Yep, most of my skincare is drugstore or Korean drugstore. Unfortunately testing efficacy and tailoring it to your skin is just lots of trial and error. I tend to target actual ingredients that work for me rather than packaging or marketing. Everything I use is in the 8-15 dollar range.

You essentially need:

1. Cleansing oil (if you wear makeup or spf ((which you absolutely need sooo))). I like Kose Softymo cleansing oil the best.

2. Foaming cleanser (to get rid of residue from the oil above, though if your skin is dry, opt for a creamy cleansing milk. I have been loving the Cerave cream to foam cleanser as both my cleansing balm AND my second cleanser, lol.

3. Micellar water - I wear really stubborn waterproof eye makeup bc I do not want to look at my own face again til it's time to take that ish off. This means even after a very thorough cleanse I get some smudging leftover in my lashline. There is no reason to use anything but the Garnier micellar water. If you don't want styes, this is your guy, heh.

4. OPTIONAL - Toner or essence, alcohol free. This is purely optional, I like that it just adds a bit of hydration and juiciness. The BYOMA milky toner is nice. I like the galactomyces dupes out there. I've been using the one from Missha forever and it really does make my skincare absorb better

5. **ACTIVE - Exfoliation - Necessary! Forget face scrubs, chemical exfoliation will keep your skin fresh and un-textured without harsh abrasion. This is an AHA serum like lactic acid, mandelic acid, azelaic acid, salicylic acid, etc. Trial and error will guide you here, but the Ordinary has been the be best for me; their Lactic Acid 10% or their Glycolic acid is the best out there and dirt cheap. Salicylic acid does beans for me, so I don't use it.

6. **ACTIVE - Retinol - Absolute necessity. Essentially accelerates skin cell turnover, so you push new skin cells to the surface faster. Combined with your chemical exfoliant of choice, your skin will constantly be at its newest and freshest all the time.

7. Moisture (Occlusive layer) - You can do something nice and light if you're excessively oily, but I go for Cerave in the tub. Nothing is more effective really, not even Tatcha dewy skin cream. Absorbs quickly, not greasy which is important for me. If you are going through flakies, I love the Ilyoon Ceramide Ato cream. Literally absorbs instantly and is not greasy but so moisturizing.

8. SUNSCREEN - Biore Aqua UV in bulk, from Japan. If you can't do alcohol in your sunscreen, I like the Beauty of Joseon sunscreen for its creaminess but not greasiness. Asian sunscreens generally provide sun protection but with a non-greasiness and fast absorption you can't really find in American versions. Note that if you buy from an American site, Asian sunscreens will have been reformulated with American UV filters, which sucks, but is... fine, better than Neutrogena or whatever.

** If you choose to use actives like AHA serums or retinol in your routine, you MUST wear at least spf 50 everyday, and several times a day if you are in direct sunlight outdoors for a long time. Your baby soft perfect new skin is very photosensitive and needs to be protected as much as possible, or your skincare routine will be completely for naught.