This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Valerie Dawn. Find them on Instagram at @valeriejardine15. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
If you’re like me and you’re on TikTok daily, you’ve probably heard of many different beauty terms going around lately. There seems to be a new skincare routine or dental hygiene tip floating around. Not to mention the number of kids with 13-step routines. Of the buzzwords trending, the one that seems to stand out a lot right now is the “glass skin” trend. What is glass skin trend and is it something to consider when thinking about altering your skincare routine?
What is Glass Skin?
The term glass skin comes from the Korean beauty standard of having smooth, poreless, glass-like skin. There are many different ways to achieve this look with your skincare routine. Tiktok user @cici4646 posted about the signs that your skin could benefit from a Korean skincare routine to achieve the glass skin look. They mention large, visible pores, blackheads, oxidized sebum, closed comedones, and exfoliation. You can check out her video here.
A quick summary of these types of skin blemishes. To start, your pores don’t actually grow or shrink. The visibility of your pores is based on how oily your skin is. The more oil your skin produces, the more visible your pores will appear. Blackheads are small blemishes that make your skin look dirty. They are pores filled with dead skin and oil backup. Sebum is the oil that your skin produces to help keep your skin moisturized and protected. It’s the same oil that, with too much buildup, will make your pores and blackheads act up. Closed comedones are other words for whiteheads.
If these are issues you notice your skin struggling with, then maybe a Korean skincare routine will be helpful. @cici4646 goes on to explain that exfoliating is a great way to start is by using a toner to help exfoliate after you wash your face. The toner helps break down the dead skin cells and gives you a fresh, clean look after regular use.
Skincare Routine
Now that you know what is glass skin trend, the next step is to develop a routine of your own to achieve this look. Lola @skincarewithlola9 on Tiktok posted about a standard Korean skincare routine. She mentions double cleansing as a first step. This is the biggest key to solving any issues you may be having with your skin. Double cleansing is when you first wash your face with an oil-based cleanser or a cleansing oil. After the cleansing oil, follow with a foam cleanser. Check out Lola’s video here.
Pat your face dry and follow with a toner. This will help exfoliate anything left after the cleansers. After the toner has dried, you can apply any serums you may want to use. There are many different serums that help with different things. Retinol serums will help with anti-aging and preventing or reducing wrinkles. Skin-brightening serums, which contain vitamin C and vitamin E. Acne fighting serums with salicylic acid, BHA, AHA, and glycolic acid. Whatever your skin needs will work best; you don’t need one of each serum to help your skin.
After toner and serums, you can use eye cream to help with baggage and dark spots. Once you allow all of these serums and creams to seep into your skin, use a moisturizer. The toner tends to dry out your skin to allow the following products to absorb better. Moisturizer brings that hydration back at the end. This step wasn’t mentioned in the video, but a lot of people add sunscreen after the moisturizer, or they use a moisturizer that also has SPF in it.
Does It Work?
Personally, I’ve been on my own skincare journey to help smooth out my blemishes and acne scarring. For my skincare routine, I just started double cleansing with an oil cleanser I found at T.J. Maxx. I recommend checking that store out for skincare items, they have a ton of serums and always have a variety of foreign skincare products. After the oil cleanser, I use the CeraVe foaming cleanser. I follow that with a toner that has BHA/AHA in it. For serums, I really enjoy the Watermelon Glow Niacinemide Dew Drops by Glow Recipe. I also use a vitamin C serum from T.J. Maxx. For my moisturizer, I’ve been using the CeraVe Daily Moisturizer. Finally, I finish my routine with the Sea Clearly Hydrating Sunscreen by Sonrei.
From what I’ve noticed, the serums have been helping with the glow my skin has, and the sunscreen helps my skin feel as smooth as what I imagine glass skin should feel like. The biggest difference I’ve noticed in my skin texture is the double cleansing. I only started double cleansing earlier this week, and the way my skin feels significantly cleaner and more clear is amazing. If there’s any takeaway from this article, it should be the double cleansing tip. The oil-based one really helps remove any dirt and dead skin before the foamer cleanser gets the rest. I don’t fully understand the science behind it but it definitely works!
Give It a Try!
Hopefully, this answers the question of what is glass skin trend for you! If poor skin texture and acne are things you notice your skin struggling with, then definitely give a glass skin method a try. Starting with double cleansing and a good SPF sunscreen can make a world of difference in your skin’s health. Check out the #glassskincare tag on TikTok for more videos about people’s experiences and advice. I really like TikTok user @skinyoureinblog’s video about what people should focus on when trying to achieve a glass skin look. She mentions a bunch of Clinique products worth looking into as well.
Interested in trying a glass skin look? Or have a routine worth mentioning? Let us know in the comments below!
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