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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Second Chance Review: Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Borabit Ampoule

February 19, 2017
After blogging for a couple of years and using Asian beauty products for a couple more before that, the vast majority of products I’ve tried have become a big shiny blur. Generally only the really great and really dreadful products stand out. But sometimes, a product sticks in my mind even when I didn’t love it the first time around. It’s kind of like that one person you sat next to in that one class in college, whom you never really got to know but always wondered about years later, imagining that they had hidden depths you’d missed out on exploring (or maybe got arrested in some spectacularly popcorny fashion).

For me, one of those products was Missha’s Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Borabit Ampoule^sigh. So when Missha’s US PR team contacted me about trying some of the Missha products now available at Target, I figured it was time to give the Longer Name Ampoule another shot. (more…)
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Naruko CNY Giveaway Winners

February 9, 2017
It’s that time again…time to announce some giveaway winners! The 10 winners of the Naruko x Fifty Shades of Snail CNY “Year of the Cock” giveaway, randomly selected by Rafflecopter, are:

1. Stephanie Moore
2. Luna Gray
3. Caitlyn Ferdinand
4. Jen Anderson
5. Marta Kubic
6. Pamela Puglisi
7. Amy Casanova
8. Minna Chow Shirley
9. Jennifer Aliwarga
10. Rachel Owen

The winners have been contacted. I can’t wait to hear what they think of their prizes!

Thanks for playing and keep an eye out for future giveaways, some of them international if I can beef up my arm-twisting skills!
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Big Naruko US Year of the Rooster Giveaway!

January 31, 2017
With the Lunar New Year just behind us, let’s get the Year of the Cock started out right with another nice big giveaway from Naruko US! (more…)
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Review: Shiseido White Lucent MicroTargeting Spot Corrector

January 26, 2017
For just about as long as I can remember, I’ve had a reverence for the Japanese cosmetics brand Shiseido. The 144-year-old(!!!^{and no wrinkles}) company was pretty much the only Asian brand that was well known and widely available in the US when I was growing up. Shiseido became shorthand in my head for luxury and prestige. Even more importantly than that, it became shorthand for luxury and prestige that came from Asia, something that will always resonate with me.

The market is very different these days, but when Shiseido’s US PR got in touch with me last year, I happily accepted their offer of some skincare and lipsticks to try. Since I have constant brightening concerns, the White Lucent MicroTargeting Spot Corrector was the first bottle I cracked open.

(more…)
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Review: Naruko Jingcheng 60 Actives Youth Activating Enhancer

January 22, 2017
They may not be as exciting as serums and ampoules, but hydrating toners are some of my favorite Asian beauty products. One such hydrating toner is the very clearly named Naruko Jingcheng 60 Actives Youth Activating Enhancer. Personally, I think we should all know from the name exactly what this thing does, but just in case you’re lost, let’s check it out! (more…)
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January 2017 Empties Report

January 18, 2017
It’s a new year, but I still got the same old face, and that face still needs to have things put on it and cleansed off of it on a regular basis, so I’ve got another batch of empties to show off! There are some classics in here, some new (to me) items, and one new version of a nearly-classic that just…well. You’ll see.

(more…)
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Casual Weekend: Hamster Butts and Memebox Codes!

January 7, 2017
Update: I’m out of codes, but enjoy the hamster butts anyway!

There are a lot of things I didn’t realize I’d end up doing when I first started this blog. Purchasing an actual camera, for one thing; learning how to take (and edit) a decent product photo. Letting the Internet see my mishaps and mistakes. And–one of the big ones–fielding emails from shops and brands. Most of those emails are the usual offer of product in exchange for possible review, which I’ve gotten used to. But sometimes I get a different kind: the shop asking me to write a post about a particular topic.

It’s an interesting strategy. My friend Tracy (you might know of her from Fanserviced-B or maybe the Snailcast) wrote about Glossier’s use of it over on Racked. I’ve gotten a few such emails before, not always from beauty or skincare brands, and I’ve so far not felt compelled to take any of them up on the idea. I kind of started this blog so I could have full control of what I choose to write. Editorial suggestions from outsiders aren’t really where I’m at. But then I got an email with a topic idea that I couldn’t resist, so here we are.

(Also, I have Memebox codes to give out, and this seems like a good place for them.)

(more…)
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Review: Swanicoco Fermentation Snail Complex Care Serum

January 6, 2017
You may not have noticed, but I really like snail mucin in my skincare. So when my new friend Kevin from Korean beauty brand Swanicoco asked me which of the brand’s products I’d be most interested in trying, I put their Fermentation Snail Complex Care Serum right at the top of my (probably unreasonably long) list^{of demands}.

(Thanks for everything, Kevin.)

It was about time for me to give a different snail product a chance, since I’d been using my beloved COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence for over a year at that point. I’ve now used the Fermentation Snail Complex Care Serum for six weeks. The bottle is empty. Let’s talk fermentation snails! (more…)
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Vitamin C Serum 101 + Timeless 20% Vitamin C+E+Ferulic Acid Serum Review

January 4, 2017
I’m fighting the visible aging process tooth and nail to make up for decades of bad decisions, as you’ll notice if you make it through even a couple of posts here or on my Instagram. So I’m often asked about my recommendations for the best anti-aging skincare products. My first answer will always be sunscreen, but coming in at a close second for people of all ages is an effectively formulated vitamin C serum. I’ve seen a lot of people in skincare enthusiast circles recommend Timeless 20% Vitamin C+E+Ferulic Acid Serum, so for the past couple of months, I’ve been putting it to the test.

(more…)
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The Best and Worst Skincare I Used in 2016: A Holy Grail Skincare Routine

December 31, 2016
2016 was a pretty wild year in a lot of ways. Even my face got a taste of the turmoil. I tried a lot of different products from a lot of different brands this year, and while some of those products were truly great (and I appreciate the opportunity to try them all), others…weren’t. I took a deeply moisturizing trip down Memory Lane, digging through a year’s worth of Evernote entries and Instagram posts to come up with these picks.

(more…)
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