Beauty and Skin Care Journey

Admit or not, every girl has something to say about how she looks. Every girl has an opinion on what beauty means and all other things that are associated with it. Every girl has her own journey when it comes to beauty and skin care.

Well, here's my journey.

Going back in time
When I was in high school, acne started to invade my face. That's the time I started using skin care products. I used Pond's, Eskinol, Clean and Clear, and many other products which I saw in TV that promises to clear your skin of pimples. But unfortunately, nothing worked for me. So, I just went back to my regular soap, Safeguard. When I entered the university, unlike other female students, I was never the type who would buy lots and lots of beauty products and make-up simply because I know that they just don't work for me. And due to my hectic schedule, I just didn't have time to prettify myself so I just went to my classes with a face powder and a lip balm on. Those were the only products that I used after washing my face with a cleanser. For my cleanser, I tried Cetaphil, Olay, St. Ives, and other random cleansers that you find in the grocery store or drugstore. For the face powder, I specifically used Johnson's Baby Powder. That's the only product I stick on for a long time because if it's good for baby's skin (meaning it's gentle), I know it's definitely good for my skin too. By the way, my skin type is combination (oily T-zone and dry cheeks), acne-prone, and sensitive. For my lips, it easily gets chapped, especially on the colder months, so my lip balm from Nivea always comes to the rescue.

                           




However, after graduating and finally getting a job, I started to allot some time in improving and taking care of my physical well-being. Since I was having acne troubles (well I still do until now), I decided to go to a dermatologist. So  I started to get facials and other treatments, such as Light Peel, and used the skin care products from my derma. So yeah, I was indeed alloting time for my derma appointments, alloting time for applying the skin care products every morning and night...and alloting money also. Part of my salary was devoted in maintaining my skin care but no regrets, everything paid off. Little by little, my acne started to lessen. You might wonder, why do I still have acne until now? Well, blame the hormones and stress and the genes. But during that time, my derma and her products were doing wonders for my skin. I was still not into make-up though because my skin was so sensitive and if you put a product on, it'll easily result to acne. But if there's a special event, I did wear a little make-up (Revlon foundation, Maybelline blush & lipstick).

Fast forward
Almost two years ago, I arrived in Korea. Oh boy, I was just overwhelmed with all the beauty products. They're literally everywhere! From the low-end/"for high schoolers" - The Face Shop, Nature Republic, Inisfree, Skin Food, Etude House, Holika Holika, Mischa, etc. (You may ask, why for high schoolers? These brands, although they have different product lines, most of the customers that you see when you walk in their shops are usually high school students.)

warning: don't be deceived by the claim in the above picture

to the middle/somewhat high-end brands - Laneige, Mamonde, etc. Actually, there's a blurry line between some of the "middle" brands and high-end ones when it comes to pricing. One word, expensive.

The high-end brands - Amore Pacific, Iope, (both are owned by Amore Pacific Co.), etc.

Gosh, looking at the pictures above, with the brand models and their perfect looking skin, makes me want to have a skin as beautiful as theirs. And the shops? They're on every corner in the city! So ever wonder why Koreans have that beautiful, healthy, glowing, smooth skin? Now you know the answer. And I should add, it's also in the genes.

At present
So yeah, since I am just in awe, I couldn't help but try the Korean products. Up until now, I am still looking for that perfect product for my skin type. And for my future posts, I'll be sharing some of the Korean products that I bought and tested and my experience/review about them.


More to come!



Image sources: Johnson's Baby Powder, Nivea Lip Balm, The Face Shop, Skin Food, Etude House, Laneige, Mamonde, Isa Knox, Amore Pacific, Iope

For more information about Korean high-end products, read here.