If you asked me a year ago what my skincare regimen was, I’d shrug my shoulders. I never put much time or thought into quality skincare; the longest I’ve spent was maybe 3 minutes in the mirror, and that involved African Black Soap, witch hazel, and shea butter.
But recently, a visit to a local esthetician for a facial (thanks Groupon) awakened my interest in skincare.
“Most of my clients are between 18 and 35,” the esthetician told me. “Years ago, they were women who were a lot older. But now people are realizing that it’s never too early to use anti-aging products,”
“Really?” I questioned while looking into the mirror she held in front of my face; it was as if my eyes really opened. I noticed lines on my forehead, a few around my lips and–were these scars and blemishes there last year?
After that visit I was sold! It was time to start taking better care of my skin, before it was too late. So, it was only right to start with products from the beauty capital of the world–South Korea.
One of my favorite Youtubers, Cydnee Black reviewed a line of skincare products by Peach & Lily. Peach & Lily is a Korean skincare brand founded by Alicia Yoon. Cydnee’s review was positive; she said that the products helped her with hyperpigmentation and some scarring that she had, two problems with my skin I want to also solve. What really stood out to me, was that Alicia spoke about the main concerns with darker skin; compared to some other K-beauty products that I read about, this was the only one that addressed darker skin.
After a little bit more research, I decided that I would load up my cart and buy their products.
Having “glass skin” is the latest K-Beauty craze; the term is used to describe skin that is poreless, smooth, and dewy. Picture a newborn baby’s skin. There are actually a lot more steps to this process, but my lazy self is going to stick with the five products listed below…let’s goooo.
Power Calm Hydrating Gel Cleanser
The gel is clear, gentle, and cleanses deeply. It is lightly scented with hints of lavender, and chamomile.
First step in the process.
This anti-inflammatory cleanser is gentle, non-drying, and lightly scented. The instructions say to use a dime-sized amount, but I ended up using maybe a quarter-sized amount because I tend to be a bit heavy-handed…oops. This face wash lathers really well and felt super silky on my skin. There are cleansers I’ve used in the past that have left my face drying and feeling as though it’s ready to crack. But with this makes my face feels really clean, but not tight and dry, so that’s a plus for me.
Next….
Wild Dew Treatment Essence
Peach & Lily’s Wild Dew Treatment Essence $39
I used about three dabs of this.
To be honest, I’ve never used an essence on my face before. I wasn’t aware that an essence was a part of a skin care routine—the only well-known essence I know of is Essence magazine. Anyway.
A facial essence, as described by Elle UK, is the hydrating layer that properly primes the skin to best absorb your fancy serums and creams. It locks moisture into the skin leaving it plump and hydrated . The Wild Dew Treatment Essence also serves as a toner. So it’s really a two for one deal. This essence is also supposed to help fight breakouts, hydrate/moisturize every layer of skin, and improve skin’s radiance.
I used a cotton pad to apply this product, and pat, not rub, it into my skin.
The consistency almost reminds me of aloe vera gel, but less sticky.
Glass Skin Refining Serum
Smooth, scentless. A couple pumps does the trick.
This is easily Peach and Lily’s most popular product. It is designed to hydrate, brighten, firm, and calm the skin. It goes on very, very, smooth, and absorbs pretty nicely into my skin. My skin feels butter soft and has a pretty nice glow. This product reminds me of a primer, I may just experiment with this in the future and see how well my makeup applies. Stay tuned.
Pure Beam Luxe Oil
Very light smell, smells a bit like argan oil
My favorite part of this process! I love, love, love light oils for the face. If you have every used argan oil before, this product has the same exact feel. It is very light and not at all greasy. I was a little heavy handed applying this, and let’s say that the sun and I were twins.
I should mention that there are only seven ingredients in this product: Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Squalane (maintains skin natural moisture), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil, Olus Oil
Matcha Pudding Antioxidant Cream
Despite being green, this product does not contain any dye; the color comes from the matcha.
This is the perfect finishing touch! Although I usually opt for moisturizers with a thicker consistency (a.k.a. my shea butter) I was impressed with how this made my skin feel.
As soon as I apply this moisturizer, my face feels cool, smoooooooth (my new favorite word), and had a nice glow to it. The scent of this product reminds me of a cool, rainy day in the summer-very refreshing and relaxing!
I was expecting this product to leave a sticky residue on my face due to the consistency of the pudding, but I was very wrong. It absorbs nicely and you really only need a little.
I’ll post an update on how my skin is doing in 3 weeks! I do plan to do the 5 step process every night, but in the morning I will only use the cleanser, glass skin serum, and the matcha pudding. I want to give it some time to hopefully work its magic on my blemishes and large pores.
Imaginative Escape 