Sorry for the non-food post but I’ve been meaning to post this for a while now. . . Are you looking for some good skincare products?
Growing up I never really took care of my skin, didn’t really know what to do and after a few “yes I am a teenager” pimple face/blotchy skin years, I got by with my beloved Johnson & Johnson Purpose bar soap and moisturizer to wash and moisturize my face and OXY. Boy, I used OXY like crazy. I would cake it on my face and forehead . . thinking that the more I put on, the better it would work. We’ll probably find out one day that benzoyl peroxide is toxic like everything else is. . . For a few more years, I added Fango active mud by Borghese (which used to be sold in the mall and then moved to drug stores and now I think can only be found online) to my skincare regimen. Later, I discovered that this crap clogged my sink drain pipes and caused big problems. . I eventually would wipe it off with a wet paper towel so as not to get that stuff in the sink or shower. . I took “lather on generously” literally.
During my second pregnancy, my skin went bazerko. I think I had a mild version of Melasma or the pregnancy mask. Melasma is a dark skin discoloration that appears on sun-exposed areas of the face. I tried to cake on the cover-up to even out my face (and did a very poor job at that). I don’t have any photos but just remember I literally had red, dry patches and discoloration around my face and mouth and my skin looked horrid. My doctor told me not to worry and that it would go away after I had my baby. . my skin got slightly better but I still had some red splotches and discoloration. I became very self conscious about my face and make-up and trying to cover everything up. Shortly after I decided I needed to do something about my skin, I called my friend who is a make-up artist (and I probably posted something on Facebook asking friends what they use). . at any rate, I started using Bobbi Brown Hydrating skin care products. I am one of those people who sales people love. You can sell me just about anything most of the time. I always leave make-up counters (although, I am getting better with this) with a bag full of products I don’t really need. . when it comes to make-up and skincare, I don’t know anything so I am too trusting and very gullible. BUT I have to say the Bobbi Brown skincare line worked for me! I LOVE all of her products. I use and recommend the following: Hydrating Face Tonic, Hydrating Face Cream (and used the Hydrating Gel cream during warmer/hotter months), and the Hydrating eye cream.
Ok, I must stop for a moment and address two things: 1) $$ and 2) eye cream. Obviously, I know these products are pricy and – believe me- if I weren’t working myself, I would not be able to afford buying products like these for myself but wanted to say- if you can afford it, and are looking, check these out. I probably don’t need all of this and will probably cut back on some but again, if you’re looking, check these out. #2: EYE CREAM. OK, I am Asian (Korean) and I really do believe that Asians age gracefully. . must be all the vegetables and kimchee or something in our genes . . . Heck, I am going to be 40 this year and I think I could still pass for someone in their early 30’s no problem. Anyway, I never used eye cream, thought I didn’t need it. . personally, I think I got away with not using it for so long because I rarely wear eye make-up. So, I feel like since I didn’t go through all those years of washing/wiping/dealing with eye make-up might have helped? I dunno. Anyway, one day. . what do I see? LINES. . wrinkles. . so, I started using the eye cream. Ladies, don’t wait for those lines to appear. USE THE EYE CREAM. I only use it at night and I personally can see a difference since I have been using it.
And then came the BRIGHTENING Line by Bobbi Brown. You’ll have to go to http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com and read everything b/c I won’t give the line justice by telling you about it here. . all I know is that it has vitamin C and root extracts and it’s FABULOUS. I use the Brightening SPF 50 UV Protective Face Base and the Brightening Advanced Serum. I feel like the Brightening Advanced Serum along with all the Hydrating products helped my red patches and dryness and helped to even out my skin tone and bring my skin back to life. And the SPF Face Base, I told the sales woman I didn’t need SPF . . that I rarely stay out in the sun and when I do, I put on banana boat SPF 50. I wish I took a picture of her reaction to me when I said “Banana boat” :). Classic. Well, I don’t need to explain to you what happened next. . I now use the SPF Face Base, after my hydrating cream, before my make-up.
**I have to take some time to share with you how lucky I am that I don’t have skin cancer or leathery skin. . I used to lay out when I was younger like there was no tomorrow. . I can’t tell you how many times I got sun burned and was literally black from laying out . . my friends and I even applied sun tan lotion back in the day to get more tan. We didn’t use sun block but sun tan lotion. It was crazy. I’m not exactly sure when I came to the realization that the sun is not my friend but soon after that, I stopped laying out and spending so much time in the sun unprotected. Always wear SPF! Now only if I can get my husband to apply sun block, we’ll be good.
Back to the skincare- Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have perfect skin, I still get pimples from time to time (which I am amazed b/c I am going to be 40! WTH?) but when I go out now with no make-up (and I do this often during the weekends when running errands or hitting up Costco, Target, T. Joe’s etc), I don’t feel as self conscious anymore b/c my skin looks better.
Three closing statements:
1) If you only take one thing from this post, for pete’s sake, wear SPF. Vitamin D is good for you but wear SPF on your face.
2) Make-up: which I’ll cover in a separate post. I know it’s crazy expensive but I love Chanel foundation, concealer, powder and blush.
3) The Basic 5-Step Skincare Regimen (I added #5):
Step 1: Cleansing
Step 2: Exfoliate
Step 3: Moisturize
Step 4: Apply Sunscreen
Step 5: DRINK LOTS OF WATER. For the love of god, drink water. it’ll do wonders for your skin.
I thought I should post recent photos of my face since this was a post on skincare. Here’s one taken just 3 days ago. Weird angle but it shows my face up close.
Bye!
