The Skin You Live In

There is no end-all-be-all all-in-one antidote/regimen to perfect, glowing, skin. That, my dear friends, is the truth.

While I have no qualms with accepting compensation for endorsing a product, there is definitely something more satisfying about telling a friend, “Hey, I've tried this, and it really works! I’m sharing these trade secrets with you because you’re my friend and I love you.”

So here I am sharing my skin care routine with you, my friends, as an honest initiative for those who have over the years asked me how I take care of myself. I used to have really, really horrid acne all across my forehead when I was younger. But with careful attention to lifestyle choices, I've been able to smoothen out my face, and without a lot of makeup (as in these photos). The thing is, everyone’s skin is different, but there are some simple rules that everyone can abide by. If you're interested to learn the routine I live by, do read on. :)

First, there are the general wellness habits that you’ve heard over and over for a reason – because they are true.

1.     Drinking plenty of water everyday keeps your skin hydrated from within.

2.     Cutting down drastically on cigarettes and alcohol will make a huge difference in how quickly you age, as these habits form ugly, lasting lines on your face and leave you with dry, dull-looking skin.

3.     Exercising regularly gives you a natural, healthy glow; even a quick and fun 15-minute cardio session will increase blood circulation throughout the body, including your face.

4.     Sleep also plays a huge role in keeping your skin looking younger for longer, as you may know from personal experience (i.e. eyebags and dark circles).

Now for the all-inclusive tip that most people fail to realize is so important in keeping your face clear: SANITATION.

1.     Sanitizing your mobile phone – Have you given any thought to the surfaces your phone touches when it’s not in your hands? Imagine putting your face directly on those surfaces and letting your face sit there for an hour. Like, in your bag next to your wallet, or on a table where the dirty bottom of your bag was probably sitting a minute ago. Imagine that bag on the floor of your car. Now imagine your face on that floor. Yup.

2.     Sanitizing your keyboard – Think of how many times you’ve shared a pen with someone, not knowing where that pen has been or where those hands have been, then gone to work on your laptop, while sweeping away a stray hair from your face with your fingertips. Think about that time you ordered some food, reached into your wallet to pay for your food, then went back to your online research or whatever it is you were doing at that coffeeshop, then taking a break from the research to reapply your lipbalm with your finger, the same finger that held money from some stranger’s hands. Think about every time you’ve lent your laptop to a sibling in need, not knowing if he/she’d just come from using the restroom. Now scratch the tip of your nose, wipe the sweat off your brow, or sweep that stray hair away from your face again. Yes, that’s right.

[In my own everyday barely-there makeup, no foundation.]

3.     Separating your makeup brushes – If you carry a little beauty kit with you wherever you go, it’s wise to keep your brushes in a plastic Ziplock bag, to keep them from collecting dust and dirt from the outer surfaces of your makeup containers and compacts. Those compacts touch the same surfaces as your mobile phone. Also, washing your brushes regularly with baby shampoo is a good way to prevent the buildup of bacteria.

4.     Cleaning your aircon/electric fan regularly – These machines are great for two things; one, for regulating the temperature of your room, and two, for blowing dust particles at your face.

5.     Washing your hands (and face) after playing with your dog/cat – Your little loved ones are out doing what they love to do all day, that is to roll around in the grass or lay on the floor. They don’t bathe everyday like we do. When you let your puppy give you a nice little smack on your cheek, did you think about the neighbor’s dog’s butt he/she was probably sniffing earlier today? Or worse, what comes out of that butt as part of the natural digestive cycle, he likes to sniff that too, doesn’t he? Washing your hands after touching money is equally important. Actually, just sanitizing your hands as often as possible is key.

While it’s easy to protect yourself from the buildup pimple-causing bacteria, there is one thing you can’t really fight, and that’s hormones, especially when that special time of the month rolls around for us ladies. Even I don’t have clear skill all year round because Mother Nature tries to keep my vanity in check 12 times a year. But that is also the most number of times a year I’ll fall hostage to the occasional zit. That’s just once a month, the kind that lasts just 30 hours at most, and doesn’t necessarily appear every month.

I try to keep this as under-control as possible by sticking to a religious cleansing routine and never going to bed without having washed and moisturized my face.

1.     If you went to sleep with a clean face, all you need in the morning is a light facial foam to dissolve the natural film of oil on your skin that you wakeup with. I use a homemade aloe-vera-based cleanser. Make sure to use light strokes to keep from pulling your skin too harshly, the effects of which you will see as you age and your skin begins to lose its youthful elasticity. Scrubbing hard can irritate your skin and promote wrinkles, rubbing over acne can leave scars. Remember that you don’t need a lot of product or a rough hand to get a thorough clean.

2.     Don’t just dramatically splash water on your face like you see in the commercials. Rinse more than you think you need to. Some products and soaps leave a thin film of residue than can actually clog your pores. Splashing your face with cold water at the end of your wash gives your skin a rejuvenated glow as well.

3.     Gently pat your face dry with a face towel, and by “face towel” I mean a towel only used for your face. Remember to change this towel regularly. Please, please don’t use your bath towel or hand towel. Remember the conversation we had earlier about touching surfaces? Do you want to rub the dead skin from your butt and underarms on your face after you’d just cleaned it? I didn’t think so.

4.     Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Never ever put makeup on without gently spreading moisturizer all over your face and neck beforehand. Don’t squirt a big glob of lotion on the palm of your hand and rub it up and down on your face. You’re wasting product which is now being absorbed more by your hand than by your face, and you’re again increasing the formation of lines and wrinkles. Use your fingertips to apply the product in small, circular motions. Not only will you save your face this way, you’ll save on having to buy more product so often.

5.     After you’ve moisturized, you can go ahead and apply your makeup following your own routine. 

6.     At the end of the day, use a good makeup remover to wipe off all the product on your face before giving it a wash. By “good” I mean a formula that really picks up the makeup pigments, your cleansers need help getting rid of deep-seeded dirt.

7.     You can let your face get some steam in the shower to open up the pores before using a facial scrub for your evening wash. Proceed with gentle, circular motions, concentrating on the areas you get the most oily (usually T-zone and around the nose). Rinse thoroughly with warm water. Don't forget to use your face towel!

8.     Again, moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Feel free to apply a more liberal amount on your face at night and just let the product seep into your skin as you sleep.

I’m a simple girl. I don’t wear tons of makeup everyday, but I do put on some mascara and at least a little concealer and lipstain even when I run errands because I like to leave the house looking neat and sweet, the object being to greet the outside world as a clean and polished young woman. 

The truth is that people treat you better when you look put-together, and it's not necessarily a matter of discrimination but a subconscious natural reaction to pleasant appearances. I mean, do you ever pick the ugly cupcake out of the dozen? Someone once told me that being well-kempt is a sign of respect both for yourself and for the people you meet, and I definitely agree with that. I, too, occasionally watch the video-blogs on how to apply the perfect “no-makeup makeup,” but the honest to goodness answer for healthy, glowing skin is dedication to caring for it. :)

** To find out what my favorite skincare or makeup products are, Tweet me @CaraManglapus!

** Photos by Alejandro Rivera.