I am the first to admit that I was terrible with keeping any sort of skincare routine while growing up, but I’ve kind of fallen into something akin to one over the past two years. Most of this is attributable to my increasing use of makeup and the need to make sure I am able to clear my face of all remnants of it properly. Part of it is me realizing that as I age, my body is starting to show signs of it. This is where I flashback to when I was in high school and my wise mother told my siblings and I that we would regret not following rigid face-washing practices and keeping a good skincare routine. Lo and behold, I am now in my 30s and starting to see fine lines on my forehead, take more notice of the pores across my cheeks, and just feel a need to make sure my face isn’t dry like sandpaper through all the seasons that I experience living in Canada.
Over the past two to three years, I have actually learned (slowly, but surely) to use a number of makeup tools with the help of my sister, some girlfriends, and YouTube videos. I am by no means an expert and I will most definitely look for the easy way to do something. Less is more is my mantra and finding that balance between natural makeup and overdoing it is something that takes practice. I have probably looked a little too bold with my lipstick on some days or maybe went too heavy with the brow pencil, but this too, is a personal preference and all that matters is that you are happy with the way you look. It’s quite the oxymoron, actually, to have a natural makeup look. But now that I have spent so much time looking into how to achieve this, I understand the fascination. The basics of natural makeup look is really just making all your blemishes disappear! It’s quite magical and I haven’t perfected it yet, but there are parts that I think I have right enough that I’m happy with it. The last few weeks of working from home because of COVID-19 are the longest I have taken from makeup since I started experimenting more with it two years ago. It’s a nice break for my skin for sure, but I’m considering using this time to practice more skills without looking ghastly with my learning process. More on my progress with this another time.
My routine has grown since 2018 for sure. It started off with:
- makeup remover / micellar water / facial wipes
- a gel or foam type cleanser
- toner
- spot treatment
- moisturizer/cream
Now, my night-time routine looks like this and I have to say that a few of these are products are ones I’ve purchased more than once):
- oil cleanser (Franklin & Whitman Chestnut Hill Cleansing Serum)
- gel cleanser (Nuxe Reve De Miel Face Gentle Cleansing Gel)
- toner (Son & Park Beauty Water)
- eye serum (Hylamide SubQ Eyes)
- spot treatment (Oxy Deep Poor Acne Vanishing Treatment)
- serum (Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate)
- cream (alternating between Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream and Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb The Antioxidant Super Moisturizer depending on how dry/oily my skin felt that day)
As an added step to my night-time routine, I also do a face mask right after I use the my toner. I’ve learned to steer clear of certain types of masks when I have more active acne on my face as they irritate / burn more than others. In general, I find that I really like the cooling sensation and moisturizing effects it gives my skin. I’m not a huge fan of thicker and stickier serums because I feel like my face feels more tacky, but I understand that people use them for the longer term gain (i.e. plumper and smoother skin).
These days, even my lazy days consist of using gel cleanser, toner, and cream. Slowly building up habits. I’m currently doing a charcoal mask (Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Face Mask) as I write this entry. This is one of my favourites and I’m probably on my third jar of this already over the past 3 years.
nemo travels 