Kiki's Blog

My Makeup Routine

For my makeup routine, I try to use products that are that are more hydrating to my skin. For my first step, I prime my skin before applying makeup. I prime by moisturizing. I use the tea tree mattifying lotion and pat it down with a makeup cloth. Doing this allows the product to be absorbed into my skin. I then apply a soft layer of foundation. After foundation, I apply concealer on areas that need to be covered. After concealer, I use a brush a pat down everything with powder. Then, my last step is to spray setting spray.

Combination Skin

Combination or also normal skin is one of the skin types that are less stressful to handle. Combination skin is where your skin is oily at the T-Zone, but dry in other areas of your face. Some of these factors can be caused by season, health issues, temperature, diet, and more. The best face products that is best suited for this skin type are products that are not heavily oil based and also contains hydration. A water cream would be the best fit for this skin type. Some of my friends have this skin type and they frequently use toners and face masks as a way for their face to be hydrated.

Oily Skin

Oily skin is very common and often can be mistaken for combination skin. It occurs the most in the T-Zone area, which is the area between your eyebrows and above your nose bone. It can also be oily under your eyes and on your chin area as well. Oily skin typically happens when your skin is producing too much sebum, which is the glands that we have in our skin to protect and hydrate the skin. Oily skin can be tedious to manage because we are constantly moving. Despite that, there are steps and tips that we can keep in mind to consistently tackle this problem.

Beauty Bloggers/ Youtubers

I started getting into beauty during freshman year of high school, but never dug into the beauty community until later on. I would look at pictures and videos of people applying skin products and compare my skin with theirs. Seeing youtube videos boosted my self esteem and confidence a lot. I had a lot of insecurities so seeing someone with similar acne problems with me definitely made me feel normal. Some of my favorite youtubers are BretMan Rock, Koleen Diaz, Jessica Lu, James Charles, and more. I really like how each of them has their own unique personality. I typically go each of their accounts for different content. For Koleen Diaz, she is my fashion inspiration and from time to time, I would watch her videos for skincare tips as well because she also suffers from acne, which is a consistent problem that I have.

Anti-Aging Tips

As time passes by, our skin starts to have wrinkles and sags due to old age. However, not to worry ! There are a few tips that we can keep in mind to keep our skin looking healthy and young ! By following these tips, your skin will stay looking young even as you grow of old age ! On an online article called Eat This, Not That ! titled “50 Best Doctor’s Own Anti-Aging Tips”, it states many tips about what we can do to look young and glowing. Some examples are watching our diet, increase our intake on antioxidants, watching our weight gain, and more. In my opinion, the most important factor for skin to appear young and healthy is water. Water hydrates and improves our skin texture and firmness.

Better Lifestyle

With having a better lifestyle such as gyming frequently, it allows our skin to do better as well. Having a better lifestyle is ultimately tied in with having a better diet. Through doing those two activites on a daily basis, your skin will improve over time. Not only does exercising help with your skin, it does great help to your body movements and functions. For examples, hip dips are very common in females. If one exercises frequently to get rid of hipdips, it will get rid of stretch marks, which leads to healthier looking skin.

Suggestions/Products I never tried

I have heard of a lot of brands, but never got the chance to try ones that my friends have recommended me. Some of those brands are Tatcha, Glossier, Curology, Accutane and more. Curology is actually a product that I have always wanted to try and get my hands on, but never got the chance to. For those of you who do not know what Curology is, it is simply an online survey and it customizes a bottle of product that is suitable for fighting acne. It asks questions like what is your skin type and asks you specific questions about your skin textures and problems. If needed, pictures will need to be uploaded and examined by an actual dermatologist. There has been many reports shown that Curology has cleared skin for thousands of users, but there are also animosity for this product as well. Some even say that their skin is worse than before.

Your Skin Type ?

Although everyone’s skin reacts differently to different products, we are sure that our skin is a specific skin type. What if that is not the case ? In a youtube video titled, “How to Know Your Skin Type – Types of Skin” by Glamrs, a speaker in the video addresses the mapping of our face and how we react differently. In everyone’s face, there is an area called the “T-Zone”, which is the space between our eyebrows and above our nose bone. It is usually the area that produces the most oil. Areas underneath our eye bags and the chin are also areas that produce oil. If your skin is oily in those areas, then your skin is an oily skin-type. If your skin is oil, but dry in other areas, it can vary from normal to combination skin.

All Time Favorites

Some of my favorite products are from the Body Shop. In their website, thebodyshop.com, it features a wide array of products that are quite affordable ranging from 10$-30$. My favorite products from them, and probably, one of their more popular products is : Tea Tree Oil Facial Wash, Tea Tree Mattifying Lotion, Seaweed Pore Cleansing Exfoliator. Some other brands that I have tried are Olay, The Ordinary, Mario Badescu, Origins, and Proactive. The brand that I have the most products from is Olay. I use most of their lotions, toners, and moisturizers.

Skincare Dupes

Many people like the quality of high end products, but cannot necessarily afford the actual product. There are many skincare products that are cheaper and can be found in your local Target, Walmart, Walgreens, etc. There is a large variety of moisturizers, lotions, toners, scrubs, and more at a cheaper price.

In a youtube video by Beauty Within, “Drugstore & Affordable Dupes For Most Hyped Skincare Products: Dry, Combo & Oily Skin Types”, it features a wide range of low end products that provides the same consistency as high end products. Dupes, in definition, means a product that is similar or a clone of. An example is the Tatcha water cream. The important ingredients that it contains are algae, green tea, wild rose, leopard lily, and gold. Some low end dupes for this product would be the Neutrogena Gel Cream, First Aid Coconut Water Cream, and Make Prem Water Cream. These are tested on the wrist of the speaker in the video. All of these products are half the price of the Tatcha Water Cream and of different consistencies for various skin types.

Dry Skin

Dry skin are skin types that lack moisture. They usually need products that will hydrate your skin and not over dry or damage one’s skin. There are many causes that one does not know about dry skin, but it does not mean the person is not healthy. Some of these causes can be a dry environment, build up of dead skin cells, or washing the face with too many face products frequently. According to a excerpt by Harvard Health, it states that there are multiple ways that we can do to minimize flaking or drying up on the skin. Among those are 9 steps that we can incorporate into our daily lives. Although you do not necesssarily have to follow all of these steps, these definitely increases your skin as a whole.

DIY Facemasks

Facemasks are usually the easiest form of beauty. It is easy to apply and give quick results. They are generally affordable and come in different sizes, shapes, colors, and scents. Each mask also comes with different ingredients and a specific use. I usually purchase cheap ones in a bulk that are usually one dollar at Daiso.

Common mistakes

Although we all have different skincare routines, we all have common mistakes or myths that we follow. We do not realize that certain things that people do are wrong. For example, many people like to use toners and apply it onto a cotton pad. This is a bad habit to cultivate because the toner will then be mixed with the dirt and makeup excess and do harm for your skin in the long run. Rather, we should pour toner into the palms of our hands and then gently rub it against each other and then pat it onto our face.

Skincare Routine

My skincare routine is constantly changing. I used to use at least five products on my face before I go to sleep, and now I only use three. I discovered that my skin was not like other skin types. I have sensitive combination skin, so therefore I used way too much face products and caused damage to my skin. That led to my acne outbreak. Because of that, I changed my whole skincare routine.

Highend Products ?

High-end products are usually products that are more pricy. There are often controversial arguments about this because the price does not match the quality. Usually high end products are found in makeup stores like Sephora, Ulta, Kiels, and more. Although the price is more expensive, there is one advantage that high end skin beauty products offer that drugstore products are not as inclined to.

Drugstore Products?

There are many controversial arguements with drugstore products. Is the quality in drugstore products bad ? It is cheap, but is it worth it ? Drugstore products are usually hit or miss. Some turn out to be not worth the amount of money it is, and many people just opt for more expensive options. Although it is a hit or miss, it still doesn’t hurt to try. Some really good drugstore products usually fall under the range of five dollars to twenty dollars.

Better Diet

The key to having healthy skin is by having a healthy diet. Eating better food and high protein prepped meals will do wonders to your skin. Not only does the skin on your face will improve, the skin on your body will improve as well. Having well cooked meals, smoothies, protein shakes will all be beneficial to your skin.

Unhealthy habits

There is a my myth that states that junk food is linked with having bad skin. That is absolutely not true ! Although, there are habits that we do that we are not aware of that can be potentially harmful to our skin. Some of those include lack of sleep, not having a consistent skin care routine, not drinking enough water, and more.

Lotions

Lotions are what ties moisturizers and toners together. It hydrates our skin and keeps our pores from being clogged. It locks in moisture and keeps our skin looking smooth and young. Many celebrities have amazing skin due to the specific type of lotion that they use. Lotions are considered as one of the most important beauty products that one should own .

Toners

Moisturizers are important, however toners play a huge role as well. Toners are usually used after moisturizers to tone your face, or in simpler words, balance the ph level of the skin on your face. With a consistent use of toners, you can remove scars, acne marks, dark spots, wrinkle lines, uneven coloring of your skin, and more health benefits that are tied to it !

Skin Regime

Moisturizers come in many different types for various skin types : oily, combination, dry, or normal. Each moisturizer is suitable for your skin type. There are also many health and beauty benefits associated with choosing the right moisturizer. Developing a skin regime or a skincare routine is super important into your schedule because not only will it help you in the long run, it will boost your confidence as well.