🌱 Korean Beauty: East Meets West-Skincare Edition 🌱

[darlyndar]

As part of my New Year's resolution, I promised myself I would explore the world of Korean beauty a lot more than I have. I would love this to be a place to discuss and share your experience!

I am currently practicing the "7 Skin Method" every morning. This will help hydrate dry skin as well as balance sebum production is oily skin. I was a grease factory and am now very normal. This method is simply applying a hydrating toner 7 times in a row. You can use a cotton round, but I prefer to apply 5/6 drops to the palm of my hand and press it into my skin. I am currently using:

• Missha First Treatment Essence 2X ($49)
• Amore Pacific Single Extract Vintage Essence 1X ($145)
• ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Essence 4X ($10)

Results are immediate! My skin is plump and glowing. Now, I could NEVER give up my Good Genes and Luna, but this will definitely take the place of some very expensive skincare products I use like my Vintner's Daughter. I would love to hear about Korean Beauty products you have discovered. I'm all for spending in the name of great skin! ❤️❤️❤️

[fieldsofclover]

Arise, thread!

So I've been running an experiment... a few weeks ago I bought a pile of Drunk Elephant to replace some skincare empties, and decided to see if it's fabulous enough to keep my pores clear without seven skins of my beloved Pyunkang Yul essence toner, which I'd also run out of.

Survey says... NOPE. I'm still not oily or anything, but I'd nearly forgotten what blackheads were and now they're skulking about again. So I've ordered another bottle of PKY, and while the DE regimen is nice and all, it alone obviously can't do the heavy lifting for me as far as pore clarity is concerned. 🌿

[naturalooks15]

Thanks @darlyndar & @fieldsofclover I do currently use the DE C-Firma and have for more than a year. Since I thought I was set with DE as my skincare ...... here I dig up this thread !! LOL 

I will use DE as I bought tons of DE during the sale and better use it up but I think I'll add few things from this list that you guys are recommending. Pore, pigmentation & delicate skin are my main concerns. DE did help greatly in balancing my skin that it is not super dry & flaky in winters anymore. 

@fieldsofclover I did impulse buy Youth To The People Adaptogen Deep Moisturizing Cream with Ashwagandha + Reishi 2 oz/ 60 mLbased on Gothamista viedo and your comment here, hope I like it. I was going to buy 2nd jar of Lala since it didn't come in the trunk but then ended up getting this YTP one. 

[naturalooks15]

Thanks @fieldsofclover & @darlyndar This is helpful. Which Vitamine C serum do you use in the morning? Any Retinol you use/like? I am waiting for the DE one to come out in Jan and don't use any at the moment. 

@darlyndar I watched Gothamista. My issue is that there are just soooo many products in each category that she recommends as her all time favorite (and it changes frequently) so I am not really sure. Maybe the key is to listen to that and then take our own pick and stick with it. I use DE TLC Framboos but will check out the Tarte one. I also read rave reviews of Cosrx BHA somewhere. 

[darlyndar]

@naturalooks15 I use DRUNK ELEPHANT - C-Firma™ Day Serum It’s the best one I’ve come across. As far as Retinol, Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Retinoid Night Oil 1.18 oz/ 35 mLis my Holy Grail. I’ve seen genuine results when I use this and Good Genes. I’m now onto Framboos/Marula so my skin doesn’t become too accustomed to Sunday Riley. I like to switch off between the two so I get constant results. Basically, I do Luna/Good Genes the first half of the year and Framboos/Marula the second half. 

I do incorporate a lot of K Beauty in between. I’m going to look through my stash and give you a list of products I absolutely love. 

[fieldsofclover]

@naturalooks15   Right now I'm using C-Firma (got a holiday set at the preview), but not sure if I'll stick with it or switch to the YTTP one (Youth To The People Superfood Firm and Brighten Vitamin C Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL). I'm not using a retinoid right now but I'm thinking about trying the Biossance Squalane + Phyto-Retinol Serum 1 oz/ 30 mLafter I work through more of my skincare backlog. I like sticking mostly to one or two brands for skincare, so I want to give the DE a fair shake for a couple months before deciding whether to commit to it or a YTTP/Biossance/PKY combo.

Edit: OhLolly is probably the most trustworthy place to get PKY (or Yesstyle if you're in Canada)... also, a couple times I've ordered from Amazon sellers who have a high (99%) rating and ship with Prime, and haven't gotten anything sketchy. 

[naturalooks15]

@fieldsofclover @darlyndar You are tempting me so much to try the 'Pyunkang Yul' essence. I use all Drunk Elephant and nothing else now,  since I agree with the philosophy and love the convenience of mixing everything and be done in less than a min. As much as I love DE, I still have quite visible pores etc. Reading your pore makes me want to try the Pyunkang Yul. Is there anything other than Pyunkang @fielYul that you were using in your routine that was helping with pore and in general?Delete

@darlyndar I am sure I have asked you before but which website/ seller do you buy these from and trust for genuine products?

@fieldsofclover welcome back !

[darlyndar]

@naturalooks15 I used the PY Essence Mist strictly for the 7-skin method. This is for hydration but it definitely aided in evening out my skin tone. I used to be oily/dehydrated and PY is what helped my skin become normal.

As far as pores, I switch between 2 acid toners: tarte Knockout Tingle Treatment Toner 5 oz/ 150 mLand Lotion P50. The price difference is drastic and I can confidently say that Knockout gives me the same results P50 does. I believe this step keeps my pores minimal, though I have to say, I never had large pores to begin with. I definitely recommend adding this step to your routine in conjunction to your DE products. Since my skin is so accustomed to acids, I use it every morning after cleansing and switch between Framboos/Marula and Luna/Good Genes at night. 

I do recommend the PY Cleanser. It has a very unique consistency. It’s like a cream but it’s also very sticky. I use this as my second cleanse at night with my Clarisonic. It’s very gentle and works better than any other cleanser I have tried...and it’s $13! I purchase all my PY from OhLolly. On the site, it will give you a comprehensive guide of PY products based on your skin type and concerns. I also recommend watching Gothamista on YouTube. She did an in depth review of the line. 

For the price, I definitely, definitely think you should try it out! Please keep us updated! ❤️

[fieldsofclover]

@@naturalooks15 Thanks! The other things that really made a difference for me pore-wise have been the GlamGlow Powermud (the green one)... that's definitely not clean beauty but using it once or twice a week really kept things clear without stripping my skin. I switched to the Volition silt mask which I also love, but it's almost as expensive and a little less convenient to take off. My pores clog easily but I'm not oily, so most other products are too drying for me.

[kelllllyyyyy]

I’m curious.. why did you try giving up your PY? I use it too, that and a handful of other k skincare items too affordable for Sephora to sell. I can’t bring myself to buy drunk elephant or Sunday Riley when you can get such better stuff for so much less..

[fieldsofclover]

@kelllllyyyyy I was already a couple weeks into the DE regimen when I ran out of PKY essence, so I wanted to see if the DE could maintain my skin's current state on its own. That way if I stick with the DE (jury's still out) I would know whether the essence is still needed in my routine. 

[kelllllyyyyy]

gotcha. well I'm glad that the essence is doing something. for my peace of mind, anyway.. 🙂

[darlyndar]

There you are @fieldsofclover!!!! So glad to see you! I’m placing an order for the Pyunkang Yul Cleanser and sunscreen. I’ve tried so many cleansers from subscription boxes and nothing compares to it and it’s only $13. If you’re ever on the hunt for a new cleanser, I highly suggest it. 

[fieldsofclover]

@darlyndarWaaaait... Pyunkang Yul makes sunscreen? 👀 Or you got more Missha?

[darlyndar]

But they do have an eye cream @fieldsofclover! I’m curious!

[darlyndar]

I wish @fieldsofclover! I get the Missha sunscreen milk

[angelKiss24]

New products from the Dr. Jart Cicapair line! can't wait to try them...tested the mist on two different occasions in store and I could not stop thinking about how good my skin felt after. 😊

[eshoe]

Oooh I am interested in that calming mask, @angelKiss24. Guessing it’s out by now.

[makeitup305]

Oooh I love the Cicapair line. Thanks for the heads up!

[Gymaddicted]

TTrying it too...Try to pat and not use a towel. love Kbeauty.

[makeitup305]

Does anybody have a referral code for Soko Glam or any other K beauty website? I need to replace some skincare.