Skinfood Black Sugar Mask Wash Off

What is it for?

An exfoliating mask that keeps skin hydrated

Active Ingredients:

Black sugar sourced from Brazil

To look at the full list of ingredients, its function for each, and its safety/irritant levels go ahead and click on this website: http://cosdna.com/eng/cosmetic_8d1f106766.html

Directions:

1. Take a pea size to half teaspoon amount.
2. Gently massage onto dampened skin, avoiding eyes and lips.
3. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes.
4. Rinse off with lukewarm water.

Review:

The packaging for this product is a very simple white exterior with cardboard-esque labeling. I'd classify it as a mixture of a rustic/hipster kind of feel. There is 100g of product and I bought this online for about $9. There is no spatula that comes with the product, which as always can be slightly unhygienic because you're dipping your fingers into the product.

Skin Food Black Sugar Packaging

Skin Food Black Sugar Packaging

The scrub is brown  and filled with sugar granules. I find the scent very pleasant. It smells of a sweet mixture of delicious honey and lemongrass. The product is slightly thick and goopy straight from the packaging, so I often use a little bit of water to soften it before putting on my face. I also like to use water to slightly dissolve the sugar granules because  personally for me, I feel it can be a bit too rough when putting it directly on my face.  I love the fact you can adjust/customize how strong of a mechanical exfoliation you want by using water.

Black Sugar

Black Sugar Directly from Package

Black Sugar smoothed out

I use this mostly as an exfoliator and rarely leave this on as a rinse off mask. I use this about 1-2x a week.  It's an effective exfoliator without being super harsh or stripping of my skin. After each use, my skin feels a lot smoother and softer. I find that this has definitely help my skin with texture and dullness.

It's a great product to have in your skin care regimen, I highly recommend it and will continue to repurchase and use this product.

Overall:

Pros:	Cons:
*Effective exfoliator *Does not strip skin *Smells great *Inexpensive	*Can be unhygienic due to constantly dipping fingers into product

DISCLAIMER:

Just wanted to note that the products I review are all purchased with my own money, unless I state otherwise. If you do use any of these products, please do so at your discretion as the results will vary depending on the person and their skin type.  I am in no way responsible for the results or outcome if you decide to try any of the products I recommend. These reviews are my 100% honest thoughts. Please don't be offended if I didn't like a product that you happen to love. What may work or not work for me, may be totally different from you.

Shopping at Myeongdong

This post is going to be about my experience and tips for shopping at Myeongdong! As stated in my Haul from Korea post, I went on a trip which included a 6-day stay in Korea! (I also went to Taiwan and Japan, where I hauled some other things, but that will be for another post!)

For those of you who don't know, Myeongdong is one of Seoul's main shopping districts. There are a TON of stores that include food, fashion, cosmetics, and skin care.

There are so many stores, it's a Kbeauty enthusiast's dream!

I live in California and typically buy Kbeauty stuff online.  So, it was a dream come true for a Kbeauty enthusiast like me to walk among these streets and get an opportunity to shop in these stores.

I only had enough time for about 2 hours of shopping (due to time constraints). Since I was short on time, I was speeding fast through the stores, so I couldn't vlog or document my entire shopping experience for my blog like I was originally planning to do.

Anyways, here are my notes and tips from my own experience:

1. Do you research ahead of time

There are SO many stores and products. It is very easy to get overwhelmed by it. My suggestion is to research ahead of time on the products that you are most interested in buying. Of course, buy what you like if you see it. But if I were to do it again, I would have made a list and taken my time browsing. There were definitely things I wish I could've or forgot to buy AFTER I came back home…so research and make a list!

2. Create a budget and save for it 

Things add up fast! There are SO many cute things from every direction and you will want to BUY THEM ALL. I literally wanted to put everything in my cart for each store I visited. It's very easy to get carried away and spend way too much.  So create a budget and save for it.

3. Talk to the sale associates

I was very pleasantly surprised about the sale associates. They were all very friendly, made me feel comfortable, and some of them were able to communicate with me. Being in another country, you can't assume that everyone can speak English. However, SOME (not all) of the sale associates can speak a few languages, including English. When I had any questions or concerns,  they were there to help me or point me in the right direction. They're knowledgeable and can make the right recommendations for your skin type and skin concerns. They also know what types of sales or promotions the store is currently having, which brings me to the next tip…

4. Pay attention to the deals/promos/sales

There are always some sort promotion or sale going on. If you are unsure, you can ask the sale associates. Some of the deals or sales can be a reduction of prices, buy one get one free, or packaged bundles at a lower cost. For example, I made purchases on some sheet masks, and I was able to get another set for free. It can definitely be more cost effective to buy the things that are on special.

Buy one get one free

5. Samples/Goodies

You will take a TON of samples home. There will be two ways of getting samples. The first one will be  when you're walking through the streets. As you walk by the stores, there will be people handing out free samples to you. Just a warning, this is the way they try to get you to come into the store. As soon as you grab the sample, the person will hand you a basket and usher you into the store. However, you are NOT obligated to purchase anything at all. If you browse and don't find anything you like, you can leave and still keep the sample. I'm just giving you "a warning" in case you feel uncomfortable. You don't have to take the sample, but it's free regardless if you buy anything in their store or not.  

The other way of getting free samples is after purchase. No matter big or small of a purchase, each of the stores will let you leave with some kind of goodie or sample. Many of the stores were SUPER generous in their samples/goodies. Some of the samples included skin care, sheet masks, and even full size products.

Sheet masks I got for free

Samples I got for free

6. Tax Free/ Refund on Tax

When you go to Myeongdong, bring your passport with you.  If you do not live in Korea, you are not subjected to the taxes. As a result, you can save more money. The only thing you have to do is show proof via your passport. When you show proof, they will take away the taxes at check out.

 I had no idea about this and didn't bring my passport while I was shopping, but I was still able to save money through another method. If you don't have your passport on you OR you don't want to carry it around, just simply ask or tell the person at the cash register you don't have your passport and they will print you out your receipt and a tax refund slip that has a barcode. DO NOT lose these slips. If you lose them, you will not be able to get a refund on the taxes that you paid.  When you go back to the international airport and after you pass customs, there will be signs that direct you to an area where you can use a kiosk to input the receipts and get a refund on the tax.

Receipts for Tax Refund

One of the envelopes to hold receipt for tax refund. It has instructions on how to get your refund

I ended up getting around $25 USD back! So, if you want to save more money, then use your passport or go through the process at the airport.

Well, those are all my tips from my experience at Myeongdong! Hopefully, they help you out! I loved shopping here, and I really look forward to coming back and taking a lot more time next time.

Welcos Jeju Natural Volcanic Sheet Mask

  What is it for?

Pore care & sebum control

Active Ingredients:

volcanic ash, opuntia ficus-indica stem extract, camellia japonca flower extract

To look at the full list of ingredients, its function for each, and its safety/irritant levels go ahead and click on this website: http://www.cosdna.com/eng/cosmetic_4969215718.html

Directions:

1. Open the packet up.
2. Unfold the mask inside.
3. Place mask on face, making sure to place the holes in the mask to your eyes, nose, and mouth.
4. Leave on for 20 minutes.
5. Take off mask, tap the essence of the mask into your skin to absorb. Do not rinse.

Review:

 
I picked these sheet masks up at TJ MAXX. It came in a pack of 10 for about 7 or 8 dollars.  The  sheet mask has a picture of a volcano and a gray statue. The statue reminds me of grade school when I learned about the Olmecs... I wonder if they teach those kind of things at school still? Anyway, here's what the mask looks like:

The sheet mask is made of a thick, sturdy, and soft material, which was surprising because usually masks like these are more expensive. It was saturated in essence and felt nice and cooling on my face. The essence smelled like flowers. It wasn't super overpowering and I enjoyed the scent.

Generally, sheet masks always make my skin feel more hydrated and plump. I do notice that with certain sheet masks, it can leave my skin feeling slightly sticky and overly moisturized. I think the "overly moisturized" part has to do with the fact that I have oily combo skin. However, the Jeju Volcanic Mask provided a good balance of hydration. The essence absorbed nicely into my skin, made it feel hydrated, but didn't leave me feeling sticky after.

I paid close attention to my skin the next day. I wanted to see if the mask did in fact control sebum. I noticed that the day after I use these masks, my face was not as oily as it usually is. In regards to my pores, I really didn’t notice a difference when using these mask. But like I said earlier, this mask adds a good balance of hydration to the face, so I think it would still be good for all skin types, even dry ones.

Although this was a good mask, the way the mask was shaped/cut made it difficult to fit properly on my face.  It got kind of bothersome that it didn't fit on my face and I had to keep readjusting it. Because of that reason, I really don't think I'll be repurchasing the masks. I just have other masks that I like a lot better and that fit better. 

Overall:

Pros:	Cons:
*decent quality for the price *provides balance of moisture to the face *absorbs nicely into the skin *controls oil *smells nice	*don't notice a difference in pores *sheetmask cut out makes it difficult to fit over face

DISCLAIMER:

Just wanted to note that the products I review are all purchased with my own money, unless I state otherwise. If you do use any of these products, please do so at your discretion as the results will vary depending on the person and their skin type.  I am in no way responsible for the results or outcome if you decide to try any of the products I recommend. These reviews are my 100% honest thoughts. Please don't be offended if I didn't like a product that you happen to love or vice versa. What may work or not work for me, may be totally different from you.