When I first met most of my friends from college, and from work, the one question that almost everyone of them asked was: “What do you put on your face?” or “How do you take care of your skin?”
Before, I only use toner at the end of each day because I always thought that why do I need to put a lot of those products on my face when my skin’s really not acne-prone, anyway? That’s where I’m wrong. Some two or three years ago, I came to the realization that despite not having pimples, I have a mildly dry skin. So I started researching about what products to use, which brand works, etc.
As the years passed by, product after product was added to my skin care routine. It’s kind of addicting, actually, taking care of your skin. It’s also somewhat relaxing, for me at least. I enjoy alone times in my bedroom while applying the products included in my routine. With that, I’m going to share with you guys the step-by-step skin care routine that I follow every day.
Now, before we dive into the steps of the actual skin care routine, here are some of the products that I use while I’m bathing:
Originally, I was using Etude House’s Baking Powder Pore Cleansing Foam and Berry AHA Bright Peel, but since all the Etude House branches near me has closed, I did a couple of research on products that I could replace them with. I found Innisfree’s Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam and Jeju Volcanic Pore Scrub Foam (which I use twice a week). The other two bottles in the photo are freebies when I bought their Jeju Volcanic products! ☻
For my body, I use an organic whitening soap — because my skin really got dark when we went to Malaysia last year and I don’t think my color’s been back since — and A Bonne’s Spa Milk Salt (which is included in the photo below). I’m really in love with the scent of the Spa Milk Salt, too bad they don’t have a soap to match this product (or is there but I am not aware of it?).
Now, for my after-bath skin care — I do two sets of skin care routines a day: Daytime and Nighttime.
Daytime Regimen
I believe that the morning skin care routine is all about protecting our skin from the sun, pollution, and other elements that can easily harm our skin.
1. Cleanser
In the morning, it is important to refresh your skin by washing your face with lukewarm water, or better yet, use a cleanser for your skin type. In this case, after bathing, I apply Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water.
2. Toner
I’ve heard a lot of people skip toners because they believe that most toners are harsh and may easily irritate the skin. Although that may be true in some cases, the solution for that issue is to find the right toner for your skin type. To be able to take care of your skin, you must first learn your skin type and what may cause you break outs, dryness, etc.
I use Eskinol for my face — I’ve tried other toners before, but I get a pimple or two whenever I do so. So I decided to just stick with Eskinol. Again, we all have different skin types, so Eskinol might not work for your skin as much as it works for mine.
3. Aloe Vera Soothing Gel
I have dry skin and using moisturize alone doesn’t really work for me, so I apply Nature Republic’s Aloe Vera Soothing Gel first and let my skin absorb it for a few minutes (but not to the point that it’s dried off). It’s also really refreshing to use especially in the summer as the gel feels cool when applied to the face.
Trivia: Aloe Vera Soothing Gel can also be applied to other parts of your body (e.g., knees, elbows, etc). I also read an article where they apply it to burnt parts of the skin as it helps lighten the burn. I haven’t tried it yet, but there’s no harm in trying.
4. Moisturizer
One of the most common mistakes made by people with oily skin is the thought that because they have oily skin they do not need to apply moisturizer anymore, but that’s not true. Even when our body has its own natural sebum, we still need to add extra hydration especially with the unpredictable weather condition.
The reason why I do not let the Aloe Vera Soothing Gel to completely dry off is that experts say that the perfect time to apply moisturizer is when our skin is still damp. So after a minute or two of applying the aloe vera gel, I apply my moisturizer. I’ve tried a lot of moisturizers, but the one that best works for my skin are St. Ives’ moisturizers. Currently, I’m using St. Ives Renewing Collagen & Elastin.
5. Sunscreen
The most important step in my morning regimen is applying sunscreen as it protects our skin by blocking UV rays. I’ve read somewhere that even when you’re staying at home for the weekend, you should still apply sunscreen as UV rays still enter through windows. It may not be directly hitting your skin but it still does.
For this, I use Biore Aqua Rich Watery Essence when I’m just at home and Biore UV Perfect Milk when I’m going out.
Nighttime Regimen
It is said that our skin naturally repairs itself at night, so my nighttime regimen is all about treatment.
1. Cleanser
Of course, the most important part of your nighttime regimen is getting rid of the dirt, oil, and makeup. It is also best to use a makeup remover before cleansing. As for me, I do not apply makeup everyday but when I do, I use Biore’s Makeup Remover Cleansing Oil before taking a bath.
After bathing, I use my Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water to cleanse the dirt and oil that remained on my skin.
2. Toners
I use the same toner that I use in the morning and apply it the same way.
Some people also liked adding a little layer or essences or boosters which is perfectly fine. I don’t use any of it, though.
3. Face Mask
I apply hydrating face masks on my face and let it stay for about 20 to 30 minutes. It’s refreshing and helps hydrate your skin. I use different brands, but my favorites are from SeaNTree, The Face Shop, and Nature Republic.
4. Eye Gel
Since I mostly do my nighttime regimen right before I go to sleep, I also apply an eye gel to help eradicate dark circles and puffiness around my eyes.
5. Moisturizer
Same goes for my moisturizer, I apply it the same way as I do in the morning.
I also made an infographic on the steps I’ve provided above, in case you don’t really feel like reading everything I wrote. ☻ It’s my first time creating an infographic, so it just looks so simple, but I hope it helps: