We couldn't help but notice that many of the world's most gorgeous women seem to have a secret when it comes to looking good and basically never aging (and no it's not always about having good botox).
There are definitely some main guidelines to follow no matter where you are from.
Considering for example that Korea's skin care intelligence and products are highly advanced compared to other countries, it's no wonder that they are known for having that gorgeous porcelain skin.
Or because of Greece's Mediterranean diet which is high in unsaturated fat such as as olive oil, their skin stays supple and young without much upkeep.
Overall there seems to be three main guidelines to abide by when it comes to caring for your skin.
Read through the top 3 tips we could find after stalking beauty editors from Korea and beyond..
Joyce Kong, Editor at Refinery 29 for their monthly Korean Beauty columns always brings us the most up to date product trends among the Korean beauty market. Korean beauty products have recently begun trending largely in metropolitan areas, and even mainstream stores like Urban Outfitters are now carrying a wide variety of Korea's best - so no need to travel to Seoul (although we really want to)
The first tip is somewhat of a lifestyle and time management shift that needs to happen. The premise is that Korean and Asian countries in general tend to have a much longer night time ritual when it comes to caring for their skin.
If you think about it, we definitely could and should be spending more time in the bathroom at night vs the morning. Think how long it takes to put our "face" on in the morning vs how long we take it all off.
While Americans might go through a maximum of three steps: cleansing, toning, and serum, Korean women may treat their skin by "using multiple products and massaging them slowly and delicately into the skin", says Susan Kim of Korean brand Sulwahsoo.
Korean women actually enjoy this process and some researchers suggest that it also helps reduce stress which can also lead to premature aging.
So ladies, based on this tip we are going to start taking at least half an hour to get ready for bed. Well, hopefully 3x a week for now.
Who knows, it may actually lead to reduced stress and better sleep.
Next up around the world is Greece. Women from Greece and anywhere really along the Mediterranean are known for having that beautiful olive skin tone. Their skin always appears to be youthful, supple, and glowing. After doing some research among sites such as Cosmopolitan Greece, and Marie Claire in Greece, there definitely seems to be one major factor. The food.
Women who consume olive oil on a regular basis tend to have a much healthier complexion overall. Some women even go as far as cleansing with the oil. We've definitely heard of cleansing with coconut oil, or castor oil, but never really olive oil.
image via http://lousousou.blogspot.com/
Lucy Kalagkia from Lousousou blog is a well known Greek Vlogger on Youtube with millions of views.
We reached out to Lucy and she was nice enough to offer us few of her beauty secrets and her daily skin care routine.
I follow a simple beauty routine using a soft cleanser, moisturizer and of course SPF as we have always sunny weather here in Greece. We do use a lot of olive oil in our diet but we mix it with other ingredients as a beauty product too, for example we use olive oil and sugar as a face, body and lip scrub.
Also, according to Health.com, Dr Alexiades-Armenakas from New York City explains "that research supports that women whose diet is high in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids--common nutrients found in Greek - diet staples, like olive oil, colorful vegetables, and fish--have fewer signs of damage after sun exposure, according to a recent study."
So start dipping that bread in olive oil! (Just kidding, maybe drizzle veggies with EVOO instead!) And we absolutely must try Lucy's olive oil and sugar scrub secret!
The last tip which is actually quite surprising is... going to Disneyland!
Just kidding.. it's the Spa! (which is actually our version of Disneyland).
In the US, Spa Days are viewed as an indulgent and luxurious experience that we usually don't partake in as much as we'd like. Who wouldn't love a monthly facial or massage?
But in other countries, specifically Russia or Hungary, a day at the spa is quite a normal event. In fact, many European women start bringing their young teens to the spa at least once a week. This is looked upon more as a maintenance type of event rather than relaxation.
After researching this further, we found the photo from above taken at an awesome place in Hungary (we hope to visit one day) called Spa Budapest. Do you see how diverse and normal this appears? We bet it doesn't cost an arm and a leg either. We need more places like this in the US!
According to Dr Blyumin-Karasik from Health.com "while there's no proof that a facial can turn back the clock, steaming does have its benefits. "Heat opens your pores so the ingredients in skin-care products are more effective."
It's amazing how cultures are so different across the world in terms of what constitutes as beauty vs essential. For most Europeans, this would be an essential thing such as getting mani/pedi's, but to us this would be considered a special occasion to say a Spa Castle (here in NYC).
Either way, we'll take it. If going to the Spa on a regular basis helps with premature aging and beauty benefits, we are all in!