Okay, here is the Skin Care blog.

If you live in Korea, you have probably noticed that the skin care industry is in full boom here. You may have even heard about the 10-step skin care and wondered what that is all about. After living here in Korea for four years now and having tried several of the skin care lines here, I will try to demystify some of that for you.
First of all, I am not obsessed with the skin care rituals. For quite some time, my ritual was simply making sure to take off makeup and wash my face at least once a day. I have been fortunate to have normal skin and occasionally I would try skin care lines stateside. However, when we moved here I decided I should try the skin care system out and asked a few Korean friends for help finding something.

The Korean skin care routine can be quite overwhelming between the amount of steps in it and the different types of products. One friend that helped me in the beginning told me I need to tap my face while applying skin care. I had to research to find the reason for this. They believe that the patting motion helps circulate the blood and tone and firm your skin.

To make this a little less confusing, let's define some of the terms in the 10-step skin care system.

Toners: Used to help balance your skin's PH and to remove any dirt or impurities left on your skin after cleansing.
Essence: Prepares the skin before you apply serums and moisturizers, similar to a primer.

Serum: Typically serums address specific skin issues like wrinkles, dark spots, brightening, etc.

(Essence and Serum are very similar. In fact, recently they have been a bit more interchangeable in terminology in the beauty industry.)

Ampoules: This is typically a super-charged booster used for a short period of time to help when your skin is having issues.

The 10 Steps:
1. Use an oil-based cleanser to break down make up, sunscreen and other impurities.
2. Use a foaming/water-based cleanser. Massage it into your skin and wash your face.
3. Time for exfoliating. Gently scrub to remove any dead skin cells. (Do this one to two times a week)
4. Apply toner. Avoid using alcohol-based toners as they tend to dry out your skin. 5. Apply essence to hydrate and heal your skin.
6. Apply your serum or boosters.
7. Use a sheet mask. Leave on for 20 - 30 minutes.
8. Apply eye cream to help with delicate skin under your eyes. 9. Moisturize. Apply the heavier creams to lock in moisture in your skin. 10. Apply your sunscreen.

One rule of thumb is to remember to use the products that are more watery first and the the thickest ones last. Morning and evening routines do not look the same and you don't have to use all of the steps daily to achieve results.

If you are planning to try a Korean skin care line, I recommend starting small to make sure that the product works well for you. Since there are all different skin types, you may want to ask if there is a product that is better for certain types of skin.

From my own use, here are brands that I have tried and really loved.
Innisfree: I have used the following lines: Jeju Orchid, Green Tea Seed, Jeju Cherry Blossom, and Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing.

Tony Moly: I have used the following lines: Intense Care Gold 24K Snail and Bio Ex Cell Peptide.

The Face Shop: I have used the Yehwadam and LG Beyond lines.

Of the above brands, I favor the lines from Innisfree and Tony Moly the most. Currently, I am using the two lines from Tony Moly. The shop owner recently suggested that I use the Intense Care Gold 24K Snail line in the morning and use the Bio Ex Cell Peptide line at night. After only a few nights, I can already tell a difference in my skin's hydration and elasticity.

If you are close to Sinjang Shopping Area, there are locations where you can purchase Innisfree, Tony Moly and The Face Shop. I do find that shopping locally, I tend to get recommendations as well as a lot of samples. You will also find lots of sales so that you can purchase a skin care line. Sent from my iPhone