I've always been interested beauty. And, like most people, clear skin is always something that I've strived for. I've tried tons of Western products over the past 12 years but with little success. In the last year, I figured out that my skin actually worked better when I didn't use any products. I am lucky to have normal skin but "better" still involved occasional hormonal acne, redness, and severely dehydrated skin.

 

Right before the start of my Asian skincare journey my routine only consisted of occasional cleansing with Cetaphil cleaner and toning with Simple Soothing Facial Toner. It was a chore, it wasn't really doing anything for my skin, and I was frustrated. I started researching alternative options and came across the Asian Beauty subreddit on Reddit.

 

I was enthralled. Their difference in perspective, the different ingredients, the novelty products… I loved it all. My first buy was the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack. This was not a good idea. I did not have a good cleanser and no moisture for a sleeping pack to lock in. I figured that this was the reason why I had a bad reaction to it, but I later learned that it was actually the product.

 

After a long wait (I ordered it from a Korean Amazon seller), I received my second Asian skincare product, the Rosette Ceramide Gel. After putting it on at night and waking up to softer, plumper, more hydrated, and redness erased skin, I knew that I had finally found a product that worked for me. I didn't know it at the time but this would later become my #1 HG product.

 

Since then I've significantly grown my routine. I added cleansers like Clean it Zero and the Nooni Root Energy Cleansing Water. I added actives like a vitamin C serum and the COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner. I packed in the hydrators with products like Scinic Honey All-in-One Ampoule, Banila Co. Miss Flower & Mr. Honey Cream, and, of course, my trusty Rosette Ceramide Gel. And who can forget about all the lovely mask pack and mask sheets? I am consistently adding and testing new products hoping that they will become staples to my routine. The only non-Asian products left in my routine currently are Simple Soothing Facial Toner (I'm waiting to finish the bottle to replace it) and the Aztec Secret Indian Healing Bentonite Clay Mask (I love this deep cleansing clay mask and will be keeping it as part of my routine).

 

People always ask me how I'm able to keep up with such a lengthy routine when just a 2-step process was such a chore for me. The answer is that diving into an Asian skincare routine comes with a complete paradigm shift. They believe that your skincare routine isn't about something that you have to do, it's something that you want to do. It's about caring for yourself and giving yourself some much needed pampering. At the beginning, I had no idea what kind of difference this kind of thought process would make. Not only have I not missed a single day of my routine, I've also seen how it has helped with my anxiety and depression. Because I'm taking care of myself, I feel more worthy. It's something so small that it seems silly but it has had a major positive effect on my life. I look forward to my AM/PM ritual because it's the time of day that I really let myself relax.

 

I am now over 2 months into having a consistent routine. The results have been amazing. I am still very much enthralled by the different aspects of Asian skincare, and I love learning more every day. I've recently grown my passion from just skincare into makeup as well. People may think that all of this is a very surface level interest, but it's so much more than that. It's about learning more about the science behind your skin's health, and taking active measures to put yourself first to create a better, healthier, more rewarding life.