Face Good

Having problems getting your foundation to blend? If you have to keep reapplying your make up because it fades, you may have dry skin that’s causing problems for your make-up application.
Here’s a quick solution that you can adopt each time before you wear make-up.

1. Prepare a basin of hot water. Bend your head over so that your face is near the water surface. You should feel the steam in your face. Drape a clean towel over your head and the basin so that steam doesn’t escape. Do this for 5 minutes. Steam helps to soften stubborn dead skin cells and opens up your pores so you can unclog them easily.

2. Use a facial scrub (the type with exfoliation beads) and scrub each part of your face in a circulatory manner. Wash it off when you’re done. This step helps to exfoliate and smoothen skin.

3. Dab some toner on your face.

4. Drench a square of cotton wool in toner. Carefully split cotton wool horizontally into 2 thin pieces. Place each split piece on each cheek. This produces a moisturizing effect.

5. Leave the cotton pads on for five minutes. For better effect, drape a clean permeable clear plastic wrap (the kind used to wrap food for refrigeration) over your face. This not only prevents the toner from evaporating but also improves blood circulation in your face due to wamrth generated.

6. Apply your usual eye and face moisturizers. Cap your clean hands over your face for 15 seconds to generate warmth and improve blood circulation.

Your clean and moisturized skin should nod its head to your powder pouffe!

Generally, make-up users are aware that make-up removal and subsequent skincare entails the following: make-up removal, cleansing, facial wash and toner application.

However, these steps only enable the removable of the bulk of make-up and not the entirety. Residual substances are often left behind around the lips, eyes, eyelids, eyelashes, sides of the nose and even at the edges of your forehead where the hair begins. Colour make-up produces more residue. We are cautioned against using cleansing products on these sensitive regions. But what you can do is to use a cotton bud or tissue paper to wipe these areas gently. You'll be surprised just how much dirt comes off onto it!

What does face care have in common with foam, other than the first letter in their spelling? The result of clean and radiant skin of course!

One of the most common misconceptions is that the complex in cleansers is directly responsible for purifying the skin. While that's what cleansers do, we have to get technical about this to get our product application methods right. No matter how much time and money you're investing on skincare, your efforts will come to naught if you're not using them the right way! The substance that produces the cleansing effect is actually foam produced from the cleanser.

However, high foam cleansers do not necessarily make good quality cleansers, because chemicals can easily be added to alter foam production. These chemicals agitate sensitive skin, so it's still safer to choose low foam cleansers.

Pretty contradictory eh? Well, not really, because low foam cleansers do produce foam with the correct application and amount. The correct method of applying cleansers is as follows:

1. Squeeze cleanser into the center of one palm
2. Dab the four fingers of your other hand in water
3. Rub your damp fingers over the cleanser in a circulatory motion
4. Rub both palms together to spread out cleanser and foam evenly
5. Gently massage your face with both hands.

If you're new to low foam cleansers, you need to adapt to them gradually. Adjust the amount of cleanser applied based on how much foam you are getting. If you're finding it difficult to get foam despite doing all the right steps, you're probably being too miserly with your cleanser. If your face is getting swarmed in too much foam, reduce the amount of cleanser slightly.

Here’s a recipe for a new face mask which I saw on the Taiwanese beauty show 女人我最大. It's a quick and simple respite for your tired face!

Ingredients: 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of honey, half glass of milk, flour

Crack the egg into a bowl and scoop out the egg yolk into another bowl. Add honey, milk and flour into the bowl containing the yolk and mix. Amount of flour added should be in accordance to your preference of how watery you want your mask to be. When the mixture is thoroughly mixed, apply it evenly on your face. Leave it on for 20 minutes and wash it off with lukewarm water.

It will nourish your skin and make it more radiant!

I hope everyone gets to greet your relatives during Chinese New Year with a joyful and glowing face!

It is very important to use the right technique to apply your mask. Simply rubbing it or spreading it onto your face in any old way may diminish the effect of your mask or even harm your skin.

Pre-facial Treatment
Your skin should be cleansed and absolutely free from make-up and dirt. Dab some toner on your face to balance out the pH value of your skin. After that, apply your mask. Some brands may specify that you apply a layer of oil, moisturizer etc. Usually these are meant to remove dead skin cells. Just follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Application technique

Paste or Clay mask
The layer of mask applied should be thick enough to conceal your pores so that the effects will be optimum. Wash-off masks are easier to manage as they won’t dry up your skin. After leaving it on your face for the recommended amount of time (according to the directions on the packaging), simply rinse it off with clean water.

The procedure for applying the mask is very important. Different parts of the face has slightly different temperatures. Start applying on your cheeks first, where the temperature is lowest, followed by the forehead, nose and chin. Avoid your eye rims and pimply or acne-infested areas to prevent an allergy reaction.

Sheet Mask
After spreading the mask on your face, adjust it according to your facial structure, ensuring that the mask adheres to every part of your skin. Tap your face lightly to dispel the air bubbles. For greater effectiveness, you can place an area of clear sheet wrap above your mask, cutting out holes in the nose area to facilitate breathing. Place a warm towel on top. This will prevent your mask from drying up, so you can leave it on your face for a longer time!

Additional tips
While you’re enjoying your facial, you can massage your face lightly to stimulate blood circulation. This will not be possible for clay masks though!

Don’t leave your mask on your skin for too long, especially if you are not using the plastic wrap method mentioned above. Usually, a suitable time frame is 10-15 minutes. Any longer and your skin will dry up due to lack of oxygen.

Do not think that just because you do regular masks, you don’t need other skincare products. Different masks have different uses, and they are not comprehensive. More importantly, have a healthy lifestyle, because basic skin care products are just for maintenance!