Skincare Tips & Tricks

This post has been inspired by the considerable interest my Rosacea Treatment/Skincare Routine post has gotten in the past few days!

Here are just some tips & tricks I use throughout my skincare routine:

While I use only a dime-size amount of facewash, I make it worthwhile and really clean my face inch-by-inch, pore-by-pore! I invest a good 3-5 minutes every morning/night rubbing the goodness into my face. 









I try not 'touching' my face when washing off the facewash; rather, I shape my hands like a bowl, collect some lukewarm water (be warned: hot water is VERY bad for the skin -- has aging effects), and gently sweep off the bubbles with the water and minimal touching.






I always rinse my face with very cold water at the end. Not only is it invigorating, but it's also great at constricting pores!







 Air dry your face if you can! If not, pat dry with a face-only towel.

Take a piece of ice cube (you may want to hold it with a tissue as it can get very cold), and glide it all over your face till it melts. You will literally feel your pore constrict to nothingness. This apparently is a Korean celebrity-favorite skincare secret!







Immediately trap the moisture with a facial spray (I use the Eau Thermale Spring Water by Avene).







When applying products, take a 30 second break between each product, allowing for full absorption of each in the order you apply.







Face-oil is the 'it' item in the beauty industry today for its cleansing and hydrating properties -- though I don't use one (yet), you can mix a tiny droplet with your foundation for a cleaner, flake-less finish!

November 2012 ipsy & birchbox

WOOT WOOT two posts in a day!

I received my ipsy bag last night and bb this morning -- and, of course, couldn't wait to share them with you! I already took a sneak peek at this month's items -- while ipsy got me totally hyped, bb was a HUGE letdown. I now truly understand what people mean about bb being a hit or miss.. October's box was awesome, while November's box I wouldn't have missed even if it got lost in transaction.

Anyways, to start, here are my November ipsy goodies! This month's theme is "Party Perfect" - quite appropriate with all the upcoming holiday parties!

This month's bag is a dark brown nylon fabric bag with a patent trim and gold-toned zipper. It's extremely cheap looking/feeling (you hear paper crackling when you open the bag.. so odd), so I won't be using it. It also has a pungent chemical odor that I find appalling. Fortunately, I don't care much for the bag -- just the content inside of it!

 November ipsy goodies!

  Intense Eyeliner in Black by Starlet

This is the first of two full-sized products in this month's bag. It's a classic wooden eyeliner - well pigmented but has a dry consistency (I'm a bit hesitant about using this on my eyelids, as my skin is extremely sensitive).

Defining Eyebrow Gel by Chella

The "or" item I received was the eyebrow gel by Chella, which I am utterly ecstatic about! Being the mascara fiend that I am, I really didn't need another added to the collection. Eyebrow gel, on the other hand, is a totally new product for me. This eyebrow gel is clear and works quite well at maintaining loose strands here and there -- so far so good!

Nail Lacquer in Millionaire by Nailtini     

Adorable packaging and name! The color is also a big plus as I don't own anything like it - a clear base with rectangular blue-green hologram strands, rectangular gold strands, and gold microglitter. The polish is literally chock full of glitter and holograms that one layer is enough to get the appropriate effect on your nails. My only issue with the polish is the vapor it emits - it's a lot more acrid and harsh than that of higher-end polish brands like OPI and Essie. In fact, the 'flammable' sign proves unnecessary as it clearly smells volatile! :(

 

 

 

Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss by bareMinerals

The bareMinerals lipgloss definitely lived up to my expectations and beyond -- I got it in the shade "Dare Devil" and it's absolutely scrumptious looking for the fall! I just dab a bit on the inner part of my lips (almost like a tint) to get a subtle color and gloss. Though not mentioned, I feel it has a plumping effect on the lips. At contact, it feels tingly and tastes mint/berry-like.

 Meet Matt(e) Eyeshadow in Matt Batali by theBalm

How adorable is the name and packaging? I just oo-ed and aw-ed at this tiny shadow pallete :) The color is a dark matte brown with purple undertones, so it'll work well for a smokey eye look (I would presume, since I don't wear much eyeshadow all together).

* * *

And here's November's birchbox -- I won't talk about it much (if at all) as I was highly disappointed. For reference, I got box #3.

 

The items list for my November birchbox

Four teeny tiny samples and one food item..
OH, THE DISAPPOINTMENT!

mm... I don't want to talk about my November bb, it's too depressing.

I won't unsubscribe from bb as of yet (it's only my second box), but I no longer anticipate the December bb. If I do, I'm afraid I might be let down again! :(

If you're a fellow bb subscriber, I sincerely hope your box was better than mine!

Stay warm and beautiful,

xo Karries

Keeping Rosacea at Bay! (My Skincare Routine)

Ladies!

So sorry -- it's been long overdue! I've finally come about to share my trick to rosacea "treatment" as well as my day-to-day skincare routine!

First off, let me start by identifying my skin tone/type: I'm of Asian (specifically, Korean) descent and have a light to natural beige skin tone. I have a combination-oily skin type during the spring/summer and a true combination during the fall/winter (oily T-zone, but extremely dry elsewhere). I also have a very common skin condition called rosacea (hereditary in origin). Though I don't suffer from any blatant or acute symptoms - like pustules or a bulbous nose - I have frequent flare-ups of flushed cheeks often accompanied by minor cystic acne and small "skin-bumps". Moreover, the condition makes my skin extremely sensitive to, well, EVERYTHING.

All in all, my skin doesn't love me nor do I love it.

Till recently, I've only used certain Korean mid/high-end skincare products that I found to work on my skin type. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Korea is very well reputed in the beauty industry in creating quality and affordable products.

Unfortunately, I reside in the States where it's difficult to gain access to the products I need when I need them! So I did some research on the web, trying to figure out if there were products made in the US (or elsewhere) that also may work for my sensitive, unruly skin.

Through trial-and-error (and much sorrow on my wallet's end), I finally constructed a daily skincare routine that not only works for my skin type, but also treats my rosacea to a certain extent!

Best of all, I could purchase any of these products whenever I please (unlike my Korean skincare products.. which I still love)!


I'll go in day-to-night order, explaining the product details throughout:

Care Zone "Clarifying Foam Cleanser" by Isa Knox

Alright, so I lied. This is the only product in my routine that I can't repurchase in the States even if I wanted to. It's a mild acne foam facewash that I had my mom buy all the way from Korea. It smells awesome and doesn't contain any strong astringents (which my lovely rosacea harshly acts up to). I honestly don't know which facewash I'll be getting after this product, but that's a worry for later. Fortunately, I'm not too particular about facewash.

 "Lotion Tonique" Toning Lotion for Combo/Oily Skin by Clarins

Toners are a different story. I am very particular in choosing a toner, and rightfully so because I can't use those that contain alcohol. Through trial-and-error, I found that this toner works best for my skin type. After a thorough washing, I put a generous amount of toner on a round cotton pad and wipe my entire face.

Prosacea

After prepping my skin with toner, I relax my irritated rosacea with this miracle gel. This product is the true hail mary to my rosacea woes! It immediately soothes the texture of my skin (significant improvement with the "skin-bumps") and decreases the overall redness of my cheeks, nose, and forehead. I wear the gel both day and night.

 "Be Bright" Gift Set by Origins

Once the gel settles in, I use either of two sets of products - the first set consists of my Origins Mega-Bright serum, followed by Brighter By Nature SPF 35 moisturizer, and GinZing eye cream.

 "Idealist" Even Skintone Illuminator and "DayWear" SPF 15 Creme by Estee Lauder

Whenever I'm not "feeling" the Origins line, I switch it up with my Estee Lauder daycare products. Though I whole-heartedly adore both companies (slight tangent: they're sister brands I believe!), I must say I generally prefer my Origins day wear for two reasons:

1. I prefer the light, more natural scent of the Origins products over the more mature and heavily fragranced Estee Lauder products.
2. Both serums 'brighten' and 'illuminate' to my liking, but the Origins moisturizer is a lot lighter and less oily feeling than the Estee Lauder day creme (to be fair the EL is a "creme", not a regular moisturizer).

 "Span" Tone Correcting Base and "Face it" Primer by The Face Shop

Both of these products are used to prep my face for any type of make up. The correcting base is a green color that helps conceal my 'flushed' complexion and the primer is, well, a primer. I could live without the correcting base, but the primer is much needed on an oil-controlling basis. The primer does consist of silicon (which some people are put off by), but no parabens. And neither products irritate my sensitive skin, despite the heavy floral fragrances (it's a signature scent of The Face Shop).

 Cold Cream "The Cool Classic" by Pond's

After a long day of make up, school, work, and errands, I need a good cleansing as a pick-me-up. Whilst relaxing and watching TV, I'd pop this bad boy open and rub it into my face until the cream turns clear. I then wipe the oil off my face with Kleenex and give it a thorough wash with the Isa Knox facewash.

IMPORTANT: Don't forget to close your pores with ice-cold water!

 My Nightcare Products

After a pat-dry, I repeat my morning routine of toning my face with the Clarins toner and applying Prosacea gel. Once the gel is absorbed, I use the very well known brown miracle-in-a-bottle that is the EL Advanced Night Repair serum. I use the serum with its synchronized Night Repair eye cream. Though I've been using the ANR serum for only 3 months or so, I can already promise by it -- I'd never ever go to bed without this generously slathered on my face. That just cannot and will not happen!

Ultra Facial Cream by Kiehl's

I wait a good 5 to 10 minutes for all the serum and eye cream goodness to settle into my skin. Afterwards, I'd hydrate my skin with this ultra skin-quenching cream by Kiehl's. This is another very well known product, though admittingly some people dislike it for the parabens it contains. I personally feel the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to this cream. Though it can be used for both day and night, it's a bit too heavy for daytime use.

Using all these products on a day-to-day basis proves to work for me.. And honestly I'm glad I finally settled with a routine, especially after all the testing and money-spending I've done in finding the perfect skincare products!

What do you think about my skincare routine for rosacea? I'd love to hear about your skincare routine! Leave comments below :)

Stay beautiful,

xo Karries