mstravelicious: February 2016

Seoul searching for the perfect skin (vol. 2)

Asia 9:06 PM

In the last post, I mentioned a selected sample of the skin care products I’ve purchased while in Seoul, but that’s not all. While Koreans make fabulous skin care products, they also make a whole lot of cosmetic products that are really good too!

In this post, I will be sharing, again a selection that I absolutely love, and have been using daily since I got back.

1. Primer
To begin any make up routine, it is important that you find a base, a primer, that is right for you so your make up can last throughout the day. I have selected a few of my favourite primers that I’ve purchased from Korea including the following: (1) Banila Co. Prime Primer Classic Matte ; (2) Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur; (3) Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer; and (4) Innisfree Eye Primer.

For a matte look, I would recommend Banila Co. Prime Primer Classic Matte. This product makes the make up stay matte even if the make up is of a dewy texture. However, because the primer is somewhat translucent, I find that I put on the same about of foundation / BB cream. Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur is also one of my favourite primers. This primer smooths, hides pores and tones the skin. It also has SPF 33/PA ++. This primer definitely allows me to use less foundation / BB cream, and it also makes my face look really smooth. However, it does provide a dewy texture, and not a matte texture like Banlia Co. Prime Primer Classic Matte.

For eye primers, I have tried both the Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer and Innisfree Eye Primer. While both claims to enhance eye shadow colour and integrity for a longer lasting look, I prefer the Innisfree Eye Primer as I find it a bit longer lasting than the Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer. But you must try it out yourself to judge

2. BB Cream + Air Cushion

After using the prime, I usually put on foundation / BB cream. In the past, I have used other BB cream, but I found it quite heavy. So I gave the following products a try, and they worked amazingly. My favourite two products are: (1) Holika Holika Aqua Petite Jelly and (2) IOPE Air Cushion XP.

Holika Holika Aqua Petite Jelly

This bottle of BB Cream is amazing wonders. A little of it provides a lot of coverage, and the best of all, it’s light on the skin. It does add a dewy texture to the skin, but I find that the moisture gives my skin a natural healthy look, unlike the artificial look that I get from using other BB Creams in the past.

My all time favourite, however, would be the IOPE Air Cushion XP, that comes with many versions. Displayed above has the Natural, Coverage and Intense version of the IOPE Air Cushion. Natural version, marked with N before the colour type, provide the least coverage but gives a natural look to the skin. Coverage version, marked with C before the colour type, provides more coverage than the Natural version. Your skin will still look natural and healthy,and will also cover up those blemishes more than the Natural version. The Intense version, is an upgrade of the Coverage version, marked with I before the colour type. This version provides the highest coverage, or Intense cover to one’s skin. It also brightens the skin tremendously giving that natural glowing skin look. Not to mention, all of these has SPF in them and it’s compact and easy to carry.

And the packaging! it’s just so chic!

3. Blush and Powder

For some rosy cheeks, I would prefer A’PIEU Styling Multi-Blusher and IOPE Air Cushion Blusher.

I think that A’PIEU’s Styling Multi-Blusher is a genius idea where it fits everyone’s face shape perfectly. This blusher has two different colours blush for the cheeks, one highlighter to brighten up the forehead and the nose, and finally some shading to express the sleek face line. It is perfect for contouring! Plus this blush includes a diagonal brush that is used for a curve face line making it easier to apply the blush. Not to mention, the powder smells like roses.

The IOPE Air Cushion Blusher works best, in my opinion, with the IOPE Air Cushion XP as it provides that dewy texture when applying to the face. It continues to brighten my cheeks and provides that natural glow. Most importantly it moisturize the skin as it contains over 30% of mineral water XP, unlike the other blushes out there that is in a powder form.

To ensure that the make up stays on the face or have that overly shinny/oily look, a good powder is very important. Upon my trip in Korea, I came across two that I really like. The first is Etude House’s Dear Girls Oil Control Pact. This brand is very affordable and a little does a long way. If you like a more organic brand, Innisfree’s No-Sebum Mineral Powder does the same trick! I love them both! But if i was to choose one, I will prefer Etude House’s because it has a cuter look and it’s the case is thinner than the Innisfree one so it’s easier to carry around.

4. Lip Gloss, Lipstick, etc.

For pretty lips, you need a good lipstick. But when I came across these while I was in Korea, I was… speechless. They are all so good! All of them are able to maintain moisture on my lips, and never does my lips feel chap afterwards. Plus the variety of colours and the various packaging is definitely AMAZING! You must try them!

(1) Aritaum Cushion Tint: Wannabe; (2) Aritaum Water Sliding Tint: No. 13 Cosmopolitan; (3) PeriPera Lip Tint Water: No. 5 Strawberry Juice; (4) Innisfree Creamy Lip Mousse: No. 4 Spring Days Romance Peach; (5) Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar: No 4 Juicy Cherry; (6) Etude House Dear My Wish Lips Talk: PK001; (7) Aritaum Water Sliding Tint: No. 1 Pink Prism; and (8) Laneige Intense Lip Gel: #10 Squeeze Plum.

5. Make-up Remover

Last but not lease, at the end of the day, all make up must be removed for the skin to breathe naturally. I usually like using cleansing oil because it’s a quick and easy step to melt away all my make up and to ensure everything is washed away quickly, but I came across this, Aritaum’s Lip and Eye Remover, while I was in Korea. This product is a grain fermented product which removes deep lip and eye makeup easily. Best of all, it’s super soft on the skin. This product has soy ingredients that protects the skin and moisturize it at the same time. For some one with sensitive skin, I absolutely love this product!

That’s all for this time! Stay tune for my next post! Ta-ta-for-now!

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Seoul searching for the perfect skin (vol. 1)

Asia 8:47 PM

One cannot simply return from Korea without having a haul of beauty products. As soon as I got off my flight, I was told that I have to visit the most popular shopping area in Seoul – Myeongdong Station. It’s honestly every girl’s dream until the credit card bill rolls in. The street is full of shops of various cosmetic products everywhere you go. There are vendors selling clothes, scarfs, accessories among many other things. Street food was also a huge thing at Myeongdong. And after spending just merely over 3 hours here, I already had several bags in my hand of a variety of goodies.

In this post, I will share with you my top 5 selection of skin care products I brought back with me from Seoul. Maybe you’ve heard of these, maybe you haven’t. But in this post, I will share with you my thoughts on these products.

1. Cleansing Foam
Foam cleansers is the first part of my daily routine, it cleans my face and removes all traces of make-up, dirt, or oil that somehow find a way on my face throughout the day. While I was in Korea, I fell in love with the Innisfree brand, as they offer many different variety of skin care products. Specifically to foam cleansers, there were a vast variety, but here are my favourites: Bija Trouble Facial Foam, Olive Real Cleansing Foam, and Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam.

Make-up, dirt and oil from our surroundings can block out the pores in our skin causing acne and dullness to our skin. Using the foam cleansers, it helps to clear our skin from these pollutants keeping our skin clean, and pollutant-free.

As part of my routine, I like to use a bubble foamer (like the one above) to create a foamy and bubbly texture of the product before applying the product to my wet face. I would massage my face gently with the foamy texture to clear away the traces of make-up, etc. for 1-2 minutes before rinsing away with water using a Konjac jelly sponge.

Because my skin is very sensitive to changes in environment / weather, I prefer using different types of cleanser during different times of the year. For example, when I get really stressed, my skin may be troubled, and the Bija Trouble Facial Foam is my go-to foam cleanser that resolves my problem within a day or two. The Olive Real Cleansing Foam is a milder cleanser with a refreshing scent; I like to use this as a part of my daily routine as it is gentle to the skin and not drying. When the weather outside is mucky or feels polluted, often due to the high levels of humidity, I prefer the Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam as this cleanser has the volcanic clay ingredient which deems to clear dirt from pores better than some of the other products.

2. Essence

As a part of the Korean face ritual, or so I call it, there are many steps. Upon cleansing one’s face, my go to product is my essence. Essence, in Korea, is different from a toner and used before you apply a toner. There are two types of Essence that I really like from my haul from Korea: (1) Missha Time Revolution: The First Treatment Essence and (2) IOPE Bio Intensive Essence Skin Conditioning.

An Essence is the first step of skin care that makes your skin more radiant and healthy by raising skin moisture and radiance level. It is soothing, smoothing, balancing one’s sebum level, moisturizing, improving skin tone, firming, wrinkle repairing, and boosting one’s skin.

I absolutely love the product that Missha and IOPE offers. After the first day of using it, I already felt my skin smoother than before. Using it daily continuously improved my skin condition. It definitely has improved my skin tone, and radiance level. Please note, the essences do not work like magic, and should be applied daily for optimal results.

I usually put on toner after using the Essence, but since I didn’t get any toner in Korea… I will continue on with my all time favourite – Gel Creams.

3. Gel Cream

I’ve used this cream forever, or at least of what I remember. It’s not too oily, and it goes nicely on my skin because it has a gel texture to it. Did I mention it is oil-free? That’s right, I’m talking about my all-time favourite Laneige Water Bank Gel Cream as well as Laneige Water Bank Gel Eye Cream.

I love the fresh scent that this gel cream has, and leaves my skin fresh, unlike some other samples I’ve tried which leaves me oily and sticky. It is very refreshing and my skin feels softer and smoother, and even more relax after I apply it to my face. As for my eyes, I like to massage my eyes gently in circular motion until it is fully absorbed into my skin.

4. Wash-off Masks

While wash-off masks are kind of old school now and inconvenient, there are still some really great ones out there in Korea. My favourites include: Skin Food Black Sugar Mask, Skin Food Rice Mask and Tony Moly Tomatox.

Skin Food Black Sugar Mask and Rice Mask

Skin Food’s Black Sugar Mask and Rice Mask is essentially an exfoliator that you leave on after massaging your face with the sugar grains or the rice grains for one to two minutes. The sugar grains or the rice grains, slow dissolves into your skin after you leave it on for 10-15 minutes. It might feel sticky, and you might want to tie up your hair while the mask is still on your face if you don’t want it to get into your hair. After washing the mask off, it will leave your skin, nice and smooth. I also have a tendency to feel like my pores are completely clean after using the product, as I have a perception that the sugar / rice granules that was dissolving in my skin comes out as I wash off the mask, removing all the dirt, make-up remains and other pollutants that could potentially be trapped in my pores.

I absolutely LOVE this mask, and on the plus side, it smells extremely nice, just like food too. Maybe that’s how the brand got its name… Skin Food.

Tony Moly Tomatox

Before I went to Korea, I actually read some review about this mask. You see, I have had troubled skin since high school, and sometimes, I still have troubled skin. I wanted to find a mask that pinpoints the root cause of the problem (that’s deep within my skin) and at the same time whitens and perhaps clear some of the acne scars that I have from many many years.

Tony Moly Tomatox was able to treat part of the equation. While I don’t think it pinpoints the problem deep within my skin (perhaps because the troubled skin now is from stress, some hormone thing), it does help remove the acne scars and brightens my skin.

Upon applying it to my face, there is a tingly sensation, but after massaging it on my face for 1-2 minutes, the tingly sensation is gone. It is recommended by the package to leave it on your face for 5 – 10 minutes, so I usually wash it off after 7, because it does tighten my skin a lot, and sometimes the tingly sensation does comes back due to the citrus ingredient in the product. Once the product is washed off, my face feels tightened, and smooth.

After using it a few times, I do see improvements in the dark spots of my skin from acne scars, and it does whiten my skin.

To be quite honest, I was quite scared to use this product at first because I have very sensitive skin. Reading some reviews, some people had mentioned that their face had some red bumps (like allergies) after. Thankfully, that didn’t happen to me. What I found this mask was really good for was during the harsh winter months, when it was really dry, and my skin started to peel. Surprisingly, it took away my dry flaky skin yet it left my skin tight and dry after using it. But with the right amount of essence, toner and cream, the problem was quickly resolved.

5. Sheet Masks

Lastly, how can I not mention the various skin masks available out there in the market. I can go on and on and on about how great these masks are and the variety of functions. But there are just WAY TOO MANY. So I’m going to narrow it down in another point of view.

While there are many sheet masks out in the market, and when I mean many, I mean LOTS, there are 3 distinct types of masks: (1) normal sheet masks with various flavours and functions, (2) hydro gel masks that restores hydration, elasticity and bounce to one’s skin and (3) second skin mask, a perfectly fitted mask that provides intensive moisture to dry skin, just like another skin layer to one’s face.

For normal/regular usage

For normal/regular/daily usage, I would recommend using these masks that provides the basic moisturization and other functionality to one’s skin. Whether it be brightening, removing red spots, moisturizing, etc. These masks are generally good for normal day-to-day treatments.

For restoring hydration + elasticity

Hydro-gel masks as see on these masks, provides additional hydration that normal/regular masks does not offer. It can also provide other functions like, brightening clarifying and clearing skin on top of the additional hydration that it offers.

For all encompassing masks (normal functionality, hydration, brigthening, smoothing, etc).

Second skin mask from Innisfree, Leaders and the Bio Essence Skin Conditioning Mask from IOPE, I find that these masks while expensive, they really provide the all encompassing functions that it promises. My favourite one was the IOPE one, so that’s why I have already finished it. These masks are definitely worth every penny!

And that’s all for now in the first volume of searching for the perfect skin in Seoul! Stay tuned for some of my favourite cosmetic items in the second volume. Thanks for reading!

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