RoRo Reviews: The Face Shop Jeju Volcanic Lava Peel-Off Clay Nose Mask

The first time I heard about Korean multi-step skincare routine was mid-2016. I was having a problem with my pimples because although I only get one or two at a time, they were quite big, took too long to disappear and when they did, they always leave a dark mark which takes several months to fade. So I decided to try Korean skincare regimen and bought the products I needed after months of research and reading product reviews. I really didn’t follow all the steps and only did 5-6 steps in the morning and at night. I also applied those 3-step nose packs but rarely (I think I only used nose packs approximately 5 times in my whole life) because I have small-ish pores and I regularly go to my dermatologist for a diamond peel.

BUT my husband was a HUGE FAN of 3-step nose packs so whenever I visit the online beauty shop Althea, I always made sure to buy one or two pieces of nose packs for him. Althea (Philippines) exclusively sells K-beauty products and I bought all my K-beauty needs here because the prices were much cheaper than those being sold in malls. Althea also ships directly from South Korea to Philippines. The cost of 3-step nose packs in Althea ranged from PhP 60.00 to PhP 140.00. That’s quite expensive if my husband will apply nose packs regularly like once or twice a week for a year.

And then, a blessing came! While I was searching for a facial wash in Althea for my husband, I stumbled upon The Face Shop’s Jeju Volcanic Lava Peel-Off Clay Nose Mask! This product was more expensive than a piece of nose pack but had 50g worth of mask to peel off so we knew that we can use this product for a long time before we finish the whole thing. I immediately bought one for us to try and I received the package after a week.

According to The Face Shop’s website, it’s Jeju Volcanic Lava skincare line used “volcanic soil” to “effectively absorb sebum and cleanse the pores”. The peel-off nose mask was part of 13 other volcanic lava products from this skincare line.

The Face Shop Jeju Volcanic Lava Peel-Off Clay Nose Mask. Directions (of use), Caution and Ingredients were written in Korean, English and French (I don’t speak French but I think it’s French).

The mask was pinkish-white with a hint of light brown in color. It had a sort of chemical smell with a faint sour note but the smell was not overpowering (I’m really bad at describing smell so please just read on). The texture of the mask was like glue but denser and stickier.

I applied the mask on my nose which was last cleaned using diamond peel 10 days prior. It was actually hard to spread evenly because it was very sticky. Even though the instruction said to leave the mask on for 10-15 minutes, I left the mask on for 20 minutes hoping that more blackheads and whiteheads will stick within those extra 5 minutes. I felt a slight tingling sensation as the mask hardened.

After 20 minutes, I peeled off the mask. Honestly, I thought my nose looked the same except for a slight redness. Upon examining the peeled off strip, I saw fine hairs sticking out. My nose also felt dry and not oily. The mask did absorb excess sebum and cleaned my pores! IT WORKED!

Before (left) and after (right). After 20 minutes, my nose was slightly red but less shiny.

Little hairs sticking out!

Personally, I thought this product was worth it because it did what the skincare line said it would do, it’s pretty cheap and you can use this product for 12 MONTHS! It’s also not irritating on sensitive skin and does not cause new pimples so that’s a huge plus on my book! Just make sure to wash your face and apply your go-to moisturizing cream afterwards to prevent dryness.

If you are interested, you can check out Althea’s website (Philippines): https://ph.althea.kr/. The Face Shop Jeju Volcanic Lava Peel-Off Clay Nose Mask is currently priced at PhP 200.00 in Althea. The original price was PhP 300.00. You can also buy this at The Face Shop stores nationwide.

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Disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated with Althea or The Face Shop and I don’t get paid by reviewing their products.

RoRo Reviews: Plant Therapy Essential Oils

My interest with essential oils was piqued when one of my friends introduced the concept of EOs to me when both of us were at this geology conference. I was a first-time mom so between looking after and taking care of my 5-month old baby boy, I lurk around social media which made me aware that some of my social media friends were already using EOs. I recently purchased a Stress Away EO blend from a local online store BeautyMNL as a gift to my husband but haven’t tried it myself since I was currently breastfeeding and was afraid that some chemicals might affect my breastmilk. My friend and I met again a few weeks later at a wedding and she gave me a Sweet Dreams blend which she made specifically for me. I was impressed when I tried the blend. I applied a small amount behind my ears and on my wrists, and I actually had a good night’s sleep that night. I decided to research EOs for weeks and based from what I’ve read, it seemed like using EOs is a good alternative in treating and preventing some common ailments. I was convinced and so I decided to purchase a few EOs myself.

It was my first experience with essential oils so assurance of quality, cost, product transparency, environmental safety and stress-free purchases were important factors in choosing which company I will buy my essential oils from. I knew a lot of people have bought their first essential oils from MLM (multi-level marketing) companies such as Young Living and doTerra so these two were the first brands that I checked.

Upon searching their official websites, I was instantly turned off because I had no interest in signing up and joining their company as a distributor (distributors have discounts). After reading customer reviews of Young Living and doTerra, I instantly disregarded those two companies because of the high price of their EOs and lack of transparency of their products (no test results) in their respective websites.

I searched for other brands of essential oils with good reviews and I was able to narrow my search into four: Rocky Mountain Oils, Eden’s Garden, Plant Therapy and Aura Cacia (which was available here in the Philippines at Healthy Options). These four companies have easy-to-use websites with all their products listed on them and you just have to make an account (no need to join their company) to purchase whichever items you like. Quality-wise and considering environment safety, all of them have great reviews but only RMO, Eden’s Garden and Plant Therapy have essential oil blends made especially for kids. Cost-wise, RMO was the most expensive among the four while Aura Cacia was the cheapest. As for transparency, only Rocky Mountain Oils and Plant Therapy had test results of their EOs available in their website. Product transparency was important to me (it makes me feel at ease knowing that what I’m using is safe for my family) so after spending a few days reading more reviews and researching, I finally chose Plant Therapy.

I made a list of what essential oils my family needed the most and stuck to a budget of around $150.00 inclusive of shipping fee from the U.S. to the Philippines. On January 15, 2017, I set up an account and ordered the following from the Plant Therapy website:

•       1 set of Top 6 Organic Essential Oil at 10ml per bottle
•       1 set of KidSafe Wellness Sampler Set at 10ml per bottle
•       1 bottle of Roman Chamomile at 10ml
•       1 bottle of Geranium at 10ml
•       1 piece of convertible essential oil case for 10ml or 30ml bottles
•       1 piece dilution chart magnet for adults (this was FREE but I had to add this initially to the cart)

The package arrived here at home on January 23, 2017, a day earlier than expected. There was really no hassle in ordering and I can choose which shipping company I want and the type of shipping. As for my order, I chose FedEx over U.S.P.S. although the latter has a cheaper shipping method but had a longer delivery time. Tracking my package was also easy. I was surprised though that I had to pay an extra PhP 560.00 (approximately $11.00) upon delivery.

I have to say that I was quite excited to open the package. All the items were packed well to avoid any breakage as seen on the photos below. I checked each item and there were no damages observed.

Here are the items that I purchased.

The sets I bought came with these nice wooden boxes with a Plant Therapy logo which can be a great gift for your loved ones and friends. Since I bought an EO case, I was planning to just reuse the wooden boxes in the future.

As they should, the EO bottles arrived unopened. The labels were easy to read, with a description and basic instructions at the back. The cap also has a sticker to make it easier for me to get which EO I need from the essential oil case. EOs which were safe for children (i.e. Plant Therapy KidSafe label) were also easy to distinguish so I don’t have to research which oils my son can use. EOs which were certified organic were also noted in the label.

I decided to make two blends using my new EOs:

1.     Hair and scalp massage oil blend for my dad
2.     Muscle ache/nerve pain/rheumatoid arthritis blend for my mom

Of course, I have no idea where to start because I have yet to purchase any essential oil books and the recipe blends I researched online specified many EO ingredients, most of them I don’t have. To remedy this, I decided to email Plant Therapy’s certified aromatherapists where I listed the EOs I currently have and asked for their suggestions on how to make the blends I was planning to do. What I love about Plant Therapy aromatherapists was that they replied within 1-2 days with their recommended recipe so I was able to make the blends straightaway. I also don’t have to concern myself if their suggested blend was safe to use or not, or if my blend and dilution were correct because they are actually certified and properly trained (unlike me!).

So far, I am very impressed with Plant Therapy. They make quality essential oils within my price range and they have their own KidSafe and certified organic line. There were many EOs and EO blends to choose from as well as products used for essential oils (e.g. diffusers, cases, bottles, carrier oils, etc.). The company was also transparent with their EO products’ test results. And if I have a question, I can easily connect with their in-house aromatherapists to help me with my EO queries.

My only regret was that I didn’t order more essential oils and now I have to wait for some of my EOs to run out before I can order again (because the shipping fee was quite expensive!).

If you are interested, you can check out Plant Therapy’s website: https://www.planttherapy.com/.

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Disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated with Plant Therapy and I don’t get paid by reviewing their products. I am just a new EO user and I'm lucky enough that I have no problems with the EO company that I chose. 

Erratum: I previously wrote that I didn't see any products list in Young Living and doTerra website but they ACTUALLY DO have a price list and I was probably just too lazy to remember and recheck that bit when I was browsing their sites. Thank you for my friend, Nicole for pointing that out! Hugs and kisses!