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

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The Long and the Short of My Skincare Routines, and a Sneak Peek at Some Impending Fun

August 18, 2015
So here’s the thing. I love it that K-beauty is getting so much attention. K-beauty seems like it’s still on the rise, with the potential to really break through and permanently expand the horizons of the beauty industry worldwide. The problem is that a stereotype has developed–both because of journalists looking for a catchy title and memorable hook, and because of K-beauty representatives angling for attention–that really limits K-beauty’s reach.

The stereotype is this: that K-beauty is all about the OMG 200-STEP ROUTINE! Because it absolutely doesn’t have to be. But I feel almost hypocritical saying that, because I’m aware that one of the first things my blog was known for was my own epic routine.

To redeem myself, I want to show you what my routine is like now–and talk a little about why the length of one’s routine is beside the point.

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Review: The Face Shop SMIM Fermentation Hydro Gel Mask – Ceramide

August 13, 2015
Fiddy’s Disclosure Corner: The product featured in this blog post was provided by Jolse in exchange for my honest review. If you have any questions about how I handle press samples, please take a minute to read my sponsorship policy and list of sponsors.

Everyone has a bad habit or three, right? One of mine is overexfoliation. Bad for me, but good for this blog. My latest overuse of a facial scrub (I KNOW. I AM SO BAD!) gave me the perfect opportunity to test The Face Shop’s SMIM Fermentation Hydro Gel Mask in Ceramide.

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Movie Night with Fiddy, feat. Blackhat, sponsored by Jolse

August 11, 2015
Movie night? you’re thinking. Wha?

My tablet is dead. Well, the charging cable is dead, but it amounts to the same thing until a fresh shipment of micro USB cables arrives in the mail. And speaking of fresh shipments, today I schlepped to the post office to pick up a box of Korean skincare products for review, shipped to me by our #1 bae and my new sponsor Jolse. Normally, I’d be sharing the pictures on Snapchat and Instagram (and probably chatting up a storm about the goods on Google Hangouts or FB Messenger). But I can’t, because tablet dead and I don’t “hang out” on my laptop the way I do on my tablet, because I just don’t. That makes it like work.

On the plus side, for once I watched a movie all the way through and paid attention the whole time! And that’s how Movie Night with Fiddy was born. Tonight I watched Blackhat, a 2015 Michael Mann cyber-thriller starring Chris Hemsworth, Chris Hemsworth’s unclothed upper body, and SK-II spokesmodel Tang Wei. Now I want to talk about it. Join me.

(Please note: I am not a movie critic, just a movie watcher with a blog. Please don’t look to me for qualified film commentary.)

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5 Bad Skincare Habits to Break Right Now

August 7, 2015
Years and years ago when I had the time and energy and patience to play JRPGs from dawn to way past dusk, I played this game called Parasite Eve. It was kind of disappointing because it was a lot more linear than I’d expected and only delivered about 12 hours of gameplay. It did, however, have pretty bad-ass cutscenes (for the time), and there was a line of text at the end of the intro sequence that: “The worst foe lies within the self.” Which is so true. Even when it comes to skincare. So if you’re working on improving your skin, watch out for these bad skincare habits and work on breaking them.

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Fiddy Snails and the Holy Grail(s)

August 6, 2015
And now for something completely different…

I’m on a quest for some new holy grails. Please send help.

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Review: Mizon Honey Black Sugar Scrub

August 3, 2015
You ever like a product so much that even though you know you shouldn’t use it all the time, you end up using it way more than you should even though that’s kind of a bad idea, but it’s just so enjoyable and the results are so nice? I’m that way about Mizon Honey Black Sugar Scrub, which I stumbled across on Amazon during one of my laughably frequent late-night “window shopping” sessions.

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Prevent UV Damage at the Beach (or Park or Trail) without Hiding in the Shade

August 2, 2015
The running joke on Reddit skincare communities like /r/AsianBeauty and /r/SkincareAddiction is that the true skincare addict develops an extreme aversion to the sun. Humorous posts featuring beachgoers swaddled head to toe in towels and wraps are common, especially in the summer months. But do you really have to sacrifice the feeling of the sun on your skin if you want to prevent the wrinkles and sagging that UV exposure can cause?

Nope! But you should definitely practice thorough sun protection and consider some post-sun extra repair. I live about a mile from the beach and am not about to sacrifice afternoons at the ocean for the sake of my future skin, especially since I don’t believe I need to. Here’s how I spend hours out in the sun without developing sunspots or a tan, which both indicate UV damage. I realize this post might have been more helpful a few months ago, at the beginning not near the end of summer. Sorry. If it helps, the sun really is a skin-destroyer year-round. Does that help? Don’t start looking into forest cave real estate yet.

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Shopping with Fiddy! Put Together a Simple (or Starter) Asian Beauty Routine with Amazon Prime

July 30, 2015
If you’re just getting into Asian skincare through the coverage it’s been receiving in the Western media, you may be feeling really overwhelmed. It’s all too common for articles about K-beauty to emphasize the OMG 12-STEP SKINCARE ROUTINE!!! and to feature ridiculously expensive (or ridiculously overpriced) products, which ends up making the whole thing sound ridiculously inaccessible to the average consumer. Plus, there’s the whole “buying things from a foreign country” thing, with its implications of long shipping times, high shipping costs, language barriers, and possibly shady or counterfeit items. Beauty writers who come at K-beauty from an outsider’s perspective (bless their hearts) can make the whole endeavor seem like one giant chore.

Yo, Fiddy Snails is here to tell you that it is completely not.

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Triple Review Combo: Mediheal Dress Code Masks in Violet, Blue, and Black

July 29, 2015
Do you like sheet masks? Do you like masquerade balls? Do you want to look like you’re attending a masquerade ball sheet mask party? If the answer to these questions is HELL YES (or at least an Ehh, maybe?), then keep reading, because Mediheal’s Dress Code masks may be for you.

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Review: Skin Factory Real Honey Moisturizing Ampoule Mask

July 27, 2015
So like…I don’t know if you guys have noticed, but I looooove sheet masks. (Also, hydrogel masks.) Masks aren’t just an occasional indulgence for me, but a staple of my daily skincare routine. In addition to their numerous hydrating, plumping, antioxidant-injecting skincare benefits (and the unspeakable pleasure of plopping a chilled sheet mask onto my face at the end of along, hot day), sheet masks are a fantastic way to get some variety into my routine and to go hog-wild with whatever skincare ingredient I’m currently fancying.

With all that being said, not every sheet mask I’ve tried is a winner, and I can’t always will one to be a winner just because I like one particular thing about it. And thus begins the journey of disappointment that I embarked upon when I opened up my first Skin Factory Real Honey Moisturizing Ampoule Mask.

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