2014 SKINCARE ROUTINE

*UPDATE: this post is now obsolete as I have upgraded my skincare routine*

Hello my lovely readers! (if there are any at all haha). in this post I’ll be talking about my daily skincare routine, both day and night! I don’t have perfect skin and i suffer a lot from acne and acne scars. I didn’t have acne until I was in Form 2, and that was when I started breaking out like crazy. I had a lot of pimples and I popped all of them. Literally, if I saw a pimple I would go ahead and pop it. At that time I didn’t know what acne scars were. I was young and stupid T.T now I still have a few pimples, but recently I’m mostly concerned with fading acne scars.

i don't think i'll be posting just one post, what with changing products and new stuff/techniques, so from this post onwards, it will be a series! ^^ since this is the first post i won't have any comparison photos yet, so stay tuned!

I’m very interested in skincare, but when I first started taking care of my face, I was too enthusiastic and bought too many products *which I just piled on top of my face, thinking that I would have perfect skin afterwards*. Now I know the proper steps to cleaning and skincare, and I've seen some promising results! I still have acne here and there, but I attribute that to my hormones *I’m still young anyway*. By sticking to a skincare routine, I reduce the effects of my acne and the appearance of scars~

Common misconceptions made by people *including myself* are:

1. One product can solve all your problems

2. Using a lot of products will solve your problems

Using only one product may be enough for some people with naturally perfect skin *darn them*, but for acne prone skin, one product is definitely not enough. That doesn’t mean though that you need to buy a hell lot of products and put them on your face. Sticking to a routine, knowing the proper steps and knowing what products work for your skin are the most important steps in skincare. Everyone has different skin, so it’s important to know what YOU need and what products work for YOU.

After a few years of testing products, I THINK I know what I’m doing. So far I like the results that I’ve gotten. They’re not mind-blowing or anything, but they ARE a step for the better. It’s really hard to be confident about yourself when you see a lot of people with better skin than you, but another important step is to be positive and to know that it will get better :) i'm very hopeful that one day, my skin will finally be good enough for me not to edit it lol

#SKINGOALS

So without further ado, here’s my morning routine!

1. Cleanser

When I wake up in the morning there isn’t really a lot of dirt on my face *just a bit of oil*, so I usually wash my face lightly. I used to use facial foam cleansers, and I still use them time to time, but recently I’ve been using a facial soap.

The facial soap that I’m currently using is Dr. Kaufmann’s Medicated Sulfur Soap. So far it has killed my pimples and leaves my skin super clean. I usually massage it for a minute on my face and just leave it on for the rest of my shower and rinse it off last.

Other facial washes that I’ve found to be nice are The Face Shop’s Migamsu cleanser + their Herb Day line of cleansers. The clean up pretty well, the only reason I’m using Dr. Kauffman is because the face soap is aimed towards treating common skin problems like acne.

2. Toner

After washing your face, some dirt might still be left. That’s where the toner comes in. In the morning since I don’t have a lot of dirt on my skin I usually skip using a toner and use a skin lotion instead. I’ve been using Hada Labo’s Shirojyun Arbutin Whitening Lotion. 

the one on the left is the whitening lotion *the solution is kinda like a toner* and the one on the right is a moisturizer *the solution is kinda like a milky lotion* 

i actually first tried this product when i was at Watsons and they had a started pack that only cost RM19.90. the started kit consists of a foaming cleanser *which i don't use*, the skin lotion and the milky moisturizer. the starter kit comes in 30ml sizes *which are quite small* and last me about a month. i bought one and LOVED it, so i bought 2 more starter kits. they have two lines, one for hydrating and one for whitening. i went for the whitening one and i have noooo regrets. it actually has the same hyaluronic stuff inside but with ARBUTIN, so it has whitening purposes too. 

It’s basically a skin lotion that you pat it onto your skin. Here’s a video on how to apply it:

Apply it to the skin by patting the solution onto your skin till your skin sticks to your hands.


Hada Labo actually has a 170ml bottle but it costs RM49.90. after doing the math:

90ml = RM60
170ml = RM50 

i decided to buy the 170ml bottle. to my surprise, Hada Labo now had twin packs that cost RM74.80! what's more is that when i went to buy it, i found out that Watsons had a promotion and it was selling for RM 52.36! it was just crazy! so i now have 2 bottles that i bought for the price of one ^^

Hada Labo is a really popular brand here in Asia and a lot of people love it *including Bubzbeauty*. they i noticed that they have new "rich" lotions available because when i went to Watsons, there were 2 products that looked exactly the same except for their packaging.

 

the one on the left *with the blue label* is the one that i usually use and the one on the right *with the red label* is the new rich lotion.

I’ve been LOVING this product. My skin feels super hydrated after applying this! ^^ later i'll be talking about how to make the most out of this product at night~

3. Serum

This is a step that i’ve only recently added to my routine. A serum is basically something that is jam packed with stuff that’s good for your skin. On my birthday my bff Caryn let me go on a skin care shopping spree on Hermo.my *bless her soul, she’s too damn nice*, and I got myself two bottles of serum. The first one i’m trying is It’s Skin’s Power 10 Formula VC Skin Effector *the other one I got but haven’t used is the WH Effector*.

Two drops is more than enough for the whole face. I just pat it on like the skin lotion. The VC Skin Effector smells really lemony and nice. Since I’ve only just started using it I haven’t seen any immediate results, but I haven’t been getting any major breakouts and my skin always feels nice afterwards so yeah~ I don’t apply serum every day though, only on days when I feel fancy hahaha~ i've been using the VC effector for 2 weeks and i can see that it has helped make my dark spots fade. its a bit thick and smells like lemons omgggg. this week i started using the WH effector and i gotta say i kinda like the VC effector more :O its is thinner and a bit like a skin lotion and smells like...nothing lol

4. Day Cream/Sunblock

Sunblock is a must to protect the skin from the sun. I use Garnier’s Light Complete Multi-action Whitening Cream after serum. 

It has SPF 15 PA+ and I know that SPF 25 and PA+++ are recommended, but it’s all I have at the moment. It’s easily applied on the skin but it gives off a dewy effect. Once I apply it actually makes my face look healthy/dewy hahaha. I bet the effect would be so much better if I had less acne scars T.T i bought this over normal sunblock because it has more effects and has SPF anyway, but i might buy sunblock the next time~

5. Moisturizer

To lock moisture plus all the stuff that I’ve put on my face, I use a moisturizer last. I’ve been using Hada Labo’s Shirojyun Arbuting Whitening Milk and it’s okay~ 

its the one on the right with the pink label

i sometimes get lazy and skip this step because the skin lotion makes me feel like my skin is hydrated enough…but using it is probably better~

6. Acne Treatment

For my trouble spots, I use OXY’s Acne Medication Cream in 10. 

10% Benzoyl Peroxide is a high concentration so if you have sensitive skin, 5% is usually better. This product is really dries the skin/pimples and makes soon to be pimple either disappear or…ripen. lol is that word appropriate?

To fade scars, I use Anti-pimple mark gel. 

It doesn’t do overnight miracles but HAS faded some of my scars, so it does work. I have older and deeper scars though, and they aren’t going anywhere…if i get the time/money, I might invest in bleaching cream or qiu my mum to take me for another round of laser treatment. I went once and I my face peeled so much. It worked though, but only a bit. Now that I have slightly better skin, I wonder if it will work better…?

BONUS: Oil Removal

my skin is naturally oily and i AM looking at and trying oil reducing products, but so far no results :O i usually get rid of excess oil only my face by using oil wipes. Clean & Clear's oil wipes are pretty legit. my face is so oily that i usually have to use 2-3 sheets T.T

After a long day of classes and going out with my friends, it’s time to go through my night routine!

1. Cleanser

Since there’s more dirt on my face, I either wash/massage my face for longer with Dr. Kaufmann’s face soap or do double cleansing. I usually do this by washing my face with a foam cleanser followed by the face soap.

2. Toner

To remove excess dirt that’s still on the skin, I use a toner to wipe them all away. I’m using a Master toner that’s from the Philippines, but I’m just finishing it up because I really want a new toner lol. It’s effective though~ after toner I apply my Hada Labo skin lotion~ A neat trick that I’ve learned is from Japan’s #1 skin guru Chizu Saeki, which is her Lotion Mask technique. Check out the video below to find out how to do this super easy trick that really lets your skin absorb the skin lotion.

i figured it would be nice to upload a picture of me doing it to prove that i actually DO it, so here you go: don't judge lol

i've also been using this technique with lemon to make a lemon mask~

3. Mask

This is optional, but since the skin repairs itself during the night, it will be more sensible to give it more stuff at this time. Whenever I decide to do this step I will use one of the following masks:

Lemon mask

Soak a cotton square into lemon juice (you might want to dilute it if it’s too strong for your skin*. Apply for 10-20 minutes.

Honey lemon mask

Mix a teaspoon of honey and half a lemon and apply onto face for 10-20 minutes.

Lemon sugar scrub

Take half a lemon and sugar + use it to scrub your face. Let the sugar create a sort of mask and wash it off after 10-20 minutes.

Normal face pack.

I usually buy face masks from The Face Shop/Etude House and they work wonders~

Clay mask
I recently bought ZA's True White Exfoliating Clay and its quite nice. it exfoliates, gets rid of dead skin and makes my skin really soft, but it doesn't work that well with blackheads :O it gets rid of some but not all of them~ it also came with an essence and its so hard to get it out of the bottle T.T

I also use a soy firming mask from The Face Shop that I got from my mum. I’ve been meaning to get a clay mask but I haven’t found one T.T

Another new step that I’ve added to my mask step *lol step inception yo* is that before I apply one, I steam my face to open up my pores.

4. Serum

Same stuff, to give the skin boosters and good stuff~

5. Moisturizer

To seal whatever you’ve applied onto your skin and to give your skin moisture.

6. Acne Treatment

To deal with trouble spots.

So that’s it! I try to stick to this routine as much as I can, but there are days when I do skin fasting. Skin fasting is when you don’t apply anything to your skin for 1 whole day. I usually do this on days when I don’t go out. This is good for the skin because by using too many stuff, the skin loses its ability to produce natural oils, so by doing this, the skin tries to repair itself in a way~

Another thing that i'm trying is drinking lots and lots of water~

Since this routine of mine is quite new I’ve seen minimal results, but I expect more from it in the future. I’ll update in the future, so please look forward to it! ^^

Thanks for reading this long post! Let’s all pray that I get better skin hahaha