It's that time of year again—seasonal changes often upset not only our lungs and brain, but also the skin, with external irritants. Particularly around May to July, blooming trees, grasses, weeds, and flowers deliver pollen into the air, causing a cacophony for the especially sensitive. On top of seasonal allergens, the month of June marks the official end of spring and the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, with temperatures shooting up in mid-July and mid-August.

Moisturizers are one of the most important products you need in your routine, but which one would work best for your skin type? Which textures would work best for your skin type and what types of formulas would provide you with the most protection and hydration? I’ll be testing out four different moisturizers from three different brands so you’ll have a better idea of which one to choose for yourself!

K-beauty has become such a large category within the skincare world, sometimes it can be hard to know where to start. The quality is top-tier, the packaging is gorgeous, and the active ingredients are unique and alluring. How do you find the best Korean eye creams when they all look and sound so amazing?

I’m going to get straight to the point. I LOVE niacinamide. I honestly don’t think there’s a single skincare ingredient that has had such a positive impact on my skin (besides my prescriptions). I mean, she’s truly that girl and gives us what needs to be given. 

One of my favorite things about working in the beauty industry is seeing how the trends change over time. When I first started writing about, trying, and using K-beauty, a focus on ingredients wasn’t at the forefront of skincare in the U.S. It was all about product claims—this mask brightens, this toner cleanses, this moisturizer helps dry skin. No one cared how the products were achieving these claims...but the packaging was cute and the marketing seemed to back it up.

Finding the perfect skincare routine is tough. Learning what your skin needs and responds well to takes a lot of trial and error (and can cost quite a bit depending on the products you use). Once you lock everything in though, it's amazing to see the improvements.

Guys. It’s been a long, long year. And it’s been a long five years since I first published my three-step pore clearing method over on my blog. Over those five years, that post has received over 1.2 million pageviews; the number of views increases every year, and it continues to be shared far and wide.

When I first moved to Korea approximately two million years ago (Ok, slight exaggeration, but it has been nearly a decade), I became obsessed with K-Beauty. I tried any and everything I could get my hands on. Skinfood was my first foray into Asian beauty, followed by Etude House, Missha, and The Face Shop. There were so many new ingredients that I had no idea were so beneficial for the skin—snake venom, acai berries, fermented rice—but there have been none as influential in my life (and tbh, everyone’s lives) than the humble snail.

Going on my trip to Japan at the beginning of this year, I wasn’t expecting to buy much cosmetics until the last few days when FOMO hit, and it hit hard. I had a small list of skincare and cosmetic products I wanted to buy, but seeing the price of cosmetics there, I was shocked since I am so used to the affordability of Korean cosmetics.

When I was younger, I was way invested in fashion and makeup, but not so much skincare. I changed up both my fashion and makeup wardrobe with the season—you know, berry lips for fall, bright shades for spring, coats and scarves in the winter. But now, it’s the reverse. I wear loungewear a vast majority of the time and focus on switching up my skincare routines for the season. It’s a vibe, tbh.

When I think of some of my favorite sheet masks, a good majority of them hail from Taiwan. Brands like Lovemore, My Beauty Diary, and My Scheming really have figured out how to produce some of the most thin and hydration retaining masks that I love.

My introduction to K-Beauty happened pretty much in sync with my desire to address some skin concerns that I have been battling for years. While I had tried things like Proactiv and Clinique over the years...I never really committed to a routine or stuck with a “system