Current Skincare Routine + Reviews

Hey everyone! How's your Saturday? I'm at home and blogging... says a lot about me huh? I can be the total homebody. Anyway, a few people asked me about my skincare routine and I was contemplating that I should blog about it someday. That someday is today, I guess! I was really flattered anyone would be curious to what I'm using because.... just cause ^^

I use a lot of things from a lot of different brands. I tend not to stick to a skincare set because I'm afraid I won't like it or that my skin will become so used to it that the product won't be as effective. I don't have a rational reason for it. I suppose I'm being paranoid.

So here it is, in all its wordy goodness.

Morning Routine
Lady and Skin Absolute White Cleansing Foam

Guinot Refreshing Toning Lotion

Shiseido Eyecream

Blu Shu Anti Aging Emulsion (VOV Skincare)
Sunscreen

Lady & Skin Absolute White Cleanser 

I made a post about this a few months ago and I asked if anyone knew where to find this brand! Many of you replied and said to look for it online at Korean sites such as Gmarket. Otherwise, there isn't much about this brand online. A lot of others also said it's one of those brands just very exclusive to Korea o_o My mom's friend gave it to her and she gave it to me so that's how I got a hold of it :) I own their BB cream, face powder, and lip jelly. I'll be doing a review of it eventually. As for the cleanser, it's really great. I used to use the Shiseido White Lucent cleanser and it is totally comparable although the Shiseido one is more drying. A lot more drying. This one creates a rich lather with just teensy amount. I'm talking the size of your pinky nail! And it doesn't make my face feel dry and tight or anything, just really refreshed and clean. I am in love with this cleanser... but I haven't explored Gmarket yet. I will need to find a backup because I love it so much! It has a light ginseng smell, which I personally love because I do like ginseng and herby smells. Some people absolutely despise it so the scent can be bothersome. Definitely HG status for me.

Please translate! :p Are these directions?

Back or side of box :)

Guinot Toning Lotion

I've been using this to put the moisture back into my face after cleansing. I'm not sure if it does anything special but it has a very pleasant rose smell. It's the richest toner/lotion I have ever used, ever! I sometimes use a cotton pad to put it on or I just pour some in my palm and pat (more like slapping) it into my face. It calms my redness in the morning. Have you used this or are you familiar with this brand? I've never heard of Guinot before!

Dr. Lewinn by Kinerase Daily Treatment Serum

I just started using this about two weeks ago because I've never used a serum in my life! I read so much about how serums are jam packed with antioxidants and how they make your other creams more absorbent so I had to get one. It claims to have a high potency of hydraulic acid which nourishes and repairs the skin.

It's a really nice treatment but I can't compare it to others since this is my first serum. I love the light lemon scent so much! I just squeeze two drops into my fingers and massage it into my face. It kind of has that oil-like consistency which i love because it feels very moisturizing to my skin. After about 1-2 mins, you can start using your day/night creams over it. It may be too early to tell but I feel it does a really good job at absorbing any follow up products.

I picked this up at Walgreens for around $10ish (1 oz). It was on major sale! You can find it on Walgreens online but it's a bit more. They are from the creators of Kinerase Skincare that is sold at Sephoras and other high end retailers.

Shiseido Bio Performance Eye Cream 

I have a bunch of sample sizes like this. I haven't really invested in a staple eye cream yet because my samples will probably last me awhile. I don't see anything spectacular about this eye cream. It's not as hydrating as I'd like it to be, but it's very smoothing and soft feeling. I do like the texture... a very lightweight cream.

VOV Skincare - Blu Shu Anti Aging Emulsion

I posted about this when I first bought it at the Korean market. I was walking around the skincare area where they have tons of amazing, expensive skincare when a sales lady approached me and started chatting about the importance of keeping my skin youthful and young... blah blah blah. She convinced me to get this and I caved because she said a lot of people in Korea use this brand. Came home and Googled it and couldn't find any reviews whatsoever! I still used it and very recently I discovered it came from VOV Skincare from the bottle of the jar. I don't know what VOV skincare at all, but I guess it's kind of like a parent company to many brands.

This is an emulsion, so it's kind of like a toning lotion plus lotion in it. It's quite luquidy, more so than your regular moisturizer but it absorbs really fast into my skin (probably b/c of the serum!) and has a really pleasant Asian skincare scent. I can't say if it's anti aging or not but anything that keeps you hydrated doesn't promote aging, right? :) If anyone knows more about VOV and what other brands they carry, do share! :)

Sunscreens: Garnier UV Protect, Neutrogena Healthy Defense Liquid Sunscreen, Shiseido Face Sunscreen

No, I do not use them all at the same time! I just alternate between the 3 of them since I get bored with using just one. The Shiseido one is the one I only use on super sunny days because it's SO thick. It goes on matte but it's a heavy duty sunscreen. The Garnier one is pretty heavy duty as well, but it's lighter than Shiseido. My favorite one of the 3 is the Neutrogena one. I've gone through a few bottles of this already :) It's a super lightweight sunscreen and feels really nice on my skin. There is an ultra sheer version and a healthy defense version. I've used both but I think I prefer the other one because it's even more lightweight. I bought this one not thinking they had another one, but I still like it :)

Nighttime Routine
Lady and Skin Absolute White Cleansing Foam
Guinot Refreshing Toning Lotion

Dr. Lewinn by Kinerase Daily Treatment Serum 

Shiseido Eyecream

Laniege White Plus Renew Night Cream
or
Skincare Cosmetics Retinol Skin Brightner moisturizer

Laneige White Plus Renew Night Cream

I started using this a few weeks ago and I love everything about it! The pretty scent, the cooling feeling and the yogurt-like texture of the this night cream. It's extremely hydrating. I plan on doing a full review when I'm almost done with it. As far as night creams go, I'm pretty happy with this one at the moment :) I'd love to know what you think of it if you've tried it!

Retinol Skin Brightner

I've read in countless magazines that retinol is very important in skincare because of the anti aging properties. Your skin's outer layer will become thinner to promote skin turnover and thus, new skin!  I quite like this one because it's like a lotion/emulsion and moisturizes effervescently. The one thing I don't like is the old lady smell which is a bit strong... hard to explain. I'll have to sniff it again but I really don't want to! o_o It is supposed to lighten discoloration and fade blotchy spots away. It hasn't done anything noticeable except keeping my skin from dehydrating. This is pure retinol in the form of Vitamin A.  This is non prescription, and has 200,000 ICU of Vitamin A. You can see more reviews from Amazon.com, where they sell it. It's really inexpensive, I bought mine for $12ish. Although, I'm not sure I'd repurchase because of the weird smell.

Weekly/Occasional 

Sana Nameraka Cream - Read my review here.

Laniege Water Sleeping Pack - Read my review here. 

Whew! That was extremely wordy. As always, let me know what you think! Or do a skincare routine on your blog. I'd love to read what others do for skincare! :)

Are you the type that uses the whole skincare kit from one line or do you use different brands like myself?