By Racela Abundo
“Cleanse, tone, and moisturise.” We’ve heard that mantra too many times to count, yet it still bears repeating, and even building upon. The truth is, taking proper care of your skin can never be taken too lightly. Koreans know this, and use up to 15 products for daily maintenance! However, not everyone has the luxury of time and resources to follow such a long process. Instead, the girls at Banila Co. have a condensed version of those rituals that isn’t too difficult to follow.
- Cleanse with a gentle product specifically geared towards your face. You want to remove the dirt accumulated at night or over the course of the day, as well as excess oils, but you don’t want to completely strip your face of its delicate barrier of essential oils! For evening, Clean It Zero cleansing balm, one of which is sold around the world every 4.8 seconds, is a star at removing everything from sunscreen and makeup to dirt and debris. It has additional skincare superpowers, too, being loaded with vitamin C and papaya extract.
- Tone to bring back your skin’s pH to its normal level. Good toners can hydrate, provide essential nutrients, and prepare skin to absorb your other skincare products, just like a pre-moistened sponge, which can soak up liquid more quickly than a totally dry one. Avoid alcohol based toners and astringents – these can make your skin even greasier as it overcompensates to make up for the lost moisture.
- Dot on an eye cream formulated for delicate skin around the eye area. Check to make sure it’s been ophthalmologist tested!
- Play around with serums, essences, or ampoules. These provide deeply-penetrating targeted treatment to specific concerns you may have regarding your skin, such as to combat dull skin, ageing, or acne flare-ups. They contain a high concentration of vitamins and antioxidants but are often thicker in consistency than toners, so sometimes, using them at night or for a day you’re staying in may be better than before going out into the hot humid weather. Finding a treatment product that works for you can do wonders, but be patient.
- Moisturise to create a moisture seal on the skin. Even if you’ve put on a serum or essence already, don’t skip this step, which prevents all the goodness we’ve lovingly put on from evaporating too quickly.
- Protect. Never skip the SPF.
Evening at home spa DIY: Exfoliate once or twice a week to remove dead skin cells and flakes, which prevent products from penetrating properly. No sense wasting all your effort! This step comes in between cleansing and toning. After toning, pamper yourself with a mask sheet. Topnotch nutrient absorption and relaxation? Done and done.
Beauty Insider Secret: Did you know you can use a lipstick to achieve flushed cheeks? Get Hye’s cheeky pink look by swiping a bit of pink or peach lipstick that matches your skin tone. Blend in with your fingertips so that the warmth will create a natural pink glow.
