cleanse

My Current Skin Care Routine: Back to Basics

Do you use your bath soap on your face too? Unless you’re using Dove body bar then I guess you’re familiar with that taut and dry feeling it will usually leave your skin. That has been my “skin care routine” for the last few years and at first I thought, “Wow. I don’t need a ton of products to keep my skin a-ok.” Then fastforward to now, took a close look on my face and definitely noticed a massive difference from how my skin used to be (I may just be getting old right). This got me saying, “What have I done?” Ever had that moment?

My biggest skin care issues are my nose area (which is now a house of blackheads) and the occasional bumps around the chin area which I have minimized since I started caring for my skin again. I also noticed some fine lines and wrinkles starting to creep on my eye area,forehead and laugh lines (this is what got completely freaking out). It may also be helpful to mention that I have an excessively sweaty face and the fact that I live in the Philippines (hot and humid) is real recipe for disaster. My nose is also prone to redness due to broken capillaries but I’m just happy that in general it doesn’t react horribly to skin care ingredients. I guess that means that my skin’s insensitivity may also be the reason why a lot of products will not usually be as effective on my face compared to other people.

no filter

closer than close

I used to be strict with my skin care regimen from highschool to college. My mantra was cleanse, tone, moisturize and yes I did get compliments on how my skin looked but as the years went by I got complacent. The three-step routine became a single step and sometimes I don’t even get to wash my face (just keeping it real) before my shut-eye when I’m just too tired. Now I’m hopping back to my old ways and I’m hoping that I can still save my skin from the abuse I had it go through. Here is my current skin care routine.

  1. Cleanse – A bath soap is truly harsh for the face. I’m lucky that I’m closest to a normal skin type. Any deviation (oily/dry/sensitive/combination) would’ve sent my skin running the other way. I’m currently using Etude’s Happy essential foam Collagen. I’m all about restoring my skin’s youth at the moment. I wash my face before sleep and of course upon waking up. Just to add, if ever I used any form of makeup I would use extra virgin olive oil as my makeup remover (works like a charm) before I suds up.  
  2. Tone – Using a toner has always been trivial to a lot of people but for me I do notice a difference when I skip this step. I don’t feel as fresh and as clean without it. Can’t believe I stopped using toners. I’m doing a review on Maxipeel’s skin purifier so that’s what I’m using right now (though it claims not to be a toner). I also tone my skin twice a day after washing my face. 
  3. Moisturize – If you can live without toners that’s fine but I think all of us need some form of moisturizer if we want our skin to maintain its youth as long as it can. This is the motherload of nutrients for the face (if you’re not using serums) and what really helped bring life to my lackluster skin. I really love it when my skin looks dewy and moisturizers help me achieve that. I’m using two kinds of moisturizers for day and night whice are AVON’s Glutathione Whitening Face Cream (read my review here) and iWhite’s Aqua Moisturizer respectively. Aside from glowing youthful skin, I also want to bring back my fairer skin tone. My skin got somewhat darker as the years passed so brightening it is helpful for me though not a top priority. Its not a requirement to use seperate moisturizers it’s just that day creams would usually have SPF with them and that’s helpful when you want to skip on sunblocks on lazy days. 
  1. Sun Protection – Can’t stress enough how important it is to use sunscreens (read my post here). Even when I was not taking care of my skin fully, I try not to forget about this. I have a lot of broken capillaries on my face and I would easily feel a burn around my nose when I’m out in the sun, this is what helped me minimize these things from getting worse. I’m currently using AVON’s Anew White SPF 50++++ 

I’m not saying that these are the golden rules of skin care. Some people have simpler routines, some have more complex regimens. What matters is finding what works for you (skin type) and your lifestyle (priorities, routines,budget). My skin feels and looks better now so I’m planning to keep my routine and bring it close to its former glory.

All of the products mentioned are not sponsored and they’re bought by me. Note that they may not work as well as they work for me since we have different skin composition.I personally have a normal skin type which can get a little oily during summer or a little dry during colder seasons so the products I use are definitely subject to change.

Will try to post a review of all the products mentioned and will update this post once I have done so. What’s your skin care routine? Any comments or suggestions for me? Will love to see your response.