Monday 3 May 2010

Skincare Routine

A reader asked me to share my current skincare routine. My routine is very basic: cleanse, tone and moisturise, with a 'treatment' twice a week. My skin type is oily and acne-prone. Skincare products are very subjective so do bear in mind that your mileage may vary and what works for me may not necessarily work for you.

Cleanse: I remove my eye makeup first with Urban Decay Clean & Sober (gently wipe with a cotton pad) followed by Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil (massage on dry skin then emulsify by adding water). The Shu cleansing oil can also remove eye makeup but I'm trying to use up the two bottles of UD Clean & Sober that I received as GWPs, so I decided to use them to remove eye makeup as the first step. Also, this reduces the amount of massaging of the delicate eye area that I have to do when using the Shu cleansing oil. L'Oreal's Gentle Eye Makeup Remover was an old staple of mine for many years.

The Shu cleansing oil takes off everything, including waterproof mascara. It is expensive at S$138 for a 450ml bottle, but if you compare with Fancl (S$33 for 120ml), the per unit cost is not that much more than Fancl. I then follow up with Avene Cleanance Soap-Free Gel Cleanser which cleanses effectively without stripping. About twice a week, I use Lush Herbalism instead of Avene, as Herbalism also acts as a scrub. However, I prefer Angels on Bare Skin to Herbalism as Angels is gentler. I use Shiseido Brightening Cleansing Foam in the mornings. It does help to brighten up my skin but tends to leave it dry so I do not use it more than once a day.

Tone: I am currently using Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Balancing Softener which helps the moisturiser/serum to absorb more easily. But when I am having a breakout, I use DDF 10% Glycolic Toner which helps to exfoliate the skin. Previously, I was also using Kiehl's Blue Astringent Herbal Lotion to help combat breakouts.

Moisturise: I am currently using Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum. My skin gets incredibly oily if I layer on more than two skincare products at a time, which is why if I use a serum, I always skip the moisturiser and vice versa. The other moisturisers that I have in rotation are L'Occitane Red Rice Ultra-Matte Face Fluid and Kenzoki Melts on Contact Face Gel (not pictured). I am currently also using Elizabeth Arden Prevage Eye Anti-aging Moisturising Treatment.

Treat: I do a mask twice a week. To combat acne breakouts, I use either DDF Sulfur Therapeutic Mask or Kate Somerville Clearing Mask. To combat skin dullness, I use My Beauty Diary sheet masks. Once a week, I also use Biore Pore Strips on my T-zone area and my cheeks to remove pore clogs (much better way of removing them than squeezing which can just worsen the inflammation).

15 comments:

BeautyOnTheWay said...

I love LUSH Angels on Bare Skin too, but couldn't finish it before its expiry date, wasted 1/4 of it, cause I only use it twice a week. It's an amazing paste and make my skin so clean and smooth after washing.

Anonymous said...

oh this is great. i have been thinking about updating my skin care routine as well since i have changed so much. i am also wondering about that Avene Cleanance Soap-Free Gel Cleanser. i have seen it in the pharmacy. and it looks like a HG from you.

going to check if you have an individual review on it. thanks for sharing!

The Undercover Gypsy said...

This gives me good idea about what I can do if I need to revamp my skincare routine, especially the scrubs. I've also been wondering about the Avene cleanser, since there are all kinds of sale offers flying around now so it's good to hear that this cleanses well.

Sarah said...

hi!
was curious as to where u get DDF and Kate somerville products in singapore from?
thanks!

Anonymous said...

thanks for sharing! It really helps, i'm thinking of getting the avene cleanser and now i'll go get it! :)

-cindy.

Haru said...

Hi sarah,
I ordered DDF and Kate Somerville from Nordstrom.com and Katesomerville.com respectively and shipped through Borderlinx last year.

Hi jojoba n cindy,
The avene cleanser is a good basic cleanser and the best part is that it doesn't strip or irritate my skin. But it didn't completely prevent breakouts for me so it's not a miracle/holy grail product for me.

Audrey said...

Hey Haru
Nice sharing! can you please do a post on your "what's in ur makeup bag" :) next..hehe

DDF and Kate Somerville sounds uncommon and i wonder why you chose these 2 brands for your skincare ? or by chance u found them good..or?

PS: I have been to honolulu before and i spent like hrs in the ala moana long drugstore like u and then in a few steps, go raided the old navy basement! :) must say the sephora SA there is really helpful too!

thanks

evie said...

hihi can i ask how do you keep all your lush stuffs with the hot spore climate?..cos i was wondering how to keep mine from melting T_T thank you!!!

and thank you for your detailed skincare routine! XD i used to use avene too but it did not really for for me though. sadded

Haru said...

Hi evie,
I keep my Lush soaps individually wrapped in a cabinet in my bathroom. For my bathbombs, they are also individually wrapped and kept in the Lush hatbox in my closet. I also keep some items in the fridge like Snowshowers and Mask of magnanimity. The key is to keep all items individually wrapped and away from light and heat.

Hi audrey,
Sure, I can do that post later :) I purchased DDF and Somerville because of the good reviews on Makeupalley and other blogs. Temptalia is also a user of Somerville. I can't say that they have been incredible for my skin but that could be because I haven't used them regularly enough.

pauicelish said...

I got inspired to share my skin care routine too from reading this.
Have you tried the estee lauder pore minimizing serum? It's really great on my skin - i have combi of oily tzone and normal skin.
Thanks for sharing haru :-)

Haru said...

hi,
I've tried EL Idealist before but it did not produce any permanent improvements for my skin.

Anonymous said...

Haru, is Shiseido White Lucent good for oily skin?
Me too have oily skin and Shiseido White Lucent seems interesting.
But based on my experience with whitening products from other brands, they don't help me to control the oil.
And is Kiehl's Blue Astringent Herbal Lotion great to combat acne?
I have seen it but always wonder will it be too dry or not.
Thank you for sharing your skincare routine :D very inspiring.

Haru said...

Hi,
The Kiehls blue herbal lotion is very drying, so I can use it mainly at night and as a spot treatment. I can't put makeup over it or other moisturiser because they will just ball up instead of absorbing into the skin. But if used sparingly on days when I'm having a breakout, it does help to dry up the blemishes. But it's probably too strong for sensitive skin.

As for Shiseido White Lucent, the Shiseido SA will tell you that it is suitable for oily skin. But actually I find that applying the serum and the toner makes my skin quite oily. I've also heard from other users that they found the day cream to be a bit oily. So if your concern is oiliness rather than skin brightening, then I would suggest looking for a skincare line that is more targeted at keeping skin oil-free. The White Lucent facial cleanser is more drying though.

Anonymous said...

Hi how much does the shipping costs you when u bought the iterms through kate somerville website ?

Haru said...

hi,
I had the Kate Somerville shipped through Borderlinx from the US to Singapore. This was a few years ago so I can't remember how much it cost exactly.