How to: Essence/Serum/Ampoule

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Maximize the results of your skincare routine!

Cleansing, exfoliating and preparing your skin effectively & providing a first layer of hydration gives you the perfect base – now it’s time to get some ingredients in, that will do further work on your skin. This is the step in your skincare routine to target and treat your skincare concerns. There is a vast range of ingredients that allow you to customize the right skincare cocktail for your skin. In this blog post you will learn all about essences, serums and ampoules and how to make them work for you.

What’s the difference between essence, serum and ampoule?

First, let’s get the confusing terminology out of the way. Essence, serum, ampoule – what are those? Do you need all of them in your skincare routine? It often feels like brands use these terms interchangeably. But in general essences are more lightweight than serums, which are more lightweight than ampoules. From essence to ampoule the products typically become more and more viscous and the concentration of the main ingredient also rises.

You don’t need to incorporate all of these product types, you can just choose the product with the texture that works and feels best for you. Of course you can also layer these product types – it all depends on your skin and your personal preferences. During summer I typically prefer essences and serums over ampoules, whereas the viscosity of ampoules can be great during the colder months or for the evening routine. Depending on the textures of the rest of my routine and my skin, I’ll pick what fits best accordingly.

What are these products for?

These products are a great way to incorporate ingredients to target your specific skin concerns even more directly or just to add more antioxidants. You can use anti-aging ingredients, skin soothing ingredients, ingredients to even out your skintone – you name it, I bet there’s an ingredient for it. It’s the perfect step to create an effective skincare cocktail for your individual needs.

How to use essence, serum and ampoule in your skincare routine

This step comes after toning and exfoliating and before your moisturizer. Like other leave-in products you should pat the product in gently. You want to start with lightweight, water-based products and then increase in viscosity with each layer. So the most viscous product should be your last layer in this step. Also oil-based products should be on top of water-based products, so they can absorb properly.

How often should you use essence, serum and ampoule?

You can use these products in each skincare routine you do, if you want. To maximize the benefits you can use different essences / serums / ampoules and rotate through them to target different skin concerns or layer an essence and an ampoule with different main ingredients for example.

What are the results?

The exact results will of course vary according to the ingredients you picked, but overall your skin should look and feel more healthy! Your skin should be well hydrated, less irritated and plump.

What’s next?

The next step of the K-Beauty 10 step skincare routine is moisturizer, read abou it here! If you use a sheetmask, you would incorportate it after this step- learn how to sheetmask like a pro here.

Next week, my blog will go on a little break, but I’ll still be active on my Instagram. You can follow me here.