The Great Korean Skin Care Haul

Filmed the video in Korea, editted a month later in England.

Made me miss browsing skin care stores in Korea. It's always fun because almost every product in store had a tester for you to try out before buying, which was amazing. Ever since I got back I've been grimacing everytime I wanted to test a product out at Boots or Superdrug, to find out there is no tester.
The struggle is real.
Korea's skin care culture has spoiled me.

The list of products I bought in Korea/featured in this video is listed in the description box on the YT page.

Take note that most of the products were bought at a reduced price either online (Gmarket) or in store when there was a promotion. Only ever bought it at full price if I was desparate for it.

Although Korea is renowned for it's awesome cosmetics, you have to remember they won't all work beautifully on you sadly. Some Korean products will suit you, some won't. Heck, some Western products may work even better on you.

We all have different skin conditions. Often affected by our diet, genetics, environment and etc. Skin care products sold by country are often mass produced for the consumers of that respective country. 

So for Korea, there's often a higher amount of products available that cater to dry/normal skin, because most Koreans have dry skin (so I've heard from somwhere from someone). This is why Korean skin care advertising tends to always emphasise on having that "tok tok" feeling on your skin. Hydration, plump, dewy, well-moisturised skin. 

Me being a typically oil/combo skin girl, these products are not really ideal for me, but then again it doesn't hurt to give it a go. I recall being taught that oily/combo skin-type people tend to have skin that are in fact dry, hence why our skin, in response, develop more sebum and oil. So in reality, we have dry skin covered in a sheen of oil. Incoporating some products for normal/dry skin won't hurt. But don't build your skin care regime with just normal/dry skin products, have some mix and match. Anyway I'm getting off topic. So yes, I have invested in some products that are more focused on hydration - I typically use these for my night regime. But I've also managed to find products catered to us oily/combo people, which are often labeled as products for "Troubled Skin" (what a nice way to put it). I would say such products make up 30-40% of the Korean skin care market. So it's not terribly difficult to find them.

Nonetheless, from my experiences in using a multitude of Korean skin care products whilst in Korea, I've noticed the dry/normal skin care products work the best, which is no surprise really. Unfortunately for us 'troubled skin' girls Korean products aren't amazing, but decent. If you're really keen on trying out Korean products for oil/combo/acne prone skin like me, I suggest searching online for reviews first because yes Korean products can be disappointing *side eyes the Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot*

However, if you're looking into trying out some amazing hydration products, you don't need to look for reviews to be honest. Just look out for viral or online hype. If theres a sticker on the shelf where it points out that the product  is #1 on GetItBeauty or won an Allure award, get it. It's bound to make you somewhat happy. 

Some of my happy on-the-spot purchases include: 

Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner Toner
Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence

The Face Shop Chia Seed Watery Eye & Spot Essence
Nature Republic Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream
Laneige Water Sleeping Pack