Countless Asian celebs are famous for their apparently flawless skin, thanks to a culture obsessed with skin care.
Skin care technology in Korea (and Asia in general general) is about 12 years ahead of the States.
1. A clean diet, water, sleep, and exercise is the basics of healthy skin. Duh.
2. Makeup removal is practiced religiously.
Korean popstar/actress Bae Suzy practices the 424 method.
Four minutes of rubbing oil all over the face, followed by two minutes of foaming cleanser, and rinsing with four minutes of water. Cleansing with oil before using face wash is known as double cleansing.
3. Cleanse daily, and exfoliate 2-3 times a week with a face brush.
Foam cleanser is thought to be better for oily/combination skin while milk cleanser is better for dry and sensitive skin. Dab dry with a towel, or do like Suzy, and air dry by tapping gently with your fingertips.
Korean actress Go Hyung-jung says she washes breakouts with salted, lukewarm water to sanitize the area.
4. Balanced pH levels are vital for clear skin, and toner does that, removes residue, and is filled with lots of other goodness.
Go for alcohol-free toners as alcohol is drying (hi, hangovers). Apply it with a cotton pad or, as Suzy does it, with fingers to prevent needless waste.
5. Asian celebrities should form a fandom for face masks.
Chinese actress Fan Bing Bing claims to go through 600 in a year.
Paper masks are the most popular, but stars do use DIY recipes too. Korean actress Song Hye-kyo swears by an egg white and honey mask.
She also uses an ice cube on her face to reduce swelling and slim it down. That's just cold, girl.
6. Then comes a slew of treatment products that might overwhelm you: essence, serums, emulsions, oh my! Women in Korea have been known to use up to 17 products on their skin.
A handy way to remember the order in which treatments are applied is from lightest texture to thickest texture of the product, because that's the order in which your skin absorbs things.
In Grazia Japan, Taiwanese model Lin Chi-ling details how she does it.
8. The eyes are not to be overlooked. Skin around the eyes is delicate so always treat it with your ring finger, as it's the weakest.
There's also under eye strips to ease darkness and puffiness.
Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi has been in the entertainment circle for 11 years, but swears the reason why she hasn't aged is thanks to strong eye cream.
9. Moisturize like heck. Down to the neck. Apply from the center of the face in upward motions — patting it rather than rubbing it will help it absorb.
In her book, Go Hyun-jung also suggests warming up the moisturizer in your hands before application to encourage absorption.
10. And if it's daytime, slap on that sunscreen. There's a whole spectrum of damaging UV rays, and a diligent skin care addict knows how to shield from it all.
It doesn't stop at sun block. Many celebs don't venture out into the sun without a UV umbrella or a wide-brimmed hat, as Fan Bing Bing has said herself.
She also said she wears SPF just to use a computer.
11. Dehydration is the enemy. Facial mists are extremely popular to keep skin moisturized throughout the day.
Gorgeous, darling.
