Beauty starts from the basics

I’m hardly a beauty connoisseur. But after many years of experimenting, I have picked up a few useful beauty tips.

These are the top four tips on cleansing that I wished someone had told me when I was in my acne-break-out-days.

Cleansing Tip #1: The Power of Cleansing Oil

Prior to cleansing the face, it is important to remove your make-up. A build up of grime on the face would make your face more prone to break-outs.

I switch between Shu Uemura’s cleansing beauty oil premium a/o advanced formula and Shu Uemura’s white recovery brightening cleansing oil advanced formula. You have to be patient when removing make-up.

Cleansing Tip #2: Double Cleanse!

Double cleanse your face each time you wash your face. The first cleanse washes off the residue of the make-up and removes the grime; the second cleanse cleans out the pores. However, be careful not to over cleanse your face, as this would make your skin awfully dry. I would wash my face a maximum of two times a day.

The brand of cleanser doesn’t matter, because this differs from person to person. My skin’s condition is awfully complicated - dry on the outside, oily on the inside and it’s extremely sensitive. I use Sothys morning cleanser. It works really well for my skin.

I do need to give Cetaphil skin cleanser thumbs up for being the first cleanser to have saved my skin.

It is important to choose a cleanser suitable for your skin-type. If you feel that your skin feels tight after washing it, or if your skin starts to flake or itch after wash, it means that the cleanser is too strong for your skin type. If in doubt, try to wash your face with a cleansing milk as its gentler than foaming face wash.

Cleansing Tip #3: Exfoliate

Honestly, I think it’s more important to be religious with the cleansing than to be strict about exfoliating the face. If you have extremely thin skin - like me - I would advise against exfoliating the face weakly as it might cause more harm than good.

However, having said that, regularly exfoliating your skin ensures that your moisturiser is well absorbed into your skin.

My current rave is Cure natural aqua gel. It feels like water when first applied on the skin; after gently rubbing the liquid on the face, it coagulates and form little white balls. Simply wash the face with water, and voila, you have a clean slate - unlike regular exfoliator that leaves tiny beads on the face.

You can use this gel on the rest of your body as well. I”m one of those unfortunate soul who has a bad bout of keratosis pilaris. So, I use the gel to exfoliate my arms and slather water-based moisturiser thereafter. It really works wonders.

Cleansing Tip #4: Keep It Cool.

It is extremely important to avoid washing your face under hot water. It is a treat to stand under a steaming hot shower, but it is terribly bad for the skin!

I have always made sure that I bathe in luke warm water or if I could stand it - cold water! Bathing under cold water helps to keep the skin firm or Q.

With that… Say hello to refreshed looking skin!