It’s practically no secret that Korean women have incredibly smooth and clear skin. However, while most Asians are really known for their delicate features and porcelain skin, there are still some things that need to be done in order for these women to be able to maintain the beautiful skin that they have. Read on to learn more about the secrets behind Korean skin care.
When it comes to Korean skin care, being all-natural is still known to be the most effective way to be able to bring about the beauty of one’s skin as well as maintain it. Given the busy day-to-day activities of Korean women, they need a skin care regimen that is absolutely fuss-free yet effective. For this, they rely on beauty products that actively provide them with the protection that they need to keep their skin smooth, soft and absolutely free from any premature signs of aging.
In Korea, skin care isn’t a luxury.
There’s a widespread demand for it and people are picky. They know what they want from their skin care, and they’re not going to pay a fortune for it. Companies sell the best products at reasonable prices for this reason. There are even sheet masks for $1.
While the usual skin care regimen that I’ve mentioned here is merely composed of cleansing, toning, and moisturizing, Korean women often practice a ten-step skin regimen. Here are these ten steps you could follow to have skin as smooth and bright as they do.
1. Removing Eye Makeup
Find a good makeup remover to gently take out your eye makeup. Don’t rely on a regular cleanser to perform this job as this assumption is what will leave a previous week’s mascara on your eyelashes. This makeup remover would also be really helpful if you need to take out a long wear lipstick.
I recommend the eye makeup remover from the “The Body Shop” for this one. Simply click the photo below to get one for yourself. This is brand for vegans and those who support animal-cruelty free products. If you want to know more, you can check the list that I wrote regarding animal-cruelty free makeup brands.
The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover ($15.50)
2. Cleansing
The golden rule to remember is to spend the same amount of time taking off what’s on your face to the time you were putting it on. So let’s say it took you forty-five minutes putting on your makeup, spend the same time wiping it off. Find a really good oil cleanser to suit your skin type and use this to massage your face in circular movements gently. The face massage is important as Koreans believe that this is what makes circulation increase, which translates to a brighter skin. One good facial cleanser is the NEOGEN Green Tea Real Fresh Foam Cleanser that you can get by clicking the image below.
Anyway, just in case you don’t know what your skin type is, no need to worry for I wrote the basic guidelines that you can do to determine your skin type.
NEOGEN Green Tea Real Fresh Foam Cleanser ($69.99)
3. Exfoliating
A natural exfoliant scrub does wonders in restoring your skin’s softness so remember this step as this is the reason why Koreans have very smooth skin. Doing so two times a month is already good enough. Focus on your T-zone areas or sites where blackheads usually appear. For exfoliating one’s face, the Koreans follow the rule, “less is more.” Click the photo below to get this great exfoliator from Skinfood.
Skinfood Black Sugar Mask Wash Off Exfoliator ($4.20)
4. Refreshing
This is the Korean’s equivalent to Toning. It is mainly done for aiding the removal of pollutants along with cleanser residues, while recovering the pH balance of skin at the same time. More importantly, its main role is soothing and preparing skin for absorption of the essence, the procedure that follows. You’ll see that they’re less harsh and drying to skin when you try their toners. Also, some make use of natural ingredients such as the fermented bamboo extracts.
5. Applying the Essence
The essence application is considered the routine’s most crucial step. It penetrates the skin cells when you soak your face to their treatment essence which speeds up the rate of cell turnover, leaving the skin smoother and brighter. The photo below is one of the best essences that are used by Koreans. Click the image below to read the positive feedback.
LJH TeaTree 90 Essence ($67.98)
6. Applying the Ampoule
The Korean’s equivalent to serums of the West, these ampoules are much like the essences but are more concentrated. The well-known ampoules have their bifida ferment lysate, an active component which is best for fine line smoothing, sun brightening and sun spot fading.
7. Applying the Sheet Mask
The sheet mask step is done two times a week but should your face be really dry, this could go beyond that number of times. These masks are wet and paper-like, abundant with collagen and penetrate your skin. There are a variety of sheet masks out there. Some contain Vitamin E which are good in anti-aging and avocado extracts, which are rich in antioxidants. What’s the role of these sheet masks? They basically compel your skin to better absorb moisture and nutrients compared to applying a cream or serum alone. The instantaneous effects can be addictive. Just one use and you would feel your face a little plumper and definitely brighter brought about by your skin’s absorption of all that moisture. I bought mine last week and it was 5% off. Click the photo below to also get the 5% discount.
Andalou Naturals Instant Pure Pore Hydro Serum Facial Mask ($7.43)
8. Tapping the Eye Cream
The main difference of the way Koreans apply eye cream is that they tap it on skin surrounding the eye area. Apart from getting rid of pulling and tugging episodes, the product is also absorbed better. If you want to get this eye cream, simply click the photo below.
Skinfood Salmon Brightening Eye Cream ($12.99)
9. Applying the Moisturizer
Okay, by now, you’re probably shaking at all the things you need to apply to your skin but in case you haven’t realized it yet, the Koreans method of beautification is all about layering. So even if you may already feel mummified at this point, still apply a generous amount of moisturizer and stroke it gently for deep skin penetration.
10. Applying the Night Cream
And we’re down to the last step at last. Your face may feel funny but you have to admit that your skin now exhibits what the Koreans would say, a dewy “moist glow.” The rule of the thumb to remember is your skin needs to be hydrated as you recharge for the night. The Korean trend is using ripened ingredients in their skin care. Therefore, opt for creams that have lotus extracts, fermented bamboo sap and fruit water.
An individual’s skin certainly makes for a great canvass in which one’s beauty doesn’t actually depend on heaps of makeup.
There is undeniably no need for you to worry about looking beautiful as it already makes you naturally pretty even without exerting too much effort when you keep your skin soft and smooth.
Hopefully you were able to learn a thing or two about Korean skin care and why it is definitely worth the effort to go the extra mile when it comes to looking after one’s appearance. In the long run, you will even thank yourself for it since you no longer need to worry about growing old. Hope this helps! If you have any question, don’t hesitate to ask me in the comment section below. 🙂
