Boston from the Prudential Tower

Even though I had only been once, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Boston. I fell in love with all of the history and architecture and always vowed to go back. It took almost 20 years, but I finally made my triumphant return.

B&G Oysters

Fried Clams and Lobster Roll

My sole goal in Boston was to eat a lobster roll. My Bostonian friends happily obliged and took me to B&G Oysters (550 Tremont St.). This hip restaurant has cute outdoor seating, a seafood bar and a few high tables scattered throughout the restaurant.

B&G Oysters Food

We ordered a medley of food, including raw oysters, fried oysters, fried clams, gnocchi with calamari and lobster rolls. Everything was absolutely amazing, but I had to admit that the fried oysters and clams were standouts for me. My lobster roll was served cold and mixed with a bit of mayo and chives. I was really happy that the mayo was not overwhelming and that the sweetness of the lobster flesh could really shine. I would completely recommend B&G Oysters if you’re looking for a Boston seafood experience.

Yankee Lobster Company: Fried Scallop and Lobster Roll

When said B&G Oysters friends asked what else I wanted to eat, I simply replied: “More lobster rolls.” They recommended Yankee Lobster Company (300 Northern Ave.). Facing the water on the pier, Yankee Lobster is a casual and no-frills spot where you order your food and quickly grab a table. I completely enjoyed the casual vibe and quick service. After reading multiple reviews, I knew that I had to order the fried scallops. I would order these every day if I could. Juicy, succulent scallops in a light batter with tangy tartar sauce is definitely up there in my ranks of favorite foods (besides lobster rolls). My lobster roll also did not fail to disappoint. Served hot with a simple preparation of hot butter on a perfectly toasted bun, I liked it even more than B&G Oysters version. If you’re visiting the Institute of Contemporary Art, Yankee Lobster is a great option for a quick lunch, dinner or even afternoon snack!

Fenway Park

Speaking of quick meals, Boston has a plethora of pizza by the slice options. I decided to try Regina Pizzeria (multiple locations) since there was one walking distance from Fenway Park. You really can’t beat a huge slice of pizza for an affordable price. I also recommend taking a tour of Fenway Park. The guide was so enthusiastic, knowledgable and fun. Plus, how often do you get to visit America’s oldest ballpark?

The Spread at Moonshine 152

One of the up and coming neighborhoods in Boston is South Boston aka. Southie, which is full of awesome restaurants like Moonshine 152 (152 Dorchester Ave.). Full disclosure: I grew up with the owner and chef, Asia Mei and I consider her to be like a cousin. However, it wouldn’t have clouded my judgement because Asia is a talented and fantastic chef. My friends and I went for brunch and feasted on tater tot poutine, French toast sticks, grilled avocado, a peach and fried prosciutto salad and omelette. That French toast was seriously one of the best French toasts I’ve ever had. It’s not a custard-style French toast, but little deep-fried fritters that aren’t oily or greasy. They tasted like churros with a raspberry dipping sauce and I love churros.

I really liked how Asia would throw in nods to her Asian heritage. The tater tot poutine is topped with Chinese sausage, gravy, green onions and white cheddar cheese. The grilled avocado had an Asian slaw with peanuts. She serves brunch, dinner and even late night eats. I wish I could have gone for dinner because there are even more fusion dishes. It leaves something to desire for my next trip.

Barcelona South End

Beside B&G Oysters, another spectacular restaurant in the South End is Barcelona South End (525 Tremont St.). Serving untraditional tapas, I highly recommend ordering the grilled hanger steak with truffle vinaigrette, charred broccoli and paella. One of the star dishes was the squid ink fideos with calamari and garlic aioli. I had never had fideos before but it is similar to paella, only instead of rice, the dish uses noodles. I loved how the bottom of the pan would get crispy and the garlic aioli perfectly complemented the squid ink. I’d go back just for this dish because it was so unique and flavorful.

Boston Public Market Treats

It would be very remiss of me if I didn’t try and take advantage of all the treats that Boston has to offer. Inside the Boston Public Market is a veritable cornucopia of food options. What is even more impressive is that they are all local vendors from New England. My friend told me that I had to try the apple cider donuts from Appleton Farms. I could not resist after seeing them freshly made before my eyes. Mini donuts with apple cider are fried and then tossed in a beautiful cinnamon sugar mixture. I ate mine hot and it was like eating a cloud-like churro (I can’t get enough of churros). The apple cider made the donut so light and fluffy and I probably could have easily ate half a dozen right at that moment. When I was on my Boston Duck Tour, our friendly tour guide recommended Crescent Ridge ice cream. I saved enough room in my stomach for a scoop of their raspberry and chocolate chip ice cream.

Flour Bakery

Flour Bakery + Cafe (multiple locations) comes up a lot when researching places to eat in Boston. I wish I had the stomach to have tried more things, but I only ordered their famous sticky bun and a ham and cheese croissant. The croissant was a total pass. It was way too heavy, dense and just greasy between the butter from the croissant and the cheese inside. The sticky bun redeemed the trip and would be a pecan lover’s paradise. I would definitely go back to Flour Bakery to try some of their cookies, cakes or pie.

Union Oyster House

Finally, I have to mention the Union Oyster House (41 Union St.), which is the oldest restaurant in America. It would be cool to visit just for its historic value, but I recommend stopping by for a meal. At the very least, grab a seat a their counter for a hearty bowl of clam chowder and corn bread. The environment is lively and the clam chowder will warm your soul. From the Union Oyster House, you can walk easily to the Boston Public Market and grab yourself an apple cider donut.

While it looks like all I did was eat, I actually squeezed in a ton of sightseeing and recommend the following:

• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
• Museum of Fine Arts
• Freedom Trail Walk
• Skywalk Tour at the Prudential Tower
• Boston Duck Tour
• Fenway Park Tour
• Boston Public Library
• Institute of Contemporary Art
• New England Aquarium

Atelier Crenn Menu

It’s been an absolute dream of mine to dine at Atelier Crenn (3127 Fillmore St.) and I felt incredibly lucky to be able to celebrate my birthday there last month. If you have not seen Netflix’s Chef’s Table (Season 2, Episode 3), stop and watch it immediately (full disclosure: you may cry). You’ll be taken on an incredible journey learning more about Chef Dominique Crenn, what inspires her cooking and all the effort that goes into maintaining her restaurants. Chef Dominque Crenn is the first female chef in the U.S. to earn two Michelin stars and it is well earned. Each dish is a feast for your eyes, as much as it is for your stomach, and the service is impeccable.

First Courses

The meal starts with a poem, which is your narrative for the night’s menu. All guests are welcomed with their first bite, chef’s take on a Kir Breton. White cocoa butter surrounds a sphere of apple cider and it’s topped with crème de cassis. Chef Dominique’s Bretagne roots really shine throughout the night as there were a lot of seafood courses. Her take on fish and chips were fried potato chips dusted with seaweed and served with swordfish marrow in a cucumber sauce. I really loved her tomato memory (watch the Netflix episode and you’ll understand the reference), which were small tarts filled with tomato compote and roe. On the side, different peeled tomatoes were served with tomato dust and tomato raisins. One of my favorite dishes of the night was Japanese-inspired. Delicate uni is served over toasted Japanese rice mixed with seaweed and sesame seeds. What truly elevated this dish was the white wine, shallot and fennel broth. The sauce was so clear and flavorful.

Next came caviar with rice cream and shiso leaf oil, served with delicate root vegetables. The homemade brioche bread with A5 wagyu beef fat butter and herbed butter is the definition of decadence. I had to refrain from devouring the whole loaf so that there’d be room for the rest of the courses. Grilled abalone (not pictured) came with egg yolk jam, seaweed dusting and grilled oyster cream. The abalone was so tender and the waiter let us in on the secret– beating the abalone for 30 minutes to an hour.

Foraging Mushroom Course

What really impressed me about Atelier Crenn was how simple looking dishes could have so much flavor and require multiple cooking techniques. For example, the foraging mushroom course had a parmesan custard with pine nuts and grilled mushrooms, which had the consistency of meat. Carefully shaved mushrooms were mixed with foie gras and lemon, which lent a brightness to the dish.

Wagyu Beef

Vermont Cheese and Truffle Tart

While the whole dinner was amazing, my favorite dish was the main entrée, A5 Wagyu beef from Japan with carrot gelée and chicken jus. The beef was tender and melted in your mouth and the chicken jus helped cut the fattiness of the meat. The last savory course was a fermented Vermont cheese tart in a sourdough shell and topped with shaved truffle.

Dessert Courses

Dessert also did not fail to impress. The theme was Mayan and we were served interesting flavor combinations like avocado and lime truffle with a cactus refresher. I couldn’t believe how creative the desserts were like the corn sandwich with corn marshmallow, corn tuille and a white chocolate medallion. Or, tobacco crisps served with vanilla crème anglaise and agave leaf with coconut mousse.

Atelier Crenn was a meal and a birthday that I’ll remember forever. I had high expectations and it did not disappoint. If you’re looking for a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, I can’t recommend Atelier Crenn enough. Also, stop reading this blog post and go watch Dominique Crenn’s Netflix episode!

First Course: Summer Tomato Salad

Monterey Squid in a Melon Gazpacho

Binatog Corn Flan

Arzak Egg

Quail Pinaupo

Dessert Courses

I went in with high expectations, but they were completely blow away. This was honestly one of the best meals of my life. I cannot recommend Chef Francis Ang and Pinoy Heritage enough. Be sure to follow them on Instagram or check out Feastly to go to one of their other meals. If interested, you can use my referral code, which will get you $10 off your first meal: http://fst.im/s/c0ad1e09.

Croissant Choices at Vive La Tarte

I recently wrote a post about some of my favorite SF bakeries, but San Francisco is teeming with pastries that are just waiting to be eaten. One of my new favorite places is Vive La Tarte (1160 Howard St.) in SOMA. Filled in a light and airy warehouse, Vive La Tarte is a great space to hold a meeting or hunker down and work. They offer classic croissants, pain au chocolat and almond croissants, as well as filled ones like strawberry shortcake and banana ginger. If the croissants weren’t enough to tempt you, there’s slices of pizza, quiche, tarts and cheesecake!

Vive La Tarte Spread

I stayed focused on the croissants and tried the strawberry shortcake, banana ginger, pain au chocolat and almond croissant. I’ll be honest and let you know that the filled croissants, while very Instagrammable, are not that good. I found that with the filling, the croissant becomes soggy. There also wasn’t enough strawberry or banana flavor. Stick with the classics like pain au chocolat. While I did enjoy the taste of the chocolate filling immensely, I wish there were two chocolate batons instead of one. The amount of pastry surrounding the chocolate is huge so there are many bites that are chocolate-less. Let’s face it; those are sad bites. I do highly recommend the almond croissant, which was completely filled from top to bottom with almond goodness (very impressive). It had that perfect marzipan taste and the filling oozes out with every bite. I’m quite confident that this is my favorite almond croissant.

Sightglass Coffee

Vive La Tarte Seating

If the pastries aren’t enough for you, grab a cup of the Sightglass Coffee. I love how cute the space at Vive La Tarte is with actual tables, bench and counter seating. I can’t wait to go back and work my way through some of the tarts and cheesecake.

Arsicault

I’m in the minority here, but I didn’t love Arsicault (397 Arguello Blvd.), which Bon Appétit crowned the best new bakery in America in 2016. Arsicault hosts a small menu with plain croissant, pain au chocolat, kouign amann, almond croissant, almond and chocolate croissant, ham and cheese croissant, morning bun and cookies. Everyone that works there is super friendly and helpful. I know the lines can be over an hour on the weekends.

I tried the croissant, kouign amann, almond croissant and almond + chocolate croissant. The plain croissant had plenty of butter but it was very dense, not light and airy, which I prefer. The almond croissant did not have the marzipan flavor that I adore so much and I didn’t find the almond flavor to be very strong (plenty of filling though). I did like the taste of the chocolate in the almond and chocolate croissant. I also greatly appreciated how the pain au chocolat come with two chocolate batons. My favorite was actually the kouign amann. It’s not quite as crispy as b. patisserie, but the outer edges are crispy while the inside is softer. There’s still the wonderful sugar crust on top. If I ever went back, that would be the one item for me!

Tartine Manufactory | SF

I write about brunch a lot. In San Francisco, brunch is practically a religion. While I do love a good brunch, I can’t stand waiting 2+ hours for food. I thought I’d write a quick and dirty guide of some of the best places to brunch in SF and what is and isn’t worth your time.

If it wasn’t clear, I love Tartine Manufactory.

One of the most exciting openings of 2016 was when renowned Tartine Bakery (600 Guerrero St.) opened a 2nd location at Tartine Manufactory (595 Alabama St.). Finally, Tartine’s bread could be available to the masses and not just at 4pm onward in the original Mission location. Tartine Manufactory is in a bigger airy space, complete with a full-service bar. While the offerings are different at Tartine Manufactory compared to the bakery, there are plenty of choices to delight your fancy.

Porchetta Sandwich at Tartine Manufactory

It is worth the trip to Tartine Manufactory solely for the porchetta and fried egg sandwich. I kid you not. It is that good. On a beautifully toasted brioche bun, you’ll find layers of rich, thinly-sliced porchetta, a slightly runny fried egg, fresh watercress and crunchy pork rinds. The pork rinds make the sandwich by adding extra texture that complements against the runny egg yolk. This is heaven in a sandwich. If the thought of eating a porchetta sandwich is going to put you in a coma for the rest of the day, there are plenty of lighter choices. I highly recommend whatever their open-faced sandwich is for the day. I’ve had mind-blowing smoked trout on a healthy, hearty bread, as well as mascarpone, homemade apple butter and apples on their country bread. Their coddled egg is also a great alternative for a lighter brunch. It comes topped with trout roe and 3 pieces of the country bread (my favorite of all the Tartine breads) with za’atar spices.

Brunch at Plow

Plow (1299 18th St.) is the perfect place to hit during the week if you can. Weekend lines can be 2+ hours. If you are lucky enough to snag a table, you must order the buttermilk biscuit, which comes with life-changing honey butter. I also recommend their signature brunch dish, the plow. I always struggle at brunch because I usually want both savory and sweet dishes, but don’t want to order two entrees. The plow is perfect because it comes with two eggs, house made pork sausage patties, mini lemon ricotta pancakes and plow potatoes. Their sausage patties are full of flavor, without being too oily. I love anything lemon and their lemon ricotta pancakes are light, fluffy and wonderfully zesty. The corn muffin is a total pass (save your calories for the biscuit) and while the French toast is solid, I’d rather eat the pancakes.

Spread at Zazie

Zazie (941 Cole St.) is another SF brunch institution (I’m telling you… people take their brunch really seriously here). I don’t know why Zazie had never been on my radar, probably because I never go to Cole Valley. But apparently, Adele likes to brunch at Zazie so my friend and I had to try. Similar to Plow, expect long waits on the weekend, so try and come during the week if you can. What I liked most about Zazie is they let you customize the quantity of your order. For the eggs Benedict, you can order just 1 and the same goes for their pancakes. I love any restaurant that let’s me order multiple dishes (again, I’m into both savory and sweet for breakfast).

I ordered the eggs Benedict with avocado, bacon and cheese and my friend ordered a scramble. We decided to split Sarah Jane’s flight, which comes with 1 buttermilk pancake, 1 ginger pancake and 1 French toast. If you come to Zazie, you must order eggs Benedict and get the home fries (screw ordering the salad, people). Their Hollandaise sauce is absolutely perfect, creamy without being too heavy and having a wonderful citrus flavor. Zazie’s home fries are the best home fries I’ve ever had in my life. They are roasted in a way where the outside is crispy but the interior is still soft and chewy. Zazie roast their home fries with garlic, which gives their potatoes an extra layer of complexity. They are to die for. Out of the flight, the French toast and buttermilk pancake did not impress me. I would order the ginger pancake again, primarily because it’s topped with fresh lemon curd (love me some lemon) and a poached pear. It even tastes amazing cold the next day!

Beignet Flight at Brenda’s Soul Food Kitchen

I made a huge mistake the first time I came to Brenda’s Soul Food Kitchen (652 Polk St.). I went on a Saturday and waited 2+ hours and then after waiting said 2+ hours, I ordered a scramble. Seriously, a scramble? What was I thinking?!? My judgement must have been compromised because of the hunger. Of course, after all that waiting and ordering eggs, Brenda’s was going to disappoint me. I went in with a more open mind and decided to give Brenda’s another shot (on a weekday with no wait). Since I was by myself, I decided to go for the beignet flight: 1 plain, 1 chocolate, 1 granny smith apple and 1 savory crawfish. Out of the four, I enjoyed the savory crawfish one the best. Spiced with scallions, cayenne and cheddar, the crawfish beignet was delightfully creamy and a little spicy. One thing I noticed was that the savory beignet dough and sweet beignet dough seem to be different. I didn’t like the sweet beignets because they were denser and I wouldn’t order them again. Instead, I’d recommend the cream biscuit, which is crumbly and oh-so-good.

Small Acai Bowl at Basik Cafe

Lime Fresh Acai Bowl from Blue Hawaii

If you decided that you want to opt-out of heavy, decadent SF brunch, check out Basik Cafe (1958 Polk St.) in Russian Hill. Originally from Hawaii, Basik Cafe is a small, casual eatery serving acai bowls and smoothies. I usually order the Islander, which is acai and hemp milk topped with strawberries, bananas, granola, goji berries, coconut shavings and honey. I have two tips if you go to Basik. If you’re more than 1 person, order the large and split it. The large is only a few dollars more and can seriously feed 3 people. My second tip is to order the granola on the side. While I like granola, I find the proportion of granola to acai to be too much and my teeth can only handle crunching on so much granola.

I’m also completely in love with the acai bowls at Blue Hawaii (2 Embarcader Ctr.) and think they are even better than the ones at Basik. I recommend the lime fresh bowl, which has lime juice squeezed into the mixture and also on top of the fruit. That fresh lime juice gives that extra pop of citrus and brightens the whole acai bowl. I liked that the consistency at Blue Hawaii is thicker than at Basik and also the granola to acai mixture is just right.

As Quoted

I only discovered As Quoted (3613 Sacramento St.) this week when I was looking for a breakfast place close by my gym. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t make the trek all the way to Presidio Heights, but I’ve found my new go-to after gym spot. As Quoted is a casual café serving lighter, healthy fare, including green juice and almond/hemp milk coffee. There’s even tumeric and beet lattes! On my first visit, I ordered the almond milk latte (they have sweetened and unsweetened almond milk) and the breakfast open-face sandwich. Toasted gluten-free bread is topped with thick, Marin Farms bacon, frisée, poached egg and a flavorful shallot vinaigrette.

Avocado Toast + Poached Egg and Turmeric Latte

The second time, I ordered the avocado toast (poached egg is extra) and the turmeric latte. The latte was made from fresh turmeric, fresh ginger, almond milk, coconut oil, sea salt and coconut sugar. The ginger flavors really stands out and the turmeric is subtle. It tastes like a warm, inviting hug. I actually wish I could drink this right before curling into bed and sleeping. It would work even better than Sleepytime tea. As Quoted’s menu is full of open-faced sandwiches and salads. I can’t wait to slowly work through every single item!

Honorable Brunch Mentions:

• Foreign Cinema (2534 Mission St.). Foreign Cinema wins for taking brunch reservations and serving amazing cocktails (killer Bloody Mary), homemade pop tarts, brown sugar smoked bacon and some of the best egg dishes in town (heavenly scramble shout-out!)
• Olea (1494 California St). I’ve always loved Olea since it’s in my neighborhood, but I didn’t go often because they didn’t take reservations. Well, they now take reservations and it’s a godsend. Their menu is seasonal, but I always order their cazuelas (baked egg dish like Turkish shakshuka) and their French toast always blows me away.
• Finn Town (2251 Market St.). Newer restaurant in the Castro that also takes reservations (YAY RESERVATIONS!). Order the fried chicken (whether it’s offered in sandwich form or with waffles). You can thank me later.

Before I forget, here’s my referral link for Soko Glam. You get 20% off your first order and I get a $10 credit if you order anything. I have a serious K-Beauty addiction so anything that you can do to help feed it would be appreciated!
https://www.talkable.com/x/mRyOFp

I have really sensitive skin and used to use Shiseido exclusively. My skincare routine was becoming too expensive and I had been on it for years. I heard it’s good to change up your products because your skin gets “used to” cosmetics when you use them for a long duration of time. This is when I started experimenting more with Korean beauty brands.

Koreans have a CRAZY 8-step routine:
Step 1: Solid, Oil-based cleanser
Step 2: Water-based cleanser
Step 3: Toner
Step 4: Essence
Step 5: Serum
Step 6: Eye Cream
Step 7: Face Cream
Step 8: Masks/Sleeping Packs

Additional steps:
– Exfoliating
– Sunscreen during the day

I probably do 7-8 of these steps daily, depending on my skincare needs. I’ll share the products that I really love and add a * to products that I can’t live without.

Step 1: Solid, Oil-based Cleanser
Koreans believe in double-cleansing. They first use an oil-based cleanser to take off make-up, sunscreen, etc. and then a water-based cleanser to remove any other impurities. When I first heard it, I thought it was a little excessive and may dry out my skin. Once I tried it, I was a believer. The oil-based cleanser actually nourishes my skin, not dries it out, and I use a gentle foam cleanser. My skin feels SO clean after double-cleansing and it’s finally ready to absorb Korean cosmetic good-ness.

I use a muslin cloth to wash off the oil-based cleanser. The Eve Lom ones are probably the most famous: http://www.sephora.com/3-muslin-cloths-P381435

1. Clinque Take the Day Off Balm*
http://www.clinique.com/product/20011/6424/skin-care/makeup-removers/take-the-day-off-cleansing-balm
– This product is fantastic and is a solid that melts when you start rubbing it into your face. It really removes make-up and sunscreen well.

2. The Organic Pharmacy Carrot Butter Cleanser*
https://www.birchbox.com/shop/the-organic-pharmacy-carrot-butter-cleanser
– This is the ultimate holy grail in cleansers. It’s really expensive so I definitely do not use this daily. This is like a special occasion cleanser. I usually massage into my face, rinse my Eve Lom muslin cloth in extremely hot water, and then let it sit on my face like mini aromatherapy.

3. Banila Co Clean It Zero Classic
https://sokoglam.com/products/banila-co-clean-it-zero-classic
– This is the most famous oil-based cleanser in Korea. The pink one is the original formula and they came out with a blue one, purity (https://sokoglam.com/products/banila-co-clean-it-zero-purity), which is for sensitive skin. It’s less of a solid compared to Clinique and Organic Pharmacy.

4. Erborian Solid Cleansing Oil
https://sokoglam.com/products/erborian-solid-cleansing-oil
– I haven’t personally used this one, but I do like the brand Erborian and trust them. I have friends who use this product and like it. I mostly end up using the Clinique one because I like it and I pick it up in Duty Free Shopping when I travel.

Step 2: Water-based cleanser

1. Neogen Real Fresh Foam Cleanser*
https://sokoglam.com/products/neogen-cranberry-real-fresh-foaming-cleanser
– I love Neogen’s foam cleanser. It’s actually foams up when you pump it out and is super gentle. If you have sensitive skin, I recommend the green tea one: https://sokoglam.com/products/neogen-real-fresh-foaming-cleanser. Sometimes the cranberry is sold out so I use the green tea one.

2. Fresh Soy Face Cleanser
http://www.fresh.com/US/best-sellers/soy-face-cleanser/H00000002.html
– I love this gel cleanser. It’s also really gentle. I actually love Fresh’s line, but it’s more expensive and so I tend to only buy if there’s a sale.

Step 3: Toner
Toner is supposed to help balance out the pH level in your skin. This is honestly where I think the 8-step Korean process goes a little overboard since you’re supposed to use essence afterward. I personally think it’s a little too much, so I stick more with the essence.

1. May Coop Raw Sauce*
http://www.sephora.com/raw-sauce-P398843
– May Coop Raw Sauce is a toner + essence in one. I’m a big fan of cutting down a step so I use this in my nightly routine. The consistency is thicker, almost sap-like, but it’s not terribly sticky. I really like how this feels on my skin and with the thicker consistency, I feel like it’s actually being absorbed. The first couple of times, my skin actually tingled while using it. To the point where I thought it might be too harsh for my face. But after a couple of uses, my skin adapted and it doesn’t sting anymore.

2. Son & Park Beauty Water
https://sokoglam.com/products/son-park-beauty-water
– If you are looking for a toner, the Son & Park Beauty Water always gets stellar reviews. I’ve never used it myself.

Step 4: Essence
Essence helps prepare your skin so it can absorb the next step, serum. I do believe in this step and wait about 5 minutes before applying serum afterward.
1. Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence
https://sokoglam.com/products/missha-time-revolution-first-treatment-essence
– Have you heard of the brand SK-II? It’s the holy grail of essence and uses an ingredient from sake called pitera. I’ve used SK-II before, but I didn’t really see a huge difference, especially for how expensive it is. It’s like $230 for a bottle! Missha’s essence is a great, cheaper alternative to SK-II. It’s a liquid so I just pour some on my hands and then directly pat onto my face. I prefer this over using a cotton pad because I feel like the cotton pad just soaks up all the liquid and it gets wasted.

I switch between Missha and May Coop Raw Sauce, usually based on who is having a sale!

Step 5: Serum
I feel like serums are quite key for targeting certain areas, whether it be brightening, hydration, etc.

1. Klairs Rich Moist Serum*
https://sokoglam.com/products/klairs-rich-moist-soothing-serum
– I use different serums based on the climate. Since right now is summertime, I’m using a more lightweight, gel one. I like this Klairs one that absorbs quickly and feels cool on my skin. If your skin is dry and needs hydration, I wouldn’t recommend this particular one.

I tried the Klairs Vitamin C serum (https://sokoglam.com/products/klairs-freshly-juiced-vitamin-c) and I didn’t like it. Vitamin C is supposed to help brighten your skin and combat dark spots. But I like my serums to be hydrating and this wasn’t at all. After one bottle, I didn’t notice a difference in my skin so I dropped it.

2. Caudelie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum*
http://www.sephora.com/vinosource-s-o-s-thirst-quenching-serum-P374211
– This is another great lightweight serum. It doesn’t feel greasy when I apply and gets absorbed quickly. It’s more of a lotion compared to the Klairs one. Major thanks to Amy for introducing it to me.

3. Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster Serum*
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/trish-mcevoy-beauty-booster-serum/2914688
– It’s really unfortunate that this serum is SO expensive, because it’s one of the best I’ve tried. It’s currently out of my price range so I’m not using it. But I had a small sample before and really really loved it. It’s more of an oil base but not TOO oily and very hydrating and silky feeling. This is a luxury purchase.

If you feel like your skin in on the dryer side, you should go for a more oil-based serum. I’d recommend Clarins Double Serum. It’s a water and oil-based serum in one.
https://www.clarinsusa.com/en/double-serum/C070400090.html

I tried the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate and just found it too oily and didn’t like it.
http://www.kiehls.com/midnight-recovery-concentrate/819.html

Step 6: Eye Cream
I really have issues with eye creams. The first issue is that they tend to be really expensive. My second issue is that they tend to be too rich and oily so it causes me to break out. The area around your eye is so delicate. The last thing you want is to break out.

1. StriVectin Intensive Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles*
https://www.strivectin.com/eye-concentrate-wrinkles.html
– I really like this eye cream. Even though is it pricier, you really only need to use a small amount each night so one tube lasts a long time. The consistency is really smooth. It hydrates without being too oily and it doesn’t cause me to break out.

Step 7: Face Cream
I go through a lot of face cream. I think that’s the area where I like to try new products the most and so I always feel more adventurous with my face cream. I also change my face cream based on the weather and go for more hydrating ones in the winter.

1. Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturizer Enriched
http://www.sephora.com/ibuki-refining-moisturizer-enriched-P382970?skuId=1564988
– I used this for years and actually really like this cream. It’s hydrating but not too heavy. I only stopped using it because I felt like my skin was getting used to it and needed a change.

2. Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream*
https://www.fresh.com/US/moisturizers/rose-deep-hydration-face-cream/H00003649.html
– I really love this cream. It smells absolutely heavenly and is nourishing without being heavy.

3. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream*
http://www.kiehls.com/ultra-facial-cream/622.html
– When I lived the coldest winter of my life in Beijing, my face was a mess. The weather is so harsh there. No matter how much face lotion I applied (don’t even remember what I used back then), my face was always dry. My mother saved me by bringing me a jar of Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream. It was the only thing that could cure my skin ailment. I cannot rave about this product enough if you need a truly hydrating cream.

4. Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Cream
https://sokoglam.com/products/missha-super-aqua-cell-renew-snail-cream
– Snail mucin is a miracle product in Korea and they’re always hailing how it really moisturizes your skin and helps heal it. I’m using the Missha cream currently and it’s nice for the summertime. It’s not a heavy or oily cream and almost gel-like. While the thought of using snail mucin might gross you out, they did a great job adding a nice scent to the cream… so you almost forget what you’re putting on your face.

Step 8: Masks/Sleeping Packs
I’ve read online how some people use a face mask daily. I honestly thing that’s really excessive and that your skin can’t even absorb that much. Your face is not a sponge; there are limitations. I do think that masks can be a huge help and I usually use it once a week. If I’m spending a lot of time outdoors and getting a lot of sun exposure, I’ll bump it up to twice a week. Sometimes, instead of using a mask, I’ll use a sleeping pack/mask. It’s basically a cream that you apply a thick layer on your face, don’t rub in, and then you sleep with it on.

1. Leaders Aqua Ringer Skin Mask*
https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Clinic-Aqua-Ringer-Piece/dp/B00AT8RI44
– This is the best face mask I’ve ever used in my life. I’ve tried SO many face masks and none of them hydrate my skin as well as this one does. Just FYI, it is a little slimy and definitely very cooling. I buy these in Asia and this is what the box looks like in Asia because I can’t find it in the U.S. It’s not clear to me if this is the exact same product or not: http://www.ulta.com/aquaringer-treatment-mask?productId=xlsImpprod14631109

2. Manefit Green Tea Pore Care Sheet Mask*
https://sokoglam.com/products/manefit-natural-gift-green-tea-hydrogel-mask
– I really love Soko Glam because the owner, Charlotte Cho, is a licensed esthetician. She worked with Manefit to create the ultimate sheet mask. They even launched this on the site without disclosing that it was a special partnership with Soko Glam/Charlotte. They wanted to launch and get customers honest opinions. People loved it and so do I. What I like about this mask is that it’s gel instead of fabric. So the mask really sticks on your face and doesn’t shift around. In addition, there’s actual green tea pieces in it, which are incredibly soothing and cooling. While it’s not as hydrating at the Leaders mask, I use this mask when I’ve gotten a lot of sun exposure to cool down.

3. Laneige Water Sleeping Mask*
http://www.sephora.com/water-sleeping-mask-P420651 
– Laneige Water Sleeping Mask is the holy grail for Korean Air flight attendants. It’s well-known in the industry that they use it. I like this sleeping mask because it’s gel-based and not too heavy. I’m pretty upset because Target used to sell Laneige and stopped a few months ago. I guess the distribution deal didn’t work out. At least Sephora still has it!

4. Innisfree Green Tea Sleeping Pack
https://www.amazon.com/Innisfree-Green-Sleeping-Pack-80ml/dp/B006MA7TX8 
– I bought this in Korea, but Innisfree is finally launching a U.S. store in NY next year and with an updated e-commerce site. It’ll be awesome because right now if you buy on their website, it ships from Korea and you have to pay exorbitant shipping costs. Totally not worth it at all, considering the product itself is less than $20. This is another light-weight sleeping pack that has these small white “moisture” beads inside. You rub it into your face and the moisture beads dissolve and hydrate your face.

5. Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Sleeping Mask
https://sokoglam.com/products/missha-super-aqua-cell-renew-snail-sleeping-mask
– This a great product because it’s cheaper than the night cream but offers the same benefits.

Additional Steps
Exfoliating

1. Neogen Bio-Peel Gauze Peeling Wine*
https://sokoglam.com/products/neogen-bio-peel-gauze-peeling-wine
– If you only buy one K-Beauty product, buy this one!!! I cannot even begin to tell you what a life-changing product this is. It’s the absolute best!!! Basically, it’s a pack of 30 exfoliating pads. It’s in the shape of a cotton pad but there’s a little pocket for you to fit two of your fingers inside. One side of the pad is rougher and is the exfoliating side. The other side is softer and used after you exfoliate to rub in and pat in the solution. The wine one actually smells like grape candy too! At first I was worried that the “bio-peel” would be harsh on my skin, but it isn’t at all! It’s surprisingly gentle– way gentler than St. Ive’s Apricot Scrub. Because you don’t really need to exfoliate more than once a week, one pack lasts a long time. On days that I exfoliate, I like to supplement with a face mask.

If the wine one is sold out, I will buy the green tea one, which is for sensitive skin.
https://sokoglam.com/products/neogen-bio-peel-gauze-peeling-green-tea

2. Skin Food Black Sugar Mask
https://sokoglam.com/products/skinfood-black-sugar-mask-wash-off
– So I haven’t personally used this sugar scrub mask, but it gets written up in a lot of K-Beauty product reviews so I trust it’s really good.

Sunscreen

1. Neogen Day-Light Protection Sun Screen
https://sokoglam.com/products/neogen-day-light-sun-protection-sun-screen
– As you can probably already tell, I’m a big fan of Neogen. I like this sunscreen because it’s doesn’t leave my face oily and has a nice lemongrass scent. Also, I found that the Shiseido sunscreens actually make your face “whiter” and I hate it. So I don’t recommend Shiseido for sunscreen.

2. Missha Waterproof Sun Milk*
https://sokoglam.com/products/missha-waterproof-sun-milk
– I was EXTREMELY loyal to my Neogen sunscreen and bought it for my sisters too. One of my sisters though had an allergic reaction to the Neogen one, which I found really strange because I’m usually the one with the uber sensitive skin. She ended up buying the Missha one and now I’m a converter. This sunscreen is very light-weight and actually mattifying! The Neogen one seems greasy in comparison (it’s really not greasy). So as soon as I’m done with my next bottle of Neogen, I’m switching over to Missha.

Do you have any favorite cosmetic products? Feel free to comment below! I love learning about new things to try!