K-beauty hype
Korean skin care products have taken the beauty world by storm. I had already heard about it, but after I went to Seoul last year and saw all the publicity, the different brands, the competition and the enthusiasm of the public, I was intrigued to explore more. After countless hours of watching k-beauty Youtubers and reading several online articles and blogs, I leaned the reasons behind the hype of k-beauty.
The Korean products base their formulas on natural/organic ingredients, like green tea, tea tree, soybean, rice, snail extract and fermented ingredients. They switch away from parabens and artificial additives and are friendly for every wallet. They also have a lot of product that people with sensitive skin can tolerate, even for pregnant woman. The famous 10 steps skincare routine is known for its effectiveness by layering several products that help improve skin’s health. There are several versions of how many steps to try, from 7 to 10 and even 12 steps. I wanted to try out this routine for 2 months to see if there’s any visible results. I did some research and bought some of the cult favourites and most well reviewed products.
My routine consisted of 10 steps:
01. Oil base cleanser – Banila & Co. clean it zero cleansing balm original
02. Water base cleanser – Troiareuke Acsen oil cut cleansing
03. Exfoliant – Neogen Gauze peeling green tea
04. Toner – Missha Time Revolution Intensive Moist
05. Essence – Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
06. Ampole / Serum – Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum + Mizon Snail Repair intensive ampoule
07. Sheet mask – Innisfree and Mediheal
08. Eye cream – Innisfree Jeju Orchid eye cream
09. Moisturier – Neogen Vita Duo Cream Joan Day and Joan Night
10. Sleeping mask (night) / Sunscreen (day) – Nightingale Teatamin Sleeping mask / Innisfree perfect UV protection cream triple care
Spot treatment – Cosrx Acne pimple master patch + Troiareuke Acsen recovery cream
After deciding I would be using these products I started searching for online stores where to buy them and after an advice from my friend I ordered my products from 3 different online websites: Jolse, ebay and YESSTYLE. It took about 3 weeks for all products to arrive. As I was already ordering skincare, I thought It´ll be nice to also order some hair products and makeup too, since I heard that they use skincare in their makeup formulas. The prices were surprisingly affordable.
When the products arrived, I was really excited and couldn’t wait to try them on. I confess I had to organize the products in order of usage in my closet for me to make sure I wouldn’t mix up the correct order. This was new to me. My old skincare routine consisted of cleanser, micellar water and moisturizer, so it’s an understatement to say this 10 steps skincare is an upgrade.
Initially my skin was a bit overwhelmed with so many products, but soon it got used to them and I started to see improvements. I have an acne prone oily skin, so I wanted to see if my acne, dark spots, acne scars and overall dull skin could improve. And I must say it was a miracle! For years I have tried several products of different western brands, but I have never seen as much improvement as I have seen in just 2 months. My skin is much more hydrated, I have fewer dark spots, some of my acne scars started fading and I have a more healthy and brighter skin.
Now I’m already planning on ordering more products and even try on some different ones. This was an amazing experience and I’m really happy to finally find something that actually works on my skin. I convinced my mother to try as well and she has also seen some improvements in her skin. Overall I can say that the hype behind the Korean skincare really is justified and I recommend everyone to find the products for their skin type and try the Korean´s methods and products.
Before:
After:
For some extra information you can check these websites:
Cosmopolitan:https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/beauty-trends/a42942/korean-skincare-routine-explained/
Written by: Marisa Gonzalez Date: 09th July 2019