A Face Journey...

Hi, so incredibly sorry for the late reply. I come on here like twice a year to do maintenance.

It is a really nice product if you want something gentle that doesn't really strip your face too much of your natural oils. I haven't used it in a couple years but from what I remember it didn't really help my acne. It does contain small amounts of glycolic acid to help chemically exfoliate your face so your face can feel like it's breaking out more when you first initially start using it.

I started this project when I had just turned 21. Fresh faced, didn't know anything about anything. I am soon going to be 28, still don't know anything, but that's okay. I didn't think the wrinkles were gonna come after me this soon since I was always a more oily type of gal but as I've aged, the oil has slowly decreased. When? I have not a clue.

I knew trying to get a double eyelid on my single eyelid eye would come back to bite me in the ass one day. Oh the days of being young and stupid. Age has really only started showing up around my eyes but still, it's a tragedy.

Acne is there but not nearly as bad as when I was 21. I do have some breakouts by my eyebrows because I got them waxed and I forgot my face hates me, so there's that. I also have a red one on my chin right now just because my face is a jerk.

I am trying out the new Kylie sunscreen. I really like it but on me personally, I don't think I can use it by itself without using some sort of skincare product to create a barrier for my bare skin. It just seems too heavy to use it directly on me skin.

As always, no retouching done to any of these photos except for cropping. For the curious, these photos were shot on an OnePlus 8 Pro phone and I am sitting in front of a 100W LED daylight bulb.

Happy 2020 everyone! It’s been a hot minute, so here’s to my yearly post! I’m gonna attempt to do better this year, maybe do a post every month! WOOHOO Probably not, but it’s the thought that counts, right? But anyways, here is an updated skincare routine for the 1 person that might see this. I turned 27 towards the end of last year, so I’ve been slowly adding in anti-aging products into my routine, so let’s hope my skin stays young forever! (I should’ve introduced anti-aging products sooner, but my skin hates retinol so I’ve been avoiding it.)

Updated as of January 15th, 2020.

AM

Cleansers - I rotate between these three. Tula Purifying Face Cleanser THANN Shiso Facial Cleanser Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser.

Toner/Liquid exfoliator Clinique Clarifying Lotion in #3/Pink

Treatments/Serums The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum THANN Shiso Hydrating Emulsion Clinique Smart Eye Serum

Moisturizer/Suncare - These are the current ones that I'm using, but I do like switching this category often. Clarins Rose Radiance Cream Lancome UV Expert Aquagel Defense Primer & Moisturizer SPF 50

Continue with makeup.

PM

Oil Cleansers - I LOVE LOVE LOVE these two cleansing oils! (I do not use these two at the same time.) Shiseido Perfect Cleansing Oil Hanskin PHA Pore Cleansing Oil

Cleansers - I rotate between these three. Tula Purifying Face Cleanser THANN Shiso Facial Cleanser Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser.

Toner/Liquid exfoliator Clinique Clarifying Lotion in #3/Pink

Treatments/Serums The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum THANN Shiso Hydrating Emulsion Clinique Smart Eye Serum

Moisturizer - These are the current ones that I'm using, but I do like switching this category often. (I do not use these two at the same time.) Clinique Turnaround Overnight Moisturizer Clinique Redness Solutions Moisturizer

My current skincare routine.

Updated as of April 10th, 2018.

AM

Wash my face with just water.

Cleanse/tone my face with Witch Hazel. This is by far my favorite witch hazel.

Moisturize with Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer.

Sunscreen is essential, so I use Yadah Oh My Sun Block.

Continue with makeup.

PM

Oil Cleanse with Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Replenishing Cleansing Oil. Any cleansing oil will do.

I wash my face with Santa Marche Green Tea Deep Cleansing. This is an incredibly gentle face wash.

I use Gatsby Mandom Bifesta Cleansing Lotion - Moist to remove any residual makeup left behind, it’s just micellar water. I’ve been using this particular brand for about 10 years now, back when micellar waters weren’t even a big thing yet.

Cleanse/tone my face with Witch Hazel.

Once a week I will use The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution.

Moisturize with Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer. OR Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask.

If I have a bad pimple, I use Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel or whatever I have on hand, this is just the one I'm currently using.

If my skin is feeling shitty, I will use my Clarisonic Mia 2 with the radiance brush head to buff away that feeling.

PSA:

Mediheal is on Hautelook.

https://www.hautelook.com/events/121558

04192016 - This has been the month of hauls! Holy crap did I buy a ton of shit! That will also explain why there’s three separate settings in the photos. I took the pictures after each hauling episode. I bought all of these from everywhere, but mainly Sephora, because Sephora recently had their BI/VIB/Rouge sale. 

This isn’t even all of it. I bought Memebox’s FOMO box and I bought 60 Secret Key sheet masks that will arrive sometime by the end of the month or early next month. I bought the Secret Key masks from Hautelook for $9.97. There are 20 masks included in each “flavor” of mask. https://www.hautelook.com/events/120292

I should’ve posted this sooner, but I didn’t even see the event until late last night and it’s ending soon, so get them while they’re still there!

Because I’ve been buying so many masks, I’ll probably do a giveaway sometime next month, so look out for that. :D 

Also, the third picture is of what I received from my sister when we did our little sheet mask swap, so I did not purchase anything in that photo. 

Now onto what I bought.

Look at Me Jelly Sunscreen ($14.99) - My sister actually bought this for herself, but I tried it and I was fascinated by it, so she gave me one of her backups.   

Travel Dry Shampoo Cans

Drybar - Detox Dry Shampoo ($13) - I hate the smell of this. It smells like an old man trying to be hip. It wasn’t all that helpful for my hair either. 

amika - Perk Up Dry Shampoo ($10) - This one smells and acts very similar to Batiste. I hate Batiste. 

Living Proof - Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo ($12) - My favorite of the bunch. It has a perfumy scent that some people may be turned off by, but I don’t mind it. It also volumized my hair and absorbed all of the oils from my hair. 

Laneige Good Night Kit Trial Size ($5) - I haven’t tried this on my face yet, so I have no opinion, but from “swatching” it, it absorbed onto my hand quite nicely. 

beautyblender - the original beautyblender ($20) - I had the Real Techniques one and wanted to try the “original” because my sister raves about it all the time. I haven’t used it yet, but you can find better deals on these than from Sephora. 

L.A. Girl Glazed Lip Paint - Tempt ($3.49) - I actually bought this from Forever 21, but can’t seem to find it on their website, so a quick Google search shows that these are available from drugstore.com. I have not tried this on my actual lip yet, so I have no opinion on this. 

Stila Eye Shadow Trio - Goddess ($4.99) - I bought this from T.J. Maxx for less than $5, I’m linking to the only site that I could find and it’s coming up at $20 for this. Please do not buy it for $20. Check your local T.J. Maxx/Marshalls first.

SAMPLESSSSSSS

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick - Verbena ($26) - I REALLY wanted a Bite lipstick and I can not, CAN NOT, buy anymore dark/orange lipsticks, because that’s literally all I own, so this one was the one that I bought instead. It’s pretty and it’s a “my lips but better” shade. 

Esfolio Sheet Masks - Volcanic Ash, Collagen, Pearl and Green Tea ($2.90 each) - I bought these at Forever 21 because of their damn temptation lane. I haven’t tried them yet, but I’m always for cheapish sheet masks. The only one I could find was the Pearl one, unfortunately.

Tony Moly Foot Peeling Shoes ($6.50) - Again, you could probably find these somewhere a lot cheaper, but instant gratification got the best of me, so I bought these. I already used this and holy dead skin!

Sheet masks from my sister. I’m going to do a little more in depth review of the last two items in a later post. 

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation - 1W2 Sand ($38) - My favorite foundation. It’s very slightly too light for me, but the next shade up just makes me orange, so I like this shade better. 

Estee Lauder Double Wear Eyeliner - Graphite ($24) - I really needed a new eyeliner and the Rimmel one just wasn’t cutting it anymore. 

It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream - Light ($38) - I again tried my sister’s and I LOVED it, so I bought this when It Cosmetics had their Friends and Family sale going on. It’s definitely a medium to full coverage CC cream but it blends well, so it could easily be light coverage if you really sheer it out. 

Estee Lauder gift with purchase

Tarte Glam Goodies Discovery Set ($25) - I’m sorry this is currently sold out online, but maybe check in stores for it, because I know when I went in the stores, they had plenty of them left. But this is AMAZING! Super pigmented and beautiful!

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Setting Powder ($33) - I needed a new setting powder, so I bought the bigger version of what I already own. So boring, I know. 

04082016 - Hello everyone!

Sorry for being absent for a couple weeks, real life stuff happened, so I didn’t have time to update. 

But I has a pimple on my cheek right now! :B  It’s not a huge one, but it’s still annoying. I haven’t been developing many pimples lately, which is great for me, but when my sister visited, she had acne patches and I unfortunately couldn’t use them because I didn’t have a pimple on my face(at the time). :( I know, so annoying! haha, I love that this situation is even possible, because this time last year, I was far from being acne free. This was a dream last year. 

Overall though, my face has been fine. It’s staying hydrated, even with this long winter. (Seriously, it’s April, and it just snowed another 4 inches last night.) I will do an updated skincare routine soon.

My sister and I also exchanged face masks recently, because she has some obscure brands that I don’t have and I have some that she doesn’t have. I will have that post up some time next week. 

SHAMELESS PLUGGGGG BECAUSE I CANNNNN 

My Dearest Sister Who I Know Reads My Blog,

Yes, I know I did bad. You don’t need to tell me. But don’t worry, this isn’t just for me, it’s for you as well. Just think of that when you see this post. And when I see you in 5 days. You can pick ANY of these to try out. 

On a different note, hello people who browse this teeny tiny tumblr. 

I did a bit of a face mask haul. And if you guys want to buy any of these sets, I will link you to them, so that you too can have an abundance of sheet masks. 

Both of these packages arrived sometime this week and had very fast shipping, so I didn’t have to wait long to do this post. 

My Scheming Facial Mask Variety Gift Set (24ct) - $25.99 Online folks know that My Scheming is a great brand to buy sheet masks from because they’re usually fairly inexpensive and the quality is great. Since I’ve never tried any, I thought this set would be perfect for me to try out. I will include a list of what is included in this set at a later time, because it’s nearing midnight as I’m writing this and I’m an old lady who needs her sleep. 

Memebox Juice Box 30ct - $34 I saw this box when it first came out, but didn’t think I needed it then. A couple weeks later I saw a post on reddit’s Asianbeauty subreddit thread that showed the contents of this box. Like a two year old child, I was suckered in by all the cute and bright colors. It went out of stock, which devastated me, but then I saw it again for sale. I knew if I didn’t buy it that second, that I would regret it forever, so I did the deed and bought it. It again is out of stock for the time being, but if you guys really want it, stalk Memebox. Because that’s what I did. :D Also, look for a coupon when ordering this. That’s what I did, so my total was ONLY $30.60. haha. Four dollars difference isn’t THAT much, but just think, you can buy 4 more sheet masks for that amount! 

03192016 - I decided to stop my Curology subscription the other day, because I haven’t had any major breakouts in what feels like months. I also feel like my skin is in a much better condition than it has ever been in. I do have discoloration, but that will dissipate in due time. I also did not utilize Curology enough to want to continue paying them. I was essentially giving away money. 

I loved my time with Curology though. They answered my questions within a day or two. One time when I misplaced my bottle after having it for a week, I asked them to send me a new bottle and they sent it promptly with no questions asked. They were a really great service. 

And here is a shameless plug for my invite link.

https://curology.com/invite/TXTUXEF

On a different note, I plucked my eyebrows! They’re never going to be twins, nor will they ever be “sisters”. They’re more like distantly related cousins, haha. But there’s a definite shape to them, so I’m happy. My hair is also atrocious, I know. haha, I’m hoping to go grey-blue next? Because I’m getting bored of the blonde. 

I also figured out why the heck my face kept getting SOOO dry. It was because I used the Origins Ginzing scrub every time I showered. The combination of that plus the cold dry air just made my skin absolutely crap. I know it was the Ginzing scrub because literally every time I used it, the day after my face would crack no matter how heavy handed I was with my moisturizer. I love that scrub though, because it smells SOOOO nice! If you’re a citrus lover, keep the Ginzing line in mind because the scent of these are just love. :)

This became a bit longer than I was expecting, but it’s okay, I haven’t done an update on my face what seems forever. 

03022016 - What the condition of my face looked like last week. 

My face is a little dry, but it’s okay. It’s been super sunny here, so hopefully “spring” comes soon. 

There is a little clogged pore situation popping up on my forehead and chin. It’s not even really a clogged pore, it’s more of a bump appeared on my forehead and chin and I decided it was extremely necessary to go pick at them. 

I was a little too heavy handed with the highlighter this day and also I pretty much caked on the foundation. The foundation is also about a shade too dark because the only foundation I have on hand right now is my summer foundation, so I need to buy more of my winter foundation. My brows are also atrocious because I somehow unlearned how to do my brows. 

Product List: (I will give proper linkage and names later.)

TheBalm Primer Estee Lauder Foundation in 2W1 NARS Concealer in Custard Tarte Amazonian Clay Loose Powder in Translucent NYX Bronzer in Deep Tan Milani Blush in Red Vino TheBalm Highlighter in Mary Lou-Manizer Urban Decay Eyeliner in Perversion Essence Sunrise Palette Lorac Pro 1 Palette Rimmel Eyeliner in Nude NYX Automatic Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe Revlon Matte Lip Crayon in Shameless, with some Dinoplatz Lip balm in Beet Jam on top 

02182016 - What my face looks like today!

My face feels amazing. It’s hydrated, there’s no random dry patches, and overall it just looks healthy!

I do have this tiny pore that keeps becoming clogged for some reason. You can sort of see the redness from it on the right side picture, by the alar crease, and yes, I did have to google what that was. haha It’s the side nose crease.

My Acne process thus far.

That first picture I took on January 17th, 2014, it is now February 18th, 2016.

It has been a long two years, but I’m glad I didn’t give up on my skin.

That first picture isn’t as horrible as the second picture, but to have started from there and comparing to the photos now, it is just such an improvement. I have also included some pictures of the process in between as well. I had many seemingly ups but also many major downs during this journey. I never in a million years would have thought that my skin would’ve cleared up this much. It still amazes me how much my skin has cleared. 

I thought that the cystic pimples and acne was just something I would have to grow accustomed to. It wasn’t something I thought I would ever get rid of, but I haven’t had a cystic pimple in months, so yes, they will subside eventually!

The second to last picture is what my face looked like right before I started PocketDerm/Curology. Even the difference from then till now is majorly different. Sure I still have major hyper pigmentation, but it is not nearly as bad as it once was, which I am so extremely thankful about. 

These pictures make me feel so proud of myself. I finally feel like I have control over my life and that my acne isn’t defining who I am anymore.

02172015 - Small Haul/Website Review

The last of my sheet mask haul for a while? Maybe?

Backstory:

I bought these because they were insanely cheap. The Dr. Jart ones were $1.99 and the It’s Skin ones were $2.20. StyleKorean does these flash sales for the Dr. Jart gel masks once in awhile. They’re normally $20 for 5 of them, so getting with at $1.99 is definitely a steal! And apparently I wanted to spend money on that day, since I tacked on the It’s Skin masks on at the last minute. Ahhhh, my spending needs to stop. haha but the It’s Skin masks are normally around the $25-$30 range, so $2.20 for them was also a steal. They were on clearance though, so they’re expiring by the end of the month, which is sad, because they just got here today, but oh well, I’ll use them well. I actually have one on right now and it feels very nice the fragrance isn’t too strong. It smells like my mother? I don’t really know how to describe the smell but to relate it to how my mom smells. hahah

Dr. Jart Dermask Soothing Hydra Solution 5 Sheets Mask

It's Skin Prestige SYN-AKE Mask Sheet Set

I also got a few samples with my purchase.

The It’s Skin masks did come in weirdly bent, I’m not sure why, but I’m not worried, since nothing my leaking.

Website Review:

This was the second time that I’ve ordered from StyleKorean. The first time, it was great, because it arrived relatively fast and I got an extra sheet mask with the freebies. This time it arrived a bit slower than what I would have expected, but it still got here in one piece, which is nice, I didn’t get a free sheet mask, but it’s okay because what I did get is nice too. Plus I really shouldn’t complain about not getting a certain type of freebie when it’s free. 

Packaging 

I LOVE their packaging. It’s one of the nicest packaging I’ve ever gotten from a company. The products are nicely bubble wrapped, and the box doesn’t have dinges on it! How it could travel all the way from Korea without getting dinged is just beyond me. I’ve gotten boxes from Kentucky aka Amazon with shittier packaging. 

Shipping

This is where things get tricky, because I would never buy those items from StyleKorean if they were their regular prices. Shipping is just INSANELY expensive on StyleKorean. My products together came to $4.19, but shipping was $13.70, making my total $17.89. My last order, my total was $1.99 and shipping was $9.47, making my total $11.46. I know ordering from a foreign country is always going to be expensive if you want some sort of tracking, but holy cow! But to be fair, I wanted my items in a timely manner, so I opted for SRE shipping both times, which is one step more expensive than the cheapest shipping, which is Korea Post. It really depends on how heavy your items are, so if you want something heavy, like a moisturizer, you’ll be paying a bit for shipping.  

Here’s their shipping information for anyone who wants to know their rates.

http://www.stylekorean.com/shop/cs_shipping_delivery.php

I haven’t shopped at the more well known places like RoseRoseShop or Jolse, so I can’t compare shipping with them, but I know they’re based on weight as well. 

Overall though, I’m happy with my experience at StyleKorean, I’ll probably buy from them again if they have the $1.99 Dr. Jart mask specials. But for now, I’m on a NO BUY, so let’s hope they don’t do those for a while. haha.