Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence: An Anti-Redness Powerhouse [Review]

Let's talk about my first skincare essence: Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence. This product is a common favorite among online AB communities; in a roundup of the Asian Beauty subreddit's Top 20 Serums put together by user YogaNerdMD, it came in at 2nd place! For me, its reputation for fighting redness and acne, plus the opportunity to incorporate two famous AB ingredients (snail secretion filtrate and bee venom) sold me. In particular, I was looking for a product that would reduce how flushed my face looked by around noon everyday. I had very pink cheeks, as well as inflammation on my chin and Rudolph-levels of redness around my nose. After trying a sample I bought off of eBay, I bought the full size from Crystal Cove during a 30% off sale. It has become an essential part of my routine! (Essence-tial? Heh heh heh... >> ) 

My red nose has never saved Christmas, so it's got to go.

Packaging
The Snail Bee High Content Essence comes in a 50ml brown-tinted, plastic bottle with a pump. I really like the pump - it has the right amount of consistent resistance that makes it easy to dispense however much you want - i.e. just a small amount at a time if you don't want a whole pump's worth of product.

Trying to be artsy with product shots

Application
I just use my fingers to rub or pat about 2 pumps' worth on my face. I usually like to dispense just a little at a time, using about half a pump each for my forehead, each cheek, and my chin/nose. My routine order up to this product goes like this: cleanse, actives + wait time (if I'm using any), hydrating toner (optional), and then this essence. I use it both morning and night.

Texture
The essence is almost clear with a watery gel texture. It smells like absolutely nothing to me; although keep in mind, I have a weak sense of smell. It spreads really easily, especially if my face is slightly damp, and it sinks in quickly.

Left: straight from the bottle; Right: rubbed/patted in

Results
So, the results of this product can seem subtle, especially if you've been using it for months, like I have. However, I noticed a huge difference when I went on vacation and (foolishly) stopped using this for a couple weeks. Redness issues I had totally forgotten about returned, and it was not cute! That's the thing with a lot of products that really work: results build up slowly over time, so it's easy to gradually forget how bad things were before. A great reason to be consistent about taking progress pictures. :)

With regards to my acne itself, I can't say this product made too much of a difference, but it definitely soothes and prevents the redness caused by my acne and acne scars. In my experience, this improves the appearance of the acne-prone areas of my face, even if the amount of actual blemishes stays the same. It also adds some light hydration - more if you put on multiple layers.

Another aspect I really like about this product is how gentle it is on my skin. Whenever I have a cold, I sneeze like crazy, and the skin around my nose gets extremely raw and dry, and it starts to peel. The last time I had a bad cold, literally every skincare product I applied to that area burned, except this one! I ended up doing a few layers of Snail Bee essence in place of my usual routine on that area. It didn't totally eliminate the peeling, but I did notice that skin healed a lot faster than usual. 

Value
I purchased this product for $14 during a 30% off Benton promotion at Crystal Cove Beauty (see Where to Buy), and I've been using it twice a day. My bottle is starting to run low, but I estimate by the time I finish it, it will have lasted 5 months. This qualifies as a good deal in my book! Considering how much my skin likes this product, I would repurchase it at full price if I couldn't find a good deal. Keep in mind that Benton doesn't use much in the way of preservatives, so I wouldn't stock up on this product during a sale, unless I was sure I would be using it soon.

Overall Rating

The difference I saw when I stopped using the Snail Bee Essence for a couple weeks really convinced me of its importance in my routine. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an essence that reduces redness, promotes a more even skin tone, and adds light hydration, especially if you have sensitive skin. (Of course, it's still important to check for ingredient sensitivities and patch test!)

5/5!

Where to Buy:
iHerb, currently $18
 Code for 5% off: HKP964 ** 
 Referral link **

Crystal Cove Beauty, currently $20
 Code for 10% off your first order: LoveBeauty
 Occasionally, Crystal Cove has promo codes for 30% off Benton products, so check for any special offers when you're ordering

Mishibox, currently sold out, normally $20
 Save $5 off your first order: http://r.sloyalty.com/r/vvvmhXDMxzrw **

** Indicates referral link
Gifs are from giphy.com

My Current Routine (Winter 2016/2017)

Here are my current AM and PM skincare routines. I'm still using my winter lineup, but the weather is finally warming up where I am, so this could be changing soon. I'm planning to write about how my routine changes as the weather transitions to hot and humid.

Morning:
Tosowoong Enzyme Powder Wash
Holy Snails Great White Shark Sauce (January 2017 Sauce du Mois)
Hada Labo Gokujyun Toner
Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence
Simple Ultra-Light Gel Moisturizer
Sunscreen (formerly: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch, now trying out Goodal Mild Protect Natural Filter Sun Cream SPF50+ PA+++ and Missha All Around Safe Block Waterproof Sun Milk SPF50+/PA+++)

A typical AM routine

Evening:
Banila Co Clean It Zero Purity
CosRx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser
Hada Labo Gokujyun Toner
Stridex in the red box BHA or CosRx AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid (I use one of these every other day, with a rest day in between)
Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence
Mizon Snail Gel
CosRx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Sleeping Pack or Ultimate Moisturizing Honey Overnight Mask
CosRx blemish patches

A typical PM routine

Currently Testing:
It's Skin Green Tea Cleansing Oil
Laneige Multiberry Yogurt Repairing Mask

Coming Up on my Testing Schedule:
Thayers Witch Hazel Toner with Rose Petal
Hertiage Products Rosewater and Glycerin Mist
Various samples I'm itching to try lol

CosRx Acne Pimple Master Patches: They are not kidding about the "master" thing.

My current stash

Dear reader. Dear reader. This is one of those products where I really, really wish I could time machine back to when I was in high school like some kind of Ghost of Acne Future, rip whatever the hell I was putting on my face back then out of my younger self's hands, point to my acne scars, and then shove these into my picky little teenage hands. That might sound dramatic, but these patches are THAT good. They: 1) suck all the gunk out of a blemish, and 2) keep dirty fingers away. It's really incredible how much something so simple as a tiny band-aid with a fancy name ("hydrocolloid") speeds up healing so much. All praise!!

Packaging
The packaging is a little much, imo. The actual sheet of patches has a clear plastic cover square that sits on it, and is sealed inside a little plastic pouch, which is inside the larger plastic pouch that has a Ziploc-type seal. I appreciate the commitment to hygiene, but I find that many plastic layers a excessive. After I open them, I just keep the sheet itself in the main pouch and throw away the middle layers. There are 24 patches in 3 different sizes on a sheet. I really wish they sold larger sheets, both to cut down on the packaging and the cost.

The unwrapping stages of the Master Patches

Application
This part is pretty obvious for this product: just stick the patch on the blemish. They come in three different sizes, so you can pick which works best. I apply these at very end of my routine. It's easier to get them to stick if you skip any thick creams or sleeping packs around the affected spot; these can make the patch slip around. 95% of the time, I have no problem with these staying on overnight (and I toss and turn a lot!). In the morning, I just peel them off. You can also wear these during the day and just take them off when they look full.

Texture Appearance
Not much to say about texture (it's a little circle that's sticky on one side and smooth on the other), so let's talk appearance. If you have a skin tone close to the patch color, these won't be too noticeable, but they're never going to be invisible. I usually stick to wearing them at home, mostly overnight. I've worn them out and about a few times, but not when I was going to meet anyone. But really whether you're comfortable wearing them during the day or not depends on you and your preferences!


Results

That feeling when the patch works perfectly and that giant blemish is G-O-N-E

The removal of the gunk will work best if the blemish is actually open. Personally, I'm usually afraid to cause more harm than good by attempting to lance, so I usually just stick it on the closed blemish and hope for the best. Worst case scenario: it protects the blemish from further irritation and keeps my fingers and other sources of germs off it. Best case scenario: the blemish is close enough to popping that the patch does drain it. And oh boy, is that satisfying. Seeing all that nasty goo that used to be in your face in the patch instead is disgusting, but it also feels so victorious. That little whitehead that, pre-patches, you would've pretended to ignore even though it was actually really distracting you? Gone! That medium pimple that you can't just ignore so it would've driven you crazy until you poked it and caused way more irritation than necessary? Gone! That giant blemish that would've turned into a red, inflamed monstrosity that lingered for weeks? Gone!

Now keep in mind, that these do not work 100% of the time - I do sometimes wake up to empty patches. And sometimes a blemish is so relentless, I have to use a patch on it multiple nights in a row. But regardless, I really feel like using the patches makes my blemishes heal faster. This is such a healthier, cleaner way to drain them than squeezing, poking, etc. In my experience, taking care of things this way really prevents a single pimple from becoming a series of pimples, or worse, a lasting acne scar. Again, if only I had found these about ten years ago!!

Value
So unfortunately for me (but fortunately for CosRx shareholders), I really tear through these things, especially during that time of the month, or my recent Purge-ageddon™ from introducing AHA to my routine. A single sheet is usually around $5, which is a real drain on my wallet. If you anticipate going through these at Glow Poe-like rates, I recommend buying in bulk. You can get a 10-pack for around 50% off! See Where to Buy, below.

Overall Rating
In case you haven't guessed, I love these. One of the best products I've found since getting into AB skincare, hands down.
5/5!

Where to Buy
iHerb, currently $4.50 but out of stock (estimated to be back in stock April 13, 2017)
  Save 10% on your order: http://www.iherb.com/?rcode=HKP964 **
  Or use the code: HKP964 **
Jolse: currently 1 sheet for $3.75, 4 sheets for $11.23, or 10 sheets for $22.48
Mishibox: currently $5
  Save $5 off your first order: http://r.sloyalty.com/r/vvvmhXDMxzrw **

**Indicates referral link or code
Gifs from giphy.com