Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ardis]

Spring is practically here, which I love in some ways, but...I hate how oily and shiny my face will inevitably get in the coming humidity. Does anyone know a good brand of mattifying powder I could buy here? I've been checking for reviews on the internet, but most are for American or European bands that aren't available here. Any price range is fine.

[prideofidaho]

Hey,

Are you sure the brands are unavailable? Have you checked the department stores?

I use NARS, it's 'mattifying', but I've noticed my skin has been pretty greasy and I blame the moisturizer I use. Maybe switching to a lighter moisturizer might help mattify along with some powder?
I'd recommend Aveda's All-Sensitive: http://www.aveda.com/templates/products2/spp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY10562&PRODUCT_ID=PROD5888

I know it's not what you asked for, but that's my best defense against nasty summer oilyness. It's a bit steep (about 55,000 won) but a bottle lasts me about a year, and I've been using it for about 5 years.

I noticed, as you probably have as well, that Korean women use skin blotting paper like crazy in the summer, sot hat might work too.

[akiakiaki]

What brand do you normally use? If you use American brands like Clinique or MAC... they're quite easy to find.

[ardis]

prideofidaho: Well, I did a few pages of google and saw a lot about the Urban Decay one, and I haven't seen that brand in Seoul. I know people talked about MAC having a good one, as well, which I'm guessing I could find here but I don't know how expensive it would be. Thanks for the moisturizer suggestion!

akiakiaki: I've never had to use a mattifying powder before, so I'm not sure what brand to go after. Also, there are so many Korean brands that are more affordable than the imported Western brands...I wonder if girls here have used them and to what success?

[akiakiaki]

double post

[akiakiaki]

[seouldivah]

OP, try strawberrynet.com. They post free to Korea within a few days.

[tzechuk]

I use Lancome. Pretty good.

Shiseido is not bad too but my face is never very oily to begin with..

I second the idea of using a lighter moisturiser.. that will definitely help.

[ardis]

[Atramentous]

I have yet to experience Korean humidity, however, Florida humidity can be a nightmare for the face and hair.
I usually switch out the moisturizer for something oil-free - clinique has a nice one, so does Olay or Aveeno and Philosophy.
A good cleanser that cleans the grime and makeup without stripping the skin does wonders (too harsh a cleanser can make the skin even more oily). Cetaphil is wonderful for all skin types.

For matifying - smashbox primer. It is a bit pricier but a little goes a long way and it comes with SPF 15 built in. All make up (or a nude face) look smoother and minimize pores while keeping the oil-slick look at a minimum.

A clay based mask once to twice a week will also work wonders.
Queen Helene makes two great ones (basic clay and mint julep) that will not break the bank.

MyUS.com is a service that will set up an address that is within the US so that you can have things shipped to you overseas (SK is on their list of countries). Their service is pretty good for those that would like to shop on US websites that do not ship overseas. One of their partner sites is drugstore.com (with beauty.com) and you can pretty much find anything you need one there.

My sister uses the MyUS.com since she lives overseas and it is much easier than posting things to me so that I can forward it to her.
There is a small set up fee ($7) and a fee per shipment - however - all is pretty reasonable and they ship things to you super fast.

Hope that helped.