Skinfood products and Korean skincare routine?

hey everyone,

I recently went on a serious splurge and bought a ton of Skin food products from Korea. I have a friend that lives in Seoul but she's beeen so busy that I can't ask her a bunch of questions these days haha. Does anyone use these products in the states? also, I heard that Korean women have a very different approach to skincare, like using 5 steps when they cleanse their face?

I brought a Serum, Toner and Emulsion..but..I have no idea what Emulsion is??

what are the steps women in Korea use to care for their skin??

1. Oil to remove make-up (Emulsion - oil on dry face then add water so it turns into a milky liquid on face)

2. Face cleanser to double clean (liquid or foam cleanser)

3. Toner (Lotion)

4. Serum

5. Facial cream (Moisturizer)

Steps used in Asia.

Taking care of skin is so difficult

I just normally wash my face with Clinique facial soap then tone and moisturise! Not as complex as the asian regime :P

1. Oil to remove make-up (Emulsion - oil on dry face then add water so it turns into a milky liquid on face)

2. Face cleanser to double clean (liquid or foam cleanser)

3. Toner (Lotion)

4. Serum

5. Facial cream (Moisturizer)

Steps used in Asia.

Wow, thanks a lot! I've always wondered what emulsion was too.

I just always stick to Western skincare because Asian ones have so many steps. Fabulous skin, but a little too high maintenance for me.

Those many steps are actually unnecessary, at least for me. They actually made my skin blotchy.

I have a bunch of Skinfood products under my sink collecting dust.

I stick with western NATURAL/ORGANIC products such as Burt Bees cream and Avalon Organics Vit C face cleanser.

My skin now is better than it used to.

Those many steps are actually unnecessary, at least for me. They actually made my skin blotchy.

I have a bunch of Skinfood products under my sink collecting dust.

I stick with western NATURAL/ORGANIC products such as Burt Bees cream and Avalon Organics Vit C face cleanser.

My skin now is better that it used too.

^ Agreed...Skinfood is just another drugstore cosmetics brand in Korea anywayz...I think it's cheaper and much more convenient to buy skincare products From the local CVS or Walgreens. I used the same skincare routine but with bits and pieces of stuff I bought from my local drugstore. this is what I use...

Day routine

1. St. Ives Apricot Scrub at least twice a week (using it everyday is not a good idea, it will irritate skin from over ex-foliating) and every other day of the week a brightener soap.

2. Witch Hazel mixed with Green Tea extract Astringent.

3. Vitamin C Serum

4. Alba moisturizer for Oily skin

Night-time routine

1. Milky Cleanser - I use Aveda cream cleanser, but when you use it, it feels more milky than creamy.

2. Witch Hazel Atringent

3. Vitamin C Serum mixed with Aloe Vera

4. Dramatically Different Moisturizer from Clinique.

* For make removal I use Ponds Cold Cream....It works wonders and plus it minimizes my pores lol.

Mistik has the "recommended" routine down, however, the emulsions i bought were generally light moisturizers. The lady in the Skin Food store in Seoul told me that emulsions are better suited to replace creams for people with more oily and acne prone skin.

Actually Emulsion is sort of a Korean term for face lotion. I put on Serum/Essence AFTER Emulsion and BEFORE Moisturizer/Night cream. So: Toner, Emulsion, Serum/Essence, Moisterizer/Night Cream. That's how most Korean women living in Korea take care of their skin. (Also, important to double-cleanse before all this at night: which means use cleansing cream and wipe off, then use foam cleanser to wash off.)

Thanks so much! I can't wait to get my shipment in!

lol i like this post...very interesting  So I decided to share my skincare routine too  (mind you it may be a bit boring) 

Morning

1) Toner - Liz Earle

2) Idealist serum - Estee Lauder

3) Moisturizer - Liz Earle

5) Sunscreen - Shiseido (currently in Sydney studying so even if I'm running late/ lazy and ignore all the rest of the steps i still use sunscreen)

Night

1) Cleanser - Liz Earle (this stuff gets rid of even my most stubborn waterproof mascara) 

2) Toner - Liz Earle/ Witch Hazel/ Laneige pore refiner (whatever i'm feel like using)

3) Undereye serum - Chanel

4) whitening Serum - SK II

5) Idealist pore refiner - Estee Lauder

6) Genifique - Lancome (totally unnecessary but i like the feeling) 

7) Moisturizer - (again what i feel like using, Orogold/Liz earle/Chanel/Estee Lauder/ Shiseido/etc)

Weekly (in no order whatsoever)

- exfoliant (Orogold, CURE, AHA peel) I usually use Orogold as it is my fav now 

- Mask (My beauty Diary, La Mer, Estee Lauder, Chanel, etc)

- Pore strips (nasty buggers called black heads) 

lol. After i wrote it down, I realise i do quite a lot to my face. hehe  but i think the key thing is not wearing too much make up. Most days 5/7 days, I go without foundation. so yea..whatever works for you. I have friends who think i'm crazy for using so much and i have friends who use 10x more than this. but i like my routine, it helps me relax and i feel pampered  all in the name of beauty eh 

Those many steps are actually unnecessary, at least for me. They actually made my skin  blotchy.

I have a bunch of Skinfood products under my sink collecting dust.

I stick with western NATURAL/ORGANIC products such as Burt Bees cream and Avalon Organics Vit C face cleanser.

My skin now is better than it used to.

Eeep, I don't think Burt's Bees is as natural/organic as they claim to be. ;;

I agree with using natural/organic products though. I used to use neutrogena acne wash, and my face still broke out all the time! Then I switched to Clinique gentle wash for normal/dry skin, and it got a little better. Now I ONLY use Lush, and it's the best condition it's ever been in! I use the kaolin clay cleanser (it looks like a sushi roll with nori!), the rose water toner, and then I put a generic moisturizer with spf 15 on top! I'm saving up for a lush moisturizer, because they're a little expensive! When my skin is super inflamed/red/broken out, I put 100% pure argon oil on it during the night, and it does wonders.

For me, simple is better!

Well this is my skincare routine (mostly all Korean skincare....) so i'll share my experience with you guys. I use mostly Laneige products. This is my first set that my daddy just bought me from Shanghai. I can tell you, it's making wonders for my skin. I don't break out anymore and I get like one small pimple occasionally. I have combination skin with a very oily "T-zone" and dry areas around my mouth. I used to have a very bad blackhead problem and it's still there but most of my pores are cleaned it. You can't really see the blackheads anymore. This is my routine!!

Morning:

1. Cleaner --> Cetaphil Gentle Facewash for Oily to Combination Skin

2. Toner --> Laneige Power Essential Skin Refiner Light_EX for All Skin Types

3. Emulsion --> Laneige Balancing Emulsion 2_EX for Oily to Combination Skin Types

4. Essence --> Laneige Water Bank Essence_EX for All Skin Types

5. Sunscreen -> Aveeno Active Naturals Continuous Protection SPF+30

Night:

1.Cleanser --> Cetaphil Gentle Facewash for Oily to Combination Skin

or

1. Exfoliation (twice a week) --> St. Ives Apricot Scrub

2. (Occasionally) Mask --> Queen Helene Antioxidant Grape Seed Peel-off Mask

3. Toner --> Laneige Power Essential Skin Refiner Light_EX for All Skin Types

4. Emulsion --> Laneige Balancing Emulsion 2_EX for Oily to Combination Skin Types

5. Essence --> Laneige Water Bank Essence_EX for All Skin Types

or

5. Night Water Mask --> Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX

6. Eye Cream/Anti-Aging Cream --> Rénergie Microlift R.A.R.E. (Yes i'm 17 and i'm using anti-aging. You start aging when your 18 so you should start using it as soon as possible)

*After doing this, my skin has normalized a LOT* Thank you Laneige! <3

Others:

1. Drink LOTS of water

2. Cleanse right after exercise or sauna --> when you sweat your pores open up to secrete a lot of bacteria, dirt,etc.. Cleanse right after, or your pores will just suck those dirty bits right back up into your pores! Sweating is good though because it allows your pores to sweat out any dirty gunk!

3. Eat apples and grapes! They're good for your skin!

4. Massage your face to stimulate blood flow

6. If you wear glasses, clean your glasses --> After a while you see all this gunk building up on the nosepads

7. Wash your pillow every week --> When you sleep all the oil and dirt get all over your pillow. If you don't wash your pillow that gunk gets stuck in your pores again.

8. Get as much sleep as possible!

9. Don't lean on your hand or touch the face a lot. The dirt and bacteria from hands will clog up the pores.

*I don't wear any makeup so I don't have a makeup step.*

Also, if you live in a humid area, BE HAPPY. Humidity is extremely good for the skin (you wonder why asian women have such amazing skin? It's partly because of the weather!). Of course humidity isn't controllable, but try getting a humidifier in the room. It not only cleanses your lungs but also help in skincare and hair growth!

These are all my tips! If I think of anymore, i'll come and edit! Message me if you have any questions!!!! I should be putting up a review of my Laneige products soon, so i'll link it when I have it ready. Good luck!

i bought my foam cleanser at skin food.  best one i've ever used.  

i used to do all these steps, but it didnt do anything good for my skin.. (i think its because the products didnt match my skin type rather than the routine being bad)

so now i do this;

morning: 

- just water or mung bean cleanser (the powder)

- moisturizer

evening:

-oil cleanser or laneige multi cleanser (depending on the amount of make up ive used)

-foam cleanser

-mask (sheet mask or a DIY)

-moisturizer

-acne treatment that my dermotologist made me  

so basically ive stopped processing my skin too much in the morning and i stopped using toner (mine just dried out my skin like crazy o_o)

now my skin is actually improving <3

I posted in the product recommendation thread but this helped me alot!! ..

...can anyone recommend a good moisturizer for the summer?

the one I am using right now makes my skin SO OILY.

(LAB Series)

and a good toner??? (korean brand)

Everyone has such elaborate skincare routines! But I just mentally counted how many steps I take and it is pretty much the same!

But I have to agree with previous comments that it is important to wear minimal make up, drink lots of water, exercise till you sweat and cleanse thoroughly. For me, the latter has become super important.

I posted in the product recommendation thread but this helped me alot!! ..

...can anyone recommend a good moisturizer for the summer?

the one I am using right now makes my skin SO OILY.

(LAB Series)

and a good toner??? (korean brand)

It really depends on your skin type. If you have oily skin, I recommend you give Clinique's Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief a go. It's a gel texture that hydrates quite well during the summer. It's light weight, absorbs into your skin quickly and is oil free! One of my favourites!

Depends on what your skincare 'goal' is. For instance, I want to prevent/reduce acne, get rid of acne scars/blemishes and moisturize my skin. I can't really do both without slathering a bunch of product on my skin, so I divide my products in two different types of skincare ranges. In the daytime, I'm more concerned about alleviating my occasional blemish. At night, I like to focus on reconditioning my skin. Sunblock, makeup, foundation is hella hard to take off, so I highly recommend an oil based cleanser. DHC's has the BEST cleanser on the market. Takes off EVERYTHING. ;D I also use arbutin-based products at night to lighten acne scars and hyper-pigmentation. Hadalabo also has hyaluronic acid, which is super moisturizing.

Day (Acne/Blemish fighting)

1) Neutrogena Oil-Free Face wash

2) Shiseido Aqual Label Acne essence

3) The Body Shop Vitamin E intensive moisture cream

4) Shiseido Anessa Sunscreen

Night (Hyperpigmentation Reducing/Moisturizing)

1) DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

2) Hadalabo Arbutin cleanser

2) Hadalabo Arbutin Lotion (lotion = toner in Japan lol)

3) Hadalabo Arbutin Moisture Milk (moisturizer in Japan)

Don't forget to pamper yourself with a mask once in a while. ^^;

Haha, this thread should be a "share your skin-care routine" thread.

Unless another one exists already ._. It's useful.

for me I use O Hui (Hydra formula) and my steps are:

wash face (I just use a bar of cetaphil face wash lol nothing special)

(and maybe exfoliate like once or twice a week) and then

1. Toner (it's called Vital Skin Softener lol)

2. Essence (aka ultra moist essence, like a light moisturizer)

3. Emulsion (ultra moist emulsion, just a moisturizer)

4. Cream (moisture deep cream, basically a heavier moisturizer)

(I only have samples of 2 and 4 so once they're gone i will just use a toner and moisture, but just those two really are enough for me)

@___@ so many things but my face is really moisturized, if you have super dry skin this would be awesome for you. I don't have dry skin so...idk my face seems too moisturized these days. The korean lady who sold said it the o hui hydra formula products was better for teens so w/e. O Hui is pretty expensive, idk I want to try brands like Skinfood or Etude House (plus their more affordable and they work well), etc. but I can't really find it easily in CA. I guess I could always order from online. Oh I got a sample of some Skinfood face mask and WOW they're awesome! I really like the Black Sugar wash off mask. Definitely try that!

Here is a post to help you guys out on this ! http://hope-inablog.com/beauty-articles/the-asian-skincare-routine/