My Asian Skincare Routine

I always hear things about Korean women using about 18 to 20 different products at night for their skin. Although I'm a little doubtful of that statistic (if I used that much product at one time, I think my face would start melting), it makes sense why people would say that. Koreans have amazing skin! 

Following the habit of the Koreans and the Japanese, I've also updated my skincare routine accordingly. I've actually rediscovered my love for The Face Shop about a month ago when I was bored at the mall and got a bit tired of going to Rustans/the drugstores for cosmetics and skincare all the time. So hooked!

My skincare products - day and night. 

Take note: I have extremely sensitive, acne-prone combination skin. Sensitive as in it burns easily with strong products. Has a lot of redness. Flares up/reacts to many cosmetics which don't have really good quality. So yup I try to spend on the stuff I use for my face because there was a time in my life I would just buy anything that looked nice and I ended up breaking out all over. -_-

It makes sense to use a different set of products sometimes especially when you have combo/oily skin. In the daytime, I try to use lighter products which have oil-controlling properties. In the evening, I use heavy, clarifying products to nourish and deep cleanse the entire day's dirt and residue off my face.

Day skincare

1.) Pre Cleansing: Shu Uemura White Recovery EX+ Brightening Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula -one of my favorite skincare products! Evens out the skin tone and gives and overall radiance to the face after cleaning.

2.) Salicylic Acid Cleanser: Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti Aging Salicylic Acid Cleanser. -This is a great cleanser for those who have troubled skin, or just want to have a prevention plan in case acne wants to break out lol. It has fine micro-beads which lightly exfoliate the skin gentle enough for everyday use. I don't know if this is available here in the Philippines though.. but Garnier has a new anti-acne line called Pure Active and they carry a salicylic acid scrub cleanser too. :)

3.) Light Toner: The Face Shop Clean Face Mild Toner - a light, non-drying, oil-controlling toner that doesn't leave your skin tight/dry after application. I use a light toner for the day because having a skin that's too dry might cause your makeup to look cakey during the day.

4.) Serum: The Face Shop White Tree Snow Facial Treatment Essence- another light serum with a really fresh scent! This essence evens out the skin and gives a radiant and dewy finish without feeling heavy on the face.

5.) Day Cream/Moisturizer: Clarins Multi-Active Day Early Wrinkle Correction Cream - I love Clarins! I love their Multi Active age prevention line. It's moisturizing without the oily feel.

6.) Sunblock: The Face Shop Natural Sun SPF 50 PA+++ - I think this is the only sunblock I've used so far that didn't break me out or didn't give me a harder time with makeup application. My old Shiseido Very High Sun Protection Lotion was terrible. The Neutrogena Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock was terrible. You can definitely trust Koreans to make a sunblock that's safe for sensitive Asian skin.

Evening skincare.

1.) Pre-Cleanse: Shiseido Pureness Refreshing Cleansing Water (Oil-Free, Alcohol-Free) - a nice cleansing water that preps your face for deep cleansing.

2.) Deep Cleansing: Shu Uemura Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil - I use this at night because it's made to unclog pores so I'd have less problems with blemishes such as blackheads, whiteheads and acne caused by the makeup I wear during the day. I find that this has a denser formula than the Purple cleansing oil too.

3.) Anti-Acne Toner: Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion - I use this every night as a preventative toner even when I don't have acne. It's a little drying, much like the feeling of a salicylic acid treatment on the face. But it gets the job done!

4.) Serum: Neutrogena Fine Fairness Brightening Serum - I've read good reviews about the Neutrogena Fine Fairness line as it's exclusively distributed here in Asia because every product from the line was made in Korea. I love this serum because not only does it brighten and even out my skintone, it also has Retinol which is has great healing properties for the face (anti-aging, anti-acne, etc.) Although putting retinol on the face makes it more vulnerable to the sun so better use all your retinoids at night!

5.) Eye Cream: Clinique All About Eyes Cream - In all my experiences, eye creams or eye treatments which claim to lighten under eye circles are usually bogus. (I honestly believe that if your undereye circles are genetic or caused by allergies, your eyebags won't ever lighten - that's what concealers are for!) This eye cream is good for puffiness though. Sometimes when I cry at night and apply this, my eyes don't look puffy the next morning! lol! As for eye wrinkles, I don't really know as I don't have them yet. hehe

6.) Night Cream: Clarins Multi Active Night Youth Recovery Cream - this is the counterpart of my Clarins day cream. It's much more rich and moisturizing. Although if I put on too much, my face ends up greasy the next morning! If you have combo/oily skin like me, make sure to put just the right amount of moisturizer XD

*Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover - something I use before pre-cleansing/deep cleaning if I wore makeup that day.
~Human Nature Sunflower Oil - a treatment I put all over my face if I wear extra-heavy makeup on a certain day like a wedding or when I go out at night.
+Garnier Pure Active Roll On - a salicylic acid treatment I use on troubled spots to remove/prevent acne.
^Clean and Clear Active Speed Clearing Gel - a salicylic acid spot treatment for those ugly cystic acne.

It's definitely better to use salicylic acid than benzoyl peroxide for acne. Benzoyl peroxide products like Panoxyl actually leave those dark acne scars on your face after it removes the pimple!

Weekly exfoliation

I exfoliate once a week with my Olay Pro-X Cleansing Brush and Cleansing Scrub. Again, I'm not sure where you can buy this here in the Philippines as I bought this from abroad... but this is a great product! A $20.00 dupe to the famous Clarisonic MIA which costs around $200.00!

Facial Masks

Also, I try to remember to put on a mask once a week too. The Face Shop has nice masks for different skin types and skin problems. I only managed to get a COOGI once because I ordered something from a Korean website and the lady gave me free samples, this mask included. I would recommend getting a Raspberry Roots Sleeping Mask from The Face Shop. Makes your skin look dewy and supple in the morning when you wash it off. I also ordered a bunch of Queen Helene Mint Julep Masques from amazon so I'll definitely post a review once the orders arrive here at my house. :)

Hope you liked this post! What's your skincare routine?