cream Review

Etude House is a famous Korean beauty brand whose theme is to make customers feel like princesses living in a dollhouse. Etude House shops are beautifully designed to look pristine and dollhouse-like, matching the brand's theme beautifully, and I wish to visit one someday.

Etude's latest celebrity endorsers are boy band SHINee (one of the collections they promote is Missing U Bee Happy hand creams), along with girl group f(x)'s Krystal and Sulli, who have recently joined to endorse for 2013.

I ordered my hand cream from A-Poly on Amazon.com, since sadly there are no Etude House stores in North America. This seal was approximately $6.50 plus $4.40 for shipping.

The Missing U collection is environmentally friendly and part of the proceeds goes to protecting the particular animal of the product you are buying. This cardboard box is green because it is made of 100% recycled paper and it is printed from soy ink. The box also says that this product won for best packaging in 2011, and I can see why. The soft shape and small size makes this seal super adorable.

As you can see, the seal is so small that it can comfortably sit in the palm of my hand. It holds 30ml of lotion, which is only about one ounce. I can use up one ounce of lotion very quickly, but the packaging is too adorable to pass up so I had to order this!

The Pros

• eco-friendly packaging and helps saves seals
• cute packaging (it makes me want to collect all the Missing U hand creams!)
• small size can be easily stored in purses
• pleasant, subtle green tea scent
• creamy texture moisturizes super dry hands (tried and true, by me!), which is especially handy for the cold, harsh weather I've been facing
• just a penny-sized amount moisturizes my hands
  

The Cons

• small sizes means small amount of lotion (this can be easily used up in a few days, depending on sparingly you use it...okay, I may be exaggerating a bit on this one)
  

Overall, this hand cream is so adorable and I will probably order another animal (most likely the penguin) in the future.

On a related note, I just watched the Behind the Scenes episode of Shut Up Flower Boy Band and there is a scene where Kim Ye Rim gives Kim Myungsoo some hand cream.  By the way, I found out this is episode 14.  It turns out, this hand cream is from the Missing U collection, the Pink Dolphin.  Honestly the Pink Dolphin was the least flattering of the four hand creams, but because Myung Soo touched this, I'm so tempted to buy one for myself...!

My A-Poly Package!

A-Poly is an online retailer through Amazon.com that carries a wide range of Korean beauty brands and products. This company is located in Seoul and ship internationally. All packages are packaged and shipped with care (and lots of bubble wrap), and some packages are cutely touched with felt hearts and other decorations. They say packages should arrive in about 17 days, but on the invoice they say one month to one month and a half.  My package came in 18 days.  All of A-Poly's items are very reasonable and the shipping cost is an additional $4.40 per item.

Here are the stickers that adorned my package. Aww, my first package from Korea! The postage is so adorable.

These are the products I ordered!  Tony Moly's products are always cutely packaged, and I just had to have my hands on their popular egg pore series.  I only bought their first two eggs, Blackhead Out Oil Gel and Tightening Pack, and hopefully I'll get the Silky Smooth Balm in the future.  I also bought Etude House's Missing U Hand Cream in Harp Seal Story because of its equally cute packaging.

My purchase also came with five samples: Tony Moly Tomatox, Vitamin Essence Mask, Dr. Tony AC Control Acne Cleansing Foam and Floria Foam Cleanser, as well as Etude House Know Your Body Soft Cream Scrub.  I'm surprised and delighted at these generous samples and can't wait to test them all out!

Once I try out all of these products, I'll be sure to post up a review!