A few weeks ago, I bought this lovely, friendly-looking face mask at a local Japanese supermarket, pretty much on a whim. At the time, I assumed that it was a Japanese brand, but I found out later that it was actually a Taiwanese brand: My Beauty Diary (我的美麗日記). What can I say? Japanese and Chinese written characters look very similar, particularly if you’re not paying close attention.

I’ve harbored mixed feelings about the importance of using toner as part of one’s skincare routine. I’ve used toners off and on since my teenage years. I suspect that most of the positive effects were psychological—using toner made my face feel cleaner than using face wash alone. Recently, I’ve been using Thayers Cucumber Toner, and I think it might continue to play a regular role in my skincare routine, for a number of reasons that I’ll go into later in this post.

Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment was one of the sunscreens included in the Sephora Sun Safety Kit this year. It’s also something I never would have bought individually, so I was happy to get the chance to try it out. If you read my article on the best sunscreens in the Sephora Sun Safety Kit, you know that it was also one of only six sunscreens in this kit that could legitimately claim to protect against UVA1, UVA2, and UVB rays.