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!

That sounds really good lucysmam.
I've just cleansed my face and dabbed it with salicylic pads.
I've been using a new foaming cleanser for a week.
It smells of chocolate, is a fluffy golden paste, and best of all, it is SLS free. One of those things that just makes a daily routine more enjoyable.
After I'm done with DC's evening routines, going to do a sheet mask and watch Girls

Uh-oh! I've half been looking at the Green Tea Latte one Frugal.

Someone decide for me what I should buy! I'm still no closer to deciding than this afternoon

I have been really impressed with the snail gel. It has helped the last of the monster chin spot scars calm right down - angry red to a fading pink. I need more snail products :)

I still haven't decided on something for the dark under eye area. I also need a clay mask and I want to try a cleansing balm type product as although I love cetaphil I think I need something more as well. I can't decide whether to risk trying ultrabland, order some cerave or try one of the Korean options. Im planning some major shopping as I have the week off work to research but if anyone has any must try suggestions I'm happy to do as I'm told and just buy it

I've just had a thought...do any of you use coconut oil as a cleanser? I looked at some (for my hair) in Savers today but put it back eventually because I have a huge pot of intensive conditioner at the mo. Should have got it really to try, was only a quid!

Continuing update on the C20 serum - I think it is whitening my skin a bit - so I''m starting to look a bit pale and tired - hmm not entirely convinced as it's not quite the look I was going for. Will persevere though.

Lucysmum I have seen face masks that are made in Korea in Home bargains think they were around 69p. I have not tried them as I have so many masks that need using up before I buy more.

Thank you Bigbuttons

I was in Home Bargains earlier too for a few bits for dp. Never thought to look for masks. I'll look next time I'm in town

I use coconut oil on mine and dd's hair but I wouldn't use it on my face as I'm prone to blockages and sebaceous filaments. I think its one of those things that works wonders for some but is a disaster for others (worth a try for a quid )

m0gz you sound like you think like me I'll probably drag dp and the girls in for some on whatever day we go for lunch.

Oh god, the wish list is growing again, I need panda hand cream, banana sleeping mask, snail bb cream, and royal jelly eye masks...and bunny skin mist and all the cute lip balms. And space to put it in!

I discovered a new blog too: www.holysnails.com

Also, this youtube video on the difference between Korean and American makeup techniques is fascinating: www.youtube.com/watch?v=In455i8fTGI
I thought the Korean makeup looked so much cleaner and younger - but then I think that the 'American' makeup look was a very heavy evening look so perhaps it wasn't a fair comparison.

The 'circle' contact lenses that a lot of Korean women wear are amazing - I teach a lot of far Eastern students and the first time I noticed a student with crazy enormous irises, it took me a while to realise they were lenses.

m0gz I am considering these royal jelly eye mask things:
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Koelf-Gold-Royal-Jelly-Hydro-Gel-Eye-Patch-60pcs-30pairs-/281611740617?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item41915e25c9

I thought they might be less oily and rich than a rich eye cream type thing (and therefore less milia inducing)

I tried the syn-ake mask. It smells lovely! Quite orangey. A little goes a long way. It felt like one of those self-heating masks when I first put it on & a little bit...tingly isn't the right word but that sort of feeling.

According to this article I've read, it's designed to work similarly to botox but only temporarily deaden the muscles in the face to prevent wrinkles forming/deepening.

I have a rather prominent crease in my forhead so will be using that to judge whether this actually helps or not. I don't expect it to have had much (if any) effect tonight but will have a check when I go upstairs. My skin does feel nice and smooth though so was worth all of 99p just for that & the smell and ten mins peace

I've been following the thread and have ordered some skincare stuff from one of the Korean eBay sellers but was wondering if anyone had tried any of the hair masks or other hair products and are they as amazing as the face stuff?

Swallowed, I haven't tried any of them. Sure it won't be long though

I still can't decide what to buy other than some silk sheet masks to try

Banana handcream is tempting but I have four tubes plus an Elizabeth Arden 8hr cream on the go at the mo...lip balm also tempting but have many of those and still waiting on the honey pot...have three suncreams at the mo...BB creams are confusing me.

TheWombat regarding the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack, I would recommend you choose your nicest serum/moisturiser/facial oil (or all three in my case) and use them before the pack.

The sleeping pack really seals everything in and you'll wake up to the softest cheeks ever!

I'm still hunting for a foaming cleanser to use in the shower after hot cloth 1st cleanse. Any recommendations, please?

poppyamex Ms Hirons rates the Mizon egg white cleanser - it looks fab but I haven't tried it, another one for the wish list!

Great tip for the sleeping pack, thank you. I'm so excited for my parcels to arrive, wonder how long it will take from Korea...

Just lost a whole post! Am back from week away and trying to catch up with thread but need to get to bed! Just a quick one before I post tomorrow- has anyone used bestbbcreams.co.uk? My mizon snail gel has arrived from there but there is no holographic seal - is it a fake? I have put some on so fingers crossed my face doesn't fall off. No idea when in routine to use it or even what it's for really! I am guessing it's more of a morning thing than a night cream as I have pretty normal/dry/combo skin? Thanks!

Poppy, the chocolate latte one Frugal linked to earlier on sounded good. They do a green tea one as well that I've put on my wish list for the mo while I use up what I have.

I've given up on shopping for now...I can't decide what to get & don't want to disappoint myself with a poor decision.

Ilovetosleep I think I read somewhere that Mizon has recently removed the holograms. My sleeping mask was manufactured in 2014.04.01, no expiry date and a big hologram seal and it is from Cult Beauty. Here is a Reddit page. Mizon have become popular in the West and because some customers are confusing the manufacture date with the expiry date, they may be in process of changing their packages?

Does it work? My skin was feeling a bit iffy last night, did not have time for a sheet mask and also felt that a breakout might be forming. I put a thin layer of snail goo on my face and some time later some Good Night sleeping product. I've just woken up and my skin feels silky smooth and glowy, no breakouts!

Wombat thank you so much for that excellent video! I'm intrigued by ombré lips and now learned how to do them. Although my coloring is totally different from Asian (I'm a natural blonde) my makeup has changed. The focus is now on my skin because it is in such a great shape. And I've always loved juicy lip color. Some of the lip tints and liquid lipsticks I see in Korean shops look fabulous, will explore after I have finished some in my current stash

Poppy here is the Mizon egg white cleanser. I think I have tried a related product, the Missha O2 BB cream cleanser. It was truly the strangest product I've seen, a gel that turned into a thick foam, like a weird science experiment. I really liked it - perfect for a weekly deep cleanse - but worried it might further dry my dryish skin, but it was definitely a lot of fun. If you just prefer something cheap and cheerful, Missha do a three-pack of their Latte cleansers. The Korean routine is often oil or balm followed by a foaming cleanser. The bloggers are into low pH stuff.

Swallowed I have a shampoo sample that I haven't tried yet. Some people on Reddit swear by tsubaki oil or Kao products.

Morning ladies

My under eye mask patches have just arrived. They sent crystal rather than collagen ones but since I only ordered them to try I'm not overly bothered. I'll look these up later on.

The packaging says you can sleep with them on but I think I'll just stick to 30mins like it suggests.

Also says not to re-use but the packaging has a bit of clear plastic in it & you can see all the excess liquid in there so wonder if you can buy these like the compressed sheet masks. I shall check ebay. I think, if I could position a new pair in the little tray correctly , they should soak up the reamaining liquid.

I've decided I don't need a hydrating toner. Less exfoliation, more time taken over my skincare and the masks I have been using seem to be enough for the moment.

I need something for under eye bags though if anyone has a recommendation that won't break the bank?

I have the Skin Food tomato suncream on at the moment. Still a tad disappointed it isn't actually tomatoey but it feels nice on my skin. No white-ness that I can see. I'll see what make-up is like on top shortly, having a slow moochy kind of morning here

lucysmam I get so much hydration from my other products that this isn't a priority for me either. We had a sweaty week of 30C days and during that I sprayed my face regularly with Avene but it seems pointless when the temperature have dropped.

Wombat the Holy Snails blog you linked to is fab. I just wanted to link to this blog post on Vit C serum because she makes hers too and talks a bit about the potential interactions. Her husband refers to her DIY cosmetics as a beginner's meth lab

It's a rainy morning, DH is on a work trip (due back tonight), we are expecting a houseguest tomorrow and it's going to be a really busy week, so we are still in our pyjamas...

frugal I tried the gradient lips thing this morning (sort of). I used one of those lip crayons that have a 'custom pink' tint which goes on translucent, but is supposed to turn a shade that's flattering for your skin tone. I just applied it to the centre of my lips and then smooshed them together - it actually looks really good, v v subtle.

Lucysmam I think a hydrating toner sounds a good way to go. Disappointing to hear that the tomato sunscreen is not tomato-ey, I love the smell of tomatoes! It takes me back to playing in the greenhouse as a little girl.