Goodal Mild Protect Natural Filter Sun Cream SPF50+ PA+++ Review

In my post A Haul Before the Storm: Eye candy, Details, First Impressions, & some Mini Reviews I mentioned there was a small snafu on my part when I ordered the Goodal Mild Protect Natural Filter Sun Cream in my Club Clio USA haul, and that I would be going into more detail about it later.  And here we are!

It's a long and slightly boring story, so here's the short version: I messed up my order, I received two sunscreens instead of one, and when I contacted Clio to let them know, they very graciously offered to refund me, exchange it, or whatever I wanted to do.  That's pretty spiffy considering that I was the one who made the mistake.  I suggested an alternative: what about a giveaway?

Image from original haul post

So is this sponsored?  Er, maybe?  They let me keep it, so I guess so?  I'm not into sponsored posts but I was willing to make an exception because this was something I had purchased myself, it was not something that was offered to me, I couldn't see blazing through two sunscreens when I live in an at-home vampire cave, and it didn't seem fair for me to make Clio pay for a refund when it wasn't their mistake.  They sent me a different product (the Clio Vf21 Volume Brightener) instead of a refund for the extra sunscreen, and all was well.  A++ on the customer service; I love that they were willing to make it right despite the miscommunication that was really technically my fault.

So, I decided that once I was finished with testing and using the product, if I liked it I would give away the second tube, and if I didn't, I'd send it back to Clio.  I've been using this since mid-June and it's the end of September, so I've used for two seasons and am confident in saying it's been thoroughly tested and is ready for review.

In this post:

• Product details
• Ingredients & what's the deal with all-physical sunscreens?
• Review & white cast demo on NC30 skin
• Giveaway details (also includes sheet masks!)

A quick plea: I am not a medical professional

Before I get to my main point, I just want to say that I absolutely love, appreciate, and adore my fellow Asian skincare nerds out there who read, comment, and interact with me on my blog.  And via email, instagram, facebook, and twitter.  Don't think for a moment that I don't feel the pang of empathy and sorrow for what you are going through when you reach out, frustrated and hurting, for help with your skin.

But I can't help you, and please, please do not ask me to.  

It's not that I don't want to help.  I can give you virtual hugs, but what I absolutely cannot do, is offer anyone advice on the diagnosis and/or treatment of their skin.  If you ask me what products I recommend for you to use, legally, I cannot answer that question.  

I live in the US, where I am not backed by proper medical authority, nor insurance, to offer advice.  I tried to express this in the post Blogger Boundaries: Why I Can't Recommend A Product For You, ft. Blogger adoredee, but as I continue to receive (multiple) requests daily, sometimes including photos of skin conditions, sometimes even from minors (I can hear the lawyer I don't have screaming as I type that), it's become clear that this needs to be discussed again.

In order for me to make any comment on any of these requests, I would have to 1. have a liscence, and 2. have insurance.  I have neither, and therefore I legally must decline any requests that technically fall under the purview of a medical professional.

Examples of things that I am OK with answering:

• What's your favourite BHA exfoliant?
• Do you prefer using serums or emulsions?
• What kind of changes did you notice when you used X product?
• Have you used X shopping site and would you recommend them?
• Can you make me a buying service haul spreadsheet that calculates the cost into my own currency? (This answer is always yes.  Send me an email!)
• Have you heard/tried X product?  What did you think of it?
• What's it like having a Dermatologist + using a full Asian skincare routine?

Examples of things that I absolutely cannot answer:

• Should I use a BHA exfoliant?
• I am having X skin issue, what do you recommend?
• I am looking for an [e.g.] essence, what product should I buy?
• This is my routine and, what products should I use?
• I am X years old, these are my skin goals, these are my skin troubles, do you suggest X or Y?
• This is what my skin looks like/how it feels, what do you think I should do?
• I am [legally a minor] what- NOPE.  Whatever it is, nope.  Nope nope nope.
• I've tried Dermatologists and they haven't been able to help me, please help me?

What I am is a nerd who likes details.  I will do my best to provide in-depth, detailed reviews based on my experiences, so that you have more information to work with when you are researching products.  Beyond that, it has to be up to you.

So, if you reach out with a question which (for liability and licensure reasons) I am unable to help you with, and receive a reply asking you to review this post, please know that it's not that I don't care about you.  I do, but I'm not going to overstep my bounds and endanger us both.

Please take care,

-Cat

Dirge of Duds: Reviews of Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion & Mizon Rice Wine White Toner

Last week I posted the first in this series: Dirge of Duds: Reviews of Mizon Almighty Cold Cream, Acence Blemish Control Gel, & Good Night White Sleeping Mask, because I was determined to get through the backlog of products that I found myself unable to review out of sheer boredom.

Today I'll be knocking out a Hydrating Toner Edition, featuring one popular product and one I rarely see reviewed.  As I mentioned last week, these are more mini-reviews, where I'll provide product details, ingredients, and brief thoughts about my experience with the products.  There will be no action shots, because they're both perfectly as clear (but more vicious than) water.

left: Hada Labo Gukojyun Lotion, right: Mizon Rice Wine toner

Hydrating toners, if you are unfamiliar with them, are a very thin product that hydrates and preps the skin for later layers.  Sometimes they are also low pH to adjust the skin back down after using a high pH cleanser, but I already live a low pH lifestyle because I read one too many studies about it, and I have a routine heavy in actives and chemical exfoliants so I baby my skin.

A note on hydrating toners:

If you aren't sure where a hydrating toner would be placed in your lineup when jumbled in with your first essences and not-first-essences and serums and whatnot, you can check out Putting your products in order, including pH dependent acids for a detailed explanation, or if you want a simple visual overview, check out A Visual Guide to the Korean Skincare Routine from Tracy at fanserviced-b, which is much tidier than mine.  If you want to see the order + example products (including the Mizon Rice Wine toner), you can check out my Multi-Step Korean Skincare Routine post.

In this post:

• Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Lotion Moist Review
• Mizon Rice Wine White Toner Review

Before we start, I'd just like to add a gentle reminder that not everything works the same for everyone's skin, and that climate, your water, and the season can have a dramatic impact on how your skin reacts to products.

Dirge of Duds: Reviews of Mizon Almighty Cold Cream, Acence Blemish Control Gel, & Good Night White Sleeping Mask

This week I'm going to be doing something a little different, because different is interesting and St. Snail knows I need "interesting" to get through this backlog of products that need review.  Why the backlog?  Because they bored me.

It's really easy to write reviews of things that you either loved or hated, but it's a lot harder to review things that are on the scale of "didn't really like it" to "sorta bland."  I can summon the burning fires of bloggerly rage about things that my skin violently rejected, but mediocre is tough!

Today's batch of boring products: Mizon edition

Then I feel guilty for being so behind on reviewing things long since discarded or even emptied, but I can't bring myself to spend all weekend writing about something that doesn't interest me.  So here's the Dirge of Duds: a series of mini-reviews to clear the backlog of products that I mildly disliked, felt ambivalent about, tolerated, or had tepid feelings about them one way or the other.

In this post:

• Mizon Acence Blemish Control Soothing Gel Cream Review
• Mizon Good Night White Sleeping Mask Review
• Mizon Almighty Cold Cream Cleansing & Massage Review

I'll be providing details, ingredients lists, and brief thoughts about each.  Onward to slay the Dragon of Dullness!

A Review of Curology (PocketDerm) & Why I'm an Azelaic Acid Fangirl

I had a hard time choosing the title of this post, not because I couldn't think of anything, but because I thought of so many horrible puns that I struggled to resist, such as: "AHA, BHA, now BAE?" (Har. Har.) Or "S&M in your skincare: how to abuse your pores and enjoy it", or "Is that a tube of Azelaic acid or are you just happy to see me: a review of Pocketderm" and so on.

The two Azelaic acid creams I've tried.  What's that wheat doing there?!  You'll see later.

Against all odds, I've managed to restrain myself and focus on the relative seriousness of this post, but it's difficult because my pupils have dilated from a day's worth of reading on the wonders of Azelaic acid and I'm sort of flopping around in a fangirling frenzy.

In this Post:

• My First Experience with an Azelaic Acid Cream
• My Experience with Curology PocketDerm's Service
• My Review of the PocketDerm Product
• Where it fits in my Asian skincare routine
• Why Azelaic Acid is so Exciting (Warning: Nerdiness)

Update: PocketDerm has changed it's name to Curology, and added more ingredients and flexibility to their formulations.  Carry on!

I've placed the "Serenade to Azelaic Acid" at the very end, as this post is quite long and those who aren't interested in 1. ridin' nerdy, 2. curling up with a cup of tea in a comfy chair to read the whole thing can skip out early.