Hi, everyone! :) This post is going to be all about how I moisturize and take care of my skin.
You can read my first blog post about how to cleanse properly HERE.
After you have gently and properly cleansed your face, you need to apply moisturizing products to make sure you keep your skin youthful and glowing. The #1 important thing to keeping your skin looking young is
Eye Cream. Lots of people neglect the step of applying eye cream because they think they don’t need it yet. However, it is so much easier to prevent rather than trying to cure it years later. The skin right below your eyes is the thinnest layer, so it’s the place where you should give the most attention. On top of that, the first signs of aging can be seen in your eye area, neck, and hands.
The eye creams I used in my Skincare Routine video (and what I currently do use) are the Kuma Tool Whitening Eye Cream or the Vitamin E stick. “Kuma” means dark circles in Japanese, and that eye cream caught my eye because it had the phrase: “brighten up the undereye area and moisturize for soft, baby-like skin” on the packaging. I am not sure if it is a famous brand or not since it was the first time I saw it, but I got it at Tokyu Hands. I like to use this for daytime because it works well with the concealer I use, and it’s very light yet moisturizing. Use your ring finger to roll and penetrate the product into your skin, and gently tap some on the outer corners of your eyes to prevent crows feet.
On the other hand, the Vitamin E stick is a bit greasy, so it’s better for overnight treatment. As I explained in the video, Vitamin E is your best friend for protecting your skin from free radicals (sun’s UV rays, harsh wind, etc.) and I’m in love with this all-natural product. Other eye creams I’ve tried before over the years are OLAY Total Effects Eye Transforming Cream, KIEHL’s Avocado Eye Cream, and Shiseido White Lucent Anti-Dark Circles Eye Cream. OLAY is famous for anti-aging products and you can basically find it anywhere (Target, CVS, Duane Reade, etc.). It’s around $15, lasts for a long time, and is soothing on the skin. It’s light and a nude color so you can use it at day (beneath or makeup) and night. KIEHL’s Avocado is rich and greasy , so it’s definitely for night time use only. I love the formula, and the creaminess makes my undereyes feel very moisturized for a looong time. I’ve used the Shisedo one only because I got a sample, and although I love the White Lucent line, I would not buy the full size eye cream. It’s moisturizing, has a nice scent, isn’t too heavy, etc. but I could get the same effects with a much inexpensive product. For example, Kiehl’s Avocado Eye Cream is a little bit more expensive than OLAY’s, but if you can spend an ten extra dollars, it is totally worth it. Otherwise, the Vitamin E stick is only about $4 at Whole Foods Health & Nutrition section, and I highly recommend it. You do not need to apply a huge amount, so typically eye creams last for a really long time and I still have a couple I need to finish… It’s best to apply eye creams in the morning and at night.
For moisturizing my entire face, I’m currently loving the Isofurabon Series. I change up my skincare every now and then, but this is what I’ve been using since last June when I came across it in Japan. The Haritsuya Cream is what got me falling for this brand because it claimed it would work as an “overnight facial mask”, and it really did!
I immediately knew that this was the IT product for me because I used it the night I got back from my 12-hour flight from Japan back to New York. My skin isn’t acne-prone but sensitive, so whenever I go on a 12+ hour plane ride, it gets super dry and tired. After I unpacked, ate a bit, showered and all of that, I spread the cream all over my face and collapsed into bed. The next morning… voila! It was impressed by how plump my skin looked and felt— it came back to life, lol. Until then, I was using the Sekkisei Excellent Cream (around $100 a jar) which my brother got me (I don’t know why), and that one was of course wonderful… but being able to get the same qualities and same amount of product for 1/10 of the price… I had to share this product with you all! It’s better to splurge on a skincare product than a foundation because curing is more important than covering up, but, if you do find a product that matches and works well for your skin, the price does not matter. Another great drugstore facial moisturizer I’ve been loving for years is the Nivea Cream. I use it mostly in the winter time since it’s a bit heavy, but that is another fave of mine if you would like to try out a more reasonably priced skincare product.<3
I have dry to combination skin, so I sometimes use the Isofurabon Milky Emulsion or Nano Mist Lotion instead in the summer months. The emulsion is much lighter and milkier, but it still hydrates the skin nicely. It can be applied beneath the Isofurabon Haritsuya Cream, but I only use one or the other. You can find these products at Japanese Supermarkets like Mitsuwa.
The Nano Mist Lotion is rated the #1 lotion in Japan (it’s only $12 a bottle). I find this a tintsy bit too light/dry for overnight use, so I use this when I want an extra spritz of lotion throughout the day. It feels very cool and fresh on the skin without any stickiness. I like to apply some on my face down to the neck area. This works as a great makeup base, setting spray, and hair lotion.
A great all-in-one for traveling in the summer! :) I got this at Don Quixote in Japan.
As for acne creams, I have had some reactions to certain products/ingredients, so I do not use anything other than DHC. If you have sensitive skin, do NOT try the Clean and Clear Persa Gel 10. At first, it worked like a charm. I applied a dot on my little red spot after my shower and it disappeared even before I went to sleep. But around my third time using it, I woke up to redness and itchiness. It has benzoyl peroxide which is known for a top acne treatment to reduce and eliminate breakouts, but it can also destroy good bacteria which can be damaging to the skin. I immediately stopped using it and the irritation went away. I had a similar reaction with a Japanese product (can’t remember the brand’s name right now ><), but the itchiness was so bad that I even woke up from my sleep. I actually have the product saved in my “extra” box (a box where I keep back-up products) to show you in a future video, but it was a yellow and silver packaging. I bought it because that brand’s tiger balm is very famous, and I use it for healing my pain from dance… but the acne gel was definitely a no-no. DHC’s acne gel I showed in the video was finally a product I found that actually worked!
I was on the hunt for an effective redness relief product for a long time, because any kind of redness is very noticeable on my bare skin, and none of the products I’ve tried actually made a significant difference. DHC was the only one that took the redness away, helped minimize a pimple. I recommend it for all skin types because it is light, liquid-y, and gentle. I bought this at a drugstore in Japan, but I’ve seen DHC products sold overseas, too.
At the end of the video, I also briefly talked about what kinds of food and vitamins you should take in in order to create a healthy body and skin, rather than depending on just skincare products. It is best to take your time to find your 1~3 skincare products that work best with your skin, and the rest should be up to your diet and exercise. I received tons of Skincare Part 2 video requests (way more than I expected >< ) , so I will definitely make time to film that this week! :) I hope this blog post was helpful to you, and if you have any questions, Tweet me because I can respond the fastest there. Make sure you are a follower, and your Twitter isn’t privated so I can see it. Otherwise, feel free to comment on my Facebook Page linked to this blog post!
Be sure to Subscribe to this blog from the sidebar on the top right or through Bloglovin’ because I’ll be blogging tomorrow (4/24) for my 1 Year Anniversary on YouTube! My Skincare blog posts were especially long since I wrote out every single detail… but I will be doing more easy-going short life blogs, Japanese Teaching, Product Rave Reviews, Currently Loving Items, Outfits of the Day, etc. :) Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful rest of the week!<3
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