Jul 31, 2014  •  In Asian, Beauty, Korean, Personal, Reviews, Shopping

The One Where I Won’t Shut Up About Korean Beauty Products…

Are you guys sick of me blabbering on and on about Korean beauty products yet? Well, too bad, because I have more to say!

It’s officially been over a month since I first started using these items, and I still remain wildly impressed. In the past, my skin would slowly become accustomed to the new products and/or regimens so that by this point, the benefits would diminish and sometimes even disappear altogether.

(Does this happen to anyone else? Finding a new beauty product that works wonders in the beginning, only to find it losing its effectiveness as your skin adapts?)

But with these Korean beauty products, my skin has remained clear, soft, bright, and supple. My pores have decreased in size, the sebaceous filaments on my nose have all but disappeared, and I often catch myself brushing a hand against my face, marveling at its texture.

Even the 1-2 pimples that always erupts at that time of the month have bid farewell.

beauty_pampering
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen this already.
Thursday nights have become my pamper-myself-evenings. 🙂

Once again, I cannot recommend these items enough! I plan to purchase more as I run out — even the foot peeling mask, which has already made my feet softer than I can remember, because I have never taken care of my feet before (would you believe I have never gotten a pedicure?), so a few rough spots still remain.

And being the research freak that I am, I have been doing a lot more digging into this new-to-me world of Korean beauty products and Korean skin treatments. I’m still not ready to start using 10+ items per day as is the norm for many Korean women, but there are a few more items I want to try…

Benton Snail Bee High Content Skin, ~$20
benton_snail_bee_high_content_skinThe Benton Snail Bee line, which contains bee venom and snail mucin, has received a cult following from beauty bloggers worldwide. The funny thing is, many Koreans aren’t aware of this small brand!

I want to try the skin from this line because it’s a step in the Korean skincare regimen I have yet to try. (“Skin” is another word for “toner.” While most westerners associate toners with harsh astringents, Korean toners are meant to be used right after cleansing, to settle your skin and prepare your pores for the products that are to follow.) And because the entire Snail Bee line has received such rave reviews, I want to give this a go before trying the others.

The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Light Oil, ~$10
the_face_shop_rice_water_bright_cleansing_light_oilMost Korean women would be appalled to learn how roughly I — and probably most western women — treat my skin when cleansing. Indeed, I scrub, rub, and tug with a great deal of force whenever I wash my face. It’s a bad habit I’m still trying to break. 😳  

The typical Korean skincare routine, in contrast, utilizes two products in the cleaning process: first, a cleansing oil to dissolve makeup, then a gentle foaming cleanser to remove whatever is left over. In fact, many Korean women believe that you should take as much care and time to wash your face as to prepare (i.e., put on makeup) your face!

I have heard of cleansing oils before (like the popular DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, and the Shu Uemura line of cleansing oils), but have always been too intimidated to try them. However, after seeing how beneficial the Korean skincare routine and beauty products have been to my skin, I’m willing to be more experimental.

The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Light Oil is one of Korea’s most popular cleansing oils, so I believe I will be making a safe bet. (It also comes in a rich formula for drier skin types.) I’m a bit bummed that I didn’t get a bottle while I was in Korea, but I’ll definitely let you know how I like it!

Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control, ~$40
laneige_bb_cushion_pore_controlI didn’t spend too much time at Laneige stores while in Korea, so I didn’t know that Laneige had launched a new cushion pact to rival that of the Innisfree Long Wear Cushion (which I raved about here).

The original Laneige BB Cushion (which is now available stateside at Target, in LightMedium, and Dark shades) is a big hit in Asia, and just like the Innisfree cushion, this Pore Control version was released just a couple of months ago for use in the hot, humid, summer months.

Although the Laneige cushion is twice the price of the Innisfree, most reviews I’ve read online seem to prefer the former. (Take a look at this glowing review from Liah Yoo!) I’m still working on my Innisfree Long Wear Cushion, but you can bet that I’ll try the Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control once I start running low!

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18 Responses to “The One Where I Won’t Shut Up About Korean Beauty Products…”

  1. MrsW says:

    I have been really enjoying these posts! I’m super tempted to drop a ton of cash on all of the things you’ve mentioned but my budget is small so I need to restrain myself. If you had $50-75, what of the “ten steps” that Into the Gloss recommended would you buy? I was thinking cleanser, essence, moisturizer, maybe eyecream? I want to try a “real” BB cream again too (right now I’m using a drugstore cheapie which is basically just tinted moisturizer)

    • For me, the product that gave me the biggest and most immediate results was the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence. It’s on the more expensive side ($32 on Amazon) but if I had to choose only 1 item, that would be it. And personally, I’d choose a good moisturizer next — the Nature Republic Super Aqua Max creams I wrote about are a safe bet, but I know that Etude House and Missha both make very popular moisturizers as well.

      As for a BB cream, I’d wholeheartedly recommend the Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream. It’s the one I used to use the most and while it was one of the first mainstream BB creams in Korea, it still remains a bestseller after all these years. Other good brands for BB cream are Skin79, Dr. Jart, and Tony Moly. Good luck!

  2. J Lee says:

    “Are you guys sick of me blabbering on and on about Korean beauty products yet?”

    NO NO NO. YESYESYES to more posts like these!!!

    I recently got a haul from Honestskin.com during their 30% off sale including the foot masks and the Time Revolution Essence (which I’ve been using anyway)! I am so excited!!

    I also totally agree with noticing the stagnation effect (or lack of effect?) after using the same beauty product for awhile. I was actually using the more expensive SK II facial essence for about 1-2 years and I felt like it wasn’t doing anything for me anymore. Switching to the Missha one brought back results!

  3. OK you’ve convinced me. I’m going to go to that Korean skincare store here in Montreal and buy a few masks

  4. Kathleen says:

    I’m loving these posts. I’m not knowledgeable about these types of things, and am loving the information. I also am thrilled about the Bright Cleansing Oil-I was paying for Shu Uemura, and frankly can’t afford their stuff right now, so am excited about a cheaper alternative!

  5. Angela says:

    Jenny!! I love these posts. I purchased the essence you linked based on your rec, and am looking forward to trying a few other things on your lists. Thanks!!

  6. Lisa says:

    I always lurk here, but I have to tell you that I bought some of Laneige Water Bank stuff and the Time Revolution, before I left on a 10-day fishing trip to Alaska that usually scorches my skin with the sun and the salty ocean wind. I’m truly amazed. I had heard rumors of Korean skin care products – my sister in law is Korean – but this is the first time I ordered some myself. I got some samples of the Laneige BB cushion too.
    A sincere thank you.

  7. Thanks for the information about The One Where I Won’t Shut Up About Korean Beauty Products… | Geek in Heels and I thought that you may find this interesting as well about skin problems as it all about the same topic. Regards Prow Metro.

  8. Jessica Gilbert says:

    What helped with your sebaceous filaments? I’ve tried just about everything and from all my research all I get is that these are permanent parts of the skin. I’m willing to pay for whatever you may recommend. And I just want to make sure what you had was not blackheads and were sebaceous filaments so that way I know whatever product you recommend is treating what I have. I’m desperate so I hope you get back to me. You can email me at jessicagilbert1993@yahoo.com . And also I was curious did what you did treat it where it didnt come back or just temporary because I heard it’s only natural for them to fill back up. Sorry for so many questions.

  9. Jessica Gilbert says:

    Thank you. This will be a blessing to add to my skin routine. Is this product something that you rub in or leave on for a period of time? And how long till you noticed your sebaceous filaments diminishing?

    Btw I <3 your blog.

    • The essence is supposed to be applied after the toner (which is applied right after cleansing). You can read more about the method here: http://intothegloss.com/2014/04/korean-beauty-skincare/

      For me, I don’t use a toner so I apply the Missha TIme Revolution First Treatment Essence right after cleansing, when my face is still damp. I think in my case, it was only a couple of days before I noticed my skin got remarkably smoother and softer, and about a week before I noticed my sebaceous filaments diminishing.

  10. Jessica Gilbert says:

    Do you have to continuously use or did they just stay diminished?

  11. Jessica Gilbert says:

    What would you suggest for a pore minimizer. I want something that will atleast clean out my pores so they look more refined and smaller. I dont think you can minimize pires other then laser surgery and thats too riskey for me I’ve heard of people who have had bad results. You’re like my go to girl for perfecting my skin. Thnks.

    Btw you have beautiful skin.

    <3

  12. Jessica Gilbert says:

    I don’t mean to hijack your site but I was doing some research and people were saying that the missha time revolution the first treatment essence only turned the sebaceous filaments white. Did the nasty gooey stuff become cleared out or just turn them white? I ordered some yesterday. So happy but kinda a let down if there not going to go away

    • As is the case with practically all products, it probably differs from person to person. All I know is that for me, before, I could feel (in addition to seeing) the little bumps on my nose, and now, I no longer can.

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