EUROPEAN GIRL TRYING KOREAN SKINCARE FOR THE FIRST TIME: K-Beauty, Asian Skincare Review #stylevana #VANAFAMILY

Stylevana reached out to me some time ago and wanted to send me some stuff to try out. Being that I was in Serbia at the time, they weren’t able to ship the products to me. So as soon as I came to Germany they sent the package (the story about me moving to Germany is maybe coming, maybe not, it depends on what mood I’m in haha).

I received this package two weeks ago and have been testing everything ever since so now I feel like I can give you my opinion on these.

BTW this is not a sponsored post, they just sent me free stuff and I decided to make a full review on everything, all opinions are my own.

Without further ado, let me start talking about the products.

MADAGASCAR CENTELLA HYALU-CICA BRIGHTENING TONER

I’m not big on toners, because they are not really necessary these days. Being that all cleansers are pH neutral and are not disrupting the pH balance of the skin, you really don’t need a toner.

Toners were used back in the day when women used traditional soaps to cleanse their faces, which drastically changed the pH balance of the skin and toners were necessary to restore the pH balance of the skin.

Today, you don’t really need a toner.

BUT because I think that skincare isn’t just a necessity, it’s a ritual, it’s a form of self-care and pampering yourself, people enjoy skincare. If we look at it that way, if you like that extra step of applying toner and you can afford it, go for it. Enjoy yourself.

So Stylevana sent me this Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Brightening Toner, made with pure Centella from Madagascar.

Another name for Centella is Gotu Cola or Tiger Grass. This is a great plant ingredient with proven wound healing, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. It also stimulates the synthesis of Hyaluronic Acid in the skin, so this is a good one. Just saying.

This toner has 74% of Centella Leaf Water, other ingredients worth mentioning are Niacinamide (anti-aging ingredient, skin brightening, anti-acne, moisturizer/humectant), high and low molecular Hyaluronic Acid (high molecular hydrates the skin, while low molecular plumps up the fine lines), and a bunch of plant extracts (Hibiscus Esculentus Fruit Extract, Pyrus Communis (Pear) Fruit Extract, Cucumis Melo (Melon) Fruit Extract, Iris Florentina Root Extract, Hedera Helix (Ivy) Leaf/Stem Extract).

I use this toner after cleansing my face and it does have a hydrating effect on the skin, preps my skin nicely for the serum, and gives my skin a nice glow. So I do like this toner.

I think this product is going to be great for sensitive skin, but if you don’t have sensitive skin, do you need it? Not really, but is it nice? Yes, it is, and it’s not expensive. So if you want to check it out I will put the link here.

YADAH DAILY GREEN MACK [CICA]

This is a soothing mask, it again has Centella or Gotu Cola, or Tiger Grass. This one is again for sensitive skin.

Next, it has Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid (high molecular), and a bunch of plant extracts (Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract).

It nourishes the skin really well, so I did enjoy this mask as well. Same as the toner, sheet masks are not a necessity, but more so an at-home-spa-moment. You don’t have to use sheet masks you can get a good serum instead, but if you want to pamper yourself, this one is good and not expensive either so you can give it a try. You can find the mask here.

CICA CENTELLA CALMING AMPOULE 1000ppm

I was kind of confused when I saw this product for the first time. I guess I expected a serum, but this is not exactly a serum. This is a calming ampoule, and this one is meant to soothe the skin.

It again has Centella or Gotu Cola/Tiger Grass. All skin types can use it, but I would say this one would again be great for sensitive skin.

It has antioxidants (Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Matricaria Flower Extract, Asiaticoside, Madecassoside), humectants (Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate-high molecular Hyaluronic Acid), and a bunch of soothing plant extracts (Hamamelis Virginiana Witch Hazel Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract (1000Ppm), Cucumis Sativus Cucumber Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Matricaria Flower Extract).

Effect wise I did not see much hydration from this one, it is hydrating don’t get me wrong but I’ve tried more hydrating products. Also, I think I’m not the best person for testing this one because I don’t have sensitive skin, and this product is meant to soothe sensitive skin. So right now I cannot test out the soothing effect, but because my skin does become sensitive when I use Retinoids I think that this ampoule will be great for me when I start using them again in the fall. So I will save this product for when I start using Retinoids again. Overall I do recommend this product to people with sensitive skin. You can find the Ampoule here.

VEGREEN CICA SERUM

Another product with Centella (Gotu Cola/Tiger Grass), is called Cica Serum. This product is one of my favorites out of all products that they’ve sent me. I love the effect on the skin, this one nourishes my skin so well, and hydrates too well, I have dry skin and I love it.

Again because I don’t have sensitive skin, I cannot test the soothing and calming effect, but the moisturizing effect is there.

Ingredients other than Centella that are worth mentioning are low and high molecular Hyaluronic Acid (anti-aging, humectant), Panthenol (moisturizer, humectant), Allantoin (soothing, skin-softening, wound healing properties), Madecassoside (wound healing, skin-soothing, and antioxidant activities), Madecassic Acid (skin regenerating, wound healing, and moisturizing properties), Asiatic Acid (moisturizing and wound healing properties). Find the Cica Serum here.

PRO CICA CENTELLA ASIATICA TIGER LIGHT CREAM

Next up we have this light Tiger Cream that also has Centella (Tiger Grass) in it.

This is a super lightweight cream that hydrates well. I think I’m going to use this one in the summer as my night cream because I cannot use it during the day because it does not have UV filters, and I always wear sunscreen during the day.

The key ingredients here are Centella Asiatica Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Asiaticode, Madecassoside, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Panthenol, and Allantoin.

The best thing about this cream is that it comes in the packaging of 80ml! That is huge! I love the large packaging that Korean brands are promoting. Again this is going to be a great choice for someone with sensitive skin. Find the Tiger Cream here.

LANEIGE CICA SLEEPING MASK

And another Cica Cream with Centella, but this time it’s a sleeping mask. Again it is strengthening the skin barrier and soothing sensitive skin. I love this one, this one is like a glass of water for your skin, it moisturizes so so well, my skin feels extremely nourished after using this one.

I recommend this one for dry skin and sensitive skin.

Key ingredients are Centella, Tea Tree Leaf Oil, Squalane, Glycerin, Shea Butter, Panthenol, Madeccasic Acid, and Asiatic Acid. Find the sleeping mask here.

GILLA8 TEA TREE CICA EXTRA CALMING SUNSCREEN SPF 50 PA++++

And I saved the best one for the end. This is a sunscreen for acne-prone and sensitive skin that has extremely high both UVB and UVA protection and amazing sensor characteristics. If you have been following my Youtube channel then you know how important that is to me.

The claims written on the packaging are:

“A lightweight, fast-absorbing facial sunscreen with SPF 50+ that delivers a matte finish and helps protect the skin.“

It is lightweight, and it is fast-absorbing, I wouldn’t call the finish matte exactly, it does give you a glow, but there is no sticky finish, it sits nicely on the skin. It also moisturizes really well, it’s 2 in 1 moisturizer and sunscreen. The finish actually reminds me of Anti-Dryness sunscreen by Garnier, I also have a review on that one, and you can check it out right here.

I love that one as well and this one reminds me so much of that one, it has a similar finish.

Also, the ingredients in this Gilla8 Tea Tree Cica Sunscreen are amazing. It has Niacinamide, Centella (Tiger Grass), Tranexamic Acid, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Allantoin, Panthenol, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract, Madecassoside, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract.

All in all, this is an amazing sunscreen, I love it and I recommend it to everyone, not just people with acne-prone and sensitive skin, but everyone. Find the sunscreen here.

Watch the demo applications for all products in this video.

(VIDEO COMING)

Let me know if you are going to try out any of the products. Thank you for reading.