Adventures in Korean Beauty.

Over the past year, I’ve become really fascinated by Korean Beauty. It started with a trip to The Face Shop in Chinatown (a must if you are in the NY area!) where my friend Becca and I loaded up on sheet masks and The Baby Foot Peel (read all about my experience with that here…) and has continued. I am fascinated by the non-traditional ingredients used in so many of these products, the cute packaging, and fun product names.

I’m not the only one. K-Beauty is having a serious moment in the beauty world, and you don’t have to go to Chinatown to try it out. There’s Peach & Lily (be prepared to become addicted to their site – it’s a black hole of amazingness and they have some of the most unique products I’ve seen) and even Birchbox released a “From Korea With Love” box + category on their site. And you know something’s becoming mainstream when Estee Lauder invests… recently, the brand acquired a stake in Dr. Jart’s parent company.

I’ve been having fun testing, testing… + playing around with these products… today I’m going to tell you about a few that really stand out!

So, the idea of smearing snail extract on your skin sounds pretty gross, right? Yes.

Alas, my friends, snail extract is actually magic. It’s incredibly soothing + hydrating; and amazing for dry sensitive types (hand raised). I applied the cream every night to the areas of my face that get red (I have broken capillaries around my nose + on my cheeks) and I swear it helps. It’s meant to be the last step in your skincare routine… so serum, night cream, and then this. Peach and Lily carries a slew of snail-infused products, but the little tube I have contains 92% snail essence and is only $10- it’s worth testing out! Next up, I want to try out the sheet mask.

Next up… egg whites!

I’ve seen egg white beauty treatments before – mostly in the form of DIY masks, meant to firm + tighten the skin. But I was intrigued by this foamy cleanser and love how clean it got my skin (without stripping it).

I was probably most intrigued by the rubber modeling mask trend. I’m huge into sheet masks, so the idea of a rubber mask sounded next-level. It also made me think of Scream Queens (anyone else watching that?) Would I look like a golden version of the red devil??

I tried the gold one. Putting this on felt a bit like a science experiment. In a small bowl you mix two packets together (a gold gel and a collagen powder) and then you apply to your face. I had assumed it would tighten my face and feel like real actual rubber, but it felt more like a cool gel that eventually cured into something that felt like a firmer version of jell-o. I peeled it off easily (it’s not like those peel off masks from the nineties) and my skin was immediately super super glowy and crazy hydrated (must have been all that gold!) They sell a five pack, which I’m considering investing in.

Last but not least, Birchbox! As I mentioned earlier, the brand had a limited edition box (which has now sold out – sorry!) but they also have a massive K-Beauty section on their site. They stock my favorite Dr. Jart Hydrogel Masks (these are a miracle worker for stressed out/hungover/dry skin – I keep a few in the fridge at all times!) and also cute things like this “cushion blusher” which I’m dying to try.

The best part of the box was Dinoplatz’ Too Cool For School Escalator Mascara. I’m sometimes bad about trying new mascaras because I love my L’Oreal one so much but I tried this and got hooked in a big way. It’s now my reigning favorite. It’s currently sold out on Birchbox’s site and Sephora but I found it here and on eBay. I’m hopeful that it will come back in stock as I’m going to need to order more. It gives you perfect lashes, and if you know me, you know that is a strong statement. Long + thick with no clumps… and it stays on all day without smudging or flaking off. Also, the brush is super cool… you can adjust the wand to dial up (or down) the volume and curl.

Whew! Those are my faves right now; and I’m sure there will be more to come on that sometime soon!