Introduction about me and my skin

My name is Ana and welcome to my blog Ana’s Cosme, which is all about beauty! This blog is particularly about skincare from Japan and South-Korea. I will post about new products/brands, anti-aging, popular trends and products, my reviews and experiences. But first, something about my skin and me!

Skin type: combination/acne-prone/dehydrated. Dehydrated on both the cheeks as well as t-zone. The t-zone always gets shiny throughout the day. Pimples/acne on a weekly basis.

Skin shade: very fair with a neutral undertone, MAC NC12.

Concerns: fine lines/anti-aging, dehydration, moderate level of acne (also hormonal), acne scars, easily-congested pores

Life style: maritime climate (moderately warm summers, cool winters, high humidity, lot of rain)

The reason I started this blog is because I like to write and share my experience and (ahem) obsession with skincare. I am writing this blog as I want to share my knowledge, interest and obsession with those that are interested.

So how and why did I become so invested in skincare? Well, it’s time to rewind a couple of years ago to when it all started.

Until I was 20 I was not interested in skincare at all, even though I had a lot of issues and insecurities with my skin. I had acne (inc. hormonal) since I was a teenager. It made me very insecure and the only way for me to feel better about myself was to cover it up with makeup. That was also the only reason at the time why I was interested in makeup, to cover my all skin issues up. And…..it did not exactly make my skin any better. I did use my mom’s water-based cleanser and your typical alcohol-astringent-European toner or tonique, how we call them here in western Europe. But hey, what did I know? Then to make my insecurities even worse, I got my first fine lines around the age of 21 due to poor knowledge and neglect of my skin. Since then I started to actively search for products and ways to improve my skin.

Then I moved to Japan as an exchange student and things slowly but surely started to change. I brought some water-based cleanser and moisturizer with me and after a while I needed to buy a new cleanser. But when I arrived at some store in the city, I was quite overwhelmed with the variety of products. Also, as I could not read Japanese that well it did not make the task any easier. Luckily I had some friends who could help me out. And within a month I purchased a water-based cleanser from D Program and a sunscreen from Kosé (Suncut spf50) and my journey started.

Then a couple of months later I was in Seoul, South Korea for my internship and a new world of skincare opened up completely for me. With skincare stores being located on basically every corner of the street (a little exaggerated) my curiosity was sparked. With some friends I paid a visit to an Innisfree store and got some recommendations for my skin conditions. After leaving the store and heading home I had a whole set of the Green tea balancing skin set. The set included a toner, lotion and a small sized cream. Furthermore, I also purchased the Jeju lava seawater deep essence (my first experience with an essence) and some eye gel. After I tried out my new routine there was no going back. The products resulted in my skin becoming more balanced, hydrated, plump, glowing, smooth and overall healthier-looking.

And here we are a couple of years later and more traveling, products to discover and try out. I care about good skincare and with this blog I want to share my research and discoveries of Asian beauty. So let’s go on an adventure together!