Review | Mamonde Rose Water Toner & Toner Pad

Hydrating toners are currently my favourite steps in my daily skincare routines as it is a huge part of my therapeutic self-care ritual where I would be layering my hydrating toners; sometimes with numbers of different hydrating toners but most of the times, I would be using a single toner and apply 3 to 7 times depending on the hydrating power of the toner itself or simply how dry my skin at that point of the day.

MAMONDE ROSE WATER TONER

Product Description Rose Water Toner contains 90.97% Rose water,with soothing and moisturising effects, offering greater hydration with each swipe on skin:

• Building a water-based moisture barrier on the skin
• Exceptional soothing and moisturising effects of the Damask Rose
• Formulated without 7 ingredients - Free of animal ingredients, mineral oil, polyacrylamide, imidazolidinyl urea, triethanolamine, silicone oil, synthetic colour.

How to Use: After cleansing, take appropriate amount of the product onto cotton pad and wipe across the face, from inner to outward of facial area. Tap the skin lightly to let the excess absorbed into skin nice and even. Capacity: 250ml

Ingredients List:
Damask Rose Extract (90.97%), Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Acrylate/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance, Purified Water, Sucrose, Prunus Mume Fruit Rosehip Fruit Extract, Indole Acetic Acid.

PACKAGING

 

As you can see in the above photos, the product comes in that transparent pink plastic bottle. There's no English product description nor label sticker so all the information you need is in the section above and there is a product expiry date printed at the bottom of the bottle with the format being YYYYMMDD (Year-Month-Day).

 

The product doesn't come with a pump or anything; just a simple cap with seal that needs to be removed before using and with the small hole at the cap, I'd say it's easy to dispense the toner whether on cotton pads or your palm. I'd recommend for you to decant into smaller bottle if you were to travel with this one or even better, a spray bottle as you can surely use this toner as facial mist.

APPLICATION

 

The product has a watery texture which is quickly absorbed into the skin and I know the scent is quite overwhelming for some but for me, none whatsoever plus I love the rosy scents; good thing that it doesn't irritate my skin or anything.

THOUGHTS

I find this toner is simply hydrating and thanks to its lightweight watery texture, I have been using it a lot in both of my morning and evening skincare routines. I am optimising it's usage by layering the toner 3 to 7 times in the morning and then followed up with applying my daily serum, lightweight moisturiser and physical or tone-up sunscreen of the day.

At night, I always apply this toner after my exfoliating Glycolic Acid; alpha hydroxy acid (AHA)-containing toner to simply hydrate my skin because I find my skin tends to feel even drier if I don't pile on layers of hydrating products on top. Also, it's actually even better when I add soothing toner on top of this and that's how I gather the ultimate trio to treat my dehydrated flaky facial area.

MAMONDE ROSE TONER PAD

• Product Description

Cotton pads soaked in Rose Water Toner that can be used as a toner or a sheet mask.

• Soothing, moisturising effects of Damask Rose Water. The brand have picked damask roses that were grown in morning dew to deliver soothing and moisturising effects to the skin.
• Long-lasting moisture barrier. Goes on light on the skin without stickiness and creates a moisture barrier for long-lasting hydration.
• Formulated without 7 ingredients - Free of animal ingredients, mineral oil, polyacrylamide, imidazolidinyl urea, triethanoamine, silicone oil, synthetic colour.

How to Use: Use the toner pad as a mask!

• Take out the pads and leave on the cheeks, forehead, chin, and other spots like a sheet mask. Remove after 10~15 minutes and lightly tap on the residue to absorb.
• When used instead of cleansing in the morning or as a toner, wipe across the face following the flow of skin texture and lightly tap on the residue to absorb.
• Leave the pads on the face while drying hair or applying lip & eye makeup. Remove the pads and then apply base makeup for an effective use.

Capacity: 40 pads, 80ml

Ingredients list:

Damask Rose Extract (90.97%), Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Acrylate/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance, Purified Water, Sucrose,  Prunus Mume Fruit Rosehip Fruit Extract, Indole Acetic Acid.

PACKAGING

 

As you can see on the above photos, the product comes in that pink tub with screw lid. There’s simplified Korean product description at the side of the tub and there is a product expiry date printed at the bottom of the tub and the format is YYYYMMDD (Year-Month-Date).

If you're familiar with regular daily sheet masks from AmorePacific brands like Innisfree, the sheet is similar to the sheets of the sheet masks; thin, perforated and can hold the liquid in it for about 10 to 15 minutes, provided that you're not sitting under a fan or it'll dry out even quicker.

 

Single pad is actually quite big as it covers my cheeks area rather sufficiently and adheres well onto my facial area too. As the pad is quite thin and if you feel the toner pad is rather insufficient you can simply add more toner of your choice by pouring directly onto the sheet in small amount.

For hygienic reason, do not try to recycle the pad as I'm pretty sure the pads are merely for single use only.

THOUGHTS

Having both products in my skincare collection is great! While the bottled toner serves its whole purpose to hydrate my dehydrated normal to oily skin in this hot and humid weather, the toner pad however is simply a convenient or at some point, a luxury for me because every time I use the toner pad, I keep on adding more toners after 10 minutes or so. Now that I'm halfway through the tub, I am definitely sure that I would rather getting actual rose daily sheet masks compared to this as I can source compressed sheet mask from drugstore myself these days.

Bottom line, definitely get the toner because it nicely hydrates the skin and you can use it as simple toner after cleansing, toner masks even as liquid medium if you were to mix it with powder wash-off masks for example clay masks and by mixing hydrating toner like this with it, you can still get a little bit of hydration while letting the clay ingredients pulling out all the impurities off your skin.


I guess that's all from me and I hope this review helps you to choose which of the five that you want to pick up or try next. Let me know your thoughts by leaving comments down below. Annyeong~

Review | Shu Uemura Anti/Oxi+ Pollutant & Dullness Clarifying Cleansing Oil

There are many type of makeup removers out there; from cleansing wipes, micellar waters, oil-based cleansers, etc but for me, I would go for cleansing oils mostly as I use waterproof sunscreens (and mascara) and cushion foundations on daily basis. During travels, I will be opting for oil-based cleansing wipes for convenience but for everyday use, I would prefer to use cleansing oils or sometimes cleansing balms which are basically oil-based cleansers too. 

These days, there are a lot of beauty brands releasing their own cleansers but when it comes to cleansing oil, Shu Uemura is the first brand to launch cleansing oils in Japan back in the 60s so when I finally got the chance to invest a little bit more for a makeup remover, I decided to get my first bottle of this Anti/Oxi+ Pollutant & Dullness Clarifying Cleansing Oil. So first things first, let's go to some basic information on the product.

Product Description:

• Empowered with a unique green trio, the new generation green cleansing oil is designed to eliminate micro-sized pollutants such as PM2.5 as well as protein stains.
• It effortlessly removes makeup including waterproof mascara and long-lasting lipstick, leaving no residue while protecting skin's moisture veil.
• Dull look is reduced resulting is refined, supple and youthful radiant skin.

Highlighted ingredients:

• Papaya extract known to contain papaya protease, a powerful yet gentle exfoliator to polish away protein stains.
• Green tea extract known for its antioxidant properties.
• Moringa extract known for its anti-pollution properties.

How to Use:

Dispense 3 to 4 pumps of cleansing oil onto dry palms

Gently smooth over the face.

Wet the face to emulsify the cleansing oil.

Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.

Capacity: 150ml - about 3 to 4 months of daily use.

Ingredients list: 

Zea mays, Ethylhexyl palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polybutene, Polyglyceryl-10 Dioleate, Polyglyceryl-6 Dicaprate, Polyglyceryl-2 Oleate, Phenoxyethanol, Limonene, Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Tocopherol, Linalool, Glycine Soja Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Glycerin, Aqua, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Extract, Disodium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Carica Papaya Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Parfum.

  

The cleansing oil comes in its own box and as with most anti-pollution products that I'm familiar about, it is in that pretty green colour. On the side of the box, there are product information printed in Japanese, English, French, Chinese even Korean. That's so amazing in my opinion, as expected from premium brands.

  

The product is housed within that sleek and sturdy bottle. Turn it horizontally and you can find product information and instruction on the bottle too. The pump is unlike your typical pumps as you can actually turn it to open or close it so this is a great feature especially when I'm travelling domestically; I would just pack this into my toiletries bag without the worry it might spill or decant into smaller bottle even.

APPLICATIONS

As I have mentioned earlier, I always go for cleansing oils to remove heavy waterproof makeup products therefore I'm going to show you guys how this cleansing oil works with some of the toughest waterproof makeup I have in my stash; black mascara, matte liquid lipstick, liquid eyeshadow tint and cushion foundation.

This cleansing oil is considerably light in texture with a slight scent to it which doesn't bother me at all and definitely non-irritating to my skin.

 

I've dispensed some of the product directly onto the makeup (without adding water to it), usually 3 to 4 pumps for my whole facial area and gently massage my skin in circular motion for several minutes or until all the makeup melted off with it; the oil changes colour once it's mixed with the makeup. There is no need to roughly rub my skin in the effort of melting off the stubborn makeup and just let the oil works its way.

Then, add some water to emulsify the oil; forming the milky oil in water which can remove both oil and water-soluble impurities in a single step.

THOUGHTS

As you can see in the above photo, all trace of makeup is gone! Up to having this product in my cleansing routine, none of my oil-based cleansers actually have the ability to remove the most stubborn liquid eyeshadow and I usually left with blue dye around my area for days before it is gone on its own. Excellent cleansing job!

Overall, I give this product 5/5. I just had to! It works so well, easy and quick. I must admit that after practicing double cleansing for years now, I am having doubts when it comes to ditching my second water-based cleansers but after awhile, I'm getting used to just using this cleansing oil to thoroughly remove my makeup of the day; oftenly take a bit extra time to rinse it off with lukewarm water. My skin feels fresh, clean in a good way; no pulling or tightening and I have never seen any visible impurities on my cotton pad after running it across my facial area with toner.

Shu Uemura offers several different cleansing oils and all are suitable for all skin types. The reason I chose this cleansing oil as the first one from the brand is because I'm always exposed to dirts and debris whenever I'm outdoor; just one of the common challenges living in the city but you can surely pick one that suits your concerns and needs.

I guess that's all from me and I hope this review helps you to choose which of the several variants of cleansing oil that you want to pick up or try next. Let me know your thoughts by leaving comments down below. Annyeong~