Tinfoil time! Innisfree either has psychics on staff or a deal with the NSA, because they always seem to have a great deal or promotion going just when I’m running out of my staples and looking for a change. Check out what I got and how my routine will be changing (spoiler: I’m replacing some higher-priced items with much more affordable options and don’t expect any loss of effectiveness) as we move into summer. Flexibility in your skin care routine is key to ensuring continual effectiveness and results. Also, it’s fun to have a reason to try out a new thing or five.

Don’t mind my gnarly coffee table surface or the angelic glow making it difficult to see the product names. They’re glowing because they just got here from heaven.

A light, hydrating serum with a base of antioxidant-rich green tea extracts to battle summertime sun exposure. I fell in love with this when I tried a sample out of the Innisfree 8 Solutions Kit. It will be replacing my DD’ell Extra Vitalizing Serum as a much more affordable and equally hydrating serum. The size is a bit more generous than most other serums I’ve used, so that’s a bonus, too.

Another find from the 8 Solutions Kit. This is a very light, fast-absorbing emulsion in a green tea extract base, also packed full of antioxidants. This will be replacing my Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream as a light day moisturizer under sunscreen. Considering the fact that I made a sample of this last for two and a half weeks, I imagine this bottle will last months and months.

Lipstick! Ever since I realized that the colors of Asian color cosmetics tend to suit my Asian coloring better than Western products, I’ve been on a makeup bender. And I love the creamy, moisturizing feel of the Innisfree Creamy Tint Lipsticks. If only they made more colors.

It’s much less peach and much more pink on my lips than I expected, but I like the color, and the fact that it’s less matte and not as strong as my other Innisfree lipsticks makes it a bit more wearable for day-to-day.

I’m planning to replace my Benton High Content Steam Cream and Mizon Returning Starfish Cream, both out of boredom and because summer, for me, demands lighter creams. Mostly out of boredom. I’m excited about the I’m From Honey Cream I have coming to me, and I hope one of these Innisfree creams will pass the test as a nourishing but summerweight second option.

I’ll be starting with a trial of the anti-aging Eco Science White C Cream, which Innisfree claims uses natural citrus extracts to brighten and repair skin.

If the Eco Science White C Cream doesn’t work out, I’ll move on to the Orchid Enriched Cream. Not going to lie, purples are my favorite colors and played a role in my selection of this cream. This is another antioxidant-packed anti-aging cream, and the ingredients list actually doesn’t look all that different from the Eco Science White C.

If the Orchid Enriched Cream doesn’t work out, I’ll move on to the Olive Real Power Cream and Green Tea Balancing Cream. I doubt I’ll be testing the Soybean Firming Neck Cream, since I use my regular face routine on my neck already, and it seems to work just fine.

I packed my “creams to try” in an empty MBD box, except for the sample of White C that I’ll be starting tonight.

I’m not terribly interested in the Green Tea Balancing Skin toner, the Olive Real Lotion, or the Soybean Firming Neck Cream, and since I already have a full size of the Green Tea Seed Serum, these samples will be gifted to people as the opportunity arises. I originally meant to store them in the stackable sliding drawer that can be made out of the 8 Solutions Kit package (hooray for upcycling and hooray for Innisfree’s eco-branding!), but after giving myself a sore neck and a bad mood cutting it out and putting it together, I discovered that it really is stupid small. I’m keeping the box for smaller samples, but these will go in a different MBD box.

As you can see, my daily routine is undergoing some significant changes. Missha FTE is on its way out now that my much cheaper and very nicely formulated CosRX Galactomyces 95 White Power (cringe) Essence is in the mail. I’m tired of my Benton steam cream and Mizon starfish and don’t need creams that heavy for summer. And the DD’ell was never something I planned to repurchase anyway. Not pictured: my C21.5 serum and my last bottle of Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence, which I plan to replace with Shara Shara’s Honey Bomb All In One Ampoule, a gel-texture product full of honey, propolis, and niacinamide. The Shara Shara is already on the way.

This is how my little basket of happiness looks when everything’s inside. Not kidding, guys, I lug this thing around like a security blanket.

Do you plan to change your routine at all for summer?