Read Part 1–Translating Between the Asian and Western Skincare Routine–here.
Broken down into components of CLEANSE, TONE, TREAT, MOISTURIZE, the routines in this post list what I’m currently using the majority of the time and why (and also link to my reviews if there is one).
I do occasionally use something else in my stash just because I feel like it or am bored. There are two exceptions: (1) When I review skincare provided for free by a company, I test that item continuously so that you can be sure my opinion isn’t compromised by lax testing. (2) I want/need to use Shark Sauce and my PocketDerm prescription (referral link) consistently–2x/day and 1x/day respectively.
If you follow us on Instagram @beautyandthecat, you’ll notice that I (and Renee) periodically post the day’s exact routine. I am working on transitioning to an all-rose routine (because roses! and pink! despite the lack of proven skincare benefits!), so this all will change soon. Hope this is interesting to you anyway!
Skin type: Dry and dehydrated, meaning lacking oil and water, respectively. Right now (summertime), my skin is more normal than dry as I sometimes get slightly oily in my T-zone.
Skin goals: Reduce fine lines on forehead and around eyes; fade brown sunspots and red marks from old acne.
Skin sins: Overexfoliating and occasionally going to bed without washing my face.
Morning Routine
CLEANSE
1. Foaming Cleanser: something mild because I only need to wash off last night’s skincare
TONE
2. Acid Toner: to smooth skin and clear pores. If I have time, let the acid work uninterrupted for 5 mins.
- Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 New Formula (my initial thoughts;
full review comingnever mind, my skin couldn’t handle it and I gave up)
3. Hydrating Toner or First Treatment Essence: to infuse hydration (water) and other goodness into skin. I apply it firmly with a thin cotton pad to lightly exfoliate at the same time and sometimes drizzle some directly onto my face (yes, I’m basting myself)
- Missha First Treatment Essence or
- Aromatica Rose Absolute First Serum or
- Skinfood Black Sugar Perfect First Serum
TREAT (generally, apply in order of lightest/thinnest texture to heaviest/thickest)
4. To firm and plump skin and fade sunspots and acne marks: Shark Sauce by Holy Snails (ALWAYS)
5. To calm any irritated red spots and to prevent irritation (and possibly pimples):
- Leejiham Tea Tree 90 Essence and/or
- Tosowoong Propolis Sparkle Ampoule
MOISTURIZE
6. Lotion or cream: to infuse oil into my skin. I gravitate towards creams or heavier lotions because oil-free gel-lotions don’t adequately moisturize my skin. I always bring this down my neck and chest
- Aromatica Rose Absolute Vital Fluid or
- Hidemond Pinkblast Super Moisturizing Cream (Mild)
7. Sunscreen: at least 1/4 tsp worth for my face and with a minimum of SPF 50 and PA++++ to protect against UVB (burning) rays and UVA (aging) rays, respectively. The PA rating in particular measures protection against the UVA wavelengths that cause pigment darkening; I want to maximize my protection because those rays cause new sunspots and can prevent existing ones from fading. As with moisturizer, I bring this down my neck and chest
Night Routine
CLEANSE
1. Oil Cleanser: to dissolve waterproof makeup (incl. eye makeup) and sunscreen
2. Foaming Cleanser: to remove any residue from oil cleanser and wash away anything the oil cleanser didn’t catch
TONE
3. Acid Toner: to smooth skin and clear pores. Typically let this sit for 5 mins. to let the acid do its thing. I’m starting to leave this step out because I think my skin gets enough exfoliation without this.
- Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 New Formula (my initial thoughts)
4. Hydrating Toner or First Treatment Essence: to infuse hydration (water) and other goodness into skin. I especially love this step at night because usually some skin flakes have developed over the day, but a firm wipe with a cotton pad dampened with toner/first treatment essence gets rid of them
- Missha First Treatment Essence or
- Aromatica Rose Absolute First Serum or
- Skinfood Black Sugar Perfect First Serum
TREAT (generally, apply in order of lightest/thinnest texture to heaviest/thickest)
5. To firm and plump skin and fade sunspots and acne marks: Shark Sauce by Holy Snails (ALWAYS)
6. To calm any irritated red spots and to prevent irritation (and possibly pimples):
- Leejiham Tea Tree 90 Essence and/or
- Tosowoong Propolis Sparkle Ampoule
7. Prescription to treat acne and for long-term anti-aging effects: PocketDerm Acne with 0.06% tretinoin, 1% clindamycin, and 6% azelaic acid (ALWAYS)
8. As a spot treatment to fade sunspots and acne marks: Paula’s Choice RESIST 25% Vitamin C Spot Treatment. This particular product is unique in that it goes on after moisturizer
MOISTURIZE
9. Lotion or cream: to infuse oil into my skin. Compared to in the morning, I either go for something heavier or just slather on a huge amount, again bringing it down my neck and chest
- Hidemond Pinkblast Super Moisturizing Cream (Mild) or
- The Creme by Jeffrey James Botanicals (reserved for night because it has AHAs (glycolic and lactic acids))
10. Sleeping Mask: to infuse extra water and goodness into my skin and to seal in my previous skincare products
- AmorePacific Moisture Bound Sleeping Recovery Masque or
- Naruko AMPM RX10 Peptide Firming Night Gelly or
- Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask
The End! Err, that wasn’t too much info, was it? I hope this was interesting. Feel free to ask questions below, and let me know what your favorite skincare step or product is.
BeautyandtheCat's Beauty Blog 
Your routine is soooo lustworthy! Also this is making me friggin’ excited for my Shark Sauce! Mine shipped on Monday.
I’m pretty sure I’ve noticed fading of acne marks in the last few days, which I attribute to Shark Sauce. I need MOAR shark!
It sounds like food again haha. Ahhhh I can’t wait. How long were you using it before you saw the fade?
Three weeks. Which is faster than anything else I’ve ever used. I’m going to put together a before & after pic. It was one of those things where one morning I thought, are those marks lighter? Maybe it’s my imagination. And then when I put on makeup, the marks didn’t show through as much. 😀
An all-rose routine would be amazing!!!
I’ve been gradually accumulating rose things. I think that I’m subconsciously hoping to turn into a soft, velvety rose petal.
Oh my God I loved reading this routine. Amazing. And so is that Shark Sauce. I’m like you, cannot go without a daily dose, non-negotiable!
I even schlep The Shark back and forth to my boyfriend’s.
Quite a few things in your routine are things I have been eyeing for aaaages ex. the Skinfood Black Sugar Perfect First Serum, Tosowoong Propolis ampoule, LJH Tea Tree essence… I actually will be ordering the latter two, and I’m glad they seem to work well for you, my fellow dehydrated friend!
Ooh, excellent. I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on them. The Tea Tree was a surprise because I always see tea tree in the context of acne and oil control and I hate the smell of tea tree oil. But it is surprisingly not drying at all and doesn’t reek.
Don’t hold your breath, it’ll be a long while before I finally get to ordering and trying the tea tree essence! I’m trying to be good and properly test each and every new item I’m getting instead of slapping it all on my face (#skincarestruggles). It’s really good to know that it’s not drying though! That was my biggest concern when trying to figure out whether to get it or not!
hello .. i want to ask something .. can we mix skinfood serum with missha fte ?? i mean after applying skinfood can we apply the missha too ?? or morning we use missha and for night time we use skinfood ???
thank u ..
Yes, there are no firm rules. I find Missha FTE to be slightly thinner than the Skinfood, so I would apply Missha first, let dry, then apply Skinfood. But do whichever order works for you and feels good on your skin. Or you can do one in the AM, one in the PM, as you said.