As promised in my Korean Skin Care Routine post, here is a breakdown of my Summer 2016 morning line up. Some products are Korean, while others are North American. I think it’s silly to discard the skin care that I already have and has not caused any issues thus far. That’s throwing money away! Once they’re used up, I intend to try Korean products as their replacements, but until then, let’s dive right in!

Cleansing: I do one of two things to cleanse in the morning. If I am going to yoga or spin, I will use a cleansing water if I have any topical acne treatments on my skin. If not, I’m presently using a low pH foaming cleanser as my first step. The theory behind this is that the higher the pH on your skin, the more alkaline it is. Is this a problem for everyone? Nope. However if you’re prone to clogged pores and breakouts, that alkaline environment can be a breeding ground for bacteria, potentially worsening the problem. It can also lead to increased sun damage, and making your skin sensitive (For me: check, check and check). Lowering the pH of my skin in the morning seems to be working so far, as I have noticed less breakouts, or at least less angry ones. The cleansing water I’m currently using is pH balanced. When I come back from my workout, I plan to use the low pH cleanser, so I figure lowering the pH of my skin twice in one morning is a little much for it to handle. The two current products I am using:

The Face Shop RICE WATER BRIGHT Cleansing Water

There are actually a few The Face Shop retail locations in Canada, which is great if you want to physically go into the store and test out a few products before purchasing them. When I bought this product, they were having a semi annual sale with 50% off, so I was able to snag it for $9, plus tax!

COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser

I don’t know that there are ton of low pH cleansers available in the Canadian market right now, but in a hunt for a good at an economical option, I came across the COSRX version. It is presently available on Amazon, with prime shipping for $14, plus tax. Prime has to be the best thing ever.

Toner: I typically use two different toners in the morning. One to keep the pH of my face lower for the vitamin C serum I apply, and the second one to rebalance the pH before I apply essence and serum. Do you always need to use two? Not necessarily. It just depends if you are applying Vitamin C or any other actives that work best with a more acidic pH.

Clinique Clarifying 1.0 Twice a Day Exfoliator

I use this morning and night right after cleansing to keep the pH of my skin low and prime for apply my Vitamin C serum, or BHA treatment. I will be writing a more in depth blog about why and when to keep your skin more acidic. This is a completely optional step.

Skoah Tonik

I’m using what I have left of this up before I try another pH balancing toner. I have bought bottle after bottle of this stuff, and can safely say if you have sensitive skin, this is a safe bet to try. Skoah is also Canadian produced and manufactured, so they’re a great option if you want a more locally home grown option.

Hada Labo Hyaluronic Acid Lotion (Moist)

This is a completely unnecessary step really. Don’t be fooled by the term lotion in the name. This can be used on it’s own as a toner following cleansing. So why am I personally using it after already toning? Because hyaluronic acid can hold a ridiculous amount of moisture. What that means for your skin is that anything else applied afterwards that has moisturizing benefits is going to be amplified in its effect. Why did I choose this particular product? Because it’s once again cost-effective, and a little goes a long way. 1-2 drops is all you need, so I can see this lasting of months.

Essence: For right now, because I wanted to slather Korean skin care onto my skin I am using a first essence treatment, followed by an essence. With the first essence, some people will skip the toning process all together and go straight to this. This is really what I should be doing in the summer time to cut out an extra step(s) in my routine.

Missha Time Revolution The First Essence Mist

This also comes in a non-misting form, and will likely last a lot longer, but because of the convenience, I went with the mist option. And who doesn’t love a cool mist on their face during the hot summer months.

COSRX Galactomyces 95 Whitening Power Essence

If you look on Amazon, this might go by a slightly different name, that provokes some questionable thoughts. However the bottle I received is the updated version with whitening power(instead of white power *shudders*). Now why is one of the palest people alive using a whitening product? Whitening products, don’t actually whiten your skin (that is skin bleaching treatments). Whitening actually means brightening in skin care lingo. It helps to decrease the look of hyperpigmentation, and leads to overall brighter, more luminous skin. Part of the reason I choose this specific product is partially due to cost, and availability on Amazon Prime in Canada, but also because it includes 95% Galactomyces which is a fermented yeast. Fermented ingredients do wonders for the skin, and in this case an extra boost in lightning up the sun damage and acne scars I have.

Serum: I’m just starting to adventure more into serums. The ones I have used previously haven’t really produced any real noticeable results. I’m big into hydrating my skin overnight, so for the day time, I figured I would focus on whitening. I have a whitening serum, but I haven’t started to use it yet, so I will leave that for a more detailed review later. What I am presently using:

REN Radiance Perfecting Serum

This is kind of an introductory product for introducing Vitamin C to my skin. This brand is supposed to be very gentle and non reactive with sensitive skin. So far this seems to be the case. I plan on switching to a different brand that is much more cost-effective after using this up. I use this product after using the Clinique toner to keep the pH of my skin low. Because Vitamin C is quite acidic, this is the best time to use this product. I will let it remain on my skin for 10-20 minutes before continuing on with my routine.

Skoah Skin Boost Serum

I’m using the last of this up. For $88, I haven’t noticed any real significant changes or improvements with my skin. It’s not to say that it’s not a good product, as it has never cause a skin reactions. I think I can find a more effective product for the same price, or hopefully even less. This is applied after rebalancing my skin with toner.

Eye Cream: I haven’t been overly consistent with this step in the past, as I don’t have crows feet or wrinkles quite yet. However I do realize that now is probably a good time to start!

Skoah Eye Kandy Gel Roll-on

I like this one because it’s a gel consistency, so it’s light and fast absorbing. It also has a roller ball for application, so it’s an easy to apply on those early work mornings. I might look into getting a different one after this, as it is a bit steep in price for $55, but otherwise it is super hydrating and doesn’t burn my eyes, or cause my lash extension to fall off prematurely.

Moisturizer: I use a couple of different things in the morning depending on my skin needs. Always something that is light in texture, and hopefully one that does double duty with sun protection.

Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream

This stuff is amazing! It has that snail mucin filtrate (snail secretions). This provides quite a decent amount of hydration, helps calm redness, and helps to heal any scarring. Even though cream is in the name, it comes out and applies just like a gel. It is not at all sticky and your skin feels baby soft after application. I have included a link to a seller on eBay for this. At the time this blog was written, the price on Amazon was over $20 per tube. It should go for less than that. If you do some hunting around online and eBay, you should be able to find sets of 2-3 tubes for that $20 mark.

Skoah Face Skotion 30

I’ve already bought countless versions of the original formula in this, and just this summer I bought the one with SPF. For me, my skin has had no major reaction to this at all. However some people have reported that because of the chemical sunscreen, they do get clogged pores and breakouts from this. So make sure that is not an issue for your skin needs if you wish to try this out.

Sunscreen: If for whatever reason I am not using the Skoah moisturizer, or it has been a few hours since application (Sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours!), I will apply an independent sunscreen.

NEOGEN Day-Light Protection Sun Screen

This was part of a recent purchase through Soko Glam for one of their curated Korean skin care kits. I haven’t used it a lot, but so far I’ve had no major reactions to this product. I’m not sure where else to get this besides Soko Glam’s website and maybe eBay, so I might look into trying some Japanese sunscreen that is available on Amazon after this.

That’s all for now! As mentioned in my last post, please look out for my summer night-time routine coming soon. Also look out for more in-depth reviews coming shortly on each of these products! If there is something you would like a review on first, please let me in the comments. Thanks for reading!

*The this blog is not affiliated or endorsed by any of the brands or websites mentioned in this post. All products were purchased with my own money, and the opioins expressed are from my own personal experience. Your mileage may vary.