Korean Skincare Routine (7-Steps)

Ever wonder why majority of Asians have such nice skin, and age well? It is because they invest a lot in skincare.. and when I mean a lot I am not exaggerating. There are some skincare products I never knew even existed until I discovered Korean skincare - 5 years ago skincare to me was just washing your face with water and then ending it with a moisturiser. However, clearly there's way more to it. Korea is well known for their 7-10 steps skincare regime and skincare product; the steps vary depending on the individual and their skin. My life has changed (my face in particular) ever since I started using the Korean skincare routine.

Currently, my skincare routine consists of 7-steps (on a bad day it goes to 8-steps) and above is a photo of the products I use at the moment. The order I use starts from top left to right, below left to right. Let me breakdown the steps.

Before even lathering your skin with all the nutritional goodness, you have to ensure your skin is squeeky clean - remove any impurity that your skin may have consumed during the day i.e makeup. Koreans usually call this the "3 Step Cleansing Routine".
1) Eye Makeup Remover
For some individuals, this step is actually combined with step 2 but I prefer having the eye makeup removal done separately to the actual face. If you are heavy on waterproof mascara, and eyeliner you should really gravitate towards products that have an oil base. Believe me, it will make your eye makeup removal life so much easier. You'd essentially only need to apply some product on a cotton pad and then gently wipe off eye makeup.
(product in photo: Skinfood - Milk Shake Point Makeup Remover)
2) (Oil) Cleanser
As mentioned, step 1 can be combined with this step as you are removing the makeup on your face. Also, again, it is more ideal to use an oil cleanser as it will smoothly melt away all your makeup. Apply product on the palm of your hand and massage all over your face and neck for about a minute or two. Once done wash it away with lukewarm water.
(product in photo: IOPE - Moisture Skin Cleansing Lotion)
3) Water Based Cleanser
Even though you have taken off all makeup, there still might be some impurities left on your skin, and of course the residue of the oil cleanser you just used. I am telling you.. Koreans take skincare pretty damn serious. So this step is essentially to double cleanse, and it is water based because you should wet your face before applying the cleanser. You should also massage all over your face for about 1-2 minutes.
(product in photo: Etude House - Baking Powder Pore Powder Cleanser)
4) Toner
This is personally my favourite step out of the whole routine. Toner helps you balance your pH level gives your skin some hydration before you go ahead with the rest of the routine. You can either directly put the toner on your hands and apply to your face; or apply on cotton pad and gently swipe all over your face. I put the toner on a cotton pad because once I swiped it on my face, I still saw some leftover makeup on the cotton pad. I consider the toner as the final step of cleansing.
(product in photo: Etude House - White Moistfull Toner)
5) Essence
Probably the most favourable step to most people who uses the korean skincare regime. This is where cleansing has ended, and it is now time to actually look after and repair your skin with all the nutritional goodness. I would usually advice people to apply the essence directly onto your hand and then patting it on your face gently and slowly - this way the essence can be absorbed into the skin more easily.
(product in photo: Laneige - Perfect Renew Regenerator) 
6) Serum
Very similar to essence.. and to be honest I am still not entirely sure what the difference between essence and serum is. However, I understand that essence has a slight toner factor in them, whereas serum does not. Serum addresses the problems your skins have i.e pores, brightening, anti-wrinkles etc. Ideally you would like to use the same motion as the essence and apply on hands, then gently pat all over your face to let it nicely absorb the product.
(product in photo: The Face Shop - Green Tea Waterfull Serum)
7) Moisturiser 
Lastly, I end the routine by ensuring my skin is hydrated, dewy, and soft like a baby's bum!! Unlike essence and serum, moisturiser is more a thick consistency. This step goes without saying, and I am sure everyone has this step regardless if they use the Korean skincare regime or not so I don't necessarily need to go into too much detail?
(product in photo: IOPE - Moistgen Cream Skin Hydration)
*8) Facemasks
I do not do this on a daily basis; only on the days my skin is feeling more rough than normal and needs more nourishing treatment. I opt in to either sheet masks, or overnight masks (laneige water sleeping pack in particular).

I know. That is one heck of a lot of steps for a skincare routine, however, I do not consider it as a chore or hassle - I think more of it as a pampering session and "me time", and I thoroughly enjoy it. Moreover, it is good to start taking care of your skin before it is too late.
I only briefly mentioned the skincare products used, but if you want a thorough review on the products I use let me know :)
Hope you guys thought this was helpful, and also let me know what are your steps and if you thought I should have added anything into my routine!
p.s I already know I should throw in exfoliation and eye cream but I have yet found the perfect product to include
안녕 till next time~

HelloTalk App Review

                                 

Are you currently learning a language? Interested in learning a new language? Want to find native speakers in the language you are studying/interested in? Then behold of this app > HelloTalk (available on both ios and android)

Depending where you live, sometimes it is difficult to find an individual who can speak the language you are studying. However, this particular can help vastly as it connects you to native speakers (in the language you are interested in) from all over the world. The beauty of this app is you choose the language you are interested learning in and it will connect you to an individual who wants to learn the language you fluently speak. It is a language exchange app where you both help each other out.

So for me, I input Korean as the language I want to learn, and it connected me to Korean people who would like to learn English. I have been self learning Korean. I have not actually put my Korean into practice to see my progress.. and it turns out that I am still lacking. I can read, and listen very well but when it comes to actually making sentences then it is game over for me. 

At first I was quite skeptical about using this app as I personally think speaking to someone online who you don't know of, or have never met is weird (and dangerous lel). However, my friend has been using an app similar to HelloTalk (Tandem - if you would like to know an insight on this app, my friend has also made a post on it http://www.itstanda.com/lets-talk-tandem) and has said that she has made loads of friends and it has helped her Chinese studies. Thus, I forced myself to try be open about it and just give it a shot and see what happens.. and I do not regret it at all.

Once you have successfully installed the app, the first thing to do is fill in your profile - a profile picture (don't worry does not allow users to enlarge it), and a quick self introduction. It does not need to be super detailed, can be very basic. It is just so users can get to know you a bit before starting a conversation. The picture below is an example how the profile would look like (yes it is my own personal profile)

The learning points seen above in the picture can be very useful during the times you are having some difficulty in a conversation on HelloTalk. Some of the options include literal translations from (in my situation) Korean > English. This is great if you do not understand what the person has said to you; or if you want to make it slightly more challenging, you can get the sentence to be spoken out loud. As an individual may be good at listening and not too strong in their reading.

WHO CAN FIND ME?
I only just realised this couple days ago, but you can filter who can actually find you. You have the capability to choose the age range, and option of same gender. Which is potentially great because you may not want someone who is too young/old speaking to you. It is essential you feel comfortable with who speaks to you - from personal experience I have had rather awkward conversations which brings me to the following section...

CONS
As a female user on this app.. you may experience users starting a conversation with you intending to basically get into your pants. It is as if they think HelloTalk is another version of Tinder.
The app is a language exchange app which is a platform to help one and another HOWEVER you get the odd people who will only seek for language help in your native language and does not return the favour in helping you. This defeats the purpose of the app.

I do believe HelloTalk is a great app as you are able to find great language study buddy(s) and can potentially build that relationship to good friends. If you are ever visiting their country, or they are visiting your country you can meet up.. I am actually travelling to Seoul, South Korea in over a months time so I will be meeting a few of the users I have talked on HelloTalk - look out for future travel posts.

I hope this has given you a nice overview of the app, and if you are currently using it.. let me know how you think of the app :)
안녕!