REVIEW: MARY & MAY

Fascinated by their philosophy that aims for clean beauty that captures good ingredients in full disclosure, I decided to join the “Try Me Review Me” by Style Korean Global. 

Another South Korean beauty brand, Mary & May’s ingredients are all EWG green grade and free from 16 harmful ingredients that can cause skin troubles and irritations. 

As a freelance product developer myself, I do appreciate a thoroughly well-thought products. Of course, ingredients are important, but so do labeling, wording, and packaging. Personally, I believe Mary & May scored on all of these. Just look at the labels, no fancy names, easy to decode even for beginners, and they transparently disclose how much of the ingredients are included. They state their concentration in both, PPM (stands for Parts Per Million) and Percentages. I will explain more about PPM below on one of the products’s review, so you can get clearer understanding. 

I also appreciate a little note from their researchers, tagged on the serum bottle.

They note that Idebenone (one of their main actives) is not easily soluble in solvents, but they’re using raw materials with the appropriate technology to increase the solvents’ solubility and skin penetration rate.

Overall I can say that Mary & May has this luxurious feel and touch without the luxury price. 

Let’s start the review of each products, shall we?

WHITE COLLAGEN CLEANSING FOAM 
The first ingredient in the list is a whooping Hydrolyzed Collagen at 46.6%. You see, collagen is a major component of our skin and it will help to strengthen, hydrate and great for elasticity. It also has 1% Niacinamide to help with brightening, hence the name White Collagen. With milky white texture that foams up well (not overly foamy), it has a slight green scent but very gentle ones. On my oily skin, it cleanse them up without any slippery feel. But I believe, it’ll also do good on dry skin, because it doesn’t strip the skin at all. 

VITAMIN B5 + BIFIDA TONER
First, I love the thick glass pump bottle. Since I never travel anymore during this pandemic, I don’t mind glass packaging at all, and it’s great for the earth too. It contains 30,000 ppm of Bifida Ferment Lysate and 1,000 ppm of Vitamin B5 aka Panthenol. That means 0,03% of Bifida and 0,001% of Panthenol. So why they stated on ppm rather than the percentages? Well, actually it just sounds more sophisticated because ppm is commonly used in the lab. But personally, I think it’s better to write big numbers rather than zero point something, right? It’s watery and has a slight herbal fragrance, IMHO it’s better to use without cotton pads. I also recommend this hydrating toner for CSM. 

IDEBENONE + BLACKBERRY COMPLEX SERUM 
Taken from the note of their researchers, which is tagged on the serum glass bottle, the orange shade is the original color from the antioxidant that they use, Idebenone and Blackberry Extract. They said that Idebenone is better than vitamin C, to make skin more healthy looking with less hyperpigmentation and wrinkles. Basically, this is a good serum to reduce the visible signs of aging without feeling oily and sticky. It’s also fragrance free and placed inside an amber colored pipette serum bottle. 

IDEBENONE + BLACKBERRY INTENSE CREAM
At first, I was skeptical because of the name. But when I applied it with the spatula provided inside the box, I know why this cream is one of their best sellers. It glides smoothly, doesn’t feel heavy like most anti-aging creams that I’ve tried. It just melts and sinks right away on skin, giving it a slightly dewy but healthy (not oily) look. Beside Idebenone (500 ppm) and Blackberry Extract (63%), it also contains 5 types of ceramides, so it’s great to strengthen our skin barrier and helps to brighten as well. Oh, have I mentioned I love the sturdy yet luxurious feel glass jar? 

You can purchase Mary & May products, here

PHOTOS & VIDEO BY SHINTA ROSVITA

NOVEMBER 2021 HAUL

Checked out these items this month.

GARNIER MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER 
If you’ve been following me long enough on this blog, you’d know that I love my Bioderma, but it’s quite pricey comparing to this affordable one from Garnier. This pink version is made for normal to sensitive skin, so I chose this one to purchase for the first time ever. Let me know if you want a comparison review with Bioderma ones. 
Price IDR 29K for 125ml

SILCOT MAXIMIZER COTTON
I believe this was my second purchase of this cotton pads. I don’t use it to apply toner to wipe. But these are very good if you do CSM (Chizu Saeki Method). It can contain the toner long enough to hydrate while masking away with CSM. Frankly speaking, I don’t use this method frequently, just when I feel my skin is irritated or need extra loving care. 
Price IDR 29K for 1 box of 40 sheets. 

LIESE CREAMY BUBBLE COLOR
During pandemic, I DIY my hair color, because doing it in salon will take more than 2 hours indoor and it’s quite pricey. This brand is from KAO, produced in Japan and claimed to be number one hair coloring in Japan. Now available officially in Indonesia, so it’s relatively affordable. Easy to spread, because it comes in a bubbly foam texture, but I don’t recommend this if you want to cover gray hair. 
Price IDR 144K

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

COMPARISON REVIEW: GALLINÉE FACE VINEGAR & HERITAGE STORE ROSEWATER VINEGAR

First thing first, why vinegar? If you’re a BTS army, you’d probably knew that one of their member, Jungkook apparently cleared his acne by using ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar). Yes, ACV is good for acne, because it helps to get rid of bad bacterias and lower the skin’s pH (FYI, acne sufferers tend to have a higher pH). I used to drink them on daily basis, but couldn’t bear the scent. So, when ACV finally made it as skincare ingredients, I can’t help but to try them. 

Let’s dig deeper to each of these two ACV based toner, shall we?

Both are fungal acne safe, by the way.

Made in USA
Claim: Oil-absorbing toner, leaves skin clearer and smoother
Plus Points: 

  • Affordable
  • Only contains three ingredients. 
  • Can be use as clarifying hair product
  • It comes in a spray bottle

Price: IDR 200K for 237ml
My thoughts: 

  • It still contains Damask Rose Oil, so if your skin is sensitive to oil, I do not recommend this. 
  • The scent is more vinegary than rosy if you know what I mean. This smells stronger and linger longer than Gallinée ones. 

Made in France
Claim: Soothe & reduce redness in sensitive skins, purify & exfoliate oily skin.
Plus Points: 

  • Contains prebiotics to support the skin microbiome
  • Oil-Free 
  • Using ACV infused with Hibiscus (I guess this also help to reduce the smell). 

Price: IDR 451K for 200ml
My thoughts: 

  • Yes, it smells like vinegar, but not as strong and lingering as Heritage Store.
  • I dislike the flip-top cap, though, it might get messy and sticky on the top with longer uses.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA
SCREENSHOTS FROM INCIDECODER