Obsessed with Asian/Korean stuff - taking your skincare to level 5!

[FrustratedFrugal]

Are you curious about Asian/Korean beauty products?
Please join us and share your experiences and questions!

Check out past threads for product and vendor recommendations.

Remember, orders of £15 or less are VAT free!

This is even more unrelated than the Garnier Micellar but, I'm watching Sherlock . Anywho, even the lurvely Benedict Cumberbatch has visible pores in some shots! Maybe perfection isn't so hard to achieve after all

Does anyone have a recommendation for a toner for acne prone skin, under £10 (preferably around £5-6) ?

What sort of toner would you like?

In AB there are ph reducing ones to speed up the acid step, hydrating ones (I rate the Hada Labo Gokujyun lotion toner - Benton Aloe bha also gets good reviews). Or acid toners (aha/ bha like clearasil etc)

I've just cleansed my Missha cushion compact with dishwashing liquid - it is incredible how much gunk the sponges had absorbed The sponges are now soaking in Garnier toner (using up something I never liked). I am thinking of filling the cushion with Revlon Colorstay to finish a bottle. This foundation has always suited me but is a touch too pink and also provides more coverage than I currently need. So I mixed some of it with Gokujyun on a jam jar lid - a bit concerned that it looked a bit swirly, as if not quite emulsifying. Anyway, I stippled the mixture on my face. If it wears well, I'll fill the cushion with it. If not, I will experiment with other toners and lotions.

The more i read, the more confused I am getting! I think I'm going to give the glycolic acid a go, it sounds as though it would be suitable for my skin type. So (I think) I shall need a PH reducing one?
I think I'm going to have to start getting up at 5am to give me time to put all my skin care on!

I have also bought a ph testing kit - the article on PH cleansers was fascinating.

So recommendations for a ph reducing toner and glycolic acid please and a second job to pay for all this!
Or let me know if I've got it all wrong

Yep, you have it right. The COSRX aha 7 whitehead power liquid is well reviewed & has glycolic acid. It's about £9 ish on ebay.

I'm using distilled witch hazel (£1.49 in Home Bargains) as a ph reducing step on an evening. A reddit search might be helpful if you want something that's actually designed to be a ph reducing step. COSRX do one, and Mizon, off the top of my head. Both have AHA/BHA in their title but I can't remember their actual names

You might be better off using the aha in an evening as it can make you more photosensitive i.e. more prone to sun damage.

in an evening routine*...

I filled the Missha cushion with Revlon Colorstay, not diluting it with anything. If it does not feel good, I'll do a new batch mixing in snail serum, Gokujyun, LRP moisturizer, or even some ancient Revlon skinlights stuff I still have. Colorstay has always been a faff to apply as it is quite runny but there is no pump - so hoping the cushion sorts it out.

I have ginormous pimples on my jaw line. Could it be from not using any acids for a week (ran out) or hormones or a new sheet mask? Small mountain climbers could scale the one on my chin.

Jaw line ones are usually hormonal from the reading I've done Grin. That said, I've cut out the acids after using the cream cleanser a couple of times made my face sore and tight & have noticed the pimples and cc's creeping back

I've ordered all sorts of things over the £15 threshold and each time the value has been marked down so I am not caught at customs.

Hello ladies, been following the threads keenly and have dipped my toe in the big sea of Korean skincare/cosmetics with a Tony Moly gold mask and a brilliant Ottie eyebrow pencil that is the perfect dark brown shade.

Anyhow, I now want to get an oil cleanser but despite reading numerous blog posts and 'best of' lists I can't seem to narrow it down enough. So this is where you come in. If you tried or bought an excellent oil cleanser that works and that is not too expensive, please could you point me in the right direction?

Stevie, the Skinfood Black sugar oil is well reviewed & I find it takes off my make up perfectly well. It is lemony scented though in case scents are not for you. I paid around £7 ish on ebay from jolse_cosmetics.

Banila Clean it Zero melts into an oil (sort of like coconut oil does). That's well reviewed too. But is more expensive.

Kose softymo deep cleansing oil is also well reviewed - around £9 ish a bottle.

I literally just picked what took my fancy when I ordered the Skinfood one. If you search on reddit for your skin type & cleansing oil recommendations, there will be loads of them

Grin I tend to get pimples in the second part of my cycle if I am lax with acids. Have one near my nose now that is Alpine in scale, hope it is not Colorstay. Nice sheer finish, but I am so tired of adult acne. If I get more breakouts, I'll go back to mineral foundation.

Stevie welcome! I don't oil cleanse (it's a major acne trigger for me) but lots of people here do. Hope you'll get some great suggestions soon!

Sorry x-post with Lucysmam...

Oh and wanted to share this news story - can I suggest a peacekeeping operation with customizable Etude House cushions...

I very rarely get hormonal pimples but I think you are correct and it's a combination of no acids and hormones. My skin has started to get dry and flaky on the side of my nose. Oh well it's only for another week. More cosrx a-sol? It's as acid as I've got at the moment.

Stevie I've used black sugar cleansing oil and baby oil (when I ran out of the other) for my oil cleanser and have had no problems.
The kose one seems very popular on reddit.

I can't function fully without the mobile site the desktop
Site is a pain in the ass :(:( constantly worried about what I'm missing on this thread

jackie, mobile's working fine, I'm using it now! It's the app they took down as a security measure

Grin, which baby oil!? There are a load these days - I looked at the one with the pink top in Savers the other day to try but couldn't make my mind up about it

The other oil cleanser that some people like is the body shop chamomile one.

I'm tempted to buy my fav Emma Hardie moringa balm as there's 20% off M&s beauty today, but it'll still be £30 ... On the other hand I do love it arggh.

Thanks for the cleansing oil tips! I'll check those mentioned out. Not sure about baby oil, I'd prefer something with no mineral oil. Some researching to do!

Lucy I'm in Oz so different brands but I used an own own brand cheap one. Tesco value range equivalent.

The skinfood one is probably not for you either then Stevie

Thanks Grin, I'm placing a Tesco order for tomorrow so will take another look at the baby oils on their website.

My snail masks arrived this morning so I will report back after I try one at some point this week (while watching more Sherlock - fascinating!)

Urgh, my collection of cc's is growing since cutting out the acids. My face feels normal again but I was going to be sensible and wait until Friday to start re-introducing them.

Bit random but do any of you have excema and have you tried aloe gel on it? Dd1 has a patch on her neck which I've tried the Benton Aloe propolis gel on & it's really taken away the redness and itchyness a lot.