Skincare, beauty, and occasional mental health, productivity, and hamster butts
Makeup and skin care from major midrange Korean brand Missha.
The last time I reviewed a Missha sunscreen, it didn't go well for either me or the sunscreen. Luckily, I had managed to block those bad memories out for long enough that when I was panic-shopping Amazon for a last-minute sunscreen replenishment a few months ago, I was willing to give the readily available Missha [...]
Have you ever put on a sunscreen so bad that you panic and cleanse it all off with just minutes left before you have to leave the house in the morning? I have, and I really want to talk about it. So without further ado, let's discuss Missha's All Around Safe Block "Mild Sun" SPF [...]
Today I opened my skincare closet and a massive pile of empties fell out, so I decided to divert some time and energy from the reviews I'm working on and write (some of) those empties up. Affiliate links are marked with an asterisk(*). Some of the products featured in this post were provided by Fifty [...]
After blogging for a couple of years and using Asian beauty products for a couple more before that, the vast majority of products I've tried have become a big shiny blur. Generally only the really great and really dreadful products stand out. But sometimes, a product sticks in my mind even when I didn't love [...]
2016 was a pretty wild year in a lot of ways. Even my face got a taste of the turmoil. I tried a lot of different products from a lot of different brands this year, and while some of those products were truly great (and I appreciate the opportunity to try them all), others...weren't. I took [...]
It's natural to be sad when the last drops of a favorite product have been dispensed and the bottle (or tub, or tube, or jar) is empty. A fresh, unopened skincare product is a thing of pristine beauty and endless promise. An empty one sometimes seems haunted by the ghosts of promises unfulfilled. But empties are [...]
Have all been from the same brand. You may have noticed that the vast majority of the reviews on this blog are at least somewhat positive. The reason's pretty simple: The more I learn about skincare ingredients, the easier it is for me to choose products that I know I'll find effective and probably enjoyable. [...]
Don't worry, Hada Labo fans. I didn't suddenly discover something bad about the famous and bestselling hydrating toner. The thing is, I just keep discovering other products that, for my purposes, are better. Here's why a toner like Hada Labo Super Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid Lotion can be so useful: Anti-aging isn't just about preventing wrinkles. [...]
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: flexibility is critical to maintaining healthy skin. Your skin is a complex living ecosystem, subject to all sorts of ever-changing influences, like diet, lifestyle, stress levels, living environment, overall climate, and day-to-day fluctuations in the weather. And if that wasn't complicated enough, just about anyone's skin [...]
For those who don't share my passion, it must sound really weird to hear makeup called a hobby or an art. Over the last six months or so, however, those are exactly what the act of applying makeup has become for me. Makeup as art I can't draw or paint or decorate a house to save [...]
