My skincare routine (updated for post-acne skin)

I'm glad to announce that the crazy acne that attacked my face last year has officially stopped sprouting. What I'm left with are unsightly scars, but I'll rather handle the scars than more acne. Luckily, my concealer is quite heavy-duty so most of the time, the scars are unseen (except for those rough terrains, yes I have mo-peng areas. haiyah). 

These days I try not to use face primer/liquid foundation/BB Cream on my face. Just concealer on needed areas and then brush the areas over with my trusted ZA two-way foundation. I'm scared of clogging the pores and hence inviting acne again. This makeup routine is both good and bad. Good because it cuts down my application time and my skin actually doesn't feel so heavy. Bad because this hinders me from reviewing such products! :( Such a dilemma. I'll still apply the amazing Holika Holika BB Cream if the occasion calls for it though. 

I wear makeup almost every single day (I try to let it breathe during the weekends) and so removing them at the end of a long day is an extremely important step. For girls with oily skin, please please remove your makeup before you go to sleep. I was lazy to remove once (after a long mahjong session) and in the morning, I immediately noticed bumps. IT'S THAT FAST!! The mantra to remember is when you sleep and rest at night, you gotta let your pores breathe and rest as well! All that junk on your face suffocates your pores!! 

Therefore, I always make sure that my skincare routine is adapted to my skin condition. When I had crazy acne breakouts a few months ago, my skincare routine was very minimal. Cleanse with gentle cleanser, apply acne medication, then apply oil-free moisturizer and I was done. No masks whatsoever. Maybe the occasional exfoliating, but at most once a week. 

Now, my skin has cleared up and hence my skincare routine has been modified to keep acne away. I have been applying more moisturizing products too because the acne medication (both applied and taken orally) dried the heck out of my skin. 

Step 1: Removing the junk

• Nivea Daily Essentials Refreshing Cleansing Wipes 
• ZA Eye & Lip Makeup Remover

The Nivea wipes smell amazing and it does its job beautifully. I use the ZA one to remove stubborn waterproof mascara and eyeliner! 

Step 2: Cleansing

• Morning: VMV Hypoallergenics Spring Cleaning Oil Control Antibacterial Facial Scrub
• Night: Garnier Pure Active Multi-Action Scrub

Nowadays, I like to use cleansers that have some sort of scrubbing properties. They are not as harsh as exfoliators, but they ensure that any makeup that was not removed earlier is removed while cleansing! The VMV one is more gentle and contains less harsh chemicals (no salicylic acid) and so I use it in the morning because I don't have makeup on my face when I wake up. 

The Garnier one is a crazy effective cleanser. My skin cleared up faster after I started using Garnier. AMAZING. Cheap cheap also!! 

Step 3: Toning

• Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Cooling Toner
• VMV Hypoallergenics Superskin 1 Monolaurin + Mandelic Acid Toner
• Mentholatum Acnes Medicated Powder Lotion

Currently I alternate among these 3 products. The VMV one has a specific 8-week Application Frequency programme because it contains Active Treatment products. Basically that means that if I started using the VMV one twice a day from day one, there's a likelihood that my skin won't like the sudden surge of strong chemicals and hence allergies etc. may occur. The 8-week plan ensures that my skin slowly gets used to the product. I'm at week 7 now and so far so good! 

I use the Neutrogena one because I have ugly blackheads on my nose. =_= The Mentholatum one was included in the WKWSCI Exam Welfare Pack, so I'm trying it out haha. 

Step 4: Acne medication

• Galderma Benzac AC 2.5
• Mentholatum Acnes Medicated Sealing Jell
• VMV Hypoallergenics id Sweat Acne and Overall Anti-Bacterial Monolaurin Gel

The Galderma Benzac AC 25 has been a staple since my first visit to the dermatologist. It used to be really drying but I guess my skin got used to it. I use this twice a day on affected areas. 

Both the Mentholatum one and VMV one are becoming my "makeup primers" because they really keep my skin matte longer! I usually apply them before applying my makeup in the morning! 

Step 5: Eye creams

• Philosophy Hope in a Tube Eye and Lip Firming Cream
• Origins Plantscription Anti-ageing eye cream

Eye creams are a must for me now. Getting old means combating wrinkles early!! 

Step 6: Moisturizing

• VMV Hypoallergenics Spring Fresh Oil-Free Nourisher
• Clean & Clear Essentials Oil-Free Moisturiser

I use the Clean & Clear one in the morning because it's less heavy. The VMV one almost feels like a mask because of it's creamy consistency, so I apply it at night before resting! 

Three times a week: Exfoliating

• St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub

I swear by this product. It leaves my skin feeling SOOOOOOOOOOO clean. Regular (not excessive!) exfoliating is important because we need to get rid of dead skin cells that may clog your pores if not removed! I always look forward to my exfoliating session because my skin feels so smooth after that. Also, moisturizing is so much easier after exfoliating. The product gets sucked into the skin cells immediately. LOVE IT. 

However, please don't exfoliate too much. If you just started, maybe twice a week, then gradually work your way to thrice a week. You don't want to be scraping off your skin and making it ultra sensitive! 

Three times a week: Night Mask

• My Scheming Tea-tree Night Jelly

As said above, my moisturizer works doubly well after an exfoliating session. So I take the chance to nourish my skin more using a night mask! I love this one because it's moisturizing while protecting my skin from acne! 

And so, that's my skin routine. It may seem excessive to some of you, but it's important to take care of your skin from young. Some people are suited to the simple 3-step skincare or even just soap and water, but some people have skins that need extra attention!

Unless your dermatologist advises you to, don't stick to a certain skincare routine forever because as you age, your skin condition changes, hence your skincare routine has to change as well!

Hope this post is helpful! Have an amazing weekend guys! :)