Winter Skin Rescue

So how is your mid-winter skin doing?
For most of us January means dry, sensitive skin. Thanks to the colder weather, central heating and biting winds, the complexion gets dull and loses both luminosity and clarity.

Which means you need a strong game plan if you want to maintain or retrieve gorgeous skin.

Korean-skin-Care

I am a huge fan of Korean skin care and the concept of layering these amazing products. (Learn about it here: How To Layer Your Skin Care, Korean Style). Using these super high performance (and very inexpensive!) products has completely changed my skin. Depending on what is going on with my skin I can address it by changing just one product in the sequence, or adding in something new. 

Skin-Essence-Skin-Ampoule

The Essence

Korean women consider this to be the most important step. What it does is speed the cell turnover rate, which makes skin smoother and brighter. Essence provides multiple intensive ingredients in just a single drop, and takes them deep deep into the skin where they go to work. You apply essence before your moisturizer.

Korean-Skin-Essence
Innisfree Jeju Sparkling Mineral Essence

I just changed my essence to Innisfree Sparkling Jeju Essence
icon. This one is made with thermal water infused with minerals that heal the skin from the inside out. The mousse formulation is super rich in nutrients, keeping the skin hydrated and healthy, and is the perfect way to protect winter skin. 


The Ampoule

The Ampoule is like a super condensed version of the essence. You can use ampoules to target specific skin issues – dry skin, clogged pores, uneven skin tone, excess oil – whatever the condition you want to treat there is an Ampoule or serum for it.

Another thing I recently added in (which has been a lifesaver!) is 
the Propolis Light Ampoule by Cosrx
icon

Korean-Skin-Care-Ampoule
Propolis Light Ampule

Bee propolis is a natural antibiotic which gives extra hydration while it cures skin and soothes irritation. You will notice dryness disappears and skin gets radiant almost immediately.
You only use a small drop of the ampoule, and massage it into the skin after the essence and before the moisturizer. I’ve been using this one for a few months now and love it.

I order all my Korean skin care products through Memebox.com
icon

Each time I place an order I order extra sheet masks. They are super inexpensive, and quick and easy to use.
I change them up based on what my skin needs. This time I ordered Botanical Mask Packs in Rose and in Aloe

Facial-Sheet-Masks

Have you tried any Korean skin care products yet?

Tell me which products you have tried and if you loved them or not, in the comment section below.

xo

Memebox Black Friday Deals!

I am obsessed with Korean skin care.

Korean skin care and cosmetics are world renowned for their unprecedented quality. South Korea is at the very forefront of cutting edge technology in skin care products, and their research and development. 
What this means to you and me is that we get the most technologically advanced, most high performance products from Korea.
You and I can’t necessarily pop in to one of the many, many skin care emporiums lining the streets of Seoul, but we can order them online from Palo Alto based Memebox.

Memebox is the leading Korean beauty retailer, carrying curated boxes & individual items

Through Memebox Korean skin care is entirely affordable, much more so than even the most mediocre skin care sold in department stores. So you get to save money while you get extreme quality, look younger and have firmer, clearer skin. Win win win!

Korean girls are makeup obsessed too, so through Memebox you can order the fabulous makeup products that they use, either buying pieces individually or through their fun pre-made boxes.

I have a big order ready to place for myself, but I’m waiting for Black Friday to place it because they have amazing deals happening with discounts up to 80% off!

For the first time this year Memebox is offering Vault boxes in their Black Friday sale. Vault boxes are larger than the regular boxes (they contain 16 items) and contain some of the most popular products. There will be two types of vault boxes, each massively discounted at 60% off.
One will have makeup and skin care and a retail value of $363, but will be on sale for $149!!

Memebox-Vault-Skin-care-makeup-box

The other is the K-beauty makeup box, valued at $195 and will be on sale for just $79!

Memebox K-Beauty-Vault-Box

Other Black Friday specials include 

* A year of masks bundle that has 100 of their best and most popular masks at 70% off. You pay only $79 for a $302 value.

* There will be four days of doorbusters with new batches of products released every 12 hours, including plenty of their best sellers. These will be at 80% discount while stocks last.

* Masks will be buy one get one free during the Black Friday promotions.

Get the Korean beauty secrets everyone’s raving about at Memebox.com

If you have shopped with Memebox before you will know that supplies run out fast, so you will need to get in quickly.

For more info on buying and using Korean skin care products check out my post from May 2015, West Face East.
This will explain the order you use products in, and also some of the product categories that aren’t well known in America yet, such as emulsions, ampoules and essences.

Check out the Memebox website Here

Six Simple Steps To Sensational Skin For Fall ~ Beauty Tip Of The Week # 31

Skin-Care-Steps-For-Fall
image by Kelly Cappelli, makeup by Corinna Cooke, hair by Will Zecco

I hold on to summer until the last possible minute. I live in sunshine drenched Phoenix, which definitely makes it easier, but even out here eventually fall arrives.

Wherever it is that you are living, the transition from summer to fall to winter can be really taxing on your skin.
Your skin dries out, gets sensitive (and sometimes raw and red), it loses it’s glow and become lifeless and dull as well as pale and almost grey.
Before you get crazy trying to infuse vibrancy back into your complexion with highlighters and bronzers, before you smother your skin in heavy foundation, check out these six simple steps to sensational skin for fall.

1. Change Your Cleanser.

If you use a foaming or lathering “face wash” style cleanser try changing it to a gentle cleansing milk, or even better try my personal favorite, an oil cleanser.

Try Malin and Goetz Facial Cleansing Oil from SpaceNK

Facial-Cleansing-Oil
Malin and Goetz Facial Cleansing Oil

2. Exfoliate

With the hot months well behind us it’s time for a gentle exfoliation to get rid of all of the debris summer left on the surface of your skin, and to clear away the lingering dead cells.
Personally I am not a fan of scrub type products. I always think they create a cycle of scratched, rough skin, so instead I use enzyme peels to exfoliate and give my skin an absolutely unbelievable glow. One of my favorites is Philosophy‘s incredibly affordable The Microdelivery one minute purifying enzyme peel.

Enzyme-Peels
The Microdelivery by Philosophy

3. Add A Serum

Serums are a super important step in the road to glorious, youthful, radiant skin. You apply serum after cleansing and before moisturizing. They tend to be very concentrated so you only need a very small amount.
Think of serum as being a super sonic skin booster that goes extra deep and works at the ultimate performance level. 
My favorite serum, the absolute Holy Grail of serums, is Japanese luxury brand Tatcha‘s amazing Radiant Brightening Serum. My movie star clients’ eyes light up the moment they see it on my makeup table because they know their skin is going to look like magic.

Tatcha’s magnificent Radiant Deep Brightening Serum

 

4. Add Daytime Protection

At night we replenish and rejuvenate the skin, but during the day we need to focus on protecting the skin both from dehydration and from the ravages of exposure to environmental pollutants. One of the ways to do this is by adding an ampoule.
Ampoules can be used at night in conjunction with your serum, and they can be used during the day underneath your moisturizer. 
The Cosrx Propolis Light Ampule contains bee propolis which super hydrates and protects your skin. It also acts like a natural antibiotic, clearing up skin irritation. 

Cosrx-Propolis
Cosrx Propolis Light Ampule

5. Layer Your Hydration Products

I love the K Beauty concept of layering multiple skin care products, especially hydration products. If your skin is starting to feel the drying effects of winter weather try the Korean skin care routine of layering your first night time moisturizer, an emulsion, over your serum and then sealing it all in with a sleeping pack.
I have been using the Holika Holika Black Caviar Emulsion as my moisturizer and then layer over top the SNP Gold Collagen Sleeping Pack  (both available online at Memebox), which seals all the skin care products in.
Sounds like a lot? Check out my post about How To Layer Your Skin Care Korean Style. Sleeping packs don’t feel heavy. They just feel like a regular night cream.

Holika-Holika-Black-Caviar
Holika Holika Black Caviar Emulsion
SNP-Sleeping-Pack
SNP Gold Collagen Sleeping Pack

6. Add In A Brightening Mask

Sheet masks are a quick an effective way to brighten dull skin.
Every week or two use a sheet mask like the Elisha Coy Natural pearl Mask available online at Memebox

Elisha-Coy-Masks
Elisha Coy Natural Pearl Mask

Verified by ExactMetrics