#make prem

One moisturizer that has earned a cherished place in the hearts of many beauty aficionados is the Tatcha Water Cream. But what if I told you there’s a K-beauty contender that can be a great Tatcha Water Cream dupe and deliver comparable results without burning a hole in your pocket?

Read the full blog post: Tatcha Water Cream Dupe

I promised a skincare post a while back, and I’m finally getting around to posting it! I’ll put more detailed info below, but here’s a picture of my basic routine. 

September 2017 Favorites

Skin Care:

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil

I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to talk about this oil in earnest. It’s a retinoid oil and it’s amazing (with the price tag to match). I used to use it just when I was breaking out. Nothing could take a red, angry breakout and make it better overnight like Luna could. Like I said, this is not the first time I’ve mentioned my love for this product on this blog.

Now I’m trying to incorporate Luna into my weekly regimen. I want to keep my skin clear and I figured I was nearing the age to start a retinoid anyway. I’ve been using it for roughly 3 weeks, and I’m already seeing an improvement in skin clarity (particularly my forehead bumps). No irritation or signs of overexfoliation, either.

If you’re considering trying any Sunday Riley products, I highly recommend you start with Luna. It’s truly an investment in your skin.

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (because it wouldn’t be a monthly favorites without The Ordinary 😂 )

This serum is boring and simple. And that’s why it’s so great. It’s just pure hydration, and oftentimes that’s exactly what I need. I either drop this onto my bare skin before toner, or mix it into my toner. Either way, I see a noticeable increase in skin plumpness when I use this serum. 

Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner

Speaking of boring and simple, let me introduce you to one of the most hydrating toners I’ve ever used. This gives you nearly Hada Labo Gokujyun levels of plumpness. To sweeten the deal, this toner is also packed with astralagus root extract, which is a skin soothing antioxidant. This toner isn’t fancy, but it is seriously hydrating. I think it will be an excellent winter toner.

MAKE P:REM Blue Ray Sun Fluid SPF 50+/PA ++++

This sunscreen has been my go-to since I finished the Cosrx Aloe Soothing Sun Cream. It’s a huge bottle (200ml, which I love), so the price is reasonable. The UV filters are physical, white cast is minimal/non-existent, and the SPF/PA protection is really high. It’s a luminous finish, so oily skins might not like that. It also protects from blue light and infrared light, which seem to be the latest thing to focus on with sunscreens. I don’t know how much I buy into it, but more protection can’t be a bad thing.

Body:

Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief Eucalyptus & Spearmint Body Cream

I have been OBSESSED with Bath & Body Works’ Stress Relief products. Something about that smell is just so good to me. This body cream takes that smell and let’s me rub it all over myself. The texture is almost whipped and it’s enjoyable to spread onto the skin. It’s a bit on the heavier side, so I plan to use it more as we move into the colder weather. The scent lasts, too.

I also own the car plugin and the 3-wick candle. #noregerts 🤷 

Makeup:

L’Oreal Voluminous Original Mascara

I’ve recently fallen back in love with this mascara. I suffered with allergies all through the summer, so the MAC Gigablack was my go-to, because it was waterproof and didn’t have the chunkiness or flaking of other mascaras. The Gigablack is the polar opposite of the Voluminous, but, I forgot how much I love the crazy big lash look! All the drama, with zero flaking (in other words Too Faced Better Than Sex, but like, actually good). It’s the best drugstore mascara I’ve tried. (I’d be interested in trying the Lash Paradise and seeing how it compares...)

Entertainment:

Horror Movies: Mother! and It

hello and welcome to my skincare routine, which recently changed but i’m already so enamored with that i couldn’t help but make a post. i had another post sort of delineating my state of the union (the union that is my body and mind and well-being) but it devolved into what i felt was too mopey of a post so i decided i wouldn’t go through with it. 

instead, you get a rundown of my products. first off, let me begin by saying:

it’s not actually as serious as all that, but the dr. jart products i have are far too heavy these days. make prem, a brand i randomly stumbled across on gmarket, have products that are cheaper than dr. jart and work very well with the way my skin is handling the shift in weather (read: very poorly). suddenly my bathroom was full of make prem products where dr. jart once reigned supreme. this is in part because my needs have changed so much.

one of the pitfalls of living in seoul is the exposure to pollution. a lot of it is sent down from china, and combined with the spring allergens, my face got fucked up and no amount of water was taking care of it. it became really apparent when i returned from my trip to japan, where my skincare had dwindled down to cleanser, sheet mask, and moisturizer, and my coworker commented on how nice my skin was upon return. that weekend went by smoothly, and then monday the eruptions began. my skin was tender and red and dented and spotty. gnarly, in short. so i did some research and found that pollution was a potential culprit. the air is cleaner in tokyo than it is in seoul—the air is cleaner in wisconsin than it is in seoul as well—and suddenly everything that i’d been battling during my seven months here became clear. my hair wasn’t responding to products i’d brought over from america, my face wasn’t responding to old favorites, my body was having a field day with itchiness... pollution, y’all. it’s a demon. 

and so i’ve become a convert of the more in-depth skincare routines that i’ve mostly avoided because it usually was too much for my generally well-behaved skin. now, it’s saving my life. let’s do a rundown, shall we?

i’m on the double-cleansing train now. once a week i shed my skin with the dr. g peeling gel, which does wonders for instantly renewing my skin tone. then the make prem cleansing balm, which melts so softly with the heat of my hands and feels like spreading the most delectable cream across my face. i haven’t totally gotten the emulsifying thing down, where you wet your hands and massage your face to get all the filthies off and out and the balm turns white. sometimes the balm on my forehead doesn’t turn white no matter how much i massage with wet hands, but it’s clean anyway. then i follow up with the neogen green tea cleansing stick, which foams wonderfully and doesn’t strip my skin at all. my face feels fresh and not at all dry.

next up are the serums. the micro oil serum is a good, basic hydrating serum which i use when i don’t use the peeling serum to the right. as of right now, peeling serum is used every other day at night in order to revitalize my skin’s texture and tone and further unseat any pollutants lurking in my pores. it has PHA in it, which is a less-harsh version of the almighty acids AHA/BHA, and includes hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to plump up the skin and prevent any unnecessary damage from being done. the first night i used it i woke up in the morning and my face was soft as a marshmallow. it was wonderful. the micro oil serum is simply a layering piece to further hydrate and soften my skin.

finally there’s the hydration station. the make prem in-shower face pack actually comes before serums, because after i wash my face i plop it on after i shampoo and let it do its thing while i clean the rest of my body. it’s got a goopy, honey-like texture that sits well on my skin without dripping, so as long as i keep my face away from the showerhead, it stays on for the next ten minutes as i condition and shave and wash and whatever else needs doing. 

the keana rice mask is another product i just stumbled upon; i was drawn to it by its beautiful packaging and when i found out it was a #1 product on cosme (which is the makeupalley of japan) i just knew i had to pick it up in tokyo. i was so pleased with the results that i left with three packs... and the huxley anti-gravity cream is not too heavy but still feels nourishing. i like to put it on after letting the serums air-dry a bit, and it settles into my skin nicely. if i don’t let the serums sit and absorb well enough, my face is tacky for at least an hour afterwards, which is really annoying.