Korean cosmetics

This is another post that was voted for in one of my polls a long time ago. I am so sorry that it took me forever to post! It's been sitting in my drafts for such a long time, I just never got to it! But, I do keep my word and here it is! Thank you so much to the lovely individuals that voted! I seriously love you for it ^__^. I love talking about Korean cosmetics. Their products are just so fun! I love that I am slowly seeing popular products and brands there begin to be popular here. BB creams, as well as the current popular option BB cushion originated in Korea. So did sheet face masks. Recently Sephora started carrying Tony Moly products on their website.

I am a die hard lover of Korean cosmetics and beauty products. Why? They're awesome AND they have the cutest packaging! Seriously, the packaging is so much better than American cosmetics. Right now, my favorite brand is Etude House who by far has the cutest packaging. I love all of the crazy products they have there! A popular product that seems crazy is a face mask for the lips. I also watch a lot of Korean dramas, some of the actors in these dramas use brands such as Etude House, Holika Holika, Tony Moly, Innisfree and Skin Food. I love being able to use the products that they do. Two of my favorite Korean actors/actresses, Park Shin Hye and Lee Min Ho have modeled for Etude House. The popular Korean group SHINee has also worked with Etude House.

In my opinion, Korean skincare is the best skincare in the world. They have SO many products and options and even cheaper products are top notch.

So what products do I personally own and use?

I own 2 BB creams by Skin79, they make some of the best BB creams! I own the orange vital BB cream and the pink. The orange has a bit of a yellow undertone and dries matte. The pink has a bit of a grey one and leaves a more dewy finish. The pink is a tad bit dark on me so I do only wear it in the summer. I love wearing these BB creams in the summer, they both have SPF and last all day. I REALLY want their green BB cream, I hear it is even lighter than the orange and perfect for porcelain complexion girls such as myself.

I also own Holika Holika's Essential Petit BB cream. It comes in a small tube, great for travel. Great coverage, I never need to use concealer with it. It is my favorite BB at the moment.

The other Holika Holika product I own is called the Jewel Light eyeliner in Pink Topaz. It is a really shimmery light pink eyeliner. I love using it as a highlight in the corners of my eyes.

L:Plum Mousse Cake, R:Strawberry Choux

I own a good amount of Etude House products. Their blush products are my absolute favorite, the packaging is adorable and they're pigmented! First up is the Sweet Recipe collection  Lovely Cookie Blushers in Strawberry Choux, a light sort of pastel pink and Plum Mousse cake, a plummy berry
color.

Clockwise from the left: Peach Sugar Cake, Strawberry Chiffon Cake and Blueberry Cheesecake

Next are the Sweet Recipe All Over Colors  in Blueberry Cheesecake (a fuschia/purple color), Strawberry Chiffon Cake (a bright pink) and Peach Sugar Cake (a perfect pinky peach). These are meant as an all over color product for cheeks, eyes and lips. They start off as a cream but dry to a powder consistency. I love using them as blush. They're pigmented and buildable. Plus look at the tin they're packaged in! So kawaii!

Next is the Etude House Baby Mint Choux base, from their Choux base collection which are different color correctors/primers. I have the green one to balance out all of the redness in my face. I have a lot sadly. (In makeup terms - to neutralize/cancel out a color use the opposite color on the color wheel. Ex: use green for redness, yellow for purpley under eye circles). I LOVE this stuff! It has a very silky consistency and also it is a mint color. Most green color correctors are more of a warm toned pea green and don't work as well with my cool undertones. This product works PERFECTLY with them. I need to order a backup tube, as I never want to be without it.

Lastly: my Korean skincare products. I own a bunch of face masks. I have a good amount of PureTree sheet masks, they make their masks with a bunch of different fruit/plant extracts, even honey and hyaluronic acid extracts. I buy packs of 12 of them on amazon, which ends up being around $1 each. They're always super relaxing and make my skin super soft and smooth. I do need to use a moisturizer afterwards though. I always make sure to have a good amount of these around and I usually use one every week. I end up looking like Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) when I wear them, so that is highly entertaining.

The Vanedo masks came as freebies with an order of PureTree masks. I haven't tried them yet.

Tony Moly Tomatox. YES the packaging is literally a plastic tomato. So cute! I love this face mask. It makes my skin so soft and it's fantastic for use in the summer. It smells like cucumbers (I know, go figure).

I also have a good amount of samples of Korean products to try (Korean beauty sellers/manufacturers LOVE handing out samples)

Would I use any of these products on clients?

ABSOLUTELY!! Makeup wise, I would not hesitate to use Skin 79 BB creams on a client or the Etude Choux bases. Skin 79 is considered more high end and their BB creams are pricey. I luckily know how to get mine for half price.

I always recommend the Pure Tree face masks to people and would totally tell a client to use one before they come to me to apply their makeup.

Where do I buy all of these products?

Good old Amazon and Jolse.com. With Amazon, just be cautious of who you buy from and read seller reviews to make sure you aren't getting knockoffs. Jolse is a Korean beauty online store. I have ordered from them quite a few times. They are great, I always get authentic products as well as samples and free gifts. Their customer service woman is very helpful and sweet. Their website is safe to order from. ALWAYS pay for tracking! Their tracking costs under $3 and their shipping is always free. Your order will ship from South Korea and you will need to sign for it so you want to be able to track it.

There you go my lovelies! Your guide to Korean cosmetics and some reviews from yours truly. Do any of you have experiences with Korean beauty products?? I hope this was helpful, as purchasing international beauty products can be daunting. I am personally used to it - I have ordered many fashion/beauty items from Japan, China and South Korea.

Xoxo
Moon prism power makeup!