Starting Tretinoin: 4 Asian products to help fight flakes

Tretinoin: The dreaded dry skin flake-maker that promises to eliminate our acne and smooth our wrinkles. After attempting to fight my hormonal acne with AHA, BHA, benzoyl peroxide, Voodoo, Vitamin C, and anti-androgenic birth control, I finally caved in mid-October and scheduled a dermatologist appointment to get a retinoid prescription.

Now after around two months of using Tretinoin almost every day with very very minimal of the infamous flakies, I figured I'd write a quick blog about the Asian products that helped me survive starting tret. Yes, I use a lot of Western products too, but this post is just focused on the Asian ones. No, I don't use these all at once, I mix and match as needed.

I am not a doctor (nor do a play one on a TV show. I do, however, have a background in Theatre if you're casting for one...) so please take everything I say with that in mind. And remember: your mileage may vary (YMMV).

Cupidrop, Tatcha-cha-cha, and Etsy extravaganza

I had three mini-hauls lately, one utilitarian, one frivolous indulgence, and one completely random. This is a quick overview of them all:

Cupidrop

 I placed this order with Cupidrop for three reasons:

1. I was running desperately low on oil cleanser and wanted to try something new
2. Fan-b's review of the Cosrx low pH cleanser wooed me 
3. Samples. Because every time I start browsing Cupidrop's website I start thinking about all the sweet sweet samples that came in my last order and crave moarrrrr!

So I actually didn't want the Cosrx cleanser as a face wash- I wanted it for a body wash! I have my Minon foaming cleanser for my face, but it is too hard to come by to justify using it on my acne-prone body areas. the Cosrx is a pretty large tube and a little goes a long way. I have to be careful to cleanse my back properly or else I get some nasty backne from wearing a sports bra, sweat, and general barn crud. Since some areas of my skin are especially acne prone, I decided to go with a gentle low-pH cleanser instead of a traditional body wash to help protect that skin barrier as well.

Review of A.True Violet Petal Black Tea Hydrating Moisturizer

I've been a bad bad blogger and procrastinating on well...everything. But I have an excuse! or seven... First it was practically monsoon-ing here, and all that weather craziness made my narcolepsy act up. And then I was pony-sitting!

Who would want to stay inside and blog when you could hang out with a pony like this?!

Okay, now on to the actual review:

Please excuse the shoddy attempt at cleaning up the cellphone camera image. Also. I've used about twice this amount since I took this picture...

Product: Violet Petal Black Tea Hydrating Moisturizer
Brand: A.True
Purchased: Cupidrop.com for $26 (not an affiliate link)
CosDNA Link

Intro:
I bought this because I was going mad looking for a daytime moisturizer that was just enough but not too much. My skin is combination, leaning towards oily slightly, and kinda rides the edge of being "almost dehydrated" due to my weirdass medications. Previously I had been using Innisfree Green Tea Balancing Moisturizer, but since I started using more actives it slid over to being not hydrating enough for my poor skin. I needed a moisturizer that packed a stronger punch, but didn't leave me greasy or dewy. Sorry guys, I know the dewy look is hip in Korea, but in the American south people just think you're overly sweaty. What sold me on trying the Violet Petal was the description on Cupidrop's page of it being "velvety" and "fresh". Spoiler: I don't regret buying it.

Good sized bottle.

Packaging:
I love love love love deep breath love LOVE A.True packaging. It's just so clean and pretty. The bottle is a very solid frosted plastic that seems like it would hold up very well with use. I mean, I haven't chucked it around much to test, so don't go punting it against a brick wall to see and then go blaming me if it breaks. The pump seems like it is very good quality and dispenses a lot of product when pressed all the way down. Thankfully, it is very easy to just lightly depress it and get out small dollops of moisturizer.

It's a pump nozzle. It works. Quite well, actually.

Smell:
Kinda like violets with a hint of tea perfume? Floral and vaguely sweet? I'm pretty bad at describing scents. It smells nice, okay?! It is definitely fragrant, but not the type of smacks-you-in-the-face smell that Innisfree products have. It is a ladylike scent, which I think goes with their "A True Lady" marketing.

One pump. Kinda looks like an upside-down heart. Or a cock & balls. Depends on how you look at it, I guess.

  Performance:
A.True promises a fresh and velvety moisturizer, and they deliver. There's nothing super special in the Violet Petal moisturizer. It doesn't whiten. It doesn't exfoliate. No anti-aging miracles. It only claims to moisturize effectively without making your skin too oily, which is exactly what it does for me.

The A.true Violet Petal moisturizer is of medium to slightly thin consistency. It feels almost closer to a cream than a proper emulsion. It spreads easily and dries quite quickly. When it is dried, you can still feel it slightly on the surface of you skin, but it isn't a sticky gross feeling. It really does feel velvety soft and hydrated. I felt like my face maintained a good balance of hydration throughout the day, and I had no problems applying sunscreen/makeup over top of it. People with dry skin might like this in combination with another emulsion or stronger cream to add an extra bit of umph. I sometimes use it beneath my night cream when the air conditioner is running high and drying me out. Did I mention that it actually does make my face feel kinda velvety? Seriously, I'm really happy about this.

Rebuy? Yes. I will still keep looking and sampling other day moisturizers (it never ends...), but unless I find something even more awesome before I finish this bottle I will 100% rebuy the Violet Petal Black Tea moisturizer.

I bought this product with my own money, yo. Feel free to leave Questions, Comments, & Casual Insults below.

September 2015 Mishibox

September is almost over and I'm just now getting around to posting about this month's Mishibox. I will own up to this lack of posting being due to sheer laziness rather than being busy or exceptionally ill.

While you all ooo and ahhh at my stellar photography skills.

The Great Pink Bunny ships consistently around the second week or so of the month (I don't remember the exact date, but they update you and really are on the ball regarding all that stuff), and arrived safe and sound to my house after only two days.

Products 1 & 2: Cleomee Snowy Pore Balm and Donkey Real Milk Oil Mask

The pore balm appears to be somewhat of a skin conditioner and makeup primer. It has donkey milk and donkey oil in it, and promises to "minimize the appearance of your pores and fine lines, brightens skin, neutralizes redness, and evens out uneven skin tone." as well as control excessive sebum production in oily skin. The sheet mask contains some amazing ingredients: donkey oil, donkey milk, Centella Asiatica extract, niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, and other lovely things.

Sadly I cannot use either of these products, as I do not use horse nor donkey oil. Donkey/Horse oil is extracted from the fat of the animal slaughtered for other purposes (usually consumption), and I'm just too close to equids to be able to use those products without getting squeamish. I wish they just had donkey milk in them instead of milk AND oil.

However, I do not fault anyone for using these ingredients! They are wonderful skin conditioners that have done amazing things for so many people! If you have no personal issues with donkey/horse oil, these would be total win products. I already have promised mine to a good friend who is excited to try them.

Products 3 & 4: Holika Holika Nail Polish and Skylake Silk Cocoon Hair Conditioner (bonus free sticker!)

The Holika Holika nail polish came in four different color options pulled from the 2015 Spring/Summer collection, all being almost-neon level brights. The one I received is Pink Blossom, a very bright pink shade. Too bad I abhor pink. That is really just bad luck on my part! This one will be handed over to my older sister who also loves Korean beauty products (and does her nails often).

The hair conditioner from Skylake is based on traditional Korean herbal ingredients, so it has a very interesting smell that some might not like. I like it, though, so it is a keeper. This conditioner does contain two silicone ingredients, which is something that I try to avoid in my haircare products, but the mini size amount means that using it sparingly won't take forever to empty it like a full sized bottle would.

Pardon the dust from the packing material that I didn't bother to wipe off.

Products 5 & 6: Magis Lene Cell Precieux Toner and Emulsion (bonus serum and cream foil packets)

These are the types of products that I like getting samples sizes of: really expensive shit that I could never afford to try otherwise. The toner and emulsion run between $65-70 each, while the serum retails for $135 and the cream for $170. I like that there are two little samples foils of the mega-expensive serum and cream thrown in. They aren't counted as products, but it just feels like a little extra to play with. All of these products are based on traditional Korean ingredients (hanbang) like the Skylake conditioner, and have ingredients lists almost a mile long. I'm really excited to try these. I still giggle like a schoolgirl when I look at them.


Closing Thoughts:

I felt like this box was really well put together. It had a mix of high end and affordable products, some good full sizes things, and very interesting samples. Even though a lot of these products were a personal miss for me, objectively it was an awesome box. There was haircare, skincare, and cosmetics (the pore balm has both cosmetic and skincare uses) in good balance. After having three months of Mishibox I feel like this subscription would be good for both newcomers to the Asian Beauty scene as well as people who already have a stock of stuff on hand, as they send a good mix of unusual brands and more common ones.

Sadly, I had to cancel my Mishibox after this one. Not because I dislike the box, but because of a lack of funds! My subscription box budget is being taken up by other things (like needing new riding boots), and being unable to have a real job and only able to make cash doing odd jobs for other barns and babysitting doesn't exactly lead to an overflowing bank account. Hopefully I will be able to re-subscribe one day!

Mishibox purchased with my own money. Please feel free to leave Questions, Comments, & Casual Insults below.

TesterKorea: More Cushion for the Pushin'

At what point does an order become a "haul"? One product is clearly just a purchase, but what about two? Three? Five? Where is the line between "just grabbing a few things" end and "haul" begin? Yes, these are the things I think about as I'm falling asleep at night. I'm totally serious here; please leave me comments with your opinion on this dire matter.

In other news: I had an order come in from TesterKorea. I had intended this to be a basic restock of my Innisfree Soybean Energy Essence samples, but it kinda expanded by two more items. I like the Innisfree soybean essence, but I'm not sure if I like like it enough to buy 150mL worth of it. My face seems to like it enough right now, but my hormonal acne-prone skin changes its mind more frequently than my cat. If you have a cat, you know what I'm talking about here.

Bad camera + bad lighting + apathy = this photo

So into my basket went four more 4mL samples of the essence. And then I added Urban Dollkiss's Velvety Skin Triple BB Cream miniature. It is only 10mL and pretty cheap, so I figured that if the color looked like shit on my face it was no big loss.

And then I stumbled upon it. The cushion. MY cushion. It called my name.

You see, I'm not one for cutesy. Every now and then it is okay, but usually no thank you. I hate pink. I hate bows and girly. I was a goth in high school. I still own corsets, leather, and stilettos. My spirit animal is a Dominatrix. This doesn't quite mesh well with the Asian Beauty aesthetic, because a lot of that stuff leans toward the girly side. I might not be able to find a sexy goth cushion, but a sexy Pin-Up Girl cushion? Oh yeah!

Her book title is "Study Hard: Don't be Stupid"

Urban Dollkiss City Propolis Cushion. I couldn't find any reviews. I had no idea what the color, finish, longevity, or anything was. Would it match my NC/W15 skin? Who cares!

Yep, I bought it for the case. I figured that if it didn't work out, I could use it as a really thick and inconvenient purse mirror.

that thing in the edge of the mirror is my knee and ripped jeans

I haven't time to play with the cushion or the BB cream mini, as life has been pretty hectic (soo...I'm on antibiotics now...) but I was planning on photographing a swatch of the cushion on my arm. Well that didn't work...because it blends in so well with my arm that you can't fucking see the swatch. So uhhhh...I'll get back to you on a review of it!

Apparently TesterKorea is doing a promotional thingy where they send you a packet of free samples if your order price is higher than a certain amount. Mine was slightly under, but I still got the free samples. Odd, since TK is pretty well known for not doing the whole free sample thing.

Free stuff? No complaints here!

Okay so I'm going to hit the hay because I have a 7AM date with this lovely lady tomorrow:

Hay/horses...get it? Hahaha...oh I need sleep....

Please feel free to leave Questions, Comments, and Casual Insults below. I apologize for typos, I'm a sleepy narcoleptic, yo!

Shop Review: Cupidrop

This is going to be a very brief review of the US-based Korean Beauty online retailer Cupidrop since I have heard people recently ask about their reliability.

From my Instagram yo: UnlacedDreams

Shop Name: Cupidrop

Ordering & Shipping:
   The Cupidrop website is easy to use and the payment secure. I had previously received a code for 15% of my first order when I joined their mailing list, which is what finally made me pull the trigger and make an order with them. I placed my order late on a Friday night, received an email with a pre-shipping tracking number on Saturday, and my package finally shipped out with USPS Priority Mail on Monday from New York. Because my order was over $50, shipping was free! Priority mail took 3 days to get down the east coast, which I find pretty standard for where I live.

Packaging:
   This is what I really regret not taking pictures of: how amazingly well the Cupidrop box was secured. The box was damn near encased in custom-made tape with the word "Cupidrop" printed on it. Custom tape? Okay, color me impressed. Inside the box, each item was individually bubble-wrapped and secured with more custom tape. I could have thrown the box out of a moving vehicle and the products would have survived unscathed, they were that securely packaged.

Products Purchased:
   I intend to review these at a later date, so I won't dedicate time to discussing them here

• A.True Real Black Tea True Active CC cushion in 01
• A.True Violet Petal Black Tea Hydrating Moisturizer
• A.True Real Black Tea True Active Mask (x3)

Free Samples:

• Kicho Sheep Oil Cream
• Kicho Phyto Natural Refreshing Toner
• Kicho Phyto Natural Total Essence
• Cosrx Advanced Snail all-in-one Cream
• Cosrx Aloe Vera oil-free Moisture Cream
• Cosrx Natural BHA Skin Returning Emulsion
• A.True Violet Petal Black Tea Hydrating Toner
• A.True Black Tea All Day Aqua Sun Gel
• A.True White Snow Tea Brilliant Aurora Cream
• A.True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Cream

Overall:

   The prices were reasonable, the shipping was fast, the packaging perfect, and the samples plentiful. What more could you ask for from a K-Beauty retailer? Cupidrop doesn't have a huge selection at the moment, but what they have is good quality and hopefully they will expand their product offerings in the future. Would I buy from them again? Yes, yes, and YES! They have officially become my favorite US-based shop for skincare products, no doubts about that.

*I have no affiliation with Cupidrop and I paid for all this stuff myself*

Mishibox August 2015 Review

This is my second Mishibox, and the second "official" Mishibox (not counting the pre-launch one). I reviewed the first one here and was quite excited to see what box #2 was going to offer up. I'm sorry that the photos aren't all snazzy, I'm not a photographer and usually limited to using my camera phone.

Happy pink box arrives!

Mask Monday: Naisture Tea Tree sheet mask

Brand: Naisture
Flavor: Tea Tree
Where Purchased: Marshalls (USA)
Cost: $4.99/5 pack
CosDNA Link

Fit: The eye, nose, and mouth holes are quite large. I especially appreciated the size of the eye holes, because I often have to rip sheet masks so that I don't get essence in my eyes. The nose hole was fairly large, but the part of the mast designed to cover the nose didn't extend down to the tip of mine (but my nose isn't exactly dainty). The sheet seems to be a bit heavier and more solid, and the chin and jaw area of the mask is a bit too wide. It doesn't extend down nearly as far under the chin as I'd like, and it is so wide that there are very large wrinkles around the side when I press it to my face.

Essence: The essence is slightly transparent milky white (probably from shea butter) and can be a bit sticky even after it as dried down. It contains scutellaria baicalensis root extract, which is a proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, as well as the requisite tea tree extract and tea tree oil. They've thrown glycolic acid in there, but it's down at the bottom so I don't really know how much good the AHA is doing.

Scent: I always address scent because I know some people can be sensitive to it. This mask has the strong green "chemically" smell of tea tree. There is added fragrance listed as an ingredient, too.

Verdict: I actually really like Naisture's tea tree mask, even though I feel like it leaves a stickier layer of residue after using it than most other masks. Keep that in mind if you have very thin essences, use them before using this mask. The eye holes being larger are awesome, and I think about them every time I use a My Beauty Diary mask and have to rip both sides of the tiny eyes to keep myself from being blinded by serum. I especially like the $1/mask price that my Marshalls tends to have them for.

Memebox sale insanity haul

   Memebox had a flash summer sale last weekend and I managed to snag a few heavily discounted items from the chaos and scramble. It wasn't easy; the goal was to make $30 minimum so that I would qualify for free shipping, but every time I went to check out, half my cart would already be sold out! Finally made the cut off at $31 and checked out. A day later I get an email that one of the masks I purchased, a TonyMoly Red Wine sheet mask, was oversold and they needed to refund me the cost of the mask ($1), plus an extra $5 for an apology. Didn't bother me any, it made my grand total $25 and I still got free shipping. All of these products are completely new to me except for the Innisfree cream, as I had a sample of it previously that I enjoyed.

Holika Holika Penguin's Dream hand cream: $3
Innisfree Orchid Enriched Cream: $10 (I like to think it was actually $5 due to the apology discount Memebox gave me!)

Botanic Farms Polar Energy Camel Milk hydrogel mask (x3): $1 each, so $3
Naexy Genius Pore Tightening mask: $1
Naexy Genius Lifting mask: $1

Leaders Insolution Coconut Gel Moisturizing Recovery mask (x4): $1 each, so $4
Leaders Insolution Coconut Gel Lifting Recovery mask (x4): $1 each, so $4

Mediheal Dress Code mask (Violet, Tone-up): $1
Skin79 Honey Moisture mask: $1
TonyMoly I'm Real Pomegranate mask: $1
Etude House Mango mask: $1

Innisfree Eco Safety Perfect Waterproof Sunblock SPF50+ PA+++ Review

   My quest for the perfect waterproof sunscreen for horseback riding has come to an end. When I purchased the Innisfree Extreme Safety 60 sun gel that I reviewed previously, I received a free deluxe sample of the Innisfree Eco Safety Perfect Waterproof Sunblock SPF50+ PA+++, that I promptly cast aside and ignored.

   That is until another Asian Beauty loving equestrian pointed out the sunblock on Innisfree's website and I told her that I'd try my sample and tell her if it was good for barn work. Basically we wanted a sunscreen that was very sweat resistant that dried matte/non-sticky so horse fur and barn dust wouldn't stick to our faces. Innisfree delivered.

A tiny TesterKorea haul

Shop: TesterKorea

Date Ordered: July 4, 2015

Date Shipped: July 8, 2015

Date Received: July 20th, 2015

July 2015 Mishibox

   So I signed up for Mishibox in a drunken internet-fest one night. Not that I regret it, really, I just needed to be drunk to convince myself to take the final step and actually go for a subscription box. Its a weird thing to have anxiety about, the simple act of getting a cancel-at-any-time subscription to skincare/makeup/whatever, but for me taking that first plunge was kinda like going on a date for the first time.

Internal Monologue: "Is this the right thing to do? Maybe I should wait it out, get to know the box a little better (Mishibox is a new box, could go any direction), and save myself the pain of rejection lost money of getting a subscription that I really didn't like."

   Sometimes I really overthink things, guys.

But I did it. I signed up for my first subscription box and it is the little newcomer Korean beauty box called Mishibox. My first box shipped on July 21st as promised and arrived in my mailbox on July 23rd.

Behold! Mishibox!