K-Beauty on a Budget

Hi! I wanted to do a little quickie informative post on some skincare products I have been loving lately…from CVS of all places! I know, I know CVS isn’t as classy or cool as my fave Sephora, BUT, they have recently started featuring a really trendy Korean-Beauty section, and it is just slaying the game in the world of beauty products (and on a budget, I might add). Just goes to show that not all of the most effective products have to cost your whole paycheck. #babeonabudget

Have you dabbled in the world of K-Beauty? As a skincare obsessee, I’ve got a sheet mask for every day of the week! Korean beauty, aka K-Beauty, has been getting major hype in America for the past few years. (And honestly, it’s a trend I don’t see going away anytime soon!) If you’re not familiar, K-beauty refers to all the skincare and makeup products hailing from South Korea. They combine the best of innovative skincare technology while also paying attention to use of natural and plant-based ingredients. Plus, the products are guaranteeeed to be the cutest and most easy to recognize on the shelf- they are known for their colorful packaging and cute little cartoon shapes and graphics.

Most of the products I get are focused on acne-prone skin, calming inflammation, brightening skin tone, reducing hyper pigmentation, and a little preventative anti-aging on the side. (LOL is that everything?!) The K-Beauty section in CVS came throuuuugh, and they have a lil something for everyone. Here are some of my current faves in rotation.

Peach Slices shrink pores mask, 7 days lemon mask, 7 days aloe mask

Sheet masks are so only fun and easy to use. The fun part is that you look super creepy wearing the mask over your face (not a cute look, but maybe good for Halloween?) The easy part is that there is no mess like there is with a traditional face mask- you just throw the sheet over your face, wait 15-20 minutes, then boom, throw it away. No washing, no rinsing, no scrubbing little green flecks off your face in the sink. Whatever gel or essence is left on the skin can just be patted in for your skin to absorb the ingredients. Very efficient.

I do have a confession… I don’t really listen to the directions on the mask, so you can either do as I do, or don’t haha. I wear my sheet mask overnight. WHY you ask???

Ya wake up looking fancy fresh. Just think about it- having the mask on while you sleep, not only is your skin doing its reparative thing, but all those active hydrating, restorative, clarifying ingredients are seeping in as much as humanly possible.

The mask eventually falls off when it dries and you roll around in the night, which makes for a great scavenger hunt in the morning. I don’t find socks stuffed at the bottom of my blankets, just sheet masks haha. I do the overnight masking when my skin reaaaally needs help. Makes such a difference.

Peach Slices Acne Dots 

These are the holy grail for pimples!!! They are little transparent stickers you put on pimples overnight, and when you wake up, you take em off, and the pimple is either significantly smaller or even  completely healed! I have been super impressed by these time and time again. They are especially miraculous for those pimples that you just had to pop. NOT saying it’s good to do that, but we can’t all resist the urge every time.

A tip from an ex-popper (though I’m not immune to relapse): Before I go in to pick at anything on my face, I put a sticker over it. Not only is it preventing me from doing something I will regret, it helps the pimple to go away. Like caution tape for your face.

 Lazy & Easy Holika Holika Smooth Egg Skin Peeling Gel

This one is a bit of curve ball. It is adorable AF and that was the main reason it caught my eye. Nothing on the product is in English, except the very non-specific instructions, so I had to do some googling to get the scoop. It’s an egg gel that you use twice a week. According to the company, the eggs are from Jiri Mountain, the second tallest mountain in South Korea. I couldn’t find any reason as to why the eggs are special here, but it’s nice to know where your eggs are sourced from, I suppose. Just trust in the power of the magic mountain eggs!

Basically it is a gel/mask/exfoliating hybrid. You put it on after cleansing and drying, and as you rub it in circular motions, it literally lifts off the dead skin cells, which is both kinda gross and satisfying. Wash it off, and your skin feels smooth and looks brighter. I have seen an improvement in my post-acne hyperpigmentation from using this guy. The egg proteins help to tighten skin, lessen whiteheads and blackheads, and there is also lemon and orange extracts that help brighten the skin. There are no bad days when you start your morning with a smiley egg, am I right?

 

Have you peeped the CVS K-Beauty section? What are some of your faves? Always love to hear a product recommendation! Have a fabulous week!!

XO,

Alexandra