You may have heard about the famous 10 step Korean skincare routine, or about day vs night time routines- but are these one size fits all? There are many different types of self-care routines and today we are going to go through which ones are right for each skin type, and exactly how much you really need (so that you aren't stuck in an endless cycle of buying products that you won't really use.)

The first thing that needs to be assessed is your skin type. There’s a lot of influence online based on what’s trendy or popular, but just because it worked for a lot of people doesn’t mean it’ll necessarily work for you. It’s important to know what skin type you have and what ingredients/product types work for you. An easy to test to evaluate your basic skin type is as follows:

1. Cleanse your skin thoroughly in the evening just as you usually would.
2. Let it fully dry without applying any products onto it.
3. Check back after an hour or two.

If your skin feels: dry, flaky, a bit itchy/tight: you have dry skin.

If your skin feels: oily and shiny all over then you have oily skin.

If your skin feels: oily in your t-zone and around your nose but mostly dry everywhere else, then you have a normal/combination skin type (most people will fall somewhere around here).

Perfect Dry Skin Routine:

1. Even if you have dry skin, double cleansing is essential. Try Muihood's Good Chi Cleansing Balm as a hydrating first cleanse step.

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/good-chi-cleansing-balm

2. Follow up with a gel or mochi type foaming cleanser to avoid stripping your skin. Here we recommend Arencia's Blue Hyssop Rice Mochi Cleanser or Skin1004s Tone Brightening Cleansing Foam if you're also looking to even out your skin tone.

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/fresh-blue-hyssop-rice-mochi-cleanser

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/tone-brightening-cleansing-foam

3. A hydrating essence or serum is an essential to really lock in your moisture underneath your moisturiser. Muihood's Tao Rice Water Essence is going to hydrate and plump your skin- so that any tight or flakiness disappears. For something extra, layer on Up Circle's Peptide Serum for deep hydration and anti-aging.

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/tao-rice-water-essence

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/peptide-serum-with-custard-apple-blood-orange

4. A good moisturiser. If you were to buy only one high quality product, then a truly hydrating moisturiser is essential. Dear Klairs' Vitamin E mask is perfect, either in a thick layer as an overnight skin treatment or just a little less to use as a regular moisturiser.

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/freshly-juiced-vitamin-e-mask

5. If it's the morning- don't forget your SPF even if the weather is currently cold and cloudy. Beauty of Joseon's famous rice relief sun will keep your skin protected and moisturised all day long. 

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/rice-relief-sun

If you get eye bags or dry under eyes, then adding some eye patches or eye cream can also be a good addition. Heimish's Matcha-Biome eye patches will plump up your delicate under eyes skin while providing necessary brightness, while UpCircle's coffee eye cream will provide richer nourishment while helping to combat dark-circles

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/matcha-biome-hydrogel-eye-patches

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/hyaluronic-acid-coffee-eye-cream

Perfect Oily Skin Routine

1. As always, double cleanse. Muihood's Good Chi Cleansing Balm works for all skin types and it'll feel clarifying without any stripping of the skin. 

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/good-chi-cleansing-balm

2. Next, a foam cleanser to really clarify the skin. For oilier skin we recommend Arencia's original Rice Mochi Cleanser- the fresh green. 

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/fresh-green-rice-mochi-cleanser

3. A toner or light essence. Beauty of Joseon's Ginseng Essence Water is perfect here- it gives light hydration when patted in or can be used with cotton pads for gentle exfoliation. It'll give you glow without feeling heavy. 

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/ginseng-essence-water

4. A non heavy moisturiser such as Dear Klairs' Midnight Calming Cream. Blue Azulene will combat any redness while providing your skin with moisture without feeling too sticky.

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/midnight-blue-calming-cream

5. Don't forget SPF in the morning- Beauty of Joseon's Aqua Fresh SPF is a change from their original rice relief sun, providing a lighter and more refreshing texture for more oil-prone skin.

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/aqua-fresh-spf

If you want to add some TLC for your under-eyes, AXIS-Y's Vegan Collagen Eye serum is a great light-weight hydrating & anti-aging under eye serum.

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/vegan-collagen-eye-serum

Perfect Combination Skin Routine

1. Follow the same double cleansing steps as one of the above routines, focusing on either the oily or dry skin cleanser recommendations depending on your current needs. 

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/good-chi-cleansing-balm

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/tone-brightening-cleansing-foam

2. Consider a clay mask on your T-Zone if this is where you're experiencing excess oil. Leave on for 5-15 mins and wipe off with warm water to reveal purified skin. 

3. A gentle brightening serum such as Axis-Y's Dark Spot Glow Serum. With 5% niacinamide, it helps to even out your skin while regulating sebum production. 

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/dark-spot-correcting-glow-serum

4. Once again, Dear Klair's Midnight Calming Cream will truly help to soothe your skin as well as hydrate it without any heaviness. 

https://gentlepanda.co.uk/products/midnight-blue-calming-cream

5. SPF in the morning- choose between Beauty of Joseon's original Rice Relief Sun & Aqua-Fresh depending on how your skin feels on the day. 

To summarise, the most important parts of your skin care routine are double cleansing in the evening, a serum/toner/essence, a moisturiser and SPF in the morning. You don't need to layer multiple toners/serums unless you personally want to, and you don't need eye products or daily face masks unless there's specific things you'd like to tackle. Remember, it's important to figure out what your skin likes and needs- rather than blindly following advice. All of our product recommendations are cruelty-free and vegan, so you can make more conscious choices! Enjoy your self-care during this christmas season, from the Gentle Panda team ♡