Review: Blossom Jeju 100% Camellia Seed Oil & Pink Camellia Soombi Blooming Flower Toner

The world of K-Beauty has introduced me to some interesting ingredients: propolis, birds nests, galactomyces, snails, starfish, fermented soybeans, fermented everything, and most recently: camellia oil. Ok it doesn't sound as jazzy as the others but it's one I've heard good things about (the wisdom of of ahjumeonis and obasamas). It seems to be a well-known but fairly uncommon ingredient - except in Tatcha products which cost serious $$. Like $28 for a sheet mask. Enter Blossom Jeju!

100% Camellia Seed Oil

Packaging & Texture

The Oil comes in a glass amber dropper bottle which protects it from degradation in sunlight. (The sort of thing that Klairs serum should have been packaged in...)

I use the Oil as the last step in my night routine. It absorbs well but not fully so I wouldn't use it during the day unless you can really rock that oily sheen.

Ingredients

100% cold pressed camellia seed oil

Camellia seed oil is a powerful antioxidant rich in Omegas 3, 6 and 9; fatty acids, which help improve skin elasticity; Vitamin E and polyphenols, which protect the skin from free radical damage.

By comparison, the Camellia Soombi Essence Oil contains 73.09% Camellia japonica seed oil and the Pink Camellia Soombi Essence Serum contains 62.40% Camellia japonica flower extract. The mixture of oils would probably be more effective than using camellia seed oil alone, but I didn't want to chance them because olive oil gives me breakouts :(

Results

Antioxidant serums are kinda hard to review because they’re one of those things that work without necessarily showing visible results. My skin hasn't dramatically transformed in the few weeks I’ve been using the Oil, but it does leave my skin feeling soft and supple after use and healthy and glowy looking in the morning.

Pink Camellia Soombi Blooming Flower Toner

I think I'm in the minority when I say the lotion/essence step is my favourite part of my skincare routine. I like watery textures and layering different products to get the benefit of different ingredients, like hyaluronic acid, CoQ10, galactomyces, green tea, rose water, grape water ... 

Packaging & Texture

Look at that beautiful bottle! ᕙ( * •̀ ᗜ •́ * )ᕗ The lotion is dispensed via a small hole in the top and it's easy to control how much comes out. The texture is slightly more viscous than water (similar to the Gokujyun lotion) and absorbs easily. 

Smell

(Nado smeelllll~) Whereas the Oil is almost odourless, the Toner is VERY strongly scented. It's a bit too perfumey for my liking and the thought of diligently patting a crapload of perfume into my skin is a little concerning. I can't figure out why the smell is so strong when 'fragrance' is right at the end of the list. You'd think the answer was staring me in the face with 82.82% camellia flowers, but camellias don't smell. Donno.

Ingredients
Camellia Japonica Flower Extract (82.82%), Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Propanediol, Niacinamide, Water, Akebia Quinata Extract (Chocolate Vine), Panthenol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Xanthan Gum, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Betaine, Sorbitol, Adenosine, Sorbitan Caprylate, Arginine, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Fruit Extract [Sicilian Prickly Pear], Centella Asiatica Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract [Green Tea], Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract [Japanese Knotweed], Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Trehalose, Hyaluronic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Levulinic Acid, Bioflavonoids, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Leaf Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract [Satsuma], Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Skin Extract, Hizikia Fusiforme Extract [Hiziki], Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Silybum Marianum Extract [Milk Thistle], Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit Extract, Yeast Beta-Glucan, Fragrance

Camellia Japonica Flower Extract
One of the reasons I chose the Pink Toner over the Camellia Soombi Toner from the Hydration & Nutrition range (yellow bottle) was for the high percentage of Camellia japonica flower extract (82.82%) compared to 76.36% Camellia japonica flower water in the yellow toner.

If my two line analysis of the antioxidant properties of Camellia seed oil didn't impress you, I found a paper on the antioxidant effect, here. Yeah science!

Niacinamide
Lightens hyperpigmentation and brightens skintone. The Camellia Soombi Toner doesn't contain niacinamide which was another reason to chose the Pink Soombi Toner. I have a few products with niacinamide (Missha FTE, Black Snails, Placenta 45) and they seem to be working well so I'm always happy to add more niacinamide to my routine! 

Akebia Quinata Extract (Chocolate Vine)

Provides an an anti-ageing effect through anti-glycation (stops the breakdown of collagen).  

Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract

Known for it's anti-inflammatory and brightening effect.

Adenosine
Promotes the production of collagen.

Antioxidants
This Toner is packed FULL of anti-oxidant plant extracts. I ran them through Beautypedia because I don't speak plant and was impressed to find they all had a 'best' or 'good' rating, except for your 'average' rosemary and satsuma.

Hydrating Ingredients  
[Listed in blue:] Glycerin, panthenol, sorbitol, hyaluronic acid (humectants), trehalose and Aloe barbadensis leaf extract (water-binding ingredients). Humectants draw water to the skin to give effective surface hydration.

I don't give ratings to products, but this one deserves a 0/10 for its ingredients! ♡

Results
The Toner leaves my skin feeling hydrated and luminous but as a standalone product I don't think it's made a noticeable difference in lightening my PIH.

Overall Impressions
All in all I'm very happy with these products. When you wake up, wash your face and look like you've applied make-up, you know something is working right! 

Where to Buy
I bought my goodies directly from Blossom Jeju, linked below:

• 100% Camellia Seed Oil ($30/20ml). Also sold on Glow Recipe

• Pink Camellia Soombi Blooming Flower Toner ($45/120ml). Also sold on Glow Recipe
  
  

Review : balance Me skin bright hydrating face mist

Out of a grand total of 7 ½ reviews I’ve written so far, only two have been positive! To restore some balance, I thought I’d mention some of the products that I DO like and use every day. (Edit: unintended pun there. Har har.)



Going by my last few reviews, you might think that I have insane skin that reacts badly to everything. (I'm inclined to agree TBH) I've been using the skin bright hydrating face mist from balance Me for about three months and I can safely say that it doesn't break me out. Hurrah! Simply spritz 2-3 times after applying lotion and follow with your usual products. I haven't tried using it to set make-up because for fear of looking like I have melted candle wax all over my face. The mist isn't anywhere near fine enough!

Ingredients

Aqua 
Rosa centifolia (rose) aqueous extract - Antioxidant. Has hydrating and astringent properties. (Fragrant)  
Ananas sativus (pineapple) aqueous extract - Moisturising properties, contains AHAs
Glycerin - A humectant and hygroscopic i.e.  attracts and holds water from the environment. Increases hydration in the epidermis
Polyglyceryl-4 caprate - An emollient
Sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid) - Hygroscopic. Increases hydration 
Citrus aurantium (neroli)* - Refreshing, helps control oil production (Fragrant)
Nardostachys jatamansi (spikenard)* - Anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties
Rosa centifolia (rose absolute)* - Moisturising (Fragrant)
Citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot)* - Astringent properties (Fragrant)
Pelargonium roseum asperum (rose geranium)* - helps control oil production (Fragrant)
Achillea millefolium (yarrow)* - Anti-inflammatory properties. Yarrow contains fatty acids, salicylic acid and is high in anti-oxidants
Anthemis nobilis (Roman chamomile)* - Soothing

Benzyl alcohol - Preservative

Dehydroacetic acid - Preservative
Limonene**, Linalool**, Citronellol**, Geraniol** - Fragrance ingredients

*natural pure essential oil
**naturally occurring in essential oils 

Overall, it's a good mix of ingredients. If you avoid fragrance like the plague you won't agree of course. As obsessed as I am with skincare/ingredients, I like botanical extracts and all that jazz so I don't completely rule out fragrant ones. There are sources of AHAs and BHAs but I doubt they're in high enough concentrations to function as effective exfoliants. There are a lot of hydrating ingredients (esp. glycerin and hyaluronic acid) which sounds like DUH the most predictable observation ever, but you can't take that as given unless you've read the label! It's surprising how many products are labelled as one thing yet the ingredients on the back tell another story. Take this Balancing Mist from Jurlique, for example, which "restores and hydrates the complexion". The second ingredient is alcohol: go figure. Anyway back to balance Me. Speaking of alcohol, this mist does contain it but it's near the end of the list so it's a small(er) amount. The alcohol will stop it going mouldy not burn your face off.

If scare stories about parabens and the C-word have you shi**ing yourself and triggered a skincare exorcism, you'll be happy to hear that the formula is free of parabens and a host of other nasties. Like REN with its clean skincare guarantee, balance Me has a ‘promise’ to make products free of parabens, sulphates, petroleum, mineral oils, silicones, DEA, PEGS, propylene glycol, artificial fragrances and colours. (They must be husband and wife because it's the same promise lol). If you’re hipster and believe in the benefits of “natural” skincare, you'll appreciate that balance Me also aim to create 100% natural products. Just be prepared to handle stuff that’s off by the odd percentile or so.

Overall, I like it. It’s refreshing, using it is mildly amusing (Yoon Seul & Oska’s mom in Secret Garden) and it does what it says on the tin. I wouldn't quite call it a skincare essential, it's more of a 'booster' product that helps keep the skin hydrated. The more products the merrier as far as I'm concerned! What I don’t like is the smell (smeeelll) which is VILE. I seem to have a knack for buying weirdly scented products: a mask that smells like poo, a cleanser that smells like lemony toilet cleaner and this. Which smells like bug repellent. But it’s fine, I can hold my breath for more than ten seconds. 

Price

It's £20 for a 60ml bottle, which is the starting price of most toners. I don't expect it to last as long as normal pour-y toners because using a spray bottle = product wastage. I can feel it settling onto my feet when I spritz -.- One bottle would probably go for six months.

It works out to be £33.33 per 100ml which didn't seem particularly expensive .. until I compared it to the cost of other toners. I usually use Lancome's Tonique Douceur which comes in a 400ml gargantuan of a bottle. That costs £35.50 and works out to be £8.88 per 100ml. I also have Clarins' Camomile Lotion which is £23 for 400ml and works out to be even cheaper at £5.75 per 100ml. These aren’t called “value sizes” for nothing so probably aren’t the best comparisons, but I do have some normal sized ones too: Decleor’s Hydra Brightening Lotion works out as £16.33 per 100ml; DHC’s CoQ10 Lotion is £18.44 per 100ml and Givenchy’s Mist Me Gently is £22.00/100ml.

Here are a few more for comparison:

Gatineau Nasturtium Toner works out as £8.75 per 100ml 
Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Purifying Toner (£12.50 per 100ml) 
Darphin Intral Toner (£13.50 per 100ml)   
Chanel Lotion Douceur (£15.00 per 100ml)  
Trilogy Hydrating Mist (£17.50/100ml)  
Sisley Floral Toning Lotion (£23.80 per 100ml)

The Organic Pharmacy Rose Toner (£23.95/100ml)

Dr Hauschka Facial Toner (£24/100ml)
Guerlain Lotion Preparatrice (£24.00 per 100ml)
Shiseido White Lucency Softener (£26 per 100ml)

It even beats Creme de la Mer! 'The Tonic' is £30 per 100ml and you know something is expensive when it's more expensive than Creme de la Mert.

The Hydrating Mist works out to be £15 above the average price (£18.15). Obviously, none of the lotions (chosen at complete random from John Lewis) are necessarily better - just cheaper, so it's something to bear in mind if you're thinking of purchasing.

Would I repurchase?

I like it but the product hasn’t really “wowed” me (except in replicating the smell of bug spray - incredible) and in light of my cost/value revelation that occurred in the last ten minutes, it's not something I’d rush to repurchase. There are plenty of other cheaper and perhaps better products to try. Only a few come in the form of a spray though, which I rather like using. I might try decanting some lotion into a Muji bottle or something ... would that work?