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!
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
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- Sponsored: The Best of Skin1004
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- How to Ask for Skincare Advice Online, Part 1: What Not to Ask
about
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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.
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In the AB world, the graveyard of regrettable purchases stretches for miles in every direction, a barren and blighted necropolis marked by inexplicably cute headstones and forever haunted by the souls of dollars wasted, never to return. Every day, even more products suffer an untimely trashing and even more dollars drift away. We all fall into the BUY ALL THE THINGS! trap at some point. But we don’t always have to. You can save a little (or a lot) of money and break the cycle of shopping sadness just by asking yourself a few questions before you hit the checkout button.
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I’m not really a sucker for tradition (in skincare or anything else), but even I have to admit that when our ancestors weren’t busy smearing mercury-laden blush onto their cheeks or dropping dead from makeup-related lead poisoning, they were doing some things right. Like moisturizing their skin with oils.
Facial oils are some of the oldest beauty products around. From ancient Egypt and classical Greece to imperial China and feudal Japan, people have used oils on their skin since pretty much the dawn of known civilization. And after a couple months of experimentation, I am right there with the Fiddys of antiquity. Facial oils are awesome. They keep my tretface comfortably moisturized and heal my skin up when I’ve gone at it too hard with actives. Here are the oils I choose from every day and how they fit into my my skincare routine. I’ve paired each method with the oil I do it with most often, but they’ll work no matter which oil you use!
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…or any other ideological or political spin on skincare.
Today, I and a couple members of the Snail Unit found out that we’d been mentioned in an article on a major online publication (which I’ll not be linking, because I don’t want to give them the traffic, but which I’ll screenshot below if you haven’t seen it yet).
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2016 WOOOOO!!!!!
Okay, with that out of the way, let’s continue reflecting on the best that 2015 had to offer. The awards I’ll be giving out below are my picks for the best shops in various categories–and my pick for the brand of 2015.
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Some products featured in this post were originally provided by Fifty Shades of Snail sponsors in compliance with my sponsorship policy. Affiliate links in this post generate commissions that support Fifty Shades of Snail. Press samples are marked with an asterisk (*). Affiliate links are marked with a double asterisk (**).
The year is almost over. For me, it was a blur of bottles and jars and droppers and tubs, of serums and creams and masks and scrubs, of snails and bees and seaweed floating in the tide. I tried some amazing products. I tried some not amazing products. I also tried some pretty godawful products, which I try to forget but never can. Below, I’ve organized the best Korean skincare products I used this year into a handy list, which doubles as my desert island, only one product allowed per step routine. Welcome to…the first annual Fiddy’s Choice Awards!
Fifty Shades of Snail 