My first encounter with SKIN1004 was seeing their cica ampoule and toner take over Instagram. I eventually tried these products for myself and understood why everyone loved them so much (ampoule review here, toner review here). Then, I received a huge package with almost everything the brand makes (watch the unboxing reel here) and fell in love with many of the items. SKIN1004 became a constant part of my skincare routine - I have at least one of their items on my counter at all times. They work well for my skin and have packaging that appeals to my aesthetics. If you aren’t familiar with the brand’s lineup, check out their site and Amazon storefront (affiliate link).
When SKIN1004 invited me to be their guest at Cosmoprof North America 2022 in Las Vegas, I thought there’s no way I could go. Blogging is my hobby that turned into a small business, but I have another job as an analyst and July is budget time - I usually can’t take time off until after my birthday at the end of the month. I have two young kids. The list of reasons not to go seemed overwhelming. But with a combined effort from my main job, family, and a lot of flexibility from the SKIN1004 team, we made it work. I went to Las Vegas for a SKINCATION with SKIN1004!

By the way, the right way to say the brand’s name is “Skin one - oh - oh - four”, which sounds like “skin angel” in Korean. I won’t be admitting that I’ve been saying it as “skin one thousand four” for over a year, but sadly evidence of this exists in my YouTube videos. I know better now.
Day 1 was a mix of flying and admiring Las Vegas (it was my first visit). Kristina and Sena from SKIN1004 picked me up from the airport and made me feel like a superstar with a very thoughtful skincare and wine gift in the lovely (and fancy) room at the Mirage.
I spent the rest of the day walking around the strip and really putting the new SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum to the test. I’m very fair and burn quickly; Las Vegas was 110F and sunny. I have never felt this kind of heat. I’m happy to report I didn’t have even a hint of sunburn. Big win, especially for a formula that’s not sticky, not heavy, has no white cast and doesn’t really feel like I’m wearing anything on my skin at all.

The desert heat plus air conditioning indoors was an unkind combination, so I double cleansed with SKIN1004 cica cleansing oil and foam, then pampered myself with one of their cica sheet masks before bed. I dreamed about the Bellagio fountain show I saw from the High Roller Ferris wheel and about all the things I’d get to see the very next day.
Day 2 - Cosmoprof day! Since part of a good skincation is resting (stress and lack of sleep aren’t kind to any organs, and skin is the largest organ of all), I slept in! The Mirage beds are some of the comfiest I’ve had. I should mention that I’m a seasoned traveler and have been to more countries than I can count on my fingers, so I have stayed in lots of hotels. These beds were awesome!
After a relaxed breakfast turned brunch, I headed to Cosmoprof to check it out. Once again, SKIN1004 treated me like royalty by arranging transportation, handling registration and introducing me to people as their “influencer superstar”, which still makes me giggle. I do all of my blogging at night while the kids sleep, so seeing people in person was a big change of pace.
The hours I got to enjoy Cosmoprof felt like a minute! The rows and rows of booths went on forever. One could find anything from skincare to haircare to nails to tools from all over the world! I loved seeing so many Korean brands - some familiar to me and many new. Kbeauty is so amazing that everyone should know about it, and hopefully companies got lots of purchase orders and contracts to start distributing in the United States. Even though Korean skincare is definitely popular, most of the “regular” people I meet aren’t familiar with it. It should be mainstream. I do my part by converting everyone who will listen.

I met the other eight members of the SKIN1004 team at the fair - they are a welcoming and friendly bunch. And very hardworking, too - the booth looked meticulously planned out and put together, and I know they worked for days before the expo getting it exactly right. I’m definitely biased, but I thought their area stood out from the rest with its clean geometric displays, carefully planned lighting, selfie mirrors, and even a custom built claw machine! Guests could touch, feel, and test all of the goodies, win prizes in the claw machine or the roulette, and talk to the brand representatives. A picture is worth a thousand words, and videos are worth even more, so I suggest you check out my reels and my Cosmoprof stories highlight on Instagram to see everything for yourself.
But here are some more pictures:
We ended the night with family style Italian dinner (SKIN1004 went above and beyond to find a place that could cater to my plant based eating habits), lots of laughs and good conversations. I learned some things about Korean culture, including the unique way they address age, their thoughts on salt, and that eating plant based in Korea is more challenging than in the US.
I finished the day by fangirling at Cirque du Soleil The Beatles Love show and playing an exciting game of Tetris with the 15lbs of skincare I got at Cosmoprof. My duffel bag only weighed 15lbs when I left home and doubled in weight on my way back…
Thanks to SKIN1004 for providing me with vegan Korean snacks - those came in handy Tuesday night, because I messed with all the skincare and my bag until 2am. It all fit! I ate a lot of the snacks but also saved some for my kids and husband.

Day 3 was my last day and I honestly didn’t want to leave. I had such a great time - a perfect balance of creating content and socializing and spending time by myself remembering that I’m my own person. Being a parent, a wife, an employee, a small business owner - all of it is wonderful but also leads to burnout. I very much appreciated the skincation with SKIN1004 to recharge my batteries. The brand was so considerate and allowed plenty of personal time in the itinerary.
Once again, I slept in, went to an all vegan place inside the Venetian, wandered all over the Forum Shops, and headed to the airport.
I think the universe may know that these are my last few hours alone for a while (I’m writing this on the plane, on my way back to real life), because I got the whole row on the flight to myself.

I’m bringing home 15lbs of skincare and an immeasurable amount of memories, inspiration, and a renewed drive to work on my blog and my Facebook community. A blogger without a community is just a lonely writer.
Thank you, SKIN1004 and the people behind the brand - this isn’t “goodbye”, it’s a “see you later”. And maybe one day I can come to South Korea (I’ll take an extra empty suitcase for that trip though).
