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!

frugal glad you had a great relaxing holiday, sorry to hear you're not getting on with cosrx. I am waiting for the bha so can't swap. I would offer the a-sol but my son has knicked it!
I am NOT looking at product recommendations. I am quite interested in the longer name ampoule but will wait to run out of some of my many serums first!

Just a quickie while my straighteners heat up...

Scrambled, I think they're a bit chunky for nails but yes, same sort of thing - different glue though.

My two spots have shrunk away. Just sore to the touch patches where they were. Pre this thread, they would have turned into horrific beasts and lurked for ages

I've been mooching round town having a think - after successfully shrinking and soothing my two monsters that were brewing last night, I think I'd like to try a royal jelly product.

Any recommendations that are easy on the purse?

Lost a post earlier, but enjoyed hearing everyone's news. I have tanned a bit on my holiday, Missha #13 is too ghostly on me, which is great, as I can use up my Dr Jart in the coming months. It's usually slightly too dark but probably just right now.

I've decluttered the children's room. DC are out having fun with Nanny while I tackled their room. You know the debris that forms the bottom layer of their habitat Anyway, I was able to donate their baby toys and cleared out three huge binliners full of junk, drawings, school stuff, broken toys and clothes that were too small. Wish I had had the energy to do this earlier - their room feels so airy. I tried to place the rest of their stuff strategically so that they will not notice what is missing. I doubt they will miss last year's maths homework. Anyway, the pre-move clearouts are fantastic, like a detox

Frugal, that sounds suspiciously like my girl's room You can come and do that if you want? DD2 is strangely attached to box models and other assorted tat that I'm itching to chuck out.

I've had to buy another two storage bag thingys from Primarni today (like make up cases but they're bags iyswim) for my ever growing stash of goodies Will get another on Friday for fake tan and hair stuff and the like - clear some space for the stuff in pretty packaging

Lucysmam thanks for the invitation! I am getting really ruthless (headless Barbie? - gone) and might get a second career out of this. And your stash is growing at an alarming rate - you are welcome to join the using up thread

Erm...I'll keep that thread in mind for future use

It's mainly sheet masks and diy bits & bobs atm.

I'm actually surprised how affordable this all is really, I'd usually pick up randomness with my spends in town just so I'd spent it but by avoiding the randomness I've managed to buy myself some decent products and see results! I no longer feel like I'm skint & can't afford anything nice for myself.

We don't have any headless barbies - I don't think - there is a box under the stairs though, that hasn't been out in so long that I have no idea what's in it . Am writing a declutter list tonight to start on Thursday.

Your time will come, my three actually enjoy clearing out their rooms themselves now (12,13 &15) and we have no plastic tat anywhere anymore.

Dd1 has begrudgingly admitted that my advice has cleared up her flaky congested skin and has asked for further help, not sure I want to encourage her too much or she'll be taking my supplies.

DC came home and they loved their 'new' room! I think they are growing out of the toy phase, they seem to prefer iPads, drawing and coloring. Not long ago, I went through dozens and dozens of markers and discarded all the dry ones - about a third.

I am comparison-shopping sheet masks. Torn between Innisfree Real Squeezes (there are still lots of flavors I have never tried) and a variety pack of MBDs. My MBD hyaluronic is more effective than Innisfrees, but the latter fit my face better and smell nicer (except the bija which I dislike - it stings). I might be overlooking some great alternatives, so please nominate your favorite sheet masks. I can spend no more than 22€ / £15.

Oo sheet masks - I was really tempted by sheets masks on the rubyruby shop - innisfree, missha etc at 30p each - got to checkout and the £19 shipping charge made my jaw drop! Abandoned my basket quick sharp after that

My faves so far are my scheming, then MBD, then innisfree. I've ordered a hydrogel to try and some mediheal which are supposed to be good.. Would love to try the dress masks next too which look quite good fun

I'm quite liking the Lebelage masks I bought to test different 'flavours'. They were somewhere around £3.60 on ebay for six - royal jelly, aloe, pearl, snail, collagen, and one I can't remember without going upstairs for a rummage in my new bag. Favourite is the royal jelly so far.

I don't think it is either the aloe, or propolis in the Benton gel that irritated me - I'm going to write down ingredients to compare that and the lioele sleeping pack, and look for potential triggers later on. Although, from a brief look at COSDNA last night, the gel didn't have anything highlighted iirc.

I got a lovely rose scented sheet mask as a freebie, think it was an innisfree, it was lovely. Currently using etude house vita complex which give me nice glowy skin

Frugal I have a full tub of Mizon good night white sleeping mask if you're interested in swapping for the bha/AHA. I've only used it once, it just doesn't suit my oily skin.

Woke up today with dry, peeling skin. Delayed reaction to the retinol, or reaction to the hydrogel sheet mask last night? Not sure. But I was off to Wimbledon and the prospect of being in a crowd shot with that face was

Anyway I covered my face in Ren Evercalm moisturiser and serum today and it helped with the dryness. Managed to just about hide the dryness with the BB Jelly and tonight will probably do a moisturising sheet mask. Hopefully will all settle down soon.

Smegs it sounds like a reaction to retinoids. If you use isotretinoin, it basically stops your sebum production, and that can result in extremely dry skin. Hope you can sort it out!

XiCi that would be a great swap! I love Good Night and my tube is emptying quickly, so wouldn't mind a backup! I could send the parcel on Monday, it will be quicker that way than with Italian mail.

Our move is like a war campaign. We are culling and giving away stuff this week and I will pack my perfume and makeup and skincare myself (my lipsticks are currently in a Tupperware box in the fridge - don't ask). DC and I are flying out on Sunday. The movers will do the rest next week and then everything will arrive by truck by the end of the month, and DH will drive the car. Then it will take a week or two to rearrange everything. I can take 60+ kg of stuff with me on the plane to tide us over for the first couple of weeks and at the moment I want my printer, Kindle, Korean stuff, some vialone nano risotto rice and some summer clothes. Priorities

Mowglik and Lucysmam thanks for the sheet mask tips! I'm itching to try My Scheming, but worried that I am allergic to the preservative (MI).

Forgot to say that I am patch testing snail bee on my right cheek. Fingers crossed that I don't wake up with boils or something. Dragon's Blood last night did not cause any strange reactions, actually my skin is feeling much nicer again, acids are really magic.

That's it I have the Korean skincare bug after some serious lurking/research!

I have lots of things on order and am currently using some bits and pieces I already have - would any of you experienced wise ones like to put some order to my (soon to be routine) please? I am 43 with sensitive skin, prone to itches and whiteheads that gets tired and dehydrated and really reactive around my period.

Currently - AM
Eau Thermale gentle gel cleanser (already using successfully)
Eau Thermale cleansing water (as before)
Aloe vera pure gel (from Tenerife, not sure if it's irritating me or I'm just hormonal)
Dr Organics snail eye gel
Dr Organics snail repair serum
Coppertone F50 sunblock (currently 3 for 99p in the 99p store, it is fantastic, I've bought loads! it has korean writing all over it)

PM
Eau Thermale gentle gel cleanser
Eau Thermale cleansing water
Cougar hyaluronic acid
Dr Organics snail eye gel
Dr Organics Snail repair cream
Dr Organics snail repair serum

On order:
Retin A 0.025 - I am planning to put this on every other night straight after cleansing
C20 Vitamin C serum - in the morning, in place of aloe vera gel
Face shop rice water cleansing oil - at start of evening cleansing routine - do you apply with hands remove with cotton wool?

Any advice gladly received I am very easily persuaded to buy everything try new things, my skin has never looked better right now I am so impressed and excited

Must not peel my feet...must not peel my feet...Scrambled, did you footner yet? It's strangely fascinating!

Bottoms of heels peeled off completely when I took of my socks tonight - think they needed the friction maybe to get them going. There is more to come but I am resisting the urge to peeeeeeel Thoroughly disgusting but wonderful at the same time. Will be cheap footner-ing regularly I think.

Jocasta, I haven't been using a cleanser in a morning - just warm water and a flannel or facial sponge when I remember.

Snail serum before aloe gel, then moisturiser (apols for small posts - I can't scroll through your post on the app, it's very annoying!)

If you think the aloe is irritating - cut it out for a while and see if that helps; maybe run it through COSDNA.com looking for anything that might trigger a reaction (usually highlighted). If you get on with snailey stuff, Mizon snail repair gel cream is cheap and light as a possible replacement.

Cleansing oil -massage with hands, emulsify with a little warm but not hot water and rinse away. Then second cleanse.

Vitamin c serum needs to go as close to skin as possible so after washing your face in a morning then wait 20 mins before carrying on with other layers. It's a different step to the aloe gel which is more soothing/moisturising so you'd need to replace the aloe.

Hang on a mo - useful diagram coming up...here. Might be more useful than my ramblings!

thank you lucysmam - do you use the vitamin C every day?
Also if I remove the aloe gel, should it be warm water cleanse, then vit C, then serum then sunblock?

I think I would like to try retinal /retinA (what's the difference?).

So, I know I have to start with 0.025 strength - where do you all buy yours from please? Links would be great, as well as any other advice! I have dry skin, no real spot issues but lines are appearing and I would like them to disappear!

I use vitC at night, so presumably would move that to daytime and use retinol at night?? Thanks!