Hello everyone! Today I’ll be talking about the Top Skincare Products I Can't Live Without!!
As you may or may not know, I am a total skincare junkie. I used to have perfect skin, but puberty kicked in when I was in Form 3 and I didn’t know anything about taking care of my skin. It got more damaged to the point where I had painful acne and a lot of acne scars.
But! I educated myself, found out about Korean skincare routines and products, and here I am today! I still don’t have perfect skin. I'm usually hidden behind the mask of photoshop (and most recently, makeup) but my skin right now is so much better than it was and I’m an overall happier person. Knowing how to take care of my skin helped to build up my self image and confidence!
So without further ado, here are my top 6 skincare products that I absolutely cannot live without!
PS. I have a video up on YouTube as well! Please do watch it and if you like it remember to thumbs up and subscribe ^^
Cleansing is the first and most basic step to getting clean and clear skin. Cleansing removes all the dirt that has accumulated the whole day and I don’t wear makeup on a daily basis but if you do, I suggest makeup removal to be your first step before cleansing.
I love cleansing, especially after a long day at college or outside with my friends because I get re-energized and my skin just feels fresher! I love love love Etude House’s AC Clinic Daily Cleanser and it's perfect for people with acne and oily skin like me because it:
1. Gets rid of excess sebum and oil
2. Calms acne and soothes skin
3. Doesn’t block pores and cause more acne
HOW TO USE
1. Get rid of hair – pin or tie it up!
2. Use warm water to open your pores to wash out accumulated dirt
3. Use 1cm of product and create a lather with your hands
4. Wash in upward circular motion
5. Follow with toner afterwards
USE A FACIAL CLEANSING BRUSH!
Using a facial cleansing brush (like this Pobling Pore Sonic Cleanser brush I have) can really up your face cleansing game! Facial cleansing brushes can:
- Help clean your skin better
- Help exfoliate and get rid of dead skin cells
- Help with skin turnover and collagen production
DON'T USE A TOWEL TO DRY YOUR FACE!
If you have acne prone skin like me, using a towel to dry your face might cause breakouts. This is because your towel has fibers which can have dust and dirt in it even if you just washed it. After cleansing I usually dry my face by wiping it with a cotton pad.
First things first, what is an essence? An essence is a product which is more lightweight and has a thinner consistency than a serum. Its considered to be the most important step in Korean skincare. My favourite essence so far is Missha's The First Treatment Essence as it affects the skin on a cellular level and helps with the skin's elasticity and firmness. It also helps all your other skincare products absorb better!
HOW TO USE
1. Take 2-3 drops of essence onto your palms
2. Press your palms to your face until you feel that you skin sticks to your palms
1. Take 2-3 drops of essence onto your palms
2. Press your palms to your face until you feel that you skin sticks to your palms
TIP #3
MAKE YOUR OWN MASK!
Want to give your skin that extra power boost? Why not turn your essence into a face mask? I learned this neat trick from one of my beauty idols Michelle Phan and Japanese skincare guru Chizu Saeki, and its one of my favourite ways to give my skin that extra radiance that it needs.
STEP 1: Soak a cotton pad with 10-12 drops of your essence.
STEP 2: Peel your cotton pad into two or three layers (depending on how thick you cotton pad is)
STEP 3: Apply the thin sheet on your skin for 15-20 minutes
As said by Michelle Phan and beauty consultants that I’ve met, you can never be too young for eye care. The eyes are one of the first areas of our faces that show age, but you can slow down time by using an eye cream or an eye gel!
Usually for any kind of moisturizer, I would select a gel type product because my skin type is oily and works better with gel type products. For eye products, however, I suggest ALL young people (aged 18 to about...25?) to use an eye gel. The main reason you are using an eye product at this age is to prevent wrinkles and not to actually get rid of it (because you don't even have them yet).
HOW TO USE
The pic above is for illustration purposes only hahaha. I usually:
1. Take a veeeery small pea sized amount
2. Split it between my two ring fingers
3. Dab on under eye area
I only apply my eye gel occasionally as a preventive measure (I'm planning to use it more when I hit 20, OMG I'm getting old). I love love love Laneige's Water Bank Eye Gel! It's light enough for the day and it energizes my eyes. At night its the perfect soothing gel for my eyes as well. Although a bit pricey, a little goes a long way and this product is definitely a good investment for slowing down time.
The pic above is for illustration purposes only hahaha. I usually:
1. Take a veeeery small pea sized amount
2. Split it between my two ring fingers
3. Dab on under eye area
I only apply my eye gel occasionally as a preventive measure (I'm planning to use it more when I hit 20, OMG I'm getting old). I love love love Laneige's Water Bank Eye Gel! It's light enough for the day and it energizes my eyes. At night its the perfect soothing gel for my eyes as well. Although a bit pricey, a little goes a long way and this product is definitely a good investment for slowing down time.
TIP #4
APPLY EYE PRODUCT TO YOUR ORBITAL BONE AREA!
You should avoid putting the eye product too close to you eye because the product will move around after being heated by your body temperature. This also means that you only need a bit of product!
TIP #5
DAB, DON'T DRAG!
The skin around your eyes is very gentle, so remember not to drag your fingers when you apply the product! You don't want to stretch the skin under your eyes/give yourself early wrinkles!
As I mentioned, I have a lot of post acne scars and spot correctors are the perfect products for fading those. Designed for acne scars (and its in a gel type too!), The Face Shop Cleanface Spot Corrector has been somewhat of a best friend of mine for the past few months.
I used to be very frustrated and impatient when I first started using scar gels. I wanted instant and dramatic results. I learned that the best way to getting rid of those pesky scars is:
1. Religious usage
Apply it without getting lazy! If you stop then it's not going to work!
2. Patience
Patience is important while waiting for results. A firm belief that everything will be better is important!
TIP #6
RUB SPOT GEL IN A CIRCULAR MOTION!
I find that the best way for the product to be absorbed and for the scars to fade faster is to take a very small amount and rub in on the scar in a circular motion for 20 seconds both at day and at night. You need a lot of discipline to not get lazy if you want results!
I have been an ultra fan of serums ever since I found out about them. Serums are designed to be jam packed with vitamins and each serum is designed for a specific cause (aka brightening, moisturizing, etc.)
One of my favourite serum series would be It's Skin's Power 10 Formula Serum series. I'm currently using the YE Effector and it's been amazing so far. The YE stands for Yeast and this serum targets to promote cell growth. There are other nice ones that I've tried like the VC Effector (Vitamin C for brightening) and WH (which stands for whitening).
HOW TO USE
1. Dot a drop of serum on your forehead, your cheeks, your nose and your chin
2. Spread in a circular motion until absorbed
TIP #7
LAYER MULTIPLE SERUMS!
As I said, serums are specifically designed for a specific purpose. If you want more than one benefit, you can of course layer your serums! Layering is an important concept in Korean skincare routines where you go from the lightest consistency to the thickest. If you want to layer your serums, just apply the thinnest one first, wait about 2 minutes and apply the next.
Moisturizing is important, especially for people with oily skin. You might think that "my skin is already oily, I don't need more moisture!". Well that's where you're wrong! Oil does not equal moisture, and it actually means that you need more moisture. One of the reasons why there is excess sebum production in oily skin is because the skin does not have enough moisture and produces oil. This problematic oil then goes on to be your pimples/acne.
One of the best moisturizers I've tried so far is Nature Republic's Soothing & Moisture Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel. Its quite a popular product, and rightly so! It not only doubles as a soothing mask, it can also be used on your hair, elbows and knees!
TIP #8
YOUR SOLUTION TO LAZINESS
YOUR SOLUTION TO LAZINESS
Whenever I feel lazy with doing skincare, this gel mask is my one-stop solution. After washing and toning my face I apply this and I'm done! It's ultra cooling and it's not uncomfortable at all to have on my face while I carry out my day at home or as a sleeping mask at the end of a tiring day.
TIP #9
PIMPLE S.O.S!
This is also really great for dealing with freshly popped pimples! I know, you shouldn't pop pimples but sometimes the temptation is too much! When a pimple is freshly popped, you can't apply pimple cream because it'll hurt and end up making more damage. Aloe gel helps seal the would extra fast, and usually my open wounds are closed the next day when I wake up.
Click here to read my previous review of this product.
*As a bonus, here's one of my ultimate idols Tiffany from SNSD talking about the stuff she usually packs while travelling. Spot the famous aloe gel!*
And those were the top 6 skincare products that I can't live without!
Anyways, one of the key helpers to me achieving better skin is Hermo.my! If you live in Malaysia (or even Singapore) I’m sure you’ve already heard of them.
Anyways, one of the key helpers to me achieving better skin is Hermo.my! If you live in Malaysia (or even Singapore) I’m sure you’ve already heard of them.
Hermo.my is Malaysia’s leading beauty e-commerce website and I found out about them in 2014 through my friend Caryn. She offered to buy me skincare products and asked me to choose from Hermo.my’s HUGE selection. I’ve never looked back ever since! Back then I was really impressed with their large selection of Korean skincare products, can you believe that there’s even more selection today? No joke, 9 out of 10 times I would buy my skincare products on Hermo.my because:
1. It’s so much cheaper than buying in the store and there's products on sale every day!
2. They have a very wide selection, some brands/products can’t be found in malls!
3. Delivery is super fast! My products usually arrive in 2-3 days!
The other 1 out of 10 would probably because I’m a loose cannon and can’t be controlled when I’m out shopping XD If you have the time, do compare the prices in store and online, I’m sure you’ll be surprised how much you can save! I actually bought most of the products that I've reviewed on this blog on their site ^^
All the products I mentioned in this post are available on Hermo.my! If you're interested in purchasing any of them or knowing more details, click on the pictures below and you'll be redirected!
If you're a first time Hermo.my customer, click here for a RM15 voucher!
And click here to read my reviews of more of my fave skincare products!
As always, thanks for reading!
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