Perfect Primers

The weather is beginning to warm up in Korea so now is the time to invest in a good primer to keep makeup in place throughout the hotter months. Investing in a good primer has many benefits; they can fill pores, smooth fine lines, help foundations and BB creams go on smoothly, improve radiance and increase the longevity of makeup. Convinced yet? The primers below I have tried and tested and have found to be the best ones on the Korean high street so far. They are all purse friendly and the quality is also on par with some of the high end primers.

Etude House
~Collagen Moistfull Smoothing Ampule Primer~

Description; Moistfull Collagen Smoothing Ampule Primer is a hydrating moisturizing primer that lifts and tightens complexion to promote a radiant glow prior to foundation makeup application.

This primer reminds me of MAC Strobe Cream as it has the same iridescent pearly sheen. It  is very easy to apply as it goes on the skin smoothly. It instantly makes the skin look fresh and dewy. I have combination skin so it doesn't really help with oil control, however I love the pearly sheen! This would be good for ladies with dry/lacking lustre or ageing skin.

Skin Food
~Black Egg Pore Primer~

Description; A pore-smoothing makeup primer that immediately turns into a velvety matte texture to effectively conceal enlarged pores and fine wrinkles. Your skin will look as smooth and firm as a freshly hard-boiled egg white.

I wasn't quite sure on the name of this one at first! This primer reminds me of Smashbox's Photo Finish Primer due to it's velvety texture. This primer comes in a cute egg shaped package and has a hygiene friendly pump. The consistency is gel like so a little goes a long way. This primer is fantastic for filling in large pores and helping to smooth out wrinkles. I wear this when applying heavier makeup for a night out.  

Etude House
~Perfect 10 Eye Primer~

I'm a big fan of Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion however Urban Decay is virtually impossible to get hold of in Korea. Looking for a replacement I found this beauty! This eye primer is fantastic! It glides on with a great applicator sponge tip and blends easily. This really made a difference to the colour ad staying power of my eye shadow. Dot this under the eye too to stop eye liner budging. The only downside is the bottle due to the shape it's hard to get the last bits of product out. However a cotton bud would suffice for the last of its days.

So add a decent primer to your collection to keep makeup in place for over the hot Korean months ahead! You'll never look back!

Anti-Ageing; Inside Out..

Looking at some Korean women its tough trying to work out their age as their skin shows little signs. Since arriving in Korea, I've envied Korean women for how meticulous and put together they look. As I've said previously it doesn't come without hard work and a touch of vanity. With mirrors everywhere its hard to escape your reflection in Korea. So after prolonged exposure to this narcissistic way of life, it can begin to rub off. I wouldn't say I've become vain from living in Korea, just more aware.

So when you face starts telling the world how old you are, Korea is probably the best and worst place to begin the battle. I turned to the gurus of skincare that are Korean women and found that cosmetic surgery was the answer for the majority, with 1 in 5 Koreans admitting to have gone under the knife.

For those of us who aren't looking to take such drastic measures, there are other ways to help your skin fight the age battle. I suffered with mild acne in my early 20's, horrified I spent a fortune on products with a colossal price tag, in the belief they would provide results to match the price. After making slow progress my mum said I should work from the inside out. Find out what's causing the problem first. So I did, and as as the saying goes mums are always right! The products became the help not the cure.

Famous Korean actress Song Hye-Kyo is the face of Laneige. An example of how youthful Korean skin appears on advertisements.

Now I'm in my late 20's and it's time to think about anti-ageing  This is not my area of expertise, so I've spent the past few weeks looking into not just products, but ways to work from the inside out before we splurge on lotions and potions. 

So when do we start? Webmd suggests that we should be starting an anti-ageing routine in our 20's and early 30's. Prevention being better than the cure. So now we know this we should find out what actually makes us age so we can begin to tackle that.

There are many contributing factors to how skin ages. First we will start with the villains. The nasty chemicals that attack our cells and hinder our youthful looks. The first will be the most heard of and they are UVA and UVB rays. To break it down simply UVA is responsible for ageing us as it can penetrate deeper into the skin than UVB. UVB is responsible for giving us sun burn or a tan. Still as harmful as these rays leads to skin cancer. For more detailed information uvawarness.com is a brilliant website for all the information you need. The picture below from skincancer.org shows how UVA and UVB penetrate our skin.

Our skin needs protecting from these rays even when the sun isn't out. Choosing a cream/foundation/BB cream that has a high SPF protection is vital. 

Next in the skin villain club are a group of bullies called free radicals. Free radicals are damaging molecules that can be found In environmental pollution, cigarette smoke and even cleaning products! Now I'm beginning to see why I've aged in Korea! When free radicals meet a cell they don't kill it. Instead they damage the cell so it can't renew. This can lead to more serious problems than wrinkles!

So what can we do to beat them? According to webmd; Antioxidants keep free radicals away, although its not been 100% scientifically proven to beat more serious effects of cell damage, antioxidants can help with anti-ageing.

So where can we find these superheroes of the anti-ageing world? The good news is they are everywhere. Here's a list of the top from livestrong.com;

Small red beans
Any berries
Plums
Prunes
Cale
Broccoli
Sprouts
Cabbage
Red peppers
Sweet potato
Egg plant
Tomatoes
Garlic
Onion
Cinnamon
Oregano
Tea
Red wine
Chocolate
Whole grains
Nuts
Olive oil

What's that wine and chocolate I hear you say! Yes red wine in responsible amounts, and dark chocolate can help too!

Looking at the list above you can see how Koreans have a head start. Korean diets are high in antioxidants. Red pepper is used in nearly all stews and soups or as a dipping sauce. Sweet potato when it's in season is sold by the box on the streets. Cabbage is eaten with every meal in the form that is Kimchi. Garlic and onions are served as side dishes, or added to flavour most Korean food. So we can start by giving our skin a head start by having a healthy diet which will help us tackle ageing from the inside out. 

The next step is understanding what to look for when it comes to products. Stay put for anti-ageing part 2...

Korean 5 Step Skincare Routine Explained...

This year I have made resolutions that I can stick to. The first is taking better care of my skin. Living in Korea has opened my eyes to a lot of things. Skin care regimen is one of them! If you've visited any of the Korean cosmetic stores, or even turned on the TV Its difficult to escape images of youthful looking Korean women, with amazingly glowing skin! it seems clear that Investing in your skin works like an ISA, it will pay off in the long run if you start as soon as you can.

Did you know that the average Korean woman uses 18 products per day on her skin! So for the majority of us westerners that are more familiar to the humble face wipe this can be a bit of a shock! Koreans are noted globally for having amazing skin, however this notoriety doesn't come without serious time and dedication.

The key to glowing healthy skin seems to be in the process by layering products in different stages. Layering seems to be the way forward when it comes to keeping skin at its best. The tricky part is finding out what does what!

The Korean market is saturated with products ranging from serums to emulsions. Don't no your emulsion from your essence? I'l break these products down for you so you can see for yourself what does what, and most importantly the correct process!

Cleanse

This is the first stage of the process and one that we are all quite familar with. The difference when doing it Korean style is to double cleanse. Koreans usually use a foam cleanser followed by a cream cleanser. Or for really stubborn makeup a cleansing oil. Double cleansing is effective especially when using strong BB creams that leave residue.

Tone

Once your skin is completley make up free you need to tighten the pores and remove all the dead cells and leftover residue from the cleanser. Toners are a must have staple item in a skin care regime! Plus they feel nice and refreshing!

Essence/ Serum

I have included these together and will explain the difference. These products should be used before your moisturiser and shouldn't replace your moisturiser. The difference between the two is moisturisers have larger molecules, and serums / essences have smaller ones meaning they can penetrate the skin and work from the inside. This is why they can correct a number of skin problems, such as dryness, enlarged pores and skin pigmentation. The benefit of using serums is that they tend to only use pure extracts, which also means you will find these to be the most expensive part of your routine.

The difference between an essence and a serum is the consistency.  I would recommend using essence as part of your morning routine, as it's easily absorbed into the skin and lighter than a serum. Serums are best used at night, when you have time to let them fully soak in and allow them to work their magic overnight. Wait 10 minutes with both products before you move onto the next step to enable them to soak in.

Balancing water/ Water balance cream

This step is great for the dry winter months as these products deliver deep hydration for skin. They are usually gel based and easily absorbed.

Emulsion

The only emulsion i'd ever heard of pre Korea was the stuff you paint on walls! Korean emulsion is a light moisturiser which is great for oily skin. Depending on your skin type / season you might want to choose your own moisturiser.

Now you know your emulsions from your essences, the hard work begins! Deciding what products to use and where to buy from!! First you need to understand your skin type then the rest is trial and error!! Luckily most Korean cosmetic stores give samples and in Innisfree you can actually buy trial size versions of the popular ranges.  Have you used any skin care ranges that have worked for you? If so drop me a line!

Time for TLC

Over indulging over the festive period can leave us all feeling a little down and out. Our skin becomes dull and dehydrated after too many late nights. Our hair has given up after repeated blow drying and curling! Our feet are begging us for Uggs after hours of partying in heels! Yes girls, January is a time to get to work. I have put together a list of my favourite pamper products that will guarantee to get your hair,skin and feet on your good side again! The best part? They are all purse friendly!  

So lets start with feet first! Feet are usually neglected, dried off on the bath mat with a quick slick of moisturiser if they are lucky, then squeezed into heels for endless hours! So time to give them some attention for a change. First of all, you need to get rid of all that dead skin that's accrued.  Its a good idea to start by using a foot peel. I strongly recommend the Sparkling Foot Peel from the Face Shop (7,000 Krw) For those of you not familiar with this amazing product, continue reading. If you have sensitive skin I would advise to test a small sample of the solution on your foot first.  

You will need to choose a day where you have a few spare hours, as the process is time consuming. Making sure your feet are clean put them into the two foot bags. 

Then pour the solution into the bags and leave for 90 minutes. Perfect time for a cup of tea and a film!

After 90 minutes carefully remove feet and dispose of the bags. Shower off the remaining solution. Now don't expect results straight away, it can take up to a week for your feet to begin to peel. Once they do though be warned, its addictive!  Dedicate time in the day to sit and peel off the dead skin. It doesn't hurt and you will be surprised with how much peels off! The end result? you should be left with baby soft feet. For really poor soles repeat two weeks after.

After the peeling has stopped it's important to follow up with a moisturiser.  There's plenty of deep foot moisturisers on the market. If you are on a budget, I recommend using a good body moisturiser or baby oil that you already have. Before bed spend around 10 minutes rubbing the moisturiser in then sleep in a pair of old socks! It keeps the moisturiser sealed. 

You should now have your feet on your good side again! (before the heels come out again that is!)

Have you used any other amazing foot products? If so let me no!