Less is more: My skincare routine + tips for amazing skin!
As a person of Asian descent, skincare was always emphasized and prioritized in my home. My mother would nag me to put on SPF, throw visors at me on my way to school, pop in my room to make sure I had ample eye cream she lovingly got from the motherland...you get the gist. She’s a little crazy, a little obsessed and a bit neurotic, but she came from a good place.
The bottom line was: skin health is very important!
But I was a rebel at the time and said, “yeah yeah yeah, sure,” but in actuality completely half-assed it. I only did those things when my mother was looking. Now in my 20’s looking back, I wish I had followed my mom’s advice to the T. Through LOTS of trial and error, I finally found what works for my skin and lifestyle.
Out of everyone in my family, my grandma’s skin was the most flawless. It was hydrated, plump, blemish-free and extremely healthy-looking. Basically a dream. Unlike her, I battled with terrible acne and random flare-ups throughout my younger years that left me with patches and uneven texture. When I asked her to finally spill the beans, she looked me dead in the eyes and said, “I don’t know why you’re looking at me, we didn’t have anything. There was no such thing as Lancôme. We grew up poor, so the last thing on our minds was skincare. All we did back then was to be as healthy as possible. Eat food from our farm, stay hydrated since it’s so hot in Vietnam and cool ourselves down with rice water from grain washes my sister saved me. Oh and wear a nón lá (Vietnamese traditional hat)! But when we moved to the U.S. my skin was extremely dry from the harsh winters so all I did was wash my face twice a day with dove bar soap and put unscented lotion on my face that your Aunt got me from Walmart.” Needless to say, I was seriously stumped.
Here I was watching some random beauty guru Youtuber about to buy 3 new expensive high-end skincare products to save my skin and all this little lady did was a simple cleanser + moisturizer action.
When my skin was at its worst I had used a combination of salicylic acid cleanser and wipes, double cleanse with oil, applied toner, serum, and moisturizer. While I tried everything underneath the sun, it still hated me. Shouldn’t acne products work on acne since it’s specialized to do that? Yes and no, what I was doing was drying the heck out of my skin. My skin was already a dry type and I’m putting alcohol and heavy detergents on my skin barrier?! No wonder it was out of whack! So, this time I was gonna go against what the mass media was telling me to do and instead adopt a more simple and natural routine inspired by my Grandmother Sen. Upon popular request, here it is!
My current simple 4 step routine that made all the difference:
Morning: Cleanser→ Toner→ Moisturizer→ SPF
Night: Cleanser→ Toner→ Retinoid→ Heavy-Duty Moisturizer
Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser
Thayers Alcohol-Free Rose Petal + Aloe Vera Witch Hazel Toner
Differin Adapalene Retinoid Cream (use a pea-sized amount only at night)
Baby Cerave Moisturizing Cream (day)/Vanicream Moisturizing Cream(night)
Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 by Goop
What’s amazing about this routine, was how approachable and cost-effective everything is. You don’t have to break the bank to look amazing and you actually do feel so good in your own skin!
Catalysts for my skin glow-up:
Eat more wholesome unprocessed foods.
There’s no way around this. Having said that, I’m no angel, just your average bean believing in having everything in moderation! It may be daunting at first, but try to have at least 1 unprocessed meal a day! We’re not looking for perfection here folks, just progress!
Cut out inflammatory foods.
The bulk of health and wellness is right here. Find out what you’re intolerant to and cut that out of your diet. Health is wealth so take yourself out of misery when you can.
Drink more H20.
Are you drinking enough water? Everybody is different so take your weight, divide it by 2 and that’s how many oz you should be drinking daily. Don’t go ham if you don’t need to. Your bladder will thank you!
Prioritize your sleep.
Find out what your sleep number is and aim to make it a goal every night.
Stress-management!
No one around you is going to thrive if you’re not on top of your game. Put yourself first and get in tune with what’s inside. Listen to your body, because it wants the best for you. See my article on ways I’ve been de-stressing!
Facial Massages
Lisa Eldridge does a great demo of this leaving my eastern roots screaming for an ovation! However, I don’t do anything fancy guys. I do this morning and night to drain the lymphatic system through my cleansing step. When you get a real good lather going, using the slip to do a quick massage your face and wake it up!
If you followed my routine and tips, let me know how it went for you!