After roughly two months of experimenting with different Korean skincare products, I've finally settled on my own daily regimen. It has been a fun journey and even though I've been having breakouts lately because of certain products that aren't compatible with my skin, it didn't stop me from finding the right products that work for me. I'll introduce them to you in a minute. First, let me tell you what my skin type is, my skin history and my knowledge of skincare.

Skin Type: Combination - Oily on T-zone, Acne Prone, Sensitive on the cheeks

I easily get breakouts on my forehead (because of excessive amounts of sweat due to my bangs), on my chin (the hormonal type) and on the sides of my cheeks (I think this is mainly because of my mannerism on putting my hands on my cheeks every time and the bacteria on my phone when I receive calls :3 and also the hair! And also, I think I get breakouts generally because of what I eat...tapos sometimes, cystic acne pa! 😭). I have humongous pores and a visible amount of whiteheads on my nose (yuck). I have huge bags under my eyes due to lack of sleep and of course, staying up late at night to watch KDramas 😅. Basically, my skin is so bad, I had to do something to remedy it.

Guys, a disclaimer: I am not a skin care specialist, nor am I seeing a professional dermatologist. I am just your ordinary skin care junkie who is obsessed with finding the right products for my skin. I am not recommending any of these products to you (but if you wanna try them, the choice is yours!), I just want to share what products have worked for me so far. 😊

I wasn't really obsessed with skincare until late last year when I got to know about these Korean cult favorites. Back then, I just had a facial cleanser and a variant of Eskinol. I've used Eskinol since I was in high school. It does the work back then, getting off the dirt and oil. But after several years of using it, my skin developed a sensitivity from it. My skin tingles whenever I apply it and then later on my cheeks get irritated and my pores become red and swollen. The sides of my nose and lips also always get flaky and super dry. That was when I decided to stop using it.

Whenever I'm on my pre- and post-period week, I am sure to have pimples and acne. I also get these tiny bumps every now and then. My worst enemy back then until now is the scars I get afterward, and it's so excruciating to see them all the time when I face the mirror. So when I bumped into this Korean skincare products on the internet, I was immediately drawn to them. I researched and endlessly watched videos on Youtube to get to know more about the products these people use.

I've purchased different products that what my mom would already call a lot, a lot. Some I've used for just a week because I noticed how they make my skin breakout more. Some I've used until today because they are compatible with me and gives me the satisfaction of a healthier skin. I've learned that in entering this skincare journey, you will really have to do a trial and error because you will never be sure if that product will work for you unless you get to try it. Products that works for other people will not always guarantee that they will work for you, too, because each of us has a different skin type, hence, the trial-and-error phase.

So, that's a lengthy introduction. Let's move on now to the meat of this post - my daily skincare routine in the morning!


I do several steps for my morning skin care routine.

1. Cleansing
2. Toning
3. Eye Cream
4. Moisturizer
5. Spot Treatment
6. Protection

Cleansing:

Moisturizing:

After eye cream, I put on my morning moisturizer. I use the Snail Recovery Gel Cream also from Mizon which contains 74% snail extract. It is very lightweight and fragrance-free, and I like how my skin absorbs it immediately. It includes ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, panthenol, olive oil, and allantoin—all of which leave the skin feeling smooth, and also Centella Asiatica Extract and green tea are soothing and protect the skin from external damage. It can also soothe inflammation so it's a great all-around product.

Another moisturizer I use when I'm in the mood to layer products is this Aloe Vera Soothing Gel from Nature Republic which is made out of 92% Aloe Vera. Now if you don't know, Aloe Vera is a miracle plant that gives a lot of benefits. It can provide natural relief for a variety of conditions including dry skin and severe acne. It can promote healthier skin as it provides hydration (not only for the face but for the entire body), it reduces the appearance of damaged skin, it soothes sunburns, it heals wounds, it can even be used for hair care! Sometimes, when I'm not feeling lazy, I use this product as a sleeping mask at night, but we're talking about my morning routine here so I'll tell you all about it in a separate post, hehe.

Spot Treatment:

I just incorporated this step into my morning routine last week and that's why I wasn't able to put this post up last Sunday. I am so happy to have finally purchased my own Centella Blemish Cream from CosRX. This product has been a cult favorite in the Asian Beauty Community (Joan Kim cannot stop talking about this!) and I am just so, so, SO happy to finally own one!

This product claims to be a blemish-targeting and controlling cream. It's main ingredient, the Centella Asiatica, is a plant extract that has anti-inflammatory and anti-acne properties. It is great for calming and healing acne as well as preventing new acne.

After just one week of using this blemish cream (day and night), I can see how my pimples and scars have improved. My breakouts lessened and while my scars are still truly visible, my face looks brighter every waking hour. I will be more closely observing how this cream will work for my skin but for its first test run, I must say that it is worth the hype!

Protection:

The last step of my morning routine is sunscreen. I use this It's My Sun Cream I got from Althea Korea which has SPF 45. I may sometimes skip wearing sunscreen when I'm just staying at home, but whenever I head out, I always make sure I put it on.

Protection is really vital, says all the beauty gurus. Your whole routine will be for nothing if you will not have protection. Long exposure to sunlight is destructive to our skin, the effect may not be immediately noticeable as sun damage occurs over a lifetime.

Here's a straight advice from the Huffington Post about not wearing sunscreen: "You will regret not having worn sunscreen when you look at your skin compared to friends and family who have worn daily sunscreen 20 years from now."

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And that's my Morning Skin Care Routine! I know this is such a long read but I hope I've explained each step completely. And now, for something different... Have you come across Ellie Talks Makeup's #dailymakeuptotal idea on Twitter that inspired other bloggers to do a version of their own? Well, I don't really have a daily makeup routine so I decided to make it a #DailySkinCareTotal! I was so excited to do it until I did. Are you ready to know how much this routine costs me?

🙈🙈🙈

#DailySkinCareTotal = 3,285