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I am a huge fan of Missha’s Time Revolution skincare products, including the The First Essence and the Night Repair Ampoule 5X (review). When I read that there was a BALM STICK version of the Night Repair Ampoule, I knew I needed to try it. I am becoming quite the fan of balm sticks, so look for several reviews on balm sticks over the next few months. Jolse, a premier online KBeauty store, sent me this product complementary for review purposes.
Skin Type/Concerns: oily, blemish prone, aging concerns, pores, fine lines/wrinkles, hyper-pigmentation
I received these products complementary to review and was not paid. All reviews are my own honest opinion and I never have been asked to write copy for a brand. This blog post might contain promo codes, affiliate and referral links, which using my links will help generate a small commission that helps support my blog at no extra cost to you.
Key Ingredients
This balm stick has a 2-Step Dual Ring Matrix, made up of a Base and a Core, which allows for not only skin elasticity but anti-wrinkle care. This Matrix is mixed at a ratio of 82:18, focusing on boosting elasticity and reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
The Base of this balm stick consists of 77.2% of Missha’s exclusive Extreme Biome™ formula that is found in the Night Repair Ampoule. I will just repeat what I wrote about a year for the ampoule on Extreme Biome™: This patented formula consists of 10 fermented ingredients ~ bifida ferment lysate, lactobacillus ferment, lactobacillus ferment lysate, bifida ferment filtrate, lactobacillus/acerola cherry ferment, lactobacillus/punica granatum fruit ferment extract, lactobacillus/soybean ferment extract, lactococcus ferment, lactococcus ferment lysate and aspergillus ferment. Fermented ingredients, aka probiotics, are fantastic for the skin, as they keep the healthy bacteria on the surface happy, making your skin stronger and more balanced. You need to keep your skin’s micro-biome balanced, otherwise you will have a multitude of skin issues, including a weakened skin barrier.
These probiotics have undergone Missha’s EXTREME FERMENT α™ Method, processing the ingredients 3 times through a special fermentation method. It breaks down to using a special process to grow the yeast the “extreme” ingredient. Then using a warm fermentation method at 30°C, Missha activates the 2nd step in the fermentation process. Finally, a low temperature vacuum ages the ingredients to concentrate the ferments, then it is extracted at low temperature and filtered.
image from missha
image from missha
The Core, that pretty light purple round in the middle, consists of Extreme Collagen™, aka Collaganeer. Extreme Collagen™ is an anti-aging, firming formula that helps aids in the production of collagen in the skin, helping to increase firmness, elasticity and slow down sagging. It consists of lupeol, extracted from white lupine seeds, sustainable sourced from Western France , and then places in oleic sunflower seed oil. Oleic sunflower seed oil is a specific type of sunflower seed oil as it must contain 80% or more in oleic acid. Sunflower seed oil is a lightweight oil that has a high concentration of vitamin E, which is a powerful anti-oxidant and may also help protect the skin from UV rays. It is known for its hydrating and moisturizing properties.
This is very intensely occlusive with its vegan waxes, shea butter, squalane, cholesterol and oils of sweet almond, castor seed, borago seed and moringa seed, so I am very concerned about my pores clogging but then I saw the blemish busting ingredients of bisabolol, tumeric and neem. Anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-microbial bisabolol is a rich source of moisture, while providing soothing and healing care. Tumeric is both an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory so it helps soothe skin blemishes as well as healing them. Neem is an antimicrobial, so it treats both white and blackheads.
This also contains “Purple Energy” components with a proprietary blend of antioxidant superfood: plum, carrots, cabbage, eggplant, beetroot and blueberries, which combined, provide soothing, skin brightening care and are rich in vitamins and phytochemicals to help combat free radicals and help reverse damaged skin. Just like the ampoule, this does contain essential oils of bergamot, orange peel, lavender, sandalwood and chamomile.
Ingredients: Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate, Octyldodecanol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Macadamia Seed Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters Behenate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Microcrystalline Wax, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Synthetic Wax, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Polyethylene, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Trioctyldodecyl Citrate, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit Extract, Beta Vulgaris (Beet) Root Extract, Brassica Oleracea Capitata (Cabbage) Leaf Extract, Alpinia Galanga Extract, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Hyaluronate, (-)-alpha-bisabolol, Silica, Tocopherol, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Water, Squalane, Beeswax, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Sucrose Tetrastearate Triacetate, Glycerine, Lactobacillus Ferment, Sorbitan Stearate, Sorbitan Olivate, Panthenol, Sucrose Distearate, Ethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Madecassoside, Methicone, Glyceryl Citrate/Lactate/Linoleate/Oleate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Cholesterol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ceramide NP, Adenosine, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Pentylene Glycol, Lactobacillus/Acerola Cherry Ferment, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Lactococcus Ferment, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Bifida Ferment Filtrate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Saccharomyces Ferment, Xanthan Gum, Bacillus Ferment, Dehydroacetic Acid, Limonene, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool cosDNA
OMG look at this packaging! Just like the ampoule, this is in a metallic plum and the tube is bi-directional, meaning that if I twist it up too far, I can twist it down. This is a feature that some products I have used do not have and only can twist up. This has the same light herbal fragrance as the ampoule, so even with all of the EO’s, it is not cloying or heavy. The texture of this is a soft wax balm, that if left in the sun or not refrigerated on a really hot day, can liquify. This gives me a clue on how this will apply on my skin. I just twist up and start swiping the balm around my face ~ once the stick is in contact with my skin, it immediately starts to melt and glides smoothly without any tugging or pulling.
Despite the richness of this balm, its formula is not sticky at all! In fact, I just wait about 3 minutes or so to let this balm to fully absorb into my skin. I can feel that it is there, but when I touch my skin, it feels soft and supple, not greasy at all. I also use this around and under my eyes as well, to help soften and slow down the enviable progress of time and wrinkles. During this testing period, I did not use a sleeping mask but instead, had this as my final step. Would I wear a sleep pack over this when not testing? It depends on how my skin feels that evening. I have used a sleep pack in conjunction with this balm stick as well as using the 5X ampoule, but you do not need to do that.
In the morning, my skin still feels soft, supple and moisturized and I have not experienced any breakouts using this product. I felt that my wrinkles looked more soft and less pronounced too. One of the nice things about this balm stick is that it can be used for daytime use, which i have done so ~ I normally use it around my eyes and cheeks and it provides a nice radiance on my skin without any tacky residue. As you can see in my photo below, I have used this product a lot since I received it in January this year! I really do recommend this balm stick and the 5X ampoule by Missha if you have older skin like myself that is dehydrated. I have oily skin as well, but found this to be suitable for my skin type.
Where to Purchase
Jolse carries Missha’s Time Revolution series (click here), including the Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule Balm Stick.
All prices are in USD ~ Jolse offers free global shipping plus gives a lot of samples out ~ the more you purchase, the more samples you get! Please note that the prices do fluctuate a little bit due to the WON to USD exchange rates. Make sure to check your coupon zone (click here) for money saving discounts. You need to log into Jolse first, then download the coupons before you use them. Coupon savings usually are $5.00 off a $50.00+ purchase, 5% off $100.00+ purchase and 10$ off a $200.00+ purchase
[ products received for review purposes. blog post contains affiliate links ]
