I promised you more k-beauty features, so here is one! A couple weeks ago I was approached by Stylekorean, a large online shopping mall that sells thousands of popular, 100% authentic Korean cosmetics. Considering that kbeauty is often counterfeited, this guarantee is very reassuring. I like having options, so I decided to give them a try. There are two other online retailers I normally buy my Korean skincare from, but that’s because I didn’t know about any others. Now I officially have one more to stalk for sales!
Right away I could tell that Stylekorean offers very competitive pricing, and most products cost a lot less than what you’d expect to pay at US-based kbeauty retailers. IMO, ordering directly from Korea is always the best option if you want to save money.
My mini-haul consisted of 4 products:
- Benton Honest TT Mist
- Heimish Dailism Mineral Rich Lipstick Day-off MROR01
- Huxley Cream; Glow Awakening
- Innisfree It’s Real Squeeze Mask Sheet Manuka Honey
Stylekorean also included a cute pouch filled with samples, and an extra sheet mask to try.
Benton Honest TT Mist & Innisfree It’s Real Squeeze Mask Sheet Manuka Honey
If you remember, a few years ago Benton was put in the spotlight due to some really nasty drama that involved several beauty bloggers and products allegedly going moldy. I’ve been using those very same products at the same time this was all going on and had literally zero issues. I believe that Benton pledged to make major changes to their manufacturing practices, including stricter quality control. Benton is still one of my favorite kbeauty brands, because they offer really nice, premium quality products without the premium price tag. Benton Honest TT Mist ($9 for 40 ml) is one of their newer products, and I kept forgetting to pick it up during my kbeauty hauls in the past. Well, this time I remembered!
The mist comes in a very unusual packaging – it’s a tube with a mist nozzle. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before, that’s kbeauty for you. 🙂 This formulation is not your basic water + glycerin + essential oil combo. It’s more of a toner/first essence in a mist form, because the ingredient list is actually pretty impressive. The main ingredient is Tea Tree Leaf Water in 80% concetration, which reduces irritation and redness, and helps purify the skin. Other notable ingredients include moisturizing Hyaluronic Acid in 7% concentration, antibacterial Tea Tree Extract in 5% concentration, and soothing Aloe Leaf Extract.
Benton Honest TT Mist (Nozzle)
I love using Benton Honest TT Mist as a midday pick me up when I am not wearing makeup. Although you technically could use it on top of foundation to hydrate the skin, it didn’t seem to do much for me, except make my foundation slide. The TSA-friendly, vacuum packaging makes this mist a great travel companion, and prevents the botanical extracts from oxidizing. Overall, I’m really loving it so far and I would definitely buy it again.
You will LOVE it if:
- You prefer clean & natural products.
- You prefer unscented skincare.
- You prefer non-aerosol sprays.
- You travel a lot.
You will HATE it if:
- You don’t support brands with previous drama record.
- You prefer micro-mists (this is a standard mist).
Ingredients: Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Water(80%), Sodium Hyaluronate(7%), Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Extract(5%), Butylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadenisis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Althaea Rosea Root Extract, AloeBarbadenis Leaf Extract, Beta- Glucan, Poly Glutamic Acid, Aspalathus Linearis Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Psidium Guajava Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract.
Heimish Dailism Mineral Rich Lipstick Day-off
Heimish is a brand I was interested in for a while, mainly thanks to some of my favorite Youtubers who wouldn’t stop raving about the famous cleansing balm. I wanted to test the waters and try the brand’s makeup offerings instead, so I picked up Heimish Dailism Mineral Rich Lipstick ($7 for 3 g) in Day-off MROR01 on clearance. This was such a great value for the money!
The lipstick comes in a weighty square bullet with a magnetized cap, so it just snaps on and stays put when not in use. The formula is very impressive: richly pigmented and buttery smooth. It glides over the lips with ease without dragging, and deposits an insane amount of color in a single swipe. This might be one of the most pigmented lipsticks I own. Can’t believe it was under $10!
Heimish Dailism Mineral Rich Lipstick Day-off (Swatch)
Initially the color sets with a comfortable buttery finish and satiny sheen, but if you fancy a matte lip, patting the lips gently with a clean napkin removed the gloss while preserving the intensity of the color. Day-off is a warm, reddish tangerine orange, and it looks amazing with my fair skin tone. The color is everything I love in the summer, it’s young, fun, and effortless, and it makes me look put together even if I’m not wearing a lot of makeup that day. I honestly can’t recommend this range enough, you guys should totally check out other Heimish lipstick colors because this is a hidden gem! They’ve got plenty of more wearable everyday neutrals, pinks, and reds.
You will LOVE it if:
- You like rich, pigmented color.
- You have lip lines. This lipstick makes them disappear!
- You like the idea of a magnetized cap.
- You’re looking for a great lipstick on a budget.
You will HATE it if:
- You prefer sheer formulas.
While I couldn’t quickly find the full ingredient list, I know these lipsticks contain Sunflower Seed Oil, Brazil Nut Oil, Rose of China Oil, and Rosehip Seed Oil, because that’s what it says in the ads. No wonder they felt so buttery and hydrating!
Huxley Cream; Glow Awakening ($32 for 50 ml) was another product I picked up from Stylekorean, and I actually plan to review it separately. I’ll just briefly mention that Huxley brand is crazy popular right now, both in Korea and overseas. Their minimalistic packaging aesthetic and trendy ingredients are the reason why so many kbeauty fans added these products to their wishlists. I’ve been lusting over them myself, so when I had the opportunity to pick out something to try, I went for the brightening moisturizer, since hyper pigmentation is currently my main skincare concern, followed by dehydration.
But that’s all I’m going to say for now, stay tuned for the review!
Stylekorean Extra Samples with Order
Last but not least, I grabbed a single Innisfree It’s Real Squeeze Mask Sheet Manuka Honey ($1.50 for 20ml) sheet mask. I usually stock up on the Rice variety, but I figured I might as well try Manuka Honey, and see if it works better for me, because my skin’s been extra dehydrated lately. It’s Real masks are arguably the most popular sheet masks in Korea, maybe even in the world. They are affordable and have better ingredients than their fellow inexpensive high street counterparts. Innisfree grows their own ingredients on Ecocert-certified farms, so a lot of their products are fully or partially organic.
Manuka Honey turned out to be a great choice for my combination skin. It was deeply hydrating, and also nourishing, so my face felt very soft and looked radiant afterward. I always love the cooling effect from these masks, too. According to Korean beauty professionals, cold skin ages at a slower rate, that’s why cooling products are all the rage right now.
You will LOVE it if:
- You prefer using products with natural & organic ingredients.
- You are looking for an inexpensive sheet mask to use daily.
- Your skin could use a boost of hydration.
You will HATE it if:
- You prefer unscented skincare.
- Your skin is sensitive to alcohol.
- You prefer hydrogel masks.
Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Ethanol, Grapefruit Extract, Betaine, Bamboo Extract (200mg), Xanthan Gum, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tangerine Peel Extract, Orchid Extract, The green Tea Extract, Camellia Leaf Extract, Prickly Pear Fruit Extract, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.
While browsing Stylekorean I filled up my wishlist to the nines with some amazing products, and that’s a good sign. Stylekorean offers a wide variety of brands, including worldwide popular ones, and those popular locally [various clinic and K-MUA brands, for example]. Overall, I thought the selection was well-curated and offered plenty of options. The shipping charges are pretty standard, and in line with what I’ve been paying elsewhere. I definitely appreciate the extra samples, it’s always fun to receive a few tiny extras with an order. If you decide to shop at Stylekorean, make sure to check out the clearance section – that’s where I found my lipstick at!
Where do you shop for Korean beauty products? Which Korean brands are on your wishlist? Let me know in the comments below!
