Sulwasoo Essential Rejuvenating Eye Cream EX

2017 to me is the time was the height of KBeauty hype and I have gotten quite a few  items "for science". Many of the brands I used were budget lines that's designed for late teens so it's time to review something for the grown-ups.

Around spring of 2017, an Aritaum store opened at the corner of Elizabeth and Mott Street, right around the corner from my favorite Chinatown grocer. Inside the store there was a very good selection of Amour Pacific brands such as Mamonde, Laneige, Aritaum, Iope and the high end Sulwasoo. I made frequent stops and have gotten several little things such as eyeshadow, cleansing oil and lip color. On one of my quick and impulsive shopping trips, I received several pouches of eye cream. 

Clearly, I loved the sample of Sulwasoo Essential Rejuvenating Eye Cream so much that I later dropped big buck on a full sized bottle (coming from a person who never bought separate eye cream, it meant a lot).

 In my defense, beside the bottle of eye cream, the sales girl also gave me deluxe sample sets from Iope (never touched even two years later), Laneige (doesn't do much), Sulwasoo, an thick canvas tote (so I can be their walking advertisement) plus many pouches of the same eye cream. In fact the freebie were so generous that I didn't start using the full sized eye cream until a year later. 

So what's special about the eye cream? Sulwasoo Rejuvenating eye cream is a light weight and hydrating eye cream that's exceptionally effective against dry lines (the kind of fine lines that pop up during colder and dryer days but are gone when it's humid). 

When I use it, it smooths and plumps away such lines, without being oily, sticky or causing milia. The herbal formula and ginseng scent is invigorating that it instantly makes my eyes refreshed and awake. The effect was immediate (which means it's just a good moisturizer) but is able to last a whole day. While moisturizing seems to be its only function, I noticed my lashes getting stronger and healthier while using it. 

It's such a basic and well formulated formula that at the time I hadn't tried anything quite like it, not even the similarly priced La Mer eye consecrate. It's pretty much a rainy day in a bottle: Nice and cool, makes my dry skin comfortable without stickiness or residue.

This is how it looks after applying it in the morning. Skin no longer taunt, flakes around eye all gone and there is a slight cooling sensation that's never irritating. Anyway, the travel sized bottle lasted me a long time because this is more of a dry climate staple and the last two years had been particularly humid (so I didn't need any kind of moisturizer for many months of the year). 

When I started to use the full sized bottle, it's everything I had experienced but  weakened, like I am using the same but slightly diluted version of the eye cream. It's still nice and refreshing and all but it just seemed less impressive. Maybe my skin got used to it or maybe the sample packs more goodie ingredients to lure people into getting it. It's not special enough to guarantee a repurchase consider the high price. 

This is one of the facial cream I get from the travel set, it's nice-smelling but wasn't as special as the eye cream (sample).

That first activating essence (clear brown watery gel) is really pleasant though. It makes my skin feel moisturized, plump and lively. I might get a full size when I get a chance. Overall out of all KBeauty brands I have tried, I have the most positive opinion regarding Sulwasoo and will most definitely try more.

Sadly the Aritaum store closed and relocated inside Everyday Beauty (two block further East). I was sad that I missed out all the sale items and that particular associate who gave me lots and  lots of samples. (Unlike those ones in Tokyo who gave me a pouch of primer as if doing me a big favor...I only "pshhh" lound in my head).