Cheat Sheet for the Korean Skin Regime for Dry/Normal Skin
In my previous blog, I had mentioned the ten step korean skin care routine which has done wonders for my skin. But I can imagine with the current chaotic work life, it requires too much dedication to follow the ten steps religiously, especially in the morning! I would definitely pick up my 10 minutes of extra sleep over 10 minutes of extra skin pampering time.
But fear not people! The Korean skin care the process is more about choosing products everyday depending how your skin feels on a daily basis rather than following the ten steps rigorously. So there are days when I would feel sotalllyy ok with 5 steps and then there are days when I would go for maybe 15 steps.
But, the Korean skincare process is very similar to exercising- you need to be consistent to see the results! I cannot emphasise on how important this is! And when you say glowing skin- it means healthy and hydrated skin!
So the process may vary from skin to skin and day to day, depending on external factors like the weather besides taking into account how your skin feels on that day!
So I am planning to write 2 posts for the lazy person's guide to the Korean skincare routine depending on the skin type: dry skin and oily/combination skin. A product which I NEVER skip is a sunscreen. Come rain or shine, a sunscreen is a part of my daily routine.
So my skin is pretty dry and flakes easily. Right now the weather is pretty cool, So I tend to follow these 5 steps UNCONDITIONALLY.
1. Cleansing: Cleansing is more of a 2 step process. I use an oil cleanser to start with . I massage the oil cleanser into my face to break that layer of makeup, dirt and pollution. It feels so liberating and satisfying to see that layer of dirt off your face and to see that your skin is now in a state to be treated.
I immediately follow it up with a non alcoholic foam cleanser to wash off the oil cleanser.
SkinNMore loves: Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Oil, The Faceshop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Rich Oil, The Faceshop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam, Nature Repulic Collagen Dream Vitamin C Capsule Foam Cleanser
2. Toner and Emulsion:I then use an alcohol free toner to close my pores which had opened up during the process of using an oil cleanser! If you have large pores or oily skin, make sure that you never skip this step, as closing your pores is vital to stop your skin from breaking out and overworking your sebaceous glands!! I love how within minutes of applying the toner my skin feels refreshed and rejuvenated. I then apply a thin layer of emulsion. An emulsion/ ampoule is a highly concentrated of an active ingredient which acts like a skin booster. I use a Vitamin C emulsion/ an AHA emulsion/ a snail emulsion/ collagen emulsion depending on how my skin feels. This process makes a huge difference to how your skin feels and looks!
Also, the there is no such thing as excess of antioxidants! In fact, they work in beautiful sync with each other. So feel free to experiment and see what works best for your skin!
Once I am done with my eye cream, I seal the products with a moisturiser. Depending on what my skin needs, I rotate the creams from collagen creams to vitamin a creams to peptide creams to aqua creams. Again,i try to use products that are rich in antioxidants.
SkinnMore Loves: Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream, Iope Bio Retinol Cream, Corsx Advanced Snail 92 All in OneCream, Mizon Intensive Firming Solution Collagen Power Lifting Cream, SU:M37 Water Full Moisturising Cream
Sunscreen: I never step out of the house without sunscreen! I cannot emphasise on how important it is to wear sunscreen daily and make it your religion! The sun's harmful rays are the primary cause of skin diseases and pre mature aging of the skin! And as the Koreans believe: one should take a preventive approach rather than a reactive approach.
SkinnMore Loves: Apieu Pure Block Aqua Sun Gel, MISSHA Waterproof Sun Milk, , Sulwhasoo Hydro-Aid Moisturizing Lifting UV Protection Cream, All Around safe Sun Block Essence Sun Milk by Missha
So basically make sure that you follow the shortened version of the Korean routine daily and most importantly, diligently,
to get the porcelain skin!
XoXo!
And as I always say, keep your skin glowing!