I’ve Tested this (Free) Skincare Technique, and I’m Converted

No matter how much I love (and I mean loooooove) to purchase new skincare products, constant consumption just doesn’t jive with my attempts at living more sustainably. If I haven’t run out of my current product - a cleanser for example - I don’t need to buy the new Glow Recipe enzyme cleansing balm no matter how ideal the ingredient list is and no matter how fun the bright orange packaging looks on the Sephora website. Even as I type this my mouth is watering. I’ve had to find some ways of scratching this constant itch to try something new on my skin. Enter, new ways of APPLYING my products. There are endless techniques I can try for free with my own two hands. It’s not quite a shiny new tangerine coloured bottle to have sitting pretty on my bathroom shelf, but it does satisfy my craving for something new. One technique caught my attention recently while trolling the internet for everything descending from Korean and Japanese practices, and after a few months of testing it out I’m here to share the verdict with you.

I’ve always been an advocate for the firm pressing method of applying serums, essences and oils, alike. Back in my ancient history when I used to perform endless mini facials at my local Sephora, I always demonstrated and recommended the method to clients. Pressing these liquid products into the skin instead of using the normal upwards and outwards facial massage (which I firmly stand by for creams) allows for the products to penetrate the skins layers more deeply, reduces inflammation, and leaves no risk of products pilling off the skin. Yes, yes, we KNOW this, Emily, where’s the NEW technique you promised?

Well, imagine you’ve washed your face and you reach for the towel to gently pat your face dry, as I’ve always told everyone to do. Can you picture it? Now imagine, you don’t reach for the towel… You’re standing there with your freshly cleansed face and instead of patting dry, or using a cloth to remove your cleanser (a common practice as well) you use the familiar pressing technique to push the excess water into your skin. Is your mind blown as much as mine? It seems so foreign, and yet, so obvious. Water is one of the most common ingredients in many of our skincare products, especially those that we use right after cleansing like essence and toner. I’m not saying that your tap water is going to replace your $250 bottle of plumping green tea extract filled facial essence (just me?), but with your face already covered in this hydrating substance, why remove it just to apply another hydrating substance? Why not take advantage of both!? By pressing the remaining water into your skin until it feels nearly dry, you’re injecting hydration in it’s most simple form and prepping your skin for the step to follow by increasing the absorption capabilities of your skin. This is a key purpose of liquid, second step skincare products anyway. If your skin is like a sponge, getting it wet will allow other things to sink in deeper and more easily. So, why not give the same leg-up treatment for your toner or essence? Press the water in, feel the hydration plump your skin, then move on as normal knowing you’ve got an extra boost working for you.

This summer I’ve been in love with my skin, and I can firmly say I’ve been converted to this little tweak in my routine. Now I just have to find something else to try and enhance my skin, before my burning desire to buy a new lip balm or something else totally unnecessary catches up with me.

Thanks for reading.

Em