sulwhasoo first care activating serum gentle blossom

this is the description from their website: first korean herbal medicine-based essence born from 24 years of research. 1-in-60,000 the world's first technology developed using a unique skin moisture barrier master key. an essential anti-aging first essence that boosts your skin's potential using the youth master technology to make your skin looking healthier every day. youth master technology developed by sulwhasoo as the world's first anti-aging skin moisture barrier technology of its kind. stronger and more radiant looking skin. fresh and soothing signature fragrance and texture. nutrient-rich resilience synergy serum duo.

ingredients: water, alcohol denat., butylene glycol, 1,2-hexanediol, bis-PEG-18 methyl ether dimethyl silane, glyceryl polymethacrylate, carbomer, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil, tromethamine, propanediol, glyceryl caprylate, juglans regia (walnut) seed extract, dextrin, theobroma cacao (cocoa) extract, scutellaria baicalensis root extract, fragrance, ethylhexylglycerin, adenosine, limonene, methyl trimethicone, disodium EDTA, xanthan gum, cellulose gum, carrageenan, honey, madecassoside, rehmannia glutinosa root extract, pentylene glycol, ophiopogon japonicus root extract, paeonia lactiflora root extract, lilium candidum bulb extract, linalool, lycium chinense fruit extract, polygonatum odoratum rhizome extract, biosaccharide gum-1, propylene glycol, ziziphus jujuba fruit extract, nelumbo nucifera flower extract, pueraria lobata root extract, natto gum, glycyrrhiza uralensis (licorice) root extract, prunus mume fruit extract, citronellol, citral, geraniol, hydrogenated lecithin, BHT, citric acid, lentinus edodes extract, tocopherol, hydrolyzed soybean extract, paeonia albiflora root extract, zingiber officinale (ginger) root extract.

gentle blossom (flower - refreshing): soft aroma from plum blossom flower, pictured spring gracefulness and freshness.

the packaging: i bought this in a set, so it comes in beautiful pink box with the list of the products inside at the back. fyi, this set contains full size bloomstay serum (30 ml), bloomstay water/toner (15 ml), FCAS in gentle blossom (15 ml), and the cream (5 ml). all the products are placed on a plastic tray inside the box. it's very secure so everything come safely. the FCAS itself comes in white plastic bottle with pink pump head covered with pink plastic cap. the shape of the bottle is similar to the full size one, only this one comes in plastic bottle, and not glass. i think the gentle blossom edition is a limited edition. i remember there's a set of 5 FCAS with colorful cap. each bottle has different scent, and plum blossom is one of them, in pink. i bet it's the same as the one in this set.

the scent: as described, it has refreshing floral scent that goes together well with the bloomstay line. i think it smells the same as the bloomstay products. the scent itself is quite distinctive when you freshly pump it on your hand, and it lingers for some time but it's not overwhelming. they intend to add fragrance to add some experience to your skincare routine, so if you're sensitive to fragrance or you're avoiding fragrance in your skincare, then sulwhasoo might not be a good choice as so far all their products are scented. for me personally, i totally like the gentle blossom scent. gee... i wish i could smell them everytime.

the product: i think the product itself is the same from the original line. it's a brownish runny gel serum. if i have to describe the texture, it's more like brownish maple syrup. it glides easily and easy to spread around to my skin and takes seconds to be absorbed. afterward, there's not tackiness left behind. if you never heard about FCAS before, it's meant to be used the first time after you wash your face, just like FTE. you might be worried as it's a little bit viscous (while FTE looks and feels like water), but don't worry as it's easily absorbed and doesn't inhibit all products that you put on your skin afterward.

the result: this stuff becomes best-sellers for a reason. it does works. at first i also thinking this might be too viscous to deliver hydration. but after trying it for a week, i started to notice that it does help adding hydration and moisture to my skin. as i keep using it, i can see my skin looks healthier, despite some acne breakouts due to hormonal imbalance. my skin looks more radiant as well. at this point when i tried this FCAS, i was no longer using lots of brightening product. the only remaining brightening product that i used was nutrishe serum (contains arbutin). 

i do wish that sulwhasoo make the FCAS gentle blossom scent permanent in their line. i will try the FCAS in its original after this, so i might update which one i like better or whether there's any difference in its performance. if you don't know, the original FCAS has sulwhasoo signature scent which you might remember the scent being called as hanbang scent. like there's a mix of herbal and ginseng scent. for me personally, if you want to splurge, i totally suggest you try the FCAS first before trying other product from sulwhasoo. since they have sales quite often, i suggest you wait for sale to buy it. as for me, i do wish i can buy FCAS gentle blossom in full size, but if i can't, probably i'll buy the original one next time.