For some time now I have read about the Korean skin care routine on all the beauty and fashion blogs and though it seemed excessive I barely read anything bad about it. Only glowing reviews and stories about Korean (and Asian in general) women who mysteriously look 20 years younger than they are.

Three weeks ago my husband had to go to Korea for a business trip and asked me what he should bring me as a present (really the only perks to having a husband that has to go on business trips regularly). As my skin had become quite bad since I came to Japan, probably caused through the change in climate, I decided I needed to try something new. So I wrote my husband an extensive list with several options for every skin care routine step and specific instructions.

…which he decided to totally ignore and went on to just buy EVERYTHING of my list.

© Sakura_Fujiko

Not that I’m complaining, I did want to start the routine, though I shudder thinking about the money he spent for it. Starting proper skin care surely is expensive. Of course it’s mostly not an expense you have every week, but I’ll have to see how long some of the creams last. So let’s have a look at the steps of the routine:

Morning skin care routine:

1. Double Cleanse (Oil based Cleanser + Foam Cleanser)
2. Toner
3. Essence
4. Serum/Ampoule (As many as you like, as for now I don’t use any)
5. Eye Cream
6. Moisturizer
7. BB cream/SPF

Night skin care routine:

1. Double Cleanse (Oil based Cleanser + Foam Cleanser)
2. Exfoliate (2 times a week)
3. Toner
4. Sheet Mask (2 times a week)
5. Essence
6. Serum/Ampoule (As many as you like, as for now I don’t use any)
7. Eye Cream
8. Moisturizer
9. Night Cream

Seems like a lot? Well the secret to this skin care program seems to be layers over layers of products. When I showed my husband all the steps and elaborated how everything had to be put on, tapped in and massaged, he just grinned and said “Well, that sounds exhausting, let’s see how long you can keep that up”. I have to admit I silently agreed, that DID sound exhausting.

So how did I fare? I’ve been through the routine every morning and evening for the last three weeks and I discovered three very important things for myself.

• First, the routine actually does not even take 10 minutes in the morning and in evening it takes longer if you use masks, but the time they have to soak in you can just relax on the sofa and scare your husband with your serial killer looks.
• Second, I actually enjoy it. Having a routine in the morning and evening help to start and end the day. No matter if I am still in my pajama pants, because I already washed up I feel fresh and awake and ready to start a new day. In the evening it’s sometimes hard to make a clean cut between slouching on the sofa watching TV and falling into your bed. The routine in the evening gives me time to wind down and prepare myself for the night.
• Third, my skin is virtually glowing and hasn’t felt that good in … probably forever. Ugly zits are gradually disappearing, everything is soft and even, no more dry patches that made putting on make-up difficult. I just look healthier all around and even my panda eyes are slowly disappearing.

Needless to say that I will definitely continue and probably add some ampoules/serum to the mix as well. I already have some favorite products I will stick to, others I might switch out for a new one ones they are empty. But because this post would get way to long if I showed you everything I use, I will post a follow up. In Part 2 I’ll post photos from everything I integrated into my routine and some Infos as well.