Korean Beauty (Skincare) - Products and Online Shops

[onigiri815]

I just hauled so many sheet masks and I am not even made

I'm also really interested in the IOPE Bio Essence which I suppose is a good dupe for the Missha FTE seeing as the Missha one got reformulated without liquorice root and the IOPE one has both liquorice and niacimide

[splatterwitch]

I'd recommend reading Snow White and the Asian Pear - its a blog and she recently did a post on where she buys her K Beauty products!
http://www.snowwhiteandtheasianpear.com/

Thank you so much for this recommendation! I've been binge-reading her posts (and sprang for the Beauty of Joseon cream, which I absolutely love). It's all very informative and interesting. I've only recently gotten interested in Asian Beauty products and this is a great resource.

[Tsubaki]

I haven't ventured much into Korean skincare. I get the idea of layering skincare but I also know that for my skin, keeping it simple is better. With more steps to skincare, the less compliant I am.

Brands I dislike? Skinfood, Tony Moly and The Face Shop. Brands I do like? Laneige (water sleeping pack), Missha (I've used the FTE but I don't think it does much for me; I do like their sunscreen), Innisfree (their clay mask isn't overly drying and their sheet masks aren't half bad).

I've been interested in more obscure Korean brands like Troiareuke/Troipeel (sister brands), and then there's the Son & Park Beauty Water -- that one had a cult following. Oh, and then there's Banila Co with their cleansing balm -- not obscure -- I haven't tried that yet. I'd love to get my hands on one of those Korean cushion foundations -- they're great for touch ups. I'm currently trying out the L'oreal one and I do like the cushion -- just that the formula's not for me.

[onigiri815]

I'm spending alot of time on reddit/r/asianbeauty now to try and help me add some more korean products into my routine
I really want an essence to get some more moisture into my skin

[onigiri815]

I think my Laneige Sleeping Pack is giving me cystic acne not like hectic but I used it last night and now I have two small lumps under my jaw again...
Not sure if I should just try but maybe focus it only on my face and not down the neck/under the jaw?

[bettibulb]

The hadalabo cleanser has helped a bit with my blackheads. Really like it!

What sunscreen do you use ? I never use sunscreen if I'm not going to the beach (I know, it's really bad but it's not common in Europe to apply sunscreen daily) anyway I want to start doing so. I have very sensitive and oily skin. Did any of you ever try the Nivea sun Protect water gel (from Japan)? Or any good sunscreen from Bioderma/Vichy/La Roche Posay?

[forgot]

Look up biore sunscreen it is full of alcohol. But not greasy at all my combo skin loves the milk one that comes in 90mls now. It's a fantastic base under make up as well. I have only worn that and had lots of people complement my skin. Helps with my redness as well.

[onigiri815]

The hadalabo cleanser has helped a bit with my blackheads. Really like it!

What sunscreen do you use ? I never use sunscreen if I'm not going to the beach (I know, it's really bad but it's not common in Europe to apply sunscreen daily) anyway I want to start doing so. I have very sensitive and oily skin. Did any of you ever try the Nivea sun Protect water gel (from Japan)? Or any good sunscreen from Bioderma/Vichy/La Roche Posay?

I actually use the Paula's Choice Resist Weightless Sunscreen, the high concentration of Zinc is also soothing on the skin

[Alka]

La Roche-Posay has very good sunscreens, they use patented ingredients that filters UVA (the aging rays), only brands under Loreal umbrella are allowed to use it

[Waldorfdarling]

I follow the 10 step Korean skincare and have for a few years now.It has made a huge difference in the way my skin feels and looks at my age.There are a few sites that I purchase from but my favorite above all is

http://www.jolse.com

They are always great with shipping and generous with samples and have a massive selection of asian beauty products.

I do buy product at TheFaceShop as well and I love love love their Papaya enzyme peel (exfoliator)

After some thorough research, I chose Jolse to place my first k-beauty order. As far as skincare goes I ordered The Cosrx (heard it's a great, no-nonsense brand) low ph good morning cleanser, the Cosrx Galactomyces essence (they say this one is basically a dupe for a much much pricier SK-II serum), the Cosrx acne patches (look them up, lots of people say they're brilliant) and a few sheet masks from Innisfree. Will report back as soon as my order arrives. I'm really excited about k-beauty right now, it's like a whole new world is opening up lol.

[onigiri815]

Definitely let us know how you go!

I don't like Innisfree masks, personally, because they all contain alcohol within the ingredients! I just got back from Singapore and hauled some My Beauty Diary masks and some Hada Labo products. Very keen to incorporate them soon

[Waldorfdarling]

After some thorough research, I chose Jolse to place my first k-beauty order. As far as skincare goes I ordered The Cosrx (heard it's a great, no-nonsense brand) low ph good morning cleanser, the Cosrx Galactomyces essence (they say this one is basically a dupe for a much much pricier SK-II serum), the Cosrx acne patches (look them up, lots of people say they're brilliant) and a few sheet masks from Innisfree. Will report back as soon as my order arrives. I'm really excited about k-beauty right now, it's like a whole new world is opening up lol.

My order arrived a few days ago (took them three weeks) and I was very happy with how well packaged everything was plus they gave me a free sheet mask, a washcloth and a load of samples which is awesome (why are western retailers so stingy with samples? I don't get it).

I've been testing the products and so far I have to say the Cosrx Low-ph good morning cleanser is very very good, it's it lathers up nicely, has a strong tea tree scent (can be off-putting for some but I don't mind it) and leaves skin soft and very clean. So far so good.

The Cosrx Galactomyces essence is okay. It's a clear watery liquid that absorbs very very quickly, it feels like nothing. I think it's too soon to tell whether it does much or not, but it definitely adds an additional layer of hydration to the skin. Some people have mentioned it gives them closed comedones but so far that hasn't been the case for me, thank god.

The acne patches are the ones I've used the most and I'm not sure I see what the hype is about. I've used a bunch of them on a couple of small pimples on my cheek and I don't think they're doing anything. Maybe they help a little bit with flattening the zit but not much in terms of healing. Maybe they work better on bigger pimples with more pus? I don't know, I guess I'll find out if and when I get one (let's hope not lol).

I tried the Innisfree it's real squeeze rice sheet mask and if I'm correct it doesn't have alcohol in the ingredients. The essence is milky and VERY moisturizing, it's the kind that leaves a layer behind. This would be perfect for those dry, flaky skin days but maybe it was a bit much for me that evening. I have a couple more so I'm interested in putting it to the test again in the future.

I also bought a bunch of makeup goodies and while this thread isn't about makeup, I will highly recommend the Innisfree no sebum mineral powder (and this comes from someone who usually dislikes powder), the A'Pieu The Bal Cheek and the Etude House drawing eyebrow.

That's all for now! I'm definitely excited to try some more K-beauty products in the future. Next I want to get my hands on the OST Vitamin C20 serum (the say it works for acne pigmentation) and Cosrx snail 92 AIO cream. I just can't believe how affordable everything is compared to Western brands.

[onigiri815]

I love how generous Jolse are with the samples. I just did my second order with them so should be here in about 2 weeks.

The acne patches work better at sucking stuff out - i love them for when I've had a pick or for when I am over a pimple, I will lance it slightly and slap a patch on it.

Definitely second the Innisfree powder. My latest order has two lip tints which I'm excited to try

[bigdog]

I can see why the mask if quite a favourite. It definitely made my skin super plump and soft to touch.

yay I just bought this mask from Sephora, excited to try it soon!

[bigdog]

I'm still battling some cystic acne and persistent blackheads on my jaw line so I am a bit wary on what I should apply to my face...
Any suggestions?

I know I'm a year and a half late on this, but I had HORRIBLE cystic acne on my chin for years. Cutting dairy out of my diet helped the most, but I would still get cystic breakouts before my period. Then I read on reddit skincare addiction that evening primrose oil capsules every day help to balance your hormones and help with cystic acne. I swear to you that since I've started taking evening primrose oil every night I have not had another cystic acne pimple (although I've had surface pimples). before the primrose oil I was getting a cystic pimple every month that would take weeks to heal. I've been taking the primrose oil for about 6 months now. I buy the pills on Amazon, they are very affordable.