Korean goodies: Skinfood Fresh Apple Pore line review

Fresh Apple Sparkling is a brand new line of cosmetics by Skinfood. The line consists of a toner, emulsion, serum, cream and two products for men which I don't bother to pay any attention to. All of these products target pores and are intended to contract them and minimise their appearance by controlling production of sebum. These are supposed to contain apple extracts to diminish the appearance of pores and carbonated minetal water to leave the skin feeling fresh.

I was sent by one of my favourite e-bay sellers samples of most of the products in the line (except the serum) to try out. I used them religiously as instructed: toner, followed by emulsion and then by cream and here's what I found out:

1. Fresh Apple Sparkling Pore Toner
I was somehow mislead by the name "sparkling" and I expected to feel some kind of sparkle on my face but there's no sparkle whatsoever.. The toner is very definitely alcohol-based ( I actually like these toners cause they help me combat the occassional blemishes I get) and leaves my face feeling clean and fresh. But it does have quite strong alcohol smell.

2. Fresh Apple Sparkling Pore Emulsion
The emulsion is the most liquidy emulsion by Skinfood I've tried. It applies easily, sinks in quickly but remains sticky on your face. Smells fresh and makes a good start for the day but if used without the cream described below it leaves my skin sticky and shiny and I prefer it to be much more matte (it would get shiny after a couple of hours anyway).

3. Fresh Apple Smooth Pore Cream
The cream is an invaluable discovery for me and I would recomment it to anyone with pore problem or anyone who wishes to have her skin nicely prepped before applying foundation. To me this actually is not a cream but the best pore and mattifying primer I've ever used.
The consistency is quite thick but it applies so nicely. I think it contains silicones cause it makes my skin soooo incredibly smooth. Pores become invisible and my skin gets visibly evened out and this cream eliminates all the stickiness of skin after using the emulsion. My skin is matte and smooth but has a unique rubbery feel ( like some nail bases do),therefore  I find it easier to apply foundation by stippling or patting, not gliding in strokes or circles but it adheres so incredibly well and stays put all day.
This product is a must for me and I'm ordering it full size as soon as possible.


All the cosmetics in the line have a pleasant, fresh, citrusy smell, which is good cause I expected green apple which isn't one of my favourites. I believe most products in the line are worth having but they're not indispensable whereas the cream is a must-have!

This review was based on complinemtary samples.

EDIT:
I got the full-sized pot of cream and I must say it's slightly different than the sample, not as thick in consistency, therefore is less similar to a primer but still a very good product to use under make-up.

ANOTHER EDIT:
Thanks to the invaluable comment I received I realised the cream I bought is different from the one I sampled. There are two of them: sparkling and smooth, sparkling being an excellent moisturiser and the smooth one resembles a primer. I'm gonna order the smooth one cause it's perfect and use it under make-up and use the sparkling one before going to bed.

Disclaimer: I bought the full size product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.