When I was given three products from Story Seoul to test out—a cleansing foam, a toner and a moisturizer—I was a little bit unsure about what to expect. But founder Vivian Story, a Korean-Canadian who lived in New York before relocating to Bangkok, did reassure me that Story Seoul would be suitable for people of all skin types. She started the brand with the support of dermatologists and cosmetic professionals, to create products that are 100-percent-free from toxic ingredients that may harm your skin and health (in other words—no ethanol, mineral oil, parabens and other harmful ingredients). 

And so began my new 14-day beauty regimen

How it works:

It takes only three simple steps: wash your face with the cleansing foam, apply the toner and finish off with a moisturizer. Do this twice a day. Simple enough.

STEP 1:

Purifying Cleansing Foam

Now, to me this feels like the most important item for girls. You may not be into skincare products, but because we wear makeup most days of the week, it would be terrible to leave all that chemicals on your face. Makeup residue can cause pimples. You might not see it yet if you’re lucky, but the danger is always lurking under your skin.   

Story Seoul’s purifying cleansing foam comes in a 150ml tube. The thick, pearly white texture comes with a fresh and fruity scent, which was good because the heavy plastic chemical smell of other cleansing foams always puts me off. Apply with clean, wet hands, massage in a circular motion over your face and neck, and rinse with warm water.

I don’t wear an amazing amount of foundation or eyeshadow on a daily basis, but even so all it was removed pretty much no effort. It didn’t irritate my eyes, either. Make sure you don’t use too much of it, though--I made that mistake the first time around. In fact, use no more than how much toothpaste you would squeeze on your toothbrush, because any facial foam will suck your face dry with too much application. After a week I was already a sucker for this makeup-removing magic.

STEP 2:

Calming & Revitalizing Toner

Everyone uses it, even if they're not sure what a ‘toner’ is meant to do. But basically, it’s meant to remove any remaining facial and neck residues after using a cleansing foam—it’s like the final step to cleaning your face, especially when many cleansers contain oil. Story Seoul’s is already mineral oil-free, but toners also help to moisturize your face and prep the skin to absorb any products you use after.

The toner comes in a 150ml bottle with a spraying head. Some other Korean and Japanese brands will ask you to pat it directly on your face. For this one, you can still do that, or spray directly to the face and let it dry naturally, but I preferred using a cotton pad to wipe the toner over my face and neck. Many toners still contain a large amount of alcohol, which can make your face feel really dry and take away too much natural oil from your skin. Story Seoul’s toner is free of all alcohol like ethanol. To my pleasant suprise, that almost-dry sensation you get after using other toners was gone. That's a relief, because it's this dryness that can lead to unwanted acne or redness.

STEP 3:

Hydrating Daily Lotion

Winter in Bangkok rarely gets too cold, but like a lot of people, I work in a very chilly office, so sometimes I do get some dry skin peeling, especially around the nose region. This is where the hydrating lotion comes in. As a final step after all the cleansing and residue-removing, you need to rehydrate your face and your neck. However, I often steer clear of lotions because they tend to either smell way too strong, or are super dense and sticky, leaving your face feeling really oily for hours after.

Story Seoul’s comes in a 150ml lotion pump bottle. Immediately you’ll notice that the texture is actually quite light and and not at all sticky, because the moisturizer is mineral oil-free, which is helpful for those who get acne easily. I also like the fact that it feels really light but not too watery, without any strong perfume scent—just a hint of a fresh, fruity smell. It gets absorbed pretty fast. too. Waking up the next morning, my skin really did feel more refreshed.

Story Seoul recommend a 28-day regimen of skin rejuvenation that's inspired by the “soft and luminous skin of women in Korea.” Result? I only had 14 days, and I’m borderline tan, so I wasn’t expecting to get light glowing skin overnight, but the products worked well for me—my skin was definitely looking less tired and there were no irritations. And I actually found myself enjoying the few minutes of skincare.  

 brought to you by Story Seoul