Understanding Korean Beauty Routine and Avoiding the Pitfalls

The Korean Beauty Routine is all the rage and in ads people in Korean have that flawless porcelain skin. Having been to Korea myself I can attest that most Koreans I have seen did have the beautiful, dewy porcelain skin.

I have tried using a Korean beauty routine. I've had both success and failure with the routine. 

There are a lot of blogs and youtubers who tell you the great benefits of a Korean routine and what they use in their daily routine. This encouraged me to just go and buy products I needed to form the routine and just like Nike says (do it!). Unfortunately this was not a good way  to approache the Korean Beauty routine. I think one of the major mistakes I made was buying many Korean products to fit into the routine without actually knowing how those products would react together and if it was a proper fit for my sensitive skin.

I found some Korean beauty products that I absolutely adore. That being said, I also found some Korean products I did not like and realized that the Korean Beauty Routine doesn't have to consist only of Korean beauty products (silly me to realize this so late).

I think there is a lot of merit to the Korean Beauty routine. I think the most valuable thing I have learned from the Korean Beauty Routine is that it is okay to layer on different types of skincare product.

For any beginners or anyone looking to try the Korean Beauty Routine, this is what I have learned, my advice to you, and what you need to know to avoid the pitfalls I fell in:


1.       Build up a beauty routine slowly. Add in new products one at a time to the products you currently use. This is so that you can know right away how the new product you just added to your routine affects your skin.

My first mistake was going out and buying all the Korean products used in the typical Korean beauty routine without understanding my own skin. The most important thing is to understand your skin and how it will react to any product.

            I went and bought a oil cleanser, foam cleanser, toner, serums, etc. All the products I purchased were Korean and the only thing I really did was look at the reviews for the products. I made sure I bought products with great reviews and though that was easy step 1 done.

Then I proceeded to go right into the routine and just using all the products I bought. Please do not do this. Especially if you have sensitive skin or allergies. I couldn't use half the stuff I bought. The major reason was allergic reaction and irritation because some of the products had too much fragrance. Good thing Memebox has a great return policy.

Incorporate new products into your beauty routine one at a time.  That way if you try something new and break out or have an allergic reaction you know the source. Same thing if your skin improves, you know which product or which combination of products cause the improvement and how your skin reacts to the products.

When you are using a lot of new products for the first time at the same time you have no idea what is causing you to break out or have an allergic reaction if happen to have one.

2.      Pick and choose whatever skincare products suits your skin and needs. 

My second mistake was making two really silly assumptions. The first assumption was that it is a Korean beauty routine, so I need all Korean beauty products. I found out through many Korean beauty product purchases that Korean beauty products are similar to any countries beauty products in that there are products that are both good and bad.

I currently use a mix of Korean products and American products and it is working great for me. If what you are currently using is all Korean and its working, kudos to you. Use what works for you but don’t feel like you have to use only Korean beauty products in the Korean beauty routine.

3.      MIX IT UP! You do not have to use the same products/routine every day. I find it is best to cater to what your skin needs and mix it up when you have to.

When I think of Korean beauty routine and I see what other people are using the fact it is a routine seems to imply most people are doing the same thing every day. The morning and night routines are different due to sunblock, makeup and possibly different creams for day and night, along with sleeping masks.

I was under the impression that I would be using the same night routine every night, with exception of skin scrubs and masks that are supposed to be used only a few times a week. I think it is okay to use the same routine everyday if that is what your skin needs.

Be sure to change your routine with the season since summer and winter drastically affects what you skin needs.

I am using acne products and I have combination skin. I have days when your skin is drier from acne products and will require more moisture. Days when some parts of my face are oily, etc. It is not ideal to use the same routine to treat my face when it is oily and when it is dry. I also do not want to apply my acne product every day since benzoyl peroxide was rumored to give you wrinkles. Honestly, anything that dries our your skin will give you wrinkles, for strong chemicals using less is better, especially if your skin doesn’t need to use it every day.

So have different products on hand, if your skin is very oily one morning, might want to take some of the products that add moisture out of the routine for that day and use something else that deals with oily skin. 

Some Koreans actually use beauty masks to handle the different skin conditions when they appear, but some masks are expensive, they can be time consuming to use ( I don’t have time to put a mask on my face for 20 minutes before heading out that door in the morning), and you would have to have the masks for the different problems your skin might deal with on hand. So personally I prefer having a product in a bottle that I can put on to deal with that days problem before heading out.

I use my benzoyl peroxide on an as needed basis, which due to my improving skin is every other day, or every two days. On days that I do use it, I add in items to boost moisture since my skin tends to dry out a bit more. In my next post I will show you what products I am currently using, how I use them together, and why that works for me. I will also explain what products I am no longer using, or have switched out and why along with pictures of my results.

4.      More products does not necessarily = better results

This is kind of self-explanatory. You shouldn’t feel the need to incorporate tons of beauty products into your routine just because others do it, or feel that doing so will make your skin better. If you have great skin, go minimal, less products you use will decrease your chances of allergic reactions, or any negative effects that products can cause. 

Just because the Korean beauty routine, I believe, typically runs from 6-9 steps. If you are using 3-5 steps and it is working, don’t feel like you have to add in more stuff to reach the amount the typical routine has. Doing so, especially if you don’t need it will:

-          waste your money (buying the unneeded products)
-          waste your time (lengthen the routine to put more stuff on every day)
-          will increase your chances of negative product interaction which I will discuss below.

5.      Order Matters

A lot of people who use the Korean beauty routine aren’t really sure which step goes where. I was one of those people and through reading advice from other bloggers, listening to youtubers, and from personal experience know the order that you put the products on matter.

Supposedly in the typical Korean beauty routine you would use oil cleanser, foam cleanser, toner, and then proceed to apply serum/essence/ampoules/emulsion etc. in the order of the texture. So usually the more liquid and fast-absorbing product goes on first.

It gets trickier when you have products that are similar in texture or if you run into my scenario. Typically when putting on most products starting from the faster absorbing products I don’t really have an issue, even if the products are similar in texture, I just apply one and then the other, keeping in mind that the products applied prior usually absorbs better. If I am applying two lotions, and one also fights wrinkles, it is usually better to apply that one and then the other regular lotion on top so that the lotion with the anti-wrinkle can absorb better.

That being said, there are major exceptions such as when I used benzoyl peroxide and argan oil together. Let me say first off from personal experience argan oil always goes first before benzoyl peroxide. This is because benzoyl peroxide leaves like a film on the skin and argan oil (which is an oil, and oils remove things on the skin) will cause that film to peel off and basically nullify any benefits of the benzoyl peroxide. What is worse is because argan oil will remove the benzyol peroxide beneath it by peeling it off if you were not aware and had makeup on top of that, your face is just going to be a mess. Who is looking to another 15-30 minutes of taking off and reapplying all their makeup?

6.      Understand how the products interact with each other 

This is hands down THE MOST IMPORTANT thing I have learned. Not all products are compatible with each other and using some products with others can either lead to negative/harmful effects or will make some of the products ineffective.

Wet on wet vs. wet on dry application (Wet on wet means applying a product on another product before it dries. Wet on dry means letting the former product absorb into skin/or dry before applying on another product)

One of the easiest examples to see this is on benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Quick Chemistry refresher here: the two are incompatible because one if an acid and one is a base. When used together in liquid form if they are of the same strength they will cancel out and you will get water. So applying both on your skin in liquid form will basically leave you with the effects of neither and will be as if you had applied water to your face. If they are of different strengths the stronger one will prevail but will be a lot less potent than it would be had you applied it alone.

Now that is a wet application, the other and more harmful application is a dry on wet application. Let say you applied a product with benzoyl peroxide and let it dry on your skin. If you proceeded to put liquid salicylic acid (I have done this as a kid and I used a salicylic acid based toner) what it will do is burn your skin but it will also act like a chemical peel and will lighten the skin. I do not recommend anyone trying this, it is extremely bad for your skin. When I did this as a kid I was trying to fix my acne by applying more acne product. The internet wasn’t around yet to teach me what not to do.

Another example is the one given above of how the argan oil and benzoyl peroxide reacts negatively when argan oil is place on top of the dried benzoyl peroxide. I have not have any issues with applying benzoyl peroxide on top of the oil.

Also be careful of apply any sleeping mask over not dried acne product. I was applying my Holika Holika red wine sleeping mask over my benzoyl peroxide prior to letting it dry. As a result it was more potent since the mask prevents the products from dying out and as long as the product is still wet it will keep working. What happened was it dried my skin out pretty bad and made my skin really thin. Strong bases and strong acids erode the skin barrier. I didn’t have an issue when I applied the sleeping mask after letting the benzoyl peroxide dry.

Now those were extreme examples, and for the most part, your face products will not react in such an extreme way. However, there will be some products that when use together can dry out your skin or harm other negative interactions with each other. It is important to incorporate products into the routine one at a time and understand how they will interact with each other. As soon as something new does not work out, remove the offender. 

Understand how your products interact with each other, especially when they are wet and dry. This I believe is the key to successfully layering products. Good luck!

Worth the Splurge?: Mishibox Unboxing (New Korean Beauty Box)

So Mishibox just launched and shipped out all their boxes this Monday June 15. 2015 via 2 day priority shipping. Mine has just arrived today and I am super excited!

Mishibox is a new Korean Beauty Box, currently only available in the states. It appears to be more skincare focused over some of the other makeup focused one.

The box was suppose to be around $15 free shipping, but due to complications securing sample sizes Mishibox decided to include full size products and the new price was $18.95 free shipping.

All boxes are NONREFUNDABLE, I think most subscription boxes are nonrefundable with the exception of Memebox which I love.

Is this box a good value?

There are 3 full size and 3 sample size products in the box.

Full size products:

1. Holika Holika Aloe 99% Soothing Gel 250ml/8.4oz

- $5.51 on KoreaDepart not include shipping

- $11.99 on Amazon  free shipping (cheapest I could find)

2. Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack

- Not available on KoreaDepart, apparently KoreaDepart does not carry Benton products.
- $18.28 (1.82 each) for a pack of 10 on Amazon free shipping

3. Holika Holika Jewel Light Waterproof Eyeliner (I got it in a silver color)

- $3.54 on KoreaDepart shipping not included available in only 4 colors:

13. Poison Red
14. Mystic Blue
15. Burgundy Garnet
16. Black Plum

-  On Amazon, product color is all over the place most sellers only selling one or a few colors. Price is $5+ depending what color you want. Price includes shipping which is around $4. Without shipping included prices run $0.76 and up.

Sample Size Products:

1. Banila Co. Clean It Zero (7g)

- Korea Depart full size 100ml $13.84 not including shipping. Korea Depart does not carry the sample size.

- Beauty Net Korea carries and sells the sample size, you get 5 of the samples for $7.57 (about 1.51 each) free shipping

2. Benton Honest Cleansing Foam (8g)

- Found the samples for sale at Rose Rose Shop pack of 5 for 3,800 won (which is about $3.45 USD/ $0.69 each) not including shipping

3. Skylake Oriental Herb Cool Shampoo (40ml)

- KoreaDepart carries this size, I believe it is a travel size $3.95 not including shipping.

- $14.91 on Amazon not including shipping which is around an additional $4. This product is not that available in the U.S. and as a result tend to be more expensive. I don't even see this product on ebay.


Total value: $25.20 so yes the box is worth the value. Keep in mind most boxes should be because they are saving the cost of shipping per item.

- $12 for the aloe ( I would not order this from KoreaDepart because of the weight it wouldn't be worth shipping to the states. Its like $8+ shipping)
- $2 for the Benton snail bee mask
- $5 for the Holika Holika Jewel Light Waterproof Eyeliner
- $1.50 for Banila Co. Clean It Zero (7g)
- $0.70 for the Benton Honest Cleansing Foam
- $4 for the Skylake Oriental Herb Cool Shampoo


My thoughts about the box.

 The box had a good value. I have not tried any of these products so I am excited to try it. However, I do not have a positive outlook towards Korean cleansing products, which 2 of the samples are.

The only Korean cleanser I liked and still used is the cleansing oils to remove makeup. I have heard of the Banila Co. products and the Benton brand so I am looking forward to seeing how well they work.

I wasn't a big fan of masks, but after trying a few I am so surprise at how well they have worked. This mask contains snail secretion and bee venom. I have never tried a product with bee venom and I know they are a really popular ingredient in Korean beauty products. So I am very excited about trying this one. It is suppose to help with wrinkles, whitening, and skin- soothing.

I love the aloe I have 2 aloe products but I love Holika Holika and have yet to try this one. I plan to do an aloe comparison of the brands I own to see what differences there are between them and which one is the most worth the price.

Despite the fact I love Holika Holika, I didn't like the eye pencil. This isn't due to quality but due to the fact that I haven't and do not plan to use it because of the shade I received. I don't see me pulling off a silver liner, it isn't really my color or style.

I really liked the fact most of the items in the box were geared towards skincare which is what I am looking for. I am not looking fore makeup items and I really dislike the fact you were unable to pick an eye pencil color and I think I will just gift mine to a friend. I would have preferred a gold or black/brown one.

I am curious to try the shampoo but would have preferred something else. The shampoo, although exotic smells exactly like the ricola throat lozenges. I am not sure is something I would like to smell like or have other people smelling on me. It also comes with pieces of chinese herbs in it. I had this one dark piece. I've seen other bottles with 3-4 white pieces.

The fact that it is such a unique product is what is making it interesting. Generally I dislike trying new hair care products. I'm the type of girl who buys the dollar shampoo and conditioner and let me hair air dry. I was born with nice healthy asian hair and it doesn't need a lot of special care.

Overall I did like the box but for the price, I probably would have just ordered the Aloe gel which is like the only thing I am on board for 10/10. I feel like if I had known about what was in the box prior I would not have ordered it. It just that most of the products in here are a miss with me. I only want to try some of the stuff because they are new but really not looking for cleansers, shampoo, eye pencils atm. The face mask is okay and I love the aloe gel.

Regarding future purchases of Mishibox. I think I will wait and see what is in the box that month and hope it doesn't sell out. If I like whats in the box then I will order it. Overall my feelings toward Mishibox launch is pretty positive, I am a little disappointed due to my own expectations. I know some other people are fairly upset at getting products they all already had or tried before. I recently got into Korean beauty and I have tried none of these products. I think Mishibox may be very good for those who are just learning about Korean beauty products and want to try some of the mainstream brands and popular items.

Leejiham Tea Tree 90 Essence & Cream review

First off let me say the essence is super pricey to purchase in the states. Memebox sells it for like $36 when KoreaDepart had it for $18.80 each! I tried to purchase more of the essence yesterday but KoreaDepart upped the price to $24 and Memebox upped it to $40. I think the brand increased the price because the price uniformly went up everywhere even on ebay.

I bought 2 off KoreaDepart for $18.80. Which was kinda a risky investment for me especially since I had never tried the product before. However, given the cost of shipping I had the make it worth the buy and therefore got 2 of them. I also got the tea tree cream.

I got the item around 4/20 and I am halfway through with the essence. So a full bottle would last me 4-5 months which isn't bad. I will admit I am not sparing when using the essence because I would prefer to have enough of it on my face to feel like its working. I use one to half a dropper full per application.

My skin has been so good recently and I wonder if this is the cause of it. After the acne I received massive comedones through both sides of the cheeks and chin area. I rarely suffer acne on my cheeks, this was the first time it happened and I had no idea the cause. I read up about it online and some people said it could take years to heal. At which point I was very sad, but surprisingly I got rid of it all and it stopped coming back in less than a month! Now my skin is pretty acne free (I still have some scarring which will take a few months to heal), I get zits once in a while, but compared to the massive acne flare up where no part of my face is spared the red bumpiness I am so happy. I have also been off the medication for about 2 months so I am fairly sure it is this product doing the work.

Texture is clear and runny like water.

The essence absorbs into the skin almost immediately.

I just love, love this essence. I use it everyday without fail right after I wash my face.

Here is why I love this item!

1. It is virtually odorless, I seriously hate heavy fragrance skincare items.

2. It has No Paraben  No Mineral Oil  No Artificial Coloring  No Ethanol  No Fragrance  No Animal Material  No Triethanolamine

3. There is nothing on the ingredients of this item that would irritate sensitive skin or promote acne.

4. I love the minimal clean white packaging, especially the dropper design.

5. Unlike most acne products, this item does NOT dry out or irritate the skin. It is so gentle when I first used it I thought it was some form of water. The texture and feeling is like rubbing water on your skin. Due to the lack of irritation that I associate with acne products, I was actually scared it wasn't working. But my white heads stop turning into pimples and this made my face feel so calm and was so soothing after washing or extraction.

6. I do use this item with benzyl peroxide. I have used benzyl peroxide in the past without this product and also used this product without benzyl peroxide. I find that I had the best results when I used them together.

I do like the tea tree cream and I was using it with the essence, but I don't like it as much as the essence. I used the essence with another cream before and I don't think the cream is a necessity to clear skin like the essence is. Also it smells medicinal which is better than smelling heavily of fragrance, but I prefer odorless. 

The cream is pretty light, goes on smooth and is quickly absorbed. However, it is summer here and it is so light it is not moisturizing enough for my skin in the humid summer, never mind a dry winter. It is less moisturizing than the Clinique dramatically different moisturizing gel and way more expensive. The LJH Tea Tree Cream costs a little more than $22 for 50ml which is about 1.6 oz not including the shipping costs from Korea. The Clinique gel runs me around $26 for 4.2 oz. which is more than twice the product for a fraction more of the price. 

Since I wasn't so fond of the medicinal smell of the Tea Tree cream I only wore it at night. Don't get me wrong, it is not an unpleasant scent, but in the day time when you are near other people, it is not the sort of scent you want them to smell on you. 

Besides my issue with pricing, I found out the best skin routine for me was omitting the Tea Tree cream, using benzyl peroxide with the essence and the Clinique gel. I wouldn't purchase the cream again, purely because of price. If it was a lot cheaper I would, I just didn't really notice the anti acne effects on this product since the essence alone was working so well. I would rather not have to pay a lot for a redundant product. 

I know the essence is pricey, but do give it a try if you can. Especially if you have acne problems. It is a wonderful and based on reviews has worked for many people. All skin is not the same so there is a chance it might not work for your skin, but if you can afford it or even get a sample of it somewhere, its worth a try.

I will definitely try out other products from Leejiham line. The two that I tried did not irritate my sensitive skin, clog my pores, make me break out, or give me and allergic reaction! In fact all the products felt nice soothing, and calming on my skin. 

As a side note the Tea Tree Essence and Cream promises to brighten your skin as well. I notice other reviewers complaining about it not having a brightening effect. I didn't notice a whitening of my skin, like bleaching effect, which a lot of Korean beauty products do. I did notice it evening my skin tones and fading my acne scars. So overall this essence is fantastic in my book. 10/10 will buy again.

First Impressions Physicians Formula Argan Oil

I am aware of the argan oil craze. Argan oil is suppose to be good for your skin, face, hair, nails, basically everything. I am skeptical of anything that is suppose to be the miracle cure for everything so I didn't give it much though.

I was recently in Rite Aid pharmacy a few weeks ago and notice that Physicians Formula line was 40% off! Being a sucker for sales I had to go over and take a look. I noticed on top of the 40% discounts some of the products had a sticker which promised a $10 rebate. I was sold! I did the math and realized that if my rebate was honored the product would basically be free on top of the 40% off so I went ahead and purchased it. The oil was I believe around $14 prior to any discounts.

Not all the Physicians Formula products had the rebate sticker. The only product that had it was the Argan Wear, argan oil.

I was pleasantly surprised with this product. I love the dropper design, it keeps the product from contamination during use and allows a controlled amount of the product to be dispensed. The product doesn't really have an odor. It is a light oil which spreads well, is quickly absorbed, and is not greasy.

I have used it on my face twice with good results. It did not cause me to breakout, which was my number one concern. I used this product because my skin was a bit dry. For the first application, I applied this after my night essence and serum. I woke up with well hydrated skin. You only need a very small amount, I believed 5 drops of the oil was enough for my entire face.

My 2nd application of the product was to moisturize my skin before using my liquid foundation. Both times the results were good and I had no negative side effects.

I am definitely impressed with this argan oil. I am, however skeptical of the price $14 for 1fl. of argan oil. That is pretty expensive in my book because I think argan oil is a generic product. Sephora carries one by Josie Maran "100% pure argan oil" for $48. I guess the question I am asking is, is there actually a difference between these brands of argan oil?

My understanding so far is that argan oils, like other oils, such as olive or coconut, if not mixed with other substances is a generic product. Theoretically regardless of price it should be the exact same product regardless of which brand you buy.

I see other brands carrying argan oil for $6 for 2fl. Which is super affordable. I will keep using my argan oil and will update you on how it goes. So far I am definitely liking this product, but I am very skeptical about the difference between super expensive and cheaper argan oil.