[ENG] A. By BOM Ultra Time Return Eye Serum – My K-Beauty Review!

Disclaimer: This blog article contains PR Samples! I have been wanting to write a review of the A. By BOM Ultra Time Return Eye Serum for a while now, and I cannot wait to tell you all about this deep green stunner today!

It’s high time for me to finally share my extensive opinions about the A. By BOM Ultra Time Return Eye Serum, which was sent to me by the lovely people from Bemused Korea a while ago. Listeners of my K-Beauty Podcast will already know that I’m o-b-s-e-s-s-e-d with this gorgeous, easily layered eye serum because I mentioned it as one of my K-Beauty favourites of 2018 on last week’s episode.

However, I wanted to make sure that people interested in the Ultra Time Return Eye Serum can find all the information needed in one place, from ingredients to texture to how this performed for me. So, here it is: my full review of the A. By BOM Ultra Time Return Eye Serum!

A. By BOM Ultra Time Return Eye Serum – the Basics

The A. By BOM Ultra Time Return Eye Serum is a blend of botanical extracts and hydrating ingredients meant to target anti ageing concerns and brighten the eye area. For some reason, I anticipated this to have an oil texture, but it’s actually more of an elixir, with more hydrating than oily/occlusive properties.

Here is the list of ingredients for the A. By BOM Ultra Time Return Eye Serum:

“Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, PEG-150 Distearate, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Hamamelis Virginiana Flower Water, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Stearic Acid, Adenosine, Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Maltodextrin, Disodium EDTA, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Acacia Senegal Gum, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sucrose, Anthemis nobilis flower Extract, Cymbopogon Martini Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Beta-Carotene, Sodium Ascorbate, Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Rose Flower Oil, Silica, Tocopherol, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8.”

Hydration is mostly provided through the Aloe Vera leaf juice, glycerin, Urea, Panthenol (also known as provitamin B5) and PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, an emollient used in many skincare products. I’ve probably overlooked a number of other moisturising ingredients, but as always, I’m not going to decode the entire ingredient list – it’s just not my main focus to dive super deeply into ingredient chemistry.

The brightening and anti-ageing effects of this eye serum are mostly due to the addition of niacinamide, adenosine (said to help smooth out wrinkles), antioxidant green tea extract, two vitamin C derivatives, and a number of peptides, the current darlings of the anti-ageing world.

The A. By BOM Ultra Time Return Eye Serum is free from any harsh alcohol, but it does contain a number of essential oils, with lavender and bergamot oil being especially triggering for people with fragrance sensitivities. I myself never had any problematic reactions to the oils, and I don’t really notice a strong scent coming from the serum overall, so I would say the concentration seems to be mild/low. Nevertheless, as is always the case when it comes to sensitivities, make sure you can tolerate the fragrance or any of the ingredients before using this around your sensitive eye area. I would advise a patch test for 24h somewhere on your body.

Like most Asian eye products, the A. By BOM Ultra Time Return Eye Serum comes in a 30ml size, which means it contains twice as much product as Western eye care sizes of 15ml – important to keep in mind when discussing the price point!

A. By BOM Ultra Time Return Eye Serum – Why I Love It!

Given the fact that I already spoilt how much I love the this eye serum long before writing this K-beauty review, I feel that the heading for this section doesn’t give anything away you didn’t already know. So, why do I love this eye serum so much? Ah, let me count the ways…

So, firstly: the texture of this is just so beautiful! It isn’t greasy or super sticky, just a lovely, ever-so-slightly tacky gel elixir, which is fast and readily absorbed by the skin. I don’t do well with heavy or too oily formulas around my sensitive eye area, but this never felt heavy or too rich, it is just the right amount of moisture.

Secondly: this eye product really seems to help make my undereye area look smoother and more plump. I’ve definitely noticed less problems with those pesky, tiny dehydration wrinkles that tend to criss-cross especially my right undereye area – they haven’t magically disappeared, of course, but they are noticeably diminished.

This doesn’t brighten the eye area quite as effectively as my other current eye product darling, the Whamisa Eye Essence, but it deeply hydrates without being too rich – just perfect! My favourite thing to do right now is to layer the eye serum on top of the Whamisa Eye Essence at night. Guys, I strongly encourage you to try to this amazing combo, it has transformed my ageing eye area and helped so much with keeping the worst of the winter dehydration in check. I wrote about eye care layering in this German K-beauty article, by the way!

Thirdly: even though this serum seems like a pricey product at first glance, you get twice the amount you usually get from a Western eye product, and you only need a tiny amount. I use one drop per eye, and even though I’ve used the eye serum for almost 4 months now, twice a day, it’s not even half empty!

Truly, I cannot sing the praises of this eye care gem highly enough, and apart from the potentially aggravating essential oils added in this, I can hardly find anything negative about the A. By BOM Eye Serum.

A. By BOM Ultra Time Return Eye Serum – the Bottom Line

I know that eye care products are somewhat controversial in the skincare community, and I absolutely understand and accept that many people consider them superfluous. However, throughout my personal skincare and self-care journey, they have always been an integral part of my skincare routine, since my skin is especially sensitive around the eyes.

There aren’t many eye creams, serums or essences that my eyes can tolerate well, and so I am super happy that the A. By BOM Eye Serum was pretty much a winner right from the start. It is smoothing, plumping, hydrating and never feels too heavy. It plays well with concealer or other base products, and doesn’t pill or leave any sort of annoying residue on the skin.

This product was sent to me by Bemused Korea, where you can buy the serum for 38$!

Let me know in the comments: Are you team “yes please!” or team “bah, humbug!” when it comes to separate eye care products?

Take care guys!
Sugarpeaches

°PR Sample, kindly provided by Bemused Korea for review purposes – I am not obligated to write this blog review, and my opinions are entirely my own.