Spending way too long in the bathroom
I honestly don’t know why I keep buying these things. Last month, I ended up picking up the Sidmool Dr. Troub cleansing milk because I read somewhere that it was ranked high on that Hwahae app. I spent about 15,000 won or so, which isn’t a huge deal, but I already have a cupboard full of half-used bottles that I told myself I would actually finish this time. Standing in the bathroom, massaging my face for a few minutes feels like a chore, especially after a long day when I just want to collapse into bed. My face doesn’t really feel ‘transformed’ yet, even though the bottle says it helps with trouble-prone skin. It’s just soap, right? Why did I think this would be the missing piece to my skincare puzzle?
Trying to replicate the clinic experience at home
I’ve been looking at those plaster mask packs and fancy ampoules that people use at dermatologist clinics. I even checked out if I could get the same products they use at places like Luna Clinic, where they stock some of these Sidmool items. It feels a bit silly, honestly. I’m standing there, trying to apply some AHA lotion to my back for my keratosis pilaris, hoping that a 10% glycolic acid concentration is enough to actually make a difference. It’s messy, and I usually miss half the spots I’m trying to reach. Most nights I just end up wishing I had someone else to do it for me, but that’s not really an option, is it? It’s just me and a mirror.
The endless cycle of trial and error
Sometimes I wonder if I’m just making things worse by layering on all these different ‘functional’ products. I have the Dr. Troub zinc cream, which supposedly helps with sensitivity, and then I layer on some EGF ampoule because everyone says it’s good for cell turnover. But then I get lazy, skip a day, and feel like I’ve wasted the money. I see these ‘award-winning’ stickers on everything now—whether it’s for calming, cleaning, or just existing—and it makes me want to buy them even when I know deep down that my skin is probably fine if I just leave it alone for a while. The promise of clear skin is such a strong hook, even when I know the results are never as drastic as the marketing photos imply.
Why I can’t seem to stop buying
It’s not like these products are expensive compared to luxury department store brands, but the accumulation is what gets me. I looked at my shelf this morning and realized I have three different types of sun milk, including that ‘easy-wash’ mineral one that was supposed to make my life simpler. Now I just have more bottles to move around whenever I need to clean the sink. I’m still not sure if the pore issues I’m worried about are even actually there or if I’m just staring too closely at my pores under the harsh LED bathroom light. Maybe the issue isn’t the ingredients in the bottles, but my insistence on finding a chemical fix for something that’s probably just stress or a lack of sleep. I’ll probably keep using the cleanser until it runs out, then I’ll find something else to try, and the cycle will just repeat itself.
That feeling of reaching half the spots is really relatable. It’s amazing how much easier it feels when someone else handles the application, isn’t it?
It’s funny how quickly those ‘solutions’ feel overwhelming when you actually have to implement them. I find myself occasionally staring at my shelves of targeted products, wondering if a gentle cleanse and moisturizer would be enough.