There once was a girl with lips as dry as prunes

There are lots of beauty blogs out there, so why start this one?  The short answer is: because when I (dubbed 'Snow White' by my very tanned co-workers) needed it, it wasn't there.  I wanted detailed reviews on Asian beauty products from a western perspective, or even just readable without the help of Google Translate.

Why Asian?

Because I have a fairly light skin tone, as in NC10-15; only my freckles tan, the rest of me stays stubbornly white.  For anyone who isn't familiar with MAC shades, those numbers mean that I'm on the lighter end of the spectrum for foundation shades.  All my life, I have avoided wearing foundation and concealer, even though I have mild to moderate acne.  It's not on principle, it's because everything readily available to me was just too dark for my skin. Nars, Illamasqua, and Kat Von D were not yet a thing in my days of teenage acne angst.

Also, I lived in the desert.  You can read about how my skin reacted to living in dusty hell here: Skin type/history

I just couldn't wear makeup without breaking out.  Then I learned of an Asian beauty product called BB cream.  I heard it was bottled magic that was a skincare, sunscreen, foundation, primer, concealer, and all sorts miracle in a bottle (or tube) but the biggest complaint was that it was just too light for most westerners to wear.

Of course I was immediately interested, because if it was too light for everyone else, there was a chance it might work for me?  Thus began my months-long research journey, which eventually moved from BB creams to Asian cosmetics in general.

I learned that tanning isn't considered the pinnacle of healthy beauty everywhere, and I was able to let go of a lifetime of comments (snide and well-meant alike) about my natural skin tone.

Asian beauty products have been my saving grace.  From BB creams with high SPF to moisturizers that helped lighten my sun damage, I've had skincare success that has always eluded me with western products.  However, there are not a lot of reviews out there for Asian beauty products outside of BB creams, which is a shame because they're so wonderfully suited to those with very light skin tones like me.

So here's my blog of Asian products that make it possible to survive being 'Snow White' in the Desert.

10 comments

  1. i really loved this story.im also using this missha bb cream and its cool..loved it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should check out the Mizon Snail BB cream if you are really pale, it's my favourite.

      Delete
  2. I just discovered your blog and read everything! I love Asian beauty products but there aren't a lot of good quality reviews of them out there. Thank you for starting this blog! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the love! I agree there aren't a lot of good reviews out there for Asian products, it seems like a lot of them are either very brief and just repeat what the marketing materials say, or the reviewer hasn't used the product for long and doesn't have much to say about it.

      It does take a lot of time to test the products, but I think it makes all the difference to have a month's usage to comment on instead of a few days.

      Delete
  3. I love your blog! I have never found someone else with the same skin color and issues as myself..even down to the freckles tanning and that's it..I actually googled to see if I had some weird vampire-like skin condition haha...but alas, no one else had my problem! I live in NYC, so while I don't have desert air, I do have extreme temperature fluctuations and the GRIME that comes with living in a concrete jungle..thank you SO MUCH for creating this blog and continuing to post and review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. <3

      Man, the grime. My poor pores. Your poor pores!

      Delete
  4. Hello !

    It's the french girl again. I'm beginning my journey through reading your blog from the start and I can relate to this article !
    First reason why I got interested in Asian cosmetics was BB Creams ! I have a pale skin though probably not as pale as you, but I find it hard to find foundations pale enough to suit me as most pale foundations are not available in France (don't ask me why... probably because french people are also obsessed with being tanned as a proof oh being healthy (stupid...).

    I'm going back to reading ! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's funny how those things happen! I am not even that pale, but often the foundations that are in the right shade are the wrong undertone. I really wish Nars Siberia was available in rural Canada circa 1995 when I really needed it! ;)

      Delete
  5. I love your blog!! I have been lurking for so long, it's basically my guide to asian beauty (don't worry, I check other sources too!) but I totally understand where you're coming from. Pale Canadian girl here, you're almost my skin soul mate. Keep up the awesome writing :)

    ReplyDelete