My Korean Beauty obsession started in 2017, when I was in New York. My friend’s friend suggested few K-Beauty products, so one day she convinced me to go to a K-Beauty store and to buy few products. The overwhelming amount of products made me anxious. Thanks to few suggestions I got from my friend, I could just focus on products that I was curious to try, such as the oil-based cleanser, essence, moisturizer, a gold mask and few sheet masks.
It took me few months to start using the products. I was afraid how my skin will react to Korean products and wasn’t sure about the hype. They have cute packaging, promise a lot, but what about the quality? However, I gave them a try, and loved the results.
What’s K-Beauty?
We have heard about BB, CC, DD creams, as well as cushion blushers. What about glass skin and snail slime? What’s the secret of the Korean Beauty phenomenon? To look as young and glowing as possible.
The K-Beauty Routine
The Korean skincare routine has exactly 10-steps. Yes, it might look too much for you, but that’s how you can achieve the most glowing skin you have ever had before.
The original K-Beauty night-time skin routine has all these steps but you can reduce the regime in the morning. Meaning, you don’t need the oil-based cleanser, the make-up remover and the mask in the morning.
What are the key steps of the Korean beauty routine?
The first step is to use an oil-based cleanser to remove all oil-based impurities and make-up. Massage into dry skin (don’t use water before) for few seconds, then rinse it off.
I have been “Double Cleansing and Double Moisturizing” my face for more than two years now and I must say, there is nothing better than this skin care regimen. A water cleanser needs to be followed after the oil cleanse, then rinse it off. It gets your face nicely and deeply clean without irritating it.
Exfoliators work to take away the dead skin cells for a smoother surface. This is an extra and doesn’t have to be every day, so it’s based on whatever your skin needs.
To bring your skin back into balance, use a hydrating toner to balance pH and kick-start hydration. K-Beauty toners add more hydration and nourishment to the skin.
This step is totally up to you. Essence primarily works toward amping up hydration. But essence and toners are not the same, because you use a toner to balance your skin followed by an essence to hydrate it.
Recently, I blogged about serums, but not about face oils, or ampoules. In K-Beauty routine, these skin boosters are personalized steps of your routine, which is all about targeting the specific issues you want to address. They are thicker than essences but thinner than moisturizers, so make sure to apply them before any creams, lotions, or oils.
I love sheet masks, and it doesn’t need to be everyday. If it’s the weekend and you’ve got an free afternoon treat yourself to a mask and just relax.
Eye creams are one of the most important steps for a nighttime skincare regimen. Apply it all around your eyes, including over your lids and under your eyes. Making sure to use your small finger and our ring finger, and gently pat it into your skin.
The final layer of hydration lock all the goodies you’ve been adding up and it also helps restore your skin’s health.
In K-Beauty wearing a sunscreen every day is very important. No matter which season, you need to protect your face from sun damage. Because no one wants to have skin cancer, dark spots, hyper pigmentation, and premature aging.
These steps have been popular in Korea since approximately the 1960s. The products are made in Korea, and work for everyone. I remember years ago, I thought that Asian beauty products are only for Asian skin. Which is not true! Skin is skin. We need to look for products for our skin type (dry, sensitive, acne-prone, oily, etc.), and you can find all it at Korean skin care products.
Do you need 10 steps to have luminous skin?
No, you don’t have to take K-Beauty literally and do all 10 steps, because not everything fits to everyone. This routine is here to show you the options you have, so you can choose what’s best for you and your skin type. Skin care is a journey and it shouldn’t always stay the same. As seasons change, skincare routine changes too.
Tony Gigov for (c) DisiCouture
*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links but is NOT sponsored.
