Recent Sheet Mask Empties feat Banobagi, CNP, Mediheal, SNP, Silcot, Challans de Paris

aka Sheet Masks that I felt extremely meh about

At this point, I have so many products to talk about that I honestly… don’t feel very strongly about.

Case in point: Sheet masks. I love trying new ones all the time however am very picky when it comes to repurchasing them, as I feel that most of them don’t really do much outside of cooling skin down – which in itself can be therapeutic – or upping hydration levels slightly, which can be achieved with a lot less fuss and in a lot more cost effective manner than by slapping on sheet masks. Plus, sheet masks just create so much waste, so for me to be able to justify spending money on them and ruining the environment in the process, they better be bloody good.

Here are a bunch that I thought were ok but that I will not be repurchasing as they failed to impress me. Do bear in mind that most sheet masks do not impress me much, they are not bad products – I just will not be getting them again any time soon.

Banobagi – White Jade Injection

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Honestly, I was expecting a little more from this sheet mask in light of the fact that their Baby Face mask (pink pack, reviewed here) gave me pretty good results in the brightening department. This one here on the other hand… hardly any results outside of a bit of hydration. Combined with the rather abysmal fit, this is not a sheet mask I’ll be getting any time soon.

Korean Perspective: Skin pH

Source: Beauty+ Korea

Some time last year, at the gym, I found this beauty magazine called Beauty+ that was just lying around (I stopped buying glossies when I was perhaps 14) and members of the gym were free to take home a copy.

One of the articles was titled ‘Is my skin [at pH] 5.5?’ and today I thought I should share its (translated) contents, just in case you might find it useful. If you enjoy skincare and are somewhat passionate about it, you’ll be aware that pH has really become a major factor in how we view and select skincare.

Review: DHC Deep Cleansing Oil | No More in Korea because of No Japan

If you have been living in Korea for a while, you will be aware of the No Japan movement over here (boycotting Japanese products by not buying them) that started early or mid last year.

At the time, I had been hearing lots of great things about DHC’s cleansing oil (read Simply Saima’s blog review here) and I had been eyeing it for some time as it was a staple in Korean chemists. When No Japan started, I knew I had to act quick and snap one up for myself, and lo and behold, just a few days after purchasing, all DHC products had been removed and have stayed off the shelves since.

Going on empty!

Some Japanese products and brands have returned but DHC has not. I did just the tiniest amount of Googling and apparently, DHC TV (DHC’s proprietary online broadcast) used their platform to say horrible things and spread lies about Koreans, following which many retailers decided to suspend sales.

As you might have gathered, this is no longer locally available however it is probably for sale in the shops elsewhere or online.

Today, let’s dive into a more detailed review.

Review: I’m from Honey Mask | Those with Less than Perfect Skin will Appreciate

아임프롬 허니마스크 (리뷰) – 민감한 피부를 가진 사람들은 이것을 좋아할테니까…?

I’d previously mentioned this mask in my skin sauna post but had not yet finished the mask at that point in time. Well, now that I have – and I have even opened my repurchase! – I figured it was high time to actually review it, especially seeing as I had a bit of a revelation while I was using it.

So first off, if your skin is great and plump already, you may not see the benefits of this mask. But then again, if you’re reading this blog, and you’re serious about skincare, chances are you have some issues you’d like to tackle or face proactively, such as acne or dry skin flakies. In which case, this mask is great!

Beauty Treatments in Times of Corona

Photo by Maria Gloss on Pexels.com

With what the ‘rona and all, many of us have had to forego beauty treatments at the salon (#firstworldproblems) and from what I gather, this has been a major inconvenience to lots of people. At the same time, I have a feeling that it has given many a new perspective on life and has led to people trying their own hand at beautifying themselves.

What I want to know from you is this – has your life changed if at all? How have you adapted your treatments and/or beauty routines?

Do you find yourself in a position where you have less disposable income and are therefore forced to MacGyver or DIY certain treatments? Please leave some of your thoughts in the comments – curious minds want to know! 👽

For me personally, I have felt no impact on my beauty routine whatsoever. Here’s what other people do, and here’s what I have been doing all along, even before things were, um, changing.

Read on for some tips – perhaps they can save you some money, and/or time.

Review: Dr Jart+ Dermakeup Rejuvenating Beauty Balm in 001 Light (Silver Label)

So much ❤ for this BB!

While I have reviewed Dr Jart’s Dis-a-Pore Balm in the past – review right here – the review for their rejuvenating BB cream has been a long time coming. In part, this is due to me using less face makeup when the ‘rona first started making its rounds; however, I have since reverted to wearing BB cream even under masks because of the boost in self-confidence that they give me.

Plus, as is the case with today’s BB cream, I feel that they actually help maintain my skin than when I just slap on skincare and sunscreen – anyone else feel that way? I know I cannot be the only one since my beauty blog girl crush, Paris B, has said something along the lines of makeup actually being good for skin as in her opinion, it protects against pollutants, adds hydration and encourages better cleansing habits – read her full review over here.

I actually bought a backup of this BB cream just today and it reminded me to review it. But let’s jump straight in. It’s a great one I promise!

Does K-Beauty really need more Diversity?

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Disclaimer time. As many of you know, I am a white chick, married to a Korean, living in Korea, being fluent in Korean. As you may also be aware, this is a beauty blog and I try to keep it light-hearted and stay focussed on my goal of reviewing K-beauty products. But here’s this topic that I have been mulling over for some time, that I wanted to discuss. It’s basically me thinking out loud. I don’t know everything, and I don’t have all the answers.

Just as a quick aside. I might be completely wrong with what I am going to put forward. I am happy for you to call me out and/or tell me where I am wrong. I look forward to constructive discussions in the comments. 🙂

The Criticisms leveled at K-Beauty

Photo by James Lee on Pexels.com

Unless you have been living under a rock, you’ll be aware that there are a whole lot of discussions going on around race, diversity, inclusivity. I am keeping an open mind, I want to learn and I want to be more aware of what is going on in the world. I try to question my own beliefs and values, and I try to be better and do better.

At the same time, I have been noticing this trend as of late. There are open letters to Korean cosmetics companies, urging them to be more inclusive. K-Beauty is being petitioned to diversify and to be more accommodating of people of colour (POC). Some of those open letters can come across as kind of nasty and accusing, and it rattles me just a bit, because Korea is my adopted home country now, as well as my husband’s native country. I’m feeling kind of protective of Korea in that regard.

In particular, K-beauty is being called out for their sunscreens, many of which have a tone-up effect (read: white cast), or which are mineral based and thus create ashy tones or an aforementioned (but not marketed as such) white cast, which is perceived as unflattering on darker skin tones.

There are also products purported to be brightening, which is considered to be part of colourism. Do note that bright skin does not equal white(r) skin though! It’s also possible that perhaps, some words get lost in translation.

Furthermore, many articles that I see popping up online are critical of the shade range of Korean base products (foundations, BB creams, concealers, powders and makeup cushions), most of which range from fair to light to medium shades but usually don’t include shades for darker skin tones.

Review: Dr Jart+ Vital Hydra Solution – Biome Essence | Microbiome Skincare – Hype or the Real Deal?

**NB. I still see this essence locally in the shops however it seems to have disappeared from online shops. Not sure if this is a discontinued product or not. Do share in the comments if you know?

While some beauty websites are touting it as the next big thing in skincare, I have remained skeptical to date. I am talking about microbiome skincare, a buzzy buzzword that apparently is meant to evoke the myth surrounding the health benefits purported by fermented foods such as yoghurt, kimchi, pickles or kefir.

You can find quite a few niche options; here in Korea, Dr Jart+ has stepped in to bring you some of that microbiome trendiness.

I first got the above pictured deluxe sample of this serum essence back when I was coming down with pneumonia in summer last year. At the time, it did my skin a world of good, so I decided to spring for the full size version once I had finished that little baby bottle. I absolutely loved my skin at the time – though perhaps other factors such as stress levels might have had an impact – but this is how my skin looked once I had finished that cute little bottle and I just felt so good:

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This is what its mummy looks like:

But what about all those Biome claims? I hear you say. Let’s get into the review.

Pick your Causes

If you read only one thing today, make it this post.

Image Source

Lately, I have not been feeling like myself and I suspect that there are a lot of people out there who feel the same. There’s just so much happening in the world right now and it was getting harder and harder for me to stay plugged in. So I deleted my Instas, temporarily deactivated my Facebook. And then I found this:

Pick your causes – You cannot care about everything so care about what matters.

My favourite beauty blogger of all time, Paris B, has penned one post so perfect, I think it might be one of my favourite pieces on the Internet, ever. She has managed to express what I feel and more. I swear she is not paying me for this – she does not even know who I am 😛

Here’s a quick little excerpt but I recommend you go and read her article in full obviously for full context:

I keep my ear to the ground, I read, I talk to people, I listen and I try to understand. But I choose what I want to delve into so I don’t end up with “Compassion fatigue”.

Whether as a consumer, or as an online creator or business, I think everyone could benefit from this pause because saying something online. Are you reacting because everyone else is and because you’re expected to, or is it something you want to stand up and talk about?

She’s inspired me to go a little more introspective going forward, and I will try to be a little less reactive and detach a little more. Usually, I have a strong opinion on everything – but perhaps I am wrong a lot of the time. I’ll have to figure this out on my own.

Talk soon & bye for now. Be well.

Second Guest Post – Complete Skincare Routine for Dry, Sensitive, Acne Prone Skin (AM and PM)

My entire routine in one image.

Before I return to my regular scheduled content, let me briefly link up to my second ever guest post, over at Very Kemi.

The post is live at On the Nightstand of Laura and covers the following:

1) Firstly, tell us about you – Name, age, where are you from, hobbies and what do you do. 

2) What does skincare mean to you?

3) Tell us about your skin and your skincare routine.

4) What is one product you can’t live without?

5) Can you let us in on a skincare tip you swear by? 

6) What is a bad skin day for you? 

7) What would you do if you only had 5 minutes to get ready? 

If that is something you might enjoy reading, do hop on over and subscribe to Ely while you’re at it!

Hope you enjoy and talk to you soon.