| September Blogging Challenge | Skincare for olily to combination skin

Skincare has been an important part of my routine for a couple of years now cuz I do believe that going back to "basics" can make, even the cheapest makeup, look great.

It is true that what you eat and drink can have an influence on how your skin looks and to be honest, I don't worry too much about that, and I should. But, it is amazing what drinking a lot of water can do for you. And I think that would be my first tip for a healthy looking skin, start from the inside to look great on the outside. (and here is when I should start taking my own advice...)

I'll start with my skin type: I have combination skin but, it is also very, very sensitive. So I struggle with a bit of everything; I have a bit of an oily T-zone but my cheeks tend to get dry especially during Winter. As for the sensitive part, I can't experiment with many products when it comes to cleansing because some of them give me rashes and reactions after the first or second use, no matter how good the brand is.

So, today I am going to share with you some of the products I use to take care of my skin. Keep in mind that what works for me may not work for everyone.

I linked some of the products to older posts dedicated to them, in case you want more info.

One of the main requests for this post was to talk about skincare for oily skin, which is caused by the excess sebum production, this colgs pores and can lead to acne. So I think good and constant cleansing is key here. Salicylic acid is known to be good to help with oily skin.

I usually go super basic with my morning cleansing cuz I don't have much time but, I always make sure to wash, apply moisturizer and sunscreen before I do my makeup. It also helps me to wake up. I'm currently using the Miniso Watermelon Bouncy Hydra Facial Cleansing Gel to wash my face in the morning and at night. It removes excess grease, dirt and impurities, is super gentle and it smells delicious. Other cleansing foams I love are the Missha Creamy Latte Cleansing Foam. They have 3 different "flavors". The Green Tea one is for oily skin. Plus they smell delicious and are super creamy. And lastly, a product I got to try a few months ago: The Burt's Bees Soapbark & camomille deep cleansing cream. As it says, it is very creamy and soothing. This is a great choice if you're looking for something with natural ingredients.

I've been using this sunscreen from Mary Kay 
for a couple of years now.

One product that I liked to use years ago was an astringent from Bioré that contained salicylic acid. I used to apply it at night, using a cotton pad after cleansing. Since it also contains alcohol it kinda soaks the oil from the skin and you wake up with a fresh, non-oily skin. I don't remember why I stopped using it and I'm not sure if it's still out there.

Another product I really, really like is the Avon Clearskin Pore Penetrating Invigorating Scrub (What. A. Long. Name.). I love to use a good facial scrub twice a week and this one if defo one of my favorites. Not only because it is super cheap but, it also does the job. It is gentle to my sensitive skin but at the same time you can feel the beads scrubbing all the dirt on your skin leaving it fresh and clean after using. It has a cooling effect that I love. It contains eucalyptus extract and Witch Hazel which is also a good ingredient to cleanse the oil. I love face scrubs in general, but this one is great for oily skin.

I double cleanse at night. Sometimes, when I'm not extra lazy. The first step would be to remove my makeup using Micellar Water or the MINISO Sakura Water Bright Cleansing Balm. I find Micellar water to be faster to use and effective when it comes to removing my makeup but the cleansing balm is pretty good too. After having a makeup free face, I move on to the washing to make sure there is no dirt left.

This is the one I'm currently using

After that comes the moisture part. Before applying a hydrating cream, I've been using a new essence lately. It is the MINISO Energy of Fruit 3 in 1 Essence (citrus) and it's been working well for me so far. I wake up to a moisturized and healthy looking skin.

A moisturizer that I would defo recommend is the  Hada Labo Tokyo Skin Plumping Gel Cream. It has to be hands down one of my favs. I like to use it as both, day and night cream.

But when in Winter, when my skin gets super dry, I try to use something thicker at night. Last year my aunt introduced me to this cream called Tressura, and it is one of those super old creams that are very cheap but work wonders. It contains glycerine and it works great as a night mask and super hydrating body cream.

And well, I think I've said this before but using facemasks constantly also helps a lot. There is a huge variety now, and not only for the face. You can choose according to your needs and some of them are also really cute and fun to use. 

I don't know if I'm missing some things, I probably am but I don't want to make this a super , duper long(er) post. So, let me now if there is something else I should mention when it comes to skincare and I'll be glad to share it in another post.

My updated Skicare Routine | ☼ Morning and 🌙 night |

Hey sweets!

It's been a long time since I did and updated skincare routine post. I was checking my last (and only) one and all the products I used back then have changed.

I have to say that I keep my skin care short and quick becasue I usually don't have time for many steps in the morning before work so, don't expect too many products here. What I can say is that it has been working well with me and my sensitive skin. 

What I've learned with time is that it is good to invest in quality products because a good skin will make any makeup brand look good. It's all about having a healthy skin.

Now I can say I am a lot more commited to my skincare than I was a few years ago and even tho there are weeks when I don't use facemasks, my day and night routine remain the same. 

Let's start with my morning routine:

☼

I always start it washing my face with cold water and the MINISO Cotton Mild Cleansing Foam. The cold water helps me to depuff my face and to feel more awake. I changed to this cleanser after using the MISSHA Creamy Latte Cleansing Foam for years. I like it because it is super soft and foamy, is gentle to the skin and it doesn't have any scent to it.
Product features: "Cotton soft texture. Bring you a comfortable and pleasing cleaning experience. Gently lifts away oil and impurities from your skin, leaving it beautifully cleansed and refreshed."

Next step is toner, I'm currently using the MINISO Nourishing Moisturizing Toner that, even tho it has a gelish kind of texture, it's super watery and it absorbs quickly. This one doesn't have any scent and it automatically leaves my skin looking and feeling moisturized and soft.

Moving on to mosturizer. The Hada Labo Tokyo Skin Plumping Gel Cream has been a must for me since I discovered it. It gives an instant glow to my skin, leaving it soft and mosturized all day. It also gives it a dewy look I love. It contains Super Hyaluronic Acid and it also plumps wrinkles and fine lines.

Last step, before applying my makeup is sunscreen. It doesn't matter if it's sunny or not, I always make sure to apply it. I went back to the Mary Kay Suncare Sunscreen with SPF 50. It is not as thick as others, it blends well with my makeup and it doesn't give me that ghostly looks other sunscreens do.

Ah! Can't forget about lip balm. I'm still loving the Tony Moly Bbo Bbo balm as my fist lip balm of the day. It makes a big difference when I apply my lipstick.

And, that's it! We're done with the morning skincare routine.

Some of my night time products are the same as morning so I'll just mention them.

🌙

Removing my makeup has to be one of the most satisfying things to do at the end of the day, for that I'm using the MINISO Sakura Water Bright Cleansing Balm as well as the  NIVEA MicellAIR Expert micellar water. I switch between those two depending on the mood.
I'm a big fan of micellar water and this particular one is great when it comes to removing waterproof makeup. Both products are very effective, the difference is, micellar water removes my makeup faster than the Sakura balm.

After that I wash my face using the same Cotton Mild Cleansing Foam..

Then is time for toner and moisturizer, Miniso Nourishing Moisturizing Toner and  Hada Labo Tokyo Skin Plumping Gel Cream (because I read you can also use it as a night cream).

As for eye cream, I use the Anti-aging, firming eye cream from Deliplus. I got this one in Spain so I'll have to find a new one once I finish it. 

This cream is very watery and light compared to others I've used. It doesn't have any scent and it's gentle to the skin which is a big plus considering my eyes easily react to products.

Last thing would be, again, lip balm. The Tony Moly Bbo Bbo balm.

Also, I exfoliate my face twice a week using the Bioré charcoal scrub which is super soft and gentle. I usually like scrubs to be a lot more rough but this one has been working well for now.

And, can't forget about facemasks. I usually go for sheet masks but I also like to try others, depending on what my skin needs. I always go for Freeman masks whenever I don't do sheet masks. As for those, I like to try different brands. Mostly Asian ones.

And, that is it for my current skin care routine. Hope you found it helpful in a way just keep in mind what works for me may not work the same for everyone. ♡

| Hada Labo Tokyo Skin Plumping Gel Cream | Review

Hi dollies!

Today I wanna share a product that I've been loving lately because of how well it's been working for me. I can honestly say that after using it for a couple of weeks, I've seen a big change on my skin.

This Winter had super duper cold days which caused my skin to get really dry. And when I say dry, I mean DRY! No matter how many sheet masks I used during the week it was still dry. I even tried changing my cleanser because I thought it was making it worse (and maybe it was...) until I found this gel cream. It is the Hada Labo Tokyo Skin Plumping Gel Cream. I remember one of my aunts mentioned something about this brand long time ago but I couldn't find it until now. It is well known that Japanese women have beautiful skin so, I had to try!

Before I get to the cream, let's talk about the brand a little. Hada Labo is a Japanese brand under the concept of  "Perfect and simple". It promises highly effective skin care without using unnecessary ingredients. According to their website is Japan's #1 selling skin care line and their products are made for every skin type. They also say they work with Super Hyaluronic Acid which seems to be an ingredient only they have. I'll leave the link to their website here in case you wanna check it out.

Let's move on to the gel cream which seems to be a best seller. I usually start with packaging but, there's not much to say about it, it is pretty simple and clean. It's nice tho.

This gel cream combines a serum with the hydration of a moisturizer. It says it has a high concentration of Super Hyaluronic Acid. It claims to give your skin a rich, long-lasting moisture helping to plump fine lines and wrinkles.

The formula is, as expected, a gel one. It's transparent and it doesn't have any scent to it. It feels very refreshing when you apply it and it absorbs quickly giving you a healthy and soft skin almost right away. It does give you a very dwey look even after applying makeup. I'm actually happy with that finish but, is something to keep in mind if you don't like it.

It contains Super Hyaluronic Acid but, what is it?
"Proprietary combination of 3 types of Hyaluronic Acid. Powerful hydrator and skin plumper that provides multi-layer, long-lasting moisture to restore and strengthen skin’s natural hydrating levels."

It also contains collagen (which is a must for me), arginine (to mantain moisture) and ceramide (to restore the natural barrier of the skin). It says you'll see wrinkles and fine lines minimized after 4 weeks. Really looking forward to that! Hehe

I've been using it as a day and night cream and I saw results after a day or two. It keeps my skin mositurized and glowy, my makeup applies nicely and it was the solution to my ugly dry skin. I'm in love.

Not the best pic but it kinda shows how my skin looks after using the cream.

If I had to rate it I'd give it a 5/5 ☆☆☆☆☆
Defo recommend it, especially because I haven't been so impressed with a product in such a short time.

Would I buy it again? 
Totally! I also want to try more of their products.

There is a lot of interesting (and clinical) info about this particular product so click here if you wanna read more.