Hellobee

How many of us know someone who has that glowing, dewy, perfect skin with not a single pore in sight? Yea… well, I didn’t hit the genetic lottery on that one! Thus, I’ve had to call for backup in order to keep my skin in optimal condition while trying to prevent the fine lines and wrinkles that tend to creep in once we hit our 30’s.

In the past few years, I’ve noticed a surge in Korean skincare products in the U.S. marketplace (they sell some brands at Target now, and it’s all over Amazon), and a lot of talk about the 10-Step Korean Skincare Routine. It’s been featured in Elle magazine, and Bee even blogged about it here and here.

Once I hit my 30’s, I started noticing some fine lines around my eyes that would instantly appear whenever I smiled. Even when I didn’t smile hard and would just do a little fake smile, the moment my eyes crinkled those lines would appear. I’m all about aging gracefully, but a little prevention doesn’t hurt anyone! So I decided to ramp up my routine and take that extra 5 minutes to take better care of my skin. I have to say, ever since I started this routine those lines have completely disappeared. When I smile, no crinkles! I don’t know if it’s one of these products, a combination, or all… but I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing!

These are some of the products I’ve been using – not all of them are Korean, but most of them are. All of them come highly rated on Amazon and other sites. I’ve listed prices so you can see that a lot of these are comparable to drugstore prices, with the exception of a few I’m willing to splurge on. I think Korean products are so competitively priced because there is a ton of competition in Korea, and they are super innovative when it comes to beauty and skincare. They are, after all, the plastic surgery capital of the world.

1. The Face Shop Cleansing Oil ($11)- This is step one in the Korean concept of a “double cleanse.” I don’t even need a separate eye makeup remover now that I use this. You gently wipe off your entire face with this light oil, then clean your face with a cleanser. This makes sense to me because before when I was just going directly to a cleanser, I would rely on a toner to clean up any remaining makeup residue, and there always was. This will get your face squeaky clean without worry about pore-clogging residual makeup.

2. Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam ($12) – I randomly bought this because Innisfree had a buy one get one free special for this cleanser, and I was already on their site purchasing their face masks (which were also buy 10 get 10 free – still are!). Let me tell you – this was instant loove  It’s even cheaper than the gentle CeraVe cleanser I was using, and it feels so luxurious. A tiny pea sized amount gets you a ton of foam and feels so good going on your skin.

3. Thayers Alcohol-free Rose Petal Witch Hazel ($8) – I’ve had this one bottle for two years now. It is a gentle alcohol-free toner that has a lovely, subtle rose petal smell. I do the toner step just as one last step to ensure all the makeup residue really is gone from my face. I love that my makeup stays on all day, but I don’t love that it could stay with me at night too if I don’t clean well enough.

4. Missha Time Revolution Essence ($30) – I had never heard of “essence” until I started reading up on the Korean skincare regime, but it is considered a must in their process. They say that “It affects skin on a cellular level, speeding your cell turnover rate which makes skin smoother and brighter” (source). I’ve definitely noticed a difference in my skin since using it!

5. Nature Republic Super Aqua Max Watery Cream ($13) – I have never used water based creams until I came across this one, but I loooove it. The one I use is for combination skin, but they also have ones for dry or oily skin types. It is perfectly moisturizing, can be used for both day and night, and since it is water-based a little goes a long way. The smell is a little strong for me and I wish it weren’t so perfume-y, but I got used to it.

6. Etude House Super Collagen Eye Cream ($18) – I’m always trying different eye creams, and this is my current one. I like it, but I think I want to try something else next time to something that absorbs a little faster. I don’t use this in the morning because I feel like it takes too long to sink into my skin, but I love it for night.

7. Skinfood Black Sugar Wash off Mask ($10) – This is a scrub type face mask that I use to exfoliate my skin. I try to use it about once a week, or whenever I feel like I need that something extra to smooth out my skin. It has a lovely citrus smell, and is gentle enough for my sensitive skin.

8. Laneige Water Sleeping Pack ($35) – This is a sleeping face mask you keep on overnight to really lock in the moisture, then you wash it off the next day. It has a gel-like consistency, and feels really cool and refreshing going on. Love it.

9. Biore Aquarich Sarasara 50+ SPF ($10) – This is definitely my HG sunscreen. I have tried a lot of sunscreens, but could never keep up with them because I hated how thick they felt going on my skin. I also didn’t like the smell of most sunscreens I came across. Then I found this one, and it was love at first use. It is water-based so goes on smoothly, sinks into your skin quickly, and does not have a nasty sunscreen smell or leave your face with a funny sunscreen tint.  And since it is water based, you only need a tiny amount to smooth it across your entire face and décolletage.

10. Resurface Retinol Reform ($95) – So… I have a confession. I follow Jessica Alba on Instagram, and she raved about this retinol reform by her facialist, Shani Darden. Usually retin-a is prescription only and experts say it is the best thing for anti-aging, but I really don’t think I need something as intense as retin-a, so this is a gentler over-the-counter derivative (read about the differences between retin-a and retinol here). A ton of celebrities and magazines have been raving about this serum, so I decided to give it a try. I use this 2x a week at night, and I can physically feel it working. It’s amazing. Do not use if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. You can get some great skinspiration too by following Shani Darden on Instagram.

11. OZ Naturals Vitamin C Serum ($22) – Vitamin C serums are the big thing right now for anti-aging and fine line prevention! There are a ton on Amazon, and this was the #1 bestseller with thousands of reviews so I decided to give it a try. I only use it about twice a week in the mornings because I heard using it daily could really dry out your skin. It is acid-based after all. Makes sense to me.

12. Innisfree It’s Real Facial Mask Sheets ($1) – These are great, easy, cheap face masks that make you look like something out of a horror movie, but they make you feel instantly pampered. I love unwinding at the end of the night, with a book in hand, while wearing this mask. My girlfriends and I have also brought these along to sleepovers and mom’s night outs. I also like giving these as gifts in care packages – they’re lightweight and make wonderful, unexpected gifts!

To sum it all up – These are my morning and evening routines in order of how I use these products:

Morning Routine

1. Innisfree Cleansing Foam
2. Thayers Toner
3. Vitamin C Serum – 2x/week not daily
4. Nature Republic Aqua Cream
5. Biore SPF 50+

Evening Routine

1. The Face Shop Cleansing Oil
2. Innisfree Cleansing Foam
3. Black Sugar Wash-off Mask – 1x/week not daily
4. Missha Time Revolution Essence
5. Retinol Reform Serum – 2x/week not daily
6. Etude House Eye Cream
7. Nature Republic Aqua Cream
8. Laneige Water Sleeping Pack – 1x/week not daily

Listing out the steps makes it seem like a lot, but my morning and evening routines are done within 5 minutes unless I’m using a mask, so it really doesn’t take that much time out of my day.

My favorite site to explore Korean makeup and facial products is Soko Glam. Their products are curated directly from Korea, and they have a great beauty blog that goes into detail on why they chose to curate specific products. Like why this cleansing foam is better for oily skin because of its pH balance. I would’ve never thought to consider pH balance when looking for products specific to my skin – I always just went by the recommendation of oily, combination, or dry skin types… but they test their products to check for ideal pH balance.  How awesome is that?

What are your favorite facial products?  What does your routine look like?