Summer Beauty Essentials

Summer is all about creativity, expressing yourself, and vacation. My favorite part about summer are the vacations and being able to look and feel good while working, watching TV, or hanging out with people. These summer essentials of mine are from asian brands because I want to recognize these brands for their amazing products. Before, when you go into Sephora or Ulta, you’ll see american brands everywhere. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I prefer asian beauty brands and most of them you need to buy online. Asian beauty brands are slowly but surely being implemented in these stores and being more accessible to others. I enjoy asian beauty brands because of their packaging, ingredients and they work better for my skin. Usually, asian brands work better for asian skin. At least, that’s my experience. 

Makeup Glowy Face 

I don’t like a foundation that looks cakey so instead I use Missha’s Signature Essence Cushion Watering in the shade 023. Most of these Korean BB cushions provide an SPF of 50+. If you’ve ever been to Korea, you can understand why! It’s so sunny and hot that people would use an umbrella to keep cool. People in Korea would also wear a light jacket, even if it was 100 degrees outside just to keep from being sunburnt. Another great benefit from this cushion is that it has an excellent moisture care, helps brighten and makes the skin glow, and it has a cooling effect after application. This is suited for all skin types. You can purchase the BB cushion on Missha’s website for $35. 

Crushing on Blush

For the summer, I enjoy a good blush. I purchased the Kaja Cheeky Stamp Blendable Blush from Sephora for $24. This is a K-Beauty brand and before, you could only purchase it online but now it’s available in stores. This blush is like a stamp with a heart shape. The color I bought was 01 in Coy Serein.The packaging is a pink box with big white lettering of cheeky stamp. It’s a small box but it’s portable. This blush has 0.17 oz. When you take it out of the box, it looks like a stack of eyeshadow shades. You twist the top to uncover a heart sponge and the stamp feels bouncy so be careful of dropping it. Do not twist the bottom because it just flips open. The color is a dusty rose. I didn’t read the instructions so I broke the edge of the bottom part. At least it’s still usable. The color isn’t too opaque so it’s natural looking. For makeup, I enjoy mine to look natural but still has a bit of color to my face. If you enjoy a blush that blends into your skin, I recommend picking this up at your nearest Sephora location. 

Juicy Lips Hydrate Lips 

Before adding a juicy lip product, you need to make sure your lips are moisturized and hydrated. If you skip this step and put a lip product on with dry lips, it will not look appealing. You don’t want your lips to look dry. Instead, use a lip balm or a lip mask. Every time I need to hydrate my lips, I use a lip sleeping mask by Laneige in the original flavor. I bought a mini one in Vietnam in January but at Sephora, the price is $20 and is 0.70 oz. The price will throw you off but I guarantee it’s worth it. There are other flavors such as vanilla and apple lime. It’s suggested to use at night before you go to sleep but I never follow the rules. Instead, I use it at night and again right before I use a lip product. The lip mask is now my, much needed, lip balm. The lip mask has vitamin C and antioxidants, has Berry Mix Complex, meaning it has blends of berries such as raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, and blueberry. No wonder it smells delicious! 

Major Lip Shine

 Patrick Ta has a couple makeup products at Sephora. Patrick Ta is a makeup artist for celebrities such as Constance Wu and Shay Mitchell. I chose the Major Glow Lip Shine in the shade, Is She Younger Than Me. The packaging is a rose gold color with a cute rose gold swirl on the side it lists the ingredients. When you remove the product from the box, it’s a beautiful bright peachy pearl shade. It seems like it has purple reflexes too. When you move the color to the light, it looks a bit purple. It’s very shimmery and looks glittery as well. On the lips, you can definitely see the shine, it’s a natural peachy shade and it smells divine. If you love the scent of peppermint, then you’ll want this. The scent isn’t overwhelming as well. I was nervous to use it because it looked so glittery in the packaging. I tried the fenty gloss bomb and it did have glitter, but it felt uncomfortable to me. Patrick Ta’s lip shine I can use because it doesn’t irritate my lips. This lip shine has a gel consistency so it’s a glass like finish that clings to the lips to prevent it from feathering. The high shine oil blend allows the formula to glide on evenly and has a balmy feeling. It is paraben free and is vegan and cruelty-free. You can purchase at Sephora for $22 and contains 0.23 oz. You can also buy it on Patrick Ta’s website. 

Makeup Remover 

This product is the only one that’s not from an asian brand. I have Clinique’s Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. Mine is 3.8 oz for $30. I’m sure there are makeup removers from asian brands but I decided to use this one instead. I didn’t feel like purchasing a new one if I just bought this one. Clinique is great for those with sensitive, oily, normal, dry, and combination skin. Whenever I use it, I always worry that it’ll get in my eyes, but it doesn’t. It’s great that it breaks down the makeup. When you use your fingers for it, the balm turns to oil and then it turns into a milky consistency to melt away the makeup. After you wash your face with it, your skin glows.  You can buy it at Ulta and Sephora. This balm doesn’t contain parabens, sulfates or phthalates and it’s vegan. 

Face Mask 

I purchased Boscia Luminizing Black Charcoal Mask at Sephora for $34 and has 2.8 oz.  On Sephora’s website, it said this mask is great for all skin types. This is a peel off mask so it can be tight and may hurt while peeling. It’s used to reduce the appearance of pores, dull and uneven texture.  After you peel the mask off, it’s said to give your face a nice glow. The mask contains vitamin C and charcoal to have your face feel fresh and clean. This brand uses plants in the products so no chemicals allowed. Boscia uses a mix of jojoba leaf to prevent damage from the sun and other environmental irritants. Willowherb helps with inflammation and redness. When I use the mask, it has a cooling effect, not sure if it’s supposed to but it does feel cool and tight. It’s suggested to spread the mask below your eyes and around your forehead but I use it on my cheeks, nose and mouth area. I like to put the mask on areas that are needed. 

Tone Your Face 

I was gifted an O Hui Miracle Moisture Skin Softener Fresh and the cost is $44 and has 150 ml  on Nature Collection website. I use it for the morning and nighttime. The smell is fresh and makes the skin feel soft and supple. It has a natural plant-derived Chiffon Ceramide to help with any moisture loss. This is now my favorite toner because it works well and I love how my skin feels when using this. 

Soothing Gel

 I love using Tony Moly’s The Chok Chok Green Tea Essential Soothing Gel. I bought this while I was in Korea so I’m glad it lasted this long. Even though it’s called a soothing gel, it’s basically aloe vera. It definitely leaves your skin hydrated and cool. The formula isn’t sticky and is made with 99% of naturally fermented green tea. You can buy it on Tony Moly’s website for $12 and is 200 ml. 

Moisturize Skin

 I use the Tony Moly’s The Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Moisture Cream and it costs $25 for 60 ml. This cream is gel based but it’s not sticky or heavy on the skin. I’ve been using this for two years and still makes my skin feel hydrated and calm. It’s made with 63% of fermented green tea extract. You can purchase these Tony Moly items online. 

Eye Sleeping Mask 

I used the Laneige Eye Sleeping Mask and the cost was $34 and 0.8 fl oz.When I purchased this at Sephora, I thought, “Wow, this is a big square box for a small product.” Then I opened the box and noticed it came with an applicator. Sephora’s website said it can be used for all skin types. This is an eye mask to reduce the appearance of tired looking eyes while hydrating it. The applicator is called a cooling ceramic massage tool to use it around the orbital bone, which is around your eyes and massage it. This can be used as an eye cream or while using it with other kinds of sleeping mask. It’s suggested to use it 2-3 times a week. If your eyes are puffy and need to be hydrated, this eye sleeping mask is the way to go. (type what I like or don’t like about it) The applicator comes with a top so I use that as a lid while I throw the lid that came with the bottle away. It is tested by dermatologists and doesn’t test on animals. 

Face Mist 

I never start or end the day without a face mist. I switch face mists everyday but I enjoy using the Tony Moly The Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Mist. It’s very cooling and keeps my skin hydrated. For more information about this mist, you can check out my article, Three Mists To Ease Up Your Morning. There you have it, my summer essentials! Even though I called it my summer essentials, it’s more like my everyday essentials. I like my makeup looks and skincare to be simple yet natural. I do like my skin to glow because matte tends to dry up my skin.