When it comes to skin brightening and spot fading, a couple of years with Japanese sunscreen and lots of niacinamide, AHA, vitamin C, and tretinoin have gotten my skin to where I originally wanted it to be and then some. But lately I find myself jumping at the opportunity to review products that make serious brightening claims anyway, because those are some of the easiest to verify. A side-by-side before and after will do the trick! So when Naruko Boutique USA approached me with offers of product to try, I pointed the trembling index finger of my fully activated grabby hand at their La Creme Platinum Bright Essence Repairing Complex. Read on for my experience and results. (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
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October 7, 2019 update: I’ve updated this post at the bottom with a link to the latest limited edition version of the product.
Woohoo! Sulwhasoo!
I’ve spent several years steeped in the serums and essences of Korean skincare but have until recently given well known, high-end brands like Sulwhasoo a wide berth.
I avoided the grandes dames of K-beauty partly for budgetary reasons and partly because I doubted that any difference in quality and effectiveness could be proportional to the difference in price between the fancy stuff and solid midrange beauty brands. But then I got interested in hanbang skincare thanks to my snailboo (and fellow Snailcaster) Snow of Snow White and the Asian Pear. Since then, I’ve purchased several full-sized Sulwhasoo products. Now, after a month of use, I’m ready to review one of the ones I was most excited to get. (Update: after over a year and several more bottles of this product, I stand by everything I originally said here.) Let’s talk about Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum EX! (more…)
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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 tools and tricks to make the most out of short, straight, stubborn lashes)! (more…)
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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…)
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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…)
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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!
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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 you guys through any of my purchases. Beauty blogger hauls can look like exercises in excess and are often blamed for creating a hyper-consumerist haul mentality, so it may be instructive to take a closer look at the anatomy of a beauty blogger’s haul(s). Here are my May skincare buys and which products I would (and would not!) still buy if I didn’t have a blog! (more…)
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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…)
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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…)
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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…)
Fifty Shades of Snail 