Been wanting to write about this for such a long time… almost a year now. Solely just to share my (quite life changing) experience and help a sister (or a brother!) out. Hope this helps!

A little background…

I have always had acne prone skin since I was a preteen. I feel all your pain, it’s annoying, it’s depressing sometimes, and it is absolutely unpredictable. It’s quite a rare moment for me where I don’t have a single acne lying somewhere on my face. And even worst for me, I have always been blessed with cystic acne. What is cystic acne? It’s what we called ‘that’ red bumpy pimples that are usually swollen, painful, and takes forever to disappear. During my years of Junior High and High School, those imperfections have always become my biggest insecurities and it was always so visible! But I never actually took care of it, every time I had an acne I would just spot treat it or like most of us do, pick on it until it dissappear. Back then, I knew it’s wrong, but it was always so visible and you just want it to disappear quickly. But then, 3 months in to college, my skin was just in a really bad state. To begin with, I went to college in the UK, where:

1. The water are super harsh

2. Cold and awful weather that dries your skin to death

You might think.. “Wait, aren’t you supposed to have a nice skin and all since the UK is less polluted and has a cold weather makes your skin less oily?” I thought so too! But eversince I moved to the UK, my skin just went gaga (read: pimples appear in unexpected places, uncontrollable oil yet dying dry skin, dull unpleasant skin textures) Well after much hours of googling, as it turns out, when your skin is over dried which was what the harsh water and weather did to my face, your skin tend to produce more oil from the inside and some of these oil may be trapped within the skin and produce an acne!

Since then, I began my mission on finding the perfect skin treatment for my dying skin. Of course we all wanted an overnight miracle, where your skin just miraculously turned porcelain-like since the first pump. But it’s not that simple, guys!  Honestly, I used to think that skincare and beauty products are just marketing scams, but as it turned out you just have to give it a chance and some time for it to work on your skin. Consistency is key, the hard work will show up once you put dedication to it! It’s amazing how a month of constant skin routine change your skin condition. So, after much much research, tries, and discovery (and not to forget the cost on my wallet) I finally found my own skincare routine! It all actually does pay off, I don’t have as much acne as I used to and there are days, hell even a full month of me not having acne. From a purpose of simply not having any acne turned in to a a whole skin repair, my skin texture changes drastically and is now much healthier, brighter, and plumper.

A routine might sound a little like a commitment but actually, a skincare routine is a fun regime to do where you can watch the process and discover what’s good and bad for you. Not to mention the end results! It is actually addicting once you discover what certain things and certain components does to your skin, it has become one of my new found hobby! And remember, Taking care of your skin is actually as important as taking care of the rest of your body health! So to save you the time and hassle, I will share with you my skincare routine and discoveries! But remember, every skin type are different, certain things work for certain skin types so take some time to adjust your skincare routine.

                                                   

I will start from my PM routine because it’s when I put most of my skincare and prep my skin for the following day. It is also the most essential time to take care of your skin, because at night, your skin are being repaired and layering it with a skincare makes the task more advanced and easier for the skin to repair itself.

Before putting on any kind of skincare, it’s important that you have a fresh clean canvas. Some people might think that cleansing isn’t something to bug about, but it is actually suprising how much amount of dirt are sticking in your face after a couple of hours and how those dirt can affect your skin or perhaps pile up in your pores(yuck!).

I usually begin by cleaning my face with my newfound love, Micellar Water. I have never actually found a good enough cleanser for my skin as most skin cleansers I found are only able to take away make up. Meanwhile, Micellar Water is this life-changing water cleanser that takes away dirt and works gently on the skin plus that dirt is visible on your cotton pads (how satisfying!). What makes this product amazeballs is actually its molecule called Micelles, that micro-encapsulate dirt on skin's surface and lift it off without rubbing, maintaining skin's physiological balance. The brand I’m currently using is La Roche Posay (£11.00), which is also the first Micellar Water I found. But since it’s only available in the US & Europe, when I’m home in Indonesia I switch to Sukin’s Micellar Water (Rp. 175.000 at Benscrub.com) which works as good. There are also other alternatives for Micellar Water that works as amazingly such as Bioderma, Garnier, and Nivea.

After cleansing it with Micellar Water, I usually like to double cleanse using a facial soap. The one I’m using is Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser. My skin is not sensitive, but I think its important to put easier stuffs on the skin and Cetaphil is very gentle, non-scented, and light which is less harmful for your skin. Occassionally, I like swith between Cetaphil and Aurelia Miracle Cleanser (£38.00), it is like a cleansing balm that takes off all your make up and dirt but it is also very hydrating. This product is supposed to be used with a bamboo mueslin to exfoliate your skin but I usually just massage my face and rinse it with water. This product leaves my skin feeling very hydrated and baby butt like. But I use it only once or twice a week as Aurelia products are kinda pricey hehehe…

Important Note: Never wash your face with hot water! Hot water irritates your skin + bacteria mostly build up in heat which may cause break outs.

After cleaning the face, I usually prep my face with a toner so that whatever comes after it will absorbs nicely. My favorite toner is obviously everyone’s favorite, Pixi Glow Tonic (£18.00). It claims to exfoliate and brightens the skin. Instead of dragging the cotton pad all around my face, I usually just pat it and wait for it to absorbs. Personal effect: this product transforms the dullness on my face and leaving those natural highlight on the skin.

You might think that its weird to pile oil on your face when you already have oily face, hey I was skeptical too! I had the infamous Josie Maran Argan Oil lying around for a while but I have only been using it religiously 3 months ago. And boy, if I would have known sooner. This oil does wonders to your skin, and most importantly it really sped up the healing of my acne scars and calms down my cystic acne. I usually just put two or three drops on my fingers and pat it across my face with a little soft slap so that it’s not too greasy. I also like to use it only at night time as I don’t want too much oil on my face during the day.

Some people like to repair before putting on oils or serum, but I like to pile oil beforehand because I think the texture of my repair cream works better after the oil and vice versa with the oil. The one I’m using is La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+ (£15.50), this product claims to minimize impurities, acne scars and marks, and unclog pores. I agree that this product does the job well in keeping my pores clean and it also helps healing my acne and maintain the oil on my face.

This is obviously the most essential part of the whole routine. This is also the main reason why I’m writing this post, to encourage people to moisturize. Moisturizing is important, people! The solutions to most of your skin problem might be laid in a single tube. One of the main reasons your skin keep producing acne might also come from not moisturizing, because that’s exactly what happened to me! Moisturizing improves your skin tone and textures, I also like to believe that when you moisturize, your skin produces good oil that are maintained by your moisturizer instead of not putting anything and producing oils that are piled with dust and dirt. It also helps healing your skin, and can save you the hassle of anti aging products as it hydrates your skin (which is its main purpose, to hydrate). Again, when your skin is over dried it might produce extra oil that might produce break outs, and that solution is to moisturize so these oil can be maintained. Do not fret, as there are wide range of moisturizers for your skin, oil-free, balancing, dry skin, sensitive skin, gel textured, you just have to find the ones that suits you. I like to prefer Korean moisturizers as my skin texture are mostly the Asian type and I find that other moisturizers doesn’t work as good on my skin. But then again, it’s what suits you and what you prefer. I’m currently using Laneige Water Bank Gel Cream (Rp. 450.000), because I prefer gel moisturizers as it is cooling and soothing the skin. Other times, I like to use Innisfree Green Tea Balancing Cream (Rp. 240.000 at an online shop), this moisturizer works perfect for those who have combination skin like myself.

Oh! Don’t forget to moisturize the body too.

We often forgot about our lip care, I mean I tend to forgot to most of the times tee-hee. Those matte liquid lipstick are drying your lips on the daily, make sure you don’t forget to take care of it too! You can use any lip balm, but let me tell you this particular lip balm is life changing. (Shout out to Raissa!) I am currently using Carmex Lip Balm (£2.49) it is super moisturizing almost like a medicine for your lips, it leaves somewhat that burning/cool feeling on your lips and I recommend to do only one layer of the product because it is really strong, but it works amazingly you’ll feel that plumpy hydrated feeling on your lips.

Moving on to my A.M. routine! This one will be a bit shorter and simpler.

And that is ALL! Yes, don’t worry. There’s no more.

Hopefully this inspire you to take care of your skin or if you already have, share with me in the comment below! Remember, every skin type is different, take the time to find what works for you and what you like. Skincare should not be “too much work” it should be fun and something you can enjoy along the way.

If you have anything to ask, leave a comment below!