Review: Tonymoly Latte Art Cappuccino Cream-in Scrub

Like other gross, disgusting people, I used to start my morning with a famous ritual: a coffee and a cigarette. While I’ve pretty much dispensed with the cigarette since I realized I’m not 100% a starving artist (yet), coffee is completely necessary. The smell of the roasted beans, the dark liquid in a nice mug…

Wait, who am I kidding? I haven’t had a good cup of coffee in literal months. I left my coffee bean grinder back at my parents’ house, along with my French press and drip. It’s been instant ever since I got back to California and yes, my tastebuds weep.

Review: Missha Gourmet Honey Butter Cream (ﾉ≧ڡ≦)

As always, I was seduced by the promise of interesting packaging and gimmicky food themes via skincare, throwing something into my online cart willy-nilly without considering what, exactly, I was purchasing. A lot of people are familiar with the current (or, maybe, it’s old news by now) South Korean trend of honey butter chips, which was like trying to buy really expensive, limited edition shoes except the shoes were potato chips. But similar to that situation, that shit was sold out everywhere — I heard stories of people buying them in bulk to re-sell for ridiculous profit, which might be exaggerated but in my heart of hearts, it’s so ridiculous that I hope it isn’t.

Review: imselene Birds Nest Aqua Sleeping Pack

God, I love sleeping packs. One of my first AB purchases ever was the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack when I read it on some random internet article, probably with some clickbait title like, “25 Cult Products You Have To Try!” I’m a sucker for lists of ‘holy grail’ products and fancy myself something of a skincare guinea pig, especially for anything moisturizing. Those first few days patting that Laneige sleeping pack into my face was revelatory: I’d never had such soft and smooth skin before in my entire life. The flaky dry patches I had been plagued with my entire life were gone, for the first time! I was a convert; I was hooked.

Review: Skinfood Deep Sea Water and Glacier Water Hydrogel Masks

If you’re into AB, you know that one of the trends (that started a billion years ago & I’m just talking about it now) has been the Next Step for sheet masks: the hydrogel mask. These babies cling to your facial contours like nothing else, letting every inch of skin get all the essence it deserves. Not only that, but pop them into the fridge, and they’re a relaxing pick-me-up in any routine.

Review: Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask (∩˃o˂∩)♡

The innisfree Jeju Island pore clay mask is one of those items that gets repeatedly mentioned around AB circles. Not necessarily that it works for every skin type — as always, YMMV — but for what it does, it does seem to work for a good chunk of people.

Review: Nature Republic Soothing & Moisture Aloe Vera 80% Emulsion

I was looking for something soothing for the summer months, where I always end up getting tanned or burned or at least a little sun irritated no matter how much I slather on sun screen (perhaps I need to go shopping for a better one?? That could very well be it). Aloe vera was the name of the game, and I picked up the Nature Republic Aloe Vera lotion because 1) I needed a light moisturizer in my routine and 2) the price was pretty darn good, iirc. Besides that, my research into my decision was admittedly minimal because I might’ve done my shopping a wee bit drunk (oops).

TesterKorea June/July Haul ✿♥‿♥✿

Another month, another haul has arrived! I put this order in after hearing about TesterKorea on my online second home, the AB subreddit (seriously, check it out; it’s such an awesome community). Mostly I was intrigued by the apparent influx of samples they were giving out. Previously stingy, suddenly generous? Of course samples are one of the best parts of online hauls (who doesn’t enjoy free stuff???) but as it turns out, it must have been a temporary thing, since I didn’t really receive any…

Review: TonyMoly Red Appletox Honey Cream ( ᐛ )وo

I fucking love honey.

Honey on my food, honey in a jar, honey in my mouth… I’ll do it all.

Review: Dabo First Solution Sheet Masks ヾ(・ω・*)ノ

I’d never heard of this company before, but while I was in Irvine checking out my cousin’s art show, I dragged my aunt to a near-by shopping plaza and there was an Asian beauty store!!! Lots of goodies, albeit with pumped-up prices — it is a business, after all. Seriously, a tub of Clean It Zero! was thirty dollars when you can get it for half that price or less online! Yikes. But they had a great variety of merchandise — I spotted Japanese, Korean, and Chinese brands, which is always nice. Nothing wrong with a little browsing. And they had a ton of sheet masks. I should have taken a picture because there were literal boxes on the floor and on top of boxes and on shelves and I wanted to bury myself in these boxes and never come out.

Review: Etude House Milk Talk Body Wash (Choco Milk)

I am a huge sucker for packaging. It’s not that I don’t know that a cute package doesn’t necessarily promise good results; it’s just that if something is any kind of adorable, I need it. Immediately. I’m pretty fucking girly, vocabulary aside. Marketing could have a field day with me; as long as something looks nice, it’s very, very hard for me to avoid purchasing (this also explains my love life). But seriously, when I saw the Etude House Milk Talk Body Wash, I nearly died. It’s a milk product! And so pretty! The novelty!!! How could I resist? I could also justify the purchase: I needed a body wash to leave at my boyfriend’s place anyways (I got really sick of smelling like Old Spice on the weekends).