Since puberty has come and gone, I have heaved a sigh of relief that my skin is no longer as erratic as it was during those tumultuous years. Most of the pimples I experience as an adult can be chalked up to bouts of pre-period hormones, purging, or product incompatibility. And because age comes with wisdom, I’ve already assembled a Dream Team of products that help manage those tricky times a little better.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any hotter (it’s currently 42 degrees outside), this week’s roundup might just up the temperature a bit more. We’ve got the tea on a newly opened skincare shop, a pineapple glow serum, and a foundation that promises ultimate hydration for this insane heat. We’ve also got a beast of a concealer and deets on the newest celebrity beauty brand. So, pour yourself a cold drink and take a sip, cause things are about to get extra hot!

Luxurious yet practical, silk has been regarded as the textile of choice for everything from loungewear to formal garb. It has a visually appealing natural sheen, a pleasant texture that is cool to the touch, and a breathability that brings comfort as well as effortless style. As it turns out, this elegant cloth has other applications, as well! Phrases like “silky smooth” and “soft as silk” show how much we associate this fabric with great skin and hair. In fact, several popular bath and body products have silk in their brand names: Cream Silk, Sunsilk, and Silka!

Snail secretion filtrate is a popular ingredient in a lot of Korean skincare. The snail’s mucin (aka, the slimy trail they leave behind) contains ingredients like hyaluronic acid and humectants, and is scientifically proven to have anti-aging benefits. It is also an ancient remedy for burns and wounds as it helps skin repair itself. Apparently, brands like AmorePacific harvest the mucin by “letting snails crawl around a mesh net in a darkened room for half an hour, and then transferred back into their natural habitat to rest.”

Since discovering the wonders of hydrating toners, my skin has actually become quite normal compared to its previously dry and dull state. I love how they’re so easy to apply and feel lightweight on my skin, so I can move on to the next step much faster. The truth is, I often just slap several layers of toner on rather than apply moisturizer after because I’m lazy like that. Since the weather has become a bit chilly, I find that I now need to apply moisturizer again. I’m so used to my easy cleanser-acid-toner routine though, so I’ve been trying to look for ways to get back to it without sacrificing hydration.

One of the reasons I enjoy watching K-dramas so much is because they give me #skingoals; both male and female actors always seem to have smooth, glowing complexions! I've always been more of a skincare addict than a makeup junkie, so the Korean beauty concept of glass skin definitely appealed to me. In a jiffy, makeup can be used to mimic the look but I wanted something that was a bit more permanent. Was it at all possible to get my skin to look like glass, without needing a K-idol budget?

Getting breakouts can be annoying but dealing with its hyperpigmented aftermath is the real headache!

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, or PIH, happens when injury or inflammation causes increased pigment production on the injured part of the skin. PIH is characterized by flat, red, brown, or even black spots on the skin, and can occur in different parts of the body. One of the common causes of these dark spots is acne, but you can also get it from other skin injuries like psoriasis or burns.

It’s been a while since I last put something on my face without thoroughly researching about it first, so when I received the Two in One Poreless Power Liquid (P990) from The Skincare Curator for review, I felt pretty lost and clueless about what I was getting into! The product is the newest drop from my fave Korean skincare brand CosRX, so there weren’t any reviews for me to reference. How do I fit it into my routine? Would it replace my existing BHA? Heck, what type of skincare product is it even? I’ve been testing it and comparing my notes with that of other reviews. Here’s what I’ve learned so far!

This is no April Fools’ joke, PV girls. This week’s roundup has got the scoop on all things beauty and it’s insanely good! From Too Faced’s epic summer-appropriate sexy kit, to BLK Cosmetics going for hallyu glam, we’ve got kits, new-ins, and a Hollywood celebrity who’s jumping on that beauty bandwagon and possibly coming out with her own makeup line! Excited? I know we are! 

As a teenager, I had extremely oily skin. I swear, I could have given all the oil wells in the Middle East a run for their money for all the excess sebum my skin would produce! In my 20’s, my skin started to normalize: no longer quite as oily but more of a combination type. When I recently hit my late 20’s though, I noticed that my skin would be itchy, red, and peeling all the time. I would apply moisturizer on the dry spots, but would have to deal with them again the following day. This left me feeling very confused. I had a nightly skincare routine but why was I still having so many problems with my skin? After doing a lot of research, I discovered that my symptoms were signs of my ceramide level slowly dropping.