Meet Alistair, a student living in New York City, that has learned how to control his large pores by trying the Korean multi-step skincare routine for the first time.
Alistair, 22, is an art student living in New York City. He describes his top skin concerns as large pores, and acne-prone. He also says his skin changes a lot with climate changes, going from oily to dry. Alistair accepted the challenge of following the Korean skincare routine for two full weeks as part of Soko Glam’s new campaign, Only Good (Skin) Days Ahead.
Watch what happens after he stops using his traditional face wash (from the time he was still serving the military) to adopt a Korean skincare routine. Plus, read on to check our chat with him, where he tells The Klog all about his experience plus, share some cool tips and thoughts about each and every product he used.
The Klog: How was your skin care routine before starting the Korean skincare routine?
Alistair: Honestly, my routine before starting the Korean skincare routine was pretty basic. I washed my face in the shower with a wasabi face cleanser I first learned about in the military. It was pretty low maintenance. I’m not usually very fussy about my skin or hair care routines, so I like something that I can do really quick and not have it take too much out of my day.
What was your skin like?
Alistair: My skin condition used to fluctuate a bit. Sometimes, I would have oily skin, with occasional breakouts, but other times my skin would be dry. Right now, though, during the winter, my skin is pretty consistent. It’s dry for the most part, only ever getting oily if I’m exercising or out dancing.
What was something you learned while following the routine?
Alistair: Something I’ve learned since starting the routine is how sensitive my skin is to changing climates. It’s something I’ve always suspected, but between flying to the other side of the world, and testing out new products, my skin began to get super fussy during the first couple of days of travel. Being on planes and going from the winter to the perpetual heat wave that is South East Asia, I started noticing more and more breakouts, but products like the face mask kept my skin in check.
Was there a product that was hard to understand or a step you wanted to skip every now and then?
Alistair: Generally, the process was pretty easy to follow by the end of the two weeks, but if I had to skip something it would probably be the whitening essence. I’m not super in tune with the point of skin whitening.
What was your favorite part of the journey?
Alistair: My favorite part of the process was seeing the change in my skin over the two weeks. I began to see a real change around day three or four and continued to see the improvements throughout the entire two weeks. My skin took a little hiccup of improvement when I began traveling, but after a few days of consistent product use, I found my skin getting back on track to improving.
How is your skin care routine now that you finished this 2-week challenge?
Alistair: I’ve definitely continued to use a few of the products from the process, but I’ve begun to shorten the routine by cutting out a few of the products I didn’t like as much. I’ve stopped using the whitening essence completely, and I only really use the products once a day in the morning instead of 2 times every day, as suggested.
What else has changed?
Alistair: Specifically, I can see that my pores have begun reducing slightly in size and that my skin isn’t as dry as it was before. I haven’t had breakouts since the end of the two weeks, besides the occasional one-day pimple I get from stress. Other than that, not much else has changed. I’m settling back into a routine after the Holidays and trying to get my life in order.
Now that you’ve heard all the details of Alistair’s experience with the Korean skincare routine, read his mini reviews on all the products he used for the past two weeks.
I really enjoyed the double cleansing system. The oil cleanser cleared out a lot of dirt from my skin. I could actually see and feel the impurities as I worked the product across my face.
Skinfood Egg White Pore Foam
The pore foam felt great following the oil cleanser. I could feel my skin feel firmer and my pores smaller the more I used it.
Neogen Real Flower Cleansing Water in Calendula
I didn’t see too much of a change in regards to this product. I enjoyed the smell of the product but didn’t have much of a breakout over the two weeks.
COSRX Galactomyces 95 Whitening Power Essence
I wasn’t too big of a fan of this product. It didn’t necessary make my skin brighter, but in fact made my skin grayer.
Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel
I quite liked the moisturizer. If I felt any dryness, I’d put on this gel and be rid of that rough skin the next day. It had a bit of a medical smell (very light, though) but moisturized my skin very well.
CosRX Aloe Soothing Sun Cream SPF 50+ PA+++
The sun cream did its job. It didn’t do anything negative to my skin, but it also wasn’t magic. So there’s that.
Neogen Blemish Soothing & Sebum Controlling Mask
This product was awesome. After traveling some, I felt a little bit of a breakout coming on. I put on the mask, and in the morning, my skin was clear.
Skinfood Black Sugar Mask Wash Off
At the end of it all, I think this product was my favorite. I used it every couple of days and my skin felt great after each use!
Neogen Dermalogy Pore Refine Serum
This product definitely tightened and reduced the size of my pores. Along with the pore foam, I began to see a gradual decrease in pore size.
+ Watch Alistair’s journey with the Korean skincare routine on YouTube.
