Dilek Aspires: MY AFFORDABLE GUIDE TO GOOD SKIN CARE

A WOMAN’S BARE FACE IS like a blank canvas and any artist will tell you the cleaner and smoother the canvas is, the better you can work on it. I am a great fan of beauty/make-up shows and youtube channels, and I always try to find the best ways to keep my skin clean, fresh, and hydrated. That is why I wanted to share with you some of my current favorites.

Now, for many of us, going to regular spa treatments or buying expensive branded skincare products would include maxing out our credit cards and having loan sharks chase us around, and, since such a scene can only be cool in a Hollywood movie or a Korean drama, I would suggest to always buy within your means.

“If you can invest in great skincare products, don’t hesitate to do so, otherwise try to approach more affordable products which will ultimately prove to be adequate if not perfect.”

Every skin type is different and the products I will be mentioning in this post work wonders on my skin which is normal to dry. I have been experiencing skin dryness ever since the beginning of this year, but I credit that to excessive stress due to my two upcoming graduations and constant sewing in the baby hours of the night. (Always get a good night sleep, folks!)

When it comes to cleaning my make-up, I do a two step routine which includes the Garnier Essentials Refreshing and Cleansing Milk with Detoxifying Grape Extract and the toner from the same line. Garnier is known for being affordable and easily available, and their products boost natural ingredients.

Now, as I previously said, my skin has been prone to dryness lately, and since this Cleansing Milk and Toner are meant for normal to combination skin, they do tend to leave my skin feeling a bit tight. (I compensate with moisturizing as I will describe later.)

The reason why I am reluctant to let go of these particular products is because of the grape extract they contain which instantly refreshes my skin and sometimes even cures my headaches. Regardless of whether the toner bottle has been on my shelf, in my drawer, or in my suitcase, the liquid inside always feels cool and refreshing on my skin.

TIP: This is an extra DIY tip I want to share with you that I learned from a Korean beauty show called “Get it Beauty”, and it has to do with cleansing your skin of small dirt particles that clog your pores, infamously known as yellow dust. Within a deep bowl, mix 1:1 ratio non-scented mineral water with normal water and dip your whole face in it. I usually hold few times for 30 seconds. Afterwards, dab your skin lightly with a clean towel. While having your face in the water, you will feel the bubbles bursting against your skin and afterwards, due to the minerals, your face will feel smooth.

I used to make my own exfoliating products (honey and sugar, or coffee, sugar, and olive oil, and etc), but nowadays I swear by L’Oreal’s Perfect Clean Foaming Gentle Scrub for all skin types. I was wary of foamy scrubs just because I had read that they make your skin dry, but, after trying this one, I am definitely in love with it. It helps that it comes with its own rubber scrubbing pad and has a sort of peachy spa-like smell, which is a plus for me as I happen to hate scrubbing my face with my fingers and having products smell like hospital disinfectants.

Nivea has been my go to brand since the first cream I had cajoled my mom into buying me at a time when my age could be still told in single digits. While I have tried a lot of creams from a lot of affordable brands (once, I even spent some cash on a more expensive moisturizer which left my skin dryer than before applying it. Yikes!), I still think that if you really want your skin to stay hydrated thought the entire day, but you don’t want to spend a fortune, you can always turn to Nivea.

I am currently really into Nivea’s Nourishing Day Care cream and its companion, the Regenerating Night cream, both for sensitive skin. I am all about SPF, and everything I buy (liquid foundation, BB cream, spot whitening products, and etc) has to have SPF; therefore, it helps a lot that this day cream has a SPF 15 and it instantly makes my skin look dewy and feel hydrated. The night cream is a bit thicker and oilier than the day cream, but I find it to be an advantage for sometimes when I wake up and forget to put on my day cream, my skin still feels moisturized from the residue.

If I have learned one thing about eye creams is that the smaller their package is, the higher their price is. When my semester was ending back in June, and I had to be in front of my lap-top and on top of my books 24/7, I felt the skin around my eye getting hot and red. I had read about the amazing healing properties of eye creams, but most of them were too expensive.

Since I have a friend who works for Oriflame, and I always happen to drop her message whenever I like something from the current catalog, I decided to check out their eye creams. I found the Milk&Honey Gold Eye Cream which happened to be on sale. I asked her to get it, and quite honestly, my expectations were leveled with the ground due to its price. Once I tried it, however, I couldn’t stop using it. Still can’t.

Lotions, on the other hand, I find them often surplus. Sometimes using too many skin care products can have a negative effect on your skin. I recently, however, got very annoyed from some small spots around my star zone, so I got Oriflame’s Optimals Even Out Face Lotion, which, of course, has SPF 30. Now, if you happen to have oily skin, I would scream at you to stay away from this lotion. It is oily, it feels like sunscreen, and it lasts like that for a long time – which is why I love it!

While I have noticed some minimal spot reducing, to see results I would have to use it every day, but I skip some days and mostly wear it when I go out during the day and I want extra sun protection. It goes perfectly under my foundation and it keeps my skin dewy.

I use a lot of other products sporadically, but these are my current favorite routine ones. What about you? What does your skincare routine consist of? Oh, I am on the prowl for a good mist. Any recommendations?