Korean beauty routine: how to incorporate its ten steps into your life

We promise it's worth it

Words by Kirsti Shuba, co-founder of Katharine Daniels Cosmetics

The ten step Korean beauty routine sounds more onerous than it is and is actually the basis of a great skincare routine. Following it everyday will ensure that you have great skin, that is thoroughly cleansed, hydrated and treated, protecting it from ageing and environmental aggression. I also believe it’s a great idea to book a course of facials to enhance the benefits so that you have glowing, radiant and rejuvenated skin.

The concept is quite simple and you may find you are doing most of it already. If you follow a nightly routine of eye make-up removal, double cleanser and toner, serum/concentrate, eye cream, lip product, moisturise, with a weekly exfoliate and mask – you are already achieving the 10 steps renowned in Korean beauty.

For the uninitiated I have listed the key elements of the Korean 10-step beauty regime below. It’s really easy and adopting this into your day will enhance your skin health in no time at all.

Step 1: Eye Make-Up Removal

Start at the beginning, removing your eye make-up should be the first step on everyone’s list, but removing it correctly is equally as important. We do not want to be pull around that delicate eye area, so using specially designed products will speed this step right up and your eye make-up should just melt away.

The Essential Face and Eye Make-up Remover, it’s super-efficient, it doesn’t sting around the eyes and it doubles up as a morning skin cleansing product (it’s amazing how grubby your skin gets whilst you’re sleeping)

Step 2: First Cleanser

Your first cleanse will remove your make-up, dirt and impurities, this step is essential, applying skincare on top of make-up is just a complete waste of time and can actually cause breakouts.

The Essential Cleansing Milk will remove your makeup, dirt and impurities, use a damp Micro Fibre Cloth to remove the make-up and dirt filled product from, not only are the cloths as soft as a kitten, but they speed the process up 10 fold.

Step 3: Second Cleanser

This step is actually going to clean your skin, rather than take the impurities away. Often this step is missed but it’s vital for a through cleansing routine, getting the cleansing right will help with a whole list of skincare issues!

Along with the Essential Cleansing Milk, the best cleanser for this would be the Deep Cleansing and Skin Rejuvenating System. It will ensure a thorough superior cleanse leaving your skin feel soft, smooth and ready for the next step.

Step 4: Toner

This will finish the cleansing process and balance the pH of your skin, and nice and quick step that’s very refreshing! Use the Essential Toning Lotion on a cotton wool pad for a beautiful refreshed skin.

Step 5: Concentrate

This is a concentrated version of a moisturiser and the molecular structure of a concentrate is smaller than that of a moisturiser, so active ingredients are able to penetrate deeper into the skin. Apply to toned skins and massage in.

The Concentrate for Dry Skin is great to use in the winter or the Urban Shield Concentrate in the summer.

Steps 6: Eye Cream

Use an eye product that’s has specially designed for the delicate eye area, never use your moisturiser around your eyes, it’s likely to make your eyes puffy due to the weight of the cream. Simply apply with your ring finger and gentle tap in.

The Multi-Tasking Eye Balm works to fight puffiness, dark shadows, lines, wrinkles and eyelid droop.

Step 7: Lip Balm

Another step that could often be missed or even forgotten, but essential to beautiful skin! A simple step that takes seconds.

The Plumping Lip Balm will nourish and hydrate the lips especially in the cold months of winter, the added benefit of Hyaluronic Acid Filling Spheres, plump the lips and help keep vertical lip lines at bay.

Step 8: Moisturiser

This is a major step, and normally the one that’s enjoyed the most, applying your treatment cream tends to be the last step in evens routine. Apply to the face and décolleté and massage the cream into the skin.

Use the Skin Defence Moisturisers, again depending on the season, during the colder winter months you could use the Dry Skin Cream, during the summer months you could use the Sensitive Skin Rich Cream, which is lighter in weight and lower in oil content.

Or for a real skin treat, the Nurturing Night Balm, massaged into my skin nourishes dry skin and packs in the anti-oxidants, the rose oil in it is really calming and will help you get to sleep.

Step 9: Exfoliation

This is a step that will only take place once or twice a week. Exfoliating is really important as it rids the skin or its dead skin cells, it will not only leave your skin soft and smooth but also allow the greatest penetration of the ingredients from my products. Daily exfoliation is not necessary, you can do more damage than good.

The Essential Exfoliating Gel is the ideal product to use for gentle exfoliation.

Step 10: Mask

Again this is a once a week step, and depending on the needs of your skin will depend on the actual mask used. This should be treated as a once a week treat, when you’ve had many a long day!

The Repairing Regenerating Mask is great for a dose of Hydration and Nourishment when needed.

So there you have it, ten steps to fabulous skin!

Not as difficult to achieve as you may think, it really shouldn’t take much longer than a few minutes in the morning and a few in the evening and easier achievable.