multicultural aesthetic life space
For vocal inspiration, some of my favorites in different languages; paying particular attention to phrasing, breath, and tone. Best listened to in peace and quiet; rainy weather optimal but not necessary.
Through the Night – IU | Free – Deniece Williams | Beauty and the Beast [cover] – Aoi Teshima | Can’t Love You Anymore – IU (With. OHHYUK)
Summer is in full force and I can’t be bothered to wear anything more than sunscreen and Glossier’s boy brow most days. That, and I have declared personal war against foundations. I have dry skin and mild keratosis pilaris—most foundations/concealers just don’t sit well on my skin. I expected that tone up creams would hit a nice middle ground for me by brightening and evening the skin tone while allowing skin to retain a fresh, bare sort of look. Unfortunately, all of the tone up creams I’ve tried so far also do not seem to work very well on dry skin; they are stiff, streaky, and pill endlessly.
But I finally found it! This is tone up cream perfection. It has a smooth, moist texture that’s easy to spread and does not cause pilling. With it, you can achieve a fresh but not overdone look without the fuss of making a product sit right on the skin. Definitely my sort of product.
I was online trying to restock on moisturizer when I came across it. I found myself putting it into my cart after reading ad-copy from the brand that specifically stated that the product adheres well and resists pilling.
I didn’t think much of it after that until my order arrived.
| Heimish Aqua Tone Up Cream |
Product claims/information:
Ingredients:
Unfortunately, the full ingredients list is not available online yet, and I was stupid enough to throw away the outer container before taking a picture, thinking I could always look it up later. I’ll update as soon as I can find it. Some of the key ingredients include cactus stem extract and maltodextrin (hydration), glutathione and vitamin tree extract (brightening), and buddleja extract (antioxidant/skin conditioning). It also contains niacinamide and does not contain ethanol, for those who are concerned about sensitivities.
Other notes:
On a whim and without much expectation, I applied it one day after my skin care and sunscreen. The silver tube comes in an interesting plastic cylinder case and looks like it should be toothpaste. I squeezed out a dime-sized amount of product, which actually ended up being too much. A little goes a long way.
The texture is slightly more watery than one would expect from a tone up cream. It spread easily across my skin, and though it was slightly streaky at first, blending gently with my fingers gave an even, smooth finish. It seemed to put a veil over redness, discoloration, and pores without looking chalky. In fact, my skin looked hydrated rather than powdery and dry. The skin-feel of the product is moist, but lightweight.
I’ve been using this on a semi-daily basis for almost a month now. I feel like it plumps up my skin whenever I use it, and these plumping effects seem to last until I cleanse my face at night. There is a mild, flowery sort of fragrance, but it has not been irritating in the slightest on my hyper-sensitive skin. Heimish claims that it can replace your day moisturizer, but I think that would depend on skin type. It is more than enough for oily/combination/dehydrated skin types that lack hydration, but it does not have the lipids and occlusive ingredients that are crucial for those with dry skin.
It wears fairly well throughout the day without too much bunching at the sides of my nose, which is crazy because not a day goes by in Japan lately where we’re not all sweating our faces off! I did note that applying too much does encourage the product to settle into creases, so I am careful to apply only a little bit to the eye and nose area. I also pair this with the (other) love of my life, NARS radiant creamy concealer, when I want a little more coverage. It seems to work well with other foundation/concealer products because it leaves minimum residue on the skin.
Happy camper 🤗
When I think of the summer aesthetic, the word “glow” immediately comes to mind. SoCal residents are known for a beautiful, bronzed beach glow, but a healthy glow looks great on every skin tone. The Korean term for this lit-up look is 광 “gwang.” The most covetable glow (속광 “sokgwang”) is created from keeping the skin healthy. I’ve grown into this approach to skin care as a Korean American, and I’ve realized it’s purely foundational. Like, makeup is optional (fun, self-expressive), instead of necessary (covering flaws, dependency). In my own experience of it, skin care is more in the realm of health and well-being than enhancement. Also, I’m um, minimalist (read: lazy), so I like things that are not fussy but still effective.
Here are my three summer loves! Well-suited for warmth and sunshine.
The last thing, which kind of goes without saying for someone who grew up in a Korean family like me, is to wear sunscreen! Even if you prefer a little color via the sun in the summertime or already have beautiful, richly toned skin, protecting the skin before seeing the sun is crucial for preventing spots and premature wrinkles from collagen breakdown. Sunscreen that is marked PA+++ actually inhibits skin darkening. For those who are after that gorgeous, bronzed look, I recommend a PA++ sunscreen.
Easy-peasy glowy! Here comes my lazy-ass summer. Hehe.
be light 