My Latest Order From Memebox!!

I just got a new shipment of skin care from Memebox! 

I didn't get anything new this time around, it's all replacing products that are running out, but there are some really cool products here that you need to know about.

For the ladies who came to hear me speak at the Pinner's Conference in Dallas, (and those I will be speaking to at Pinner's Conferences in Arizona and Utah) these are the products I was telling you about - magnificent Korean skin care!

Anyway, here is what I bought:

Ariul Spa Water 24 Hour Moisturizing Mist

I swear by the Korean skin mists.

I spritz them on after cleansing and any time my skin needs juicing up. 

They are great to spritz on over makeup during the day, especially if you sit in front of a computer screen all day, or if your complexion just needs a breath of fresh air.

I've tried a bunch of them and have never had a bad one. If the one I'm using is out of stock I just buy whatever else looks good.

Scinic Snail All In One Ampoule

It took me a long time to get on board with using a product called snail slime.

It took me a really long time.

But then I eventually tried it and can honestly say my skin has never ever looked better. Scinic Snail All In One Ampoule makes your skin look smooth and glowing and really really healthy.

I use it morning and night after cleansing and spritzing and before moisturizing. My skin has never looked smoother and it just glows! I haven't actually finished my first bottle yet, but the product is so incredible I really don't want to chance it being sold out when I'm ready for more.

Scinic Snail Matrix Cream

I don't actually know what this one was intended for, but as a girl who skin tends to lean towards dryness I use this one at night and at the moment during the day too. It's very concentrated, so a little goes a very long way.
Scinic Snail Matrix Cream is a fabulous moisturizer that doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy, but makes it look radiant and healthy. (and only costs $12!!) The texture is quite different, and of course there's the whole snail equation going on, but again the results are just amazing! Now that I'm back from Italy I'm going to order some back up bottles of it - none of these products are even slightly expensive, so it's not a problem to order up several of anything you try and love. And I really love this one.

I'm Cleansing Oil

I swear by oil cleansers. They are just the absolute best. Memebox has two oil cleansers, this one for normal to dry skins and another one for oily skin, both are called I'm Cleansing Oil

What I love about oil cleansers is that they dissolve makeup, give your skin a gentle cleanse, and leave it feeling soft and supple.

For oily skin girls - don't be afraid! Oil lifts away oil, so you get cleansed without stripping your skin.

For normal or dry skinned girls an oil cleanser won't strip your skin or leave it feeling dried out or sensitive. It just feels like silk.

Again, the Memebox product is not only super good, it's also super inexpensive.

Memebox products ship out of California, so arrive within about 3 days.

How To Choose The Perfect Cleanser For Your Skin

I am skin care obsessed.
I love lotions and potions, serums and masks, essences and facial mists - I love it all. The more steps to a skin care regime, the more products in a line, the more I want in!

In fact while I'm writing this post I have a sheet mask on - my Sunday night routine.

When clients get in my makeup chair I often see that their skin looks stripped, irritated, congested, or maybe overly juicy. When we get talking about their skin more often than not I find that they are using the wrong cleanser. The key to great skin is using the right cleanser for your skin type, so lets break down the different skin types and which cleansers are the right cleansers for each skin.

1. Normal Skin.

Lucky you - you're not dry, you're not oily, you're not acne'd. 
You've got it made.
But be careful - if you don't take care of your skin it's not going to stay looking gorgeous!

Try using the Luna cleansing brush, paired with Foreo's Day and Night Cleansers

2. Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin needs extra TLC. Avoid foaming cleansers, cleansers with acids in them (salicylics, glycolics etc), and also avoid exfoliating cleansers. All of these can strip your skin, irritate your skin, and generally wreck havoc on your skin.
Instead choose a gentle milk or cream cleanser to dissolve makeup and clean your skin.

Try Ren Everclear Gentle Cleansing Milk, available online at Space NK

3. Congested Or Acne Prone Skin

Your cleansing goal is to help clear the debris, clean up the breakout, balance your skin's natural oils and prevent new breakouts from occurring. A creamy, milky cleanser isn't going to lift away enough, you need a wash.

Try Ciracle Anti Blemish Tea Tree Face Wash, available online from Memebox




4. Dry Skin

Dry skin, like sensitive skin, needs lots of love and attention.
If you don't take care of your dry skin you will fast track the aging process, so choosing the right cleanser is super important.
I have dry skin and my cleanser of choice is an oil cleanser. Oil cleansers dissolve makeup and clean your complexion. On top of that they leave your skin feeling silky soft and very loved up.

Try I'm Cleansing Oil #01 Moist Oil For Dry Skin, available online at Memebox.com. You will love it!

Summer Beauty Essentials ~ 7 Skin Care Must Haves

Summer is the season of skin.
There is no other season when it is more important that your skin is radiant and glowing. Summer requires you to either go bare skinned, or at least trick your makeup to look like you are going bare skinned.
Summer is also all about travel, and nothing is guaranteed to jack your skin up quite like travel does, so you need to have a game-plan in place.

Here are 7 must have summer beauty essential skin care products.

Your first thought has to be the climate you are traveling to, or how your home climate is changing.
The oil cleansers that I swear by in dry climates often don't cut it in humid places. There is every chance that your normal moisturizer either won't be enough or will be too much over the summer months, or at your summer travel destination. Before you travel, or before you invest in new products for home, factor in the humidity or lack of, and buy your skin care in travel sizes.

Cleansers

If you are going somewhere  humid you may need a foaming cleanser or a wash formula. If you are going somewhere hot and dry an oil cleanser or a milk cleanser may be your saving grace.
Not sure which direction to go? 

Try Innisfree Green Tea Cleansing Water at only $12 it's a steal.



Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist

Greatest thing ever! I take this on the plane with me to spritz on when my skin feels dry.
In dry places it can boost your moisturizer, in humid places sometimes its all I use. It's a lifesaver.

Sunscreen.

The most important thing that you can do for your skin is wear sunscreen every day. Broad spectrum, (UVA and UVB protection) with a high SPF. It's non negotiable.

Try Kiehls Super Fluid SPF 50 available at Nordstrom

An Exfoliator.

Hot weather and extra sunscreen can make your skin get congested and make the texture feel thick. 

Help it stay clear and smooth with a gentle exfoliator or enzyme mask/peel. 

A Dry Oil

I am obsessed with facial oils for intense moisture, the nourishing properties they have and for how they make the skin glow. But when you are on a beach vacation or somewhere humid adding an oil into your skin care regimen can leave you feeling downright greasy. And who needs that? 

So when I travel I always have Tatcha's travel sized dry finish Camelia Oil with me. (Not only does it make your skin look phenomenal it also soothes and calms it  it after a day at the beach. Makeup glides on over top and doesn't slip away due to the dry finish.

Sheet Masks

Whether you are dry and need hydration or whether you are oily and need help clearing your skin, there's a sheet mask for you. Use them once per week all summer and your skin will be gorgeous!
Memebox has a limited time offer of their Summer Mask Bundle. 11 hydrating sheet masks for only $18! If this is sold out when you go to their website, go to their masks section and pick and choose what you need based on your skin concern.

Eye Gels

These are the greatest thing when you are feeling or looking tired, or when you need an under-eye booster. The morning after the night before they will soothe and de-puff your hungover eyes, they totally revitalize you after a long flight, and after a day at the beach they add in just the right amount of moisture so that makeup will go on evenly and look pretty.
I travel with individual packs of Elisha Coy Snail Hydrogel Eye Patches that I order online from Memebox. They are super convenient to travel with!

Up Your Beauty Game ~ Add An Essence

It's no secret that I have been totally wowed by Korean skincare (K-Beauty) for a very long time. 

I write about it allll the time. I get so annoyed at over priced skincare products in department stores, that are all consumed with packaging and with their celebrity endorsement, and that make almost no difference to the condition of your skin. I like products that make a huge difference to your skin, a difference that you can see and feel in the first few days.

And that's what happens with state of the art Korean skincare products.

I'm also enthralled with the K-Beauty 10 Step Skincare Regimen and how they layer their products.

Many of my readers want to try it but don't know where to start, and the thought of suddenly going to a 10 Step Program is far too overwhelming, so today lets talk about one Korean skincare product that you can add into your current skincare program. It can be your starter Korean Skincare product.

Essence.

Its Skin Power 10 YE Effector

This is a category of skincare product that for the most part we don't have here in America as part of our normal skincare routines, with the exception of SK II's Facial Treatment Essence

The closest thing to it here would be a serum.

Serums are typically heavy and leave a film on the skin. They are designed to have a few active ingredients that penetrate more deeply than a moisturizer, and deal with specific skin issues.

Korean essences tend to be much more lightweight and at the same time more concentrated.

You use an essence after cleansing and toning and before moisturizing.

What I love is that they disappear into the skin and don't leave a slimy film on the surface. (If you have that extra layer on the surface of the skin makeup will slide around and disappear).

What are your skin concerns? Maybe you have a dull complexion and dark spots. Or maybe you have blackheads and enlarged pores but your skin is also dehydrated? Maybe you are concerned with aging and your skin is dry.

Whatever skin concerns you have there is an essence for each one. 

Another thing I love about essences is that you don't have to break the bank buying them. The first time I bought essence I didn't know what to get, so I bought several different ones by It's Skin for only $11 each. And they were fantastic!
Some good Essences to try are the It's Skin Power 10 series.
The Its Skin Power 10 YE Effector revives skin and improves it's texture and clarity.


The It's Skin Power 10 SYN AKE Essence firms and rejuvenates the skin, and goes to work on fine lines and wrinkles.



The Power 10 Li Effector is all about brightening the skin and going after skin imperfections caused by the sun's damaging rays. Freckles, sun spots and redness are targeted, and it also soothes irritated skin.



The Power 10 VC Effector is all about Vitamin C. It brightens skin, refines skin texture and gives you visable results within a few days!

Ampoules

Not sure about trying an essence? Another option is to make an Ampoule your first K-Beauty product. An Ampoule sits on the other side of serum. It's super charged, super potent and has higher concentrations of the active ingredients. Ampoules are like a super booster for your skin.
You use a small drop after cleansing and toning, before moisturizing.

Again you choose one that is specific to your skin concerns. If I am more concerned about hydration and maybe a little less concerned about Vitamin C, I will buy a super hydrating Ampoule and a Vitamin C essence.
Scinic's Propolis Ampoule helps your skin's cells to regenerate healthier and stronger, giving you a complexion that is clearer, firmer and brighter. And it's only $20!

The CosRx Centella Blemish Ampoule is to clear up troubled skin, give some sebum control and provide a protective barrier to help your skin recover.

(Actually I buy all kinds of different essences and ampoules just because they are so affordable and yet so high performance)

Once you start using Korean skincare products there really is no turning back. Your skin looks so amazing!

I buy my Korean beauty products on the world's largest online Korean Beauty store, Memebox. Everything ships from California so it gets to my house within a couple of days.

How To Spring Clean Your Skin

Finally, finally, winter is on it's way out and spring is here!
As you are packing away your winter clothes and readying your home for the new season, it is also time to do a little spring cleaning on your complexion. 

Winter is the worst season for your skin. Between the harsh, cold weather and warm to hot air with central heating and open fires, those of us who are not celebrities or supermodels tend to get overly sensitive, irritated, dried out skin. 
Now is the time to restore your skin, get it glowing and vibrant again and ready for spring.

Here are three important steps to spring clean your face:

Step One: Change Up Your Cleanser.

In my experience as a makeup artist the single biggest skincare mistake women make is using the wrong cleanser for their skin type. Mostly they are using a cleanser that strips their skin and dries it out.
Personally, I advocate foaming or wash type cleansers only for oil girls and girls battling acne. For anyone else foaming/wash cleansers tend to strip the skin too much.
I am a huge believer in oil cleansers. If your skin is in any way dry, irritated or sensitive an oil cleanser is an amazing choice for you.

For oily skin girls oil cleansers are also fabulous. (I see you backing your way across the room, but hear me out). Think about what happens when you put oil and water together. They separate. They don't play well together. The truth is, if you want to lift away oil, oil is the best thing to use!

I'm in love with these Korean beauty oil cleansers available from Memebox, the world's largest online K-Beauty store. (It's HQ is in northern California, so your order ships from there and arrives in a couple of days, most of the time with free shipping).




I'm Cleansing Oil #02 Fresh Oil for oily or combo skin

I'm Cleansing Oil #1 Moist Oil for normal through dry skin.
Oil cleansers dissolve all makeup, and clean your skin beautifully.
At only $14.00 they are a smoking deal. You don't need much, so they last for ages.

Step Two: Clean a Little Deeper And Remove Dead Cells

With the correct cleanser working for you, now it's time to get some masks happening.
You need to get rid of all the dead skin cells on the surface that are clogging your pores and making your complexion look dull.
Here are three options from Memebox


Black Sugar Mask Wash Off  $14.70
An exfoliating skin-softening mask that will remove dead skin cells and create a soft, radiant complexion with Brazilian black sugar and helps decrease the number of black and white heads.

If your skin is feeling sensitive or irritated you may want to avoid a scrub style exfoliator. Here are 2 options that give you smooth, radiant skin without scrubbing:

Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask $14.00

Innisfree’s Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay mask is one of Korea’s best skincare items of all time. The award-winning product provides 6 intensive pore care functions which effectively puts the skin at its best state. It minimizes pores by contracting them, control excessive sebum production, exfoliates, removes deep-seated dirt, brightens up skin tone and gives a soothing cooling sensation. It contains Jeju volcanic capsules that has AHA to effectively remove dead skin cells and maintain smooth and soft skin.

I have this next one in my Memebox shopping cart. I love enzyme peels and very gentle peel-style exfoliators!

SNP Advanced Peeling Gel $15.00

Free your skin from dead skin cells with SNP Advanced Peeling Gel. This peeling gel gently removes skin impurities along with dead skin cells that usually cause rough skin texture and clogged pores. With seaweed extract as its key component, this peeling gel not only removes dead skin but also supplies abundant nutrients to help improve the skin’s overall condition. It also moisturizes the skin to give a softer, smoother skin texture.

Step Three: Nourish

Once you have your skin beautifully cleansed and masked it's time to add back in nutrients that your skin is craving.
In Korean beauty the final step each night, after loading the skin up with essences and ampoules is to seal all the goodness in with what they call a sleeping pack.
A sleeping pack falls somewhere in between a night-cream and a moisture mask. (don't worry - they don't wind up all over your pillowcase).
When you get up in the morning you simply rinse away whatever is left with a warm washcloth.



The Waterest Vital Sleeping Pack is only $25.00
Invigorate and restore radiance to your skin while enjoying a relaxing, beauty sleep! Waterest Vital Sleeping Pack features premium revitalizing natural ingredients that boosts the skin’s nourishment and moisture retention to ensure great skin the very moment you wake up. It contains double-fermented lotus flower extract which delivers moisture to the skin twice as fast. It helps purify and hydrate the skin overnight to give you smooth, soft and glowing skin the very next morning.

And now your skin is spring cleaned and reboosted, and you are looking once again like your most gorgeous self!

Winter Skin Rescue

So how is your mid-winter skin doing?
For most of us January means dry, sensitive skin. Thanks to the colder weather, central heating and biting winds, the complexion gets dull and loses both luminosity and clarity.

Which means you need a strong game plan if you want to maintain or retrieve gorgeous skin.

I am a huge fan of Korean skin care and the concept of layering these amazing products. (Learn about it here: How To Layer Your Skin Care, Korean Style). Using these super high performance (and very inexpensive!) products has completely changed my skin. Depending on what is going on with my skin I can address it by changing just one product in the sequence, or adding in something new. 

The Essence

Korean women consider this to be the most important step. What it does is speed the cell turnover rate, which makes skin smoother and brighter. Essence provides multiple intensive ingredients in just a single drop, and takes them deep deep into the skin where they go to work. You apply essence before your moisturizer.

Innisfree Jeju Sparkling Mineral Essence

I just changed my essence to Innisfree Sparkling Jeju Essence
. This one is made with thermal water infused with minerals that heal the skin from the inside out. The mousse formulation is super rich in nutrients, keeping the skin hydrated and healthy, and is the perfect way to protect winter skin. 

The Ampoule

The Ampoule is like a super condensed version of the essence. You can use ampoules to target specific skin issues - dry skin, clogged pores, uneven skin tone, excess oil - whatever the condition you want to treat there is an Ampoule or serum for it.

Another thing I recently added in (which has been a lifesaver!) is 
the Propolis Light Ampoule by Cosrx

Propolis Light Ampule

Bee propolis is a natural antibiotic which gives extra hydration while it cures skin and soothes irritation. You will notice dryness disappears and skin gets radiant almost immediately.
You only use a small drop of the ampoule, and massage it into the skin after the essence and before the moisturizer. I've been using this one for a few months now and love it.

I order all my Korean skin care products through Memebox.com


Each time I place an order I order extra sheet masks. They are super inexpensive, and quick and easy to use.
I change them up based on what my skin needs. This time I ordered Botanical Mask Packs in Rose and in Aloe

Have you tried any Korean skin care products yet?

Tell me which products you have tried and if you loved them or not, in the comment section below.

xo

7 Simple Things That Help Your Skin Look Fabulous

There is no better time than now to refresh your skin and get it looking gorgeous. I always think that mid-winter is when our skin looks its absolute worst, so lets have a look at 7 simple things you can do to help your skin look fabulous.

7 Simple things That Make Your Skin Look Fabulous.

Get More Sleep

I so envy JLo. Not for the career or the money or the clothes. I envy her because she gets 8 to 10 hours sleep per night. 
How do you even do that?? As a single mom I get 5, which is really bad on so many levels. 

One of the best things you can do for your skin is get ample sleep each night. Ample being a good 8 hours.

Additional sleep (like JLo apparently gets) makes your skin look even lovelier.

Drink More Water

We all already know about drinking more water, but plenty of us still don't drink enough. You need to drink eight 8 ounce glasses of water per day just for good health. Doing just that will make a difference to your skin, adding a couple more glasses will improve your skin's clarity and texture hugely.

Be Pillowcase Pretty

There are 2 significant things you can do in pillowcase-land to significantly benefit your skin.

The first is to invest in a silk pillowcase. 

Sleeping on silk stops (or at least reduces) waking up with creases pressed into your skin. (Sleep creases have been likened to ironing wrinkles into your skin.) Irritated skin feels soothed after a night on silk, possibly due to the lack of friction associated with regular cotton pillow cases. 

You'll see noticeably less puffiness when you wake up, and after a few days your skin will feel softer too.

The other thing you need to do is change your pillowcase out every few days. Sleeping on dirty pillowcases can contribute to acne and skin irritation, and can prolong the healing process.

Clean The Right Way

Make sure you are using the right cleanser for your skin type, and be gentle with your skin. Don't rub and scrub it, instead massage cleanser into your skin and gently rinse it away with a warm washcloth.

Typically foaming/wash style cleansers are better for oiler skins while cleansing milks are lovely for a drier complexion. 
I love oil cleansers for all skins. Try Malin and Goetz Facial Cleansing Oil, suitable for all akin types.

Only Exfoliate Gently

Try an enzyme mask instead of a scrub exfoliator. Scrubs tend to rough up the baby skin underneath, keeping you in the cycle of irritated or roughed up skin.

If you do go the scrub route, use one with super fine grains and use it gently.

Add An Oil

Adding a facial oil into your skin care regime will keep your skin soft and supple and give it the most gorgeous glow. Look for an oil with a dry finish if you are worried about looking shiny.

I've been using Tatcha Camellia Beauty Oil for a while now. This dry finish oil gives your skin luscious nourishment and makes your skin both look and feel amazing.
It is also a fantastic skin rescue product, if you are feeling any dryness or irritation from the cold weather. 

Clean Your Phone (And Your Glasses!)

Keeping your cell phone and your glasses clean is nearly as important and cleansing your skin. 

Memebox Black Friday Deals!

I am obsessed with Korean skin care.

Korean skin care and cosmetics are world renowned for their unprecedented quality. South Korea is at the very forefront of cutting edge technology in skin care products, and their research and development. 
What this means to you and me is that we get the most technologically advanced, most high performance products from Korea.
You and I can't necessarily pop in to one of the many, many skin care emporiums lining the streets of Seoul, but we can order them online from Palo Alto based Memebox.

Memebox is the leading Korean beauty retailer, carrying curated boxes & individual items

Through Memebox Korean skin care is entirely affordable, much more so than even the most mediocre skin care sold in department stores. So you get to save money while you get extreme quality, look younger and have firmer, clearer skin. Win win win!

Korean girls are makeup obsessed too, so through Memebox you can order the fabulous makeup products that they use, either buying pieces individually or through their fun pre-made boxes.

I have a big order ready to place for myself, but I'm waiting for Black Friday to place it because they have amazing deals happening with discounts up to 80% off!

For the first time this year Memebox is offering Vault boxes in their Black Friday sale. Vault boxes are larger than the regular boxes (they contain 16 items) and contain some of the most popular products. There will be two types of vault boxes, each massively discounted at 60% off.
One will have makeup and skin care and a retail value of $363, but will be on sale for $149!!

The other is the K-beauty makeup box, valued at $195 and will be on sale for just $79!

Other Black Friday specials include 

* A year of masks bundle that has 100 of their best and most popular masks at 70% off. You pay only $79 for a $302 value.

* There will be four days of doorbusters with new batches of products released every 12 hours, including plenty of their best sellers. These will be at 80% discount while stocks last.

* Masks will be buy one get one free during the Black Friday promotions.

Get the Korean beauty secrets everyone's raving about at Memebox.com

If you have shopped with Memebox before you will know that supplies run out fast, so you will need to get in quickly.

For more info on buying and using Korean skin care products check out my post from May 2015, West Face East.
This will explain the order you use products in, and also some of the product categories that aren't well known in America yet, such as emulsions, ampoules and essences.

Check out the Memebox website Here

Ritual

Ritual

Our rituals are a part of what defines us.

The little rituals we make as families shape our memories and help us to identify ourselves as a family. From Saturday night pizza and movies, to the order our Christmas follows, from the way we celebrate family birthdays to the way we take our annual vacation, it's the little rituals that form our little memories, that go on to become the big memories once we are grown.

Sometimes our rituals are what keep us sane in a helter skelter busy world, where the demands of a career, family needs, endless commuting and a fast paced life can leave your head spinning.

Do you have any little rituals that you look forward to? For me it's the little things. 

clearly this is not me :))

Like my Sunday night ritual. If I'm home, and not on a shoot I like to put on a sheet mask, kick back, put my feet up and read for a while.

some of the sheet masks I ordered last week

I buy sheet masks on Memebox. And I buy tons of them. 

Sometimes  I want a skin brightening mask if I think my complexion is looking dull. Or a deep hydrating mask, or maybe a firming and lifting mask - whenever I'm freestyling around on the Memebox website I always wind up buying more. At anywhere from $1 to $8 each they are totally affordable, and always feel so luxurious.

I buy serums and essences, facial mists and ampoules, every kind of skin care product you can think of on the Memebox site, but always add in sheet masks.

And on Sunday nights I take a little time for myself (and my complexion!) and have a little sheet mask love. This weekend I'm doing a pearl brightening mask. I have a bunch to choose from....