Build a Skincare Routine to Fit Your Needs | Learning What Products Are Beneficial To You, and Which Are Not

Something I've discovered as I hit my 30's and my skin started aging, is that my skin responds better to less product. I love Asian skincare products, and I enjoy a lengthy routine sometimes, but my skin does not need a 10 step routine on a daily basis. Even as my skin has changed from oily to combo, it all comes down to layering the right products together to get results, not the number of products in your lineup.

In this post I want to show my favorite products that work well with my combination acne-prone skin. I don't use these products or steps daily - I pick and choose what I want depending on my mood and what I feel that my skin needs. Sometimes that means three steps, sometimes that go all out and apply 10 or more steps. But no matter what, I only use what I want to use, and never allow myself to feel obligated to have a large routine, or like I need to use a vast assortment of products (no matter how much I enjoy them). Note: a few links in this post (marked with an asterisk) are affiliate links, and I will receive a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using them.

Intro to Asian Beauty | Overnight Healing

Welcome back, my beautiful friends, to the fourth post in my "Intro to Asian beauty" series!

In this post we're going to discuss treatments typically used at night - treatments that can heal your skin after a long day, boost moisture, fight acne and wrinkles... We're talking about spot treatments and sleeping packs!

1. The Basics: Cleanser, Toner, Moisturizer & Checking Ingredients
2. Build Up The Basics: Oil Cleansers, First Essences & Sunscreen
3. Individualized Treatments: Essences, Serums, and Ampoules
4. Overnight Healing: YOU ARE HERE

In this post:
>Spot Treatments
> Eye Treatments
>Sleeping Packs

Where they'll fit into a routine:

Oil cleanser > Cleanser > Toner > Vitamin C > BHA > AHA > Prescription Treatment > First essence > Essence > Serum > Ampoule > Sheet mask > Eye Treatment > Emulsion/Lotion > Cream > Spot Treatment > Sleeping Pack or Sunscreen

Intro to Asian Beauty | Individualized Treatments

Welcome back, my beautiful friends, to the long-awaited third post in my "Intro to Asian Beauty" series!

Seriously, I had these posts planned out quite nicely, but then my depression hit like clockwork and my plans fell apart. So here we are, three months past the second post in my series, hoping to hit the ground running.

In this post we're going to discuss the thinner layering items of our skincare routine. We've already talked about first essences, which will be your first real hydrating layer - and moisturizers, which will be your workhorse hydrator and help seal everything in. These layers will fit in-between those layers and treat individual skin concerns such as acne, hyper-pigmentation, wrinkles, scarring, and brightening.

1. The Basics: Cleanser, Toner, Moisturizer & Checking Ingredients
2. Build Up The Basics: Oil Cleansers, First Essences & Sunscreen
3. Individualized Treatments - YOU ARE HERE!
4. Overnight Healing: Spot Treatments & Sleeping Packs

In this post:
>Essences
>Serums
>Ampoules

Where they'll fit into a routine:

Oil cleanser > Cleanser > Toner > Vitamin C > BHA > AHA > Prescription Treatment > First essence > Essence > Serum > Ampoule > Sheet mask > Eye Treatment > Emulsion/Lotion > Cream > Spot Treatment > Sleeping Pack or Sunscreen

Intro to Asian Beauty | Build Up The Basics

Welcome to step two of my "Intro to Asian Beauty" series! In my first post I covered what I felt were the basics of AB, as in basics to dip your toes into your new skincare journey. Hopefully by this point you've narrowed down a cleanser, toner, and moisturizer that work well with your skin - so in this post we'll move on adding more steps in the Asian beauty regimen.

1. The Basics: Cleanser, Toner, Moisturizer & Checking Ingredients
2. Build Up The Basics: YOU ARE HERE!
3. Individualized Treatments: Essences, Serums, and Ampoules
4. Overnight Healing: Spot Treatments & Sleeping Packs

In this post:
>Oil Cleansers
>First Essences
>Sunscreen

Where they'll fit into a routine:

Oil cleanser > Cleanser > Toner > Vitamin C > BHA > AHA > Prescription Treatment > First essence > Essence > Serum > Ampoule > Sheet mask > Eye Treatment > Emulsion/Lotion > Cream > Spot Treatment > Sleeping Pack or Sunscreen

Intro to Asian Beauty | The Basics

I've been toying around with k-beauty for so long (it seems, but really it has only been about 2 years) that I sometimes forget what it was like when I first stuck my toes into the water. So this post is a bit of a step back, to look at the things I thought helped me the most when I first started looking into the world of Asian beauty, and might just be helpful to you as well.

1. The Basics: YOU ARE HERE!
2. Build Up The Basics: Oil Cleansers, First Essences & Sunscreen
3. Individualized Treatments: Essences, Serums, and Ampoules
4. Overnight Healing: Spot Treatments & Sleeping Packs

In this post: 

>Cleaner

>Toner

>Moisturizer

>Checking Ingredients

Where they'll fit into a routine:

Oil cleanser > Cleanser > Toner > Vitamin C > BHA > AHA > Prescription Treatment > First essence > Essence > Serum > Ampoule > Sheet mask > Eye Treatment > Emulsion/Lotion > Cream > Spot Treatment > Sleeping Pack or Sunscreen