3 posts tagged “routine”

after coming back from my holiday in Japan last month, my skin began to get dry and flaky again. winter was approaching and low humidity means the moisture has been sucked dry.

then i was searching for some body oil, which i use as eye make up remover for my ultra-water/budgeproof mascara. as i couldn't find unscented version of neutrogena body oil, i settled for J&J Baby Oil Lite.

one day in the shower, i decided to apply some baby oil liberally after showering prior to towelling off. it's one of those tips i've read in girly magazine since i was a wee teenager, but never really thought of doing it regularly. by golly, day 3 of doing this ritual after showering, dry flaky skin is gone! GONE!

this is not to be underestimated - nothing, and i mean NOTHING has succeeded in the past of banishing the flakes. not even the heaviest of body buters. truly awesome, i can't believe i've waited this long to try this.  it's so easy and most of all, cheap as chips!

i was lurking through the australian vogue forum and stumbled upon the thread on dry brushing. some of the girls claimed it really worked in giving them really soft buttery flake-free skin and some improvements with their cellulite aka the dimples. i'm sold!

i've been battling flaky skin forever! no matter how much i moisturise, i don't seem to get that buttery glowing skin. plus in winter, dry skin is amped by 10 notches, despite moisturising religiously. i know there are scrubs etc, but i always feel scrubs just don't do the trick - in most instances, the beads are washed off in the shower before i got the chance to .. well, scrub!

so on saturday, i hauled my ass off to the body shop and bought their cactus brush. it is made of natural fibres (big tick) and it's pretty rough. that would depend on your preference though, i just felt softer brushes wouldn't work as well. logical? maybe not, but i like pain like that. hah! the brush does not not have a removable head though, so i'm stuck with its long handle, which is a bit of a bummer.

so what is dry brushing?

basically it is.. well, brushing your skin when it's dry! you start brushing from your legs, stroking upwards towards your heart and from your shoulder down, again towards your heart. apparently this also helps with lymphatic drainage and ridding your body of toxins. whatever, i just want smooth skin, dammit! but if you want more info, there are lots of links out there on google with more specific info and directions on dry brushing.

this is day 2 of dry brushing, i haven't noticed any difference yet, but i'm going to continue doing this everyday for sometime coz it's fairly simple, non-messy to incorporate into my routine and plus, it's inexpensive to boot. now i just need a good moisturising body butter, and i'm on my way to glow!

with my mom being away for a month, i no longer have someone waking me up in the morning. i know, aren't i a spoiled brat?

so this morning, i woke up way late - like having "15 minutes to get dressed and made up" kinda late. so just for the fun of it, these are what i used when i'm in a real hurry.

1. cleanse face - preferrably with self foaming cleanser, the ones in a pump bottle and pumped out foams.
2. sunscreen - Neutrogena Active Sheer Touch sunblock, it provides a dewy glow without the grease. and it sinks in quickly. oh, and it smells nice, i like that in a sunblock.
3. put on powder blush or cheek tint - depending on mood. this morning i used Wet 'n Wild powder blush. awesome stuff.
4. line eyes with MAC Fluidline and MAC slant brush
5. curl lashes - bless you shu curler
6. mascara
7. fill in brows with brow powder and stiff eyebrow brush
8. get dressed - grab whatever basic combination you can out of your wardrobe (or in my case off the floor/bed/etc) and make sure it doesn't smell. LOL

tah dah... 10 minutes and i'm ready, grab bag/food/shoes and a few minutes to spare at the bus stop.