ASIAN BEAUTY SECRETS

So recently I made the move from Busan, South Korea to Tokyo, Japan! The differences are incredible, but still one thing remains - Asians have amazing skin. How they do it, I'm not 100% sure; but here are some tips and tricks I've learned about since being in Asia.  

FOOD:
"You are what you eat" quite literally. The good food that you eat, is also great for your skin! In fact I've seen many beauty products infused with foods like green tea, ginseng, seaweed and even kimchi. Seaweed in particular, it contains so many vitamins and actually is quite a tasty snack. You'd be surprised how readily available it is over in the UK too. Try introducing pure green tea into your diet, matcha has the most benefits. 

MOISTURE:
Face Spritz's everywhere! Just woken up? Spritz. Just brushed your teeth? Spritz. Just gotten off the metro? Spritz. Break time at School/University/Work? Spritz. Just had lunch? Spritz. I'm not even exaggerating, moisturising is a very important step in Asian skincare. I often find that in restaurant or hotel bathrooms they have a face spritz available for you to use.  

SPF:
Asians almost fear the sun! In Korea families would go to the beach covered up from head to toe, even if they went swimming in the sea, they would be fully dressed. Walking down the street even if its cloudy women cover up with umbrellas and several layers of clothes. Those UV rays will not penetrate!! Also the minimum SPF I could find was SPF35 which in the UK is quite high. May I also add, it was particularly hard to find 35, most shops only stocked 50 or 75.  

THE DOUBLE CLEANSE: 
I know in all of the beauty magazines in the UK over cleansing your face is bad as it strips away all of the natural oils and messes with the ph balance of your skin. However this method is something I've used for years without knowing the Asian roots! Removing your make-up with an oil or balm, and then washing your face a second time to purify the skin. The roots behind this practise stem from Geisha days, where women would wear thick white foundation which would be extremely difficult to remove - only possible by using an oil cleanser. Then to help cleanse the skin a second cleanser would be used. I personally use the Camomile Cleansing Balm from The Body Shop  then the Blemish Zero Foam Bubble Cleanser by The Face Shop. 

  

FASHION FINDS

So I'm not sure if you know this or not, but South Korea is the place for shopping. Once you've gotten used to the currency conversion rate and you don't feel like you're spending THOUSANDS (cause you're not, its mere pounds!) 

Some things I've picked up in July ~ 

ZARA Booties

Granted it's waaaay too hot to be wearing these at the moment, even so, I just couldn't resist. It was just too perfect, allow me to set the scene for you. So I walk into Zara, after seeing these boots several times but my size never being available. I walk in there, not hopeful to even see these boots as it had been a few weeks since my last visit. I browse for a while and low and behold the boots are there, the last pair, and what size are they? THE PERFECT FIT. You think that's good, to top it off they were on sale for 29,000₩ (£15/$30) which I think is pretty damn good. Unfortunately they don't have them on the website, so I can't share them with you guys.

ZARA and LAP

This is a pretty little outfit for night time. I picked up this lovely double layered chiffon shirt in Zara in Hong Kong! (It's becoming clear how much I shop at Zara....) It's a mint shade with a white scalloped collar. I really appreciate the double layer of chiffon over the top as it makes the bra non-visible! As for the bottoms, they are from a brand called LAP or Los Angeles Project, which is a Korean brand, and as I'm aware its only available in South Korea. They have some really good stuff so I will link their website: http://www.lapkorea.com ~ If you're ever in South Korea, check them out! They're all over Shinsegae and Lotte. What do you know? This outfit goes perfectly with the black booties! 

Throwing a little bit of Korea into my style. I've been here for over two months now, it was always going to happen. I picked up this t-shirt in a little boutique in Busan, Raybee, if anybody is based here. Its a simple grey tee with 'Seoul' written on the front, although its mix of Korean Hangul and romanised characters. And on the back, there's more! I like this t-shirt, it's very casual yet when I'm back in Europe it will be very unique. As well as a great reminder of my time here! Besides, one can never have too many graphic tee's. Seoul-tee....get it?! Haha, awful. It's quite long so I plan to wear it with some skinnies or leggings, and my classic Dr. Martens (when I'm re-united with them ♥) 


Let me know what you've picked up in July ~


I hope you've enjoyed reading my first post, keep up to date for more. Next I will be writing about Korean cosmetics!