There are a lot of things I write about on this site: Korean beauty, food, Korean life, Korean hagwons, work, minimalism and depression are but a few. However, today I wanted to bring attention to a few items in my skincare hoard (yep, we’re back on the skincare bandwagon) that have, up until now, been unsung heroes. The sort of products that I use regularly, but either forgot to tell you guys or barely remember after I dash out the door in the morning (my mornings tend to be an uncomfortable blur, how about yours?).
But today, friends, it’s their time to shine. So let’s bring these unassuming yet awesome products into the light and give them a little bit of love.
First up, Aesop’s B & Tea Balancing Toner. I mentioned this in passing when I raved about Aesop’s impossibly amazing Geranium Leaf Body Scrub, but I didn’t elaborate. To be fair, the body scrub pretty much steals the show(er) no matter who the other contender may be. That stuff is liquid gold and Gav will even attest to how goshdarn good it feels. Just perfection. But back to the toner. So just as I came to Korea, my brother kindly gave me an Aesop set and this was part of it. However, I never used to use the toner much, as I found the cotton pad irritated my skin and I didn’t really know what to do about it. Also, this one isn’t alcoholic, so I sort of thought, what’s the point?
Oh, how wrong I was, dear reader. How disgustingly, disgustingly wrong.
For you see, the fact that this is a non-alcoholic, gentle toner is exactly why it is so amazing. It’s perfect for those with sensitive skin as it’s so calming, and it also does what a toner is supposed to do which is add a light layer of moisture to the skin in preparation for the next, heavier steps of your skincare routine. A toner is not supposed to burn your skin or sterilise everything on your face. That ain’t cool.
Another item I would like to mention is Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm. Now this is no budget purchase or anything but omigosh this stuff is amazing. My friend Sehar actually had some last year and spoke about how amazing it was, so I tracked some down and picked it up. I actually felt a bit too indulgent buying it for myself for no reason (considering I have 308903284 lip products) so I let it sit in my cupboard for a good long while to make up for it (or something). In any case, I have now whipped it out and am glad that I have this baby in my life. For someone who often just uses Lucas’ Pawpaw Ointment as my lip product du jour, having this in my arsenal makes it look like I’ve put in effort when I really haven’t. And that is a win in my books.
Every morning I wake up in a haze and ain’t nothing glamourous about that. One thing that does help me to face the day, however, is the Stila Dare to Bare Eyeshadow Palette. I picked this up at the LOHB store in Apgujeong and I really like it. The quality of these shadows are like nothing else. If you’ve heard the rave reviews about Stila eyeshadows but never really got the hype, believe it. They are like butter. Smooth, creamy and longlasting. What more could you want?
I would also like to add a little mention that, unfortunately, none of these things are cruelty-free (yet) so I won’t be repurchasing them. Once I use them up, I will try to find cruelty-free alternatives that don’t test on animals. However, they are all products that I have really enjoyed using and I would definitely buy again if they did not test on animals. I don’t think it’s such a hard thing to change, so hopefully these companies will get with the times so I can give them my money again!
That is all for today, I would love to hear about some different beauty bits that you love. Not that I need any encouragement, but still, it’s always handy to have your ear to the ground!
Until next time,
Steph x