Alright, so here’s the deal. I bought the ISOI Blemish Care Up Serum again. Yes, again. 🤦‍♀️ I don’t even know why I keep doing this to myself because it’s not like this serum has ever blown my mind or anything. But there I was, on a trip to Korea 🇰🇷, wandering into Olive Young like a moth to a flame 🐝, and BAM 💥—there it was. On sale 🛍. With one of those “limited-time event” signs that make you feel like you’re missing out on the skincare deal of the century 🌟. So, obviously, I bought it. Because apparently, I have no self-control when it comes to K-beauty sales 🙈.

The Backstory 🕰

The first time I tried ISOI was a few years ago when my Korean friend gave me one of their products as a gift 🎁. She’s one of those people with flawless, glass-like skin ✨—like, poreless, glowing, “did you Photoshop your face IRL?” kind of skin 😍. Naturally, I assumed her skincare recommendations were gospel 📖. She was like, “ISOI is amazing for sensitive skin! You’ll love it!” 🦋 And because I’m easily influenced and desperate for good skin 🫠, I believed her. Spoiler: It didn’t do much for me back then either 🤷‍♀️.

But somehow, this brand has wormed its way into my brain 🧠 as being “trustworthy.” Like, even though none of their products have ever wowed me 🫤, I keep thinking, Maybe this time will be different. 😅

Olive Young Is My Weakness 🛒

If you’ve ever been to Olive Young in Korea—or even just scrolled through their global site 🌐—you know how dangerous it is 🚨. It’s like walking into skincare heaven ☁️ but also skincare hell 🔥 because you suddenly want everything 💳. The ISOI shelf caught my eye 👀 because the packaging is so clean and minimalistic 🎨 (yes, I’m a sucker for good design), and they were running some kind of event sale 🎉. I didn’t even hesitate 😵‍💫. Didn’t check reviews 📱, didn’t think about whether I actually needed another serum—I just grabbed it and threw it in my basket 🛍 like the skincare sheep that I am 🐑.

First Impressions 🌸

When I got home 🏠 and started using it again, my first thought was: Oh yeah, this smells exactly how I remember. 🤔 The rose scent 🌹 is INTENSE 🔥. Like, imagine sticking your face directly into a bouquet of roses 💐 and inhaling deeply—that’s what this serum smells like 🤯. If you’re into floral scents 🌺, you might love it 💖, but for me... meh 😐. It’s not unbearable or anything 🚫, but it’s definitely not subtle 👃

The texture is nice, though—I’ll give it that 👍. It’s super lightweight 🪶 and watery 💧, so it absorbs really quickly without leaving any sticky residue behind 👌. It feels refreshing when you put it on 🌬, which is great if your skin is feeling dry or tired 😴. But honestly? That’s about where the excitement ends 😶

Does It Actually Work? 🤷‍♀️

Here’s the thing: This serum promises to brighten your skin ✨ and fade blemishes or acne scars over time ⏳. And while I’m sure there are people out there who’ve had amazing results with it 💎 (because there always are 🙄), I am not one of those people 🙃.

I used this serum consistently for about three weeks 📆—morning ☀️ and night 🌙—and... nothing happened 🚫.

My acne scars? Still there 🎯. My overall skin tone? Still uneven 🎭. My life? Still the same mess as before 😂.

To be fair 🙄, it didn’t break me out or irritate my sensitive skin (which is a small miracle in itself) 🙌🏼—but for something that costs as much as this does—even on sale—I expected more than just “hydration.” Like... isn’t that what moisturizer is for?

Why Do I Keep Buying This?!

At this point 🤔, I think buying ISOI products has become a weird habit for me 🤷‍♀️. Maybe it’s because they feel “safe”—like even if they don’t do much for my skin 🤷🏼‍♀️ at least they won’t make things worse 🚫👎🏼 Or maybe it’s because their branding is so good that