Review: SkinFood Platinum Grape Cell Toner, Emulsion, and Essence

Annyeong! Allow me to dwell more on my daily skin care must-haves as aforesaid on my Korean Cosmetics Overloaded beauty care routine.  Anyhow, let me cut to the chase, this line from SkinFood is so, so good! Platinum eh? Just for perspective and objectivity, Seoul-ful addiction aside, La Prairie of Switzerland have a Platinum Collection, so there you have it, Platinum for the win! It’s the rich man’s gold, so they say. ;-D So this whole indulgence momentarily makes me feel uber rich! LoL*

SkinFood Platinum Grape Cell Toner (28,000 KRW or $25 USD) and SkinFood Platinum Grape Cell Essence (32,000 KRW or $28 USD). A friend based in Seoul (Mommy Wendy) thankfully got me these. Weird, there is an alarming big gap in the local store’s price point vs. Seoul’s, and yay, getting them from Seoul means more freebies and a lot of savings!

For alignment purposes, allow me to elaborate the Korean Skin Care Routine. On the basic, net of wash-off mask or mask sheet, after cleansing, first off comes the Toner + Emulsion + Serum/Essence + Cream/Gel. Relative to your skin type, the basics include Toner + Moisturizer (either Serum/Essence or a Cream/Gel). Emulsion to Serum to Cream is a progression of level of moisture and nourishment. The further you go into the regimen, the concentrated it gets. At least, that’s how make sense of the whole intricacies.

My precious. ;-D SkinFood Platinum Grape Cell trial packs…toner, essence, cream, gift sets with emulsion, eye cream, Platinum Grape Cell Essential BB Cream (Review coming soon. Sample FOTD post here.)

SkinFood Platinum Grape Cell Toner 130ml. Product Description. Packaging. Love the pump. Love the transparent bottle. Love the a la wine cylindrical packaging. I like the light and refreshing scent.

SkinFood Platinum Grape Cell Essence 45ml. Apply after the toner. Love the pump. Nay the opaque bottle. Similarly, it’s light and pleasantly scented. Not the overpowering kind. The Essence is supposedly the light yet concentrated liquid cream.

Swatch. There are some bits of platinum particles, but when dispense and apply on the skin, dissipate.  The consistency of the toner is just right, not too watery, not too sticky. But is refreshing and not too sticky when applied. It’s easily absorbed too. The essence is basically a fluid version of a face cream. The pricey 45ml should tell you that this needs to be used sparingly…a little goes a long way. Otherwise, it’ll be too greasy. And you don’t want that. It has a remarkable moisturizing power, that the absorption seems to take a while. So yes, again, a little goes a long way. And that little, delivers! ;-D

Me. Myself. I. Top photo: After toner. Bottom: Plus Essence.

SkinFood Platinum Grape Cell Emulsion. Prior to getting the full sizes, I was able to try the mini-gift sets with the Emulsion. I finished a couple of trial sets. The emulsion offers just the right moisturizing, net of the sticky feeling. It has a richer consistency than the Toner, but as you can see, it’s not yet as flowing. But when applied, it’s easily absorbed.  I liked it, except I’m not too fond of the after scent. Although, it’s light, there’s just a distinct after scent that lingers longer than the toner or the essence.

Depending on your skin type and relative to the weather, you can opt for the basics, skip the Emulsion, or the Essence/Serum, end it with the cream, or a combination thereof.  Personally, as aforesaid last time, for my day care routine with only the SkinFood Platinum Grape Cell in mind, if it’s relatively colder or if I’ll be in an A/C environment a la mall, I go Toner + Essence. If it’s sunny, since I still have a couple of emulsions, I go for Toner + Emulsion + spot application for the Essence on my usual dry areas (side of my nose, and side of my mouth, which worsen post facial hair cream remover application). Again, for the nth time, let me reinforced that the essence is already very rich just as it is, so a litte goes a long way.

Overall, I’m more looking keen on keeping this line for my basic skin care routine, as I’ve said I think it’s more suited for our local weather. As for the combination thereof, I’d probably buy a full size of the emulsion just to extend the life of the essence. I will still skip the cream and opt to go for the essence. The cream is priced similar to that of essence. I’m not just too fond of the tub form, I’d like dispensing via pump, it’s more hygienic and economical even. This is an anti-aging line, hmmm…I’d like to go on a preventive mode, although I have already initial onset of skin aging like some wrinkles here and there! *LoL By the way, I’m 30ish! The nourishing and the moisturizing benefits of this line are realized. Although I think of the brightening effect as more of calming, vs. bleaching effect. But please take note, the line doesn’t really keep me pimple-free every so often, so there’s a need to incorporate every so often an anti-trouble line the likes of SkinFood Tea Tree facial wash and Innisfree’s. Anyhow, net of sensitivities and hormonal changes, this line keeps me as flawless relative to my age. *LoL