I’m really into K-beauty. Completely, unapologetically obsessed with K-beauty.
Completely, unapologetically obsessed with K-beauty.
Most of my life has been a struggle to keep oil and acne at bay. My skin has never been terrible, but I’ve been cursed with jaw and hairline breakouts for as long as I can remember. It looks unsightly and it’s painful, so I’ve spent a lot of time and energy trying to find solutions that work for my skin long-term. Investing in a Clarisonic did a world of good for my face, not only for the oil and breakouts but also texture. For the most part, my face is smooth and most of the redness in my cheeks has evened out. It’s like a freakin’ miracle.
The other miraculous discovery was cleansing oils. It feels a little strange to put oil on my dirty face and expect it to come out clean but it really works, and my skin has retained so much of the moisture necessary to keep oil at bay. The cleansing oil led me to sheet masks, and volcanic clay masks, and cleansing balms, and serums. A whole new world had opened up to me!
The one thing I’ve always been hesitant to try is snail creams. Or masks. Really anything with snail secretions in it. I’m not a hardcore cruelty-free consumer or anything, but it the way they harvest snail mucin seemed really mean to me. If you’re not up on current snail harvesting trends, snails are typically subjected to “extreme stress conditions” in order to produce more mucus. This can mean anything from being poked to being given a little electrical jolt. That seems really wrong to me. Plus the whole idea of putting snail mucus on my face just grossed me out. I don’t like snails. I find them icky. I’m not afraid of them, we’re just not friends. In my head, I was imagining that these snail based products smelled like snails and had the same consistency as straight up snail goo, so overall I was not on board.
Then I started thinking/reading about all of the benefits. Snail mucin is said to do everything from fading dark spots and scars to plumping creases and battling acne. Ok snails, I’m listening. Seeing how many of these products were widely available and easy to obtain (because until recently Asian skincare wasn’t easily acquired without paying hefty international shipping fees and customs) and most importantly, affordable, I decided that if I could find a cruelty-free brand that I’d give it a shot. Really I was thinking I’d never find that brand, but I have: Mizon. Apparently, this is a cult favorite in Korea, and thanks to Peach and Lily I was able to get a few things cheap and have them here in less than a week.
If you haven’t heard about this site I highly recommend checking them out. The site itself is just aesthetically pleasing, and they’re releasing an inexpensive K-beauty line with CVS… soon? I don’t actually know when it’s being released but I’m excited to check it out. In the meantime, I was able to pick up a snail cream on the cheap (which is sold out as of this writing… but check out Amazon), a snail cleanser and a few other little things, all on sale!
I gave the snail cream a whirl yesterday and it doesn’t smell like snails; it has a fresh, fairly typical face cream scent. It also isn’t slimy. It just looks and feels like a fancy moisturizer. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. My face felt sticky and my oil production was in overdrive, but I don’t know if it was the cream or the unseasonably warm and humid weather. I’m going to hold onto it and use it as a fall/winter moisturizer or possibly night cream and will report back. I’m planning to start using the cleanser as soon as my current Origins cleanser runs out, which should be soon. Come on snails, make me gorgeous!
If you’re interested in checking out Peach and Lily, use this referral link for $10 off your first order.
Teresa's Big O(pinion) 
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