As ladies, we do know the importance of beauty and vanity. However, beauty is not just about stacking and piling tonnes and tonnes of make up on your face, which may result in repercussions, doing more harm than benefiting your skin and eventually, beauty. 

Beauty begins with simple skin care tips that you should pay attention to and beauty also refers to natural beauty. Of course, it would be difficult to search for a lady with 100% flawless skin, but that does not mean it is impossible to work towards that. 

Always remember that cosmetics can only do so much and if you don't wish to scare the hell outta people after removing your make up, or if you are ashamed to remove your make up and go bare faced in public, it simply means that you are acknowledging your skin problems. Why not then target  these problematic areas by developing good skin care habits? They are not difficult to nurture and do not require deep pockets. Just really simple steps which can go a long way!
Credits :  slimvision.net
Here are some useful great tips you should try!

1. 3 basic skin care steps - Cleanse, Apply Toner and Moisturise on your face

Need I say more? This should already be at your fingertips! 

You may wish to read my reviews on Kose Supreme Sekkisei and Laniege where I've shared some of the reviews as well as info on these 3-step basic skin care tips! 

You may not frequent facials or may not slap on sheet masks every now and then, BUT THESE 3-STEP SKIN CARE ARE RULES OF SKIN LAW (if there's ever such a thing) and YOU MUST DEFINITELY FOLLOW! If you are guilty of otherwise, knock your head 3 times!

2. Facial Treatments

Now, these are not compulsory and essential compared to point 1, but it is highly encourageable! You need to pamper your skin every now and then apart from the fundamentals. Personally, I believe frequenting beauty salons for facials and what more if you fall into the trap of sales talk and gimmicks, causing you to sign up lots of expensive packages, are not compulsory. Putting things into perspective, look at things this way, if you take good care of your skin, you need not burn huge holes in your pockets, right? Well, that is apart from serious skin problems caused naturally/genetics or severe acne problems etc. Plus, results might not be immediate after attending facials or sometimes, they are just pure useless. 

I've rarely, if not, hardly stepped into beauty salons for facials and have always been using sheet/clay/wash off masks at the comfort of my own home. Well, you may say that these masks are not as effective as those potent ingredients beauty salons can offer, but you can't deny that certain masks do work! Read my beauty reviews and you will know! :)

If sheet masks are not your cuppa tea, you may try to DIY masks using natural food ingredients. There are many websites which offer natural remedies, just google it and you will know! But my advice is, to conduct extensive researches (forums,blogs,beauty consultants etc) on these DIY steps before applying anything on your face and take them with a pinch of salt. You have to be extra careful on whatever you are putting on your face. 

Credits :  beautyismyduty.com
Wash off mask
Sheet mask
3. Beauty is only skin deep

I don't mean "Don't judge its book by its cover", but that you may look gorgeous after piling up on your make up, but after removing them, you scare yourself sometimes too! 



YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. 


And I truly believe that. I'm not a fan of fruits but yes, I hate to admit that they do benefit your skin, apart from other health benefits. 

Fruits which you may wish to try :

a. Kiwi and Pomegranate: Kiwi helps to ensure healthy, clear, beautiful skin by preventing wrinkles and blemishes.  Pomegranates which are filled with antioxidants helps to fight against free radicals, control acne as well prevents wrinkles. 

b. BananaIt is rich in iron, magnesium and potassium and contains lots of vitamin A, B and E and hence works as an anti-aging agent.  Furthermore, bananas contain natural fats and complex proteins to smooth and soften your skin  For DIY masks, you may wish to try mashing banana as facial! 

c. Lemon, berries, oranges : Such citrus fruits contain high dosage of vitamin C as well as antioxidants which help to clarify and rejuvenate your skin. Oranges are also known to slow down ageing process. Those who are obsessed with skin whitening, lemons will do the work for you!

d. Apples are rich in pectin which is a starch that is essential in preventing unsightly acne from popping! 

e. Papaya: Known to be one of the best fruits in achieving great skin would be papaya! Loaded with lots of antioxidants and an enzyme known as papain, it helps to kill dead cells as well as to cure skin impurities! You may also wish to consider drinking payaya milk instead of consuming the fruit itself, or you may want to try applying the flesh of papaya on your skin and wait for the miracle to happen!

f. Mango: Power-packed with vitamin-A and rich antioxidants, it fights against skin aging, regenerates skin cells and restores the elasticity of skin.

g. Tomatoes : Aids in skin whitening, tomatoes contain lycopene which helps to protect your skin from free radicals and boosts your skin's natural sun protection factor (SPF). Also, the vitamins and minerals found in tomatoes clarify you skin and prevent blemishes!

Foods which you may wish to try :

a. Whole wheat : Another ingredient in some foods that is really good for your skin is selenium. This is found in whole wheat cereals, breads and baked goods. It helps to improve the skin at a cellular level and keeps you looking young and beautiful.

b. Salmon : along with other fatty fish, walnuts and flaxseed, is high in healthy fatty acids that are key for achieving healthy skin. Essential fatty acids such as omega-3s help keep cell membranes healthy by keeping out harmful substances as well as allowing nutrients to enter cells and exit with waste products. Omega-3s also reduce the body's production of inflammatory agents that can damage the skin.

c. Carrots : They are an excellent source of vitamin A, which is a required nutrient for healthy skin. They also contain high levels of antioxidants, which prevent free radical damage of skin cells. Vitamin A is required for developing and maintaining skin cells, and a deficiency of the vitamin can cause dry skin.
You should also :

a. Hydrate yourself with plenty of water : at least your individual minimum intake -- will help keep your skin young and healthy-looking. Water in caffeinated or sugary beverages does not count; water intake must be from pure, clean water, which rejuvenates skin cells. Water both hydrates cells and helps them move toxins out and nutrients in. 

b. Drink Green Tea : Besides the other health benefits which green tea offers,  it is rich in antioxidants that reduces inflammation and protect cell membranes. It has been proven to reduce the damage of sunburns and overexposure to ultraviolet light, which in turn reduces the risk of skin cancer. Green tea is also high in polyphenols -- compounds that eliminate cancer-causing free radicals. Some believe that drinking green tea helps to lose weight too!   
4. Detox every once/twice a month by eating only fruits and drinking water the whole day to keep your skin healthy and to wash out those toxins. It aids in constipation as fruits and water works hand in hand to soften the stools.

5. Applying sunblock : Whether or not you are a fan of fair skin, preventing sun and uv rays from damaging your skin should apply across the board. Plus, uv rays cause acne scars to darken as well. Click here to read on how to choose the right sunscreen.

6. Try indulging in a long, relaxing shower or bath at least once a week. This helps to soothe the skin as well as a form of destressing method. Lesser stress, lesser acnes!

7. Exfoliate : And I don't mean just your facial skin. Try exfoliating your whole body skin as well to remove dead skin cells, leaving your skin smoother, more supple and fairer! Also, since we are encouraged to exfoliate our face before applying any mask as it helps to open up pores, logically, exfoliating the body skin would assist in the absorption of body moisturisers!

8. If you're a make up fan and can't leave without concealing, remember to change your foundation sponge regularly if you are a compact powder user. A dirty sponge not only result in uneven application of the powder, it may also increase the chances of you contracting acnes as bacteria gets built up in it! 

9. Remove all make up thoroughly at the end of the day. I'm quite sure most of us are guilty for not following this rule of skin law, at least once in our entire lifetime. I too, am guilt-stricken purely out of laziness, but have since avoided such bad habit and will still force myself to quickly remove my make up before I head to bed. Make up clogs pores through impurities which would result in a breakout. You may read my reviews on makeup removers

10. Of course, good skin care is also a matter of healthy lifestyle choices as beauty is only skin deep. Smoking does a lot of damage on the body including the skin—not only does it contribute to premature aging and wrinkles, it is also the leading cause of more serious health risks like emphysema or lung cancer. The right way to protect the skin in this situation is to simply give up the habit. People have to keep in mind that what they do on the outside affects underlying conditions in the body. This is also why a balanced diet rich in fibre, lean protein, good fats, vitamins and minerals also promotes healthy young-looking skin. Stress affects a person’s peace of mind and makes the skin vulnerable to skin problems like acne breakouts. Managing stress can help a person not only feel good, but look good. 

I hope you babes will find these tips useful in achieving your perfect flawless skin!

As the saying goes, "There is no ugly women only lazy ones!"

xoxo
Jean :)
 
Before Chanel, I was using Maybelline Clear Smooth Compact Powder as shown below. I'd tried to get the blue one over the green one where possible, because some places only sell the green one. The blue one has a higher SPF than the green one by 2 levels :) So yeah, trying to be kiasu here :)

After that, I have been using that for months until I switched to Chanel and I am glad the product is value for money! :)
Note the huge price difference between the 2 brands though =P

I'm not the type who demands for counter-brand cosmetics/skin care products, as long as they are value for money and effective, I will go for them. For example, my blusher is from Silkygirl :) But of course, marketing does play a part as well, as in the prestige as well as price factors, which might not always justify its quality. This is a common misconception :)

Like you, I make sure that the product is really highly raved by ladies and get as much info as possible through researching. Just like what you are doing now - reading reviews. But I do understand what may work for others may/may not work for me. So I'd always take opinions with a pinch of salt, which you should too, especially since each individual has different type of skincare problems as well as the type of skin. FYI, I have the combination type of skin (oily T-zone) - which is rather common in our climate conditions. 

Here are the pictures of the pictures of the Maybelline compact powders just in case you're wondering how they look like.
I have tried 2 different ranges of the Chanel compact powder (because my mom got the wrong one for me - but it turned out alright!). Before buying the compact powder, I was very fortunate to have a friend working in Chanel because she gave me some samples of Chanel products to try out and I'd really liked the powders :) 

The 2 ranges of Chanel compact powder :
The white casing is Le Blanc Light Mastering Whitening Compact Foundation which has SPF 25/PA+++ while the black casing is the Vitalumiere Eclat Radiance Comfort Compact Makeup which has only SPF 10 only.

Personally, I'd prefer the whitening over the radiance one but that doesn't mean that the latter is not good too. Both are awesome but just that I'm crazy over whitening products and hence the choice :)

As I have combination skin (oily T-zone), this powder although doesn't really help much in combating the oiliness, I still like how each application is so smooth. I don't use the brush that comes along because I prefer using sponges. I think it's easier to control. Speaking of which, I'm not a fan of liquid foundation as well. The one and only I have tried in my entire lifetime is the Revlon liquid foundation which I decided not to venture into them anymore because of the mess and hassle they create. It gets stuck inside your nails although I agree that using your fingers allow greater control and easier application than sponges/brushes, that's for sure. Liquid foundation looks extremely thick on my face as well. 

Honestly, I don't require one that provides excessive or thick coverage because I have naturally good skin. I don't have acne problems and the only time I have pimples is when it's nearing "that time of the month" but recently these few months, I realised that I don't even have this problem now! The worst pimples problem was during my O Levels which is like eons ago (I am reminded how much I've aged ):) Other than that, I don't recall any other unfortunate incidents. 

The only problem I have with my faceskin is the oily T-zone (which is not that terrible and excessive) and the enlarged pores I have. Of course, and the disgusting dark circles as well! And well, I do have quite a number of moles of my face but thank god they aren't those huge and/or hairy ones! :)

One more thing, Chanel compact powder has quite a pleasant scent too. Unlike the Maybelline one.

Besides not being able to solve my T-zone problem, another dissatisfaction is that the powder "runs loose" and gets all over the mirror, causing it to be dirty and blur. Time to time, I have to wipe off the remnants of the powder bits off the mirror to be able to view clearly. Quite a hassle actually. 

And of course, once dropped, the compact powder would crack, just like the rest of the powders as well. I say this because I've dropped mine before by accident :( 

Since my other cosmetics family isn't that expensive (I use Bourjois/K-Palette liquid eyeliner, Silkygirl duo blusher, some eyebrow pencil that my sis gave me - unsure of the brand, Canmake highlighter, Loreal concealer and Maybelline masacara), I think it is only reasonable that my compact powder which covers the largest portion of my face, can be abit more pricey? :) 
If I'm not wrong, it is sold at $90+? My mom got it at around S$70+ from HK :)

**One thing which I would like to highlight that is, please babes, do get a colour of your own skin tone. I have seen so many ladies using the WRONG tone for their face and they look really awful! It should match the rest of your body and shouldn't be whiter than them. I understand it would be icky to try the tester out especially if you have sensitive skin, but if so, you should get your products that are specially made for sensitive skin. For me, I seriously do not wish to look ridiculous mismatched with the rest of my skin, so I would take the chance and test a small portion on my face. You may want to try this out. Would be great if you have wet wipes with you at the point of time as well. :)

I think those whose faces are packed with layers and layers of powders is seriously a big booboo! Don't suffocate your skin so much alright? Plus, cleaning them off thoroughly would be a hassle. You don't have to apply layers to cover up problematic areas, just get a good concealer to do the trick!

The trick is to get the RIGHT coverage for YOUR SKIN TONE, NOT THE FAIREST OR WHITEST, unless your ambition is to be a Geisha? ;)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...