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! :)

Review: Majiami Whitening Eye Jelly and My Scheming Teatree Night Jelly

Lot 1's SASA was having a wipeout sale roughly a month ago and I couldn't resist the too-good-to-be-true prices. Masks were going at $0.99 (even those obscure indie-brand ones) and toiletries were going at 3 for S$someridiculousprice. 

I bought some usual toiletries like shampoo, body wash etc, but my star purchases should be these items:

• Majiami Whitening Eye Jelly (S$10, retailed for S$19.90)
• My Scheming Teatree Night Jelly (S$10, retailed for S$24.90)

Both products were made in Taiwan. 

Review: Majiami Whitening Eye Jelly (30ml)

It's an interesting product because it's not an eye gel, but more of an eye mask consistency. You know those under eye mask sheets? This is the jelly version, and you are supposed to apply it to sleep.

According to the packaging, there are three recommended timings to apply the product: after skincare routine, before going to bed, or anytime during the day when your eyes feel tired.

This advice sounds intriguing, but if you realise, they are actually trying to tell you that you can apply the product any time of the day. =__=

Nevertheless, main ingredients in the product are:

• Eyeliss, E 2, Eyeseryl, Biophytex LS 8740

It comes in a cute dainty blue packaging, which holds 30ml of product. This is quite a change from the usual eye gels/creams that come in a tube packaging.

Application (from SASA.com):

1. Apply in the evening after cleansing and toning the face or before sleep. Evenly apply a proper amount to the eye contour. You may also apply a proper amount to the eye contour in the daytime to soothe and moisturize.
2. Gently press with fingertips for better absorption. 

I find that tapping/gently pressing the applied area helps any eye product work better. I guess it has got to do with blood circulation and all that jazz. 

The jelly itself is clear and its consistency parallels aloe vera gel.

The thing that I really like about this product is that it has cooling properties. When I applied it on both my under-eye areas, the soothing and cooling sensation actually made the entire first-time experience better. I love any products that give such an effect.

However, the stickiness of the eye jelly even after massaging the product in needs some getting used to. I think it's because this is more of a mask, rather than the usual cream, and so it's not supposed to be that easily absorbed so that it can work its magic throughout your sleeping time.

Then again, how does one use this product and get rid of the stickiness when using it in the daytime? My makeup will be ruined. Yikes.

I highly suggest application to be strictly before bed time.

So does the Majiami Whitening Eye Jelly deliver?

• Yes, it does. Usually after taking off my eye makeup, the area around my eyes will be quite sensitive and red. After application of this product, the redness reduced and the area wasn't so sore anymore. Also, I woke up the next morning with relatively better under-eye condition nowadays, even on days when I rest my eyes for less than 5 hours. 

Review: My Scheming Teatree Night Jelly (60ml)

I was drawn to this product because I have used masks from this brand before and they were quite good. The brand's name in english ("My Scheming") sounds highly dubious, but I shan't comment further because LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PRODUCT INSTEAD!

Main ingredients (from SASA.com):

• 【Tea Tree Extract】has anti-bacterial, anti-allergenic, anti-inflammatiory, healing and anti-mould virtues.
• 【Saccharide Isomerate】locks in moisture and acts as a lubricant.
• 【Green Tea Extract】fights free radicals and has an antioxidant virtue.
• 【Sodium Hyaluronate】strongly hydrates.
• 【Chamomile Extract】has anti-inflammatory, itching-relieving, disinfecting virtues, and soothes allergy.

It's similar to the Majiami Whitening Eye Jelly because this product is also in a jelly form. You use it for your entire face instead of your eye area.

According to SASA.com:

"My Scheming Tea Tree Night Jelly provides hydration and repair at night. The jelly relieves dry and 

dehydrated skin and leaves skin watery and lustrous. It comforts tender skin, relieves oily skin, and 

increases the pores’ degree of cleanliness."

I LOL-ed at the last point on increasing the pores' degree of cleanliness. However, I do agree that tea tree does have that effect!

It comes in a standard packaging that looks very poorly made (the description paper was glued on the container rather badly).

It's very nice of the company to include a small scoop (usually only high-end products provide such meticulousness). The scoop is really helpful when you have almost exhausted the amount of product in the container. No need to worry about the product getting caught in between your finger and nail (for those with long fingernails), the scoop will scrape the last bits out for you. It's very hygienic too!

As like all tea-tree products, this jelly is green in colour. The product also has that signature tea-tree smell and it's quite strong, so for those who hates the smell of tea-tree, you might want to skip this product altogether.

Application (from SASA.com):

1. After cleansing the whole face, evenly apply a proper amount to the entire face, avoiding eyes and lips areas.
2. Leave on for 15 – 20 minutes before rinsing off. Or leave it on overnight and rinse off after waking up.
3. For a quick relief of dry and dehydrated skin, apply an amount 2 to 3 times the normal amount to cleansed face, avoiding eyes and lips areas. Leave the thick layer on for 20 – 30 minutes before rinsing off.

I do not advise rinsing it off after 15-20 minutes because leaving it on overnight simply is better. I believe, many of my readers sleep in an air-conditioned room and that's the main reason why you shouldn't rinse it off (unless of course, you are feeling eeky about the stickiness and can't fall asleep because of that). 

Also, please do apply your night moisturiser after this mask, especially if you want to get rid of the sticky factor. It's a common misconception that people with oily skin should not apply as much moisturiser as those with normal/dry skin. HIGHLY WRONG. No matter what type of skin you are categorised under, you still need moisturising, and all skin types need AMPLE amount of moisturising, especially those that sleep in A/C rooms! The only difference will be that those with oily skin should avoid moisturisers that have oil as an ingredient. My current moisturiser is oil free, but still provides enough moisture for my oily skin. 

Anyway, back to the topic of the My Scheming Night Jelly, I tried step number 3 once and actually it works for my skin too. After facials, my skin will be highly sensitive due to extractions and also my skin will start to peel off to make way for new skincells. This product really helps to soothe the dry, after-facial skin and actually accelerated the healing process. BRAVO. 

Do I recommend My Scheming Teatree Night Jelly?

• Yes, I highly recommend it! The tea-tree in it helps to control oil and prevent breakouts. The jelly texture is very soothing on the skin and the cooling sensation makes it all better. I wouldn't recommend using this every night, especially for those with oily skin, but 3-4 times a week will be more than sufficient. This is definitely a staple in my current skincare regime!