*Editor's Note: This post is written by Broek Johnson, one of our bloggers. We asked her to share her first experience using Korean Skincare.
I am not an esthetician but I know my way around the skincare section of a drug store, beauty counter, specialty retailer, or online skincare forum. Obsessed is an aggressive word, I’m curious and open to new things. My first foray into Korean skincare began with the hype I read. The steps! (Multiple.) The ingredients! (Snail slime.) The results! (GLOWING!) Could this be a new consideration toward achieving that perfect poreless porcelain skin of my dreams/possibly too high expectations? I still want to look like myself but where’s the real life equivalent of a soft filter or vaseline on the lens? Can I have a golden hour looking face every hour? What’s actually achievable for me? I was ready to find out.
Then one day while walking through Chinatown, I stopped in to a little corner shop with ALL THE MASKS. So much to look at and read. So many results to be had. I have dry sensitive skin prone to bouts of rosacea so I confirmed with the attendant which would best for making my skin look dewy and delicious. After some serious study and consideration, I went with two mask packs. One “hydrating” amino acid mask, another “healing” cellulose mask, and a jar of golden snail eye masks. I went home to refrigerate the goods (best for the maximum cooling and double down on anti-inflammation) for later.
That night I was ready to pamper and prepare for bed. Gold swoops under my eyes and the unfolded the hydrating amino sheet mask. Did I wear both a sheet mask AND eye masks together? Yes. Is that the right way? Maybe not, but it didn’t feel wrong. The all over cool felt wonderful and that glossy liquid serum goodness leftover to marinate my skin overnight. I woke up to soft and even skin. Actual visible and tactile results. Per the instructions, I waited a week to try the healing cellulose mask. It was a lovely time but I will say my skin didn’t have the same oomph as the previous mask. Still, it calms the redness and moisturized my face. No regrets.
Since then I’ve branched out and tried all sorts of sheet masks and eye patches. Most recently Soon’s. While the hype or concept of Korean skincare may be familiar, Soon Skincare's offerings and results are unlike other masks you may have tried. The Micro-hole Hydrogel Collagen Mask or Blueberry Hydrogel Eye Patch are a good place to start. Dewy and delicious achieved without parabens, sulfates, and phthalates.
What’s not to love about multiple steps and a methodical if exaggerated routine I say? Cover ALL the bases. What’s the worst that could happen? You could end up with the porcelain skin you've been dreaming about.
