Tag: skincare

Asian Skincare Mini-Haul

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Hi everyone! I have a few new things I’m testing out that I want to share with you all.

The products mentioned below are all available on Amazon. You can also get the BB cream at the official Skin79 US website:http://www.skin79northamerica.com/

Sasa: http://www.sasa.com/SasaWeb/eng/sasa/home.jsp

And at The BB Cream Shop: http://www.thebbcreamshop.com/

I ordered two mask packs yesterday along with my first very own Asian BB cream. I wanted to test out whether using products that are geared towards Asians and Asian skin types would make any difference whatsoever. The first product I got was the Kose Cosmeport Clear Turn Essence Facial Mask (Hyaluronic Acid version) in the 30-count pack.

Kose Cosmeport Clear Turn Mask

There are many versions of the masks and the real difference is the main ingredient in the masks. This pack utilizes hyaluronic acid, which is naturally found in human beings and is also used as a filler in the cosmetics surgery industry. It has moisturizing properties while it plumps your skin, making it softer and more even-toned. I have dry, sensitive skin and the Kose Cosmeport masks are very gentle and always make my skin look amazing. The masks can even be used every day but I opt to use it once a week and for $20, that goes a long way. :D I will post a photo at the end where I have used BB cream after using a mask pack and my skin look so dewy and plump. These masks are a Japanese product.

How to use: You basically use it like a standard sheet mask. Apply the mask after cleansing your face and spread the mask out so that the mask is on your face with no raised bits or bubbling. After you’ve smoothed the mask out, leave it on for 10-20 minutes until your mask becomes dry, meaning your skin has absorbed all of the goodies. You can feel free to take a nap or relax. After the mask is dry, take off the mask. Be sure not to rinse or wash your face, all you have to do is pat or tap the remaining fluid on your face into your face. It has nourishing properties and it will dry in a minute or two and you’re ready to go!

The second product is by My Beauty Diary in the Black Pearl Mask pack. 10 masks come in this package and it costs about $13. I like this packaging because each mask comes individually wrapped while the Kose Cosmeport comes in a baby wipe tub-like container although in the smaller packaging they do come individually wrapped as well. I have no preference but if you really want a lot of essence or the juice of the product and a moist mask, you’ll prefer them individually wrapped.

The My Beauty Diary is originally a product from Japan but Taiwan also manufactures it, too. The packaging is in Chinese and I am looking forward to using it tonight. The Black Pearl mask is essentially for all skin types but is ideal if you need some firming and brightening to your skin. If you want skin that radiates and is soft to the touch, I’m sure this mask will do the trick. You use it the same way as mentioned earlier and it is supposed to help your skin with continued use. I read a lot of reviews and people with acne scars particularly rave about this product so I think there is something interesting going on for this mask.

My Beauty Diary Black Pearl mask

And last but not least is the Skin79 The Oriental Gold BB Cream. I was most anticipated to try this product and I am so glad that it works for me. I’ve tried western BB creams such as Smashbox and I honestly think they’re a joke. They cake and matte so much that you look like you have clay on your face. I consider the western BB creams as makeup and the ones of the Asian market to be more skincare geared and of a higher quality. Plus, you can’t beat having a BB cream that smells like Chanel, smoothes on like a dream, and averages around $20. The Smashbox cost me around $30-40 and all I can say was that I returned it right away.

I am definitely looking forward to trying more Asian cosmetics and more non-western BB creams. When it comes to BB creams, you have to make sure the product you’re getting is authentic. I’m going to go over the signs you should look to be able to tell if it’s real or fake:

The box will always be in English and Korean. If your see Chinese lettering, then you know it’s fake.

The good thing about BB creams is that they are all-in-ones. You get a moisturizer, a serum, a sunscreen, an anti-wrinkle treatment, a blemish treatment, an anti-aging treatment, a primer, and an alternative to foundation all at once. I think that’s a hard deal to beat.
The real Skin79 BB cream packaging will not have a website listed.

Be on the lookout for the expiration date at the bottom of the package. All of their creams comes with an expiration date.

And like luxury or designer handbags, the logo should always be centered like it is in this photo. If it is askew or way off to the side then it’s a fake.
The real ones come with a z-shaped seal.
And it comes with a sticker from the Natural Science Skin Solution as well.
And no matter how hard you scratch or rub at the bottle’s lettering, it should remain intact.
The Skin79 Oriental Gold BB cream and the plus version are the only ones that come with a mirrored lid compact. A lip and cheek tint balm is included and it smells like Chanel (the bb cream does too) and it is very creamy and easy to smooth.

How to use: After your normal skincare routine (cleansing, toning, moisturizing), press down on the pump to dispense the product. One pump is enough as less is better in this situation. Dot the product onto your face and using your fingers, tap the product into the skin. Tapping allows the cream to better be absorbed and it gives you a nice finish as opposed to smearing product around on your skin. You can use a little more BB cream on your problem areas such as acne spots, hyperpigmentation spots, and on dark circles. The BB cream will look pretty light at first due to the high amounts of titanium dioxide (main ingredient for sunscreen) but once it oxidizes (reacts with the air), it will darken a bit and blend into your skin color. If you have a darker complexion, you can still use BB cream but just less product otherwise you will look a bit grayish.

The Oriental Gold is for drier skin types but Skin79 creates a handful of BB creams so there is one for everyone. Here is the link to the Skin79’s official website for a chart to help you choose which one is right for you:

http://www.skin79northamerica.com/now-skin79/which-bb-is-best-for-me

The finished look is very dewy and refreshing. I’ve had it on for the entire day and it doesn’t feel like I have anything on. The drier parts of my skin feels and looks fine and flakes are not accentuated (a common issue I had with foundations). The fragrance is light and you get compliments from people if they’re really close to your face. Here is me with no makeup (eye makeup, blush, etc.) and I’ve just applied the BB cream after using one of the Kose masks. It feels pretty naked and revealing to be uploading this photo but I know I look good, so time to step it up!

No make up! Ahhh! :) I only have on BB cream.

I think the main this is that my skin looks and feels alive and I’m happy about that. And the good thing about BB creams is that they’re supposed to make your skin better with repeated use because of the anti-aging benefits. Well, I’m hoping the long-terms results are true because I already love this BB cream.

I’m looking to try a few other ones in the Korean market. I want to try some of Etude House’s BB creams but I’m very interesting in Skin79’s Snail Nutrition BB Cream. I know it sounds crazy but I think it could work. The Snail Nutrition BB cream is made with 45% snail secretion (not the snail itself) and it has a very high SPF of 45 (the Oriental Gold is SPF 25).

If you think of how a snail never really dries up and is always protected by its natural secretion, imagine what that stuff can do for your face. I’m guessing this BB cream will help the skin stay supple and soft and most of all, youthfully hydrated because of the protective layer formed from the snail secretion. I never thought I’d be considering putting snail slime on my face but apparently, a lot of people in Asia are happily doing it.

Well, I hope you had fun reading this post and I am glad to have found some new products to play with that actually work.

Playing Chemist Today & the Man Who Thought He Tasted Good

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I’m still impatiently waiting the day I get my hair colored and I have to admit, I don’t like waiting for things that I can do myself. Since last night, I’ve snipped a swatch of my hair and have taken the liberty to bleach and color it since I have a whole stash of hair color and lighteners in my bathroom. I like the results considering I started off with black hair (which was coarse and very-resistant) and now it’s a nice snip of light golden blonde with a few strands of bright golden blonde. I used 7th Stage Lightener with 30 volume cream developer as well as the bleach activator (ratio of 2:1:2) and it took about 45 minutes for it to lift from level 1 (black) to level 8 (light blonde). There were a lot of yellow undertones to it, but since I didn’t have any toner on me last night, I decided to lift it with a high lift blonde hair color that used blue and violet tones to counteract the yellow. The hair color has a nice consistency and I haven’t found any breakage or profound damage. I could add some copper brown lowlights and etc and I’m pretty sure I’ll definitely finish it off with toner but can’t do that now. So the swatch isn’t perfected yet. (yeah, I got lazy with lighting today so this photo will have to do.) Almost! Now, the hardest part is just deciding whether I should go ahead and do it myself or wait it out. Sigh … decisions, decisions.

I went and got my make up done this past weekend and so far so good. I swapped out my Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Foundation for the Silk Creme one since the Creme Smooth gave me a bit of an orange, ashy tone which didn’t work out so well since I like everything done to my chest to match. So I’m a Sand Beige in Silk Creme and that stuff really goes a long way because for the past few days, I’ve only had to use pea-sized drops. I left after my hour and a half make up session and I ended up going back to purchase the Flawless Skin Mega Moisturizer also from LM.

It wasn’t until I got home that I realized that my moisturizer was for normal/combination skin. I honestly hate going back and forth to the same places but the normal/dry skin version was definitely worth it. It has a light peppercorn scent. I don’t know why but no one seems to mind so far. It moisturizes all day and even if I start flaking, the cream does its job by keeping it all together and virtually unnoticeable. The cream has sunscreen infused in it as well as the Silk Cream Foundation so it’s a plus when it comes to protecting yourself from the sun. Yay, great skin until 65! It’s a 1.7 oz. pot of wonders and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to continue saying good things about it a few weeks from now.

I got a gift from the Laura Mercier counter and it was a make up bag full of everything I would’ve wanted from the collection such as tightliner, flawless skin repair serum, loose setting powder and so much more. I’ve been using the repair serum in the morning and evening after I cleanse my face and follow with a nickel-sized amount of the moisturizer. The serum works wonders and I can already see that it brightens the darker patches on my face and it’s only been four days! I’ll be hoping to purchase it soon when I have $95 to spare (yes, it’s great but a bit steep).

Nothing much has been going on except for that guy who went and cut his finger off to cook it with veggies last week. It’s pretty rare to find a cannibal let alone a self-cannibal.

The man from New Zealand reportedly consumed his finger after giving it a good saute with some peas and carrots. The 28-year-old was not under any kind of influences and after visiting the hospital do they diagnose him as moderately depressed. Crazy, huh? I guess we all wonder what we taste like ourselves at some point in our lives. I just hope he’s done after this.

Look out for my upcoming post this Friday on hair stylist etiquette and how to get the most out of your hair salon visit!