Welcome to the Jungle: Asian Skincare Routines

WINTER IS COMING and my skin is dry as hell. Or as we SFer's like to say, "Hella dry." When I first moved to Beijing in April,I had all sorts of weird skin peeling/crackling on my face since I wasn't used to the dryness and/or pollution. Now that Winter's here, I want to be fully prepared.

Some people are lucky and just have Asian moms who hand them beauty products to use, like eye creams on their 18th birthday. Others like myself, must figure out this strange and obtuse world on our own. Normally, my skin is fine, with an occasional pimple or two,but I wanted to make sure I had the best plan possible, so I googled "Asian Skincare Routines" to study up. Little did I know what madness I was getting myself into and down the rabbit hole I went. After a week of stress-inducing intensive research, here is what I discovered:

• 2 main routines: 1 for daytime and 1 for nighttime 
• Approximately 5-9 steps each routine (say whaaaaaa?)
• Lack of consensus on products used (makes sense, everyone's skin is different due to genetic variations) and order of steps 
• Be prepared to spend lots o'money on stuff that may or may not work 
• Now I know why this is a billions$$$$ industry

For those of us who are visual learners, here's a diagram of the 9 main steps:

via Hope in a Blog

There are also steps like "Exfoliation" and "Face Masking" which should be 1-2 times a week, depending on who you ask. 

I had obviously been living like a caveman with my Cetaphil Cleanser and occasional Clinique eye cream routine."No longer," I told myself, "No longer. It is time to become a true Asian." 

Like my first thoughts, "WhyTF are there so many steps and WTF is each step for," you might ask. And that is why God invented Yahoo Answers (Props to user Shining Star) and Wikipedia and the Internet in general:

1. Cleansing Oil: Removes makeup, sunscreen, etc. and clears pores of dirt and bacteria. It works on the idea that there are 2 types of dirt: oil-based dirt(oil in make-up)and water-based dirt (dust and sweat). 
2. Cleansing Foam: Removes water-based dirt and any remaining residue, while deeply purifying the skin. 
3. Exfoliate: To help remove the oldest dead skin cells on the skin's outermost surface. It's been used for many years to help maintain skin and basically the purpose of any type of facial. Should only be done 1-2x a week.
4. Toner: Tightens your pores and removes dead cells and leftover residue from your cleansers. 
5. Face Masks: Used for moisturizing, exfoliating, and/or acne treatment. Should only be done 1-2x a week and not in conjunction with exfoliation.Depending on your skin type, only certain types of face masks should be used. Clay masks for oily skin, peel-off masks for dull lifeless skin, wash-off mask for dehydrated skin etc., 
6. Serum/Essence: A very light, concentrated treatment to correct skin problems. (dark spots, wrinkles, etc.) It is easily absorbed and penetrates deep into your skin. Wait 5-10 minutes AFTER applying your essence before you apply any other moisturizer.
7. Emulsion: Light moisturizer to help skin lock-in moisture before applying next steps.
8. Eye Cream and Face Cream: For moisture and anti-aging properties.  
9. Special Treatment: Dark spots, night cream, etc. to focus on those "special" spots

Note:

• 1+2 are cleansers. Hence the term, Double Cleansing.
• Step 6 and 7 can be reversed. 
• The name of products can be different in different countries (i.e. Japan calls toners "lotions" and has a special procedure in applying toner)
• Sunscreen. A big must that comes last on every list for daytime routine.
• Application is also a big deal. Apparently you're supposed to throw in a facial massage somewhere. Check out this site for more details: Hope in a Blog or Youtube videos like this for visuals: Youtube Makeup Guru Michelle Phan's Skincare Routine
• This is only a very brief summary of each step. You can google individual steps for more information.

Alright! So now you have a basic sense of what's what. Now here comes the hard part. WTF do I buy??? I thought I could just follow the list of a few highly watched Asian youtubers that focused on skincare products. I did so and produced the following:

Youtuber #1:

Skincare Shown [In order of appearance]:

Asian Youtube Girl

SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion [available at Saks, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, etc.]

CVS Hypoallergenic Cotton Rounds

Lancome Visionnaire Skin Corrector

YSL Forever Youth Liberator SPF 15 Creme [available at Saks, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, etc.]

SUPER by Perricone Brightening Activator [available through the SUPER website HERE] - toner

Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution

Lancome Genifique Repair Creme

YSL Forever Youth Liberator Eye Creme

*Also Mentioned: Lancome Genifique Serum & DiorSnow D-NA Reverse Night Concentrate [both available at any department store with Lancome and Dior counters]

Affordable Skincare/Cosmetic Options:

Benefit POREfessional [in place of Visionnaire]

Kiehl's Acai Damage-Repairing Serum or High-Potency Skin Firming Concentrate [in place of the Clearly Corrective, depending on your skin's needs]

J'eune d'Age Organics Eye Creme (Anti-Oxidant Eye Moisturizer) and Facial Moisturizer (Anti-Oxidant Clarifying Face Creme) - Online Store HERE

Youtuber #2:

1. Boots No.7 Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes 2. Bioré Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser 3. Bioré Pore Unclogging Scrub: Deep Cleansing 4. SK-II Facial Treatment Essence 5. Etude House: Skin Malgem Smoother 6. KOSÉ Cosmeport: Moisture Mild White Cream 7. Kiehl's: Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution 8. Faceshop: Wrinkle Stop Absolute Eye Cream 9. Zapzyt 10. Nexcare Acne Gel 11. Dr.Jou Anti-Acne Cream

Youtuber #3:Philosophy Purity Cleanser -Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub - available at most drugstores. all drugstore prices vary depending The Body Shop Tea Tree Toner - Neutrogena Rapid Clear Lotion-Lush Imperialis Moisturizer-

As you can see, there is little to no consensus between these lists. The couple of items I saw on more than one list, were poorly rated on Beautypedia, which is one of the few sites that actually have references to scientific papers and studies instead of just "feelings." It's a good site that has over 45K products in reviews. However, it's not a good site if you're focused on Asian brand skin products. 

Where oh where could I possibly turn to? Where could I possibly find a site that gave legit reviews with fair prices? Armed with 50,000 Citibank Thank You points, I had to look no further than amazon.com. 

Ambi Fade Cream to help with dark spots

Pura D'or Argan Oil: Good stuff for the hair

Clarsonic Mia: to help with the cleanser process

Avene: Type of an essence

Albion Essential Skin Conditioner: Best selling toner in Japan

Cure Natural Aqua Gel: Best Selling Exfoliator in Japan

And to a few products via China's version of Amazon (www.Tmall.com and www.Taobao.com): 

Laneige Tmall site. Also a good source that teaches you the real from fake Laneige products.

Laneige (Korean Brand) Starter Water Bank Line Set

Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream (just so I could get the cute GWP)

Free GWP set (good for traveling)

Stay tuned for the results show and I'll let you know if any of these products actually worked for me!

If none of this works and I happen to be in London and have another $500 laying around, I'd be willing to try The Organic Pharmacy, which allows you to take a DNA test to help you pick out cosmetic products to match your genetic make-up. Cause you know, testing for genetic diseases is just so 2000 and late.

Beijing Zoo Wholesale Shopping Market (动物园服装批发市场)! aka My Favorite Place in BJ!

Julong Foreign Trade Market (聚龙外贸市场)

American Style clothing and accessories for dirt cheap. That my friend, is not easy to find in China. If you favor brands like American Apparel, H&M, Asos, Zara, Levi's, Hollister, Paul Frank, and whatnots, here's your place to go.   

Shopkeepers treat picture-taking like the plague, so please know, all these photos were taking furtively, like a Foxconn employee secretly trying to document abuse at work, minus the Foxconn and abuse.

One of the many entrances to the underground market.

Packed with people. Try to go when it opens to avoid crowds.

"I'm not a governor I just like hoes" shirt. Just goes to show how current and up-to-date this place is.

This stall focused on Alexander McQueen Fashion

Dresses @ the wannabe Alexander McQueen Stall. I question if their styles are actually based on actual AMcQ items. 

American Apparel Store (in air quotes, as you should assume everything here to be). It's very good for basics like Tee, Tanks, Sweaters, Hoodies, Skirts, Leggins etc. Most items are 3 for 100RMB. I love how their tags say "Made in USA" just like the real thing. 

More pictures of AA items. There's one main store (in the first picture) and several stalls scattered in the Market. Know that they're all owned by the same people, so there's not going to be much variance in prices if that's why you're looking for.

One of the many "All-things Paul Frank" stalls.

American Eagle Jeans in every imaginable style. Some of them look look exactly the same as my AE jeans purchased in the US, which leads me to believe these jeans are authentic factory excess pieces. (55RMB per pair).

Lacoste collared shirts

Minnetonka Boots

Belts!

Bags!

Blouses

More blouses

Bustier Tops. Very UO / Free People style. 

Oversized and festive sweaters

Zara Coat (120RMB)

Jeggings in any colors you can imagine (30RMB - 40RMB)

A few of the pieces I took home:

Prices vary, but nothing should be more than 200RMB ($33USD). To give you a general sense of pricing: T-shirts are 30RMB, sweaters at 80RMB, coats at 150RMB, pants at 50RMB, leggings at 30RMB. You get the idea. The clothes change as quickly as the seasons do, so be prepared to make quick decisions if you find a piece you like. For the most part, shopkeepers won't let you try on the clothing beforehand, unless you pay, in which case you can try on and exchange for the same item in a different size if the sizing's off. If I'm happy with >50% of my purchases, I consider it a good trip.  

Also, make sure to check the items before you leave the stall to make sure there are no defects. With these kind of prices, don't expect top quality. Think F21 or H&M level quality (which many of these items are).

Around this shopping area are loads of other similarly formatted ridiculously large multi-stored individual stalls that sell clothing. However, these places cater mainly to Mainland fashion (which means the more bedazzling, different fabrics, different layers, weird english, the better) and produce more misses than hits for me. But definitely feel free to check it out if the hundreds of stalls in this area aren't enough.  

• Address: 北京市西城区西直门外大街135号展览馆广场 There's an entrance right at the corner of where Ito Yakado / McDonald's (112号 Xizhimen Outer St) is located
• Directions: From the subway, get off at the Beiijing Zoo exit.
• Hours: 8AM - 4PM, 7 days a week