Obsessed with Asian/Korean Beauty Products Vol 6

[FrustratedFrugal]

Past volumes here.

I tried to post on the previous thread and realized that it was full.

Anyone still around?

I have a parcel from Korea waiting for me at the post office. Can't wait.

Ah, yes I had a little freak out last night when Hollin informed me on another thread where we're talking nerdy skincare.

I've been looking into the Matrixyl too (although the Buffet looks to be a 'buffed' up version of this) which both look very interesting but I'd have to schedule it somehow as it does similar things to Vit C and Retinol. My current versions are just about finished while waiting for The Ordinary to ship already so I kind of have to try those first. I think I'll get Niacinamide too since my Naruko Night Gelly is nearly done as it goes quite quick and I'm thinking with how cold it's already getting of switching over to the Dr. Hauschka rose day cream as my night moisturiser, so the Niacinamide would fill that gap of the Naruko. I'm also considering the Lactic 10% for the body.

It really is a bit of too much choice with seductive pricing, I've yet to make up my mind completely 24hrs later . The free shipping threshold is also annoying me as I'm unlikely to order a lot in one go again anytime soon, which makes it very tempting to just add more and more to the basket but I'm severely lacking the skin to put it all on...

Haha, I had a quick look at that thread I think you are referring to. It reads like a veritable skincare encyclopedia!! Well done!! I would not call it being a nerd, but rather being highly educated

I still have to do a comparison between the INCI of the matrixil and the buffet to see which ingredients are present where/ interest me the most. I'm basically looking for something with a lot of HA and peptides as a day serum. At night I'm still using the last drops of the Benton snail-bee essence which is quite amazing especially for that price and the Sulwhasoo GOA ampoule (samples) which is pure skincare heaven but I'm not likely to buy full size of that as its alas £€£...
I also just got the Mizon Black Snail cream. I ordered the Tony Moly foot booties from BeautyNet Korea so I had to order that as well as I've been so curious about it. I have no idea where I'll fit it in, though, haha... Night cream or extra day moisture for cold wintery days???

So what did you already order from Deciem? Good idea about the acid for body. Would you mix it into body lotion?
By the way, last year they had amazing Black Friday offers, something like three products for the price of one or so.

Trying the Naruko Rose sheet mask at the moment......

I have yet to order a thing and was actually on the lookout for a discount code as I know they do them every month between 10-15% off but despite signing up for their newsletter I never receive it .

I'm also debating whether to wait out the Vit C in Vit F, as that's going to be much gentler with a concentration I'd be perfectly happy with (23% seems a tad excessive) but I might just use some Vit C 23% on the body too since my legs are being plagued with bruises which I've assessed is down to a lack of collagen.

I'll see what the consistencies are like, might just do lactic acid like a serum before moisturiser at first.

I think the buffet is Matrixyl plus the Probiotic complex. I've used quite a bit from Aurelia Probiotic skincare but have to say didn't notice much special about the probiotic stuff, I'm not sure the research is out there to support it but maybe it's a miracle worker in combination with the Matrixyl ?

Maybe it's a good idea to wait out Black Friday for the non-essentials and do minimal hauling now. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!!!-

Oh I wish I had a discount code too. I also get the newsletter, but no codes....
Last year the Black Friday deals were very specific - I got the Hyalamide serum for about 30 euros (I think) and got the Hylamide eye serum and Hylamide Photography Foundation (a glowy primer that I actually tend to use on no make up make up days with cream blush and creates a pretty amazing effect) with it it. I remember thay had a trial/ sample set of the NIOD line as well.
Re the vitamin C as far as I understand the L-AA is the most effective form of it, so I think I will go for that as I do t mind the potential sting.
I'll do my research today and let you know...
Re the matrixil - I am in general a big believer in peptides. CH once said she does believe in the effective of matrixil, and it wasn't in the context of any products or review or such.

Tried the Mizon Black Snail cream this morning and OMG it's so moisturizing and lovely and it's not as gloopy as the photos make it look so it's OK for daytime.

It's usually the month with the year but no luck with OCTOBER2016. Hmm, if they're going to be specific about it they'll probably favour NIOD over the Ordinary in Black Friday Deals.

Yes, L-AA is supposed to be the most effective but I've never used it at such high concentrations so I'm a tad nervous along with the Retinol. Think I'll buy it and try on the body first for a bit.

I did a bit of Matrixyl research and posted my findings on the encyclopedia thread with a few links, basically most of the research seems to come from the manufacturer and the rest are a bit dodgy. Biochemists haven't quite figured out how it works but that it does work and most cosmetic companies are just happy to dump it in any old formulation and probably isn't doing much there. Effective rate is between 3-8% and performs better if both Matrixyl and Matrixyl3000 are involved. It is the best researched of the peptides and expectation is that generationally its efficacy will improve with more research available. I'm not a 100% convinced it will outdo or replace Retinol/Vit C anytime soon but looking at the brands that have embraced it I'm curious enough to evaluate it myself.

Also, back to the Asians. I think I'm in a deeply committed relationship with the Shu Uemura Sublim8 Cleansing Oil despite the horrid fragrance. I absolutely love it, not drying at all, my skin is super nourished from it. I don't need as much so it lasts much longer and it is a next level up in terms of ridding any makeup off your face. I've often not done the double cleanse because it felt unnecessary.

I've been using a sample of the Skinceuticals C serum and so far so good - - no outbreaks and very smooth skin - so I think I'll be fine with the 23%.

By the way when I wrote about Matrixyl I meant Matryxil3000. I'm sure it will not replace Retinols and Vit c if proven to be effective, but every little bit counts!

I think I am going to go for the matrixyl HA serum as the HA 2% has less peptides, the Buffett's main ingredient is the probiotics (and I don't suffer from those problems) and since I have now the black snail cream which is above 90% snail which in its turn is very high in HA I can focus on the Matrixyl. I wish they wrote what percentage HA that serum has.

The SU oil sounds lovely, and you know I'm a lover of all forms of oils. Wish I would find a good MO/ plastics free AB balm for first cleanse though, and then enjoy oils for second

There's actually a balm version of the Shu Oil Ultime8 if we're going to be in a serious relationship I really should get the name right but Shu isn't that clean of a brand so I'm willing to bet there's probably lots in there that you wouldn't get on with, Aurora. Cosdna info here.

Came across a Japanese beauty box thing on Reddit for anyone interested, I'm not sure if it would be my thing with all my sensitivities, although heated Hello Kitty eye pads have me majorly intrigued . It seems to be a mix of skincare, beauty and body products (full sizes). Value is $50 but it costs $30 with free worldwide shipping, and with the code KSR10415 you get $10 off (code expires Oct 31), looks like you can just order the single box or sign up for multiple months. (They also seem to have a food and a kawaii crap knick-knacks version).

Thanks for the link for the SU balm botemp. The INCI is actually OK for me, but the price is 75€ on eBay!!!!!!! I think at the moment if I would invest in any cleanse it would be in the Sulwahsoo oil. It's just so amazing and smooth and smells divine and you need so little Ive still got some of the sample.

Though now that DECIEM have shown us what products really do cost to make/ sell I think I will now revaluate everything, haha.
Haven't ordered anything yet. Don't need anything super urgent, so decided to wait a few more weeks and see what else they release as I'm curious about the eye caffeine serum, but like I said I think at the moment I will get the Vit C 23% and the Matrixyl but eventually also the Retinol 2%.

I'm annoyed at easypharmacie who have stopped shipping Caudelie to NL grrrr... I just need the grape water spray so I might just get it locally, though I wanted to combine it with some Weleda stuff.

Still enjoying the Mizon Back Snail All In One if anyone is interested and my love for the Naruko Night Gelly is growing by the day though I was not super impressed by the Rose HA sheet mask (but have used it only once).

Don't know if I would buy a box beyond the one time - there is too much stuff I probably would not be able to use but Hello Kitty stuff sounds lovely! My heart always beats faster when I see those things, same goes for Nijntje

Oops forgot about the ridiculous price tag .

Newpharma have free shipping to DPD points currently, no minimum order. I'm sure they have Caudalie.

I made my order but held off on the Matrixyl as I just wouldn't be able to fit it in my routine for months so better off to wait and see what offers they have for Black Friday/Cyber Monday and stock up on things that I'll hopefully be liking.

My Naruko night gelly is nearly finished . I'm still not sure whether to get another one as I find it rather cold to use on my face during this time of year and trying the cream version instead. Went to try the Hauschka cream the other day and was left wondering what I liked about it...

Oh, so I've finally been lured across from the skincare ingredients thread. Hello everyone, I'm Yongnian and I'm a skincare obsessional. help me spend more
I'm lurking nonchalantly round the AB fringes like at a school disco but haven't 'gone there' yet...

Link to the actual beauty box would be helpful... apologies:

japancrate.com/kirakira

Those beauty boxes look quite entertaining. I wonder if the products come with English instructions/ labels, cause I certainly don't know what to do with 3/4 of the AB samples I'v got lying around since they only have writing in Korean or Japanese etc. What are warm eye patches anyway? I always put cold stuff around my eyes.....

botemp there is actually a place not far from me that sells Caudelie, it's just that EP has such wonderful prices.... And they did ship Caudelie until a while ago.

By the way I don't find that I use more of the Naruko Night Gelly than of any other night packs, but I usually use that kind of stuff over oil, so I find I have to apply very little, or rather I can't apply too much over the other 34.5 layers (kidding, only 8 tonight, including double cleanse).

What did you end up ordering from Deciem? Good idea to try now and stock up on Black Friday!

Welcome yongnian just tell us what your heart desires and we will point you the right way

The Kira Kira promises a magazine with info and instructions in English. I'm actually becoming quite tempted can always use the fragrant stuff on the body after doing the USD - EUR conversion.

Supposedly the warming eye pads are popular among Japanese working girls (this means something completely different there, I hope ), they warm up very slowly and it's very relaxing and soothing. Plus Hello Kitty .

I do gelly then oil, thing is don't think it'll make much of a difference in order for the sensorial business. It's smearing a bit on the back of my hand that's the uncomfortable bit (as I discovered last night).

I ended up ordering the Advanced Retinoid 2%, Vit C 23% (seems to be in a tube now and since there were a few complaints about the weird texture I wonder if they've tweaked it since launch), Niacinamide and the 10% Lactic Acid for the body (at least that's what I'm using it for). Currently heavily debating on whether to try out the Skinceuticals Retexturing Activator, which also influenced my hesitance on buying the Matrixyl now.

Beware, sheet masks are a gateway drug .

Speaking of, I've been thinking of getting the Naruko AMPM biocellulose masks as it seems to be a rare one without fragrance (the RX10 Peptide Firming and Repairing Facial Mask). Did you ever look into the Naruko AMPM line while you were researching the Taiwanese brands, Aurora? The other Naruko AMPM masks look interesting too... I may be high on Ordinaries savings and going mad on eBay

One of the masks is mandelic acid based, and it got me thinking, yongnian, that you might want to look into that as an ingredient. It's supposed to be good for pore tightening and rosacea. It's an AHA but far gentler than glycolic and even lactic, unusually it is also somewhat oil soluble so like a BHA works on a deeper level too. The Dr. Wu Intensive Renewal Serum With Mandelic Acid 18% is a very popular one in AB. I'm not sure what the pros/cons would be vs. BHA but i suspect mandelic would possibly be gentler.

gateway drug I suspected as much!!
Ok, well sounds like mandelic makes sense as a suitable acid for me. I haven't committed to anything yet as I'm trying to sit on my hands and not just buy loads of new products for the sake of it (my natural inclination!!). Thanks for the rec botemp I've looked at both the Naruko mandelic mask and dr wu mandelic oil, either or will go on the wish list. Will have to weigh up whether I'll get more use/benefit out of the masks or the serum.
Are Naruko masks the silk ones? I do like the sound of them...

I've just searched up mandelic acid on eBay and you can buy 12ml roller balls in either 5, 10, 20 or 30%.....for £3.50???! Is this like buying stripped back product via the Ordinary or some dodgy back-street seller, avoid-at-all-costs scenario??!

I wouldn't go for the mask, in terms of actives they're rarely interesting as their results are quite temporary. I think some of the tea trea ones are good for those prone to breakouts but beyond that it's mostly pampering. Mandelic peels are quite popular but anything peel like scares the bejeezus out of me...

Silk ones are Lovemore, some My Scheming ones, I think L'Herboflore and Maskingdom but not 100% on those two. Naruko uses some sort of fiber, which supposedly feels silky, don't know what exactly it is though . The AMPM ones I was looking at are biocellulose which is a completely different kettle of fish altogether.

Unless I know a brand on eBay (and that the product is authentic) I do not purchase dodgy stuff from there. At best it has an ineffective pH, at worst your skin falls off . Not worth the risk imo.

I've tried the Ordinary vitamin c and wasn't keen (didn't so much tingle as sting) but if like to try something else from them. What active would be best for dry, 40-year-old skin?

Hmm yes, Dr Wu stays on the list then, cross the others off. And masks temporary effect, ok gotcha.

Err, there seem to be quite a few AB makes on TKMaxx online beauty department...any good? Quicker than importing I was thinking (instant gratification me)

Oh and another question sorry, if you are buying via amazon prime, where are you finding the ingredients list? Maybe am looking in the wrong place but can't seem to find them.

Are you done with the mask yet, Aurora? Enquiring minds want to know about bio-cellulose masks as made evident above.

I don't know what TKMaxx sells but I think it's mostly what they call 'roadshop' brands in Korea. It's the cheap fun stuff, not really the things I'd navigate towards but it may be a good intro to the textures, etc. I think there's two strategies to AB, weird ingredients to up your game or a cost saving exercise.

Rather common first products are the Missha First Treatment Essence, Mizon Snail Cream, Su:m 37 Rose cleansing stick, Hada Labo lotion, and the Laneige Sleeping Pack. Almost forgot the Biore SPF! There's far more interesting things beyond those products but they tend to be the things that get people interested initially. I got the Missha FTE, I do kind of miss it in my routine these days and have been contemplating a whole array of possible alternatives but may just end up getting the Missha again...

www.cosdna.com/ is where we look up the INCI, if it's not on there I tend to look on the brand's website.

Ok, yes those names have been popping up through my amazon trawl..and from various people's top shelves on Into the Gloss..taking it all in...gulp. Thanks!