The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

Put simply: this is my Korean Beauty Bible (or just a Beauty Bible, period). Seriously. I keep it on the bookshelf next to my bed and consult it for guidance in a skin crisis.Charlotte Cho has put together a book that makes for a fun evening read that doesn't have the dryness that you might expect from a skin care book. Instead, it feels like she is one of your beautiful friends at a slumber party finally revealing her beauty secrets to you in a fun and informative way. Not only did I feel like I got to know skin care, but I also felt like I got to know the author, as well. Although Korean skincare is developing a following here in the United States, most citizens know little about it, but everyone - Asian or otherwise - can learn much from this book. (This I can vouch for personally.)She walks you through the touted "10 step Korean skin care routine" that has been branded as such for marketing purposes, making it seem less overwhelming, and explains why each step is necessary and how they form the foundation for the next steps. I bought this book immediately after purchasing the specific 10-step bundle for my skin type off sokoglam and read it in an hour, feeling like I had a much better understanding of what I was doing to my skin and why it was helping. Even better, she recommends specific products from specific brands making them easy to find (even here, on Amazon!) both on her own curated website (more than worth a visit) and across the internet; if the particular product that she recommends does not suit you for sensitivity or price reasons, she also offers alternatives of varying prices, and even encourages you to look around for what suits you best. She also does this for makeup.Some of my favorite touches within the book are her own amusing anecdotes, as well as tourism recommendations in the even that you can visit the beauty motherland (South Korea).In all, this is more than just a simple "skin care" booklet: it's a skincare guide, a makeup guide, brand and product recommendations, funny culture shock stories, insight into Korean beauty culture, and even a mini-tourism book, all in one. If that's not worth $16, then I don't know what is.

Okay. I NEVER write reviews, but I HAVE TO for this book!!! Within the past month, I became very interested in Korean Beauty Routines, and learned all that I thought I needed to know from Charlotte Cho's website, "The Klog". I had no intention of buying her book since I felt like everything I wanted to learn about was already on the internet. What changed my mind was an excerpt from the book that was posted on her blog. It was such a cute, relatable, fun story-telling way of delivering information. True, a lot of the information in this book is on the blog, but you get A LOT more of the "scientific" explanations in an easy-to-understand way. The tone of the book is very friendly, and I feel like she's an older sister telling me about her adventures in both her beauty routine and travels.This book also reveals a ton about Korean culture, and more than ever, do I want to buy a ticket to go!!I'm 22 next month, and have been suffering from acne since I was about 11. I have oily and sensitive skin, with tons of hyperpigmentation, huge pores, very prone to whiteheads. Cystic pimples are very common. I've been on Accutane, have used topical treatments out the wazoo, have chemical peels from dermatologists, done the all-natural-hippy-dippy routine (as in, wash my face with pure honey, toned with ACV, moisturize with aloe vera/oils/witch hazel)...and never before have I felt more optimistic and excited about KBeauty and all the information I learned. Hopefully I will remember to come back in a month to edit my review to show how KBeauty has helped me!

I originally bought this book because I was interested in the 10-step Korean skincare routine from SOKO glam. I have always had combination skin with acne that lasted year round. I don’t think my face has been “clear” since 5th grade. I had tried everything from doctor prescribed oral/topical medications to big brand name acne products to home remedies. What I really liked about this book was that it addresses common misconceptions (author is originally from California and so she is very aware of Americanized skin care. I.e. my skin is oily so I need to dry it out with astringent. Tight skin feels clean. A tan indicates that someone is healthy and active. Etc. ). Korean skincare is about addressing particular skin needs and preventing further damage to skin. So in that sense it was helpful to have her breakdown how each product aids in the process of moisturizing and healing the skin.With that said, about 1/3 of the book was just about Korean food and life in Korea. That’s cool, but I didn’t even read the last 1/4 of the book because it was mostly off topic. I think it’s great for those who are interested in learning about and visiting Korea, but It wasn’t for me. I may gift a copy of this to some friends who are into Kdramas and, like myself, could use some help in the skin department.As far as actually constructing a skin care routine from the information provided in this book, I feel like it has given me a good place to start, but does not leave me feeling confident that this information alone has given me the knowledge to be successful. I first looked at the products in Soko glam’s 10 step kit for my skin type and made as close as I could to a duplicate set on amazon. Then, as I read through the book, I adjusted the list with suggested items and items that may target my skin better. I had to flip back and fourth through three areas of the book to start understanding what ingredients to choose and what to avoid. The First section was about the process and how it works, then I had to flip to the the section that addresses what to products to buy and what the benefits of each was (not highly detailed), then to a third section that talks about what ingredients to look for within a product. This was laborious and frustrating. I also felt a little abandoned because it’s an introductory book, yet several times the author repeats that it is up to us to look up the ingredients and to know what the benefits are for our skin (talked about benefits in general for skin, but now how they relate to specific skin types). I get it, I’m a big girl, but it would have been nice to have a section that said what products shouldn’t be mixed and what products are generally best for what skin types to give is a firm place to start. I feel like I had to make many educated guesses and had to do google research as I read through the book. I would suggest finding Korean skincare groups to help you as you assemble a skin care routine as well. Even just reading through their posts might drop little bits of info that help you along the way.On a final note: the author infrequently uses slang that not all readers will be familiar with. I had to google a items and I am a 25 year old technology savvy person who works with school aged children for a living. It wasn’t detrimental, but a kept looking for a footnote when I came across abbreviations with no explanation.Will update with information regarding the 10 step routine itself and the ease of adjusting the routine based on information provided in the book.