Blogging about beauty has opened my eyes up to a whole host of products that would have otherwise flown under my radar, and Asian skincare is definitely one of those things. But thanks to my blogger box swap (here) and reviewing a number of Memeboxes (here) I've been able to try out a number of different products from halfway across the world, many of which I've ended up really loving! Everything is so much different to what you can find here in the UK, from the ingredients used to the packaging to the general concepts of products- it's so interesting experiencing products from a different culture and when Asian skincare is considered as some of the best in the world it's well worth trying it out if you get the chance. Up until now I've always found it difficult to get my hands on Asian beauty products, but thanks to the website AsianBeautyPlus you can products shipped right to your door in the UK. There are no crazy shipping fees, and to top it off everything on the website is a bargain too. Here's what I got!
Not only do these look hilarious when you put them on, but each animal-themed mask targets a different skin complaint. The tiger is an anti-wrinkle mask, the dragon is a soothing mask (great to take away on holiday for any potential sun burns) and the otter is a hydrating mask. I've already tried the otter and absolutely loved it, after fifteen minutes I removed the mask and wiped off the excess liquid with a cotton pad and my skin felt incredible- really soft and hydrated. I've been struggling with dryness this winter but this helped loads, and left my skin feeling so nourished and pampered. I'm looking forward to using the panda sachet which is a 'whitening' mask- whitening products are very common in Asian skincare but it's important to note what this actually means as the name often causes confusion. It definitely does not contain bleach or any other scary 'lightening' ingredients, these sheet masks for example will mostly be vitamin c which increases metabolism and rejuvenates your skin by removing improving the look of dark pores, and smoothing fine lines (so there are less shadows) which makes the skin look brighter and younger. And so in Asian skincare 'whitening' really means 'brightening' and will not lighten or damage your skin in any way. These are just 99p each, such a bargain and way better than any 99p face mask sachet you'd find on the highstreet by a long way.
Dr Morita appear to have a wide range of masks for a variety of different skin complaints, all using weird and wonderful ingredients. So far I've tried the collagen mask which performed amazingly, the sheet is really well soaked so you get a good dose of the nourishing ingredients. Collagen is great for reducing fine lines and wrinkles, and so if that's one of your skin concerns then this is definitely one to pop in your basket. The other Dr Morita mask which I'm yet to try contains snail essence- not one for the faint of heart and something I'll be saving until I'm feeling a bit braver!
I wasn't entirely sure what the name of these were as there's no english translation on the packs, however there are little diagrams on the front showing you how to use them. After looking on the site I can see the brand is called Kao, these are designed for tired eyes and can be used before sleep or naps. They give a warm sensation, but because they're dry they can be taken off without rinsing. I think this would make them ideal for use on planes and long journeys if you were going away. For me personally I think I'm going to prefer the regular sheet masks more because I feel as though they make a noticeable improvement to your skin, but I'll still give these a try.
If you're planning a girly pamper evening with friends I think these would be the perfect things to bring along, especially the animal masks because they look so funny when you put them on. The masks with some of the weirder ingredients in would be fun for people to try too, and snail essence might be a bit easier to deal with after a glass or two of wine! Personally I plan on stocking up on a variety of these ready to use throughout the year, whenever I have a specific skin complaint I can use a mask designed for that exact problem. They're inexpensive but really work, and are genuinely a lot different to the types of things you'd find here in the UK.
If you're planning a girly pamper evening with friends I think these would be the perfect things to bring along, especially the animal masks because they look so funny when you put them on. The masks with some of the weirder ingredients in would be fun for people to try too, and snail essence might be a bit easier to deal with after a glass or two of wine! Personally I plan on stocking up on a variety of these ready to use throughout the year, whenever I have a specific skin complaint I can use a mask designed for that exact problem. They're inexpensive but really work, and are genuinely a lot different to the types of things you'd find here in the UK.
Have you ever tried beauty products from Asia?
