5 Thought-Provoking Korean Beauty Blog Posts That Changed Everything

As I run around this weekend trying to find things without half-unpacking every box underfoot, I've been reflecting on changes- I assume this is a typical mental state when one is undergoing mega life changes a decade in the making- including the evolution of this blog and the overall Asian/K-Beauty landscape.  The latter has definitely undergone huge changes in the years I've been observing (and blogging about) it!

With K-Beauty being everywhere in popular/mainstream media and hitting big bloggers and youtube gurus, it can be hard to imagine the days when snail filtrate was freakish and exotic, and BB creams were only available online from Asian companies.  Over the years, I've personally undergone profound development of my skincare philosophy, knowledge, awareness, and review style, but that "didn't happen in vacuum", as they say.

The western interest in beauty products from Asia has really been a grassroots movement made possible by the internet and social media; as a result, there is a strong community network of people who love the products and love to share and discuss them with one another.  As a result, now and then an earth-shattering post comes along that spreads like wildfire in the community, changing the communal landscape.

This is a short list of a few posts that, in my opinion, profoundly impacted the K-Beauty and Asian beauty landscape, reaching far beyond the tight-knit community to the larger public, influencing trends, curation, inventory, and even new product development.

Low pH & High Luxury: Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Cleansing Foam Review

I'm current locked in an epic struggle between our cross-country moving company, the city permit office, and our local moving company; it's throwing me off my blogging game as I try not to throw myself off a cliff.  It's difficult.  People things need to be thrown and I need to throw them.

But I'm taking a moment to unglue my phone from my cheek and stop rage-throwing things to unveil a new low pH foaming cleanser contender: the (unsurprisingly) luscious Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Cleansing Foam.

Sulwhasoo: when even samples are fancy
One of the things that I really appreciate about Korean products is how readily available they are in sample sizes, at least compared to traditional western offerings.  That's how I stumbled across this low-pH cleanser hidden in my stash; I was packing my stash for the move, and my pH strips were handy.

If you are new to the low pH cleanser life, click here to read about Why the pH of your cleanser matters.  But low pH cleansers are rare and hard to formulate, leaving very few options that are enjoyable to use.

In this post:
  • Product details
  • How well does it foam?
  • Ingredients list
  • Final thoughts
As you can see, I have yet to purchase this in full size, although I do have a heck of a lot of samples; and at 4ml per pouch, I've managed to snag myself a good amount of product without committing to a full size.

Review: Cremorlab T.E.N. Cremor Cleansing Gel Oil, Why Can't I Quit You?

So, last week I mentioned that I am giving up accepting Press Samples for testing and review, and the catalyst was the whopping 2 products accepted to date (which had me wrestling with reviewing ethics like Laocoon and the Serpents**) as I found myself trying to hate on products just because they'd been given to me for free.

Spoilers: As you can see, I've been going hard on this.
Today's review is one of those 2 products accepted for review, specifically the one from Peach & Lily, who contacted me back in May after we had a Twitter interaction to ask if I was interested in trying some of their products.  I still haven't reviewed the other, and I likely never will, as I just ... well.  Read on for my struggles feelings about press samples.

**Scroll down for photo reference if you're not a Classical Studies nerd like me

In this post:
  • Product Details
  • Why I accepted this product
  • Why I can't quit it
  • Demo - does it work?
  • Ingredients list
  • Final thoughts: pros and cons
As I am sure you can tell from the post title + the half empty bottle, despite all my efforts, I liked it.  Saint Snail help me, I liked it a lot.

Embracing Change; Ditching the Desert

Today’s post is going to be both a little more personal and also blog-centric, but rest assured next week we’ll be back with your regularly scheduled programming of reviews, nerdiness, and eye candy.  First, though, I have some updates to discuss.

This is a National Geographic image of the desert in which I live(d). Image credit National Geographic
This month will bring about some serious life changes and blog changes; a personal chapter in the life of my family is drawing to a close and a long-awaited new beginning is happening.  If you’ve ever checked out my Skin Type & History post, you will know that I moved from the temperate and verdant climate of Canada to the harsh and barren wilds of the US desert several years ago, and the resulting skin crisis was the catalyst for this blog.  

In the desert no more

A Haul Before the Storm: Eye candy, Details, First Impressions, & some Mini Reviews

Something is coming, which I will be posting about in the future, but today is not that day.  Today is a day for happy things like hauls, and even better, hauls with friends.

Today's post will include not one, but two hauls, including one that was a joint haul with a friend with impeccable taste; seeing other people's goodies is sometimes even more delicious than getting your own.

Here's the one from Club Clio:

Awww yeah, so much Goodal goodness!
And here is my half of the KoreaDepart group order:

All the colours!
I'll be posting her half of the KoreaDepart order when we can snag some photos, so keep an eye out for updates.

In this post:

Club Clio:
  • What I purchased
  • Why I bought it
  • First impressions & mini reviews
KoreaDepart:
  • What I purchased
  • Why I bought it
  • First impressions & mini reviews
I won't be doing impressions/mini reviews of everything, as I have a methodical testing schedule that you can read more about here, but many of these are repurchases that won't get a full review.