My Stylevana K-beauty skincare haul for April. New products, combo oily skin that had already been through a lot, and a genuine mix of reactions I was not expecting going in. Stylevana sent me this haul to review – gifted products, entirely my own opinions. Use code INF10NEVE for up to 25% off – full details on my Stylevana discount code page. If you are wondering whether the site itself is trustworthy before you order, I have written up whether Stylevana is legit after five years of buying from them.
My other Stylevana hauls are on the blog too – June haul, March haul, and August haul.
What was in the April box
I’d been using this lot for a couple of weeks before I filmed, so these aren’t first-impression reactions. Same skin as always for reference: combo, oily t-zone, type 1 rosacea, the flushing kind.
VT Cica Mild Foam Cleanser
Big tube, so you get a lot for what you pay.
It foamed up nicely and it didn’t irritate my redness at all, which I was half expecting it to. What it did do is leave me squeaky clean, and I’m not a fan of squeaky clean.
That’s a me problem more than a product problem though. Everything I read while I was looking into this, and every other review I watched, said people with really oily or acne-prone skin got on best with it. If that’s you, give it a go.
Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Toner
Favourite of the whole box, and I’m not remotely surprised.
I already love Isntree’s green tea toner, so I had a feeling about this one. The only reason I’d never bought it is that I was working through a Hada Labo hyaluronic toner, the one in the gold bottle, and I ran out of that a couple of months back without replacing it.
Texture is a viscous gel that sinks in fast. No scent I could pick up, and no stickiness or tack afterwards at all. My skin looked plump.
I put it on damp skin, few drops into my palms, pat it in. I’ve layered it two or three times in one go and that worked nicely, though I’m not doing seven layers of anything with combo skin.
There’s a plus version in a blue bottle that I haven’t tried. I might grab it once this one’s done.
SOME BY MI Yuja Niacin Brightening Peeling Gel
This is the one that went wrong.
The pitch is a gentle exfoliator, with PHA dissolving excess sebum and dead skin while cellulose granules scrub away to clear pores, plus niacinamide and glutathione for pigmentation. I’m not sold on the pigmentation part personally, it’s on your skin for about a minute and then you wash it off.
Strong citrus scent. It spreads easily and you can feel the peelies rolling up once you start rubbing.
First use was fine. Second use it burnt. Actual burning, and my skin was left red both times. It might be that I went back in too soon, and I’ve got type 1 rosacea so I’m a harder test than most, but I’d be careful with this if your skin is at all reactive.
My skin was soft afterwards. Red, but soft. I need to keep testing this one.
Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream SPF50+ PA+++
Cute little blue bottle, and a creamy sunscreen with genuinely no white cast on me. None.
It’s moisturising and it leaves me dewy and shiny. If you’re oily you’d probably prefer their essence version, unless you actively want the glow.
Under makeup it’s brilliant. I loved it beneath my more matte foundations because the dewiness peeks through and gives a healthy look to the skin. No pilling for me.
Scent is a faint apricot with a bit of that classic sunscreen smell underneath, and I only really caught it on application when I’d done my face and neck. It doesn’t hang around.
Two things to flag. It’s not fungal acne safe, so if you’re managing malassezia this one is out, and my malassezia safe moisturiser post is a better place to start if that’s you. And the con for me is the PA+++. I want four pluses. I’ve said that about four times now in the video and I stand by it.
If you want the ingredient screening rather than just the wear notes, The Best Korean Sunscreen Is the One You’ll Actually Reapply is where I go through what actually disqualifies a sunscreen for reactive or seb derm-prone skin.
Keep Cool Ocean Deep Blue Oil Self Ritual Kit
I put this one back in its box for filming because the packaging is lovely and it would make a really good gift.
You get a rose quartz gua sha and a full size bottle of the oil. It’s the first gua sha I’ve ever owned.
The oil is jojoba seed, sunflower seed, olive fruit, sweet almond, rosa canina fruit, macadamia seed and moringa seed. Sweet herbal scent that lingers a while, but pleasant.
I mixed a few drops into my moisturiser at night and my skin was glowing, but I got flushing on my cheeks. So I stopped doing that and started putting a couple of of drops into my hand cream instead, and on dry hands and cuticles it’s lovely. Then I tried it in my Living Proof Restore leave-in and worked it through my ends, and that worked really well too.
So a face oil that my face didn’t want, that turned out to be great everywhere else. One or two drops is all it takes, so the bottle is going to last me forever.
iUNIK x Stylevana Mini Serum Set
Another one that stayed in its box because it’s adorable. Little card on the front, tiny bottles, the whole thing.
I’ve already reviewed the tea tree and the noni oil serums separately if you want my longer thoughts on those. The one I’ve been working through here is the Black Snail Restore, which is really soothing, and I’ll be buying a full size once the mini is done. I’m saving the proper review until I’ve used it for longer.
These are the perfect travel size, which is half the point of the set. If you’ve ever wanted to try the iUNIK serums this is the way to do it, because you can work out which ones you’d actually commit to in full size.
One use I’ve fallen into: I put the noni one under my eyes right before concealer. I use it all over as well but lately it’s the under-eye thing I keep going back to. Tea tree, noni and black snail are my three favourites at the moment.
This is the thing from the haul I’d repurchase first.
What I’d actually buy again
Three of them. The iUNIK and Stylevana set, the Isntree hyaluronic acid toner, and the Thank You Farmer sunscreen. Those were the three that suited my skin.
FAQ
Is Stylevana a reliable place to buy K-beauty in the UK?
Yes. Stylevana is a well-established K-beauty and Asian skincare retailer that ships to the UK. Use code INF10NEVE for up to 25% off your order.
What is the Stylevana discount code?
Use code INF10NEVE at Stylevana for up to 25% off your K-beauty skincare order. No expiry date, works on repeat orders.
More skincare
- Stylevana discount code INF10NEVE – up to 25% off
- 6 Malassezia Safe Moisturisers That Don’t Feel Like Grease
- The Anua Azelaic Acid Serum Review
- Seborrhoeic Dermatitis on the Scalp vs Face
- 10 Korean Skincare Products That Helped My Rosacea
