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!

I was looking at the sparkling apple toner - another one based entirely on the name - any idea what's in it that's making you sore?

(sorry about the split post - I can't scroll to check things on the app )

Hmm, the Su:m37 bubble de-mask is mighty expensive. But if I were to get a load of samples...

No! No spend!

Re the sparking pore, I'm not sure lucysmam. It smells like alcohol when I apply it so I suspect it has it in. Quite disappointed with it as I love skinfood products and the bottle is so cute. Smells nice too. I'm off to research it. I'll look up the missha cleanser, thanks,

Ha Ha scrambled I know what you mean...I love samples and Su:m37 is on my list...along with loads of others.

I must have the skin of a rhino, or just be very lucky then. The only thing that has broken me out so far is the Lioele waterdrop sleeping pack sample I tried. Shame really -it felt really nice going on.

Alcohol seems to irritate a lot of folks. I wonder if manufacturers put it there deliberately knowing people will go hunting for, and probably spend on, a solution

I'm going to pop the aloe mask from today's delivery in the fridge for later - should be nice and soothing after the Rainbows frazzle my brain.

Mmm that's an interesting point about the alcohol. I am still using it, but not daily and only gently wiping my face with it. I hate to waste products. I have also, accidentally just bought the Cosrx clarifying toner as recommended on a blog. Must not spend anything else.

Ooh the aloe mask in the fridge will be lovely at the end of a hot day, enjoy!

An interesting post about Korean beauty trends by skinandtonics

I have amassed quite a few samples, just tried liole fresh sunscreen and it smells amazing! Am half thinking to buy it just for the smell ???? but I'm happy with Biore for now

We should do a swaps for products that don't work out for people!

Definitely up for swaps mowglik I have amassed a huge amount.

I just looked up on the apple pore toner on Cosdna and alcohol is the 2nd listed ingredient. I should have done my research and not allowed myself to be lured by pretty bottles and lush sounding names. No wonder it dries my skin out.

Swaps! I have an entire unopened tube of the Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream, still in its box. I can send a few samples as well, I have loads.

I would have thrown in the only slightly used tube but it's in our first aid box. It's good for scars on my body but my face doesn't like it, sadly.

I received the Holika Holika Watery BB Cream today. In the interests of this thread I cleaned my already made-up face and applied this instead. It's not as pale as I was expecting, from the reviews. It actually suits my skin tone quite well and looks very natural with a bit of buffing from my kabuki brush. Feels very light, coverage is relatively sheer for a bb but very nice for summer. Will see how it wears throughout the day.

One small con for me, along with the pros - I normally prefer a neutral/yellow tone to tone down my rosacea, and this has a slight pinkish tint. At least it's not grey, like I was given to believe from some swatches!

Scrambled would you say the watery one is slightly darker than the others? I'm torn between trying that and the aqua one next time around.

The dithering is not helped by the fact that I don't have a shade to match to, I usually just pick up what's cheap & give it a go.

I don't know, it's the only one I own. The swatch on this blog is pretty accurate although it doesn't show the dry-down, which as I say has a pinkish tinge.

Thanks, I've looked at that swatch before and still dithered. Suppose I can always try it for the £3 ish it is & see what it's like.

The Holika petit creams are quite cheap though - I got mine for a £3.30. I also got the Jelly BB (because it had a lot of rave reviews) in the darker shade because many reviews said the fair was very light, and it should be arriving soon.

Two deliveries for me today, the Innisfree version of FTE ,Etude house zero sebum powder and three Tony Moly tomatoe sheet masks. I've got a pack of FTE samples that I've been trying since last week and I'm not keen on the slightly tacky feeling or the smell. This Innisfree one is supposedly better then FTE for both those reasons so I'm looking forward to trying it later.

The sebum powder is amazing, I am mega shiny always have been. I put some on earlier and then dashed out in the car, it's seriously hot here and I had the roof down and went I got back I still didn't have any shine. It's not at all Camry, I'll see if it lasts the day.

Someone was asking about the Maile sheet masks on ebay- I bought one of those mega packs and whilst they're nice enought Im not sure they're that good. You'll be hard pushed to find any reviews etc I suspect they're a bit poundshop. I'm going to try my Tony Moly one tonight, which will be the first one I've used from any other brand, so will report back.

Off to copy Lucysmam and put mask in fridge.

I think I paid about that for the Clearing (blue tube) one I have Scrambled. Suppose if they're no good for me they can always be swapped here or go in the randoms box that I use for face painting purposes.

News, sheet mask + fridge = bliss after a long day. I think it was Frugal who put me onto the idea originally.

Anyone ordered through beautynetkorea on ebay rather than their website.

I'm just about to order the Dragons Bloody Essence but the seller's name rang a bell for some reason.

And, what are the coloured (lilac and green) make up bases for?

I've got an innisfree 'anti-trouble' mask in the fridge. I'm going to relax with that and a hair mask later. Can't get to hairdresser for a fortnight and my hair is a frazzled mess

Lilac is for brightening sallow skin, and green is for calming red-toned skin.

Personally I've never met a green makeup base that didn't make me look like Mrs Frog, yellow works better for me. But I know some people who use them and they don't look green, so it must be my skin.

Cheers Scrambled. I've never knowingly seen them.

I used to rub some of those green bases into my skin so I'd get sent home from school sick, they were very effective.

scrambled I find the watery bb cream makes my skin look a bit ashen. The actuall shade isn't too light but the undertone seems a bit grey to me rather than yellow. I do love the texture of the crea, though and is so pigmented that it will last me years!

Bigbuttons that means almost certainly that you need a more golden or olive-hued undertone.

No parcel for me today, meaning that I will probably have to take CosRx Blackhead power with me to the beach. Don't want to use AHAs (stopped them a week ago) and don't want to get pimples. What are your favorite non-AB salicylic acid products, just in case the local supermarket stocks them?

I can't say that I've noticed a greyish cast on my skin, bigbuttons. Maybe it's just doing a good job of toning down my pinkness? I look quite pale and wan at the moment too, thanks to still feeling like something you'd scrape off the bottom of your shoe. Will see how it looks when my complexion is less ashen.

Apart from the massive cystic spot on my chin, that is. I shall name him Algernon.

Scrambled I think that's just a sign that the foundation matches your skin. Misshas and Dr Jarts do not look grey or pink on my skin, although that is a common complaint: they just look like my skin. I'm slightly cool-toned - but my skin is not noticeably pink, it's pale beige. I only notice my undertone when I try a foundation that has the wrong undertones for me. I'm now using a pale yellow Bourjois foundation to cancel my purple undereyes. It neutralizes them pretty well, but if I use it on my entire face, It seems like I have contracted Hepatitis A