A fascinating truth: Even before you become fully aware of it, cleansing is the earliest form of skincare you take on. It’s a ritual most people even take for granted. But why aim for just getting it over with, when you can pay attention to flaunting that fresh, oil-free glow by choosing the ideal cleanser to deliver those results?

We’ve all been there. We have had our fair share of hits and misses in our skincare journey. We have tried tons of skincare products to keep us healthy-looking and glowing. But have you wondered why, despite the number of products you use, you're still not achieving that promised glow? It’s probably the high time that you check the ingredients and see if these have the essential beauty vitamins for the skin to achieve that real, healthy glow.

Here’s the thing: A minimalist skincare routine can be just as effective as an elaborate one in achieving those glass skin goals. The key is to layer on the right combination of products together to target those daily skincare concerns. And the Japanese are experts at this practice, proving time and time again that even their drugstore brands deliver.

During my teen years in the early aughts, most of the scented beauty products like skincare and body care were typically floral-scented. You could say that it was the bouquet heyday. Fruity fragrances were often marketed towards kids and pre-teens, while gourmand scents had a not so low-key boudoir association. (Remember Jessica Simpson’s Dessert Beauty? Because I sure do!)

If I say that I’m excited for this week’s beauty roundup, would you still believe me given that I say it every week? Well, it’s true! You know how beauty excites me, and I’m sure it excites you too. There’s quite a lot to talk about this week, so let’s go!

Retinol, aside from sunscreens, is one of the best age management ingredients out there. I first got onto the bandwagon with this beautiful sleeping oil from a luxury brand. It’s fantastic - my skin did get smoother and plumper because of the retinol - but man was it expensive! I also found out that my skincare brand’s small but loyal group clamored for a retinol product that really works for their skin, without being too expensive.

When it comes to base makeup, I used to either wear a medium to full coverage foundation or skip it entirely. It wasn’t until this year that I fell in love with tinted moisturizers and skin tints. Because almost everything is done online now, I started gravitating towards base products that are sheer and easy to apply. Also, if I have to go out, I want to let my skin breathe, and since tinted moisturizers and skin tints usually have SPF, all the more reason to wear them.

If you want to know how your skin is going to age, look at your mother and (if you’re still fortunate) your grandmother. That should tell you where your lines will form and where your skin will give way to gravity; it will inform you how time will likely shape your face. Do not recoil. Aging is not ugly. It is a process that we all have to go through! But that doesn’t mean that we should not take care of our skin and give up without trying. It’s fun to try and do things better, no?

Last week, I noticed this deep groove around the corner of my eyes that wasn’t there before. I felt rather concerned about it because it seemed to have happened overnight! That’s not true, of course, but I am aging and it is showing. I don’t think I’m worse off for it but I would like to soften my lines as they develop. I said to myself: it’s time to wear eye cream. And I mean really be consistent about it!

Clean beauty is all the rage these last few years, but did you know that it’s been around for decades? One of the OG skincare brands that paved the way is Trilogy, all the way from New Zealand! It was founded in 2002, almost twenty years ago, by sisters Catherine de Groot and Sarah Gibbs. They were looking for skincare that can help their sensitive skin and discovered that pure rosehip oil has a lot of benefits when it comes to moisturizing skin, nails, and hair, healing spots and scars, and easing stretch marks. How’s that for a wonder oil?

Our work-from-home setup has really changed the way we work. Being on-call even during the wee hours of the night can be unkind to our skin. Our usual skincare products like our cleansers and moisturizers, although important, aren’t enough to address our skin concerns. We need to use more potent, concentrated products to really target our specific skin concerns and have glowing skin through these stressful times. These potent, concentrated potions are serums.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Dermalogica, but I haven’t tried it until only a couple of months ago. I’ve always thought that the brand was a bit under the radar despite being around for some time now, with not much to offer my informed skincare routine. How wrong I was! I’m glad the Dermalogica PH team reached out and asked if I wanted to do a skin consultation. At that time I was struggling with flaky skin and blemishes (the former new, the latter not) so they recommended two products for me to try out.

The older I get, the drier my skin becomes. Is this also true for you? I’m only 33, which to my mind is really not that old in this modern age of medical wonders, but I feel like my skin is not bouncing back as much as it used to. Damage takes longer to heal; gentle neglect shows more easily than before. I’ve been using heavier moisturizers on my face and so I thought it’s time to apply the same principle to my hands!

I’m now in my early 30’s and I’ve already noticed that my skin is not how it once was. It’s more dry, I have more fine lines and wrinkles, and I noticed that my skin is starting to sag in places. I always look for products that will help me keep my skin plump or youthful. Recently, I got the chance to try Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide-24 to help my skin bounce back to its former youthfulness.

Do you notice that after a good night’s sleep, you wake in the morning with plump and bouncy skin but then lose plumpness throughout the day? Now we can bounce back and get bouncy and youthful skin that lasts for 24 hours with Olay Collagen Peptide-24.

The Shiseido Ultimune serum has been my go-to serum since 2014. I like how it consistently makes my skin clear and glowy. Even with an award-winning formula already (200 awards worldwide and counting!), Shiseido still strives to improve the Ultimune - thus coming out with the Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate version 3.0 (P6,000/50ml) this 2021.

One of the things that got me really excited over coming back to the Philippines is access to our local beauty brands. It’s quite exciting to see how as a consumer, we now have so many choices! From brands, shade options, and even skincare products addressing highly specific concerns, we have it all here. I’m rounding up the local beauty brands that I’ve been loving so far!

I remember the launch of the Naturals by Watsons line about four years ago. It was at this cute little cafe with lots of greenery inside, and I remember Jared of Watsons explaining how proud they were that they were able to source certified organic ingredients for the line, and on top of that use Post Consumer Recycled Plastic for the packaging. I thought it was a great move for Watsons! I love their Rice Bran Cream Bath because it’s a nice moisturizing body wash that smells soothing.

Fighting acne is no walk in the park. It takes a lot of time, effort, and frustration especially when you’re dealing with the hormonal kind. I never had to deal with acne growing up. But I developed hormonal imbalance as an adult and this manifested itself on my skin.

I’ve tried every wonder ingredient out there for skincare products and while they did help, they were not addressing the problem at its root cause. I don’t want to keep treating acne, I want to stop it from even forming. What really helped me was a visit to my gynecologist while we were living in Berlin to see whether my problem was truly internal. Spoiler alert: It was.

It’s no secret that Innisfree’s Green Tea skincare line is one of the brand’s most popular and enduring collections. Versatile and moisturizing Jeju Green Tea has been a fan favorite since its launch back in 2008, and the creme de la creme has always been the Green Tea Seed Serum for its potent balancing and hydrating properties.