i went to japan and korea and all i got were these lousy beauty products

I had the time of my life, obviously.

Well! Aren’t we all honeymooned out and back to normal life again? Though I certainly don’t feel normal yet – my “jet lag” has turned into simply “lag” and I’ve forgotten how to participate in society. But ah, we had a wonderful time.

valerieloftus

A post shared by Valerie Loftus (@valerieloftus)

Japan has been a bucket list destination of ours for a very long time now, so it felt right to do it for our honeymoon (and first big trip since before the pandemic). We spent time in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, and Osaka, and since we were going to be over on that side of the world, we decided to come home via Seoul. It was a dream come true, to be very honest, and I feel so lucky to have seen so many beautiful places, eaten the most incredible food, and experienced so many unforgettable days with my husband. Feel free to ask me anything about travelling to Japan and/or South Korea – there is simply not enough time or space to go through everything here.

Because this is actually a post about all the beauty products I bought. As if I could visit the lands of kawaii and ten-step skincare routines and not do that.

J-BEAUTY

Korea tends to dominate the Asian beauty scene, but Japan has plenty of good stuff too. I got most of this in Don Quijote, which is like a €2 shop on steroids – imagine floors and floors of stock piled ceiling-high and a jingle that plays every time someone walks in. I’m pretty sure I’ll be singing “Don Don Don! Don-kiiiiii” at random intervals for the rest of my life. I hadn’t really planned to do much beauty shopping in Japan (I was more concerned about buying everything with Kirby or Gudetama on it) but I did pick up a few things.

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+

There was a period a few years back when people went mad buying this from Amazon, but I hadn’t tried it until I picked it up in a random Tokyo drugstore. Let me tell you: I get the hype. This is a beautifully light, hydrating SPF that melts invisibly into your skin and behaves well under makeup. The ideal facial sunscreen! And for under 1000 yen, or about a fiver! I bought a second tube as backup. We will see if I’m willing to pay four times the price for another when I run out.

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

Here’s another J-beauty product that has found a fanbase in the US and Europe – I think I’ve seen this in Superdrug in the Jervis Centre? I’m waiting until I’ve used up my current cleanser to open this (I can’t explain why I didn’t apply the same logic to the Biore SPF when I already have TWO sunscreens on the go), so you’ll probably get my thoughts in an empties post somewhere down the line.

Shu Umera eyelash curler

I remember reading about Shu Umera eyelash curlers in just about every magazine in the 2000s – they also got name-dropped by Gisele in The Devil Wears Prada. So in my mind, they are THE eyelash curlers. I’ve actually never owned any sort of lash curler, but recently I’ve been getting tons of TikToks from people explaining their curl technique (my fave Nykita is evangelical about it) so when I saw these for around €13, I got them. I keep forgetting to use them, but I’m going to at least try and build the habit to see what happens. Bambi lashes, here I come.

Canmake Cream Cheek

Canmake is a Japanese drugstore brand akin to Essence, and this matte cream-to-powder blush is one of their most popular products. I got shade 21, Tangerine Tea, which is a perfect peachy nude. Considering some blushes practically need a user manual (looking at you, Rare Beauty), this is refreshingly foolproof – I just slap it on with my fingers and go, no need to worry about putting on too much. The packaging feels a little flimsy, but for €4, I can’t complain. 

DHC Color Lip Cream

I got this during a Don Quijote smash and grab in Osaka and it’s probably my one dud buy of the trip. I famously love a balm-lipstick, but this is not it – it feels quite thin and not very nourishing, and the colour isn’t my favourite (it said “wine red” on the packaging, but it goes on more pink). It was about €3 and I probably will end up using it, just not on dry lip days. 

K-BEAUTY

Seoul is a beauty lovers’ haven – the streets are literally lined with skincare stores, from fancy brand flagships to places that only sell sheet masks. I mostly shopped in the brand stores and Olive Young, the Korean equivalent of Sephora. It was really interesting to observe the trends and popular products over there – I thought blush would be a big deal, but I honestly didn’t spot that much of it? Lip products and foundations took up the most real estate. This reflected what I saw the women on the street wearing too, which was mostly matte foundation and matte lipstick. So, the complete opposite of the dewy skin tint, bronzed, Dior lip oil look that has North America and Europe in a chokehold right now. Fascinating!

Banila Co Clean It Zero Tri-Peel Acid Pore Clarifying Cleansing Balm

I’ve used Clean It Zero before and liked it, but it’s not the most easily accessible over here. I almost went for the original pink tub in the Banila Co store, but then I saw this “pore clarifying” version, which contains a blend of AHAs, PHAs, and LHAs to buff away dead skin. I’m not sure how much pore clarifying it can do when it stays on your face for so little time, but listen… I’m open to learning more, so I got it. 

Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide Refiner

I must confess: Even as I was standing at the till buying this, I wasn’t certain what it was. I just knew that I was in the (stunning) Laneige store and it was everywhere – more prominent than the sleeping masks, the lip balms, everything. As it turns out, it’s a hydrating toner, which is something I’ve never tried before, so I’m pleased with my impulsive self. I think I’ll use it in place of a spritz before applying my hydrating serum. Will keep you posted.

Dr G Deep Pore Clear Foam

Oh Dr G! A few years ago, I was briefly obsessed with their Brightening Peeling Gel, an exfoliator that makes it look as if the dead skin is peeling off your face (it’s just a trick of the product itself). I stayed away from peeling gels this time, but this foaming cleanser caught my eye. I was breaking out like crazy from wearing a mask, which probably explains why so many of the products I picked up claim to be “pore clearing.” This shall be my next shower cleanser.

Cosrx Propolis Light Ampule

This is a soothing, moisturising serum with propolis (a resin-like material made by bees) and hyaluronic acid. My skin is definitely drier lately, so I’m looking for anything that will give me back some glow and hydration. It’s very frustrating – my skin will look fine without makeup, but as soon as I put on foundation, the moisture seems to leach out of my face. Is this aging? Is it the foundation or is it me? I’m just trying to not look like a corn husk.

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Grapefruit

We know her, we love her, she’s easily available on this side of the world, but I actually needed a replacement and haven’t tried this scent before, so I picked one up. It cost me approximately €11.50, half the price we pay here. *scream emoji*

Peripera Ink Velvets in 20 Beautiful Coral Pink and 37 Enjoy Mute

I seriously think I got the last two of these in all of Seoul. They were sold out in every Olive Young (and there are so many Olive Youngs), which only heightened my desire to find them. I never thought I’d go back to a matte liquid lipstick, but these are different – they’re so light and creamy. They feel similar enough to the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams, but the formula is more sophisticated and lightweight. I really wish I got a red! 

Peripera Ink Mood Glowy Tint

This is the gloss version of the Ink Velvets, and I know already I’ll be wearing it non-stop. Again, the formula is quite unlike anything I’ve tried – your lips feel so cushioned and hydrated, without any stickiness whatsoever. Balmier than a balm, somehow. I love it.

Banila Color Splash Water Tint in Mellow Pink

This is the last tint-y thing I got, I swear. In fairness, they’re all slightly different – this one is more like a lip stain, and the finish sits somewhere between matte and glossy. I adore this berry shade, which really does stick around through eating and drinking. Korean lip products are on another level.

Romand Bare Water Cushion Foundation

I’d never heard of this brand before but as soon as I bought this, it started popping up everywhere on TikTok and Instagram. Am I out of the loop and it’s already popular here? Anyway. Europe and North America had a brief flirtation with cushion foundations but they never truly took off as a foundation delivery method. Saying that, my Armani cushion is one of my favourite base products, so I was interested in exploring Korean cushions. They really do come in all shapes and sizes – matte, high coverage, glowy, hydrating – but I always find it harder to get nice “no-makeup makeup” options, so I went with this one. As the name suggests, this has quite light coverage, with a fresh, dewy finish. The shade I got is a little too light for me but it’s not really noticeable given the sheerness of the foundation. I need to trial it a little more before I can give a definitive verdict, but I’m into it so far!

Granhand Kyujang Multi Perfume

We stumbled across this absolutely beautiful perfume shop in Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok Village, a traditional village preserved to look as it did 600 years ago. I essentially floated into the store like a cartoon character smelling a delicious pie. I walked back out again without buying anything, but five minutes down the road I was still sniffing the tester card with this fragrance on it, so we turned back. The sales assistant said it was inspired by old books in a library – the notes include fig, cinnamon, and eucalyptus, and it’s spicy-woody-sweet in a way that feels both familiar and unique. I also love that they stamped my name on the bottle! Way to make a gal feel special.

Thanks for reading Vanity Project! Yep, I bought a ton, but it was hard not to when everything was SO CHEAP. If I had room in my case I would have bought more. There! I said it! See you soon for the next newsletter (it’s gonna be an empties) 😈