Whenever we write articles about grooming, we usually set out with the goal of making them as simple as possible. Information on grooming quickly builds up into an inaccessible raft of information that makes us want to reach for the soap and water and be done with it. But once you’ve got it down and have settled into a routine, good grooming is easy. It’s also satisfying to see yourself looking markedly more polished, just from spending an extra two minutes over the sink in the morning. But where to start?

Recently, a Facebook user from South Korea, Ms Jo Anne, lambasted Western men for their paltry grooming routines, and said they’d do well to take a few leaves (and a few sheet masks) from the book of her countrymen: “When Yoonsung is over here looking 25 at age 47 and you just turned 33 on your 18th birthday you might wanna reconsider wearing a face mask or two occasionally.” That’s us told. So, to help you achieve that lit-from-within look, we’ve compiled a Korea-worthy skincare routine. It takes effort (nine steps-worth of effort, to be precise), but the trade-off of getting skin that gleams like a new linoleum floor? Absolutely worth it. See how to do it below.

To properly clean your skin of pore-clogging impurities, you’ll need to start cleansing twice every time you wash your face (which should be every morning and evening). The first step on your journey to Korean boyband-grade skin is an oil-based cleanser. For this, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything better than Erno Laszlo’s pre-cleansing oil. It’ll draw out trapped oil in the skin, but its blend of non-comedogenic (this means it won’t block pores) and essential oils means it won’t strip your face or dry it out, but soothe your skin instead.

Now onto your standard water-based cleanser – this will improve upon the good work that the oil-based one did, and will wash away all the bad stuff that has been drawn out of your skin, providing your skin with a deep (yet gentle) cleanse you wouldn’t get from just the one step. Choose this one from Dr. Barbara Sturm, which contains aloe vera juice to repair and regenerate skin.

The point of a toner is to bring skin back to its natural pH. A quick crib sheet: water is neutral and will take your skin to a pH of 7-8, but a good toner will take that down a notch to restore skin to its natural (and slightly acidic) level of around 5.5. Try Natura Bissé’s The Cure Hydro-Gel Toner – its herby citrus scent is particularly apt for the summer, and it will detoxify skin and brighten it up. Dab it onto a cotton pad, and apply after cleansing.

If this is all sounding like a mammoth grooming task, here’s some respite: this next step should only be done once or twice a week. Exfoliating is important because it sloughs away all the dead skin cells, and improves skin’s texture. Use this extra-gentle one from Sisley – Paris, which will refine the skin’s texture without damaging it – massage into your face after cleansing, rinse it off, and emerge from the sink as smooth as a marble.

A sheet mask is one of those face-shaped pieces of soggy paper complete with eye and mouth holes that you may have seen on social media posts with people looking like a cross between Alyssa Edwards and Hannibal Lecter. 111Skin’s Bio Cellulose Treatment Mask, however, is much more than that, and will rejuvenate skin by smothering it in ingredients that will boost moisture, collagen production, and your skin’s brightness. Perfect for when you need a bit of a pick-me-up after a long-haul flight, or just when your face is looking a little dull.

If there’s something you don’t like about your skin (too dry, too oily, too old-looking) here’s the step to change it. Which serum you choose really depends on the concern you wish to address. Blemishes? Try 111Skin’s Anti-Blemish Booster to clear pores and calm redness. Dryness? You’ll want Perricone MD’s dramatically-named H2 Elemental Energy Hydrating Booster Serum to quench skin back to health. Heavy hitters like Natura Bissé’s £600 High Definition Serum is at the time of writing the most expensive grooming product on MR PORTER, but will rehaul your complexion into something godlike.

The eyes might be the windows to the soul, but they’re also a fine indicator of how old you are. And if you’ve looked in the mirror and thought “I look a bit tired” for the last decade, chances are you could do with an eye cream. The skin around your eyes is thinner and lacking in soft tissue and muscle, meaning it will get wrinkles faster, but a good eye cream can slow down the clock. Try the Supreme Eye Serum from Dr Sebagh – it’s formulated to improve elasticity and will illuminate your skin, giving your eyes a lift without, well, an eye-lift.

Because you’ve cleansed your face so effectively, it’s important to choose a moisturiser that will not just adequately replenish all of your skin’s nutrients, but also provide it with the stuff it really needs to glow. For the gold-standard in moisturiser, there are few more trusted formulas than Crème de la Mer. It’s a cult grooming product, by which we mean an army of people swear by it, and it’s been around since the 1950s – bar SPF, it should be the final step of your routine.

SPF is one of the most overlooked but most important of any grooming routine. To protect your skin from the sun (even in the winter), a light, non-greasy SPF is essential, and this Daily Defense Lotion from Lab Series will do the job nicely – just apply it after moisturising. Unless your bed is outside and you sleep there in the daytime, you do not need to repeat this step before bedtime. Phew. Now, twice-cleansed, toned, scrubbed and glowing, you can go. And when people start telling you how great you’ve been looking recently, try not to list off the nine-step grooming routine you just read.