Ask the Unnis: From Creams to Creeps, the K-Beauty Squad Tells It Like It Is

We here at the K-Beauty Squad turn to each other for advice on everything from diet to entertainment to, of course, beauty. So why not you? Pick our collective brains and ask away about anything. We may not have all the answers, but we definitely have opinions (especially about creeps …).

We here at Beautytap have a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips thanks to the collective brains and experiences of our K-Beauty Squad. Think of us as your big skincare sisters — or in Korean, your unnis and noonas. We'd like the share that wealth with you in our new feature called Ask the Unnis. Write to us with any skincare or even life and love questions you'd like answered! We've seen it all and we're here for you!

You can ask the Unnis a variety of ways: DM us on Instagram (because you follow us, right?!), use the Contact Us page to submit your question, or just comment below.

So let’s begin with our first question!

Hello Unnis, I'm not sure exactly how to determine my skin type. Is there a simple way to tell what I am? — Unsure

Hello Unsure! Unless you're very obviously one extreme or the other, it can be kind of confusing determining what your skin type is. And even skin types tend to be oversimplistic categories. Oily, dry, normal? What is normal?

So let's start with a brief rundown. Oily skin usually has visible sebum, especially in the T-zone. You may find that makeup slips off your face if you don't properly prime or powder. Dry skin has no or very little visible sebum and can feel tight immediately after washing if not followed up quickly with hydration and moisturizing. Normal skin is neither dry nor oily; it's somewhere in the comfortable middle, a bit of sebum but not too much, and rarely feels tight unless the circumstances are extreme. Do any of these sound like you, Unsure?

If you're still unsure, take the blotting paper test. Start your day out without any powder or primer, if you usually use those. If you suspect you're dry, do your routine as normal but skip the heavier creams you normally wear. When you hit the middle of your day, take a blotting paper and press it against your cheek. If you've picked up a lot of oil and the paper shows a visible clear spot, you're likely oily. If the paper is dry, so are you. If there's just a bit of sebum you're probably normal.

Combination skin is also a possibility. To determine that with the blotting sheet, press it against your nose and forehead. If your cheek was mostly dry but you're picking up oil in the nose-forehead-chin T-zone, you're almost certainly combination. (Read more about combination skin here.)

Hope this helps you feel a little more sure, Unsure!

Hi Unnis! What are you favorite moisturizers at the moment? I'm tired of what was once my holy grail lotion, and I'm looking to explore. — Magellan 

Hello Magellan! I hope you don't get seasick because we're about to set sail on the high (hydrating) seas. I have a pair of new favorites right now, and they're both from the SanDaWha line. SanDaWha Revitalizing Liposome Lotion is my new go-to emulsion. Its very first ingredient is Camellia japonica flower extract, which is my favorite emollient source. It's extremely lightweight yet so very hydrating. It glides on and sinks in quickly, giving my skin a nice bounce.I've described it before as "everything I wanted Clinique's Dramatically Different Lotion to actually be," and I think that's a pretty good assessment.

via GIPHY

Since I have dry skin, an emulsion isn't usually enough, so I like to follow that up with SanDaWha's Floral Water Cream, which is also features camellia flower extract. It's rich without being too heavy and keeps my dry skin comfortable for the entire day.

I asked some other Squad members about their fave moisturizers. Associate editor and social media manager Ruth is currently using Earth’s Recipe Moisture Bound Cream for her dry skin. “It doesn’t feel heavy at all, and it sinks in quickly without leaving a shiny finish or heavy feeling,” she says. “It’s a mild moisturizer, good for daytime and for summer.”

For night, Ruth likes COSRX Balancium Comfort Ceramide Cream. She says the centella-rich cream feels substantive but not heavy. “I wake up with very balanced skin.”

EIC Anna seconds the COSRX Balancium cream. “It starts out dense but melts into skin beautifully,” she says. “And I love that it has centella, which I inundate my routine with in the summer to tone down redness and breakouts.

“For my very oily T-zone, I’ve been really liking the Keep Cool Soothe Phyto Green Pair Cream,” she adds. “It feels similar to the COSRX Balancium, but more lightweight and watery on the skin. And of course, I like that it calms inflammation and soothes redness.”

Hello Unnis, I've been dating someone pretty seriously for the past nine months. He has yet to introduce me to any of his friends, and we're always either going out or staying in at my place. He claims this is because of his anxiety. We've never once been to his apartment. He tells me he used to date his roommate and she would cause trouble if he brought me around. For the sake of his living harmony I've stayed away, but I'm starting to suspect something is up. Am I just being paranoid? — Worried

Hey there Worried. I think it's time for you to remove the rose-colored glasses because if life constantly has a pink tint to it, it's impossible to see those bright red flags. I'm sure that once you typed this out, you could see how alarming these things look when read back. Say it out loud. Never met his friends. Never been to his apartment. Living with an ex you've never met. That's like a checklist for someone living a double life.

Now I could be wrong, and I hope I am. But nine months in a committed relationship under these strange circumstances? You can gestate an entire human baby in nine months; don't you think it's odd that in all that time you don't even know what his living room looks like? Keeping a side piece and friends separate is rule #1 when it comes to the cheater's playbook. If he truly has nothing to hide, he won't balk at you demanding to meet his friend group. If he's worried about the harmony of his current living situation, that's fine, but at this juncture it would be more than prudent to expect him to break the news that, hey, he's moved on and is seeing someone. All of this is as fishy as Pike Place Market.

Do you have any burning questions about beauty, skincare, love, or life? Ask the Unnis by DM'ing us on Instagram, using the Contact Us page to submit your question, or just commenting below! Can’t wait to hear from you!