Obsessed with Asian/Korean stuff - taking your skincare to the next level!

[FrugalFashionista]

Asian and Korean skincare products seem to be a big thing in skincare and beauty right now.

Interested in the following?

• finding a great sunscreen
• tailoring a multi-step ritual to your skincare needs
• talking about geisha beauty rituals
• learning what snail slime, bee venom and starfish have to do with beauty
• plumping up your skin with sheet masks and sleeping masks
• experimenting with essences

Please come here and share your questions, experiences, links and best shopping tips!

Wombat Hope you found some lovely treats yesterday.

big the Panda's dream eye brightening base I've ordered is supposed to help with dark circles (with a tricky sleeping 18month old I'm hoping it will), it's not a concealer though, just a primer. I'm planning on just slapping my good old Rimmel over it! I have seen an improvement in my dark circles since I copied the face massage from the patting video.

Frugal what is a bb cushion please? Is it powder? My face is shinier than a disco ball so I'd be quite intrigued by any products that would help with that.

The Skinfood salmon corrector. Its good value as you get a lot in that little pot.

I had to give mine away though as its more peach than pink and I need the opposite. Put it this way, it corresponds to Light Peach in the Bobbi Brown corrector whereas I'm matched to Light Bisque which is pink.

But its good stuff so if you're less pink than me I'd recommend.

I don't know why I stll haven't bought Hada Labo but I think I'm scared of getting milia with all that mousture. My skin is normal, not dry. So if I whack that on and then moisturiser over it.....won't it be a bit much?

Thanks Frugal!

Play the cushion is a sponge applicator for BB and CC creams, so liquid/gel in a compact format. That does not sound right for you but someone here on S&B bought the Innisfree No Sebum mineral powder. It is also available as a compact (for popping into your bag). I'm using up my old mineral foundation samples and Meteorites pearls and they deal with the T-zone quite well but have now ordered the compact because I typically need to blot my nose in the afternoon. Blotting papers are another alternative!

Annarosa I don't have the Hada Labo my Korean stuff (essence, moisturizer, cream) so far has been gelly watery colloids and wonderful gel like creams, not thick oily euro style creams. I get milia too but none so far from these - eye creams are another story. Got an ugly one recently that is really stubborn... This is why eye creams tend to end up on my legs....

I'm often using Bobbi Brown Light Bisque as my second under-eye layer.

Puffy eyes are actually trendy in Korea - aegyo-sal tutorial...

big I too am loving Bobbi Brown corrector in light bisque for dark eye circles. That usually sorts mine out, especially if I add her creamy concealer on top before foundation. Would a CC cram help too, I wonder? They're for evening out colour aren't they? Am tempted by the panda things though - much cuter packaging than Bobbi! I too have heard that the 'tired' eye look is big in Korea .

I may have splurged last night. Pearl flavour sheet masks, Laneige water sleeping pack and Scinic propolis ampoule are on their way! Might have to join in the Hada Labo love too..

Big buttons - I am having the exact same problem with my new skin and dark circles!

I've just started using the nip and fab dark circle fix but would be interested in an Asian alternative

I use collection 2000 concealer

I am back after some more googling last night and this morning. Still searching for a toner...does anyone have any experience with The Face Shop
Clean Face Blemish Zero Clarifying Toner?

I am using the Skinfood salmon concealer, I find it good for my dark eye circles. It comes in 2 shades also.

play I can recommend this powder for stopping shine. I find it is exactly the same as Mac finishing powder and half the price. Not only that but you get a massive 18g whereas the Mac is 8g. It definitely leaves you shine free and can be topped up during the day with no cakiness.

frugal I was also looking at the Innisfree No Sebum mineral powder, which I think is almost identical to the Lioele Secre Pore HD powder.

cindy I can recommend Missha Under eye concealer , I have the no.1 light beige shade. Its better than the collection one.
I also have Tony Moly pot concealer which is very like the Mac Studio Finish concealer but not as waxy and just nicer and easier to apply. Again, I have shade no.1 light beige.

vegan thank you for recommending. Which concealer is your favourite?

I have just came up with a DIY BB cream! Blame the using-up thread I still have the dregs of a bottle of Revlon Colorstay, and lots of Neutrogena Clear Face sunscreen, so I mixed the two about 1:2 in a small foundation sample jar, slathered it on, finished with a stippling brush, and after circa eight hours of wear it is still looking great! It's semimatte medium coverage BB cream that makes my skin look really good and matches my skintone exactly. If you look super close with a magnifying mirror, it is not as seamless as my Missha M Signature, but then I am not a Korean cosmetics chemist. I think I should actually bottle this and start my own line

More cheap thrills: yesterday's lovely aloe sheet mask (one of my favorites so far!) had a ton of essence left in the envelope, so I slipped in a cotton sheet mask from last week (washed and dried). Might get a bonus treatment tonight!

My Laneige skincare sampling kit finally arrived with an extra face mask thrown in.
Dilemma: I am in love with my Missha Super Snail products but also want to try these - particularly the single-use sleeping pack sample. The other samples are tiny so this probably would last for a week max. Should I or shouldn't I?

VeganCow thanks for these, looking forward to sampling them!

Lucysmam that toner sounds good! Their cleansing balm is a cult product! We are moving back home up North, we've been abroad for a long time so it's a big change.

Wombat your product order sounds lovely! Can't wait!

Linking to a couple of Asian beauty blogs that I have really enjoyed in the past days - interesting and smart people and so much more than just a bunch of product reviews

35th of May - Asian cosmetics with a gothic/steampunk edge by a Berlin-based artist. I love the artwork and she seems like a lovely person; her husband's product reviews are hilarious

The Wanderlust Project - Expat life in Vietnam and Korea plus tips how to deal with adult acne

frugal that sounds like a good idea!
Sorry I missed your earlier post re concealers. I shall have a good look at that link. Funny I just read recently about how bone structure can affect how shadows are thrown up under the eyes. have quite a thin face with high bony cheeks so I guess shadows will be thrown!

Thanks for the recommendation Vegan that looks great, added to my treat list for pay day! Also going to get some sheet masks, really excited to try those!

big I think I prefer the Tony Moly one ever so slightly, I think it conceals better and I prefer the finished look, but there isn't much in it. If you want a concealer to do under the eyes as well as round the nose, spot or marks coverage, I would go for the Tony Moly, if you only ever use a concealer under the eyes and nowhere else then the Missha one.

Thanks Frugal, I'll take a look at their cleansing balm too.

I'm of you all with more bits and bobs on the way! I have to wait a while now before I can order anything else

Looking forward to hearing about what you all have though

Frugal we "spoke" on the CH thread about Korean cosmetics - you are a genius for starting this thread.

I lived in Sydney for many years and used Korean and Japanese products there. Then spent a couple of weeks in Seul on my way back and was blown away by the sheer amount of skincare shops everywhere.

At the moment, my star product is the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack; love the way it seals moisture and it's a joy to find smooth skin in the morning.

On the hunt for a second cleanser that I can use in the shower (after balm or oil and hot cloth first cleansing). Considering Hada Labo as I LOVE hyaluronic acid, but any suggestions, please?

Poppy am so excited to hear you've tried the Laneige sleeping pack, I just ordered it! Can't wait to try it.

I may have ordered two more things today - a Mizon good night white mask and OST vitamin C Serum. Oh dear...

However I'm loving my new weekly decongesting regime as suggested by 50 shades of snail blog lady. I apply clearasil salicylic pads (any BHA will do) wait 20 mins, then use and wash off a clay mask, then apply oil cleanser (I use Emma hardie balm) and wait 15 mins, then massage it in for a couple of minutes and rinse off. That's it, but I just follow with hyaluronic acid serum and starfish cream. Makes my skin seriously glow (and I have very unglowy skin)!

Oh god help me. Whilst looking at different reviews of the concealers 8vegan* linked to I stumbled across musings of a muse blog. She has a huge section on Asian skincare and make up........

50 shades of snail.... Off to have a look TA x

I've bought the bravura calendula toner- not technically Asian, but I read up on ph of toners abs how they need to be lower for the actives in vitamin c toner to work. I've got Pixi glow which is ph4 but the bravura one is 3.8. The clay mask/ face wash also fell into my basket at the same time.

I've also ordered the Benton snail bee high content essence as I'm hoping it will calm down any redness on my nose and help stop me getting blackheads.