Featuring: Karena
Summary
Karena shares how she manages dry combination skin with a gentle, hydration-focused routine inspired by Korean skincare. Having spent more than 16 years working in the beauty industry, she has simplified her regimen to focus on barrier health, while regular microneedling helps maintain radiance in the face of everyday environmental stressors.
Meet Karena: Balancing Dryness and Oiliness
Karena describes her skin as dry combination, with an oily T-zone and drier cheeks that need consistent hydration.
Rather than trying to treat individual concerns separately, she focuses on keeping her skin balanced with gentle cleansing and regular moisturising.
Pull quote: “I’ve got an oily T-zone, and then I get drier around my cheek area, so I have to make sure I moisturise.”
Back to Basics After Years in Beauty
Having worked in the beauty industry for around 16 years, Karena has tested products from countless brands. That experience has ultimately led her to simplify her skincare routine.
Each evening she follows a structured regimen consisting of:
- Micellar water or cleansing oil, depending on how her skin feels
- A second cleanse
- Toner with a chemical exfoliator
- Serum
- Moisturiser
- Hydrating facial mist
- Eye cream
She says she increasingly favours Korean skincare, finding the formulations gentler than many conventional products.
Pull quote: “I always take it back to basics. You can’t overwhelm your skin too much.”
Gentle Formulations Take Priority
For Karena, effective skincare isn’t about using more products—it’s about using the right ones.
After years of trying different brands, she believes gentle formulations help maintain the skin barrier while delivering hydration without irritation.
Her routine reflects a wider movement towards minimalist skincare that prioritises long-term skin health over complicated, multi-step routines.
Why In-Store Shopping Still Matters
Although online shopping is convenient, Karena still prefers to buy skincare products in-store.
Being able to feel textures, test formulations and experience products before purchasing gives her greater confidence in her choices.
Pull quote: “I like to touch and feel the product so I know what I’m buying.”
Microneedling for Healthy-Looking Skin
Karena has undergone microneedling around four times and describes it as the only professional treatment she would recommend for herself.
She believes the procedure helps skincare products penetrate more effectively and leaves her skin looking noticeably brighter and healthier.
The glow, she says, typically lasts for several days.
Living in London has also reinforced the importance of maintaining her skin, with pollution becoming another factor influencing her routine.
Pull quote: “The serums penetrate straight into the skin and you get the glow afterwards.”
Although she’s happy with the results, Karena says microneedling is as far as she would go, admitting she’s not comfortable with more invasive cosmetic procedures.
Designing a Skincare Product for Everyone
If Karena could develop her own skincare product, inclusivity would be its defining feature.
Her ideal formula would be:
- Fragrance-free
- Soft and nourishing
- Suitable for all skin types
- Gentle enough for everyday use
More importantly, she believes skincare should be designed without unnecessary labels or limitations.
Pull quote: “Genderless, ageless, raceless.”
For Karena, the future of skincare lies in products that are accessible, effective and suitable for everyone, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity.
Key Takeaways for Brands
- Consumers are increasingly returning to simple, barrier-friendly skincare routines.
- Korean skincare continues to influence preferences for gentle formulations.
- Double cleansing remains popular among consumers exposed to urban pollution and daily makeup.
- Microneedling is gaining traction as a treatment focused on skin quality rather than dramatic cosmetic change.
- Inclusive skincare that is fragrance-free and suitable for all skin types continues to resonate across consumer groups.
