Skincare Sneaks: My Current Skincare Routine

This is the start of a series in which we peek into people's skincare routines, starting with my own. Now I believe the best thing you can do for your skin is to pay attention. The state of your skin determines what products will give you the best results. And I'm not just talking about general oiliness or dullness, but seasonal and hormonal changes as well. This is partly why my routine changes every few months, usually depending on the weather. For your reference my skin is combination-oily, with normal cheeks and an oily T-zone. I tend to favor the milder skincare products because I find that they balance my skin better.
Let's begin with my night time routine, just because it's more extensive.

Skincare at Night

I stick to the basic cleanse/tone/moisturize routine. If I'm wearing makeup or sunscreen, I remove it with Muji's Mild Cleansing Oil, which takes off all but the most waterproof of makeup (gel liners, I'm looking at you). Follow through with Celeteque Facial Wash with NMF, which feels mild and pleasant. I know most people use Bifesta as a makeup remover but I use it as a toner, and only if I've worn makeup that day. I'm using the Sebum variant, which I chose because it has lactic acid and hyaluronic acid, mild chemical exfoliators. Plus points because it's actually formulated for combination-oily skin like mine. Next comes 3 drops of Burt's Bees Radiance Serum, which was actually an impulse buy. I don't follow up with a moisturizer because I've been pretty oily lately and don't need anything very emollient. Lastly, I apply my current eye cream, Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Eye Cream.
What about the other products? I don't adhere to a strict schedule of exfoliation or masking. As I said, I tend to just pay attention to my skin, and exfoliate/moisturize as needed.

For dull skin I exfoliate with Origins Modern Friction, a physical exfoliant that's kind of powerful, so I use it once a week at most. To replace moisture I follow up with a pea-sized amount of Origins Drink-Up Intensive overnight mask, which actually isn't so intensive that you can't use it in our humid weather. I wake up with plump and glowy, not greasy, skin. Note that I don't sleep in an air conditioned room.
When I see pimples sprouting up I detox with Snoe Whitening Detox Clay Mask, which also exfoliates and brightens at the same time. I end up using this twice or thrice a week. After washing this off I apply my favorite VMV Hypoallergenics Re-everything Face-Hand-Body Lotion. I've been using this a lot because my skin's been really dull recently. (Oily but dull, that's the worst combination.) When used long-term it gives soft radiant skin. I don't apply this every night because it can be drying if used that way.
My current spot treatment is the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, which I apply every night to pimples and pimples-to-be. Makes you look pretty silly but after three consecutive nights it's goodbye pimple.

Skincare During the Day

My no-frills day time routine is just cleanse. Haha. After Celeteque Facial Wash I may use Burt's Bees Radiance Serum if my skin is looking a bit dull. If I'm going out, I apply VMV Hypoallergenics Armada Face Cover SPF 30 or makeup with SPF. And that's it! I know we're supposed to use SPF products even indoors because light bulbs also emit damaging rays, but sunscreen ingredients tend to break me out, so I skip it if I'm just inside the house.
This may look like a lot of products but take note, I've accumulated these over months. If you're just starting to invest in skincare, know this: you don't need a lot of products. Start out with a cleanser and a moisturizer, see how your skin does, and take it from there.
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