My Skincare Routine - Korean Skincare

Aloha Friends!  I last shared my skincare routine with you back in January, and in the past six/seven months, it's COMPLETELY changed, so I'm back today to share with you my newest skincare routine!

Today's post won't be as detailed and concise as my last skincare routine post, because there's a lot of products to talk about, but I'll try my best to explain how I use the products and what I use them for.  I included "Korean Skincare" in the title of this post because most, but not all, of my skincare products are from Korean brands.  I use more Korean/Asian brands because I think they work better for my Asian skin, just as Asian cosmetics do.  It might just be in my head, but I think they're better lol.  Of course there are a few Western brands that snuck their way into my skincare routine, but everyone knows that Korean skincare is like 100000000x better than Western skincare anyways... All Korean products are labeled with [K-BEAUTY] before their explanations, but I think that's pretty obvious... Before we get started, I just want to mention the golden skincare rule, and that is to stay hydrated! Drink lots of water and it'll make such a difference in your skin!  I promise!  So without further ado, let's get into it!

CLEANSERS:
So I'm starting with cleansers because they're like the number two most important part of my skincare routine.  I use four different cleansers, but not all at once, of course, and they all have different uses.

The first cleanser is Neutrogena Ultra Light Cleansing Oil.  This cleanser is step one of my double-cleansing routine, which I also talked about in my last skincare routine post.  You're supposed to use it on a dry face, to cleanse away makeup, then mix a bit of water with what you have left on your hands and face to emulsify the oil, resulting in a milky cleanser.  I only use this cleanser when I'm wearing makeup, because it's purpose is to pretty much remove makeup.  That being said, I don't use eye makeup removing liquids anymore since I started using this oil cleanser because I found that the oil cleanser is less harsh on my skin and does a better job of removing my makeup - even super stubborn waterproof makeup.

[K-BEAUTY] The second cleanser I use in my double-cleansing routine is TonyMoly Whipping Cotton Brightening Bubble Foam.  This foaming cleanser is really light and airy, and does a really good job of cleansing away any residue from my oil cleanser, though there really isn't any residue at all.  I honestly haven't noticed any brightening effects but I really like that it's a really light cleanser that doesn't dry out my face.

On no makeup days, I go for Biore Baking Soda Pore Cleanser.  To be very honest, I'm not a huge fan of this cleanser because it's a little too harsh and drying for me, but I keep using it because I can't return it lol.  It's not that it's a bad cleanser or anything, but it's just not really for my skin.  That being said, it does it's job to wash away any gunk and dirt that's accumulated throughout the day.

For mornings, I use Alba Botanica Hawaiian Pineapple Enzyme Cleanser.  It's another cleanser that's on the lighter side, which is perfect for morning cleansing, since there isn't a lot to cleanse.  I used to use this cleanser at night too until I switched to foam cleanser, but I've actually found that I prefer to use it in the mornings.  It has a light pineapple scent that's really pleasant after you've just woken.

SKINCARE:
I just titled this section "skincare" because I couldn't think of what else to call it... But anyways, this section includes all of the serum, toner, moisturizers, etc. that I use after cleansing.  These products are mainly part of my night time skincare routine.

[K-BEAUTY] After cleansing, I tone with Etude House Wonder Pore Freshener.  I apply a bit on a cotton round and let it suck up all the makeup and dirt that held onto my face during cleansing.  This toner really does pick up everything and doesn't leave my face with a film-y or dry feeling after.

[K-BEAUTY] Serum is the next step for me, and I looooove Holika Holika One Solution Super Energy Ampoule - Whitening.  For those who don't know, serums and ampoules are technically the same thing, but ampoules are basically supercharged serums, so there are more active ingredients in them, which I why I personally prefer to use them.  I really love this whitening ampoule because it really brightens my skin and smells AMAZING.

Moisturizer is the number one most important part of my skincare routine because I have combination skin, and the dry parts of my face are definitely more problematic than the oily parts.  I use Garnier Skinactive Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream and oh my god is it one of the best moisturizers I've ever tried.  I was an avid Clinique Moisture Surge user before, like nothing could replace it, but now I am changed.  This Garnier moisturizer is so light yet so moisturizing and doesn't have the chemical smell that haunted the Clinique moisturizer and is a fraction of the price.  This is also the only product I use after my morning cleansing.  

[K-BEAUTY] This next product is they key product to my skincare routine, and it's TonyMoly Panda's Dream White Magic Cream.  Yes, this is a whitening cream, but that's not the only reason I use it.  I do use it for it's whitening purposes, because although I am one of those almost translucent Asians, I do like to keep it up.  Basically, I don't like being tan.  I also use this because I have some redness along my jawline that has been there my entire life, but this whitening cream has helped to lighten the redness.  I can't say however, that this cream has whitened my skin, but rather I've noticed that it just helps to keep me from getting tanner.

[K-BEAUTY] The last step to my skincare routine is TonyMoly Panda's Dream So Cool Eye Stick. This eye stick is basically an eye serum in a cooling stick form, which makes it versatile for morning, night, or just to refresh during the day.  I generally only swipe this eye stick under my eyes before bed, but also like to use it in the mornings when my eyes look puffy.  Honestly, I don't see this eye stick making a noticeable difference in my undereye area, but it's nice to use so I just keep using it lol.

SPECIAL SKINCARE:
Below are a few products that are still a part of my skincare routine, but not for everyday.  They are products I use one to two times a week or only when necessary.

Dry, peel-y lips are always horrible, especially if you love wearing matte liquid lipstick like me, and the weather, whether hot or cold, is never a friend to my lips, which is why I use e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator. I use this product whenever I need it, so it isn't necessarily part of my skincare routine, but I do use it at night sometimes.  It helps to clean away any flakey parts of my lips by gently exfoliating away the dead skin.  This isn't the best lip exfoliator I've used, but it does a great job for only costing $3 and it comes in a variety of flavors - I have the cherry one!  After exfoliating my lips, I always follow up with Smith's Rosebud Salve.  I actually use this every night as a sort of lip mask because I always wake up with super soft, moisturized lips!

Whenever I have little breakouts, I always turn to my favorite Mario Badescu Drying Lotion to get rid of them.  I first heard about this product from Jen FrmHeadToToe YEARS AGO and have used it ever since.  All you do it dip a q-tip through to the pink powder then dab it onto your zits and go to sleep!  When you wake up, the pimple should be decreased in size and less painful, though it may take a couple of uses to have affect on larger breakouts.  Using drying lotion has helped me to stop popping pimples and creating scars on my face.

Once a week I use pore strips to get rid of the stubborn blackheads that have accumulated on my nose, but before I do so, I use Kate Somerville ExfoliKate exfoliator.  I find that doing so helps to "loosen" the blackheads which allows the pore strip to pull more gunk out.  As for pore strips, I've used tons of different kinds and my favorite is the Biore Deep Cleansing Charcoal Pore Strips, but right now I'm finishing up a box of up & up Pore Cleansing Strips because the box comes with 14 pieces for only $6.  They aren't bad, but if I don't exfoliate before using them, I find that they don't do as thorough of a job.

Finally, I get to talk about my favorite skincare product in the entire world, and that is... MASKS! I've been obsessed with masks for as long as I can remember because they're such a small thing, but they feel so pampering.  Sheet masks are my favorite, though I do love a good peel-off or wash-off mask every now and then.  My favorite wash-off masks are Laniege Water Sleeping Mask and Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment.  The Laniege sleeping mask, pictured above, is amazing because it works to moisturize your skin while you sleep and you'll wake up with beautifully moisturized skin, but don't forget to wash it off when you wake up because it can clog pores.  I love the Glamglow mask because you can see it working on your skin and there is a visible difference after you wash it off.  It does have quite a price tag though (which I why I haven't used it in a while lol).  But like I mentioned, sheet masks are my favorite.  I've included a photo of a couple of my favorite sheet masks above; Forencos 7 Days Mask Teatree Relax Silk Mask (YES THE SONG JOONGKI ONE!!!), Holika Holika Juicy Mask Sheet in Blueberry, and The Face Shop Little Mermaid Hydrating Face Mask.

And there are all the products in my skincare routine!  It's a lot of stuff, right?  But it's honestly so worth it because I've noticed a visible difference in my skin once I incorporated more products into my skincare routine.  To conclude this post I want to honestly recommend incorporating more Korean skincare products in your routines because they're just so much better than Western skincare products, but that's not to say that there isn't good Western products, but I haven't found a K-beauty product that hasn't worked wonders on my skin, but it's just a recommendation!  Lastly, like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, drinking more water is the best thing you can do for your skin, so drinks lots and lots of water!

As always, thanks for much for reading!

With Love,
Caitlyn <3

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