I know, it sounds a bit crazy. Good value is good value, right? Who doesn't love value? As it turns out, me-- at least some of the time. This is an idea that has been floating around in my head for a few months, peeking out in posts here and there, and finally I decided I was going to push aside a lackluster review that was too boring to write and explore this idea in earnest.This is not a traditional or "authentic" Korean beauty concept (after all, I'm not Korean; I do believe that K-Beauty is accessible to everyone), it's just something that's been percolating around my head for a while, with roots in both Korean beauty and the international K-Beauty community. The evolution of ideas that take root and then flourish into countless branches of inspiration and personal discovery is pretty fascinating, after all!I've been really captivated by the concepts that have evolved naturally from the international K-Beauty community in the last year . For better or ill, the international K-Beauty scene is as much of a force as the trends that are coming out of Korea itself, in no small part due to deliberate and official incentive from the Korean government for brands and shops. But back to the point, which is that the international K-Beauty community generates some very interesting ideas and concepts, as well as endless variations in approach and personal skincare philosophy.I think it's important to give oneself room to evolve; ideas can stagnate and then become be perceived as the only "right" way to do something; skincare is so complex and there's just so many factors involved that there's no truism more apt than YMMV aka "your mileage my vary" and there's so much room for figuring out what works for your unique skin.A lot of these concepts also work synergistically; for example, one can be a proponent of both theand also the, by practicingwhen making purchases. The one I'm going to talk about today works well with both, even if it's going to sound a little crazy at first.

The seed: Go Hyun Jung's skincare tips

Go Hyun Jung @ 40.

img credit: ajnews

Seasonal Skincare: not just capitalism at work

Portion control: in your hauls and on your face

*horrified shrieking*

Putting it together: Good value is not necessarily a good thing

Travel size Sulwhasoo is more than 50% empty, the Goodal is barely dented.

On the road to empty; travel sizes giving me all of the perks with none of the guilt.

So what's today's concept? The idea that getting a great value on your purchases may not actually be a good idea, or sustainable. I know, nuts, but hear me out.If you're a longtime reader, you'll be no stranger to my respect for the ideas of skincare idol Go Hyun Jung, even if I cherry-pick the ones that work for me;is something I still follow every time I cleanse.She's also very concerned with hygiene, and according to blogger, advised in her 2011 beauty book that she throws out her open skincare after two months-- for hygiene reasons. [This was admittedly a little shocking for me, since it's not uncommon in the west for people to have skincare or makeup for months or even (in the case of dry powders) years. The only exception I can immediately think of is the recommendation to replace mascara every 3 months due to the vulnerability of one's eyes to infection, etc.I already swap out my cushions every 3 months for hygiene reasons (I'm nervous about) so it wouldn't bemuch of a stretch to apply it to skincare, but it still seemed ... excessive.Even though I brushed it off, it stuck in my mind as a niggling thought that just wouldn't go away, and it's been simmering there for a year or two now. Should people be throwing out their skincare every few months, especially if they are acne-prone like I am? It makes sense, although presumably therebe enough preservatives that such steps aren't needed. What about emptying them within 3 months, so you don't have to throw them out? What iffor 3 months-to-empty was just a ... best practice? It would certainly cut down on the temptation to open too many things at once. Hmmm.Another contributing factor to this percolating idea was the concept of seasonal skincare. What really drove this point home for me was an episode of Get It Beauty (a popular Korean beauty talk show) where they discussed the idea of having different skincare for each season, because the needs of the skin. Once I encountered this idea, I was surprised that it wasn't already common knowledge, because it made perfect sense. Yet never in all my 30-odd, pre-K-Beauty, years of skincare use did I ever change my skincare around the seasons or really hear it discussed outside of "stronger/more sunscreen for the summer." Maybe I just missed the memo.Some brands have an entire schtick built around this concept; Lalavesi, beloved byTracy of, releases, which have different formulations. Innisfree also releases limited edition cushions that are (I hear, have not purchased them myself) seasonally-focused.I don't have any "seasonal" cushions but Iuse different ones based on the season; the Hera below is too dry for the winter, and the Sulwhasoo is too dewy for the summer without powder.Do I think that brands are releasing seasonal skincare as some sort of public service, rather than attempting to generate revenue turnover by convincing people they need to buy a newfangled thing every few months? No, it's obvious that seasonal turnover is a good business practice, but it doesn't mean that using a seasonal-sensitive approach to your personal skincare isn't a good idea on its own.You don't have to buy what brands are telling you is a good product for X season; you should be making that call yourself since you know your skin best.Personally, I tend to use the base routine products year-round and then just, and I've already got a flexible and customizable routine which allows me to adjust things on a daily basis, let alone seasonally.Even if the root of the seasonal skincare idea was as much capitalism as good sense, it did get me thinking ... 3 monthsthe approximate length of a season, anyway. I already aim to only purchase what I can use in a season, because there's no sense buying something that won't work for the weather conditions.What if I was to be even more mindful of this 'seasonal buying' instead of 'oh hey, let's shove that interesting thing into my cart!' aka thewe all make?So let's explore that a bit more. What if I deliberately aimed to use andproducts within 3 months, as Go Hyun Jung does, and purchased things seasonally, with the intent to empty (or toss) those products by the end of the season when my skin's needs change?Certainly I'm never going to use the last 3 uses of my Winter 2014/2015 creams, because no doubt there's something growing in there by now. But those last 3 uses are still left in the jar, because the season change meant my skin no longer wanted something that heavy. I recently realized that I was still using a lip balm that I'd had open and been using for over 12 months!It's a wonder that I didn't end up with some sort of terrifying lip-flesh-eating bacteria or having my face fall off.So there's really not much point in "stocking up" especially now that K-Beauty is so much more accessible than it used to be-- gone are the days where making $200 hauls a few times a year to maximize on shipping costs was the only sensible option.Another concept which was floating around in the international K-Beauty community, and then eventually picked up on by shops, was the idea of "portion control" meaning that one does not necessarily thickly slather on all 12 steps in their routine; products are applied sparingly and in ultra thin layers. Sometimes only a few drops' worth, meaning that products can last you months of use. If you have a, that could take even longer.Here's my current Winter 2015/2016 skincare wardrobe:As you can see, it's quite a bit. Granted, cleansers are not really 'seasonal' for me and I use them 2x a day (and there are two of us), so I'm comfortable with full sized cleansers, but what about things that you layer in drops of product, like essences, serums, creams, oils?If people are only using small amounts of their products instead of an indulgent slather, how do you reconcile that with a seasonal purge-and-replace? Wouldn't that be a lot of waste?Well, if you bought full-sized everything,, it would be wasteful. It would be especially wasteful if you are someone like me, who loves trying new things and who quickly falls out of love with things, who treats, and who is aiming to overhaul/purge their products every season. Unless it's an already-established base product that gets used daily (you can see what my actual daily routines look like on my) there's just no reason for me to buy things full-sized.Except for value per ml, that is-- but is that enough of a reason?Sure, it's tempting to think about it that way; getting the "best bang for the buck" and maximizing on the return of our hard-earned cash. It's what encourages people to buy in bulk or snag that second item for "half off" when we really only need one. It's what gets us spending $30 on 500ml of product instead of $15 on 150ml, because we're aiming for the "best value" even if it means we're ultimately faced with grinding our way through a giant bottle of something that we're not enjoying anymore.For example. take these two mists I have. As you can see from the photo at the top of this post, the Sulwhasoo mist is quite tiny (30ml) in comparison to the Goodal mist (150ml).The Goodal is a "better value" coming in at $20ish for 150ml, whereas the tiny Sulwhasoo travel size mist was $11 for 30ml. (It was one of my picks for, in fact!) So why is the Sulwhasoo the purchase I'm the most happy with?It's not just the formulation (it's nice, but it doesn't blow my mind) or the packaging (also nice, and I will repurpose it when it's empty) but it's also the; I've been using this mist a few times a week since December and I've only used a bit more than half of it.On the other hand, I've been chugging away at that Goodal mist since last summer, even using it on my feet, and it just won't. It's like the Mary Poppins carpet bag of mists; no matter how much I use, it never depletes. I'm so tired of it and I don't want to use it anymore, it's been open since last summer, it's a 'refreshing, cooling, light' mist type, which is the last thing I want to be putting on my face when it's so cold I'm wearingto be able to type. I also feel guilty about exploring other, more winter-appropriate mists, because I've got this giant bottle of Goodal mist sitting there unused, but I really don't want to use it. Sure, I can keep it for next summer, but then it will have been opened for a year, and should I really be using it at that point? (Spoilers: no.)Realization dawns. I should only be looking at things that I will be able to empty in 3-6 months, because I'm not going to use it next summer. I'm certainly not using things left over from Winter 2014/2015; even the repeats are fresh jars of the same product.The answer was in mypost, where I'd picked up several travel-sized luxury products to test them out on the cheap. I discovered they let me try a wardrobe's worth of options without exploding my wallet, scratched my 'pretty packaging' itch, and contained just enough product to last anywhere from 1-3 months.As you can see from this image, I'm anywhere from 1/3rd to 3/4ths through the Sulwhasoo products, and the Innisfree capsule is a 1-2 use size which is perfect for those rare occasions I want to do a clay mask. I've had two clay mask products go stale/old on me, because I only use them every two months or two. Sure, buying these at $3 a pop isn't as affordable as buying an entire tube for $20, but when I only get 2-3 uses out of that tube before it goes bad, which approach is ultimately saving me money?As it turns out, travel sizes are perfect for seasonal use; there's enough product to last me through a season with myapproach. The cost is low compared to full-size products, even if it's not as good a 'value' per ml compared to the full size. If I don't like it or if there's a tiny bit left at the end of 3 months, I can toss it without guilt. If my skin's needs/the season changes or I feel the whim to try something new, I've only put a small portion of product on my plate that I need to finish before I can have a new product for dessert.So, does this mean that my skincare philosophy has shifted to travel-size zealotry? Of course not. Not everything is available in travel sizes. But I've recognized that travel sizes areway for me to get everything I want, without wasting money or product, and that sometimes, getting the "best value for your dollar" isn't always the best fit for my needs.