Skincare 101

It is never too late to start taking care of your skin. A good skincare routine will not only make your skin look better but you will feel better too. Besides your confidence and self satisfaction growing from seeing tangible results reflecting at you when you look in the mirror every morning, the ritual of your morning and night routine is also very satisfying. This is time dedicated to you, you are doing something for yourself. Patting layers of fragrant toners, serums and creams can be deeply satisfying and relaxing. It does not have to be a chore, it can be a pleasurable experience.
So if you have been a bad girl or a boy (boys need skincare too), went to bed without removing makeup, thought your foundation is enough of a sun protection or if you did not use any skin care at all (gasp) this is for you. I am taking it back to basics. A simple routine step by step.


1. Double cleanse in the evening and wash your face in the morning

Some people like to wash their face in the morning just with water but I personally prefer to use a low pH cleanser to wash off the dead skin cells, sebum and whatever is left of last night's skincare on my face and start the morning with a clean slate. Now, for the evening routine, if you wear makeup and/or sunscreen double cleanse is a must. The best way to dissolve makeup and daily grime is by using an oil based cleanser. This removes all the make up and dirt from your skin and then you can go in with a low pH foaming cleanser, gel cleanser or cream cleanser to thoroughly clean your skin. There is some debate going on weather low pH is really necessary in a second cleanser. I will just state that I am a firm believer in benefits of low pH in a second cleanser because our skin is slightly acidic and keeping it in that state makes perfect sense to me.

Products I would recommend:
Oil based cleanser/first cleanser: Heimish All Clean Balm, illi Total Aging Care Cleansing Oil
Second cleanser: COSRX Low pH Good Morning Cleanser, or if you want a dash of luxury Sulwhasoo Snowise EX cleansing Foam


2. Toning the Asian beauty way

If you have never encountered Asian toners you are in for a surprise. They are nothing like what we are used to in western toners that are usually astringent and are just part of your cleansing. Asian toners also known as skins or boosters are designed to add moisture to your skin and to increase penetration of products that follow. Depending on your skin type and needs you can go with very rich, moisturizing toner like pictured Innisfree Ginger Oil Skin or combine it with cleansing and use Son & Park Beauty Water - a lightly moisturising cleansing water/toner hybrid. I hate using moisturizing toners on cotton pads because it just seems such a waste of a product, so I pour some in the palm of my hand and pat it on my face. 

Products I would recommend:
Enprani Dear by Moistfull Booskin Toner, COSRX Centella Water Alcohol-Free Toner, KLAIRS Supple Preparation Facial Toner 



3. The concentrated care - essence/serum/ampoule

These are products with higher concentration of beneficial ingredients and their purpose is to target specific issues, such as hyperpigmentation, dullness, signs of aging, dryness or acne.You can have more than one in your routine and layer them according to thickness. From thinnest consistency to more dense. 

Products I would recommend:
COSRX Advanced Snail Mucin Power Essence, Innisfree Jeju Lava Seawater Essence and more luxurious ones Su:m 37 Secret Essence, Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum.


4. An occlusive layer - cream or an emulsion/lotion

They tend to be moisturizing and occlusive so that all the goodies and moisture we patted into our skin in the form of essences, serums and such does not evaporate. People with oily skin and those who live in very hot and humid climates might enjoy emulsions while those that have very dry skin can layer emulsions under creams for added moisture. 

Products I would recommend:
COSRX Oil-free Ultra-moisturizing Lotion - love this in summer, Banila and co. Miss Flower and Mr Honey Cream - great night time cream or even day cream for those with very dry skin or during very cold weather. Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream - my favorite cream ever.


5. Last but in no way the least step in your morning routine: sunscreen

Sunscreen should always be (no matter if it is summer or winter) the last step of your morning skincare routine. The best thing you can do for your skin is to start wearing sunscreen. Sun is the biggest culprit for signs of premature ageing and various forms of sun damage like hyperpigmentation. More often than not sunscreens we are used to feel heavy and clogging and they leave this ghostly white cast on your skin so many avoid them. Asian sunscreens have gone the furthest in the terms of texture and comfortable wearability on skin. They have no white cast and are undetectable on skin. Sunscreen should have SPF of 30 or above, and the amount you need for your face alone to be effective is a good 1/2 teaspoon. It is recommended to wait for at least 15 minutes after applying sunscreen before going out into the sun. If you are going to spend your day mostly in the office/indoors  then morning application should be enough to get you home, however if you are out and about in the sun you will need to reapply sunscreen often (every two hours). It is recommended to wait 3-5 minutes after applying sunscreen before applying your makeup. Gentle application of foundation without heavy blending is recommended. That is why cushion foundations are ideal when wearing sunscreen as their patting application that does not disturb the sunscreen underneath. And no, the sunscreen in your foundation is not enough. Not even close. Wear proper sunscreen!

Products I would recommend:
Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence, A'Pieu Pure Block Natural Daily Sun Cream, COSRX Aloe Soothing Sun Cream