In case you haven't heard (how could you?!), cult favourite K-beauty brand Glow Recipe had arrived on our shores a couple of weeks ago and to say that we were over the moon when we first received the news is an understatement.
A selected range of Glow Recipe's bestsellers has been made available exclusively at Sephora since 20 August, and Daily Vanity received a few of the product formulas to try during the press launch week. They were the Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer, Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask, and Watermelon Glow Ultra Fine Mist, and if you've been wanting to know more about how the formulas feel like before making the leap, you've come to the right place!
The last time we visited Sephora ION, where the brand is available at, it looks like the moisturiser and mask are already out of stock. (But they're still available online!) It looks like beauty enthusiasts in Singapore are most excited about these two products.
Now the important questions:
- Are these two products by Glow Recipe really good?
- What about the Watermelon Glow Ultra Fine Mist?
- Is Glow Recipe Watermelon range a worthwhile skincare investment for us in Singapore?
We first took the range for a spin and shared our first impressions of the three products live on our social media channels (you can watch the recording here!). Now that we got to try them for a little longer, here's our in-depth review of the Glow Recipe Watermelon range and how it fares in the humid Singapore weather!
Glow Recipe Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer review
Fun fact: Back when it launched in January 2018, this Glow Recipe MVP sold out just two hours into its pre-sale launch! If that doesn't tell you the popularity of the moisturiser, we don't know what will.
First, a little 101 on the Glow Recipe Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer. To be used day and night, the gel-emulsion formula is made of 90% watermelon extract as well as hyaluronic acid and botanical extracts to instantly lock in hydration while soothing and plumping the skin. Additionally, it also contains antioxidants to protect the skin against free radicals and repair damaged cells over time.
When we first tried it, it felt as though we slathered on some watermelon puree on our skin because it smelled exactly like watermelon juice! The good news is that the fragrance is very pleasant, refreshing, and faint, the not-so-good news is that we wish it'd last longer on our face!
Although it's described as a gel emulsion, we found that the texture is so lightweight that it's almost watery, which allows it to be absorbed really quickly once you apply it on the skin. We also felt that it gave a slightly cooling sensation after we massaged about two pumps onto the skin.
We like that it left almost no residue on our skin, which makes it really comfortable to use on a daily basis. Thanks to its oil-free, light-as-air formula, we reckon those with oily or combination skin will love this moisturiser as it delivers sufficient hydration without clogging pores or weighing down the skin.
That being said, we feel that the moisturiser alone might not be moisturising enough to be used at night or for those who spend most of their time in air-conditioning because of its ultra-lightweight texture. We tried using it as our nighttime moisturiser and woke up with our skin feeling just a little flaky and thirsty.
According to the brand's instruction, you can counteract this by using your favourite hydrating serum after toning and before applying the moisturiser but at S$60 a pop for a 60ml jar, it's not exactly an impulse buy and we were hoping it could be slightly more nourishing for drier skin.
While the formula may have fell slightly short in our eyes, the Glow Recipe packaging made up well for it. The glass bottle made the moisturiser feel very expensive and we like the fact that it can be repurposed into a cute flower vase once we're done with it!
The bottle design also features minor grooves on the edges of the bottle, which make it easy to grip the bottle nicely without fear of dropping it on the ground. Glow Recipe scores another brownie point for choosing a pump packaging for the moisturiser – this makes it very hygienic to use the formula as you do not need to scoop out the gel emulsion with a spatula or your fingers at all.
All in all, we do feel that the Glow Recipe Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer is worth trying and can be a good addition to your skin care routine if you're willing to forgive the minor shortcoming and just double up the hydration by using a serum beforehand.
The Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer retails for S$32 (25ml) and S$60 (60ml) at Sephora in ION Orchard and online at sephora.sg.
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask review
It's hard to talk about Glow Recipe without mentioning the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask – the overnight mask alone has garnered a stellar 4.8-star rating from over 2,800 reviewers on the Glow Recipe website and once put 5,000 anxious shoppers on a waiting list just shortly after its launch! Needless to say, it's one of the brand's product formulas that keeps selling out as soon as it's restocked.
Described as luxuriously bouncy and breathable, the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask packs a high concentration of thirst-quenching hyaluronic acid, gentle pore-refining AHAs, antioxidant pumpkin extract, and of course, amino-rich watermelon extract. It's said to be suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin.
Also said to be pillow-proof, the watermelon-scented formula supposedly hydrates and exfoliates while repairing skin and fending off common age markers, all while you're catching some z's. The formula can be used as a rinse-off mask too, which means you get two different uses out of a single product.
When we first scooped the mask out of the jar, we were slightly taken aback by how watery it was. But we quickly realised that we forgot to first mix the formula in the jar before using it! So, don't repeat our mistake – do remember to follow the instructions and mix the mask vigorously for a full minute so that the formula can fully incorporate. The separation that occurs is said to be normal as the product comes in a highly natural formulation – it should have a gelatinous, gel-like consistency once you mix it well.
Once we figured out our mishap, we actually really liked the jelly-like texture that the mask comes in – there were even bits of the watermelon fruit in there as we scooped out the formula! When using as an overnight mask, we find that we need about three scoops of product to have an generous, even layer to cover our entire face. As a wash-off mask, we find that one scoop's more than enough to cover the entire face adequately.
Like the Pink Juice Moisturizer, the watermelon scent from the mask is also mild and pleasant so you don't have to worry about it overpowering your nose as you sleep. We also like that there's real watermelon bits in the formula like little nuggets of gold that you find as you scoop out the product.
Even though we had to apply a thick layer on the skin, the lush jelly consistency felt very comfortable and didn't weigh down the skin at all. While the brand claims that the mask is pillow-proof, we couldn't help but feel a little worried about staining our pillowcase because of the thick layer that we had to apply on our skin. But our worries were unfounded as we woke up to no stain or stickiness at all come morning.
Instead, all we saw was plump, glowing skin that looked well rested from the night before. Overall, there's hardly any fault we could find with the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask. The formula won our heart, and so did its fancy glass packaging which make a nice addition to our vanity table.
The Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask retails for S$34 (30ml) and S$69 (80ml) at Sephora in ION Orchard and online at sephora.sg.
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Ultra Fine Mist review
Last but not least is the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist. This bi-phase formula is made with a blend of 84% watermelon extracts, hyaluronic acid, apple cider vinegar, rice germ oil, and hibiscus-derived AHAs to help smooth skin and balance oil production throughout the day. Its ultra-fine formulation is said to be able to penetrate deep into pores to provide intense hydration and rejuvenate dry, lacklustre skin instantly.
First things first, Glow Recipe sure wasn't kidding when it plastered the word 'ultra-fine' on the product label. We were slightly skeptical in the beginning but boy, did the product prove us wrong – it really gave us really, really, really fine spritzes as we sprayed the mist all over our face. The mist was dispensed out very gently and didn't feel much on our skin, which to us are the hallmarks of a great facial mist.
Even though it's a bi-phase formula which means that it has both oil and water layers, we also found that the mist absorbed really quickly and left no residue behind within a few seconds of application. The refreshing watermelon scent is a huge plus for this facial mist as it lingered on our face even long after the formula had been fully absorbed into the skin.
Ever since we tried it for the first time, we've been head over heels for the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist and it's one of our favourite facial mists to date. While its main function is to refresh the skin for youthful radiance throughout the day, we also appreciate that it can pull double-duty as a makeup-perfecting mist to set your look in place. Thanks to its invigorating aroma, we were tempted to spritz the facial mist spray every other minute just to keep our face smelling like fresh, juicy watermelon.
The Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist retails for S$43 at Sephora in ION Orchard and online at sephora.sg.
Glow Recipe review: Final thoughts
Overall, the Glow Recipe Watermelon range did really well in our opinion and that's largely due to the lightweight formulas in the collection. Because of the light-as-air texture, the products can be applied comfortably on the skin even in the humid Singapore weather, which means you won't have any of the icky after-feel that usually comes after using a rich skincare product.
However, having feathery light consistency also means that the hydrating range may not be enough for super dry skin or those who spend a lot of time in air-conditioning as it's unable to provide enough hydration that penetrates deep into skin layers. That being said, you're able to make up for it by using a hydrating serum prior to using the Glow Recipe Watermelon range.
All in all, Glow Recipe certainly lives up to its hype with products that don't just look Instagram-worthy but also work wonders for the skin. With its lightweight hydrating benefits, we reckon the Watermelon range will do really well with those with oily or combination skin, or simply looking to try out the brand for the very first time.
Besides the Watermelon range, Sephora also carries other lines from Glow Recipe both in Sephora ION and sephora.sg. Read more about the Glow Recipe products that were launched in Singapore in our article where Daily Vanity broke the news of Glow Recipe's arrival to you.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment