First Impression: Etude House Pearl Aura Brightening Essence and Lotion

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the Etude House Pearl Aura Brightening Essence and Lotion! I received these as a gift with purchase when making a purchase from Etude House in Taipei, and I thought I would give them a trial considering I have quite a few acne scars to lighten! 

 What Does It Do?

Emulsion - $16USD

"This is a brightening essence that contains Tahiti black pearl extract based fine aurora particles that enhance the skin’s natural transparent glow, Brightening up dull areas for the effect of just awakened, fresh skin. With sufficient moisture and skin-friendly properties, This essence absorbs quickly without the use of cotton pads, Hugging the skin With its smooth texture for a healthy looking glow.

Directions
Dispense a certain amount onto palm of hands, spreading from inner to outer areas of face, lightly patting to absorb remaining contents.
Apply during first step after morning, evening cleansing.

WATER, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, ALCOHOL, GLYCERETH-26, GLYCERIN, NIACINAMIDE, HYDROLYZED PEARL, SEA WATER, NELUMBO NUCIFERA FLOWER EXTRACT, PRUNUS MUME FRUIT EXTRACT, CHOLESTERYL ISOSTEARATE, CHOLESTERYL CHLORIDE, CHOLESTERYL NONANOATE, BIS-PEG-18 METHYL ETHER DIMETHYL SILANE, PEG-60 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, PROPANEDIOL, HYDROXYETHYL ACRYLATE/SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE COPOLYMER, CARBOMER, TROMETHAMINE, DISODIUM EDTA, PHENOXYETHANOL, FRAGRANCE" (1)

The full sized bottle of the Essence is absolutely gorgeous, and even the trial sized bottle is gorgeous!

This Essence has small "aurora" floating particles inside the thin gel product that shine green and pink. I can never see any of these little floaties on my hands or on my face, so I really don't think they do anything at all.

As soon as I pour a little of this essence out onto my hand or fingers, there is an overwhelming smell of alcohol. I read 6 reviews, and not one of them mentioned it smelling alcoholic, most reported a light floral scent. I'm positive it's not me imagining things, because alcohol is third on the ingredient list, after Water and Butylene Glycol, a slip agent. This Essence does contain Niacinamide which is a fairly common whitening/brightening agent and it is fairly high up on the list too.

This Essence doesn't absorb so much as it evaporates off the skin, you can see that it's already evaporated in the centre of the above swatch. It makes my face feel quite tight rather than moisturised and I really don't think it does anything good for my skin at all. I didn't see any instant brightening from using this Essence, and I didn't use it for long enough to see a gradual brightening either.

Essence Lotion - $12USD

"This is a daily emulsion containing Tahiti black pearl extract based fine aurora particles that thoroughly moisturize and brighten up skin for a clear, healthy looking glow. This emulsion instantly hugs skin once applied with its rich moisture and firming properties, delivering a moist, long-lasting shine on the skin.

Directions
After applying Pearl Aura Brightening Essence, dispense a certain amount and apply smoothly from inner to outer areas of face.

WATER, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, ALCOHOL, SQUALANE, NIACINAMIDE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, CETYL ETHYLHEXANOATE, CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), HYDROLYZED PEARL, HYDROXYPROPYL BISPALMITAMIDE MEA, SEA WATER, NELUMBO NUCIFERA FLOWER EXTRACT, PRUNUS MUME FRUIT EXTRACT, CHOLESTERYL ISOSTEARATE, CHOLESTERYL NONANOATE, CHOLESTERYL CHLORIDE, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER, PROPANEDIOL, BORON NITRIDE, SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE, C14-22 ALCOHOLS, DIMETHICONOL, POLYACRYLATE-13, ARACHIDYL ALCOHOL, STEARIC ACID, GLYCERYL STEARATE, PALMITIC ACID, BEHENYL ALCOHOL, POLYISOBUTENE, C12-20 ALKYL GLUCOSIDE, CARBOMER, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, ARACHIDYL GLUCOSIDE, POLYSORBATE 20, TIN OXIDE, MYRISTIC ACID, LAURIC ACID, STEARYL BEHENATE, POLYGLYCERYL-3 METHYLGLUCOSE DISTEARATE, INULIN LAURYL CARBAMATE, TROMETHAMINE, DISODIUM EDTA, FRAGRANCE"(2)

This Essence Lotion has quite a thin texture, almost like a gel! It's easy to spread and leaves a lovely luminous finish. There is almost no residue on the skin after this Essence Lotion has absorbed, which makes it feel slightly drying for my skin.

It has a gorgeous luminous finish with a pink and purple shine. It's almost like a luminous primer more than it is a lotion! This Lotion also contains Niacinamide as the active brightening ingredient, though I saw no skin brightening results from this either.

Would I Purchase This Product?

No. I don't think the Brightening Essence actually brightens the skin, and I definitely don't think it moisturises with it's high levels of Alcohol (read about that here). I saw, and felt no benefits from the Essence, and I would only recommend it for Princesses with oily skin, though for me it felt like it gave literally zero hydration. The Essence Lotion is a little better, but I would use this more as a light moisturiser in the summer time if anything. It has a luminous finish, but leaves my skin wanting so much more nourishment, so it might even work best over a proper moisturiser as more of a makeup primer than a Lotion. ^.^