Hey, beauties!

If you haven’t read The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin by Charlotte Cho, it’s time for you to catch up. In my opinion, it’s a must-read for every girl who’s at least a bit interested in the beauty care. It took me one evening to read the whole book. I found lots of fun facts and interesting info, including answers to the following questions:

• How to care for the face skin the right way?
• Is make-up the only way of fighting with wrinkles?
• What does the ten-step skincare involve?

The book is really worth recommending. Sometimes, it says about obvious yet often forgotten things. There were extracts, though, when I muttered ‘really?!’. I hope you’ll learn some fun facts. Read the book and share your thoughts with me.

In today’s post:

I’ll try to tell you about the beauty secrets of Korean women and what the ten-step skincare ritual consists of. Obviously, I’m not going to encourage you to blindly follow the book’s tips. Asian women’s skin often has different needs and we might have a completely different skin type. I encourage you to do the ten-step skincare routine your way and treat the book as a guide. The idea itself matters, not necessarily every single step. I also adjust the ritual to my skin needs and I use products that work for me.

Skincare according to Asian women

When I first held the book, I was curious about the most important skincare rules described. The ten-step skincare ritual can be summed up with a key rule that should be followed by everyone. While reading, I listed two rules and try to stick with them every day:

1) Instead of camouflaging, condition the skin. A healthy and radiant face skin should be the result of taking care of one’s health, eating a healthy diet and using natural cosmetics, not tons of make-up!

2) Pay attention to the skin type, not your age. 40+ products? You won’t find such cosmetics on the Korean beauty market. Women there know that every skin type’s different and it has nothing to do with the age!

The ten-step beauty care is increasing in popularity and I’m not surprised. Just look at the Asian women. There’s a huge difference between us – they spend their savings on skincare products whereas we spend them on make-up products. Who wins? I let you answer but I guess the answer’s clear.

Korean Ritual – 10 Skincare Steps

How to do the ten-step care ritual following the Asian rules? It’s quite simple. Here are the secrets of Korean beauty in a nutshell:

1. MAKE-UP REMOVAL – the perfectly clean skin absorbs skincare ingredients better so you must wash eye and lip make-up products off. Korean women love removing make-up with oils. Use an oil – e.g. sweet almond – for taking it off and you’ll never go back to regular removers. Fats are amazing when it comes to washing impurities away; they additionally condition the skin. Believe me, no worries about clogged pores or acne breakouts. How to use oils for make-up removal? Spread an oil onto the face skin and gently massage with your fingers. To finish, rinse out with warm water.

2. WASHING FACE – another step involves getting rid of the oil’s leftovers. It’s the next cleaning stage. In this case, Asian women go for a face wash gel or a similar product. The rule is simple – it should be water-based, free from alcohol and strong detergents. The way you use the product matters, too. How to clean the face in the best possible way? Spread the gel with circular motions and massage the face for a few minutes. Rinse out with tepid water.

3. EXFOLIATION – the last stage of purifying (not the last in the whole ritual) involves exfoliating the skin. It’s crucial because it lets you get rid of dead skin cells, smooth the skin and purify the pores. Depending on the scrub benefits and type, it can additionally illuminate the skin and even out its tone. Important: the face skin exfoliator must be mild and have tiny abrasives.

4. TONING – restoring the skin pH after precise cleaning is very important. A good face toner repairs the natural protective barrier, adds softness and freshness. Korean women like to reach out for moisturising toners or hydrolates as another chance for skin nourishing and boosting the skin hydration. But if you feel like it, choose a toner that reduces visibility of pores and dries blemishes out.

5. ESSENCE – this cosmetic is very important to Asian beauties but it’s less known in other world regions. What’s the Asian essence? It’s a strongly concentrated and condensed complex of active ingredients that moisturise and enhance skin cellular processes. The essence can be compared to a serum – it’s lightweight, fully absorbed into the skin, doesn’t clog or weigh down. It must be something different, though, cause the next step would make no sense.

6. CONCENTRATE – during this stage, you should go for a serum, ampules or a different form of a concentrated care product. Asian women are known for their love for natural beauty products so a good face serum should be filled with plant extracts. We usually go for ampules while trying to eliminate bigger problems e.g. wrinkles or discolorations. However, serums are ideal products for the express repair.

7. MASK – time for the sheet masks, loved by thousands of women. After all, the products came from Asia. You can replace them with regular masks but let’s face it – sheet masks have a much nicer form and are easier to apply. The choice is huge so I recommend matching the product to the real needs and problems of the skin. This step is the longest; you let the mask sit in for more or less 20-30 minutes.

8. UNDER-EYE CREAM – let’s remember about the under-eye cream. After all, the fragile skin under the eyes gives women’s age away. Dark circles and puffy eyes make us look older. That’s why a good cream can keep the problem away. Korean women know it perfectly well. How to use the under-eye cream? Don’t rub the skin as you could stretch it. Tap the product with fingers instead.

9. HYDRATING – we use moisturizers most often – even twice a day. Asian women apply them once a day in the evening because they deliver hydration in many different ways. Still and all, it’s an essential step in the ritual.

10. PROTECTION – the finishing stage of the ten-step skincare ritual must involve sun protection. Korean women are fully aware that the UV radiation is the most common cause of wrinkles, pigmentation spots and other skin-aging symptoms. Remember you can’t fix the sun damage so it’s better to prevent the destruction. You can use the sunblock separately or choose e.g. a high SPF-enriched makeup primers. An Asian woman won’t go out without the sunscreen on.

Does the Asian skincare ritual always look the same?

You don’t have to follow the multiple-stage ritual every day. The order to use products matters most. You don’t need to use all of the mentioned products on a daily basis. For example, exfoliate the face skin once a week or every other week. Using sheet masks every day isn’t necessary either. Simply put – make sure the Asian ritual goes with your skin needs. 🙂