So recently I made the move from Busan, South Korea to Tokyo, Japan! The differences are incredible, but still one thing remains - Asians have amazing skin. How they do it, I'm not 100% sure; but here are some tips and tricks I've learned about since being in Asia.
FOOD:
"You are what you eat" quite literally. The good food that you eat, is also great for your skin! In fact I've seen many beauty products infused with foods like green tea, ginseng, seaweed and even kimchi. Seaweed in particular, it contains so many vitamins and actually is quite a tasty snack. You'd be surprised how readily available it is over in the UK too. Try introducing pure green tea into your diet, matcha has the most benefits.
MOISTURE:
Face Spritz's everywhere! Just woken up? Spritz. Just brushed your teeth? Spritz. Just gotten off the metro? Spritz. Break time at School/University/Work? Spritz. Just had lunch? Spritz. I'm not even exaggerating, moisturising is a very important step in Asian skincare. I often find that in restaurant or hotel bathrooms they have a face spritz available for you to use.
SPF:
Asians almost fear the sun! In Korea families would go to the beach covered up from head to toe, even if they went swimming in the sea, they would be fully dressed. Walking down the street even if its cloudy women cover up with umbrellas and several layers of clothes. Those UV rays will not penetrate!! Also the minimum SPF I could find was SPF35 which in the UK is quite high. May I also add, it was particularly hard to find 35, most shops only stocked 50 or 75.
THE DOUBLE CLEANSE:
I know in all of the beauty magazines in the UK over cleansing your face is bad as it strips away all of the natural oils and messes with the ph balance of your skin. However this method is something I've used for years without knowing the Asian roots! Removing your make-up with an oil or balm, and then washing your face a second time to purify the skin. The roots behind this practise stem from Geisha days, where women would wear thick white foundation which would be extremely difficult to remove - only possible by using an oil cleanser. Then to help cleanse the skin a second cleanser would be used. I personally use the Camomile Cleansing Balm from The Body Shop then the Blemish Zero Foam Bubble Cleanser by The Face Shop.
FOOD:
"You are what you eat" quite literally. The good food that you eat, is also great for your skin! In fact I've seen many beauty products infused with foods like green tea, ginseng, seaweed and even kimchi. Seaweed in particular, it contains so many vitamins and actually is quite a tasty snack. You'd be surprised how readily available it is over in the UK too. Try introducing pure green tea into your diet, matcha has the most benefits.
MOISTURE:
Face Spritz's everywhere! Just woken up? Spritz. Just brushed your teeth? Spritz. Just gotten off the metro? Spritz. Break time at School/University/Work? Spritz. Just had lunch? Spritz. I'm not even exaggerating, moisturising is a very important step in Asian skincare. I often find that in restaurant or hotel bathrooms they have a face spritz available for you to use.
SPF:
Asians almost fear the sun! In Korea families would go to the beach covered up from head to toe, even if they went swimming in the sea, they would be fully dressed. Walking down the street even if its cloudy women cover up with umbrellas and several layers of clothes. Those UV rays will not penetrate!! Also the minimum SPF I could find was SPF35 which in the UK is quite high. May I also add, it was particularly hard to find 35, most shops only stocked 50 or 75.
THE DOUBLE CLEANSE:
I know in all of the beauty magazines in the UK over cleansing your face is bad as it strips away all of the natural oils and messes with the ph balance of your skin. However this method is something I've used for years without knowing the Asian roots! Removing your make-up with an oil or balm, and then washing your face a second time to purify the skin. The roots behind this practise stem from Geisha days, where women would wear thick white foundation which would be extremely difficult to remove - only possible by using an oil cleanser. Then to help cleanse the skin a second cleanser would be used. I personally use the Camomile Cleansing Balm from The Body Shop then the Blemish Zero Foam Bubble Cleanser by The Face Shop.
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