Lovely.
But towards the end of college, after the worst breakup of my life with the worst guy to ever grace this planet, I dedicated myself to changing my image. I had barely worn makeup or even painted my nails until that point, so I immersed myself in stalking skincare forums, following makeup blogs, and watching tutorials on Youtube. I learned that Asian skin and facial features are unique, and there's specific techniques which highlight the natural beauty of those features. I already knew this about Asian hair, so I don't know why I didn't assume the same for Asian faces. :P But even more importantly, I discovered that I had dry skin, not oily as I had originally thought. In high school, I had tried ALL of the drugstore products marketed specifically to teens, and those products happened to be laden with extremely harsh chemicals. I abused my poor skin with these products for years, which caused it to produce even more oil and acne.
There was a happy ending though! I quickly saw drastic improvements as I took better care of my skin and found products which were properly suited to my skintype. And with the improvements, I was able to recognize that my skin was highly sensitive to water, of all things. If the water is too hard or poorly filtered, I develop those red, angry, painful cystic pimples all over my face and back. Yuck. But otherwise my skin is relatively clear, yay! :)
1. Cleansing:
Clean & Clear Daily Pore Cleanser is my daily facial cleanser of choice. I've tried soooooo many different facial cleansers, from high-end to low, and I just keep coming back to this one. It has tiny beads for very gentle exfoliation, and it can clean off makeup very well. Plus, you just can't beat the price at $5 (even less with coupons)!
B&C AHA Oil Cleanser is the best oil cleanser I've ever used. It has a very light, pleasant citrus scent and cleans even the most stubborn of waterproof mascara with less than a pea-sized amount. And it's so CHEAP! The only catch is that you have to get it from Asia. :P
2. Pampering & Moisturizing:
Royal Essence Bulgarian Rose Water is such an unnecessary yet luxurious product. I would consider it relatively inexpensive since I'm only halfway through this bottle after almost 4 years! (FYI: Apparently rose water is supposed to be kept cool and does expire, but I'm still happily using my unrefrigerated half-decade-old rose water lol.) I use it to set my makeup, to refresh my skin when I feel gross, and to stimulate my skin after showering. Just remember to look for REAL rose hydrosol, not water that's been mixed with rose essential oil.
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Toner is my HG toner. I hope she never discontinues it, I wouldn't know what to do! Many people debate about whether or not toner actually provides any benefits, but in my personal experience, toner is absolutely necessary for my skin. I'm not exactly sure why, but I would imagine that it's likely because toner gets rid of any remaining traces of dirt and cleanser residue. My skin is a clean-freak!
Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Cream is a product I found only recently. But a consistent 2 months of usage has earned it a place as my absolute favorite drugstore moisturizer. It's a pretty heavy cream, but it leaves my skin oh-so-soft and well-moisturized. There's a faint scent of butter (mmmmm butter~), but I'd take that any day over crazy perfumed products, like the Lancome or Estee Lauder products my umma uses. If I could afford it, I'd prefer Korres Yogurt Cream... but alas I am very very poor. Anyway, this Eucerin stuff has got rave reviews all over the web, so I would highly recommend checking it out, especially at a price of around $10 for 1.7oz!
Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Cream is also what I use as my eye cream. Yes, the same exact product serves as both my facial moisturizer and my eye cream. There's a lot of talk that the best moisturizers are the ones which can be used on the very delicate skin around the eyes. Personally I don't necessarily agree with that claim, but I do believe that this particular product is safe as an eye cream. I use a super thin layer around my eyes, and I've been very satisfied with how its moisturizing my eye area. Eucerin, this is an epic WIN! :D
3. Makeup:
Cleansia BB Cream is the bb cream I'm currently using. Basically bb cream feels lighter than foundation and gives better coverage than tinted moisturizer, and similar to foundation, different bb creams offer different benefits, colors, and finishes. This one works well enough, but I prefer Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm Gold Label. However, the bb cream market really seems to have blown up in the past several years, so it looks like there's a million bb creams I haven't yet tried!
Maybelline Pure Concealer Stick in Light is an excellent concealer. I originally bought it because it contains 2% salicylic acid and claims to fight acne, but unfortunately I haven't seen a difference in the 5 years I've been using it. I do love the medium-to-heavy coverage, and the thin applicator makes it very easy to work with. And it's great for your purse because it's so light! I actually stockpiled 10 of these when CVS had a B1G1 sale a couple years ago, and now I'm regretting not purchasing a whole case because it's been discontinued! Damn you Maybelline! >_<
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And I'll leave you with a complimentary photo of my sassy little girl. I don't know where she learned to set her jaw like that, but I think it's hilarious! She knows exactly how cute she is, and she ain't afraid to work it! xD
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| Little pink DIVA on a mission to kill you with her cuteness! |
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