Asian skincare

From left to right:

Bioderma crealine H2O - France (superficial water based cleanse)
DHC eyelash tonic - Japan (treatment)
The Face Shop rice water cleansing oil - Korea (makeup removal/oil based cleanse)
The Cure natural aqua gel - Japan (exfoliation)
Etude House wonder pore freshener - Korea (toner)
Hada Lobo super hyaluronic acid lotion - Japan (daytime moisturiser)
DHC olive virgin oil - Japan (deep moisturiser)
Lange Paris instant matifying mask - France (treatment/deep cleanse)
Jade facial massaging stone - China (facial massage)
Tosowoong pore-rx tightening serum - Korea (treatment)
Innisfree 3 in 1 nose pack - Korea (blackhead treatment)
Skinfood red orange makeup finish glossy type- Korea (mist)
Too cool for school fresh gore sleeping pack - Korea (anti aging)

After fifteen years of using a great many products alongside perfecting a routine to cater for my ever changing skin, the lifelong insanity has finally come to an end. Research has proven without a shadow of a doubt, that the prevailing methodology lies in an Asian 10-16 step regimen. I have gone absolutely bonkers for both Korean and Japanese products, so much so that I might even need another bathroom cabinet. Here's why:

Asian skincare's claim to fame is their knack for tackling hyperpigmentation and blackheads. What are my two beauty bugbears? - freckles and oily skin. After six months I have seen quite a dramatic change in both my skin tone, and the tightness of my pores. Even throughout my pregnancy when my hormones were going haywire causing my skin to be somehow dry, greasy, blemished, flushed and sickly pale all at the same time, my new routine has still managed to stand me in good stead. Now my postnatal skin has settled, the rewards are becoming even more apparent.

Japanese lifestyle in particular, I am convinced holds the key to anti-aging. Now I've had my first little tyke, I've become a little paranoid about keeping my skin looking young. It frustrates me when this claim is met with tuts and eye rolling and 'you're still a baby you don't need to be worrying about that yet.' On the contrary, the best anti aging care is to be as proactive as possible in terms of diet and lifestyle as well as using skincare products with preemptive ingredients. I've known women my age and even younger to look absolutely ancient, which can be attributed solely to the fact that they haven't looked after their skin properly and/or picked up some bad habits when using makeup. Waiting until you're in your forties when you spot that first line becomes a case of damage control as oppose to staving off the aging process. Mid twenties is about the right age to start heading down this road.

I've gone on a little here so I'll do a proper breakdown of my 12-16 steps in the posts to come :)