The Japanese and Korean Skincare Routine

myeongdong-cosmetic-shopsAsian women seem to have impeccable levels of anti-aging. it is probably one of the many reasons why I love south korea and japan so much. You remember my trip to south korea here. I came back with truckloads of cosmetics 🙂

Asian women don’t appear to age at all until time finally wins the battle. Part of it is because of their genes, part of it is their diet, part of it is plastic surgery and part of it is their skincare routine. There are many different things they do. Here are the things I learnt that probably explain why they are so beautiful.

Double Cleansing

Double Cleansing is something you see a lot more in Japan than Korea. In the West people typically apply only one layer of cleansing. In Japan they apply two. Begin with a heavy oil-based cleanser to remove the toughest layer of dirt and makeup from your skin. Follow up with a much softer cleanser to finish off the cleansing process.

UV Protection

Asian cosmetics take sun protection very seriously, which is a sharp contrast to the West. People only apply sunscreen to get a nice tan. Or they’ll only apply it in the summer. Sun protection should be used all year round and to reflect this a lot of Korean and Japanese cosmetic products have built in sun protection to keep their skin in fantastic shape.

Layers Upon Layers of Hydration

Another key element of Korean and Japanese skincare is hydration. It’s not a matter of washing your face, it’s a matter of keeping moisturized. They make good use of moisturizers and skin softeners to keep their skin soft and well fed. Moisturising is very important for the skin and shouldn’t be neglected.

BB creams

those blemish balm creams are absolute must haves in south korea and japan, I would say probably everyone uses them to both moisturise and give that super dewy skin look. I was hooked after testing. my skin always looks almost photoshopped when I use it.

Mizon-BB-cream

A Layered Routine

Speaking of layers, one thing Asian women do is a layered routine. Western women also have their own versions of a layered routine, but you can’t beat an Asian one. This is an easy way to do a layered routine.

The first step is doing a double cleansing like mentioned earlier. Begin with an oil cleansing. You can use a natural one, or a branded cosmetic like Shu Uemura. Start with dry hands and a dry face, and rub the oil into your palms to warm it up. Massage it into your face, emulsify it with warm water, and then wash it off with more warm water when done. Follow that up with a simple foam cleanser to finish cleaning your face.

Next you apply a layer of toner or skin softener, which prepares the skin for moisturizing. Skin softeners are a staple piece of the Asian skincare routine and are a big part of every Asian woman’s routine.

You can use a sheet mask after that if your skin seems dull, but this is only an optional step. Then move on to an Essence, such as the ones Olay sell. After using an Essence apply some Emulsion, moisturising cream, and any other specific treatments. Also use sleeping packs for an extra burst.

Finally don’t neglect the sunscreen. All in all the Japanese and Korean skincare routine is a full ten steps long. Which is longer than any skincare routine you will find in the West. That’s how seriously they take this stuff, and why you can count on it to give you incredible looking skin.

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