To be honest, I kind of skip toners in my routine because I get bored of that step but I’m trying to be better at incorporating it into my routine lately. Say hello to a new toner in my arsenal – this one is from Nature Republic which is a CCOF certified organic brand! Infused with 90% natural aloe vera extract which is harvested in California & the product is made in Korea.

Price: $11.90

Quantity: 160 ml

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Ethyl Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Sea Water, Caprylyl Glycol, Fragrance(Parfum), Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polyquaternium-51, Water, Sodium Polyacrylate, PVM/MA Copolymer, PPG-26-, Buteth-26, Water , Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.

This Aloe Vera 90 Toner is a moisturizing, soothing and hydrating toner that is water based and ideal for sensitive skin. It is supposed to be used after cleansing on a cotton pad – the usual .The most striking thing about this product is its smell. It smells like natural aloe vera juice in a bottle. It is extremely fresh and refreshing the minute I put this onto a cotton pad and onto my skin. This product does contain alcohol and if that bothers your skin you should stay away from it. They don’t list the ingredients of this product on their website which is very weird so I only found out after I had already bought it. I’m always suspicious of websites that do that now. I broke out on my chin in the next 2 days and the only new thing I've been using is is this toner and a moisturizer. The moisturizer on its own doesn’t do anything to my skin and haven’t changed anything else in my routine this week.

It’s a ‘meh’ product at best for me. It looked promising at first coupled with the good reviews on their site but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone personally because it contains alcohol denat which is very bad for skin. Also, not a fan of the feeling of my skin burning off.  I am not going to use it anymore, start looking for alternatives and will stay away from certain forms of alcohol especially denat. I’ve already lost two products to alcohol but that only means I’m getting one step closer to a better skincare routine. I’m never buying another product without checking the ingredients…lesson learnt. Now if only this scent came in the form of a body mist..I’d be all over that!

Sheet masks are pretty fundamental in a Korean skincare routine and even non Korean brands have started making them now. The first brand I came across when I wanted to start stocking up on some masks was The Face Shop. Their packaging, descriptions and somewhat the ingredients looked a little similar to Innisfree which is the only brand I had tried before and trusted so I thought I’d give them a go. These masks come in 10 different “natural” ingredients and I picked up one of each. They’re pretty affordable at $2 per mask but this brand frequently has sales so you can pick them up in bundles which turn out to be much cheaper. You can also pick up the whole set for only $15 on amazon.

Ingredient List of the Aloe mask: Water/Eau, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, AlcoholDenat, Betaine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Dimethicone, Phaseolus Radiatus Extract, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Bark Extract, Rumex CrispusRoot Extract, Carbomer, Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Propyl Paraben, Parfum/Fragrance

Now I’ve only included the ingredient list of one type of mask but they’re almost identical to the other ones, just the main ingredient (that has been highlighted) changes depending on what kind of mask it is. What I like is that the main ingredient is the third ingredient, so pretty much in the start of the list which means it makes up a higher percentage of the total ingredients. Some debatable ingredients here are parabens, alcohol and fragrance. If you are allergic or react to any of these then I’d suggest not using it. I don’t mind fragrance and parabens as much as I mind alcohol because it irritates my skin. I try to steer clear of it in my daily skincare but since I will be using these only once or twice a week, I thought I’d try and see how it goes.

These sheet masks are basically cotton sheets in the shape of your face soaked in serums formulated with the ingredient that you’re trying to use for your skin concerns. You open a package, put the mask on for 10-15 mins and take it off before it dries(as the experts suggest) and then take the left over serum in the package which is usually A LOT to massage it into your face and neck. Do not rinse after this mask and move straight ahead to moisturizer once it’s all soaked in.

 Here’s a breakdown of what each type of mask is for:

The Aloe Hydrating mask was very soothing once I put it onto my skin but it was a little too sticky on my skin like it would not sink in after I had removed the mask. Although these masks can be used in the morning, evening and also under makeup, I don’t know if the Aloe one will be comfortable to be used under makeup. The other masks soak into the skin much better but take a long time – about 15/20 minutes. That’s why I only do these at night because I have combination skin but people with drier skin than mine may not have this issue.

The size and fit of these masks is a little too big for my face and I had to smooth out the extra bits below my chin and a little bit went over my hair. All these masks have distinctive fragrances in them which I don’t love or hate. I am not too bothered by it but it’s not pleasant like those herbal Korean skincare scents that I absolutely fall in love with in products. The masks didn’t bother my skin except the aloe. I noticed a red patch on my cheek after using it which was weird but it went away the next morning & I’m guessing it’s because of the alcohol. It’s funny that it didn’t happen with the others though. However, it also made my skin look really plump and glowy so I’m not sure what to make of it. I am so far in love with the brightening, moisturizing ones. I am not too keen on the hydrating and firming ones because I have other products that do the job for me without any redness but you can try them out and see if they suit you better because a lot of people swear by it.

Overall, these masks are great for the price and some of them do really show results instantly but it only lasts for a few days until you mask again. If you feel any burning or tingling sensation, don’t use these again. I know some people use it every single day so their skin will show results sooner and last longer than on people like me who only use it once or twice a week but it’s what I recommend because of the not-so-friendly ingredient list. If you’ve to pick out only one or two, I’d definitely recommend the Rice Brightening Mask and Shea Butter Nourishing Mask out of this lot. 

Places to find it : Style Korean, YesStyle, Amazon, RoseRoseShop.

If you’ve been on instagram recently, you may have noticed that the beauty community is blowing up with pictures of these mystical brush sets like I call them.Well, there’s unicorns, mermaids, fishes, even rose branches to choose from and yes, they’re sold by several different retailers. There’s also a similar colourful unicorn set that Tarte sells. I spotted this set on amazon and honestly it was a super amazing deal to pass up. This whole set contains 5 face brushes and 7 eye brushes. The bristles are very soft, feel amazing on the skin and they have pink tips. They didn’t shed when I washed them and pretty much still look new after quite a few washes since I've had them for a month or more now.
I was drawn to the face brushes more than the eye brushes but I picked up the whole set anyway. I really liked the selection of the face brushes and the shapes they included in this set.

-A large fluffy powder brush – This brush is huuuge and I love it. It is packed with hairs and the shape is tapered and not as round like a lot of powder brushes. I feel like it doesn’t pick up too much powder and perfect for a light dusting where I need it without looking overly powdery. It works best with a loose powder/mineral foundation. It can also work as a great bronzer brush for people who are scared of it because they end up orange.

- A tapered highlighter brush – This one is my favourite of the lot. It looks similar to brushes like the Real Techniques Setting brush and F25 by Sigma. It is great for a light sweeping of highlighter and if I need more I can just dip it in the product and sweep again.

- Angled Blusher Brush, Flat Contour Brush – These are standard brushes for blush and contour and they do the job like any other brush would.

- Flat foundation brush – I love this one too! I’m so glad they didn’t include the retro paddle foundation brush like a lot of ebay sets do. I haven’t used one of those since high school and I just end up throwing them out so don’t see the point of buying them. Now I apply my foundation with makeup sponges but what this one is perfect for is cushion foundation. Fits in the pan perfectly and the flat top is sturdy enough to  apply the right amount of pressure on the cushion to get the product out. Another use for it can be to apply cream contour & blush products.
The eye brushes are pretty standard – an angled eyeliner brush, 2 flat shader brush, an angled shader brush, a small shader for the bottom lid and a crease blending brush. I feel like there are too many flat shaders in this and I would only need one or two and they aren’t very stiff to pack on colour anyway. I only liked the blending brush and eyeliner brush from the eye brushes but I guess it’s good to have some extra eye brushes handy when everything else is dirty.

I think this set is well worth the price and also so, so beautiful to look at on my vanity which is an added bonus.
Places to Find them : Here, Here & here. | Similar brush sets : Here, here & Here.