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!

Ooh thanks m0gz the zinc tip is ace! I will look for products with that! My skin loves snails too - and starfish.
Just realised another zinc-y product I use - La Roche Posay serozinc, which you can also get cheaply on ebay and I think at www.escentual.com I discovered it via Caroline Hirons, she raves about its soothing abilities. I'm not sure how well it really works, but I have noticed a big improvement since I began her routine about a year ago. So I can confirm that it works well combined with acid toners for acne prone skin (mine is combination rather than oily, and pretty dehydrated but doesn't react badly to this).

ilovetosleep I find that anything with niacinamide in helps my pigmentation. I think it's in the starfish cream (which I love, it also really sorts out my dehydration). Some other things that I've ordered that contain it: OST C20 serum (vit c and niacinamide to reduce pigmentation)

Mizon good night white sleeping pack

CosRX galactomyces 95 white power (ugh, can you believe that) essence

I must confess i haven't tried these yet! I got them on the strength of reviews on the reddit sub and MakeupAlley. I found that alpha h products work well on my pigmentation, less so on dehydration.

I'm into day four of using the Missha Time Revolution night repair etc etc serum and I swear my skin looks massively better. Hydrated and more even.

I'm intrigued by the returning starfish cream. I currently use Mizon's Collagen firming cream which I love ..who's using the starfish and what does it do? My biggest issue is I'm in my late 40s so a few fine lines around the eyes and forehead grooves but apart from that its being so pale (typical Scots/Irish whiter than white with dark hair) and I look a bit haggard

Phew! I've come to the end.
I've ordered a snail cream.

I've been using a glycolic peel from bravura which is helping my fine lines and pores I think. I also use a Paula's choice serum and bha 2% cream.
IVF has ruined my skin of late so I need all the help I can get with regards to moisture. I was using nivea as per MN recommendations but I don't feel it's working.

What would you recommend for a sleep cream?

AmazingDisgrace I've used the sister product of the purple Missha Longer Name Ampoule (the eye serum) for a week now. (They sent it to me by mistake instead of the serum). The eye area is a place where I am actually a bit crepey - I've inherited my father's crinkles. I get milia from eye creams and many of them sting uncomfortably but this liquid gel product is pleasant and definitely there is some plumping going on - my panda undereyes seem less black and the fine wrinkles seem to disappear, no new milia. Not sure whether these are permanent changes or just light hydration changing the texture of the skin but I definitely am motivated to continue the trial.

The fermented grape sleeping pack was lovely. I put on quite a bit of product - the texture is a bit jello-like, it was just so much fun applying it and the scent reminded me of a fabulous vacation - everything was absorbed and my skin feels like DD2's soft peachy cheeks (she is 5). My skin is dry/normal and I am prone to dehydration (wind, A/C, central heating, flights).

The starfish cream is a very lightweight cream. The texture is strange and glossy, solid. It makes my skin feel smoother. It is not as hydrating as some of my gel creams (Missha Super Aqua Snail or Laneige White Plus Renew) or serums (Missha Super Aqua Ultra Water-full) but nice nevertheless.

Lots of products mentioned here - I've managed yo get my hands on quite a few I would do fine with just one serum, one cream and one sleeping product but I have just enjoyed these so much that I have a couple of alternatives I would start out slowly just in case these don"t suit your skin. Grin all sleeping packs I have are equally nice, and their function is to seal in moisture from other products. These products may help people who are acne-prone and want to go oil-free because the creams are usually not traditonal creams but gell-creams that melt into your skin without a greasy feel.

So I've bought a few things. I have no idea what to wear when!

I have bought:
Snail gel
Sleeping mask
Starfish cream

I already own:
10% glycolic acid treatment
10% BHA treatment
2% BHA cream
Vitamin C serum
Sunscreen

Any tips as to layering (I gather that's a big thing)

Amazing I started out a bit gray/haggard too. The AHA/BHAs and the lovely serums, creams and sleeping products have definitely helped. I don't have major lines, so for me the biggest benefit has definitely been figuring out how to get optimal hydration without clogged pores.

Wombat my adult acne is gone without any major dietary changes. Going sugar free or gluten free is too taxing in Italy as the food is one of the great joys here. We eat a healthy balanced diet, lots of homemade meals and fresh vegetables, some fish and nuts, but I start my morning with a huge frothy cappucino with bitter cocoa and demerara sugar sprinkled on top

Grin wait at least half an hour between the acid and the hydration phase. Layer hydrators from the most liquid to the most solid/oily. I do something else between layers. The sleeping mask goes on last. Introduce products slowly and one by one, so that if something does not suit you, you'll be able to figure out what it is. Vitamin C and niacinamide can in theory react with each other, some people don't combine them in the same routine. You could perhaps apply Vit C in morning and niacinamide in the evening (if using, Good Night contains that). Reddit Asian Beauty has tons of info on layering and routines.

Thank you!
Knowing my luck I would have ended up looking like the joker.

First impressions, Japanese Biore Watery Essence sunscreen:

Whitish slightly runny cream, slight smell of apricots but no major fragrance, goes on like a dream, seamless with makeup. No cast, no greasiness. Can see why this gets rave reviews!

You are so right lucysmam. I don't drink enough water and I drink far too much tea/wine. I am really going to try and change that.

Re sunscreen. I get that I need to use spf every morning routinely. But what do you do when you're actually going to be spending the day in the sun? We spend a lot of our summer days at the beach, with something like biore or my city block I assume it needs to be reapplied regularly? Which means you can't wear make up on top I guess. Boo.

Frugal, sorry for the stupid question; you said the texture of the sleeping pack was like jello - I presume it doesn't apply weirdly like I imagine jello would? It sounds lovely, I'm going to add one to my wishlist.

At least when it comes to Christmas and my birthday I will be armed with a loooong list to hand to dp or order for myself with the money my dad usually gives me

ilove, I've just been reading a reddit post about that but it crashed. I'll find it again later and link it.

Ok so I have spent hours a while inside a beauty store here in Japan, bit disappointed in myself as of course everything was in Japanese and forgot my phone with photos of things I wanted on it.

Anyway picked up DHC oil a bee venom and Vit E mask and some AMAZING Dolly Wink mascara.

Also got some retinol but that's LRP so doesn't count!

Gingerbread, we I need a link for amazing mascara!

Here's the one I got, they're all over fleabay for around £9.99 they have a volume one also. Thinking I should have got more of them now.

Ooooh, my inner magpie likes the look of that ...off for a browse on ebay!

Frugal - cutting down on gluten would be super easy in Italy. As a newly diagnosed coeliac who is off to Rome it's my job to know. The occurrence of coeliac disease is so high in Italy its probably the most coeliac friendly in Europe. Far better than uk and I was dreading it too.

Thing is cutting out gluten has not made any difference to my skin. Massive difference to my weight though. Most unhealthy choices contain gluten.

I got a package this morning. Too early to be from Korea. It was some Manic Panic hair dye. The Saturday purchases have all been shipped as well as last weeks.

Ginger that mascara looks fab!

Have just received a box of Innisfree masks from South Korea. They look absolutely delicious - açai berry, black berry, strawberry, cucumber, shea butter and rice

Lucysmam the starfish cream and the red wine mask feel like Jello but are quickly absorbed

Sleep my makeup is minimal in summer (evening out my skin tone, lipgloss, some bronzer). I've been in summer mode for some time already and applying sunscreen over BB cream or BB cream over sunscreen seems to work well for my skin type. I love mineral foundation but gave it up for summer because it is much harder to combine with good sun protection. I tend to stay out of direct sunlight though during the hot part of the day because I have lived in the tropics and seen the damage photoaging can do to my skin. The backs of my hands have been exposed to a lot of sun in the past and look 15-20 years older than my face

Frugal, thanks for the update on the Biore suncream. Waiting on mine to come, looking forward to trying it out!

So the pore treatment definitely made a difference - they aren't as dark today but I can still see the little dotted impressions on my nose. I just want a miracle treatment that banishes them all in one go I do have some flaky bits today which I was expecting after using the oily ultrabland.

I've tried a different bb cream today as the holika essential I had on yesterday didn't look right. I've got the skin79 gold one on. Shade wise its better but coverage wise its not as good as the holika. I'm sure I saw something recently about layering bb creams as you would skincare and wondered if anyone else did this?

I'm lucky if I get through the skincare routine and get SPF on before leaving the house so I'm not sure how to factor in makeup and proper bb application. I would love to look flawless with a quick dab of bb, some lippy and a quick flick of mascara but its not happening!

Got more goodies today. Among them was a holiday petit bb clearing cream. It's so light weight. Best thing is it has completely covered my dark circles, better than my expensive Mac stuff! I'm gobsmacked. And there is no creasing.
Even better news is that I've just booked my summer holiday to Marrakech!

Thanks Frugal. Both starfish and jelly sleeping mask on my list

No parcels for me today Tesco day for us tomorrow so gelatine, green tea and glycerin will be here at least then.

Have been having regular breaks from sewing an ocean of blue (Elsa dress for dd1 - yards and yards of blue fabric) and reading on reddit. I found a couple of handy charts so will go back for those on the tablet later and link them - it's hard work on my phone.

Ahhhh - doing an açai face mask after a long day. I don't care whether it actually does anything as it smells heavenly and feels so relaxing. Had time to do glycolic pads earlier tonight.