A Very Honest™ First Impressions Review: Amore Pacific x Sephora Beauty Insider 500 Point Reward Box

6:45 PM

After hoarding my Sephora BI points for ages, I finally spent some points on the curated box back at the end of 2017. The box contains four sample sized items and is my first try at Amore Pacific products--my thoughts are that of complete n00b.


I've now had this box for about a little while, and have been using the products off and on, as a foray into Amore Pacific's products. Now, I can give accurate, well-rounded opinions, beyond "Yeah, s'alright"or "meh", which would be: it's just, ok. I enjoyed the box but across the board, it's not for me.

products included in the box:
  • treatment cleanser 1 fl. oz / 30 ml
  • treatment enzyme peel 0.2 oz / 7 g
  • future response age defense serum 0.1 fl. oz / 3 ml
  • future response age defense creme .027 fl. oz / 8 ml




amore pacific treatment cleansing foam


 This cleanser:
  • contains microbeads
Why should a mid/high end cleanser have micro-fucking-beads in it, these days? This is the most important question--one that I could guess that it's a cheaper way for the "treatment" product to exfoliate, much like the Shiseido Pureness Deep cleanser with its plethora of microbeads. A bit of a disappointment.

Microbeads aside, the cleanser is alright; there is a strong, perfumed scent. Overall, it would be suited to oily or combo over drier skin types as it feels stripping after use. If dry skin types want to use it, I recommend on a no makeup day, after say a workout or intense housecleaning.

As seen in the above photo, my tap water tested at a pH level of  about a 6.5 (top testing strip). The actual cleanser tested between a 7 and 8 (bottom testing strip). Yikes!!




amore pacific treatment enzyme peel




 With the tiniest amount of water, the yellow powder immediately turns to a milky yellow liquid. After you rub your hands together, the friction causes the liquid to become a white thin but milky foam. Bam! There's your cleanser-type wash. The box specifically states to use tepid water and to massage your face before rinsing, but no way. It's too stripping on my face!
 
While the process was fun, the enzyme treatment smells strongly like soap after it's mixed with water and foamed. That is high key a big turn-off for me as that scent lingers while lathering and cleansing. Initially, it smelled faintly of citrus.

After rinsing, my face felt soft but extra dry, also because of the cold weather lately. This enzyme wash is definitely ideal for oilier skin types, and especially best for travel. I'm intrigued by this type of powder wash but I would rather look into the Tosowoong enzyme powder wash, should I be so curious.



amore pacific future response age defense creme






Yeck! This face cream is suited for all skin types, claiming to help with dry skin and aging. Instead, the cream seems more suited to the eyes: it's super thicc and rich (lol!). It spreads easily but doesn't sink into the skin well, sitting on top in a thick layer.

The strong perfumed scent throws me off; it's like a department store level perfume, a dentist office and dirt combined with distinct ~*~*~floral~*~*~ scents. I really can't pinpoint the scent exactly, but it's likely the the musky floral that's rubbing me the wrong way. It really smells like a perfume a grandma would wear...


Let's be real: the scent lingers on the skin, even after washing. I applied this cream primarily on my under eye area and disregarding the scent, I did see noticeable hydration the following day, after use. My under eyes were soft. Most importantly: I sincerely believe I can get the same result using other eye and face creams from a road shop brand, for a even less than a tenth of the price. The full size is USD$195.00, so no way in hell would I purchase the full size!


amore pacific future response age defense serum

I want to end on a good note with a product I enjoyed using, but also couldn't see myself purchasing the full size. The matching serum to the above eye cream is like a runny moisturizer and in no way, shape or form, is anything like a serum. It's definitely a runny moisturizer--just like how I like 'em.




The green tea infused serum is a light beige colour which dissipates once you spread it across the skin. As expected, there is a perfumed scent--the same as the cream, but about half as strong. It's more on the perfumed floral scented side. Once applied, the serum sinks in quickly but leaves the area very soft.

Would I purchase these products in a full size? Hell NO.

While I do enjoy scented products and even floral scents, when it's too strong, it's too much. Scents do not bother me, but this was too much. Also the pH level of the cleanser in particularl was just as high as my tap water!

The prices are too much, so my expectations were even higher. This Sephora Reward Box didn't quite deliver, so now any curiosities I have about Amore Pacific's own products (not the brands they house) is no longer. This didn't feel even worth 500 of my BI points--a very flawed point system.

Thanks for reading my thoughts.

Good night~~!

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1 comments

  1. I have dry, very sensitive skin and am using Amore Pacific's oil cleanser and the enzyme peel. If you're willing to give the peel a second chance, the Sephora associate had advised me that this was a once or twice a week exfoliate and I've been just using it the shower, where I don't really notice the soap smell as much. It made my skin feel silky smooth afterwards!

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