Boy in Beauty: Basic Skin Care Under P500

You may have noticed a lot of your friends and colleagues suddenly spending crazy amounts of money on stuff to put on their face. Well, my observant friend—the reason for that is because there’s been a lot of hype over skin care recently. I mean, why wouldn’t there be? The promise of clearer, smoother, softer, healthier skin just by taking as short as five minutes to love yourself a little bit more and relax at the end of every day? Who wouldn’t want that?

Yes, I know it can be daunting to start your skin care venture because of the crazy hundred-step Korean skin care trend, or the latest hard-to-pronounce and even-harder-to-remember “must-have” ingredients. It’s hard to figure out what works for you and your skin (and more importantly, your budget). Lucky for you, I’m here to tell you that you don’t need all of that and you don’t need to spend too much to start giving your face some extra love. Allow me to hold your hand (as a friend lang ha!) and walk you through a very basic routine that’s easy to follow, and easier on your wallet with choices under P1000 and under P500.

(Mandatory disclaimer of “what works for me might not work for you” and vice-versa. The key is to know your skin type, introduce new products or ingredients gradually, and really observe and listen to your skin for what it needs, likes, and dislikes.)

With the variety of facial washes available on the market, I really wonder why oil cleansers aren’t as common because I really wish someone had told me about double cleansing sooner.

Oil cleansers effectively break down waterproof makeup and sunscreen residue, washes away dirt and pollution, and softens dead skin and sebum build up—essentially prepping them for exfoliating. It’s like the Super Mario Mushroom of facial cleansing! TMI but I’ve literally been able to gently squeeze out whiteheads from my nose with the help of an oil cleanser. My skin has been changed for the better.

Around P500

I’m sure we’re all familiar with facial cleansers and their promise to wash off dirt and oil buildup from our faces. In the case of double cleansing, it washes off the residue of your oil cleanser and all the leftover dirt and oil that your oil cleanser didn’t get to. I opt for milder formulas since oil cleansers do a pretty thorough job already, and also because I like to use it in the morning as well; I’m praning with dirt and dust settling on my face and sticking to my moisturizer overnight.

Under P1,000

Under P500

I’ve read so many blogs about skin care, especially for oily and acne-prone skin like mine, and chemical exfoliators are one of the most raved about steps to keeping your skin smooth and clear.

Don’t let the name scare you off: chemical exfoliators are actually much gentler and kinder to your skin as compared to physical exfoliators (those wash-off creams or masks with little scrubby bits that you massage onto your face, that can be prone to over-scrubbing and irritating the skin). It encourages your skin to shake off dead skin cells and make way for new ones. Chemical exfoliators also help make your skin brighter, reduce wrinkles, and stimulate collagen production. Only use these at night though, as it can make your skin more sensitive to the sun when used during the day.

Under P500

After all of that deep cleansing and exfoliating, your skin should feel really clean, but also probably stripped and thirsty. Just as much as your body needs water, your skin needs hydrating, too.

I personally prefer straightforward and lightweight gels or creams (apply more generously at night) that just hydrate your skin. You can always opt for an extra serum or sheet-mask beforehand that specifically targets your problem areas, and then let your moisturizer seal in all the good acids and other problem-solving ingredients into your skin.

Under P500

NEVER EVER, EVER, EVER FORGET YOUR SUNSCREEN! EVER! We didn’t spend all that time and money cleansing and hydrating your skin just to leave it out to be attacked by harmful UV rays.

So please—for the love of all things beauty, never leave the house without protecting your skin from the sun. Go for products that are heavy-duty but don’t leave you feeling greasy so you can be generous with reapplying on bare skin days, and don’t cause issues with your makeup.

Under P500

And thus concludes my list of basic skin care steps for every boy, every girl, everyone in between, and every budget. Do your research and read the ingredients list to see which choice is right for you and your wallet. It’s not vain or narcissistic to give your skin a little extra love and to pamper yourself from time to time. You deserve it! Be kind to yourself, and love yourself a little more each day. And don’t forget to drink lots of water. That’s actually probably the most important skin care step!

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Written by:

Shawn Landayan

MULTIMEDIA ARTIST

Shawn is Calyxta’s resident Multimedia Artist and boy in beauty. With experience as a makeup artist for both the stage and camera, his makeup style ranges from crazy Drag looks to soft and sparkly K-Beauty. When not slaving over their next creative project, Shawn can be found crying about or dancing to K-Pop (maybe even both, at the same time).