Review: Too Cool For School Aqua Gel Mist

Let me just talk about something that I've been enjoying lately: Too Cool For School Aqua Gel Mist.

Too Cool For School Aqua Gel Mist Php 665 / 100ml

I don't expect much from face mists primarily because the method of delivery is unconvincing for me. You spritz water on your face, seriously. How much good could it possibly do for you? Creams sit much longer on one's face, and yet even that has such a low absorption rate.

Consider: your skin. Oily skinned people will have a barrier of hydrophobic substance, a.k.a. face oil, preventing water from interacting with their skin. Dry-skinned people will have unshed flakes of skin blocking the moisture from reaching anyplace significant. Then factor in that you shed 30,000-40,000 skin cells per hour and where does that thin layer of spray leave you?

Consider: the environment. Average humidity around these parts is 60%.... and that's with air conditioning. Relative humidity in the Philippines is around 50-97%. I don't think surface moisture is as much of an issue for us Filipinas as it is outside the country.

Yet factoring in all of that, I happen to really like this product. Read on to find out why.

Price:

Too Cool For School Aqua Gel Mist costs Php 665 / 100ml. This full-size sample is a gift from the TCFS team*. Click here for the Aqua Gel Mist product page.

Too Cool For School is a Korean brand available in SM MOA, SM North EDSA, SM BF Paranaque and just recently, SM Megamall!

Product Description:

I like that the bottle has graduations on the side to mark how much you've product you've used. TCFS totally takes home cute packaging award!

Of note: I absolutely love the spritzer on this product. The pump pushes down solidly so you get a fine and even spritz every single time. Definitely not one of those cheapo, wonky spritzers that dispense thick drops due to uneven pumping.

The Aqua Gel Mist is pretty straightforward. It is a face mist in gel form that's still sprayable. It has rosemary to revitalize tired skin, baobab tree extract to create a veil of hydration and trehalose to retain long-term moisture.

The product is a true gel. I'm going to waste some precious product just so you can see how jelly-like it is on my hand.

When spritzed, it looks like any other face mist. The photo below shows two spritzes over the back of my hand.

How to Use:

Spray 20cm away from face with your eyes closed. That's about 8 inches away, so you don't need to fully stretch your arm out.

You may pat it in for full absorption, though I prefer not to. I like to leave it unblended to retain maximum moisture. When I'm retouching my powder foundation though, I have to pat it in for hygienic purposes. Too much water on the sponge can accelerate the growth of bacteria!

Performance:

Based on my intro, I am clearly not a huge spritz believer. I don't claim to be converted but let's not force ourselves into absolutes and just leave it at: I enjoy this mist, regardless.

I like that it keeps me moist for longer. I'd put it down at around 20 minutes, as opposed to a regular liquid mist's 5 minutes. I find it's also much more effective at patting down my flakes, most likely due to the weight of the formula as well.

Sometimes, I use it as a moisturizing base for my cakier foundations like mineral foundation and medium+ coverage powder foundation. It makes the finish more skin-like.

However, I avoid using TCFS Aqua Gel Mist when it's really, really humid. It's refreshing in a way, and in desperate times I have kept spraying on, but the gel texture generally does not feel so elegant when combined with lots of sweat and oil. There's a residual after-feel to the mist which feels hydrating on normal days but sticky on warmer ones.

Edge:

Gel form!

Too Cool For School Aqua Gel Mist Ingredients

Rebuy:

Maybe not. I am not a regular spritz user.

Beauty by Tellie score: 4 / 5 - Longest-lasting moisture from a face spray!

Too Cool For School Aqua Gel Mist deserves a 4! I've tried the Celeteque Hydration Face Mist and the Clinique Moisture Surge Face Spray and though highly refreshing, both have considerably poor lasting power.

The gel form addresses two major issues I keep running into with typical water mists: it extends short-lived moisture and helps pat down flakes.

I'm still taking 1 point off because I recognize it's not perfect. There's no unique soothing quality (unlike with Caudalie's Beauty Elixir) nor does it give a noticeable glow.

A word of warning: I have a feeling people with oily skin might not feel comfortable with this at all.

How do you combat midday fugliness? Share your tips below!

Too Cool for School Philippines can be found at http://estore.toocoolforschool.com.ph/

You may follow their SNS for promos, news and contests.

Visit their Facebook page, Too Cool For School - Philippines,

follow them on Twitter, @TooCoolGirlPH

and Instagram, @TooCoolGirlPH

*I received this sample during the opening of the SM North EDSA kiosk + launch of Dinoplatz CC Cream around May or June 2014. Additionally, I received press information and a handful of sachet samples from the brand.

I was not paid nor otherwise compensated to present this feature.