WHAMISA by Glow Recipe Green Tea Collection: Review

Glow Recipe is my favorite shop for K Beauty skincare. They recently teamed up with WHAMISA a well loved organic K Beauty brand. You knew it was going to be good from just that alone. The Green Tea line I’ll be talking about first. There is a second Chai Tea collection I’ll talk about second but I just got it in the mail to start playing with. There are four products in the WHAMISA by Glow Recipe collection: Toner, Cleanser, Mask & Moisturizer. I grabbed all but the mask. I’m really picky about my clay masks, as as I feel I’ve already found the best one that works for me, so I didn’t grab it.

“Our first-ever collaboration with Whamisa, one of our most beloved brands known for their innovative organic formulations featuring fermented and water-free technologies, features a full-range routine to balance combination/oily skin with the multi-functional superstar Green Tea ingredient. Each step of the routine was carefully crafted to hydrate, brighten, and refine skin while restoring a natural glow.”

I’ll start with the Green Tea Foaming Cleansing Gel. Details per Glow Recipe:

The Gist:
An SLS-free cleansing foam that melts makeup and removes pore-clogging impurities from skin for a deep, clarifying cleanse while leaving skin refreshed and balanced.

How it works: 
The gentle Whamisa by Glow Recipe Green Tea Foaming Cleansing Gel doubles as a makeup-melter and non-stripping clarifying cleanser. Green Tea naturally balances skin’s hydration while clearing pores of dirts and oils, leaving skin feeling fresh, hydrated, and balanced. The SLS-free cleanser transforms from a lightweight gel into a moisturizing and pore-purifying foam.

Free of:
Parabens, Sodium Lauryl Sulfates, Mineral Oils, Synthetic dyes & fragrances.

Directions Take a dime size amount in wet palms and rub into a luxurious foam. Gently massage into skin in a circular motion and wash off with lukewarm water. Finish with a splash of cold water to tone pores.

This is a lightweight gel almost jelly style cleanser. This isn’t a traditional gel cleanser, it has some bounce to it like a jelly. If you like Indie Lee Brightening or Rosehip Cleanser this is a very similar texture. This is lighter and thinner in texture than the Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Cleanser. You can use it a multitude of ways. You can use it on dry skin then add water, follow the official directions above and mix it with water in your hands than apply, or you can add it to your wet face and then massage in. Any of these ways work and whichever you choose is really just personal preference.

You can use this alone as a morning cleanse as it’s great for that. This can also be used as part two of a second cleanse. One of my favorite ways. You can try to use this alone to remove makeup without a first cleanse. That isn’t the method I would suggest as this cleanser is light and didn’t remove all of my makeup alone. It’s light and gentle. You really need an oil based first cleanse to get all your makeup off, then use this as your second cleanse.

The texture is light and bouncy like a gel/jelly. This foams quite well for being SLS free and rinses clean. This will not strip your skin it’s very gentle. It has a light clear green color and actually has little green tea flecks in it as you can see below. There is a very slight scent so it’s not fragrance free. It’s so minimal though you really have to sniff close to detect it. The scent is very light and green tea like. It’s clean and extremely minimal.

 

Ingredients
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract, Palm Kernel/Coco Glucoside, Sodium Hyaluronate, Spinacia Oleracea (Spinach) Leaf Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Apium Graveolens (Celery) Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Diglycerin, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, Lactobacillus/Camellia Sinensis Leaf Ferment Filtrate, Spirulina Platensis Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Powder, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Sodium Chloride, Geranium Maculatum Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil

Next up the Green Tea Seed Toner. Details per Glow Recipe:

The Gist: 
A lightweight, skin–soothing toner and serum all-in-one that instantly floods skin with intense hydration, while imparting antioxidants to treat and refine troubled skin.

How it works:
Best suited for oily/combination skin, the Whamisa by Glow Recipe Green Tea Serum Toner has uniquely bouncy, watery texture and is formulated with soothing, anti-inflammatory Green Tea extracts. The water-free toner is perfect for the ‘7 Skin Method,’ featuring Kale and Broccoli to brighten and refine troubled skin with high concentrations of vitamins A and C.

Free of:

Parabens, synthetic dyes & fragrances.

Directions Use after cleansing to soothe and condition skin. Dispense onto palms and gently pat into face. We recommend to use your hands versus a cotton ball in order to fully experience the sensorial texture. Follow with a serum and moisturizer. Try co-founder Sarah’s ‘7 Skin Method‘ by gently patting in 7 thin layers of hydrating toner in succession for dewy, hydrated skin.

The toner is a light and hydrating with a slightly slippery feel. This has a clear very light green tint and the same almost non-existent scent as the cleanser. You can use this on a cotton square, I love Shiseido cotton, or as an essence and just pour some in your hands then pat all over. This toner is alcohol free and can be layered with just about anything as it doesn’t contain any acids. It’s a hydrating style lightweight toner.

Ingredients

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract, Diglycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Spinacia Oleracea (Spinach) Leaf Extract, Apium Graveolens (Celery) Extract, Algin, Lactobacillus/ Camellia Sinensis Leaf Ferment Filtrate, Spirulina Platensis Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Powder, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Powder, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Alcohol, Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Geranium Maculatum Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil

Lastly there’s the Green Tea Moisturizer. Details per Glow Recipe:

The Gist:
A lightweight, oil-free, fast absorbing moisturizer that leaves combination/oily skin hydrated and nourished without greasiness or heaviness.

How it works: 
Instead of distilled water, the Whamisa by Glow Recipe Green Tea Moisturizer is fortified with a base of balancing Green Tea water and extracts to provide long-lasting daily hydration for combination/oily skin types. Vitamin-rich Broccoli and Kale extracts to brighten and plump skin.

Free of:
Parabens, Mineral Oils, Synthetic dyes & fragrances

Directions Use after cleansing and toning. Spread a pea size amount onto skin in an outwards motion. We recommend to always use a sunscreen or BB Cream with SPF during the day time.

This is a lightweight lotion textured product. This absorbs quickly and is never greasy or heavy. It’s not the lightest lotion I’ve ever used, nor is it the heaviest. It’s a medium hydrating lotion with a satin finish that takes about a minute or so to absorb. It has the same scent as the other two products in the line. This is perfect for summer, oily to combination skin, hot and humid climates. You can get away using this outside of those reasons if you layer it with other more hydrating products. Now, if you have dry or mature skin this may not be enough for you.

Ingredients

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Water, Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Spinacia Oleracea (Spinach) Leaf Extract, Apium Graveolens (Celery) Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lactobacillus/Camellia Sinensis Leaf Ferment Filtrate, Cetearyl Olivate Sorbitan Olivate, Cetyl Alcohol, Algin, Beeswax, Spirulina Platensis Extract, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Powder, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract

Green tea is an antioxidant helping protect your skin against free radicals. One part of green tea–Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is what’s thought to give green tea it’s main health benefits. Green tea has polyphenols that has antioxidant and soothing properties. 

This line of products is actually available at Target now. There’s a few mini sets and the full size products. You can also find it on Glow Recipe’s site. I’m not aware of it being anywhere else at this time. It will be hard for my overseas friends to obtain these items for now. As Cult Beauty has recently decided to stock the regular Glow Recipe items (Blueberry Cleanser and Watermelon Sleeping Mask) this may be a possibility in the future.

The packaging is simple plastic and it’s priced accordingly. At $22-25 a piece it’s pretty affordable. These items are virtually fragrance free as well as free of common irritants so they should suit any skin type, even sensitive. Oily/combination skin types will love this line. Dry and mature skin might have to layer the lotion but should find the toner and cleanser work for their dry/mature skin as they’re hydrating, alcohol free and don’t strip the skin at all. The products are pretty clean so they should satisfy even the green beauty skincare lover as well.

Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser: Review

I’ve been head over heels for Glow Recipe’s newest launch into skincare. I’ve been a fan of their site since stumbling across it. Glowrecipe.com has been my go to site for some K Beauty items I never would have checked out otherwise. There’s only two items in the brands initial launch. With the praise it’s received so far I’m sure there will be more items added. See my review of the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask HERE.

Next up is the Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser which I’ve been testing since it’s launch. Details per Glow Recipe:

WHAT IS IT?
The Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser is an unexpectedly bouncy makeup eraser + cleanser that deeply hydrates skin, eliminating the need for a hydrating toner.


WHAT’S IN IT?
Blueberry extract delivers antioxidants. Gentle AHA unglues dead skin cells and clarifies. Hydrating, pH balanced suds microfoam, melting makeup and prepping skin to maximize the efficacy of skincare. pH: 5.5

This can be used two ways–As a cleanser and as a wash off mask. Photo from Glow Recipe:


The package is a simple blue plastic squeeze tube. The cleanser is thicker gel style. It does have a very faint blue tint to it as well as a few flecks of what looks like real blueberries. The scent is very light and minimal with just a hint of blueberries. I love that the scent isn’t overpowering. It has this odd texture to it. It’s not a standard thick slippery gel cleanser. For example–I rub my hands together to apply this to my face and when I pull my hands apart it creates these long strings of cleanser. So it has this almost bouncy stretchy kind of texture to it. It stretches out like melted cheese.

This cleanser will lather with no water to some degree. The rubbing action on your skin with your hands turns this from clear to a thick and very lightly foaming cleanser. Add water and you have an intense foamy lather. This is one of the best foaming SLS free cleanser I’ve used. You actually only need a little to pack a big foamy punch. It’s hydrating and not drying. I usually don’t like foaming cleansers. However, there are a few jelly or gel style cleansers I like that are not drying. This is one of those.

In comparison to Drunk Elephant Beste this is a touch thinner and much more hydrating. I prefer this to the Beste for the non-drying reason. Beste is thicker and doesn’t have that stringy bouncy feel. It’s just a thick gel. Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser is thinner and lighter than the Glow Recipe. Indie Lee foams in the same way as Beste and Blueberry Bounce. They all lather some by themselves with no water. Then they foam very well with water. They all wash away clean. They are all SLS free. Indie Lee is the lightest in texture followed by the Glow Recipe. They are both non drying. The Drunk Elephant happens to be a touch drying and is the thickest. I would rebuy the Glow Recipe and the Indie Lee.

This won’t remove all your makeup. Especially if you use a long wearing foundation. I like it best as a second cleanse after an oil based cleanser. This is also a good morning cleanse. As a mask this is different. It’s a gel style mask. It is hydrating like a basic gel style mask. The only part I don’t like about using this as a mask is that it feels like it takes forever to remove. Because it’s so potent in it’s foaming capabilities you have to rinse for a long time to remove this as a mask. Otherwise it’s a nice hydrating gel mask. It just uses more water and takes some elbow grease as well as time to remove. Ultimately as a gel style cleanser I love it, as a mask it’s not my favorite.

Photo from Glow Recipe:

Ingredients

Water, Palm Kernel/Coco Glucoside, Caulerpa Lentillifera (Seaweed) Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit, Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit Extract, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Physalis Peruviana (Groundcherry) Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract, Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi (Bearberry) Leaf Extract, Morus Nigra (Mulberry) Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus (Bilberry) Fruit Extract, Beta-Glucan, Scutellaria Baicalensis (Skullcap) Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa (Peony) Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Brassica Oleracea Capitata (Cabbage) Leaf Extract

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask: Review

I’ve been a fan of Glow Recipe’s website for some time. I can get on there and find all kinds of new skincare items I don’t really need but want. Glow Recipe has started their own skincare line. Yes please! Glow Recipe only made two products in their launch. I grabbed both. I’ll start with the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask.

I love watermelon and was excited to see someone make a product featuring watermelon. I’m not usually a sleeping mask fan. I’ve never understood the point. Why add something on top of your night cream? I figure you should just use a different night cream if you want whatever effect a sleeping mask is supposed to give. I couldn’t help myself with this one and it’s the first sleeping mask I’ve purchased.

You get an 80 ml jar for $45. Details per Glow Recipe:

WHAT IS IT?
The Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask is a luxuriously bouncy, breathable sleeping mask that smoothes and perfects skin, overnight.

WHAT’S IN IT?
This pillow-proof formula acts as a radiance-boosting hybrid hydrator, formulated with soothing, amino-acid rich Watermelon Extract, hydrating Hyaluronic Acid, and pore refining AHAs that work while you sleep to gently exfoliate and clarify.
MAKES SKIN FEEL:
Hydrated, radiant and petal-soft

Sephora is the only other retailer for the item besides Glow Recipe. Details per Sephora:

A skin-smoothing, radiance-boosting sleeping mask with watermelon and hyaluronic acid for post-facial results, all in one jar. This luxuriously bouncy, breathable sleeping mask refreshingly hydrates, smooths, and perfects skin overnight with a revolutionary pillow-proof, transfer-proof formula. The oil-free, lightweight, glow-boosting hybrid is formulated with ultra-soothing watermelon extract, hydrating hyaluronic acid, and gentle AHAs that work while you sleep to tone and clarify roughened, dull complexions. AHAs smooth the surface of the skin by banishing dead, rough surface cells, clearing the path for ultra-effective, lasting hydration, while hyaluronic acid binds moisture to the skin for an incredibly nourished complexion. Skin is baby-soft and bright in the morning, effortlessly.

The mask has a thick gel like texture and light pink color. It smells like watermelon. Don’t eat it-as much as you may want to. The mask has a slippery feel. It slides right off the spoon. It’s not greasy or oily at all. The sliding off must have something to do with the hyaluronic acid, glycerin as well as the simethicone. Simethicone is a silicone based polymer. Though this doesn’t feel like it has silicone in it at all. I love the ingredient list. Hyaluronic acid, watermelon, AHA, pumpkin(I’m always a sucker for this one). There’s nothing to dislike in the ingredient list.

The mask is hydrating without being too heavy or greasy. It’s perfectly fine to layer over a night cream. Even during the hot and humid summer months here in Texas. It’s like a heavy duty gel cream you layer over your night cream to wake up to a perfectly moisturized glowing face. This didn’t break me out at all, no adverse effects. The AHA in it is not too strong. No stinging or burning, it’s mild. It’s really hydrating without feeling heavy. I love it. It’s sold out everywhere online right now, but when it comes back into stock it’s worth checking out and grabbing a jar. The only issue you’ll have from using this is dewy, glowing skin in the morning.

Active Ingredients

-Watermelon Extract: Soothes irritated skin, hydrates, and delivers essential vitamins.
-Hyaluronic Acid: Hydrates and visibly plumps skin.
-AHA: Gently exfoliates and hydrates to reveal smoother skin over time; exfoliates and removes dead surface skin cells to smooth texture and brighten the skin; and helps to refine and exfoliate with the pores to deeply clarify.
-Peony Root: Brightens and soothes.

Ingredients

Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Caulerpa Lentillifera (Seaweed) Extract, Simethicone, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Fruit, Silica, Propanediol, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Fruit Extract, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Fruit Extract, Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Extract , Paeonia Suffruticosa (Peony) Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Brassica Oleracea Capitata (Cabbage) Leaf Extract, Ipomoea Batatas (Sweet Potato) Root Extract, Betaine, Beta Glucan, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Alcohol, Fragrance.