My 2018 Ups and Downs Journey (SkinCare Edition)

2018 has been a stressful year for me. I went through a stressful one and a half semester ( I was already halfway through semester 4 in New Year). And I also started my internship on end of November. Yeay me!!!

One of the things that changes on me is my skin. My skin has been through so much since 2016. That time was the worse breakout I have ever experience. And it was right before I went into college.
So today I'm not going to talk about my 2016 and 2017 horror because of two reason.

1. I don't take that much pictures - unless with tons of makeup and filters

2. My hard drive broke and I lost everything that I kept in there including tons of pictures and hundreds of movies.

The only 2016 photos that I have without filters ft my best friend Timmy the GREAT OLIVIA (I made that name up right off the bat)

Just a brief story before 2018. I have tried a lot of product. Locals, drugstores, high-end (a bit). I even took supplements but to no avail nothing works.

By the middle of 2017, I keep tabs on beauty guru's post, studies them a bit and stopped every product that I use. At that time I was using a drugstore product that time and it still breaks me out. I tried using just one product at a time to see whether it suits my skin or not.

I bought Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser to try it out. Partly because it was on sale and I saw a lot of recommendation about it.

It turns into my HOLY GRAIL after a few month. I'm the impatience type, so if I see nothing changes within a short span, I would try to change my product but with Cetaphil, I tried to be as patient as I can. And I can't believe it was actually worth it.

I didn't use any other skincare except this cleanser and Garnier makeup remover that I randomly bought at Watsons.

My morning routine consist of only:

1. Washing my face with Cetaphil
2. Dry my face with a tissue and then straight to makeups

For my night routine:

1. I wipe my makeup with Garnier's Makeup Remover
2. Wash my face with Cetaphil
3. I put a thin layer of Cetaphil and wear it as a sleeping mask.

The last step in my night routine makes wonders to my skin. My acne started to clear up and left my face with nothing but scars. The downside is my skin got really dry. So I opted out to moisturiser. Unfortunately, every moisturisers I tried it ended up making my skin grows acne again.

Then FINALLY on January 2018. I have the RIGHT basic skincare routine which is cleanser-moisturiser-sunscreen

22 January 2018

I started to get confidence in going out without makeup and also trying out new skincare. I added essence and face mist to my routine.

I avoided seafood as best as I could and took  herb medicines since apparently I found out that I have Resdung and that was one of the causes for my acne. During that time of the year, I also sweats a lot by going to the gym and eating healthy diets.

Maybe that is one of the reason why my skin started to clear up, since sweating also eliminates toxin from our body.

May 2018

On July, I started to get busy with final projects and ignored all my diets, medicines. And I also ate a lot of seafoods. I was too busy to go to the gym (too lazy as well). It started to show on my skin. Then in November, I tried Hada Labo trial pack and it makes my skin worse. Luckily it was just a trial pack. I was quite disappointed since it got a lot of great reviews but it just doesn't suit my skin.

November 2018

So I stopped using it and went back to my old routine. And this is my current skin.

31st December 2018

The scars are still there but it's getting better.  I just have to be patience like I used to.

With love,
Aina

4 Tips on Prepping Your Breakout Skin for Makeup

Breakouts can be so stressful, especially when it's nearing your big day. During breakouts, it is best to avoid wearing any makeup that could potentially cause your breakouts to worsen by clogging your pores.

However!!

In case you are in dire needs to wear makeup or you just can't go out without makeup, there are a few helpful tips that can help you get through your breakouts and slay the day. These are the four tips to making sure your face is ready to get GLAM! even when in breakouts...

1. Clean thoroughly

Having a clean face is the top most important things if you have breakouts. You need to make sure your skin can't get anymore bacteria or else it'll only get worse. Double cleanse if you need to but make sure you don't wash it too hard or else you'll irritate the skin.

Know your skin type and skin concern. Not only will it help you with your skincare, using makeup also needs to depend on both of it.

2. Use ice to reduce irritation

There's a myth that says ICE can REDUCE pores. FALSE. You can't make your pores smaller. 

But that doesn't mean you can't use ice on your face. Make sure it's clean though.

Spend a couple of minutes rubbing some ice gently on your face to reduce the redness and the irritation from your breakouts. I prefer to cover it with facial cloth. Its softer that way and it doesn't grace the area where I have large acnes.

3. Wear soothing mask

You might want to spend some extra time with this steps. I suggest you wear aloe vera soothing mask, to relax your facial muscle. This could take around 10-15 minutes. The soothing mask also contains essence that is beneficial. 

You will also feel your skin a lot more smooth, prep and ready to dab in some makeup. Using a mask before applying makeup really helps a lot. Especially when  it comes to blending.

4. Moisturize

Having an oily skin will make your face looks shiny and your makeup could possibly slips and cause a hot mess around your face. But then again, having a dry face could make your makeup look cakey and blotchy. That could be even worse.

The key to avoid this is of course HYDRATION. Like MaisarahMahmud always said, "Hydration is the key"

Even if your oily or dry, you need to moisturize your skin. When your skin is dry, your skin compensate the lack of moisture with producing more oil and that is why your face is oily. That is why you need moisturizer to keep your face moist and free from excess oil that could clogged your pores.

Always let your moisturizer soaks in your skin before putting on makeup to make sure all the nutrient have been absorbs completely.

NOW YOUR FACE IS READY TO PRIME AND GLAM