My skincare journey has been a difficult one. In university I used a physical exfoliator that didn't just cause small tears in the delicate skin on my face, but caused so much damage that I needed to apply a medical ointment every day until it had healed (it was a huge red patch on my cheek). After that, I didn't trust exfoliators anymore.
Me with acne (and makeup) while using face oil
& me after one month of following Korean skincare routine (no makeup)
A few years later I noticed that the toner I was using was really drying out my skin, so I gave up on toners because, at that time, they all had alcohol in them. Then, after giving birth to my son, I started using a face oil that made me get tiny pimples all over my face. So I started simply washing my face with water and applying a moisturizer with sunscreen during the day, and a night time moisturizer before going to bed. That was it.
Despite all of this, I have never been truly unhappy with my skin. I just realised that I had to give up on this idea of using a million products to keep my skin nice because there were no products designed for the sensitivity of my face.
When I started doing the work to care for my curly hair, I started hearing about Korean skincare and it got me wondering if it would be something that I could do. My skin was happy with just water and moisturizer, but if I could do something more to help ease it into the later stages of life, I was not resistant to it. Now I see that what I am doing for my skin is the same thing that I am doing for my hair; providing moisture to help it to be wonderful in its most natural state.
I watched the above video and began my journey following Korean skincare just over a year ago. I found Angel's Youtube Channel after looking for information on Korean skincare and sensitive skin, and she provided a lot of information about which products she uses, but also that she doesn't do all of the steps every day (or even in the morning). She helped me to understand how I could make a routine for my skin.
I also did a lot of research about the history of Korean skincare (I can't find the original site I used, but this one has some good info) because I didn't want to just jump into something that I didn't understand. Byrdie had a lot of useful information when I first started, and continues to be a very helpful resource, as does Instagram. I made sure to learn about why each step is important, and how the application of each product can make a difference, too.
I started slowly with a moisturizer and night cream, and added more products as I found them. Because of my sensitive skin, and a personal choice to try my best to purchase ethical products, it took me a little while to find what I needed -- the most difficult to find was the essence as it is not a common product to find on shelves in Canada. Since then, I have changed some of the products that I use, incorporating more from Korea that I found in an online store called Chuusi for people that live in Canada, but continuing to use my favourites (which I'll share later).
One year in and I am very happy with how my skin looks and feels. While my skin was not awful, I know that the hydration that I am giving it is helping it a lot. Like with curly hair, taking care of your skin is a long game and I will continue to see the benefits as I move along my journey.
The beginning of this poem floats around in my head sometimes, and I thought it would make a wonderful image for an art print. I know the poem from Edward Lear only mentions the colour of the boat, but my imagination makes the boat the shape of a pea pod as well.
It is the beginning of September, a month that the shop has recognised each year since 2014 in memory of my Grandma. Each year, 15% of our profits for the month of September (World Alzheimer's Month) are donated to support those who are suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia, as well as their families, and to promote research.
In previous years, we donated to the Alzheimer's Society of Canada, but for the last couple of years we have kept it local by donating to the Alzheimer's Society of Saskatchewan. To date, you have helped donate nearly $200 to both organizations.
Please visit the shop to make a purchase this month and help us push past the $200 mark!