Korean Skincare Routine- Part 2
After your skin is all clean and ready to get down to business, it’s time to focus in on “your flaws”-yes, of course, everyone is beautiful and no one has any flaws, blah blah blah… but fo’ real- time to focus. For some, it may be acne, wrinkles, hyper-pigmentation, dull skin, etc. This is where actives come into play. While there are oodles and oodles of different acids, vitamins and chemicals – this is what I’m loving.
Sun damage? Dark Spots galore? Yup, me too. Vitamin C is known by most everyone to help lighten dark spots and reduce hyper-pigmentation. The most effective form of vitamin C for your skin is L-ascorbic acid, it’s best absorbed by your skin and therefore the vitamin C can actually work for you instead of sitting on your skin. The majority of vitamin C products contain less than 20% vitamin C, and for good reason. A higher concentration can easily irritate skin and cause a stinging sensation. I personally right now am using a product that it 21.5%… whoopsies. Pure Vitamin C 21.5 Advanced Serum by Wishtrend ($24.99). For me- it’s great! My skin is super oily and has been subjected to years of vitamin C, so while there s a very very slight tingle- it works great for me! *Bonus Tip* Keep your vitamin C serum in the fridge for it to maintain it’s potency! (I’ll go into further detail in a separate post dedicated to the big C)
Blackheads anyone? Clogged pores? Cool, me too. This is where BHA comes into play. BHA is a very gentle acid that every so gently does a chemical exfoliation of your face, helping clear out your pores and prevent blackheads. There are many many BHA products out there- my personal fav is COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid. Cosrx is such a great brand with simplified yet very effective products- no fragrances or frills, which is refreshing. This brand is also now sold at Ulta-whaaaaaat?! Anyways- this product is a very slippery liquid you can use daily. Simple do one pump into your fingers and pat it onto your face. Patting-not rubbing. By patting you are able to keep layering products without smearing the prior products around your face. I have seen a dramatic difference in the texture of my skin using this baby. And while nothing really ever gets rid of pores, this at least can help minimize the appearance and really helps with those yuck blackheads. Another very popular and super afforable BHA is Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant ($29).
Whiteheads? Bumps? Oh em gee, me too! Time for some AHA in your life. Cosrx AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid (Glycolic acid 7%) melts whiteheads and improves uneven skin tone. This stuff is powerful. You fell it going to work with a slight tingle- not painful, but lets you know it has some kick to it. This is not recommended for daily use- once or twice a week is all you need.
My routine/schedule for my actives it typically on a rotating basis, with my BHA every other night (sometimes in the morning too) and then rotating the vitamin C and AHA on the other nights…that sounded confusing… I go:
BHA, Vit-C, BHA, AHA, BHA, Vit-C, BHA, AHA….etc.
After your skin has been chemically exfoliated, it needs some TLC with some silky serums. Serums are able to provide a punch of nutrients, hydration and typically anti-aging properties to your skin. One serum that has a big time following is the MISSHA Time Revolution Night Repair New Science Activator Ampoule. A well-known dupe for Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair, this beautiful bottle’s key ingredient for this anti-aging serum is Bifida Ferment Lysate, a fermented yeast that visibly reduces signs of aging and improves skin elasticity while protecting the skin.
While maybe not every night- when you have time, a sheet mask is a must. It not only provides your skin with even more nutrients, vitamins and beneficial ingredients, it also allows your skin to more fully absorb the products placed on before it, preventing any products from evaporating off your skin by locking it in. There are way too many sheet masks to even begin to say which is best- but please be careful when bargain shipping! Not all sheet masks are the same- I’m looking at you Marshalls and TJ Maxx- some of those sheets are packed with chemicals and skin irritants. I personally love the “gel” masks, specifically the Tony Moly Intense Care Snail Hydro Gel Mask. Benton Snail Bee High Content Mask is a super powered mask with snail mucin essence and bee venom extract that deeply nourishes skin, soothes irritated and damaged skin and improves skin tone and texture.
Once your serum has had an opportunity to soak in, then you can go in with your moisturizer. As of right now, I have 2 moisturizers I switch between. both are “gel” moisturizers. I have discovered that gel, water-based moisturizers work soooooo much better with my skin, rather than oily, creamy lotions. Mizon Watermax Aqua Gel Cream ($32) is a very light gel with a refreshing scent that glides onto your skin and is fully absorbed quickly. The smell and feel of this gel is spa-like to me, and really provides my skin with hydration, without clogging it up or feeling heavy at all.
My other moisturizer is a cult-favorite and is loved by many many people- Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream. Snail?? Yes. Snail. Its a beautifully natural ingredient that helps promote the repairing of skin seen through the reduction of acne scarring, dark spots and fine lines. The Mizon Snail Recovery is composed of 74% snail extract and a medley of botanical and floral extracts, in addition to hyaluronic acid to deliver serious hydration without leaving any sheen or grease.
Eye creams, eye creams..ohhh eye creams. I have longed to find a miracle cream that would the little lines under my eyes…. Well I think I found what I’ve been looking for, kind of. I use two different eye products, one at night and one in the morning. In the morning I use a semi-unexciting products that has a surprising amount of beneficial ingredient that have been blended into the perfect consistency. CeraVe Eye Repair Cream. You can find this lil fella in almost any grocery or drug store. No, it’s not exciting or fancy, but it does what it’s supposed to do without any irritation. it’s designed not only to visibly reduce dark circles and puffiness, but also to help repair and restore the skin around your eyes and helps reduce appearance of dark circles and puffiness.
At night, I go in with a thicker formula. Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream is a thick and silky formula that absorbs quickly under your eye, with no irritation and providing a huge amount of moisturize. It has 80% snail mucin and helps hydrate and diminish the look of fine lines, and promotes the brightening of dark eye areas. It did take some time for me to see the light here- I hated it at first. But then, after many re-attempts to fall in love- it happened. the puffiness of my eyes went down and I have seen a big improvement in the texture under my eyes.
Sleeping Masks or Packs are another category where there’s just so many good ones to choose from these days! Even brands like Aveeno and Loreal are coming out with sleeping masks, making them even more popular and easy to find. Sleeping masks are your final step before you go to bed and help not only provide one last super hydrating layer, but also “lock in” all those products you had layered on. Some of the great ones I am currently rotating between are Mizon Good Night White Sleeping Mask, which has a calming slightly lavender scent, the Laniege Water Sleeping Mask, and the Nip+Fab Skin Bee Sting Fix Lifting Mask. All do something different for me and I use at different times, depending on my skin. I use the Bee Sting Mask mostly on my neck to help keep skin firm. Both Laniege and Mizon masks provide my skin with needed moisture and I can see a noticable difference in the moringn- my skin is smoother, plumper and less irritated. The Mizon Good Night White Mask does make my skin extra ‘glowy’ and is my favorite at the moment.
