Last time I shared my skin care routine, it was 3 years ago. A lot has changed since then: both to my skin and my routine. My skin wasn't at its best during my pregnancy. I had breakouts here and there that usually lasted for weeks. And they weren't just simple zits BUT real big acne. To make things worse, they left me several annoying dark pimple marks too. Would have been easy to just use the most effective anti-pimple skin care products out there IF ONLY they were safe for pregnant women. Sadly, they weren't. So I had to look for something else that can help me with my zits without compromising the safety of the growing baby inside me. 

I did some research to make sure that the skin care products I was using won't harm me and my baby. I'm good on maximizing "google" for searching explanations BUT I'm no chemical expert. And girl I'm telling you, I was (and still am) having difficulty comprehending all those chemicals I see on every product's ingredients. So I decided to go natural "as much as possible" to make things easier for my pregnancy's sake. Fast forward to present, I already gave birth and no longer limited when it comes to the types of products I can use. But my current skincare routine has definitely changed. It's no longer the same routine I used to have before I got pregnant. I learned to quickly adjust my routine according to what my skin currently needs.

I have pretty much almost the same skincare routine for day & night. So I'm not gonna make a separate posts for each of them. I'll just explain everything here :) Before I start, I just have to disclose my DISCLAIMER:

**My skin is far from perfect but it is way better than it used to be when I started working graveyard shift. The products I'll mention below worked really well with me but it does not mean that it may do the same to you. It still all depends on several factors like frequency, application, body, hormones and skin type. Speaking of skin type, mine is oily to normal skin.**


 





FACIAL WASH

I always begin on cleaning my face and I'm currently using the CLEAN & CLEAR FOAMING FACIAL WASH. I'm not really too keen with this facial wash. Not that I don't like it. But I'm not crazy about it either. It does its job pretty well and that's probably all that I need for a facial wash. 

TIP: Experts suggest to use a new face towel everyday for drying up your face after washing. It's because bacteria can easily accumulate on towels and you don't really want to use something that could cause you pimples. But:

1. I don't have that much face towels.
2. ‎It's an extra work -- a busy Momma like me ain't got time for that.

So instead of using a new clean towel every time, I decided to just use tissues. YEP, tissues, because it's more convenient. Another tip is to PAT DRY your face instead of rubbing. Constantly rubbing and tugging your skin with face towels after every wash will cause you wrinkles and sagging of skin in the long run. 


CLEANSERS

I use different cleansers for Day & Night. During the day , I use ESKINOL FACIAL DEEP CLEANSER in blue variant because it has a very soothing cooling sensation that is good for minimizing the pores. When they're minimized, it will help me achieve a better looking makeup finish. At night time, I use Eskinol facial deep cleanser but instead of the blue one, I use the yellow variant formulated to help with oil control. If you have oily skin like me, you know how much oily our face can get in the morning after waking up. Our skin still do their work while we're asleep and this cleanser helps me lessen the oil that my skin produces during night time sleep. 

I barely go out for appointments so I don't really wear makeup that much. But when we do have appointments or church activities, I like to at least use a liquid foundation and waterproof mascaras to make me look presentable. During those days, I use my GARNIER MICELLAR WATER to remove first my make up before using my Eskinol deep cleansers. They come in 2 variants: the pink and blue one. The pink one is for sensitive skin type and the blue variant is specially formulated for those who have oily and acne prone skin. I got mine in blue :)

There are only very seldom "special occasions" that I have to wear eye makeup. On those days when I have to put on heavy eye makeup, I begin my night skincare routine with CLINIQUE RINSE-OFF EYE MAKEUP REMOVER instead of the Garnier MW. But instead of rinsing it with water, I just wipe it off using my baby's wet wipes - so much easier that way. 

TONERS

I learned that toners are very important to keep your skin at its natural pH balance. But when I was still pregnant with my daughter, I realized that there wasn't that much "pregnancy safe" facial toners available. That's when I started using a DIY APPLE CIDER VINEGAR FACIAL TONER. And I'm so happy with it because not only that it's natural, pregnant-friendly and easy to make, it's very effective too! (well at least to me). I used to apply this twice a day when I was still pregnant. But now, I use ACV facial toner only at night because it helps my skin get back to its normal pH level. When my skin is at its natural pH level, it doesn't have to work extra at night and saved me from waking up with greasy face. It is anti-bacterial too so it also helped me with my breakouts. It worked so well for me that I have actually been using this for more than a year already! 

For my daytime facial toner, I switched to PONDS ACNE CLEAR FACIAL TONER (which I just started using recently, I'm on my first bottle and so far I am liking it). It has pore conditioning properties so just like my facial cleanser, this will also help with minimizing my pores during the day. Again, this helps me achieve a better looking finish of my makeup look -- whether that's for glam, natural or No-Makeup makeup look. 







PIMPLE SOLUTIONS
 
This one is what I consider one of my skincare "holy grails": ERASE PIMPLE SOLUTION. Whenever I feel like a pimple is about to break out (like when they were just a small bump or redness) I put this product right away and it helps to stop them from turning into my "dreaded" zits. I swear it works like magic. Ever since I started using this pimple solution, I did not have to suffer with breakouts anymore. Its label claims that it helps in preventing pimples from coming back and minimize the blackheads. So I decided to add this up in my daily skin care routine even if I don't have pimples anymore. I guess I'm suppose to apply this in my whole face but I don't really do that. I only apply it on my chin and nose area (or where ever the pimple decided to occur) because when it comes to pimple problems, those are usually the parts of my face that needs most of the help. I also like how my skin can absorb this product quickly. I use this twice a day so that means this is included on both my day and night skin care routines. 

MOISTURIZER

DO NOT skip moisturizer even if your skin type is oily. JUST DON'T. Skipping your moisturizer will leave dry patches on your skin. Even if you are going for a matte finish makeup look, you still have to apply moisturizer because leaving your skin TOO DRY will actually lead to more oil production later of the day. Moisturizing your skin the right way will trick your skin that it already has enough moisture and won't need to oil up more than what your skin needs.

The moisturizer I use is a soothing aloe vera gel --- and no, it's not the overhyped Nature Republic's aloe vera gel. Mine is from LUXE ORGANIX which I have been loving. I wanted to try the one from Nature Republic but it is only available online. And in my opinion, it isn't worth to pay expensive provincial shipping fee for only one item. Luxe Organix on the other hand is available in Watsons so I decided to give it a try. It is also made in Korea, it's paraben free, mineral oil free, no artificial color added, suited for all types of skin AND it is 99.85% natural aloe vera gel. 😉 Aloe Vera gel could take a while to set, so I only apply a very thin layer of that on my skin. I use this both at day and night. This is actually the last step for my Night Skincare Routine but not yet for my Daytime Skincare Routine, so keep on reading! 


SUNSCREEN

Lastly, I won't ever forget to apply my sunscreen during the day because sun exposure is the biggest culprit of early skin aging. I used to have the Belo Intensive Whitening BB cream which has spf 50 pa++++. But then I learned that we don't actually get the SPFs added on beauty products because in order to take advantage of that added sun protection, you have to apply a certain amount of the product on your skin. Unfortunately, we don't really apply "that much" beauty product on our face, (not even those who are wearing HEAVY MAKEUP) because the specific amount required is just too much for a decent makeup look. Kaya wag umasa sa mga added SPF ng foundations, moisturizer or BB creams mo. You have to apply a separate sunscreen.

I'm using BELO SUN EXPERT sunscreen for face. It has SPF 40 pa+++.

TIP: when buying sunscreens, look for those that have "pa+" --- the more the "+", the better. It means you won't need to reapply sunscreen for the next 2 or 3 hours depending on how many plusses there are on your sunscreen. Without pa+ , you will need to reapply sunscreen every 30mins no matter how high the SPF amount. Therefore, SPF 50 pa++++ is actually better and more convenient than just SPF100 alone. 


OCCASIONAL SKINCARE PRODUCTS

The products I mentioned above are those that I use on a daily basis. However, there are also other important skincare products that I have to use occasionally:





EXFOLIATION

Exfoliation helps in removing old/dead skin cells. Imagine how much dead skin cells are there on your skin because you aren't exfoliating at all. The skin looks dull and old because your face has accumulated so much dead skin cells. Hmm, need I say more? 

There are two types of exfoliating products: natural and chemical. You are supposed to exfoliate twice a week so some say that you have to alternately use the natural and chemical exfoliators. But like I said earlier, I am trying to be as natural as possible. So I'm only using natural exfoliator which is the ST. IVES APRICOT SCRUB. Because it's natural, you can use this thrice in a week. I put this in our bathroom to be reminded of exfoliating every time I see it. And it works -- I am always reminded. But to be honest, LAZINESS prevails! So instead of doing it twice a week, I sometimes do it once a week or sometimes, once in 2 weeks. Oops! ✌That's probably why I always look tired even if I am rested. LOL. Gotta do better next time, I promise.

PS: DO NOT over scrub your face.


BLACKHEADS REMOVAL

Removing blackheads is probably the most satisfying part of my skincare regimen. But being the lazy girl that I am, I also fail to put on my nose strip at least once a week - just like exfoliation, I end up doing it just once every 2 weeks. Nope, not a good idea so don't follow suit. I'm currently using WATSON'S CHARCOAL NOSE STRIP w/ HAZEL EXTRACT. This is so far the best nose strip out of all that I have tried before. It has a very refreshing and calming scent that I like. However, I'm still on the look out for a new blackhead removal product that I might like better. 

TIPS:

1. Before removing your blackheads, open up your pores by steaming your face over a bowl of hot water. This will loosen up the white and blackheads clogging your pores and will make it easier to remove them. After removing the blackheads, wash your face with cold water to close your pores and prevent the dirt from getting in.

2. The best way to remove blackheads is by peeling the nose strip from bottom to top. I have tried and tested this. 👍
 
ERASE SOLUTION

I rarely have pimples nowadays. But when I do have a breakout, it leaves a pimple mark that will take weeks before they lighten up and months before they're completely gone. To help me brighten up these dark spots faster than they usually do, I apply Erase Solution twice a day. It comes in a mini roll-on tube which makes application easy and convenient. This solution claims that it can also help with scars, wrinkles, freckles and darkness --- but nope. It did not work out with me. But I'm keeping it because so far, it is effective when it comes to my pimple marks. I just wish it can take care of my freckles too. 


And that's it for my Day and Night Skincare routine. Wew, that was quite long! But to my defense, I tackled both Day & Night Skincare Routine so that should justify it. Haha! Not everyone likes to wear make up. And if you are not the Make up type of girl, you definitely should focus more on your skincare routines because a beautiful healthy looking skin will save you from wearing too much make up. Besides, nobody has ever found the fountain of youth yet... or the Koreans probably have it. I should go ask Sandara, LOL.



'Til then, See yah!

 

 

Pregnancy changed me a lot. And my skin has to keep up.

Lately, I've been pretty crazy about my skincare routine because I wanted to finally stick to something that really works for my skin. That means I am currently at the look out for products that works best for my skin type. I even did some research, watched some informative videos, read too many articles just to understand more how my skin works and what products I should be using.

It was then that I found out that pregnancy actually changes the game a lot. I have to be extra careful of the products I put on my skin because I am pregnant. I learned about alcohol contents, actives etc. That said, I figured to go for something natural if I want to play it safe considering my pregnancy.

Like I said, I am trying to establish the best skincare routine for myself and I am on the point of looking for a good facial toner that not only works, but is also safe for me. Tried looking for the best commercial facial toners here in our place but most of the toners I found have high alcohol content and are not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women. There's an organic toner available online but it's not worth the shipping fee if I am to buy only one item. Thank goodness, I found out about DIY Apple Cider Vinegar facial toner. Not only that it's available locally, it's also very easy to make.




WHY USE A FACIAL TONER?

First, let's talk about why there's a need for a facial toner. I've used facial toners before but only because I see some people use it. I used facial toner just for the sake of using it. I didn't really understood its importance for being a part of a skin care routine. Well now I do:

Our skin has a natural pH of around 5. But it is very delicate that it can be easily disrupted by stress, diet, dehydration, lacking exercise,  soap-based cleansers that are typically more alkaline (pH7). When your skin's natural acid mantle is disrupted, the skin becomes more susceptible to infection, long term wrinkles and diseases because there is abnormal bacterial growth in your skin. Your skin will also work double time to bring it back to its normal pH level making you more oily. Toners are more acidic, so applying it to your skin will restore its natural pH saving your skin from all those problems mentioned above.


BUT WHY USE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR?

Apple Cider Vinegar is a by-product of the fermentation of apples. It is loaded of fortified minerals, enzymes and acids. Not to mention it is also both antibacterial and antiseptic making it a perfect warrior against eczema and acne.




HOW TO MAKE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR FACIAL TONER

Easy-Peasy! You just have to combine distilled or filtered water and apple cider vinegar in a container. Shake it well, then you're done. But here's the catch: You have to combine it according to a ratio that's perfect for your skin type.

Sensitive skin: 1:4. That means you combine 1 part ACV (apple cider vinegar) to 4 parts of water.
Dry skin: 1:2. That means you combine 1 part ACV to 2 parts of water.
Oily skin: 1:1, which means you combine equal amounts of ACV and water in a container.

"Part" by the way depends on the unit you prefer to use. It could be a cup or a tablespoon, whatever suits your preference.  If you are not sure what  your skin type is, start by the sensitive skin ratio. Regardless of your skin type, ALWAYS do a patch test on your skin to see how your skin will respond. We'll never know if you are actually allergic to ACV or what. You don't really have to follow the ratios I mentioned above. What works for me doesn't mean will work for you too even if we have the same skin type. Go ahead and feel free to experiment with the ratios. However, I suggest you don't go over the 1:1 ratio.

By the way, I use an organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar, that one with the 'mother' on it because it has the most therapeutic benefits. 'Mother' refers to the strand-like enzymes that are present on organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar.  The ACV label will tell you so if it has the 'mother' or not. And oh! Just a heads up, this facial toner will sting on open sores, scratches, pimples etc.


HOW TO PROPERLY USE IT

I shake the bottle very well before putting the toner on a cotton ball.  I apply it after I cleansed my face and before I apply my moisturizer. I also wait for the toner to dry up before I apply the moisturizer. I am using 1:1 ratio and it makes me teary eyed. So I just closed my eyes while applying this to my skin. You don't need to refrigerate this toner by the way.


HOW IT WORKED ON ME

Very well! I noticed that my pores are smaller. My hormones are acting up due to pregnancy and this resulted to crazy zits. But after using ACV Facial Toner, it has somehow helped me keep the breakouts at bay. It didn't really stopped the pimples from coming up due to pregnancy hormones BUT it definitely helped me stopped those pimples from becoming dreaded acne. They actually heal before they could get worse. I also became less oily nowadays  which is an added bonus, YAY! My skin's far from being perfect, but it definitely is much better today than it used to be.

I say don't be afraid to try this out. There's no need to panic; It's organic!

'Til then, See yah!

By the way, here's my Morning Skin Care Routine post ---> (CLICK HERE)

I honestly used to take my skin for granted. Like I don’t wash my face before I go to bed and the only time my face gets cleaned is when I take a bath. Now I realized that THAT WAS A HUGE MISTAKE that I’ll truly regret on my later years if I hadn’t change my bad habits. I only started taking care of my skin when I was on my third year of college, back when I started noticing black heads around my nose tip. From then on, I was paying attention of my skin. Fortunately, I am not like other typical teenagers that suffer with too many pimple break outs. My only issue with my skin are the faint freckles which I got from my mother’s genes because of her family’s spanish blood. Other than that, I am pretty much happy with my skin type. Except that I was not able to nurture my skin during my younger years and that’s why I am desperately trying to save my skin from now on.

NIGHT SKIN CARE ROUTINE:

Step 1: Clean Your Face



Tess Facial Scrub (Strawberry-Jojoba)

It’s important to stop the urge of diving in my bed and be lazy to  get up and clean my face. Trust me, fighting my exhaustion after a long tiring day is a real struggle every night.

After gathering some courage to get up and start cleaning myself before heading back to bed, I always clean my face using this facial scrub. The reason that I use  a facial scrub at night is because I believe that scrubs clean my face better than just an ordinary soap. The tiny pebble-like scrubs, I believe, are taking off all the dirt and dust that were accumulated in my pores during the day. That is what I believe, I don’t know if my feelings are right but at least the scrubs are giving me motivation to get up and wash my face. I guess I’m right because right after washing my face, there’s a big difference on how light my face look and how clean it feels on my hands.


Step 2: Toner.


Tess Orange Facial Toner
Every time after using this toner, it leaves me feeling very clean like all-the-oil-and-dead-skin-cells-are-removed feeling. Haha! Honestly, this toner leaves feeling refreshed and renewed. It’s composed of citrus thingy, according to its label, that helps me refine my pores. I don’t know if it really does but I am certain that I’m totally feeling clean after applying the toner.

Step 3: Keep Your skin moisturized / hydrated.



Tess Vanilla Oil Free Cream/ Moisturizer

The perfect ending for my night skin care routine would be applying a moisturizer to keep my skin hydrated all through the night. I gotta take care of my skin even when I’m asleep too! It’s my secret for waking up with glowing skin, keeping it moisturized during the night. My favorite on this product’s formula is the hydrolyzed wheat protein. I don’t know what that is but it sure sounds like a very good nutrient for my skin.


So that’s my Night Skin Care Routine. It really doesn’t matter which products you use. My only point in this post is that you:

•     Clean your face
•     Moisturize
•     Cover up

It doesn’t even matter whether you use a concealer or not. It’s all up to you. I prefer using a concealer during the day because I want to lighten up a bit my complexion plus it’s another layer of sun block so it sure adds benefits.

By the way, these TESS SKIN CARE PRODUCTS are manufactured from the US. The only reason I bought and tried them out is because they were on sale when I spotted them in the shelf. These US based products are expensive. It comes with a beauty pouch that normally cost around Php 400 plus however, I was very lucky to buy them on a discounted price. I bought the beauty pouch for only Php 130. YES! It was a jackpot price I would say. Haha.

TESS SKIN CARE PRODUCTS come with another 2 products that I didn’t mention above because I barely use them they ’re not really part of my skin care routines. For the sake of a better product review, here are the other two products that came with the pouch:

Tess Blemish Stick


This should help me pummel any pimple. It has a special formula to help minimize oil production to heal and clear up blemishes. Like I said, I don’t really have that much pimple break outs in my face so I didn’t really had a good chance to use this product to see if it works or not. It probably works because the other skin care products that it came with also work. Just my opinion.

Tess Healing Lip Gloss






Surprisingly, the pouch also comes with a moisturizing lip gloss that prevents your lips from cracking. Super sulit Php 130 pouch huh? hahaha! So yeah, it also has a special formula for sensitive lips however, I don’t really use this because I don’t really like that faint scent it has. If a lippie has a scent, it better smell like food because I ain’t putting anything in my lips that doesn’t smell like food.

So that’s it! I hope there are still a huge sale going on for TESS SKIN CARE PRODUCTS so more people can discover and enjoy the products.

'Til then, see yah!