Laneige Anti-Pollution Two Tone Sun Stick SPF50+ PA++++

Finished this 18g Laneige Anti-Pollution Two Tone Sun Stick SPF50+ PA++++ back in the summer, so this post is only 6 months late, plus this sun stick was long discontinued anyway. Ha.  

Laneige Moisturizing Foam Cleanser

Been using this 30mL/1fl. oz. tube of Laneige Moisturizing Foam Cleanser from the Hydrating Trial Kit I got from Sephora a couple of winters ago (woah, it's really been that long?).

Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream

Gave this 10mL/0.3fl. oz. jar of Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream to hubby to use and he finished it in a snap. It was from the Hydrating Trial Kit I got at Sephora a while ago.

Laneige Air Light Sun Stick SPF50+ PA++++

I didn't want to put up with the sticky greasy mess that was DHI Beauty Water Drop Natural Shield Sun Stick, so I moved right along to this 26g tube of Laneige Air Light Sun Stick SPF50+ PA++++.

Laneige Water Bank Essence

Almost done with this 10mL/0.3fl. oz. pump bottle of Laneige Water Bank Essence so here's a quick post. It was from the Hydrating Trial Kit I got at Sephora. 

Laneige Essential Power Skin Toner

Along with Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Quench Squad Hydrating Mini Lip Set and Buxom Party Girl Pout Mini Lip Balm Kit, I also picked up this Laneige Hydrating Trial Kit at Sephora. The kit had a few things I wanted to try, among which this 50mL/1.69fl. oz. bottle of Essential Power Skin Toner which I've been using for the past couple of weeks.

Laneige Vitamin Brightening Cleansing Water

In addition to Neogen Dermalogy Real Flower Cleansing Water, I've been using this 300mL/10.1fl. oz. bottle of Laneige Vitamin Brightening Cleansing Water off and on for the past year also.

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX

Update Saturday, December 31, 2011.

Finally found a list of ingredients in form of a picture taken by Paris B. from My Women Stuff. I have received her permission to post the picture here, so up it goes ^.^ Thank you Paris. B.

***Picture from My Women Stuff.

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Original post Tuesday, October 19, 2010.

This Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX is the third update of Laneige's most hyped product, this time containing no alcohol (it says so on the printed slip inside)!

I can definitely say I like this version best, not because it is alcohol-free but it also seems to be the most lightly scented out of the three. The fragrance is different from the last two, still keeping that clean and fresh scent but with a touch of floral this time and not so much the sweet musky scent in the 2nd installment by the name of Water Sleeping Pack Plus.

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack Plus

The Laneige Water Sleeping Pack Plus came out may be a year ago and is an updated version of the original Water Sleeping Pack. And when it first came out, let me tell you, like a slippery fish it was more than a little difficult to get a hold of. Well, not difficult at all if you were willing to pay an arm and a leg, but I wasn't that desperate, so stalked Sasa.com for months. They had the most reasonable prices I've seen so far, but the item was constantly out of stock. The moment it comes back into stock, it would sell out again. A whole year later, I finally gave in and bought one from Ebay. Sigh...I guess I was desperate after all.

No pictures of the box, unfortunately. I was so excited I tore into the package and threw out the box before I had a chance to take a picture. Woops.


So was this product worth the Ebay desperation? I'd say yes. There are a couple of significant differences between the original Sleeping Pack and the updated Sleeping Pack Plus, so if you are looking at both and wondering which to try, I'd say go for the Sleeping Pack Plus. And by the way, Laneige just came out with yet another updated version called the Water Sleeping Pack EX. I snatched up this latest version as well the moment Sasa.com stocked it, so I will probably review it later in a few months.



Similarities
- Texture: Compare the 2 pictures and you will see both versions of the pack look identical in color. They are identical in their light and gel-cream-like texture as well.
- Effect: both are hydrators with no oil ingredients (see the Ingredients List for the Sleeping Pack Plus below). The Sleeping Pack Plus have only a few ingredients less than the original Sleeping Pack, so thankfully that didn't change how the Sleeping Pack Plus works for my skin. When I get itchy red bumps on my cheek due to dehydration, a night with the pack on will restore my skin and get rid of the dryness. I have been using both the Sleeping Pack and the Sleeping Pack Plus end on end for many months now and I honestly don't really see a difference between the two and what they do.

Differences
- Cosmetic elegance: This is probably the most significant difference between the two and one that really win me over for the Sleeping Pack Plus. The trouble I initially had with the original Sleeping Pack was that it was so damn sticky! Only later on did I learned to use it as a hydrator instead, i.e. applying a whole lot less than the suggested amount to avoid the annoying stickiness. Mind you, the Sleeping Pack works really well in that regards, but I still can't use it as the intended sleeping pack. The Sleeping Pack Plus, however, is absolutely not sticky at all! No matter how much I put on, it absorbed so quickly and fully I would often forget I even had it on! So where as the original Sleeping Pack is limited to my use only as a hydrator, I can use the Sleeping Pack Plus as both a hydrator and a sleeping pack, just as it was intended for use.
- Fragrance: a lot of people said that they both smell the same, and while I agree they do smell a bit similar, ultimately I think they are different fragrances. First off, the Sleeping Pack Plus is not as strongly perfumed as the Sleeping Pack. Secondly, whereas the Sleeping Pack is a sharper clean scent, the Sleeping Pack Plus is a sweeter musky scent. Immediately upon application, it reminds me of the older Revlon Fire & Ice Perfume that came out in the mid 90's. Then again, this is based on my memory of what the Fire & Ice perfume smelled like and since it has been more than 15 years since I last smelled that perfume, my memory might have played some tricks on me.
- Packaging: packaging is most of the time trivial in my book as long as the product carries its own weight. I said most of the time because there are time when I buy a product solely because of its packaging. Regardless, in this case I think the original Sleeping Pack's packaging is cheap-looking and the Sleeping Pack Plus is much better packaged.



Water Sleeping Pack Plus:
Water, Butylene Glycol, Cyclomethicone, Glycerin, Trehalose, Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Vaccinium Angustifolium (blueberry) Fruit Extract, Dimethiconol, Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimenthicone, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Polysorbate 20, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Polyquaternium-51, Mannitol, Arginine, Serine, Sucrose, PCA, Citrulline, Glycogen, Histidine HCL, Alanine, Threonine, Glutamic Acid, Lysine HCL, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Calcium Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate, Atelocollagen, Beta-Glucan, Yeast Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Whey, Disodium EDTA, Chlorophenesin, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Fragrance, Blue 1, Yellow 5.
***List of ingredients from Makeup Alley member fionam's review of both the Water Sleeping Pack Plus and the original Water Sleeping Pack.

See my previous Laneige Water Sleeping Pack post.

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack

Update Friday, March 5, 2010

Finally found a list of ingredients from Makeup Alley member ditto1973's review posted on July 9, 2004. This definitely confirms the Water Sleeping Pack a hydrator as there is not an oil ingredient in it!

Water Sleeping Pack:
Water, Butylene Glycol, Cyclomethicone, Glycerin, Trehalose, Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Vaccinium Angustifolium (blueberry) Fruit Extract, Dimethiconol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone, Ammonium, Acryloyldimethy Itaurate/Vp Copolymer, Polysorbate 20, Triethanolamine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Carborner, Mannitol, Arginine, Serine, Sucrose, PCA, Citrulline, Glycogen, Histidine, HCL, Alanine, Threonine, Glutamic Acid, Lysine HCI, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Calcium Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Sodium Chondroitine Sulfate, Atelocollagen, Beta-Glucan, Disodium Edta, Imidazolidinyl, Urea, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Fragrance, Blue 1 Yellow 5.

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Update Sunday, July 26, 2009

My sister flew home from Japan to visit my parents, and since I haven't seen her since last December, I flew home too for a brief family reunion. And knowing how hot and dry it would be where my parents are, I packed myself a tiny jar of the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack. It was quite easy, I just had to scoop a bit out into a tiny reusable glass jar that used to hold my Avon Hydrofirming Eye Cream. At the time, I thought it might have been a bit unnecessary since I don't really follow the instructions and use the product the way it was intended anyway, but boy am I glad I brought some with me now. It literally saved my skin and I finally finally finally understand why folks are raving about it now!



That's not all, I've figured out how to use it too (I think), which makes me super excited to come home and try this method with my other sleeping packs, including the Etude House Moistfull 3-in-1 Massage Mask! You see, after about 5 days at significantly higher elevation (about 5,300 feet above sea level) where it's super duper dry and ultraviolet radiation from the sun is much harsher (because there are less atmosphere here to block the rays), I started getting these odd red itchy bumps on my cheek - a clear indication of dehydrated and stressed out skin!

So what did I do but whooped out that nifty little glass jar and plopped some of this good Laneige Water Sleeping Pack stuff on my face? The thing is, when I was at home I would just wear it as a day mask when I'm lounging around doing nothing for several hours. Here, hubby and I are driving back and forth dividing our time between our families, we don't have several hours to lounge around doing nothing and I was actually forced to follow the instructions and use it as a, whoop-dee-doo, sleeping pack. Yes, overnight, with my face smashed into the pillow and everything.



That said, I didn't goop on as much as the instructions said I should. After putting on my eye cream, I skipped moisturizer and used just this sleeping pack, applying it sparingly in light dabs as though it is an intense hydrator, a maximum-strength Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief so to speak. After all, it doesn't have any oil ingredients and I don't see why I can't use it as a hydrator :) And what do you know, it sank right into my skin without leaving any traces of stickiness behind! Best of all, after just 2 consecutive nights of use I woke up this morning to skin that has been restored to its original smooth and supple state! It was like those red and itchy bumps were never even there! Holy crap this stuff is freakin' awesome! I will never ever travel without it again!

And now that I've figured out how to get this Laneige Water Sleeping Pack to work with my skin, I'm beginning to think $30 for a jar of 80 mL (2.7 fl oz.) is worth every penny, not to mention soooooo much cheaper than its fellow hydrator, the Clinique Moisture Surge's $46/75 mL (2.5 fl. oz) or $34/50 mL (1.7 fl oz.). I said below I probably won't buy it again, but scrap that, this experience totally changed my mind and I already thought about getting a back up even though with my light dabs for each use, the jar will probably last me much much longer than just months and months. Yes, I love it that much.

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Original post Saturday, June 20, 2009

I heard loads about this Laneige Water Sleeping Pack and how it restored people's skin from environmental dehydration (due to pollution, long flight, dry weather, ...stress?), so I just had to try it despite my aversion to sleeping packs (and I've already bought quite a few different ones prior to this...oi...how do I ever cure me of my curiosity?). It is supposedly very hydrating. I even checked the ingredients and didn't find any oil ingredients indeed!



The sleeping pack comes in a pool-blue gel-cream (will update with a picture of the actual gel-cream later). It is scented with a brisk springy water/soapy fragrance, quite perfumy, unfortunately. I honestly don't know what the heck I was expecting, because it was sticky as f*ck! The first few times, I tried using the recommended dime-sized amount. I waited and waited for it to dry up but nope, it felt like I had applied syrup on my face. Then I thought, what the hell, and I gooped a bunch on my face the next few times. Let's just say the syrup upgraded to honey, ick. And then for the past several times, I used, like, a pea-size amount, which dried a bit more decently but was still a bit sticky for me to go to bed with. So every time, I ended up washing it off after a few hours before going to bed. Oh well, I'll use this as another day/evening pack just like the Etude House Moistfull Massage Mask. Doesn't hurt my feelings :)



With all that said though, the thing really does what it claims. My skin felt nicely hydrated and SUPER SOFT after washing it off, yep, in this hot and already humid weather, so I would imagine my skin will only feel better if I were to use it during the dry and cold winter months. And as usual, I store the jar in the fridge in my "skin care" section :D Upon application, it was like, "Ahh...relief..." I probably won't buy this again though as the jar is big enough to last me probably months and months. If anything, I'm going to try the newer and better version of this pack, the Water Sleeping Pack Plus. Apparently this "plus" version has less ingredients and not sticky at all! Sold!

Laneige Strawberry Yogurt Peeling Gel

Laneige Strawberry Yogurt Peeling Gel is actually a very misleading name. To make it worse, it was categorized as a mask. When I first saw it, I immediately thought of those peel off masks, only this one would be strawberry yogurt scented. Sounds yummy, right?



I guess I was so excited I bought it before reading the how-to-use instructions carefully, and it turns out to be an exfoliating scrub instead :( Not that I don't like scrubs, but I was really disappointed when I realized I wasn't going to get to peel anything off my face. The instructions on Sasa.com says to:
- Apply an amount of 2 cm in diameter to clean and dry face
- Massage for 1 minute then rinse off with warm water
- Use 1 - 2 times a week



What I found interesting is that the peeling gel itself isn't exactly a gel. It's more like a pudding in texture with fleshy pinkish granules that are supposed to disappear during the massaging process. The strangest part is that as soon as you start massaging the gel onto your face, the gel starts to ball up and becomes like a grainy scrub, all the while the pinkish granules disappear! The only thing I kind of don't like about the gel is that the scent leans more towards the yogurt rather than the strawberry, i.e., the scent is a bit too yogurty and sour for my taste. Either way, my skin was really soft and well moisturized afterwards, so I guess it works well.

Laneige Snow Bloom Blusher

My very very first Korean makeup item, isn't that exciting? I'm branching out and trying new things - omigod!!! I know, I'm a total 3-year old right now. Not to mention dorky. I'm a complete novice with this makeup thing in comparison to some, but hey, I have to start somewhere, right? Tadah - I present you the Laneige Snow Bloom Blusher!

I first saw this beautiful blush at facial-shop.com, and it mesmerized me, but I was still skeptical at the time. The website didn't have a *real* picture for me to look at. The one it had was obviously digital. So I scouted around and found a post miss Muse did on Laneige's Spring Collection: Snow Bloom. Still no *real* pictures, however, and I wasn't sold until I stumbled upon a beautiful picture from a well-seasoned Japanese and Korean makeup collector from Makeup Alley :) See why I like that place? :D

Anyways, so I went for it and tore into the package when it arrived. My first impression was...big, bulky, and heavy. The case is translucent white on top with raised prints of snow flakes and opaque white at the bottom. And it came with a brush and mirror. I guess I don't like the case, but with that said, I do like the fact the blush pan is held very securely in place by a magnet and not sticky glue. What genius! Why can't all makeup be held in place by magnets? That would make things much easier to remove and cleaner too without all the gooey mess the glue leaves behind! Although, as soon as I beamed at the thought that I can take the blush pan out anytime and put other things in, I was hit with the fact that whatever I will put in next will ruin the magnet with glue...Garr...


The blush itself is beautiful and soft! Overall, I would say pigmentation is low intensity and can be layered to reach medium. But then I prefer my makeup sheer, so I am very happy with it in this aspect. Also, the powder is unscented, which is wonderful! And I love the way the colors are laid out: I can swirl the whole thing together for a peachy pink glow, use just the top 3 colors when I want peachy cheeks, or use the lower 3 colors for pinky cheeks. Awesome! I usually carry 2 blushes (a peach and a pink) with me anyways, and this blush caters to my mood by giving me both options!


From the top:
- A beige nude with gold shimmers. This color looks sparkly in the pan but it actually goes on quite subdued. Turns a bit peachy on my skin.
- A coral peach with very very fine pearly shimmers. Looks matte and goes on with a very slight touch of pearl. On me, it looks more orange than coral or peach.
- A shimmery white with a pink pearly sheen. It doesn't look it, but it's the most shimmery shade of the bunch! Makes a fantastic highlighter for the inner corners of the eyes!
- A pretty rosy pink that is completely matte. Surprisingly, this color turns a bright pink with hints of fuchsia on me!
- A fleshy pink iridescent shimmers. Again, it looks shimmery in the pan but is quite subdued upon application. Goes on a very sheer and pale pink.


Final verdict: I love it! The blush doesn't look quite pristine in the picture above because I couldn't resist messing around before taking the picture. Can you blame me?

Onwards to my next Korean makeup item...Teehee! :D