Isn't this just the loveliest skincare set? Launched on March 1st of 2018, Bare Essentials is an exclusively Althea brand by Althea Korea.
According to their philosophy, complicated skincare steps block pores and make your skin tired. Enter Bare Essentials. This 3-step complete skincare routine is supposed to simplify skincare to what your skin really needs. Infused with hydrating ingredients from the depths of nature (fancy!), the 3-step skincare products are designed to keep your skin at its optimal comfort level.
It is a bold promise made to a skincare addict who's lazy routine still consists of cleanser, pH adjusting toner, hydrating toner, lotion/essence, serum, and cream. For those of you who're curious, I'm currently using the Atopalm Real Barrier Cleansing Foam, Etude House Wonder Pore Fresner Toner, Gobdigoun Skin Milk Conditioner, Gobdigoun Skin Milk Facial Lotion, May Coop Raw Sauce, and Swanicoco Swan Cream. That's 6 steps when I'm feeling lazy. If I'm not, I'll add a clay mask before the cleanser, occasionally make use of an oil cleanser, and then end with a sheet mask with a few more dabs of essences and serums in between. My skin is capable of absorbing so much money y'all. Lol.
At the same time, my skin is fussier than ever, breaking out every time I try out a new product for no reason whatsoever. I have just finished reviewing the Benton Tea Tree cleanser. With only 7 ingredients, none of which my skin has reacted badly to, it somehow managed to cause pimples to sprout on my face
So, when Althea sent me these in exchange for my honest review, I figured it's a good time as any to see if it actually does what it promises.
Here are the 3-step skincare routine including the descriptions provided by Althea Korea:
1. Contour Cleanser
This densely packed Micro Capsules pop when met with water to wash out impurities from the skin. By detoxing the skin, Contour Cleanser reduces bloating and creates a perfect slim face line.
Key ingredients: ice plant, lemon verbena leaf
2. Primer Water
Clear dewdrops soften the skin by gently filing the gaps between pores and the skin. Primer water gives a smooth, silky finish and enhances the skin's natural glow.
Key Ingredients: Snow lotus, Patented dewdrop technology
3. Fixer Cream
Layers upon layers of powerful water particles provide non-stop hydration for the skin. Fixer Cream keeps the skin fresh and vitalized for up to 24 hours.
Key ingredients: Trehalose, Wild green tea, baobab tree
I yolo'ed the ef out of this and got rid of my entire routine and replaced it entirely with just these three steps. I'm not even kidding. For an entire week, my whole skincare routine is reduced to 3 steps. I'm not even using sheet masks, which makes me a little sad just to think about it.
I will review each step of the routine individually, but here's the review of my experience with the entire line for the week.
On the first day, I was already thinking of giving up, reaching for my low-pH cleanser instead of the Contour cleanser, which I've pH tested as soon as I received the product and found it to be sitting somewhere between pH8-9, which is pretty high. My skin is weird with high pH cleansers. The Cosrx Salicylic Acid cleanser, which is high pH works perfectly fine for me, but the April Skin Magic Stone broke out my skin like it's new purpose in life is to ruin my skin.
That said, I'm pretty worried that the same would happen with this cleanser. Thankfully, I experienced nothing of the sort. I'm actually kinda pleased to be using a high foaming cleanser again, since I'm horribly addicted to that terrible feeling of having my skin completely cleaned and erm... tight-ish? XD Fyi, cleansers aren't supposed to leave your skin feeling tight, since that means it's stripped off the healthy layer of skin instead of just getting rid of grime and dirt.
It is a rich foaming cleanser that is able to remove impurities, like it promises. There are micro capsules in the foaming cleanser that helps exfoliate dead skin cells without feeling too abrasive on my skin. The key ingredients in this are ice plant, which it claims to be able to hydrate and calm redness, as well as lemon myrtle, which is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants to strengthen the skin.
Anyways, even though it does leave my skin with a slightly tightening feeling, I was quite pleased with it's performance. The Primer Water that comes with it is hydrating enough that I don't feel like my skin's completely stripped and dried. In my opinion, the only thing a cleanser need to be able to do to get good points in my skin is to do it's job without breaking out my skin, which it is 100% able to deliver.
My initial opinion of the Primer Water isn't very good. I've since changed my mind about it, so I'm glad I waited before reviewing it. My initial thought was that the fragrance was too heavy, leaving me with a worry that I'm smelling smelling perfume all the time. However, once I've used this for more than a day, I started to really love the scent. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated and moisturized and there are days where I feel like just this is enough to keep my skin moisturized for the whole day.
Yet, I always reach for the Fixer Cream. It claims to be able to keep the skin fresh and vitalized for up to 24 hours, which is exactly what it does. After applying this, my skin feels super refreshed. It is not too heavy and is absorbed really nicely by my skin, leaving me with a matte, comfortable sensation.
The key ingredients in the Primer water includes snow lotus, which smoothens and brightens the skin while evening out it's texture, and patented 'dewdrop' formulation, which revitalizes the skin and provides immediate, effective moisture.
Meanwhile, the Fixer Cream boasts Trehalose, a powerful humectant that retains moisture on the skin, wild green tea, which is hydrating, skin soothing, and packed with antioxidants, and baobad tree extract, which is non-greasy moisturizing agent that helps promote collagen production.
So, what's my verdict after using nothing but these three Bare Essential products for three weeks?
...
I continued using only these for another week. Lol. Honestly, I've enjoyed using this so much that I didn't want to stop. The three steps work perfectly together, doing so well together that I didn't really want to add anything to my routine, not even the things I've used long before introducing these three magical products. Even now, I'm sticking to using just these three products on days when I don't feel like adding more steps to my routine which, admittedly, is most days.
Do I like this? Hell yeah. I loved this. The three products work so well together that I've kinda wandered if I could just stick with using these three without using anything else at all.
Perhaps I'll add a Vitamin C serum for anti-aging properties and use a low-pH cleanser for morning use, but other than that, I'm going to just stick to these.
Two weeks of these have actually done my skin a lot of good. I've been suffering from less breakouts and though I've taken out some other products in order to help with a few hormonal breakouts, they've done well in soothing and calming my skin.
I have a Facebook page! :D https://www.facebook.com/MalaysianBeautyHaul/
I also do quick, short reviews on my instagram so if you're up for it, do follow me here too! :D https://www.instagram.com/peachy_amy/
No comments:
Post a Comment