5 Sundays Beauty Routine

Every Sunday, I am pampering myself.  I feel that I just owe it to myself to check what I have to check to stay fresh-looking and presentable.  Since there are 5 weeks in a month, I worked out a schedule to meet my "stay presentable" look, which I always do every Sunday, to look fresh for the rest of the week. 

I find this 5 weekly routine helpful as I maintain my look.  So here's how my 5 Sundays in a month goes:

1st Sunday:

• ·         bleach upperlip hair
• ·         have a brazilian wax service or just simply shave
• ·         hair treatment
• ·         pluck unwanted eyebrow
• ·         pluck unwanted underarm hair, wax remaining hard to pull unwanted underarm hair, pul-out ingrown hair
• ·         remove unwanted leg hair using an epilator
• ·         trim nose hair using a special kind of scissor
• ·         cut fingernails and toe nails
• ·         shave unwanted hairs found in fingers and toes

2nd Sunday

• ·         get a massage service either a home service massage or go to a spa.  My favorite is Swedish massage.
• ·         cut nails
• ·         shave unwanted hairs found in fingers and toes

3rd Sunday

• ·         facial
• ·         cut fingernails and toe nails
• ·         shave unwanted hairs found in fingers and toes

4th Sunday

• ·         foot spa
• ·         cut fingernails and toe nails
• ·         shave unwanted hairs found in fingers and toes

5th Sunday

• ·         manicure & pedicure
• ·         shave unwanted hairs found in fingers and toes

Daily Facial Care

Since college, I followed the ultimate three-steps in taking good care of my skin.  Although I already have fine lines at the age of 33, I notice that I still have a better skin texture, despite having a fair complexion, than most of the younger women I know.  It is acknowledged that fairer skin acquire fine lines earlier than those with darker complexion. 

Having a youthful glow despite my age, I can only give credit to my early practice of this 3 popular step daily facial routine; cleanse, tone, and moisturize.  Doing this routine, I have my own rules.  Stubborn at that, I usually go for the experience rather than listen to every beauty product critic.  If I'm not satisfied with one product, I stop.  With this, I fashioned the way I do this 3 steps.

In cleaning my face, the product should NOT be soap-free and when I said NOT, I want to create a thick lather when I wash my face.  It doesn't necessarily be squeaky clean.  Some soaps or cleanser still have that moisturizing feel after being used.  Again, I want the FEEL of being clean.  I'm not saying that soap-free cleansers can't clean, I just have to have the feel.  You know, being brought up with creating bubbles before rinsing, I used to follow that idea.

In choosing toners, I go for those that refreshes my skin and when I say, refreshes, I should feel it.  Okay, some say a no-no to toners with alcohol content as it dries your face.  But what can I do?  I just need to feel that my skin is cleaned-up more.  I just need to feel that the my pores really tightened.  And lastly, I want that coolness feel when applying toner.  After all, I'm going to use a cream or moisturizer after.

For creams, facial lotions, or moisturizers, as long as I feel a little bit of grease.  Admit it, no matter how these products claimed they aren't sticky or greasy, at some point, they are.  It only varies with their lightness and heaviness. 

Currently, I added a routine to this 3 steps.  I'm now using a serum.  I applied it after I use toner.  I wait for 5 minutes then I apply the moisturizers.

I also plan of adding another routine which is the eye cream.  Yes, I still haven't used an eye cream at this age and I admit, I must use it now to slow the appearance of fine lines.  I'm also seeing crows feet under my eyes.  I guess, it's time.

For the next blog, I'm going to post the products I am currently using.  These products are not necessarily my favorite.  I'm going to write a review for every product I use.  Again, the review is about my experience.  See you on my next blog.

4 Seasons of Vanity

I was not into beauty products when I was young, probably, when I reached 18 years old.  However, I already knew then that I have this obsessive compulsive behavior since I was little.  Everything I did, and still do, was numbered like taking a bath, combing my hair, brushing my teeth, etc.  Yes, you read it right.  They're numbered.

I will give you an example.  I forgot how I came up with # 11.  Until now, when I'm taking a bath using a tabo, I must scoop 11 tabo of water upon rinsing or I must massage 11x to create a lather.  Well, that's about it.  If I didn't do it, I'd surely feel uneasy the whole day so before I waste my day thinking I started it with a wrong number, I just gave in to my OC behavior.  It doesn't harm me anyway.  So, that's how I go about my beauty regimen.

Giving in to my OC behavior, I have this so-called 4 seasons of vanity.  Surely, we have 12 months in a year and as the title goes, I divided it into 4 making it 3 months per season.  That would be January-March, April-June, July-September, and voila, October-December.  In the Philippines, we experience different temperature in these season.  To me, it doesn't matter if the coldest season ends in early March or rainy season begins in June.  I just follow these 4 seasons of vanity in changing my products which means I use the same product for 3 months and that's it. 

For January to March, which I consider as the coldest months, I use anti-aging products.  From April to June, of course, the hottest as it is summer in our country, I use products that are refreshing to my skin.  I hate thick moisturizers, creams, and lotions, as they feel very greasy during this season.  For the rainy season, which falls every July to September on my list, I use products that gives me youthful glow.  Rainy season feels gloomy and I, somehow, wants to brighten up my appearance.  And for the last season, the Christmas, when parties are everywhere, I use whitening products.  This is the season I exfoliate my skin and use the most wanted products of our fellowmen.

I follow the above regimen, of not using a single product for over three months, so my skin will not get used to it.  Sometimes, we can't get the best of a single product when we constantly use it.  I just feel that our skin should also have time to rest to certain ingredients in order for it to be effective the next time we use it.