A luminescent, dewy complexion is practically a necessity for Korean women. However, it should certainly not be confused with the awful oily face. This is more of an innocent and fresh look with a glow from within. There is a major difference actually, Koreans are after that porcelain, perfect, hydrated glow; not the kind where your face resembles an oily slice of pizza. Every day is an opportunity to look your absolute best, both skin wise and clothing wise. In this beauty obsessed industry, the companies need to be on their feet constantly. However, this porcelain look doesn’t involve a lot of makeup, it just involves a lot of prepping, focusing on prevention, and taking care of your skin daily. Consistency is key. You can’t just expect your skin to look perfect if you don’t devote at least a little bit of time to it. The Korean skin care regime is a multi step routine, and it has generated quite a buzz in the world of beauty. To most people outside Korea, their regime might seem quite alarming and very extensive, not to mention time consuming. But ultimately, it reduces down to the very basic, which is cleansing, exfoliating, toning, treating and targeting problem areas, moisturizing heavily, and slathering on plenty of sunscreen with a high SPF. The main difference in Korean skin care and the way we do it, is that skin care is ingrained into their systems from a very early age. They don’t rush to buy the next biggest high end anti aging cream because they have already learnt to take care of their skin since an early age. While in our twenties, we flounder about, without a care in the world, Korean girls are taught that their skin is the best asset, and to preserve it, they must learn to take care of it properly, regardless of their age. That’s why we see so many Korean actresses who never seem to age. Are they 20 or are the 40, it really is quite hard to tell!
Korean beauty Secrets :
Thankfully, their beauty regime is not that mind boggling, their main concept is, to make your skin care product work, they have to work with it. Moreover, how can you expect one product to do all the work? That is why they believe in layering, where they use several products in conjunction with each other to achieve that perfect dewy, wrinkle free, amazing skin. Again, consistency is key! This point cannot be stressed enough! So if you want to achieve that flawless complexion like those ageless Korean actresses, read on, as here is a low down to the Korean skin care regime!
Korean Beauty Secrets : Remove your eye makeup first
Your cleanser is meant to come in later to clean your whole skin, do not make it multi task that is not what it is meant to do. Remove all your eye makeup using a good eye makeup remover, or else you will be left with crusty eyeliner and mascara that is nearly a week old without even realizing it. And obviously, it’s a horrible mistake to tug at the gentle eye area, as it will leave you with nothing but wrinkles at an older age. You can also use a makeup remover to remove any long lasting lipstick that you might have on.
Korean Beauty Secrets : Clean it off
The general rule, you should follow is that the amount of time you take to put on your makeup should be the same as the amount of time you take to remove your makeup completely. And though this might sound weird, use a cleansing oil to clean your face. The oil dissolves all the makeup, dirt, and serum on the surface of your skin. Rub the oil into your face in circular motions, make sure you apply to all areas of your face, and then wipe off the oil using some warm water and a wash cloth. You will be amazed at how easily and efficiently your makeup comes off. Also, massaging the face means more blood circulation, which in turn will lead to a brighter skin tone.
Korean Beauty Secrets : Exfoliation is a must
While over exfoliation is basically overkill, you must exfoliate at least two to three times a week. Exfoliation ensures that all the dead skin is sloughed off, and new, fresher skin has a chance to reveal itself from the bottom. Concentrate on you T-zone or places where you are prone to pimples and black heads. Again, do not over exfoliate, do it in moderation, and watch your skin become bright, and acne free.
Korean Beauty Secrets : Refresher or toner
What they call the refresher, we usually refer to as the toner. It is an extremely crucial step as it helps to remove outside pollutants and any residue that your cleanser has left behind. It also restores the skin’s natural pH. Moreover it helps to smoothen the skin and preps it so that it absorbs the products to follow better. Korean toners are not harsh at all, they are quite gentle, and soothing, which is probably the reason why they are called refreshers. They are also mainly made with natural extracts. Put a little bit of toner or refresher on a cotton pad and wipe your face with it. You will be amazed at the amount of residue, dirt and makeup that it picks up.
Korean Beauty Secrets :Essence
This is probably considered THE most important step in the Korean skincare routine; however, it is widely unknown across the rest of the world. The most popular one that is used is the “SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”, however, it is a bit on the higher side. The essence is important as it affects the cellular levels of the facial skin. It increases the rate of cellular turnover, which in turn again makes the skin ultra smooth while also making it brighter. You will see the most visible difference once you add this to your skin care regime.
Korean Beauty Secrets :Ampoule after essence
Ampoules are basically a highly concentrated version of an essence. They are sometimes called serums, even boosters also. They also contain plenty of natural fermented ingredients. They aid in brightening the skin tone, reducing dark spots, pigmentation, and sun spots, while also ironing out any wrinkles that might be forming.
Korean Beauty Secrets : Sheet Masks
A sheet mask can e used twice a week, or sometimes more if you have super dry facial skin. They feel like wet slippery paper, and are usually a circle with holes cut out for your eyes and mouth. They are absolutely soaked and saturated in different kinds of products, whether it is collagen, or something for skin brightening. They contain several natural meant to target and treat your problem areas, whether it is dry skin, or wrinkles. Why these weird sheet masks you ask? Because these masks ensure that your skin absorbs the entire product, instead of it just evaporating. After one use, your face will be more plump and oh so much brighter as your skin is now heavily loaded with moisture.
Korean Beauty Secrets : Use a good eye cream
This step is quite obvious. But remember to be very gentle when applying, never pull or tug the gentle eye area. Using your weakest finer, your ring finger, gently tap in the product. This will also ensure that the product is absorbed better.
Korean Beauty Secrets : Moisturizer, obviously
After you go through all of the above steps, it is now time to apply a good, heavy moisturizer. Using a gentle hand, massage the moisturizer of your choice in to your skin, and ensure that your skin absorbs it completely.
Korean Beauty Secrets : Use a good Night cream
After you go through all the steps till step 9, your face should now feel soft and plump and it should have that fresh moist and dewy glow. All the steps are necessary as your skin needs to be hydrated throughout the night as your body repairs itself. If it is day time you would normally apply your regular BB cream and makeup after step 9, however during the night you need to use a good night cream, made with natural extracts to lock in all the goodness that you just put in to your skin. Pat in the product gently and hit the sacks. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser in the morning. You will have dewy, glowing skin.
The steps above do sound like a lot, but it will only take you about 15 minutes or so, and it is actually quite a good idea to take out a bit of time to pamper yourself at the end of the day. Be consistent, and when it comes to skin care, don’t be frugal, and use the best that your money can buy. If you do stick to this routine and follow all the above 10 steps religiously, you will be rewarded with beautiful, glowing, ageless skin that will be the cause of everyone else’s envy. Just stick to it and watch the magic happen.
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