After a relatively slow empties month in December, January was back to the old me in a big way — though I’m trying to NOT “one in, one out” this month, so expect fewer openeds reviews next week. My seborrheic dermatitis came back this month, in part, I suspect, due to one of the products I opened, so I went through some of my more hydrating, soothing products faster than I might have otherwise.

Toners & Mists

🍄 d’Alba White Truffle First Spray Serum Mist

Mushroom is having its moment in skincare, and the d’Alba White Truffle First Spray Serum Mist is very much part of that moment — I wouldn’t say it’s gone viral YET, but it’s definitely getting talked about a lot. This is a biphase mist, with a thin layer of yellow oil resting on top of a toner (well, a serum, according to them). The oil layer is comprised of avocado and sunflower oils, lightweight but moisturizing enough to play well in a mist, and the rest of the formula highlights white truffle extract, niacinamide and chia seed extract. I liked this as a mid-routine mist, but much of this product’s popularity seems to actually come from how well it works as a setting spray or mid-day mist.
Opened: November
Price: $35 USD / 100 mL
Rating: 9/10

🌾 I’m From Rice Toner

On the other hand, the I’m From Rice Toner has long since gone to cult classic status. As one might expect from the name, this has 77.8% rice extract, which is a great antioxidant, humectant, brightener and, per some research, collagen stimulator. It also includes skin soothers and strengtheners like adenosine, niacinamide, japanese elm bark extract and amaranthus caudatus seed extract. While frequently compared to Laneige Cream Skin, they don’t have much in common beyond appearance. This layers nicely, though even after a few months of using it the brightening benefits still aren’t vary apparent — definitely better as a hydrator than something that will give long-term benefits, in my opinion.
Opened: October
Price: $25 USD / 150 mL
Rating: 8/10

Treatments

🥜 Stratia Soft Touch AHA

This bottle of Stratia Soft Touch AHA is nearly unrecognizable after being in my skincare bin for a few months — a common problem with the brand’s packaging. This has 10% mandelic acid (typically derived from almonds, which this does smell a bit like), a very gentle alpha hydroxy acid, meaning it works on the surface level of the skin to exfoliate. This also includes allantoin and chamomile for calming, so it really focuses on gentleness. This had the unexpected benefit of making it possible for me to use it in every evening routine, even in the ones with retinal. And I’m not going to lie, the rapid deterioration of the packaging did make me want to use it up as quickly as possible, because it’s a bit of a bummer. That said, I didn’t notice much of an effect from this — it’s possible it was simply too gentle for me, or that it couldn’t provide anything my routine wasn’t already.
Opened: October
Price: $16 USD / 50 mL
Rating: 7/10

🟢 Peach Slices Redness Relief Azelaic Acid Serum

I didn’t review the Peach Slices Redness Relief Azelaic Acid Serum when I first opened it, since it was intended for my husband’s routine, but considering I’m the one who finished the tube, a review here seems only fair. He’s been an avid (well, as avid as he is with any skincare) user of azelaic acid for his rosacea, and so I picked this up when it launched as an alternative to the more expensive (but same percentage) Paula’s Choice option. This is a much more lightweight texture, though they feel similar on the skin, and lacks the salicylic acid that helps make that formulation so effective. Instead, it leans into that redness reduction with centella and algea extracts, as well as panthenol. It’s a bit less effective than Paula’s Choice, but given the price difference that hardly seems like a problem — I, for one, am excited to see a drugstore-priced azelaic acid on the market. I certainly felt less guilty using it up on my seborrheic dermatitis spots, which it helped calm down in a few days. We already have a few more tubes stashed!
Opened: August
Price: $20 USD / 30 mL
Rating: 10/10

🍑 Peach & Lily Transparen-C Pro Spot Treatment

The Peach & Lily Transparen-C Pro Spot Treatment got a lot of hype when it was released, so I snatched it when it was 50% off. I’m glad I did — get it at that price, that is. This is ostensibly all about brightening, with an ascorbic acid derivative, licorice root extract, tocopherol, ferulic acid, tranexamic acid and a kojic acid derivative. This is intended to just be applied to dark spots, but that was not conducive to how I like to do my skincare, so I ended up just treating this like a facial oil, taking three drops and patting it all over, since the base of sunflower, macadamia, meadowfoam and jojoba oils are the sort of thing I look for in facial oils anyway. I must admit, I would have hoped for a greater reduction in the appearance of sun damage or melasma, but no such luck, though at least between this and the Beauty of Joseon serum below, much of my PIE has vanished.
Opened: June
Price: $43 USD / 20 mL
Rating: 6/10

👀 Mizon Snail Repair Intensive Gold Eye Gel Patches

Some might not think of under-eye patches as a treatment, but let me just say that the way I used the Mizon Snail Repair Intensive Gold Eye Gel Patches definitely qualifies. During the work day, when I start feeling eye strain, I put these on. I’ve also (pro tip bonus!) begun putting them on my nasolabial folds in hopes to make them less extreme some day. I don’t know how well it’ll work for the latter, but it works really well for the former, and perk me right up. These eye patches are pretty goopy, which makes them fine for mid-day use but terrible for mid-routine use, as it balls up. Unfortunately, it can make sunscreen pill, too. If you want Mizon snail eye products, I say try their eye cream (below).
Opened: June
Price: $18 USD / 30 pairs
Rating: 5/10

Serums

🥂 Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum

Peach & Lily single-handedly got folks in the US thinking of “glass skin”, and so of course I tried their Glass Skin Refining Serum. Glass skin, notionally, is incredibly clear, smooth, bright and hydrated, such that it appears to have a glass-like finish. Will this give you glass skin? No. But it will get you partway there: it has niacinamide for brightening, centella for calming, beta glucan and hyaluronic acid for hydration, and peach extract and dioscorea japonica for that extra bit of antioxidant boost so common in k-beauty formulations. That said — this feels like a classic k-beauty serum, so I think most of its popularity is due to its accessibility and hype-drriven name, rather than its effects, which seemed pretty temporary.
Opened: October
Price: $39 USD / 40 mL
Rating: 8/10

🍶 Neogen Real Ferment Micro Serum

Bifida ferment lysate is having its moment lately, and the Neogen Real Ferment Micro line is definitely partially to blame. Their essence, which I’ve also tried, is sometimes considered a dupe for galactomyces-based first essences, which it is not, but the serum can certainly go head-to-head with other popular bifida serums like the ones from Missha, Isntree and, most notably, Estee Lauder. This relies on 61% fermented ingredients: bifida ferment lysate, saccharomyces ferment filtrate, rice ferment filtrate and aspergillus ferment, all of which help support a healthy skin barrier. It also includes brightening and calming ingredient, like birch juice, panthenol, green tea leaf extract, centella extract, resveratrol, ascorbic acid and ubiquinone. It’s a gel-like formula that layers well, and I used two pumps AM and PM. I always feel like my skin barrier’s a bit stronger with bifida in the mix, and this serum did not buck that trend.
Opened: December
Price: $38 USD / 30 mL
Rating: 8/10

🐝 Some by Mi Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Serum

If you’re a long time reader, you will already know that I love the Some by Mi Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Serum. Why do I love it? It’s big. It has a pump. It smells like honey (Some By Mi does like a masking fragrance). It has the bee trifecta (propolis, honey, royal jelly) which is great for moisturizing, brightening and healing. It has calming ingredients like panthenol and multiple centella extracts. And it’s inexpensive. Propolis is a go-to in my routine for passive acne fighting while giving a bit of a glow boost.
Opened: October
Price: $23 USD / 50 mL
Rating: 10/10

🍚 Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum

Beauty of Joseon is finally getting its due, and its inexpensive serums like the Glow Deep Serum are part of the reason why. This uses 68.6% rice bran water with niacinamide and 2% alpha-arbutin for brightening, and is extremely lightweight. My skin is definitely looking bright, and pretty much all of my PIE has faded, but my melasma and other sun damage, unfortunately, seems to be too stubborn for the likes of this and the Peach & Lily oil.
Opened: November
Price: $17 USD / 30 mL
Rating: 8/10

Creams

🐌 Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream

I’m not a big proponent of eye cream, though I use them on principle, but given that I got the Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream for my mom a couple years ago and she saw surprisingly decent results with it, I had to give it a go. Mizon’s snail repair is one of their most popular lines, and this combines snail secretion filtrate with Matrixyl, meadowfoam seed oil, niacinamide, beeswax and dimethicone for a nicely wearing, light eye cream with potential long-term anti-aging benefits. To me, it was as relatively uninspiring as all eye creams, though I’m thankfully as-yet not burdened with the eye bags that plague my mom. It DID work well under lip balm on my lips, though, which is my big chapped lips pro tip.
Opened: July
Price: $15 USD / 25 mL; shown in the 15 mL travel size
Rating: 9/10

🍃 Isntree Cica Relief Cream

The Isntree Cica Relief Cream, according to YesStyle, is no longer available — and I sure hope that that’s just because they’re giving it the packaging glow-up they gave the rest of their line. This has been a holy grail for almost two years now. This is all about calming down redness (it even has a green tint), and wow does it do it well. It’s lightweight but incredibly buttery. It’s a cica cream so brings the calming with centella asiatica extract, but also brings in multiple plant extracts, various peptides, as well as panthenol and allantoin to bring the calming. This was my go-to day cream when my skin is feeling irritated.
Opened: November
Price: $26 USD / 50 mL
Rating: 10/10

🛌 Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Overnight Rehydrating Mask

I honestly didn’t expect to like, let alone deeply appreciate, the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Overnight Rehydrating Mask, but here we are. At first I thought the sample I had gotten had gone bad, because it appears bizarrely thick. But a little goes a long way, and it melts down almost immediately to be incredibly spreadable. It’s a fairly simple formula, with the big claim to fame being 10.5% squalane. For my part, I would consider this to be much more occlusive than hydrating — but that’s part of what makes it a great sleeping mask. For those looking for a slugging option that’s more cosmetically elegant solution than Vaseline or Aquaphor, more accessible than k-beauty sleeping masks, and less “beware, there are actives here” than most other overnight masks in the western market, this is a great option.
Opened: October
Price: $45 USD / 100 mL; shown in a 14 mL sample size
Rating: 10/10