Tag: Alcohol-free

  • Review: Naruko Jingcheng 60 Actives Youth Activating Enhancer

    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…

  • Review: Swanicoco Fermentation Snail Complex Care Serum

    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) listof demands.…

  • Review: Sulwhasoo Radiance Energy Mask

    December 28 update: I’ve been told that the spatula may not be real jade. Checking on that now. Precious gems in skincare tend to leave me cold, since the skincare benefits of ground up jewelry are, at best, both questionable and temporary. But I have an irrational reverence for jade. My first piece of real jewelry was a classic plain…

  • Review: Olivarrier Dual Moist Hyaluron Essence

    Lately I’ve felt conflicted about new beauty brands. They simultaneously attract and repulse me. Attract because who doesn’t love a new shiny? But repulse because there are just so many duds out there that I mostly want to hide in a cave lined with Sulwhasoo and Naruko and COSRX and forget the world. But that wouldn’t be…

  • Review: Naruko Dermalane Intensive Brightening Renewal Treatment 20% Mandelic Acid AHA

    I have a complicated relationship with AHAs. They’re some of the most proven actives around for my skin concerns (brightening and anti-aging), but over the past year, I’ve looked for ways to pull back on them rather than go harder. Thanks to prescription tretinoin, I generally seek out products to strengthen my barrier rather than further thin it…

  • My Beauty Diary 2016: Is the Update an Upgrade?

    In the insanely crowded and competitive Asian skincare industry, product repackaging and/or reformulation are common tactics for brands fighting the never-ending fight to retain customers’ interest in their products. Sometimes the product updates work, like when My Beauty Diary revamped their main sheet mask line last year. Other times, though, a product update feels like when…

  • My Top 9 Sheet Masks on Amazon Prime

    While recording the Snailcast a while ago, Chel and I got to reminiscing about the early days of AB life. Just a couple of years ago, hauls were major events that demanded planning, patience, and possibly a Hangul cheat sheet. These days, US-based Asian skincare fans can get a solid routine and plenty of extras, like…

  • First Look: Hyggee Balance One Step Facial Essence

    Hyggee’s Balance One Step Facial Essence packs a nourishing skincare routine into a single super cool product.

  • Oh My Snails! The COSRX Holy Moly Snail Mask Review

    It’s here! The COSRX snail sheet mask that COSRX snail lovers like me have been dreaming of ever since our favorite kooky-clinical-affordable-whimsical K-beauty skincare brand let me announce it all the way back in May is finally here! I’ve had mine since Saturday, and I’ve been busily masking and thinking and second-guessing what I’ve been thinking. Now down to just a…

  • Naruko La Creme Platinum Bright Essence Repairing Complex Review and B&A

    When it comes to skin brightening and spot fading, a couple of years with Japanese sunscreen and lots of niacinamide, AHA, vitamin C, and tretinoin have gotten my skin to where I originally wanted it to be and then some. But lately I find myself jumping at the opportunity to review products that make serious…