My Current Routine

Introduction

In this post I've detailed my current routine, what each product does and how to apply them. I find that there often aren't a whole lot of instructions out there telling you how much, how regularly or how to get them to best absorb into your skin. Doing any of these things incorrectly can mean you're not actually getting the most out of the products or can cause adverse reaction (as my overuse of Vitamin C is evidence of).

Unfortunately I won’t be able to add any pictures I’ve taken myself for the time being. I’m currently stuck up at work and it’s quite a bit trickier to resize and upload pictures on my work computer without getting strange looks from the rest of the office. I’ve also got the pleasure of having a desk that has my back to where the managers and superintendents all sit, so I at least have to look like I’m doing work for most of the day. Case in point – I’m currently writing this on a word document that’s peppered with pictures and work terminology so that it looks productive. In my experience (and I’m very experienced when it comes to procrastination), the more spreadsheets and applications you can have up on your screen at one time, the busier it looks like you are. There's a fine art to looking like you're busy without actually being busy, and I'm the motherflippin' Michelangelo of it.

But I digress! Routine. Current. Yes. Let’s get to the juicy, serum-y, toner-y, gel-y, cleanser-y part!

An Important PSA: These products are ones that I’m testing and, honestly, haven’t quite decided if they’re right for my skin or not. Everyone’s skin is different and different products will have different effects for different people and all that jazz. So don’t take what I (or any one of the myriad of kbeauty bloggers out there) do and apply it instantly to yourself expecting it to work. Sadly, it doesn’t quite work like that, and you're more likely to mess your skin up by doing so (as I found out the hard way, but that’s a story for another day).

Routine Overview

Currently my routine has the following steps:

1. Oil cleanse
2. Cleanser
3. Vitamin C
4. Eye cream
5. Moisturise
6. Sunscreen

The sunscreen I only apply in the morning (it would kind of be a waste to apply it at night!) and the vitamin C I apply at night. I love my sleep and waking up an extra 15 minutes early so the vitamin C has enough time to be effective before I go to work is something I'm not quite ready to commit to.

Oil Cleanser

I oil cleanse on days when I wear makeup, or every 2^nd day. I find that if I do it more frequently than that I break out in closed comedones (CC’s). This has led me to suspect that I maybe have sensitive skin. The oil cleanser I’m currently using is Banila Clean It Zero Purity.

(image: amazon.com)

Application: I scoop a small dollop (a little larger than a pea) and gently massage into my face working from the outside in. This was a tip that I saw in a youtube video somewhere (although I can’t remember where). Working against the grain of your face produces a much better result than starting at your nose and moving outwards. The first time I washed outside-in a whole bunch of little gritty black specks came off. Gross, yet immensely satisfying to have gone! If you have the time/patience you can work a massage in with your oil cleansing step. I spend about 2-3 minutes gently rubbing it in.

Removal: Banila Clean it Zero Purity is emulsifying. This means that when it comes in contact with water it will slowly build up into more of a lather. A lot of newcomers to double cleansing will splash water on their face and expect the oil to be removed. It doesn’t…really work that well and you tend to end up with a residue. To avoid this, I wet my hands and continue to rub the oil into my face, watching it turn into a white lather. When my whole face is lathery, then I’ll wash it off properly with a few dunks of my face.

Cleanser

It’s becoming more frequently accepted in the KBeauty world that low pH cleansers are the way to go. I won’t go through the benefits as, to be entirely honest, I’m not all that sure of them, but the one thing I do know is that a low pH cleanser means that there is less wait time before applying your actives. I’ll write more on this in a later post, but for now low pH=good, higher pH= not bad, but not so good. My current cleanser is Innisfree Anti-Trouble Bija Cleansing Gel which isn’t your usual drugstore foaming cleanser – it’s much, much more gentle. It doesn’t produce any bubbles on your skin (I find that those lovely foaming cleansers have a tendency to be drying, despite how awesome they feel) and it’s a very, very watery texture. “Gel” isn’t really the right word for it. It’s also a lovely pH of 3 (although I haven’t tested this myself yet – pH strips are remarkably hard to come by). This may sound a little too low and further into the "acid" realm of things, BUT when combined with water (which has a higher pH) it evens out to a lovely 4-5.

(image: Innisfreeworld.com)

Application: One to two pumps from the bottle gently rubbed into a wet face working from the inside (nose area) out towards the edges of the face.

Removal: Splash with water until face is clean.

Vitamin C

I can’t really say too much about this yet as I’ve only applied my vitamin C serum twice since starting isolation testing on it. Vitamin C is supposed to be anti-ageing, brightening, help fade sun damage and even out the skin tone/texture. I have high-ish hopes that it will help get rid of some of the really visible red parts of my face (stupid capillaries right at the surface), but I’ve been applying this to the right side of my face only and haven’t noticed any improvement. Early days though!

(image: jolse.com)

I use OST C20 Original Pure Vitamin C Serum, which is a L-Ascorbic Acid. The trouble with using Ascorbic Acid is that it can react negatively with Niacinamide – a very common ingredient in other skin care products. When combined, the Niacinamide turns into niacin and can cause flushing of the skin, which is pretty much the opposite of the look we’re going for here! As long as you’re careful to keep products with these ingredients in a separate part of your routine (or with a long enough waiting period in between applications) you’ll be fine. Preferably, apply the vitamin C in the morning and any niacinamide products in the evening. Again, I’ll write more about that in another post, probably when I drop my OST C20 product review.

Application: Confession- I used WAY too much of this last time I applied it. I used pretty much an entire dropper full on half my face only. This caused a fair bit of stinging and stickiness and took forever to be fully absorbed (in fact, I ended up rinsing my face before applying a moisturiser because of the texture). Since then, I’ve learned that 3-4 drops for the entire face is a more appropriate amount. Drip it over and then pat gently to absorb it. You can also gently tap your skin with each finger in a sort of imitation of piano playing to help absorption.

Removal: Er… don’t remove it unless you have an adverse reaction. Vitamin C should be left on your face to do its work for at least 15 minutes, otherwise you’re really not getting the full benefit of it. If your face still feels sticky and you’re more comfortable removing it, I’d recommend using a hydrating toner to get off the residue. Personally, I just slap my moisturisers on over the top.

Eye Cream

Ah, eye creams. I am seriously paranoid about the amount of fine lines under my eyes and how…old they’re starting to look. You’d think this would make me wiser and more mature but given how often I laugh at penis jokes, I doubt that’ll be happening any time soon. I’ve been using Etude House Moistfull Collagen Firming Eye Cream and I’m not sure it’s doing much for the lines, however it has really improved the dark circles under my eyes.

(image: kococolor.com)

Application: Using your ring fingers, dab gently around the bottom of your eye, working from the nose out towards the corners of your eyes (where there are hopefully no crow’s feet yet!). You can also dab eye cream down between your nose and outside of your mouth as shown in the below video.

Source: Get It Beauty

Supposedly this reduces those smile lines, although I haven’t noticed much of an effect. Finally, gently rub in all the dollops of cream.

Moisturiser

Another in the Moistfull Collagen line, I use Etude House Moistfull Collagen Cream. My favourite thing about this moisturiser is the smell! It’s so light, refreshing and not at all flowery (something that really bugs me about a lot of moisturisers). It’s just a pleasant, clean smell. It goes on smoothly and absorbs well but I’m not convinced it’s doing all that much. One pot (which is not small) lasted me about a month and a half of twice daily use.

The one on the left (image: Etudehouse.com)

Application: Dip fingers into pot and smooth evenly over face until absorbed. Rub some in, wait and if your skin is still thirsty for more (often characterised by a very quick absorption time and return to dry texture) apply a larger amount.

Sunscreen

Missha All Around Safe Block Essence Sun SPF45/PA+++ is my holy grain of sunscreens.

My preciousssss! (image: misshaus)

I. love. this. sunscreen. Anyone who has been into skincare for a while will know the struggle of finding a sunscreen that ticks all the boxes. This one does that. No breakouts? Check. Non greasy? Check. High level of protection? Check. My favourite thing about it is that it doesn't even SMELL strongly like sunscreen and it's smooth so there are no problems with applying makeup on top (not that I do that on a regular basis, but it's a nice feature to have!). The only downside is that it can be a little harder to get a hold of than the more readily available Sun Milk version, which I might give a shot next.

Application: Apparently you're supposed to apply a teaspoon of sunscreen. Which seems like a LOT when you measure it out. Often I find it takes two layers of application. After waiting for the first to absorb, spread on the second. Reapply whenever needed (depending on your sun exposure).

Where to Buy

All these items are available online through the following links (and probably a whole bunch of others, but these are my preferred sellers):

Banila Clean It Zero Purity: Jolse, RoseRoseShop, Sokoglam, TesterKorea
Innisfree Jeju Bija Anti-Trouble  Cleansing Gel: Jolse, RoseRoseShop, TesterKorea, Innisfreeworld
OST C20 Pure Vitamin C Serum: Jolse, TesterKorea
Etude House Moistfull Collagen Eye Firming Cream: Jolse*, RoseRoseShop, Sokoglam, TesterKorea
Etude House Moistfull Collagen Cream: RoseRoseShop, Etude House, TesterKorea
Missha All Around Safe Block Essence Sun: Jolse**, RoseRoseShop, TesterKorea, MisshaUS

*Super collagen eye cream, not the firming version
** Sun Milk version

Eventually I’ll be writing up more formalised reviews (with my own images) for each of these products. There are quite a few additional products I’m looking at adding to my routine. For instance, you’ll notice that I currently have no exfoliating products or acids built in. Rest easy, for they’re on my testing schedule awaiting a time to be incorporated. Slow and steady and all that. I’ve also been on the lookout for a nice pH adjusting toner, but since the Mizon AHA/BHA toner has been discontinued I’m not sure how that hunt will go :(

Let me know your current routine in the comment section below! Are there any products you’re excited to add?