I’ve been a big fan of Korean beauty products for a few years and I still discover new brands or products from other people’s recommendations. I thought it would be great to have one thread where we can inquire, recommend and just share our thoughts about the products we use. Since many of us are at different stages in our lives, it would be interesting to share our experiences.
To kick it off, let’s talk about favorite brands. I like a lot of them but the ones that I tend to gravitate towards are Etude House, Tony Moly, Elizavecca, Missha, Mizon, Skinfood and Nature Republic, just to name a few.
skin-type: dry, dehydrated (meaning that my moisture barrier is easily devoid of the moisture it needs to be healthy), non-acneic
Products I love and will probably rebuy until I die:
DHC Deep Cleansing Oil - I really like thick pillow textures. I have used the Mac Cleanse Off oil for years, but this is half price of MAC and emulsifies even better. (NOT GOOD FOR SENSITIVE EYES). Also takes off the rumored to be horrible to take off Isehan Kiss Me Long and Curl Mascara, but not 4 coats of mascara (nor does the Lancome Bi-facil so whatever).
2sol elixir propolis serum - the brand 2sol like A’pieu are the ELF of the Korean beauty world. EVERYTHING IS SO SO SO SO SO SO cheap. I paid like <$9 USD for this (50mL btw)? including shipping. For some reason centella asiatica (병풀) and propolis (I tried a higher % propolis product and same effect not observed) also centella asiatica and tea tree is some kind of magic for me. I was super irritated by the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair because I had gotten allergic. I was easily irritated and had redness throughout my skin. This product not only soothed the redness, but also made my skin TRANSLUCENT. The glow was also quite amazing.
Skinfood Royal Honey Good Moisturizing Cream - I like it because it’s cheap (~$10 for 100grams. The average cream is about 50g)!!! Starting from ingredient 3 or 4 it’s all carrier oils. My skin ADORES carrier oils. It is between a true gel and cream, yet completely silicone and its derivatives-free. However sinks in kinda fast. The oil:water ratio is also perfect. I use it everywhere and particularly like it as a hand cream. There’s no added fragrance. If you sniff, you may smell a hint of olive oil smell.
Cosmo Monster Aqua Gel Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA+++ - Though I am not confident the SPF and PA protection are real, it’s a very nice sunscreen. Unlike western sunscreens that are oily, heavy and hard to spread, this feels like a REALLY light moisturizer. It spreads really well and sinks very fast into the skin. (The base is aloe).
Mediheal Tea Tree Care Solution EX - So amazon had a sale, I noticed I do well with the tea tree masks, so I bought it. The design itself is a sturdier cotton sheet mask with slits! So I can kinda stretch it over my large face. I like it because it is super cooling. (again this tea tree + centella asiatica is some kind of magic) It has a ton of soothing ingredients and calms down my painful acne
TonyMoly Face Mix Correcting Color Cushion SPF50+ PA++++ in 01 Lavender - I like this to combat my sallowness. My skintone is about NC20-25 so I use it kinda like a thing to even out my skintone and sorta cover up my blemishes. It’s also great for touchups.
Amore Pacific Color Control Cushion Compact Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ - This smells like… grandmas and heavy powder makeup. But I look photoshopped and it’s great for Spring/humid weather because it doesn’t cake around my skin. It’s light coverage, yet my features are slightly naturally enhanced with a semi-matte finish.
Shu Uemura Hard Formula in No. 9 Seal Brown - This is a wooden pencil that you sharpen. I barely have eyebrows, so I can fudge it out and it’ll look like shadows upclose but filled in enough from far away. REALLY REALLY NATURAL it looks like I didn’t do anything to my eyebrows.
Isehan Kiss Me Heavy Rotation Coloring Eyebrow in No. 4 Natural Brown - If my eyebrows are actually black, my complexion looks like something too fierce, so this helps tint it a bit lighter. The brush is made so the product distributes REALLY evenly and no clumping. It also somehow magically doesn’t clump on the eyebrows either unless you’re pushing into your skin. Dries instantly and some say even with swimming doesn’t budge.
TonyMoly Backstage Auto Gel Liner - Stays put all day. I wish it had a bit stronger pigmentation.
Gekka Sleeping Pack - I actually really like the texture. It’s a nice gooy product with a vit C derivative up front so I’ve also been noticing brightening effects. It’s a heavy occlusive product, so it keeps me moisturized for about 16 hrs.
Aritaum Ginger Sugar Overnight Lip Mask - I used nearly 2 tubs of this, and it really saved my drying, bleeding lips (I bleed and scab 365 days a year) in 3 days. Each tub lasts me 6 months and I use it at night every day.
Ausome Hydrating Double Mist - This is a oil in mist product that I liked to use when my skin felt slightly dry during Spring. During winter it’s not that great because I felt it was drying (might have to do something with my climate).
Great recommendations. Some of these I didn’t know about. Always nice to learn about new products. I have normal skin and where I live it doesn’t get too hot or too cold but as the climate is changing, we’ve seen hotter temps and different products may be needed.
One thing I’ve noticed is that some American products I used to use are not that great for me anymore. I have discontinued using most of them. All of my products are Korean at the moment. But I’ve had some Japanese as well.
