Basicrefluxsblog - Welcome

Paolo Sebastian | Once Upon a Dream

The Rise of Korean Skincare

Fun fact: did you know that South Korean women spend twice as much of their income on skincare than their American counter parts. 

The Koreans are big into their beauty and skincare regime, so its no wonder they are at the forefront of creating new, innovative skincare products. And  these products have caught on in Europe and America. 

The now commonly known and used product of a BB cream came from Korea. It was first launched in America in 2011 but Korean women have been using it for decades. It is a blend of a moisturiser and a foundation, in 2014 the US market for BB cream alone was worth $164m.

In the UK the most common beauty routine is a 3 step one, cleanse, tone, moisturise. Whereas in Korea is it most common for a 10 step routine, which is…

1) Oil cleanse - This is the initial cleanse. The oil binds with makeup and dirt on the skin that then washes away when you wash off the oil cleanser.

2) Foam cleanse - Foam cleansing now really cleans your skin of the excess oil and bacteria. 

3) Exfoliate - Exfoliating slews away the dead skin cells and helps prevent clogged pore, pimples and comedones.

4) Tone - After cleansing and exfoliating this can throw your skins PH balance, a toner balances your skin, and gives it vital antioxidants. 

5) Essense - This is a lightweight nutritional hydration. It adds moisture and has high levels of active ingredients that takes the natural extracts deep into the skin.

6) Treatment - This step is dependant on your skin issue. If you have acne or blemishes, this is where you would use a spot treatment. If you dark marks, lines or pigmentation you would a retinol or glycolic acid treatment.

7) Mask - Again the type of mask will depend on your skin type and skin needs. Nor is it a daily use product, most Koreans will use a mask twice a week. The mask is an intense version of a treatment, it could contain high levels of vitamin c to help brighten the skin, it could have high levels of witch hazel or tea tree oil to help acne.

8) Eye cream - This is an anti-ageing step that helps prevent dark eyes, fine lines and other signs of ageing around the eyes.

9) Face cream - This is to lock in the skins moisture, keeping it plump and hydrated.

10) SPF sun-cream - the biggest signs of ageing, fine lines, dark spots, are all predominantly caused by the sun. SPF is a vital step in Korean skincare routines.

This routine is obviously a bit excessive and not for everyone. If you have sensitive skin, or any skincare issue it may aggravate it. 

This kind of routine is best for people who have a normal skin type and are looking at preventing the signs of ageing, so probably for people in their late 20′s to 30′s.

Paolo Sebastian | The Passage of Spring

Zuhair Murad | Spring/Summer 2020 Couture

Colorful bathrooms / more here

THENORDROOM.COM - INSTAGRAM - PINTEREST - FACEBOOK

battle of the azelaic acids! paula’s choice vs. the ordinary

🌱 the ordinary: $7.90/30 ml, 10% AzA, no frills

feels smooth and velvety on the skin and creates a smoothened, matte finish that looks quite pretty — until you try to layer more skincare or makeup on top, that is, and it starts to roll up. the pilling made me use it only as my last step of my evening routine, but the decrease in redness it helped me achieve was almost instantaneous, and it also faded my hyperpigmentation spots. that price is unbeatable, but i wish the formulation was less annoying.

🌱 paula’s choice: $36.00/30 ml, 10% AzA, also features salicylic acid, adenosine, licorice root extract, allantoin, bisabolol.

more expensive, more lightweight, with an ingredient list that features more interesting actives — and yet the PC AzA leaves my skin slightly less nourished, and i’ve seen less of a drastic reduction in redness, though it does effectively target hyperpigmentation. it does not roll up under other products, either.

the verdict:

it’s really hard to choose, but based on price and results, i’ll go with the ordinary as my winner — i use azelaic acid in my evening routine, anyway, and the simpler formulation is less irritating to my skin! 

you’ll love it it if… you’re prone to redness, rosacea, acne, hyperpigmentation and/or broken capillaries.

Korean Skincare on a Budget 💸💸

Or- Someone should really stop me before I run out of funds

Pictued: Me counting what I have left after dropping $130 on an order for skincare products.

First of all, I would like to thank @arcanuspeony for giving me this idea to do a post about finding skincare products on a tight budget. 💕

None of us have an infinite source of money. Though why do humans need to use money? Everything should just be free, because living on this planet is already too exhausting for money to but put in the equation. Is that what communism is?

Anyway. I would say the best option for budget-friendly Korean skincare is to check out the Four Pillars of K-beauty brands. (That is a term that I came up with in the shower. You heard it here first.) Etude House, Innisfree, COSRX, and maybe MISSHA. Other brands are only famous for one or two products, but these are the Big Four of Korean skincare. If you are looking for cheap yet effective skincare, this is where you should start.

Product recommendations based on the ten steps of Korean skincare (under $20) ⭐️

Oil cleanser: I love The Face Shop’s Rice Bright Light Cleansing Oil. Another one I like is Innisfree’s Green Tea Cleansing Oil, which is great for oily skin.

Foam cleanser: COSRX low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser and any cleanser from Innisfree.

Exfoliant: This is an item I think you can splurge on, as with exfoliation it is so important to use something that is gentle and won’t tear your skin. I would recommend the COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid, which is mainly for people with acne-prone skin. Dr. G’s Brightening Peeling Gel is good for all skin types.

Toner: Secret Key has a great line of toners for different skin types. Dear, Klairs’ Supple Preparation Toner is nice. You can never go wrong with Etude House’s Soon Jung pH 5.5 Relief Toner for sensitive skin.

Ampoules/Serums/Essences: You can basically skip this step if you’re on a really tight budget. Otherwise, for an essence, I would recommend MISSHA’s Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Rx (pictured blow- a few dollars over 20 but it’s worth it). What do ampoules even do? I stopped using mine a long time ago. As for serums, iUnik is a brand with alright products at a low price.

Sheet mask: Innisfree! All day, every day! Nature Republic’s Real Nature Mask Sheets are good too. (Japanese sheetmasks that come in a package like hand wipes are the cheapest and the best though.)

Moisturiser: If you have to get one product on this list, it has to be Etude House’s Moistfull Collagen Cream. I accidentally dropped my jar and had to throw it away, but trust me. This cream is so nice and hydrating without being too thick. Perfect moisturiser imo.

Sunscreen: Etude House’s Sunprise Must Daily Lotion SPF50+ PA+++ or Missha’s All Around Safe Block Essence Sun EX SPF45/PA+++. Super affordable. ☀️

A real girl-on-a-budget knows that sometimes it’s better to DIY. For the more adventurous, you could try making a green tea facial mask or a rose water facial spray! Skincare also means eating and drinking right so be sure to drink barley tea. (Chill it and it will be the best tea you have ever tasted)

I use YesStyle to buy almost all of my Korean skincare products because once you become a Gold Member everything becomes less expensive and there are always sales where you can pick up great products for low prices! (You could also find some of these products on Amazon, but please boycott that site.)

Two days ago, this Year 2 senior performed this song and by golly…. HE WAS GOOD