Earlier in the month, I obtained several samples through my purchases from Missha and Jolse. I’ve finally finished trying all of them out, and here are my opinions on each product. For brevity’s sake, the final verdict will be one of three choices: GOOD, MEH, NOPE.



Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint

I didn’t bother taking pictures of this one, because I didn’t like it. The product smelled highly reminiscent of cherry cough syrup, and only “stuck” to the patches of dried skin on my lips. It wasn’t very attractive looking. My mother also tried it, but it didn’t work on her, either; in fact, it actually peeled her lips! Final verdict: NOPE.

TonyMoly I’m Real Lotion – Seawead Aqua Moisture

This is a light day moisturizer, tending more towards the gel than the cream. It’s not terrible…but it’s not great, either. Given how light the texture is, you would think the lotion would absorb into my face fairly quickly, but I actually found that it just sort of sat there for a good half hour. The perfume is a sort of generic fragrance only saved by the fact it dissipates quickly. Final verdict: MEH.

TonyMoly I’m Real Lotion – Lemon Brightening

The first thing you notice – other than the weird opalescent sheen on the cream – is the fact this lotion smells exactly like lemon Clorox. It’s sort of like wiping your face with a Clorox wipe, which is not a favorable first impression. I had to take this off within fifteen minutes anyway – it turns out the opalescence is from the addition of titanium dioxide to the lotion, which “brightens” the face by depositing a thin film of said titanium dioxide. It is also heinously itchy – not really sure if it’s the titanium dioxide or another ingredient, because my sunscreens are all formulated with titanium dioxide – but either way, it was unbearable to wear, so I washed it off. Final verdict: NOPE.

Etude House Collagen Moistfull Cream

In terms of texture, this actually reminds me quite a bit of Clinique’s Moisture Surge Line, which I used for a time in college. I found the scent negligible and it absorbed well into my skin. All in all, not a bad introduction to this line – I would consider buying a full-sized product at a future date. Final verdict: GOOD.

Etude House I’m Blooming Brightening Wash-off Gel

I thought this was the dark horse winner of this round of sample try-outs, myself! This is just your basic, every day physical exfoliant, but it does the job really well. I thought it would be weird applying this gel and massaging it, but it was just a very gentle, yet effective scrub. The fragrance is pleasant without being overwhelming, so I wouldn’t mind using this again, or trying another product from this line. Final verdict: GOOD.

The Face Shop New Zealand Volcanic Clay blackhead charcoal nose strip

As you can see from the above sequence of photos, this is exactly like the Biore Nose Strips, except not as effective. Final verdict: MEH.

Missha Premium Dong Baek Gold Shampoo

I didn’t bother to take any photos. It’s just your regular, run-of-the mill shampoo, maybe a little less moisturizing than what I usually use. Final verdict: MEH.

Missha Misa Geumsul First Essence Booster and Overnight Cream

I really wanted this to be better than it was. Sadly, my reaction to both of these products was “meh”. Both products performed serviceably well, although the overnight cream felt very light for a product with such a thick texture. The fragrance is a generic floral, and like with all Missha products, it lasts a long, long time. I just wasn’t excited about this. Final verdict: MEH.

Missha Real Essential Multi-Vita Sheet Mask

This isn’t really a sample, so much as one full-sized sheet mask I received in the Missha anniversary sample pack. The mask had a decent amount of serum in it’s pouch. It was also way too big for my face, necessitating a lot of adjustment. However, the actual experience wasn’t bad. The mask had a light fruity-floral scent, which dissipated quickly, and the serum absorbed quickly into my skin. However…I also found lots of little acne pustules over my face afterwords. Disappointing! Final Verdict: NOPE.

And a special comparison of Missha BB creams for redheads:

Now, the last time I was in Korea, BB cream shades were all too yellow and dark for me…and I swatched quite a few. But it’s been a couple of years since then, and I know several of the brands are trying to expand outside east Asia, which would necessitate expanding their range of shades, if nothing else. So I decided to try some samples out and see if anything changed.

Missha Complexion Coordinating BB in #1

I got several samples of this in my Missha order, so I decided to try it out first. The actually BB is a white, somewhat shimmery cream. You can’t see it from the above picture, but it also has what looks like beige grains inside the cream. I applied this amount to my face with my fingers, as I didn’t have a brush or sponge on hand.

I was pleasantly surprised! It’s actually not bad looking. The finish is rather sheer and dewy – I look pretty wet in the above photo, but the effect is ameliorated somewhat in natural light. I think I used a little too much, too. But the shade is true, which I was impressed by.

Sadly, wear sucked. The BB cream started flaking off (literally) within 4 hours. Also, it caused acne – as you can see in the photo above, I got a little pimple on the border between my upper lip and skin. I tried this BB a few more times, only to get more acne each time I wore it. Final verdict: NOPE.

Missha Perfect Color BB in #13

Luckily, I still had other samples!

Again, pleasantly surprised! It’s hard enough to find a foundation here in the U.S. that is both pale and cool/pink enough to match my shade, let alone with a formulation gentle enough not to irritate my skin, but Missha did it! As you can see, coverage is pretty light; it’s evening out my skin tone, but not covering my freckles. The finish is just on the right side of dewy – I look like I’m glowing, not like I’m sweating. I’m pretty sure I’ll pick up a tube next time I order from Missha 🙂 Final verdict: GOOD.

Missha Signature Complete BB Cream in #23

No pictures of this, since I was just trying out for the sake of texture/coverage. I found this BB cream to be thinner and more sheer than the Perfect color. I suspect that I am a match for shade #13…I’m going to try and pick up some samples, or I may just blind-buy and hope for the best. Final verdict: GOOD.

My mother and brother have tried a few samples too:

Missha Complexion Coordination BB in #2

My mother tried this out. She liked the texture, but she found the shade just a little too light and a tad too pink for her. Additionally, the BB cream seems to settle in all of her pores around her nose, accentuating the flaws. Final verdict: NOPE

Missha Perfect Color BB in #21/#23

My mother tried both of these. She thought #21 was the closest shade match, but #23 had the better wear – for some reason #21 just melted off her face. It was very perplexing.

Missha Signature Complete BB in #23

However, she still doesn’t enjoy the texture of BB creams, so her final reaction is MEH.

Missha Urban Soul First Treatment Essence

I gave this to my brother. Unfortunately, he’s 17, and thus annoying, so he was very non-descriptive of how he used this product and if he liked it. Final verdict: MEH.

Missha Super Aqua Waterfull Cream

My mother tried this and basically had the same reaction I did: Lovely product, save for the intense, eye-wateringly powerful fragrance. Final verdict: MEH.

Missha Super Aqua Snail Cream

I gave a sample of this to my mother, and she loved it! A lovely, light moisturizing cream. The fragrance dissipates quickly, which is a plus. We’re definitely going to pick this up. Final verdict: GOOD.

Etude House Cotton Fit BB Cream

My mother tried this, and mostly told me how hard it was to blend. Apparently it is a very thick BB cream. Final verdict: NOPE