Asian skin care recommendations pleaseeee...

[phoebeG]

Edit:
And I guess you haven't lived abroad outside HK much have you? I'm not referring to travels. When living in Malaysia and Thailand I had very oily skin. When I lived in Australia I had very dry skin, when I lived in England, I had perfectly normal skin, now in US, I have dry sensitive skin. The product that worked for me that's sold in UK since I had perfect skin, is not available in US, and Asia, although the brand has a presence.

lol you love assuming things don't you? sorry to disappoint you again, i worked on a cruise ship in england as a beauty therapist and owned a salon in sydney, australia.
honestly i don't buy whatever research marketing stuff you've done. different races have different skin (i insist), and different skin should be treated differently. let me give you the simplest example there is, an african person would have more melanocytes in their epidermis than you do. caucasions have more chance getting skin cancer than you do if you expose in the sun for the same amount of time. even you have the same skin type, skin condition, you live in the same city, you eat the same food, it doesn't mean you have the same skin! if it has nothing to do with race/genes then we would all have the same skin color wouldn't we?
I'm not generalize any asian skin, yes they are different. that's why their products are different in those countries. like i could find lancome with grape seed ingrediant in korea but couldn't find it in thailand.
honey, you studied "manufacturing and formulation", not A&P skin.

 

[angelah]

lol you love assuming things don't you? sorry to disappoint you again, i worked on a cruise ship in england as a beauty therapist and owned a salon in sydney, australia.
honestly i don't buy whatever research marketing stuff you've done. different races have different skin (i insist), and different skin should be treated differently. let me give you the simplest example there is, an african person would have more melanocytes in their epidermis than you do. caucasions have more chance getting skin cancer than you do if you expose in the sun for the same amount of time. even you have the same skin type, skin condition, you live in the same city, you eat the same food, it doesn't mean you have the same skin! if it has nothing to do with race/genes then we would all have the same skin color wouldn't we?
I'm not generalize any asian skin, yes they are different. that's why their products are different in those countries. like i could find lancome with grape seed ingrediant in korea but couldn't find it in thailand.
honey, you studied "manufacturing and formulation", not A&P skin.

YOU are generalizing all Asians have the same skin, all blacks have the same skin. Hence your comment in bold above. Of course I know about the lack of melanin in most (note: not all) Caucasian skin that makes them more susceptible to sunburns than most (again note: not all) Caucasians. I don't care if you had your own salon, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. You again fail to see my point of view that the same PERSON'S skin will change with different climates, different environments and different diets, therefore skincare products are not specifically developed with a single race in mind.

Let me give you an example. FANCL brand products developed in Japan are widely known to give users clean healthy youthful complexions free of blemishes. This brand is also popular in some Asian countries, although not all. Fancl is sold in US. But why is the brand dying? Products sold in US are being discontinued for sale although the same products are continuing to be sold in East Asia. A reliable source from Fancl stated that most of their customers in US are Asians who first used them in Asia, yet their sales have been steadily declining because customers realize their products are not as effective here in US than they are in Asia. Therefore back to thread poster's topic, what works for an Asian in Asia doesn't necessarily work for the same Asian living elsewhere. Thread poster's location states US, and I take it she's Asian, she's asking for a skincare brand that will give her skin as nice a complexion as the Korean movie stars'. Now unless she has exactly the same diet and climate as the movie stars', her skin will react differently to the same products they use!

ITA with the following post:

I lived in korea for about 5 years, and to be honest, anyone who has money in korea isn't using Korean products. All the main beauty products available here (Shishedo, Clarins, Estee Lauder, Lancome, etc) were in high demand there.

I'd be surprised if any of those actresses actually used Korean brands...

 

[missy_attitude]

omg... u are such a rude person ^
some of ur comments are so personal.

 

[Lady1mport]

Hello girls, ( or guys too!)

I've use wide ranges of skin care lines and none of them seem to give me nice enough of skin.

Right now I'm using Merle Norman line & it's just not working for me anymore.

I have combination/oily with occasional break outs here and there..and a bad case of black heads.

This may seem silly, but I've been watching those Korean drama movies and those stars have SUCH NICE skiN!!!!!!!!!!!! Perhaps its the screen editing or whatever it may be...but I would love to have nice, light, soft, smooth skin.

I feel like driving out to Korea Town and finding a new skin care line to use but I am a little intimidated b/c I'm not Korean.

I mainly want to even out my skin out, ( uneven skin tone), and clear it!

Do you have any recc's for a brand line I should look to try?

Try Obagi system. It worked for me. I have been trying to get my brother to use it.

 

[.::Charisma::.]

I can't stress Kanebo total finish. Especially for asian skin. It is fab !!!

Just to point out once more to make it known... race does matter when it comes to makeup. Some that are meant for european skin is too harsh on asian skin type.

 

[littlepanda]

Back when I lived in Los Angeles (extremely dry climate) I used Neutrogena facewash and Neutrogena moisturizer. I found out that when I used the same products that I used in Taiwan, they weren't effective.

I've been back in Taiwan for quite a while now. I found that the same products that I used in Taiwan before were becoming ineffective. I went to the dermatologist and she said to stop using anything on my face (except for prescription acne medication and eye moisturizer). Well, that was 3 months ago. My skin is finally almost cleared up, but I still have tons of little red marks left from pimples. It's so irritating because I can't wear makeup and my skin looks like s%&t.

Anyway, my recommendation is to go to a dermatologist. I hope they can recommend something good for you

 

[mineko]

i agree with both ladies above that skin has alot to do with both your ethnic makeup AND the environment in which you live. not to generalize, but there's been plenty of research done on the effects of sun exposure on darker vs. lighter skin, so we know that race has at least something to do with how we age. climates also play a large role in how hydrated your skin is. i live in LA and whenever i go back to taiwan, i immediately notice that my fine lines vanish due to the humidity in the air. likewise, my relatives often complain about how dry their skin feels when they visit me here and have to moisturize more than normal to make up for it. so i think both of you ladies are correct!

here is my personal skincare routine: (fyi, i am 28 years old, taiwanese, combination skin prone to occasional breakouts)

(morning)
- wash with japanese charcoal soap, cetaphil, or sesderma cleanser (whichever happens to be nearby)
- apply 4-5 drops of Skinceuticals CE Ferulic serum (antioxidants) all over face
- follow with neutrogena healthy defense spf45 moisturizer (i've used them all - this is the best!)

(makeup)
- swipe either bobbi brown stick foundation (great colors for asian skin) or chanel foundations (all of them are wonderful and match my skintone perfectly) all over and blend in with fingers
- blend more with sponge applicator
- apply translucent powder (shu eumura loose powder) all over face with kabuki brush to set
- apply chanel blush to apples of cheeks for some color
- lightly brush highlighter (napoleon perdis) on top of blush for added luminosity

(evening)
- remove makeup with 2 pumps of shu eumura fresh cleansing oil, massage all over face
- add lukewarm water and rinse off
- apply clinique toner with cotton ball to remove dead skin cells
- apply 2-3 drops of stella mccartney nourishing elixir (this is oily but absorbs quickly)*
- depending on how my skin feels at this time, i use either:
1) creme de la mer (for moisture)
2) la prairie anti-wrinkle anti-spot cream (for lightening of sun spots)
3) la prairie marine biology cream (for refining pores)
- apply eye cream (la prairie)
- apply lip balm (la mer)

so far i'm pretty happy with the regimen above and i often get compliments on my skin. to be absolutely honest tho, makeup does wonders for evening out my coloring, so i would also agree that the asian stars you see on TV are definitely heavily made up, regardless of what their skin REALLY looks like!

p.s. i once shot an informercial for an asian skincare line, which i had never used before, so that tells you a bit about believing those commercials...

 

[toiletduck]

I've heard some very bad things about SKII from people working in the beauty world so I'd stay away from SKII.

Go for Shiseido...I've tried it myself (I liked it!) and have heard great reviews about it. It also offers a wide range of products for different skin-types.

 

[angelah]

omg... u are such a rude person ^
some of ur comments are so personal.

Excuse me? I am Asian by the way. And I'm busy defending myself being personally attacked, what do you mean by personal? I don't know how advising someone to eat kimchi which is good for health can be taken as something rude or racist?? Just like suggesting someone to drink green tea? Either you are one of those people who jump at anything pertaining to specific culture and automatically assume it's personal and racist or just culturally ignorant? I don't know how I can be racist to my own kind it doesn't make any sense.

 

[krisaya]

I love Sekkisei white mask. You should give it a try. It's great for blackhead. Your face feels sooo clean after use

p.s. I don't mean to offend anybody but Korea is well known for plastic surgery (probably top 3 nation in the whole world). May be that has something to do with why their skin looks so nice?

 

[LouisLady]

It's got NOTHING to do with race!
Skincare needs depend on environment and individual lifestyle (stressful job, diet, exercise..). An Asian in Southeast Asia will use a very different product if she were living in Alaska.

If you're looking into color choice, that would make some sense.
If you want Korean skin go live in Korea and eat lots of kimchi maybe that's their secret.

Angelah, I understand you being Asian too & all..but perhaps it was the way you put that line out. This is online, we don't see your face so we don't know who you are or what you really mean to say. People just go by what we read on here and take things as they are said.


That quote has been popping in and out of my head ever since you posted it. You may truly not mean any harm by it..but not everyone has your understanding.

That's like saying.."If you want Indian skin, go live in India and eat lots of Curry."

No difference.

Offensive? Yes.

 

[missy_attitude]

Excuse me? I am Asian by the way. And I'm busy defending myself being personally attacked, what do you mean by personal? I don't know how advising someone to eat kimchi which is good for health can be taken as something rude or racist?? Just like suggesting someone to drink green tea? Either you are one of those people who jump at anything pertaining to specific culture and automatically assume it's personal and racist or just culturally ignorant? I don't know how I can be racist to my own kind it doesn't make any sense.

gee... you need to take a chill pill.
anyways, are you generlizing all asians? They are not all the same you know. If you are not korean then i dont think you are the same then you shouldn't have said anything "culturally ignorant" such as relating them to kimchi straight away. and please, dont find lame excuses to cover up your bs, such as it was a joke, oh no i was serious coz kimchi is good for you. oh i'm asian too just in case of "what do you know, are you asian.":s

you are not being attacked, you talked to people like they are idiots. "oh what do you know? i dont care what you did". please refer back to your posts to find relating information. just because you think you are in the beauty industry, it doesnt mean other people dont know sh!t about skin care. who do you work for by the way? i'd like to avoid their products (nothing against you, please dont go crazy).

well, enough said, let's move on.

 

[juu_b]

i like the shiseido "white lucent" line.. i used it Canada.. its very dry here in the winter, and in the summer it can be hot and humid.. but i went to HK one summer and i still used this line and it worked pretty well for me..
it helped even out my skin tone!

another brand you should try is lancome.. it was tested on Japanese skin so i think its formulated to fit asian skin.. im not exactly sure of the name but if you would like to know just msg me and i'll check it for you..

ohh, btw my skin type is normal, but i have an oily tzone

hope you find something that suits your skin

 

[tokyogirl]

Mineko -- I also love the Skinceuticals CE Ferulic serum! I will have to try the Bobbi Brown foundations...

- apply 4-5 drops of Skinceuticals CE Ferulic serum (antioxidants) all over face

 

[CEC.LV4eva]

your skin type and response to certain products is combination of BOTH your GENES and the ENVIRONMENT.

and by genes it does not necessarily mean ethinicity/race. So a caucasian and an asian person may both have the same gene (eg. product can be increased levels of androgens which tends to give you more breakouts and acne). One race may have a higher tendency to have the same gene however such as Asians for androgens.
Yet, the environment is probably *THE* most important factor nowadays imo. From this view, I agree with angelah. Even if you have the best genes your parents gave you, if you don't treat it properly by smoking, never washing your face, never moisturize, no sunscreen...etc.(which is probably the majority of people), then you'll have just have average to bad skin which is the equivalent of a person with bad genes but who takes care of their skin.
It's like talking about obesity these days. Many people blame it on their genes and say "oh well I can't exercise cuz no matter what I do, my genes don't allow that" or something along this line. However, after many scientific studies, we now know that genes only contribute to a small extent and that the environment (ie. lifestyle, exercise, eating habit, availability of food) is also the main factor which is why there is such emphasis on promoting self-discipline, healthy eating and exercise in the western countries. Of course not many people listen and is the result of obesity being so epidemic these days.
Anyway, back to skincare. I'm not denying the fact that genes do play a role. So the opposite can also be argued since most of us do take care of our skin very well and buy a lot of excellent products for a face. Here regardless of where we are in the country, people like us will always pamper our skin and there may be slight differences in skin tone and texture from one country to the next, but it should still be fairly good in comparison to most people whom I believe don't really care about their skin. Thus genes would play a greater role here.

OP: I'm asian and I personally use Lancome's Blanc Expert line (toner, lotion for day, and serum) which is dedicated to asian skin together with La Prairie at night (hydrating serum, eye contour cream, and anti-aging anti-wrinkle cellular intensive cream). They are a good combination imo. I have also heard that Shiseido has good skincare products too but I've never tried.

PS: let's give angelah a break guys, she's just being a little expressive with her jokes! I'm sure she didn't mean to purposely insult us, it was just a joke with the kimchi