You may not have heard of this but this popular Korean beauty brand, Laneige, which is taking the world by storm, had its inspiration plucked out from the French word, ‘la neige’. It simply means ‘snow’. Through technology, they transformed water into dynamic moisture energy – sort of a drink concocted just for the skin to drink. And they made some of the best ‘skin drinks’ that had changed my impression of this Korean beauty brand which has become such a popular skincare brand in Asia.
We’ve all heard about their best-selling sleeping mask which I have not yet tried it but I’ve tried their White Plus Renew Capsule Sleeping pack which works on my skin like magic. It leaves my skin feeling so soft and supple the next morning. And that caught my attention about Laneige products but I didn’t always stock up on their products as it was somewhat quite costly. But thank goodness, it isn’t as expensive as other high-end skincare brands. It’s more expensive than drugstore products but at least, it doesn’t usually go beyond $80 for each product.
Thanks to Sephora, this time I got to try out their Water Bank Essence, White Plus Renew Skin Refiner and White Plus Renew Emulsion. These three products cost me around $150 in total and boy, it was worth it considering that the product could probably last you about four to six months if you use it consistently on a daily basis. That’s simply because you only need a couple of drops of the product to enjoy its benefits. That’s the beauty of Laneige products – a ‘snowflake’-size of the product is all you need to transform the texture of your skin.
Currently, I am just sticking to these three products and have incorporated them into my skincare routine. I used these three products twice daily after cleansing. In the morning, I could mix in a couple drops of my sunscreen into the White Plus Renew skin Refiner to protect my skin against UV rays. And that’s about it. This is another reason why I’m really starting to enjoy these products because it has helped me to keep my skincare routine minimal. I no longer have to slap on a bunch of beauty products just to ‘quench’ that thirst my skin has. In fact, I just needed the emulsion and the essence to give my skin a beauty glow every morning.
I ordered all these products online at Sephora Singapore website and they provide free shipping for orders $40 and above. It took less than a week for the products to be delivered to my doorstep. It’s a fuss-free experience without having to visit the Sephora store physically if you already know what you want. Otherwise, it is also great to make the trip down to the store just to test out the product on your skin and get more information from their sale assistants.
Laneige White Plus Renew Refiner (SGD 45)
While I was doing my research on Laneige products, I wasn’t quite sure what’s the difference between toner, refiner, emulsions, essence and moisturiser. It was quite confusing and I do not know what exactly I need and what I should be using. But perhaps the brand itself is just using another name for their products and what I realised is that you don’t really need to pile on a lot of products when they are actually performing the same functions.
Based on the product description, it turns out that the refiner is actually a toner which is to be used after cleansing. It could be applied onto a cotton pad which is to be swiped across our face and neck areas. It was also mentioned in the description that the refiner ‘helps to maintain the optimal water-oil balance of the skin and moisturises just like what an emulsion or lotion does‘. Having said that, I could have just bought the emulsion unless I ran out of toner and needed another one. But since it does have moisturising properties, I decided to use it as a moisturiser. So on days where I felt my skin was really oily and needed just a lightweight moisturiser, I would use a couple of drops of the refiner.
For me, I would use some rosewater sprayed onto a cotton pad to clean off any dirt, debris or sebum remaining on my skin after washing. Then, I would use about 2 drops of this White Plus Renew refiner and massage it evenly across my face with my fingers. Through this process, I discovered that the refiner actually helps to prep my skin for the moisturising step. It somehow helps to lock up the moisture better when I apply the refiner before applying the moisturiser.
Laneige White Plus Renew Emulsion (SGD 45) (100ml)
And on days where I felt my skin is dehydrated and require a heavier moisturiser, I would go for this emulsion. One pump of the product is all I required to ensure that my skin is well-moisturized. And remember, you don’t require a lot of this product because it simply just acts as a ‘booster’ to execute its function of ‘whitening’ your skin.
The emulsion, like the refiner, is created using MelaCrusher™ technology that promotes the self-destruction of the melanin, leaving the skin complexion looking fairer and brighter. Perhaps this is why my skin tone looks more even after using the emulsion for a week now. Even my acne scars have lightened day by day.
It has a consistency similar to a lotion and like all the other Laneige products, the skin soaks up the product readily and it also carries that signature Laneige scent.
Laneige Water Bank Essence_EX (SGD 60)
If there is one product I would recommend, it would have to be the Water Bank Essence. If you have a tight budget but want to try Laneige products, you can skip their other products and dive right into this blue bottle of essence. I believe that this is their signature product right after their sensational sleeping mask.
This product makes use of botanical extracts to boost its hydration effects. The essence consists of Hydro-ion mineral water which are small ionised minerals that help to control moisture within the skin. This natural ion mineral is extracted from quinoa and it has amazing restorative effects. This essence formula also consists of micro-sized olive oil to help retain moisture as well as Tillandsia extract, which is a source of natural moisturising factor (NMF), betaine.
The consistency is more watery than the emulsion so it gets absorbs more readily into the skin. I was definitely surprised that all these products really do suit my combination skin type. I have enlarged pores which tend to clog up very easily, leaving rough bumps on my skin. One of the ways to reduce the appearance of such bumps is to really keep the skin moist so as to limit the oil and sebum production of the skin. And when your skin is well-balanced and hydration, you can kiss goodbye to any form of skin irritations. To be really honest, skincare isn’t that complicated. What our skin really needs is just water!
Available online at www.sephora.sg.
