Part 1: 10 Life Milestones for Women and How to Care For Your Skin at Each Stage

5 February 2018

As a woman, there are many milestones to be experienced, enjoyed, and remembered. It used to be that these milestones were classified by decade, and if you hadn’t reached the prescribed milestone by the expected time it then became a negative experience. Today, it’s much more fluid as to when these milestones are achieved.

These milestones are often accompanied by significant changes, whether that’s emotionally, physically, environmentally, or all three! This can result in changes to your skin, and so you’ll need to adjust your skincare routine to suit your new skincare needs. We’ve taken a look at 10 significant milestones that women will or may experience, and suggested skincare routines to help manage the change.

Milestone 1: Becoming a teenager

Throughout childhood your skin is at its best and does not require a lot of care. But as you become a teenage girl your body undergoes a major transformation that impacts your skin, and that’s why most teen girls will require special skincare.

The most common skin condition experienced by teenagers – and girls especially – is acne and breakouts. Acne occurs mainly due to changes in hormones. As your body produces more hormones, oil production increases and pores can become easily clogged. Acne is usually made worse by negligence and makeup use.

Here’s the best way to care for teenage girl skin:

1. Cleansing: the skin needs to be cleansed to remove impurities, which can then prevent the inflammation seen in acne. Cleansers such as Jinyulhyang Essential Cleansing Foam can do this. It targets skin issues arising from hormonal imbalances, cleansing skin thoroughly without stripping it off too much moisture.
2. Toning: this balances the pH level in the skin to keep it from becoming too oily. We recommend Gongjinhyang Soo Super Hydrating Balancer. containing silver-purified water, it supplies moisture to the skin cells, the main communication medium between cells.
3. Moisturising: proper moisturising provides the skin with hydration, preventing dryness and itching. It can also help stop the skin from secreting too much oil to compensate for dryness – which is important during this time of increased oil production in the skin. Gongjinhyang Soo Super Hydrating Gel Cream, with its gel-type light texture,is ideal for replenishing and revitalising your skin.

Keeping the skin care routine simple will help get you into the habit of looking after your skin for life.

In terms of makeup, opting for Gongjinhyang Mi Luxury Sun Base is a great option for teen girls, rather than going for heavy foundation. If you feel that foundation is needed for your skin, check out this article for how to achieve the perfect foundation base for flawless skin.

Milestone 2: Graduation

While your skin is still young at this stage, it’s never too early to get into a good skincare routine. The sooner your start, the longer you can fight off signs of aging and preserve your youthful and radiant skin. Now that you’re finishing school and getting out into the real world you might find that you’ll be wearing makeup a lot more often – whether you’re going straight into the workforce and wearing makeup every day, or continuing your studies and wearing makeup out every weekend. For this reason it’s important to get into a good routine of removing makeup properly and keeping your skin clean and hydrated. Although you might feel as though you are leaving acne behind as you enter your 20s, good skin care remains as important as ever.

We recommend this routine:

1. Remove eye makeup gently. You want your eye makeup to come of easily to avoid tugging at the skin around your eyes.
2. Use a deep cleanser such as Gongjinhyang Cleansing Foam on the remainder of your face and apply it in circular motions, massaging it deep into the skin to remove all the dirt and pollutants from the day.
3. You should also be exfoliating your skin with Gongjinhyang Seol Brightening Gel. Stick to a maximum of twice per week. Exfoliating your skin removes sebum and minimises pores, to help prevent blackheads, and helps your other skincare products penetrate more easily.
4. The next step is to apply your toners and moisturisers – Gongjinhyang In Yang Balancer, Gongjinhyang In Yang Emulsion & Gongjinhyang Qi & Jin Cream. You may even go for an overnight cream at bedtime to help your skin look revitalised and clear the next morning.

Milestone 3: First job

In your 20s you may experience the first signs of aging, such as dull and tired looking skin, as the stress of starting a new job and working long hours catches up with you. You might also still be recovering from skincare issues faced throughout your formative years like pigmentation from old acne scars. It’s time to ditch the skincare products you used throughout your teens as they’re designed to combat skin problems caused by oily teenage skin.

Your new skincare routine should incorporate products that focus on energising the skin and brightening your complexion – look for ingredients like Gongjinbidan, which helps revitalise and renew skin cells, and consider introducing a nourishing eye cream such as Gongjinhyang Qi & Jin Eye Cream to help fight against lines early.

Moisturising is key to combating the effects of ageing and you can read more about the benefits of moisturising here. For the best results with a moisturiser, we recommend Gongjinhyang Qi & Jin Cream for those in their late teens to mid 20’s.

Milestone 4: First apartment/house

You’ve just moved out of home and it’s time to fill your bathroom vanity with all the skin care products and get into a really good routine that protects your skin for the future. With a new mortgage or rent to pay you might be on a tight budget, so here’s a simple routine you can implement in your new home:

1. Cleanse: every night you should be removing your makeup and other pollutants from the day with a cleansing oil, followed by a face wash that’s tough on impurities but gentle on your skin. We recommend Jinyulhyang Essential Cleansing Oil and Gongjinhyang Soo Hydrating Cleansing Foam.
2. Treat: use a toner such as Gongjinhyang Soo Super Hydrating Balancer daily, and an exfoliator mask like Gongjinhyang Ul Gold Peel Off Mask twice a week.
3. Moisture: applying a layer of moisturiser every day is the most important part of your skincare routine and should be done immediately after cleansing. A light moisturiser is perfect for the morning to keep your skin hydrated throughout the day.

Milestone 5: Wedding

Your wedding is without a doubt the number one time in your life when you want your skin to be flawless and glowing. It’s best to start your pre-wedding skin care routine at least a month out from the big day. You should also be wary of trying products you’ve never used before or completely changing your skincare routine – the last thing you want is to cause irritation by having a reaction to a new product.

Here’s the top two things you should be doing in the lead up to the big day:

1. Regularly use face masks: face masks can help tighten your skin and give your face an overall healthy glow – perfect for your wedding day. They also help to reduce puffiness around the eyes from those late nights spent going over and over those seating arrangements. We recommend the Gongjinhyang In Yang Outline Mask or Gongjinhyang Seol Radiant White Ampoule Mask.
2. Wear sunscreen every day: going out and about during the day without an sun protection puts you at risk of discolouration and hyper-pigmentation. Many women don’t like the thought of slip slop slapping unless they’re off to the beach because sunscreen can be quite heavy and greasy, but Gongjinhyang Seol Whitening Essence Sunscreen is a light and non-sticky sunscreen to assist with UV protection. Read more about the importance of protecting your skin from UV rays here.

Good skin care also starts from within, so it’s important to ensure you’re eating well and staying active in the lead up to the wedding. With all the stress from planning the wedding, make sure you’re taking time to get good sleep, cut down on your intake of oily foods, and drink plenty of water. Stick by this routine and you’re sure to be a glowing goddess as you walk down the aisle.