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 there are apple shaped ones too, and cherries with little stalks, and the honey pot ones. They're only a few quid but they'd soon add up if I carried on browsing them

Thanks so much for the replies

wombat - I have just by sheer chance walked past a shop that sells Caudalie (never heard of it before reading this and CH thread this week) and the lovely lady gave me samples of the SOS serum and moisturiser. So I'll try that tonight. The reaction from the Redermic isn't really as bad as it sounds - you can't really see anything its just tingly and raw feeling which I've never experienced before. Its like I'm hypersensitive of my skin. I have found this about Retinol and it seems maybe its a common thing and I should carry on with it once or twice a week until I get used to it? www.skinacea.com/retinoids/side-effects-retinoids.html

I think I will order the snail gel and starfish cream. need to look upthread for some recommended retailers. Also tempted by the white night mask but saw someone mention it has placenta in it. Not sure about that despite having drunk my own placenta in a smoothie I like the fact it has niacinimide in which you say is good for pigmentation/spot scars? TBH I am so tempted to pop into town and buy the bouncy sleep mask instead but all this talk of wonderous asian skin has me too sucked in!

Oh I loooove the honey pot lip balms! Dangerously cute.

ilovetosleep - good luck with the Caudalie! I find it lovely, very soothing - but needs moisturiser over the top to make the hyaluronic acid work properly.

I bought the snail gel and starfish cream from www.cultbeauty.co.uk - but you can buy them much cheaper on eBay, (just look at the seller feedback first to check that they are selling genuine products).

Currency conversions: google
10 USD in GBP
You'll get the current exchange rate, and you can input any basket total

Ilovetosleep Wombat suggested great products. A sheet mask is also fun and the hydrating effects are usually immediate. Many Korean products are perfumed, but you can always look for unperfumed stuff. Also just buying something that looks cute can be a good strategy. I usually google the product name and read user reviews, they are often very helpful. Etude House have an adorable series for oily skin, Zero Sebum something, and I've seen some really lovely blotting papers.

Zero Sebum

About sleeping masks, lots of different ones out there. They are a bit like Cerave PM, but I prefer sleeping masks because they smell nicer and feel better somehow. I am going to buy a few because I've never before found a product that I like this much.

Skin & Tonics uses a lot of AHA/BHA products and tretinoin. She describes her evening products in detail here. Adapting the whole routine is not necessary, you can just pick an intriguing product and give it a try. I do not need retinoids but her advice seems sensible!

The final link tonight, Skin & Tonics on sleeping masks and other special treatments. Have just put on mine, my favorite evening ritual...

Just found this review of lots of sheet masks

sheet masks

Thanks for the links frugal, I'm just reading through the evening routine now as I feel mine needs tweeking. Even double clensing with cetaphil and another does not feel 'clean' enough when I've had SPF on all day.

Is there a Korean version of nip&fab pads? I have clearasil pads for the morning and want something with a bit more sting in the evening at the moment I use tretinoin one night, super drug glycolic peel the next, and then a nice serum/moisturiser the next.

Sleep mask research is next on my list ;)

Ilovetosleep what a fabulous link, thank you for posting it!

m0gx some say AHA/BHA products are not the strongest suit in Asian Beauty products. Others love this product and some really like CosRx stuff (a geeky review here). It is totally fine to use your Western AHA/BHA stuff, I combine LRP Effaclar or Nip+Fab with my Korean stuff and they work well together. I've also broken all the acidity balancing rules and still get good results...

Hello ladies.

Thanks for the links Frugal They'll keep me busy before bed tonight.

I have placed my order for snail gel, sheet masks (platinum and strawberry for starters) and a pack of collagen eye masks this evening so will now wait impatiently for them to arrive. Sheet masks were from a UK seller so should be here by the end of the week .

I've been browsing spot patches but now can't find them to go back and look again I wondered if they would be as effective on the big cystic spots I get on my chin as the cream I have from the GP.

Also noticed diy sheet masks are cheap as chips so am going to look more into those at some point - from a quick google you tailor each one specifically for your requirements that day. I'll be back with links to anything interesting I find

I have just bought the Biore suncream mentioned upthread and the Mizon hyaluronic serum stuff! Exciting

For Cystic spots on my chin I use Etude House AC clinic pink powder, but since using www.fanserviced-b.com/review-ljh-tea-tree-90-essence-from-memebox-luckybox-2/ I had no spots for 3 months and after the essence finished a month later my spots reappeared.

ops posted too quick

What I was saying was that the essence cleared all my spots and when they did try to reappear they would go within a couple of days, unlike the weeks it normally took for them to heal. This is something I will buy again when I use up my hoard of skincare products.

ruby, thanks for that link. I was just about to post these tonymoly spot patches to ask if any of you have used anything like them

I'll be off for a look now

Just remembered as well - I've been mooching about Pinterest too & a lot of the pins on there include carrying about a facial mist thingy to spritz through the day...do any of you bother with that?

Seems like a faff to me & I can't imagine I'd remember about it until I pulled it out of my handbag at the end of the day in a sort of "oh! I forgot I had you " sort of way.

Thanks to you lot i just ordered a Biore Watery Gel (not the Essence) spf 50 on Ebay. I'm on a makeup ban but you can always justify sunscreen!

I've gotten quite a bit of stuff in the past. I still adore the Skin79 BB Gold. I bought the little sample pack on Ebay and loved the Gold one the most. Its the best match for my skin I've ever come across (Mac NW20/Nars
Deauville). Only thing that annoys me is that you have no idea how much is left inside!

And I'm a sucker for Tony Moly and Etude House. The packaging! Aaaaah!

I second Étude House! Love their sliver bb creme. I order it from Amazon and then wait it's long arrival. I also love Shesheido products, their lipsticks are soothing and the colours are fab.

I got the s:um 37 miracle rose cleansing stick yesterday and first impressions are very good.

this is also a great site. It has helped to clear up a little confusion for me. Still very confused, but less than before!

Ladies thanks for the fantastic ideas and links - bigbuttons that site looks really great, found lots of great info there, bookmarked it!

For anyone new to Asian Beauty, links to a bunch of really great sites and blogs here. We've linked to quite a few of them already but there might be some new ones too. I find great blogs exceptionally helpful.

ChesterDraws the rose cleansing stick is a cult product - a rave review here! Please update us in a week or two!

Annarose lovely to see you here and yes, a sunscreen is always a good purchase! I have a strict ban on makeup - no getting into Korean stuff although it looks v v tempting - but I have diligently used up my old creams and have very few hoarded skincare items left just a couple of really dull cleansers and moisturizers to be used as body care products, so I am exploring new alternatives and loving it so far. My first Asian suncreen is about to arrive so hoping to be able to sample it soon. Right now travelling and stuck with my Chanel spf 50 fluid that is acne neutral and matte but looks a tad Kabukiesque and far too expensive - using it up but not going to repurchase.

Ruby your recommendations always land straight on my shopping list!

wickedfairy hope you'll like your new purchases!

SilverSamhain welcome and thanks for the great recommendations.

Lucysmam re hydrating sprays, right now I'm in wet Scandinavia. Every time I pop outdoors I get a light facial mist with bonus acids so don't think I need any extra stuff here But if our flight is not cancelled, will be in Italy tonight and might change my mind really quickly as it is getting hotter there every day!

big your link looks really interesting.

Frugal, I'll not write it off altogether yet then. I don't tend to go anywhere super hot really but can see how it would be useful.

I tried to do some more reading about diy sheet masks last night but t'internet kept crashing my phone so I gave up & will try again tonight.

I keep a hydrating spray in my bag and spritz it on if my make up looks a bit tired, or I sometimes find myself looking a bit dehydrated and crepey through the day, say if I haven't had enough water or something. It's good for a bit of a midday plump, I find.