✨12 Step Skincare Routine✨

[RissoOMG]

Hey y'all! I want to start the 12 step skincare routine but I'm not sure which products I should start off with. I have combination skin and I'm worried about pores and wrinkles~. Does anyone have any recommendations for products or favorite brands?

[KireiKirei]

Highly recommend SokoGlam. I have purchased numerous things from it and have been happy with it all. Their blog is also really helpful.

[sdaniellem]

I am actually new to it too. I bought My Little Book of Skincare and learned a LOT, plus she put some recommendations in the book as well.  The soko glam website actually lets you look at products by concerns so like wrinkles and dark circles and more.  I found everything I want to try on there but then looked on amazon to see if I could get some products cheeper and I did.  Also I recomend meejmuse and joan kim youtube videos to learn more.

[jazzyjaenc]

Charlotte Cho of Soko Glam wrote a book called The Little Book of Skin Care. It has all of the info that you need. I bought mine on Amazon. Not only does she discuss the ten- step Korean skin care routine but she also includes product recommendations.

[dklovesmakeup89]

I learned a ton from You Tube vlogger Gothamista. However, the people on this post have also given you some great advice

[kathmb]

Second what @Sbrii said—those blogs were essential to me in getting started and learning the difference between types of toners/essences and layering techniques. It can get overwhelming, especially when it comes to pH levels and such, so don't feel like you have to do everything at once (and most adherents will tell you they don't do every single step every morning/night). There's also a lot of disagreement in the skin care community re: allegedly contraindicated ingredients (e.g. Ascorbic acid and niacinamide), wait times between applications, and pH importance, so it's often a good idea to do some research and take advice with a grain of salt. Furthermore, don't feel like you must use an Asian-sourced product if you use or find a product that will fit into your routine and works well with your skin. Just thoughts! The C 21.5 is mega-popular, though many people will recommend distilling it into smaller, lightproof jars and refrigerating to extend its lifespan. One of the big k-beauty sites—Soko Glam? Peach and Lily? Glow Recipe?—also has formulated their own C serum, which might be worth looking into. Otherwise, there's always tried and true Skinceuticals C+E+Ferulic, Drunk Elephant, and the lower-cost dupes (Timeless, OSS, etc.). All of the k-beauty sites tend to have blogs that are useful, as well.

[Sbrii]

Soko Glam collaborated with Cosrx to make their Vitamin C serum. 

[Sbrii]

When you say 12 steps, do you know which steps you want to include, or maybe more importantly, exclude? I don't want to recommend an AHA if you don't want to use one. So....fill us in.

For wrinkles, the most proven ingredients are retinol and AHA & Vitamin C. I  haven't encountered good  Asian Beauty products the contain AHA or retinol, but thereare some good Vitamin C serums. Wishtrend's Pure C 21.5 is really popular with great reviews.

I started with the Neogen Green Tea Foaming cleanser. It's a solid low pH cleanser. 

I have heard stellar reviews of the Amore Pacific Oil Cleanser, but it is pricy. Banila's Clean it Zero works great, dissolving my makeup with no problem.

There are so many other steps, so rather than write a novel, here are some links to the blogs the helped me craft my routine. 

Fifty Shades of Snail: https://fiftyshadesofsnail.com/why-asian-skin-care-works-and-how/how-to-build-your-own-asian-skincar...

My favorite. She has great info, and is a really engaging writer.

Fanserviced-B: http://www.fanserviced-b.com/a-visual-guide-to-the-korean-skincare-routine/

Very informative. She focuses on acne, but has great general information and reviews. 

Snow White and the Asian Pear: http://www.snowwhiteandtheasianpear.com/2016/03/beginner-friendly-simple-k-beauty.html?m=1

Her starter guides are great and she'll often delve into the science of what things work.

Edited for better info. 

[UltimateJeja]

Personally, I'm obsessed with Laneige. Unfortunately, with the range Sephora carries, you wouldn't be able to create a 12 step program, but if you're willing to wait a few years for products to arrive, you can order their full range online and get them directly from Korea

[kathmb]

I was talking to someone in Target (when Target still carried Laniege) and she was telling me about a Laniege store in Northern VA, so it appears they may have flagships/standalone throughout the US, as well. I imagine they'd have a fuller selection.