natjtan This months Beauty Finds edition!
Any yes, my obsession with Korean beauty products is still going strong! 
I have 4 requirements when it comes to beauty and skincare products. No animal testing, no animal ingredients I’m aware of (I eat honey, so I’m okay with honey and beeswax. Bee venom, no), free from nasty ingredients such as SLS, parabens, palm oil (I love orangutans more), petroleum or mineral oil (this one’s tricky. Some petroleum by products I accept) etc and as natural as possible ingredients. The last one’s tricky with makeup, so I get what I can. My skin type’s oily combination, neutral undertone.
August September Beauty Finds
Everyday Coconut Shampoo and Body Wash, Coconut Strawberry
It took me a few days to workout what the scent reminded me off – Jammy Dodgers! One of my favourite biscuits growing up. My sister taught me the right and only way to eat them. Peel off and eat the top layer first, nibble around the jammy bit and lastly devour the jammy biscuit bit. Any other way didn’t taste right!
Back to the body wash. I was looking for an inexpensive shower gel vs quantity vs not being filled with too much crap. I can get crap free showers gels here but they’re either expensive or smell odd. I’ve used Everyday Coconut products before, love what they stand for (helping communities in Togo where most of the ingredients are sourced) and have liked most products I’ve tried. Most products contain few ingredients, are Fair Trade, cruelty free, nasty ingredients free, gluten free, and of course packed with coconut! It isn’t a super foaming shower gel and I do have to use several squirts with a konjac sponge. You have to press the pump quite firmly which is it’s only really minus point. I’ve yet to try it as a shampoo however as a body wash, it cleans well, doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry or itchy and is super hydrating (I also follow up with a body lotion, however you can tell if a shower gel is hydrating or not even with lotion afterwards). It’s yummy smelling and I’m already on my 2nd bottle!
After watching maybe way too many Youtube make up tutorials, I purchased a Beauty Blender (does anyone else go for natural look, but loves watching all the show stopping tutorials? I’m kinda obsessed!). I was a little skeptical at first, but after 1st wear blending concealer under my eyes, I’m a devotee! It really does blend product in flawlessly (concealer depending) and make it stay on for longer. As it’s meant to be used damp, rather than run it under the tap every time I use it, I use a travel sized spray bottle filled with water and all I need is a couple of spritzes. It doesn’t increase in size as much as under the tap, but it’s enough to do the job.
The only issues I have are firstly the price, you have to be careful with nails especially when cleaning it (I somehow have half sliced the tip) and even after about 5-6 weeks of weekly cleaning, it’s still rinsing pink dye. Cons aside, I’ll purchase again!
Cosrx Aloe Soothing Sun Cream spf 50
Everybody knows the number 1 product to fight off wrinkles and ageing’s sun cream! For a few years now all, all year round I wear spf 50 on my face. This the 4th Korean facial sun cream I’ve used and so far my favourite. I apply it as the last stage of my morning skincare routine after a facial moisturiser and before applying a spf50 cushion compact. Thanks to being packed with aleo vera (5.500ppm of it, whatever that means) it’s super hydrating! It sits well under makeup, is non sticky, non tacky and doesn’t leave a white cast which some facial spf creams can. I got a few faint freckles during the summer but I didn’t burn. I have quite a few Cosrx products I love and I’m already on my 3rd bottle. Cosrx has fast become one of my favourite skin care brands.
Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar #01
I’ve recently found out Tony Moly physically sell in stores in China (which means products may have been subjected to animal testing as required by Chinese law) so I no longer like to use their products. Which is sad as I love the colour of this gloss bar! It’s kinda a hybrid between a lip balm and a gloss and for me, the perfect shade of understated pink #01 with a sherbet scent. Aside from selling in China, the only other con it doesn’t stay put for very long. Maybe a minute with the colour patchy and streaky. 
Sally’s Box Loverecipe Face Sheet Masks
I learnt from one of the sales assistants in Miin, the cheaper the sheet mask, the more it’s a basic, everyday day mask as opposed to the more expensive (occasionally read more effective) masks if you use a sheet mask once to twice a week. These are more the basic masks. I wasn’t too impressed with the broccoli, grape or strawberry ones, however the skin firming and smoothing peach mask, is my go to mask. I use it about 2-3 times a week and a more intense mask 1-2 times a week. It kinda up lifts my skin with a light peach fragrance, giving it a glow even if it’s for a few hours. I haven’t experienced any breakouts using it and as far as I know the company doesn’t test on animals. 
I got excited when I saw these in Missha however I was soon disappointed with them. Also with Missha. They say no animal testing on the packaging, but sell in China, so I no longer shop there. As for the masks, the texture was kinda thick, with the animal drawings dye making them feel coarse. There was something about them I couldn’t wait to take them off. Maybe it was the prints, the dye, the colours, the essence. The essence itself after removing the mask took a while patting to sink in. As the masks are quite thick I couldn’t tear around the nose area for the sheet to fit snug against my nose like I usually do.
Clio Kill Black Waterproof Pen Liner (Eyeliner)
The Japanese are renowned for their eyeliners and Korea for it’s innovative beauty technology. Perfect mix right? I did my research before buying and it got good reviews on sokoglam.com. Sadly I didn’t get on with it. I found the nib too long which made it hard to apply finely (always blame the tools right!) and it wasn’t waterproof aka sweat proof. It ran a little during workouts and I ended up with smudges underneath my eyes. Dips in the sea kitten flicks nearly completely disappeared. It contains a few parabens however at the time I didn’t want to pay €20 for an eyeliner from Sephora. It’s now my touch up when out eyeliner. 
Had you tired any of the above products? What’s your current beauty obsession?
OMG it’s a giraffe on the shampoo bottle
Ha Ha!