Blovet’s Clear Skin Talk Part 1

Lately, so many people ( even strangers) ask me :

“What do you use for ur skin?”

It’s crazy. I’ve  NEVER gotten so many compliments like this in my life.  Please don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to be boastful and I am not proud at all. WHY NOT? Cause I was and still consider myself to be an acne sufferer.
I have pictures 2 yrs ago , when I was in MUNICH and there were these BIG RED  ANGRY SPOTS ( which I picked at) all over my cheeks. I still have the scars to prove it and  there was a period of time where acne erupted on my jaw area and that really drove me over the edge. I became even more shy, withdrawn, sad and very very miserable because of this SUDDEN ACNE BOUT which lasted for a few YEARS!  I’ve always had relatively clear skin and many of my facial scars( i have quite a few big and small ones) were from naughty childhood incidences so you could say I took pride in my clearer skin and it was my confidence boost.
WHEN THE ACNE STRUCK, my hubby was really worried too, cause he had never seen my skin this bad. My friends were all in Singapore and  maybe saw a pic or 2 of my pimply face but that was it. I thought returning from MUNICH to SINGAPORE would help my skin but it DIDNT!!!!  Pimples erupted every other day and it was coming out in places I never expected… I would SWEAR AT MY PIMPLES when I looked in the mirror and it was a very angry and withdrawn phase of my life…
I was desperate, hated using concealor to cover old and new spots everyday, so I started searching and asked my friends for some recommendations for skin care products!
Then I was introduced to the amazingly EXPENSIVE DR SECRETS.

DR SECRETS is a  complete skin care regiment and since I am not paid a cent to advertise their products, I’m just going to say that I have nothing to earn from blogging about this.
This is a skin care regiment that turned my skin around. My acne cleared up 80% in 3 months. I’ve been using it for 2 yrs I think and now I alternate between YAMANO SKIN CARE and DR SECRETS. The whole T-SERIES cost around $430 + SGD, so I was really bleeding through my wallet every 2 months. 
SURPRISINGLY, after a year of religious DR S. usage my skin was doing fine for some time and then the small and Big pimples started attacking me again!!!  I felt pretty distraught and disappointed that  nothing was working and I was picking at my skin more than I should have.
That’s when I was searching the web like crazy for another MIRACLE PRODUCT  and bumped into HIGH ON HEALTH website. FRAN the owner is my SAVING GRACE. She spoke about the relationship between emotions and acne, provided excellent resources for the reasons behind my skin picking addiction and her entire  holistic approach to controlling acne was something that resounded strongly with me.

Steps I took when I realised that

my emotional wellbeing was

key to clearing the acne:

1) I stopped picking my skin
2) looked at my skin less
3) confronted issues I was facing
4) made a mental note everyday to take it easy and not be stressed
5) started my journey to heal from the inside
6) stopped switching products frequently and kept to mainly what works for my skin – Dr secrets and yamano. That’s a reason why I don’t do much skincare product reviews and why I’m so picky/selective when it comes to what I put on my face. My dream is to maintain clear glowing skin simply with facial wash, moisturiser and sunblock. How much simpler my life would be. 
7) My journey towards finding suitable products was expensive, long and very un-rewarding.
I was spending way too much money on pdts that didn’t deliver and I was visiting derms only for them to tell me to use this and that… nothing worked. Discovering dr secrets and it helped calm my acne to a large extent but the smaller pimples would still appear and I had to battle post acne marks and some scaring.
That was until I was recommended to  GLYCOLIC WHITENING  ESSENCE * truly my HG PRODUCT to reducing imperfections*
* Warning : Glycolic products work wonderfully for me, as do chemical peels and occasional light therapy. Some people have less tolerant skin and their skin might peel excessively or burn from it. Please test it out on a small patch of skin and increase the amount you use very very gradually, till you are very confident with the product.  Also, I cannot stress the importance of sunblock when using products that exfoliates your skin. If you do not use sunblock, pls refrain from using glycolic based products.

Our skin is a

reflection of what’s

going on in our

hearts and minds

With ACNE, I will never use the word “ CURED”.Those who have experienced some form of acne will know that it never really goes away. It can flare up when we are

* Stressed\Worried

* Emotionally Unsettled

* In Poor Health

*Picking our skin

* Using Incompatible Skin Care Products

*Excessive use of Products and Treatments

* Sleeping on dirty Pillow cases…

*Using a shampoo that irritates our skin

Controlling Acne

through skincare

I’ll share with u some of the physical aspects of the best way to deal with acne…

1)  SUITABLE SKIN CARE RANGE
I did a blog article before on the products I use.  Mainly YAMANO skin care and Dr Secrets. I am not sure how widely available these brands are but these are brands that suit my skin. I tried an arsenal of products before I was recommended to these 2 brands and fell in luv with them.
You may have to do a bit of searching before you find a range of products that is agreeable with your skin. I do not believe a product should make your skin purge continuously before it does wonders. The suitable product line will not show miraculous improvement overnight but you will notice the subtle hints that it’s treating your skin well:
* Less redness
*Soothing to acne
*Skin looks brighter
*Fewer pimple popping up
*Acne marks fading
An effective product line should show visible results in 3-4 months.

2) EXFOLIATION
When I had acne skin, I didn’t exfoliate and it became worse. I am now using OLAY THERMAL EXFOLIATOR and I love it to bits. I use it every evening but my mom can only use it once a week, so it differs for every individual. In the past I was a big fan of ST IVES APRICOT SCRUB (for blemish skin)but it was too gentle on my acne.
Some frens have warned me against exfoliating my skin cause they say it’s thin and what not… but when I don’t exfoliate my skin, I get clogged pores and dull skin and my skin care products don’t get absorbed well. Trust ur own instincts, u should know when enough is enough
3)FRUIT ACIDS

I have different sized acne scars on my right cheek and forehead.  Recent scars( scars that came about 3 years ago) have been lightened  and have shrunk to resemble a slightly larger pore opening because of my daily use of YAMANO WHITENING ESSENCE and my chemical peels( I’ve had 5 sessions in the past year and half and it’s been so good for my skin). 
Yamano whitening essence is  glycolic based and the main reason why I believe so strongly in applying fruit acids to scars is because I’ve  gone for chemical peels at 50% and higher and I have seen a difference. I’ve tried MOSAIC LASER too at the derm and the effect isn’t as good as the chemical peel in my opinion. Prior to using glycolic on a daily basis, my scars were not shrinking and they were very red, zits took weeks to go down. After daily usage of glycolic cream, I started to see a turn around in the quality of my skin. My zits go away after 1 day, my scars are shrinking and less red,  a subcision scar  has surfaced and looks less obvious. OVERALL, GLYCOLIC ACIDS are AMAZING & its my precious weapon against ACNE INFLAMMATION. I couldn’t believe the effects myself until I started getting compliments, questions bugging me abt what i was using and etc.
However do note that really old  deeper scars( like childhood or teenage scarring) are usually very hard to erase. I have tried subcision and chemical peels and other stuff but they never show much improvement… I have battle scars on my face that you may or may not be able to see and it sometimes hurts to know they mar my complexion but I’ve learnt to be more accepting and to be grateful for what I have. To be focused on Scar reduction rather than perfect skin is something more attainable and is definitely a healthier approach to healthy skin. Also, don’t pick at ur skin to prevent any chance of scarring in the first place.
NEOSTRATA is a skin care range found in Singapore that is based on AHA and PHA. I’ve tried a few of their products and thought it was okay. I’ve tried DR MURAD products which have AHA as the active ingredient and it broke me out. So, once more, find a glycolic based product that suits ur skin.
When you start using glycolic products, be very very stingy with the amounts you use. Your skin will take a while to get used to it. Some peeling is expected the first few times you apply glycolic products.
* Warning : Glycolic products work wonderfully for me, as do chemical peels and occasional light therapy. Some people have less tolerant skin and their skin might peel excessively or burn from it. Please test it out on a small patch of skin and increase the amount you use very very gradually, till you are very confident with the product.  Also, I cannot stress the importance of sunblock when using products that exfoliates your skin. If you do not use sunblock, pls refrain from using glycolic based products.
4) BLOCK  THAT  SUN  BABY
After all the stripping of dead and sluggish skin cells, protect it with sun block, be it rain or shine. I can’t stress the point of this enough already!
5) MOISTURISE
Acne skin doesn’t mean it should be stripped of moisture
Acne skin needs moisture to repair itself and to keep the cells nourished. Don’t be fooled into thinking that acne skin should be dry and absolutely clean. U’ll be in for a big surprise.
I used Dr Hauschka and Weleda skin care  in MUNICH and it was my saving grace to angry outbreaks. These products were so gentle and the results were gradual and did help calm my skin and lessen the marks somewhat…. Another moisturizer that helped me immensely was CETAPHIL. It is amazing for sensitive skin that clogs super easily.
6) HONEY & ALOE VERA
I love these 2 skin foods. They treat my skin kindly and my skin glows after a aloe vera and honey mask. It’s a combination between healing properties from the ALOE VERA plant and ANTI BACTERIAL properties from MR HONEY. I sometimes blend in yogurt and oats to thicken it into a mask.
7) AVOID BENZYL PEROXIDE LIKE THE PLAGUE
Hate this stuff… will never use it again. I am not a believer, especially when  the dermatologist in Munich told me tat PURGING is good and I should use BP. Purging is miserable and BP creates hell on my skin. STASH IT!
8) CLEAR SKIN= SETTLED & STABLE EMOTIONS
I don’t mean to sound like a broken record but FRAN from HIGH ON HEALTH pointed out in her excellent articles that clear skin is mostly linked to a happy, settled emotional state and that stress/unhappiness/unstable/negative emotions are all linked to ACNE.
Take some time out and enjoy life. I try to not look at the mirror too much and not think about my imperfections. I try to think  of productive things and keep myself busy so that I can focus on living my life instead of how I should prevent that next pimple from popping up.
Do something to relax. I shop  and blog to relax. Some listen to music to relax, others dance or bake. Find something that relaxes U!
When I know I am following all the steps above, I’m naturally less stressed and find that my break outs are less frequent.
There will be a second part to this post and it will focus on a list of skincare brands I consider to be very suitable for people with sensitive and acne prone skin :) Stay tuned for that gals and I appreciate all ur comments as it gives me a sense of what works for u and what doesn't :)

Korean Skin Care Secrets

 

* I am in no way a Skin Care Expert.

I’m simply sharing what I know from a variety of reliable sources. It helps to have friends who have stayed or visited Korea and have shared with me their personal observations of their way of life. Also internet sources for this topic are pretty limited, thus I had to rely more on word of mouth, Korean dramas , general reading etc.

Choi Ji Woo & Lee Hyori have great skin. They are renown for their beauty and have made Korean beauties skin care highly sought after  :-)

  

 

 KOREAN SKIN CARE:

I sincerely hope this entry is going to benefit people with different skin condition in one way or another.

 

WHITENING

Whitening may seem very superficial to many people esp. to Sun Worshippers but the long term benefits are undeniable.

As we age our skin metabolism aka turnover rate slows down. We shed dead cells less frequently and as such the skin starts looking dull due to cell build up. A dull complexion or problem skin is most likely due to the build up or accumulation of skin cells, dirt, or the use of ineffective skin care products.

As such procedures such as chemical peels, lasers and dermabrasion have become very popular to assist in resurfacing skin to reveal “new” skin which yields positive results such as reducing acne breakouts and lightening pigmentation spots .

A good whitening range helps to increase CELL TURNOVER . Exfoliation also gives the same type of results. Only difference is that over the counter exfoliation products are more gentle than all the derm procedures.

Whitening helps to even out skin tone by removing dead skin cells and working on pigmented areas. However, Brown spots and pigmentation require continual use ( 3 months and above) of good whitening products. Being diligent should yield visible results in 3 months and if you don’t see any evening out of skin tone or lightening of spots, ur skin care might not be as effective OR you need to apply sunblock more frequently and avoid the sun even more.

Recommended Whitening Product Range:

Clarins. Elizabeth Arden.DHC.Shiseido. CD. P&J has been getting rave reviews on their whitening serum.. 

SUNBLOCK

I am not going to go into scientific detail for the detrimental effects of sunlight on the skin. There are tons of websites that supply high quality info on that.

Basically, just watching National Geographic is enough for me to see the undesirable effect of the Sun on skin quality. Just look at a farmer’s face who is exposed to constant sun light versus an office worker who is shielded away from the sun’s rays in his cubicle.  

lHave you seen atheletes who’ve spent hour after hour in the the sun, at age 40? They may have great physiques but their faces are pretty crinkly and show visible signs of sun damage. Their once sun kissed youthful skin is youthful no more….

Whatever regime you may be on, you should know that SUNBLOCK is your friend. It is a fact that our skin needs some sun for VIT D but in our tropical climate, sunlight is in total abundance and thus a greater need to protect our precious skin. 

With all that whitening action going on at night, protection against harmful rays is critical. Do not undo all the effects of a  whitening skin care range by missing out on sunblock in the day. Be it rain or shine, sunblock is going to be our weapon against harmful rays which causes premature aging, brown spots, freckles,wrinkles and other skin aliments.

A FEW I RECOMMEND:

Dr Secrets.Yamano.Shiseido. Clinique. Biotherm

FACIAL MASSAGE

Korean women swear by it. Facial massage is a must to maintaining porcelain looking skin. Watch the video if you have no idea how its done. I was told that they do facials massage with their hands as well and its pretty “vigorous”….

In general,  the scrapping action helps to stimulate blood circulation in the lower layers of the skin. When your blood circulation is at its optimum, it shows on the face.

Lately,Japanese  facial massaging devices have been exploding all over the market. You Tuber Beauty QQ shows us the benefits of this method using a jade facial massager( she’s a blast to watch, even though I dun understand100%) :

Personally though, I would only allow such vigorous massage to be done on my skin if it was starting to show signs of sagging. I would refrain from frequent facial massage, especially for problem skin types and young skin.

 

BB CREAMS & MAKEUP

You and I can’t run away from the simple fact that BB Creams give pretty good coverage. It’s almost like a liquid foundation in my opinion, just that it supposedly has  “ skin healing” properties.I know some people attribute their clear skin to BB creams and its fantastic that they have found what works for them but there will be those few, like myself, who get cystic acne with BB Creams.

BB creams and foundations probably enhance the skin by making it appear more radiant and healthy .

Not every Korean woman has flawless skin and that goes for just about any country.  Makeup is always used for that poreless, porcelain look. Makeup works wonders and they have pretty darn good makeup artists too. Their Korean Drama Actors always have a thick slab of foundation/BB cream on their face, so its best not to be fooled and to know that even the beautiful use makeup to attain that flawless glowing skin.

Since I don’t even use BB Creams ( give me cystic acne), I can’t make any recommendations. Although I’ve read about popular ones such as skin food and missha…

FACIAL MASKS

Watched any Korean drama lately? In the past I probably watched every Korean serial there was and it was pretty evident that they love their facial mask. The drier climate in Korea allows them to use all sorts of moisturizing creams and masks.

I would exercise a little more caution on this point because excessively moisturising mask can cause outbreaks, bumps or do nothing but leave a temporary shine on the face. Once more, a tropical climate like Singapore would most likely provide more than enough moisture than we would like… Places like Korea with the different seasons and drier climate would require frequent moisturisation or moisture replenishment for non flaky,dewy,  radiant skin .

For the hot tropics, I would say Fruit , Yogurt and clay mask would be safer bets for our naturally “oiler” skin. They contain AHAs that assist with exfoliation and assist in revealing younger looking skin.

Recommended Facial Masks:

OLAY. SKII. BIOTHERM. NATURAL HONEY MASK.

DIET

Koreans eat hell of  alot of vegetables. Just follow this link to check out Koreans Favourite Food:

http://korean-chic.blogspot.com/search/label/Korean%20Food

Kimchi and all that veg and protein and healthy looking stuff! My mom and hubby visited Korea some time ago and told me the food is freaking fresh! The Koreans love their preserved veg & high quality meats &  it shows!!

Our diet is probably a big factor in what our skin is looking like. I would like  to say that eating chocolate and sweets won’t affect your skin quality but it does. I’ve given up to this point already and I’m a bit more lucky cause I love my veggies..

Finer Points:

*Use outward & upwards strokes when washing your face
Source:http://www.vivawoman.net/2009/01/16/korean-beauty-secrets-revealed/

* Be gentle when applying makeup. Do not tug at the skin or you risk wrinkles

* I don’t believe in Sauna for beautiful skin. IMHO, saunas do more long term damage to the skin. The intense heat may open up the pores and to some extent “ CLEAN” the pores but I can’t imagine what frequent opening of the pores will do to the size of it. Excessive heat ages the skin faster and as such get into the habit of using normal water temperature to wash the face and using cold water to rinse.

Facial places usually steam open your pores before they extract all the nasty stuff. If you have a reliable facial lady who knows what she is doing, than steaming ur face in that sorta situation is fine by me…

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If you were wondering, I don’t use Korean Skin Care products cause it doesn’t suit my skin type. But I am quite a fan of Korean Makeup. Its pretty GOOD!

Okie, if u happen to know any other secrets of Korean women,do share !

Gd luck in the eternal quest for clear radiant Korean Looking Skin!

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Here Blair, Some Vampire-ish EOTD with my Maxi Eyes Blue Contacts! hahaha Kinda freaky, but I’m having so much fun with them!