review

Why I gave up on The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Toner

This glycolic acid toner is slightly more irritating than mandelic acid, but not quite as strong as a full-on chemical peel (and maybe not as effective, either).

You know how I feel about toners. I’m not sure if they actually do anything, but I still like to use them, because they help my skin feel cleaner and more refreshed at night. I’ve been hearing good things about The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Toning Solution for a while now, so I decided to give it a try. Since it contains 7 percent glycolic acid, this is not your typical toner—it falls somewhere between a toner and a chemical peel. And what’s in the other 93 percent? According to…

Why I hated Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream

Here's why I ended up returning this moisturizer to Sephora. Plus, some lessons learned from this experience.

I don’t really like to return things—probably the result of a mixture of laziness and fear of being shamed at the store. My dad, on the other hand, has no qualms about standing in line at Costco to return a bunch of things every week. He has also mastered the art of reattaching price tags to clothing items with Scotch tape. I’d rather live with a disappointing product than bring it back to the store to ask for a refund, unless the product was inaccurately advertised, defective, or…

HADA LABO Goku-Jyun Milk Review: not quite a cream, not quite a serum, but super moisturizing

This Japanese cult favorite contains not one, not two, but three forms of hyaluronic acid.

When I was growing up, I used to drink multiple cups of milk every day. Although I only drink non-dairy milk these days, I still always think of milk as this really nutritious, feel-good thing (maybe I’ve been brainwashed by the “Got milk?” ads). So when a beauty product calls itself a milk (even if it doesn’t contain a drop of dairy), I feel positive vibes about it right away. This could be the reason why I immediately had a good feeling about HADA LABO Goku-Jyun Milk…