Naruko NRK Hydro-Lock Moisturizing Mask

Naruko am+pm Total Brightening Renewal Treatment 5% Mandelic Acid

Pricing/Packaging:

30ml (1.05fl.oz) for ~25-37$ (naruko usa). This serum comes in a cute opaque white glass bottle (have to admit, I was really drawn to the packaging). Product dispenses through an easily controlled glass pipette. As most Naruko products, it should be used up within 6 months after opening.  

Naruko Raw Job's Tears Supercritical CO2 Pore Minimizing & Brightening Essence

 

Pricing/Packaging:

30ml (1.05fl.oz) for ~33$. US shoppers can find it here. This product comes in a good quality tinted glass pump bottle, which will help keep active ingredients intact. Also I do like this packaging from an aesthetic point of view as well.

Naruko NRK Essential VC Brightening and Deep Hydrating Mask

Packaging/Pricing:

Set of 10 pieces for ~30$.

Ingredients:

 

Water, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Glycerin, Irish Moss (Carrageenan), Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Malpighia Punicifolia, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Honey Extract, Carbomer, Hydrolized Hyaluronic Acid, Soluble Collagen, Triethanolamine, Allantoin, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Lecithin, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Fragrance.  

Excellent (very beneficial ingredients, proven research)

Good (mostly beneficial ingredients, not extensive research available or just not quite outstanding properties)

OK (mostly thickeners, emulsifiers, mild preservatives, pH adjusters, all that is necessary formulation wise, but not a skincare per se) 
Bad (anything that shouldn't be in skincare, irritants and fragrance)

Naruko Raw Job's Tears Supercritical CO2 Pore Minimizing & Brightening Moisturizer

Raw Job's Tears line is officially my favourite line from Naruko. It is the only line that doesn't feature any essential oils, which is what I am looking for. The products in the line are also fragrance free and have pretty good ingredients. So if you want to try something from the brand, I recommend to start with Raw Job's Tears line.

Packaging/Pricing:

Product comes in a sleek red packaging with opening similar to a toner bottle, which allows minimal air exposure. You get 120ml (4.2fl.oz) for 27$ (here), but this web site always have some kind of discount going on (right now it is 22$).

Naruko AMPM BHA Skin Renewal Serum

Having very high hopes for this product I was very disappointed when I finally had a chance to look at the ingredients in this serum. Since Neutrogena discontinued my favourite BHA exfoliant (3in1 Hydrating Acne Treatment), I am looking for a new one. Sadly enough there are not as many good choices of BHA exfoliant on the market as there are of AHA exfoliants. BHA or salicylic acid is oil soluble (vs AHA being water soluble), so it is good at penetrating pores and unclogging them, as well as reducing inflammation. It is generally recommended for people with oily or acne prone skin. I have somewhat dry skin, but I find it perfect for taking care of blackheads, preventing and treating breakouts, and exfoliation for better cell turnover.

I have already mentioned that I usually buy Naruko products so to say blindly. There are no lists of ingredients on the website, only description of few key ingredients, which is not very helpful. So it is always a risk. But I do have unexplainable warm feelings towards this brand, and for some reason I go to the lengths to find great products in the line (with most other brands I would have given up a long time ago). 

Packaging/Pricing:

 

30ml (1.05fl.oz) for 35$ (here). Price is pretty average for a serum, neither it is super cheap, nor bank breaking. Bottle is ridiculously cute. I do not usually have weakness for the packaging, but I have to admit this one is definitely noteworthy (picture doesn't give it a justice). Otherwise the opaque glass bottle with a dropper is a good choice for storing any serum.

 

Naruko Am+Pm Super Triple HA + B3 Brightening Complex

Packaging/Pricing:

 

30ml (1.05fl.oz) for 35$ (naruko). It is not a cheap product, but it is still affordable, considering they always offer promotions on the website. Opaque tube is perfect for storing a serum. Overall design is sleek and minimalistic. I have to mention that the outer packaging (paper cylinder) is rather cool looking.

Review & Comparison: Cleansing Oils - Garnier vs Naruko vs Tatcha

Cleansing oils made a huge explosion on the western market few years ago (they have been available in asian countries for quite some time). At first I was quite hesitant, that it is not just a gimmicky fad, that would quickly go away. But I have to admit, I have been hooked and not planing to stop using this type of cleansers for a long while. I use sunscreen liberally and find that gentle face washes that I favour, are not enough to remove sunscreen at the end of the day. By using cleansing oils I kill two birds with one stone, dissolve make-up and sunscreen at the same time (I follow with gentle face wash as well).

I decided to talk about three oils I am currently using. They come from different ends of spectrum price wise and availability wise. As usual, I am trying to judge products as objective as I can. I am not going to discuss ingredients too much. Face cleansers cannot be evaluated like that for several reasons. They do not stay on your face for more than one minute (not enough time for beneficial ingredients to start working). You wash them off (and any extracts and vitamins that they had go down the drain!). It is the most important how they clean and whether they leave skin feeling tight and uncomfortable or not. Cleansers can not treat your skin like serum or cream can.

Left to Right: Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia cleansing oil; Naruko Taiwan Magnolia Brightening and Firming cleansing oil; Garnier Nourishing Cleansing oil.
  

[In the ingredient lists below I've highlighted in red those ingredients that are in generally irritating in any skin care product and also marked in bold basic oils in formulations.]

Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil 48$ US/150ml (5fl.oz). This cleanser is not based on mineral oil. I personally like the feel of this product the best. It has the thickest consistency out of three and I feel you actually need less product to take off make-up. It is also the most effective at dissolving make-up. Rinses off clean, leaving skin very soft. This oil has very nice, very light elegant fragrance. Unfortunately, this is the most expensive choice. Actually I am torn whether to repurchase it or not. On the one hand, it is the best cleansing oil I've tried (and I love the texture and smell of it), on the other, it is too expensive for a cleanser. I would rather spend money on antioxidant serum. 4.5 out of 5.

Ingredients: Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Polyglyceryl-10 Dioleate, Polyglyceryl-2 Sesquicaprylate, Camellia Japonica seed Oil, Glyceryl Behenate/eicosadioate, Water, Algae Extract, Camellia Sinesis (Green tea) Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Alcohol, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol.

Naruko Taiwan Magnolia Brightening and Firming Cleansing Oil 20$ US/120 ml (4fl.oz). This cleanser is based on mineral

Review & Comparison: Naruko Apple Seed And Tranexamic Acid black spots and lines defying mask & NRK essential Mandarin Orange and Pineapple pore refining mask

Let me start by saying that I have somewhat love/hate relationship with Naruko products going on. I love their luxurious feeling on the skin, I adore their scents, I am fan of their vitamins and plant extracts based  formulations, I think packaging is very cute. BUT! They often include irritating essential oils in products, which smell beyond amazing, but irritate skin, like nothing else. So I always go back to Naruko products, but I browse for occasional gems without problematic ingredients.

These two masks you can find on Naruko website  (here) or through various asian beauty sellers like sasa.com. The set of 10 masks is 32$ for Apple seed and Tranexamic acid mask and 26$ for Mandarin Orange and Pineapple mask.  Sometimes you can find them individually. Both masks are very moist with enough serum to actually spread to your neck and chest areas. They both smell very nice: Apple seed one like lavender oil and Orange one has a fruity sweet scent. I personally prefer more refined scent of lavender.

Company suggests to apply mask on clean skin for 10-15 min, then you can follow with your regular skincare. I find these masks to be very moist and slimy, so whether you have to wait for 10-15 minutes after you are done with them (for them to get fully absorbed) or tissue of the excess. Actually, I tend to splash my face with water, since ingredients already had time to penetrate skin, and it is too much to deal with so much extra product.

 

Naruko AM+PM Real Xpert 10-peptide total defense sunscreen SPF 50 PA+++

Hello! Today I would like to review product from one of my favourite asian brands Naruko.This particular product is from their AM+PM line, designed for office ladies.

Packaging/Pricing:

50ml (1.75fl.oz) Use within 6 months once opened. Nice sleek white bottle with small nozzle, that will keep ingredients stable. I do not approve of any sort of jar packaging, as it is ridiculous to pay money for something that will not keep ingredients stable for more than a week. Pricing is not too bad, but still it is not completely budget friendly choice at 26$ US. On the side note, US Naruko website (Naruko) always have promotions going on. I picked it up for 21$ US.

Ingredients:

Actives: Octylmethoxy Cinnamate 10%, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate 3%

Other:Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Titanium Dioxide, Isohexadecane, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Sorbitan Oleate, Magnesium Sulfate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-3, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyloyl Hydroxytheonine, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-6 Diaminohydroxybutyrate, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-15, Pentapeptide-18, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Oligopeptide-68, Nonapeptide-1, Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate, Methylisothiazolinone.

Excellent (only beneficial ingredients, proven research)
Good (mostly beneficial, not extensive research or just not quite outstanding properties)
OK (mostly thickeners, emulsifiers, mild preservatives, pH adjusters, all that is necessary, but not a skincare per se)
Bad (irritants and such)

Ingredient Discussion:

There are really 10 peptides as they promise which are always nice to have in your skincare. Peptides usually serve