Skin and Body Care

I am sure all of us have our own regime when it comes to skin and body care. Well I was one of those that kept things simple. REALLY simple. I never really experimented with different ways of doing things. It was wash, tone, moisturise. The only fun I had came from the different brands I tried out. If you had read my earlier entries, you would know I grew up on Biotherm. But after awhile that kinda lost its effect on me and I began to try other brands. I did try cheaper brands like THE FACE SHOP, Neutrogena, Clean & Clear, etc. but somehow they just didn't work for me. About a couple of months ago, I decided to try Chanel's Precision series. It's been a few months and I must say I have no complaints. I like how the facial wash doesn't leave a tightness or powdery effect, yet you feel clean without being too squeaky clean.

I recently went to Vietnam with a close friend of mine for a short getaway and she is the guru of what I call "woman products". From skin care, to body care, hair products, you name it. Well, she introduced to some new products and a new regime which I have been following religiously since I returned and I am loving the results. :)

So let's start with the face. I have combination skin but slightly more towards oily. More often than not, it's my T zone that oils up, but honestly, by mid day, assuming no blotters and no patting with tissue, my whole face oils up. Well this has significantly improved after trying my friend's recommended regime.

At night, I wash my face as per normal with facial wash, toner and moisturiser. But in the morning when I wake, instead of repeating the process, I simply use Melvita's Cleansing Micellar Water. I put it on a cotton pad and wipe away the overnight sebum. After wiping my face clean with this, I then use Melvita's floral water. They have a variety for the different types of skin. I now use the Orange flavoured floral water but I also bought the Lavendar to try. So after wiping, I simply spray my face with the floral water then use my hands to pat it in. I find that this leaves my skin feeling refreshed, clean, hydrated and more importantly, it somehow reduces the oil production during the day.

Melvita is not available in Singapore so I got my friend to buy it for me in Hong Kong. Do check out their website www.melvita.com

After the floral water, I now use sunblock as well. Yes, I never really used sun block. I tried to start on it but I never liked the feeling of it on my face so I stopped. Again recommended my dear friend, I tried the Shu Uemura UV under base mousse which I find really good! It's SPF30 and its easy to apply. The key thing for me would be how it doesn't leave my skin feeling like I just slapped on a layer of sun block. It feels lights and natural. After application, I also noticed that it makes my make up go on easily and my make up stays on longer too. I am not sure if this also contributes to the improved oil situation on my face, but I am loving this regime and sticking to it! :)

During the trip, my friend tried a mask on me called the Shiseido White Luscent Mask. It's quite expensive (6 pieces for S$100) so I haven't bought it yet but I must say it was really good. When I used it in Vietnam, I looked significantly fairer the next day and I am NOT exaggerating. I usually don't believe in immediate effect for such skin care products but this was phenomenal. I was extremely impressed. I haven't bought it because I guess, the whitening effect doesn't appeal to me much. I don't need to be extremely fair, but rather I hope for radiant skin that's clear and smooth. :) As a replacement, I decided to try the Neutrogena one instead. Will let you know how that works out.

Now for the body. I never really used body scrubs and the only ones I have tried were those from The Body Shop which had very coarse beads but smelled yummy. I heard that we weren't supposed to use scrubs everyday too. So as with all else, it was a one hit wonder for me. Not this time.

Again through my friend's recommendation, I discoverd the Decleor Smoothing and Cleansing Body Care. It is a shower gel with micro beads. It smells good and leaves your skin feeling clean and smooth, without feeling sore or your skin "thinned". I now use this on a daily basis.

Decleor is not available in Singapore but you can order it from strawberry.net and have them delivered to your home with no delivery charges! :) Do check out the site as well. I got high just checking out all the products!

Twice a week I will now use a body scrub as well. After the body scrub you need not use soap again. I find the Clarins Smoothing Body Scrub for New Skin very effective and I love what it does to my skin. Again, not too coarse like those in The Body Shop, yet definitely much coarser than the Decleor Shower Gel; hence do not use this on a daily basis. The Clarins Body Scrub leaves your skin smooth and soft to the touch. I love it! :)

Alrighty, I guess that's all for now. Will definitely update again should I discover any more beauty secrets! Do feel free to leave a comment should you have any questions or if you would like me to share on other things such as hair, fragrance, etc.

On a side note..my dream wardrobe… :p

Cheers!

XoXo

Germaine