Skin Deep

It's a known fact that women spend countless hours and money in primping themselves to be as flawless as their Photoshopped pictures on Facebook. If you think about it, women spend too much money on make-up alone... and that "natural look" that they're going for? That's really the result of a concoction of primer, concealer, color corrector, foundation, luminizer, blush, setting powder, mascara, eyeliner, eye brow pencil, lipstick and lip gloss. I know some people who painstakingly put all this stuff on their face as early as 5AM in the morning... EVERYDAY. At 5am, I'd still be drooling on my pillow, dreaming about being able to  spend the whole day at the buffet in Vegas.

As much as I adore make-up and how it can easily transform you to the va-va-voom version of yourself, or an underpaid hooker (depends on the mood you're in that day)..there's nothing better than looking great WITHOUT IT. Nobody wants a coyote ugly and you definitely don't want to be at the receiving end of that statement. To simply put it, make-up on your face should look like paint on a fresh, blank canvass. So instead of investing a lot on camouflaging your blemishes and look like you just got slapped with a sack of flour, you might as well invest in taking care of your skin.

For years, I've had tons of friends (men and women) asking me on how I take care of my skin and what involves in my skin regimen. I've tried different brands such as Clinique, L'Occitane, Kiehl's and even the ever famous La Mer. As much as they were really good products, my skin didn't really look and feel like I hoped it would be..

Until..

I totally swear by this skin care brand. SK-II pretty much markets their product line based on the most important ingredient which they call Pitera, a naturally-derived liquid from a unique yeast fermentation process. I love all of their products but these are the ones that I cannot live without:

Facial Treatment Essence - The consistency of this liquid is just like water. I put only a couple of drops on my palm and pat it on my face. The skin absorbs it quickly and it leaves my skin soft. I think that this is what really makes the difference.If you travel a lot, the essence can help your skin cope with the changing climate and lock moisture in without leaving your face either oily or dry.

Facial Treatment Lotion - It's a great toner and what's even better is that it's ALCOHOL-FREE. You won't feel that dry, tight feeling that you get from other toners that do contain alcohol.

Skin Signature Cream and Eye Cream - By far, the Signature Cream is still my top pick for my daily moisturizer. La Mer couldn't stand a chance with this one, at least for the moisturizer. The texture is light-weight, it's fast-absorbing and a jar could last you probably 6 months or more. On the other hand, the eye cream is good but my under eyes are still having issues so I don't know if it's just my stubborn genes or maybe I just haven't found the eye cream of my dreams. Although maybe lack of sleep contributes a lot to my problematic under eyes..(no shh, Sherlock)

Facial Treatment UV Protection - Think Signature cream but with SPF 25. It's amazing how this cream never lets me down, especially when I travel to Asia. I was out and about in Hong Kong in the scorching heat and I didn't get a hint of sun burn..to think I only applied a pea-size amount all over my face for the whole day.

Cellumination Deep Surge EX - I use this to help tone and prevent my skin from showing my real age. I'm in my last year of my 20's and these pesky dark spots are popping out of nowhere like gophers, except that gophers are annoyingly cute.

I do have good news for the boytoys out there! SK-II just recently launched their skincare line for MEN!

I don't mind Miguel's scruffy face when he skips shaving for two days but it wouldn't hurt to try these out... who knows, it might make him look like Keanu Reeves (A Walk in the Clouds or Speed era). Here's to wishful thinking, anyway.

Image by http://beautiful-pics.org

Hotter than Tabasco sauce. Yes, you are.  

Okay so before I get distracted again by hot boys...

Here's a little background about my skin:

- I have Normal to Dry skin.

- I only get to sleep an average of 6 hours a day.

- I'm not a very healthy eater. Unfortunately, I consume alot of fast food and processed food (I do eat veggies when available..meaning, if someone else is cooking. Ha!)

- I don't take in internal skin supplements. (I think I should really start doing so. I'm pushing 30 and my skin ain't like a baby's bottom no more)

- I have direct contact to sun light around 50 mins. everyday (walking my dog in the morning) with sunscreen.

- I only have facials probably once or twice a year (when I visit the Philippines) or when I get the chance to go to my dermatologist here in LA (costs a leg, an arm and one of my  kidneys)

After about 3.5- 4 years of using SK-II, this is how my face looks like without any trace of make-up, (no Photoshop either)

It's not flawless, no. But it's not bad at all considering the lifestyle that I have. I'm practically finishing this blog at 2:00 AM.. tee-hee! ;p

*Please note that I'm not a dermatologist nor a beauty expert. All the products that I review are from first-hand, personal experience. I do have a lot more amazing products to share and talk about but no matter what brand you use, don't forget to exfoliate at least once a week and remember that you can never use too much SUNCREEN, SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN! =)

P.S. I get my SK-II stash from Saks Fifth Avenue. http://www.saksfifthavenue.com and they have it available in Bloomingdale's as well. =)