I followed up my cleansing balm with the newly reformulated Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser, $34. As with many Korean beauty cleansers, this one is pH balanced to be ever-so-slightly acidic so as to better match your skin's own natural pH. This means it helps to keep your skin balanced, while also allowing your other products to absorb better.

Since I've got combination, acne-prone skin, I decided to add some light daily exfoliation into my Korean skin care routine. I used the popular Leegeehaam Tea Tree 70 BHA Toner, $34, which is pretty much magic in a bottle. It's gentle enough to be used every day, but thanks to all the tea tree essence and BHAs, it's dynamite at clearing and brightening skin.

After trying out the 7 skin method a few weeks ago, I'm still going strong on it (though sometimes I abbreviate to three layers of toner/essence, rather than the full seven). Each morning and night I patted on several layers of the Peach & Lily Wild Dew Essence, $39, which is a superlative product. It's almost like water, but so, so hydrating (and not at all sticky). Plus, with niacinamide sitting high on the ingredient list, it's great for calming distressed skin while refining the appearance of pores.

There's no shortage of covet-worthy Korean skin care serums, so I tried a couple during my week-long K-beauty pilot test. Sulwhasoo Snowise Brightening Serum, $200, is excellent, adding a burst of hydration with its pleasantly herbal-scented gel texture. I also found myself a big fan of Legeehaam Vita Propolis Ampoule, $38. It's a K-beauty favorite on Reddit for a reason: It's decadent with its moisturizing texture and faint honey-ish scent and it increased my glow factor significantly (like, to honey skin levels of glowiness).

Ever since I first discovered Boscia Tsubaki Beauty Oil, $46, during a particularly dry winter season many moons ago, I've been a staunch believer in facial oils for my combination skin. This time, I used the new Amore Pacific Botanical Radiance Oil, $105. It's quite the pretty penny, yes, but the experience is lovely if you can spare the cash. It's got a light floral scent and it absorbs quickly without leaving a film on your face. It left my skin feeling nourished and balanced, with nary a trace of greasiness.