When I started becoming interested in the world of elegance, femininity, and luxury, I knew that one of the most feminine and attractive traits a woman can have backed by science is beautiful, healthy, plump, youthful-looking skin.
And whenever I saw celebrities and other beautiful, feminine women with seemingly perfect skin, I always wondered: How much do they actually spend on skincare?
So you have brands like Chanel selling skincare products for a few hundred dollars per product.
And here’s when I started wondering: Do you really need to spend that much money to have amazing-looking skin?
But here’s the thing: there is a little secret that many skincare-obsessed women know — Korean and Japanese skincare.
Korean and Japanese products offer some of the best quality-to-price ratios I have found throughout my almost 15-year skincare journey.
And I know this because I’ve literally tested hundreds of products and spent countless hours educating myself about skincare: which ingredients are worth buying, what actually works, and what is simply marketing.
I’m not just listening to influencers telling me that the newest product is a “must-have.” I follow board-certified dermatologists and listen to their unsponsored content because I want to understand the science behind skincare and avoid becoming a victim of clever marketing.
And this is important for you, because if you want to achieve the feminine, flawless looking skin, some of the products I use might genuinely be life-changing for you. Especially one ingredient that I consider extremely important: vitamin C.
So I really hope that this unsponsored and honest skincare routine helps you navigate through the endless marketing claims you see everywhere and find products that are actually worth your money.
So, here is my $297 feminine skincare routine for healthy, youthful, and expensive-looking skin.
Before we start: this Is My Skin at 33
So, this is my skin at 33 years old.
And I actually took these pictures on purpose in the worst lighting I could find in my home.
This is because I want you to see my skin as realistically as possible — texture, pores, fine lines, everything.
I also want these pictures to serve as a before for another article I’m going to write about my very first aesthetic treatment: XERF, so stay tuned!
So here’s the thing: when it comes to skincare and beauty, I feel like there is often a gap between two worlds. On one side, you have dermatologists who have access to thousands of products, treatments, and procedures. On the other, you have influencers who may recommend products as part of sponsored or commercial collaborations.
I’m somewhere in between.
I’m not a skincare professional, and I don’t have access to unlimited treatments or thousands of products for free.
But I am genuinely passionate about skincare, I buy a lot of it with my own money, and I’ve been testing products and researching ingredients for almost 15 years.
So I wanted to see: What can a regular woman actually do for her skin without spending a fortune?
This is my personal journey of becoming more feminine, elegant, and confident in my appearance.
And here’s why it is useful for you: when you’re on your journey toward becoming more feminine, elegant, and luxurious, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of thinking: “If I want to look luxurious, I need to buy Chanel skincare.”
But looking luxurious and buying luxury products are two completely different things.
So here’s my $297 skincare routine for healthy, youthful, and expensive-looking skin.
1. Korean Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm — $20
And this is one of those products that proves my point: you don’t need expensive skincare to get expensive-looking skin.
It has a beautiful buttery texture that melts into the skin and removes everything — sunscreen, makeup, and even waterproof eye makeup — without excessive rubbing!. I find it incredibly gentle, especially around my eyes.
But also, the balm contains rice extract, rice water, rice bran oil, glycerin, oat extract, and a grain complex. Beauty of Joseon specifically highlights the rice and grain extracts for their hydrating and antioxidant properties.
Of course, this isn’t an anti-aging treatment — you’re washing it off.
But I love the effect it has on the overall appearance and feel of my skin. When I remove sunscreen and makeup properly without aggressively rubbing my skin or leaving it feeling tight and dry, my skin feels much softer, smoother, and more comfortable.
And despite feeling like a luxurious product, it costs only around $20 on iHerb or $17 on Yesstyle.
2. Korean Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser — $13
My second step is the regular cleanser that most women already use. After removing my makeup and sunscreen with the cleansing balm, I use the Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser to properly clean my skin and prepare it for the rest of my skincare.
It has a clear, gel-like texture that becomes slightly foamy when you lather it between wet hands. It feels extremely gentle and never leaves my skin feeling dry or stripped.
It is also pH-balanced and slightly acidic, which helps cleanse without unnecessarily disrupting the skin’s natural moisture barrier.
And again, expensive-looking skin doesn’t have to be expensive. This cleanser costs only around $13 on iHerb and $10 on Yesstyle, yet it leaves my skin feeling soft, clean, and ready for all the active ingredients that come next.
3. Exfoliation with Japanese Meishoku Brilliant Colors – Detclear Bright & Peel — $22
The next step is exfoliation, and I feel like this is something many women either completely forget about or do only once a month.
Exfoliation can be chemical or physical, but its main purpose is to remove dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. This is particularly important if you want that smooth, glowy, expensive-looking skin, because a buildup of dead skin cells can make your complexion look dull and your skin texture less smooth.
I personally exfoliate every other day because my skin tolerates it well, and for me, it has been a game changer for keeping my skin incredibly smooth!
I use this Japanese peeling gel from Meishoku called DETclear Bright & Peel, and it has one of the most satisfying textures I’ve ever experienced in a skincare product.
As you massage it into your skin, the gel starts forming these tiny little rolls or balls underneath your fingers. And I have to admit, it is incredibly satisfying to watch!
But here’s something interesting: those little balls aren’t literally all of your dead skin cells. A large part of what you’re seeing is the product itself clumping together as you massage it. The formula contains gelling and film-forming ingredients that can roll up into these visible particles through friction.
It costs about $22 on Yesstyle.
4. Japanese Hydrating Toner Hadalabo, Gokujyun Premium Lotion — $23
Toner is something I actually didn’t grow up using because toners weren’t nearly as popular in Europe when I was younger.
But a good hydrating toner gives your skin an extra layer of hydration, and this is where I feel that my expensive-looking glow really starts.
I absolutely swear by this Japanese hydrating toner. It contains several forms of hyaluronic acid, and I can really feel the difference in how hydrated and plump my skin feels after using it.
For me, this is the first layer of that plump, smooth, feminine glow that makes the skin look healthy and luxurious rather than dull or flat.
It costs $23 on iHerb.
5. American Timeless Skin Care, 20% Vitamin C Serum — My Secret to Glowy, Expensive-Looking Skin — $33
This is the key to that expensive-looking, glowy, plump skin: vitamin C.
I use vitamin C every day, morning and night.
And no, using vitamin C in the morning doesn’t make your skin more sensitive to the sun.
Quite the opposite — vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps protect your skin from oxidative stress, while sunscreen provides the essential UV protection.
The vitamin C serum that made the biggest difference for my skin is the Timeless Vitamin C. I particularly love that it uses L-ascorbic acid, the most clinically studied topical form of vitamin C.
The texture is very watery and lightweight, and it smells absolutely divine — like fresh vitamin C.
But what I love most is what it does to my skin: it looks brighter, more even, smoother and incredibly glowy!
It costs $33 on iHerb.
6. Korean AESTURA – Ato Barrier 365 Hydro Cera-Ha Serum in the Morning — $32, Retinoid at Night
This is another step that I think many women miss — using more than one serum, but not randomly – strategically.
When I started using vitamin C twice a day, I kept asking myself: how am I supposed to fit other serums in? Can I use them together?
The answer I found from dermatologists is that you don’t necessarily have to choose one. In the morning, after my vitamin C, I use a Korean barrier-supporting serum. It has made my skin feel incredibly hydrated and healthy, and I genuinely think this combination is a big part of why my skin looks so glowy and plump.
At night, I would normally use a retinoid/retinol instead. Retinoids are among the most studied ingredients for long-term skin aging, texture and collagen-related changes.
However, because I’m currently breastfeeding, I’m not using or recommending a specific retinoid product in this routine.
The barrier serum costs $32 on Yesstyle.
7. Japanese Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Eye Concentrate Serum — $45
I’m sure many women use an eye cream, but did you know that the skin around your eyes is structurally different from the skin on your cheeks or forehead? It’s thinner and more delicate, which is why I personally prefer using additionally a serum specifically formulated for the eye area.
This is actually something I neglected for years. Since introducing a proper eye serum, I’ve noticed that the skin around my eyes feels much more comfortable and hydrated.
My under-eye area looks smooth, plump, and fresh, and I no longer experience the redness and sensitivity I used to have.
I’m particularly fond of the Shiseido eye serum because I find it very gentle and nourishing.
And I think this small detail makes a surprisingly big difference to the overall expensive-looking effect.
When your eyes look fresh, bright, smooth, and well-rested, your entire face looks more polished.
8. Japanese Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream — $60
Even if you already use an eye cream, here’s a mistake I made for years: I used to put all my face serums and creams around my eyes as well, and then layer my eye cream on top.
Now I keep it simple: eye serum + eye cream specifically formulated for the eye area.
I particularly love this Shiseido eye cream because it’s rich and creamy without irritating my eyes. It leaves the skin around my eyes incredibly hydrated and plump, and I love how fresh and glowy my eye area looks when I wake up.
9. Japanese Rohto Mentholatum – Hada Labo Koi-Gokujyun Perfect Gel — $29
You might have asked yourself: How much should I actually spend on my moisturizer? $10? $50? $200?
From everything I’ve researched, this is one area where you really don’t need to spend a fortune.
A good moisturizer’s main job is to hydrate your skin, reduce water loss, and support your skin barrier.
The ingredients I would prioritize spending more time and money on are the targeted actives — vitamin C, retinoids, peptides, and other barrier-supporting ingredients.
Personally, I’ve completely fallen in love with this Japanese moisturizer. It’s incredibly hydrating, but because my skin is more on the oily side, I love its lightweight gel consistency.
It gives my skin this beautiful, plump, glossy finish that makes it look incredibly smooth and luxurious. It almost creates a beautiful, silky layer over the skin — not sticky, just that gorgeous hydrated glow that makes your skin look expensive!
It costs $29 on iHerb and $19 on Yesstyle.
10. Korean haruharu wonder – Black Rice Pure Mineral Relief Daily Sunscreen — $13 — The Anti-Aging Holy Grail
And finally, we have the holy grail of anti-aging: sunscreen.
I’m sure you’ve heard this a thousand times: you should wear sunscreen to protect your skin.
But here’s the question — are you actually doing it every single day?
I’ve been putting sunscreen on my face every day since I turned 20. I genuinely haven’t skipped a day, and I usually reapply once or twice when I’m spending significant time outdoors.
And this is probably the most affordable anti-aging “treatment” you can give your skin. You don’t need a $200 cream to protect your skin from premature photoaging — you need a sunscreen you actually enjoy wearing consistently.
Personally, I use the HaruHaru Wonder Mineral Sunscreen. I particularly like it because, despite being a mineral sunscreen, I find the white cast relatively minimal. My skin is also prone to acne, so finding a sunscreen that feels comfortable on my skin is important to me.
I personally prefer SPF 50+ because I want very high protection from UVB, while broad-spectrum protection also helps protect against UVA — the radiation strongly associated with photoaging and pigmentation.
And honestly, if you’re trying to maintain that smooth, youthful, expensive-looking skin for as long as possible, this is the step I would never skip.
It costs $13 on Yesstyle.
