Adventures in Korean Skincare: Part 1: Morning Routine

So there's been lots of articles floating around lately on Western sites about these super involved Korean skincare regimes containing 10+ products a day that apparently does wonders for skin.
The Western beauty world has always been pretty stuck on a cleanse-tone-moisturize kind or regime, plus the heavy marketing of anti-ageing creams to repair damage already done.
Korean skincare regimes all vary, but they approach skincare as a sort of gentle layering of products, and focus on prevention and early intervention for problems like fine lines, sun damage or acne.
Living in Sydney, I'm lucky enough to access to a couple of physical stores for trying and buying Korean skincare brands, so armed with a bunch of research into what might work for me, I headed over to the Blush Cosmetics store in the new Central Park complex in Chippendale (you know the one with the massive vertical gardens and hanging vines all up the side of the building, that you can see from Broadway/George Street? It's shaping up to be pretty cool inside too) and to the A'HA pop-up kiosk in Broadway Shopping center to pick up some goodies.

There are already lots of great articles about putting together a Korean style skincare regime, and tonnes of reviews on products (which makes it easier to choose stuff when you can't read the labels!) so I won't go into a crazy amount of detail - I will direct you to some of the best articles I've found though, if you're interested. But basically your regime will involve some or all of the following steps:

MORNING:

1. Cleanse. While you don't exactly get grimey while you sleep, you do still sweat, so it's a good idea to cleanse morning and night. I use  Etude House "Happy" Essential foam with Collagen. It's gentle, lightly foamy and leaves your skin feeling clean without that tight feeling. This is cheap and cheerful brand, and if you're going to balance your savings vs splurges, this is a good spot to make some savings.



2. Tone: I use a different toner morning and night, because I'm experimenting with two different ones right now. In the morning I'll use Skinfood's Peach Sake Pore Toner. Unlike Western toners (and despite the name) Korean toners tend not to be the drying, alcohol-containing kind. They are actually meant to balance the pH level of your skin after cleansing, and prep the skin for the rest of your regime. This one (and all the Korean ones I've tried) leave your skin feeling soft and moisturized, not tingly and tight like most Western ones I've tried do.

3. Serums/Essences: These are essentially targeted formulas to address specific skin problems, such as dark spots, acne or anti ageing. You can use one or more depending on what kinds of benefits you want. I've been using this Skinfood Lettuce and Cucumber Water Drop Essence on the recommendation of the Blush staff, and it has definitely addressed the dryness I get during the winter by being extra hydrating, but it does seem to irritate my skin very slightly sometimes, so I've stopped using it. I've got a few new ones to try, so keep posted for proper reviews.

4. Emulsion: An emulsion is actually kind of like a lightweight moisturizer that you apply, and then layer a richer moisturizing cream over the top of. Most days, I use my Skinfood Peach Sake emulsion. It soaks in fast (which is important in the morning for me, since I leave for work at 5:30am most days) and doesn't leave your face feeling sticky or looking shiny, so it's fine to wear makeup on top of it.

5. Cream/ Eye Cream. Some people will stop at an emulsion for daytime if they have quite oily skin, however because mine can be quite dry, I follow my emulsion with a richer cream. For daytime, I usually go with the Deoproce Green Tea cream (which I got for super cheap in a set on sale at A'Ha Beauty), because even though it is a cream, it still absorbs without feeling too heavy. I don't use an eye cream presently (another thing I think it worth splurging on, so I plan to hold off until I can afford a great one rather than settle on an average one), but I did work my way through some samples of Skinfood's Gold Caviar lifting eye cream. I mostly used it at night, but plenty of people who use an eye cream will do so morning and night, and will slot it in here after their emulsion and cream.

6. Sunscreen/CC cream/BB cream: Now, I don't wear make-up most days, but I do use sunscreen pretty much any day I'm leaving the house. I've always been really bad about using sunscreen, even though I burn really easily and am super fair, largely because I hated how oily and thick they felt on my skin, and they were waaaay too much effort. Now that I'm a little older, I don't really want to risk the same sun exposure, possible melanoma and the premature ageing because of sun damage. So I've tried really hard to get into the habit of using something with at *least* SPF 35 whenever my skin is going to be exposed. It's made easier by the fact that in my opinion, it's easier to find less greasy, less thick formulas amongst Korean brands. Many of them are specifically designed to be worn under makeup and can double as a primer for your foundation.
Another option is a CC (colour correcting) cream or a BB (beauty balm) cream with SPF.
Then follow with your usual makeup!

As a take-away, this is more pared-down than some other people's Korean inspired morning routines, in that for me, most days I only follow 5 steps. This is entirely down to the fact that I have a pretty tight time restraint in the mornings. I leave for work at 5:30am on work days, so my routine has to be pretty quick so I don't have to get up any earlier than necessary. It might sound involved, but it honestly adds less than 10 minutes to my morning routine. I brush my teeth, get dressed or do my hair in between steps while products soak in, and it's a good way to start the morning on a really hectic day. By taking these deliberate steps to pamper yourself for a few minutes each morning sets kind of a nice tone for the rest of the day, I think.

So next post I'll go through my evening routine and the little extras I use a couple of times a week, and I'll link you to more great resource in case you want to find out more about Korean skincare or start your own regime.

Want more:
Try these great articles on building your own regime:
The Wanderlust Project - An American girl who lived and taught in Korea and got hooked on Korean skincare. She has great advice that's super down-to-earth and not too technical.
Skin and Tonic: This is a great overview, and the rest of the site has in-depth product reviews that get a bit more technical about the ingredients. If you have sensitive skin or allergies, this is a good site to check on products you're interested in, because they will often flag ingredients that can cause reactions.
Byrdie - Great breakdown of steps and good product recommendations.

I'll do another post on where I buy my products (based in Sydney, Australia) as well as other reputable online sources, but if you want to try out any of these products, your best port of call in Sydney is Blush Cosmetics or A'HA Beauty Store. 

More Happy Makers

At work the other day we were talking about Youtube Therapy.
It's when you need a pick me up (or a good cry) and go down a rabbithole of uplifting video clips, and everyone has their own favourite flavour of therapy video. The girls at work were all big on surprise proposal videos, and I can see why they work. They're full of people making big, romantic gestures towards the one they love, and it's happy couples agreeing to spend the rest of their lives together. That's pretty infectious stuff, no doubt.
My personal favourite though? Kids getting ponies for Christmas/birthdays. Oh my god does that get the waterworks going like nothing else. I've seen lovely videos where kids or grown ups get puppies or kittens for Christmas, but because my own childhood was so full of my horses and ponies and my parents going out of their way constantly to give me access to animals and make that a special part of my growing up, it's the girls and ponies that get me right in the feels!

Worth noting though, if anyone is planning to recreate a surprise like this, responsible pet ownership comes first. It's one thing for a parent to surprise a child, knowing already that the animal will fit into the household and that they can comfortably afford the expense and time associated with owning an animal. Especially in the case of these horses, often they are horses the child has been leasing or riding in lessons for a while before he's purchased by the parents. If there is any doubt at all that the person you're surprising might not be up for a 10-20 year pet owning commitment, don't do it. Animal shelters are full of unwanted 'gifts' after the holiday season so it's not something to be taken lightly.

That said, for anyone needing a little Youtube therapy of the "surprise animal" kind, this is for you.

 

Eaten By Cheetas

Now that me and my little sister are all grown up and earning our own money, my mum has taken to giving us 'experience' gifts rather than 'stuff' gifts. for birthday and Christmas. Last Christmas my little sister got a sky diving gift voucher, and knowing me as well as she does, my mum skipped the jumping out of planes caper and instead got me a double pass to MEET A CHEETAH!

She actually rang R before she got it for me, because she wanted to make sure he was comfortable going with me so I wouldn't have to go to Canberra on my own.

It was actually really surreal walking into a cage with a pair of huge wildcats. It poured the entire day so instead of sitting out in the open with the cheetahs, we all huddled in under their little shelter while they napped.

So without further delay, here are some adorable cheetah photos full of adorableness.

10 Bedspreads for Modern, Minimal rooms (that are available in Australia!)

Maybe it's because the weather is cooling, maybe it's because life is getting so hectic that I'm needing the apartment to be a real sanctuary, or maybe it's just because I'm fickle and need things to be constantly changing to be satisfied. Whatever the reason, no corner of my apartment is safe from my desire to revamp. I've already posted about my itch to overhaul my office, and I'm mentioned in passing the dire state of the balcony. Now that the bedroom is calling to me so strongly after an epic days juggling, I'm noticing that it's not as cute as it could be.

I've always had bedrooms that erred on the side of dark and moody, eclectic, cluttered and inspiring...but that was when I lived in share housing or my parents place, and my room had to be able to function as everything. I studied in it, relaxed in it, had sleep over parties in it, trashed it every Wednesday night in a 'lets meet up and get ready at mine before we go out' gathering and I wanted it to feel like a cocoon of me stuff.

When we first moved into our current place, we ditched a lot of our starter furniture, and kept things pretty sparse. I kind of loved how empty our bedroom looked with fresh white walls and nothing but the bed and bedsides. I swapped the old bedsides for the replica Noguchi Origami tables in the photo above after a few months, and this BJORNLOKA bedding has been an awesome place holder - matching with the floor to ceiling grey curtains and keeping the stark, minimal look. My only issue with it is that it's not a really white white like it looks in the picture. It's actually a sort of bone white or off-white, so when you pair it with nice white sheets and pillows like I've tried to do since, it ends up looking yellowish and dirty by contrast. Wouldn't be a problem if you used Ikea sheets to match and break it up a bit from any white walls, but in our place, it bugs me.

SO. Here are my pics for replacements that would work to complement or contrast an otherwise white, minimalist room. Prices are straight off each product's website at the time of posting, but may vary between locations of over time so double check if you find a favourite!

1. William Quilt Cover in Black, From Freedom Furniture $77.00

Fresh white keeps things calming and relaxing, while the fine black grid lines add some texture. Would look great paired with a chunky grey knit blanket and a few extra plain white pillows so it doesn't look too much like a maths grid book.

2. Aura Bedspread in Orange from Domayne Furniture $199.00

This reversible bedspread is orange on white on one side for a small pop of colour, or white on orange on the other for big impact. I like the idea of small doses of bright colours to bring some warmth to simple rooms. If you like the bold side of this bedspread more, you might like to check out the rest of Domayne furniture's range. Lots of heavily saturated primary colours and large scale patterns.

3.FARGLAV Quilt cover set from Ikea, $69-$119 depending on size (prices based on Ikea Tempe)

People tend to have a bit of a love hate relationship with Ikea bed linen (I've already mentioned my aversion to the 'white' in some of their designs, but they are a really good, really well priced option. Ikea bedspreads start at like $14.95 for single bed quilt sets, so if you're looking for an update on a budget, or something for a kids room that can get trashed and replaced as often as it needs to be, they really are the way to go. If you actually go into a store, you will feel a difference in the fabrics at each price point, and basically, you get a good deal but you also get what you pay for. At the lower end of the price scale, the fabrics are thinner, rougher to the touch and probably a little more prone to tears after a while. Up above the $49.95 price range you actually will find nice cotton, soft weave and probably longer wearing fabric. Plus unusual textile patterns and colours that carry through all their products so you can match furniture and decor easily.

4. Aura Crosses Quilt Set from Adairs $199.00

This set comes in "Jade" (top image) and "Aquamarine" (bottom image), and I'm actually pretty torn between both. I really like both colour ways, and the styling with white walls behind both images is stunning. Now, $199 is probably more than I'd pay for one of these, not because they aren't beautiful, but because I have commitment issues that manifest in my home instead of my relationship. These bedspreads are really bold in a white room, and they do somewhat dictate what else you add to the room - too much 'stuff' and they make it look seriously crowded, not enough texture and they dominate without looking grounded. If this is your top pick, take some cues from the styling - add lots of neutral texture to ground it, and be wary of too much contrasting colour if you want to retain it's freshness.

5. Marie Claire Rochelle Bedspread via Linen House. $189.95

At a glance this looks like soft greys, but on closer inspection, it's actually very very soft pastels. It's neutral enough that it isn't going to dictate the rest of your decor, interesting enough on the eye to be a feature in a very white room without taking over, and best of all it's got these pretty, subtle colours that you can draw from in the rest of your decor. Take a cue from the styling here and draw out the soft yellow with a brighter stool and sorbet tone cushion, or draw out the blues and greys with steely accents and richer blues, or bring out the lavender tones with pops of royal purple or deep pink. I like how many possibilities this one has (see aforementioned commitment phobia), and that it could be swapped out with plain white or grey bedding and the decor you use will still work.

6. Anthropology 'Creature Hideaway' Quilt Cover $169-$225 plus shipping

Anthropology bedding is something special. It's a bit more expensive than the other options here, and you do need to factor in the cost of shipping (anthropologie ship from the US to Australia, cost varying) but in my opinion, it's worthwhile for something a bit more special. The tricks, I think, to pulling off florals and mixed colours without it looking too busy or dated are to have the same neutral base colour as the major neutral in your room, and to keep the pattern a bit offbeat. For example, because my walls, ceilings and bedside tables are quite stark whites, this quilt cover with plenty of stark white as the background colour will keep that airy looks. Similarly, if you have a soft grey as your neutral or wall colour, a doona with large swathes of a similar shade will keep any pattern it has from looking too busy. I also avoid traditional, repeating patterns, and I don't much like symmetry in florals or nature inspired prints. I think symmetry is fine in geometric prints, or stripe or spotted prints, but you will never find a flowering shrub where the flowers and leaves repeat to an exact grid, so I think it looks cheesy when they do in bedding fabric. This quilt cover by anthropology is a large scale design, with lots of white space, a mixture of subtle colours and richer ones and it's asymmetrical...all the things I love!

7. Brighton Belle by Morgan & Finch $89.95-$159.95

This looks a bit more traditional than I would normally like, but that is mostly because it's styled like that with all those perfectly squared pillows. Does a bed made this precisely really look that inviting to anyone? Anyway, subjective taste in styling aside, this white bedding features a very finely printed city-scape across the front. This feels to me like a more subtle (maybe more grown-up?) version of the NYC skyline or subway map printed bedding I thought was The Coolest Ever when I was a teenager, and while I feel like that look isn't for me any more, maybe this toned down version could find a place in my new bedroom? To work in my space (and maybe yours) I'd be ditching the red sheets, pillows and cushions, getting rid of the European pillow in the back and pairing the cover with plain white or charcoal grey sheets and pillows, and I'd want it to share a room with plants or fresh flowers, just so I didn't feel like I was walking in off a grey city street and into another one.

Hiccups Folklandia Bedlinen $109.95 at Myer.

And now for something a little more playful. This gorgeous muted woodland bedding is just right for adding a bit of warmth and playfulness to a Scandinavian influenced room. Perfect for inspiring lovely dreams in a kids room, and comforting and sweet for the young at heart. Available in single or double sizes.

Lucia Quilt Cover by Bambury $55.97-$90.97 at Izzz.com

This quilt cover reminds me a bit of the handmade quilts my grandmother made us all when we were little. Mine had these same colours and lots of intricate little triangles of different fabrics. This quilt cover is the perfect throwback to gorgeous handmade quilts when the quilt look just isn't quite right for the space.

Duvet Cover Botanical Fine Art Photography from $164.15 on Etsy.com

And now for something special. This Etsy store sells doona covers, cushions and shower curtains with incredible photos like this printed on them. If you're looking for something totally unique, she also does custom orders. Did you ever pick dandelions like these out of grassy fields and make wishes on them? This cover looks like a recipe for lovely nostalgic dreams. This is on the top of my wishlist, along with a couple of gorgeous botanical cushions for my lounge.

Happy Makers

I'm someone who, after a string of very sad experiences a few years ago, developed some pretty poor coping strategies. I tend to get knocked down way more easily than I used to and it tales me longer to drag myself out of a low mood. I've developed this ineffective strategy of completely retreating from life when it gets a bit rough. I cocoon myself at home, with lots comforting (read: heavy and greasy) food, wear baggy, ugly clothes, avoid socializing and switch my brain off by watching mindless, trashy TV. Which would be fine if this was a very occasional pity party in an otherwise healthy lifestyle, but in my case it's an every-weekend and some weekdays coping thing. And it's doing me no favours. I've come to realize recently that there will always be stressors in my life - either big or small - and that I need to develop better ways to pick myself, dust myself off and keep it moving.

So I've made a few changes lately and I'm looking for little slices of happiness to replace the safety blankets I'm letting go of. So maybe this will be a bit of a weekly thing? Though next time lets skip the back (sob)story and get straight to the good stuff.

And so, this week's happy makers:

These goats riding ponies

Sunday brunch at Hoochie Mamma Cafe with a very gorgeous friend. Photo from Kid Size Living  because the food was so yummy I didn't think to capture it for hipster Instagram posterity. 

 This pretty warehouse graffiti on a rainy day

 These foals playing in a damn

 This obscene re-arrangement of files in Ikea. 

 This little unicorn, made by a 3D printer while my mum's preschoolers watched on in amazement. Technology is kind of cool sometimes.

 Philomena, who belongs to my recently resigned boss, and who came to work with him sometimes. Look at that wee face!

 This baby sister who is allllll the way on the other side of the world having the adventure of a lifetime.

 This wee bird, that taught me I can make something lovely all by myself if I put my mind to it.

These pretty notebooks and pens from Target and my lovely new office (which I will post on at some point). The little gold globe is from the Oxfam shop, pens, jar and to-do list from Kikki.K. Nail polish by Sally Hansen and bangles from Lovisa Jewellery.

 Manicures from the last few weeks (plus one throwback from last year). Orange, pink with glitter and very dark blue are all by OPI, mauve is by Sally Hansen (see link above) and the candy-wraps are by Elegant Tough

This apartment full of flowers. Despite working all week at a florist, I still spent by Saturday morning at the flower markets, buying up cheap bunches of roses and then spent the afternoon filling vases with them. on the left, a vintage crystal jug gifted by my grandmother, on the right, blue bud vases from Ikea, and the straightener next to them is a limited edition GHD straightener.

This blast from the past. Napoleon and Lafayette from The Aristocats - which is an awesomely underrated movie. I don't know why there is a bloodhound and a basset hound living in the French countryside with deep Southern American accents, but they're adorable. 

So have you smiled at all? It certainly cheered me up

If you need a little more prettiness to get you through the week ahead, there's more on my Pinterest.

Faith

Last night, on the eve of our immigration interview, I had a strange dream.

I found myself, with R, on a rooftop surrounded by floodwaters. But the strange thing was, I felt safe. I had faith we would be rescued, and we would be fine. 

Now I've never considered myself religious, but in this dream, I was completely at peace and had this overwhelming sense that everything was going to be fine. I woke up feeling truly positive for the first time in weeks. I'm just not ready to write this off as 'just a dream' right now. I'm going to have a little faith,

Add caption

Image here.

The Fear

Sitting in my blog post drafts are a couple of cheery little posts - a round up of gorgeous bedding I'm lusting after for our bedroom, a post about pretty urban balcony gardens, a kind-of-successful attempt at jollof rice and a proper post about our weekend with the cheetahs.

But they all feel too frivolous and carefree to post at the moment.

In less than three days time, R and I have an interview with immigration so they can decide whether or not to allow him to stay in this country, with me. I'm a bit at a loss as to how to explain how it feels to be staring down the barrel of a major life change, and having so little control of the outcome.

 If you've read other posts or know us at all, you'll be somewhat aware of the fact that I consider him my rock. It's an indescribable comfort to have someone who is 100% on your side, who has your back no matter what and wants to see you succeed and be the very best you can be. I've felt safer and more capable with his support than I have in years, or maybe ever. I'm not exactly fearless, but I'm not crippled by anxiety and I'm actually passionately planning a future...and I'm planning it with R.

And we've gotten over roadblocks before. Most notably the miscarriage, but since we've been together R has also had the business he worked for collapse, I've been bullied out of one work place and made redundant from another. We've sometimes struggled financially...at one point we were living off my tiny $590 a week income, in an apartment that was costing us $450 a week in rent, plus running my car so I could get to work and back and R could job hunt. We got really good at shopping at Aldi and making passably tasty meals using Mi Goreng noodles. In fact, when we found out we were pregnant, we had no washing machine and were getting by with a tiny second hand bar fridge that I bought for $30 at Vinnies.

This time though, there's a chance it won't just be a roadblock. This time I have a sick feeling in my stomach that we might be careening towards a sheer drop and I have no idea whats down there. I've never prayed before but I find myself trying to bargain with the universe to just let me keep him here, I'll do whatever it takes. I'm looking for signs or good luck charms everywhere. I was browsing nail polish today and reading the names of the colour printed on the bottom, searching for one that might comfort me. I turned over one called "Vacation Time". What did that mean? That the visa would get a approved and we'd finally be booking a holiday? Or did that mean it would be rejected and my 'vacation' would actually be flights back to Ghana to avoid us being separated? Or, are the names of random nail polishes in K Mart completely arbitrary and my brain is just so overwhelmed by this that it's inventing creative coping mechanisms?

The truth is, I'm terrified. I can't even begin to contemplate a life that is suddenly without him here. I can't get my head around how we would rewrite our future plans if he weren't allowed to stay, or how I could carry on my share of the plans on my own. Or how he could on his own. I can't imagine living in this apartment we've shared, driving the car we bought together, using the laptop, the TV, the couch that he bought knowing he was so far away.

I still can't think through what we'll do if the answer is no. It's too big and too depressing and too scary to contemplate. A no wouldn't mean the end of us, but it would mean the end of our dream future. The thought of having to raise my future children far away from my family here because he wasn't allowed to stay makes me tear up. The thought of starting all over again somewhere else after all the battles we've already thought makes me dizzy. We can't do it. I don't want to.

So that's it. He has to be able to stay, because I need him to stay.
I need him.