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Time to listen to a new story about a journey into discovering k-beauty and how it changed another life. Today we have a great pleasure to post a few words and tips from amazing Iva, a yoga teacher, our loyal customer and most importantly another person who fell in love with k-beauty.

On becoming a yoga teacher

Karolina: Iva, tell us about yourself.

Iva: Hello, my name is Iva and I am a Yoga Teacher based in London.

I have been practicing yoga for about 7 years now and I feel extremely grateful I have the opportunity to teach full time.

My background and education is in Contemporary Dance and Dance Studies. I graduated from De Montfort University, which is where I started my yoga journey. At first it was to deal with anxiety and stress, realising soon the yoga practice goes much deeper and it is a way of living. That made me decide to go to India and see where a yoga teacher training will lead me. It’s where I fell in love with the practice of teaching and with the traditions of yoga thanks to my teacher Lalit Kumar and Himalaya Yoga Valley.

If you’d like to practice with me there is a public class schedule on my website www.ivayoga.com

Yoga as a lifestyle

Karolina: As a yoga teacher you must have a unique work day. How does your day look like?

Iva: As a freelancer my days vary as some are busier than other. Overall, I usually do a short meditation and a self practice in the morning if I have enough time and then get ready to go teach. On busy days I teach 3 to 4 public classes with private classes here and there. During the time in between classes I respond or write emails, interact with students and attend any scheduled meetings. So with commuting around the city, the weather changes and sweating in classes my skin condition definitely changes.

Karolina: How does this lifestyle impact your skin?

Iva: It is challenging sometimes, especially now in the winter time my skin gets dry but I think I have found a good routine. I believe cleansing is most important in London or any big city because of pollution and dust blocking your pores. And of course protecting our skin by layering products that work for your skin type, finishing off with sun cream.

On k-beauty journey

Karolina: That sounds like a great skin routine. How long has it been since you started your experience with k-beauty?

Iva: It has been about a year and a half since I started to explore k-beauty products and trends.

Karolina: What was the reason you started experimenting with Korean cosmetics?

Iva: I first had a taste of Korean beauty by exploring sheet masks as they were everywhere and became very popular. Later on, I learned from friends that Korean cosmetics are actually very advanced and there are many organic, natural brands and products. I was looking for authentic products that would help my skin’s elasticity as well as something more healing to help reduce scars and improve pores. So I started to learn more about k-beauty and different brands, to experiment with them, which is also what led me to discover Skinsider.

10-step korean skin routine vs real life

Karolina: Looking at your schedule, You probably do not have time to use all 10 steps. How did you adjust your routine to your lifestyle and still tackle skin needs?

Iva: The 10 steps are very thorough and I wish I had time to go through them all. Sometimes when I have time off I would but in general I stick to 6-7 steps couple of times per week. On a daily basis I tend to go with 4-5 steps, which also feels great on my skin as it isn’t too much. The most important thing for me is cleansing.

Karolina: I agree. I love double cleansing in the evening.

Iva: So do I. Morning and evening I use oil based cleanser and then foam based cleanser. I do use gentle face scrubs few times per week too. Next, I never skip toner and serum/ampoule. I do love to use rose water and rose essence after toner also and when I travel. Moisturiser is a must and in the evenings I like to put on a Klairs sleeping vitamin mask or a sheet mask before going to bed. When I wake up my skin always feels so soft after absorbing all the goodness.

Karolina: How did your skincare change since you started k-beauty?

Iva: My skincare together with my skin changed so much since I started to use Korean products only.

I wasn’t really paying attention to my skin that much before and as a result it was always problematic. With k-beauty brands offering natural products rich in vitamins and ph balancing I can see my skincare routine has gone a long way and I’ve established what works for my skin. Now I enjoy taking care of it even more since improvement is so visible.

Things you can not live without

Karolina: What are your favourite skincare ingredients for tackling your skin concerns?

Iva: As I mentioned before I absolutely love the rose based products such as the ph balancing water and the essence Urang offer. For my skin, lavender and tea tree are some of the ingredients that help to soothe it. I also like rice-based cleansers and rice sheet masks as they tend to be quite organic.

Karolina: What are your two skincare must-have products? What impact did they have on your skin?

Iva: Two absolute must-haves for me are the Klairs vitamin serum and the S.O.S multi balm by Urang. I love them and use them every day. The serum has drastically improved my skin tone and it continues to do so, whenever I have a breakout it fades faster after using the vitamin serum. It’s amazing, really heals the skin and moisturises it at the same time. The Urang multi balm is something I carry in my bag at all times. I use it for my lips, for under my eyes, as a moisturiser. It is also a healing product with tamanu in it so it is very calming, safe to use on babies as well.

A piece of advice

Karolina: If you were asked to give one advice on skincare for people who like you have time constraints and face similar challenges, what would it be?

Iva: One piece of advice I would give to everyone who is busy and facing similar challenges is observe your skin and the way it reacts to products. Definitely go for the organic & natural products, keep it clean and fresh especially if you are using make-up. Don’t be afraid to experiment and fins out what your skin needs, everyone is different after all. That was more than one piece of advice!

Enjoy getting to know your skin.

Karolina: Iva, thanks for sharing your journey into the dewy skin!

Check also post about breathing techniques and their impact on skin. Details can be found here.