When we’re young, we want to be older. When we’re older, we want to be younger. We are never satisfied, always wanting what’s seemingly out of reach. And if it’s there, we don’t want it anymore. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

I never really thought of wanting to be older when I was young… I didn’t think that far ahead and as I watched the adults around me, I guess I just didn’t think it looked that promising. But after I turned 22, I realized I have been left behind on the less-desirable, other side of the fence. And as you can probably easily guess, I am not at all immune to the idea of staying young (mind & body) forever.

We have in our midst what I call the era of self-care and body positivity. It’s the era of not having to feel guilty on spending money on ourselves, on what makes us happy. I’ve learned that skincare is more than just about physical beauty, but rather about cultivating confidence and self-love.

Long story short…

Over the past couple of years, I’ve developed a solid skincare routine* that works for me, inspired by South Korea’s well-known 10-step skincare** and I wanted to share it with you, as well as feature the products I use (unpaid ad; not in any way sponsored).

STEP 1: Cleanser

Daily. I would say this is the most important part of any skincare routine. If your skincare routine is simple or virtually non-existent, cleansing should definitely be your first step (even if only using cold water). There are two main types of cleansers: oil-based and water-based. Soko Glam mentions using both, but I think oil-based cleansers are only necessary when removing make-up. Once in a while, if I do have make-up on, I just use L’Oreal’s Micellar Cleansing Water.

Too Cool for School’s Egg Mousse Soap is by far my favorite facial cleanser. The mousse texture is light and airy and it just feels perfect on the skin, especially after a long night. When my face is feeling extra oily because of the heat, I also use it to cleanse in the middle of the day to freshen up and bye-bye greasy feeling! It also has this clean, delicious scent that I love, which only enhances that refreshed feeling after use.

Too Cool For School’s Egg Skincare Collection (based on eggs, inspired by DIY at-home treatments) is my go-to for skincare because I noticed that it’s mostly if not all natural and thus, ideal for sensitive skin types. I’ve also noticed that each product has a signature scent and I’m VERY sensitive to scents but I have yet to find one I don’t like. You’ll definitely see more products from this collection in the next steps below…

STEP 2: Exfoliator

Once or twice a week. I see this step as an extension of the cleansing step, more of a deep cleansing. Exfoliating also opens up your pores not only to dig out all the dirt but to absorb the good stuff you will put on your face in the next steps. Note that it’s not recommended to exfoliate more than twice a week!

I’ve tried wash-off/peel-off clay masks before, which is fun but a bit inconvenient and time-consuming. I’ve also tried the exfoliating WYLD’s French Pink Clay Konjac Sponge and loved the experience, but unfortunately my sensitive skin didn’t like it – although it might work for you. If you thinking exfoliating sponges are a good fit for you, I highly recommend the WYLD brand because their sponges are high-quality, 100%-naturally sourced from the Konjac plant, and they’re gentle and freshly-baked!

As for me, I’ve been using two products.

STEP 3: Toner

Once or twice daily. I would think that this is probably one of the steps that people skip when first developing a skincare routine, but it’s really important. It preps your skin for the next steps by balancing your skin’s moisture and pH levels, and I think it does some other amazing stuff! For me, this is one of my favorite steps and Too Cool for School’s Egg-ssential Fluid Moisturizing Toner certainly is not the least reason. I use this toner every night before bed and also immediately after a shower. I use to have this dry feeling on my face (worst in the winter) after a shower, which I no longer have to suffer after discovering this toner. It has a soft and creamy feel to it and it smells amazing; it’s slightly sticky but that only adds to the benefits because it not only makes my face look glowy after a shower, but also makes the skin supple. One of the few products I found with immediate effects.

STEP 4: Essence

Twice daily. If I ever have to cut down on skincare costs (which I hope never to happen), this is probably the step I’ll try to keep, along with cleansing. This isn’t a step for me as it is a product. When I was first starting out on my skincare journey, this step was the first step I thought was unnecessary, and then I discovered PITERA.

I definitely was very skeptical when I first heard about this so-called Miracle Water, SK-II Facial Treatment Essence. There is actually a neat story on how the super-secret formula was discovered; it’s something about these aged workers at a sake factory having extremely smooth hands (read it for yourself here!). But I’m telling you, this miracle water has actually done miracles on my skin. I did test it out unintentionally when my first 75mL bottle (lasts me more or less than 3 months) ran out and I thought that maybe it’s all just the idea, but I noticed the difference within a couple of days. I was using it twice a day and my skin missed it. I was starting to break out again and and it just didn’t feel right. Some days, I think it’s still just the idea, but most days I believe the wonders it’s done to my skin. I’m afraid to test it out and anyway, I just recently finally started committing to a 230mL bottle.

STEP 5: Treatments

Once a week. I would consider this the more luxurious part of your skincare routine – this is when you give your skin those “extra good stuff” – almost like a DIY Botox process. Treatments can range from ampoules to boosters to serums. The trick is to find a product that not only is a good product but is also compatible with the other “foundational” products you use in the previous steps. My first choice was innisfree’s Intensive Hydrating Green Tea Seed Serum, which smells refreshing and is soft on the skin. We’ve probably all heard about all the great benefits of green tea. But alas, it was either not compatible for my skin, or the ingredients clashed with my other skincare products. Just in time, Too Cool for School released the Egg Collagen Melting Ampoule. To give you an idea of how it feels on your skin, it’s like if you put raw egg whites directly on your face. To be honest though, I could probably skip this step but I don’t care to at this point.

STEP 6: Sheet Masks

Once a week. Hands-down the most popular and publicized part of skincare, sheet masks are especially effective before bed. Depending on which mask you use, it can range from sticky to just slightly wet. I tend to be a little bit more experimental when it comes to products in this step. I like trying different masks, but prefer vegetable- or fruit-based masks. You also want to be careful with this because it has to be compatible with your other skincare products.

Right now, I have a supply of masks because I buy a lot whenever I see them on a special sale. The one I’ve been using recently is Too Cool for School’s Coconut Milk Cream Mask, because I love coconut and milk and also noticed that it’s hard to predict compatibility of these masks with the rest of my skincare so I thought this one from TCFS would be most safe and mild. I’m a little bit sad because TCFS seems to have discontinued selling this on their site so when my supply runs out, I’ll have to hunt for something else. Putting on a sheet mask one of those super relaxing skincare steps that makes me feel pampered, and it’s best done on weekends or a Friday night.

STEP 7: Eye Cream

Up to three times a week. LANEIGE Eye Sleeping Mask is one of my favorite products to use and I always look forward to using it. I normally use this at least once a week, but sometimes I use it nightly from Friday to Sunday. It comes with a cooling ceramic applicator and I can’t even begin to describe how great it feels. The results are also super visible the next morning, as it reduces puffiness and and gives a more more well-rested look.

STEP 8: Moisturizer

Daily or at least once a week. With all the other previous steps that also helps with moisturizing, this step can feel redundant. But this step is important to lock in all the good stuff that you’ve applied on your face so far. This step is recommended daily. I sometimes switch moisturizers but my favorite one is Too Cool for School’s Egg Mellow Cream Premium. I started out using Egg Mellow Cream, but the bottle for this is double the size and lasts longer, not to mention the real 24K gold flakes added to and also visible in the formula! What’s neat is that it also works as an eye cream and maintaining skin elasticity (reduces wrinkles!).

STEP 9: Sleeping Mask

I have to say, this is something additional but I’ve found is extremely helpful for relaxation before bed. I’ve only added this step after discovering LANEIGE’s Lavender Water Sleeping Mask. ALLURE magazine featured their original sleeping mask, but I love Lavender and knew about its soothing and calming properties so I didn’t hesitate to get the lavender variation! It’s cool on the skin and deeply hydrating. When I don’t feel like going through my complete skincare routine (even on my designated day for the week, which is usually a Friday night), I just cleanse, tone, pat-pat some essence, quickly apply eye cream, and then finish off with this sleeping mask!

STEP 10: Sunscreen

Daily or multiple times a day. This step is a little bit deceiving because it’s not necessarily the last step you will do for the day, but is one of the most important parts of any skincare routine. It basically prevents the sun from undoing all the work the rest of your skincare routine has done so far. So, if you’ve spent a fortune on all your other skincare products, don’t let it go to waste – DON’T skip this step! When you know the sun is really going to beat down on your face during the day, I recommend bringing a sunhat (which has more SPF properties than a regular sunscreen!). It can be a little inconvenient at times to even bother putting on a sunscreen, but it really does help. So far, I’ve found the most tolerable sunscreen I can find. MDSolarSciences’ Mineral Crème SPF 50 is non-comodegenic (won’t clog your pores!), natural/mineral-based, and is incredibly easy to apply (it’s as easy as putting on a lotion). It doesn’t leave those white traces all over your face and it takes away the pain of standing in front of the mirror for a half an hour just trying to apply sunscreen.

And that’s it!

I hope this was at least a little bit informational, whether or not you already have an existing skincare routine – thanks for reading! If you are thinking of trying one or more of the products I have mentioned and have any additional questions on my experience with these products, please let me know and I will answer as best as I can!

If you use any other products and would like to share your experience, please leave a comment below and I would love to check them out.

_{*I’m not at all a skincare expert but I try to do as much research as I can before I start using any product and I know my own skin best and I went through a lot of trial and errors. If you’re interested in developing your own routine, I suggest a great article I came across recently from Jenny in Neverland.}

_{**there are many different variations on the 10 steps, but I pretty much based mine on Soko Glam’s list}