Sample Sundays: Etude House Wonder Pore Corrector (Review)

Hello friends!

I am back with another instalment of Sample Sundays! I must say I am impressed with myself the consistency of this series. As I have mentioned before, I really like writing these posts and I look forward to them every week. If I had it my way, every day of the week would have its own series, although that could get slightly predictable! But I’ll work on it 😉

Today’s sample is Etude House‘s Wonder Pore Corrector!

I’m not a big Etude House fan (more of a Nature Republic gal myself) and I don’t shop there often. To be honest, I find the sugary pink, sickeningly sweetness of it a little, well sickening at times. However! I have purchased a number of things from there which have really impressed me and forced me to look beyond the packaging. I usually head there during a sale (such as today… oops), although I can’t help but notice that I have only received samples with non-sale items in non-sale periods. Nature Republic don’t play like that!

But as you can see, it worked out alright and that is the store of this sample!

So what is this product? When I mentioned it last week, I actually had no idea, and it was only recently when reading this post on Hello Pretty Bird! (one of my favourite blogs) that I started to get an inkling of what it did. Basically, it is a spot treatment designed to help your pimples and blemishes heal faster. It is part of a 384984034 step range available at Etude House (aren’t all Korean skincare ranges enormous, ever-growing beasts/gems?!) and it is meant to be used as the last step in your routine.

The Wonder Pore Spot Corrector has a thin, gel-like consistency and blends easily into the skin. I’m not sure if you’re only supposed to wear this at night (it doesn’t specify – at least not in English) but I wore it in the morning and felt absolutely no tightness or irritation whatsoever. Considering there is a flurry of toxic dust from China in the air right now, that is impressive in and of itself! Have a peek here:

One thing that I did notice straightaway is the scent. As Rebecca mentioned, it has a very strong scent of alcohol and I did sort of feel like I was rubbing vodka on my face. So no different to my usual Saturday morning then! Badum tish!

To be honest, I didn’t mind it too much, especially considering it’s an acne product. But I don’t really see how this differs from other spot treatments. It felt exactly the same as Nature Republic’s Blemish Lab Spot Treatment. It’s thin and easily spreadable as well, got lots of alcohol in it and it actually comes in a very similar applicator to this one too. And as y’all know, I’d much rather represent Nature Republic all day, err day.

That’s not to say that this product is ineffective, although I think I would need more time and usage with it to conclusively tell. To me, blemishes are usually (always) a reflection of what is going on inside, and external, topical treatments can only do so much. However, if you were in a bind, using an alcohol-based product such as this one would help to dry out the spot and hopefully speed up the healing process.

For your convenience, my skin actually decided to bring out the big guns in terms of blemishes. I landed a ‘corcker’ on my jawline (I’m putting it down to forgetting my zinc tablets numerous times) and a smaller one on my cheek, and I do feel that the Wonder Pore Spot Corrector helped somewhat. Don’t be deceived: the following picture features flattering lighting from a flattering camera. It is still a big spot BUT it does look slightly more manageable now:

Would I purchase this product again? Possibly… but probably not. To be honest, I have other methods to keep my skin (generally) clear, such as the aforementioned zinc (this is a HUGE one for me), using an astringent toner during the warmer months (I’m looking at your Witch Hazel and Aveda’s Skin Firming/Toning Agent), eating healthily, exercising and (shock horror!) getting my beauty sleep. This last one actually doesn’t happen as often as it should, which may also account for my patchy skin lately. But anyway!

This product would be useful if you need something quick, cheap and cheerful to apply in a rush, and if you don’t mind strong alcoholic scents. It hasn’t strengthened my overwhelming indifference toward Etude House, but I’m hoping today’s purchase of their Moistfull Collagen Cream can. Fingers crossed!

That’s it for today’s review, I hope you enjoyed this sample o’ mine. Next Sunday’s sample? It’s *drumroll*…  Beyond‘s Nature Defense Shampoo! This is a relatively low-key, natural Korean brand that doesn’t get as much press as it perhaps should. Most importantly, it doesn’t test on animals!

My friend Natallia really likes this brand and has purchased a number of products from them, although I am yet to do the same. But perusing our Guri branch of Beyond with her, I found myself loving their Avocado Shield Most Essence. So divine! It may just be my next essence purchase. In the meantime, she gifted me four samples of this shampoo which I am really excited to try. Weirdly enough, it doesn’t come with the matching conditioner, but hey, focus is a great thing!

If you want more options to check out this product (or many other products), have a look here:
Amazon | W2Beauty | Wishtrend | iBuyBeauti | KollectionK

Thanks for reading everyone! I love your comments so keep them coming, they really keep me going 🙂 Until next time,

Steph x