Abib's HeartLeaf Spot Pad Review

Abib Heartleaf Spot Pads

(I accidentally pressed the "add Google links" and couldn't undo it... so now I'm left with a whole post full of Google links 😭 apologies for the messy-looking post! 🙇)

The Korean brand Abib isn’t new to me — I’ve used their sheet masks before and liked them. They didn’t exactly wow me… but this product definitely did.

I found these Heartleaf Spot Pads at Costco and picked them up without much expectation. I’ve heard of them, I’ve used heartleaf products before, and I just wanted something moisturizing. But these pads didn’t just meet expectations — they completely surpassed them.

Within one to two uses, they healed my broken skin and calmed irritation. Within three to four days, my skin barrier was fully restored. I wasn’t expecting that level of recovery at all.

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🍃 Why Heartleaf (Houttuynia Cordata) Is So Popular in Korean Skincare

details

• Soothes irritation + redness: Heartleaf is known for calming sensitive, inflamed skin — perfect for breakouts or reaction-prone skin.

• Strengthens the skin barrier: It reduces excess oil, balances the skin, and helps repair weakened areas.

No wonder this product works so well on compromised skin.

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🧖‍♀️Benefits of Spot Pads in Skincare

drenched in serum :)

• Boost absorption: They cleanse remaining residue so the rest of your skincare sinks in better.

• Targeted care: You can leave them on areas that need extra hydration, calming, or barrier repair.

These pads do both extremely well.

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First Impressions

It quickly became one of my favourite products!

• The cotton pads are thicker and smaller than expected

• The scent is interesting — not good, not bad… a mix of acidic + leafy

• They said use "tweezers" but no tweezers were provided

• There is a harsh and a fine side, the harsh side is too harsh for me, but the fine side is perfect for mild exfoliating (no issues on sensitive skin)

• My skin drank the essence instantly

• Slight sting on broken or compromised skin

• Heals broken skin and barrier issues surprisingly fast

• Thoroughly cleanses without irritation

• Removes stubborn oil + debris my cleanser can’t get

• Skin felt soft, smooth, and refreshed the next morning

On day one, the pads stung slightly on damaged skin, but they also healed it almost instantly. That’s when I knew this was something special.

Before going further: This product healed my skin barrier. And very few products can make me say that with confidence.

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My Experience

gunk: grease, oil, dirt and debris from my face 😱 

This product didn't just hydrate — it changed my skin.
Even after cleansing, these pads always manage to remove leftover oil, dirt, or debris. My skin ends up perfectly prepped to absorb whatever comes next. After two months of consistent use, my skin feels noticeably stronger, smoother, and healthier. That soft, silky feeling didn’t exist two months ago.
My skin had been irritated and sensitive (I’m pretty sure environmental buildup wasn’t helping), but now? It feels resilient. Balanced. Calm. Hydrated from within.
Honestly… this has become a product I can’t imagine not having anymore.

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⭐ Final Thoughts

The Abib Heartleaf Spot Pads have officially earned a permanent spot in my routine. What started as an impulse Costco buy turned into one of the most effective skin-repairing products I’ve tried in years. If your skin barrier is struggling, your skin is easily irritated, or you just want a product that cleanses and heals at the same time — this is absolutely worth trying.
I didn’t expect to love it this much, but here we are. This is a keeper. 💚

Score: 9.9/10 (that's high!)
Website: https://en.abib.com/products/calming-touch

Facial Ice Roller review

 

I ended up with a faulty one, this one leaked. But since it technically still does its job, I can still give it a review. 

I had concerns about using ice on my face because I was worried that the ice might "stick" to my face (like what happens when you lick an ice pole in winter and your tongue gets stuck on it). But after using ice on the face, I can confirm that it will not happen. Your face is warm enough to melt the ice quickly unlike a pole where the heat is retained. Be sure to do this over a sink or a towel, because the ice melts fast, and before you know it, the water will start dripping down your face.

I found that if you have super sensitive skin (and are bothered by how cold the ice is) you can use this facial roller with the silicone on. On days my skin feels sensitive, I prefer to leave the silicone on and use it. It works really well and prevents the cold from stinging my skin/face and less water drips from your face. The ice will simply melt inside the silicone container.

Impressions:

• so cold but makes my skin feel so good
• skin becomes saturated/quenched in water
• makes applying skincare much easier (more on that below)
• skin feels so much softer after using
• easier to control where ice/coldness should be

I really like this face roller! It calms inflamed pores and acne. 

Skincare and Ice Roller

The Ice Roller fills your pores with water, and your skin feels like a saturated (filled with water) sponge. It feels strange touching your skin because it will have a weird pore filled with water texture (think flat water balloons).

It helps my skincare products absorb much better, but do not apply your products right after, allow your skin to absorb the water before you apply any skincare products or they won't be absorbed properly. 

I can't think of any cons to this product! It is affordable, it works, and it comes with many benefits.

Score: 10/10

no website

Annie's Way Mask Gallery Arbutin + Hyaluronic Acid Jelly Mask review

I have heard about this mask for ages and I finally have it in my hands! I know this isn't the newest product out there... but if it is good... it doesn't matter... right? 

So for a quick background, this mask made its debut 4 years ago (2014) and every beauty guru was talking about this product. A lot of them claimed how this mask has changed their skin. 

Fast forward to 2018, the product is almost nonexistent. Their website no longer works, and everyone has moved onto other products.

I wanted to try this product for a long time, but when I received this product (online shopping) I got busy and forgot about it until now.

ingredients

the instructions are very straightforward: after washing your face and applying moisturizing lotion (Asian kind) add a 0.5cm thickness to the skin. Wait 30 minutes and wipe it off. Put an extra thick layer to your nose. After you are done, wash with water and apply a serum or other masks to make this mask more effective. 

pros

• moisturizes skin

cons

• need to use a lot of product each time
• messy (you need to apply 0.5cm thickness of product)
• uncomfortable, I couldn't wait to remove it

I can see how it quickly came and how it quickly went. While this mask does its job, I found it too much of a hassle to use. You MUST put a 0.5cm thickness of product or the product will dry on your face and reverse suck out the moisture from your skin. It was hard to slab on THAT much product without making a mess. It also felt incredibly uncomfortable on my skin. The thickness of the product caused it to stick to my eyelashes and while it did not have a droopy feeling, my skin did not like the texture after 10 minutes.

There are way better products out on the market which can do what this mask does without the mess and hassle.

score: 5/10

website: http://www.annies-way.com/ (no longer works)

Classification: gimmick

if you are interested, please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)

My Beauty Routine overview Sept. 2016

hey everyone,

so let's kick off September (my birthday month) with some skin care routine (I call these my beauty products because I don't use make up as much as other girls... I believe in taking care of my skin rather than covering up blemishes).

Sometimes I feel like I just keep talking but I haven't really explained what types of items I use to keep my skin hydrated... so here is a bit of an overview of the products I am using right now.

I emphasize "NOW" because I alternate products. A chemist friend told me that if you keep using the same products over and over again, your body will adjust to its properties and they wouldn't work as well.

• IMJU Naturie Skin Conditioner (Japanese)
• Clinique's dramatically difference moisturizing lotion + (French)
• It's SKIN Power 10 Fomula CO EFFECTOR with Phyto Collagen (Korean)
• Padina's Eye Lash Conditioner (American)

Whoa... so before I wrote this post, I had no idea that all my products came from different countries...

I will talk about each product briefly and then if I feel that it can be a post on it's own, I will do so in a future post.

1. IMJU Naturie Skin Conditioner (Japan)

IMJU Skin Conditioner

This product is heavily advertised around drug stores in Japan, it is almost impossible to miss this product in any drug store... and because of that... (in a small voice) I am a sucker when it comes to advertising, I bought this product.

This product has multifunctions: first, it can be used for both your body and face and secondly it can be used as 1. a toner and 2. a mask.

I use this as a toner by using it right after I cleansed my face, since I am not a fan of Cotton pads, I just pour some onto my hands and pat it on my face.

I haven't used this as a mask yet, so I can't comment as to how useful it is (when I make a full post on this product, I will do so.

As a skin conditioner for my body, I just apply it like lotion to my arms, legs and body and apply my usual vaseline or Crabtree and Evelyn body lotion over. This conditioner really helps my skin absorb the lotion better.

2. Clinique's Dramatically Difference Moisturizing Lotion + (France)

This was my mom's favourite product and it quickly became mine's too. I used to hate this product as a kid because it was scentless and it looked boring.

But, a few years ago, after washing my face the skin became so dry that I had a terrible skin tightening feeling (felt like my skin was going to rip apart. This was because of the Canadian dry climate making my skin feel so dry), my mom gave me 2 pumps of this lotion and it instantly relieved the dryness and pain. Ever since then, I fell in love with this product.

3. It's SKIN Power 10 Formula CO EFFECTOR with Phyto Collagen (Korea)

This product claims it is SKIN SAFETY TESTED and that is is "Clinical Skin Solution".
I actually have bought almost the whole set (picture will be uploaded later) because the price is affordable and it has a glass container (did I ever tell you that I was obsessed with glass containers?). I think this is a fair serum for the price you pay but it could be improved... the effects are not long lasting.

4. Padina Eyelash Conditioner (USA)

Padina Eyelash conditioner

This product was sent to me by Padina. The product claims that if you use this product for 3-4 weeks your eyelashes will grow to be fuller. The concept is putting nutrients to your eyelash follicles and help your eyelashes grow better. Unlike other similar products, this product claims to use only natural and organic ingredients.

You use this like an eyeliner and apply it as if you are drawing an invisible line on your waterlines.

KOSE Sekkisui Skin Care Set (trial) review

Sekkisui Skin Care Set

Hey everyone!!

I'm in Tokyo!! Konnichiwa!! :D

I'm in the land of great cosmetics and skincare products so the next thing I will review will be, of course, a skin care product!

I have heard of this brand so many times, I have seen them on tv ads, subway ads but I find that it is quite hard to buy... Most drug stores and department stores do not carry this brand... They either carry brands that are much cheaper/affordable (e.g. Naive, HadaLabo) or much more high end (e.g. Shiseido, SK-II).

info all in Japanese

To my surprise, I found this set at a 7-eleven right beside my house! It's a mystery how you can find almost anything you want at 7-eleven.

products and their consistency

random thoughts on these three products:

White Washing Cream

thick, but not as thick as other foam washes... compared to other foam washes, it is considered very watery, easy to foam up, cleans face well... but does not have that squeaky clean feeling.

Pure Whitening Lotion

very watery and barely visible (can you even see the product in the image?), it looks like water with a drop of milk, it is easily absorbed, it feels almost like water... ALMOST... I noticed there's a slight alcohol smell to it when I first apply this to my face (don't overuse!)... I didn't really like this because it did dry out my skin during the second week of using it.

in Asia countries, they call their toners lotions (quite confusing... huh?)

Pure Emulsion

this acts like a moisturizer (for those who are not familiar with Asian skin care products)
the consistency is similar to the Lotion (above) but it is thicker and stickier.
this is fully absorbed into the skin, my skin drinks this up like it is milk... literally :P (Don't overuse!)

impressions:

• my skin loves this set
• results are visible after 3 days of using this product
• my skin feels so soft and smooth (sometimes I can't help but touch it and touch it... *awkward)
• a little goes a long way (they claim you can use it for 15 times (1 week), I managed to use it for 30 times (almost 2 weeks))
• don't use too much product, not only will it not get absorbed, it will also give you pimples/acne
• I didn't like the "PURE WHITENING LOTION" it wasn't doing any good to my skin... 
• for short term use... it somehow starts drying out your skin slightly after 3 weeks (of using)

So now my next question is... after I have finished this trial... where do I find the full sized product? I went on their website, but they did not have these exact products... they were all a variation of it but not these exact ones...

However, that being said, please use this set with caution... after using this set for 3 weeks... I noticed that certain areas of my skin were getting dry... I'm not sure if it was a climate or other factors... but I suggest not using this product consecutively... one kit is good for once... when it's done... let your skin use other products before going back to this kit again.

Score: 7/10
Website: http://www.kose.co.jp/jp/ja/product/brand/38

also... if you are interested, please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)

The FaceShop Pomegranate and Collagen Face Lifting Essence review

K

product against container

I am in ASIA! Yes, I am avoiding the cold Canadian weather and am here... I couldn't help feeling sorry for those in Canada while I look at news stories and the highways are still lightly coated in snow. (I am evil).

Because of the lack of time management and disorganization skills I had, I was not able to pack everything... and guess what? I left my precious serums. But luckily, this means I get to try new ones. 

I went to colourmix and one of the sales associates recommended me to try this Pomegranate and Collagen Face Lifting Essence (keep in mind that most Asian skincare companies refer to their serums as essences).

This serum claims that it is:

An anti-aging skin care that increases the skins resilience through the interaction of pomegranate estrogen and marine collagen

And Effects: Brightening and firming skin

serum

Impressions

• Feels very thick
• A moisturizer?
• Light Pomegranate scent
• Feel the slight firming effect
• No brightening effect

There is a light lotion mixed with pomegranate smell that gives you a relaxing feeling... like you are at a spa when you inhale this serum

After using this serum for 4 days I started noticing the firming effect... it doesn't make your skin absolutely firm... but just enough for you to notice... and there is more "bounce" to your skin.

One thing I didn't really like about this serum... (and depending on your preference you might or might not like it) is that it felt like a moisturizer to me... my skin did not absorb it as well as other serums... and it took me a lot of time rubbing this essence into my face before it could fully absorb this thick product and I could move on to applying moisturizer.

I have tried just using this serum... as a serum/moisturizer but it simply does not fulfill what a moisturizer can do (SO REMEMBER TO APPLY MOISTURIZER AFTER!!!)

Score: 7.5/10
Website: http://international.thefaceshop.com/english/product/productView.jsp?ctgr=ctgr&search=ca&prdidx=7160&prdtype=198&pageno=2

please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)