Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner: Review

There are a lot of reasons why Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner should be loved. Why? Well, I won't be writing it down with my own words. There are a lot of reviews/posts regarding this product that you probably already know the reason/s why. But all the same, I will be including a little product description for those who have never heard of this product yet.

Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner is a pore care product that prevents and shrinks enlarged pores, firms skin, and eliminates harmful bacterium from forming under skin. It solves multiple skin care troubles at once with its patented formula. Cinnamon, Lotus and, germanium extracts control excessive sebum while vegetable ingredients refine skin tone. Take control of your pores today!

Directions: After cleansing, use an appropriate amount on cotton pad and wipe gently. May be transferred into another container to use as mist. (Morning and Evening)

Benefits:

• Maintains ph 4.5 to within 1 ph

• Refines the skin tones

• Keep the elasticity of pores

• Deep cleanses pores

• Minimize appearance of pores

• Control a large amount of the sebum (oil control)

• Moisturize inside and outside of skin

All information mentioned above were taken from prettyandcute.com. No, I did not buy this item from them. I was simply not in the mood to type all of that when the information is already in the internet, ready to be copied and pasted. Lazy me, I know. Sorry.

With all those said, there really are a lot of reasons to love this particular product. Specifically, there are seven (mentioned above in bullets). But all those publicity aside, some people claim it is their holy grail toner. I've heard so many good reviews (such as this and this) regarding the product. Also, Etude House was a brand that oiseau88, a youtuber, liked in terms of skin care that is why when I dropped by an Etude House boutique, shortly after this product was released (almost 2 years ago), I immediately bought it. During that time, only the 500ml variant was available. It was only later that the 250ml was made available to the public. So yeah, I spent roughly 800 pesos (PHP798 to be exact) just to buy this product-- the 500ml one, not to be confused with its little sibling.

To be honest, I am not the type of person to spend a lot on just one product, in general. That's why it came to my mom's surprise when I told her I bought the product with my own money. Well, it was a pretty big container and this 500ml product would probably last me for months and months so during that time, it really didn't matter to me. I was also given a small sample bottle for me to try out which was actually redundant, 'cause I already had the full size. But I didn't mind it since I figured I could use the container for when I go to travel.

So with high hopes, I used the product. What I liked most about this item, aside from the fact that it contains a lot of product, is its pump! It's not the usual kind of pump you see from other brands. I thought it was innovative and was hassle free. When applied to my skin, it doesn't feel stingy at all, which is of course a plus! Moreover, it was able to remove deep seated dirt that was not removed by my cleanser and was also able to control my oil production. Had it not been for the thing that I am about to say, I would still be using this toner and would probably give it a perfect rating, if asked. However, no matter how much it stays true to its claim, it broke me out!

At first, I was in denial. Who wouldn't be? It's been only 2 days since I tried the product and there I was, pimple faced! So I continued using the product for about two weeks, twice a day. Sadly, though, my breakouts did not improve. As soon as one zit healed, another would pop out. It was definitely a heart breaking moment for me. No matter how much I wanted to love the product, the product just wouldn't love my skin back. So yeah, I kind of stopped using it even though I was not even halfway through the product. I just asked my sister to try it out for herself but lo and behold, it also broke her out! What is wrong with our chemistry, Etude? Your cleansing cream broke me out way before I started using this, and now this? Why, Etude, why?! Now I'm afraid to try your face products. :( But don't worry I still have faith in your cosmetics because my favorite eye shadows are from your store. Also, my favorite face mask is from Etude!

Back to what I was saying, few months after, I transferred some of its contents in a spritz bottle to use it as face mist. This was a suggestion by a sales lady to avoid wastage of such precious toner (Like I said, I still had more than half left). Sadly, it still broke me out. So yeah, it certainly did not work out for me and I wouldn't be repurchasing this item. Just know, though, that even though it didn't work out for me, there are still other people who had great experience with this product.

So would I recommend this product? Honestly? Yes. Yes, you heard me right. YES. Why? Well, aside from the fact that it broke me out, all its other claims were very much fulfilled by Etude House. So if you haven't tried this before, I see no harm in doing so. Just don't get the big bottle (500ml) first as it has a tendency to break one out. Get the smaller (250ml) one for a trial or if you can get the sample size, have a go at that first. The thing is, this product is more of a hit or miss kind of thing so if you have oily or oily combination skin and you're lucky, you might just get to find your holy grail toner right here. If, on the other hand, you are unlucky, do let me know. I will give you a virtual hug and let you join my club.