I'm back at my home in Taichung, Taiwan after a week long trip to Hong Kong. I traveled there with my husband Sunny to visit family and experience what the city had to offer. I did not come away disappointed. With giant shopping centers at basically every MTR stop, its not difficult to find yourself in a whirlwind of products and potions. I even came across an entire shopping mall completely dedicated to makeup and skincare counters. They had all the global beauty brands and more, but I was on the hunt for smaller, local brands that I hadn't heard of before. I was able to get some recommendations from a few local beauty professionals and came away with the products you see pictured above. I'll give a short review of each product, pricing in US Dollars, and where you can purchase.
Skin Care
-TONYMOLY Panda's Dream Eye Patch. about $1.50 for one packet. Available on Amazon.com globally. If you live in Asia, you can find this product at Sasa or Watson's. (Made in Korea)
These are my favorite kinds of products, the ones that have quirky packaging, easy use, inexpensive, and instant results. It's also a plus if the product makes you look like a panda while you're using it. Don't worry, this one does. On clean skin, you rest these black, oval shaped gel eye patches over your under eyes and eyelids for 10-20 minutes. I left mine on for about 20. After removing, there was a little gel residue left over but it wasn't sticky and I just massaged it in to the skin. I tend to have some puffiness under my eyes, and I noticed right away the puffiness was relieved. It also made the fine lines under my eyes less noticeable and skin seemed more supple. The fragrance is also very subtle and nice. I actually liked this eye mask a lot. I probably wouldn't use it every day because of the time commitment, but this is the perfect solution to prep your skin for a special event or for a mini-spa experience to unwind. Little Tip: Throw it in the fridge for 10 or 15 minutes before use for some extra de-puffing action.
-TONYMOLY Egg Pore Yolk Primer. around $15 USD. Sold online at urban outfitters. Available in Asia at Watson's and Sasa. (Made in Korea)
A mattifying, smoothing, pre-makeup primer. It's supposed to have the texture of an egg yolk, which is not exactly a turn on to me, but whatever, it's smoothing and I still like it in spite of its eggy-ness. It really does smooth out the appearance of pores, texture, and fine lines. I've had smoothing primers in the past that had a tendency to roll, or ball up when you apply foundation over them, but this primer seems to stay put. It's also paraben free, has a nice smell, and gives the skin a silky texture without over-drying. Definitely a must for those who have combination/oily skin or uneven skin texture.
- Naris Up Parasola Essence UV Cut Spray SPF 50. $8 USD. Available on Amazon.com. At Log On in Hong Kong/China. (Made in Japan)
Kind of a unique name for this product. The packaging is all in Japanese so I didn't initially know what the brand was, but Sunny helped me to look it up online so here we are. This is a light-weight mist on sun protection spray. It's in aerosol form so it may not be available in some places. My favorite thing about this spray is how light it is on the skin and over makeup. A problem I run into with sun protection is that you need to reapply it on an hourly basis. However, if you're wearing makeup, it makes it difficult to reapply cream sunblock and sprays can leave your skin feeling greasy. I tried this out when I was at the beach in Hong Kong and it didn't get greasy or sticky at all, even in 85 degrees and high humidity. That is impressive in my book. The can also sprays while upside down so you can still cover hard to reach areas. This might be my favorite product I picked up in Hong Kong.
Makeup
-Dr. G Hydra Intensive Blemish Balm SPF 30. About $35 USD. I could only find this at Sasa in HK. It's available at Sasa.com. (Made in Korea)
I am very much a BB Cream kind of girl. I love the one step, the medium coverage, the 'no-makeup' makeup, the hydration, the sun protection. And this BB cream just took it to the next level. Kiu Kiu, my sales girl/goddess in HK suggested this product and told me it's the most popular BB cream in Asia. That is quite a statement seeing how this is the place BB cream was invented and people here have a nearly impossible standard to meet when it comes to a good BB. After trying it out, I think she might actually be right. It ticked all of my boxes for a great BB cream as well as an extra bonus for giving a very pretty dewy glow without looking sparkly or oily. It glides on to the skin very smoothly, and easily blends in. I recommend applying with a densely bristled foundation brush or using the finger tips. It also contains hydrating and anti-aging ingredients which no one hates. The only negative side I see of this product is that it only comes in one shade, which kind of works in Asia, but won't match lightest and deepest skin tones in other parts of the world.
-BEYOND Angel Aqua Moisture CC Cream SPF 25. About $20 USD. Available online. I bought mine at Sasa in HK. (Made in Korea)
I know I just reviewed a BB cream, but I wanted to share this CC cream as well because it's at a lower price point and caters to different skin needs. Not as tailored to aging skin concerns as the previous BB cream, I would recommend this product for those who have dry, dull skin. It's a water based product so it's gentle on the skin but also contains ingredients that help the skin retain moisture and give it suppleness. The color looks grey with little flecks of peach when you squeeze it out of the bottle, but as you massage it on to the skin, it color adjusts to match the wearers skin. Again, this product only comes in one shade (kind of a common occurance with BB and CC creams made in Asia) so it won't match deeper skin tones. My favorite thing about this CC cream is the texture. It doesn't even feel like you're wearing makeup. The coverage is definitely there as well. If you like a more made up look, I would suggest using this product as your base and applying a fuller coverage foundation or powder over top. If you like a more natural look (I do almost every day), this can easily be worn alone.
finally
-Y.E.T Very Merry Lip Tint in Orange Flower. Under $10 USD. Purchased from Log ON. Available on Amazon.com. (Made in Korea)
If you're into Korean Pop (K-Pop) or Korean TV Dramas (confession time: I'm obsessed with both), you have seen the very popular gradient lip look that so many stars wear. For those of you who don't spend your spare time getting lost in the world of Korean pop culture, the gradient lip is a very girlish, natural looking stained lip. Like this:
I've been wanting to try a few variations of this look but I only had a few Benefit tints (which I also love) and I needed some more color variety. It also doesn't hurt that this product in under $10 USD. This Y.E.T brand lip stain stays on very well, doesn't over dry the lips, and is easy to apply. It can be tricky to choose your color because the color you see in the bottle is not what you get when you swatch. The texture is very liquid-y but it goes on quite sheer. As with most lip and cheek stains, you need to work quickly with this product because it will set and stain just a few moments after you apply it. (If you're not sure how to use lip stains or want to learn how to do the Korean gradient lip look, I'll be creating a step-by-step tutorial soon). Overall, I'm happy with this stain and will purchase more colors in the future.
Ok, that was a lot of information for a 'mini-review' but if you're curious about Asian beauty products, or just trying something new, I hope it provided a bit of insight. If you have any additional questions about these products or general inquiries feel free to reach out to me at my email pluckycharm@gmail.com or through any of the social media platforms listed in the banner to the right.
Thanks! 谢谢！！
-Riley
