New Self-care Habits

Ever since my skincare reawakening, I have managed to cultivate a few good habits!

For going out:
Spf lip balm. And I do remember to reapply! : )
Sunblock on hands.
[I tried a hand cream with spf, but there were limited choices. I bought one from Etude House in the end, but the fragrance was too overwhelming. Don't like. Clarins also has a hand cream which comes with spf, but it's freakingly expensive ($40!!) and somehow I just don't like Clarins packaging.]

Before bed:
Lip balm (no spf). I apply a liberal amount for overnight moisturisation.

Cuticle cream/oil on fingernails & toenails.
Hand moisturiser followed by gloves.
Foot moisturiser followed by socks.
Body moisturiser.

Body whitening serum after bath at night.

Spf body moisturiser after bath in the morning.

Skincare
I have always applied quite a few products after washing my face in the morning and at night, so it was easy to just continue this routine. (cleanser, toner, moisturiser, sunscreen in the morning - been doing this without fail everyday for at least 12 years). But now I put more thought into which products to use - e.g. I try to keep to just one or two brands/ranges instead of mix & match, and have added a few more treatment products.

[Personally I believe this will provide better 'coverage' cos the brand would have tried to 'cover' every 'need' within the range. But Brand A might have included more 'clarifying' in its toner, while Brand B might have done so for its cleanser. Something like that la. So by keeping to 1-2 ranges, there would be less repetition or 'loopholes'. I have also read that as different brands use different chemicals &/or preservatives, you will expose your skin to more types of chemicals &/or preservatives the more you mix & match.

Another reason why I limit the number of brands I buy from - it's easier to collect points! Then I get to redeem freebies! From my experience at Laneige counter, I realise it's also good to be on familiar and friendly terms with the counter girl.. even more freebies! Oh ya, it also reduces my tendency to anyhow buy.. For instance when I read magazines, I sorta skip over the recommended products from other brands. Right now I am using mainly Laneige and Kiehls - Laneige for the basic skincare because they are reasonably priced for a beauty counter brand, and Kiehls because of positive feedback from friends & online reviews and because Laneige doesn't have 'high tech' treatment stuff.]

Anywayz. It might look like I am applying a lot of things at bedtime. But it's actually not difficult once I got into the habit. And it takes no more than 10 minutes. And I am feeling happier because of the love & care I am showing myself! : )

Cooking Oil for Beauty!

Yes this is normal olive oil which I bought at a supermarket. It's not even extra virgin, though the blog where I got this idea recommended EVOO :p But considering the price difference, and that I only intend to use it on my hands and feet (and err, cooking), I think normal one will do lah. See, Hubby, I am thrifty sometimes too ok.

I did as the blog suggested and wore disposable gloves after pouring a generous amount of oil on my hands. In addition I also applied on my feet and wore thick socks to prevent dirtying the floor. (Really thick socks, I bought them for my Mt Kinabalu trek to prevent blisters.) I thought I got this idea from the same blog, but I couldn't find the post anymore now.

After 30 minutes, my hands and feet were super oily :p I did not do any massage as I just wanted to clean the oil off so that I could carry doing whatever I was doing. Bar soap did not work, but surprisingly the hand soap did quite a good job.

Did my hands and feet feel smoother after that? Hmm, actually I couldn't feel much difference. (But hey the other blog author said she felt a big difference! Or maybe EVOO will really be more effective??) Oh ya, actually I tried this with my Palmer's body oil earlier, but I guess it was too 'fine' to do much. Though it felt very oily, I could feel the difference when I applied the olive oil - so much thicker. (The Palmer's oil has worked well for my arms and legs, but I guess my hands and feet are too jia lat.)

Anyway, for any method or product, I believe that it will only give results after long-term usage. I don't expect miracles. Furthermore everybody has different foundations to start with, so I am just sharing my 'technical' experiences and who knows, it might work better for you! : )

I am very happy that this is my second cheapo skincare post of the day... and even happier that I have tried two cheapo skincare methods within such a short time! : )