Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum EX review (Part 1)

Oh happy day; Bubbles was invited to the VIP opening of the Sulwhasoo boutique at Capitol Piazza. However, being a busy alpaca (someone has to fund the Sulwhasoo sprees), that post will have to wait till Saturday.

In the meantime, Bubbles has a mini review of the new Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum EX! The old Sulwhasoo first care serum is going to be discontinued, but you won't miss it for long because the new serum promises to be a supercharged version of the old, further increasing the absorption of skincare products.

So how does the new first care serum EX differ from the old first care serum? Bubbles puts it to a quick test:

On the left: old first care serum; on the right: new first care serum EX

Looks: both serums are brown and runny. You wouldn't be able to tell them apart just by looking. 

Texture: two equal-sized blobs of serum on Bubbles' paw ran down at the same rate. It's a tie! 

Scent: the old serum smells citrus-powdery and the new one smells citrus-herby (whatever that means). It is clear that Bubbles has no nose for scents....

Effect on face: no allergic reactions to the new serum thus far, and it feels the same as the old serum, where it sinks into the skin quickly. Nevertheless, to be a good scientist, one has to run consistent trials over a period of time. Bubbles confesses that she has been slack with her skincare regime on Sunday and Monday, and the event was on Saturday. Heh heh. It's too early for a detailed review of the new serum EX, so check back in about a month's time. 

Concluding remarks: Bubbles bids farewell to the old first care serum but she won't miss it because the new serum looks, smells and feels the same. While it's too early to tell whether it's more effective compared to the old serum, Bubbles is happy that she's not allergic to the new formulation. This alpaca wants to be spotted, not spotted. Just my little joke. 

Ending off with Bubbles' haul at the Sulwhasoo boutique opening

The trial set (4 items), pouch and small 30ml bottle of the first care serum EX were door gifts. The rest were impulse buys because they were pretty. Just look at that floral foundation case! Bubbles is not a fan of cushion foundations but the case was too pretty to pass up. Yours, with 2 foundation refills, for $74. Also, a 120ml limited edition bottle of the first care serum EX is retailing for $195, a 30% discount. 

In love with L'Herboflore

Did you think all Cuddles bought in Taiwan was My Beauty Diary masks for Bubbles? No! Cuddles went to Taiwan with the aim of hunting down some L'Herboflore goodies for herself. L'Herboflore has branches at Taipei 101 (B1) and also at Eslite Underground Mall in Taipei Main Station.
 

This is Cuddles' first overseas haul without Bubbles (under the watchful eye of Mother Alpaca, who approved every purchase with a nod). She hasn't done too badly, has she?

L'Herboflore had some new products and promotions for summer...

Moisturising exfoliating gel (NT1600), which removes dead skin cells so that your skin absorbs moisture from masks better. A new product made from cactus. It has a pleasant, fresh smell and isn't cloying or overly fragranced.

Use this 2-3 times a week, before you use a mask. Apply a layer of gel on your face, wait 30 seconds, then slowly massage the gunk out of your pores. Cuddles likes this because unlike other exfoliating gels she has tried, this one does not dry out the skin, and glides smoothly so you don't end up tugging on your face to exfoliate.

 Moisturising toner (NT1500), also new, also from cactus. Use this daily after cleansing your face.

The ongoing promotion: Buy 2 tubes of exfoliating gel for NT2500 (reduced from NT3200) AND get a FREE moisturising toner (NT1500) and 10 FREE sheet masks (NT50 each)! And the lavender/palmarosa masks were also having their own promotion: Get 10 masks for NT600 (usual price is NT80 each). So, Cuddles got all the stuff in the first photo for NT3100, and even managed to get back NT148 because tax refund is possible when you spend more than NT3000.  

Here are the 10 free sheet masks that Cuddles got! L'Herboflore lets you try out the masks -- they make them in mini sizes (but complete with eye and mouth holes) that fit on your hand. And they give them out even if you just happen to walk by the counter.

 The lavender and palmarosa masks (NT80 each). The lavender scent is heavenly.

 
Cuddles likes L'Herboflore masks because they are among the few masks that fit nicely over her rather high forehead, and sit nicely on the alpaca face instead of bunching up. They also don't sting like some masks do. And the packaging is so pretty... L'Herboflore is available in Taiwan and China only, but the girl at the Taipei Main Station counter gives out her Whatsapp and Line number, so you can order more stuff from her and she will send it over.

Here is the complete photo of What Cuddles Bought In Taipei. Most of the shopping was done at Watsons (Ximending), Cosmed (Taipei Main Station) and Mirada (near Ximending). Cosmed and Mirada had amazing promotions for masks, think buy 1 box and get another free. Bring your own bag to store your beauty buys; they charge for plastic bags. Now Bubbles wants to go to Taiwan too. The alpacas will be back. BTW, Cuddles visited the alpacas in the Taipei City Zoo.

Sulwhasoo workshop review

Because of her contributions to Sulwhasoo's annual sales report, Bubbles was invited to attend a complimentary "Discover the power of Ginseng" workshop yesterday (19 June) at SEVIIN at Tangs. Bubbles had no idea what it would be about (and secretly hoped they would serve a ginseng chicken soup), so she showed up to find this (sans the soup):

Sulwhasoo workshop at the Loft at SEVIIN

Individual seats for participants

You can choose to sit in front of the skincare....

or the makeup.

Bubbles always picks the skincare seat because it's easier to reach the products that way (2 people to 1 set of makeup and skincare). Bubbles is also a germaphobe so she absolutely cannot share makeup. 

The Sulwhasoo compacts (foundation and powder) are brand new (which is awesome) but the lip products, although clean, have been shared before (which is a common practice in beauty workshops). Bubbles has a mental THING about sharing lipsticks and lipgloss because she doesn't know if the previous user squeezed/smeared some onto a cotton bud before applying it on her lips, or whether she applied it directly to her lips. So if this bugs you, bring your own lip product and the only thing you'll worry about catching is the bus. 

Heading the workshop - the perky Chaven Lee

The workshop was informative, with the trainer sharing lots of skincare tips and solutions. Participants could stop her to ask questions at any time, and she answered all of them with a smile (even the grumbly ones). This time, Bubbles took some notes on her phone. With all the bad press about parabens in beauty products, she never knew that her beloved Sulwhasoo products are all paraben-free, or that the First Care Activating Serum could be used as a lip mask.

First Care Serum Lip Mask: Pat one drop of it all over your lips using your finger. Next, use 2 fingers - one at each corner of your mouth - and press down for 3 seconds. Repeat 3 times. Thereafter, place one finger just below the middle of your bottom lip and press down for 3 seconds. Repeat 3 times. Apparently this will reduce double chins. Just do not lick your lips cos it will NOT taste like caramels and strawberries. 

For the full 100 ways you can use the serum, visit: http://www.sulwhasoo.com.sg/en/beauty 

Now meet the stars of the show (from left to right): Concentrated Ginseng Essential Renewing Oil, Capsulized Ginseng Fortifying Serum, Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Eye Cream and Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream.

Of course, no workshop is complete without a product demo - everyone got to try all the products on their faces (ginseng oil was optional). The highlight for Bubbles was trying out one piece of the Snowise EX Whitening mask - this baby costs $16.20 a piece! (And one of the ladies loved it so much she filched the extra next to Bubbles saying "oh I just want to try". Hmmmm. Bubbles went to buy a box of it later.)

$162 for a box of 10. Awesome and calms redness. 

Start with applying the ginseng eye cream after you've loaded up on your basic skincare (cleansing, First Care Serum, Essential Balancing Serum (like a toner) and a mask, if required). Pat in gently with your ring finger because the skin on your eye area is 5x thinner than your face!

A Sulwhasoo skincare post Bubbles did earlier: Click here

The ginseng serum. The sparkles are actually what they call the macro ginsenispheres which release fresh ginseng extract when crushed, forming a protective layer on the skin surface.

The ginseng serum is a rather viscous liquid with small bits in it like grains of sand (looks like the Sulwahsoo ginseng white exfoliating gel). You can crush the little bits to release the ginseng extract. The micro ginsenispheres cannot be seen but penetrate the skin's surface to boost collagen production. The products smells pleasantly of ginseng and absorbs into the skin easily. It hydrates and makes skin feel very smooth to the touch.

Also played with the ginseng oil, but you don't need it unless you have dry skin

Finishing off with the ginseng cream. This alpaca uses cotton buds because hygiene, yo. 

Just because I can. 

The session ended at 9 pm (2 hours) after a Korean-style makeup application demonstration and everyone trooped back to level 1 to claim their door gift, which turned out to be a $20 voucher redeemable with a $200 spend. Bubbles had her paws crossed for a small tube of the ginseng serum (that would have been a fab door gift given the theme of the workshop, and Sulwhasoo workshops are always very generous with samples to take home), but she's not complaining, having tried the wonderful 16-dollar Snowise mask for free. 

And so the day ended with Bubbles buying even more stuff.... 

All in all, the workshop was an informative one, and Bubbles will definitely go for more in the future (this is her 4th!). Sulwhasoo workshops usually require a fee of about $80-$100 which is fully redeemable for products. Remember to take some notes or you'll forget everything after having lunch, especially if numbers are involved!!

Stay tuned for Bubbles and Cuddles' post about the opening of the new Sulwhasoo boutique in Capitol Piazza! 

My Beauty Diary Bounty

Hello alpacas! Cuddles went on a Taiwan trip with Mother Alpaca in June and brought back some beauty goodies for Bubbles. Bubbles, on the other hand, remained in Singapore and purchased a fine bone china teaset.

What could these be?

Cuddles brought back 4 boxes of the Taiwan series of My Beauty Diary masks AND a new candy-coated addition to the alpaca family - Flossy!!!!

Each box of these masks contains 7 masks and a postcard, and weighs about as much as a small paperback. Cuddles bought them at Cosmed where there was a promotion of 2 boxes for NT 419 (SGD$18-$20). Because Cuddles bought 4 boxes, she got a free box of My Beauty Diary natto masks as well. Talk about a good deal!

And aren't the cover designs so pretty? My Beauty Diary's collaboration with Aiko Fukawa has this alpaca's tail in a twist! Bubbles LOVES the cat illustrations. And if you think the box illustrations are beautiful, wait till you see those on the mask foil packs - the colours are richer and sharper and Bubbles might just save one mask per box to ogle twenty years from now...

The 4 boxes in the Taiwan series are: Sun Moon Lake (green) {top left}, Huadung (yellow) {top right}, Taipei (pink) {bottom left} and Kenting (blue) {bottom right}. Now on to the details and review!

Taipei (pink)

Each box is crafted like a mini-drawer. Slit the 2 security seals and pull on the ribbon to reveal the masks and postcard! The boxes aren't shrink-wrapped in plastic unlike the normal My Beauty Diary masks so be sure to choose a nice box! 

The Taipei series is a "Spring Water Moisturizing Mask" which promises "refining" and "moisturizing". It features a cat in a hot spring.

Sun Moon Lake (green)

The Sun Moon Lake series is a "Black Tea Soothing Moisturizing Mask" and it promises these alpacas "soothing" and "moisturizing" properties. 

And so Bubbles decided to try the mask.

Ooooh. It smells fruity, but not in a dishwashing liquid kind of way, more like a mild breakfast yoghurt minus the milky scent. The mask is DRIPPING with essence (Bubbles poured a whole palmful from the packet after removing the mask) but the eyeholes are much smaller compared to regular MBD masks. 

The alpacas conscripted their pal Gelatoni for a photoshoot. Doesn't he look like the cat on the cover? The mask feels thinner and has a more fibrous texture when dried compared to other MBD masks. Bubbles felt that her mien was brighter and more even-toned after using the Sun Moon Lake mask. It was also very moisturizing, to the point that her face felt sticky, but that resolved itself after a nap. 

Kenting (blue)

Ken you see the Kenting goodness (harharhar)

The Kenting mask is an "Algae Elastin Moisturizing Mask" which promises "intensity" and "hydration". It features a cat chillin' on the beach.

Huadung (yellow)

The Huadung mask is a "Mountain Hydrating Firming Mask" which promises "hydration" and "firming". This one the alpacas like because it came with TWO postcards.

And this concludes the My Beauty Diary Taiwan series mask haul. The alpacas aren't sure whether it will be available in Singapore, or whether it is limited edition, so SG alpacas, keep your eyes peeled and paws crossed!