Category: Holy Grails

These are my absolute favorite products, the ones that stand head and shoulders above the competition.

  • My Top 9 Sheet Masks on Amazon Prime

    While recording the Snailcast a while ago, Chel and I got to reminiscing about the early days of AB life. Just a couple of years ago, hauls were major events that demanded planning, patience, and possibly a Hangul cheat sheet. These days, US-based Asian skincare fans can get a solid routine and plenty of extras, like…

  • Do You Need Actives, Part Deux: Sulwhasoo x2 (A Double Review)

    A couple of weeks ago, I talked in a general way about how to decide whether to introduce actives into your skincare routine. Now, as promised, here are a couple of examples: one product that just didn’t have enough oomph to get the job done, and one that doesn’t need anything more than what it…

  • August 2016 Empties Report

    There’s a bin on a shelf in my beauty closet where I hoard my empties until the bin is full. Then I take a picture of the containers before I recycle them. Usually that picture goes on my Instagram, but this time around, I felt I had more to say about the products I’ve used…

  • My Eyelash Extensions Review + Lash Extensions 101

    (Beauty) dreams do come true! At the age of Almost 37, I’ve acquired the long, lush, always curled, (semi)permanently fluttery eyelashes of my wildest (beauty) fantasies. My eyelash extensions are my absolute favorite thing right now, and I’ve been dying to tell you guys about them!

  • My August Skincare Hauls and Holy Grails

    After a couple of low-buy months, my wallet’s vacation has ended. My favorites need restocking and my new address apparently puts me in an Amazon Prime Free Same-Day Delivery Zone(!!!). While I normally share my hauls over on Instagram, this month’s skincare purchases revealed so much about what I’m loving these days that I thought I’d…

  • UPDATED Review: Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum EX

    Sulwhasoo’s First Care Activating Serum EX does things to my skin that no other product can.

  • The Best Lash Growth Serum for My Asian Eyelashes, Plus Other Asian Eyelash Tips

    And now for something completely different. My decades of Asian Eyelash Struggles are over thanks to the best lash growth serum I’ve ever used. I’ve also found the best mascara for my lashes and have picked up a couple of tricks with eyelash curler and eyelash brush. Let’s talk about my HG eyelash serum and mascara (and a couple of…

  • #Enabled: May Skincare Purchases and the Stories Behind Them (aka Shopping Habits of a Beauty Blogger)

    As a beauty blogger, I make a lot of skincare purchases. Many more, I imagine, than a typical non-blogger beauty consumer would. We’ve talked a bit about blogger shopping habits here and there on the Snailcast, and I’m sure I’ve mentioned mine in passing elsewhere, but I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and walked…

  • Mid-Year Megapost: Fiddy’s Faves and Flops of Spring/Summer 2016, Part 1

    This is my skincare basket. It’s the sturdy workhorse that carries everyday essentials chosen out of my much more extensive skincare wardrobe. The contents of my basket change on a fairly regular basis. But I recently realized that some things never get banished from the basket, even for a night. That got me thinking about the ways my…

  • The Lord of the Herbs: The Fellowship of the Root (Ginseng Megapost)

    You’ve heard me talk about it on Twitter. You’ve seen it creeping inexorably, product by product, into my skincare wardrobe. You got a taste of it when I reviewed the L’Herboflore Ginseng Anti-Aging Mask. And if you follow my Instagram, you’ve watched it work its way into my nightly skincare routine until it seems like there’s no way…