My New Face Shop Goodies: Arsainte Eco-Therapy Tonic with Essential and Aqua Radiance Cream (Review)

If you follow me on Instagram, you will know that recently I purchased a few lil’ goodies from The Face Shop. I detailed here why I was getting back into Korean skincare, after accidentally being on a hiatus from it for about 6 months. Oops. The good news is, this time has allowed me to reinvigorate my enthusiasm for all things K-beauty, and now I’m keener than ever to put some snail slime (and the like) on mah face! 

So today I will be talking you through my thoughts on The Face Shop’s Arsainte Eco-Therapy Extreme-Moisture Tonic with Essential and their Arsainte Eco-Therapy Aqua Radiance Cream. 

First of all, what the hell is arsainte?

This is something about which I’m still not 100% sure, and is one of the joys of being a Korean product addict. You will find yourselves learning all sorts of words that aren’t English, aren’t Korean, and potentially just aren’t sensical. It’s a beautiful thing. The salesgirl at The Face Shop told me that this product was good for dry skin, which I’ve seemingly been suffering from due to the intense amount of air con I have been subjecting my skin too whilst in Malaysia.

We also recently took a quick trip to Cambodia, and although the flight was short, it pretty much pushed my skin over the edge. Although it can get oily in the heat, it is still dry in parts and what I would describe as dehydrated. Dry skin and dehydrated skin are not the same thing! In my mind, dry skin is more of a reference to the surface appearance of your skin, whereas dehydrated means it’s not getting enough moisture (usually from within, but not always) and is more of an environmental issue. This is my explanation at least! Whatever the case, my skin is suffering and I want to fix it.

So, I took myself to The Face Shop (with Gavin) and was recommended these products. One of the things I really like about them is that bamboo extract is the first ingredient on the list. There is no water listed! This is also a “shaking toner”, which I did not realise at first. This led me to thinking that the residue on top was a sign of contamination, when in actual fact it was the golden palm oil that had just separated from the rest of the product. Fun times! So you need to shake it up to make sure these two components mix, and that you’re getting maximum arsainte goodness.

In terms of the texture, this product is seriously light. Like, seriously. It’s called a tonic water, and gurrrl, it ain’t kidding. It feels just like water and it’s sort of strange to apply a product like that as a moisturiser. However, I really like the texture because I’m a believer in light layers as the key to deep moisturisation. If I just bung on a thick layer of L’Occitane’s Ultra Rich Face Cream, for instance, it just doesn’t have the same effect as when I slowly but surely build up from a watery layer to a night cream layer. It’s all about the layers, people!

I actually find this product very calming and soothing to my poor, tired skin. I’ve definitely seen results in my skin’s texture, and although I have been keeping an eye on my air con exposure (and upping my water intake), I know from that calming feeling that this is doing some good, too.

Now, onto the moisturiser!

As y’all know, recently I purchased the Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Hydrator, and it’s amazing. However, with my recent skin texture, it’s been feeling a bit heavy in the mornings. I think it’s an amazing moisturiser and I’m really happy to have it, particularly as a night cream in this heat. My skin is being temperamental right now so that has a lot to do with it, and I’m just rejigging things to see what works.

So, I’ve started using this Eco-Therapy Daily Moisturiser in the morning, and it’s a welcome change. It’s a gel-cream texture, and super lightweight. It actually reminds me a lot of Nature Republic’s Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream both in texture and absorption. Something about both of these creams moisturises my skin whilst never leaving it too greasy or weighed down. It’s awesome.

You can see the texture of the cream here:

Yes, it does come in a pot, and no, there isn’t a spatula. I know it’s not the cleanest, most hygienic way to apply product, but then… it’s not the worst thing in the world, right? I actually really like the packaging of the tonic water – the pump is nice and sturdy, the bottle is frosted, thick plastic and it also comes with a cover over the nozzle which means it’s great for travelling. Nice work, Face Shop!

All in all, if you can’t tell from my over-excited raves so far, I’m really happy with and excited about these products. As of now, The Face Shop isn’t cruelty-free, but I know that Korea is working toward that. The sooner, the better! Apart from that, I don’t really have any gripes with these. If you’re suffering from dry/dehydrated/temperamental skin and you want something to soothe it, definitely try these bad boys out. You won’t regret it!

Have you tried these products? Or anything else you love from The Face Shop? Recommendations are very welcome!

Steph x