hello! i’ve been deep in the world of asian skincare for a month now, and i thought i’d share my products and findings so far!
**Source of products**: *1st picture* is a combination of products from unblemish and beauty bay. everything except the BoJ balm and cream on the far left are from unblemish, as well as the freebies in the bottom right corner! i’d fully recommend that site, it also has the best prices in the UK mainland from my findings.
*2nd picture* are from TK Maxx, and the *3rd picture* is a bonus of how i store the products in a carry case i got from b&m bargains for £5 lmao
**Me**: i’m 25, living in the UK so our climate is very mixed. when it’s hot it’s humid as hell, and when it’s cold it’s bitter. my skin however, remains oily! i am also very acne-prone, particularly on my cheeks. i think the cause of this is largely hormonal; i’m limited when it comes to birth control due to migraines, and also flat-out refuse to change my current birth control, and i cannot afford a private dermatologist, nor is it worth battling with GPs for derm care here. i’ve tried it, not worth it. i’d been prescribed a benzoyl peroxide & clindamycin cream before and it did a great job at getting rid of my spots and any nourishment and niceness in my skin, as well as destroyed my towels. the acne just came back when i stopped it too.
my aim is to manage my skin with skincare products – if i nourish it and treat it well, then hopefully i will have less problems. so far, one month in, i’ve had a small hormonal breakout, but otherwise my spots are under control, and my general skin condition is better than ever. the spots i get either never come to a head and disappear after a couple days, or are just little whiteheads. i no longer get painful, swollen welts on my skin like i used to.
more things: i am a picker. this is a habit i have drastically cut down on, but i need to eliminate it. i also don’t wear foundation/complexion? makeup, only eye makeup & eyebrows, so i cannot comment on how any of these products work or look under foundation.
other things i knew about my skin going into this is that it loves niacinamide, and it loves centella. so those are two ingredients i looked for in products. my skin isn’t overly sensitive and it does generally tolerate most things
**my routine**: you can probably see, i love a long routine. it makes my brain happy, i just enjoy applying everything. i do leave time between essence & serums, and serums & moisturisers. the AHA/BHA toner gets used 3 times a week, and the wash-off pack twice a week. i also planned to use non-AB 10% azelaic acid twice a week but the one i have brought i fuckin’ hate so none of that for now. i double cleanse morning and night, cause… i like it and it controls my oil. i do NOT currently have a sunscreen which is super super bad, but i had to research a lot to find one i would likely like, and currently in the UK we don’t have much sun or UV to speak of, plus i don’t work, nor do i rarely go, outside. i have sunscreen on the way now!
if not otherwise mentioned, all products used are AB and in these photos!
*AM*
– double cleanse, wash off with cold water
– toner
– non-AB 10% niacinamide serum
– moisturiser
*PM*
– double cleanse, wash off with cold water
– wash off pack if wash off pack night
– toner
– AHA/BHA here if AHA/BHA night
– essence
– serums. sometimes i layer, sometimes i don’t
– moisturiser
i think that’s everything… products and reviews incoming!
**bold is the name of the products**
*italics are the ingredients that stood out to me*
**Beauty of Joseon – Radiance Cleansing Balm**
*ferments, rice extracts*
feels so luxurious to use each and every time, both packaging and product-wise. it’s so nice to massage into my skin, and it collects and removes any dry flakes and general grit/dirt without being stripping. it also removes all my eye makeup and brows, including waterproof mascara, with little effort! i sometimes end up with a blurry eye for a minute or so after washing it off but given that it’s not everytime i use it, i think the fault is in my technique rather than the product itself. leaves my skin feeling both clean and soft and like it’s been ‘conditioned’. i don’t feel the need or even want to try any more oil/balm/first-step cleansers as this is so perfect for me, even if it’s a bit pricey for how quick i get through it (1 month in and i’m just over halfway through my pot). HG and have already repurchased, 5/5
**haruharu wonder – Unscented Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel**
*ferments, rice extracts, ginseng, beta glucan*
another absolutely lovely product, in a similar vein to the radiance balm with the ferments and nice clean but non-stripping feel. foams up well but i do give it a good long massage onto my face so sometimes i dash a little extra water onto my face to keep it foamy. it’s unscented but does still have a smell – just a clean skincare product smell, which i imagine is the surfactants, so it’s very very subtle and inoffensive. would be another instant repurchase except unblemish was out of stock and stylevana wouldn’t have it in stock for 30! days so i ordered a couple of different 2nd step cleansers to try. so still a HG, the only problem here is my own inpatience (and like, a need for some sort of cleanser for when this runs out) 5/5
note on the cleansers: i really think with the research i did and general luck that i ended up with a great combination of cleansers here. i think the ferments do play a good part in conditioning my skin, i was worried that they’d leave me with a negative reaction as they don’t appear to work well for everyone but i’m glad i took the risk!
**SKIN1004 – Madagascar Centella Poremizing Clear Toner**
*centella, ‘pink himalayan’ salt, panthenol, 3x hyaluronic acids, salicylic acid, glycolic acid*
a semi-confusing one for me. it’s a very good spot treatment – i have a horrible habit of picking spots when i get anxious, and if i hold a cotton pad with this toner on on top of the popped/squeezed spot, by the next morning the actual spot is gone and dried up and only little scabs and redness remain. but as a full face toner, it’s just not hydrating enough, even with my oily skin, and honestly it’s a bit stripping because i do use a LOT of toner (my bottle is almost empty after a month). looking at the ingredients and description it seems to want to do everything all at once, which is a tough goal to set yourself when you’re only a toner. i also don’t enjoy salt as a ‘star’ ingredient, i believe that’s what leads to the stripping feeling, and it’s a shame because there’s SO many nice ingredients at lesser volumes than the salt in this and i feel like they don’t stand a chance of working. i’ve brought some other toners to try, however i might repurchase this as i’ve never used anything so effective at nerfing a spot. MRP, 3.5/5
**Dr. Ceuracle – Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence**
*ferments, green tea, centella*
so i went through a patch this month where the skin around my eyes was SO dry and sensitive, and this was the only thing that calmed it down and didn’t sting. it feels like it calms my skin down almost instantly, especially in inflamed patches around spots. it’s very rich, in both product and packaging, and the smallest amount goes a very long way. i’ve barely even made a dent in my bottle, but then i can only use it at night. why? it leaves a ‘film’ on my skin, like it’s never truly soaked in, and this is something my oily self definitely does not need in the mornings. this is such a shame as everything else about it is so nice, and i wonder if maybe it’s just not the best product for someone with oily skin. there isn’t anything that controls oil in it, after all. it’s also expensive LMAO but it’s going to last me a ridiculous amount of time so it kind of evens out. MRP, 4/5
**Beauty of Joseon – Glow Serum**
*propolis, niacinamide, centella, tea tree, betaine salicylate*
i was expecting to love this one as it has niacinamide, but the main ingredient here is the 60% propolis and the niacinamide is formulated at only 2%. i use and reap the benefits of using a stronger niacinamide serum in the morning, and i enjoy a 2% boost in the evening, but the main component propolis here just does nothing for me. there’s also 0.5% betaine salicylate which is a nice bonus but just isn’t enough for an effect on my pores. the texture is fine, it’s nice and i’ll finish it, but i wouldn’t repurchase as the main ingredient just doesn’t seem to work or do anything for me WNRP, 2.5/5
**Beauty of Joseon – Revive Serum**
*ginseng, snail mucin, niacinamide, licorice, 3x hyaluronic acids*
my first introduction to snail, it’s only in a small amount here (3%) but i wanted to make sure my skin didn’t react badly to snail before i went a brought a high% snail treatment. and it doesn’t! my skin absolutely loved this serum and it’s made me want to look at not on snail, but ginseng as well as main ingredients in my routine. it made my skin feel moist without being… oily lmao, and i also noticed texture improvements around my spots/scars/pores on my cheeks where my skin texture is the worst. It’s also very non-sticky and thin and soaks in well! MRP but i’m going to buy seperate snail and ginseng products to try them more in depth first, 5/5
**Beauty of Joseon – Calming Serum**
*green tea, mugwort, panthenol, centella, sodium hyaluronate*
i’ve only used this a few times when my skin has been particularly angry, and it does what it says on the tin – overall calms inflammation and takes any sting out. i do need to use it more before i can post a conclusion and rating for it though!
**Beauty of Joseon** – Glow Deep Serum**
*rice extracts, alpha-arbutin, niacinamide, panthenol*
have not used this one yet! more rice extracts though which seem to work lovely on my skin, so i’m hopeful!
**AXIS-Y – Dark Spot Correcting Serum**
*niacinamide, squalane^, sodium hyaluronate, rice extracts, sea buckthorn*
it doesn’t do anything for me, atall, and something in it doesn’t agree with my skin as i found that when i put it on my patches of acne, it not only didn’t bring down an inflammation, but it brought up CCs around those areas. 5% niacinamide is not enough for me when my skin laps up and loves 10% on the daily. i applied this to areas where i have light scarring, dark spots etc. as well as patches where i had a spot developing and patches where spots were ‘going away’ and it did absolutely 0. glad i just brought the mini, WNRP 0/5
**Beauty of Joseon – Red Bean Water Gel**
*red bean extracts, panthenol, beta glucan, 3x peptides*
this is really, really good at controlling sebum/oil throughout the day, and i can get very oily. it is a gel texture and doesn’t feel like a moisturiser which i have mixed opinions about – like, i know it’s a gel and not a cream, but i want my moisturiser to feel moisturising if that makes sense. i don’t feel that it /adds/ any benefit to my skin, the benefit is in the oil control itself. definitely a gel for oily people and not those who are dry, 100%. i think it’s great as a standalone moisturiser in my morning routine, but for my night routine i do want to add (and have ordered) a more hydrating and enriching (but NOT TOO RICH) cream. MRP, 4.5/5
**Beauty of Joseon – Dynasty Cream**
*rice extracts, ginseng, niacinamide, squalane^, 3x hyaluronic acids*
this is a beautiful product but i’m not sure what tree i was barking up when i thought it was remotely for me and my skin. this is thick, rich and super hydrating and it’s way way too much for my oily skin. it sits on my skin and in my pores – truthfully, if i look at my nose an hour or two after using this i can actually see the oil sitting in my pores – and it just doesn’t seem to soak in all the way. i think it also worsened the spots on my cheeks when i used it, much like the axis-y serum. lovely around my eyes though and i have been putting the tiniest amount under them when the skin is sore and dry, and it actually cleared up the dry/red/damaged skin i had in the very far corners of my eyes in a couple of days, which is a testament to it not being a bad product, just the wrong product for me and my skin type. i’m never going to get through the pot if i use it as an eye cream though so i’m going to pass it on to my mum who will probably benefit from it. WNRP, 1/5 for my skin (type), not bad just not for me
^ i’ll be avoiding squalane in skincare for the foreseeable. process of deduction, it seems to be something that does not agree with my skin, especially acne/spot wise.
2nd picture!
**COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner**
*glycolic acid, betaine salicylate, panthenol*
this was something on my list-to-by, even at full price. i’ve tried one AHA/BHA product before, the non-AB infamous 30% AHA 2% BHA peeling solution, and hated it because it just stung like crap and did nothing for my skin – now after researching, i know why! with oily, acne-prone skin i knew it was worth giving a more mild AHA/BHA product a go, and this came up as top choice. i love it, i use it 3x a week and even then it’s already making a big difference. the first time i used it it seemed to make the pores on my forehead vanish, i’ve never looked so so smooth!! i really think this is helping to prevent my breakouts at the moment, even on my cheeks which are my main problem areas. it smells like it has alcohol in it which freaked me out a bit at first, but double-checking the ingredients, it doesn’t! WRP 5/5, but might also look at different AB AHA/BHA products too
**Mary & May Niacinamide + Chaenomeles Sinesis Serum**
*chaenomeles sinesis (chinese quince), niacinamide*
haven’t tried this yet, so no rating! i brought it to replace my non-AB morning 10% niacinmide before i realised it’s only 2% niacinamide. i should read things before i buy them, but still it sounds like a great serum and i’ll cycle it into my night routine at some point. it was £7, which is a bargain.
**Mary & May CICA Tea Tree Soothing Wash Off Pack**
*centella, tea tree, calamine*
clay masks scare me – all of the western ones i’ve tried are stripping and drying as all hell. i saw this reduced at £6 and saw the centella in it and thought that if any clay mask is for me, it would be one like this. it is really, really nice, it has a fresh smell from the tea tree, it spreads on nicely and dries pretty quickly, and most importantly when i wash it off, i don’t feel like i’ve sucked all of the moisture out of my skin. i’m only using it twice a week, not on AHA/BHA nights, and would probably not use it much more than that, but it’s a nice way to get a boost of my much loved centella in my routine whilst still being a really good antidote for all of my oil and blocked pores with the tea tree. MRP if i find for a great price again, it’s just not something i NEED in my routine, but it is a nice extra! also i want to try M&Ms other wash off packs lmao 4/5
by tuilark