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!

ilovetosleep I ordered from SingSingGirl too, it was the Snail gel so I too was very disappointed. They were lovely though and refunded me as I ordered from somewhere else - I'm so impatient!

I'm trying not to order anything else until I receive all my lovely purchases. I may just check out the sleep masks...

Well, I have strayed from skincare to eyebrow make up.

I have no idea which one to try (have dark brown eyebrows) but they can't be any worse than my bodge job eyebrow pencil useage

Quick question about aloe gels - thinking about stocking up in town tomorrow, have had the one we've got for ages - are cheap (Savers/Bargain Buys) ones likely to be as 'good' as more expensive ones?

I'd try the brown one lucysmam, the khaki black one is definitely for black eyebrows. I've tried similar things in store and the khaki one is too dark for my brown eyebrows for sure.

Thanks Apatite, I'll go with the brown. And a holika holika wine therapy sleeping pack Frugal's fault

That's me spent up (and a touch over )...until dp makes another bike related purchase. He's only had it since Tuesday and has tinkered endlessly already

I have loads of parcels on their way now.

bigbuttons the routine in order is cleanse, tone, essence, ampoule, eye cream, moisturiser. I think that's right anyway, if not I'm sure someone will correct me!

So, I made my own vit c serum, only 5% but still tingly, so will see how it goes. Ds has adult acne,so have suggested he tries a bit. (He won't)Haven't got all the steps yet, but oil hot cloth cleanse, foam cleanse, serum or retinol cream, night cream (until my red wine sleep mask arrives)
I wasn't getting anything else, but ordered a tub of under eye masks. That's it though (this month)
As a matter of interest, does anyone know any physical shops in England you can get Asian skin care? Was going to trawl newcastle China town today but weather was vile.

I've ordered the Returning Starfish cream and I will order the red wine sleeping mask and a few other bits next week. We have a long haul flight to San Francisco in July so I have high hopes forvthe mask on that. Wish my CosRX toner would arrive, the other stuff I ordered on the same night has already.

I think I've decided after too many UK brand disappointments to stick with Korean skincare. I'm a bit of a "product tart " as my SIL who works for a major makeup brand says. I've stayed loyal to Korean BB and CC creams for a few years but just flirted with the skincare. Thanks to this thread I've taken the skincare more seriously and stuck to it and am seeing some really good results.

Really should read before posting but re eyebrow stuff LucysMam I know it isn't Korean but I love the Sleek eyebrow kit. I'm very pale with very dark hair so their dark brown one is perfect for me.

I'm in Malaysia now and bought a laneige water sleeping mask as soon as we touched down it came with large samples of a refining water and emulsion. I put loads of the sleeping mask on before bed and this morning my skin was like butter! Don't know if it's the soft water here or the sleeping mask but I'm loving it!

R&R for now but am noting all the recommendations on here for when we go to Kuala Lumpur and I can spend an afternoon skincare shopping

I have oily skin too but not really prone to spots - AHA toners seem to be doing a good job on my skin but will see if I can pick up a BHA toner here to try out if anyone has any recommendations?

OhWhat, I wondered if there was anywhere local ish to me too - doubt it because google only threw up the asian supermarkey but was going to have a look in there at some point.

Amazing, where's Sleek from? I'm hoping the powder gives me better results than the eyebrow pencil - I'm useless at it even after following you-tubers

mowglik is all I have to say!

I'm knackered today - toooo many late nights over half term. Don't look half bad though & the eye bags have sort of disappeared.

Looking for some recommendations.. Currently loving the Korean cleaners and moisturisers I'm using so am planning to extend what I have.

Skin is horrific- Acne and aging skin with no sleep.

Looking for a toner, sheet masks, sleeping packs and an essence.

Was going to buy Missha time revolution essence based on great reviews.

Any recs for toners for acne prone skin? Likewise for sheet mask and sleeping packs.

Thanks in advance- I'm very much a novice.

Mowglik here too - enjoy your buttery skin and have a lovely vacation - looking forward to hearing what else you found!

I was worried last night that the Innisfree shea butter sheet mask would break me out - I find it pore-clogging in some other products - but patted on some red wine jelly and all is well. This mask would work for someone who is looking for a creamier product.

I've realized that the big thing in Korean cosmetics for me is that my skin needs water, not oil. My products are loaded with terrific humectants and that makes all the difference for me. My euro stuff is oily in comparison and does nothing for me, it just sits there on top of everything going slowly stale and blocking my pores. If the inverse is true for you - you need oils not water - you might not need Korean stuff. With the rise of natural and organic, many euro products have gone backwards in some way - we use a lot of simple oils, coconut products, or balms that you could make yourself (I've found a DIY recipe for the fab Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm and it is very simple), whereas the Korean products like the starfish cream are advanced polymers that create totally new textures and product vehicles. I've been wondering why so many products in my Korean intro kits are watery or fluid - it turns out that they believe that these penetrate better because they are formulated without occlusives. The occlusive layer is optional, provided by the sleeping products. And sheet masks are essences (=humectant fluids with or without actives) with the sheet mask preventing evaporation while the product is absorbed.

Buttons ampoule and serum are used interchangeably but I am interested. Your serums cover a lot of bases but fermented stuff might be a new frontier. The Missha Longer Name ampoule is something I'm interested in - I think W2 or RoseRoseShop sells trial size samples. I'll also try the Benton bee snail stuff if it ever arrives. Propolis and tea tree sound fascinating too. But I have to limit myself as I want to try these properly...

questi0ns read this link first to deal with acne - if you try AHAs/BHAs remember daily sun protection.

For hydration, I'd try one of the intro kits - Missha or Laneige or Mizon or Etude House. Innisfree have a great-looking green tea kit too. The kis are mini products in a variety of textures so that you can find your faves. I haven't found a sleeping mask I don't like yet and with sheet masks, order a few first from eBay to see whether you like the concept. Mine have been mostly Missha and Innisfree, have liked both, My Beauty Diary is a blogger favorite.

Amazing I'm with you - I've used up so many euro disappointments over the past year too so going go Korean for now! There are some gems in French pharmacy lines but lots of the products (available everywhere here, even in supermarkets) are nothing special, just bog-standard old-fashioned creams you'd be better off buying at Lidl for a fraction of the price. I think brands like La Roche Posay have a lot to lose, as the prices are about the same and the stuff is not exactly innovative. But just noticed that the Italian Kiko line is rolling out some Korean-influenced stuff, will need to investigate

Lucysmam I went to a local Chinese market to buy some school supplies, their skincare was Nivea and Italian budget lines. We have a few Korean restaurants and supermarkets in town but haven't explored their beauty offerings yet.

Morning all, my many purchases are starting to trickle through a mix of Korean and items from the CH thread.

I love the Mizon snail gel, I've been using it after cleanse and tone and if I have time leaving it a few minutes before serum, moisturiser it seems to sink into my skin rather than add a layer like moisturiser.

I was sent three samples of Loelle dollish products, I've tried both a cc and a bb cream which were a little strange. In both cases they are a dull white when they go onto your skin and I think the idea is they adapt to your colour, which is true but I found them both to be a bit ashy. I noticed on the cc cream it says for under make up, I normally use a Clinique cc cream which is like a light foundation so I wonder if a Korean cc cream is a slightly different thing and more like a primer? Hmm not sure.

I've also had a delivery of the Biore watery spf stuff, but not tried it yet. I was sad to see no samples included.

The vitamin c day kit from active formulas arrived a few days ago and for some reason I keep resisting making any up so am using up my left over samples of Clinique. In the meantime I'm waiting for Missha time release serum I found an eBay seller doing packs of samples of it for about £4 for something like 15 samples.

Big buttons I've also rearranged the bathroom cabinet, the only problem is that it's clear to the rest of the family that the contents are expanding.

I've got wine sleep pack,some bb creams, eyebrow mascara, wonder pore cream and more I can't remember all on its way.

Also I'm not sure if this ahs been posted before but this is about Koren dupes of western products.

oh! I hadn't thought to look for a Chinese market, good idea thanks Frugal, I'll have a look and see if there's anything I could get to for a mooch.

Here's an article comparing Korean make up with high end brands, not skincare but it's more glam sister.

www.soompi.com/2015/05/29/17-amazing-korean-cosmetic-dupes/

Thanks for the fabulous links MrsGuy! Well worth watching and having tried some of the Missha dupes of higher-end products I agree. Very tempted by the Dior-look-a-like lip product and must buy some Asian eyeliners!

I just had a Korean product fail - a sample the Lioele pearly shimmery base. Pink shimmery bases make my pink slightly uneven-toned face just pinker and more shimmery

My DDs adored it as the sachet was pink and had a pumpkin carriage on it and wanted to dab a little on their cheekbones. I guess it's meant for preteens who are dipping their toes into makeup but don't really need any colorcorrection or primer. I fixed it with my BB cushion.

Confusingly, I think
Western BB cream = tinted moisturizer
Western CC cream = Asian BB cream
Asian CC cream = who can explain?

Frugal, my girls would have been taken by the packaging and shimmer too. I once had a Superdrug Vit E moisturiser with shimmer - it was awful on me but they enjoyed the odd dab every now and again.

I love what you say about oil vs water Frugal, putting on the Mizon snail repair cream then the aqua gel cream feels wrong because they are really light and I am conditioned to expect thicker creamier products but my skin is literally drinking them in and looks better for it.

Great link MrsGuy.

frugal