Beauty With Grace

What is the Korean 10 step skincare routine?

The concept of the 10 step skincare routine is that taking the proper steps to prepping the skin and layering products with essential key ingredients will allow those ingredients to sink deeper into our skin maxmizing the benefits of those products and allowing our skin to look more youthful and brighter. Now this concept is not anything new but with the demands of a busy lifestyle it's hard to think of taking the time out to layer all these products but if you know which products go where it actually only takes less than 5 min to really invest into your skin. For my brides to be, it is so essential to properly care for your skin during the days leading up to the wedding day so your skin will be a perfect canvas. For a point of reference my skin is Normal/Combination/Sensitive with issues of dehydration. I will go into a in depth review of products in each step that would be great for different skin types in a future post. 

Step 1: Cleansing Oil/Balm (In shower less than 1 minute)

One of the most important steps to starting your night time routine. It is so important to properly remove all the dirt, grim and makeup from the whole day. Whether you use a cleansing oil or a balm this step reallys helps to lift off all that hard to remove grim from your skin. It is so important to make sure to emulsify the product in your hands first and then massage it into your skin. One of my favorite cleansing balms has been the Purity Clean it Zero from Banila Co. It does such an amazing job of removing my makeup without stripping the skin and has not broken me out!

Step 2: Foaming/Gel Cleanser (In Shower less than 1 minute)

Heard of Double cleanse? This is the second step to the most effective way to clean your skin at night. If you asked me a year ago what I thought about cleansing oils and balms I would have told you how much I hated it. I was not keen on the idea of replacing my cleanser with an oil cleanser. It always left me feeling a little gritty and eventually would clog my pores, now I see the importance and effectiveness after adding my favorite foaming cleanser AFTER. This step helps to further remove any oily feeling after step 1. My favorite is the Cerave Foaming Facial cleanser. So effective at getting the skin clean without stripping the skin too much. 

Step 3: Exfoliation (3'xs a week in the shower, less than 1 minute)

This step shouldn't be done every day as it can cause irritation to the skin but I find this step to be so essential every other day to really help slough off any dead skin cells. I love the Tatcha rice enzyme powder as it really helps to slough of the dead cells and leaves my skin feeling so silky soft but not irritated at all. I would definitely stay away from any harsh physical scrubs that have large grains or beads. 

Step 4: Toner 

This step is important to normalize the pH of the skin after washing and prep the skin to allow the rest of the products to follow to really seep into the skin. My ultimate all time fave is an acid toner is the P50 lotion from Biologique Recherche. 

Step 5: Essense

People often get confused between toners and essences but and essence is basically a cross between a toner and a serum.  This is one of the most favorite steps to korean skincare as most essences are chock full of fermented ingredients that are great for brightening and hydrating the skin. The Whamisa organic flowers essence has been amazing during this cold winter. Make sure when applying essences to use your hands to pat onto the face. 

Step 6: Treatment 

This is the step that you will add any treatment lotions or creams to address your specific concerns. My main concerns are hyperpigmentation and antiaging. A staple for me is a prescription retional, Retin A micro. 

Step 7: Serums/Oils

Serums and oils are usually also products that are more saturated and with a higher percentage of active ingredients. They are amazing with no only helping to address skin care concerns but also helping to really hydrate the skin. My two faves lately have been the Klairs Freshly juiced serum and the Aromatica 100% Argan oil.

Step 8: Eye cream

In the picture below I have not added a eye cream as I am still looking for one that I really love. Mostly I use my treatments and oils onto the eye area but currently I am trying out the Mizon Snail eye cream so will update on how I like it after using it some more. 

Step 9: Moisturizer

This is the step that will help to really moisturize and seal in all the products that have been layered onto the skin. The Benton Snail steam cream has been so effective at really keeping me hydrated during the dry, heated induced winter nights. 

Step 10: Lip care

We often forget to put lip balm onto our lips before bed but I find this to be an important step during the winter as well. At night when the heat is on it can really leave our skin parched and dry and lips are no exception. I have been using this Laneige lip sleeping mask but I haven't really fallen in love with it. It does a great job and smells amazing but the Rosebud salve is still one of my faves. 

Let's talk Dark Circles.  I get asked so often "Can you cover up my dark circles?".  Almost all of us deal with some form of issue under our eyes, so do not worry you are not alone.  As we all age and life progresses from staying up late and not getting enough sleep to running after children and...not getting enough sleep, we deal with bags and discoloration under our eyes.  One of the biggest issues my clients tell me they have when they try to cover their own circles and discoloration is that they still show through and they look too ashy.  Then I whip out my magic little jar and they give me this aghast look.  It is my VERY orange concealer.  The one I love is the Kryolan dermacolor concealer in D30. 

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The concealer is actually alot brighter in person.  Most of my brides can't believe I am even going to come near them with this bright orance color but once they see what it does they are a believer.  It all goes back to color theory and which colors cancel or neutralize each other.  Most undereye discoloration has a blue undertone and orange is what with neutralize that tone to really cover up those circles.  It also does a great job of brightening up the area.  After I color correct with this concealer I go over with a skin toned concealer and Voila! magic. Below is a client I recently worked on and you can see what a difference proper color correcting can make.

If there are any other questions please leave your comments below!