I've been experimenting the last few weeks with some different (mostly) korean brands (holika, tonymoly, etude, etc), and I'm curious as to whether anyone else is fond of them.

Personally, I'm finding that charcoal masks are basically.. irreplaceable to me. I've tried more than once with biore, but nothing gets my pores cleared like a few layers of a charcoal peeling mask. My favourite is probably the natural pack charcoal mask from Daiso Japan, but I'm still just experimenting with the cheaper ones.

Ooh, I might have to try a charcoal mask. I've been using a charcoal face wash from Biore and it really seems to be helping my acne, so maybe a mask would work well too? I don't know how I feel about ordering things from overseas though. I have trouble buying things that I can't pick up and look at right in front of me. I love this one moisturizer though, it's from Ireland and it comes in this little glass bottle with a pumpy thing on the top and it smells fucking amazing. I can't remember the name of it for the life of me, but it's made with all natural ingredients and moisturizes really, really well.

It helps, I've found, to research the product before you buy it. Like, I'll go out of my way to find videos showing and describing the products I'm considering, at length, before I actually buy them. for example, like this

and that.. sounds freaking amazing. I have a bad rap with most moisturizers, so I'll have to see what I can find out about that one!

Yes, I agree, research is always good when buying anything you can't look at physically in your hands. And as far as the moisturizer goes, I will post what it is when I get home, maybe tomorrow. I'm at work right now, or I'd be in my bathroom looking at it, because it's driving me nucking futs that I can't remember the name. XD

I'm Korean-American so I have a good number of foreign beauty faves, especially in terms of skincare. I still prefer western makeup though for things like lipstick (MAC!), blush, eyeshadow, etc. I really love skincare products from Korea and Japan though! Also, looking up reviews from beauty blogs is the way to go for sure. I do the same even though I purchase from physical stores and shops.

I use a Japanese konjac puff (the black charcoal one, I think it comes in green tea and bamboo too) to exfoliate and I can't live without my DHC cleansing oil. I use a Japanese foaming net with my foam cleanser as well. My skin is oily-combination and it's a bit sensitive so switching to gel cream type moisturizers was really good for it. Have you looked into serums and essences? I've found using a good toner is essential too. It's the dog days of summer and I'm hardly having any acne flare-ups.

The Face Shop is ok but I prefer Nature Republic; both are Korean beauty product shops that have crossed over into the U.S. I like the cult hits from the latter like their tub of aloe vera multipurpose gel, CC cream, and Super Aqua Max line. I've given up on western base makeup (I used to use Clinique or MAC foundation) for compact cushion and founder (foundation + powder all-in-one) makeup; I like Verite and Mamonde for their base makeup.

I recently started using Mizon's snail gel cream and starfish cream too because there was a pop-up shop for Korean skincare and makeup in Little Italy. I'm pretty meh about lip tints, I prefer a bolder lip, but Missha makes an amazing lip jelly that's more like a liquid lipstick. Etude House has lovely packaging but I've found the quality of their actual products to be kind of cheap.

It's funny because I used to bypass all the Asian stuff without a second glance when I was younger but now I'm always at the makeup counter whenever I go to the Korean and Japanese markets. :)

As an Asian-American, finding skincare products designed for Asians from brands like Shiseido is always really nice. Now that I have to worry more about my complexion (goodbye, perfect childhood skin :(), products designed for less "western" skin seem to be more effective than those that are.

You've inspired me, I just bought a little tube of the Daiso charcoal peel and a thing of the tonymoly appletox scrub (another foreign brand I hear great things about)

I struggle IMMENSELY with my stupid pores so I'm always down to try something new. I'll report back with results :V

I'm really intrigued by your comment. I've got 'western' skin I suppose but western brands haven't necessarily worked for me. I'm curious if you have any more info on differences in skin care.

I feel you on Asian skincare working better with Asian skin types! The same goes for hair too. I would always get really contrasting feedback when I went to the American salon by my college as opposed to what the ladies at the Korean salon back home would say. I find that Asian makeup shades and colors are a bit easier to match with my skin tone as well. It makes total sense that the products have the best results with the intended market.

Do you use a skin toner? Many Asian brands sell toner and moisturizer in a set (they call it "skin and lotion") to help tighten pores and then penetrate the skin. Also, Tony Moly is pretty good but I think a lot of the appeal is in the package design personally. There are a ton of great Asian products for clearing and shrinking pores. I think the key lies in a very vigilant skincare regimen and many more products and steps than Westerners are used to within a single daily or nightly routine.

Not gonna lie, the reviews were generally positive but it's the cute apple packaging that won me over :P I use a toner occasionally but I find my skin has a weird balance where it can get very oily OR very dry a little too easily. So I can't go heavy on the moisturizer but I can't go heavy on the toners/masks either, it's maddening.

I switch between a "real" toner and a mix of cosmetic-grade tea tree oil and distilled water in a spritz bottle. I've been playing around with a couple more natural remedies and products since there are so many good ones for the skin.

I got some great samples at Aesop recently (Australian skincare) while I was buying a gift for someone else, and they did a really thoughtful and thorough one-on-one with me about what my skin type is and what it needs. Maybe you can ask for recommendations and advice at a store like that? (Makeup counters, Sephora, Lush, Kiehl's, etc.) Most brands offer samples and trial sizes too.

I have to step out but I'll keep an eye on this thread for sure. :)

Ooooh, Daiso is awesome, especially speaking as a college student with not a ton of cash on hand. ^_^ To answer your question, were you looking for moisturizer, or does your skin get too oily, or were you looking for something like toner that would possibly match you more?

What Daiso products do you recommend? I want to check it out the next time I'm at the Japanese market since it's so affordable. :)

!! awesome!!

I've actually got the appletox coming to me in the mail right now, super excited. I don't necessarily have an asian skin type, either, but it was failure after failure with the american drug store brands that led me to experiment in the first place. Rimmel tends to cake, biore leaves chalky residue and doesnt clear out my pores in the first place, something in wet n wild and revlon products makes me feel kind of itchy. Things like that.

I do like going to some makeup counters, like Sephora, but they are literally too expensive for me to go with regularly, so. to Amazon it is.

I've got a definite western skintype, but, as stated above, I'm a little more sensitive and as I get older I am actually becoming more prone to weird breakouts, so the availability of oil reducing skincare products is definitely a plus and I'm going to have to try out some of the types of products you mentioned. As far as toners go, I love love love the tab style toners from Lush and I don't know if anything could replace their tea tree tabs for me.. It would have to take something seriously special. [edit] I also got this little cutie yesterday, and I'm completely in love with the packaging and the product????? It's sheer, with light coverage, and it blends beautifully. And the puff is really soft, which makes me obscenely happy.

I've had great results from tea tree oil products and I would spend boatloads of money at Lush if I could. Everything in there smells like heaven. I really like Sephora's in-house line too. And that compact is too precious! I'm glad you like the face powder right off the bat.

I'm a firm believer in investing a little more in things like foundation. Drugstore makeup is great for stuff like liner, eyeshadow, lip products, nail polish, etc., but I'm more cautious of the quality of what I'm really putting on my face, just because the skin there is the most sensitive. Drugstore foundation strikes me as too thick (thus hard to blend well), strangely colored or in limited shades, and basically goopy like spackle that you paint your face with lol.

Many Asian brands offer nice quality without being crazy expensive, even for customers who are overseas. I like that there are lots of beauty bloggers and other people who are constantly reviewing them. Get It Beauty is a Korean variety tv show that tests and reviews makeup and skincare. They feature a lot of products that are both cheaper and high-quality. Hit items from that show's recommendations are similar to the Western products that get popular because of the Allure magazine seal of approval.

Try everything! I'm dead serious, some of it works for some people while others work for other people; for example, their charcoal mask has always done really well for me, but others have told me that they don't care for it. Happy hunting! :)

Thought I'd let you know, I got my appletox today and it is absolutely amazing. About as gross as you might expect, rubbing dead skin off of your face, but I'm 24 and my face hasn't felt THIS soft all over since I was maybe 16. Fair warning, if you have normal or even combination skin type, you will definitely need to use a moisturizer even if you usually don't. It dries you out something fierce.

The ONLY drug store foundation that I've ever come anywhere near to liking before was probably this really light mousse stuff I got a few winters ago, but I'm with you on that boat. I started going to sephora for stuff like foundation forever ago, and since it's not something that gets used up super fast (Maybe one per season, and I only use it in late fall-winter), it's more or less affordable to support.

My real problem comes from the fact that I started getting a reaction to like two or three brands of eyeshadow.. They literally make my eyes water up and everything is downhill from there. I'm gonna have to buckle down and at least get a neutral palette from somewhere, but I'm really nervous at this point.

I'm intrigued by Sephora's Perfection Mist Airbrush Foundation because Dior's Airflash is expensive. Lighter ones are good since you can just build coverage without looking fake.

Do you have problems with Maybelline or elf? The former just released a nude palette for $10 and the latter has a $15 palette in a ton of colors if you like to mix shades. Urban Decay's Naked Palettes can be found on sale too. Maybe you're allergic to a makeup ingredient? A more natural line of makeup might be worth trying.

Peeling gel is awesome! I prefer it over the grainy-type exfoliating cleansers. All the dead skin looks weird but it's so satisfying to see it coming off lol.

I bought a tea tree tab at Lush over the weekend because of your post. I'm going to try out the tab and use a sheet mask after it. How do you use yours? :)

To all the ladies on this thread: Urban Outfitters is selling Korean brands in-store and online! 🎉 👍 ❗

I love Kiko Makeup products. Discovered these in Italy. And also Tesori d oriente. I'm not sure where this brand is originally from. Though I found it's products in Italy too.