My First Experience With Q-Depot, the Mecca of Online K-beauty Shopping

A little while ago, a new Korean beauty store called Q-Depot contacted me to review a few products from their website. I’d never heard of them before, but Shah (their representative) was lovely and I always love to support newcomers! Plus, who can say no to Korean beauty products?! (Not I, that’s for darn sure.) I waited for my package to arrive, and although the Malaysian post tried to thwart my joy by delivering it to the wrong place (and indirectly making me wait days to pick it up… DAYS!), I eventually got it in my hot little hands and was over the moon. 

So what products am I going to be talking about today? These two beauties right here:

The first one is Tony Moly’s Appletox Smooth Massage Peeling Cream. This comes in the cutest packaging, because it actually looks like an apple. A shiny, waxy green apple. I know I shouldn’t be surprised by the cuteness of Korean cosmetics, but even after all this time, it still gets me!

Have a closeup looksee here:

Ridic, no?! The best thing is, the actual product also smells like apple. But not in a sickly sweet way, more in a DKNY way. It’s a subtle apple scent that I really like – perhaps because I love all things apple anyway. In Korea, I actually got quite obsessed with the apple My Chews for a while – that was both a low point and a very, very high point.

But back to the products! So if you haven’t used a peeling gel or cream before, this could be quite a confusing situation for you. We don’t have anything like this in Western skincare, at least not in the mainstream (yet). However, in Korea, it’s by-the-by and just not that big a deal.

The idea is that you apply this cream and after massaging it into your skin for a while, you will start to see the “pilling” of “skin” — although this post by Lab Muffin confirmed that it’s mostly product, combined with a chemical reaction that occurs with the oils on our skin, and we don’t all just have loads of dry skin on our faces! Instead, they provide a kind of exfoliation which is softer than most physical exfoliants — and this one does an amazing job.

As for the texture, it’s what I would call a grainy cream. It’s really soft and feels really nice to apply, actually. The only other peeling products I’ve used have been gels, and they’ve usually been in bottles or tubes, so it was quite fun and novel to dip my (clean) finger into a cream!

You can see the thick texture here:

I generally applied this cream on damp skin, although you will get more of a “pilling” effect if you do it on dry skin. I really liked how this wasn’t too scratchy or harsh — and considering I have the most sensitive skin in the world, this is a big compliment! Even on dry skin, it wasn’t the most intense peeling cream, but it still did create that “pilling” effect from from the skin/product/oils combination.

Instead, it was moisturising and lightly exfoliating, and it left my skin feeling so smooth. You can probably tell by the name, but this is a product that really is designed to soften skin. If you have sensitive skin, this is a great exfoliant, as my skin felt nothing but smooth afterwards. No tight, irritated redness — just soft, fresh skin.

Perfect!

Q-Depot also sent me a sheet mask to try – Skinfood’s Hydro Fitting Snail Mask Sheet (Hydration Type). I hadn’t used a sheet mask in a long while, so I was keen to try this one.

First thing I noticed? The fact that it has a paper backing which gives it some structure and makes it easier to open without ripping. See here:

This may seem like a weird thing to note, but the fact that it had this paper backing really helped to keep its shape and just made application a whole lot easier. As you see in that picture, the mask was also soaked in essence and I had more than enough left over to apply on my legs and arms. Essence abundance!

Of course, I looked terrifying in this mask, as you can see here:

This was an intense mask and perfect for my tired, dehydrated skin. The heat of Malaysia and subsequent abundance of air con really wreaks havoc with a girl’s skin. This did leave a lot of essence on my skin when I removed it (about 20 minutes later — best 20 minutes of my life), but it actually sunk in relatively quickly. There was a late-night party that I attended after using this mask, and my skin felt fine. Not too greasy, just moisturised and nourished.

For anyone who doesn’t know the wonders of snail mucin, it’s a really hydrating ingredient that is perfect for moisturising the skin. Ever since I discovered it in Korea, I’ve been a convert. It’s apparently really good for sensitive skin too, so if your skin needs a bit of love, just put a bit of snail slime on it!

All in all, I was really happy with these products and would definitely get them again. Thanks Q-Depot! ^_^

You can buy the Tony Moly Tomatox Smooth Massage Peeling Cream and Skinfood Hydro Fitting Snail Mask Sheet (Hydration Type) from Q-Depot. They have a bunch of Korean brands available for your shopping pleasure — plus, they are offering all new customers $5 off and free shipping on their first purchase! What’s not to love?! Click here to sign up and start shopping ^_^

That’s it for today, I hope you guys enjoyed this review o’ mine. I also want to say that these past few weeks have been incredibly busy on my end, and I apologise for dropping off. Perhaps I’ll fill y’all in later, but it’s been tumultuous times (in a good way). But rest assured, more frequent posts will be arriving shortly 🙂

Steph x

*The products in this post were provided to me for review. To read my full disclaimer, see here.