Can this intensive cult Korean beauty regimen really stop the clock?

IT’S the skincare regimen with more steps than Alcoholics Anonymous and it’s taking the beauty industry by storm.

It’s the skincare regimen with more steps than Alcoholics Anonymous and it’s taking the beauty industry by storm.

Korean beauty, or K-Beauty as it’s known among devotees, is the secret behind Korean women’s flawless skin and the western world is only now discovering it.

This beauty movement has nothing to do with the discovery of a miracle ingredient.

Instead, it’s an intensive 10 to 17-step daily commitment to your epidermis and the potential sacrifice of your social life, sleep and sanity.

Yes you read correctly. It’s not unusual for Korean women to complete a 10 to 17-step beauty routine involving cleansers, essence, serum ampoules, moisturisers and multiple masks in a bid to stop the clock.

It’s no surprise considering South Korea has been dubbed the cosmetic surgery capital of the world, with its population spending billions of dollars a year in the quest for flawless features.

Elle Halliwell’s K-Beauty pack included Banila Clean it Zero, Skin Food Black Sugar Scrub, Skin Food Black Sugar Mask, Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence, Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence and Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule.

Founder of Australian Korean beauty store Style Story Lauren Mickel said the philosophy behind this skincare regimen was about layering and nourishing the skin.

“Korean skincare focuses on soothing and nourishing the skin rather than stripping it, whereas western skincare often focuses on stripping away layers and exfoliating to reveal new skin, Korean skincare is all about putting nutrients back into the skin and nurturing it.

“As your skin does most of its repairing at night while you sleep, Koreans try to make the most of this by layering more products on at night, right before you sleep.

For someone more used to a one-step beauty ritual, committing to an intensive regimen like this for a week was a big challenge.

But I was curious to find out whether more hours spent in front of the mirror was the key to flawless skin or just a waste of precious sleep time.

I order 10 products and decide that a quick face massage and dental care takes me to at least 13 steps, which is about as many as I could manage.

Her K-Beauty kit also included Leders InsolutionSkin Clinic Melatox Mask, Skin Food Platinum Grape Cell Eye Cream, Mizon al in one Repair Snail Cream and Leneige Firming Sleeping Pack.

On day one my Korean beauty haul arrived from Style Story, and it was already intimidating. Scrubs, serums, bee venom, snail goop and Halloween-style face masks were some of the interesting goodies I was expected to slap on my face twice-daily as part of the skin-nourishing new me.

Dinner was eaten super early so I could undertake the extensive ritual and get to bed at a reasonable hour.

The ritual itself is far from pretty, so much so my husband actually jumped from fright when I walked out of the bathroom in my Leaders Insolution Skin Clinic Melatox Mask.

I still got to bed an hour later than I normally would, and I regret that I didn’t also invest in a waterproof pillowcase which couldn’t absorb the eight layers of snail sludge I went to sleep in.

Elle Halliwell trialling the Korean beauty regimen.

By day two I had already caved, making a few shortcuts to the regimen including reducing my face mask — from 10-15 minutes to five, and not bothering to use one before work. I still wanted some semblance of a life.

Fortunately thanks to my years of skin abuse — the odd solarium session, boozy late nights — this assault of new ingredients didn’t prove much of a shock to my skin and I had no allergic reactions. By the end of the week I admit my skin felt soft and hydrated, albeit with a few blemishes (possibly from the extra attention my face was receiving).

“Think of the Korean 10-Step routine like a Chanel handbag. It’s an investment — sure — but one that lasts you a lifetime and ultimately pays for itself,” Ms Mickel said.

“Luckily, most Korean cosmetics cost a fraction of the price of western cosmetics, so your investment won’t actually set you back a Chanel handbag.”

A few weeks on and the 12-step routine has been reduced to a quick cleanse and a Jackson Pollock-style squirt of whatever serums and moisturisers are at my eye line when I get out of the shower.

I am giving my skin much more love than I did prior to my K-Beauty road test, however, and hopefully it will return the favour for a few decades to come.