My K-Beauty Inspired Morning Skincare Routine: Summer 2017

A few things have changed since my last morning skincare post, here. Firstly, I'm no longer pregnant, and unfortunately my skin pretty much returned to its sad acne-prone, oily/ combination state :( Oh I miss you so, pregnancy glow *woefully stares at eye bags & blemishes in the mirror*. Secondly, yes, I have since majorly hopped back onto the K-Beauty skincare train thanks to overenthusiastic perusal of the Asian Beauty subreddit. As a result, my routine is quite a bit different - shall we take a look?

Before we start, a few facts about me and my skin, in case you're not a regular reader: I'm 30 (WHAT?! When did that happen?! Lol, jk), fair to light skintone, and my main concerns at the moment are treating and preventing acne, fading red post-acne P.I.E., as well as aiding dehydration and skin-aging in the form of fine lines, mostly around my eyes.

As a side note, I'm not going to provide reviews for separate products in my routine here, partly because it would cause this post to inflate to a mind-numbing length, but mostly because I haven't tested all of these products enough yet to give a thorough review. Yeah, so I did introduce more than one product to my routine all at once (and if I only swapped out one product, what would be the point in writing this post, right?). However, I also run out of a whole bunch of products all at once, and didn't love those enough to repurchase. So there - shoot me. My face hasn't fallen off (yet).

My typical mom morning skincare routine with an eight month old Julian starts by buckling him into his bouncer with a toy (or, you know, a kitchen utensil, since that tends to hold his attention for a few more minutes - he specifically enjoys whisks and the egg beater attachment for our mixer) and quickly running to the bathroom to wash my face. I'm currently using the last dregs of Lagom Cell Up Gel to Water Cleanser, but I have already dabbled in its replacement, the Erborian Gentle Cleansing Foam, which I vastly prefer. Wait, what - a foaming cleanser?! I'll admit that I may have been convinced to use a low pH foam cleanser after all. I think that *maybe* overusing balm and cream cleansers with a hot washcloth wasn't doing the greatest things for my skin, especially in the morning. Plus, it's much faster (and more refreshing, especially in the summer!) to gently massage my face with a light foam and just splash it off with cool water. It also helps to feel more awake after being rudely woken up by a hangry baby at the ungodly hour of 6.30 am ;)

I'll then pat my face dry with a towel, spritz on some COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner (for the purpose of balancing my skin's pH level for the following L-Ascorbic Acid step, the COSRX toner is definitely NOT an exfoliant - I won't repurchase though, I don't think it's necessary after a low pH cleanser) and press in half a pipette of NuFountain C20 + Ferulic Serum (from Amazon). I'm choosing to use my Vitamin C in the morning as some studies have shown it boosts the effectiveness of sunscreen, but using the potent but unstable L-AA form of Vit C has quite a few drawbacks, so I'm not sure if I'll continue with this particular active after my bottle of the NuFountain runs out (or, more likely, oxidizes half-way though).

I then run out of the bathroom and go on with my morning, which mostly involves attempting to eat breakfast and do some light house chores while simultaneously keeping Julian occupied and happy. I succeed probably 50% of the time :)

When Mister Jay gets tired of independent floor play (mind you, he's not crawling or walking yet) and Daddy play ends due to Daddy having to eventually get to work, he (I mean Julian, not my husband) gets strapped into the bouncer again and we head back to the bathroom together (he really enjoys being in the bathroom for whatever reason).

Forgot to add food play. Julian's apparently hatching a plan to take over the universe while gnawing on a piece of melon.

This is the time I complete the rest of my routine. I either rinse off the NuFountain C20 + Ferulic, or leave it - at this point, the L-AA has done all its magic either way. I follow with either the Cremorlab T.E.N Mineral Treatment Essence, decanted into a spray bottle (full review here), or a newbie to my stash, Benton Snail Bee High Content Skin - essentialy, a hydrating toner. I then apply a thin layer of my HG Hada Labo Gokujuyn Hyaluronic Acid Lotion (reviewed here) on skin still damp from the toner. I seal all that hydration in with the Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream (reviewed here); I'm running out though and would like to trial the Laneige Balancing Emulsion for Combination/ Oily Skin*, which I've kept in my back-up stash for a very long time. Lastly, I layer on a good amount of Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free UV Protector Broad Spectrum SPF 42 PA+++.

Thin hydrating layers, L-R in the order of viscosity: Cremorlab Essence, Benton Snail Bee High Content Skin, Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion.

You may have noticed the omission of chemical exfoliation (AHAs or BHAs) compared to my last routine - the main reason for this is that I'm currently using Differin at night and would like to avoid irritation/ overexfoliation, as well as be able to truly evaluate the effectiveness of adapalene in treating my acne (I'm planning to write a separate post on my Differin experience in a few weeks' time, after completing my trial run. The jury is still out).

When my eye area is particularly dry, I'll also dab on some Aveda Tulasara Eye Wedding Masque, but I mostly reserve it for night time.

I've been following this routine for over a month now, and while it's still quite early, I can already tell you my skintone is looking more even (less irritated as well as less hyperpigmentation/ sun spots) and my skin feels more hydrated, plump and bouncy. I also notice less sebum breakthrough as the day goes on. I haven't noticed a major decrease in blemishes or clogged pores, but I do think the emerging blemishes heal more quickly. Overall, I think my skin is heading in the right direction.

That's it - the evening routine shall follow shortly (or, more like in a month or so, judging from my current posting schedule). Please leave any questions in the comments, but I am also planning on reviewing most of these newly-introduced products in separate posts to follow. Has your skincare routine changed in any major way now that we're in the midst of the heat and humidity?