I started to fall in love with skin care few years back not just because I needed to "maintain" my skin at 25, but also because it is the easiest way to go. There is no need to wake up earlier and spend 30mins each morning to put on make up because you have great skin to flaunt. To be honest, I have very little knowledge about make up and I have yet to venture into that simply because I am very lazy and I think sleep is more important! Hahaha. For those of you that know me, you will know that I hardly put on any makeup. On rare occasions that I put on makeup, it will be SUPER DUPER SIMPLE: Foundation/ BB cream > Blush > Mascara. I think some of the make up lovers out there reading this must be rolling their eyes. But honestly, if you have great skin (besides those of you that require make up for work), would you still put on make up? It has always been a curious question of mine.
I indulge in skincare so that I can sleep in a few more minutes in the morning. And mainly because I am pretty lazy to put on make up in the morning. I actually wrote about skincare a few years back (you can read them here), but have since changed some of the products as my skin changed and I thought to share them again here.
*EDIT: I will be reordering them in the case of a night time routine so that it's easier to understand.
1, CLEANSE & 2, DOUBLE CLEANSE
After a long day at work, you need to shower to wash off all the dirt and you'll also need to wash your face. Never ever touch your face with dirty hands - this is how most breakouts happen. I always wash my hands with hand soap before cleaning my face. Start with a remover - not just for your make up, but also your sunscreen - and then follow up with a foam cleanser for a good double cleanse. I love the Banila Co Clean it Zero cleansing balm.
And follow up with a foam cleanser to deep cleanse your pores. I use the Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam. It is one of the deep pore cleaners that does not strip your skin. Remember to lather well before applying to your face so that there is less friction generated.
If you're just starting out your day, I suggest you start with a mild foam cleanser. I have been using Hada Labo's foam cleansers for the longest time but has recently found a new favorite, i.e., NeoGen, the Green Tea Foam Cleanser.
They actually have 4 different flavours/ scents - Green Tea, Cranberry, Blueberry and Cereal. So far, I have only tried the Green Tea and it smells wonderful. There are also real green tea leaves in the bottle as well. You know you are getting the real deal.
3, EXFOLIATE
I usually exfoliate twice a week - usually on Wednesday and Sundays. Healthy skin generally regenerate every 28 days or so depending on your age. So when you exfoliate, you are essentially trying to speed up the regeneration process by removing all the gunk and dead skin. Try not to exfoliate your skin too often as that will also be too harsh. I would say, if you have to, the maximum you can go for is to exfoliate every other day.
My personal all-time, hands down favourite is the NeoGen Wine Gauze Peeling because it not only works as a chemical and physical exfoliator, it also smells heavenly - therapeutic even.
My personal all-time, hands down favourite is the NeoGen Wine Gauze Peeling because it not only works as a chemical and physical exfoliator, it also smells heavenly - therapeutic even.
For those of you that are wondering what is the difference between chemical and physical exfoliators... Allow me to explain it simply: Chemical exfoliators make use of chemicals like AHA & BHA to exfoliate your skin, while physical exfoliators are generally rough or grainy in texture.
4, TONE
After washing your face, you need to ensure that your skin stays moisturized. Some of you might have read before that your skin loses moisture 3-5mins after leaving the shower. (I'm planning to share a post soon regarding moisture loss. Do keep a lookout!) So, to lock in the most moisture, always keep your toners in the bathroom. Before I use my toner, I am currently using the Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum to lock in the most moisture.
According to Innisfree, The Seed Serum actually preps your skin to hold moisture in your skin and prevents moisture loss so that your moisturizer would work its best. I will be sharing another tip to lock in moisture to your skin in the next few updates as well. Many tips coming up in the new year!
Anyway, follow up with your toner.
You can use these on their own but I like to use a mix blend of the trio - Hada Labo Whitening Lotion, the Naturie Hatomugi Skin Conditioner and the Mario Badescu Rosewater Toner. I keep them in a spray bottle and spritz them on as and when I need. Again, I will share a "recipe" on how I mix these items in another update. Or else, this post will be never-ending.
So recently, I am hearing so much rave about the Medicube Zero-Pore series and I just have to give it a try as well. I'll be sharing a review on this series soon as I am still halfway through.
5, ESSENCE/ AMPOULE
If you're able to lock in enough moisture from the start, this may sound redundant for you but it actually helps to restore moisture within the deep layers of your skin. I use the Innisfree Jeju Lava Seawater Essence both day and night because it is very lightweight. As I have oily-combination skin, I really hate to use products that make me "shine bright like a diamond". Anyway, this essence from Innisfree is not only lightweight for day and night use, it also has wrinkle free and anti-aging properties, which is very good for maintenance.
6, SHEET MASK
This is the main edit of this post - especially comparing with the one I did years ago. Previously I mentioned that you should mask at the last step, however, I realised I wasn't being clear - and possily misleading. Please note that whether masking should be the last step largely depends on what masks you are using. If you are using a sheet mask, please do it before you slather on your moisturizers.Why?
Essentially sheet masks are concentrated packs of essence/ ampoules that will help you penetrate deeper layers of your skin. To think of it logically, for them to penetrate layers of your skin, they are usually lightweight and fine... so, if you use a heavy cream before this, you will not be able to reap the entire benefit of your sheet mask! So, always use sheet masks before moisturizers!
7, EYE CREAM
Many of us are guilty about skipping the eyecare step because they are so small. But they are not to be ignored. One of the main reason is because, although the skin surrounding the eyes is very 'small', this skin is one of the softest skin on your face and is the first to show signs of aging. Keep it moisturised and keep it well taken care of. Most of the time I use the Innisfree Green Tea Seed Eye & Face Ball.
But sometimes, I do follow up with Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Treatment.
8, MOISTURISE/ SLEEPING MASK
Like my favourite cleansers, I also have morning and night moisturisers. Morning moisturisers tend to be more lightweight, while the night moisturisers are slightly creamier or heavier. In the morning, I recently discovered the La Roche Posay Effaclar Mat Moisturiser which as the name suggests, give you a matt finish. This is exceptionally important for oily-combination skin people that :shines bright like a diamond" - like me after lunch.
Anyway, in the night, I usually just go straight to sleeping masks as they are less comedogenic than most cream moisturizers. Like I mentioned earlier, I have oily-combination skin so my pores tend to clog easily and do not react well with creams. And it is always so difficult to find good gel type moisturisers! So I kind of gave up on moisturisers and went straight to the Sleeping Masks and often switch between the Innisfree Green Tea Sleeping Mask, and the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask.
If you want to know whether what you're currently using will clog your pores, Acne Mantra has an awesome online tool called Skingredients that helps you check if the ingredients are comedogenic almost instantly.
Anyway, in the night, I usually just go straight to sleeping masks as they are less comedogenic than most cream moisturizers. Like I mentioned earlier, I have oily-combination skin so my pores tend to clog easily and do not react well with creams. And it is always so difficult to find good gel type moisturisers! So I kind of gave up on moisturisers and went straight to the Sleeping Masks and often switch between the Innisfree Green Tea Sleeping Mask, and the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask.
If you want to know whether what you're currently using will clog your pores, Acne Mantra has an awesome online tool called Skingredients that helps you check if the ingredients are comedogenic almost instantly.
9, SUNSCREEN
Sunscreen is very important! I cannot stress how important it is - Freckles appear due to sun damage and when freckles appear, it is so difficult to get rid of them so DO NOT FORGET YOUR SUNSCREEN. Most sunscreens are comedogenic, so please make sure to cleanse your face with a make up remover. I am currently using the Innisfree Daily UV protection stick with Calamine Tone Up and sometimes, the La Roche Posay Anthelios Anti Glare UV Spray.
10, ACNECARE
I do my spot treatments for acne last mainly because I prefer using Tea Tree Essential Oil Blend than any other commercial acne care serums you may find out there. If you are using the standard over the counter acne care serums, you should apply this before your sheet mask - somewhere around step 5 or 6. But, if like me, you prefer to use essential oils, your skin will react better if you use it at the final step. A Tea Tree/ Spearmint blend can be very strong and drying for your skin when you apply it directly. You would not want it getting near your eyes as you spread out your moisturiser. So not only is it safer, it is also better to moisturize and prep you skin before you apply such drying oils.
After writing all these, I am starting to think that I am not that lazy after all. Hahaha. And, I'm starting to sound like an Innisfree/ NeoGen ambassador because I am using so many of their products. But honestly, they are really good - for the price and for the value you get. All these products are also easily available through Lazada/ Qoo10, Sephora and Innisfree!
I guess the number of products I get through on a daily basis has not decreased - compared with the post written a few years back. But with better at-home skincare tips, you don't need to spend so much money at the beautician - which we all know costs ALOT! So, this pretty much sums it all. If you have any skincare tips you would like to share, let me know!
