Skin harm is real
Sweltering weather conditions and the unforgiving 100% humidity of Singapore not only gets our tresses into untameable messes, our facial complexions too can’t take the heat… and we have the zits to prove it. What does a girl have to do to get blemish free skin as smooth as a baby’s butt?
With no clear idea, we take to foraging the aisles of Watsons, and concocting self-remedies themselves that can lead to some serious skin damage. Today we’re calling out 10 things you’re probably doing that harm your skin – beauty product blunders to mindless habits you didn’t know were undermining your quest for K-Pop complexion perfection.
1. Overusing oil blotters
My secondary school classmates and I had faceoffs where we’d compete who could fill every inch of those blue oil blotter sheets till they turned translucent.
You may not have partook in such pubescent frivolousness in your teenage years, but we may be using those oil blotters with far too much rigor even now.
These strips of paper can do wonders mattifying your face, but the removal of natural oils from the skin triggers the production of additional sebum, further exacerbating the oil problem. Consider dabbing your face with tissue paper gently throughout the day instead.
2. Applying pore tightening/clay masks before showering
We’re very busy women eagerly anticipating the day cleanser, toner and moisturizer all come in one product so we can fast-forward the face-washing regimen.
Meanwhile we’ve devised a few shortcuts of our own – applying our pore tightening masks before showering so we can conveniently wash everything off with a quick shower.
But the steam from your hot shower enlarges pores again, so you’re effectively reopening closed pores. The ap-pore-priate way is to apply your pore tighteners after your shower. Don’t be lazy now, your pores have had it with your mixed signals.
3. Overkilling with anti-ageing serums and products on your period
‘Better be safe than sorry’ is our justification for slathering on thick layers of anti-ageing products because, we don’t want to risk premature crow’s-feet forming around the eyes and saggy skin.
When that time of the month rolls around, our skin tends to produce way more sebum. Less is more when it comes to applying anti-ageing and other moisturizing products. You should adopt a minimalist stance and lay off the usual amount when Aunt Flo comes to visit.
4. Exfoliating Daily
Some of us are more averse to dull skin than we are to the dull personalities of our Tinder dates, so we subject our faces on a daily basis to abrasive peels and scrubs.
This may remove dead skin at the surface, but adult skin takes up to 30 days to regenerate at the surface and this daily sloughing thins the surface of your skin over time!
TLC – getting it right about Scrubs since the 90s Source
Limit exfoliating frequency to 3 times per week. You’ll need the thick skin to tell your date you’re too cool for him.
5. Exercising or sleeping with makeup
Some of us are into the habit of leaving makeup on whilst exercising, especially when our dashing gym eye candies are within eyeshot of the treadmills.
Nope nope nope, we insist on being fab 24/7 Source
Some of us even SLEEP with our makeup on at night because we can’t have bae see us in our native state, or just hit the sack immediately after last night’s after-work drinks.
But makeup forms a barrier on the skin and mixes with perspiration and oils released from the face, congesting your pores preventing effective release of sweat, leading to pimples and blackheads.
Rule to live by: Remove ALL makeup with an oil-free makeup remover before working out and sleeping – there’s no negotiating!
6. Drinking way too much coffee
Your indefinite abstinence from dairy, sugar and deep-fried curry puffs may be admirable measures to obtain perfect complexion, but your morning cup of kopi could be doing your skin in.
Containing a natural diuretic (caffeine) that some of us can’t live without, more cups of coffee mean more frequent pee breaks, dehydrating your body including the face. Caffeine also messes with your stress hormone levels which control your skin’s oil production. .
Here’s living proof to motivate you to go cold turkey, or you could start by drinking an additional cup of water for every cup of coffee you drink.
7. Spending all day in office AC without moisturizing
Reality hits when Microsoft’s age-detecting robot says you look the oldest in the office. Source
If you notice your skin getting flakier and itchier since your new office seating arrangement has you right under the air-conditioner, that’s because it’s seriously drying out your skin and undermining your anti-ageing regimes. Even the synthetic fibres blown out through an air-conditioning unit are said to also cause skin irritation.
The drier your skin the faster you age.
This spells for more trouble for anyone suffering from eczema, rosacea or psoriasis, which can worsen with moisture deprivation, and leave you unrecognisable.
Start your day with adequate moisturizer and refuse all urges to pick at your face. Your keyboard itself has lots of bacteria that transfer to the face with your itchy fingers.
8. Not applying sunblock… especially on the neck
That awkward moment when your neck is more wrinkly than your face Source
Some of us bear the brunt of misinformation with the internet’s slew of confusing claims, especially where sunscreen in concerned. and I long believed SPF had an additive effect – SPF15 from foundation + SPF30 from moisturizer would total to an overall SPF 45 – negating the need for additional sunblock.
But the bigger number wins, and you’re only getting as much protection as the highest factor on your beauty products (SPF30 in this case).
So slap on the sunblock and invest in a brightening facial regiment, and fear not of the brown spots and skin discolorations that plague your peers, you’re going to be looking like a spring chicken for awhile.
9. Talking on the phone after leaving it everywhere
You take your phone EVERYWHERE. From toilet-texting to Snapchatting your favorite chicken rice on your lunch break. We can only imagine the microscopic madness that lives on the surface of your phone coupled with the residual chicken grease.
Next thing we’re answering calls with faces plastered to the screen and your face becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. Wipe down your phone with antimicrobial wet wipe before use or go handsfree with a bluetooth enabled earpiece!
10. Using way too many pore strips
We can all admit to binge watching the oddly satisfying blackhead removal videos. People have even gone so far as to compile a list of used pore strips!
We relish in the visual evidence of what is removed, but neglect the gaping pores left bare once these blackheads have left the building. Keep that up, and you’ll be in desperate need of a pore minimizer or refiner over those strips.
Upgrade your regular cleanser to an enzyme wash like the ORBIS Powder Wash + that effectively breaks down old keratin and sebum, minimising pores for that smooth blackhead-less finish.
Achieving tighter, brighter skin with ORBIS skincare
With this heightened awareness of the 10 faux pas of the facial world, we want to finally end the tedious trial-and-error process with beauty products, and bid sayonara to problems like rough enlarged pores and stubborn blackheads once and for all.
ORBIS is a leading Japanese beauty brand with a product line that is 100% OIL-FREE. They’ve gone down to the precise science, identifying six inner skin enzymes that beautify the skin and work best with oil-free skincare systems.
100 % oil-free ORBIS Powder Wash + comes as a white powder
Just add water and the powder foams into a thick lather.
The newest addition to their premium skincare line is ORBIS Powder Wash + which activates the skin’s innate power to beautify itself. This oil-free wash comes in a light delicate powder which foams up into a dense creamy consistency with water!
This deep-pore cleanser contains two enzymes that break down stubborn keratin plugs and hardened sebum. Substitute it for your regular facial wash 2-4 times a week and you’ll never again risk committing any of those 10 deadly skin sins.
Click here to find out more about ORBIS Powder Wash + !
This post was brought to you by ORBIS.
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