Let's talk about skincare......

So I tend to talk about makeup, fashion and everything related to beauty and style a lot. However, one thing I give a huge importance to in my personal life but feel like I don't talk about as nearly enough as I should online is skincare. 

It's very important to take good care of your skin and have a good routine in place. No matter your age, skin type, color or needs. There are tons of products out there on the market that you can test out and see what works best for your individual needs.These are my current favorite face skincare products I use daily. They include: my exfoliator, anti aging night and eye cream, toner, cleanser an SPF moisturizer and a vitamin infused retinol.  

So first of all let me begin by saying that my skin is NOT perfect. When you see my pictures online, pictures of the makeup looks and OOTD pictures I am most probably earring  full face of makeup .....therefore sometimes it's somewhat hard to tell a person's skin condition just by looking at them online as oppose to up close and personal without full coverage makeup. And with all the latest advances in HD foundations and cosmetics .....lets just say that makeup in more ways than others kept up the pace with the latest technology so it's still hard to really tell if what you are seeing is really what you are seeing, if that makes sense. Even with all of that though, I always though skincare is important and essential no matter the price point....no matter the excuse. 

Sometimes it's hard to grasp the concept but even with makeup very often it's hard to hide unkept and unattended skin that has not been taken care of for a long time or even ever simply because makeup can cover only so much. The truth of the matter is that most of the time makeup tends to look worse on skin that is or has not being taken care of. Sure, you could get away with it for a while when you where younger but as you get older the neglect, aging and all those   sleepless late nights you out partying when you forgot to remove your makeup before bed start taking effect and eventually catch up to you before you really realize what just happened here. I am by no means saying you should try to or even convince you to stop or reverse aging......that is still at this point in time impossible even with all the plastic surgery out there you can really only go so far before you downright start to look weird. I'm not saying I'm against improving your looks I'm just saying some people just don't know when or where that limit is unfortunately. However, I am saying that taking care of your skin needs will result in more graceful and a more beautiful aging process ....and I think ultimately that is what we all want.To look as best as we can for our age ....no matter where we are in life. 

A lot will depend on your individual skin needs and your age. I'm  currently 31, and have a combination skin with some acne and pore/blackhead issues ...both due to the oil production.So let's just get into the products I use and talk a bit more about my skincare routine. 

First off lets start with exfoliators. Exfoliators are important part of a good skincare routine. They are also the part that sometimes gets overdone to a point where it's damaging to the skin. Exfoliating basically gets rid of dead skin cells that have not fallen off yet on their own on the surface of our face. Exfoliating properly helps the skin renew itself resulting faster in smoother, more radiant even skin as oppose to dull flaky one that makes our foundation looking flaky. I use a combination of products to exfoliate my face. Sometimes I will use homemade brown sugar scrub for a natural home remedy. Other times I will use my Clarisonic Mia in combination with my Cetaphil cleanser. If you'’re not already a Clarisonic convert, you’'re missing out. Using a sonic frequency to oscillate back and forth at a rate of more than 300 movements per second, the brush removes up to two times as much dirt and oil and up to six times as much makeup as cleansing with your hands. You’ll notice clearer skin and smaller-looking pores after just a few weeks. Other times I will just use plain baking soda to exfoliate my t-zone and nose and tops of my cheek area where I tend to get blackheads the most. Because my skin is combination type which means it tends to get oily in my t-zone ( forehead/nose area) while the rest of it is fairly normal I exfoliate about 3 times a week, 4 if I wear especially heavy makeup often. 

Removing all the oil, dirt and makeup every night before bed is an essential step you should make a daily part of your skincare routine habit. I just really cannot stress that enough.I used to dread washing my face and removing makeup when I was younger because I was either too tired or too lazy to bother....nowadays I don't even think of it....its just something I do without a thought. The days I wear heavy makeup or waterproof mascara or liner I usually start by using makeup wipes to get rid of most of it. After that I dip a cotton swab into a coconut or olive oil and clean my upper and lover lash line if there is any mascara left. That way I take any trace of it off as well as condition my lashes at the same time.  Finally, I wash my face with my Cetaphil cleanser normally unless I'm exfoliating that day. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is a mild, non-irritating formulation that soothes skin as it cleans. In fact, it's gentle enough for a baby's delicate skin. Designed specifically to work for all skin types, it is a simple, yet highly effective way to care for your skin. As gentle as it gets — soothes and cleanses, leaving skin smooth and soft Mild, soap-free formula cleanses without irritation — it won’t strip skin of its natural protective oils or emollients. Moisturizes without leaving residue that can clog pores and is even good for special skin needs including those of rosacea-prone skin.

After my skin has been cleansed properly I use a toner. For this step I either use rose water as a natural way to tone my skin and get it to its recommended ph level or I use a Japanese  Eudermine softener/ lotion as they refer to it in Japan which can be somewhat confusing to those who only ever heard of a traditional skin toner. I tend to prefer this type of a product than a alcohol based, harsh toner most of western countries use. Prized in Japan for over a century, Eudermine is one of Shiseido's oldest products introduced in 1897. A softening lotion that delivers immediate moisture and improves your skin's own moisturizing power. The result is supple, smooth skin. Responds to changes in climate to keep the skin's moisture level constant regardless of location or time of year. Recommended for all skin types. Recommended use morning and night after cleanser. It's consistency is clear and waterline ....completely unlike lotion. If I'm not using Eudermine, which I usually tend to before bed I use another Shiseido product. Pureness Balancing Softener Alcohol-Free. A pre-makeup essential that helps hide imperfections and improves the wear of foundation, while offering UV protection. This formula helps fill fine lines while counteracting dullness, redness, and unevenness to leave skin smooth, refined, bright, and even. 

My next step kind of depends on whether I'm off to bed or not. If I'm on my way to bed I use my retinol right after Eudermine skin essence. I pat it into my skin gently all over my face, neck, forehead and around my eyes. I use  Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM. Potent concentration of microencapsulated Retinol at 1.5% helps to encourage the skin's renewal process. Moisturizing formula, infused with Vitamins C & E that suits all skin types. The appearance of tone and texture is enhanced. The look of fine lines and wrinkles is visibly reduced. Skin looks renewed, refreshed, restored. It's both oil and fragrance free and it doesn't irritate my skin at all. I use retinol only at night ....never during the day. 

If it's day time and I'm about to start my day I would normally use the Shiseido Pureness Balancing Softener first and then use a bit of a Cetaphil SPF moisturizer mixed in with my foundation ....instead of retinol .....SPF is very important especially when using any type of retinol ....and well, so is daily moisturizing ....even for combination skin like mine ..... Because it stops the skin from overproducing oils in order to moisturize itself naturally and in turn clog pores resulting in blackheads and acne. 

But let's return to nighttime routine. As I was saying previously, after the retinol application I let it absorb for few seconds because my skin just drinks the stuff up...literally. After that I apply my night  and eye cream. The night cream, Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Night Cream by Shiseido is an age-defense nighttime moisturizer.This moisturizer creates a visible reduction in the appearance of existing wrinkles, intensively addressing lines before they become more serious. Its advanced formula works while you sleep to promote a silky-smooth skin texture by morning. As far as the eye cream is concerned Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Intensive Eye Contour Cream also by Shiseido is my eye cream of choice and has been for a while now. An ultrarich, age-defying cream that visibly improves the appearance of all types of eye area wrinkles. This advanced treatment addresses signs of aging in the eye area, including inner corner creases, undereye wrinkles, crow's feet, lid creases, and undereye vertical lines. The WrinkleResist24 signature ingredients prevent future wrinkles and repair existing wrinkles. This treatment contains burnet extract to revitalize cells and counteract loss of firmness. Developed with advanced Shiseido technology and ingredients including Super Bio Hyaluronic Acid N and hydroxyproline, this formula provides intense moisture and supports natural collagen production.

Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 is a complete line of skincare products that targets every step of wrinkle formation. It goes without saying but I really love using this line and anything that Shiseido makes as far as their always innovative skincare products are concerned. Each product contains a breakthrough ingredient, mukurossi extract, which directly inhibits the activity of a wrinkle-triggering enzyme. Skin is made resistant to future signs of aging while existing wrinkles are visibly improved. Though I'm only 31 and don't have any deep wrinkles yet. However, I use this line as a  form of preventive care. I have been using it for couple of years now ....and I must say I really like it and apparently so does my skin. 

Apart from all the things I talked about just now in here. I also am a big fan of using face masks 1-2 times per week.They can be both home made, Asian (Korean, Japanese, Indian) or preventive, acne healing, pore unclogging, deep cleansing and anti-aging. I'm always after new ways to improve my skin condition. So there you have it, these are the things I currently use and have been loving for a while. There are times when I will change up some of the products in my skincare routine depending on my sometimes changing skin needs ....but usually if they work I tend to stick to them.