Skincare, beauty, mental health, productivity, and hamster butts
Lately I keep thinking about how long I’ve been using and writing about Korean skincare. It’s been a looong time. Almost ten years, to be exact. I wandered into Reddit’s Skincare Addiction community sometime in 2013 and very quickly followed the mysterious mentions of “Korean snail essence” to the much smaller but already fervently dedicated [...]
Skincare as self care has obviously been one of the unifying themes of my whole accidental skincare blogging and content creation and book writing journey. But although I've talked a ton about the mental benefits of establishing and sticking to a skincare routine, I haven't talked as much about the external rewards of a successful [...]
It's that time of year again! The clocks have shifted back an hour, darkness falls before 6pm, Mariah Carey has risen from her slumber to lay claim to her rightful season of power, and the days have begun their inexorable march to that date that basically every brand and retailer in the United States waits [...]
You know how I know 2021 is going to be a better year than 2020? Because it's January and I not only remembered that I want to write a best of 2020 roundup, but am actually doing it instead of pushing it aside for so long that it becomes pointless to even publish it (who [...]
It's been a long time since I've fallen in love with a cleansing oil or an emulsion, but KOSE SEKKISEI did it.
How does the new COSRX Advanced Snail Radiance Dual Essence compare to the beloved Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence?
I'm upset. I'm upset to have fallen in love with a product. I haven't been this upset since the last time I fell in love with a lavishly priced Sulwhasoo mask, the Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Creamy Mask, and that was back in 2017. The only reason I'm not more upset right now is that while [...]
May 21, 2019 update: The Soo Ae Donkey Milk 3D Moisture Cream has been discontinued, but together we can bring it back! Soo Ae has offered to bring my favorite barrier-strengthening, all around nourishing, day- and night-appropriate moisturizer back if they receive 5,000 pre-orders for it. To make it easier to reach their goal, they've also [...]
There are brands so familiar that despite regular use, I hardly ever think about reviewing them anymore. I take them for granted and project my shameful lack of appreciation on everyone else, too. My Beauty Diary, the first brand I ever wrote about on this blog, is one of the brands I often forget to [...]
Skincare products come and go, but these regularly repurchased holy grails are here to stay.
Fifty Shades of Snail 