Taiwanese Beauty Secrets

Lets talk about South East Asia beauty standards. Everyone seems to have perfect skin, which of course should be impossible. There are far too many pollutants in the air to not have clogged pores. On a daily basis, everyone is walking around in face masks to protect their lungs. The humidity doesn't help either. It might be 80 outside, but it feels like 105 degrees. Honestly, the climate conditions of Taiwan should be a cosmetologists worse nightmare. The secret sauce: sun screen, coupled with knock out cleansing and facial products.

Unlike western cultures, getting a tan in South East Asia is considered a big no-no. Women seen walking around without protection from the sun are viewed as careless. This is mostly because pale skin is viewed as ideal beauty stereotype, but at least there are some benefits that come with this. Simply, put your skin won’t age as fast. So keep wearing sunscreen and carrying umbrellas (like Wednesday Adams). It seems to be the number one beauty secret in Taiwan.

After protecting their face from the sun. The second secret to beautiful skin is using high quality cleansers, toners, masks and moisturizers. Before getting started, let me explain. I’m one of the lucky ones, I’ve never had bad acne nor have I ever needed to wear make-up (unless trying to impress a certain guy or outshine another girl). However, after a few months in Taiwan, it was obvious my skin needed some help if it was going to keep up.

Introducing face masks: a Taiwanese company called My Beauty Dairy makes some pf the best sheet masks available in the world and they’re dirt cheap. Models and regular girls from neighboring countries visit Taiwan regularly to stock up. (According to reviews, Black Pearl is the most popular choice.) These masks can be found conveniently at any Cosmed store in Taiwan or maybe even at your local 7-11. For about ten dollars US, you can get a box of ten masks.

However, don’t buy one and consider yourself finished. There are also outstanding masks offered by Innisfree (a South Korean Company) and another Japanese brand. I personally favor the Innisfree masks, which are more expensive, but worth the buy. They’re about two dollars US per mask. The total care mask is my personal favorite. The Japanese brand is a close second. It’s a little cheaper and can be found at any Japanese Medical Store.

Other products you need are cleansers, toners and a moisturizer. For the toner, just walk into a Cosmed and ask a salesperson to recommend their most popular one, which is exactly what I did. They gave me a toner from Japan and I couldn’t be happier with it. However, you may want to consider one of the toners offered by Innisfree. All of their products seem to be very legitimate, free of chemicals and healthy as possible. I’m slowly falling in love with the brand.

In fact, the South Korean company offers the most amazing facial cleanser, which you have to try. I basically gave up on cleansers in the states. I didn’t wear makeup or have acne so they all seemed pretty pointless. The Innisfree Volcanic Ash Foaming cleanser has changed my mind forever. It cleans and shrinks your pores without being chemically harsh to your skin. It leaves your skin feeling better (not dry) and looking awesome.

Sorry, but I haven’t found a moisturizer that I like better than Hempz, which isn’t made in South East Asia, so I’ll have to save that for another time. The final verdict: South East Asia has accidentally taught me a great deal about skin care. It’s amazing. You can have beautiful healthy skin without the makeup, which is a plus for me, cause I still can’t bring myself to wear it.