Michelle Hyebin Yang

I think a true ‘beauty’ is one’s mindset, manners, intentions.  If these elements are broken, it will truly reflect on your outer-self.  It’s like a domino effect.

My skincare is frankly super simple. It’s about how careful I treat my own skin and how much time & effort I put in. In the morning, I rinse my face with just water, swab with ‘CeraVe Hydrating Toner’ then moisturize with ‘Cetaphil Cream’. For my night time, I’ll start by removing my make-up with ‘Banila Co Cleaning Balm’, then massage while melting it away. I then do another round of cleansing with ‘Lesse Refining Cleanser’.  After my cleansing session, I’ll gently swab with ‘CeraVe Hydrating Toner’ using a cotton pad. I finish off by moisturising my skin with ‘Cetaphil Cream’ and yes, I use it on both my body and my face. When using an intimidating moisturiser every single day, my skin tends to be overwhelmed and brings out more troubles. I’ll maybe treat my face with ‘’Belif Aqua Bomb’ or ‘Sulhwasoo Ginseng Renewing Cream’ once in awhile. If my skin seems to be acting up, I’ll use ‘Lesse Ritual Serum’ at night maybe once or twice a week which is a game changer — it reboots my skin. I used to use it every single night during the Covid Peak days when I was breaking out from wearing masks all day long.

I air-dry my hair and keep it natural the way it is — my hair is moderately oily so I don’t use oil based products but every once in awhile, I use an Argan oil on my hair.

I used to swear by my eyeliner looks with ‘Chanel Stylo Ombre Et Contour’ but now I am learning to love myself the way that I am and to be comfortable in my own skin meaning I prefer natural looks. In addition to that, it also allows you more time to sleep in the morning.  After my skincare, I apply a small amount of ‘Ohmyglow Skin Tint’. Then, using shade “Cleavage” from ‘Too Faced Natural Matte Eyeshadow Palette’ , I will lightly contour my face. I know, I am using a shadow color for contour but none of the contour products out there have matched my skin tone. My third step is brushing my entire face with ‘Elf HD Powder.’ I’ll top it all off with ‘Chanel Rouge Coco Baume in Natural Charm.’

For my evenings, same base routine as my day time but with slight more intensity since there will be lack of light. I’ll add ‘Le Volume Revolution De Chanel’ mascara and little bit of shadow on the tip of my eyes using the same shade I use for contouring. To define my lips, I use ‘Maybelline Super Stay Ink Crayon’ which is also great for over-lining your lips if needed. After, I will finish off with ‘Elf HD Powder’ and ‘Chanel Rouge Coco Baume in Natural Charm’ as per usual & dab it on my cheeks as well.

After my meals, I’ll take Vitamin C and I like to drink hot tea to help my stomach digest thoroughly. ‘Drink Qi’ is hand-picked organic flower tea that will heal you and is delightful to look at.

I stretch before bed every night and every morning as soon as I wake up — it helps my blood flow to de-bloat, gets rid of tight muscles from stress or sitting down working all day, as well as helps me to wake up lightly.

I have been long-time using Le Labo’s Jasmin 17 on a daily basis — no doubt in saying that this identifies who I am because I discovered the brand through a close friend of mine when I first moved to NYC and have been living in this scent ever since. I also have Tabac 28 — a slight twist of Santal 33 which is why I got it because I was trying to avoid smelling like every single person in NYC. Don’t get me wrong I die for Santal 33 and will spritz after my shower, before bed. In addition to that, I use their city exclusives once in awhile if I want to change up the vibe a little bit. ByRedo’s La Tulipe during the summer is heavenly, also.

My secret key to maintaining beauty is the daily habits — no matter how exhausted I am, I must remove the makeup that I had on all day & rinse thoroughly.  Make sure I’m not picking on my breakouts in the middle of the day with the hands I’ve been typing keyboards with, which will make it even worse and leave scars. I also wash my hands at any given chance, as well as wash my make-up brushes, and eat well / watch out for greasy food consumption. All of these combined will build up to bring about a beautiful skin and a clean base and you won’t even need a concealer. If these are ignored, I realise that my skin is going to be the same no matter what lavish products I put on. Treat your skin like a baby.

Chanel Rouge Coco Baume – Natural Charm is a must – gotta have my lips moisturised and look alive at all times. I can also use it for my cheek if I need to on-the-go so it’s 2-in-1. My Le Labo 5ml size because we’ve always got to smell pleasant.

I recommend when visiting Korea, to try and have your skin done while there  — generally, most practicians are very good and super affordable/reasonably priced. So many foreigners now visit that they’re very well equipped for anybody outside of Korea.