The skin around the eyes is up to 5 times more delicate than the skin on the rest of the body, so it requiers greater attention.
Eye cream deserves special attention. It'ss not just a marketing strategy; it is formulated specifically for the delicate skin in the skin area, which can ben up to 5 times thinner than skin elsewhere on the body: a mere 0.05-0.1 millimetres - nothing! Nonetheless, it still acts as a protective barrier, so we need to pay it extra attention and care for it with specific products which can even be tolerated by those who have sensitive skin.
We have all the mistake of thinking that hte day cream we use for the face can also be used as an eye cream, but this is wrong because some ingredients can be aggressive and irritate the very delicate eye area. But there's good news! In general, eye creams are formulated with concentrated and very effective ingredients because the skin around the eyes is where the first signs of ageing appear. Note too, that these creams can also be appleid to the lips.
Eye cream usually comes in small (15 millilitre) containers, though some brands are more generous and offer 30 millilitres. Both might seem tiny amountdd, but they are more than sufficient when you consider that a quantity equivalent to a grain of rice is sufficient for treating two eyes.
While eye cream serves principally to treat wrinkles in the eye zone and to brighten dark circles, it can't eliminate them.
Do not confuse dark circles with bags. The latter are formed when oil or liquid accumulates under the eyes, and can de reduced with the use of hydrogel patches. These patches, shaped like half-moons, are made from a gelatinous material that sticks perfectly to the skin and reduces bags and congestion in a matter of minutes. The trick is to keep the patches in the refrigerator and apply them cold, ideally in the morning, so that the results are seen throughout the day.
Eye cream should be applied around each eye as far as the cheeckbone and the arch of the eyebrow. The product must not be used close to the tear duct or directly on the eyelid, as the capillaries (tiny blood vessels) in the skin will distribute the active ingredients.
Nor should the cream be rubbed or massaged forcefully. Use just light touches with the fingertips, preferably the ring finger.
How to apply an eye cream:
01Eye cream can be applied both day and night.
02It is important to apply eye cream before face cream or hydrating lotion, and not as a fianl step. The reason: if cream or lotion is applied fist, iti will form a protective layer that will prevent the skin from correctly absorbing the eye cream.
03Dab the cream on lightly with the fingertips and avoid rubbing the product to prevent irritation.
Without a doubt, the most common myth is that eye cream is for those with mature skin. It all depends on the formulation, but in fact, it's for everyone beacsue it's important to keep the skin hydrated from an early age and thus prevent premature signs of ageing.
Lotion is important for eveyone, even those with oily or combination skin.
Cream seemed more than sufficient, and even if we wanted something lighter, we would look for a slighttly less stickey cream. However, Korean cosmetics are sophisticated, and lotion now has a special place in our washbag, whether we have oily or combination skin.
Lotion, sometimes referred to as emulsion, has the same function as cream: to nourish the skin and maintain an optimum level of hydration. The difference is in the texture. Lotions are much lighter and less dense than cream, so they absorb more rapidly.
In Korea, those with normal or dry skin usually apply lotion before cream. However, if your skin is combination or oily, we recommend that you apply lotion as the final step of hydration, using it in place of cream. Asit is light, it creates no sensation of heaviness and, unlikecream, it leaves no residue, so your skin will feel fresher. If you have dry skin or notice tightness as the season changes, apply lotion before cream for extra hydration.
Applying lotion is one of the final steps in the Korean beauty routine. When yoou apply it depends on your skin type.
How to apply a lotion:
01Apply lotion after using serum and eye cream, and just before hydrating cream or sleeping packs. The trick is to put the lotion first in the palm of one hand, then to warm it a little by bringing your hands together.
02Softly massage it into the face and neck, using light touches to facilitate absorption.
'Because of its lighter texture, lotion is less effective than cream.' Wrong! We usually feel that liquid products don't give the same results as those with denser textures, but that is not the case. The effectiveness of a product is measured not by its texture, but by its formulation and the percentages of the ingredients it contains. This means that a cream can be very thick but contain fewer active ingredients than a lotion. The secret is knowing how to interpret the ingredients - those listed first are the major constituents - and use that information to purchase the products that are right for you.
The jewel of K-beauty
Even if you don't like cosmetics, you will certainly have a face cream in your beauty kit. And if you could take just one product to a desert island, it's highly likely that you would choose a cream.
Cream is the best of all moisturisers, heving been used for centuries to treat and improve skin issues. There are many different types, and various ingredients have been tested to achieve the optimum results. Among cosmetics, cream offers the greatest variety of option in terms of texture, frangrance and presentation. It deserves its reputation as something special, something that makes us willing to spend more on it than any other cosmetic product.
It could be said that you can tell a person by their cream. After all, creams aren't chosen by accident. When you find the right one, you will fall in love with it, and if you have to change it later, you will be sad. You can probably remember the first cream that belonged to you, that no one else was allowed to touch, and that you used in tiny quantities so that it would last as long as possible.
Applying cream is the final step of the Korean beauty routine, provied it hasn't been replaced by a lotion, and provided we don't include extra steps, such as applying sun cream during the day or a sleeping pack before bedtime.
We'll let you into a secret: the makority of creams can be used both day and night, as long as they have no sun protection factor.
However, a cream that yoou have enjoyed throughout your life can suddenly stop working for many reasons, the main one being changes in your skin. Like the rest of your body, your skin alters over time, and only by constantly checking in the mirror will you be able to tell if your favourite cream is stil doing its job effectively. If the answer is no, it's time to find a better one.
How to apply a cream:
01Apply cream as the final step of your beauty routine, before sun cream but after serum or lotion.
02Always use a spatula if the cream does not have a pump, because placing your fingers in the container can transmit bacteria.
03Spread cream from the middle of the face towards the sides, and from the chin to the forehead.
'One cream for all ages.' If you read this somewhere, run, don't walk! In order for a cream to offer results, it has to have been formulated with top-quality ingredients which address the specific needs of the skin. Those needs change over time, and you mustn't over-stimulate it with things it doesn't require. For example, young skin does not need the nevel of hydration requiered by mature skin, so it would be a mistake for a teenager to use her grandma's moisturiser.
This is the ultimate skincare secret of Korean women: they protect themselves from the sun throughout the year.
Sun is one of the principal causes of prelature ageing, manifesting in such things as dark patches on the skin. The problem for many of us is that we only begin to think about sun protection when some of the ageing symtoms have already appeared.
There is one simple rule: always use sun cream before leaving the house, no matter if the weather is rainy, cloudy or cold, because the sun's rays will reach your skin. Of course, using sun cream during the summer goes almost without saying, but remember to increace the SPF and apply the cream every 2 hours.
As the name suggest, sun cream protects the skin from the sun's rays. The most important part of sun cream is the filter, an ingredient, or group of ingredients, that works to stop the harmful effects of the sun on our skin. Sun creams conatin 2 differnet types of filters:
Chemical filters.Also known as organtic filters, these seek to absorb or capture ultraviolet light and transform it into non-harmful energy. Among the most common are aminobenzoic acid, avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octinoxate and oxybenzone.
Physical or mineral filters.These block radiation by creating a reflective barrier. Creams that contain these will have titanium dioxide or zinc oixide listed in tthe ingredients.
Sun cream is always the final step of the Korean beauty routine and must be applied shortly before leaving home in order for it to function correctly. It is applied after cream but doesn't replace it, unless the day cream contains solar protection.
How to apply a sun cream:
01Apply sun cream after your hydrating cream or lotion.
02Spread it from the middle of the face towards the sides, and from the chin to the forehead.
'Sun cream leaves my face white.' Physical filters usually do leave a white residue on the skin, but there are now many improved products on the market and their whitening effect is far less visible.
'I don't use sun cream because I have oily skin.' Sun creams used to be dense and greasy, and this gave rise to the false belief that they were unsuitable for oily skin. Nowdays, there are many good options for oily skin, including sun creams with light textures and oil-free formulations.
Offering hydration with colour and sun protection, this product is your best anti-ageing support when you're on the road.
Korean cosmetics owe most of their well-deserved fame to the quality of their BB (blemish balm) creams. Many years before they began to be fashionable in Europe, BB creamss were already a basic product in the Korean daily beauty routine.
BB cream is a tinted day cream that includes a sun protection factor, and - like make-up - it can be blended over the skin to cover small imperfections and leave the complextion looking smooth and even. It's usually sold in tubes, often with applications of varying sophistication. However, the BB revolution truly began when the creams began to be sold in the cushion format.
Don't know what that is? Basically, it's a compact containing a damp cushion impregnated with light tinted cream. What makes it so popular is that it provides all the benefits of liquid make-up in an easy-to-use form. The cushion allows you to apply just the right amount withoout wasting even one drop, and it provides great cover.
The BB compact is based on the same principle as the ink pads used with rubber stamps in the post offices, but is far more sophisticated. Each cushion has up to 800,000 pores, which allow the make-up to filter in a uniform manner when pressure is applied. The cushion is made from a special matrial that can hold up to 9 times its weight in water, so you get e decent amount of product for your money. Moreover, it is very hygienic.
Cuurently, many brands use the cushion format, either for make-up or BB creams. Cushions were launched in Korea in 2008 and keep on developing, so this is no passing fashion. Why choose a cushion? Because it's an easy and comfortable way to apply liquid make-up and dispenses the correct quantity of product. it sits on the skin in a very natrural way and also provides good cove. It's also fantastic for travel, as the container is like a powder compact with applicationn cushion and a mirror.
First, find the right shade for your skin tone. You should try BB cream on your jaw before making a purchase. Never try it on the wrist or the hand because the skin tone there is different from the face. BB cream is applied just like a make-up base, using fingers, a braush or a cushion applicator.
How to apply a cushion-format BB cream:
01Press the cushion with the applicator disc until it absorbs a small quantity of the product.
02Apply to the face with light touches, spreading it smoothly.
03Repeat the process if you want more cover.
'All BB creams are very white.' Well, yes. W e know it's difficult to find a Korean BB cream that works well for non-Asian skin. Koreans have a very light complexio, and the tones are designed for the local market. Fortunately, brands have seen that in order to build popularity in the Western market, they have to create a wider range of tones, so it is becoming easier to find a wider variety.
