My skincare journey

My skin is a work in progress.

Growing up in Romania, where the culture of self-care is STILL in its early stages, I could say I didn’t really pay much attention to the state of my skin until I had been introduced to more cosmetics when I was at university in the UK. Before then, I remember only using a random moisturiser from time to time, mascara and eyebrow pencil when I was in high school.

In comparison, in South Korea, the culture of beauty and self-care is much more developed and plays an important part in their daily life. Therefore girls (and boys) are learning about skincare from an early teenage stage. Naturally, this creates a very competitive space for brands, but it also means that the market develops and innovates faster, placing Korean beauty brands on top globally.

When I arrived in the UK in 2012, I discovered a different culture and a fast-paced environment where everything was updated with global trends. I remember going to Boots and Superdrug and seeing such a wide variety of brands and beauty products that were not even available in my city at that time, and I was hooked.

Slowly I’ve started wasting a lot more money, mostly on makeup, trying (unsuitable) products, but it wasn’t until I went to China that I’ve started to be more invested in skincare. Maybe it was also that I had very little free time to wander online and on YouTube to stumble upon beauty influencers in the UK.

Similar to Korea, the beauty industry in China was well developed even in 2014 when I first went there. So naturally, I became more interested, and I’ve started researching more about skincare. That’s when I found Liah Yoo and other beauty gurus on YouTube - LONG LIVE VPN. So after watching hundreds of videos and reading about ingredients and brands, I’ve slowly built a routine at 22.

It’s been 6 years of trial and error, during which I have spent way too much money on products hoping to find the perfect combination to bring my skin to normality. I’m still wasting resources and putting my skin through tough times, testing new products, but I enjoy it.

So I want to share my thoughts and lessons with you.

Stay tuned, and don’t forget to follow my IG for skincare: @asimonna.skn.