I had a quick revisit of my skincare regimen to note what I’ve been using most regularly to keep from looking like the deadly undead. I just observed my winning streak with these bits of skincare. I haven’t had any allergic reactions or breakouts in nearly a year. I noticed a growing trend, pun unintended. Given that four of these six products are available locally and reasonably priced for the amount I think I’ve got pretty good plant-charged skincare picks on hand.
I’ve reviewed most of these products individually and have also included those links below. Please note that my regimen has become less “strict” and more of an “as needed” situation when it comes to application. So I don’t use ALL of these together daily, the combination changes. Of course the cleansing milk I use everyday, it is hydrating enough for me to sometimes skip moisturizer, but not all the time. I didn’t include body products but just for details’ sake I’ve been using my LUSH cosmetics vegan solid soaps for the past few months. The only two imported products are the 100 Percent Pure Tomato Lycopene Cream and the Pai Facial Oil, the rest are available locally.
MAKEUP REMOVER – The Body Shop Camomile Eye & Lip Makeup Remover (bi-phase) 150ml Php650 (goes on buy 1 take 1 sale sometimes). The one I used to buy a lot was the L’Oreal Gentle bi-phase which was Php300 a couple of years back but now according to Mom it’s now up to about Php500+? That’s what she told me, will double check and the L’Oreal one gave me red itchy skin after makeup removal. For a hundred more I’d rather use the Body Shop’s Camomile one. A little goes a long way with this makeup remover so one bottle hangs around longer and my face doesn’t itch. I like it mainly for eyes because Bioderma Crealine doesn’t remove waterproof mascara well enough for me.
FACIAL CLEANSER – Le Couvent Des Minimes Beneficial Rose Gentle Cleansing Milk Php799 (Non-foaming, No Mineral Oil) goes on buy 1 take 1 sale at major SM Department stores- “With 3 Beneficial Roses” If that’s not skin love I don’t know what is, LOL. This also contains wild rose hip polyphenols to further nourish skin after cleansing. I’m on my third or fourth bottle of this stuff. On a super lazy night I can even skip makeup remover sometimes thanks to this. If you massage this directly on top of made up skin for longer periods before rinsing off with water it also is able to break down most base and eyelid makeup. You can you can use a cotton pad so you can see what’s coming off.
TONER – Moringa O2 Malunggay Herbal Facial Toner Php80 (Alcohol-Free) I use this just as needed, not everyday but it’s what I want in a next step after cleansing and it’s alcohol free, it also has an aloe water base that hydrates and soothes the skin afterwards. I also use it with cotton to ensure my skin has been purged of all grime and makeup.
DAILY MOISTURIZER – 100 Percent Pure Tomato Lycopene Face Cream $34 USD (No toxins, No Mineral Oil) Mom got me this from San Francisco airport is the purest botanical moisturizer I’ve ever owned. The ingredients list, as you can see in the standalone review, speaks for itself. Key plants are rose, cucumber, tomato, carrot, avocado, pomegranate and more. Note…even though it is not artificially scented it DOES NOT STINK as an organic product, there a very, very light tomato after scent which disappears once skin has absorbed it. This one I like to use day or night. It’s a powerful yet gentle overnight miracle worker for me when coupled with a few drops of the Pai Rosehip facial oil. It’s a light moisturizer, not as rich as the next one.
TREATMENT MOISTURIZER - Za Perfect Solution Restoring Collagen Cream Php725 (No Mineral Oil, with Hyaluronic Acid) I’ve come to like this just recently, I misjudged it by its name and packaging. It’s the more chemically charged one in this group but it isn’t that bad sort of cream. In that fuschia pink pot it looks like nothing botanical and the “anti-aging” description turned me off at first, but boy did I misjudge this. I was way wrong. It is quite simply a moisturizer packed with glycerin collagen, hyaluronic acid, yuzu seed extract, apricot juice, marine elastin, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and moisturizing minerals. It certainly backs up the list with how it makes my skin feel. I choose to use this as a treatment cream when I feel my skin needs a bit more hydration locked in. I like how the skin surface feels plump and supple about half an hour after the cream sinks in. The only thing I would change about this is I’d make it fragrance free, but it doesn’t break me out anyway.
FACIAL TREATMENT OIL – PAI Bioregenerate Rosehip Facial Oil $31 USD A friend based in SG ordered this for me from the Pai UK Website a year ago and I’m almost halfway down the bottle after a year because you only use two drops with your moisturizer on nights when you need it. Yasumi of Worship Blues blog turned me on to this. From what I can tell we have a similar complexion and facial skin type (sensitive to dry combo, plus she’s Japanese and I have Japanese ancestry). A few drops of this with the Tomato Lycopene cream before bed and I wake up to perfectly rebalanced skin. I try to use this once to twice a week.
So that’s my updated skincare edit. I really use these products on a regular basis now so believe me when I say they work for me as a person with dry to sensitive skin. I didn’t just think of putting a bunch of products together for the sake of an edit. More or less I’ve been posting my updated skincare products every six to eight months, (here’s the previous post) on the blog. I just have to say what a plant powered group this one turned out to be…goodbye, zombie “zkin”.
