My Recent Skincare Routine

I used to follow dutifully the ever so popular trend of skincare regimen: wash, tone, moisturize. Now, I'm becoming less convinced of this trend's necessity. For the past several months, I've been trying to revamp my skincare routine into a much less complicated regimen. During some periods, my skin repaid my modifications with a lot of breakouts. But as I adjusted slowly, my skin eventually improved. I learned that I need not use a lot of products in order to have a healthy skin.

Product Review: Alba Botanica Hawaiian Sunscreen SPF 45

I have been using Alba Botanica Natural Very Emollient Sunscreen, which I have written a review about in my past post, for a few months already. I think the said product is fine, and works well as a daytime moisturizer during the low-humidity periods. However, after using it for a few times during my jogging spree, I noticed that my skin has darkened a bit. So I decided to look for another product from the same brand which hopefully would work better, and has chosen the Alba Botanica Hawaiian Sunscreen SPF 45 because it cointains green tea (Skin care products containing green trea turn me on!). Besides, it contains higher SPF, longer water resistance time (80 minutes), and most importantly, it bears a seal of recommendation from the Skin Cancer Organization.

Facial Cleansers for Oily Skin

Cleansing the face is an essential part of your skin care routine. Even if you spend a fortune on the best creams or serums in town, you wouldn't get the desired outcome without proper cleansing. Cleansing removes excess oil, makeup, sweat and dirt. If you have oily skin, it is a must to prevent breakouts.

A good facial cleanser should be sufficient to remove grime without harshly stripping the skin's top layer. It's a challenging task for cosmetic chemists to acquire since there must be a balance between having enough cleansing power and being gentle to skin. I've recently written a primer about facial soaps and cleansers in general. If you're interested, you may visit this page to read a more in-depth discussion.

6 Ways to Save the Environment with Cosmetics

You don't want to hurt this lovely creature, do you?
Image Source: Bill Longshaw | Freedigitalphotos.net

According to Eurostaf statistics on 2007, the annual turnover rate generated by the cosmetic industries worldwide reaches to USD 170 Billion. With that amount in mind, we can hardly imagine how much raw ingredients and packaging materials it takes to manufacture cosmetic products every year. The accumulated wastes acquired from the disposable plastic bottles as well as the skincare chemicals being washed away from our sinks can leave undesirable impact on our environment.

Facial Soaps and Cleansers 101

Photo Source: dusky | Freedigitalphotos.net

The Basic Function of Soaps and Cleansers

Facial soaps and cleansers are the most basic personal care product we use for our face. They are essential for removing dirt and excess oil from our skin. In order to cleanse the skin, soaps and cleansers must include surfactants. 

Surfactants are ingredients that have special properties of being attracted to both water and oil. This enables the surfactants to bind with the oil and dirt found in the skin while lathering. The act of rinsing allows the water-loving end of the surfactant particles to bind to the water, bringing the oil and dirt along and down to the drain. Examples of surfactants that can be found on facial soaps and cleansers are: sodium laureth sulfate, sodium cocyl isethionate, and cocamidopropyl betaine.

Product Review: Clean & Clear Essentials Foaming Facial Wash

Also available from Amazon.

If you're like me who's been reading a lot of articles and forums posts about skin care, you may encounter some product ingredients that we should avoid. Parabens, silicones, and sulfates are some of them. While some warnings may be based on facts, most of them aren't conclusive yet. Majority of these hype remain highly controversial. That is probably why a number of people get turned off into buying drugstore brands, because even though they cost less, they contain certain ingredients that majority of internet articles warn us against using.

Ingredients-wise, this facial cleanser from Clean & Clear is no different from other drugstore brands. It contains parabens that many women try to avoid. I must admit I had avoided drugstore brands before because I also became suspecting against certain ingredients and that's why I had refrained from using them for some time. In my previous post: What are Parabens: The Highly Controversial Substance, I've mentioned that I wouldn't be completely avoiding parabens anymore, especially if the product is a cleanser (something that would be quickly rinsed off anyway). 

Product Review: Marks and Spencer Gentle and Soft Shower Gel

Gentle and soft, just like Duffy bear.

The skin of the body is not as delicate as that of the face, so I usually just ignore body skin care and focus more on my acne-prone face. My skin care for the body is simple, cleansing with a bar soap, scrubbing, and applying lotion. But I must admit guiltily that I only usually adhere to the cleansing step and neglect the rest of the regimen. 

Then one day, I went shopping to Marks and Spencer. I was really into shopping that day, and decided to buy a shower gel to replace my ordinary bar soap. I wanted to have some kind of luxury for shower use but is at the same time affordable, and so I bought the Gentle and Soft Shower Gel.