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.

Thanks banivani. The eyebrow thing will always be a quest I think. I will check out the sites you recommended for sheet masks immediately

Strawberry - best of luck! :)

banivani what is the difference between the essence (which I use in the AM and is indeed very nice) and the skin? Is it just the fermentation process?

strawberry if you are looking for a very light powder you could go for MAC Mineralise Skin Finish Natural. Not AB but barely visible. For masks you can try BeautyNetKorea. They have a huge selection, so just go with your skin type and needs.

lumpy I'm currently on a break from vit C (though I do use rosehip oil in the AM and that is packed with antioxidants), though not intentionally, more because I'm not sure what to get next ;) so also very interested in this.

Got my Sulwahsoo stuff from eBay! The ginger oil smells amazing and the sample bottle is so very very cute! Came with a couple of samples of some Sulwhasoo cream and a HA sheet mask from a brand I've never heard of called LUS...??

I'm done with all my summer skin research/ shopping except for an SPF for the beach that I can rotate with the Anessa whitening essense.... So hard to find something without silicones :(

Aurora - I have no idea! Well, I have an idea because I was googling for opinion and came across Skin and Tonic's post, which essentially pushed me to buy it skinandtonics.com/benton-snail-bee-high-content-skin-review/ - it seems to be almost the same as the essence but thinner. I fancied a toner stage and thought I'll give it a try. And then I've got the new Fermentation one as an essence then. Obviously I'm the daft type to a) patch test on my face and b) try multiple products at once. But I'll try not to do b) this time. ;)

I really like the Benton Snail Bee sheet masks, they are the first and almost only masks that have really given me hallelujah moments. BUT I don't like the mask material much, so I bought the botteled essence. I do feel it's not quite as spectacular as the masks but I still love it. It's just me being contrary and fancying a change...

Aurora I wouldn't go for the Nars at TKMaxx, it was just a shitty sparkly blue eyeshadow and an odd yellow toned duo that had been manhandled, etc. but maybe if you're lucky they have fresh stock, anyhow there's plenty to see and I was surprised to see a lot of brands that are hard to get hold of at low prices but I'd only really drop in if I happen to be there rather than seek anything out specifically.

I'm curious about everyone's Vit C too, I use the Melano CC which I do use all over the face but really is a spot treatment. I have no idea what the % is but it is effective. I can't be bothered to order the OST one, wouldn't want to deal with keeping it in the fridge all the time. The ones from Amazon are all poorly rated despite selling so well and I can't help but feel the SkinCeuticals OG version while great is a huge ripoff.

So I tried out the Blithe Abalone mask from my Rotterdam shop the other day and I'm really happy with it. It was less of a sticky wet sheet mask and more of a deeply nourishing/hydrating one, it has a few oils and copper peptides in it (hadn't come across this yet and had been eyeing the NIOD serum for a while now) rather than a bucketful of glycerin. My skin was lovely and radiant and stayed that way for a good few days. Will definitely be stocking up on a full pack despite their slightly higher cost price.

botemp ok I'm cancelling the trip to Rotterdam! I mainly like staring at Nars blushes. Spent a lot of time doing that in Sephora in Paris though I have a few, or rather more than enough for one face.

I have a Skinceuticals C E sample but have not gotten around to test it yet and yeah the price is outrageous. I had one of the small bottles of the NIOD peptide, which I just finished. Can't say I saw a diference, but it's supposed to be a long term treatment, so am not sure if I will repurchase but might try their vitamin c serum.

I had a look at snail stuff and it's harvesting. Saw a very nice video of a women's co-op in Peru who grow and harvest the snails. According to that article a lot of the slime is produced in South America. So the snails are not crawling free in the gardens but they are serving a group of village women to create their own micro-economy. Of course this does not mean that all snail harvesting is doen this way ;)
By the way, the slime itself is very rich in HA and peptides.

I tried the Casmara gold mask yesterday and OMG!! My skin does feel amazing. It also looks quite bright. It creates a kind of firming/ bouncy effect which is strange to do discribe. Certainly very effective. Glad I got the double pack . I didn't use their serum though, as its full of silicones. I put some Benton snail and HA serums under.

Oh, vitamine C - I had a bottle of powdered vit C that you were supposed to just "add to your face cream". I used to put a scoop in my palm, spray it with toner to get some wetness to dissolve it in, pat it in and then wait 15 minutes before continuing. But I dunno if I felt that it really DID anything miraculous. :P

I've been using C serum for months now, I feel it's a big contributing factor to my skins improvement.

I have been using SAP (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate) C serum, as opposed to Ascorbic acid. SAP is a more stable derivative of ascorbic acid, but with less research to back it up.

I've just got to the bottom of my Foxbrim one, which I've really enjoyed using but just fancy trying some Ascorbic acid. I'm going to have a go at the original OST one I think.

There isn't a huge choice of Ascorbic acid ones that are reasonable, most use SAP.

lumpy OST is the other one I too am considering.

Which improvement did you notice as a result of the Vit C?

Well I'm all for ethical snail slime and frollicking horses [still hopeful]. It's a little confusing as there are plenty of cruelty free Asian brands that sell snail products and I did see organic horse oil somewhere so I like to think they're getting the friendly stuff and try not to think about it too much. I'd be down to wearing a hessian frock and eating an exclusive diet of beans if I think about it too much...

Ooh yes the Casmara, your skin is miraculously wonderful after isn't it, Aurora? I tried the other variation I bought (Algae Purifying) which was also very nice but I liked the Gold better overall. I do think it helps that whatever else you're putting on before is HA heavy. I also use an HA toner after to clean off the errant bits. I need to stock up on some more, I think ebay was cheaper when buying in bulk.

OST 20 Vit C is supposed to be the better one of the two iirc but unless I put in a mini fridge in the bathroom/bedroom not the first time contemplating this I'm going to forget all about it. I was contemplating the NIOD one before too but reviews tend to be so mixed on all things NIOD.

I was looking into the Holy Snails El Dorado Vit C oil but fear the extra import taxes (I always get heavily taxed with US stuff ) would push it to a price category where I'd probably buy something else.

Incidentally I was also looking into this bubble peeling pad recently that's a Vit C and AHA treatment and wondering if that was worth trying out but it seems to be marketed more towards acne prone skin than anything else. Definitely a bit of skintertainment too.

I thought Asorbic acid was the more common one Lumpy but I might just be remembering it wrong now. The Melano CC that I use is Asorbic acid based. I like the fact that it's really cheap and well packaged. I could do without the fragrance but it's non-irritating thankfully. It does as good as a job as my previous Vit C serum, as far as I can tell, which was 10,5% but it irrationally annoys me that I have no idea what the % is, argh.

It's hard to pinpoint the exact positive effect that the C serum had. I'm using C serum, BHA and AHA plus Retinol, amongst many, many, many other lotions and potions!

I feel the C serum has faded some old scars and made my skin firmer plus my skin is brighter and lighter. I use it morning and night and class it in the "stuff that does stuff and doesn't just look and smell nice category."

I've got through a ton of different C serums, some felt better than others. I loved one from Green Keratin not AB but their products are just lovely.

I just really want to try the L Ascorbic acid serum. I'm not going to store it in the fridge, just in a cool, dark cupboard, like a potato!

The L Ascorbic acid serum is the one with the most research to back it up, arguably THE most research for any anti aging product.

I'm umming and ahhing between the old OST and the new one...

Most C serums I've used seem to use SAP. I've tried the Oz Naturals one, that was good. I have tried an Ascorbic acid one by SkinPep, that was great but it came in a weeny,tiny bottle.

The bubble peeling pad looks bonkers, good bonkers!

Just saying it is great too, BubblePeelingPadBubblePeelingPadBubblePeelingPad

Well maybe they don't consider the snails as placed high enough in the revolutionary pyramid, thus them fitting in non-cruelty brands.... Don't know actually, just kidding
I'll try to find the link for that film. It's quite blindingly reassuring.

Must the OST truly and exclusively to be stored in the fridge? Well then, I'll have to pass as there is no way I would go down to fetch it from the fridge twice a day. Surprising really, if you think how much I care about my skin! I store all my stuff in the bathroom, which I do not warm up too much and whose door is always open. so no real temperature diference between that and the bedroom.

Botemp did you find the amount of goo you got from both Casmara mask saches a bit much? I had so much left over, even after doing my chest (and that was pretty taffy to peel). I could have easily used just half of each sache. Got one more application I will probably use next week before an "event".

Here it is (sorry, it's in French and Spanish though, but you get the picture ;)

snail slime extraction video. Watch at your own b

I'm just going to have to get those BubblePeelingPadBubblePeelingPadBubblePeelingPads now aren't I? I mean the bonkers factor all but insists upon it .

Vit C is the one I've used the longest of all the actives, I kind of started using it by accident. It was a sample (fine line reducing rather than Vit C marketing) and I liked what it did to my skin. Basically it calms everything down for me, prevents outbreaks (always hormonal and rare with me but v. unpredictable). I do think it makes my retinol serum work better and vice versa. If I do get the odd spot it heals much quicker in conjunction with SPF. I suppose it is brightening but I've never had dullness issues, or acne, or pigmentation (aside from spotty aftermath) so I'm a bad judge for that. I know how effective it is at 10,5% so I'm a little hesitant to go to maximum strength, it can sting a bit. I've read horrible tales of OST 20 turning them into an oompa loompa with it unless you wash it off after 20 minutes. I'd love a 10 or 15% version but have yet to come across any in AB land.

Meant - peril.
How did that get deleted...?

Well I slap it on pretty thick from chest, up the neck covering the mouth, and eyes too recently. The eyes managed to finish it all up taking a lot more product than I expected but overall it is a bit more than necessary, I guess you could give it a try, stick the gel in a ziplock to prevent it from drying out? It should definitely be enough to do the important areas, though I did like the effect it had on my neck.

I think it's highly recommended to keep OST in the fridge, as soon as it discolours you have to toss it out and heat supposedly makes that happen quickly. I have read other people decant it into smaller light tight droppers for a week's supply and managing like that while keeping the large bottle in the fridge but it all sounds like too much work. OST is cheap though, so from that perspective I care less that you might toss it out sooner than later. I'd actually really like to try the Vitamin C-Firma from Drunk Elephant but it's not cheap or easy to get over here but at least it comes in airtight packaging and is fragrance free.

I did not dare do the eyes and mouth. Eyes - I think I would get a bit clautro. Though I did do the upper eyelids. Mouth - how would I talk? ;)

It's Skin do a C serum, I'll have a look at that. I love their Licorice Power 10 serum.

I think I'll probably have a pop at the OST original, and get some Miss Flower and Mr Honey oil this month.

I've decided I need more propolis too. I'm happy enough with my actives, and I have Hyaluronic acid throughout my routine. Plus snail, two types of snail each day.

Must stop naval gazing and go to work now!

Deacanting the OST would certainly be a good option. I think I even have an unused dropper lying around.

Will probably fit that into my after-summer-holidays routine, in which I also want to incorporate tretinoine (and maybe the Mizon Black Snail cream)... And of course many more lovely new masks!

During the next month I'm going to trail the Sulwhasoo cleansing oil and ginger oil which I haven't opened yet.

Good article on C serums

Sorry I came on a few days ago to talk about my new products and you all gave me some lovely advice and then I haven't had time to come back!

Am considering Cosrx AHA whitehead powder and BHA Skin Returning A-Sol, having read loads of positive reviews of them for people with acne.

I'm not sure I'm brave enough to try an oil cleanser quite yet..... I have read great things about the Sum37 rose cleanser stick but can't find it anywhere. Has it been discontinued? reading contradictory things on different websites. Does anyone know of any similar holy-grail-type cleansers that might be worth a try?

Thanks for the Vitamin C article Lumpy, although at the end of reading those type of articles I always come to the conclusion that SkinCeuticals is the best choice for my particular sensitive skin type .

Keith, I don't really know what's up with the Sum37 although someone is selling one on the Reddit Asianbeautyexchange who is located in the UK but it's been used (90% left) so don't know if you'd be into that... I think what is generally considered a good starter 2nd cleanser for acne (though never used it myself) is the Hada Labo Gokuyjun one as it's pretty inoffensive with the right pH. I think the Snow White & Asian Pear blog has a pretty decent starters guide for acne & AB iirc.

You HAVE to oil cleanse, or you have to give your AB badge back!

Honestly, you won't look back, plus it's the only way to properly remove sunscreen. At the mo I'm just using this one and it does the job, emulsifies beautifully as well.

After taking makeup off with oil you need to properly cleanse but try to make sure it's a low ph cleanser. This will enable your actives to get working straight away plus it's just healthier for skin.

I use 3 cleansers and I alternate between a Konjac sponge, and a bubble net, which I love. My cleansers are Cosrx Low Ph good morning cleanser and a Cerave low ph cleanser. I also have a low ph Sulwhasoo cleanser which is wonderful, but expensive.

In the evening I double cleanse, in the morning I just use the foaming cleanser. I also swipe my face with a low ph toner(Mizon) post cleansing and prior to starting my routine.

This is a great post about cleansing.

I'm using the Cosrx actives you mentioned and they work well for me, I also sometimes use Stridex for my BHA and some Nip and Fab pads for my AHA, just depends what mood I'm in.

The Cosrx BHA cleared my daughter's acne, it's very gentle as it uses a different BHA than Salicylic acid which is super kind to the skin.

It is hard when you're skin's sensitive isn't it. Mine is quite tough so I can use 20% solutions with only a mild tingle when I apply them.

After reading that I realise that I'm okay with the one I'm just finishing and feel that it's well formulated and it has done a bang up job so far, feels great after application too.

Also, as it's a derivative of C the ph is higher so no faffing around with wait times, I have enough of them as it is!