Obsessed with Asian/Korean stuff - taking your skincare to level 3!

[FrugalFashionista]

Asian and Korean skincare products are big thing right now. We love them!
Tailor your multistep skincare routine here! (or see this pic)

Some of our favorite products so far...
Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50 Sunscreen
Missha Magic Cushion BB Cream #21
Lioele Dollish Veil Vita in Purple
Holika Holika Petit Jelly BB Cream
CosRx Returning A-sol
Scinic Propolis Serum
Mizon Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule
Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail products & trial kit
Mizon Snail Repair Cream
Mizon Returning Starfish Cream
Mizon Good Night White Sleep Mask
Innisfree Wine Jelly Sleeping Pack
My Beauty Diary Imperial Birds Nest and Hyaluronic Sheet Masks
Innisfree Trouble Care Sheet Masks
Innisfree Real Squeeze Sheet Masks
Tony Moly Avocado Mask
Nexcare Acne Patches

Our favorite sellers:
UK-based Bits and Bobs of Beauty
EU-based Missha.ee, Missha.de
Korean Innisfree
On eBay f2plus1, sing-sing girl, Iamlove, blueprint21
Orders from outside the EU: £15 or less are VAT free!

Blogs and other resources
Reddit Asian Beauty, Fifty Shades of Snail, Snow White & Asian Pear, Skin & Tonics
more resources here...
Vol 2 of this thread here and Vol 1 of here

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

Thank-you Frugal

Okay here we go, welcome everyone!

Great start Frugal!

My favourites so far are
Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence
CosRx BHA Blackhead Power
Hada Labo lotion
Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB cream (and I have tried so many foundations that I keep a spreadsheet of them, and think this is the bees knees)

Wow, I can't believe how much this has grown! for you Frugal and to everyone else on this majestic journey!

I've gone for the pink packaged mask I bought today, tonight - the vitamin e one.

It was folded with a plastic mask - like super thin packaging plastic, not sure why .

The mask's a little bit more delicate than the others I've tried, I ripped it a little unfolding it and doesn't have quite the same texture. It feels nice and refreshing and fits well though.

It has a delicate smell - sort of moisturiser ish if that makes sense?

There is loads of the essence left to soak into a couple of compressed masks over the next couple of days.

We'll see what the results are when I take it off but I'd be tempted to buy again so far.

Thank you Frugal

I am celebrating the new thread with a record FOUR Nexcare patches on my face gah! Not quite sure what's up with my skin, but can't attribute it to any skincare as I've kept things the same for about 2-3 weeks now. More likely hormonal. But disheartening really, but it is looking brighter apart from the spots, you just have to look between them!

I think I need to try and just make the rest of my skin sun-protected, healthy and clear, as I'll never beat the spots when they come.

Has anyone seen an 'anti trouble' sleeping mask? Or tried the various Korean 'pink powder' spot treatments?

Lucy's - the MBD Hyaluronic masks come wrapped with a thin plastic sheet, I think it's to prevent them getting all crumpled up in the packaging.

Poor you Wombat I had that the other day but in fairness, 48 hours and you wouldn't have thought they were the beasts I woke up with.

I've seen the pink powder, do you mean the pots with the oil (I think?) sat on top. They look, erm, interesting! Would be interested in giving it a go.

Aaah, that would make sense Cornwall!

Good to hear Cornwall - and like you I have noticed that the usual post zit flakiness isn't happening. Is it you who has had success with the A-sol? Am intrigued by that. I have the CosRX Galactomyces which is I assume similar to the Tony Moly essence - haven't noticed it doing much yet but will keep going as at least it seems light, watery and non-clogging, and extra light layers of hydration seem to suit me! Xx

Wombat I have 'pink powder' on my list - haven't got round to buying it yet though.

oop! Please excuse the very un-Mumsnetty xx's there - am halfway through a text conv with my mum and keep getting confused! She probably got a message full of snails! Ha!

The a-sol hasn't prevented spots forming but I was concerned I'm using too much AHA and BHA in my routine so I've changed from using the a-sol after evening cleanse to putting it on after I wash off my sleep mask in the morning. This has definitely contributed to my spots receding quickly and running a quick hand over my jaw, I don't feel any familiar lumps forming. Definitely a success!

I definitely feel more hydrated using the essence but that may be because it has such a high active concentration, everything is going on/in so well with it.

My next diy adventure is going to be rice water I think. When I get some time tomorrow, I'll do some googling for some proper info but have just had a quick mooch at Pinterest & it looks interesting.

I'm just about to peel my sheet mask off before bed - the rest of the essence is in the fridge for tomorrow evening. It's dried a bit faster than others but my face feels lovely and cool/refreshed.

These are possibly my favourite discovery...and the many novelty items I have on my list!

Thread 3! Thanks Frugal.

My K-beauty 'wins' so far -

Su:m 37 Rose Cleansing stick
Hada Labo lotion
Muji Moist lotion
Ljh Tea Tree Essence 90 - I've gone from covered in spots to NONE in a week. Amazing.
Innisfree Red Wine Sleeping Mask
Laneige Pore Control Cushion
Benton Snail Bee High Content Sheet Mask

Good but not life-changing

Muji sensitive toner
Mizon Good Night Sleeping Balm (usurped by the Insider)
Mizon Snail Gel Cream. Too heavy on the silicone and gives me spots.

Fails -

Muji Face Wash. I don't like the squeaky clean feeling.
SOO Pomegranate sheet mask. Negligible effects and a weird synthetic smell. My skin felt weirdly dry and itchy five minutes after removing it.

Marking place!! This is ace

Insider? Innisfree! Damn you Apple and your insidious spell-checkery nonsense

I've got several eBay suppliers that I follow -
beautynetkorea
rubyruby76 (eBay branch of Roseroseshop)

iamlove-shop
blueprint21
f2plus1
jolse_cosmetics

So far I've bought from blueprint21, Iamlove-shop and f2plus1, and all have been pretty good. I have, however, seen complaints on reddit and various blogs about issues with several of these suppliers, mainly because of being sold fake/used products and the terrible customer service that follows. Caveat emptor, I suppose.

I've given the Apple cleansing oil another chance this evening and I'm warming to it a little, am not as squeaky or as sore and got the little black specs that I think are pore gunk on my cotton pads during the second cleanse. I think I'll use it once a week, have you tried it yet Lucysmam?

lucysmam I use the plastic sheet that sheet masks come on to rub the essence over my neck and chest and everywhere else inc legs and arms and bum.

Also a big recommendation for innisfree no sebum powder - for the first time ever I haven't had to blot my skin for a few hours, my usual powders are mac blot powder and cornsilk but this one is much better at controlling oil. I used 3 layers (under my foundation, on top, then after all makeup to buff) but my skin normally gets oily within an hr of using other powders like this so a big thumbs up for this one!

Wombat poor you I'm having something unexplained going on too, ugly big whiteheads around the left corner of my lower lip. And I haven't introduced anything new. Because it is near the area where I apply my lip balm that has an olive oil base, it might be the lip balm! But I have been able to use that balm for a month without problems and other similar ones for years without anything major - and my lips need them! One factor that might be it is that I've almost stopped using black African soap because I have been experimenting with other cleansers. Will now go back to the soap for a full week! It seems actually gentler than most cream cleansers and in the past it has helped to clear up my skin. I've also used mineral makeup for the past week as I wanted to use up a jar before our move, but that has usually been my acne-safe choice too. I just had my period and yes the house move and goodbyes are stressful, but not that stressful. Figuring out where acne comes from is really hard sometimes...

Bottom line: I wish my CosRx stuff was here (ordered it three weeks ago...), and I wish I could buy a bottle of A-Sol without having to wait forever for it... Cult Beauty carry some CosRx and have sold out their fabulous Mizon intro kits and subsequently expanded their Mizon offerings (yay!). I much prefer EU-based sellers, so I wish they started offering CosRx Blackhead Power, Whitehead Power, Galactomyces, A-sol, and perhaps the ceramid cream. And, in my dreams, get some Cremorlab too!

Oh and thanks for the terrific product favorite lists. I cannot belive how this thread has evolved - when we first started it I expected five responses and the a quick, quiet death on page 2 I've found so many lovely new things thanks to you all! The evening cleanse and product layering ritual is now a lovely part of my day and my skin looks and feels so much better!

mowglik I really like my Innis No-Sebum compact too and you are right, a brush is better than the tiny puff! (I had an unused powder brush that is perfect for this.) My nose is totally different from the rest of my face, some open pores, prone to redness and an oil slick on hot days, and the no-sebum stuff really seems to calm it down.

Scrambled if there was a quick way to get the LJH tea tree thing I would purchase it immediately for my breakout-prone area. But right now I cannot order anything to my Italian address (it will arrive when we have left...) so I have to wait a few weeks and then use the new address

Dior are going to do an AmorePacific cushion! No wonder, I used to really like Dior foundation circa five years ago before I became allergic to them, but pump bottles feel a bit retro now.

Hi I have been lurking for a few days on this thread and plotting how to smuggle all these fab sounding products past my despairing DP, I need to get rid of the stuff I already have to make room.
There is an offer on groupon today for hyaluronic facial acid oil from cougar beauty - £9.98, has anyone tried this brand?