Good news first: cosmeticplatform has removed all my articles on their website. I received an email from their ISP asking me to proceed with the copyright infringement complaint to the right person, but since the offender has already removed the stolen content, I won’t need to proceed, at least for now. I will continue to keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t put back the infringed material up in the future though. I will post their email later.

I used this for about a week and though I was expecting this to be another one of those too-rich, wake-up-greasy kind of cream, I was pleasant surprised how, compared to especially the Su:m37 Youth Activator Repairing Cream, which sat on my skin and never quite got absorbed (and hence I woke up feeling and looking super greasy), this one actually absorbed well. I actually didn’t find this too rich at all (I have very dry, dehydrated skin).

I must also stress that this cream does warm up your face. It could be the red ginseng, and just like the massage mask, this cream feels warm when you press it against your face. Although the cream looked thick in the jar, once I rub between my palms, it melted into a more fluid texture. It absorbed into my skin feeling slightly warm to the touch, but not a burning sensation. It somewhat livened up my face (which can look rather pale) as well.

Dear Readers,

It’s really a shame in this day and age, people still don’t respect copyright and intellectual properties. My review on su:m37 Youth Activator Night Treatment and Repairing Cream was copied in its entirety on cosmeticplatform.com: (http://www.cosmeticplatform.com/2011/03/product-sample-reviews-sum37-youth-activator-night-treatment-youth-activator-repairing-cream.html) without crediting me at all, the poster “New You” basically passed my review as her own.

I must say, it’s been a long time since I see such blatant copyright infringement!

The texture of this eye cream is light, but you don’t need a lot. Even the size of a grain of rice is enough for each eye. As far as hydration goes, this works very well, but because I generally don’t have a lot of luck with eye creams, I am not sure what this really did. I occasionally have dark circles but this doesn’t seem to get rid of them (a good night sleep usually does it for me). The only other eye cream that I had a lot of success with is The History of Whoo’s Hwanyugo Eye Cream but it is outrageously expensive!

Both of the products were 25ml, which lasted exactly one month (when used twice daily).

su:m37 1102 Extreme Time Control Skin is a toner, very much like a real toner (most other Korean toners tend to be a rich, gelly texture but this is like water). There is a very light scent to it, but very subtle (su:m37 products are fragrance free). I suspect the alcohol in this product was rather strong, because at times, when my skin was a little chapped (I had a cold) around my nose, this stung a little! Also, when I used it with a cotton pad, within a few minutes, the cotton pad was completely dry. Anyway, I wanted to point that out because personally, if this was meant for antiaging and for more mature/drier skin, this toner may be a little harsh.

Other than that, the toner isn’t really all that special. It doesn’t really plump up the skin like many of the richer, more gel-like Korean toners do (think Sulwhasoo’s Balancing Water – that’s already a lot more hydrating than this one). You don’t really need it – even if you don’t use it, I doubt it makes any difference at all.

There isn’t a whole lot of info in English on su:m37 products. The set I got was a starter kit which also contains the 1102 Extreme Time Control Skin, Lotion and eye cream, but I haven’t used them for a full month yet (still have a week to go) so I will save those for another review. From the little I can make out, I am assuming this is an anti-aging line by su:m37, which is age appropriate for my skin (I am 35).

The Youth Activator Night Treatment has a very pleasant, natural citrus scent, it’s subtle but I think it must have some kind of citrus ingredients in it. It smells kind of like hesperidin, very much like Pola’s Alvita line (which I used to sell, used, and loved). The texture is somewhat between an essence and a serum, very light and easy to spread. It doesn’t take long to be absorbed either – unlike some of the other su:m37 products, this absorbs almost instantly and does not feel sticky. I haven’t used it for long (used nightly for just a week and a half) and the 5ml runs out quickly, so I can’t attest to its ability to smooth out lines. I am not sure if it boosts hydration, which is the only thing I can review based on the short period of time I have used this. There isn’t any immediate difference in my skin (not that I would expect any) in terms of hydration either. It doesn’t dry out the skin mind you, but it is not overly hydrating. After a week and a half, I didn’t find my skin any better (or worse).

Anyhow, this is a scrub/massage in the form of a light gel, with powdered white ginseng. The texture is viscous, but spreads very easily on the skin. The granules – in the form of powdered white ginseng – are super super soft, the softest I have ever used, and is very pleasant to the touch. The aroma is a light white ginseng scent – redolent of my late grandmother’s herbal remedies.

I have been using this for a month and it remains the nicest, most gentle exfoliant I have tried. I have sensitive dry skin and this doesn’t irritate or dry out my skin. Afterwards, my skin is soft, and not too overpoweringly scented, just like most things Sulwhasoo, everything hits just the right notes.

The instructions, according to evecare.com, are that each vial is for two uses. I personally found that one vial can last me a whole week, providing that I use it at night, so about 1ml each time. Anyhow, it is easy to spread, and the powder blends effortlessly into the mixture anyway. If I were to use half a vial each time, it is too much to absorb.

The fragrance is rather cologney. The texture is semi-viscous though still easy to apply and absorbs well. I just don’t know what this was supposed to do – it is basically like a vitamin for the skin, but it didn’t make my skin look or feel any different. For US$90 (for the 6 vial set), I would rather spend it on something that yields visible results! At least this came free, so I didn’t lose anything. I think you probably would see more results taking oral supplements than using this topically.

I apologize for late replies to comments and I haven’t had a chance to hop over to the forum all this time! It’s been a hectic month so far. I just survived Spring Break with my 3 year old and have dark circles and a cold to show for. I saw the comments and I want to reflect on some of the things that happened in the past few weeks.

Japan – I had been following every piece of news, information on the crisis. Of all the countries I had visited, I felt completely at ease in Japan. I was mistaken for Japanese most of the time which obviously helped, but it was such a beautiful country, vibrant with well preserved culture, and a nation of great people (the most polite I have ever met) that struck me the most. Most people would have been complaining, screaming, yelling, cursing by now, but most newscasters in the West noted their ostensibly absence. It’s a collective mentality – they knew everyone is in the same boat as they are. Most of us would be complaining, what about ME, but they know. Their acceptance of the worst disaster that ever hit Japan made their suffering all the more poignant.

To my Japanese readers, please accept my condolences regarding the massive earthquakes. I will keep this great nation and its beautiful people in my prayers…

**Hugs**
Joseibi

Living in a cold, harsh wintry environment really does a number on your skin, especially when you have dry skin to begin with. I have no idea whether the environment (bitter Canadian winter climate 6 months of the year) caused my dry skin or I have dry skin to begin with, exacerbated by the harsh climate here (chicken or the egg question!). Anyhow, my wish for an ultra emollient cream is answered when I tried this cream. So far, I have good success with most of LG’s creams – they are very emollient and last me through the night (and I wake up to somehow oily looking skin, which I don’t mind), and OHUI The First Cell Revolution Cream is one of those that hydrates very well for my parched skin. It’s ultra rich, and a little bit goes a very long way. If I were to compare this to The History of Whoo’s Hwa Hyun cream, for example, this is much, much richer, even richer than Hwanyugo Cream.

The History of Whoo Gongjinhyang Cleansing Bar is quite different in terms of the soap itself though. There are some granules in the bar, which could be for exfoliation. But upon reading the official description of this product (on its English website), I didn’t find anything about exfoliation and the bar looks different too. Anyhow, the one I am reviewing is the one pictured here. You can see some granules like some of those exfoliating body soaps.