Alice, at a recent spring picnic celebration in Seoul. Alice, did you make that cake? I want it!

What new skincare ingredients are popular or have become popular over the past year?

Hyaluronic Acid

• A’Pieu – Essential Source Hyaluronic Acid
• It’s Skin Hyaluronic Acid Moisture 

Enhanced Water
Water is the most basic ingredient of skincare products so skincare brands are now moving toward “enhanced waters” instead of plain water.

• Sparkling water:
– Innisfree – Jeju Sparkling Mineral
– Skinfood – Fresh Apple Sparkling Pore

• Deep Sea water :
– Missha Super Aqua aroma deep sea water line

• Ginseng Water:
– Donginbi Red Ginseng Pure Moisturizing Healing Mist

• Black Tea Water
– A-True Real Black Tea True Active Essence

Donginbi Red Ginseng Pure Moisturizing Healing Mist on eBay, on Amazon

Seeds

• Chia Seed
– The Faceshop – Chia Seed Line

• Green Tea Seed
– Innisfree Green Tea Seed Line

• Lotus Seed
– Primera Miracle Seed Essence

Primera Miracle Seed Essence – on W2Beauty, on eBay, on Amazon

Nature-Based Ingredients

• Honey
– Banila Co Miss flower & Mr. Honey line (I love their cream)
– Innisfree Canola Honey Line
– Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Line

• Banana
– TonyMoly Magic Food Banana Line
– It’s Skin Banana Cleansing Foam
– Shara Shara Banana Cleansing Foam

• Salt
– A’Pieu – Essential Source Salt Line
– Innisfree – Sea Salt Cleanser

• Goat Milk
– A’Pieu – Essential Source Goat’s Milk Line
– TonyMoly Naturalth Goat Milk Moisture

• Horse Oil
– Guerisson 9 Complex
– TonyMoly Horseyu Cream Premium RX

• Thanakha :
– The Saem Thanakha Pore Tightening

Banila Co. Miss flower & Mr. Honey Cream, on W2Beauty, on eBay

Guerisson 9 Complex Horse Oil Cream, on eBay, on Amazon (Please note: there are many counterfeit versions of this cream on the market. These linked sellers have been verified as carrying genuine Guerisson 9 Complex.)

Which ingredients that have been around for at least a few years are still enjoying popularity in new products?

Snail, aloe, green tea and argan are definitely the big winners!

• Snail
– It’s Skin Prestige d’escargot Cream
– Mizon All-in-One Snail Cream
– Missha Near Skin Repairing Snail Cream
– A’Pieu Essential Source Snail Vital Cream
– The Saem Beaute de Royal Snail & Red Ginseng Intense Cream
– The Saem Snail Soothing Gel
– Tony Moly Timeless Ferment Snail Cream

• Aloe
– Nature Republic Soothing & Moisture Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel
– Etude House Aloe Moistfull Cream
– Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel

• Green Tea
– Innisfree Green Tea Line
– Nature Republic Fresh Green Tea Seed Serum
– Illi Green Tea Brightening Mask

• Ginseng
– Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum
– Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream
– It’s Skin Prestige Crème Ginseng D’escargot

Illi Green Tea Brightening Mask on W2Beauty, on eBay

A snail classic: It’s Skin Prestige Crème Ginseng D’escargot on W2Beauty, on eBay, on Amazon

Is snail mucin still a staple skin care ingredient?

It is indeed, and we now have some new variations of snail products such as the The Saem Gold Snail Wrinkle Plumper or the fermented snail with Tony Moly Timeless Ferment Snail line. Missha also just renewed their popular snail line with their Near Skin Repairing Snail Cream, which was just released in April.

Missha Near Skin Repairing Snail Cream, on W2Beauty, on eBay, on Amazon

What new skincare products are you seeing emerge for the spring/summer 2015 season?

I’m seeing more and more “sparkling” products such as the sparkling essence, sparkling water, etc. Innisfree’s Jeju Sparkling Mineral really leads in this category.

Ginseng is also coming back with the Ginseng Royal Silk Watery Cream by Nature Republic. I expect they will develop this into an entire line soon.

Salt is also quite prominent with lines by A’pieu and Innisfree. I believe more brands will also be following that trend.

Nature Republic Ginseng Royal Silk Watery Cream – on W2Beauty, on eBay

Are there any newly released skincare products that have already become very popular?

The Innisfree Sparkling Water is really popular these days. The Ginseng Royal Silk Watery Cream by Nature Republic has been a very popular product as well!

Was there a particular event or celebrity endorsement that caused their popularity?

Yoona from the Girl’s Generation is Innisfree’s endorser for the Sparkling Water.  A big ad was made for the launch of the sparkling water line, and they also put quite some effort in the display of each shop.

Innisfree Sparkling Water Mineral Essence Display

I mean… the bubbles are not a fixed image, it’s really bubble water that imitates the movement of sparkling water.

For Nature Republic’s Ginseng Royal Silk Watery Cream, they’ve had a special promotion event with several celebrities — the singer from the girls’ band Miss A Lee Min-young, Girl’s Generation’s Hyoyeon, and actress Hwang Shin-Hye.  It was their personal support through Instagram that boosted popularity – all of them took selfies with the product to boost promotion.

What new products have you seen emerge in the past year?

• Primera Super Sprout Serum (2014.02)
• Mamonde Lotus Micro Cleansing line (2014.03)
• Skinfood Premium Tomato Whitening line (2014.03)
• Mamonde Floral Hydro Cream (2014.05)
• Mamonde Rose Water Multi Soothing Gel (2014.06)
• O Hui Super Anti-aging Essence (2014.08)
• Banila Co Miss flower & Mr. Honey cream (2014.09)
• The Saem Urban Eco Harakeke Firming Seed Cream (2014.09)
• Sulwhasoo Capsulized Ginseng fortifying serum (2014.09)
• Skinfood Miracle Food 10 Solution line (2014.09)
• The Face Shop The Therapy Secret-made Anti-aging Cream, line (2014.10)
• Laneige Time Freeze Intensive Cream (2014.10)
• Hanyul Moist Glow Oil (2014.11)
• Su:m37 Signature Essence Full-Energy Essence, Fine-Moisturizer, D-Purifying Essence (2014.12)
• TonyMoly Magic Food Banana Sleeping Pack (2014.12)
• O Hui Miracle Moisture line (2015.01)
• Amorepacific Contour Lift Skin Defining Collection (2015. 01)
• Hera Signia line (2015. 02)
• Laneige White Plus Renew Spot Ampoule (2015.02)
• Nature Republic Ginseng Royal Silk Watery Cream (2015. 03)
• Innisfree Jeju Sparkling Mineral Essence (2015.03)
• Su:m37 White Award Ultimate Whitening Ampoule in Cream, Spot Essence EX (2015.03)
• Skinfood Premium Tomato Whitening Moisture Synergy Cream (2015.03)
• Tony Moly Naturalth Goat Milk line (2015.03)
• Hera Cell Bio Cream Soft (2015.04)

Are any of those new products particularly popular in Korea right now?

• Mamonde Lotus Micro Cleansing line
• Primera Super Sprout Serum
• The Face Shop The Therapy Secret-made Anti-aging Cream line
• Laneige Time Freeze Intensive Cream
• Sulwhasoo Capsulized Ginseng Fortifying Serum
• Su:m37 Signature Essence: Full-Energy Essence, Fine-Moisturizer, D-Purifying Essence
• Su:m37 White Award Ultimate Whitening Ampoule in Cream, Spot Essence EX
• TonyMoly Naturalth Goat Milk line

Su:m37 Signature Essence: Full-Energy Essence, Fine-Moisturizer, & D-Purifying Essence, on W2Beauty, on eBay

Was there a particular event or celebrity endorsement that caused their popularity?

Yes – in some cases there was a big celebrity endorsement, but for others, it was good reviews and word-of-mouth that helped elevate the product’s popularity.

• Mamonde Lotus Micro Cleansing line:
Park Shin-hye, celebrity endorsement

• Primera Super Sprout Serum: 
Word-of-mouth

• The Face Shop The Therapy Secret-made Anti-aging Cream line:
Suzy from girls’ band Miss A, celebrity endorsement

• Laneige Time Freeze Intensive Cream:
Song Hye-kyo, celebrity endorsement

• Sulwhasoo Capsulized Ginseng Fortifying Serum:
Word-of-mouth

• Su:m37 Signature Essence Full-Energy Essence, Fine-Moisturizer, D-Purifying Essence:
Word-of-mouth

• Su:m37 White Award Ultimate Whitening Ampoule in Cream, Spot Essence EX:
Word-of-mouth

• Tony Moly Naturalth Goat Milk line:
Word-of-mouth

What skincare products (new or old) are most popular with:

• People in their teens?
– Tony Moly Naturalth Goat Milk line
– Etude House Collagen Moistfull Cream
– Innisfree Green Tea Line

• People in their 20s?
– Su:m37 Signature Essence Ful-Energy Essence
– Su:m37 Signature Essence Fine-Moisturizer
– Su:m37 Signature Essence D-Purifying Essence
– Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum
– Sulwhasoo Luminature Essential Finisher

• People in their 30s?
– Hera Cell Bio Essence
– Hera Cell Bio Cream
– O HUI Cell Power No.1 Essence

• People in their 40s?
– Hera Cell Bio Essence
– Hera Cell Bio Cream
– Sulwhasoo Capsulized Ginseng Fortifying Serum
– Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum

• People in their 50s and above?
– Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream
– History of Whoo – Whitening Moisture Cream
– Amorepacific Moisture Bound Skin Energy Mist

History of Whoo – Whitening & Moisture Cream, on W2Beauty, on eBay, on Amazon

What skincare lines and products are most popular for men?

• Innisfree Forest for Men Perfect All-in-One Skin
• Innisfree Forest for Men line
• A’Pieu Nonco Black Tea for Men
• Missha For Men Urban Soul The First Treatment Essence
• Mamonde Men Sebum Control Toner
• Primera Men Organience Essential Cream
• Iope Men Bio Essence Intensive Conditioning
• Sulwhasoo Moisturizing Fluid for Men

What are your top 10 bestselling skincare products on W2Beauty?

1) Benton Skincare Set
(Snail Bee High Content Essence, Snail Bee High Content Cream, Snail Bee High Content Mask Sheet, Snail Bee High Content Skin, Snail Bee High Content Lotion, Aloe BHA Toner, Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel)
2) Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick
3) Laneige Water Bank Sleeping Pack
4) Su:m37 Time Repair line (Toner, Emulsion, Serum)
5) Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum
6) Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask
7) Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive
8) Tony Moly Tomatox
9) Mizon All in One Snail Cream
10) Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask (Original/Hard)

The ever-popular Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick, on W2Beauty, on eBay, on Amazon

What are your top 5 personal favorite skincare products?

I really have a hard time choosing just 5 so I will add some bonus items

• Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel
When I was young, every spring/summer I would played outside with my friends all day. At that time, my mother grew Aloe in the house. Every day she help me wash my face and let me lay down on her knees and she would rub me with pure aloe gel on parts of my face. Sometimes, she just put the aloe gel part on my face like doing a skincare pack. After that, I’ve used so many aloe soothing gels, but I truly enjoy using the Benton Aloe soothing gel nowadays since it really reminds me of this time. I also like Nature Republic – Soothing & Moisture Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel, but it is not really convenient to carry around.
• Sulwhasoo – Overnight Vitalizing Mask
• Laneige – Water Sleeping Mask (formerly called Laneige water sleeping pack_EX)
• Laneige – Lip Sleeping Mask
• Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm
• Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick
• Sulwhasoo – Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream, the best cream I’ve ever used!
• History of Whoo – Whitening Moisture Cream
• Sulwhasoo – Snowise EX Whitening Spot Serum
• Skinfood – Black Sugar Mask
• Su:m37 Secret Repair Toner

Sheet masks:
• Banila Co – It Radiant Lace Hydrogel Mask Sheet Moisturizing
• Innisfree – It’s Real Squeeze Mask-Manuka Honey
• Benton – Snail Bee High Content Mask

Where do you see the future of Korean skincare going in the next 3 years?

I really expect to see the skincare routine simplified, and more all-in-one products that would save time and money for the consumers – even some all-in-one products in the form of a spray! An all-in-one skincare mist sounds great, doesn’t it?

Also, I expect more DIY skincare products, as well as miniature versions of salon skincare, such as special kits for pore treatments, wrinkle treatments, and brightening.

Last but not least, I also expect some more beauty food coming in the market. “Beauty from inside” is a trend that is growing rapidly!

The post 2015 Korean Skincare Trends, New Releases, and the Future of K-Beauty with Alice of W2Beauty appeared first on Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews.

Charlotte Cho

Before living in Korea, I remember perusing a beauty counter at Nordstroms and purchasing a bottle of toner—not really knowing what I was doing. I used it for about five days before my skin started breaking out. Worst yet, as soon as my skin met the toner, it stung and resulted in an irritatingly tight, dry feeling.

To my surprise, when I tested out toner products while in Korea, I was met with the opposite effect: extremely moisturizing, extremely calming, and the added bonus of no alcohol as an ingredient. That exact moment was when I got serious about Korean skincare ingredients.

In a general sense, Korean skincare may seem like it’s too “adventurous” and all over the map with their ingredients—snail extract, anyone?—but after years of being immersed in the Korean skincare market, I now know that there’s a method to the apparent madness. No, they don’t just try all the ingredients under the sun to “see what sticks!” Korean women have the notorious reputation of being the pickiest skincare consumers out there. Also, high quality and high standards have encouraged a wave of even the most sought-after products to be affordable and accessible to the masses.

The following are my five favorite on-the-cusp skincare ingredients to seek out in Korean beauty products:

1.    Green Tea Extract (Camellia Sinensis)

We already know green tea as a healthy beverage—but did you know green tea extract is also great for your skin? While drinking the tea can reduce stress, lower blood pressure and boost immune systems, green tea also contains natural antioxidants called polyphenols that help ward against even skin cancer. Green tea extract can also soothe irritated skin, help clear acne, and help with dark circles under eyes. Convinced yet?

My favorite product containing green tea extract is the Skin 79+ SuperBeblesh Balm Triple Functions BB cream. I often get emails from people who have shared stories about how much their skin has actually improved while wearing Skin 79+. That’s the major difference between Korean BB creams and non-Korean—actual improvement of overall skin condition. This BB cream not only covers imperfections, it moisturizes, treats and hydrates. It’s a bonafide Korean beauty cult favorite for a reason.

2.    Snail Mucin

Ah, snail mucin. As in: snail extract. As in: snail slime. Our mollusk friends use the stuff to help heal their bodies as they squish along rough terrain. After Chilean snail farmers (yes, that’s a thing) discovered their hands were softer and even healed quickly after handling snails, a new beauty revolution was born. And in case you’re wondering: No, the snails are not harmed in any way.

My favorite product of the moment with snail mucin is from Benton. The Snail Bee High Content Skin/Toner hydrates and preps your skin to absorb the next steps in your skincare regimen. The toner contains green tea (which hydrates, brightens), snail mucin (firms skin, encourages cell regeneration, replenishes moisture), and bee venom (which features anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral properties). And if you’re looking for a snail cream, this Missha Cell Renew snail cream is highly recommended. It comes with a snail sleeping mask too for extra hydration at night.

While, honestly, I haven’t had too much experience with bee venom as an ingredient other than the Benton line, I’ll be sure to provide updates on what I think as I use other bee venom products.

3.    Fermented Yeast Concentrate

This one is probably still unfamiliar to many. Fermented yeast concentrate, also known as fissione, is easily absorbed into skin. It basically allows the skin’s outer layer to be renewed faster since the formula works on a cellular level, leaving you with that glowy and dewy skin that so many Korean women seem to have.

Missha’s First Treatment Essence contains a whooping 80% fermented yeast concentrate (official ingredient name: Saccharomycopsis Ferment Filtrate), and also vitamin B3 to increase skin elasticity and revitalize skin tone and texture. And the incredibly refreshing First Treatment Essence Mist can be used before makeup application or any time throughout the day—which I always, always carry with me. Many Koreans believe essence to be the most important step in skincare routine, and so do I. I remember to use this product every morning and every night after toner.

4.    Bamboo Sap (Bambusa Vulgaris)

The benefits of fermented bamboo extract are more than noteworthy. Known for its unparalleled ability to provide instant, long-term hydration, bamboo sap features a ton of anti-inflammatory abilities. When a formula substitutes oil for water in their product, I definitely approve. When a formula substitutes water for bamboo sap, I’m all over it!

The Waterfull Rebalancing Gel Lotion from SU:M37 moisturizes skin and increases the density of moisture using four key fermented ingredients: Bamboo water (which contains beneficial amino acids), red clover flower extract (promotes skin vitality), hibiscus flower extract (maintains moisture), and gold-silver flower (minimizes pores). I think the reason why I love SU:M37 products is because they replace the use of water as an ingredient completely—preventing formula dilution and ensuring effectiveness as a whole. The entire SU:M37 line has no artificial fragrances, colors, or preservatives.

Another really fantastic product line worth checking out that contains fermented bamboo extract is AmorePacific’s Moisture Bound.

5. Hyaluronic Acid

I am in the process of getting my esthetician license and I’ve been diving deep into different ingredients and the chemistry/physiology of skin. My new favorite ingredient is hyaluronic acid, which is a humectant that binds moisture to the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin). I have severely dehydrated skin so I make sure to drink a lot of water but because water actually goes to your skin last (vital organs get first dibs, understandably) it’s important to apply moisturizing ingredients topically. This ingredient actually prevents moisture loss AND increases moisture content in the skin. My favorite product right now that has hyaluronic acid is the Lioele V-Line Sleeping Pack.

Now, let’s get real here: Will these ingredients create a miracle solution for your skin, banishing wrinkles or clearing acne overnight? Nope. But what it can do is brighten or pacify inflamed skin, helping eventually fade acne over time, and, yes, actually improving your overall skin condition.

While staying vigilant about ingredients is an important aspect of skincare, it’s equally important to maintain the proper mindset about skincare as well. In Korea, taking care of your skin is an entire culture—an entire lifestyle if you will.

Expecting a particular “miracle product” to save your skin single-handedly is like depending on an unhealthy crash diet. Changing your “skincare lifestyle” as a whole by taking preventative measures is what’s really going to result in great skin over time. Proper cleansing, moisturizing, and the daily application of SPF are the big, big takeaways here. Maintain your skincare routine and you’ll be rewarded with brighter, radiating skin that’s here to stay.

– Charlotte

The post Charlotte Cho of SokoGlam Shares Her Favorite Skincare Ingredients appeared first on Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews.

This time, I’m approaching the breakdown of my skincare routine a little differently. For one thing, I am dividing my routine into 3 posts: one for my morning routine, one for my evening routine, and one for my weekly masks and treatments. Also, instead of simply outlining my baseline routine this time around, I’m going to break down how I assemble my skincare routine, regardless of what I’m testing or favoring at any given time. I’ll be including product types, order, and the ideology behind them. I’ll also be including some of my favorite go-to products for each category. The products marked with an asterisk (*) indicate the products that are part of my baseline routine. Please note that I’m only using one product for each category at any given time, with the exception of serums and pH dependent treatments. I’m often using a couple of those at a time – and I would probably use more, if only I had more faces to slather them on.

In products that are noted here, there are additives that affect potency. These supplements are available on this website https://calonmedical.com/.

I’m also dividing up my routine into 3 parts:

•  Part 1: My Morning Skincare Routine (You’re reading it now!)
•  Part 2: My Evening Skincare Routine
•  Part 3: Masks, Spot Remedies, & Weekly Treatments

I haven’t had the chance to do a full review for many of the products listed, but I’ll be reviewing most of them once my skincare routine series is complete.

My Skin Type & Concerns

My skin type is naturally dry. I would characterize it as somewhat sensitive, though it’s nowhere near as sensitive as it used to be. A year ago I could barely tolerate any acids (BHA, AHA), and now those are my go-to actives.

I am highly prone to hormonal acne, especially along my jawline, and I am also very prone to hyperpigmentation. I get red marks from even the tiniest closed comedones, and without product assistance, they will linger anywhere from 4 to 12 months.

I don’t want to advertise my exact age on the internet, but I will say that I am closer to 40 than I am to 30 at this point. I don’t have any issues with wrinkles. I have some fine lines beginning to develop in my eye area. I don’t have any visible sun damage.

A closeup of my skin with no makeup, taken on May 9, 2014.

My Goals

My goals for my skincare routine, regardless of what products I’m using, are to maximize the overall health of my skin, achieve an even skin tone and texture, and prevent the effects of aging. I focus heavily on products that have the potential to strengthen my moisture barrier, prevent and/or treat acne and hyperpigmentation, and prevent sun damage and wrinkles.

My skin responds very well to products in a lower pH range – I’ve eliminated use and testing of nearly all skincare products with a pH higher than 6.0, and have seen tremendous improvement in my moisture barrier strength, and consequently, a reduction in my skin sensitivity and an almost complete elimination of my chronic acne. You can check out my post about the moisture barrier, acne, and skin sensitivity for more information about this topic.

My Morning Routine

My skincare routine is loosely based on an Asian skincare style routine in the sense that I’m layering a lot of products, double cleansing (at night), and many of my skincare favorites are from Korean and Japanese brands. However, I also have favorite products from other parts of the world, and because I’m making considerations for pH dependent items, the exact order of my skincare routine doesn’t line up precisely with the steps in a traditional Asian skincare routine. For each step, I’ll be listing some of my favorite products for that category. Baseline routine products will be marked with an asterisk (*).

I’ll be linking to my full review for products that have them. Those that don’t have reviews yet will have them soon, and I’ll be updating this post as they become available.

One thing I want to emphasize is that everyone’s skin is different, so what works perfectly for me may be an awful combination for someone else. I also want to point out that my tolerance for acids is probably a bit higher than someone who has never used an AHA and/or BHA regularly. Acids are wonderful actives, but they can be drying or irritating for someone who isn’t used to them, or is simply too sensitive to use them (I couldn’t use them at all when I first started using Tretinoin a couple of years ago).

Step 1: Gentle, Low pH Cleanser

I made a decision 6 months ago to stop using cleansers with a pH over 6.0. This is one of two major changes I made to my skincare approach that made a major difference in my skin’s health. It did mean sacrificing my rich, foaming, facial cleansers though – sadly, all of them tested at a pH of 8.0 or higher. It also meant letting go of my Shea Terra cleansers, all of which had a pH of 10.0 or more. The upside is that I was able to hang on to one of my old drugstore favorites, and discover some new cleansers that I liked more than any of my old ones. I now keep no less than 5 different gentle cleansers in rotation at any given moment. I don’t actually need 5 different cleansers. A normal person would fare just fine with one. But, you know, variety is the spice of life, and having a sink and shower lined with an array of amazing cleansers makes me feel like I’m living in the lap of luxury.

Left to Right: Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick, FutureDerm Skin Reborn Facial Cleanser 8.31, Biologique Recherche Lait U Cleansing Milk, Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser, Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser

Here are my favorite cleansers right now:

Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick (pH 5.5) *

This is my Holy Grail (HG) cleanser, in part because it’s such a great cleanser and I love what it does for my skin, but also because it’s a pleasure to use, easy to travel with, and if I need to, I can use it for both steps of my double cleansing routine at night since it removes makeup so well. You can see my full review here.

Where to Buy: It’s sold out almost everywhere at the moment – the manufacturing company is actually having a hard time keeping up with the high demand for this cleanser. You can get on a waiting list at W2Beauty, where it retails for $26. First time W2Beauty customers can get a $5 W2Beauty voucher by entering my sponsor code at sign-up: 025605.

When the Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick becomes widely available again, I’ll update with more vendor options.

Biologique Recherche Lait U Vegetal Cleansing Milk (pH 5.0)

There are days when I think that maybe Lait U is my HG. It’s creamy and luxurious, and has one of the lowest pH values of any of any of my cleansers. I would describe it as moisturizing, but it also rinses really clean and doesn’t leave any filmy residue. Like the Su:m37 Cleansing Stick, it removes makeup well enough that it can also be used for both steps of the double cleansing process if needed.

Where to Buy: I get all my Biologique Recherche Products from either Rescue Spa or Vicki Morav. Both retailers have excellent product knowledge, incredibly fast shipping, and send a crazy amount of samples with your order. Vicki Morav also offers a 10% discount for orders of $150 or more with the code Happy2014.

FutureDerm Skin Reborn Facial Cleanser 8.31 (pH 5.0)

This cleanser has the most foaming action of any of my low pH cleansers. The nice thing about it is that despite the lather, it’s totally non-stripping. It also rinses easily and completely without any residue, and contains some nice moisturizing, anti-inflammatory ingredients. When I use this cleanser, I like to massage my dry face with it for a minute or two before lathering up and rinsing it away.

Where to Buy: You can find this cleanser at FutureDerm.com.

Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser (pH 5.5 )

This is the most affordable of my top 5 cleansers, and has been a staple of mine for a very long time. It’s gentle, fragrance-free, and contains all kinds of exciting ingredients that are great for strengthening your skin’s moisture barrier, such as ceramides and hyaluronic acid.

Where to Buy: You can find Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser at Amazon.com for $10.

Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Facial Cleanser (pH 5.0)

This is a clay-based gel cleanser that I reach for if I’ve been sweating a lot or my skin otherwise feels extra gross for any reason. It contains anti-inflammatory ingredients, rinses clean, and some anti-microbial ingredients. It smells really green and herbal, and imparts a mild but pleasant warming sensation when I use it. It’s worth noting that a warming sensation (or any other sensation associated with a product’s use) is a form of irritation, no matter how intentional. I find it really pleasant though, and have never experienced any trouble from it. Those with very sensitive skin my find it to be too much, though.

Where to Buy: You can find this cleanser at Sephora.com, where it retails for $45.

It’s also available at SkinStore.com. It retails for $45 there as well, but you can often find discount codes for SkinStore. Right now you can get 20% off your order with the code CSE20 at checkout.

Step 2: Acid Toner

I use an acid (AHA) toner immediately after cleansing, and I apply it with a cotton round. I find it’s a great way to get a regular dose of AHA into my routine without overdoing it. I get all the benefits of consistent chemical exfoliation without the any of the skin flaking side effects I experience when I try to use an AHA serum on a daily basis.

Left to right: Biologique Recherche Lotion P50, Pixi Glow Tonic Beauty Elixir, Silk Naturals 8% AHA Toner

Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 (pH 3.0) *

This lactic acid toner markedly improved the overall texture and health of my skin. Now that I’ve tried it, I won’t be without it. I’ve purchased other acid toners with the intention of testing them for review, but after a day or two away from my Lotion P50, I lose patience and come back to my precious P50. It comes in a variety of strengths, and in the US it’s available with and without phenol (I use the non-phenol formula). I strongly advise talking to a Biologique Recherche product expert to figure out which strength is right for your skin type before purchasing. My full review for this toner can be found here.

Where to Buy: I get all my Biologique Recherche Products from either Rescue Spa or Vicki Morav. Both retailers have excellent product knowledge, incredibly fast shipping, and send a crazy amount of samples with your order. Vicki Morav also offers a 10% discount for orders of $150 or more with the code Happy2014.

There are more affordable acid toner options available, and I’m going to list them here, but I haven’t used either of them enough to call them a “go-to” product:

Pixi Glow Tonic Beauty Elixir (pH 4.0)

People often say this glycolic acid based toner is a dupe for Lotion P50. Having tried both, I don’t think Pixi Glow is nearly as effective. The pH is a bit high for my liking (though it is still within an effective range), and there’s no acid tingle. It could be a great, gentle alternative for those who are very sensitive to AHAs. This toner smells lovely though (like roses and something ambiguously sweet), and it is more affordable than P50.

Where to Buy: Pixi Glow Tonic is available on the Pixi Beauty website, where it retails for $29. There’s usually a Pixi Beauty coupon floating around the internet though. Right now you can save 20% by using the code PIXITWENTY at checkout.

Silk Naturals 8% AHA Toner (pH 4.0)

This is a lactic acid based toner, and perhaps the most affordable alternative to Lotion P50. It contains no alcohol or fragrance, so it’s suitable for very sensitive skin. Again, I don’t find it to perform nearly as well as Lotion P50, but its pH is within an effective range.

Where to Buy: You can find this toner on the Silk Naturals website, where it retails for $9.

Step 3: Acids & pH Dependent Treatments

If I’m using an L-Ascorbic Acid based vitamin C serum, which requires a pH of less than 3.5 to perform as it should, this is when I apply it. There are also times when I am using a BHA treatment twice a day instead of once a day (most of the time I only use BHA at night), which performs optimally at a pH around 3.5. For this step, I’ll apply my pH dependent products (with my hands), then wait for around 10 minutes before moving on with my skincare routine.

There is some debate about whether or not wait times matter for pH dependent products. I actually started off not waiting with my Paula’s Choice BHA, specifically because Paula Begoun has written that wait times don’t make a difference, and that the product will still work as intended. However, a lower pH does allow the acids to work optimally, and adding a higher pH product on top of a lower one does have the potential to interfere with optimal pH levels. As such, many other brands with BHA/AHA products recommend waiting.

When I tried adding in wait times myself, I saw a huge difference in product efficacy – it’s not that they don’t work without waiting, but waiting definitely made the most of my acid treatments. I experimented with different wait times in 5 minute intervals, and 20-25 minutes seems to be my sweet spot. It takes about 30 minutes for an acid’s pH to neutralize on its own. In the morning, I don’t have the luxury of time, so 10 minutes is about all I can handle.

Additionally, waiting is great if you want to make sure two products that have conflicting pH needs don’t react with each other. For example, BHA and niacinamide can cause flushing in some people if the pH of the skin is too low when the niacinamide is applied. The pH of a BHA or AHA is also such that it can interfere with the conversion of non-prescription retinoids to all trans retinoic acid, which is how over the counter retinoids work. FutureDerm actually has a great article concerning the use of BHA and OTC retinoids together that explains this in detail.

My favorite Vitamin C Serums are:

OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum*

I’ve tried several L-Ascorbic Acid based serums, and so far, this one remains my favorite. It’s effective, it absorbs quickly, it makes my skin glow, and it smells like citrus. For more information, check out my full review.

Where to Buy: You can find OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum on Wishtrend.com, where it retails for $20.

You can also get it from eBay seller I am Love Shop, which carries it for $20 as well.

Paula’s Choice Resist C15 Super Booster

I liked the performance of the Paula’s Choice Resist C15 Super Booster, but unfragranced vitamin C serums smell like hot dog water to me, and this one falls into that category. I may just be really sensitive about hot dog smells though – no one else seems to mention this phenomenon. If you prefer your vitamin C serum unfragranced, or just really love hot dogs, C15 Super Booster might be your new favorite thing.

Where to Buy: I bought my Paula’s Choice Resist C15 Super Booster on the Paula’s Choice website, where it retails for $23. New customers can use my referral link to receive $10 off your first order.

My favorite BHA product is:

Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid

I’ve tried all of Paula’s BHA formulas at this point. This one remains my favorite – it is extremely effective and has the shortest ingredient list (less potential for irritation or product reactions). You can find my full review of Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid here.

This product was a huge game changer for my skin. It quite possibly made more of a difference in my acne than my prescription Tretinoin. One word of caution – if you are using an over-the-counter retinol, you should know that no acids, including BHA, should be included in the same routine as your retinol product . The acids interfere with the conversion of retinol into all-trans retinoic acid, which makes the retinol ineffective. Instead, you can use BHA with your morning routine and retinol in the evening. This is not an issue with prescription retinoids, since those are already all-trans retinoic acids and do not have to go through an oxidation process. (Source: 11 Things You Never Knew About Retinoids and Retinol – Until Now, by Nicki Zevola at Futurederm.com)

Where to buy: I bought my Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant on the Paula’s Choice website, where it retails for $23. New customers can use my referral link to receive $10 off your first order.

Step 4: Hydrating Toner

This is not an essential step for everyone (those with oily skin could probably skip it), but it helps with my dry skin immensely. Though I include a hydrating toner in my routine every evening, I only use one in the morning if I feel like my skin needs the extra moisture. This step helps prevent flaking if I go a little too hard on the BHA (which I tend to do around that time of the month). Additionally, I find that applying a hydrating toner helps offset the dryness I get from more alcohol-heavy sunscreens.

Rohto Hada-Labo Gokujyn Hyaluronic Acid Lotion*

In the world of Japanese skincare, products labeled as “lotion” are actually hydrating toners, and not what we would refer to as lotion here in the US. This particular lotion is a magnificently hydrating hyaluronic acid toner. It’s a godsend for dry skin (and probably a bit too moisturizing for oily skin). This lotion prevents flaking and late day dryness like nothing I’ve ever tried before. It’s also fragrance free and alcohol free, so it’s well tolerated by sensitive skin types. I apply a few drops of this (it really doesn’t take much – a pea sized amount, if that), and then give it a minute to sink in before completing my routine. For more information, you can read my full review of this product here.

Where to Buy: Rohto Hada-Labo Gokujyn Hyaluronic Acid Lotion is available on Amazon, where it ships Prime and retails for around $17.

It’s also available from eBay seller Traveler-com, who offers it for $17.

You can also find it on Drugstore.com, where it retails for $20. (Thanks for the tip, June!)

Su:m37 Secret Programming Essence

This one is a recent favorite – I really like the Su:m37 Secret Programming Essence because it contains fermented ingredients like the Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence does, but I find it hydrates a lot more effectively. If you’re an oilier skin type, you might want to stick with the Missha FTE, but anyone with dry skin will be excited about how hydrating this essence is.

Where to Buy: Su:m37 Secret Programming Essence is available from eBay seller Kgoodshop for $80.

Benton Aloe BHA Toner

This is an older photo – the new packaging for this toner no longer has a spray nozzle.

This toner is still a winner for me, especially when my skin is irritated. Despite its BHA content, it doesn’t have any exfoliation benefits because the pH is too high for the acid to exfoliate effectively (the pH is around 4.75). However, it still has fantastic anti-inflammatory benefits, and the aloe is hydrating and soothing for any irritation I might be experiencing. For more information about this product, check out my full review here.

Where to Buy: eBay seller Cosmetic Love carries this toner for $16.

You can also find it at W2Beauty for $16. First time W2Beauty customers can get a $5 W2Beauty voucher by entering my sponsor code at sign-up: 025605.

Step 5: Serum

I always have some sort of morning serum in my routine, but what it is depends largely on what my skin’s needs are at the time. The only morning serum I’ve bought repeatedly for morning use is the Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence (full review here), which does a good job keeping any irritation or inflammation away, and also seems to speed the lightening of my PIH. I’ve been trying a lot of other spot lightening serums in the past few months. There are a lot that I like, but I don’t know that I would call any one of them a baseline product or an HG. Once I have more favorite morning serums, I’ll list them here.

Where to Buy: Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence is available from eBay seller BluePrint21 for $17.

You can also find it at W2Beauty for $19. First time W2Beauty customers can get a $5 W2Beauty voucher by entering my sponsor code at sign-up: 025605.

EDIT (06/18/2014): I’ve heard two separate reports this week about a contaminated batch of Benton Snail Bee Essence. The contaminated product has visible bits of mold in it. I’ve written to Benton to ask about it – Mr.Lee promptly replied, and assured me that he is taking the matter very seriously.  The contamination is confined to product manufactured on 3-5-2014 (March 5, 2014). 

Mr.Lee is currently investigating the matter in order to prevent it from happening again. If you have any product from this batch, he encourages you to contact him. He will ensure that your product is promptly replaced at no charge. If you have photos, please include them in the email. Please also let the seller you bought it from know that you received contaminated product.

Here is Benton’s contact email address: bentonkorea@naver.com

UPDATE (06/21/2014): Mr.Lee, the owner of Benton Cosmetic, has written a personal message for all customers affected by the contaminated product. The company is offering a refund in addition to the replacement product, and is working with their manufacturer to ensure this never happens again. I’m really impressed with how promptly and professionally Benton has handled this incident. You can find the official message along with instructions for receiving your replacement and refund on my Facebook page here. 

Step 6: Face Oil

I like my morning face oil to be light and full of antioxidants. I apply a few drops after immediately after my serum. These are my favorites for morning use:

Garden of Wisdom Passionfruit Seed Oil / Tarte Maracuja Oil*

This anti-inflammatory, antibacterial oil is loaded with Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Potassium, and essential fatty acids. It’s especially high in linoleic acid, which makes it a good option for acne-prone skin. It’s also very light, which is why it’s great for daytime use.

The popular makeup brand, Tarte, offers an expensive version of this oil that has caused its popularity to surge. Ulta will have a crazy sale for it once or twice a year, and I always pick up a bottle when that happens. The rest of the time, I’m using a far less expensive Passionfruit oil from Garden of Wisdom. Having used both, I can tell you that there is absolutely no difference in quality. However, I like the Tarte packaging more, so I usually just refill my Tarte bottle with the Garden of Wisdom oil.

Where to Buy: Tarte Maracuja Oil is available at Sephora, where it retails for $46 / 2 ozs.

The Garden of Wisdom Passionfruit Seed Oil is available on the Garden of Wisdom website, where it retails for $17/ 4 ozs.

Shea Terra Rosehip Seed Oil

Rosehip Seed is one of my new all time favorites. It’s really high in Vitamin A and other antioxidants, and can actually help lighten PIH a bit. There’s a bit of an ugly rumor going around that Rosehip Seed Oil is too rich for acne prone skin – this rumor is false. Rosehip seed oil is very high in linoleic acid, which is the essential fatty acid that acne prone skin often lacks. Rosehip oil is considered a “dry oil,” so it absorbs quickly. Additionally, I was unable to find any peer reviewed scientific evidence that Rosehip oil is bad for acne prone skin. I suspect that an individual had a bad experience with it, and assumed it must be universally bad for acne. I’ve used this oil when my acne was at its worst, and it was wonderful.

Where to Buy: My favorite brand of Rosehip Seed Oil is made by Shea Terra Organics. It retails for $28, but if you sign up for their newsletter, you’ll get a monthly 30% off coupon code. This month’s 30% off coupon code is June2014.

Sunday Riley Juno Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil

This is definitely a luxury purchase, but I really love it for daytime wear because it contains so many antioxidants. It moisturizes well without being too greasy, and the moisture it provides lasts through the day. For more information about this oil, check out my full review.

Where to Buy: You can find Juno Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil at Sephora, where it retails for $125.

It’s also available at SkinStore.com. It retails for $125 there as well, but you can often find discount codes for SkinStore. Right now you can get 20% off your order with the code CSE20 at checkout.

Step 7: Emulsion / Milk

I used to use a moisturizing cream for both day and evening, but since I’m now getting so much moisture from my Hada Labo hydrating toner/lotion, I find that an emulsion does the trick.

This is my favorite emulsion:

Rohto Hada-Labo Shirojyun Arbutin Milk*

I’ve tried several emulsions, and of all of them, Hada-Labo Shirojyun Arbutin Milk is my favorite one. It’s a great source of humectant moisture thanks to its hyaluronic acid and glycerin content. It contains arbutin, which is a naturally occurring spot lightening and skin brightening ingredient, as well as Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, a type of vitamin C. I use a pea sized amount for my entire face, and the moisture lasts throughout the day.

Where to Buy: You can find this emulsion on Amazon, where it ships Prime for around $17.

You can also find it on eBay from seller RainbowJapan, who offers it for $19.

You can also find it on Drugstore.com, where it retails for $20.

For an emulsion without the brightening effects, I like:

Rohto Hada-Labo Gokujun Hyaluronic Acid Milk

This milky emulsion has all the wonderful humectant benefits of the Shirojyun version, but without the brightening ingredients.

Where to Buy: This emulsion is available on Amazon for $16.

It’s also available from eBay seller Rainbow Japan for $19.

You can also find it on Drugstore.com, where it retails for $20.

Step 8: Sunscreen

Let it be known that I don’t even get out of bed for less than SPF 30/PA ++, but if a sunscreen really wants to romance me, I will accept nothing short of SPF 50/ PA +++. PA ++++ is even better. If Japan ever adds more pluses to their PA rating system for UVA protection, I’ll take those too. I’ll also say that Japan makes the best sunscreen in the world, as far as I’m concerned. There are some good Korean sunscreens, and many decent European ones. American sunscreens leave a lot to be desired (though my favorite mineral sunscreen is an American one). But Japan? They just get it. They get that sunscreen is important, they get that UVA protection is just as essential as UVB protection, and they understand that this stuff is going on our face, along with the rest of our makeup and skincare products, and we don’t want to look like ghostly, greased-up weirdos.

My absolute favorite sunscreen right now is:

* Rohto Hada-Labo UV Creamy Gel SPF 50/PA ++++

This sunscreen is moisturizing but not greasy, absorbs quickly, and makes an amazing makeup primer. For more information about this sunscreen, you can find my detailed review of it here.

Where to Buy: You can get it from eBay seller Jaipfe for $13.

It’s also available from Amazon seller Japan Stream for $15.

I also love:

Rohto Hada-Labo UV Moist Emulsion SPF 50/PA +++

This is also a fast absorbing, moisturizing Japanese sunscreen formula. Occasionally, I think I might even like it better than the UV Creamy Gel. I do think this one is great for all skin types, and oily types will probably have better luck with this sunscreen than the UV Creamy Gel.

Where to buy: This sunscreen is available from eBay seller Katbeauty for $18.

If you’re a US resident and are looking for an easily accessible, American sunscreen, I like:

Elta MD Clear UV SPF 46

This sunscreen leaves behind a minimal white cast. It doesn’t contain any fragrance, but it does contain niacinamide, which is one of my favorite anti-aging actives.

Where to Buy: This sunscreen is available on Amazon for $23, and is available for Prime shipping.

Morning Baseline Routine Summary

Here’s a summary of my morning routine with only my baseline products:

Step 1: Low pH Cleanser
Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick ($26)

Step 2: Acid Toner
Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 ($59)

Step 3: Acids & pH Dependent Products
OST Pure Vitamin C20 Serum ($20)
Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid ($23)

Step 4: Hydrating Toner
Rohto Hada-Labo Gokujyn Hyaluronic Acid Lotion ($17)

Step 5: Serum
Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence ($13)

Step 6: Face Oil
Garden of Wisdom Passionfruit Seed Oil ($17)
Tarte Maracuja Oil ($46)

Step 7: Emulsion/Milk
Hada-Labo Shirojyun Arbutin Milk ($18)

Step 8: Sunscreen
Hada-Labo UV Creamy Gel SPF50 / PA ++++ ($14)

The post My Skincare Routine Part 1: Morning appeared first on Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews.

Alice of W2Beauty

Here’s the low-down on all the new releases:

What brands have new releases in for the Spring/Summer 2014 season?

Ohh! There are hundredssss of new products! All brand have their new releases for the season and most of them show new lip colors. I can expect a colorful S/S season.

The color changes always delights me. That’s the transition showing that we are really changing seasons and how good it is for winter to finally be over!

For lips, there are many new lip colors from almost all brands. I think spring starts from lips of girls. Laneige added new S/S lip colors for their Serum Intense Lipstick, which is already popular. Etude house releases the “Color Lips Fit.” It fits on the lips so well and the feeling is so light.

IOPE Water Fit Lipstick and Color Lipstick is already this S/S season’s hottest item. Color no.44 “Forever Pink” is the color that Korean superstar Jun Ji Hyun wore in “You Who Came from the Stars,” and it’s a super HOT selling item even though the drama ended 2 months ago. It’s still hard to get nowadays as the demand is just crazily high, haha.

IOPE Water Fit Lipstick in No.44, “Forever Pink”

Missha, Apieu, banila co also have new lip colors… really almost every brand!

Also, nail polishes are popular items right now. Aritaum Modi Nail has new S/S colors, Laneige Water Drop Nail, Etude House Play Nail Campus Runaway, The Face Shop Expert Nails Real Diamond, Skinfood Nail Vita Alpha from Rose Makeup Line, Nature Republic Color and Nature, etc. – there are just sooo many colors and I love it so much!

Regarding the makeup, there have been some really interesting releases.

• Hera Magic Starter is a kind of makeup base product, before putting on makeup, apply this starter on the facial skin. It really moisturizes the skin. There is a Korean phrase about well-fitted makeup. We say, “Skin ate your makeup well today!” This means that the skin is really moisturized and prepared. It also helps to hold the makeup on the face, so after using this starter, I feel that my makeup stays a bit longer than usual.

Hera Magic Starter in color 02 Inner Glow

• Tonymoly BCDation is also new and already a hot item. It’s lighter than BB cream but coverage is higher than CC cream. As implied by the name, this is a mix of BB, CC, and Foundation. It’s a new concept that I find very original and that works.

•  The History of Whoo Gong Jin Hyang Seol Whitening Essence Sun, I would say this is an essence with sun screen, not sun block with essence. It’s really moisturizing and it sinks into skin so fast. I had a test at the shop and I bought this without thinking. I fell in love!

•  Innisfree came up with many different foundations. The Innisfree Smart Foundation line is really, really promising! You can see a video on my YouTube channel showing you how it works. You will definitely want to give it a try, especially after seeing the “how to use” video.

For skincare, I would say there are 2 functions that were focused on for this S/S season. Moisture with a lighter texture, and whitening skin tone.

The new Hanyul Rice Skin Balancing Softner is a new hit item. The rice is from Yeoju, which is a famous region for producing excellent rice. This is also shown by Jun Ji hyun in the drama “My Love from Another Star.”

Laneige and Innisfree also renewed some of their most popular lines – the Water Bank line for Laneige, and the Green Tea line for Innisfree.

Alice is holding the recently renewed Laneige White Plus Renew Original Essence

IOPE renewed their Whitegen Ampoule Essence to White Ampoule Essence Bio Luminous, and Skinfood also renewed their Tomato Whitening line. The tomato extract concentration is higher and whitening effect is much better. Missha’s Time Revolution White Cure line was renewed, and is now the Time Revolution White Cure Blanc. There is a serum and a spot eraser, which work for freckles and darkened skin.

I’m also quite excited by Primera Miracle Seed Essence that came out about a month ago and is currently getting the spotlight at Primera’s shop. I really can’t wait to try it at home regularly instead of just trying the testers in the shop, hihi!

There are so many new products for this S/S and more are coming like…every week! Hope you guys are as excited as I am whenever there are new products coming out!

Are there any new releases you are especially excited about?

Personally, I think that Etude House Dust Cut Facial Mist is the one of the most well-made products this season. Nowadays in Korea, we are fighting with fine dust from China. This fine dust is made of really small particles that we cannot see, so it’s really easy to come into our pores and even lungs. Unfortunately, because it’s microscopic dust, it doesn’t come out from our body. This is really harmful to our body and skin. This mist is for that kind of situation. It makes a special barrier for our skin so it blocks the dusts from our skin. It makes me feel a bit more secure using this mist for going out. I use this mist on my pillow as well, haha. It’s like a coating for my pillow (well, that’s what I think… can’t tell if it really works though).

I’m also quite excited about all the new makeup and especially the color makeup (eyeshadow, lipsticks, tints, etc). Those are really what best characterize the season’s changes

Have you noticed any trends among the new Korean makeup collections?

1. Collaboration with designers to create limited editions

I LOVE limited editions since it puts a psychological pressure on you like … “if you don’t get it now, you won’t have it anymore.” This season is like heaven for me, but my bank account really does not feel that way. Nowadays I can see so many collaborations and new limited editions with their special and beautiful packaging. For example, Hera collaborated with Au Jour le Jour, and they made a really unique design! Also, Etude House made a Cinderella collection. Last year I loved the Mini Mouse, and this Cinderella is also so cute! You can see charming Cinderella on the Etude house Magic Cushion.

Apieu had a collaboration with Booto (it’s a short word for Boocruwun tokki: shy rabbit). A little rabbit is so cute with their popular tint! Banila co collaborated with United Colors of Benetton. You can see their new packaging for makeup such as The Kissest Tinted Creamy Lip Crayon, and the Color Auto Stick Shadow.

The Face Shop had a collaboration with Korean illustrator Park AeRan, and Sulwhasoo is doing a collaboration with traditional Korean Beauty Artist Son DaeHyeon for First Care Activating Serum. That’s a lot, isn’t it? And I hear more are coming … surprise, surprise!

2. Makeup Supporter/Skincare Finishers

I would say these are a kind of supporter for makeup because the main function is for helping absorbing skincare products into facial skin and then preparing facial skin for base makeup even though the textures or the name is so different.

Alice is holding the all new Hera Magic Starter.

There are so many makeup supporters nowadays: Sulwhasoo Luminature Essential Finisher, Hera Magic Starter, Etude House Conditioning Cream, Missha Geumseol Giyoon Finish Essence, Apeiu Eco Fresh Original 100 Essence Finisher and Banila co Finishing and Boosting Moisturizing/Balancing Finish Cream.

Brands keep developing this kind of makeup supporter and it seems like the makeup starter and finisher is going to be the new trend now.

3. Cushion

Isn’t it Cushion – era? Just few months ago, I could see only IOPE’s air cushion and Hera UV Mist Cushion but now there are a lot! All brands have their own cushion now, I believe. I think Korean girls (maybe not only Korean girls, haha) fell in love with cushions and brands are working for us. Haha.

Cushion is a base makeup product with BB cream, CC cream, or foundation. The package is like a pact, but there is a cushion in the bottom with liquid type of base makeup cosmetic. For applying to the face, we need to use an air puff for better coverage. Generally its texture is really moist and really, really easy to apply. You just need to tap on the top of the skin!

If you want real makeup with more coverage, then foundation or BB cream may be a better option. However, if you like natural makeup then this is the perfect item for you.

Among the most popular ones in Korea right now, there are IOPE Air Cushionx XP, Laneige BB Cushion, Etude House Any Cushion, Hera UV Mist Cushion, Banila co CC Cushion, Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion, The Face shop Cushion Screen Cell, Primera Watery CC Cushion, Lirikos Marine UV Water Cushion, Amore Pucific Treatment Color Control Cushion, even IOPE released cushion for men (IOPE Men Air Cushion)!

Which spring releases will you be picking up for yourself?

I’d love to buy IOPE Whitening Ampoule Essence Bio Luminous! And the Primera Miracle Seed Essence. Those are the two items I really look forward to trying out.

Have you seen any new skincare products hitting the shelves?

During the month of April, there were a lot of new and renewed products and lines released!

[Renewal] Skinfood Premium Tomato Whitening Line

[Renewal] Laneige Water Bank Line – 2014 version

[Renewal] Missha Time revolution White Cure Science Blanc Serum/Spot Eraser

[Renewal] Iope White Ampoule Essence Bio Luminous

[Renewal] Innisfree Green Tea Line – 2014 version

[New] Hera Cell Essence/Cream

[New] Nature Republic Saccharomyces Ferment The First Essence Line

[New] Innisfree Forest for Men Perfect All in One Skin

[New] Etude house Dust Cut Line

[New] Primera Super Sprout Serum

[New] The Face Shop Core Seed Purifying Essence

[New] Hanyul Rice Line

[New] Banila co Finishing and Boosting Moisurizing/Balancing Finish Cream

[New] Holika Good Cera Line

[New] Missha Near Skin Total Essential Serum/Cream

Hera Cell Essence Cell-Bio Fluid Sync

What about other trends – are you seeing any new ingredient, formula, or even packaging trends among new skincare lines?

1. Moisturizing factor

I think currently brands are focusing on the moisturizing factor for their skincare products. For example, Laneige is focusing on the “water”, The Face Shop is focusing on the “seed” and Hera is focusing on the “water near our body.”

2. Smarter techniques

Hera brand focused on the “water near our body” with their Bio Technique approach, and IOPE conducted a special report about Korean girls’ beauty for the past 8 years. Based on that report, IOPE renewed existing products and produced new products. IOPE Whitegen Ampoule Essence Bio Luminous was a result of this report.

Hera’s new Cell Bio Cream

Regarding the packaging, I would say that everything is still quite traditional: jar, tube, pump, spray, ampoule… nothing outside of the box just yet but, who knows? Maybe something new is about to arrive! Hehe.

Concerning ingredients, seeds, plants, and flowers are getting a lot of focus nowadays, as seen with the lotus for Mamonde, rose for Su:m37 and Mamonde, and green tea for Innisfree.

3. Collaboration

As I said eariler, brands are now having some new package design in collaboration with designers, especially AmorePacific’s brands: Etude House, Hera, Sulwhasoo, but also Banila Co and A’Pieu.

What about your own skincare routine? Will you be changing anything now that the weather is warmer?

My skincare routine changed quite a lot from our last interview, indeed!

This is my current routine, but it’s subject to change since I’m always on the hunt for great new items. I do enjoy trying out new products so that I can better help you with recommendations

First, makeup removing and CLEANSING! I use Innisfree Apple Juicy Cleansing Oil for removing my base makeup and Apple Juicy Lip & Eye Remover for point makeup. I remember that I mentioned this item in the last interview as well, and it’s still among my favorites. Sometimes, when I’m really lazy, I use cleansing tissue or cleansing water, though I believe cleansing oil is the best item for removing makeup because most of the makeup products are produced with an oil base. When I use the oil, I can actually see how much BB cream or foundation I put on my face that day. ;p Good sign isn’t it ?.

There is also the super popular Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick that I’m enjoying nowadays, but for a better review, please read Kerry’s – it is really the best you can find!

After removing makeup, it’s time for cleansing. These days I focus on peeling since during winter, the dead skin builds up on my face and it makes my skin tone duller. I use Leaders Yogurt Cleansing Mousse for cleansing. It comes out in a really soft, thick mousse foam that contains AHA. Apply the foam to the face and roll it softly. When I put that foam on my face, I wait for 20 -30 seconds as you would with a pack, then wash off with water. It’s not drying, so I fell in love with this!

I also use many cleansing foams for testing, such as the Mamonde Lotus Micro Mild foam, but I always come back to Leaders Perfect Clearing Foam Cleanser, and Leaders AC Stop Foam Cleanser. When I have some troubles, these are the best items for helping my skin to recover.

I always use a “bubble maker.” There are two types of bubble makers: bubble web and bubble ball. I prefer a bubble ball since it helps me to get much thicker foam. When using the bubble foam, I try not to rub my skin too hard. I just feel the movement of the foam.

When I will be wearing light makeup, I use IOPE Enzyme Powder Wash. It has small exfoliants so it also works for daily peeling. For this powder wash, using the bubble ball is really helpful since the exfoliations can hurt your skin. Bubble ball helps to melt it enough for sensitive facial skin. I also use Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Clay Mask and Skinfood Black Sugar Mask once a week for deep cleaning pores.

After cleansing, I use either use the Etude House Wonder Pore Freshener, Benton Aloe BHA Toner, or the IOPE Bio Essence Intensive Conditioning, depending on my mood. The first two help to clean waste and dust from facial skin and moisturize my skin. Benton Aloe BHA Toner also helps calm skin. When I have some skin troubles, I use Leaders AC Stop Toner. After wiping with cotton pad once, I soak 4 cotton pads with toner and place them on my face, forehead, cheeks and chin like mask pack. Haha. It really helps to calm my skin.

For the skin boosting, I use my lovely A’pieu Essential Source Snail Cream and Hera Cell Essence. Apieu Snail Cream is for calming my skin when I had a hard day. Hera Cell Essence is a new item I’m testing. I feel that my skin texture is a bit better than before. If I use more than 20 days, then I can give more specific review for it, but for now, it is really promising !

Regarding my pore concerns, IOPE Pore Clinic Tightening Essence is my favorite essence currently! When I use this essence, it’s like I cast a spell like “make it smaller, smaller” – and it does work. There is also the Innisfree Green Persimmon Pore Essence I use currently, and it does works quite nicely as well.

For moisturizing, I use Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum. I like to use emulsions in the winter season because it makes an oil barrier, so sharp winter wind doesn’t hurt me. This past winter, I loved using Sulwhasoo Essential Balancing Emulsion. Since it’s becoming warmer now, I need to change to a “fresher” one !

For cream, I use Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream and IOPE Ultimate Hydro Cream. For the winter I needed to protect my skin, so I used the moisture type. Now it’s time to change to Laneige Water Bank Gel Cream. It’s really good to have the renewed version!

I also use Laneige White Plus Eye Cream and Innisfree Eco Science Wrinkle Care Cream.

To be honest, I don’t use all these products every day. It depends on how I feel and what my skin is doing, and I kind of adjust accordingly. When I feel like I need more moisture, I add more. When I feel tired, I just put some mist on my face and apply a cream. I like Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Skin Energy Mist or Innisfree Green Tea Mist (you might have noticed… I kind of love Innisfree).

Since the weather is becoming warmer, the most important item is sun block! It’s not only to prevent darkening, it’s also for anti-aging. I think sun block is like clothes for the skin. We don’t go out without any clothes, naked! Haha. So it’s really important to have some sunblock too.

Currently I’m using two sun blocks. When my skin is sensitive, I use Leaders UV Moist Sun Gel. For normal days, I use The History of Whoo Gongjinhyang Seol Whitening Essence Sun. When I tested this sun block at the shop, I just bought it without thinking, I really liked it like a crush. It’s really moist, and gives me natural glow from within. There is also the Hera Sun Mate Leports that would be a safe choice for you if you are looking for a good sun block.

Have you noticed any makeup or skincare lines selling out quickly?

There are some really REALLY HOT items.

–IOPE Water Fit Lipstick in No.44 Forever Pink. This lipstick is really popular. When I get them in I have to ship them out directly, and I still have a pre-order queue for it despite the fact that I’ve been receiving regular shipments already. It’s the color of Jun Ji Hyun from the drama, “My Love from Another Star.” This drama ended 2 months ago but this lipstick is still out of stock… that’s how strong the demand is!

Etude House Play 101 Pencils

-Another hot selling item is the Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick. Ever since the review for it by Kerry, my stock completely vanished and even the headquarter is now having a hard time supplying me. It’s a stick type cleansing balm and fermented rose is the main ingredient, so the fragrance is really good and it melts the makeup so well.

–Hanyul Ja Woon Dan Balm is also really popular. It’s a kind of entire body balm that includes face. It’s really easy to apply, and it’s moist so I think it’s a good gift for older ladies.

–Hera UV Mist Cushion is also hot selling item. I receive orders and inquiries everyday! And I’m unfortunately having a hard time getting them these days.

Any chance we might be seeing a spring or summer sale soon?

I recently dropped all the prices in my shop, so it’s like having a sale every day of the year instead of just for a period of time. I want to focus on making the discounts I get for you all year round, so that you can have the best shopping experience possible. But regarding the special sales, I will definitely organize something around June. Maybe a special gift for all readers coming to my shop from Skin & Tonics, what do you say ?

What is your favorite thing about spring?

“Flower Picnic!”

When April and May comes, we see so many blooming cherry blossoms! Then we go picnic with family or friends! I call it a cherry blossom picnic, haha. I went to a cherry blossom picnic with my friends not so long ago.

I also like spring because the weather is so nice that it makes me wanna go out and do some outdoor activites, such as having a bike ride around! Go to parks and relax and just enjoy the great weather, spring in Korea is really great.

Alice!

Another thing that I love about spring are the spring colors – as soon as the sun comes back, you can see it in the look of the girls in Korea. Their colorful looks definitely make you realize that spring has arrived. Their clothes, makeup, hair, lips… in winter, it was black, gray, navy, dark brown… now it’s like pink, coral, yellow, mint! All the colors makes me so happy, hihi! Despite the fact that I’m not a really flashy person myself, I will still fall into the colorful trend from Korea

Thank you so much for having this interview with me, dear Kerry! It was, once again, a real pleasure to collaborate with you! And guys, don’t forget – if you need any recommendatios, don’t hesitate to contact me at w2beautysales@gmail.com! I will always be glad to help. I may take some time to reply you due to the massive number of messages I’m receiving daily, but I will always respond to you, for sure!

Happy spring to you all, and don’t forget to use Kerry’s sponsor code 025605 to get a $5 coupon for your first order at www.w2beauty.com.

– Alice

The post New Spring/Summer 2014 Korean Skincare Releases & Makeup Trends with Alice of W2Beauty appeared first on Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews.

I was so excited when Sheryll agreed to do this interview. Today she’ll be sharing her current skincare routine, favorite products, and what life is like in her new city. Some of you may be familiar with her already, but for those of you who aren’t, allow me to introduce her to you: Internet, this is Sheryll:

What was it about Korea that initially inspired you to move there?
To be honest, I didn’t really know much about Korea before I moved. After I finished traveling through Europe, my boyfriend Johnny and I didn’t have jobs, I had a few friends from college and high school that were already living and teaching in Korea, and they told me about how wonderful it is, and how teaching was a really great job. We researched it a bit, and then just went for it. It was definitely a great decision.

I love reading about all of your adventures, but of course I have a special place in my heart for your skincare discoveries. How long after you moved to Korea did you start changing things up in your skincare routine? Was there a particular gateway product that sent you down the Korean skincare rabbit hole?
I think I ended up changing my skincare routine about 2 months after I moved to Korea. Before I moved, I was terrified of all the “whitening” ingredients, since that’s all that I had heard about Korean cosmetics. I had no idea there were tons of products that didn’t have whitening agents in them at all. I think it was the first time I saw an Etude House store that really sealed the deal for me. I don’t particularly like their skincare, but it’s all about the packaging and marketing. It’s all just so cute!

My first Korean products were the Skinfood Anti-Trouble Mandarin and Parsley Toner and Emulsion. At the time, I didn’t even know what an emulsion was! I had to look it up on the internet after I bought it. I saw results with those 2 products pretty fast, and once I started really researching the Korean skincare routine, it was done deal. I went out and purchased all the steps pretty soon after, and haven’t looked back since.

Are there specific brands or product types that you’re drawn to more than others?
If I had to choose my all time favorite Korean brand, I think it’d have to be Innisfree. They have incredible products at really great price points. Plus I love their all natural approach to skincare. Of course, I know that “natural” is just a buzzword these days, but I do appreciate how they package their products in recycled plastic and cardboard, and that a lot of their products are sourced within Korea.

As far as product types, my skin is shiny, yet pretty dehydrated, so my skin tends to love products with a lot of moisture. In the summer, I love gel cream based moisturizers, and in the winter, I usually lay it on thick with a really creamy one. My nighttime routine is all about moisturizing – I like to wake up with glowy, hydrated skin. Thanks to Korean cosmetics and a pretty strict skincare routine, I don’t suffer from acne anymore, except for the unavoidable hormonal breakouts during that time of the month, and during those times I love to use bee’s venom products. I find that they really do help clear my skin. I currently have Benton and AC Care in my breakout stash.

Do you have any favorite ingredients?
My skin takes incredibly well to fermented ingredients, namely the Missha First Treatment Essence and pretty much everything I’ve tried from Su:m37, a Korean high end brand that specializes in fermented skincare. I don’t know what it is about fermented things, but my skin always shows such a noticeable difference when I use them, almost immediately. I used a sample of the Su:m37 Secret Repair Concentrate and seriously, my skin changed overnight. I’ve been dying to get my hands on it ever since, but it’s pricy!

I get a lot of email from women of color who are worried about trying Korean products that say they’re made for “whitening.” None of the products I’ve personally tried have affected my actual skin color – just clarity, luminosity, and evenness – but then, my tone is light. Is this always the case? Are there certain “whitening” products or ingredients you feel aren’t good for deeper skin tones?
I totally agree with you. All of the products I’ve used in Korea that claim to whiten the skin have never changed my skin color in any way. I only get lighter in the winter because I’m rarely in the sun, just like any other person. I think that “whitening”, is sort of a weird Konglish way to explain the products…I think “brightening” is a much better word. I find that when I use products that have been described as having whitening properties, it doesn’t whiten, but they make my skin glow. One of the main things that has happened to my skin since I’ve started using Korean skincare is that my skin is pretty even toned. I used to have really bad acne scarring, and a lot of the products I’ve used over the past 2 years have really faded them.

When I asked my co-teacher about whitening products, she told me it’s mostly for people with uneven skin, or sunspots, or freckles. No one is really trying to “bleach” their skin but a majority of the intense whitening products are available by prescription only in Korea. I don’t think anyone should be worried about bleaching their skin from a commercial Korean beauty product.

What is your current skincare routine?
In the morning, I cleanse with my Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick. I follow up with the Benton Aloe BHA Toner, then use the Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence. Since I’m in Vietnam now and it’s hot and humid everyday, I’ve been using my new favorite emulsion, the Su:m37 Waterfull Rebalancing Gel Lotion. Gel lotions/gel creams are my favorite type of moisturizers to use for hot weather, because they provide moisture, but they aren’t heavy. The Su:m37 one is fantastic! After my moisturizer, I apply sun cream, and again, I use another Su:m37 product, the Sun-away Cooling Watery Sun Block. It’s FABULOUS. It’s incredibly lightweight, smells great, and doesn’t leave a white/grey cast on the skin, which is super important for dark skinned women like me.

My night routine is a little more intense. I first take my eye makeup off with the Innisfree Apple Juicy Emulsion Eye and Lip Makeup remover. Then I take my makeup off with the Sulwhasoo Gentle Oil Cleanser (which is fabbbb by the way). Then, I cleanse with my Su:m37 Miracle CHARCOAL stick. (quick note, the charcoal stick seems to be something that doesn’t exist anymore, but I bought mine in a Christmas gift set, so I’m not sure what the deal is). The charcoal stick is wonderful for really deep cleaning my pores, which is needed because there’s SO much pollution here and when I go out, my face is constantly sweaty. After I cleanse, I again use my Benton Aloe AHA/BHA Toner (depending on my skin that day, sometimes I’ll add in the OST Vitamin C Serum to my toner), followed by the Benton Essence. I use the Dear Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum to add an extra boost of hydration, because the charcoal cleanser is a *tad* bit drying. After my serum, I apply the Su:m37 Time Energy Skin Resetting Softening Emulsion, the Su:m37 Flawless Regenerating Eye Cream, followed by the Su:m37 Time Energy Skin Resetting Moist Firming Cream.

At night, I love to give my self some sort of mask, so I rotate out a few. Some days, I like to use a Primera sheet mask (primera is such an awesome brand I wish I had bought more of), some days I use the Belif First Aid Aqua Rush Mask, or the Sulwhasoo Clarifying Mask, or the Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask. I like to pamper myself and my nighttime routine is the perfect way for me to wind down.

If you had to choose one Holy Grail skincare product, what would it be?
Ahhh! This is tough. If I had to choose ONE holy grail skincare product, I think it would have to be the Su:m 37 Rose Miracle Cleansing Stick. It’s just a really incredible product, at an affordable price point, and it really does the job effectively. Usually I prefer to spend my money on serums and moisturizers, and I sort of skimp on cleansers, but this one is just a whole new level. I don’t think I can use a regular cleanser again. Coming in at a close second is the Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask.

I noticed you’ve been trying to trim down your skincare and makeup collection in preparation for your big move to Saigon. What products will you actually be taking with you? How did you decide?
Well, I thought I had trimmed it down (I got rid of a TON of stuff), but as I was unpacking I realized I brought way more than I thought. But then again, finding makeup and skincare items in a new country, and especially as a black woman, is a difficult task, so I prepared for every possible situation. I kept most of my makeup, and ALL of my hair care products, since I figured if I couldn’t find stuff in Korea, I definitely wouldn’t be able to in Vietnam. The biggest thing was focusing on my skincare items, as I had heard that while Korean cosmetic stores are in Saigon, they are a bit pricer than Korea. So I made sure to bring all the things I couldn’t live without, especially the higher end products. I ended up bringing all of my Benton and AC Care Skincare, all of my Su:m37 and Sulwhasoo, a bunch of new stuff from Wishtrend, and all my personal care items like deodorant, body wash, etc. I know I’ve scaled down, but I could never be a backpacker. My skincare routine is too intense! I gave a lot of the stuff I liked, but didn’t really want to bring, to a friend, and some things that I just didn’t like I threw away. I also gave away a majority of my face masks and I gave my samples away in the giveaway I hosted on my blog.

What inspired you to choose Saigon as your next destination? Were there other places you considered before deciding on Vietnam?
We ended up choosing Saigon over other places (like Thailand for example), because we’d read so much about the ESL scene here and how it’s pretty easy to find a job. I plan on teaching part time in the evenings, and working on freelance work/my blog in the morning, and I liked that Saigon in particular has so many schools, and a lot of them offer part time hours.

There’s also more opportunities to work in other fields here, as I’m not on a working visa and can sort of do what I want. I’m not confined to teaching like I was in S. Korea. Besides freelancing, I’ve been toying with the idea of getting into social media work.

What will you miss most about living in Korea?
More than anything, I will miss the shopping, especially the beauty stores. Like I said earlier, there are stores here, but they are pricer than in Korea. I miss being able to go into an Innisfree or go to the department stores. I’ve never had to worry about ordering things online, and now I’m super paranoid that my shipping will get screwed up, since apparently the mail system in Vietnam isn’t the most reliable.

I also really miss the public transportation in Korea. Honestly, it was one of my favorite things about living there! Here, it’s walking or motorbike. There are buses, but I’m not sure what kind of schedule they are on. In Korea, you had signs telling you exactly where the bus was, how far it was away, etc. I miss that. Luckily, I live in an area where everything i need is within walking distance, so I don’t have to worry about riding a motorbike.

Are there any Vietnamese skincare brands you’d like to try?
Honestly, I haven’t seen any Vietnamese skincare brands yet. I’ve been to a few stores, and it seems a lot of the skincare products are imported from France (which makes complete sense). There’s also a French inspired day spa here called L’Apothiquaire that has a whole slew of organic and natural products that I’m curious to try out. I still need to investigate more, but I’m totally willing to try anything.

What are you looking forward to?
Before I moved, I was most looking forward to the cheap food and spa services, and I can say with 1000% confidence that no one was exaggerating on the cost of living here. Everything is so inexpensive! Fresh fruit and vegetables are abundant, something that was seriously lacking in Korea. I got an amazing pedicure with awesome nail art for about 12 dollars the other day, something that would’ve easily cost about 60 bucks in Korea.

And the weather is awesome here! It’s hot, but it’s not completely overwhelming. The people are incredibly friendly as well. I’m loving life here so far!

***

If you’d like to keep up with Sheryll’s adventures, you can follow along on her blog, The Wanderlust Project. She can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

This post contains affiliate links. Shopping these links helps support this site! Full disclosure. 

The post Korean Skincare, Holy Grails, and Ho Chi Minh City Living with Sheryll of The Wanderlust Project appeared first on Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews.

Alice is holding the limited edition Laneige Winterland Magic Makeup Collection. Also, can we just take a moment to admire how flawless she looks? I’m loving the eye makeup and the Christmas mani.

Here’s what Alice had to share:

Kerry: Gift sets and limited-edition holiday makeup releases are a big deal around Christmas time in the US. Are they a big deal in Seoul as well?

Alice: It wasn’t that much just few years ago.. but nowadays, it is! Almost all the Korean cosmetic brands will try to make something special for Christmas, either some special sets such as Laneige and Innisfree, or just some special packaging such as Tony Moly

We also receive gifts from the Cosmetic brands for Christmas hehe (to thank us for shopping with them – I believe they offer the gifts to some faithful customers and well… since I’m shopping with almost all of them, that also means lots of gifts for me! Yaaaaaaaayyy :p haha).

I am so happy to see all the pretty and adorable limited editions!! That really makes me want to get all of them since they are special and limited ! but also because they really look so cute ! I just want to get everything! haha

Kerry: What are some of the must-have sets for the holiday?

Alice: Laneige Winterland Magic Makeup Collection ($52) is really…really cute and pretty and it has all the useful colors, that’s definitely THE set I would recommend you to get ;p It could really be an excellent gift as well, actually!

Laneige Winterland Magic Makeup Collection

Also I fell in love with Innisfree’s Sweet Vanilla Diffuser ($26). I put one on the bed. Before I sleep, I use that as aromatherapy.

Innisfree Sweet Vanilla Perfumed Diffuser – Limited Edition

Kerry: Are any of the sets or limited-edition items selling out? Which ones are the most popular right now?

Alice: The Laneige Winterland Set is a good seller and since Laneige anticipated enough stock, you can still get it ;p

Laneige Winterland Magic Makeup Collection (and a glimpse of Alice’s adorable Christmas nails)

However, Innisfree Eco Nail Color Collection and Innisfree Mini gel liner Best Collection are already sold out. Really cannot get them… I couldn’t even get one for myself, so sad I wanted the Eco nail color collection so bad … Honestly, I have been to over 30 Innisfree shops and bought all the limited set I could find haha …

Kerry: What kind of Korean cosmetic gifts would you suggest for someone buying for a friend who’s never tried Korean skincare or makeup before?

Alice: For Skincare, I would most definitely look at the Missha Time Revolution Best Seller Set ($106) ! It is a safe and great gift ;p – 100% sure to make the lucky loved one happy!

Missha Time Revolution Best Seller Set

If you are on a tight budget but still wish to make a good gift of skincare, you can think of Benton’s products; Kerry has made great reviews on them and it is actually among my best sellers in my shop!

Since it’s winter, you can even get some hand creams as well! We all need some. For the special occasion, the Limited Edition Innisfree Hand Cream Set ($19)  would be an excellent choice ! And the packaging for it is really cute, so that is a natural gift choice.

Limited Edition Innisfree Hand Cream Set

Concerning the makeup, you can be sure that the one receiving Laneige Winterland Set will be speechless and really, really, happy ;p .

If you are on a tight budget, you can get some lip tints! Tins are usually better than lipstick or lip gloss because it doesn’t wear off that easily.

I’m thinking of either the A’pieu kissable liptint or Etude House Dear Darling Tint AD. Recently, Peri’s Tint ( from Clio-Peripera) are also selling remarkably well, hehe.

Etude House Dear Darling Lip Tint AD

Clio – Peripera – Peri’s Tint Gloss

Kerry: What about someone buying a skincare gift for their mother or grandmother?

Alice: That would be a great idea and that will definitely make you mum or grandma happy ! (But for Grandma, the choice of the skincare set would be harder :p)

Once again, Missha has some “ready” gift sets that makes them really good as gifts! I can even help you pack them nicely so that you can offer them directly! :p If you wish to do this, you definitely need to take EMS while ordering with me, otherwise the package may not arrive on time for Christmas.

Kerry: If I live in the US, what is the latest I can place my order and still have it arrive in time for Christmas? What about Europe and Australia?

Alice: With normal shipping (Korea Post Air Mail), it takes about 10 to 14 WORKING days for the package to arrive … so I’m afraid that’s already a bit late.

However, with EMS, you can still pass your order this weekend (through Sunday, December 15th)and receive the package before Christmas : ) I will do my very best to work the extra time to get all the shopping done !

Kerry: Will you be picking up any gift sets for yourself?

Alice: I actually got quite a few already haha I got one Innisfree Sweet Vanilla diffuser for myself. I already put that in my room and I love it. Before sleep, it makes me feel so comfortable and relaxed. How I can say.. It makes me feel special. Also the fragrance just comes to whole my body so I don’t need to wear perfume nowadays, haha. Even my boyfriend loves it, too.

I also got the Laneige Winterland set, I’m not really using it yet but well … I really couldn’t resist .. .haha.

I also received lots of gifts from the cosmetic brands so I actually didn’t really need to buy some of them ;p

Kerry: What are you Christmas plans this year?

Alice: I wanted to go somewhere like mountain for skiing or to Lotte World’s Christmas party. But…I already know that it will be crazily crowded and I don’t really like being pushed all night long :p, so I might have a quiet Christmas this year … Just a relaxed one with my loved ones, that’s all I need for Christmas.

The Lotte World Christmas Party (from the official Lotte World Website). I looked it up when Alice mentioned it, and now I feel like my life will be worthless until I see this party in person!

I plan to open a small Christmas party at a café with my friends on Christmas Eve. Funny Rudolph and lovely Santa are ready, haha.

And I will bake a Christmas cake for my boyfriend on Christmas. Sorry but the other plans are secret. He will most likely see and read this interview after all …

Ohhh And I plan to work on Christmas as well haha :p so don’t worry … you can still pass your order on Christmas and I will even make it a SPECIAL DAY I reveal my plans for the shop to you here as an exclusive news but I will be offering you a special gift for your orders on Christmas  I‘m still making the preparations and seeing what’s possible, but count on me At the very least, you would get more than usual ,hihi!

Thank you so much my dear Kerry! Merry Christmas to you all – I wish you all the best!

PS: For the special occasion of this interview with Kerry, I even made a video haha. This is my first time doing so, and I hope you will like it. I do plan to make a lot more in the near future! Hope you will guys will subscribe to my channel. Thank you so much for your support everybody !

Love you all !

Editors note: First time W2Beauty customers get a $5 voucher by entering my sponsor code at sign-up: 025605. If there’s something you want but don’t see, be sure to drop Alice an email and let her know. She’ll be happy to get it for you!

Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe to Alice’s YouTube channel. You’ll stay up to date on all her future videos, and she also features a lot of Korean commercials for popular beauty products!

Which of these gift sets are you most excited about?

The post Christmas with Alice of W2Beauty! Alice Talks Korean Gift Sets & Holiday Plans appeared first on Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews.

This is my sister. She’s trying to keep warm.
Photo credit: My brother, Rob

At the moment, I’m in the process of thawing out in the kitchen, and perusing the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals. There are some pretty extensive lists of Black Friday deals floating around, but I’d like to add a few of my Korean cosmetic favorites to the list. If you’re looking for some Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals on some Asian skincare, here’s where to find them:

Missha: 40% Off Everything

It’s not a Black Friday deal specifically, but it is a massive holiday sale and it’s happening right now. It’s an excellent opportunity to try something new – I’ll be picking up the MISA Golden Snowflake Vitalizing Eye Cream. I haven’t tried it yet but I’ve heard good things, and I really, really love the look of the packaging.

Additionally, starting today, anyone making a purchase will receive a free travel bag with a miniature foam cleanser, toner, lotion, and peeling gel.

Now through 12/25.

W2Beauty

Alice is offering an amazing deal on my favorite skin line for Black Friday! Starting today, you can pick up the entire Benton skincare range for $76. The set includes a full size Aloe BHA Toner, Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel, Snail Bee High Content Essence, Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream, and a pack of 10 Snail Bee High Content Sheet Masks. This is an excellent deal for anyone who’s been thinking about giving Benton a try and hasn’t taken the plunge yet, as well as those of us who are already hooked and might be running low on some of our favorites.

Additionally, Alice is including a free sheet mask for every $40 spent, (starting today) as well as an extra special surprise gift to be included with purchases of $150 or more.

EDIT: Additional 10% off everything, sitewide! Use coupon code W2SALES10 at check out!

As always, shipping is free, and first time buyers will receive an instant $5 voucher by entering sponsor code 025605 at sign up.

Wishtrend

Wishtrend is offering a ton of specific product deals, as well as free shipping on purchases of $59 or more. They’re also offering an additional overall discount from 10%-30%, depending on how much you spend. You can check out all the deals on the Wishtrend website, which includes special pricing on the super popular O.S.T Vitamin C Serum. I’ve been trying this product out for myself for the past few weeks. I’ll be reviewing it soon, complete with before & after pictures, but here’s a spoiler: I’m a huge fan.

I might do a little internet shopping myself later, but right now it’s time to pour myself a glass of bourbon and vacuum up some pie with my face.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

This post contains affiliate links. Shopping these links helps support this site! Full disclosure. 

The post Happy Thanksgiving + Black Friday Deals appeared first on Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews.

Anyway, onward with today’s guide, which is comprised of luxury, beauty-themed gifts priced at $100 or less:

1. Sephora Fragrance Sampler for Her ($65)

It’s tricky buying perfume for someone else, but it’s also an excellent gift – fragrance is a luxurious item that a lot of people want, but don’t feel justified buying for themselves. The Sephora Fragrance Sampler for Her is a genius idea that removes all the potential problems of gifting a perfume. It’s a box filled with 14 samples of mid to high-fragrances, and a certificate that can be redeemed for one full size (1.7 oz.) bottle of perfume.

The samples included are Florabotanica by Balenciaga, Chloé by Chloé, Happy by Clinique, Love by Coach, Ligh Blue by Dolce & Gabbana, Very Irrésistable by Givenchy, Guilty by Gucci, Butterfly by Hanae Mori, Couture La La by Juicy Couture, La Vie Est Belle by Lancome, Daisy by Marc Jacobs, For Her by Narcisco Rodriguez, Florence by Tocca, and Bright Crystal by Versace.

I love that it allows for experimentation and personalization on the recipient’s own terms, but the most appealing thing about this set is that it’s actually a significantly less expensive way to purchase a full size bottle of these perfumes. A 1.7 oz. bottle of Chloé, for example, would set you back $95 if you bought it on its own, and Florabotanica would be $100.

This set is available on Sephora.com for $65.

2. BareMinerals Degrees of Dazzling 20-Piece Eyeshadow Collection ($72)

BareMinerals Degrees of Dazzling Collection features 20 full size eyeshadows in a wide range of shades and four finishes, including mattes, pearls, glitters, and even some liners. This is just an all around gorgeous set at a great price.

I’ve seen this set at all the major department stores for $79, but QVC.com is selling it at a special price right now – $72. QVC also offers the option to break up the cost into 4 Easy Pays.

3. Urban Decay Ocho Loco 2 ($59)

I bought this set for myself and loved it so much that I immediately bought one for my sister, who now also loves it. My best friend also bought an Urban Decay Ocho Loco 2 for her sister, pointing out that eyeliner sets make amazing gifts for makeup lovers because no matter what style of makeup that person is into at the moment, there’s always a way to work a pop of colored eyeliner into a look. Plus, it’s Urban Decay, and much like MAC, at least 99% of the makeup wearing population is going to be pumped about getting an Urban Decay product.

The Ocho Loco 2 set is available at Sephora.com for $59.

4. Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Special Set II ($71)

Give your skin-care-obsessed best friend the gift of snail slime. No, really, do it. This Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Set includes a full size booster treatment, moisturizing emulsion, and cream as well as a travel size counterpart for each product. This particular set was my very first foray into snail-based skincare, and because of it, I went from being extremely skeeved out by the idea snails on my face to a balls-out slime convert in a matter of days.

This set normally retails for $118, but during Missha’s Holiday Sale (happening right now), it’s 40% off. Now through December 25th, the Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Special Set II is $71.

5. Chantecaille The Wild Horse Palette ($83)

When it comes to makeup, there’s a certain price point I just can’t bring myself to indulge in for myself, but would still feel good about buying for someone else who would love it as much as I would. This Chantecaille Wild Horse Eyeshadow Palette is a perfect example – can I just tell you how much I’ve been salivating over this since I discovered it? I would love to be able to get this quad for someone who loves high-end eyeshadow as much I do, especially if I knew that they, like myself, would never allow themselves to spend this kind of money on it.

The Chantecaille The Wild Horse Palette is available at Bloomingdale’s for $83.

6. Hakuhodo S5555 Powder & Liquid Angled Foundation Brush ($88) 

In case you’re new to Hakuhodo, they’re a Japanese artisan makeup brush company. Their products are basically the Ferraris of the makeup brush world. I have collected a few of them over the past year, and though I love them all, this Powder & Liquid Angled Foundation Brush is the one I reach for the most (though mine is the slightly less expensive version with a plain, black handle). It’s the perfect weight and size, the hair is ridiculously soft, and it spreads my cream and liquid foundations into an airbrushed finish in less than a minute. Also, I feel rich when I use it.

This brush is available on the Hakuhodo US website for $88.

7. Perricone MD “The Power Treatments” Kit ($98)

I love the performance of Perricone MD products, but they’re too expensive for me to use on a sustainable level. This set, in particular, features slightly smaller versions of some of Perricone’s most powerful (expensive) products, including the Acyl-Glutathione Eye Lid Serum that is, to date, the best eye serum I’ve ever used in my life. My eyelids are slightly uneven, so one of them is constantly just a little bit lower than they other, but the Acyl-Glutathione Eye Lid Serum in this kit actually lifted it throughout the duration of my usage. I’ve also used and really liked the Vitamin C Ester 15, and the Cold Plasma.

This set is valued at $228, but it retails for a mere $98 at Nordstrom.com.

8. Guerlain Limited Edition Crazy Paris Meteorites Radiance Compact ($69)

If you’ve got a Guerlain Meteorites fan in your life, this compact from the limited edition Crazy Paris collection will blow her mind. Like the original pearl Meteorites, the effect is designed to be subtle, yet perfecting. I treated myself to this compact as soon as it was released, and love the radiance I get from it. It’s not over the top, but I do get a lot of skin and/or makeup compliments when I wear it. Plus, it’s got that signature violet Guerlain scent, which I adore.

This limited edition compact has already sold out at Nordstrom, but you can still pick it up on the Neiman Marcus website for $69.

9. Clarisonic Mia First ($99)

Unless your mom/best friend/sister already has one, there is just no way they aren’t going to be excited about receiving a Clarisonic. The Clarisonic Mia First is actually a newly released, limited edition model that’s specially priced at $99. It comes with a sensitive brush head as opposed to the original brush head. This is a big plus, since I actually find the original brush head to be too harsh, and much prefer the sensitive brushes (extra sensitive when I can find them).

I fully expect this limited edition version to sell out by Christmas, so pick it up from Sephora.com or Neiman Marcus while you can!

10. Urban Decay Naked3 Palette ($52)

The Naked3 doesn’t even really need an introduction, but I’ll do one anyway: it’s brand new, possibly the most anticipated palette of the year, and the rose-toned and violet shades are flattering on just about any skin tone. It’s also sold out right at the moment (it sold out on the day it was released), but will be back in stock on Urban Decay.com very soon, and available at Sephora on December 12 (that’s what I hear, anyway – I wager we’ll see it pop up on the Sephora website even sooner).

UPDATE 12/2/2013: Naked3 is back in stock on UrbanDecay.com! Hooray!

Will you be picking any of these up for a friend (or yourself)? Any amazing $100 beauty gifts I overlooked?

This post contains affiliate links. Shopping these links helps support this site! Full disclosure. 

The post Holiday Gift Guide: 10 Luxury Makeup & Skincare Gifts for $100 or Less appeared first on Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews.

At the top of everyone’s wish list.

Or how about a nice, sensible, designer slingshot? Gwyneth Paltrow thinks it’s a great gift option!

For the woman who has everything.

Don’t worry – if slingshots aren’t your thing, Vogue still has some fun ideas. What about a fuzzy, striped, $1800 Marc Jacobs throw pillow?

$1800. If this pillow was on The Price is Right, I would never make it to the Showcase Showdown.

As much as I love fashion magazines and the occasional celebrity lifestyle blog, I generally find their gift guides to be pretty useless. Looking at all these silly lists inspired me to use my tens of hours of internet research to create my own fun, beauty-themed, holiday gift guide, chock full of things I’d actually be excited to receive. Today’s holiday gift guide is comprised of amazing gifts priced at $50 or less:

1. Butter LONDON Boxing Day Fash Pack – Neutral Nail Lacquer Set ($35)

Butter LONDON nail lacquers are pretty universally loved, but at $10 a pop, they’re also an indulgence as far as nail polishes go. Aside from the fact that this Butter LONDON Boxing Day Fash Pack contains 5, gorgeous neutral shades that are guaranteed to look great an everyone, it’s also a steal at only $35.

The Butter LONDON Boxing Day Fash Pack is available at Nordstrom.com.

2. Penhaligon’s 5-piece Fragrance Discovery Set ($50)

I confess, I’ve only smelled one Penhaglion fragrance before and it wasn’t even mine. My friend Jill brought her last, precious drops with her to dinner once just so I could have a sniff, and it was lovely. I don’t know what any of the perfumes in this gift set smell like, but I don’t even care because the packaging for these perfumes is so spectacular. They could all smell like Fritos and motor oil for all I know – but I bet they don’t.

This gorgeous set is available on QVC.com for $50.

3. Delicate Roses Freshly Picked Collection ($44)

My friend at work got me hooked on Jurlique, after letting me try some of her luxury hand sanitizer (yes, that’s a thing, and it’s awesome). I recently picked up some of the Rose Hand Cream (while ordering luxury hand sanitizer, obviously), and now I’m in love. Jurlique Hand Cream ain’t cheap, but the Delicate Roses Freshly Picked Collection includes the hand cream, a lip balm, and a facial mist. The hand cream on its own would set you back $25, so this is a pretty fantastic deal at $44.

The Jurlique Delicate Roses Freshly Picked Collection is available on Beauty.com.

4. Kiehl’s Since 1851 Greatest Hits Collection ($45)

Kiehl’s Since 1851 makes a fantastic skincare product. They’re certainly luxury items though, which is what makes this Greatest Hits Collection so awesome. It contains 7 of their best selling products, including items for body, face, and hair. I’m a HUGE fan of the Crème de Corps body moisturizer – it might even be my favorite lotion of all time.

The Kiehl’s Since 1851 Greatest Hits Collection is available at Nordstrom.com for $45.

5. Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Sequin Shimmer Brick Eye Palette ($48.50)

I’ve been hemming and hawing over this palette for weeks now. It’s really only a matter of time before I pick it up. Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Sequin Shimmer Brick Eye Palette contains 10 shimmering, neutral, eye shades that are designed to be layered over eyeshadow, or worn alone as a highlighter. This is the perfect gift for someone who you know loves makeup, but aren’t sure what kind of colors they’re into these days.

The Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Sequin Shimmer Brick Eye Palette is available on BobbiBrown.com for $48.50. Right now, you can also pick up a cute mini-palette for yourself for free by entering code PRETTYTOGO at checkout.

6. NEST Eau de Parfum Coffret ($38)

I have already gifted one of these to my best friend for her birthday, and I’ve bought one for myself. They’re gorgeous, the scents are unique, and the set is a fantastic way to let someone explore the wonderful world of NEST fragrances.

The NEST Eau de Parfum Coffret is available at Sephora.com for $38.

7. Tarte Special Edition Holiday 4-pc Amazonian Clay Blush Set ($29)

Tarte makes my favorite powdered blush formula ever. They’re easy to blend, last all day, and the colors are gorgeous. Their only pitfall is the price – they’re $26 individually. This set, however, contains four travel-sized shades for $29. They come in a box so delightful, you won’t even have to wrap it. Just slap a gold bow on that thing and you win Christmas. DONE!

The Tarte Special Edition Holiday 4-pc Amazonian Clay Blush Set is available at QVC.com.

8. Molton Brown London The Bathing Treasures Collection ($50)

Have you ever wondered what a $30 body wash feels like? Me too! I’m constantly seeing Molton Brown Body Washes in magazines, and they’re always in exciting sounding fragrances such as Black Peppercorn or Coco & Sandalwood. I’ve yet to take the plunge, but The Bathing Treasures Collection is destined to be my gateway to Molton Brown shower nirvana. It contains 12 miniature Molton Brown body washes in Pink Pepperpod, Gingerlily, Orange & Bergamot, Eucalyptus, Coco & Sandalwood, Japanese Orange, Samphire, Suma Ginseng, Black Peppercorn, Ylang Ylang, Templetree, and Silverbirch. It’s basically a luxury body wash buffet that fits in a box. It’s an impressive to give someone, but also a great gift to split up to give 12 of your coworkers.

The Molton Brown London The Bathing Treasures Collection is available at Nordstrom for $50.

9. Laura Mercier Line & Define Mini Longwear Crème Eye Pencil Collection ($45)

I keep telling people that Laura Mercier Crème Eye Pencils are the best pencil eyeliners on the planet, because they are. This eyeliner goes on smooth, the color is always rich, and the formula doesn’t budge for anything – except an oil based makeup remover. This collection includes 5 mini liners in Violet, Espresso (my favorite), Noir, Sage, and Cobalt.

The Laura Mercier Line & Define Mini Longwear Crème Eye Pencil Collection is available at Bloomingdales.com for $45.

10. MAC Nocturnals Cremesheen Lip Glass: Nude ($32.50)

I don’t know of any makeup fans that wouldn’t be excited to get a box full of MAC Cremesheen Lip Glass. I’m sure they exist somewhere, but chances are you don’t know any. These limited edition sets come in a few different color collections, but the Nude is the safest set for gifting because the colors are so universally flattering. This is another one of those gifts that can be given on their own or split up into separate gifts.

The MAC Nocturnals Cremesheen Lip Glass set is available at Macys.com for $32.50.

Have you started Christmas shopping yet? If you know of another perfect $50 or less makeup or skincare gift, I’d love to hear about it!

This post contains affiliate links. Shopping these links helps support this site! Full disclosure.

The post Holiday Gift Guide: 10 Spectacular Beauty Gifts for $50 or Less appeared first on Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews.

You know how beauty magazines are always doing holiday gift guides, but they wind up being full of things that are either way too expensive, too weird, far too unattainable, or just plain suck? My gift guide isn’t like that. I’m not faced with the same conflicting interests that a magazine beauty editor might be faced with, so all the gift ideas I’m featuring are things that I emphatically believe a beauty fan would be proud to give or excited to receive.

Today, I’m kicking off the series with gifts under $25. Here are some things I might give my friends and family, if only they loved makeup:

1. Shea Terra Organics African Wild Oil Collection

Shea Terra Organics is one of my all-time favorite skincare brands, and happens to produce what I consider to be the best Argan Oil on the market. In addition to Argan Oil, Shea Terra offers an entire range of African-sourced, skin healthy oils, and the African Wild Oil Collection is a great way try a variety of them. Argan, Baobob, and Marula are three personal favorites, and this kit includes all of those plus a Tamanu Oil. It’s a great discovery kit for any skincare lover.

It retails for $26, which is a great deal on its own, but Shea Terra offers a monthly 30% off coupon for email subscribers, making this collection a very affordable $18.20. This month’s coupon code is nov2013.

Oh, and while you’re placing a gift order, consider picking up a bottle of the Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Facial Wash for yourself. It’s a personal favorite of mine for exfoliating and treating acne.

2. Caudalie Hand & Body Duo

Caudalie is a French brand that I became enamored with after trying a deluxe sample size of their Premier Cru moisturizing cream last year. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of trying several Caudalie products, and was pleased to discover that the quality is consistently high. The Caudalie Hand & Body Duo comes with Caudalie’s signature Divine Oil and a super rich Hand & Nail Cream. I particularly love the Divine Oil in this kit as a moisturizing hand & body oil – though it can also be used for face and hair. It smells lovely, and will do an excellent job keeping hands from plunging into the bleeding, crackling depths of winter dryness. It’s an expensive brand (in the US, anyway), so any savvy skincare lover would be impressed with this gift, and will probably think you spent far more than you did.

The Caudalie Hand & Body Duo retails for $15 at Sephora.

Oh, and if you’ve been hoarding your Sephora Beauty Insider Points like I have, you might be willing to let 500 of them go while ordering this duo – there is currently an unbelievably tempting Dior Addict reward being offered that contains a lipstick, fragrance, and charm bracelet.

3. Bite Beauty Best Bite Set

Despite all the raves Bite Beauty was getting in the makeup forums I frequent, it wasn’t until my friend Kathleen sang its praises that I decided to give their lip products a try. I instantly loved the rich, smooth colors, and the fact that many of the shades are universally flattering. Rhubarb is a particular favorite (I’m convinced it looks spectacular on everyone), and is just one of the four mini Bite High Pigment Pencils offered in the Bite Beauty Best Bite Set.

The Bite Beauty Best Bite Set retails for $25 at Sephora. This is also an excellent excuse to pick up that aforementioned Dior Beauty Insider reward.

4. Perlier Hand Cream w/ Honey Body Balm 10-piece Mini Set

Italian beauty brand Perlier is known for its amazing body care products. This Perlier Hand Cream w/ Honey Body Balm 10-piece Mini Set is an easy way to impress one lucky recipient with a whole range of their scented hand creams, or a very inexpensive way to dole out 10 small gifts to your coworkers and acquaintances.

Included in the set are hand creams in Frosted Sugar Plum, Gardenia, Honey Gingersnap, Japanese Cherry Blossom, Neroli & Clementine, Periwinkle, Sandalwood & Sage, Persian Lilac, Winterberry, as well as a Honey Body Balm with Peptides.

The Perlier Hand Cream w/ Honey Body Balm 10-piece Mini Set retails for $20 on HSN.com.

5. Etude House Aloe Moistfull Cream Set

Skin care can be a hard gift to give someone, but an aloe-based product is usually a safe bet for most skin types (unless that person has an unfortunate aloe sensitivity). The Etude House Aloe Moistfull Cream Set makes a super cute gift for the skincare collector in your life. Who knows? Maybe this will be your gift recipient’s gateway into the world of Korean skincare – then you guys can start combining your haul orders to save on shipping. Win/win!

This Etude House Aloe Moistfull Cream Set retails for $22 on W2Beauty.com. You can save $5 on your first W2Beauty order by entering my sponsor code (025605) at sign-up.

6. Sephora Collection Smoky Studio 2

This impressive kit includes 48 eyeshadows and 15 lip colors. The eyeshadow shades are grouped into coordinating trios, each of which can be removed and placed into the included mini-palette for travel. It has tons of rave reviews on the Sephora site, and frankly, it just looks exciting. The Sephora Collection Smoky Studio 2 is the thing to give if your number one gift-giving goal is to give someone a box of pure joy.

The Sephora Collection Smoky Studio 2 retails for $25 in-store and online at Sephora.com.

7. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment w/ Travel Size Original

Have you ever tried a Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment? They’re amazing. The first time I tried one was last year, when Sephora was giving out a set of miniature Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments as birthday treats. I instantly understood the hype – these treatments are incredibly moisturizing, and the tinted ones add the perfect amount of sheer color to the lips. They also provide a little sun protection, which is something I wish more lip products offered.

They normally retail for $22.50 a piece, but this set being offered by QVC online comes with a full sized lip treatment in your color of choice, plus a generous, travel size original formula Lip Treatment (which is clear) for the same price. Rose is my personal color of choice, but you really can’t go wrong with any of them.

8. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC) Lip Tar All-Star Mini x4 Set

If you or someone you know has been putting off trying the insanely popular OCC Lip Tars, this OCC Lip Tar All-Star Mini x4 Set is the perfect gateway. Lip Tars are ultra-pigmented, long-wearing lip colors that come in a large range of colors, and this set contains four of their most popular shades: Memento, NSFW, Anime, and Black Dahlia. Memento and Black Dahlia have been on my wish list since forever, so I’ll probably be gifting this set to myself.

This set of four miniature OCC Lip Tars is priced at $20 at Sephora. It’s an excellent deal when you consider that individual full size lip tars retail for $18 a pop! Maybe next year OCC will release a miniature set of their entire Lip Tar shade range – there is a 100% chance I would buy that.

9. Deborah Lippmann “She’s Always a Woman” Mini Nail Lacquer Trio

The Deborah Lippmann “She’s Always a Woman” Mini Nail Lacquer Trio is a great gift because the colors are perfect for basically anyone – young and old. The royal blue, holo-berry, and taupe shades are refined, yet not-at-all boring. I always find Lippmann nail lacquer formulas to be smooth and easy to work with, and because the shades are so universal, I would feel just as good about giving this to an elegant 50-year-old woman as I would to a club-hopping 20-year-old (not that I actually have any club-hopping 20-year-old friends anymore –we’re all middle-aged homebodies now).

The Deborah Lippmann “She’s Always a Woman” Mini Nail Lacquer Trio is available at Nordstrom for $25.

10. Too Faced Beauty Blogger Darlings Set

The Too Faced Beauty Blogger Darlings Set is appealing for a couple of reasons – for one, it contains a variety of products, which is a type of gift I’m always personally excited to get. Secondly, the box it comes in is crazy exciting. It’s the sort of thing you might see the corner of as you’re gently removing the meticulously folded wrapping paper, then get really excited over and tear the rest of paper away without a second thought. This set comes with travel size versions of the famous Chocolate Soleil bronzer (a cocoa scented bronzer that isn’t plagued by the dreaded orange glow), Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer (my favorite eye primer), Primed & Poreless Face Primer, and Better than Sex Mascara.

The Too Faced Beauty Blogger Darlings Set is available at Sephora for $20.

Have you started Christmas shopping yet? Is anyone on your list getting beauty gifts this year? If you know of a perfect $25 or less makeup or skincare gift, I’d love to hear about it!

This post contains affiliate links. Shopping these links helps support this site! Full disclosure. 

The post Holiday Gift Guide: 10 Perfect Makeup & Skincare Gifts for $25 or Less appeared first on Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews.