Without knowing specifically what you're looking for in skincare, I'd say that the best introduction/gateway drug to AB are sheet masks! They're so much fun, and there's a lot of variety. Some much-loved kinds are Innisfree, Etude House, TONYMOLY, My Beauty Diary, Beton's Snail/Bee line, these Donkey Milk masks, etc, although there are a ton of brands out there. From there, you'll ~~probably be hooked for life~~ can expand your horizons to lots of other products! It's overwhelming at first but it is so much fun.

AB has a huge focus on moisturization and sun protection, and is largely based around maintenance/prevention. It has a lot of steps but honestly that's 50% because it's worth doing, and 50% because it's just fun to do (and no, you don't have to do them all). Skincare isn't treated as a luxury or "pampering" in places like South Korea, but rather something that everyone (even guys!) just do (a great side effect of this is that it means most products are considerably cheaper than Western counterparts). I recently travelled there as well, and I can just say that it's really a refreshing environment to be a part of, especially since here in the West skincare is often seen as something you only do if you have "problem skin."

Honestly, I would browse the sub a bit if you're interested! They're one of the most knowledgable and welcoming communities I've found on Reddit, if not the internet in general. Here is a relatively recent Holy Grail thread to get you started (that's actually where I started!), and here is a Best/Worst megathread!

*You can skip this if you want, but if you're curious, my current routine (note: this is not necessarily product recommendations, this is just what I personally am currently using) uses 2 cleansers (called "double cleansing") - one oil to get the makeup and sunscreen off, then one foaming to wash the oil off - followed by a toner, then a Vitamin C serum, a BHA, an AHA. Then I go into a first essence and this oil because it's awesome, followed by essences (Snails are a big hit in AB for their regenerative and calming properties, for example; I also like Galactomyces for "whitening" (read: brightening/skintone-evening) properties). Then I finish up with a sheet mask if I want (SO many good kinds), spot treatments, moisturizers (still looking for my holy grail). If it's nighttime, I'll sometimes use a sleeping pack (1, 2) for extra hydration. If it's daytime you HAVE to wear sunscreen, period - that's one of the biggest things AB promotes. Some people will wear it even if they're not going outside at all that day. Anyway, sometimes I do the full routine, sometimes I only do 1-2 steps of it, it really depends on how I'm feeling. Like I said, it seems like a lot, because it IS a lot - I mean, does anyone really need this much stuff to have nice skin? Probably not, no. But I do it because I enjoy* it, and it makes me feel good. After years of hating my skin, it is almost like a little meditation to treat it so nicely.

And yeah, most idols will do the whole shebang. Here's a bonus video of SNSD Yuri going through her nighttime routine.

TL;DR: Buy some sheet masks and go from there! :P

u/mr_mocha · 1 point r/AsianBeauty

If you liked the texture of the sheet mask, you can try some of the Tony Moly ones I mentioned in the review. Here's a sampler on Amazon 7pc for $10. But the much loved My Beauty Diary sheets masks are also great basic hydrating masks that are much cheaper. They are made of thinner material, so the texture/feel will be different. I really love sheet masks, mostly because they're a lot of fun and there are so many "flavors" out there. So I've tried quite a few types!

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