innisfree black tea youth enhancing ampoule

ever since i saw innisfree launched this black tea series, i wanted to try the essence and the ampoule especially. anyway, i'm quite disappointed in the essence but i still have high hopes for the ampoule so let's see how this one goes. even though i decided at the end to buy the cream as well, but let's talk about the ampoule for now.

this is the description from their US website: a lightweight, powerhouse serum infused with antioxidant-rich black tea, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide that helps soothe and instantly deliver a smoother, healthier, and more glowing complexion to keep cranky skin happy. a lightweight and antioxidant rich serum to help protect, improve dullness, and prove anti-aging benefits for a nourished and soothed complexion!

key ingredients:

- black tea reset concentrate: antioxidant protection, youth-enhancing properties, improves radiance

- 3 step moisture capsules: hyaluronic acid + ceramide capsulized with squalane to hydrate

- niacinamide: to visibly brighten

- glycerin: provides deep moisture

the packaging: all the products in the black tea line comes in brown packaging, including the ampoule. it comes in a brown box that's made of recycled paper with description and ingredients list in korean, but since i bought it here, there's another label printed with the short description in indonesian. the ampoule comes in gradiant black brown glass bottle with description at the back of the bottle with a dropper to dispense the product. the dropper is quite long, almost as tall as the bottle. i have a bit problem with the dropper though. i have to pinch it for a couple seconds before it picks up a dropper full of product. if i only pinch it for a second, then not much will get sucked into the dropper. but yeah, aside from that problem, i don't have any complain with it. this one comes in 30 ml, which is the regular size of any serums, but i think they have a bigger size, 50 ml. 

the scent: once again, this one also doesn't have a black tea scent in it, but there's a scent, very subtle, but i won't say that it's a tea scent. i don't know how i should describe it since i'm bad at describing scent.

the product: it's a milky white gel type serum that's slightly viscous. it's a bit thick that i have to pinch the dropper for around two to three seconds so i can pull out a full dropper size of serum. otherwise, i only get a drop of serum. anyway, even though it's a bit viscous, it's still easy to spread it around. it doesn't melt into watery traces though. 

the result: up the bat i can feel it's moisturizing for my skin. it might be too heavy for in the morning for me, but perhaps in winter time, it would be okay even for the mornings. anyway, i've read somewhere that many people think that this one is anti-aging one. in fact, this one is not marketed anti-aging. but more like antioxidant with elasticity benefit. the one for anti aging is from different range. anyway, i do believe that this one is somewhat in the middle. it's thicker than my usual hydrating serum, but not as thick as the one that's promoted as anti-aging. so far, it works okay to combat the dryness effect from AHA/BHA serum or retinol serum that i used alternately. 

however, i'm a bit disappointed that this one doesn't smell like tea. unlike fresh one. however, i do like this one better than the essence. will still see the cream one before deciding which one is my favorite items from the line. yeah sure they also have the toner and lotion, but i've tried the sample at the store and i'm not interested in trying them, so yeah... no. anyway, i think this might be suitable for all skin types, especially for those in the 20s or 30s who wants to maintain skin elasticity. price wise, thanks to the currency, it's quite expensive. even with discount. i think it might be more affordable if you buy it straight in korea, but if you grab it here, at least buy when it's on sale. or in a set that offers GWP or other gimmicks. as for me, i don't think i'd repurchase mainly because i know i'll be going to korea and i have a bunch of stuff that i want to buy there and try. so yeah, not gonna repurchase this one for now.