Friday, March 7, 2014

Korean beauty products : hits & misses

A lot of products I use are Korean made and I believe it is such a shame that European women aren't more familiar with their products. They're leaders in global cosmetic industry and are at least 10 years ahead of  the States in terms of technology and innovations (and yet we all yearn to try out some American brands and products ). Today I will make a collective mini review for some of the Korean products I have on me now (since I am in a process of moving) starting from skincare : 
 

1. The Face Shop New Zealand Volcanic clay nose pack is a peel-off mask with a rubbery consistency (a lot thicker than any other peel-off mask you tried) . It is powerful enough to pull out most of the blackheads ( from my nose at least ). I would not suggest using it anywhere else except on your t-zone since it can easily pull out your facial hair as well. For a price of around 7$ it is a pretty decent and effective product. 

2. The Face Shop Rice water bright cleansing rich oil is something I use when I am too lazy for my OCM routine and it works just as good. It takes off all of my makeup and leaves your skin very soft but at a price of around 25$ I am not sure whether I will repurchase this. I may just use this practical container to store my own DIY oil cleanser once I am done with this.

3. Mizon Multifunction Snail Recovery gel is something I absolutely adore. This is my third one actually and I believe I will keep buying it forever. It is a very lightweight moisturizer with no scent ( which is very important to me when it comes to face creams ) it absorbs super fast and has some great ingredients including 74%  snail secretion filtrate which is proven to regenerate skin. Great price of around 8$  is just a plus when it comes to this product. 

4. Mizon Collagen Power Firming Eye cream is probably the only miss here (or I would rather say a so-so product) It has a really nice gel texture but I have not seen any difference since I started using it two weeks ago, maybe it is still early to tell but I do not think I will buy this again.


1. Missha 4D mascara was a total miss for me. Mascaras are such an individual thing since we all have different lashes and I usually hate all the popular mascaras out there so don't let me stop you from trying it cause it may work for you. To my lashes it did nothing, dried up too quickly and smeared under the eyes after a couple of hours. It is a pretty cheap one in Korea as well so I am not all that angry.

2. Mizon Snail Repair blemish balm has a great coverage and I love everything about it but unfortunately the shade is a bit too light for me so I use it mixed with another (darker) BB cream or topped with a darker setting powder and a bit of bronzer sometimes so I do not look completely washed out. Costs around 18$.

3.  Skin79 dream girls BB cream is a lightweight BB cream with sheer coverage and a very "dewy" finish (always have to set it with powder). I mostly use it on my days off when I am not wearing any other makeup or instead of a suncream since it has high SPF (as most BB creams do). Costs around 15 $,

4. Skin 79 super+ BB cream is one of the most popular ones in Korea and I totally understand why. It is very moisturizing and has a great coverage. This is the one I use the most often lately since I am out of my Missha one (my absolute favorite ever). None of these BB creams never broke me out and I prefer them to foundations especially because of the high SPF that is a must for me.

5. Etude House Goodbye Pore Ever makeup primer makes my foundation goes smoother and last longer but that is pretty much what all primers are suppose to do. I mainly purchased it for its claims of pore covering which , I am sad to say, are not so true. They do appear a tiny bit smaller depending on the foundation I use on top of it sometimes but I will probably not buy this again. I will use it up since it is a nice basic primer but nothing special about it. 

If you have any additional questions leave them in the comments and I will do my best to answer them or if you want a more detailed review on some of these make sure to let me know. I usually buy my Korean products here, here or here depending on the prices, offers or product availability but all these are good places to start. Is there some Korean product you love and would recommend me trying?