My Skincare Routine- Facewash & Clarisonic

Washing my face is the most crucial step in my skincare routine as no product is going to cure your acne if you don't make sure that your face is completely clean of any makeup residues before you put on any skincare product. To make sure that my face is completely clean, I usually use my Clarisonic Mia along with my nighttime facewash. I'm sure all of you know about the Clarisonic by now, but in case you don't it is basically a vibrating facebrush that helps to deep clean your pores and exfoliate your face- a skincare staple if you're a makeup wearer. I usually use this every other day, which is how often I wear makeup.

The two facewash I use with my Clarisonic are the Michael Todd Charcoal Detox Cleanser and the Origins Zero Oil Cleanser. These two are both targeted towards oily and acne-prone skin, and are both effective at making my face squeaky clean without being drying. I've noticed significantly less breakouts and smaller pores since I've started using these two products. The Michael Todd one has charcoal as one of its ingredients, which helps to draw out the impurities from your pores. The Origins one also has great natural ingredients in it including saw palmetto and salicylic acid which help to prevent future breakouts.

In the morning, I like to use something that's more gentle while also slightly exfoliating to get my face bright and smooth and ready for makeup. I usually will alternate between the Alpha Hydrox Foaming Facewash, Meishoku Detclear Fruits Peeling Jelly, and the REN Micro Polish. The Alpha Hydrox one has glyoclic acid in it, which works as a chemical exfoliant to gently exfoliate my face, while the REN one acts like a physical exfoliant. The Meishoku Peeling Jelly is a really cool and unique product in that it comes out like a jelly, but as you massage it into your skin it turns gritty, and you can actually see your dead skin coming off of your face, which gives me a strangely satisfying feeling. This contains both AHA and BHA, which again just helps to clear out your pores and exfoliate your skin.

One thing that I want to emphasize is that all of these cleansers are sulfate-free, which is the most important aspect that I look for when I buy cleansers. Sulfate is an ingredient that's found in many cleansers and shampoos; it acts as a surfactant and is what makes your cleansers foam. It is very harsh and drying on the skin, so I would recommend to read the ingredient lists before you buy any cleansers to make sure that it's sulfate-free. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

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My Skincare Routine - Makeup Removers

Being a beauty addict I have quite an extensive skincare routine, so I've decided to break it up and go through each step one by one in details.

The first thing I do when I get home is to take off my makeup; I like to do it as soon as possible because as much as I like makeup I want my skin to be able to breath and repair itself. Nuxe Reve de Miel Cleansing Gel is my latest favorite makeup remover for my face. It is an oil-based makeup remover which I prefer because the oils in it really help to break down and dissolve the makeup. It has great natural ingredients in such as honey and sunflower oil which help to leave the skin moisturized. It's great for all types of skin, especially dry and sensitive skin.

Kiss Me Mascara Remover is a must-have if you wear waterproof mascaras everyday like I do. You just put it on like you would with a mascara, and it just instantly dissolves your mascara. I then take the Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover to remove the rest of my eye makeup. These two as a combo takes off my eye makeup like a dream without tugging at my eyes.

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My Go-To Skincare Products

My go-to skincare products are products that I always reach for when I have a bad skin day, whether when my skin is being extremely oily or dry, or when I'm breaking out like crazy, or if I just want to pamper my skin and make it look extra healthy.

I've already talked about the Peter Thomas Roth Max Complexion Correction Pads in an earlier post, so click here if you want a more detailed review. It basically comes with 60 exfoliating pads saturated with glycolic acid and salicylic acid that helps to treat breakouts, minimze pores, and even out the skin texture.

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask is just a miracle worker. I don't know how it does it, but every time I put it on overnight, I just wake up with healthy glowing skin. Everything just looks better- pores look smaller, acne scars are faded, and my skin just looks more moisturized and supple. If you're lazy and don't want to pile on a bunch of different skincare products every night, definitely check this out because it just does everything. It is also very cost-effective considering that it comes with 100 mL of product and only costs  $27; a regular good moisturizer usually comes with 30-50 mL of product and costs  anywhere between $30- $50. It also smells amazing, which always helps me to sleep better during the night.

Got blackheads? No problem- IsQueen King Olive Sebum Care Mask will solve your problem. It is a black thick paste that you put on your nose area; it dries after about 15 minutes and you can just peel it off. I usually use this mask after a shower because the warm water in the shower helps to open up your pores, letting the mask do its job better. This is much gentler on the skin than nose strips, which can be really damaging for your skin and sometimes can even enlarge your pores in the process. It is also much more effective than the traditional nose strips because as it dries, it really gets deep down into the pores and holds on to your blackheads and whiteheads. You can find this on Sasa.com for around $10.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm is what I use when I have a dry, flaky skin day. It acts as a moisturizer and primer in one to help to make the skin look moisturized and glowing. This completely takes away the flakiness of my skin while also providing a smooth base for my foundation. This is a cult favorite and apparently many celebrities also use this. You can also use this as a mask but I just find it to be too wasteful as this is not a cheap product.

Clarins Lotus Oil has been my go-to moisturizer lately; I never thought that an oil could do so much for my skin. Many of you may be afraid to use oils on your skin, especially those with oily skins. But the reason why your skin is oily  is because there is an imbalance between the lipid and water content in your skin, leading to dehydration and an over-production of oils, so putting back oil in your skin will just help to balance your skin and make it less oily, which is exactly what this product does. I've noticed a significant reduction in the oiliness of my skin, and because the oil content in this product are all natural and plant-derived, it won't clog your pores. Clarins also makes other versions of this product for normal and dry skin. I find that I can use this year-round because it's very hydrating for my skin without being greasy. It does take a while to be absorbed, but when I wake up in the morning my skin just looks glowing and hydrated.

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Current Favorites #1

I want to start this new segment on my blog where I talk about my current favorite beauty products. Although I'm constantly trying out new beauty products, I do want to make sure that I use a product for at least two weeks before I mention it on my blog, so I will try to do these posts every other week.

First up is Buxom Lipcream in Berry Blast, which is probably the only lip gloss that I wear on a daily basis. It glides on the lips buttery smooth and doesn't feel sticky at all. It is extremely pigmented and can be worn alone. This is great for those of you who want bigger lips because it will make your lips look super juicy, glossy and moisturized. It also has a slightly tingly sensation when you put it on, which doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. Berry Blast is a gorgeous hot pink color and I definitely want to go back and pick up more shades. I used to hate lip glosses, but this has me totally converted.

The Clarins Evermatte Foundation is an oil-free foundation that gives medium coverage yet still feels light and natural on the skin. Clarins is a brand that never lets me down; all of their products that I've tried so far have been super impressive and this one is no exception. This is definitely gonna be my go-to foundation for the summer.

The Dollywink Volume Mascara is my newly found holy grail mascara. For many years, I relied on the Kiss Me Long & Curl Mascara as my go-to mascara; it is extremely waterproof and smudge-proof, which is just a godsend for my extremely oily eyelids. Personally, I find that Asian mascaras in general are better at being smudge-proof and waterproof than a lot of the Western mascaras. I have to say that the Dollywink mascara is just a little bit better at giving my lashes length and volume than the Kiss Me mascara does, while still being waterproof and smudge-proof. I still wear the Kiss Me one for everyday just because it looks more natural, but if I'm going out or if I just want my eyes to look extra big, I will go for the Dollywink one.

This is a fiber mascara which I prefer because the fibers really help to lengthen my lashes. It has a pretty big wand with a small tip, which helps to get to the really hard-to-get corners of your eyes. You can find this on Ebay or any other Asian beauty sites for around $15.

Turquoise has been the IT color this spring and summer; I've been seeing it everywhere from the runways to magazines. Dior and Lancome have both came out with a turqoise liner in their latest spring collections, and I've been coveting them for a while, but I wasn't about the spend almost $30 on an eyeliner. So I did a little search online and stumbled onto the Holika Holika Waterproof Eyeliner in Emerald Green, which is only $6 on Ebay. Color-wise, it is an exact dupe of Dior's Diorshow Liner in Aqua Green. It's also super creamy and pigmented, and lasts all day on both my upper lash line and my waterline. This will just give your makeup a bright pop of color that's super on-trend for the spring and summer.

Since the weather has been getting warmer, I've been opting for more simple makeup. I've just been wearing Benefit's Buckle Bunny all over my eyelids lately. It is a beautiful shade that has so many dimensions to it. When worn sheerly, it gives your lids this beautiful rosegold color; when you build up the color, it looks more like a warm bronzy brown. What I do is that I put a sheer layer all over the lids and build the color in the crease. This color works to brighten and define your eyes at the same time.

Here are the swatches:

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My Current Obsession- Cream Blushes

For me, spring means glowy skin, and the best way to achieve that is to use cream blushes. I think that cream blushes can do so much for your skin- a sheer layer of it on your cheekbones can give you that really healthy dewy glow; you can also build up the color to give your face a natural tint. Cream blushes are suitable for all skin types, even for people with oily skin, as long as you have a good primer underneath and set it with a setting spray.

In general, I prefer blushes with a peachy tone, just because I have a lot of redness going on on my skin so any blushes that are too pink will just emphasize the redness. I know  that these colors all look pretty similar in the pan, but I promise you that they will give you different looks when you actually wear it on your face.

The first color is NYX Boho Chic. I absolutely adore blushes from NYX; they're so pigmented, blend out easily, and last all day on my face. This one is the pinkest blush out of all of them; however, it is a neutral pink that won't bring out the redness in my skin. It also dries down to a dewy finish so you can always wear it as a highlight up your cheekbones. These NYX cream blushes are very high quality and they've got a pretty wide range of shade selection as well.

The next one is Topshop Neon Rose, which is probably the brightest shade out of all of them. It is a beautiful coral color that dries down to a powder finish, so it's great for people with oily skin. I love these blushes, but I just wish that they would bring out more shade selections in the future.

Stila Convertile Color in Gerbera is probably my favorite cream blush of all time. It is a light, almost pastel peachy color that dries down to a dewy finish, and just makes my face look healthy and refreshed. A must-have for those of you who like light, barely-there makeup.

Next is Paul & Joe Creamy Cheek in 01, which again is a peachy coral color that has very subtle shimmers in it and dries down to a satin finish. The shimmers in it help to give your face a subtle highlight without looking overly shimmery.

Lastly, Canmake Cream Cheek in 05 is an orangey coral color that dries matte. Canmake is a Japanese brand that makes affordable yet high-quality makeup. I found mine on Ebay for less than $10. I love the cute packaging and it's definitely great to bring on-the-go for touch-ups throughout the day.

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