Ape Hit – Mizon King to the Kong No. 1 King’s Berry Aqua Step-Up Cream 300mL

I went BANANAS when I saw this at the Peach & Lily sample sale for freaking $5. It’s usually $35 at Urban Outfitters but it was on its way to being discontinued, I assume. You can no longer find it at UO but KoreaDepart still sells it. Such a steal at 5 bucks for 300mL which is (10 ounces) of face gel moisturizer! Or is it?

The package is a giant Costco-sized gorilla with large lips beckoning you for a kiss. Ladies, this is a MALE gorilla wearing lipstick just for you. Pucker up! How do I know? Because female gorillas don’t look like that.

The ingredients are full of amazing extracts such as garlic bulb, black sugar, cocoa, grape, mushroom, and other goodies that make my food-less pantry & fridge hang their heads in shame.

The tub is huge, as expected, but not in that huge-and-you-open-it-and-it’s-3 inches-of-plastic-container-wall kind of way. It’s actually FULL of product. It’s a very light gel, in a beautiful aqua blue with tiny blue beads (looks almost like bubbles at first.)

If you miniaturized yourself and dove into this tub of blue like the cartoon couple and their cat, you would be kind of moisturized. An ape-aling idea eh? Except that….it’s actually not THAT moisturizing. Look at the ingredients again. There’s alcohol in it! Granted there’s often alcohol in cosmetic ingredients to kill germs and whatnot, the fact that alcohol is included in this relatively lightweight gel means that it’s actually kind of drying.

Since this gel was obtained so cheaply, I have been using it as body gel after showering. For the summer, it’s a very pleasant moisturizer. It’s almost like a lightweight post-sun aloe rub (similar to our previously reviewed Tony Moly bamboo gel.)

Don’t expect it to be as moisturizing as it claims though. Since I’ve been using it all over my body, there has been more surface area tested. While my skin feels smooth and hydrated immediately after night time post-shower application, the next morning I still have some dryness and patches.

I’m not kong-vinced that this is the best moisturizer ever. It’s DEFINITELY not worth $35 as a face moisturizer. The size is the only thing going for it, if you’re into that sorta thing. However, I’m happy to have grabbed it for $5 which is probably the correct price point for this gel.

Pros: lightweight and good for summer, nice ingredients except for the alcohol, humorous & cute packaging.

Cons: hydration doesn’t last, too lightweight for winter and severely dry skin, definitely not worth $35 since it feels like it’s 80% water.