I have heard about Althea, a one-stop K-beauty online portal where you can shop for Korean beauty products. But I wasn’t really interested in checking out their offerings until a month ago when I got to know a couple of their best-selling and much raved about products.
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Althea
Being curious, I decided to browse through their website and was surprised by the large variety of affordable Korean skincare products they offer. Most of the skincare products were also priced reasonably. Since they work directly with local suppliers in Korean, they are able to offer products at lower costs. Thus, instead of buying Korean skincare products from other online retailers, I much rather purchase them directly from Althea which is a trusted source for authentic Korean beauty products.
In addition, they offer free international shipping on all orders above $50. With that, you do not have to worry about the shipping costs when shopping online!
Why Althea? This e-commerce was inspired by South Korea’s national flower, Althea which is more commonly known as hibiscus. And this brand has been blossoming and expanding since 2015. Today, they have established themselves as one of the popular digital destinations for Korean beauty products.
The Bare Essentials
Besides curating products from other Korean beauty brands, they also created their own line of products – Bare Essentials. I received this trio set of products after signing up as an Althea Angels. I was impressed with the quality and efficacy of these products after testing them out. And here’s why.
Bare Essentials: Contour Cleanser
Featured ingredients: Ice Plant (for hydration), Lemon Verbena Leaf Extract
Great skin starts with clean skin. This 3-product regime starts with the use of Contour cleanser, a creamy rich foaming cleanser, that lathers up into a rich foam. I was a little sceptical about using such foaming cleansers as they are usually quite drying on the skin. But this cleanser was not very drying on the skin for it contains hydrating ingredients like ice plant.
This cleanser also contains microcapsules for gentle exfoliation. What is really cool about this cleanser is that it could also be double up as a facial mask. Ever since I’ve chosen to lead a minimalistic lifestyle, I appreciate the use of such multi-purpose products.
Bare Essentials: Primer Water
Featured Ingredients: Snow lotus (smoothens and brightens skin), dewdrop formulation (provides effective moisturization)
I expected the primer water to look and feel like a regular toner. To my surprise, the primer water has a balm-like texture and the formula is rather viscous. This patented dew-like formulation provided immediate moisturization to the skin.
One of the featured ingredients in the Primer water is Snow Lotus which is known to smoothen and brighten the skin.
The Primer water can be used as a toner or essence to prep the skin before applying moisturiser or makeup.
Bare Essentials: Fixer Cream
Featured ingredients: Trehalose (retains moisture in the skin), Baobab tree (promote collagen formation), Wild green tea (shrink pores)
Last but not least, we have come to the last step – moisturising. Out of the three products, I really enjoyed using this product. It works well on my dry-combination skin as it replenishes moisture in my skin without leaving a tacky feeling. It is almost like a water-based type of cream which absorbs easily into the skin.
I find that it is isn’t too rich or light on my skin. It has the right amount of hydration for my early thirties skin type. Besides, I’m almost emptying this jar of product!
Minimalistic Skincare products
Who doesn’t love the minimalistic packaging and feel of the products? They blend in very well with any whitewashed rooms or minimalistic bathroom. It’s simple and effective.
And I could not wait to try another Korean beauty products which I’ve purchased on Althea. Do keep a lookout of my beauty post.
Receive 20% off your first purchase when you click this special link to enter Athea website
