Order of Obsession

As seen on: http://www.fanserviced-b.com/a-visual-guide-to-the-korean-skincare-routine/

Tracy over at Fanserviced-b really has a great skincare blog going on. She got into Korean products via Kpop, which isn't too far away from my love of all things Asian. Even though I sadly did not get into it when I was in Taiwan. But it was humid! All I needed was sunscreen and sometimes facewash. However, it worked out for the best since the Korean brands are insanely marked up due to "luxury" tax.

Anyway, I really think that this chart is so, so, so important. And as a visual it makes the Asian Beauty routine a lot less complicated. People are always hauling in new products and not really  understanding where they go, or how to incorporated them. Most of the time I think the most important part of having a skincare routine is patience.

Products need to be slowly introduced into a routine, and even I am guilty of going against this rule. It's just so exciting to get all these new products that are supposed to make you more glamorous, but you have to realize that your face can't take all this newness. It needs to come in slowly, but surely. This is really applicable to me because I am super lazy and don't patch test.

There are SO MANY STEPS, and there are actual waiting times for some of these steps. One of my issues in The Retinoid Diaries was that I kept using Tazorac at the wrong time. Yes, this visual notes that it should have been done after the pH balancing toner, but I should have been using after I moisturized.... so there is also what you're using. This visual could use a little AM/PM tweaking. For example: I don't oil cleanse in the AM nor do I apply a sleeping pack then, and I definitely don't put on sunscreen in the PM.

A lot of the time I didn't really realize the difference in toners, and the Chia one is hydrating, but I think the Clear Missha Toner was prepping. I certainly didn't know that there could be more than one toner in a routine.

Either way, yesterday I found myself purchasing CosRX's (mixed reviews) BHA/AHA Clarifying toner. In the end I realized that I paid just over $7 too much, but that's what you get for in store impulse buys. I wanted another toner, and I felt like the Chia toner was not working for me and that it was hydrating, sure, but it wasn't doing the trick. I've also been suffering from little pimply bumps all along my the edges of my faces from cheek to chin. Possibly residual effects from cat allergens, but at the same time, my usual routine has not been helping. Haven't introduced anything new either.

My Amazon Haul comes in later today. We will see when those products will get their time. Patience, surely, is the hardest part of building a routine. As a hobbyist, it is too easy to become obsessed and want to add them all at once. Arg, really need to work on patience in regards to my skincare obsession.

Amending because Clay/Wash-off Masks were forgotten:

1. 1st and 2nd Cleanser
2. Clay/Wash Off Mask
3. pH adjusting toner
4. Actives (vit c, BHA, AHA. 15-20 min wait between each one)
5. Hydrating toner Essences/Serums (thinner to thicker)
6. Sheet Mask Moisturiser/Sleeping Pack
7. Sunscreen (AM)
8. Spot Treatment (PM)