My skincare approach

About my skin

My skin is oily/dehydrated with lots of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation/redness around my cheeks and forehead.  My skin used to be very sensitive and acne prone, but I find it is less so now.  Nonetheless, I still try to choose products that are generally formulated for ‘sensitive’ skin.

My face is really weird.  I mean, besides the fact it looks weird (hehe just kidding I'm actually rather fond of my face!), it never seems to agree with the cult favorites.  The raved about Benton products were just okay for me.  Perhaps it was hyped up so much?  Even the famous OST C20 Vitamin serum was only meh for me.  As in, I didn't notice any astounding brightening effects. Same with Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence.  What gives, skin?  So when I search for products to keep my face moisturized and happy, it's a bit hard for me to figure out where to start since the holy grails don't seem to work for me.  Products that people rave about are generally only meh for me.  Products that frequently break people out, such as coconut oil, have no negative impacts for me.  You win some, you lose some, right?

My skincare routine

I mostly follow an Asian skincare routine, which can consist of up to ten steps.  A bit crazy right?  I know some people who are dilligent in having products for each step of the routine, but I find that I don’t need that many products, so I try to pare it down a notch.

Aside: The Asian skincare routine

The Asian skincare routine consists of the following products.
  1. Oil cleanser or cleansing balm
  2. Foaming, milky, or gel cleanser
  3. Toner
  4. Eye cream (optional)
  5. Sheet mask (optional; nighttime usage)
  6. Essence/serum/ampoule
  7. Emulsion
  8. Spot treatment (optional)
  9. Cream (optional)
  10. Sleeping pack (optional; nighttime usage)
  11. Sunscreen (morning)
Each step is meant to help hydrate the skin as much as possible.  I’ve found that this works best for my skin, and I really have seen significantly better results than when I was doing the bare minimum (foaming cleanser, moisturizer, spot treatment as necessary).  Also, it just feels so nice to go through all the steps at the end of a long day.  It’s like you’re pampering yourself, you know?

If you want more information on Asian skincare, I highly recommend checking out Kerry of Skin & Tonic’s amazing in-depth article about it.  Her blog in general is a truly fantastic resource, and what really helped me understand more into the scientific aspects of skincare.

Also, if you’re looking for an exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable community, do check out Asian Beauty on Reddit.  That community helped me get started on this skincare journey in the first place :)

Current routine

My routine is constantly subject to change, because I have such a hard time finding products that really play well with my skin (as mentioned above).  As such, I don’t want to make a static page on this, but instead will update on my blog every so often about what new products I’m using.  So please check out the 'Routine' tag to see current and previous items in my line up!

7 comments

  1. Hi pat. My name is Hannah from Korea. it was glad to check your blog.
    I am about to open a business for Korean cosmetics recently.
    Collecting information at this moment:)
    u seems well known about cosmetics.
    Would like to have a little chat if we have any chance!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Pat!
    My name is Virginia and i live in Thailand. I found some very good info on your blog and thank you for That!
    I was wondering if you can suggest few prodocts about daily routine. I would like to start with those 11 steps you talked on this page. Since when i start to live in Thailand my skin changed and now i have so many more pimples..I think a better care could really help! But i don t know about produtcts here, i have already spent quite a lot. The info are all in thai and in my area most of people don t speak english so it s very hard tp find some advices in a shop...
    Can you please tell me whic prodocts you use for daily care? I could start from that and try...
    Thanks a lot and sorry for my english. :)

    Virginia

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very Informative page, I hope it will be useful for all of us. Being skincare should be part of your overall lifestyle. If your skin is beautiful, you will have a good mind and if you have a good mind, you will be able to maintain your health well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nice and interesting post,I appreciate your hard work,keep uploading more, Thank you for sharing valuable information Organic skin care products

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