Hello. =) For the first non-intro post on my blog, I wanted to open with a bit of reflection and examine where I am in my skincare journey. Before I get lost in product reviews and being busy in general over the next few months, I’d like to pause and create a starting checkpoint for my blog that I can look back on someday.
Main Skin Concerns
Then
When I first drafted this post in August of 2021, I wrote that active acne lesions and PIE or post-inflammatory erythema were my primary concerns. Although most of the acne had subsided by 2021, I was still left with scars while occasional breakouts continued to leave new lesions. Minimizing the frequency of new breakouts was my main goal at the time because it would eliminate the creation of new scars and let me focus solely on dealing with the remaining PIE.
Now
I’m in my late twenties now. Most of my PIE is gone, and new breakouts are now rare thanks to my rockstar salicylic acid cleanser. While I have redness on my cheeks, my foremost concerns are actually large pores and early anti-aging. I began addressing these issues with BHA or beta hydroxy acid and low-dose retinol respectively, and I will go into these further in my Winter-Spring 2026 Skincare Routine post.
Large Clogged Pores
Enlarged pores have been a problem for me for years, as anyone with oily skin can relate to. I understand that pores are a natural part of skin anatomy, but having very noticeable pores is something I’d personally prefer to minimize. My cheeks in particular are giving orange, which I’m not a fan of…
🍊🍊🍊 = ✅🧡✅
👀👍🍊 = ❌🤬❌
The main recommendation among a vast majority of dermatologists and influencers seems to be BHA, so I started incorporating that into my routine as of late 2025.
Preventative Anti-aging
This is an issue I wanted to get a head start on the moment I turned 25, so I introduced my skin to gentle retinol serums to get settled and acclimated. I plan to raise the dose over time, ideally with guidance from a dermatologist. Of course, consistent use of sunscreen will also play a major role in addressing this concern.
I’m not aiming for perfectly smooth and shiny skin when I’m 60 because I do want to age gracefully. I look forward to embracing my future eye wrinkles, smile lines, and other things that mark a proudly aging human being. At the same time, I’m not trying to be neglectful. I want to take whatever steps I can to keep my skin healthy and youthful for as long as naturally possible.
Mindset and approach
I think I’ve reached the sanest point in my 12-year skincare journey so far, and I can’t be more proud. I actually dug up all the Jolse, Amazon, YesStyle, Wishtrend, Glow Recipe, iHerb, Shopee, and Althea orders I could find in preparation for this post. I wanted to get an overview of the products I used to buy and see what they revealed about my philosophy and mindset at the time.
Then
I came into K-beauty at a time when fun, gimmicky (and questionable) products were everywhere—think TONYMOLY Tomatox Magic Brightening Face Masks or SKINFOOD Black Sugar Mask Wash Offs. At 18, I was easily swayed by what was popular among beauty gurus and online marketplaces. My earliest routines were basically the “confused but she’s got the spirit“ meme in a nutshell. I had good intentions with my low pH toners and AHAs but massively failed in execution. I filled every slot in a 10-step routine and would sometimes use three actives on the same night. It wasn’t that the products I used were individually bad, but the way that I combined them in a routine can only be described as a disaster that only served to further destroy my already compromised skin barrier.
Even though I did my best to research the whats, hows, and whys of each product, I was still very emotionally driven. To my young and vulnerable self, more was better, and I needed results ASAP. I honestly feel sad when I remember it and wish I could give my misguided little self a hug. I had no idea how to properly use actives, some of which I didn’t even need yet at 18. It was so unsustainable that I finally took the rose-colored glasses of in late 2018 and had enough. I went on a skin reset and put a pause on using actives for about a year or two.
Now
My skincare story has done a complete 180. Learning from my early skincare mistakes, combined with the realities of being a busy adult, swung my approach from novelty and popularity-driven to practical and essentials-focused. I don’t start with what the best-sellers or most trendy products are anymore. Instead, I start with myself. I identify what skin concern I’m trying to solve, then find products that specifically target that concern. Every member of the roster has a role to play, and they are repurchased if they provide good ROI for my time and money… I hate how mechanical that sounds, though. More on that in a bit.
Looking at my purchase history over the last 3 years, I noticed that I bought the same basics over and over again… same moisturizers, same cleansers, more or less the same Vitamin C serums, you get the gist. It was a clear sign that my routine had stabilized, and I somehow managed to find a safe and predictable system that works. My skin is now less angry and way happier. New products or actives are added slowly and monitored. At the first signs of irritation, I stop, re-examine, and revise my approach. I’m not talking about laboratory-level observation but just paying a little more attention and listening when my skin doesn’t like or respond to something.
All this caution also means the magic is now nowhere to be found. Skincare has moved from being an exciting experience to just the thing I do after brushing my teeth. I don’t think that’s quite right, and I may have drifted a little off course. I want to slowly change that this year while respectfully acknowledging that the same perfunctory and practical foundation that I built is what is giving me the stable springboard to branch out again and try fun new products in a healthy and non-disruptive way.
Buying habits
Budgets, then and now
I’ve always shopped in the low to mid-tier budget ranges and never left. Even in 2017-2018 when I almost exclusively used imported Korean beauty products, most of what I bought was under $30. For me, anything over 3,000 Yen or $20 for a single product that isn’t an active is a splurge. In fact, the most expensive beauty product I ever bought was a $37.501 KraveBeauty Great Barrier Relief Serum in jumbo size, shipping and taxes not yet included. I’m okay with treating myself here and there as long as I’m aware of my limits and know how long I can sustain the fun without breaking my wallet too much. One time in 2018 when Glow Recipe released the Pink Juice line, I went ahead and bought some of their products (and got slapped with my first import taxes). I was more than glad to go back to my usual $10 cleansers and moisturizers after that.
Reflecting on this a little bit, I wasn’t deliberately trying to stay away from high-end or luxury products due to some underlying belief about their quality or effectiveness. It was more due to a combination of what I could afford and what was logistically accessible to me. At the same time, low-end or mid-tier products definitely don’t mean subpar quality right off the bat, which makes finding great value gems all the more exciting! I’m fine with my shopping philosophy as it is. I want good value for my money while green-lighting occasional indulgence on products that are worth it when my budget allows.
The One Thing That Changed
What shifted in my shopping habits was embracing local, aka Japanese products. I know that some of you may be side-eyeing me right now about not doing this sooner. After all, Japanese products are known for their effectiveness and innovation, and also, I live in Japan, so what the heck? I guess I was too caught up in the K-beauty wave that I’ve always looked elsewhere and never gave local products a chance (until the Rohto Melano CC Intensive Anti-Spot Essence). Japan’s industry is known for its quiet stability and emphasis on enduring formulations, while Korea’s is more fast-paced and constantly re-inventing the wheel. Today, most of what I use is from Japan: my oil cleanser, second cleanser, toner, moisturizer, sunscreen, and face powders. Only my actives are from South Korea. I know there are hundreds more exciting products out there to try, but I’m thankful to have access to really great products at reasonable prices in Japan.
Consumption of Beauty Content
Then
I used to watch a lot of Gothamista and Liah Yoo videos, and they had a really big influence on me during my early skincare days. I actually found out about one of my favorite Vitamin C serums (Melano CC) from a Gothamista video. Meanwhile, Liah played a big role in the de-villainization of oils as topical skincare ingredients. She also shaped my views on treating acne holistically. As I mentioned in my intro post for my blog, I also spent a lot of time reading Asian skincare blogs in the past, which eventually inspired me to start writing about skincare myself.
Now
Given my fatigue towards mindless consumerism, I don’t really consume a lot of beauty content anymore, and that goes for all channels. I struggle to think of any influencers or prominent figures that I can say I’ve followed regularly in the past five years. I did like Dr. Danny Guo’s recent video called THE MOST SCIENCE-BACKED SKINCARE ROUTINE. He mostly has shorts on his channel, but it looks like he is starting to make long-form video content, which I look forward to! I also still enjoy Hyram’s content when it crosses my feed once in a while, but I’d be hard-pressed to name the last video I watched aside from his Your Favorite Skin Care Brand Is In The Files (👀 yah seriously) video, which was immensely popular.
Wins of 2025
2025 was a busy year of trying and failing multiple times, so skincare sometimes took the backseat in my list of priorities. This isn’t gonna be a long list, but I’m still content with it. 💜
- Taking salicylic acid seriously and giving the Proactiv Medicinal Renewing Cleanser a fair shot by using it consistently. Without this cleanser, I wouldn’t have been able to move on to addressing new skin concerns. It single-handedly took breakout prevention off my plate.
- Using sunscreen consistently, even if that meant hunting down the Bioré UV Smooth Perfect Milk sunscreen at five different drugstores (this literally happened)
- Not sleeping without either washing my face or using micellar water on days that I put on sunscreen. There were a lot of times when I felt like I was just too tired to do a full routine, so I made it my bare minimum to at least clean my face and put on moisturizer before crashing.
Things I Look Forward to in 2026
I’m anticipating a busy year, especially in the last quarter of 2026, so before all the craziness, I want to make it my goal to do the following:
- Be more consistent with the use of actives. I gave myself a lot of grace in 2025, but this year, I want to practice making actives non-negotiable until they become habits, like brushing my teeth.
- Schedule an appointment with a dermatologist for the first time. 💛 Most of the advice I’ve followed over the years has come from online sources intended for a general audience. Having a derm assess the state of my skin and give me advice tailored specifically for me is something I’m really excited about.
- Make the skincare process fun again by trying new products here and there. The point isn’t to introduce “bloatware” to a system that already works but to make beauty an exciting part of life again.
To sum it all up, my current philosophy is “less guesswork, more intention, and a bit of sparkle.” 🧨✨ What about you? Where are you in your skincare journey, and what are you excited to do in 2026? Have a beautiful day! 🌹
If you’re curious about the products I’m currently using, check out my Winter-Spring 2026 Skincare Routine post.
- I got it during Black Friday, hence the discount, but it normally sells for $50 a bottle. ↩︎
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