Sparkle Eyes: Review of G9SKIN Pink Blur Hydrogel Eyepatches

Affiliate Links

Has it really been since the middle of November that I last blogged? Shit. Well, I have the excuse that I moved (AGAIN) from Texas to southern California during that time, and then there were the holidays, but really I just hadn't been feeling as motivated and creative as I could have been. Today I actually felt like writing a blog post again, so here we are. I hope the impulse will continue!

I'm reviewing a type of product, gel eye patches soaked in essence, that is new to me, but is probably very familiar to K-beauty veterans. Patches that stick below your eyes aren't actually a new invention, and they're not strictly Asian in origin. I had these squishy patches from Klorane at least a decade ago, though they aren't drenched in liquid, and they cost more for just seven pairs than for the entire jar I'm reviewing here.

I picked these up because the change in environment between the Midwest and Texas seemed to be making the sunken area under my eyes more pronounced, and I wanted to see if I could plump it up a bit. (See my misguided attempt to use The Ordinary's serum here.) There are a number of eye masks or patches that claim to help with this sort of thing, but the G9 Skin Pink Blur Hydrogel Patches had the combined advantages of only costing about $15 for a jar of 120 (!) and being available from Amazon. (Possibly cheaper elsewhere, so shop around.)

As you can see, you get a well-sealed jar with a little spatula, and it's full of soupy essence. There are two different sizes of patches, so you can take your pick--or use the big ones below your eye and the small ones on your upper eyelid. The patches are gelatinous and very slippery, so you definitely need the spatula to scoop them out. They are sparkly and mesmerizing, but the glitter is part of the patches themselves, so it doesn't transfer to your skin (unfortunately?).

Here's how it looks on my face:

Since the patches are so wet, they tend to slide around a bit. I've had the best luck with them if I lie down on my back while they're on, but they still require occasional adjustment. (I've read some reviews of these things that claim they are very dry, which, as you can see from the photo above, isn't at all the case with my jar. Quality control issues?) Other than being slimy and wiggly and a little creepy-feeling, I find these patches comfortable. They don't irritate my skin or eyes. I leave them on for 20-30 minutes as recommended, and then remove them and pat or rub in the little bit of fluid that's left behind. I tend to add another moisturizer on top after everything has absorbed.

While these patches contain "8 kinds of berries" low on the ingredients list, which are supposed to brighten and "revitalize," the star ingredient here is really the glycerin. Glycerin is an excellent humectant, which can attract and hold moisture in the skin. That's really what you need for a plumping effect. (You can read the full list on CosDNA.)

Here's my under-eye area before and after using the patches for about 25 minutes. Apologies for the grainy photos, but this is the kind of thing I tend to do indoors at night, so I tried to at least get consistent lighting.

Before:

After:

Can you tell a difference? I think there is an ever-so-slight improvement in the lines under my eyes, which could result from the plumping effects of extra moisture. I will say that the skin does feel a bit bouncier and moister after using them, but all these effects are temporary, of course. They don't do anything for my dark circles, naturally--only concealer will help those.

Do you need these? I think if you have a moisturizer that you like using around your eyes, these patches aren't going to do a whole lot more. They are fun, though, and since they do some good and no harm, I've been enjoying them. And I have so many left that they're going to last a very, very long time.

Do you use any special products on your undereyes, or are you of the camp that anything that's good enough for the rest of your face is good enough for them too?

I don't need this: Review of The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% and The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

Yes, I just wrote a post about over-consumption in skincare, and now I'm reviewing a couple of products from one of the trendiest brands of the moment. But this is also a post about not trying to use things you I should know won't work for you me. Maybe you can learn from my mistakes, since I obviously can't.

The first of the two products I'm reviewing here is The Ordinary's Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%. Emi from Project Swatch kindly gave me her tube when I expressed interest after her review, in which she found she didn't like using it because of the grittiness. For some reason I wanted to test my mettle against the unappealing texture, since I can usually stand weird products so long as I use them at night. I won't go into all of the technical details of how this product is supposed to work, but I will direct you to this excellent and thorough review of 27 products from The Ordinary. You can also read about them on Deciem's website (the company that makes The Ordinary), but I will point out that that they often make little attempt to provide really accessible information--and in fact, I think this is part of their marketing plan. Is there a word like "greenwashing" for marketing that presents everything in a very technical, scientific way, to make it sound more advanced and unique? I mean look at the product names. Broken down to basics, maybe, but hardly ordinary.

In general, vitamin C is supposed to "brighten" by fading extra pigmentation, and to prevent or repair sun damage. Here's a great explanation of antioxidant effects from Lab Muffin (still sciency, but a much better presentation than Deciem's). And here's where I went wrong. How many products do I own that claim to "brighten" skin? I don't even want to count. How many times have I actually noticed a difference in my skin as a result of using a brightening product? Rarely-to-never. I don't have hyper-pigmentation or dark spots or the usual things that brightening products are meant to brighten. And so while I don't think that it was completely useless to use this particular product, because I probably got some invisible preventative effects from the antioxidants, I didn't see any noticeable improvements in my skin while using it. That doesn't mean that it doesn't work or that you won't love it! It means I didn't need it, because I already use other good antioxidant products.

Left: Review of The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%; Right: The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

I can tell you something about my experience of applying the Vitamin C Suspension, however, since it is an unusual product. You can read on the product page about why it feels the way it does, but I would describe the texture as feeling like a small amount of baking soda mixed into a lotion. Deciem says that it "tingles," but I would describe the sensation as more of a mild burning. I don't recommend using this stuff if you have any broken skin on your face, like a recently scabbed-over zit, because it will sting like fuck. As I hoped, the texture doesn't bother me too much. I apply a thin layer and leave it for 15-20 minutes, and then lightly apply moisturizer on top. By the time I add the moisturizer, most of the grittiness has gone away, but I still prefer to add another layer, because it's quite greasy. In fact, I can still feel the oiliness on my hands even after washing them with soap. With a more pleasant moisturizer over it, however, it feels ok while I sleep, and it washes off easily in the morning. The product itself doesn't have any fragrance when I apply it, but by morning my face smells like it has fake tanner on it, which is interesting. That smell washes off with the product. Also, if you happen to get any of it on your lips, it has a very sour taste.

My story with the Caffeine Solution is similar. I purchased this stuff myself from Well.ca ($10 off with code brutallyhonestbeauty), and had it shipped to my sister in Canada along with a few other products from The Ordinary. I'd read a few brief reviews from people who said it really helped with their dark circles, but apparently I didn't pay close attention, or I would have known it wasn't likely to help me. It works by constricting blood vessels to reduce puffiness and it also reduces dark pigmentation under the eyes. My dark circles are not caused by either of those things--instead, the skin under my eyes is translucent, which makes it look purple-blue. (You can see what I mean here.) In addition, quite the opposite of puffy, my undereye area is somewhat sunken (you can see here). So in fact, I would benefit more from increased puffiness and pigment, not the opposite!

But I tried the serum anyway for about a week, since I had it, after all. I was curious. It didn't improve my dark circles, as I should have expected. I don't know if it made the sunken, shriveled skin under my eyes worse, but it certainly didn't help. Let me advise you to READ THE FUCKING PRODUCT DESCRIPTION BEFORE YOU BUY SOMETHING. Honestly, I don't think there are any products other than concealer out there that can help my ghoulish blue circles, though I'm trying some eye patches to see if they will plump up the skin temporarily (recommended by Mimi from Makeup Withdrawal).

The texture of the Caffeine Solution is lovely, by the way, in case it's the kind of thing that might be of use to you. It's a thin serum that absorbs quickly. The bottle ought to last forever, because you'll only need a drop max for each eye.

I need to stop using things simply because I'm intrigued by reviews, and think carefully about what will actually benefit my skin. I do that most of the time, but my curiosity got the better of me this time. The Ordinary is an interesting line of products, and I have a few more to test out in the coming months. It's a cheap way to try fairly basic formulations and ingredients and to rule out what doesn't work for you (I guess I've accomplished that), which can be difficult to do with more complex, often more expensive, products. I haven't done a price-per-ounce analysis here, and I might attempt one in the future, though I'm not sure exactly what would be best to compare these types of products to. Suggestions?

Have any of you have good luck with skincare from The Ordinary?

(I really would like to get up to two posts a week, instead of just one, but I haven't quite got the hang of my new schedule. Working on it!)