Korean Skincare at 30: I Tried a Beginner Routine with Abib from YesStyle

Until now we got by on good looks alone. I had never even used sunscreen, and when I turned 30 I decided to take this seriously: I put together my first Korean skincare routine.

I received three Abib products sent by YesStyle, an online store that sells imported cosmetics. They are Korean brands, and the store itself declares them to be authentic.

This article is my first contact with the three of them, recorded in the video in this article: what it's like to apply them, the texture, the scent and what I felt when I took the patch off. I can't promise skin results on the first day. I'll use them over the coming weeks and come back here to tell you what changed.

The routine has one product for each area: eyes, face and lips. The details below come from each product's official page on YesStyle; the impressions are mine.

The first thing I noticed is the best: the patch is cool. It comes in a jar of 60, and the brand says the textured surface helps it not slip.

I'll admit I put the first one on wrong. I flipped it, flipped it back, tried it the other way and thought it sat better like that, but honestly, I couldn't feel any difference between the sides. If you've never used one either, don't worry: what matters is that it sits snugly under your eyes without touching the eye itself.

During use, I noticed that the patch seemed to get thinner.

The packaging says to take it off after 10 to 15 minutes. In the video I left it on for about 20, because I was doing the rest of the routine. Follow the label. And it's not meant to be slept in.

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• When I took it off: my skin felt dry to the touch, and I could clearly see the shape of where the patch had been;
• Feel: cool as soon as it touches the skin;
• What the brand promises: to brighten the area and soften a tired look, with PDRN, retinal and caffeine. I can only judge that with continued use.

While the patch did its thing, I applied the cream. It comes out of the tube with an ointment-like texture: you smooth it on and feel it glide over your skin.

The part I liked most comes after spreading it: the skin gets a velvety feel, as if it turned into velvet on the spot. And it spreads really well.

In the formula, Abib highlights PDRN and Volufiline (an ingredient used to give a plumping feel), along with retinal, peptides, niacinamide and caffeine. Abib recommends the cream for firmness and fine lines, which means long-term work.

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• Where to apply: face and neck, with light patting to help absorption, as the brand directs;

Last, the lip mask. It comes with a little spatula, and the texture is a gel, similar to the eye patch.

It has a candy-like scent, but it isn't sickly. Anyone who follows me knows I have a problem with strong smells, and this one didn't bother me.

The brand says to use a thin layer during the day for shine and hydration, or a generous layer before bed as an overnight mask.

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In the video I said retinoic acid, but the right name for the ingredient in the patch and the cream is retinal (or retinaldehyde). It's a vitamin A derivative, in the same family as retinol, and the skin converts it into retinoic acid. The action is more gradual.

PDRN is an ingredient made of DNA fragments that has become a craze in Korean cosmetics; Abib uses it in products aimed at firmness. In the lip mask, Abib states that the PDRN comes from centella asiatica and ginkgo biloba.

• Gentle effect: retinal acts more gradually than retinoic acid; it's not possible to tell after a first use, it takes prolonged use;
• Sunscreen in the daytime: if you use retinal at night, you need sunscreen during the day. For someone who has never used it, like me, this is the first habit to build;
• Pregnancy: avoid vitamin A derivatives such as retinal and talk to your doctor; breastfeeding: ask your doctor before use;
• Sensitive skin: if it stings or turns red, stop using the product and, if it doesn't settle, see a dermatologist.

The order I followed in the video fits into an ordinary evening, without the ten-step marathon the internet associates with Korean skincare:

• Step 1, eyes: with a clean face, I put the hydrogel patch under my eyes;
• Step 2, face and neck: while the patch works, I pat on the Booster Crème;
• Step 3, lips: one layer of the lip mask with the spatula;
• Step 4, removing the patch: after 10 to 15 minutes, as the packaging says;
• Total time: about 15 minutes, most of it waiting with the patch on.

All three products are sold by YesStyle (check at checkout that shipping shows up for your address). Prices are quoted in dollars and shipping is international, so cost and delivery time depend on your destination.

At checkout, enter the code CECILIA010 in the Reward Code field: it gives 5% off your first purchase and 2% off the following ones. Promotional coupons go in the other field, Coupon Code, and can be used together with CECILIA010, depending on each coupon's terms and cart conditions. The store's active coupons are in YesStyle coupons and reward code.

About taxes: for eligible orders under US$ 1,000 (the amount before coupons, excluding shipping), YesStyle refunds customs fees as store credit, with the exceptions in its policy. If you're charged on arrival, pay, keep the receipt and send it to the store's support within 30 days of the receipt date.

This is the record of the first use. I'll keep up the routine and come back here to tell you what really changed and what didn't.

• Dark circles and the tired look under the eyes;
• Texture and glow of the skin on the face and neck;
• Whether the retinal causes any irritation with continued use;
• Whether the lip mask keeps my lips hydrated overnight.