Uh okay, to begin, I would like to acknowledge the fact that it is indeed very weird to put snail mucus on your face for the sake of beauty.......let's move on with the product now that we've cleared that up xD
NB: If you don't want to read what it says on the box or see the ingredients etc the just scroll down till you see the writing in bold that tells you where the review begins ^^
The product:
Okay so this is the product in the box. As you can see there's a wee seal to show that this is an authentic Mizon product, and it's just a simple box with a wee snail to remind us all of what we're putting on our faces haha
If the box or bottle say anything worthwhile I'll write the translation here :)
The front just says "lightweight snail gel cream containinng 74%of snail secretion filtrate" in English but you can't see it from here lol
The back of the bottle:
It says:
"스네일 리커버리 젤 크림 [주름개선 가능성 화장품]"
--> "Snail Recovery Gel Cream [a product that can potentially improve wrinkles]"
basically, it's saying it can help reduce wrinkles
It also points out that it contains 74% snail mucus filtrate... yum!
"달팽이 힘과 활력을 되찾는데 도움을 주고 촉촉한 보습과 함께 매끈한 피부 결을 선사하는 달팽이점액여과물 함유 젤 크림"
--> "Snails regain strength and vitality, and this gel cream contains snail mucus filtration to help give skin a smooth texture."
oh god that was really bad hahaha as I did in my Missha foam cleanser review, I'm leaving the original Korean here so anyone who can read/understand it can get a good idea of what it means :D
This says all the same as the bottle (except for a wee reminder of the 74% snail fitration mucusy thing) and directions for use:
"스킨 케어 마지막 단계에서 적당량을 덜어내어 부드럽게 펴 바른 후 흡수시켜 줍니다"
At the last stage of skin care, squeeze out a suitable amount and dab lightly until it is absorbed.
However, one another side of the box instead of saying "at the last stage of skin care" it says to apply it "after cleansing".............o_O kind of confusing!
But I actually follow the English side and apply it after cleansing and before moisturising.
There's a reason for this and I actually had decided to apply it in this order before I received the product, because I had read that you should start with the lightest product (like toner, then moisturiser, then a serum) or the thicker stuff like serums will stop the products appleid after them from being absobed because they form a kind of protective layer over the skin and stop the thinner/lighter products from getting through to the skin to be absorbed ^^
Oh god I'm only after realising how long this post is... and I haven't even reviewed the product D:
BUT THERE'S MORE!!
Okay so after the directions for use, there's wee bullet point things that aren't on the English side (there's really not anything useful on the English side tbh).
I won't bother posting the Korean for these because they're short, so you'll have to trust me on this one hehe
Beneficial/effective ingredient: Adenosine
I actually googled this to see what the craic is with it, and it brought me to webmd which was talking about its uses for heart conditions and herpes and other stuff, so I was really confused hahahah but it is actually considered as a good anti-inflammaotry ingredient ^^
Effect: Helps reduce/improve wrinkles
Amount to use: take the appropiate amount of product and apply evenly
That was very unhelpful o_O
That's it for the packaging hahaha FINALLY!
I have so much respect for translators like it's so hard to translate even the shortest sentences ><
But I thought I should provide translations for people who don't speak Korean or can but are at a beginner/intermediate level... I had to use my dictionary for those a lot because some of the words are so random and I haven't studied them yet xD
THE REVIEW!!!!!
So~ here we are, finally. You'll be relieved to know that I remembered that I was here to write a review rather than provide a line-by-line translation of packaging haha to be fair, I left out ingredients, right? eheh ;)
The product looks like this:
It's basically a clear gel, but I think it's a wee bit white? Okay well anyway, nothing spectacular to note about the appearance. I'm very aware of the amount I squueze out each time I use this because it seems as though there isn't a lot of product in the bottle becasuse the bottle keeps going in~~~~~~~~~~ and each time I'm like "dear god I'm using it all up!" even thought I've only been using it for a week D:
So yeah, Mizon, we want bigger portion sizes!! Portion? Portion haha we're gonna roll with the words "portion size" anyway.
So because I don't want to use too much, I always feel like I'm not using enough, while feeling that I'm using too much at the same time! When I'm squeezing the gel out I think I'm using too much, but when I'm applying it to my face I feel like I haven't used enough >< It's a vicious circle!!
I like to apply this to my face when it's slightly damp, because your skin apparently absorbs more moisture whenever it's a bit damp.
Have I noticed a remarkable difference? Not really, no.
Have I experienced any bad effetcs like break outs? Also no.
I'm kind of disappointed because I expected a wee bit of a difference. That being said I've only been using it for a week, so who knows, I could notice a big improvement in my skin's condition within the next few weeks.
If that happens to be the case (fingers crossed!) I'll update this review.
Actually, I'll update this review in around two weeks anyway to see if I notice a difference, get more frequent breakouts, or notice a calming in my facial redness or any scars fading. Not that I have scars btw, I mean like any marks from spots, back in the days when I got breakouts every day and my face always seemed to be covered in red marks from fading spots etc... the frequent breakouts may be a thing of the past (for now!!) but sometimes I have red marks still from breakouts so we'll see if I notice a difference in those.
So far I'm disappointed with this product because it doesn't seem to be making much of a difference to the condition or texture of my skin. It's like I wouldn't notice the difference if I took this out of my skincare routine right now.
But that could change with more frequent use! I'm just saying... don't expect immediate or overnight results!
Although, this product has like 74% snail secretion filtrate, right? I hate writing that hahaha but it has a high amount of the snail juice (juice? That sounds nicer in a way, but also even more disgusting) so it should help reduce redness and help scars heal quicker.
Do yous know the story of how snail mucus was discovered to have good effects on skin? Snail farmers in Chile began to notice that their skin was smoother and scars and small cuts began to heal quicker, and then it was discovered that it was because they had been handling snails and the snails mucus/slime had gotten onto their hands and its regenerative and healing properties improved their skin's condition. So there ya go, fun fact!
Lastly, how do I fit this into my skicare routine??
1) Face wash
2) Tea tree oil (on break outs)
3) Snail gel (on a damp face)
If I can be bothered, 4) Radiance booster
5) Moisturiser (+ ampoule if I want to make more effort or look fresher)
6) Serum
7) Suncream (8-hour sun cream, factor 50+, everyday)
My nighttime routine is the same, except I leave out the suncream and ampoule :)
I wrote about where I got this and how much it was in my Missha Creamy Latte Strawberry Cleansing Foam review in case anyone's curious about where I got it... cuz I usually try to find theeee cheapest place to buy them hahah of course this will vary by country!
If you got this far, thanks for reading!
