Korean Skincare Routine

"It may sound extensive, but most Korean women use an 8 and 10-step skincare routine each and every day to help keep their skin looking healthy and beautiful" Vicky explains. "Although it's quite a bit of work compared to the average skincare regime, their effort does not go unnoticed – these women take pride in knowing they have some of the best skin in the world!" These are her key steps for morning:

THE KOREAN MORNING ROUTINE

Step 1: Wash with water

First thing in the morning, cleanse your skin with only water, not cleanser. Water removes the few impurities that settle on the face during the night, and keeps skin hydrated, too.

Step 2: Toner

To balance the skin's pH levels, it's important to apply toner; otherwise the skin can become dry and dehydrated. Toner further helps to absorb the next products you apply.

Step 3: Essence

Essence is a hybrid between a toner and a serum. It works perfectly to hydrate the complexion, aiding cellular turnover for a youthful appearance.

Step 4: Ampoule

Similar to serums, ampoules actually comprise an even higher number of active ingredients to target specific skin care concerns. They're used for a finite amount of time as a booster when your skin badly needs the extra help.

Step 5: Serum

Concentrated formulas with an unprecedented amount of active ingredients, serums target specific skin concerns like wrinkles, dark spots, and dehydration.

Step 6: Eye cream

Smooth a light eye cream across both the brow and socket bone moving from the inner to outer corner of the eye. Here, the skin is at its thinnest as there are no sebaceous glands to produce natural oils, so it's important to keep this area hydrated and protected all day long.

Step 7: Moisturiser

Next apply a soothing moisturiser in a light layer across the skin for long lasting all-day hydration.

Step 8: Sunscreen

Applying sunscreen shouldn't be reserved for the summer holidays. Protecting the skin on a daily basis from UV rays will avoid the development of dark spots, wrinkles and fine lines.

Simplified version:

Step 1. Wash with water

Step 2. Toner

Step 3. Serum/Ampoule

Step 4. Eye Cream

Step 5. Moisturiser with SPF

THE KOREAN NIGHTTIME ROUTINE

"Korean skincare is all about layering. Toner, essence, serum, ampoule, moisturiser… 10 steps sound like a lot, but each one has its own important job to do to keep skin young, healthy, and glowing." This is her full routine for night:

Step 1: Oil-based cleanser

For the evening, select an oil based cleanser to start with as this will work to remove oil- based makeup and impurities from the skin.

Step 2: Double-cleansing

Following the oil cleanser, use a water-based cleanser to gently remove the oil residue and water-based impurities from the day.

Step 3: Exfoliate

Twice a week use a gentle enzyme or bead-based exfoliator to remove the dead skin cells that can make the complexion appear lack-lustre whilst blocking pores and preventing key product ingredient absorption

Step 4: Toner

In the same morning manner, next apply a toner to balance the skin's pH levels.

Step 5: Essence

Apply your essence to hydrate the complexion…

Step 6: Ampoule

By applying this super charged serum at night, your skin will be able to absorb all the hydration it needs following a long day's work.…

Step 7: Serum

Following which the serum should then be worked into the specific areas of concern.

Step 8: Sheet mask 

The sheet mask is a Korean beauty favourite – a cloth saturated with skin loving ingredients! Perfect for all skin types, everyone can benefit from these masks which deliver a deeply hydrating and anti-ageing treatment.

Step 9: Eye cream