I don’t write often about myself personally, but on rare occasion I do.  Here I thought I’d share my daily beauty regimen; how I deal with on a regular basis: acne, combination skin, & ant-aging.  There are lots of women who have the some of same problems, whereas I have to look for ways to handle them every day!  And of course naturally, I had to deal with them on a budget!

I do deal with all these problems every day, & even made more challenging by the fact that my skin is always changing!  Needless to say that I will have to do some searching, & testing of products with some frustration.

There were some times that I would struggle with my skin, & wonder what answers or solutions were out there.  I figure, if there are other people like me, then they would benefit from my research!

 

Some Background On Me:

I was born in Taiwan, & grew up here in the States.  For the most part, I credit my mother for emphasizing the importance of skincare since I was little.  When I was a kid, she attended beauty school & managed to get certified cutting hair & doing facials.  I remember in high school she had friends that wanted to come over every weekend for a facial.  They loved the idea that they were getting a spa treatment at a discounted price!

Back then I had horrible teenage acne, & she would pester me about not taking care of it properly.  And when I got to college, she started giving me my 1st anti-aging treatments.  Not that I was aging; but it was more for preventive care.  And nowadays my mother easily passes for women 20s years younger than her!  Ever since then, my interest in skincare has grown.

And here’s an interesting question: Based on my skincare regimen, how old do you think I look?  I can honestly tell you that no one can ever guess my age correctly.  No one.  Here I’ll reveal my daily beauty regimen & my age later:

 

Morning routine:

I do have oily combination skin, & do wash & moisturize twice a day.  The soap that I like so far?

Yes To Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Cleanser, $10

This is a great acne face wash, doesn’t dry my skin out, & when I use it on a regular basis, I virtually have no blackheads!

Daytime Moisturizer (for the non oily parts of my face):

Vichy’s Normaderm Anti-Aging Resurfacing Moisturizer, $25

I actually got this not too long ago, & I love it!  I was searching online for moisturizers for acne prone skin, & this one was great!  The challenging the thing with oily / acne prone skin is that you want to find a face wash that doesn’t dry out the skin, & you need to find a moisturizer that’s not greasy & won’t break you out.  And that’s a fine line to walk.  And this is a great one!  I don’t tend to have the major breakouts; but more of small whiteheads.

My Mattifying Trick:

The Body Shop’s Bouncy Sleeping Mask, $26, NYX’s Finishing Powder, $10

This I save for the shiny part of my face (aka my nose), & I have tried all kinds of day creams, primers for mattifying oily skin, & this is the only trick that has worked for me.  Although this is a night time sleeping mask, I apply it to clean skin in the morning, wait for it to dry a bit, & then dust some of NYX’s setting powder, to set it.  And it keeps my face shine free for a good 8 hours!  Usually I put on the mask & setting powder to my nose area, & the rest of my face with the moisturizer above.

 

My Nighttime Routine:

Of course I use the same face wash twice a day (Yes To Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Cleanser) & then I spray on some balancing toner.

Dermalogica’s Multi-Active Toner, $27

I actually was introduced to this when I was getting advice from an esthetician from Dermalogica.  I was addressing to her my skin concerns; one of them being that my skin was not absorbing the moisturizer I would put on at night.  She recommended me this toner, & when you spray it on after washing your face, your skin absorbs it much better!  I noticed that whenever I would put on my night cream, it would wash off in the morning.  Now it’s made my skin more like a sponge.  Who says that toners are not useful?

Hada Labo’s Anti-Aging Hydrator, $18

I tend to use this, or any other non oily serum.  I find Garnier’s 2 in 1 Wrinkle Reducer Serum & Moisturizer a good one as well.  This one I would put it all over my face.

Hada Labo’s Skin Plumping Gel Cream, $25

You might think, I have a lot of products from Hada Labo, but honestly it’s just these two.  I love this cream because it’s super moisturizing: has 3 types of hyaluronic acid, & is not greasy!  Lately because my nose has been shiny; I tend to put this everywhere else besides my nose.

 

What I do occasionally: 

Exfoliate:

The Body Shop’s Exfoliating Body Gloves, $5, Konjac Sponges, $10

I do love the effects of exfoliation on the body.  And yes, I do use the body glove on my face.  (If you do the same, keep the your exfoliator for your face & body separate!)  Once I do it, the skin feels new & refreshed.  There are times when my skin is a bit sensitive, & during those times I’ll use a konjac sponge.  Soft, meshy & made from a vegetable; it’s a gentle exfoliator on the face!

Put on a mask:

Tony Moly’s I’m Real Red Wine Face Mask, $4, or Tony Moly’s Intense Care Snail Mask, $8

Oh my gosh, there are so many!  I tried to do it every night, but it got to be too much.  I’ve tried some amazing masks that make your skin feel so taut & smooth!  These just happen to be 2 of the masks that I’ve tried & think that are great.  If you want to check out reviews of other masks I’ve tried, check out My Anti-Aging Mask Haul from Sephora, Ulta, & Target! And all $8 or less!, or My Korean Beauty Haul.. for my reviews on a bunch of Korean sheet masks!

 

 

Me at a fashion show at New York Fashion Week

Taking a close look at my skin.. Could you guess that I have issues with oil & acne?  I do emphasize the importance of skincare to people.  And to finally answer how old I am: did you know that I’m 33?  I hope this post has helped out someone who has similar skin issues as I do!

 

Related articles:

Dealing with Acne..

How to deal with oily / combination skin

The best anti-aging products: For your face & your body