It's been greatly famed that Korean's have a 10-step regime .
Pre-Cleanse, Cleansing Oil, Exfoliation, Toner, Essence, Ampoule, Sheet Masks, Eye Cream, Moisturiser & then finally Night Cream; all are said to be the steps they follow every night (some apparently even layering on the ampoules and essences) . But actually, when I first started taking skincare seriously I was lucky enough to come across the secrets that Song Jihyo used in this video . I really soaked in what she used because I absolutely adore Running Man (the show that she's on) and there I came across a Korean who DIDN'T have that rigorous regime . Another Korean I found that didn't stand by the 10-step regime was Wishtrend's host Tae .
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| Song Jihyo unnie~ |
So how much product do I use ?
Essentially in my Daytime Routine I use 4 products (including my makeup) and in my Night Routine I use 4 to 5 products .
What's next is a thorough walkthrough of why these steps are necessary, but at the end there's a quick summary of the routine you should use .
The routine walkthrough .
Cleanser
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My go to cleanser: BANILA CO.'s Clean It Zero . |
Toner
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My current & pleasant smelling toner: SKINFOOD's Lettuce & Cucumber toner . |
Toner's said to reset the skin's PhD level and get it prepped up for whatever heap your about to put on your face . I honestly have no idea what that means, but before I started using toner after cleansing, my face would have this redness that would just not go away until 1 or 2 hours after washing my face . However when I started using toner that problem completely disappeared for me . In addition to that, if I used a cleanser that made my skin feel a bit stripped and dry, toner really helped to make my face feel nice, refreshed and ready for whatever was to happen to it next .
Moisturiser (in the Daytime Routine)
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My current & favourite moisturiser: NATURE REPUBLIC Super Aqua Max Moisture Watery Cream . |
A proper cream or lotion moisturiser is severely important to your skincare routine, and I learnt this the hard way by not having a proper moisturiser for my face for months . I replaced cream or lotion moisturiser with things like 'moisturising oil' and stuff, and it really does not help in moisturising your skin like a cream or lotion does . It was back in a time where I felt like I shouldn't use so much oil on my skin to combat getting pimples but it really just made my skin look bad in another way . So no matter what skin type you are, you absolutely must not omit this step .
Sunscreen (in the Daytime Routine if your makeup doesn't contain it)
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Sunscreen, makeup primer & able to substitute moisturiser: BANILA CO.'s Fit & Boost Sun Base SPF 50/PA+++ . |
I come from Australia, and one of the highest causes of death is skin cancer due to people not wearing sunscreen . In the world of beauty though, sunscreen plays a huge role in preventing wrinkles and the general ageing of the skin . My BB or CC Cream's ALWAYS have some sort of SPF rating in them so I don't always use sunscreen (plus I've read that if you use too much sunscreen it can be detrimental to your skin as well) so I don't always do this step . But if you don't have some sort of SPF giving product in your daytime line you'd definitely be interested in it to prevent the ageing of your skin (oh & even though I've gotten sunburns on my body, I've NEVER gotten any on my face using any SPF products lol . I still get hyper-pigmentation from the sun, but never sunburns .) .
Serum/Essence/Ampoule (in the Night Routine)
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My current & well-renowned serum: SKIN&LAB's Red Serum . |
Oh yes . If you have skin problems you bring out the big guns at night . A serum, essence or ampoule that targets your specific (or if you're lucky, multiple) skincare problems will be one of the most important parts of your routine in order to improve your skin . If you're happy with your skin you can skip this step I suppose . But with that being said, why would you be reading this review if you're happy with your skin ? lol .
Also I recommend these products for the night because that's when your skin gets to rest . Plus, I believe these products really get to work their magic at night when your body rests and repairs .
Masks (at LEAST once a week at night)
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My go-to brand (& favourite mask !): PURE SMILE's essence mask . |
Some masks require you to wear it everyday (like LuLuLun) and the more higher end brands require you to use a mask once a week (like Shiseido) . Drug brand masks like Pure Smile require you to wear the mask 2-3 times a week (I do it twice a week) so it all depends but follow the mask's instructions. They are seriously an important and godly part of the routine . like, I can't even . For starters, no matter what brand I've used, my skin INSTANTLY looks better someway, somehow . Secondly, when I started using masks regularly my wrinkles/fine lines disappeared (no matter what type of mask I used) . I don't really get it either, but whatever the true ability of a mask is, it is so important that you utilise it .
Night Cream (oh, and did I mention it should be in your Night Routine ?)
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My current & also highly raved about cream: MIZON's snail repair cream . |
Your other big gun at night, your Night Cream should be a product that has some sort of healing property that you'd want for your skin . Some may even want to use a sleeping mask for this step . Whatever road you wish to take, your night cream or sleeping mask seals the deal in improving your skin . So if you want to simply use a moisturiser for this step just remember that your Night Routine is all about the improvement and refinement of your skin .
Here's a quick summary of the routine you should have .
In your Daytime Routine you should gun for cleanser > toner > moisturiser > sunscreen . In your Night Routine ideally you should aim for cleanser > toner > essence/serum/ampoule > (face mask) > night cream .
Trust me when I say this routine has worked absolute wonders on my skin . Yes, I've put my favourite skincare products in this post . However, I honestly think that if you have a product you already like, or different problems apart from mine (therefore different products your eyeing at), then you should try those products instead of the ones I listed .
For example I mainly use the Pure Smile brand simply because it's cheap (it's 108 yen), it's very accessible to me (it's available at my local supermarket), and I can use different mask types per week which is how I like it . The things I keep in mind when picking my products are: what skin problems do I have ? how long will these last for ? how accessible are they & how often do I need to use them ? are they relatively on the cheap end but still come out with good results ? (hey if I can get good things for cheaper than why not LOL .)
If you want to skip out on any of the steps I listed, just a little word to the wise . I think this is honestly the bare minimum of a skincare routine and if you do choose to do it you will see the difference that it makes .
So what's your skin type ? And what products are you looking forward to trying ? I'd love to hear ! ^^
Signing out,
-TEA COAST .
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