(Besedilo v slovenščini je na koncu objave) 

Though I'm a beauty blogger, I'm slightly ashamed to admit that these konjac sponges escaped my notice completely. I'm dubious about these "miracle do-it-all" products such as these and when it comes to skin care I prefer not to experiment too much. I was offered to try one sponge and I remembered Jana praising one of these, so I accepted. I was recommended the version with French Pink Clay which is meant for tired and devitalised skin after describing my skin as normal/combination but at times partly dry and prone to dry patches. There are several versions designed for different skin types and you can see them here. 

The concept behind konjac sponges is that they're made from fibres of a konnyaku potato or konjac plant native to Asia. They are supposedly 100 % natural, vegan, cruelty free and biodegradable. The sponge comes packed in a plastic bag and it's bone dry, so it's hard as a rock. You're supposed to wet it and then gently squeeze out the excess water by flattening it between the palms, so you don't damage it. Once it's wet, it's so squishy and soft, it's like jelly and actually fun to use. No soap is required, unless you plan to use it to remove makeup. It does feel like there is a light layer of something soapy on the sponge and the lightly textured surface provides a gentle exfoliation. Both of these features appear to be responsible for an incredibly silky feeling on the skin, almost like a silicone primer was applied. The skin is so smooth and there is a light layer of something moisturizing left behind. I really like to use this in the morning because it's so fast and convenient, it takes seconds to wash my face. I prefer to use it without any soap, but I have tried using it with it and I didn't really like it, as it took forever to get the sponge free of soap again, plus it didn't perform any better than without soap. I would, however, not consider this as a stand-alone cleansing method, especially if you wear makeup often. I still like to use a "proper cleanser" at the end of the day to make sure that my skin is completely clean. When it comes to long term performance, I must say I haven't noticed any particular effects and my skin is just the way it usually is.

After washing, I rinse it off and put it on a radiator (though, you're supposed to hang it in a dry place) so it dries completely and reverts to its hard state. I disinfect it by pouring boiling water over it, however, I have noticed that this process is slowly removing that soapy layer and  after a month of use that silky feeling isn't really present any more. The sponge is supposed to last 1-3 months before you have to change it.

I wasn't going to address this originally because I've only had experience with this particular sponge, but I was informed by Tamara from Cherry Colours on Instagram that there are much cheaper sponges that could be found on eBay, so a little debate formed there and was later contacted by our importer to explain to me why these particular sponges cost so much. I find it important to share these information to perhaps help someone decide in which direction to go. These particular sponges are cruelty free, vegan and comply to the highest EU regulations, which sets them apart from other similar products since as we know, the origin of products on eBay can be sketchy (especially from China). The plants used to make these sponges grow in an area under UNESCO protection (Jeju island) meaning the pollution levels are regulated and minimal. The konjac fibres used are the highest quality and their company esteems themselves on high work ethic. So basically the decision of what to get is completely yours based on what you find more important.

In general I do like this sponge. It's quick and easy to use, it provides gentle exfoliation and I loved that silkiness that it left behind in the first few weeks of use. These cost 11.99 € where I live and 7.99 GBP on the official website.

Konjac gobice so narejene iz posebnih gomoljev, ki izhajajo iz Azije in so 100 % naravne, veganske in biorazgradljive. Sama imam gobico s francosko roza glino, ki je namenjena utrujeni ter občutljivi koži in ta dobro ustreza moji kombinirani dehidrirani koži, ampak obstaja več verzij gobic, katere lahko vidite tukaj.

"Vsi gomolji vzgajani za izdelavo naših Konjac gobic rastejo na otoku Jeju, ki je pod UNESCO-vo zaščito, kjer je onesnaževanje okolja nadzorovano in tako minimalno. Konjac vlakna, ki jih uporablja The Konjac Sponge Company so najvišje kvalitete in tako prehranske kakovosti ter ročno predelana v gobice. Vse sestavine (dodatki francoskih glin, bambusovo oglje) imajo znano poreklo, vrhunsko kakovost in zelo pomembno, so vse 100% naravne. Vse gobice izpolnjujejo tudi najvišje EU standarde varnosti in kakovosti in so prestale vse mikrobiološke teste. In še ena značilnost naših gobic, visok nivo etike, vse imajo certifikata Cruelty-free in Vegan ter so izdelane v The Konjac Sponge Company tovarni kjer skrbijo tudi za visok nivo etike na delovnem mestu. Gobice, ki se preko eBaya prodajajo za 1-3$ so večinoma Kitajskega porekla. Kot pri drugih vrstah izdelkov, to sicer zagotavlja nizko ceno, a na račun popolnoma nenadzorovanega okolja v katerem nastajajo in popolnoma nereguliranih pogojev delavcev, ki kitajske izdelke proizvajajo. V nekaterih primerih pa vsebujejo tudi dvomljive dodatke, npr barvila, parfume in konzervanse. Čeravno smo danes vsi pozorni na ceno, sem mnenja, da višja kakovost same gobice skupaj z naravno in etično  filozofijo produktov The Konjac Sponge Company, odtehta razliko v ceni."

Meni je gobica precej všeč, še posebej zaradi tega svilenega občutka, ki ga pusti na koži, čeprav zdaj ko je gobica že starejša, tega učinka praktično ni več. Je enostavna in hitra za uporabo, edino kar je manjša nevsečnost je da jo moraš nekje posušiti, torej ne more biti ves čas shranjena med ostalim izdelki za nego kože. Gobice stanejo 11.99 €, več informacij, spletno trgovino ter seznam prodajnih mest lahko najdete tukaj tukaj. 

Have a great day!

*The product was sent to me // Izdelek mi je bil podarjen.