I've noticed over the last a few years, there has been a lot of hype around Korean beauty (aka K-beauty) for its innovation and the nice glowing skin effect as a result of a huge amount of interest in caring for their skin. Because of this, non-Korean companies have been busy launching Korean beauty inspired beauty products including layering skin care, first essence (boosting serums), different sheet masks and regular masks, BB / CC creams and even cushion compact foundations. Most of people in Korea look after their skin genuinely so I don't normally buy celebrity beauty secrets or skincare products that are usually endorsed through media in the country personally. However, it's always fun testing and checking out to see if products truly work or not.

Regardless, my mother got me some KoY skin care products freshly launched by the famous Korean actress Go Hyun-Jung (aka Ko Hyun-Jung) last year. I would've dismissed them if the brand was launched by some other popular celebrity. However, judging from her own beauty documentary book that Ms Ko published in 2011, I thought that it might be worth giving it a go first. I don't know about Ms Ko in person, nor much about her TV series, as I never really watched TV since I was little and also she is more of a celebrity from my older sister's generation, not really mine.

Ms Ko as a Korean Beauty Icon

This is particularly fascinating because most people in Korea acknowledge her as the actress with possibly best perfect skin even now at her age 45. She certainly isn't the prettiest compared to some other actresses in Korea, but she has been very influential when it comes to skin care. For that reason, the skin care brands she uses has always been a question of the public. And if the rumours were around, people were busy investing on the product as Ms Ko isn't an ordinary celebrity. In spite of her beautiful ageless skin, she hasn't been in many skin care commercials or marketing as she claims that she doesn't want to endorse a product that she wouldn't use just for money. From this, naturally she has gained a trustworthy image from the public, which ultimately made the crowd believe in the hype even more.

Before reviewing KoY Attune O'ASSIS Essence Toner and Attune O'ASSIS Cream, let me share her insights on skin care from her book first as it might be helpful to some of you or for those who just started to look after your skin. It might not be that new to some, but I think it's something that we tend to forget easily when we choose our skin care products. You can certainly scroll down and skip the section if you are not interested, but I think this can be a good reminder that allow us to reflect back on our skin care routine :).

Ms Ko's Beauty Documentary Book 고현정의 결

Ms Ko Talks about the Huge Hype on Her Own Unique Cleansing Routine

I may be wrong, but I feel she has influenced Korean skin care tremendously as the focus has shifted to thorough gentle cleansing rather than just using an intensive treatment. That doesn't mean that people don't care about anything else anymore. It just added another task on top basically. It was such a huge boom that most people who read or heard about Ms Ko's cleansing routine were just busy learning the technique, hoping to have skin as nice as hers. I must admit that I have tried that method too, but now I know the truth about the cleansing technique after reading her book :P.

She clearly mentioned in the book that it isn't designed for all skin types, but it's something that she has developed on her own during her skin care journey. Meaning, it's perfectly customised for her skin type specifically. She doesn't really clearly define her skin type in the context because she believes that skin has good and bad days like us, which I agree completely. However, she mentions that she has lots of hair and her skin still has baby facial hair which makes her skin extra soft, to me her skin type sounds to be generally more of a "normal" type from reading.

Ms Ko's Understandings on Skin Care

Anyways, she really addresses the understanding our own skin and its needs to carefully give a bit of customisation in different conditions. She also has a huge emphasis on being gentle with skin that she uses her hands as if she touches a King's face. Throughout her book, she talks about the fact that we cannot separate our daily lifestyle, diet, hygiene, little good or bad habits that we might have and even our mind from skin care. It's very interesting as you get to understand why she has such good skin by the time you finish reading her book although she doesn't talk about generic information that you could get easily from any other skin care related books. Yes, we should all become a keeper of our skin like her! It's all about de-stressing our body and soul and being consistent with our good skin care regime :).

KoY Attune O'ASSIS Essence Toner

I simply adore KoY Attune O'ASSIS Essence Toner and it has been a great saviour to my skin even in the hot weather right now. As you might have noticed from the name, it's a toner and essence in one product, which is great for all skin types. The beautifully light rose scented essence toner has a watery gel like consistency, it has quite a neat feeling upon application without any sticky or filmy residue.

Although Ms Ko suggests to use hands to put it on the face with a light sweeping motion, I've been using it slightly differently :3. Especially when my skin is too PMS-y, I put a generous amount of the essence toner on a cotton round and wipe off my skin with gentle pressing. Then, I use a very small amount of it as a lightweight serum by patting into my skin and letting it absorb fully. It spreads very easily so you don't really need much if you decide to use your hands. It doesn't seem that there's any sebum control function, but KoY Attune O'ASSIS Essence Toner hydrates skin sufficiently, so it will be even great for oilier skin types.

Personally, it's very soothing and gentle so I've been using it for my S.O.S cooling soothing mask this summer. If you want to try it out, this is how I've been doing. To use for de-puffying and cooling masks, I kept the pre-soaked cotton gauze or cotton rounds that you can buy from any local pharmacy in the fridge for at least a few hours before using. For sun soothing effect, just soak the cotton rounds very generously and place them on the areas that you need an S.O.S treatment. It works wonderfully and I feel that it has made my skin a bit more resilient and healthier ever since I started using it <3.

KoY Attune O'ASSIS Cream

Scent & Consistency

KoY Attune O'ASSIS Cream is very calming and gentle like their KoY Attune O'ASSIS Essence Toner. It also has the same rose scent, which is very healing and heavenly. I really love the scent as it doesn't smell like typical rose scented products on the market that can smell a bit too potent or too artificial. The cream has a very interesting texture that looks a bit dry for a moisturiser. I guess that's because KoY used an air roasting technique that was inspired by coffee roasting, which helps to keep the ingredients' quality, nutrients and scent by minimizing loss. It sounds very smart, hey.

Unlike its look, it goes onto skin very smoothly and hydrates skin instantly. Perhaps because of the interesting technique that they used, KoY Attune O'ASSIS Cream feels quite light unlike other generic creams. There's no heavy greasy feeling at all once it's put on. It has a quite comforting yet neat finish just like KoY Attune O'ASSIS Essence Toner but with a more nourishing effect. I think it's great for all skin types maybe except for oily skin. The cream is actually quite buildable, so I highly recommend you start with a small amount first, then apply a bit more on the areas that you feel you need more hydration.

Benefits

KoY uses a three layered hydrating formula that helps skin to regain its strength by providing non-stop deep hydration from the inside. It also contains 100% aloe vera juice instead of distilled water, which makes it great even for sensitive skin. It has been working great for my dehydrated combination skin in the 34 degrees summer days here. It's a great make-up base and you don't need to worry about it peeling off from the conflict between different textures. The gentle cream doesn't seem to control oil throughout the day, but I somehow noticed that my skin has become a bit more balanced and less sensitive even after sun exposure. The best part though, is that the cream is also an all-in-one cream, which means that you don't need another eye cream! It doesn't sting the eye area and it even makes a great lip cream underneath my regular lip balm that I use :3.

To be honest, the cream doesn't seem to have any remarkable dramatic correcting benefits such as pigment or wrinkle reduction, but it still makes a great healthy natural (95.5%) hydrating formula for skin for long-term anti-aging benefits. For those with dry skin though, you might want to mix a few drops of face oil or try another hydrating moisturisers that tends to be more rich. By the way, their packaging is crazy! They put the cream in a tin that also has a section where you can store the spatula after using. How convenient is that! I can really see Ms Ko's skin care philosophy shine through even in the packaging. Seriously, I'm very impressed with KoY Attune O'ASSIS Essence Toner and Attune O'ASSIS Cream overall and I really hope that she brings more products to the line :3. They are made of EWG approved ingredients, and if you are a massive fan of turkish roses, then you should definitely try them out.

Where to buy

If you are visiting Korea or even living in Korea at the moment, then you can also get those products from Belport (Offline and Online shops) and Hmall (Online).

Further Reading

• More posts on Natural / Orgainic Skin care, Suncare and Intensive Treatments
• IOPE Bio Essence Intensive Conditioning (First Essence Lotion)
• Thesis Beauty DIY Raw Cacao Mask Chocolatier's Gift
• La Prairie Skin Caviar Essence-in-Lotion (First Essence / Part 5: Skin Caviar Collection)
• Kat Burki Balancing Elixir & Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream
• La Mer Moisturisers / Crème de la Mer
• Sisley Sisleÿa Essential Skin Care Lotion (First Essence)
• Chantecaille Jasmine and Lily Healing Mask
• 37 EXTREME ACTIVES High Performance Anti-Aging Cream & EXTRA RICH Cream / Neck And Décolletage Treatment / Anti-Aging Cleansing Treatment
• Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Liquid, Cream & Oil Balm
• Luxury Skincare Brand Purchase Guide! La Mer VS La Prairie VS Swiss Perfection VS Sisley (Comparasion)
• High-end Hydrating Moisturiser Comparison (Guerlain vs La Mer vs La Prairie vs Sisley)
• SISLEY Super Soin Solaire Youth Protector SPF 50 vs LA MER The SPF 50 UV Protecting Fluid (Blanc de La Mer)

comments powered by Disqus