Reviewed by spacey

Disclaimer: This post features item(s) received complimentary for reviewing purposes, but the opinions are mine and, as always, honest. Read the full disclosure here.

A few weeks ago I have collaborated with Naruko Canada to test and review a few of their skincare products. Naruko is a brand covering a wide range of skin care products. I only tried two of their sheet masks previously and quite liked them, which made me really excited to try some more products.

Normally I work hard to keep my skin hydrated, but I don’t do that much for my T-zone. It was time to step up my routine and accept that my skin is combination and therefore requires two sets of skincare products, one for my slightly oily T-zone with clogged pores and one for my dry cheeks. Naruko has a number of skincare lines that address different issues, and the two they sent me are a new base for my T-zone skincare routine: Raw Job’s Tears Supercritical CO2 Pore Minimizing & Brightening Lotion and Tea Tree Shine Control & Blemish Clear Night Gelly! So far I love the thin textures that absorb fast and the non-drying formulas.

I have been testing these products for 2 weeks, as a base for, but within my regular T-zone facial routines. What I mean by this is that I did use other products with these, but I mostly focused on these two Naruko products! I didn’t use them for dry areas, because I don’t feel they’d be suitable for those parts of my face.

Raw Job’s Tears Supercritical CO2 Pore Minimizing & Brightening Lotion is formulated to brighten, minimize pores and smooth the skin with red and white Job’s Tear Extracts and Yeast Complex B. It is meant for all skin types, especially for uneven skin tone and enlarged pores, but I decided to first only use it for my T-zone, which is the area where I have enlarged pores. It got me really excited, because I always struggle with my pores. I normally manage to keep them clear with regular use of masks, acids and nose strips, but I never find something that actually manages to shrink them somewhat.

The lotion is a very thin liquid meant to be used as second step in skincare routine, after cleansing, so basically it works like a toner. It has a herbal, a bit medicinal scent that takes some getting used to, but it’s still not too bad, especially once applied. It absorbs really fast, and I find it great for layering. Although my T-zone is a bit oily, I like to use some light serums in this area, too, and this lotion didn’t interfere with that. I actually found it a bit hydrating, which was unexpected - I am used to oily skin products being quite drying, which is why I didn’t use them for a long time.

At first I was applying it with a cotton pad, but then I started to apply a few drops with my fingers instead, not to waste the product. As I mentioned in the introduction, I’ve been using it for 2 weeks, morning and evening, and I didn’t really see much of an improvement yet. However, I actually expected this - I find that just like lines and wrinkles, pores are hard to deal with, and it takes a long time to see any results. Even just keeping them clear is a tough job, shrinking them never worked for me. I’ll use up every drop of this lotion and hopefully that will help somewhat (I’m not expecting any miracles). I’ll update you on the results once I use it up, so keep checking my Instagram account. For now I am just happy to have found a product for my T-zone that is not drying.

Ingredients: Water, Propanediol, Coix-Lacryma-Jobi Ma Yuen Seed Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Gluconolactone, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Polygonum Trictorium Lour Leaf/Stem Extract, Jobs Tears (Coix Lacryma-Jobi) Water, Kalanchoe Spathulata Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Scutellaria Alpina Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Peucedanum Ostruthium Leaf Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Artemisia Umbelliformis Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Extract, Epilobium Fleischen Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract, Oleanolic Acid, Saccharide Isomerate, Disodium EDTA, Chlorphenesin, Galactoarabinan, Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Alcohol, Yeast Extract, Thiamine HCI, Pyridoxine HCI, Salicyloyl Phytosphingosine

Tea Tree Shine Control & Blemish Clear Night Gelly is designed to absorb excess oil, prevent acne formation and retain water balance of the skin while sleeping.It is also meant for all skin types, and just like the lotion I decided to use it on my T-zone only.

This product is very aptly named - it has a watery gel-cream consistency that melts upon contact with my skin and absorbs well, even after all the other hydrating products I use. I would say this is something between a moisturizer for oily skin and a hydrating overnight mask. The scent is definitely tea tree, but not as strong as pure tea tree oil, so it may be manageable even for those who are not fans of this essential oil.

Because it’s named “night” gelly, I’ve been using this product at night only, and it’s been working great. I no longer have a shiny forehead when I wake up, but my skin is not dehydrated anymore (yes, I have oily but dehydrated T-zone, it’s possible). I would recommend this as an all over moisturizer to those with oily skin, because it’s lightweight but effective. Also, it contains salicylic acid, so it’s great for pore and acne control. I might also use it on my cheeks when I get small breakouts there, since it’s not drying and I don’t think it would hurt my dry skin there like some other products targeted for breakouts. I only need a small amount each time, since it spreads out so easily, and I estimate that this jar will last me for months. I’ll probably be racing to finish it before it expires.

Ingredients: Purified Water (Aqua), Butylene Glycol, Alcohol, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Sodium Lactate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glycosyl Trehalose, Chlorphenesin, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Essential Oil of Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia), Lens Esculenta (Lentil) Seed Extract, Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Essential Oil of Spearmint (Mentha Viridis), Phospholipids, Piroctone Olamine, Saccharide Isomerate, Tranexamic Acid, Polyquaternium-51, Ethylhexylglycerin, Zinc PCA, Snow Fungus (Tremella Fuciformis) Extract, Kalanchoe Spathulata Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Scutellaria Alpina Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Peucedanum Ostruthium Leaf Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Artemisia Umbelliformis Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Extract, Epilobium Fleischeri Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Phragmites Communis Extract, Poria Cocos Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Essential Oils of Grapefruit (Citrus Paradisi), Lemon (Citrus Limonum), Lime (Citrus Aurantifolia), Orange (Citris Nobilis), Niaouli (Melaleuca Viridiflora), Peppermint (Mentha Piperita) Active Ingredents: Salicylic Acid 0.5%

So far I am really happy with both of these products. The night gelly definitely works, and I’ll have to use the lotion longer to decide is it effective, but at least it’s not drying, so it already works better for my skin than most pore control products. I already have my eye on a few other products from these two skincare lines.

All these products are available at narukocanada.com (prices are in CAD):

• Raw Job’s Tears Supercritical CO2 Pore Minimizing & Brightening Lotion - $27.5/ 150 ml
• Tea Tree Shine Control & Blemish Clear Night Gelly - $28/ 80g

I consider 50 ml as a regular night cream size, so this 80g jar is almost twice the regular size, make sure to take this into account when considering is it worth the price!

Did you try any Naruko products? Do you have any favorites to recommend? How familiar are you with Taiwanese skincare?