Beginner Skincare Routine & Product Recommendations

If you have read through how to learn about your skin type and concerns, then it is time to get your journey started to better skin. Focusing on these three skincare principles taken from the Japanese will help you decide what your skin needs:

Be proud of your no-makeup face

Focusing on making your skin beautiful without needing makeup is a philosophy all can adapt. Whether you currently have acne, scars, or other troubles, at the end of the day, you need to feel good when you look at your bare skin in the mirror.

Less is more

Unlike skincare products that tout a long ingredient list with magic cures, a product that will truly work for your skin should have less fillers and only quality ingredients to target your skin concerns.

Skincare does not need to be expensive 

It is common misperception that you need to spend a lot of money on a wide variety products to get the results you want. There are many affordable products that won't break your budget and are by no means cheap-quality.

Now, let's break down what steps should be included in your skincare routine.

Step 1: Remove Makeup (PM Only)

Recommendation: Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil | Ingredients

Whether you wear a lot of makeup or only a small amount, an oil cleanser can make a huge difference. The job of a cleansing oil is to glide off makeup and remove it gently with tugging or pulling on your skin. The trick is to put the oil on all over your dry face, then get your hands wet, and use gentle circle motions to emulsify the oil. It will then begin to melt the makeup from your face and leave you with a clean, makeup-free face. An oil cleanser is also important to use even if you just wear sunscreen and no makeup during the day as it will gently removed the sunscreen and prevent it from clogging your pores.

Step 2: Cleanse

Recommendation: Gyunyu Non-Additive Cleansing Milk | Ingredients

It is vitally important to cleanse a second time after you use an oil cleanser to remove the day off in the evening. While most oil cleansers or makeup removers are gentle for your skin on their own, it sometimes can't get everything off your face. Using a gentle cleanser like a cleansing milk or gel will provide your skin the nourishment it needs while removing all of the gunk from the day. If you feel as if you need to wash your skin the morning as well, perhaps due to feeling oily or having gunk from your pillow on your face, you can use this same cleanser as it will be gentle enough for the morning as well.

Step 3: Tone

Recommendation: Naturie Skin Conditioner | Ingredients

Toner gives you face the boost it needs to absorb and utilize any skincare products you put on after this step. Using a toner is a step you cannot miss as many toners, like the one recommended above, have all-star ingredients meant to make your skin supple and target skin concerns. Unless you don't want the rest of your products to work as effectively, then you do not want to skip this step.

Step 4: Hydrate

Recommendation: Keana Nadeshiko Rice Mask | Ingredients

While this step does not need to be done every day, a sheet mask can provide an extra boost of hydration, whether it is used in the morning or night. Many people do use a sheet mask everyday with success, but you can also substitute with an Emulsion or Essence to help target your skin concerns.

Step 5: Moisturize

Recommendation: Curel Kao Intensive Moisture Cream | Ingredients

Nothing is more disappointing than feeling your skin getting drier as the day or night goes on. After putting on all the previous steps, you don't want the hydration to evaporate. To prevent this from happening, using a cream or gel to seal everything in is key. Whether you have dry, oily, or combination skin, a final step to keep all the goodness from your routine in your skin will help your skin heal faster because you are not losing everything to evaporation.

Step 6: Protect (AM Only)

Recommendation: Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA+++ | Ingredients

If the word sunscreen makes you think of something that turns you three shades lighter while making your face a grease ball, than you will be relieved to know you don't have to deal with that anymore. There are several sunscreen products that make your face look matte and evenly match your skin tone while also protecting you from harmful UV rays. A good sunscreen will help heal ALL skin concerns and is the cornerstone to healthy skin.


Results will not come to immediately, but following these steps over time can bring you the healthy skin you want. Remembering that everybody's skin is different and you may need time to find suitable products will help you as you begin your skincare journey.