I listen to you guys. For example, reader “DanielMattPhotography” left a comment on my review of Naruko Snail Essence Intense Hydra Repair Mask praising the Naruko Narcissus Repairing Masks as “some of the best masks I’ve ever used,” which is why I requested them when the brand reached out to see if there was anything they could send me to try. If any enablement results from this review, please direct your blame at DanielMattPhotography. Thanks, DanielMattPhotography! #DanielMattPhotographyMadeMeDoit (more…)
Fifty Shades of Snail
Finding the best skin care products since 2014. Started with a focus on Korean skincare and grew from there. Skincare tips and beauty tips that work, maybe some hamster butts too
recent posts
- Protected: Fluorescent bulbs and SPF
- How I Grew My Thinning Hair Back Thicker and Stronger Than Ever Before (with no drugs or medical treatments)
- Sponsored: The Best of Skin1004
- How to Ask for Skincare Advice Online, Part Two: What Questions to Ask to Get Helpful Answers
- How to Ask for Skincare Advice Online, Part 1: What Not to Ask
about
-
-
Yesterday was a hideously beautiful SoCal day, so I dragged the family to the beach for a few hours. Lord Fiddy came home with a vibrant sunburn (“Hey look! I got some color!”). Young Master Fiddy and I were, of course, wearing sunscreen and remained Unburnt. I was, however, sandy and desperate for a shower, so I did an impromptu UV damage-minimizing, wrinkle-fighting extra skincare routine to go with my regular UV-protective morning routine. Behold. (more…)
-
Just wanted to let you guys know that I’ve updated my Skincare Wardrobe page and added a section at the bottom with a list of products that I’ve yet to start testing. Feel free to head on over and leave a comment with what you’re most curious for me to try next!
-
Very quickly, because I’m too excited to hold this in anymore: I have permission from the lovely Hye Young at COSRX to drop some news about a couple of upcoming COSRX product releases. (more…)
-
There are a lot of sheet masks out there, and most of the ones I consider great have a lot in common. And then there are masks like Naruko Snail Essence Intense Hydra Repair Mask, which I bought with the assumption that they’d be pretty similar to other Taiwanese snail masks I’ve tried and liked, but which turn out to be so different that they deserve an entire blog post of their own. (more…)
-
When I think of cosmetic chemists and the beauty industry, the first image that pops into my head is the corporate cosmetic chemist formulating products to the specifications of marketers at one of the multinational conglomerates. But there’s a new breed of cosmetic chemist emerging to challenge the big beauty brands and their cost-cutting, undisclosed-actives-concentrations ways. Indie formulators, like my foreverboo Chel of Holy Snails, are innovating products and using social media to get the word out.
One such formulator is Stephen Alain Ko, the cosmetic chemist behind skincare and beauty industry blog Kind of Stephen. Stephen is another of those amazing people using his knowledge and education to come up with crazy new formulations that may change skincare forever, for the better. I wanted to get to know Stephen a little better and give you guys a chance to, too. So here’s our interview on cosmetic chemistry, formulation, the state of the industry, and what cool stuff you might be putting on your face in a few years! (more…)
-
It’s a hard life, beauty blogging. Much like the hunter-gatherers of prehistoric times, we bloggers enjoy periods of plentyof awesome new beauty finds but also suffer through long spells of hungerfor great skincare. And much like those Paleo nomads of ancient days, we record our victories and defeats for posterity. They did it on cave walls with primitive artistry. We do it on the Internet, with watermarked photos. The primal scribbles here depict the struggles I’ve been facing as I grab my trusty spear and venture forth from my face cave to hunt down my latest obsession: ginseng!
-
It was something like $10 at Target. 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 skincare routine has stabilized and what products are responsible, which then got me thinking about some of my new favorites as well as the forgettable flops I want to drop. (Sorry.) Let’s see what’s up with my spring/summer 2016 skincare routine!
In Part 1: A look back at last year’s routine vs. today’s, the classics I don’t think I’ll ever be without, and some sad letdowns and surprise new faves. (more…)
-
I’m not normally a fan of single-line skincare routines, since they tend to be redundant and reduce opportunities for your skin to benefit from a wide variety of actives and beneficial supporting ingredients, but when I have a good experience with one item in a line, like, say, Innisfree Jeju Lava Seawater Essence, it makes me curious about that item’s sister products. And that is how I ended up with yet another cream in my skincare wardrobe: Innisfree Jeju Lava Seawater Cream, the subject of today’s review! (more…)
-
Happy weekend, everybody! I have a nice SNS Saturday giveaway for you this week, featuring the biggest SNS Saturday prize yet, and, for the first time since SNS Saturdays began, open to international entries! Are you ready to win? (more…)
Fifty Shades of Snail 