Skincare Routine Mondays: May 23, 2016

1. Oil Cleanser: Maybe around once or twice this week: Shu Umeura High Balancing Cleansing Oil.
2. Water-based Cleanser: Only occasionally using my heart Konjac sponge this week. Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick all the time!! It works better as a second cleanser, since I feel it was a bit drying at first. However, I think my skin has balanced out and is ok with being the only cleanser.
3. First Essence:  My FTE BAE: Missha's FTE Intensive. Literally my "Before Anything Else." ;)
4. Toner:  The Face Shop's Chia Water 100 toner, which I don't feel like it does too much. It does feel hydrating, but since the consistency is stickier and therefore heavier than Missha's FTE, it's been going on afterwards and more as an after thought. Sometimes I forget to use it because it is just that unremarkable to me.
5. Serum or essence: Pimples around my period week (sorry if TMI) has led me to not use serums but masks instead.
6. Masks: Lovemore Pearl Barely and Milk, which is still my favorite, went on this week after some acne had graced my skin right around my birthday. Really into clay masks right now and used my Say Yes to Tomatoes Clay Mask several times this week. I have it in that old jar package, though they've revamped it to be in a tube now. Also tried out the new jar version of Fresh's Umbrian Clay Purifying Mask. The Sephora lady swears this is better than Glamglow! Impulsively bought a $4 tube of Queen Helene's Mint Julep, which is too cheap to try anywhere else but my nose. I did a patch test on my inner arm and got a few little bumps, so I didn't want to try it out on the rest of my face which is normal/dry skin. Oily skin only for Queen Helene. Also, allergic reactions on my jaw line called for a "put all these masks on my face to soothe and calm my skin down ASAP" moment. More below.
7. Moisturizer:
    AM: Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Nourishing Moisturizer SPF 30. (grease-city!)
   PM :Mizon - All in One Snail Repair Cream (75ml) (still have a teensy bit left!)

First-- Weird Trends: Armpits

Not only have I been using my Say Yes to Tomatoes Clay Mask on my face, but I use it on my armpits too.  After learning that many East Asians have the ABCC11 gene that inhibits them from having body order as well as wet earwax...whereas in the rest of the world only 2% has this gene... I sadly came to the conclusion that my Caucasian side was stronger and I have both wet earwax and smelly pits. This is why my mother couldn't understand at 12 that I was begging for deodorant-- she simply didn't have the genes. 

However, after thinking about how many years I've been consistently applying chemicals to the delicate underarm tissue, I decided that my armpits also needed a little TLC and cleansing, just like my face. If I can put it on my face, why couldn't I put it on my pits. Thus, clay masking my armpits weekly has begun.

It's like giving my pits a break from consistently be physically and chemically clogged. I've found that sometimes I can smell myself, but then I've also switched to mens deodorant and been feeling less smelly overall.

Using Axe's White Label with the scent of "Island" I thought that maybe I couldn't smell myself was because there was more aluminum content. But I was wrong, there is ~15% in both Lady Speed Stick and Axe White label. 

Second-- Allergic Reactions... Again, Le Sigh: Masking Craziness

Currently suffering from another allergic reaction to my cat. My poor cat is so loved and yet my face is finicky on whether or not it like to behave. Sunday it did not feel like behaving. Had an WOW AMAZE MASK CRAZE moment.

The second I got my flare-up from loving rubbing my cat's face against my own... I went into " OH NO, SLATHER ON ALL THE THINGS" crazy mode.

First I put on Fresh's Rose Mask. A hydrating mask that Sephora gave out as a free birthday gift. FELT ITCHY, the allergic reaction was winning! Must not let it win!! Bumps have already formed. Washed this mask off and was all, EEEKKK what am I doing!?!?

Secondly, decided it was time to purify my face! Used the Umbrian Clay mask over my entire face. It dried and my skin felt less inflamed than before. My sister said I looked like an old witch with the dull green skin that would wrinkle a ton when it was dry.

Thirdly, decided that it wasn't enough, used Tony Moly's Egg Pore Steam Balm on my face. Smells great! Exfoliates! Starting to feel a bit better already.

Ended the night with a reapplication of BAE (because I had already done my skincare routine by the time I thought it would be nice to hug my kitty goodnight), and a My Scheming Aloe Vera and Vitamin E sheet mask. Woke up this morning and I could still feel the bumps, but it isn't noticeable or bad like the flare up last night.

Still, BUMPS! Shakes fists in the air. So obsessed with having good skin that this totally ruins my weekend of a gross amount of oversleeping and eating. Perhaps the sudden surge of sugar is also not helping...