*SKIN CARE TIPS*

hello little lovelies (although you are all probably taller than me 'cause I am a midget)~! today I want to discuss the 10 BIGGEST MISTAKES to do with your skin (and most of them I have done myself so don't worry) ＜(。_。)＞

i know it's a rubbishy edit but hey~!

so what are these silly little mistakes I talk of? 

well believe it or not, we all have done at least one silly mistake to our skin, probably even now~! so without further ado, let me tell you the silly mistakes that I made!

MOISTURISEMOISTURISEMOISTURISE

this is the lovely moisturiser I currently use - on the right hand side

"I don't want to moisturise because that will just bring up more spots since my face is already oily"

sound familiar to you? well let me tell you something~! it is a TOTAL MYTH that you'll break out if you moisturise! unless you are rubbing moisturisers with high oil content or 100% pure sunflower oil on your face you should not break out! in fact, you will probably break out more if you do not moisturise. this is because you are stripping off your natural oils off your face so it needs to replenish it by creating more oils. and guess what that can lead to? yep! breakouts! so go and grab yourself a moisturiser that does not contain oil in it (if you are acne-prone or oily/combination skin type) and moisturise away! 

TIP: it is better if you get a daily moisturiser with SPF in it to avoid any sun damage! and make sure your moisturiser actually moisturises your face - as silly as this may sound, some moisturisers designed for oily to combination skin type may not hydrate your skin enough! so make sure to get one that nourishes your skin properly!

KNOWYOURSKIN

"my face is really oily so it must be that I have an oily skin type!"

nuh uh. if that is how you ultimately decided on your skin type then you are wrong wrong wrong~! for the past 4 years of my life I always thought I was the oily skin type so I kept buying face washes for acne-prone and oily skin type. my skin was not getting any better, in fact it looked like it was dulling out and getting even worse than it did even before I began to cleanse my face with face washes! and voila, it was all because I didn't get my skin type correct. my skin was actually more of the dry skin type than the oily skin type, but because I kept using over-drying products and acne products, it kept stripping my skin off all its oils and so my skin tried to replenish the moisture lost. this made me believe I had oily skin, and when I noticed this I bought more milder skin products such as the Gentle Skin Cleanser by Cetaphil. this changed my skin completely and was my first step forward to clearer skin!

TONETHATSKIN

current toner I am using - about to finish the bottle!

"all I need is a cleanser, spot treatment, and moisturiser"

if those are the only 3 things in your skin regime, you better start getting out money and go to the nearest skin store~! toner is EXTREMELY important, especially if you are acne prone or blemish prone~! toners can help 'shrink' your pores and even help moisturise your skin! but I think the largest benefit is the difference you can see in your skin over time. it helps to balance the pH of your skin and wipe away any excess dirt leftover by your cleanser. imagine you just came out of the bath, after washing your face with warm water you slap on some moisturiser and ultimately go to sleep. your pores will still be 'open' and there may have still been dirt residue on your face when you slapped on that moisturiser. now toner isn't necessary but I greatly recommend it for it has helped me to even out my skin tone ALOT. 

TIP: if you are the oily skin type beware not to go overboard with facial skin care containing alcohol! it has been said it has done more damage than good to the skin. if you are looking for a toner look for more organic and natural toners such as ones with rose water in it - extremely good for uneven skin tones and nourishing!

OUCHTOOMUCH

something my friend recommends - said to be extremely gentle and non drying

"I am going to scrub everyday to clean out my pores"

do NOT scrub everyday. I shall repeat: DO NOT! over scrubbing of the skin (more than 2 times per week) can cause your skin to become extremely dry and damaged. when you do scrub your skin make sure to not apply too much pressure! it can also lead to more whiteheads, which can be extremely difficult to get rid of! when I was younger I thought the harder I scrubbed the more I could get rid of those little nasties that hid within my skin. I was wrong. It lead to more breakouts and my face became a whole lot more oilier. from then on I scrub my face on a monday (night time) and then on a friday, also at night! make sure not to scrub your face two times in one day - a tip from my dermatologist~!

NOTTOOMUCH

did you know sudocrem can be used as a very effective spot cream?

"maybe if I dab a bit more the spot will disappear quicker"

applying more product will not make spots disappear any quicker unfortunately. if anything it can overdry the patch of skin and cause it to become more inflamed. it is from my own experience where I used to think that if I put on a bit more spot cream than I was advised to onto the blemish, it would disappear quicker. nope. it became bigger and more angry and then I would sit and cry in corner. so if it says on instructions 'just a pea sized amount', please stick to the instructions~!

TIP: apply the spot treatment BEFORE your moisturiser - I was told by my dermatologist to apply the creams with the most active ingredients first whilst your face is still damp~!

PLEASEPATME

"need to dry my face quick! have to rub my face in a towel"

actually, it has been shown that you should pat your face with a soft facial cloth rather than to rub it. this is because gentle patting will not damage your skin and will also get blood circulation flowing better in your face! so every morning make sure to gently pat instead of harshly rubbing your face in your towel! and more than anything, make sure the towel is clean!

DON'TTOUCHME

"just going to pop this spot cause it looks ready and all"

do NOT touch your face, and worst of all do NOT pop that spot! when you touch your face with dirty hands it will cause a spread of bacteria on your face which can cause breakouts! furthermore, if you pop a spot and leave it, it will also cause a spread of bacteria which can leave you with a new spot to deal with later. do not try to attempt to pop an under-the-skin spot - you know what I mean right? those pesky large and painful spots that you have to wait to go away. if you attempt to pop these or carry on squeezing or poking at them, they will only become more inflamed and angry, so touching is a no no! just wash your face, tone, moisturise and leave your body to do the rest!

TIP: if you really feel the urge to pop the spot (it must be 'ready' to be popped), then steam your face beforehand before extracting it, it is less harsh on the skin and will be easier to remove.

GETTHATSLEEP

isn't aurora pretty?

"gonna pull that all nighter, oh well, since I'm awake I won't get a new spot"

GET-THAT-BEAUTY-SLEEP! I don't care if you're a boy, you need that beauty sleep too! it is during this beauty slumber where our body repairs itself from any daily damage caused to our skin such as from the sun rays and pollution around us. whilst we sleep our body actually produces proteins to help repair our skin, without it our skin could not repair from the damage that is caused every day. lack of sleep makes your skin look dull and less radiant, causing a not very good look! for example: red eyes, puffy bags underneath eyes, non dewy skin and the list goes on! trust me, one will see it!

TIP: if you actually can't get much sleep then drink soy milk the next day! it is said to be a 'sleep replacement' in case you have had a lack of sleep~! it has an anti inflammatory effect on the skin and can reduce puffiness! cool right~?

WASHTHOSEBRUSHES

"if I leave these without washing them, it's only going to be on my face so it's fine"

when you apply makeup with a brush, the brush collects bacteria from your face and hides them between the bristles. now bacteria multiplies please remember, so if you leave your brushes unwashed for weeks imagine how much bacteria has built up by then! this is from my friend's experience, where she went on days without washing her brushes and always wondered why she broke out. she thought it was the foundation she was using when in fact it was just her unwashed brushes! please remember to wash them after every use and to invest in a good brush cleanser~!

EIGHTCUPSPLEASE

I absolutely adore green tea

"water doesn't taste like anything, so I'm going to get a coke"

water, one of the most important things you could ever do for your skincare regime is to drink 8 cups of water a day! water flushes out all the nasty toxins that build up in your body and can lead to more radiant and clearer skin~! if you drink more water puffiness in the face has also been said to decrease! I used to skip cups of water and just turn to juices, but boy was I wrong. for the past 2 months I have been drinking only water and my best friend, green tea. the change in my skin condition is extremely noticeable and I would definitely advice everyone to drink at least 8 cups of water a day!

TIP: why not try and drink at least 3 cups of green tea a day? not only does it help with skin condition, but it helps with weight loss too!  it is extremely good for flushing out toxins and guess what? it is a very easy to make toner! just make some of the tea and pop it into the fridge~! some people even add tea tree oil or witch hazel to the tea and then swipe it on~ will you give it a go?

anyway folks, that is all for today! I hope you found some of these tips helpful and I wish to do more of these as I go along. unfortunately I was abit short on time and I must go do some revision for an upcoming exam! stay well everyone and contact me if you need to!

LOTS OF LOVE

Example & *FIRST REVIEW* - black pearl mask

hello everyone~! so incase you are wondering what sorts of things I will be reviewing (in case I didn't make it clear enough in the my intro) these are just a few things I will be reviewing; (please know I have never used any of these products before ♥)

(a little collection of a recent asian skincare haul ♥)

just for reference the ones with the variety of fruits and stuff on the front of the packaging, the masks are from TONYMOLY, also with the black sugar mask in the middle. The black ones are from SASA - my beauty diary masks (which I shall also review later on in this post~!). Finally, the 3 small circular packages and the 2 blue packages are actually freebies I got from ETUDE HOUSE whilst I was in Hong Kong. The blue packages are their Wonderpore clay mask and the pink packages are their BB cream -- which I gave away as I don't use facial makeup~ ♥ anyway, without further ado~ lets get onto the review!

(pretty right? there is only 9 in this picture as I already used one when I took this picture ><)

So, this mask is called the "Black Pearl Mask" which is used to whiten and nourish the face. The official description from the Sasa website is:

description My Beauty Diary Black Pearl Mask provides intense whitening and nourishment. Containing luxurious Tahitian black pear essence with rich vitamins, minerals and amino acids, it provides nutrients to tired and dull skin. Natural pearl shell extracts contains the smallest molecular structure of protein amino acids. It can instantly infuse into skin, making it soft and luminous.  Deep sea red algae and mallow extracts can hydrates skin, restoring skin’s natural moisture.  Patented moisturizing ingredients CosphingoTM maintains skin’s natural state of healthiness. It hydrates and locks moisture, restores skin’s softness and smoothness.  Does not contains Paraben preservatives, alcohol or fluorescent agents.  (that part is an important factor for my skin as I respond negatively to alcohols)

and my feedback? I would definitely say it does intensely nourish my face. My face after the first use felt so baby smooth, this may be because I used it as soon as I got home from a long 12 hour journey back to the UK from Hong Kong. I used this on a whim due to my urgency to relieve my dry and drained skin from the recycled air on the plane ((AND I HAD TO GO TO SCHOOL IN A HOUR)), so I just washed my face quickly and popped on this facemask whilst doing all my other little things such as changing clothes (I looked like someone had attacked me). Furthermore, there was this large discoloration mask from a large spot that had been there a week ago, and I tell you - IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET RID OF, so I just left it. The mask says;

how to use it

Apply on cleansed and toned face for 20~30 minutes. If there is essence left, use fingers to massage gently for better absorbance. No need to wash away. Continue with lotion or cream to lock the nourishing ingredients into skin. 

So I did exactly as it said, I took it off after 30 minutes (as my skin was very dry) and there was ALOT of essence left so I used my fingers to massage the leftover serum into my skin. However, I felt that there was a slight sticky residue left over and it felt sort of like a tacky film. To solve this all I did was use my Organic Rose water and swiped it quickly all over my face with my cotton pad and left it. I then went to put on my usual facial cream (which I shall review on a later date) and then looked in the mirror... all I could say was WOW. My skin looked clearly BRIGHTER AND MORE RADIANT but NOT IN A GREASY WAY. You know that healthy glow? Yeah, that's what I am talking about. The discoloration mask was at least REDUCED BY 40%. I looked in awe at the instant effect it had given me whilst I was doing up my hair (vanity right there huh? hehe~). On that same day, someone actually told me at school how great my skin looked and how it looked as if I put foundation or BB cream on... And want to hear the great news? My skin broke out a couple days ago just before my plane flight, and so I was skeptical about buying this mask at all... I was so worried it would break me out, I mean I didn't want a breakout ON TOP OF ANOTHER BREAKOUT, that would be sheer hell... But today I actually realised the sore spot that was in the top right corner of my face near my scalp had reduced ALOT and my cheeks seem to have a far more even complexion and looks very plump and rosy~! ✿ Oh how I was celebrating ♥ 

So overall rating? (out of 5)

Packaging:     

the pretty and thick black packaging really made my feel the the mask inside was undamaged and all secure~!

Quality of the mask:  

the mask was too big for me but that is just because I have a tiny face! however the material was extremely soft and very easy to apply and manipulate to whatever facial size and shape you are. the amount of essence/serum the mask held was a large amount and therefore your skin could drink up lots of moisture from it~!

Brightening effect: 

the best brightening mask I have used so far, the effect is very visible on the first use - for me anyway~!

Nourishing effect: 

now do not get me wrong when I rate it 4, my skin felt extremely nourished and all however I would say the only downfall to this is the fact that it has a slight tacky residue left behind, which is not all that great to look at if you want to go out or put your makeup over! But then again this can be easily solved by swiping some cold water or toner over your face after using this mask ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

Overall rating: 

a DEFINITE 5/5 from me, the only thing I could complain about this mask is the residue it left over for me, otherwise the only regret I have about this mask is that I didn't buy more of it </3 I bought this for ONLY 60 HKD which was EXTREMELY CHEAP to what I see here in the UK for £24.. If you want to buy it you can buy it from the official Sasa website or even from amazon or other sites~! 

MAKE SURE TO CHECK THIS MASK OUT! Because even myself with oily/combination skin who have breakouts absolutely adores this mask and I would DEFINITELY repurchase~!

THANK YOU FOR READING AND CHECK BACK AGAIN SOON FOR ANOTHER REVIEW