Out here in Fiddyland, the long, hard winter (it got down to 41°F one night!) is finally giving way to spring. There’s a little more moisture in the air and a little less bite (41°F that one time!!). It’s time to reevaluate my routine (again) and consider adding a lighter moisturizer to my skincare wardrobe. Maybe something like COSRX Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion. (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
-
-
I guess you could say I’m a practical learner. When I get interested in something, I want to try it, and if I like it the first time, I want to try it again and again until I master it. I’m working on a research-heavy ginseng post, but reading about it isn’t the only thing I’m doing. Nope. When I noticed the results I got from a few different ginseng products (to be reviewed), I decided I had to Get. All. The. Ginseng. On. My. Face. I hauled accordingly. The L’Herboflore Ginseng Anti-Aging Mask is the only ginseng product I’m ready to talk about right now. So let’s talk.
(more…) -
Update 8/6/16: I’ve now gone through several jars of this product and have found a way to get much more use out of the pods than I was my first time around. Scroll down to the new “Prelab Toning Peeling Tap Tip” section to check it out!
As much as I preach the benefits of being flexible with skincare, and as much as I try to adjust my routine to address the changing needs of my skin, even I sometimes carry on a habit long past the point where it’s stopped being beneficial. Like chemical exfoliation. Last year, COSRX’s AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid and BHA Blackhead Power Liquid changed my life, but now that I’ve gotten serious with Curology prescription tretinoin, my skin can’t really handle standard chemical exfoliation anymore. Luckily for my face, I’ve found a gentler way to keep my skin smooth and clear. (more…)
-
I don’t usually do Instagram review roundups because I like to give you guys different things on different sites. I have a (half-assed but deliberate) system for deciding what goes where. But I don’t want anyone to miss out on the launch of the Mask Party sheet mask set at my favorite Taiwan-focused boutique AB shop, Beautibi! (more…)
-
Are you having trouble understanding how K-beauty skincare routines like mine come together? I often link to my skincare wardrobe to demonstrate the variety that makes Asian skincare and K-beauty in particular so great, but if you’re new to skincare routines that change by the day, it can be hard to visualize how that works. Looking at people’s skincare routines on Instagram can help (shockingly, the #skincareroutine tag is a good place to start, as is the #koreanskincare tag, and a lot of K-beauty bloggers post their skincare routines–my homegirl Snow does them frequently and I’m trying to do them more, too). IG isn’t the best place to explain the curation process, though. Stupid character limit. My skin and routine have gone through some changes lately, so now is a good time to explain how my morning and evening skincare routines happen.
(more…) -
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.
(more…) -
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!
-
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…)
-
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.
-
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!
Fifty Shades of Snail 