I don’t generally participate in team kill reviews, where shops send a specific product out to a number of bloggers to deliberately generate hype. But I recently made an exception for Wishtrend, owner of the Klairs brand, when WT got in touch to offer me a jar of the new Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream for review. I like Klairs products, and the offer sounded more exclusive at first than most team kills (it initially went out to 20 bloggers, I later learned; afterwards, Wishtrend cast an even wider net, eventually publicly soliciting both blogger and non-blogger testers on social media). In any case, I received the Midnight Blue Calming Cream and finished putting it through its paces right on schedule with both my testing period and the upcoming product launch. Does it deserve the hype that blogger campaigns are devised to generate? Let’s find out.
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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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So I was idly browsing Memebox US and adding things to my cart, as I do, when I realized that a shopping guide would be a much more constructive outlet for my window-shopping energy.
Memebox US, one of my favorite shops of 2015 thanks to generally reasonable prices and fast domestic shipping, is always one of the first sites I visit when I wantneed to buy something. But their selection can be overwhelming, especially if you’re new to K-beauty. Not every item is a gem (though plenty of them are). I combed through every brand listed on the site to find products I’ve personally used and enjoyed. You’ll find the ones that passed the test below, organized by the possible steps of your skincare routine. You’ll also hear about the things I didn’t love. Enjoy, remember that YMMV, and if you’ve never hauled from Memebox before, register with my referral link* to get 20% off your first purchase!
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Hey!
Lately I’ve noticed a pretty substantial increase in visitors to this blog. It’s really exciting, and I’m so glad people are finding me. My bottomless appetite for attention does need to be fed constantly, you know.
But I worry that if you’ve only recently come to Fifty Shades of Snail or K-beauty and Asian cosmetics in general, you may find this world a little overwhelming. So I thought I’d take a few minutes to welcome you and show you around. If you’re a little confused or don’t know where to start, keep reading! (more…)
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Okay, where were we?
When we left off, we’d covered the first three of six K-beauty myths that I’d like to see put to bed…forever. We’ve established that K-beauty does not require a 23-step routine, that Korean skincare is not automatically superior to Western skincare, and that the K-beauty craze isn’t just skincare consumers collectively going through their freshman year “foreign = better” phase. Those aren’t the only K-beauty myths in circulation, though. The ones I’m going to talk about today are arguably more problematic. Let’s inhale some sheet mask fumes and get right into it.
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It’s that time again! I finished off another bottle of my Curology anti-aging prescription and am back with an update. Just a quick one this time. No B&As, as I think results are easier to see with a longer wait in between, but definitely some progress to report!
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It’s human nature to fill in the gaps in our knowledge with myth and superstition. We’ve been doing it since the dawn of recorded civilization, spreading and passing down stories to help us make sense of our bewildering reality. Of course, these stories often get things wrong. The Norse god Thor did turn out to be a real person, but most other myths, including those about “Korean beauty” and the AB life, are more wrong than right. Let go of them and you’ll become a smarter skincare shopper with a more effective routine of your own–K-beauty or not!
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I wasn’t planning to write this review today (or anytime soon, really). For the last five nights, I’ve been sweatily grunting and straining to push out a big, difficult post that took shape in my head months ago but refuses to pass into solid reality. But after cleansing (my face!) this morning, I found I couldn’t wait to talk about the product I used last night. Why not? It’s my blog and I’ll do what I want!
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It’s my birthday! Today I turn thirty-six!
SHIT!
I wanted to share my birthday with you guys in a special way this year, since you all made last year so amazing for me. So I teamed up with Memebox to bring you…a catch and release shark hunt!
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I love AB blogging because it gives me an excuse to jump from product to product instead of settling down like a normal person. I definitely have that itch for the new. So when I like a product enough to repurchase it instead of putting my hunting goggles on and skipping happily back out into the wilderness of Untested New Things That Might Be Great as soon as I get close to the bottom of the bottle, I take special notice. Goodal Waterest Lasting Water Oil is one of those products. I’ve repurchased it once already and will repurchase again.
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Mizon’s Returning Starfish Cream was the first moisturizer I ever liked enough to repurchase when I ran out and the first heavier cream I ever really enjoyed. It made my skin so nice. Also, I liked its bizarre jelly texture. So I made a video to show what happens when you jiggle a jar of Mizon Returning Starfish Cream, and what jiggling that cream sounds like.
Fifty Shades of Snail 