Hello hello and happy 추석 to all my Korean readers. I hope you are having a lovely Korean Thanksgiving holiday!

Today I would like to share with you a very highly requested video, my updated skincare routine. I checked and it looks like the last time I posted my skincare routine was about 1 year ago so it's about time I refreshed you all with what I've been doing to keep my skin in order.



Products Mentioned:
Re-10 Wash (generic prescription for Ovace wash)
Elisha Coy BB All In-One Cleanser
Eucerin Everyday Protection Face Lotion SPF 30
Josie Maran Protect 40+ Sunscreen
Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum
Juju Aquamoist 100% Hyaluronic Acid
Differin .1% (I'm now back to using the .3% which I like better)
Vanicream Moisturizing Skin Cream (large tub I have is here)
Clarisonic Mia in Pink with Sensitive brush head
Vitamin E oil capsules (Bio-Oil can be used similarly, or liquid form here)

As you can see my update isn't drastically different than what it was last year. (If you'd like more info on my skin history please read up on my past skincare and acne posts.) I'm still using pretty gentle products although I have somewhat "weaned" myself off of my prescriptions containing antibiotics. That being said, my skin is still really breakout-prone! Especially in the last 2 months my skin has been very unpredictable.


Since recording this video, I have actually gone back to the dermatologist so I am now again using Differin .3% which, as the name implies, is three times stronger and it seems to keep my acne at bay better than .1%. I am also trying out a new daytime prescription called Finacea (azelaic acid gel, 15%) which is apparently very natural and gentle enough for even pregnant women. So far since starting it I've had zero skin purging! I'll keep you guys updated on how my skin progresses but I will say that I'm very happy to be on a prescription skincare regimen that contains no antibiotics. As of now, my skin has improved from 2 weeks ago. :)

Now I need to go and finish packing for my trip to Paris tomorrow! Eeeeeek, I'm so excited! Has anyone been to Paris before? Any packing tips or experience on what to bring would be excellent. Blog posts and video uploads will be put on hold until I get back but I promise I will take tons of photos and video footage to share with you when I return! Wish me luck!

Oh man, my life has been so insane since getting back from Cali! The travel and jet lag have been taking a toll on my skin and I've been fighting an on-and-off sore throat that I'm sure I picked up at one of the several airports I stopped by. Eek! I promise I will get to the Cali-heavy blog posting soon but for today, I will be catching up with my favorites video for the month of June. :)



Products mentioned:
Makeup Forever Mat Velvet Foundation in 40
Josie Maran Protect spf 40+ sunblock
JuJu Aquamoist 100% Hyaluronic Acid
Josie Maran bronzer in Beach 1
Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner
CND Tropic Coral (similar here, here, and here)
Makeup Show Brushes
Eucerin Everyday Protection Body Lotion (review here)

I spent a third of this month traveling so I only had a few things with me in my makeup bag. (Now that I think about it, I just remembered I recorded a video on its contents so you will be able to see what I took very soon!) My limited space access really defined a lot of the things that became my favorites this month for both skincare and makeup. I think I might have trouble straying from some of my favorites now because they did me so well with a limited supply of cosmetics at hand!

In any case, I hope that my mostly "hits" this month were enjoyable and helpful if you are interested in these products. I guess it's a good thing if I liked a lot of things versus not, right? ;)

I'd like to know, do you have a separate set of "travel" makeup that you take with you or do you just bring all of your daily makeup wherever you go? Let me know in the comments!

Disclaimer: There are some affiliate links included in this post. Josie Maran items provided by the company's PR. Makeup Show brushes provided by 7Bella. Juju Aquamoist provided by Beauty Carousel. Eucerin products provided by the company's PR. All reviews are 100% my honest opinion and this blog and video were not sponsored. :)

I feel like this skincare post has been the most requested one out of anything I could possibly post about, even if I posted just pics of puppies and squirrels. And we all know how popular the last squirrel post was. Oh yeah, super mega popular.


Products mentioned:

Re-10 Wash (sodium sulfacetamide 10%)
Eucerin Everyday Protection Face Lotion SPF 30
Duac Topical Gel (clindamycin 1% & benzoyl peroxide 5%)
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair
Lioele Active Therapy Ampoule
Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Cream
Vanicream Moisturizing Skin Cream
StriVectin-SD Eye Cream
Differin Gel (adapalene gel .3%)



Sadly, no cute squirrel shots this time, just my 'ole mug. Apparently people think my skin is pretty nice although I pretty much always have one or two breakouts at any given time. Despite my being baffled at this contradiction, my excuse is that I have fairly good skin texture. This comes from a combination of good hydration, sunscreen, and proper exfoliation which could be either from a physical scrub or something like the Clarisonic, or it could be from a chemical like a retinoid (like Differin) which is what I use.

I really believe there's no magic to achieving your ideal skin, but it is really important to exfoliate, moisturize, and protect your skin. As I mentioned in the video, everyone needs moisturizer. Some people may say that they don't but I promise you, every single lady I've applied makeup on (even teens and women in their early 20's) who don't wear moisturizer, I can tell. Your skin may not feel dry but there will be wrinkles appearing on the forehead and around the eyes. Those wrinkles form through a combination of inadequate hydration and sun damage.

Thankfully, there are really inexpensive products that work well like my HG Eucerin Everyday Protection which is oil-free so it won't break me out. It also already contains spf 30 so it protects against the evils of wrinkles and hyperpigmentation.


Post-acne dark spots or what some people call "scars" are actually exacerbated by exposure to the sun so if you are someone who has battled hyperpigmentation and wonders why it takes so long to go away, consider that you may be able to avoid it getting as dark in the first place with this 1 small step! I won't completely prevent the spots but they do seem to not get as dark and they fade faster as well.

Sometimes it's really the simple things that work the best: products that don't have too much extra junk in them, sticking with a consistent routine, and living a healthy life in general. It's hard to see if something really works for you if you use it less than a month or on and off, and also hard if you aren't getting enough sleep or water.

Enough of my little rant, here is my daily regimen:

Morning

• Wash face with Re-10
• Moisturize with Eucerin Everyday Protection
• Apply Duac (pea-sized) in trouble areas

Evening

• Wash face with Re-10
• Maybe apply a serum (Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair or Lioele Active Therapy Ampoule)
• Apply StriVectin Eye Cream if I feel like being awesome
• Moisturize with Vanicream
• Apply Differin all over (half-pea sized, dotted on face then spread in)