K Beauty Routine Advice

[BeautyWonder]

Hello K Beauty Friends,

I'm looking for k beauty advice as I’m honestly overwhelmed. I currently use DHC cleansing oil but I’m looking for a new night moisturizer or serum and cleanser. I tried enature cleansing balm and birch juice cream and I liked those. My face felt smoother and more hydrated. I have normal to dry skin. I’m not sure if I need both a serum and moisturizer. Do you have any favorites? 

I dont know if i should buy a buy a kit or not. I wear minimal makeup, just powder. I would also like to try eye cream, masks and possibly exfoliating pads as well.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! 😊

[itsfi]

@BeautyWonder, Kbeauty routines and products can be a bit overwhelming; they were for me when I first started looking at Kbeauty - there's so much out there! I've really enjoyed a lot of Korean beauty products and my skin has benefited from it as well. That said, it can definitely be over the top with the number of products to use. 

If you're looking for a skincare routine using all Korean beauty products, here are some products that have worked very for me when my skin is dehydrated-dry:

Cleanser: I double cleanse, but if you're wearing minimal makeup, you could probably be fine with just one cleanser. If you like oils based cleansers, some you might want to consider are: Olivarrier All Barrier Relief Wash; Heimish Cleansing Balm; or Clean It Zero Balm (Nourishing) - it's in a pale yellow jar.

Exfoliating Pads:  Missha Super Aqua Smooth Skin Peeling Pads are gentle on the skin. If you're new to exfoliating pads, ease into it.

Serum: A serum isn't required but I often find that hydrating serums help my skin retain moisture. Most of my serums are from non-Korean brands, but here are some Kbeauty hydrating serums that I have enjoyed: Mizon Hyaluronic Acid 100; or INNISFREE - Green Tea Seed Intensive Hydrating Serum.

Moisturizers: One of my favorite moisturizers for when my skin is dry is BELIF - The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb. If your skin is very dry, I highly recommend DR. JART+ - Ceramidin™ Cream. 

Eye Creams: BELIF - Moisturizing Eye Bomb is great for moisturizing the under eye area.

Masks: There are a ton of Korean sheet masks that are very hydrating and nourishing. A couple you might like are DR. JART+ - Ceramidin™ Facial Barrier Mask or LANEIGE - Water Pocket Sheet Mask Sleeping Mask (Replenishing). Since there are so many sheet masks out there, it might be less overwhelming if you focus on a mask with certain ingredients - hyaluronic acid (or sodium hyaluronate), green tea, birch juice are known for their hydrating benefits; ceramides are moisturizing and ingredients such as honey, propolis or royal jelly are nourishing for the skin, as is aloe.

Sleeping masks (or overnight masks) are popular in the Korean beauty world (you layer it atop your moisturizer as the last step in your evening skincare routine). LANEIGE - Water Sleeping Mask or belif Aqua Bomb Sleeping Mask 2.53 oz/ 75 mL are good ones for hydration.

[GiniePR]

@itsfi Wow, thanks for all of that information. Hopefully, I will also be benefiting from your response as I embark on a new K beauty skincare routine journey. I'm so overwhelmed. Here, I thought I just needed to wash face and apply some lotion, but I just saw a 10 step K beauty skincare routine.....😱 I need what.... toner, essence, serum, mask, cream, moisturizer, then SPF? How does one's face feel light after all of those applications? I need to attend a K Beauty 101 class 😅.

[itsfi]

@GiniePR, oooh, a KBeauty class would be fun! A Kbeauty skincare routine can be as elaborate (10+ steps) or as streamlined as you and your skin need. A few years ago the 10+ step routine was the buzz but there’s since been a shift to  more simplified routines, both by virtue of people’s preferences as well as products coming onto the market that can do double duty. It does seem counterintuitive that applying more layers would  leave your skin feeling light but the formulation of many of the products are very light to begin with, or at least that has been my experience; and the layers applied are light as well. 

These days, my typical morning skincare routine consists of 3 or 4 products, and my evening routine varies depending on what my skin needs and how tired I am. 😆 It can range from as few as 3 products to as many as 8+. 

You mentioned embarking on a Kbeauty skincare routine. Have you found any product(s) you’ve really liked? 

[BeautyWonder]

@itsfi thank you so much for the suggestions. I’ll have to check those out and possibly tjmaxx since I’ve heard sometimes they have deals on some of these products.

[elu162]

Hi there! If you're starting out on K-Beauty, I highly recommend checking out brands such as Innisfree, TonyMoly, and COSRX. Just an FYI, Sephora doesn't offer too much K-Beauty so I would check out Ulta or Soko Glam. It's always good to moisturize, so I think you should look into some moisturizers. Some really well-known ones come from Etude House and Mizon. My favorite serum is probably COSRX 2-in-1 Essence or TonyMoly's Ampoule Serum. A good eye cream would probably come from Innisfree (this brand is the best btw). Also, I would probably steer from buying K-Beauty at Sephora because a lot of the brands offered here are overpriced, and you can get the same quality at way lower prices (don't attack me for this opinion please!). K-Beauty is really unique in that most popular brands are relatively cheap. Hope this helps! 

[BeautyWonder]

@elu162 thank you for your suggestions! No worries about your Sephora opinion I’ve seen big differences between them and Ulta too. Sometimes I wish they would offer more k beauty kits or customized kits.