3 Favourite Hydrating Skincare Products For My Dehydrated Oily/Combination Skin
A reader once told me I should count myself lucky for having oily skin because it would help with having fewer wrinkles in my upcoming (inshaAllah) olden days and, you know what? I'm sold on that idea.
I don't really complain about having oily skin now; the most I do is turn to Shah or my sister and ask, "Do I look too oily?" and if they say yes, it's blotting sheets to the rescue.
(I may not complain about it but I still don't want to walk around with my skin looking all sheeny now do I?)
I'm no expert but here is what I understand from gathering info from the internet (as one does): when skin gets "thirsty", it tends to produce more oil to balance out the dryness, and that's where the unfashionable oil-slick look comes in. It doesn't help that I use other actives like salicylic acid and retinol either but I need those to combat my hormonal acne!
Having oily skin isn't all that cute but that isn't even my main concern. I've always had oily/combination skin but as I age, it gets increasingly dehydrated; my skin feels uncomfortably taut every time I wash my face, and if I don't slather on other hydrating products on top of moisturizer, my skin feels sandpapery and appears super shiny after a couple of hours.
After a bunch of online research plus testing out products, I have found these three affordable hydrating products to suit my dehydrated oily/combination skin the best.
1. The Ordinary Marine Hyaluronics
The 3 Roles of Niacinamide In My Hormonal Acne Battle
I was constantly Googling and searching the web for the best ingredients + products to calm hormonal acne but at some point, I got so caught up in the active ingredients that would treat existing spots (like salicylic acid, glycolic acid, benzoyl peroxide etc.) that I forgot about preserving the overall health of my skin, thus, preventing hormonal acne from appearing.
This flawed thinking led to a point late last year where I pared down my routine (at the suggestion of someone who has acne problem too) by eliminating some products from it, including the niacinamide by The Ordinary, thinking my skin might appreciate the toned down routine.
Read: My skincare routine post from last year that included The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%; my skincare routine had to change at the start of this year but retains most of the products from that post
And, ooh, was that a mistake; my skin took a turn for the worse so I immediately added the niacinamide back in! I then realized I needed to delve into understanding why exactly my beauty routine needed niacinamide after all.
So, what exactly can niacinamide potentially do for one's skin?
These are three roles niacinamide plays that I think has been crucial in my hormonal acne battle:
1. Regulates the skin's oil production
One of the main causes of hormonal acne is the overproduction of sebum (oil) so it makes perfect sense that niacinamide would be a real power player in combating hormonal acne.
Hormonal Acne Fighters: La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo & Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum
My previous skincare routine I shared thankfully managed to ward of extreme cases of hormonal breakouts for a long, long while. But as much as I was hoping I could keep up the routine, alas, those big painful bumps came back with a vengeance.
Note: Refer to linked post above to read about my skin-adapting prowess theory.
Well, time to edit my routine — yet again! I suppose it isn't the worst thing, considering how the current skincare market offers plenty of skincare choices including a bunch of affordable ones. The tricky part though is finding the right products that would calm my hormonal acne instead of flaring them up even further.
The Latest Skincare Routine Catered To My Hormonal Acne Issues
This is not the first time I'm sharing a skincare routine and this probably won't be the last time either! My skin somehow "adapts" to the same skin products after some time, frustratingly rendering my skincare routine ineffective. That's usually when you'll see me scrambling to do yet another Google research on "skincare products for hormonal acne".
I can't tell you how many experimental cycles of products after another it has been but until my body decides it's had enough of hormonal acne (ugh when will this be??), this is something I have to continue doing.
But enough lamenting for now, and on to a little bit of better news: this particular group of skincare products featured today was one that I had the most success with so far. After months of using it, my skin was noticeably clear, and I really mean noticeable; my sister could see the results herself through my many Facetime sessions with her, so I'm happy that another pair of eyes (besides mine and Shah's) confirmed the fruitful result.
The Changes I Made To My Previous Hormonal Acne-Prone Skincare Routine
Yep, surprise surprise, I'm still struggling with hormonal acne. But the good news is I've come to terms with that and taking the battle day by day, staying positive as I go!After more than one year, a couple of (inevitable) changes have been made to my previous hormonal acne-related post:I…
The 3 Main Steps I Took To Battle Hormonal Acne (That Actually Worked)
This is a post that's been a long time coming. After talking about why I stopped blogging about beauty earlier this year, I want to share the details about what I've done to battle my hormonal acne.
First of all, please keep in mind that what I've done to tackle my skin issues might not work for you even if you have the same issues and skin type; everyone's skin really has its own identity. I have acne-prone combination/oily skin but I've tested out products that did not work for me even when they worked on others who have the same skin type and issues.
Unfortunately, settling into the right skincare regime usually will involve a lot of experimental products.
This will be quite the lengthy (and wordy) post as I really want to be as thorough and honest as possible in relaying my experience with this "aesthetic" battle, so I hope you're sitting somewhere comfortable for it!
Here are the three main steps I took to battle hormonal acne that actually worked for me:
When I went to Jakarta last year, I accidentally left my skincare bag in Malaysia but in an amazing twist of fate (and on top of using skincare that wasn't working anyway), I came across the Bioderma Sebium range for acne-prone skin, with their Bioderma Sebium Global Intensive Purifying Care being the highlight. My skin problem became less severe after consistently using Bioderma Sebium, so I would definitely recommend you giving their products a go if you're battling hormonal acne.
The problem was that one Intensive Purifying Care was not the easiest to buy in Malaysia. Plus even though reduced, huge spots were still popping up on my chin area, so I had to dive deeper into the acne-fighting products in the local pharmacies to search for an alternative, and that was when I discovered Eucerin Pro Acne Solution.
First of all, please keep in mind that what I've done to tackle my skin issues might not work for you even if you have the same issues and skin type; everyone's skin really has its own identity. I have acne-prone combination/oily skin but I've tested out products that did not work for me even when they worked on others who have the same skin type and issues.
Unfortunately, settling into the right skincare regime usually will involve a lot of experimental products.
This will be quite the lengthy (and wordy) post as I really want to be as thorough and honest as possible in relaying my experience with this "aesthetic" battle, so I hope you're sitting somewhere comfortable for it!
Here are the three main steps I took to battle hormonal acne that actually worked for me:
1. Switched from regular skincare to an acne-fighting range
There are so many acne-fighting ranges out there, so how did I even choose? First of all, budget and accessibility matter to me, which means ruling out pricier brands and brands that are not sold in in pharmacies and shops I frequent or readily available in trusted online stores.When I went to Jakarta last year, I accidentally left my skincare bag in Malaysia but in an amazing twist of fate (and on top of using skincare that wasn't working anyway), I came across the Bioderma Sebium range for acne-prone skin, with their Bioderma Sebium Global Intensive Purifying Care being the highlight. My skin problem became less severe after consistently using Bioderma Sebium, so I would definitely recommend you giving their products a go if you're battling hormonal acne.
The problem was that one Intensive Purifying Care was not the easiest to buy in Malaysia. Plus even though reduced, huge spots were still popping up on my chin area, so I had to dive deeper into the acne-fighting products in the local pharmacies to search for an alternative, and that was when I discovered Eucerin Pro Acne Solution.
Eucerin Pro Acne products are the HG products that produce the most positive change in my skin. The painful deep mountainous bumps that would appear around my jawline and cheeks noticeably rarely pops up now. I still to this day use the main four Eucerin Pro Acne products: Toner, Super Serum, A.I. Matt Fluid and A.I. Clearing Treatment.
Bonus: the Eucerin Pro Acne range included a good sunscreen, the Day Mat Whitening SPF 30, as well!
Bonus: the Eucerin Pro Acne range included a good sunscreen, the Day Mat Whitening SPF 30, as well!
Why I Stopped Blogging About Beauty
Aside from style, I have a firm interest in makeup and beauty, hence, enjoy blogging about them as well. Those two topics have been absent from this little virtual space for some time now, however. Outfit posts have always been the focal point of this blog so I'm guessing not many of my readers notice the absence, but I feel like I should explain anyway why I stopped blogging about beauty.
If you visit the "Beauty" category in this blog, you'd notice an abundance of beauty posts in 2017. Growing up, I had oily-combination skin that experienced the occasional breakouts but since it was relatively un-sensitive, I was able to experiment with different products (reasonably so).
I caught the K-beauty bug at one point and even found a set of products to make up their infamous 7-to-10 (!) steps skincare routine that works for me. My skin looked smoother and healthier than it ever was.
If you visit the "Beauty" category in this blog, you'd notice an abundance of beauty posts in 2017. Growing up, I had oily-combination skin that experienced the occasional breakouts but since it was relatively un-sensitive, I was able to experiment with different products (reasonably so).
I caught the K-beauty bug at one point and even found a set of products to make up their infamous 7-to-10 (!) steps skincare routine that works for me. My skin looked smoother and healthier than it ever was.
 |
| Selfie taken in late 2017 when my skin was relatively unproblematic |
February Skin Care Routine That Really Works For My Skin
Prior to mid last year, I was the kind of person who faithfully stick to a skin-care range for as long as I could, come rain or shine—that is, until my skin started to breakout like CRAZY (which I had copiously described in this NARS concealer post). That was when I realised no matter how vigorously I maintain the "right" skin care routine, my facial skin is not excused from hormonal imbalance or allergic reaction.
In turn, I had a strong reaction to that realisation by going from "safe and boring" (having only one to two brands in a skin care routine) to "Imma just experiment the heck out of this!!!" (trying out any product I desire—those with high ratings, of course).
Currently Using These Makeup Removers...
Every time I purchased a bottle of the pricey Shu Uemura Skin Purifier Cleansing oil, I seemed to run out of it at a pace my wallet definitely did NOT appreciate. As much as it's worth the price, after my last bottle emptied I decided to go rogue and try out drugstore cleansing oils for makeup-removing, dabbling with the purple Biore one—not a fan of this—and the blue and green Neutrogena ones which I found to be kind of meh, so I continued to be on the lookout for a good, affordable product.
Althea, the online destination for Korean beauty and makeup, has pretty much sponsored my skin care for the month of February by sending a huge box filled with "surprise" beauty goodies (and to a bunch of other bloggers too, in case anyone thinks I'm special), and in the box arrived two makeup-removing products—so convenient for me, guys.
Althea, the online destination for Korean beauty and makeup, has pretty much sponsored my skin care for the month of February by sending a huge box filled with "surprise" beauty goodies (and to a bunch of other bloggers too, in case anyone thinks I'm special), and in the box arrived two makeup-removing products—so convenient for me, guys.
K-Beauty: Missha Time Revolution Essence & Pure Vitamin C 21.5 Serum
I had such a good run with this Japanese beauty range so it was disappointing that it stopped working for me—especially since I had repurchased the whole expensive range a few weeks before that (for the second time, too), so I was left with leftovers.
PS: Any of you guys ever experienced that with…
PS: Any of you guys ever experienced that with…
