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The kbeauty industry is massive and it seems like every day that a new innovation in skincare is being launched, so it can be really hard to keep up. The great thing is that there are experts out there and they have put their time and effort into curating only the best of the best for you. The relatively new online store AKOCO has just launched with their boxed sets and – seriously – they are so well done. At this point in time, they have also released a number of different sets to target different skin concerns but the original is the Flawless Set.
To celebrate their launch, they sent me their Flawless Set and you would have seen me posting about this on Instagram – I just love the products that they’ve included in here. I only just noticed that I hadn’t written up an unboxing though (and this post is a good three months late for which I am so sorry). I was originally holding out to try everything first but realised that that’s going to take much too long so I’ll be sharing with you this anyway!
Although the Flawless Set is now out of stock, they do have their new Flawless Flaw-less set in stock (which targets acne prone skin) or, of course, you can always shop their products individually.
So – let’s get into it!
Who is Akoco?
AKOCO is the abbreviated form of ‘All About Korean Cosmetics’ and they call themselves an “integrated K-Beauty online market place for global Korean beauty fans.” They aim to make beauty fun, exciting and interactive through creating a community with their customers, providing a resource to discover, share and learn about new beauty innovations, skincare routines and the k-beauty lifestyle. Their products are carefully curated with consideration of different skin types and concerns, and they carry a wide range of brands from popular mainstream to newer indie brands too.
On their website, you will find their curated sets as well as individual products – if you know what you’re after, then that’s great, but otherwise I love the idea of their boxed sets for people who may have specific skin concerns or needs, but don’t necessarily know where to start.
The Flawless Set | USD$99.98 (Free Shipping)
This is the original, launching special set that AKOCO released – and a number of us beauty bloggers were lucky enough to get the sneak preview! In this box, they have included a number of popular, hit items from well known (and trusted) brands as an introduction to the k-beauty world:
- Lip Sleeping Mask (Laneige): A lip care for smoother, more supple lips overnight
- Clean It Zero (Banila Co): A cleansing balm for one-step cleansing that thoroughly removes your makeup yet leaves your skin moisturised
- Green Tea Seed Serum (Innisfree): A face serum enriched with green tea ingredient that is rich in moisture and nutrition to protect your skin from environmental damage
- Cicapair Cream (Dr Jart+): A face cream with centella asiatica as its active ingredient, calms your sensitive skin and supports recovery
- Vita Duo Cream (Neogen): A duo face cream (day & night) for improving skin tone for clearer and brighter skin 24/7
- Acne Pimple Master Patch (COSRX): A pimple patch with three different sizes for preventing troubled area from getting worse
- NMF Aquaring Ampoule Mask EX (Mediheal): A sheet mask that contains rich ampoule to tighten up the pores and moisturise your skin
And read on for more in depth information and also the individual prices for all products!
Lip Sleeping Mask | USD$12 (Sale from USD$18)
The Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is a tried and true favourite of mine – in fact, I’ve gone through multiple tubs and always have a back up ready (though one tub of this will seriously last you months). This is a spin off from their famous Water Sleeping Mask and uses the same concept of skin wrapping technology to coat and hydrate skin overnight while also treating it with hyaluronic acid to help improve moisture retention.
I usually use the Berry scent (which is what was included in the set) because this is the original and was actually the only one available when I first started using this. However, they have since released new flavours too and all four are now available on the AKOCO website:
- Berry: A vitamin C-rich Berry Mix Complex consisting of Raspberry, Strawberry, Cranberry, Blueberry and Goji Berry
- Grapefruit: A sweet and sour grapefruit citrus fragrance
- Apple Lime: A fresh citrus green apple lime fragrance that is reminiscent of fresh apples
- Mint Choco: A sleep-inducing sweet and fresh mint chocolate fragrance
To use this lip sleeping mask, you just apply it over lips at night (the instructions say to apply an ‘adequate’ amount but in general I find that it’s good to be relatively generous with it so that the mask lasts overnight) – this product will then help to melt away dead skin cells whilst also hydrating lips over night. Once you wipe it off in the morning, lips are left absolutely baby soft!
It’s great during winter or dry seasons but I personally use it all year round – if you’re a matte lipstick wearer, then you will know why.
Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm (Original) | USD$16.99 (Sale from USD$18)
This next one is another k-beauty cult favourite, and another product that is a staple in my skincare routine! I think I’ve gone through three tubs of this so far, and this is while I was also testing other cleansing oils in between. From one of my favourite brands Banila Co, this is a cleansing balm that melts away stubborn make up (in particular waterproof formulas) and completely cleanses skin, whilst also treating and hydrating.
The reason that I love this cleansing balm above all others that I’ve tried is that it really leaves no residue on skin. I usually follow up with a foam cleanser (for the sake of double cleansing) but, to be honest, it’s also fine to use on its own. The oil emulsifies once you wash it with water and skin is left soft with zero greasiness.
Since the release of the original (which is the pictured version), they have another released some new versions to suit different skin concerns. The one that I used to use at the beginning (their old radiance variant) is actually discontinued now so I use the original instead. If you want to check out the others though, there are:
- Original: Suitable for combination skin types with an acerola scent, this also uses Vitamic C-rich acerola extract to help brighten skin.
- Revitalizing: Suitable for oily skin types with a citrus/grape scent, this helps to protect product, using olive oil to lightly cleanse skin without disrupting sebum balance.
- Purifying: Suitable for sensitive skin types with a light musk scent, this uses natural ingredients so it is non-irritating for sensitive skin. It also uses licorice root to brighten and purslane to soothe skin.
- Nourishing: Suitable for dry skin types with a honey/musk scent, this uses ginseng extract to help with hyperpigmentation concerns, as well as royal jelly to deeply moisturise skin.
Green Tea Seed Serum | USD$19.98 (Sale from USD$26.18)
I currently have two bottles of this serum to use so I think that I will start using it very soon. It’s been highly recommended to me by a lot of people and is actually the top selling serum from the Innisfree brand – it has since been improved three times and their new formula has an exclusive ‘beauty green tea’ ingredient that was formulated specifically for skin and is highly-enriched with excellent moisturising amino acids. In addition, it also contains their new Fresh Green Tea Water 2.0™ ingredient, which has 16 kinds of amino acids and is also 3.5 times more enriched than the original for extra hydration.
This serum works to reveal a dewy, clear complexion through aiding with water retention and strengthening the moisture barrier. It claims to also “enhance the suppleness and health of dry skin with rich moisture” (source).
Although I haven’t used this specific serum before (aside from trying it a few times), I have used other products from the Innisfree Green Tea range and I have to say that they were a staple in my routine for a long time too (and only made their way out when I started to experiment with other products). I’m pretty keen to be re-introducing myself to this formula, especially knowing that it’s been improved since!
Cicapair Cream | USD$32.73
Next they also included the Dr Jart+ Cicapair Cream, which is very new to me even though the brand isn’t. I have used some of their masks before though (and loved them). Like the others, Dr Jart+ is a very popular Korean indie brand well known for highly effective and scientifically backed formulas – they are even stocked internationally and are a favourite of many beauty bloggers.
The product that they included is called a cream but is also described as a serum – being powerful, highly concentrated and fast-acting, calming redness and irritation with a single drop. According to the description, this is a lightweight formula that soothes inflammation through potent capsules of Centella Asiatica – a perfect ingredient for skin recovery that suits even sensitive skin types.
The one that I have is actually their original first generation cream, but you can also check out their improved Second Generation Cicapair Cream (available for USD$34.91, on sale from USD$42).
Vita Duo Cream | USD$34.90
The Neogen Vita Duo Cream is a product that I had the opportunity to test when it was relatively new and is one that I actually did enjoy, though admittedly preferred one side to the other. You can read my full review on it here. Otherwise, here’s some information on it –
The Vita Duo Cream is a dual cream system, with one side catered for day time use and the other being a sleeping mask. Both formulas have soothing and hydrating benefits, but do have some differences (including the texture).
The Joan Day Vita Cream has a creamy consistency with a light green colour. According to the description, it “revitalises skin for all-day moisture and brightened skin complexion.” It has the soothing benefits of Green Tea and also contains Vitamin C to energise and revitalise skin.
Acne Pimple Master Patch | USD$3.82
Acne patches, or hydrocolloid patches, are one of my skincare staples so it seems only natural that they’re included in the Flawless Set. This is the COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch, which is a pack of 24 thin hydrocolloid patches – they help to treat break outs by absorbing gunk, breaking down pore clogging debris and also eliminating infection and bacteria on skin. All of this is done overnight with an easy to use patch, so you don’t need to worry about skin sensitivity (or – if you’re like me – your skin drying out like mad from drying spot lotions).
This specific one from COSRX also contains three different sized patches to accomodate for different size break outs; it’s best to choose one that can cover the entire area (or you risk disrupting the sensitive skin and breaking the pimple) but that isn’t too large so that it can stay adhered. Generally, these are subtle enough to be worn out during the day or they will last overnight and through showers if you want to wear them at home.
They’re at a good price point and, while I haven’t used this specific type yet, I’m happy to keep them on hand! I always have a few packs handy!
NFM Aquaring Ampoule Mask EX | USD$2.18
And lastly, there’s the Mediheal sheet mask – the NFM Aquaring Ampoule Mask EX. I don’t think that there’s any k-beauty lover out there who hasn’t heard about this brand. They’re well known for some amazing sheet mask formulas and this NFM Aquaring is one of their most famous. This mask will help to instantly moisturise skin as well as aiding with water retention (through the use of Hyaluronic Acid and Ceramides).
This claims to be three times more effective than the average sheet mask. It also contains the ‘Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF) system’ which contains a number of moisture boosting ingredients, aiming to tighten pores and regulate sebum as well as hydrate.
There are also a number of other Mediheal sheet masks that are on the market, but I think that this is a great one to include – it sounds like it will suit a lot of different skin types and is a great introduction to the brand. If you love this, you can also buy it in a pack of 10 on the AKOCO website (discounted to USD$14.99)
And that’s everything that was included in the AKOCO introductory Flawless Set. At the moment, I don’t think that this box will be brought back in but they are constantly introducing new curations – the most recent being their Flawless Flaw-less Set, which I want to get my hands on. Otherwise, definitely check out their website and shop things individually too!
