One of the things I love about K-Beauty is that there’s an amazing choice of new products with huge variety of very interesting ingredients.
Consequently, I find myself surrounded by open bottles and half finished products because it’s too exciting not to open brand things.
Should I finish Mary & May Marine Collagen Serum before I open my Isntree Tw-Real Bifida Ampoule? Probably but I might like the Isntree better!
So: how do I tell if something is working for me when I’m constantly trying new products?
If your routine seems good, do you try something else? How long do you wait before deciding something isn’t quite doing what you hoped?
This is a companion piece to another blog post where Bianca talked about how quickly you can expect products to work, which is super useful and essential reading so you can set realistic expectations.
What I’m thinking about here is less about the long term effects products have, on things like fine lines or pigmentation, and more about how to evaluate your hydrating and moisturising products. After all, something might be working but only if you apply a ton of layers or use a lot of other extra products.
Skin type and environment
Skin type has a big effect on the initial suitability of products, start here if you’re not sure about your skin type.
Depending on your environment, including the weather, oily skin might need an extra layer or a heavier cream that’s usually more suited to dry skin. Safina has written an excellent guide to adjusting your k-beauty skin care for colder weather here.
And of course even dry skin might need lighter products in summer.
Signs that it might be time to consider a different product
When you want to take stock of your routine, consider if you’re noticing the following:
Fine lines that appear out of nowhere: we all get fine lines as we get older but if fine lines seem to spring up overnight and if your routine is otherwise working well, you might need more hydration.
Tightness: if your skin feels a bit tight, you might need oil (and increased hydration, sometimes, too – so try extra hydration first and if that doesn’t help, try oil)
Texture: if it’s longstanding texture, consider exfoliation. If it’s new texture, stop using the last product you introduced and you might then need some exfoliation, if your skin isn’t also irritated.
And obviously if something is breaking you out or your skin is irritated, stop using it and find something else!
But what if there’s no obvious gaps in your routine and you’re not sure if you’re maximising the effects of your k-beauty skin care?
How many layers?
Here’s where the nuance in K-Beauty makes a big difference but it’s something that can be hard to work out at first: your routine seems fine but you’re noticing that you need to use a lot of layers, otherwise your skin feels tight and lacks plumpness.
Whilst layering is key and I’m a massive fan of 7 skins, in my experience, I find that if I’m having to apply my hydrating toner more than three times, it might not be right for me. Of course, I like to apply five or more layers for fun but if those five layers are a twice daily necessity to ensure I don’t look like a shrivelled prune, I start rethinking my toner choices.
I say this with all love for the 7 skins because the key words here are “up to 7 times” – I personally count my essences and serums as part of the 7 skins, which means I always reach 7!
Sometimes the solution is simply to change to a toner with more hydrating ingredients, such as multiple types of hyaluronic acid. A good example of this is the Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Toner Plus.
Why skin type matters!
As much as I love Isntree, their Green Tea Fresh Toner is best for oily to combination skin. Whilst it worked well on my T-zone, I did find that it wasn’t hydrating enough for my drier cheeks.
But sometimes it’s not just hydration that you need, even though your skin is dehydrated. Although I was pretty happy with my routine at the time, I found that using the Isntree Yam Root Vegan Milk toner was a game changer.
The Isntree seemed more hydrating than what I was using but I also suspect it was the perfect mix of oil and water so I actually needed less toner. This was because my skin needed emollients, as well as hydration, right from the start of my k-beauty routine.
In my review of the Isntree, I note that I can use less of my beloved Dr Ceuracle Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence as a result of the Isntree toner, which was astounding because it has been an essential part of my routine since I first tried it!
But if you have oily skin, your skin already produces plenty of oil so you might find toners that moisturise as well as hydrate are too heavy, even lightweight toners that help oily skin like Cosrx Full Fit Propolis Synergy Toner.
If you find your skin looking shinier than usual, which is a sign that your skin is producing more oil. In which case, you want to try the lightest hydration possible, like a Mixsoon toner.
Final Word
Hydration isn’t the only thing to consider when evaluating your routine. However, it’s a key area and one of the easiest things to assess.
Of course one of the things K-Beauty does best so it’s easy to make a small adjustment that might have a big effect!