Wednesday 2 September 2015

Morning Skincare & Beauty Routine

Hi loves!

It's been ages since I've last posted so I thought I'd get back into the blogging mojo with a post about morning and nighttime routines. Every morning we wake up and go through the motions of getting ready for school/work/life. Over time I've developed morning and nighttime beauty and skincare routines that have become engrained in my everyday life. So today, I thought I'd share my morning skincare and beauty routine* with you lovelies! And maybe my nighttime routine in another post. Hee!

Morning Skincare & Beauty Routine
Morning Skincare & Beauty Routine

Morning Skincare & Beauty Routine

Skincare

1. Face cleansing
The first thing I do after brushing my teeth is to wash my face. I wash my face every night but I still like to wash it in the morning to get rid of any built up oils and to feel more refreshed, clean and awake. I also feel that cleansing my face in the morning helps prepare my skin for absorption of skincare products such as toner, serum and moisturiser. My choice of cleanser is a gentle, foamy cleanser like the Hada Labo Mild and Sensitive Skin Face Wash, or when my skin is feeling slightly dry, I use a cream cleanser like the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser to keep it feeling soft.

2. Apply a facial toner or facial mist
To add some moisture and hydration to my skin, I like to pour some facial toner into my palms and pat the toner gently into my skin. Sometimes, I spritz the toner onto my face for a light, refreshing feel. Rosewater toner is a love of mine as I find that it soothes and calms my skin. The two rosewater toners that I currently switch between for both day and night are the Oslee Rosehip Beauty Solution Advanced Formula III and Balm Balm Organic Rose Floral Water. The scent of these two babies is just heavenly - a subtle scent of roses which reminds me of a rose garden. So lovely!


Morning Skincare & Beauty Routine

3. Apply a serum
Next in line in my morning routine is a serum. Serums to me are important to keep the skin feeling hydrated and looking glowy. I like to use 1-2 pumps of the Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum because it packs a punch of hydration and moisture which is eagerly soaked up by my dry skin. When my skin is feeling a bit red and looking irritated, I like to smooth the Boots Botanics Ultra Calm Skin Calming Serum all over my face as it works wonders in calming down my skin and soothing any redness and irritation. 

4. Moisturise
After my skin has absorbed the serum, I apply a thin layer of moisturiser all over my face to ensure that my face is well moisturised and to prep my skin before applying makeup. As the weather is very hot and humid here, I prefer to apply gel-like moisturisers or any moisturiser that is lightweight so that my skin does not feel too heavy. The moisturiser that I am currently using is the Loreal Hydrafresh Supreme Emulsion. The jelly-gel texture of this moisturiser is interesting and it leaves my skin feeling hydrated, supple and refreshed without feeling greasy or sticky.

5. Apply sunblock
In Malaysia's sunny weather, sunblock is an absolute must for me! I never forget to apply sunblock before stepping out of the house because SPF protects the skin from the harsh sunrays that penetrate deep into the skin and helps protect my skin from aging quicker. I use about half a teaspoon of sunblock and apply it all over my face. To save time in the morning, I apply a sunblock which also doubles up as a BB cream. The one I use is the Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery BB Watery Base Sunblock with SPF 50+ PA+++. I adore this BB cream sunblock as it saves me the trouble of applying foundation/BB cream after sunblock, and its light tint matches my skin tone perfectly. The texture of this sunblock is a gel mousse which is so lightweight on the skin that I feel as if I am not wearing sunblock. It is also non-sticky and non-greasy and leaves a somewhat matte feel and look - what's not to like?! 


Morning Skincare & Beauty Routine

Makeup

1. Face Powder
Since I've used a sunblock which also acts like a BB cream, I can skip foundation/BB Cream and move straight into powdering my face. Powder is essential to keep my sunblock in place and to keep the skin looking matte.To avoid that heavy powder feeling, I do my best to dust as light as possible a layer of powder all over my face. I have a few powders in my collection but the one I gravitate towards on a daily basis is the Silkygirl Skin Perfect CC 2-Way Foundation. This fragrance-free powder makes my face look smooth and helps keep my face shine-free for a good 6 hours before my skin needs another powdering session. I'm lazy though, so I don't re-powder; instead, I just blot my face with tissue. Hee!

2. Eyebrows
I never understood the importance of filling in my eyebrows until the past year or so, and boy, does it make a difference to my overall appearance! Filled in brows makes me look more put together and polished, and since discovering that, I have never turned back. I use a eyebrow pencil in a shade as close to my hair colour (brows lighter or darker than my hair colour is not my cup of tea) to lightly draw my eyebrows. I then use the spoolie that comes attached to the other end of the eyebrow pencil to soften the brows and to neaten the brows. My hair colour is a dark brown and the Innisfree Eco Eyebrow Pencil in 04 is a good match for me. 


Morning Skincare & Beauty Routine

3. Apply blush
Blush, oh, blush. This is a staple in my morning makeup routine as it always leaves my face looking more healthy and glowy. I tend to mix up the blush colours I am using depending on my mood or the makeup look I am going for on that day, but for work, I stick to neutral blush colours as they can suit all lip colours and eye looks. The blushes I have been rotating on an everyday basis are the Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Naked Rose, Zoeva Luxe Colour Blush in Shy Beauty and Sleek Make Up Blush in Suede (not pictured). These shades are very neutral yet leave a pretty flush on the skin making me look more awake!

4. Contour and Highlight
I am a sucker for contouring and highlighting as I love how it makes my face look more structured, sharp and sculpted. I contour my cheekbones, side of my jawline and under my jawline with my favourite Nyx Powder Blush in Taupe. This is a lovely taupe/ash brown which adds very natural-looking definition and shadow to my face. For added glow and sheen, I like using gold, pink, champagne or lilac highlighters to highlight the top of my cheekbones and cupid's bow. I also tend to switch up highlighters but I am currently using the Topshop Highlighter in Crescent Moon, a gorgeous pearly champagne pink which adds the loveliest glow to my skin.

5. Apply lipstick
Last but not least (finally!), I wrap up my morning beauty routine by applying a fresh coat of lipstick in whatever shade I am feeling that day. I am a huge fan of a coloured lip because it always makes me feel put together. One or two coats of lippie and I'm all set to take on the day!

Other morning routine habits
After I am done with my morning skincare and beauty routine, I make sure to drink a huge glass of warm water before heading out of the house to hydrate myself and to flush out toxins from the body. I also make sure to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to stay hydrated. Also, sleep is important to me as adequate rest will instantly make me look more awake and fresh the next morning so I try my best to get at least 7 hours of shut eye.

That's it for my morning skincare and beauty routine! What are your morning skincare and beauty habits? I'd love to hear about them! =D

   
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10 comments:

  1. hi dear, may i know what camera did u used?

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  2. I'm curious about the Biore tint. What colour skintone are you in foundations generally? I'm thinking of getting it when I run low on sunscreen as I now have to use a separate one from my BB cream

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    1. Hi Bella! I'm generally an NC15-20 in MAC foundations, No. 52 for the Borjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation, G1 for the Loreal True Match Foundation and Gobi for the Nars Sheer Glow Foundation. Hope that gives some indication! I think the Biore sunblock should match skintones slightly tanner than mine too as it oxidises slightly and matches the skintone pretty well.

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    2. Ah okay I think I'm NC20-25, not even sure anymore, and between 52-53 for Bourjois. This helps a lot so thank you. =D

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    3. No problem! I think the Biore BB cream sunblock should suit you. Hopefully you'll like it if you decide to purchase it! =D

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  3. Hi Amanda, may i know where u bought the Liz Earle skin care in Malaysia? Thx :)

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    1. Hi Hn Fng, I did not purchase the Liz Earle cleanser in Malaysia. I got it from the UK. As far as I know, we do not have it in Malaysia but maybe you can try purchasing from online websites. Hope that helped! =)

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  4. Hi :) May I know where did you buy Liz Earle product?

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    1. Hi Nur Dinie! I got my Liz Earle cleanser from the UK. I am not aware of whether we stock it in Malaysia. Maybe you can try online websites like feelunique.com? I believe they do delivery to Malaysia and many other countries as well. Hope that helps! =D

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