I absolutely love colder seasons. Yep, even in Hawai‘i. ESPECIALLY in Hawai‘i. They mean the end of sweltering, dripping, hellishly humid heat, the beginning of sweaters and coats (because 75 degrees is chilly for us, apparently), and the onset of some serious holiday sales. It means I can finally shop for clothes that aren’t in eye-watering neon colors. And it means I can try a slightly wider variety of products in more layers. Yaaay!
As always, Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV). My skincare routine is not a cut-and-dry guide. The beauty of a Korean-/Japanese-inspired skincare routine is its adaptability to individual circumstances: to your skin type, to the weather and seasons, and simply to the daily moods of your skin. The number of products and steps my skin needs will be different from yours. Even AM and PM skincare routine steps can vary daily. For instance, if my skin is feeling dry that day (or if I’m just tired and want to knock out ASAP), I will skip my “actives” A.K.A. chemical exfoliants. Or, I will skip a moisturizer if it seems like my face will only be melted off by the humidity. And other fun obstacles!
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Skin Type, Concerns, and Climate
- Oily / slightly dehydrated
- Occasional clogged pores, acne (some hormonal)
- Sebacious filaments (SFs)
- Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH)
- Tropical climate, occasional “winter” rains, humid
An improving picking habit
Daily AM Routine
- Cleanser: Rinse with water only
- Vitamin C Serum: Eva Naturals Vitamin C Serum 20% (when I feel dry; non-exfoliating)
- Essence/ Light Moisturizer: Mizon All-in-One Snail Repair Cream (empty soon…)
- Sunscreen: Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel
Daily PM Routine
- Konjac sponge: Missha Natural Soft Jelly Cleansing Puff (charcoal and white clay)
- Oil cleanser: The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Oil Light
- Foaming cleanser: Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid Cleansing Foam
- Chem. exfoliator (BHA): Stridex Maximum Strength Pads (2% salicylic acid)
- Hydrating toner: Kikumasamune Sake Brewing Skin Care Lotion High Moist; Ratzilla Cosme info (empty soon… replacing with Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Liquid)
- Vitamin C serum: Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop (non-exfoliating; 5% L-Ascorbic Acid)
- Eye cream: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Eye Cream (I’m impartial to this; just finishing it up)
- Essence/Light moisturizer: Mizon All-in-One Snail Repair Cream
- Medium moisturizer: Laneige Water Bank Gel Cream EX
- Medium moisturizer (alternate): Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream
Weekly-ish
- Sheet masks, 0-3x weekly:
- Hawaii LuLuLun Plumeria Face Mask
- DIY sheet mask capsule with Hada Labo Shirojyun Arbutin Lotion
- Wash-off mask, 1-2x weekly: The Body Shop Blue Corn 3-in-1 Deep Cleansing Mask
Coming Soon to a Routine Near Me…
- Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Liquid (thank you for the decants, kind Redditor!)
- The Acid Queen’s DIY experiment DMAE toner (I am SO excited to try this, as she calls it, “monstrosity”)
- Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Whitening Power Essence
- More sheet masks!
Past Skincare Routine Updates
Hey, you. Yeah, you! What’s in your skincare closet? Does your routine change seasonally, too? ☺ (Hawai‘i has seasons, I promise!)
A River Lily 
Mine does change seasonally, I try to add more layers in the winter and up my usage of thicker creams. Unfortunately, this winter hasn’t been as harsh in the UK, so my routine hasn’t changed too drastically!
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Why “unfortunately”? :p To be honest, I personally wouldn’t mind drastic seasonal changes too much if it meant I can try new things…
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Unfortunately because I bought some new products in anticipation and the weather has been too mild to introduce them! So I’m kind of bummed out about it!
I remember the last winter being really bad, so I prepped and bought things in advance. Now it’s mild, boooo! I wouldn’t mind it being a little less drastic either tbh, I just wish I hadn’t bought anything!
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Aww shucks. I want to say I hope the weather becomes heavy-product-appropriate for you soon, but that might be a bad thing for some, haha. At least you’re prepared for anything! And you can always try to sell or exchange them with someone. 🙂
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This vacation to a hot country didn’t help at ALL! Silly me. You’re right, now I’m prepared for anything! Maybe I can work them into my routine in another way. It’s mostly just the one product, from Body Shop which is rare as I never usually like their skincare!
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Ooh, where did you go?! Yep, you can absolutely repurpose them. Gurl, you are creative enough for anything.
What Body Shop product was it? I’ve only ever used that blue corn mask and some makeup brushes, lol.
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I’m in Ghana! Why thank you 😋 I bought the Oils of Life Intensely Revitalising Essence Lotion as a nice way to introduce an oil inoy routine without it being heavy.
I honestly think this might be my first Body Shop product which is why I wanted to try it out! How did you find their makeup brushes?
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Exciting!! Come to think of it, I’ve probably seen your Ghana pics on instagram! That sounds lovely, I’ll have to look into that oil. What is its main ingredient? o:
Their brushes are not bad at all; I only got them out of necessity one day (MAKEUP EMERGENCY!), and ended up being pleasantly surprised. The little travel set is nice!
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Yaaaay, I hope you like my monstrosity 🙂
Your routine looks lovely, by the way!
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8D
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