HI-TIPS: 8 Steps Daily K-Beauty Skincare Routine

What is 10 Steps? 8 Steps? Korean Skincare Routine?

Finding a skin care routine that works for you can seem like a never-ending beauty quest. With so much skin care advice out there and multitudes of products to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to focus on. But underlining most skin care philosophies and theories are 8 basic steps that form the foundation of a good and smart skin care routine. It is all about building up your daily skincare routine to get best result for your clear and healthy complexion. 

1. Oil Cleanser

Basically oil cleansers removes waterproof makeup, oil-based makeup, SPF and other impurities. Most of makeup products are oil base so it is important to use oil cleanser to remove makeup and dirts from deep pores. It allows for effortless cleansing rather than tugging at your skin to remove that last bits of makeup.

Oil cleanser is not only aiming for removing makeup. It is also working for oily skin. Please remember "OIL REMOVES OIL". Sometimes people with oil skin avoid oil cleanser but that is not right! It melts the sebum and dirt from your pores and improve skin texture and balancing ph level. 

2. Water Based Cleanser

With mild formula, it removes remaining dirt and makeup. This step is so called "Double Cleansing"

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3. Exfoliator

You don’t always have to exfoliate (especially if you have sensitive skin), but keep in mind that exfoliating at least twice a week is crucial for clear, polished skin. Sloughing off dead skin cells makes it possible for the rest of your skin care products to mingle with your pores and do their magic. Gently massage or tap an exfoliant into your skin for smooth and silky skin.

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4. Toner

Toner helps to remove pollutants along with any residue from your cleansers, while also restoring your skin’s pH balance. It soothes and preps your skin to absorb the next step. Korean toners are less harsh and drying compared to other brands, which is maybe why they are also called “refreshers”. Put the toner enough onto a cotton pad and wipe your face and neck. And if you do not cleanse perfectly, you may see the left over dirts on the pad.

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5. Special Treatment

There are many many different terms and forms of special treatment in Korean Beauties. You may have heard of essence, serum, ampules, eye cream and so on.. Special treatments are always important that directly treat the issues you’re most concerned about. Whether they target dull skin, large pores, pigmentation, wrinkles, or acne, serums are the ideal skin-perfecting step. Gently tap these into your skin!

The definition of Essence is essential skincare step. Normally essence is more liquid than concentrated serums. It affects skin on a cellular level, speeding your cell turnover rate which makes the skin smoother and brighter.

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Serum or Ampoule are super concentrated version of essence. It is formulated with active ingredients that target specific needs by skin type such as fine lines, loss of firmness, brightening and dehydration. You can customise your special treatments steps: adding or removing products as you see fit.

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Eye cream is the must do step if you are over 20s. Skin around the eyes is very sensitive, thinner and much easily dehydrated. Wrinkles around the eyes are the first changes that you can see as you age. This is not an essential step but to prevent getting fine lines and wrinkles, this step cannot be missed. It should be treated with a cream specifically formulated to protect, nourish and brighten up the skin.

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6. Mositurizer

Some people might skip this step. However K-beauty skin care is all about layering. As you layer the products, it makes your skin moisturised and firm. Lock everything into your skin by applying moisturizer.

You may be familiar with Night time cream. I saw many European products formulated as day and night creams. Normally day creams contain SPF and night creams are thicker texture than the day creams. This is the the final step to build up your skin to be dewy and inner glow skin and ready for tomorrow’s skin condition. It traps the moisture into your skin, keeping the skin stay hydrated as you recharge overnight.

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7. Mask

If you want to have a K-pop star’s dewy and moisturized glowy skin, this is a secret tip for you. Sheet mask contains at least 15ml of concentrated serum or ampules in cotton sheet mask that conveys full of concentrated ingredients to your skin. After using it, you can see an instant improvement on your skin.

There is also sleeping mask which needs to be applied at the last step of skincare routine at night. Sleeping masks are a fairly new concept in non-Asian countries. The reality is sleeping masks are not messy at all! All you need is a coin sized amount to massage into your face, which will absorb quickly upon application. The revitalizing effects are extremely addicting, with your skin feeling softer and looking brighter and refreshed.

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8. Sun Block

Using sun block is the most important step in your daily skincare. Protecting your skin from the UV rays of the sun prevents your skin from getting wrinkles, being dehydrated and become saggy. Even in winter time, it is important to apply sun block before you go out. Apply it 20 minutes before you go out and layer it with makeup base, cc, bb or foundation which contains SPF.

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