Pink and Undecided: serum cleanser

Clean-O-Matter 08 : Althea Pore Purifying Serum Cleanser (SPONSORED)

Hi everybody!

Happy New Year 2019!!! OMG, who can actually believe it's already 2019??? 2018 felt like a blink of an eye but also at the same time like an eternity for me - it's a super bittersweet year for me filled with extreme ups and down but in the end, i am grateful for it because i believe that i come out stronger and now i am more than ready to rock 2019!!!

I am not one to make New Year Resolutions (in fact, i never done one in my entire life, i think!) but if i have one, then one on the top of the list must be to be a more active and productive blogger, especially compared to 2018 which is the year that i most neglect my blog in my entire 6 years of blogging and what's better to make good of that self-promise but to post in the first day of the year!

I want to start the new year with something positive (because i am superstitious and i believe how the rest of the year would be reflected by how you start it, blame it on my mom!) so i am opening the new year reviewing one of my best loved beauty products currently : Althea's Pore Purifying Serum Cleanser !

Althea's Pore Purifying Serum Cleanser

I have mentioned this many times but since i am super proud of the status, i am going to repeat it again : i am one of Althea Angels and one of the best perks of being an Angel is i get first dibs Althea Exclusive products! I think you should know by now that Althea now has their own cosmetic line (mostly skin care now but they will have makeup next year, HOW EXCITING IS THAT!!!) and they are super duper awesome. Apart from being awesome, they are also coming in hot as they come up with multiple new products and this Pore Purifying Serum Cleanser is one of their newest products to hit K-Beauty fans.

Althea Pore Purifying Serum Cleanser - when it's brand new it is wrapped in a plastic wrap so you know that the product is completely new and unopened

I heard of oil cleanser, cleansing water and cleansing milk, but what is a serum cleanser??? I definitely never tried any before so let's learn more about the product before we get into my own experience with them.

So it claims to be a hydrating cleanser which moisturizes skin while purifying pores, and also balances skin's ph level for healthier skin complexion

Click on the picture to learn more about the claims of the product

The serum cleanser has a dual moisture cell system that combine water and oil in overlapping layers that gently yet effectively remove makeup dan dirt residue. So this is why the texture is so unique and different than any other type of cleanser that i've tried before (i will talk about it later below).It is also suitable for sensitive skin

One of the key ingredients is mint extract which soothe skin and reduce inflammation

Also Jojoba seed extract that moisturizes skin and tea leaves extract that has anti bacterial effect to cleanse your skin

Now that we've learn a little bit more about the product, we can continue with the actual review.

Althea Pore Purifying Serum Cleanser - 150ml, IDR 120,000
It comes in a clear blue-tinted hard plastic bottle with white cap

The info are all in Korean so i can't read it haha

Comes in a simple flip cap topper

While i like how the design and packaging is very clean and simple, i am little concerned that the product seems be quite easy to leak when you bring it about. It's totally fine when it's stationary in my bathroom, but when i took it out for a photoshoot, i noticed a bit of leaking (nothing major, but still..) so i am a little concern about its travelability. As this product works very very well on my skin, i would love to bring it to travel with me as my skin tend to be more clogged and in need of a deep cleansing when i travel (you know, all the dirt and also the continuous use of makeup when you travel) but i don't want it to leak all over my suitcase for sure!

I have been using this product pretty much nonstop since i received it

The texture is very watery : denser than water but definitely not thick enough to be a gel. I would say that the closest thing in texture would be cleansing oil (which make sense as it is a combination between oil and water layers) but still very different than other oil cleansers that i've tried in the past

Although when you first pour it into you palm, it feels like a cleansing oil, once you apply it to you skin you would immediately feel the difference (and the usage is also different to an oil cleanser) as it pretty much disappears into you skin, almost like it's being absorbed - but once you rinse it with water, you can feel the oiliness immediately. Unique is how i would say the texture to be.

You can actually use it as a makeup remover or cleanser. As a makeup remover you pour the serum cleanser into your dry palm and massage it all over your (also dry) face in circular motion to remove dirt and makeup. Then you rinse off the residue (you can see the serum melting the makeup but when i apply water, i kinda expected it to emulsify like oil cleansers but the serum cleanser mostly remains clear and transparent!) and you can continue with a second cleanser to completely remove any residue.

I tested the strength of this Pore Purifying Serum Cleanser with some super long wearing lip tint :

Swatches of budge-proof lip tints

The swatches immediately fades away like this when i rubbed the serum cleanser on my skin. This picture is taken immediately after a few wipes of the serum on my dry hand and you can see that the product seems to get absorbed into my skin because my skin looks completely dry and not oily in any way!

This is after i rinse with water. The lip tint swatches is 90% gone, and it's the type of lip tint that even the strongest oil cleansers can't immediately erase with just one application! You can also see that the serum cleanser didn't emulsify as the water remains clear in this photo

Super impressive indeed! I am very particular about my cleansing routine so i would always use an eye and lip makeup remover as my first step, but for the sake of this review i actually tried using only this serum cleanser once to test it on a full makeup day. It does melt all of my makeup off very fast and although i used it on my eyes - like its claim, it leaves no residue (like oil cleansers can) so i experienced NO blurry vision during usage (blurry vision is almost a guarantee when you use oil cleansers to remove your eye makeup). But i have very sensitive eye area so i did feel a little bit of stinging when i was removing the stubborn mascara (although today i used it again on my eyes but i wasn't using any mascara and it didn't sting at all so it could be the mascara) so i personally would prefer to use it as a second cleanser after eye and makeup remover.

I also notices that there were little traces of makeup left when i apply toner because i didn't use a second cleanser to see how deeply it cleanses - so yes, i would say that it's perfect for the second step of your cleansing routine but if you are wearing full makeup (the whole nine yard, the primer, foundation, powder thing) then it is best that you use it once again as a cleanser or use another facial wash to follow the makeup removing step.

As a cleanser you dampen your skin first, then pour the serum cleanser to your damp palm and gently massage the product in circular motion for 5-10 seconds before rinsing it off with water. I find using it as a cleanser takes a little getting used to because the serum is so watery it's hard to gauge how much is enough and it doesn't lather AT ALL so i tend to use too much and it resulted in longer rinsing time as i can feel the oiliness of the serum when i rinse it off.

I also forgot to mention that the serum cleanser has a citrusy, lifting and relaxing scent that after reading the key ingredient might be the mixture of the tea leaves and mint scent, the combination almost makes it smells like grapefruit at first but now i am able to pick up the tea leaves and mint scents - i quite like it!

My skin was in tip top condition thanks to this Pore Purifying Serum Cleanser that i use twice a day (i only use it exclusively to cleanse my face lately), the Son & Park toner and Althea Milk Peel Cream Mask (i am planning to review the mask as well) combination (i am currently suffering form allergies so it's not that good anymore *sigh* not from any of these products for sure, must be the weather/something internal) so yes, i LOVE it.

The serum cleanser is very light and fast but it packs a punch, it deeply cleanses my skin (my pores has never been cleaner without facials before!) without leaving it dry/feeling stretched and i just feel super refreshed after using it!

I would highly highly recommend this product for all of you who are looking for both a powerful makeup remover and or a deep cleansing makeup that moisturizes and calms you skin at the same time with light price tag! Basically... All of us, yeah? LOL. I rarely try to purchase a cleanser that i've tried before since i start blogging (because there's always new ones to try) but this serum cleanser is definitely an exception and i would definitely, without a doubt get a new bottle once i finish it (which won't be soon because i use it twice a day and it hardly shows any dent yet).

Thank you Althea for the chance to try out this amazing product, and for being so generous to us Angels, i will never be low on interesting products to review now so i have no excuse for not being more productive!

TTYL!

#Pink