Facial essence or lotion, whichever name you know it by, you probably know all about one of K-beauty‘s essential products. As the first step of your skincare routine, these highly-concentrated treatments can often come with an extensive price. So we spoke to Shandy Seah, HERA Field Trainer, about some of the best-kept Korean skincare secrets and how you can make the most out of your facial essence.
Korean-skincare hacks you should try with your favourite facial essence:
Soothing treatment: While you can apply your essence with your hands or cotton pad, you can also take it one step further. A day before you want to use it, soak a cotton pad in the essence. Then place it in a ziplock in the freezer. The next day, or after a couple of hours, you can use it while it’s chilled to soothe and calm irritated skin.
Leave-on mask: Pair your essence and favourite moisturiser together to use as a leave-on mask. Simply apply more than what you would usually use in the palm of your hands. About five generous drops of facial essence will do. Mix it together, then apply an even layer on the skin for five minutes before massaging it in.
Facial mist: You can also take any mist bottle you have at home and refill it with your favourite essence. With Singapore’s constant humidity and heat, your skin might be feeling more irritated than usual. Mist it over your skin for a quick refreshing finish.
As Shandy shares, “Wearing a mask is now a norm and this tends to cause makeup to appear crusty or patchy after long hours. By misting your makeup sponge or cushion puff before touching up your makeup, you can help to soothe the skin.”
Lip mask: Soak a thin piece of cotton pad in your favourite essence and leave it on your lips for five minutes. Then move it around in gentle circular motions to remove any dead skin cells. This will help boost the moisture level of your lips while improving circulation and radiance. Shandy recommends trying this one to two times a week.
As a bonus tip, Shandy suggests adding a few drops of essence into skincare products like a serum or a cream. This can help lighten the texture and make it easier for absorption.
If you want to try out these essence hacks, here are seven of our favourite facial essences.