Tips from a pro.
The Koreans gave us sheet masks, essences and taught us the power of an exhaustive 10-step regime. It's safe to say that K-Beauty has impacted our beauty regimes more than any other culture.
Koreans are of the belief that adopting a Korean-inspired skincare regime really helps to change your mindset of taking care of your skin as a chore into it being a pampering session you can look forward to and in our hectic lives, a spot of pampering is always welcome.
"We’re so often speeding through life that it’s little wonder our hurry culture has made its way into our beauty regimes and has resulted in convenience modes of skincare such as cleansing wipes and micellar waters," says Jin Kwon, CEO of TONIC15 - a contemporary K-beauty e-tailer with an ethos built around a daily 15-minute dose of self-care.
"And while there’s nothing wrong with these time-saving staples per se (as long as your wipes are degradable, of course!), slowing things down and paying yourself a little extra care and attention offers some real benefits. Fifteen minutes might not sound a lot but spend it well and it’ll make a real difference to your skin – and during these times, perhaps more importantly, your mood."
Now that we're spending a lot more time at home, there's never been a better time to try Jin's 'slow beauty' daily 15-minute dose of self-care. Here's how to do it...
How to spend your 15 minutes of me-time
The most important thing is to build a ritual that you enjoy, as you’re more likely to stick to it consistently. Focus on the sensory aspects of skincare – touch, scent, texture, temperature – which can really boost your mood.
As well as acting as a step-change that signals the day is done, your skincare regime can reduce stress and even boost your self-esteem. When I was on the brink of burnout, it was carving out 15-minutes of me-time every day that brought me back to myself. It sounds silly, but the art of cleansing, slowly massaging a serum, or smoothing on a sheet mask gave me permission to relax, to switch off from the stresses of running a business. Doing that day-upon-day signalled to myself that I mattered and in turn, brought about other positive changes in my life and routine.
If you usually use a micellar water to remove your makeup, indulge in a balm like the Aromatica Orange Cleansing Sherbet. Take the time to really mindfully massage the product into the skin. What can you smell? What does the product feel like on your skin? How does it transform with touch? Really use this time to connect with yourself and switch off from everything else. There really are no rules other than to slow down and find a routine that works for you and your skin.
Why should I slow down?
Many of us live in busy, switched-on life, and it’s so difficult to disconnect from everything modern life demands of us and it’s also so easy to lose our sense of self.
Skincare is a great time to give some time back to ourselves in part, because we are almost forced to leave all our devices out. It doesn’t require much preparation, nor does it force you to invest a huge amount of time – unlike going to an exercise class or travelling to a spa for a massage.
Also, the ritual and the sensory experience of skincare enables us to relax, gives opportunity to love ourselves and also it can also surprisingly help us feel calmer and more relaxed.
Jin's 15-minute regime that can inspire yours
I personally enjoy taking time to scrub my scalp with AROMATICA Rosemary Sea Salt Scalp Scrub, double cleansing with AROMATICA Orange Cleansing Sherbet and Sioris Cleanse Me Softly Milk Cleanser, and also enjoy doing I’m From Honey Mask, and use Huxley Moroccan Gardener Body Oil to moisturise my body. These are the staples things in my daily 15-minute ritual. It’s achievable and because it’s just 15-minutes, I’m motivated to stick to it.
This originally appeared on GLAMOUR UK | Bianca London
