I recently began a quest for all the beauty products needed to achieve the youthful, dewy look ever popular in Korea in anticipation of my wedding day. (Yes, I'm an American who watches a lot of Kdramas and became supremely jealous of Kon Joon-He's character in "She Was Pretty.") I've had a fantastic experience with the new skin care regimen: huge reduction in blemishes, almost completely eliminated the pimples!!!--I just get one or two during my period--evened skin tone, and overall a cleaner, softer face. Since it's been so overwhelming to research every step on my own, I'm providing a list of all the winners so far, and in what order of the skin care/makeup routine to use them in. Hopefully this is helpful for anyone who wants to venture into the world of Korean skin care but isn't sure where to start. **Indicates the product in review.1. Cleanser - The Face Shop: Rice Water Bright**Apply this to dry, unwashed skin and gently rub in circles to fully cleanse your face. Works as a makeup remover, but I'd recommend a different product for eye makeup removal. Rinse the oil off with lukewarm water. This is the perfect, gentle cleanser for sensitive, mixed oily/dry skin, like mine. It has a very faint smell of rice water. Not surprising, considering that's what it is. A little goes a long way, so one pump is usually enough for my entire face. Be careful not to carry it sideways in a makeup kit if the pump gets loose. I made the mistake of doing that, and got all my other products coated in rice water cleanser. ;) Oh, and that little plastic thing on the pump pops right off. It took me forever to figure it out. I kept twisting and unscrewing and finally realised you just pull the little plastic piece right off and then snap it back on when you're done for the night. :P2. Toner/Refresher - Etude House 10-in-1 House Wonder Pore FreshenerTightens pores, and purifies skin. Apply to a cotton pad or cotton balls and then to face. Let dry.3. Moisturiser - Skin Food Peach Sake EmulsionPretty self-explanatory. Apply right after the toner sets in to feed your face with some moisture.4. Serum - Skin Food Peach Sake Pore SerumA slightly more concentrated moisturiser to apply after the first. Yes, Koreans have many steps (most of them moisturising ones) in their beauty routine, I've learned. But it really does amazing things to your skin. And once you get the hang of it, applying all these products every night doesn't really take a whole lot of extra time. It also cuts back on my makeup routine in the morning, because when my skin is naturally healthy, clear, and soft, I'd rather show it off than cover it up. ;)5. Night Cream - Nature Republic Fresh Green TeaNOTE: This particular product is not sold on Amazon. I had to buy it on sale at my local Korean market because I was too scared to order anything over $10 that I wasn't sure about. But you can find any number of night creams here for the final step. I recommend something with green tea or aloe. Just apply at night onto clean, pampered skin, rub it in thoroughly, and sleep on it!Other Cosmetics/Extras I Found Useful/Worth Purchasing:Facial Scrub - Skin Food Black Sugar MaskUse twice a week for a deeper facial cleanse than you regular cleanser. Apply a little, gently exfoliate, leave on, rinse off. If it goes on too thick, use a little water or toner to make it easier to scrub in.CC Cream - Lioele Dollish CC Cera-VCC Creams are much like BB Creams, (not a cream to match your skin colour, but a transparent foundation/primer) but if my experience with the two I've tried is any indication, CC Creams give more coverage and make the skin look more bright, white, and luminescent, rather than simply evening out the skin tone and providing SPF. Apply before any colour foundations.Highlighter - Etude House Secret Beam Highlighter #1 Pink & White MixTo be brushed on over foundation in key spots to brighten the face even further. Goes on like a sheer fairy dust--just a bit of sparkle, but not like glitter. This isn't for a Labyrinth Masquerade ball, you know. ;)Face Mist - Innisfree Green Tea Mineral MistFace Mist is something you apply whenever you choose, before or after makeup, to keep your face hydrated and fresh throughout the day. I carry a bottle in my purse and spritz a little on whenever I feel my face is tired. :) This particular mist I haven't tried yet, because my order hasn't arrived, but I bought a Nature Republic bamboo mist from my local Korean market, and I love it a lot.Products I Didn't Think Worth the Fuss:Face Masks- These are a huge hit in Korea, and they're fun to wear around the house to get a rise out of family members who think you look creepy. But for me they're too sticky, drippy, and overrated. I prefer the clay masks or avocado masks that you have to wash off after.Expensive Serums, Essence, Bee Toxin... anything over $20 a bottle I passed up. As I've discovered, you can get really great results with just the five things I listed above, and none of them are over $15. Most are under $10.

Very impressed with this oil. The first time I used it was right after I got out of the shower, my face was clean...or so I thought. I applied the oil just to give it a try. A tiny squirt that I rubbed onto my fingers to easily distribute onto my face. The oil is light and had a soft scent that I'd describe as powdery with a hint of flowers. I massaged the oil in a circular motion onto my face and later removed it with a cotton ball, and to my amazement the cotton ball was dirty, ew! Mind you, I had not been using any makeup that day. This oil picked up dirt (most likely dead skin) that I didn't know was there! That's also why I use a cotton ball, so I can see what I've picked up. I later applied water to rinse off what was left of the oil and later washed my face again with a Korean brand of face soap that I ordered along with this oil. My face felt fresh and clean without any tightness or dryness. My skin type is: combination with an oily t-zone. I've been using this for several days now and it removes makeup so well. I just put a pump or two onto my fingers and massage the oil all over my face, concentrating on the areas where I applied makeup, remove the oil with a cotton ball, rinse my face with water, then apply face soap ( just started using a Korean brand) because I like to make sure everything is thoroughly clean. Just to let you know, the oil is light and watery. I would say that it's a dry oil and doesn't really leave you greasy like oils do (I can't read Korean so not sure if they would call it a dry oil, but it sure does feel that way). If you don't want to have it drip off of your fingers you could use a cotton ball or cotton pad to apply it onto your face.The oil came shrink wrapped and taped up in bubble wrap. There's a tiny stopper under the nozzle of the bottle that you remove to activate the pump. No packaging/box was with this face oil but it's alright with me, I can't read what it would say anyways. I included a photo of how my bottle arrived in the shrink wrap, which was pretty secure as the pump cannot be activated unless you remove the stopper, and the shrink wrap prevented the nozzle from turning during shipping.This oil is a great add to my daily cleansing routine and I'd order it again.

This stuff is great! I read a ton of reviews before buying and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Easy to apply, and in just a few drops, my face makeup melts off and the oil feels great on my skin. Once rinsed off, my face feels SO incredibly soft, and my pores are tightened, but without the dry and uncomfortable feel.PS I've struggled with acne and redness for years, and I feel like this is really gentle and helping it heal nicely :)*I wouldn't totally recommend this alone for eye makeup. I usually use a makeup wipe to get most of my mascara and eyeliner off, then wash my face (and eye area) with this to get rid of anything remaining

This is a light oil cleanser. It has a soft plseantl floral type smell. To use this all I do is apply it to small makeup cotton pads. It removes dead skin and dirt from your face fairly easy as well as make up. I use a cotton pad by apply a small amount of this rice water to the cotton pad and then I wipe my face with another cotton and then I rinse off with like warm water. You wouldn't believe how dirty the cotton pad is even if you have washed your face prior to using this rice water. I believe it is a light dry oil cleanser. I recommend this to anyone who would like to use Korean skin care.