SKINCARE ROUTINE - A quick revival for a 20 something year old's dull, tired & dehydrated skin

Hey guys! It's been extremely busy for me the past few weeks, finding a full-time job and finally settling into my new job. But as I've been easing into this whole trying to sleep earlier, waking up at 6.30am and being fully busy from 830-530 thing, I've definitely noticed a change in my skin. Doing a quick check around I realize many of my girl friends working the usual office job also suffer from having dull and tired skin, often dehydrated from either the aircon or (relatively LOL) aging skin. Either that or the dry air makes our oily-skin friends even oilier. The lack of sleep is another burden on our skin too!

AND SO, I'm back to share with you my skincare routine that I do once or twice a week to keep my skin bright, plump and fresh! I'll be sharing with you both a full and 'cheat' routine depending on how much you are willing to invest and how much time you have. Either way, both are affordable.

FULL SKINCARE ROUTINE

Before I start, let me just state that I don't do every single step everyday. Maybe 2-3x a week if I haven't been drinking enough water, getting enough sleep or if I notice my skin is getting both dry and too oily. I also do this full routine at night, and only steps 1-5 in the morning as I don't have as much time for everything to sink in.

1. Beauty Water by Son & Park, $24.90 for 340ml/$44.90 for 500ml (Shopee)

To revive your skin, you have to first clear away the dead skin cells that have accumulated, which is what gives you that dull appearance. Son & Park's beauty water's fame has spread from Korea over to the US, and it's safe to say it works! It's something like Pixi's tonic water. It gently exfoliates, cleanses and tones all at once. Unlike other exfoliating toners, it doesn't sting the face or dry your skin out.

For daily use I will pour a little out into my palm and gently pat it all over my face. To get rid of the dead skin, use it with a cotton pad. Because it's so gentle, you can use it every day! My skin definitely looks less dull when I use this. 10/10 I would recommend to everyone.

This bottle also lasts a really long time, I would say 8 months to 1y+ depending on your usage. Also, it always seems like no matter what cleanser I use, some dirt will always show up on a cotton pad when I use this beauty water after! It really thoroughly cleanses the skin, and I realize I get less bumpy skin/breakouts when I use this regularly.

• Quick tip: Use this on a cotton pad right after cleansing to check if your cleanser is working efficiently and getting all your makeup off. 

Buying this: Find this easily on Shopee via the official distributor @cocomosg. They often have sales so you can usually get the 340ml bottle for around $19-$21 instead!

2.  The First Treatment Essence by Time Revolution, $28.90 for 150ml (Shopee)

After thoroughly cleansing your face, it's time to feed your face with vitamins and nutrientsThis product is known as a great dupe for SKII's treatment essence! If the yeast smell in the SKII TE is too strong for you, you'll prefer this as it's much lighter. I feel like SKII makes you break out first before restoring your skin, but this doesn't. This contains 80% fermented yeast concentrate, vitamin B3 and DN-Aid which helps restore damaged DNA. My bottle in the picture is the "intensive moist" version, which is also especially great for dry skin.

The texture is similar to the beauty water, extremely liquidy like water, sinking right into the skin. Just pat it in gently after using your beauty water.

Note that while 'moist', it cannot replace your moisturizer. This product merely preps your face to better absorb all the other products you will be placing on your face, which is the main job of an 'essence'. It hence makes your investment in all your other products more worth it!

3. Sekkisei Emulsion by Kose, $18-26 for 70ml (Shopee)

This is a lightweight moisturizer containing vitamin C that helps to brighten and soften the skin, as well as prevents freckles and aging spots.

I'm not a person that is usually bothered by scents, but gosh I really hate the smell of Kose's Sekkisei line. I can't even describe it, you've got to smell it in stores LOL. If I'm not wrong SASA carries this brand.

I use this to quickly moisturize the face in the morning because it absorbs very quickly and the pump just makes it easy to use. However, I don't really notice that much of a difference using it, so you can just use any other lightweight liquid moisturizer you have.

At this step, you could also use any other serums or concentrates that you have.

4. Ultra Facial Cream by Kiehl's, $49 for 50ml

This was given to me by my mom as a present, and while it is a great lightweight moisturizer that claims to have a 24 hour hydrating formula, it isn't enough on it's own to sustain my dehydrated skin in an air-conditioned environment at night and at work.

The pros is that it is easily absorbed into the skin, and your skin quickly feels plump without feeling clogged. It is also pretty much scentless, which is great for sensitive skins and noses. You may love this if you have oily skin, but it doesn't last too long for me.

This is quite a pricey product, so you could easily substitute this with another lightweight moisturizer or facial cream if you wish. Any other facial creams that specially target some other problems like aging or brightening could also be used at this step.

The cream may look quite thick, but it is easily spread out once on the skin.

5. Orchid Eye Cream by Innisfree, $43 for 30ml ($23.90 on Shopee)

I've seen many raving reviews about this eye cream for it's value and quality. As with all eye creams, don't expect this to banish away your eye bags and dark eye circles if you're sleeping 4 hours a night (insert black moon face emoji here). However, it's great because while many good eye creams are often $50 upwards for a mere 15ml, this costs less for double that portion!

While this cream doesn't do miracles, it keeps my undereye hydrated, doesn't cause milia seeds, and slightly reduces the creasing and wrinkling under my eye when I use this under makeup (give it 5  mins to set though before applying makeup).

If you're looking to start investing in an eye cream but still can't afford to spend a bomb, give this a try!

It has a thick gel like consistency that does leave your skin tacky for a while after applied, but it doesn't feel too heavy and eventually sets after a few minutes. There isn't much of a scent.

6. Shea Butter Steam, Cream by Nature Republic, $28.30 for 100ml (qoo10)

I bought this during my trip to Korea because my skin was SO dry due to the cold weather it was ridiculous. It apparently provides moisture for up to 48 hours, and when the sales assistant said this was more for use during winter seasons I knew it was what my poor skin needed. LOL

If you face some dry skin because you sleep and work in air-conditioned environments like me, GET THIS! Mine is the moist version, but they also have ones for 'ultra very dry skin' and 'oily skin'. You could be producing too much oil because your face isn't hydrated enough, especially if you aren't drinking enough water, so you might want to try this out!

I only use this in the night on days when my skin is really dry. A little goes a long long way - It's really thick, so I put 4-5 dabs on my face and massage it all in. When I wake up the next morning, my skin is plump and moisturized AF hahaha. I'm pretty sure this tub could last me 2 years or more.

I swear nothing works like this. It may feel a little thick, but that's why I use it before bed. I feel like the lightweight moisturizers all disappears by the time I'm awake.

It has a very clean and refreshing scent.

7. Honey Murumuru Moisture Oil by ElishaCoy, $?? for 120ml

To be even more extra with my skincare, I use 4-5 drops of a face oil, rub it all over my palms, and then press it all into my face.

Facial oils are extremely lightweight and liquid.If you've never used one before, don't think about your cooking oils that are thick and sticky. It's nothing like that and you don't have to be afraid of oils even if you have oily skin!

I use this as the last step of my skin care, because I feel that it helps seal and lock in all that moisturizing I've done, making it last even longer overnight although I have cold air blowing on my face all night. It really makes a difference to be honest.

It's a long story as to how I even bought something from this obscure brand, but I think you can find it in Malaysia. However, I think they have discontinued this product :( It's a really lightweight oil that smells like honey. It also takes forever to finish! If you can find this, it's a good investment for your skin - this product is thick enough that it can keep my face deeply moisturized overnight, yet doesn't make me feel like an oil slick.

You can substitute this with any other good facial oils, such as rosehip oil, tarte's maracuja oil, the ordinary's moroccan argan oil or bio-oil.



SHORTCUT ROUTINE

If you don't have as much time, budget or if you have less dry skin, you can follow these 3 steps instead. However, the rationale is still the same - 1) Exfoliation, 2) Nutrient boost and 3) Deep hydration.

1. One Step Pimple Clear Pad by CosRX, $/17.90 for 70 pads (Shopee - on sale now!)

Even if you don't need this, can you resist this packaging?! That cute man cracks me up every single time I see him LOL. 

Anyway, this product is absolutely great for cleaning the skin. If you don't double cleanse, this product can help to exfoliate and clear excess dirt you've missed at the same time. It's so easy because these pads are already soaked, and you don't have to buy your lotion and cotton pads separately. 

It's also great at clearing up skin that may be breaking out! Whenever I notice small bumps start to appear on my skin, I use this every night after cleansing, and it clears up my skin 2-3x faster. These pads contain BHA which helps to clear whiteheads and black heads, as well as control sebum production. 

My skin feels extra clean after using but not at all dry. This is a famous product in the market as well, and is definitely worth your money. Would repurchase!

I followed a Youtuber's advice and cut each pad into half so that it can last longer, but honestly it just made it really hard to grip it. Maybe she has slimmer fingers hm.

To use this, use the embossed side to lightly swipe across your face. This exfoliates and gets rid of the dead skin cells. 

Then turn it over and use the flat side to wipe your skin again. This cleanses your skin and picks up any excess dirt and debris left on your skin.

2.  The First Treatment Essence by Time Revolution, $28.90 for 150ml (Shopee)

Same as the full routine, use a treatment essence or any essence to give your skin the boost and vitamins it needs, as well as to prepare it for any other products.

3. Wine Jelly Sleeping Pack by Innisfree, $13.78 for 80ml (Lazada)

Get your wine AND your beauty sleep with this sleeping pack! Hahha it seriously smells like wine, so take note if you hate the smell of wine. That said, Innisfree has these sleeping packs in various other scents and flavours, such as green tea, so you could opt for that instead. 

Basically, at the end of my 'cheat' routine, I will just put on a thick layer of this sleeping pack before sleeping. The next day, my skin is super soft and plump! This works guys, believe me. It's also so affordable and such value for money.

The product says it lifts away dead skin cells and provides hydrating moisture, which is exactly what we want to combat dull and tired skin!

The texture is really like jelly, but when you apply it on, it feels like a light gel on your skin. This product settles back down over time when you leave it alone, so it'll always be a flat surface when you open it, which makes it a little unhygenic to dig your finger in. So what I do is either use my own spatula, or store it on its side, so that I can put my finger in and scoop out from the top of the surface, if you get what I mean. 

Okay if you've made it to the end, THANK YOU FOR READING! I hope this helped you if you've been facing the same problems as me. You can always substitute these products for similar ones that you already have, but try to use it in this order, from light to heavy. If you buy any of these products I've mentioned, or are interested to, let me know! :D Leave a comment or send me a message if you have any questions.

Till next time,

Val <3