It’s been almost two years since I was featured as one of divasoria’s Glossy girls. While the core of my beauty/grooming regimen has stayed the same, there’s been a lot of changes and additions to it, too.
The changes were mainly driven by a promise I made to myself years ago that when I turn the big three-oh, I would really start taking skincare seriously. I’m not entirely sure why I chose to wait until I turned 30, but considering how my beauty routine somehow expanded to makeup, maybe it was good call, budget-wise. The, errrrrm, “investment” seems to be paying off, though, as I’ve received compliments about the improvement on my skin. It only became “official” to me, though, when even my dermatologist took note of the change while examining my bare face through her giant magnifying glass-slash-light. If my skin held up through that level of scrutiny, then I must be doing something right, no?
My cleansing routine is still the same. I use my Clarisonic most days, scrub with St. Ives once a week, and I give my skin a break by just cleansing with my hands once or twice a week. It’s what happens after that’s gotten a bit more complicated.
I started using MAC’s Lightful C Marine-Bright Formula Softening Lotion as a toner about a month ago. But within a few days of use I could already feel the difference on my skin. It feels softer, and I’ve been less prone to dry patches on my t-zone since.
I follow this up with my trusty Dark Spot Corrector from Clinique. After that comes another newcomer to my routine, SK-II’s Essential Power Cream. It’s pricey, but it only takes a little for it to do the job. It’s firmed up my skin over time, although I’m not sure it will hold up in very cold weather. If I haven’t nodded off immediately after applying the SK-II, then I’ll spray Clinique’s Moisture Surge Face Spray Thirsty Skin Relief just to up the hydration. For day, I’ll swap out the SK-II with Clinique’s Even Better City Block Anti-Pollution SPF 40 sunscreen, which replaced my old Neutrogena standby. This lightly-tinted sunscreen is non-sticky, leaves no white cast, evens out my skin tone, and reduces redness. I used to wear a CC cream on top of it but tried it out on its own one day and never looked back. My only complaint is that I wish it were SPF50, and not 40.
Once a week I apply a DIY SK-II Facial Treatment Essence mask, by dampening cotton pads with the essence and covering my face with them. I’ll keep them on my face until the pads dry out and start falling off my face. The essence leaves my face feeling smooth and hydrated.
I also apply a Tony Moly sheet mask once a week. I’ll stick one in the freezer for a few minutes while I cleanse, then apply the cold mask. I don’t throw out the packaging and apply the left over essence to my face once the mask starts feeling a little dry. I also squeeze out the essence from the mask for one final lather on my face before I finally throw the mask out. The Hyaluronic Acid mask sheet leaves my skin so hydrated, that I can feel the difference even days after I used the mask. Meanwhile my skin feels so soft after the Snail mask sheet that I tend to forget where all that essence comes from. My sheet mask obsession is slowly building, so I have a few other masks that I’ll be trying soon and am excited about. But these two are on regular rotation with me.
Along with my skin care routine, my make up ritual has also expanded. Of course, I had nowhere to go but up, given that my previous “routine” probably doesn’t qualify as one. The one big change was lipstick. Whereas I used to dislike lipstick and how heavy it was, I now almost never leave the house without it. From owning one measly lipstick that was a gift, I now own nine. Not a lot compared to girls who seem to own the entire MAC display rack, but given that I only owned the one a year ago, it’s significant..
I apply MAC’s Prep + Prime Lip before application. It prevents feathering and flaking, which has always been a problem with my chappy lips. It does give lipstick a slightly pinker tone, though.
My lipsticks from left to right: NARS Audacious in Barbara, a light pink nude; MAC Pro Longwear in ‘Till Tomorrow, my perfect match MLBB; MAC Taupe, a brownish nude; MAC Retro, a darker, pinkish brown and probably my favorite; MAC Dangerous, to me, the perfect red-orange shade (sorry, Lady Danger); MAC Russian Red, my original red; NARS Audacious Sandra, a muted brick-red; MAC Diva, a deep wine; and finally MAC Sin, an even darker, deeper burgundy. I swear these shades are prettier than my poorly-lit photo suggests.
I do love my MACs, but I will say that the NARS Audacious line is fantastic. The payoff is great, and while I wouldn’t go so far as to say that they are actually hydrating, they are definitely not drying, even without primer. They also last the longest of all my lipsticks and withstand a work day’s worth of meals and drinks.
I’m not really faithful to mascaras, I don’t actually remember buying the same tube twice. My current Tony Moly Double Needs Pang Pang Mascara (yes, that’s what it’s really called) is a little prone to clumping. Although I will say that it definitely delivers on its promise of “no panda eyes!” Even through the longest of work days, my mascara never ends up in a semi-circle under my eyes.
I’ve switched from old eyebrow pencil to MAC’s Lingering, and now also apply MAC’s Brow Set in Beguile.
Blush was the last thing I wanted to use. But my sister had other ideas and gave me MAC’s Pink Swoon for Christmas, knowing full well that I would feel guilty about letting her present go to waste unused. So now I use blush.
I spritz the Clnique Moisture Surge spray on top of everything, and then I’m good to go.
While my current skincare and makeup routine is still probably in the “simple” end of the spectrum, I still find it to be a huge change versus a year ago, when I just applied one thing on my face before going to bed. Now it takes a little more time between bath and bedtime or me rushing out the door for work. But as my burgeoning sheet mask addiction suggests, I am quite enjoying discovering new products, learning about ingredients and formulations, etc. Though plunking down the cash for something un-tested (boooo for no testers and samples!) does stress me out sometimes.
Hopefully I’ll get to write more about any new favorites (did I mention sheet masks?) soon, and maybe you’ll share yours, too (what’s your favorite sheet mask and why?)!
Don't ask me to smile... 