Three things…that help fight shine

If you're anything like me, fighting shine is a daily battle one must face.

During the summer, anyway.

Oh well. It's the price we all have to pay for amazing weather. Right?

WRONG!

I'm sick and tired of looking like a shiny round beacon in public. As such, I'm sharing three of my favourite ways to beat shine at its own game.

Review | Missha Super Aqua Snail Cream

For the sake of beauty – and to quell my curiosity – I have put a lot of things on my face and body that are generally not recommended. Nor are they ordinary. In the quest for flawless skin, my face has been subjected to everything from placenta proteins, herbs, DIY treatments, pantry staples and smothered in a variety of oils.

Ranking high up on the weird and bizarre things I am willing to try once is snail cream. If you can get over the "ick" factor, it's actually a pretty great moisturizer.

Who'd have known that a key beauty ingredient was just chilling in my backyard?

Sample Selection Saturday | Etude House Skin Malgem Deep Moist

Etude House, I have found, is the shop that gives me the most confusion. A large part of this confusion could be the shop's special lingo for things.

What is a freshener?! What is a smoother?!

Toners, apparently.

This week, I try Etude House's Skin Malgem Deep Moist.

WHAT IS IT:

Part of the Skin Malgem line. If the name sounds familiar, I sampled Etude House's Skin Malgem smoother during a Sample Selection Saturday two weeks ago.

Despite the name, it is also a toner. Unlike the smoother, which was for troubled skin, the deep moist is for those with dry skin.

IN BRIEF: THE GOOD AND THE UGLY:

The Good:

I liked it when I thought it was an essence or light emulsion/moisturizer. It is none of those things.

At least, it's not marketed as one. It's marketed in a line of five toners for five distinct skin types. This deep moist, is clearly for those with dry skin. Very dry skin.

I suppose it would be a good toner for people with that skin type. It's really thick and almost has a creamy consistency. Not liquid and fluid at all.

Anyway! Whatever, Etude House. I'll use it how I want to use it. I choose to use it as a moisturizer.

This provided me enough moisture that I could skip my night cream. Of course, it's muggy, hot and August. So this probably wouldn't work for me in a month or two.

In conjunction with the smoother, it provided enough moisture to keep my skin hydrated throughout the night/day without giving me a shiny face or leaving greasy residue.

I'm really happy that under sunscreen and under makeup, this didn't break me out or irritate my face.

The Ugly:

I was so confused when I tried this. I had originally thought this was an essence or very light moisturizer. It has that type of consistency. It works well in that capacity for me.

It was only when I looked at the back that I noticed clues. Freshener, a product in their Wonder Pore line, is a toner. To confirm my suspicions I checked GMarket and it is a toner. One of five in the line.

FYI: I have combination skin and the smoother is a better choice for my skin type, toner-wise. Definitely a better choice now, at the height of summer. This particular toner isn't targeted to me, but aimed towards someone who has very dry skin. As a moisturizer, though, I could get away with using this. Of course this isn't a moisturizer, but a toner.

I didn't appreciate the alcohol smell. It's super strong and really put me off this product.

As far as the sample goes, I hated the packaging. This small tube always makes it hard to get product out, especially if it's thicker than a normal toner. A lot thicker. The packaging, of course, is a lot different than the sample packaging. I'm sure if you do purchase it, it won't be such a struggle for you to get to use it; you did pay for it, after all.

WOULD I PURCHASE?

No.

Etude House Skin Malgem Deep Moist can be found online. 

Review | Nature Republic Pearl de Caviar Silky Foam Cleanser

I was really excited to receive – by way of a Nature Republic promo – a deluxe sample of this cleanser with my sun cream.

I mean, wouldn't you be with "caviar" in the description?!

Haul | Nature Republic

Let me start by saying: I'm not a huge Nature Republic fan.

(I'm more partial to Innisfree, and that's not just because Lee Min Ho is their spokesman.)

But, summer is here and I really, really love its sun products.

I stocked up!

Below is Nature Republic's aloe vera gel and the eco-mild sun liquid. Both of which I'm big fans of.

And samples! I love samples!



Reviews to come soon!

Review | Skinfood 40 per cent shea butter body cream

Winter really does a number on my skin. It becomes super dry, rough and flaky. A friend of mine recommended this to me. Apparently, this cream had "saved her skin". Naturally, I dragged her to the nearest Skinfood to buy some.

Review | Etude House Wonder Pore freshener

This was one of my first Korean purchases. Etude, is quite possibly the most girly brand in Korea. I bought this product because I wanted to buy something from a store that was repped by a. a K-pop idol and b. not decked out in pink and frills.