Yuan Mung Bean & Job's Tears Soap

 

It's been... one week since I said goodbye... and about one week before that that I first said hello! =___=" Welcome to my review of Yuan's Mung Bean & Job's Tears soap. A 220ml hearty bar that cost me about RM22 (there was some discount, upon checking online, it costs RM24.90), and that fled down the drain in one week! ONE WEEK! It's probably the fastest soap to finish, ever. -___- Found out online that it's because it's an organic soap, and it really does melt easily. 

I have to say, the saleswoman did warn me that if I wanted this to last a long time (she said it lasted her TWO months), I should chop the soap up into smaller pieces, and just use it as a facial cleanser sort of soap. However, the idea of using soap on my face is just... odd. I asked her if it's ok as a body soap. She said no issue, and it should last me a long time if I chop the soap up and use it bit by bit. Me --- I like the feeling of a thick bar in my hand, so I decided I would NOT chop it up, but I would just be really careful with keeping the soap in a dry (er) area of the bathroom. 

Let me forewarn you that if even a few droplets of water land in the soapdish, it starts off the melting chain event that will guaran-damn-tee you a pool of sloppy, soupy, soapy water at the end of the day. -____-" 

On the other hand, it is a really good piece of soap though. I love the scent (a very comforting, homey, traditional type of smell), I love how it made my skin feel squeaky clean without it being too "tight" and I love the oh-so-slight but lovely exfoliating effect on my skin. In fact, that's why I bought the soap, because it looked like it could give a good scrub while cleaning. =)

The soap is suitable for use on all skin types, and mung bean & Job's tears are supposedly good for deep cleansing and brightening & evening out skin tone. Of course, in 7 days, I doubt I could see much difference in my skin tone. -____- But I did feel deeply cleansed. And I think I smelled really nice and fresh! Did I mention how much I love the scent? I feel like I should have kept the plastic wrapper for the soap to scent up my drawers. There's also cinnamon essential oil to help improve blood circulation for radiant skin!

Mung bean aka green beans are said to be good for acne-prone skin because it has some detoxifying properties. A short search on the Internet turned out a few home-made remedies for mung bean powder & Yakult masks! It sounds really interesting, maybe I'll try it myself one day, but I'm not particularly keen on putting Yakult on my face. =p Neither do I really have acne-prone skin.. but if you're interested, you could check this site out.

I've always wondered what Job's tears are. Since I read the Bible, I always thought it's linked to the Book of Job, and his trials. I imagined he would be crying? Was this really something so Biblically-inclined? Turns out it is just a tall, grain-bearing tropical plant that is used for cereal, for tea, for ornamental purposes.... and it's also known as Chinese Barley. And yes, it was named because of the grain's tear-shaped beads and linkage to Job's sufferings. Of course, in different parts of the world, it's also known as David's tears, Saint Mary's tears, Christ tears... or just plain tear drops.

And how did they come to be so frequently used in beauty products (especially Korean beauty products!)? Sadly, most of the posts that I come across usually talk about it good for lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels, nothing about beauty. What it seems like is that when it is used in beauty products, it is mainly for whitening purposes. Can't cite any scientific studies for it though!

All in all, a pretty nice soap, but not something I would buy again because I simply can't get it to last long! I'm not a millionaire, so I don't think it's worth spending RM20+ a week on soap! If you like the idea of chopping up soap and using bits and pieces of it to last a long time, I guess you could give this a go. For me --- lazy! And as I've said, I love the feeling of a bar of soap in my hand...