What Happened When I Tried A Korean Skin-Care Regimen For A Month
Photo courtesy of Michelle Persad/The Coveteur.
What began as a website that played to our voyeuristic side, letting us peek into the designer-laden digs of tastemakers, The Coveteur has evolved into a more varied chronicle of all things behind-the-scenes. From lifestyle to fashion to culture, this site examines the creative process, inspiration, and influence of the individuals who are defining our times.
We’ve tasked HuffPost Style editor Michelle Persad to try out everything from Kardashian-esque hair extensions to skipping shampoo to test-driving Beyoncé’s 22 Days Vegan program. Now, we’ve asked her to ditch her minimal beauty routine of only two products and take on the eight-step Korean beauty routine for an entire month — here goes nothing, right? Read on for what Persad has to say about the regimen.
When it comes to skin care, I like to think of myself as somewhat of a minimalist (read: I’m very lazy). My nightly regimen consists of a cleanser and then a face cream. I never use toner, I stopped using eye cream a year ago, I don’t own exfoliator, and my foray into face masks ended when I stopped having slumber parties. So when The Coveteur asked me to swap out my skin-care routine and use Korean beauty products for a month, I laughed.
Related: The Best Way To Get Rid Of Acne
Related: Here’s Your Dream Sephora Starter-Kit
But, then I met with Alicia Yoon, founder of Korean beauty e-commerce site Peach and Lily, and her perfect, glowy skin convinced me to ditch my two-product bedtime routine in exchange for her eight-plus product regimen. Yoon, who graduated from Harvard Business School, is a skin-care expert who frequently travels to Korea, where she interviews top dermatologists and aestheticians and stays up to speed on the latest beauty advancements in Asia.
Yoon’s perfect, glowy skin convinced me to ditch my two-product bedtime routine in exchange for her eight-plus product regimen, beginning with this cleansing gel.
Cremorlab Hydro Plus Snow Falls Melting Cream, $42, available at Peach and Lily.
After cleansing, I applied a cleansing mousse, intended to remove skin impurities.
Related: The Craziest Beauty Routines Of The Rich & Famous
Shangpree S-Energy Facial Mousse Cleanser, $35, available at Peach and Lily.
The toner, which was third in line, I used to balance the pH of my skin.
Be The Skin Be The Skin Botanical Nutrition Power Toner, $29, available at Urban Outfitters.
Related: This Is What Female-Directed Porn Looks Like
I followed up with a water-based formula to hydrate and repair my skin.
Cremorlab Aqua Essence Water Fluid, $40, available at Peach and Lily.
After that I applied three drops of another serum (this one with peptides) to smooth fine lines.
Mizon Peptide 500 Ampoule, $29.99, available at eBay.
Related: What No One Tells You About Going Platinum Blonde
Next, I mixed yet another serum with an argan oil to hydrate my thirsty skin with lipids.
Be The Skin Botanical Nutrition Power Serum, $45, available at Zey Tavia’s Shop.
Until I started this skin-care routine, I would blindly try products that I thought might work for my skin. But, having an expert tell me what I needed and why made me completely rethink how I go about taking care of my face.
Related: What Going Paleo Did To My Body
Aromatica Organic Argan Oil, $26, available at Aromatica.
After the serum-argan oil combo, I applied an eye cream to brighten my undereyes.
Cremorlab Shadow-Off Eye Cream, $48, available at Peach and Lily.
Finally, I finished with another cream, which was supposed to seal in all of the other products I had just put on my face.
If it was the morning, I would have added an SPF, and a couple of times a week I would also pepper in an exfoliator, a sleeping mask, undereye masks, face masks, and a blackhead remover.
Cremorlab T.e.n. Cremor Cleansing Gel Oil, $32, available at Peach and Lily.
Photo courtesy of Michelle Persad/The Coveteur.
But, did it work? Am I now evangelical about Korean skin-care products? Without sounding like I totally drank the Kool-Aid: Yes. My skin is glowing — it’s so much softer and smoother than it ever was, and it never feels dry or irritated, ever.
In case you’re curious about what this skin-care conversion would’ve cost me, here’s the breakdown: I was spending $170 every three months with my two-product regimen; the Korean skin-care routine would’ve cost me about $662 every three months.
Will I continue to use eight or more products twice a day? Probably not. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to my old ways, but I plan on streamlining the routine Yoon gave me to make it more realistic for my busy life (and, let’s face it, my budget).
By: The Coveteur.