It’s been ages since my last K Beauty favourites post and I have another bunch of products I’ve been loving so here’s
round two!
Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Hyaluronic
Toneris a light, hydrating and refreshing
toner that helps prepare the skin for optimal absorption of products. It
contains fermented 100% Korean-produced black rice extracts which have anti-inflammatory
and brightening effects as well as beta-glucan which provides hydration and it
comes in a huge 300ml bottle which has been taking me ages to get through but
I’m not bored of it yet! A simple but effective daily toner! Read more in my toner post here!
Isntree Yam Root Vegan Milk Toner* is another, you guessed it, lightweight,
hydrating and refreshing toner! That is what K beauty is known for so no
surprise those will be the words of the day in this blog post! This one
contains yam root extract to replenish skin moisture to keep skin supple along
with vegan milk complex (derived from oat, rice, coconut and other plant-based
ingredients) and lipid water to strengthen the skin barrier. It feels really
gentle, has a milky consistency and helps hydrate my skin!
Moving onto some essences/serums now and
in all honestly, I don’t notice a huge difference in the effects of these three
but they all work well and I enjoy using them! They are all unscented, absorb
quickly, provide my skin with hydration and support it, and keep it soft and
supple!
The Jumiso Snail Mucin 95 + Peptide Facial Essence* is infused with95% snail
mucin and five kinds of peptides to boost skin elasticity and repair cell damage
as well as panthenol and allantoin to sooth and hydrate. It’s got that classic sticky,
“snail” texture and again, it’s suitable for sensitive skin. This comes in a
huge 140ml bottle so I tend to use this on my chest and decolletage area too!
The Vegreen Nature Mucin Serum*is a non-snail mucin serum
containing mucin from wild yam, panthenol, peptides and ceramides. It helps
with skin elasticity and moisture as well as protecting and repairing damaged
skin. The Vegreen Skin Barrier Reishi Serum* is formulated with 3 types of
mushrooms - Reishi to strengthens the skin barrier; Chaga - an antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging extract which protects the skin from sun
damage; and Tremella Fuciformis Extract which helps enhance skin elasticity, and
plump and smooth fine lines. It also contains probiotics which maintain the
skin's microbiome to reduce skin sensitivity.
Both Vegreen serums have more
watery textures and I will usually take one of them with me when I am packing
light and going on a trip as they work so well in both my AM and PM routine (and
are in smaller bottles than the Jumiso - the big bottle is all I have left!).
K beauty sunscreens are in a league of
their own and I can’t recommend the next three products enough if you need a
new SPF! They all feel lightweight and absorb quickly into the skin leaving no
white cast (I have fair skin for reference!) and sit beautifully under makeup with no pilling! They
protect my skin so well and I haven’t got burnt on my face while using them!
My most recent SPF favourite find
and the one I took to Mexico in March with me – the Tocobo Bio Watery Sun Cream SPF50+ PA++++. Again, this is a chemical sunscreen containing mung
bean extract to soothe irritation, along with bio-hyaluronic acid to boost skin
moisture.
Happy New Year! I have a couple of best
beauty discoveries posts to round off some new favourites from last year
starting with skincare! Nothing new really stood out to me in the haircare and
bodycare departments but makeup will be coming soon!
Starting with cleansers and the e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm RRP $14 CAD/ £11really
impressed me this year! It’s the only skincare product I have tried from e.l.f.
but I will definitely be checking out the rest of the range! It contains sunflower
seed oil, ceramides, and glycerin and the balm melts into an oil making easy
work out of removing makeup! It’s lightly scented, lasted me a good amount of
time and it’s super affordable! Definitely not as luxurious as my all-time
favourite cleanser – the Emma Hardie Moringa cleansing balm – but for the price
it’s impressive!
Moving onto serums and I tried a few this
year that I can’t get enough of! The Biotherm Life Plankton Elixir RRP $116 CAD/ £69*is a beautiful hydrating and soothing serum that contains glycerin,
life plankton and Vitamin C. It’s also scented which I don’t mind but I know
some people do but it’s so fresh and “blue” smelling it really adds to the
experience for me. This makes my skin feel hydrated and supported and it looks
brighter and feels smoother! Sticking with Biotherm and I have also been
enjoying their Blue Retinol Night Serum RRP $99 CAD/ £75*. It contains
0.25% retinol as well as life plankton, glycerin, HA and niacinamide. This has
worked well to smooth and even my skin and target fine lines while also not
causing any sensitivity or peeling due to the formula!
Next up is a classic that I only started
using last year and I finally get the hype! The Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair RRP $108 CAD/ £65is a restorative serum containing peptides and
hyaluronic acid bifida ferment lysate (an ingredient that’s also in the Biotherm
Life Plankton Elixir) which helps protect against UV damage and repair skin. It’s
called night repair but can be used AM or PM though I tend to use it in the
evening and I wake up with hydrated, plump and firm skin. Lastly for serums, I
have the Pixi Clarity Concentrate RRP £26* which has been my go-to when
I have been experiencing breakouts and it’s been a saviour over the festive
season! It contains glycolic, salicylic and lactic acid as well as probiotics
and aloe and really helps to gently exfoliate my skin while still keeping it hydrated
and my breakouts have been healing faster!
For moisturisers and SPF’s, I found quite
a few I fell in love with this year! The Naturium Multi-Peptide Moisturiser RRP $20 USD/ £21is a great, simple, lightweight moisturiser I used in the
AM that kept my skin hydrated and worked well with SPF’s and my makeup! At
night, I loved the Biotherm Blue Pro-Retinol Multi Correct Cream RRP $103 CAD*.
This is a rich overnight cream that smoothed my skin leaving it plump the next
morning with less visible fine lines. It felt so luxurious, and, as I mentoned, I love the
scent of Biotherm products!
For SPF’s I really rate the older version
of the Fenty Hydra Vizor – the Invisible Moisturiser Broad Spectrum SPF 30 RRP $49 CAD. This seems to have been recently reformulated to a mineral SPF
and I am gutted I replaced it without realising the new one gets awful reviews.
It seems to be out of stock in a lot of places but hopefully she brings it back
as it’s perfect under makeup, no pilling, hydrating, protecting and smells
good! Sticking with the purple theme and the Isntree Onion Newpair Sunscreen
SPF40 RRP $30.64 CAD* was another stand out product. It’s lightweight,
again didn’t pill with my makeup and hydrates all day. Not pictured as I used
it up way earlier in the year is the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice +
Probiotics SPF 50 RRP $24.08 CAD which I couldn’t not mention as it might
be my favourite SPF ever! Super lightweight, this feels like you have nothing
on and like the others, doesn’t pill or react with other products or makeup. It
just stands out a little more to me and I like that it’s SPF 50! Another product
definitely worth the hype!
Did I mention any of your favourites? Let
me know what your favourite skincare discovery was this year! If you want to
see my previous best beauty discoveries in skincare you can check out 2020, 2021
and 2022!
Welcome back! I’m on a roll with blog
posts at the minute thanks to a bank holiday weekend and some time off work for
wisdom teeth extractions so trying to make use and get my empties up! Onto the
mini reviews! (Ignore the mess I made of my background – sticky back plastic
gone wrong!)
Haircare
Dove Dry Shampoo
Works well to refresh my hair and is
affordable when on offer so would repurchase!
Batiste Plant Powered Dry Shampoo
As someone who usually avoids the classic
Batiste as it’s my least favourite dry shampoo I was pleasantly surprised by
this! Worked well on my dark hair, no white cast and definitely dulled down the
grease! I have others I prefer so not a repurchase!
Love this shampoo! It contains SLS and is
lightly scented and smells amazing! It lathers well and makes my scalp and hair
feel clean without drying it out. Despite being formulated for dry hair (I have
an oily scalp and dry ends), this doesn’t weigh my hair down and it makes it
feel soft and look shiny! Read my full review here! Would repurchase even
though it’s pricey as it lasted ages and made washing my hair a good
experience!
JVN Complete Air Dry Cream
This smoothed my hair and tamed flyaways
but I am a serial blow dryer and straightener so I can’t say much for how it
helps hair settle as it airdries! The main thing I look for in a hair product
is heat protection which this doesn’t have so not a repurchase for me though I
do have another mini to use!
Bodycare
Olay Collagen Body Lotion
This was a nice lightweight lotion that
sank in quickly and moisturised well. I have other body lotions I prefer the
scent of and that are more affordable so not a repurchase for me!
Naturium Bio-Lipid Restoring Body Lotion
I really liked this! It’s thick but sank
in quickly and kept my body well moisturised. The only bad things are the fact
I went through it so quickly and I would prefer a scented product! A good price
for the amount you get and often on offer. I have other more affordable moisturisers
I like just as much but this was a treat so I would repurchase!
Lush Rose Jam Shower Gel
Love this and it lasted so long for me! I
find it pricey so it’s usually a birthday or Christmas present to myself but
worth every penny as it smells incredible and feels so good to clean my skin
with! Will repurchase!
A great cream to have in your stash for
dry patches or itchy/sensitive skin! Will repurchase!
Lancaster Golden Tan Maximiser
A mini and I only got one use out of it
so I can’t say much for the effects but it smelts good and sank in quickly! Not
a repurchase!
Skincare
Dear, Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleansing
Oil
More affordable than the Dermalogica
Precleanse and feels just as luxurious though this one has no scent. It spreads
easily, removes makeup with ease, emulsifies, doesn’t sting my eyes and leaves
my skin feeling clean and hydrated with no film left behind! Will repurchase!
Full review here!
Really enjoyed this toner! It has a
lovely thick formula and helped smooth and plump my skin. On the pricey side so
not a repurchase for me! Full review here!
COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power
Essence
This is a cult product for a reason! Felt
very soothing and hydrating but I did get bored of it as it’s in a 100ml
bottle! Good value for money so would repurchase in the future! Full review here!
A luxurious citrus scented oil cleanser that
turns into a milky emulsion when you add water. This lasted me a long time
and I enjoyed it but there are other oil and balm cleansers I enjoy more that
are a lot more affordable so not a repurchase for me! Full review here!
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6
Another cult classic and another product
I enjoyed! I felt zero irritation with this and woke up to smooth, plump skin
with my fine lines less noticeable. Would repurchase but in the higher concentration!
Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice and
Probiotics SPF50+
I loved this so much I used it every day
until it was finished and didn’t even get time to feature it in a blog or
instagram post! It feels so lightweight, left no whitecast on my skin and sank
in quickly leaving a great base for makeup. My skin felt protected, my eyes
didn’t water and I can’t recommend it enough! Will repurchase 100% but I have a
lot of other SPF’s to finish first!
Avant Brightening and De-Puffing
Hyaluronic overnight Eye Recovery Mask
Another love! I think I got this in a
beauty box and it’s pricey! The formula is lovely, it feels very
hydrating and sinks in quickly and doesn’t pill around my eyes like some eye
creams can. It’s not a miracle worker at brightening or depuffing my eye bags
but I have been impressed! Sadly, not a repurchase right now because of the
cost!
A nice formulation but this oxidised
quickly on me I think because it’s in a 59ml bottle! It contains lactic acid as
well as Vitamin C and worked nicely to brighten and smooth my skin! Not a
repurchase as there are others I prefer!
I really didn’t want to like this because
of the price but it worked really well for my skin! This is more of an
introductory Vitamin C serum containing 10% pure vitamin C (l-ascorbic acid)
and 0.2% ferulic acid. With daily use it lasted me just over 3 months and my
skin looked even, brighter and fine lines were less noticeable. Would repurchase
on offer but I do have a couple of their other Vitamin C’s to try first!
The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA
I actually use this more on the back of
my arms to target KP than my face but it works well on both! Very smoothing but
I prefer the 10% and I have a back up of that so wouldn’t repurchase the 5%
again!
This is part of a duo set with the tri
action peel and is a polyglutamic acid serum to plump, hydrate and smooth skin.
Worked well but only 15ml and I don’t believe you can buy it separately so not
a repurchase for me!
Loved this and it was perfect for daytime
for me under makeup as it gave me a really good base with no pilling! It has a
subtle illuminating effect so looks brightening as well as being hydrating!
Will repurchase!
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Mango
Love the lip sleeping mask and this was
the first flavour other than original I've tried! It’s super hydrating and perfect
for overnight. The scent was nice but I prefer the OG berry so not a repurchase
but I already have a berry back up anyway!
Sunday Riley C.E.O. Vitamin C Rich
Hydration Cream
Loved this! Worked really well as a
daytime moisturiser for me on some trips I had this summer and kept my skin
hydrated and supported! Would repurchase if on offer!
Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream
Another nice cream, I used this at night
on my trips and liked it but not as much as the CEO, so not a repurchase!
COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch
Loved having these in my stash, they come in
different sizes and worked well to reduce some bigger spots! Have a backup
already!
Love using these when I have an event or
big day out planned, they feel nicely hydrating and help brighten and plump the
skin around my eyes! Pricey so not a repruchase!
This was nicely hydrating and gave a nice
shine to my lips but it also has quite a lot of slip so I didn’t find it the
longest lasting lip product! I have another one but I wouldn’t repurchase!
I usually stick with the original mint
flavour but this was a nice change and had a lovely sweet scent! The formula is
one of my favourite lip balm formulas so this is a great option for no fuss
hydration but the original is still my fave so not a repurchase!
Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Exfoliating
Moisturiser
Loved this mini! It contains lactic and
glycolic acids as well as ceramides and squalane and made my skin so soft and
smooth! Would definitely repurchase, you guessed it, on a good offer!
I haven’t tried much Lancome at all but
this serum was lovely! Very softening and brightening but I do have others I
like just as much that are (a little) more affordable so not a repurchase
though I have another mini and I will enjoy it!
Pat McGrath Divine Skin Rose Essence
I liked this but didn’t notice much in
the way of benefits as the bottle is so small and I find essences to be one of
the skincare products I neglect most often so not a repurchase!
Makeup
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High
Waterproof Mascara
Loved this! I’ve been struggling with
mascaras recently that say they are waterproof and I still get smudging under
one eye in a matter of hours but not with this one! It gives me such good
volume, separation and length and there is no smudging or flaking! Have already repurchased!
Charlotte Tilbury Superstar Lips in
Pillow Talk
One of my favourite tinted lip balms! This
is so hydrating, long lasting and a beautiful pinky nude shade! I have way too
many lip products to get through but I already repurchased this as I love it so much! See my full review here!
NARS Afterglow Lip Balm in Orgasm
Another great tinted lip balm option but
this one is less long lasting and not as pigmented at the Charlotte Tilbuty!
Orgasm is probably my least favourite NARS shade so this is not a repurchase but
I did repurchase in the shade Dolce Vita and I would recommend Fast Lane too!
Miscellaneous
Purely Inspired Collagen Peptides x2
Love these, I think they really help with
my joints so have already repurchased!
Boka Ela Mint Toothpaste
Bit of a random one but I recently
started using a nano-hydroxyapatite toothpaste at night (and a fluoride based
one in the morning) and I’ve been enjoying it! It helps remineralize and fortify teeth
and I’ve already repurchased!
Congrats as always if you made it through
all those, I hope to have another bumper edition before the end of the year!
Have you tried anything I’ve mentioned? Let me know your thoughts!
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