As Korean skincare trends have taken the world by storm, products such as toners and essences have gained in popularity for their brightening, hydrating and balancing effects. Read on to learn more about how to use these products to give your skincare routine a major upgrade.

Step 1: Cleanse

Cleansing before you apply a toner is an important step because it removes the dirt, debris and dead skin that can collect on the surface of skin throughout the day or night. A toner may remove additional dirt after your cleanse, but it shouldn’t be relied upon to clean the skin thoroughly.

Find the best cleanser for you here.

Step 2: Tone

Dispense a few drops of your toner (we recommend HydroPeptide Pre-Treatment Toner) onto a cotton pad and glide it over your face and neck, starting from the center of your face and working outward. Toners will balance the pH of your skin and open up the pores to receive the next step of your routine. The Pre-Treatment Toner gives the additional benefit of gently exfoliating, allowing for even better penetration of products.

Step 3: Essence

Essences are a crucial step if you’re looking to add hydration and skin plumping ingredients into your routine. They are fast absorbing, full of nourishing ingredients, and give an instant glow to your skin. You can use a cotton pad here as well, but we recommend using our HydraFlora Essence with just your hands and tapping the product all over your face and neck. Little known fact: You don’t need to stop with one layer. A popular Korean trend right now is to add as many as 7 layers of essence to your skin! When your skin is looking hydrated and almost dewy, you know you’ve used the right amount of essence. It’s very hard to overdo this product, so don’t worry about clogging pores or irritation unless you have naturally sensitive skin.

Step 3: Serum

Once your skin has fully absorbed your essence, follow up with a serum of choice (we recommend Power Serum.) You may notice that your skin absorbs your serum even faster than normal, because your toner and essence have perfectly prepped your skin to receive all of those good-for-you ingredients.

Step 4: Moisturize

Lock in all of your hard work with a nourishing moisturizer. For dry skin, use Power Lift Moisturizer; for oily skin, we recommend using AquaBoost Moisturizer. The result of this powered up skincare routine will be instantly visible. You’ll notice a more glass-like, even toned complexion.

Step 5: SPF

If you’re performing this routine during the day, be sure to add an SPF like our Solar Defense Tinted to prevent sun damage.

Bonus step: Mist

To keep your skin looking gorgeous and glowing all day long, keep the Optimist Radiance Serum Mist with you for touch-ups throughout the day. It will infuse and restore hydrating ingredients that may start to evaporate from your skin as it is exposed to the air. It even works over makeup and sunscreen.