6 Signs You May Be a K-Beauty Addict

It starts out innocently enough. You notice a tiny little dark splotch that wasn’t there before, so you add a brightening serum to your routine. Then you decide your pores are a tad too big for your liking, so you add two serums to your routine. It’s only a matter of time before you realize that maybe you’re not cleansing well enough, so you start to double cleanse with an oil makeup remover followed by a foam cleanser. When you discover that your brightening serum could be working so much better if only you had prepped your skin with a hydrating toner first, well, bring on the toner. And while you’re at it, why not add a sleep mask so that your skincare can keep working for you while you blissfully dream the night away? (Hey, you’re pretty diligent, but even you could use a cheat now and again.)

Soon you find yourself saying things like, “Wow, my skin looks really chok chok,” or “My taeng taeng game is so on today.” You make excuses to go home early because heaven forbid you fall asleep without going through your nightly regimen. And while you used to stalk Taylor Swift and J. Lo on Instagram, now you find yourself religiously devouring sites like Fifty Shades of Snail, lusting after Unistella glass nails and watching every Ha Jiwon K-drama just to figure out how she gets that taeng taeng, chok chok glow. (Hint: It’s probably her genius J.One Jelly Pack.)

It’s official, dear reader: You’re well on your way to becoming a K-beauty addict. Here, six more signs that you’ve crossed over to the mulgwang side.

1. Your towels are piling up in the linen closet.

No more drying off with a towel after a double cleanse for you. No, you stand in front of the sink, pat, pat, patting away for a good minute until your face feels moist, not sopping. After all, studies show an increase in skin hydration when you pat your face dry as opposed to toweling off. And as any good K-beauty addict knows, starting your hydration game right off the bat is key in getting a good chok chok glow.

2. There’s a strange sound coming from your bathroom.

That’s right. The patting doesn’t stop at the sink. Once you pat your face dry, you pat some more. In fact, you pat through your entire regimen. You’re the metronome of skin care. And you only stop patting in order to press, stroke, sweep and massage your face and neck.

3. Your vanity looks like a laboratory.

Serums were merely the gateway drug. Now you’ve got to get your hands on an ampoule — those tiny dropper-topped tubes that you mix and match like a mad scientist. (LJH Vita Propolis Ampoule is usually where the obsession starts.) Since ampoules are basically supercharged serums, made to give your skin an extra boost of concentrated actives, you hoard those ampoules like your skin depends on it. Because it does.

4. There seems to be a constant cloud around your head.

At the slightest twinge of tightness around the eyes, you find yourself reaching for your Whamisa Organic Flowers Olive Leaf Mist to give yourself a nice, long spritz of hydration. Oh, and of course it doesn’t matter where you are because you’ve got a facial mist stashed away on your desk, in the office, by your bedside, in your car, in your gym bag, and in your teeny-tiny, going out clutch. (After all, who needs lipstick when you can look dewy and fresh?)

5. You’re a dermatologist’s dream because you always reapply sun protection throughout the day.

And no, I don’t mean you’re slathering on lotion sunscreen over your perfectly done face at noon. No, for you, dear K-beauty pro, you’re pat, pat, patting on your SPF with a specialized ruby cell puff from a cushion compact, like Hera UV Mist Cushion Long Stay SPF 50 PA+++. Not only are you not ruining your perfectly done face, you’re upgrading it with an extra dose of dewiness, coverage and sun protection. How’s that for multi-tasking?

6. Your selfies look, shall we say, different.

Selfies? Whatever. That’s so 2015. It’s all about the #sheetmaskselfie, y’all. Preferably loaded up onto Instagram. And preferably followed by a #shelfie of all the skin care products you’ll be using after you sheet mask.

So you think you may be a K-beauty addict? Feed the addiction with our newest curations.

Get your glow on,
Anna

Anna M. Park is the editor of beauty and travel blog Styleunderpressure.com.