I am writing this post as a snow storm is hitting Washington D.C. Perfect timing to talk a bit about my current Korean day skincare routine. As you have guessed it is the heart of winter, and my skin is going through rebellious phases ranging from extreme dryness to adult acne. The heated air in my flat is so extremely dry, that I wake up in the middle of the night in need of a glass of water. You can imagine that my skin has seen better days. I would say the highlight of my winter routine is a good face oil. Oils not only do a great job at keeping your skin hydrated, but they also act as a shield preventing your skin from loosing to much moisture. And of course, a good sunscreen is a must! I usually alternate between a lower spf for cloudy days, and an Spf 50+ for sunny and snowy days (warning: the sun reflected in the snow is even more aggressive on your skin, remember how easily you burn while skiing!). I don’t use all the products from this review religiously every single day. I consider myself more as a free spirit. I trust my beauty intuition. If one day I feel I need more moisture, or if my skin is facing a major acne episode I would adapt my cosmetics accordingly. For some people keeping the same routine in a continuous, regular way is a source of joy. For me as well, in a way. It is enjoyable to have this constant in your life, and train yourself into submitting to a strict schedule. But applying cosmetics shouldn’t be a chore, or something you feel obliged to do. It should be a moment of peace and pleasure. So I allow myself to go a little wild if I feel like it. My current winter day routine includes the following products:

Step 1: Cleansing – Mizon’s Egg White Bubble Cleanser

Step 2: Toner – Son&Park Beauty Water

Son&Park Beauty Water Step 3: Hydrating lotion – Hada labo

Step 4: Ampoule-serum – Mizon’s Peptide 500

Step 5: Eye cream – Mizon’s Snail Repair Eye Cream

Step 6: Moisturizing level 1 – Hanyul Emulsion

Step 7: Face oil – Elishacoy’s Honey Murmur Moisture Oil

Step 8: Moisturizing level 2 – Cremorlab Hydro Plus Snow Falls Melting Cream

Step 9: Sunscreen – Cosrx’s Aloe Soothing Sun Cream

Bonus step: Essential mist

I use some of these skincare also in my night routine, and I reviewed many of them already in-depth on this blog. So I will skip the details for some of these products, feel free to explore my other posts to learn more.

Step 1: Cleansing – Mizon’s Egg White Bubble Cleanser

I only cleanse my face with water and bubble cleanser when I take a morning shower, rather than my beloved evening bath. Otherwise I would go directly to step 2 and use only my Son&Park beauty water. I love the smell of this Mild Skin Smooth Egg White Bubble Cleanser (that’s a hell of a long name for a cleanser!) from Mizon. I like that this Mizon cleanser contains Egg white extract 3,000mg, which seems to be somehow a hit for cleansers (Too cool for school has a similar Egg cleanser). I also like how the created mousse is soft and gentle on my skin. After doing some pH tests on this cleanser I discovered that the ph is in the upper limit. This cleanser didn’t give me any adverse reaction so I keep using it, but if pH is something you really care about it could be a concern. This cleanser also rinses easily, doesn’t leave any residue and works well with a brush. You can find a full review of this cleanser here.

Where to get it? The Egg White Bubble Cleanser is available on Amazon.

Step 2: Toner – Son&Park Beauty Water

I love using micellar water and toners. as a matter of fact, toners have always been part of my routine. I used for many years the French classic Bioderma Créaline H2O micellar water (ok, I still use it from time to time – it’s just way to perfect to be ignored!), and I was using Nivea toners as a teen. So yeah, I pretty much need toners in my life, especially in the morning when I am just too lazy to jump under the shower but I still need to refresh my sleepy face. The Son&Park brand is relatively new; founded by two make-up artists it mainly carries make-up items rather than skincare. This Son&Park Beauty Water is branded as a multi-tasking toner with mild exfoliation abilities. It contains rose water as one of its main ingredients, lavender water, and orange fruit extract for hydration, while keeping a low pH of 5 which helps in resetting the skin’s natural pH after cleansing. The packaging emphasises the natural origin of the ingredients, and the toner’s fragrance is also naturally derived from flower and fruit oils. I use it with a cotton pad in the morning to gently clean my face and to prep’ it before applying the rest of my skincare products. In the evening I sometimes use it to finish removing my make-up, but always after double cleansing. Despite its mild exfoliating properties it doesn’t irritate my face (but some people may experience tingling), and leaves a nice clean feeling.

Where to get it? I found mine on Soko Glam, but it is also available on Memebox US.

Step 3: Hydrating lotion – Hada labo

The Hada labo lotion is pretty much my Holy Grail, beloved product. I praised this amazing product already in my Korean Night Routine, as well as my review of my favourite Japanese products (here). The more I use this lotion, the more amazed I am of its everlasting power and, surprisingly, of its longevity. Its been literally months I have been using this product, morning and evening, on a rather regular basis, and I still have more than a third of the bottle left! This lotion is of a milky watery consistency, and a small quantity is more than enough for your whole face. This Christmas, I confess, I left behind this lotion as I tried to put as little skincare (as possible of course) in my suitcase. During these holidays my skin was a total mess. Dryness, acne, tired skin – you name it, I had it all. Along with the long-haul flight and being jet-lagged, I blame this pitiful state of my skin on the fact that I was not using my Hada labo lotion. Call it placebo-effect, but as soon as I started to use this lotion again, my skin came back to normal.

Where to get it? It got my Hada Labo from Amazon.

Step 4: Ampoule-serum – Mizon’s Peptide 500

Once my Hada Labo sinks in (allow at least a minute or two after the application), I would follow-up with my serum. I currently use the Mizon’s Peptide 500 serum and I am happy so far. Now that I am reaching the end of the bottle, I find it a bit more difficult to apply as the little dropper is too short to grab the bottom of the product. So I had to open the bottle and pour the serum directly out of the bottle. As a result I now end up with more product than I really need. This serum is very watery but it sinks-in quite fast. The effects of Peptides on you skin are not really noticeable in the short term, but I believe in the science behind it and keep using it. This Mizon serum is quite easy to integrate in a longer skincare routine, as it doesn’t seem to interact with other products, has no smell and is quite gentle. For a full review of this product, check out this post.

Where to get it? The Peptide 500 serum, along with other serums of the line, is now available for a promotional price of 14.61 $ at RRS.

Step 5: Eye cream – Mizon’s Snail Repair Eye Cream

I use this Snail Repair Eye Cream by Mizon both in my morning and evening routine. I feel it is a bit heavy to use in the morning, but as the air became super dry and the weather outside is pretty harsh, this eye cream works well for a winter morning routine. I am almost done with this cream, and I recently ordered a Sulwhasoo eye cream online (OMO so E-X-C-I-T-E-D !! I got it for myself for Christmas!) but in the meantime I enjoy the moisturising relief for a reasonable price that this cream has to offer. It contains snail slim extract, which as you probably know, is a big hit in Korean cosmetics. I use to have the face cream from the same line which had a gel-like consistency, but this Mizon eye cream has a more classical creamy texture. Globally it is a good product, and I think I will repurchase it (unfortunately the Sulwhasoo cream is way too pricey to become a regular in my routine…).

Where to get it? You can find it on Peach and Lily or if you don’t mind the wait, on RRS.

Step 6: Moisturizing level 1 – Hanyul Emulsion

I started using this Hanyul Rice Essential Emulsion during my investigation of the use of Rice in contemporary Korean cosmetics. And I am totally happy I did! To my sense, this lotion is less known among Korean cosmetics lovers, and I didn’t find so many reviews of it. But this product totally deserves our attention. When applied, it gives you the most relaxing soft sensation coupled with an exquisite smell! I feel it does a good job to help settle all my lotions and serum. This Hanyul Emuslion, has a light creamy consistency and gives you instant gratification by moisturising and calming the skin. When I am in a hurry, or just when I want to use less products, I would still use this rice lotion and my skin would feel super soft afterwards. For a full review of cosmetics with rice check out this blog post.

Where to get it? I got mine from Jolse.com but it is also available on Koreadepart.

Step 7: Face oil – Elishacoy’s Honey Murmuru Moisture Oil

This face oil is pretty THE highlight of my winter routine. Why? Well, it functions like a shield against the harsh cold weather, as it locks in moisture. Plus, my skin needed some extra love in this rough times. The Elishacoy’s Honey Murumuru Moisture Oil, as the name suggests, contains the precious Manuka Honey. This type of honey, is presumambly one of the richest and most moisturising honey possible. This oil is a truly multitasking product and you can use on virtually every part of your body. I personally use it on my face and neck, neckline, hands and my hair ends. And trust me, you will want to literally bath in it and put this thing all over, because it smells divine. It is a slightly sweet, warm, flower-like smell – and it is seriously addictive. It is an oil, so don’t expect it to sink in the skin as fast as gel or cream – but the good thing is that it doesn’t leave a sticky feeling and doesn’t interact adversely with my other products. This oil, gives you this extra glow effect, especially if I apply a tiny bit of it on top of my make-up (yeah, why not? It’s a free country!). Also, it is made mostly of natural ingredients, and doesn’t contain paraben or mineral oil.

Where to get it? I got mine from Memebox US.

Step 8: Moisturizing level 2 – Cremorlab Hydro Plus Snow Falls Melting Cream

If snow was a face cream, it would definitely be this Cremorlab Hydro Plus Snow Falls Melting Cream. This cream has an uncommon texture, not really creamy but I would say – ‘frosted’? Yes just like snow! Once in the palm of your hand, it literally melts and become super creamy. Because of its uncommonly fluffy light texture, you will need a spatula to dig it out. I would say this cream is better suited for dry skin types, or severely dehydrated (like mine during winter) as it takes a bit of time to sink in, and despite it’s rather light consistency is quite a heavy cream. It also has a relatively strong (but lovely!) smell, that seems to be common to the entire line. This cream contains the Cremorlab’s special T.E.N. (Eco-energy, and Natural nourishment) thermal water which is a a rare and mineral-rich water from Geumjin, a region in Korea (from producer). Also, although it may not suit everyone’s taste, I really love the minimalistic and ‘clean’ packaging design. The only hiccup for me, is that it is not easily available. In the States only Peach and Lily seems to carry it for now.

Where to get it? I got mine from Peach and Lily (at a painful price of 42 $).

Step 9: Sunscreen – Cosrx’s Aloe Soothing Sun Cream

This Aloe Soothing Sun Cream is the first product I tried from Cosrx. The brand Cosrx, is very popular among beauty bloggers I follow and I always wanted to give it a try (if you read French, check out this cool article by Beaute de Porcelaine). Along with other Korean brands I like, Cosrx invests a lot in research and maintains a close bond with dermatological prescription-type cosmetics. It also has a very large choice of skincare, corresponding pretty much to all our concerns, and invests little in publicity (which makes it somehow a more ‘niche’ brand). They are mostly famous for their products with exfoliation agents such as BHA and AHA, as well as snail mucin and aloe vera. I am very satisfied with their Aloe Soothing Sun Cream. In terms of texture it is a good balance between a creamy and a light consistency, it is easy to apply and spread, and doesn’t make you look like a white zombie. I also like its pleasant fresh smell, its high Spf 50+ (during summer, or with a lot of snow, an Spf 50+ is a must) and the fact that it dries surprisingly fast, which makes the application of a foundation or powder on top easier. Best of all? This Cosrx sun cream also has good moisturising properties, as it contains 5,500ppm of aloe vera leaf extract.

Where to get it? You can find it on WishTrend or Amazon.

Bonus step: Essential mist

I use essential face mists multiple times per day. I use them to wake-up, and to prepare to go to sleep. I use them before make-up, as well as on top of make-up to make it more luminous and natural. I use it at home and at work. So needless to say that with such an intensive use of face mists I have several of them, that I keep in different places. Currently I am still using my Cremorlab Hydro Plus Snow Falls Essential Mist (from the same line as my Cremorlab cream) for my morning routine. I love how soft and delicate it is, as well as its delightful smell. I think it’s difficult to go wrong with a face mist, and everything is a matter of preference. So if you have a chance, just spray some on your face before byuing. You will know right away if you like the quantity and the type of mist: more intense or micro-fine (like the Clio’s microFine Collagen Mist that I love as well), with or without smell, big size or small cute package (I have this Tony Moly Pocket Bunny Mist at work – and my colleagues love it!) etc. The Cremorlab is somehow in between when it comes to the amount of mist it gives, it has a very pleasant sweet smell as well as soothing and moisturising properties. It often goes ‘sold out’ online, so I guess I am not the only one to love it.

Where to get it? I found mine at Peach and Lily.

That would be it for my current winter Korean morning beauty routine! Let me know in comments down below what are you Holy Grails products that you can’t live without in the winter!

(PS note – the included links in this post are not sponsored and I won’t get any financial benefit from them – I just added them for your convenience)