My Skincare Routine

Anyone who knows me long enough knows I've never been blessed with flawless skin. I've been through a myriad of disastrous facial events leaving me with indented scars, humongous pores and hyper-pigmentation nearly all over my face: if this scares you my dear readers, please be grateful that scene will only scar people who know me in person. I never photograph them in HD hoping people who know me solely from this blog will only remember my OK skin (not even in this post, sorry bae).

When I was younger I got a multitude of constant zits, whiteheads, and way more oily skin -- pretty sure that wouldn't even change today if it's not for the SPF 25+ PA++ and double cleansing (and some other things I'm about to mention) I have been rigorous about. My present time skin is behaving more politely and here I'll show you why.

*drum rolls awkwardly* *sorry I suck at intro*

Please welcome my ladies! They have been my bffs for at least half a year now! *insert hearts here*

Well, let's start with the true story. I've never been so thorough with skincare, I must admit. Every year pasts only means I got into different roller coasters of skincare style. I had a long journey with Kligman's formula during my younger years, then I jumped into "natural skincare" bandwagon, then I got off and went au naturel (the dark age of my skin, both literally and figuratively) until I returned home from Down Under and impulsively figured that day I needed something extensive for my skin, not just trends that come and go. And that, Kid, is the story of how I met my soulmate(s).

My skincare style now is hugely influenced by

• Paula Begoun in the sense that I use various substances my skin needs to keep its health in check (do check her page to see what I mean). I like that lady, though sometimes she (or her research team, whatever) can be very critical towards other brands that seem to be cult favorite. She's my go-to reference when it comes to actives I need to have, percentages, and expectations I should manage when using certain products. However there are times when she and I are not of the same opinion, e.g. when she talks about alcohol in skincare. She despises alcohol, while I believe when not too high in concentration, alcohol can actually be beneficial for skin. 
• Asian values and approach to skincare in the sense that I layer products. Also, I really like luminous, tan-and-hyper-pigmentation spot-free that often translates to the love for whitening products. [As a matter of fact, I hate that w word. That w word is so racist people often mistaken it for a desire to be white as in Caucasian white. Well, my confused fellas, let me tell you something: this term is actually very benign and has zero connotation with colorism. I personally believe that this word's lost in translation as what we Asian call "white" is closer to conditions I mentioned above: luminous, tan-and-hyper-pigmentation free. There is no such thing as real pigment reducers you can find in a legit Asian whitening product that's capable of changing the color you're born with. The very common substance Asian claims as whitening agent (or brightening) is the same substance Caucasians call skin barrier enhancer, anti-aging, anti-melasma and anti-blemish (i.e. niacinamide)]

Further reading:

• Niacinamide: A B vitamin that improves aging facial skin appearance 
• A Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial of Niacinamide 4% versus Hydroquinone 4% in the Treatment of Melasma 
• Niacinamide and the Skin
• Niacinamide-containing facial moisturizer improves skin barrier and benefits subjects with rosacea 

So, let's discuss the real routine, shall we?

• Cleansing water: I start and call it a day with cleansing water a.k.a micellar water. Although people say fantastic, unicorn-y things about this stuff, to me this is just mild soapy water that comes with high price tag. (Read this pretty lady's explanation: here) But don't get me wrong, I really like the idea behind it. It's just I cannot justify paying extra cash for something that does the job similarly. Whether it's $13 Etude House or $1 the-locally-available-here-in-Indonesia PIXY it does the same cleanliness to my skin. My only rambling about both of them is that they're heavily fragranced. And no, I'm not interested anymore in non-scented Bioderma: tried the mini version couple of weeks ago with exactly the same result as other micellars would but costed me an arm and a leg.
• Cleansing foam:  I double cleanse twice a day. After I'm done with the cleansing water part, depending on the laziness level I am at, I immediately (or not so immediately) proceed with the cleansing foam. At the moment, I'm using Hadalabo Gokujyun face wash because this one is unscented and doesn't strip my skin off while still capable of removing the residue my cleansing water might leave very well. One word of advice: do not waste a fortune on something that will be rinsed off of your face. Even the most potent agent won't do any good if it just sits on your skin for a minute or two.
• Leave On Exfoliant: If you know Paula Begoun, you'll be familiar with the concept. The idea is to have acids in the form of AHAs or BHAs to exfoliate the thickened outer layer of your skin. I understand this might scare you, but this one is truly the game changer for me. I've been using this Dr. Refina Active Exfoliating Peel Derm 2 for about four months and my skin has never looked so decent -- as in bare face decent. This product is made in Indonesia (by the same company that also manufactures Mazaya and Immortal Cosmetics), Indonesian FDA-registered but not sold widely, apparently due to this regulation. I'll sum it up for you my dear lazy ass readers: No AHA-containing products in the pH below 3.5 and above 10% concentrations to be circulated directly from manufacturer to consumers in the country. I highly suspect my baby Dr. Refina falls into that category and it's kind of illegal for the seller to sell me this but I couldn't care less. This baby gotta do what this baby gotta do.
• Vitamin C serum: My vitamin C serum did not make an appearance in the picture above, but rather I'll give her a special shot below:

Can you spot that? I DIY my vitamin C serum by adding 8 parts of Hadalabo lotion to 2 parts of food grade ascorbic acid powder then shake is rigorously like no tomorrow. The concoction yields --of course-- 20% concentration of vitamin C serum. DIY is definitely not for everyone and you shouldn't do it either if you're not confident as to the result. Despite all the debate questioning the efficacy of DIY vitamin C serum out there, to me personally, the potion has contributed a lot to the betterment of my hyper-pigmentation (damn you, years of unprotected skin!). DIY vitamin C serum + leave on exfoliant = happy skin of mine!

• Niacinamide containing products: I love niacinamide. Pond's has it in their products and so do other supposedly-whitening Asian products in the market such as Garnier, Olay, Marina, Citra and so on. I really love this agent: she's nice-sounding and multitasking. She lightens hyper-pigmentation, reduces skin inflammations, fortifies skin barrier, helps with wrinkles, and I'm pretty sure she'll do your chores if you ask nicely. Right now I'm trying to finish my Innisfree White Tone Up Lotion I've been using for months. This product is nothing spectacular and severely perfumed (with something that smells ambiguously sweet) but I love how the silicones in it make my skin baby butt soft. It's not too emollient to clog my pores but it works reasonably to make my skin supple and hydrated. It doesn't break me out nor make my skin look like oil slick. I wish I could venture out more into other Korean products, but I'm always in doubt about their ethics towards animal cruelty. Hence, I'm forever a chicken that courses around Amore Pacific products which clearly state their products to be animal cruelty free (Some people who emailed them also got replied that they don't do beef or pork fat as well). During night time, my routine finishes here, but during day time, I'll add one more step i.e.:
• Sunscreen: Nobody lives long enough to experience all mistakes first hand, so learn from my mistake: NEVER STEP OUT INTO THE SUN UNPROTECTED. Never. Ever. As in Taylor Swift's never ever ever ever. I've developed tiny sunspots under my eyes from these years unshielded and they won't go away completely. There's no damage to start protecting earlier rather than regretting later. I'm in long term relationship with Skin Aqua SPF 25 PA++. When I expect getting exposed to stronger rays, for example, when I'm out at 12 p.m., I'll smear the SPF 50 PA+++ vigilantly to every inch of my face. 

Ten years ago, my face was nothing like today. I used to have bumpy skin that I tried to cloak using bb creams, foundations and truckload amount of concealer. Super unsightly: My face would look like Magnum White Chocolate Almond ice cream. Not anymore today. Having a predisposed oily skin, I've come to realize it is nearly impossible for me to expect my skin to look poreless and not shiny. Nonetheless, I grow less skin-conscious today as I feel the older I get and the firmer I am with my routine, the better my skin acts. Well, I manage to look *rather* presentable sans makeup to the least extent. The key is persistence. I am strict now with my regime because I believe nothing magical happens overnight (at least to my skin) and nothing but being strict would keep it in shape in long term.

Sooo... that's the story about my skincare routine. Hope this inspires you somehow and do tell me how yours is going! :D

Greetings from the whole family!