Want the coveted, poreless, mochi skin of Japanese women? Mochi skin is all about super plush, bouncy skin, like those chewy, pillowy Japanese rice cakes that my children absolutely love. If you do, then you should add ampoules to your skincare diet.
But here’s the catch, while we were all taught to love exfoliation, Japanese skincare favours nourishing the skin with supercharged serums instead. This quasi-minimalist approach argues for the case of avoiding overdoing the skincare. Instead, the Japanese mochi skin wants a good cleanser, rather than thinning the skin unevenly or excessively with scrubs or acids.
DOUBLE CLEANSING
If you aren’t doing this, you are doing it wrong. This may come as a surprise, but even if you don’t wear makeup, you should have been double-cleansing. Start with a cleansing oil or makeup remover before you start on that gentle facial wash.
START USING AMPOULES
If you haven’t been able to adhere to the 10-step K-beauty routine, here’s the good news – mochi skin is achieved by focusing on high quality ingredients of skincare in good concentrations, rather than stacking your skincare routine with steps. It is also about being consistent with your skincare routine, or should I say, discipline. (Hmm, yes sounds very Japanese so far)
So the most notable difference in the Japanese way of achieving mochi skin is conditioning. This is the pre-moisturizing step where you apply lotions and serums so all the goodness absorbs, making the skin super supple.
If you thought splurging on your moisturizer was the way to go, that’s where you are wrong. Because what’s better than a moisturizer? A serum. And ampoules are supercharged serums. These highly concentrated skin potions are used to target a skin concern intensively. They can be used to battle brutal dryness effectively, calm sensitivity or redness, or tame that hyperpigmented patch right down.
MULTI-MASKING
I firmly believe that there are three things in the world which scream self-care. They are Netflix, a solid glass of old school Bordeaux red wine, and… multi-masking. For mochi skin, daily masking and multi-masking is the point, so mask everyday, and use a different mask every few days, so your skin never gets used to the same thing.