This post is dedicated for my followers and readers who always think highly about my skincare budget (thanks but it’s not true).
I rarely purchased high-end products, if you can tell. I am more into K-beauty products, drugstore products and (lately) local products. And being a skinfluencer really helps on my budget a lot, especially if brands are sending me products that I can actually use (because they’re safe for FA) in in my skincare routine.
These are my current skincare products that I use everyday, and all of them in total cost me below IDR 2mio. Some of them are given to me, that’s how I save some money.
ONLY IDR 52K!
(Please note that prices may vary, most of them purchased on discount prices).
0 MEANS IT WAS GIVEN TO ME BY BRAND
Tips on how to save:
Wait for discount, online or offline (trust me, there will be always that time).
Be a smart shopper on marketplace. Choose trusted sellers with the lowest price offered.
Trying a new product? Buy sample size first if available. Don’t buy share in jar/bottle please ( you might not know the hygiene of those).
This post was inspired by Olena Beley’s 3-step moisture method.
Let me explain my current #stayathome battle: clogged pores especially on chin and left cheek, less hormonal acne, and no fungal-acne attack.
For your information, I still try my best to stay away from non-safe for fungal acne skincare products, just because I know that yeast are still inside our lovely skin, waiting for the right time to strike again. So do acne bacteria. But the one that constantly evaporating from our skin is water. They call it TEWL, Transepidermal Water Loss. Just drinking water might not help for this situation. We all need moisturizer for our skin, not to put moisture into them, but to prevent them from evaporating moisture quickly. And Olena said, “Hydrated Skin is less prone to clogging”.
While I still do my other skincare routine, I inserted her 3-step moisture method. It is Water, Humectant, and Emollient. I really hope that if my skin is hydrated enough, maybe my clogged pores problem would be solved for good. Let see, while I will update you guys in a month time.
Here’s how I do it twice daily now (I literally just started, so mind me):
Start with water, because we shall never use moisturizer on a clean, dry skin. Instead of plain tap water (which I’m afraid our local water contains lots of unwanted chemicals), I prefer to wet my face after cleansing with Hydrating Toner. I use Abill First Starting Toner (which contains just 4 ingredients and totally feels like good water) that I pour inside a mist bottle, to make it spread nicely rather than just splashing. Making sure skin is only damp not dripping wet.
While still damp, apply humectant. Olena recommended Hyaluronic Acid or Sodium Hyaluronate (its’ salt). I use two pumps of Vichy Mineral 89, which contains Sodium Hyaluronate instead of plain HA (later on this matter, as I just found out that some people are reactive to HA).
Then quickly apply a pea sized only of emollients to seal the deal. Olena recommended ingredients like Capric Triglycerides or Squalane. Mine is Eau Thermale Avène Tolérance Extreme Emulsion, which contains those two (Capric and Squalane, how convenient).
Wow, what a cool word invention during this crazy time. Mask + Acne = Maskne. OK, so what can we do about it?
Fortunately, I don’t have this problem myself. I only went out four times since March 2020, just to have meetings for an hour or so. Other than that, I did all my things online. Shop online, groceries online and food delivery online. And I only spent like an hour wearing a mask, so yeah…I don’t have maskne, but I do have regular acne showing up during this pandemic.
But I can imagine those who have to wear mask all day, especially where I live here in Jakarta, Indonesia. The sun is blasting, it’s super hot and humid out there. Mask is not just suffocating us in terms of breathing, but also our skin. It’s like sweat + oil + bacteria trapped for hours on that mask-covered area.
Though I know we can’t get away with it (until God knows when), here are some skincare tips for maskne:
Change your mask whenever it gets moist. Personally, I prefer disposable mask, because cloth ones need to be laundered using hot water to keep it effective (and I don’t have the luxury of washing machine with hot water, so nevermind). So far, I use this KF94 mask that I bought online (not cheap because it’s imported from Korea), but it’s the most fitted and comfortable for me.
Use gentler skincare options. Use gentler cleanser, hydrating (instead of exfoliating) toner and avoid using harsh exfoliants (avoid scrubs, please).
Choose more soothing/calming ingredients and avoid actives if possible. Hyaluronic Acid is my best bet, but some people might love Aloe. Opt for LHA instead of AHA and BHA, it’s a popular alternative with less risk of skin irritation.
Texture-wise, opt for gel than lotion or cream.
Wait for all of your skincare to absorb first before putting on the mask. Do not rush, make sure they dry completely before you cover your skin with mask.
Let your skin breathe while it can at home. Avoid using sheet mask that might irritate them more.
Bid adieu to your favorite foundation. Why bother adding another layer that will suffocate your skin further? Opt for concealer to cover any spots, or use tinted moisturizer instead.
Unlike some people who don’t think it’s important, I do enjoy using toner and will never stop using it.
Some use toner for that pH balancing purpose, but I believe my skin is clearer (free from oil plugs and such) when I use one. And I can definitely judge the effectiveness of my cleansers, just by looking at how dirty my (soaked with toner) cotton pads. I found it very satisfying.
Personally I prefer toner with no scent and water-like in texture.
Here’s some of my favorite Fungal-Acne Safe Toner, and I include the ingredients analyzed by cosmily.com (which I thought is more detail than skincarisma.com)
DEAR KLAIRS DAILY SKIN SOFTENING WATER
Literally like water with no viscosity, no scent too!
Perfect to use with cotton pads. No matter how I cleaned my face, my cotton pads will get dirty somehow when I use this toner.
Big size (500ml). Perfect size for toner fans like me, and it’s very affordable.
It is a gentle exfoliating toner, so I don’t recommend this for toner masking.
Great if you have whiteheads and sensitive skin. It didn’t sting at all.
No Butylene Glycol inside, so it won’t trigger comedo.
ABILL FIRST STARTING TONER
Same thing, literally like water with no viscosity and no scent.
Only 4 ingredients inside, which I love.
Can be use as first toner with cotton pads, or if you’re using exfoliating toner, use this as hydrating toner with no pads.
Or you can use it for toner masking, it is that gentle.
Affordable price but not much of my local online shops here carry this brand.
EUCERIN DERMATOCLEAN CLARIFYING TONER
Great daily toner, feels just like water with no scent and no viscosity.
To be use with cotton pads as first toner. Somehow, I always see dirt left on cotton pads when I use this.
Recommended for sensitive skin.
It’s a drugstore brand, but they don’t have this officially where I live. But some online shops do carry this from neighbors’ countries like Singapore or Malaysia.
PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA & SCREENSHOT FROM COSMILY.COM
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