A few weeks ago, Into The Gloss, my favorite beauty website,
posted an article about the extensive (and maybe to some, excessive) 10-Step
Beauty Routine of Korean women. Ever the
lover of slathering on as many lotions and potions on my visage as possible I
was instantly intrigued as to what extra steps (and products) I could add in to
my current routine in effort to emulate the flawless and phosphorescent
complexion achieved by Korean women.
The ten step routine (and how my current routine compares) looks a little like this:
1. Cleanse to remove makeup - TICK
2. Cleanse to cleanse skin - TICK
3. Exfoliate - TICK (but not every night)
4. Tone - SOMETIMES
5. Add “Essence” - No…what is this Essence step?
6. Apply Serum - TICK
7. Sheet mask (twice a week) - TICK
8. Eye cream - When I can be bothered/when am in an eye cream believing in mood
9. Moisturise with emulsion - NAH
10. Night cream - YAH
Most of these steps make perfect sense, and certainly don’t
offer anything especially ground breaking – a double cleanse is crucial to
clean and fresh skin and we have all given our skin a good scrub and mask spa
session at some stage. The step that interested me the most is that of applying
“essence” after toning and before adding serum. This step is actually
considered by the Korean woman to be the most special and important step in her
routine. Extensive “Google-research” tells us that essence contains essential
nutrients for the skin. It’s lighter and more watery than a serum and delivers
simple, uncomplicated essentials to the deeper layers of skin. It shouldn't be confused
with toner which prepares and balances the skin before adding all of these
extra layers of lush and potent goodness.
The most well known essence is by SKII – their Facial Treatment Essence, endorsed by pearly skinned Cate Blanchett is lauded for its skin renewing and balancing properties and inclusion of 90% Pitera. Pitera is a yeast fermentation liquid rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids that was discovered by SKII scientists upon visiting a sake brewery where they noticed that the workers hands were smooth and crystal clear.
The second that I read that the “Time Revolution First Treatment Essence” by Missha was the product that made the most difference in the road test of the routine in the ITG article I knew I just had to have it. It’s always exciting to hear from beauty lovers and professionals about products that really work and reveal a result because more often than not it’s very hard to notice a discernible difference in your skin and even rarer to notice a positive reaction to a skincare product. The article also claims that the Missha essence is very similar to the much loved SKII essence, albeit half the price and praise the lord, available in New Zealand. So naturally I rushed out to get my mitts on a bottle as fast as my short legs allowed. I love this essence and will be incorporating this product into my routine forever more (or until something else piques me fancy, beauty products can be fickle things, admittedly). It cleared up my blemishes, made my skin soft and supple and completely eliminated some pesky redness (thank you licorice extract) that has been creeping its way onto my mug. It smells yeast-y and fermented which I like as it means the formula isn't altered by unnecessary fragrant extras. I splash this one after cleansing and immediately my post shower redness makes a hasty and thorough retreat.
Containing 80% Fermented Yeast Extract Missha promises eight benefits from this product – smoothing, soothing, boosting, moisturizing, balancing, firming, skin tone evening and wrinkle repairing. Though I can’t vouch for the wrinkle repairing promise, I really do notice smoother, fresher more even skin – which is a real win from a skincare product in my experience.
If you want to extend your skincare routine beyond your current regimen, it is definitely worthwhile checking out how Korean women care for their skin. Weather it be one extra step to splash out on that makes you feel more indulged and sparkling, incorporating essence or soaking your skin in all ten steps – if their flawless and glowing skin is anything to go by, there’s no harm in wanting a little bit of what they’re having.
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