if you've seen my instastory couple months ago, you might seen that i did small haul in guardian singapore and managed to get a pouch of beauty products. it had several mini items, some i have tried but mostly i haven't. so i'm quite interested in trying them all. i've tried the antipodes serum, so i decided to move on to the april skin essence. i've known april skin mainly for its cushion products, but i didn't know that it has skincare products as well. so i had no idea what to expect. i also never heard anyone talking about it, so here i am testing the product completely clueless.

this is the description from their website: real calendula deep moisture essence contains a real calendula flower allowing the skin to absorb it upon application. when applied the calendula flower helps recover skin conditions induced by stress.
- calendula flower extract 80%: contains 80% calendula flower extract which helps control oil and moisture balance, supplies moisture, calms the skin, and has antibacterial effects to improve skin condition.
- EWG green grade, alcohol free: this EWG green grade alcohol free essence is effective while consisting of mild non-harmful components.
- pore reduction complex: patented pore reduction complex only available to april skin was adopted for real calendula deep moisture essence.
- when rolled, the calendula flower is absorbed directly into the skin.
due to april skin's independent method of extraction, the calendula flower provides nutrients and moisture to the skin in a unique way that melts into the skin
clinically approved for safe skin / clinically tested for antibacterial acne.

the packaging: the full size version comes in a bottle with dropper, but the sample size come in tiny plastic squeeze tube. it has the same yellow color as the full size one. it comes in 10 g, which is usual for mini size. even though it's a mini size, they still put a seal on the opening of the tube. the description at the back is in korean and there's no ingredients list.

the tube

the scent: it has strong floral scent, quite perfumey. i don't like the scent but it's not super overwhelming, but still pretty noticeable. if you don't like floral-scented product or you have sensitive nose, you might want to avoid it.

the back of the tube

the product: it is a clear gel essence, and it does have calendula flowers petals in it. it becomes watery once spread out to my skin, and it takes quite a while to be completely absorbed. since this comes in mini size, the calendula flower petals are quite small so i don't feel it when i massage it to my skin. the mini size lasts for about 3 weeks since i use it on and off for a bit. i check the ingredients list on skincarisma's website and it's true that it's alcohol free. it's also paraben, sulfate, silicone free as well and fungal acne safe too. some notable ingredients are butylene glycol, sodium hyaluronate, betaine, allantoin as well as several extracts such as calendula, lavender and evening primrose.

the seal

the result: i can definitely feel that it's moisturizing. not surprising since it has lots of moisturizing ingredients. but i remember calendula is being hyped as calming ingredients, and i have some acne popping while testing this product. unfortunately, this doesn't help calming down my skin. in fact, i became suspicious that it might contribute to the acne popping events. i don't test anything else, and i use my usual makeup, so i don't think anything else could trigger my acne except for this essence. that's why i use it on and off, and when i don't use it, i don't see any new acne popping. and after i start using this again, in 3 days to a week, a new acne will pop. so, you might guess that this is a no for me.

the essence on my hand

after blending it in

i can say that it's a good moisturizing essence, especially for normal to dry skin. it layers well under other products and it has good ingredients. i don't know about the price, but i think april skin is a middle-priced brand, so it probably would be quite affordable. unfortunately, i think it's not for me. although it doesn't give me hard cystic acne like body shop serum, but having acne here and there is quite bothering, so definitely won't purchase the full size one.