Korean Skin Care Routine

Annyeong mga katoto at mga kapwa ko hiyang sa pag-aalaga ng mukha (at para sa mga taong naexcite lang kasi nakita na may blog post ako)!!!

Inspired by Abigail chingu's day and night skincare routine blog, here's my take on how I try to stay young and feel young make myself a barely presentable human - by doing the bare minimum, though my allowance says otherwise, by following the Korean Skin Care Routine.

I know that right now, you're probably thinking that this is just all part of the hype, and is too mainstream to try. But I kid you not, it does make all the difference to me. Other than the following products that I'll be sharing, I'd like to give credit to my parents for the good genes and to drinking tons of water and to having a happy disposition in life. Ano g?

Para sa #AhjummasOfMNL #HyeKyo2017 #RoadToKorea *insert bgm: preferably from Princess Hours (Goong) OST, yung mga cultural sounds.  Pero mas bet ko yung Power or Sweet Lies or Touch It ng EXO, just because. HAHAHA. 

Saan napupunta ang allowance ko?

SKIN TYPE: normal skin ata ako, or combination.

basta okay kahit anong products hahahaha. #blessed

STEP ONE & TWO The double cleanse. 

OIL-BASED CLEANSER & WATER-BASED CLEANSER

The A-team

Double cleansing is an effective way of removing all the make up, dust, and dirts, pati na masasamang elemento, that you accumulated throughout the day. Sabi ni Charlotte Cho, founder of SoKo Glam and author of The Little Book of Skin Care, dapat daw oil-based cleanser plus water-based cleanser. Despite our prejudice that it will make our faces more oily, using an oil-based cleanser actually removes all "oil-based debris that's left on your skin." Medyo, fight oil with oil. Why not?

Good morning, self!

Di ko pa rin gets purpose mo, pero okay ka naman ata

Surprisingly good product

MORNING: to double cleanse what I use is Mumuso's Crystal Refreshing Balance Skin Water. Mwahaha, dapat ata for toner ang use nito. Pero waley, ginamit ko na siyang pang double cleanse. After applying a decent amount to a cotton pad kasi, it smells like wet-tissue, kaya feeling ko okay na siya. For my water-based cleanser naman, I've been using COSRX's Low PH Good Morning Gel Cleanser. Warning, meron siyang unexplainable smell. Beauty vloggers relate it to lemony scent, while Annielle describes it as yung amoy ng storage room. And ako? Minsan amoy plaster of paris, minsan amoy semento, but right now, sanay na. Alssooo, guuurrrrrl, this cleanser is so good, matitiis mo yung smell after using it (and seeing the effect). 

Because of the pawis and stress, I use different products. Medyo nakaluwag-luwag in life, kaya nakapagpundar para makasubok ng ibang products. 

Perfect combination

Mabango at hindi nakakadry at affordable pa

Love at first sight

EVENING: for the oil-based cleanser, I've been recently using Heimish's All Clean Balm (aka the cheaper version of Banila Co's Clean It Zero). And you know what? It was love at first sight use. Lahat ng impurities, stress, rejection, pollution, heartbreak, bad recit, tanggal and limot na! And the smell? Another indescribable feeling! Again, beauty vloggers have been claiming that it does not have a scent at all, while Abby is definitely not used to it (as a former Banila Co user). As for me? I am still try identify it! But definitely, may amoy siya na kakaiba. If you've used iWhite's Pore Purifying Balm, ganon yung amoy, hahahaha. But tulad nga ng facial cleanser ko, this product is sooo good, wit na care sa smell. For the facial cleanser, eto bumawi naman ako sa scent, I've been using Innisfree's Green Tea Cleansing Foam. It is actually one of the first Korean skincare product I've tried using. Greatly satisfied at how affordable the product is, pati yung hindi siya nakakadry ng skin after use. The green tea smell is definitely a plus! 

STEP THREE Exfoliate. 

PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL EXFOLIATION

For a cleaner me

There are two ways of exfoliating, physical and chemical. By physical exfoliation, it means using a mechanical tool such as a cleansing brush, while chemical exfoliation means using products with chemical-like ingredients. To exfoliate simply means giving your face a good scrub to unclog your pores and remove the unwanted dead skin, as well as the white and black heads. Because of the harsh and abrupt after effects, it is advisable that one must exfoliate only twice a week, wag sobra dahil baka pati yung natural and needed oil ng mukha matanggal mo na, and if that's the case - it can actually irritate your skin more, causing more acnes! Ew diba? Nakakatakot magexfoliate no? 

Gusto kong palitan na yung brush actually

Nakaref yan kaya ganyan

A definite must

But what I do is that, sometimes together with my cleansing foam I use it with Miniso's Sonic Facial Cleansing Brush (ito minsan ko lang talaga magamit kasi feeling ko tanggal mukha ko after hahaha) or Missha's Natural Soft Jelly Puff (ito naman, ang lakas mangain ng cleansing foam, kaya paminsan ko lang din ginagamit). Sometimes, I also use Skin Food's Black Sugar Mask (expect langgam to crawl up to your bathroom sink, because it happened to me once! Sugar kasi! It actually has a citrusy scent, kaya bet ko tong gamitin at times). 

Ang black sheep ng aking mga binili

On rare days, I also use iWhite's Pore Purifying Balm to soften up my pores, together with Elizaveca's Hell Pore Clean Up Mask. The Hell Pore might be the biggest rip-off of the entire Korean Skin Care hullabaloo! I'd prefer nosestrips than this product. Can someone actually attest to how this product worked? And if so, can you enlighten me how it worked? Sobrang disappointing niya for me. Meh!

Sana effective siya

I also would like to categorize COSRX's BHA Blackhead Power Liquid as a Chemical Exfoliator. Although, on days that I apply this product, I don't use toner anymore. It was said that this can actually minimize blackheads, without the physical torture of pulling them out. But since I've just started using this, I have yet to find out. If it does, I'll post an update. 

STEP FOUR 

TONER

I associate toner with mama's Eskinol - that white-alchol smelling-liquid thing, kaya I had fears of using a toner. But apparently, toner helps hydrate the skin. Not only that, it actually helps to prepare the skin for the succeeding truck-load of products that one will be applying.

WILL.DEFEINITELY.BUY.AGAIN!

The toner I've fallen in love with been using is Mamonde's Rose Water Toner. Imagine, after all the scrubbing patting you've done to your face after removing all those nasty things, you'll be patting your precious face, yet again, with a rose scented liquid. Girl, I am happyyy! Perfect talaga siya for me, kaya after my first bottle, I am definitely going to buy this again.

STEP FIVE 

ESSENCE

The heart of skin care and of my bulsa

May trauma ko sa essence e, thank you A Cure for Wellness. But after using Missha's The First Treatment Essence Intensive Moist *insert more words here, may Time Revolution pa nga ata to*, trauma what? A Cure for Wellness what? Like, it's been less than 5 days since I've started using essence, and I can already feel a huge improvement with my skin. *awow* It was said kasi that essence is actually the heart of the skin care routine, kaya medyo importante talaga na mag-apply ng essence! Like after essence, pwdeng ito na lang and you're good to go and fresh na fresh ka na agad. 

*ano step five pa lang ano? may "lima" pa friend! Kaya yung dati, 30 minutes ligo at bihis na ko. Ngayon kulang pa isang oras! Or yung dati, paguwi pwde diretso tulog na. Nakakaloka.*

STEP SIX 

AMPOULES, BOOSTERS, SERUMS

Tubig at langis na amoy ay mabango kaya bawi naman

This is the part wherein you can apply products that can actually cater to your skin concern. From steps 1 to 4, it is a must that you use products based on your skin type for maximum effectiveness. But step 5 is actually using a specific product na talaga. As for me, I tried using Natural Pacific's Fresh Herb Origin Serum. Compared to other serums available, ito na yung affordable. But sadly, I've seen no help to my skin, kaya a repurchase of this product is a definite NO. If may recommendation ka, let me know, gomawoyo! 

STEP SEVEN 

SHEET MASK

Medyo, you can't be my friend if you haven't seen me with a sheet mask on.
Either padalan kita ng selfie personally or sa Snapchat or on my IG story.
Basta, hindi pwdeng hindi mo to kilala

You can't watch a Korean drama without knowing what a sheet mask is! There are different types of sheet mask that can make the 20-30 minutes wait, fun and worth it. But I actually cannot distinguish the effect sheet masks have on me, kaya lahat sila for moisturizing and hydrating lang talaga. From Etude House, to Mumuso, to Nature Republic, to Boom De Ah Dah, to Y.E.T., lahat yan FUN for me! Lalo na kung ilalagay mo siya sa ref before using, the best! Ewan ko lang kung hindi ka matuwa sa refreshing feeling that it promises! I think, this is the product you can never go wrong. Okay disclaimer, twice a week lang ako gumagamit ng sheet mask dahil time consuming siya. Usually, natataon ito kapag nageexfoliate ako. 

STEP EIGHT 

EYE CREAM

Kunyari napapansin ko talaga effects nito at dalawa pa talaga

As the skin around our eyes are the most sensitive, a different and more delicate product must be used. Applying an eye cream can reduce puffiness, wrinkles, as well as your pinagpuyatang-Korean-drama dark circles. As much as I wanted to embrace my pinagpuyatang dark circles, it does not look good and can actually indicate my noticeable high stress levels, kaya ayun, conceal don't feel don't let them know at mag eye cream nalang.

An Elizaveca product way better than their Hell Pore tssss

Lalagyan pa lang, pakiramdam ko, ikakaganda ko na 

Recently, I've been using Elizaveca's Gold CF-Nest White Bomb Eye Cream in the morning, and Laneige's Water Bank Eye Gel naman sa gabi. Actually, tinitipid ko talaga yung Laneige kaya bumili ako nung Elizaveca, kaso aanhin ko naman si Laneige diba? Pero ayun talaga yung product na binili ko kaya nagsimula yung #HyeKyo2017, as brand endorser siya ng Laneige and sobrang fab niya at sobrang goals ng skin niya. 

STEP NINE 

MOISTURIZER

What is Korean Skin Care without this product?
Unless si Annielle ka na allergic dito

Insert Suho Mom here

Nature Republic's Aloe Vera Soothing Gel is the only moisturizer for me. Mura, sulit, at effective. Wala ka ng hahanapin pa! Idagdag pa natin yung fact na endorser ng Aloe Vera Soothing Gel yung EXO diba? Hahaha! Atleast every other night naman, I use Nature Republic's Super Aqua Max Sleeping Pack. After ng lahat ng products na nilagay ko, ang goal ko lang naman talaga ay maging healthy looking yung mukha ko, kaya to give that dewey-healthy look, recommended talaga moisturizer to hydrate the skin. Lahat hydrate no? Haha. 

STEP TEN 

SUNSCREEN

Inuubos ko lang talaga to para makapagpalit na ko nang gamit

Sympre magssusunscreen ka lang sa umaga, kung kelan may sun. HAHAHA. Pero uy wag ka, kahit walang araw, alam mo bang dapat pa rin gumamit ng sunscreen? Kasi hindi porket wala yung araw ay wala na yung sinag niya emiting UV-Rays. Kaya parang added layer of protection talaga siya after all the products. Right now, inuubos ko na lang yung It's My Sun Cream at ang susunod kong subukan ay yung from Innisfree. 

*woah natapos rin!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! 

Actually, among the first few Korean Skin Care products I've bought, there's actually one product that I am obsessed with from the beginning, as in kung walang ganitong product, I wouldn't have tried other products, as in ito talaga yung irerecommend ko sa kahit sinong magtatanong kung anong okay na product na pwde itry as an interlude to Korean Skin Care. At walang iba yun kung hindi ang... 

FACIAL MIST

How did I know of this product? Sa guesting talaga ni Park Bo Gum sa 2 Days and 1 Night. After applying moisturizer, nagmist siya. I was so flabbergasted! Pag kita ko pa lang, uy, I want one! Also, recollection of scenes from past Korean dramas and variety shows I've watched, bigla na lang may ilalabas silang can - spraying themselves to freshen up. 

Nakakalunod talaga to, so wag ka mashock!

My first facial mist was Nature Republic's Bee Venom Mist Essence. Dahil may kamahalan siya at medyo kaunti, naghanap ako ng alternative. It was around that time that I was introduced to Mumuso's variety of Face Mist pero favorite ko yung Spring Hydrating Spray. At ngayon, I'm excited to try Nature Republic's Aloe Vera Soothing Gel Mist. As if I re-apply it throughout the day no? But if I'll be in school for the whole day, inside my bag is a can of spray mist. 

Future Me

Actually, what made me more in love with face mist is because of my love for Doctor Who. Whovians, remember Cassandra? Her iconic line???? MOISTURIZE ME! MOISTURIZE ME! It was after my first spray of mist did I immediately realized that a future with a Cassandra is a weird but possible reality. Like during the first week of use, I can't stop myself from reapplying the mist as if my life depends on it. Ehem, Cassandra. 

It was said that applying a face mist in between every skin care product can actually help the skin to absorb the products better. And incorporating face mist in between my routine have been really worth it! I can hear Cassandra's Moisturize Me! Moisturize Me! every spray! Spraying face mist after applying make-up can actually help set the make up products well, sabi nila. Hehe. 

Other than food and books, as a 23 year-old struggling law student, the biggest investment I've got is myself. And by investment, I meant buying various products for my face. On days that I want nothing more than Kyung Soo oppa, there's nothing else that I can do other than to make myself the best version of me just in case he randomly shows up. *nasingit ko to Abby, ano ka??*

*dies*

Hi reader, sana'y naentertain ka sa post na ito. If you have any questions or a couple of suggestions, you can either comment down below or reply or call me! Let me know about your skin care routine as well if you want, share your ideas, go!

#EXO_Power #Power2ndWin