The Korean 10-step routine: am I insane for trying this?

So I've been reading about Korean skincare and the famous 10-step routine. Oil cleanser, foam cleanser, exfoliator, toner, essence, serum, sheet mask, eye cream, moisturizer, sunscreen.

TEN steps. I currently do two (soap and hope). Is anyone actually doing this every day? How long does it take? Do you have a job?

I do a version of it! Not every step every day. Double cleanse every night, sheet mask maybe twice a week. It takes about 15 minutes and it's the most relaxing part of my day honestly.

The "10 steps" is mostly a marketing thing. Nobody in Korea is doing exactly 10 steps every day in that order. The useful part is: be gentle, hydrate, wear sunscreen. You can do that in 4 steps.

@rockethealer_88 ok this is reassuring, I was getting stressed just reading the list

I do the full thing. 10 steps, sometimes 11. I have a little shelf. My girlfriend calls it 'the altar'. I regret nothing.

@violetjinx pictures of the altar please

Double cleansing is the one thing from it that changed my skin. Oil cleanser first to melt off sunscreen and makeup, then a gentle foam one. My clogged pores got so much better.

Okay I'm going to start small: oil cleanser, gentle cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen. Four steps. Maybe a sheet mask on weekends. Will report back on whether I've become a different person.

One month later: four steps every day, my skin feels softer and I'm not getting the little bumps on my forehead anymore. Bought a COSRX cleanser and a pack of sheet masks. The sheet masks are mostly for selfies, let's be honest.

sagegamer wrote:One month later: four steps every day, my skin feels softer and I'm not getting the little bumps on my forehead anymore. Bought a COSRX cleanser and a pack of sheet masks. The sheet masks are mostly for selfies, let's be honest.

the sheet mask selfie is the real 11th step