{"id":14933,"date":"2014-12-24T08:30:59","date_gmt":"2014-12-24T00:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mywomenstuff.com\/?p=14933"},"modified":"2015-03-03T11:15:22","modified_gmt":"2015-03-03T03:15:22","slug":"skincare-routine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mywomenstuff.com\/2014\/12\/skincare-routine\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s all about the Base: My Skincare Routine in 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"
Hello hello peeps! \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n
What’s this PB doing, you may be wondering. Just blogging once a MONTH now instead of almost daily? Well it almost seems that way doesn’t it? There’ll be changes aplenty going on but I’m slowly trying to make that comeback so bear with me \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
What with 2014 coming to an end, and having gone through a lot of ups and downs myself this year, physically and emotionally, towards the end of the year, I found I’d let myself go. My skincare routine was shot to pieces, I was a slob and all I was doing was keeping to the basic cleanse, tone, moisturise and while my skin didn’t go crazy (I do believe I’d left a good enough base that it managed to withstand my neglect) it wasn’t looking at its best.<\/p>\n
One day, when things were starting to look\u00a0up (as they always will because when you’re at your lowest ebb, the only way left to go is up!) I realised that I was just being really shitty to myself and I didn’t see why I should be. So I picked myself up, dusted off the ol’ skincare and got stuck in and within a week, I reaped the benefits.<\/p>\n
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Dull skin I didn’t quite notice before took a backseat and turned into a clear skinned glow, minor clogged pores especially around my chin unclogged and smoothed out and I just didn’t need very much foundation. The best compliment was being told that my foundation\u00a0was looking great and I only had the most minimum of base on! When you look good, you feel good, clich\u00e9d as it sounds, and putting makeup on was a cinch because everything looks good! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
Incidentally I also got a few requests to share my skincare products that I’m using now. So I thought it would be nice to share not my skincare products because those change a lot from time to time, but my latest skincare ROUTINE which doesn’t. This way, you get to use the products that suit your skin because you and I may not have the same skintype would we? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
So, as the year closes I’d like for you to think about not chasing after that new and latest makeup obsession or product for a while, or looking for the highest coverage foundation in the market to mask your skin. Instead, remember that good makeup starts with good skin and\u00a0as we close the year and step forth into a new one, make it your resolution to better your skin above all else. Here’s my routine and I hope it will help you get started.<\/p>\n
Remember, it’s all about the base! \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n
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First off, do note I have normal-dry skin. I’m 40<\/a>, it happens to the best of us LOL! \ud83d\ude00 If you have oily skin parts of this routine may also work for you, but the products I use may not, so tweak accordingly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Does it look a lot? Yes it does but it takes me about 5 minutes to get through. Once you have everything in place, it’s just a matter of spritzing and dabbing and applying and really, that’s it. I let it all sink it, potter about making my breakfast and then come back to do my makeup if it’s a workday or just leave it if it’s not.<\/p>\n Still with me? LOL!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You may notice that my daytime routine is heavily skewed towards hydration while my evening routine is more skewed towards an anti-aging or treatment routine. I have stopped using\u00a0whitening products for various reasons, the key reason being that I don’t believe in them and they’re generally too drying for my skin. I now target a more anti-aging routine what with age creeping up and all and this current routine works very well for me as the condition of my skin tells me.<\/p>\n What I have also realised is that while I’m not actively treating my dark spots and pigmentation, which every SA will point out and then push a whitening product at me, by keeping my skin well hydrated and well kept in general, the dark spots and pigmentation aren’t as noticeable, or just not as obvious anymore. So, it’s kind of killing two birds with one stone, and really, I don’t care anymore. I’m flawed, I accept it \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n If you’ve read my previous routines (2011<\/a>, 2012<\/a>, 2013<\/a>), you may note there is little to no difference in the routine itself and in fact, this new one seems longer although not necessarily more complicated. What has changed are the products that I use. For the first time, this year has seen me facing the least problems with my skin in terms of breakouts and towards the second half of the year, I’ve noticed a marked improvement in my skin texture.<\/p>\n The key I feel is the regular exfoliation I’ve been doing, with the exfoliating\/acid toner, Alpha H Liquid Gold, and using a washcloth and cleansing balms. Also, face oils have also made my skin look and feel better. So I’d credit these for helping my skin look better now than it did say 5 years ago when I had a looser routine and played around a lot more.<\/p>\n I’ve also stopped experimenting too much, sticking to things I know rather than playing guinea pig too often (I know, totally self-defeating from a blogging standpoint!) but hey, my skin is thanking me for it! An interesting observation came from a friend over lunch where she mentioned that I was skewing towards using lesser known or more cult brands in my skincare routine. I didn’t quite realise\u00a0it, but when I reviewed the products I use, I did\u00a0notice that a lot of the stuff I like are a little harder to find locally and are not the regular department store brands. Not to say regular department store brands are\u00a0bad, but some of them just don’t work as well for me as they should and since we’re all individuals, don’t let me put you off using or trying them \ud83d\ude42 As for myself, I’m saying a thank you prayer\u00a0for the inventor of online shopping and for the sites that will ship internationally to keep me in cult and niche products \ud83d\ude1b<\/p>\n This guide isn’t gospel of course. It is what works for me and I am first and foremost a skincare junkie so long routines don’t trouble me, and I am prepared to try new items that other people say work. I’m also not saying that a routine like this will cure all your skincare ills, but it might set you on the first step to discovering one that works for you. It most certainly helped me turn my skin around to what it is now, and since I think my appearance belies my age, that’s testimony enough, yes? \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n So if you make just one resolution this coming new year, make your skin your focus for the coming year.<\/p>\n I am, for the most part. I fall off the bandwagon now and again. When I was feeling low, I hardly used anything and my skin didn’t suffer too badly although I noticed the neglect did take its toll. Some evenings, I don’t use a cleansing balm, sometimes when I get lazy I just slather on face oils and forsake everything else. I tweak it but I always come back to A ROUTINE.\u00a0You? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Paris B<\/p>\n p\/s If I don’t check back in before the year ends, here’s wishing everyone of you lovelies a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ahead! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n [show_shopthepost_widget id=”581595″]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello hello peeps! \ud83d\ude00 What’s this PB doing, you may be wondering. Just blogging once a MONTH now instead of almost daily? Well it almost seems that way doesn’t it? There’ll be changes aplenty going on but I’m slowly trying to make that comeback so bear with me \ud83d\ude42 What with 2014 coming to an<\/p>\nDAY TIME SKINCARE ROUTINE<\/h2>\n
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NIGHT TIME SKINCARE ROUTINE<\/h2>\n
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Are you diligent about your skincare routine?<\/h4>\n