How I changed my skincare routine in my 20s thanks to K-beauty

Sometimes people ask me how old I am and in a British accent, I cheekily reply, “a lady never tells her age.” I would prefer for people to treat me like an adult regardless of knowing my age or not. In the past, I spent more time than I would like to admit trying to look older. Specifically in college, wearing heavier makeup on nights going out to grab drinks with friends, I did not feel confident in owning my youthfulness. I felt embarrassed to be frequently carded. Sometimes, I even felt envious of the beards that made my guys friends look older when they were only teenagers… (now I laugh at my ridiculousness).

More recently, thanks to my best friend Rad, to my lovely friend Ian (who looks six years younger than his age), and to my newfound obsession with watching Korean dramas, I have abandoned the ship of wanting to look my age. With so many people in their twenties or even their thirties playing teenagers on screen, I have been converted. I want to look like I’m a vampire from the Cullen clan — strikingly ageless but infinitely less hungry.

Americans discovering Asian beauty standards

I’m so happy that quarantine has given me the opportunity to experiment with different products and establish a routine that works for me. As they say, you’re never too young to start preventative treatments or to protect your skin. I’m in my twenties and I feel that my current routine has helped me achieve a more youthful glow. Hopefully, with dedication and practice, I can develop a glassy skin appearance. For those of you who are new to Asian beauty, glassy skin is essentially very smooth, even-toned, bright or milky, shining skin. So here is my skincare routine from day to night. I’ll share other posts of products that I use, with slightly lengthier or more detailed reviews, at a later point.

My day routines as influenced by K-beauty:

• Wash face in warm water and cleanse with my skin treatment soap bar or a gel to foam cleanser.

• Pore pealing pads, I love these because I always see people using them in K-dramas and feel envious. I don’t think they are necessary everyday. I use them in place of a toner, but the ingredients I search for are usually similar. Currently I am using Awake Pore Pealing Pads. These are my favorite things to switch up from different brands.

• Serums! I pat my Peach & Lily Glass Skin Serum into my skin. Then I use Sunday Riley’s Vitamin C serum.

• Moisturizer! So I learned from taking polls that my friends love CeraVe’s skincare line! The night time gel facial lotion is fabulous. My friend loves it so much he confessed to feeling naughty because he even uses it in the daytime.

• Sunscreen is an absolute must! Also recommended to me by a friend is Biorés UV translucent finishing sunscreen. This product is produced in Japan and I have to buy it on Amazon. I am obsessed with the formula and will probably use it for the rest of my life.

• Sometimes I skip makeup and so I’ll use a cream from the skincare line that is paired with my soap bar. This cream protect my skins and makes its brighter while working to help target clogged pores.

• One extra step for a makeup ready face, I love using Colorpop’s hyaluronic primer with infused coconut water (NOT oil). Of all the products I recommend, this is really the only one with a fragrance. Of course you can smell other products but this one — let’s just say there’s no mistaking the coconut ingredient. Personally, I love it. I think it does such a wonderful job at creating the smooth layer between my sunscreen and makeup.

At night:

• Removing makeup: I use micellar water and cotton rounds to remove my eye makeup. I think it’s more gentle to lightly press and let the liquid absorb the makeup. Most of the time, I double cleanse. I love using Clean it Zero to take off the rest of my makeup or I’ll cleanse with my facial soap bar to treat my skin.

• I will use pealing pads and serums similarly to my morning routine. Sometimes I will switch up serums to treat my skin. I like using CeraVe’s retinol for cell turnover and rejuvenation as a preventative measure. Usually retinol is recommend at 25, so I’m introducing it to my skin early. After retinol, I typically apply Sunday Riley’s Good Genes lactic acid to help with evening the skin and targeting bumps.

• Eye cream: a lot of people skip eye cream because the rest of their routing is good enough. I notice the people who skip eye creams on YouTube tend to have access to dermatologist and facials or extra help. Since I’m on my own, I use an eye cream. I like tarte’s eye cream but may switch it up.
  I purchased Mario Badescu’s hyaluronic eye cream because I thought it would have a hydrating or puffy effect. I’m not a fan of the sunken eye look on myself. The product to me is just a generic moisturizer, so I don’t see myself buying it again.

• Sheet masks: usually two to three times a week depending on how much time I have or my own evaluation of my skin. Just as you may know, sheet masks have exploded in the U.S. thanks to the Korean Hallyu Wave. I always buy the Korean brands now because the ingredients are more reliable.