There are so many products out there in the market, how do you know what to buy? Some reads on-line reviews. Some smells the products. Some touches the products. Some buys the products because of the brand name. Some buys products because they seem to work (yes, seem to work as honestly if there is a cosmetic product that truly works miracles, it’s a DRUG). Most importantly, the cosmetic companies will never want to lose you after only selling you one jar of miracle to cure all! This is also why all cosmetic companies when they make claims, they have to have the “softening” words of “appeared” younger, fine lines “seemed” diminished, as they do not want FDA to bust them even if the product truly delivers the drug-like claims. This article shares what I use as a cosmetic chemist as cosmetic chemists know products!
Being a cosmetic chemist and in the beauty industry, I have the luxury of using thousands of products in a day literally. Many of the products are just used once and gathered dust in the competitive review cabinet. Few of them will get a purchase or even re-purchase from me. So, read-on to find out what products get my Cosmetic Chemist’s Beauty Awards. These are my Must-Have Skin Care Products- Seriously you will never find them EMPTY in my beauty case:
• Olay 4-in-1 Daily Facial Clothes– This is my one-step makeup remover and cleanser. I usually use two pieces of them at night- one to take off makeup and the other to really clean my face. I like it because it’s effective and easy to carry for travels. It’s also relatively inexpensive. Compared to other wipes, this facial clothes foam nicely if you already removed all the makeup with the first towelette.
• Grand Central Beauty Polisher- I use this product two ways. I use it twice a week and pay extra attention on the sides of nose to get rid of the dead skin build up. I also use this product first thing in the morning as a face wash when I want to “change up my routine”. It helps to instantly refresh and brighten my skin with the multi-fruit acids from natural fruits and botanicals. If I want to feel the “scrubbies”, sometimes I do switch over to Clarins One-Step Exfoliating cleanser to get that super clean feel.
• Clean & Clear Acne Spot Treatment- I can not live without it. We all get zits from time to time especially during “that time” of the month. Whenever I feel there’s a pimple coming out, I put this product on to stop it before it’s fully developed. If unfortunately it’s been a full-blown pimple, I would switch to Dr. Murad’s acne care which contains sulfur. Sometimes a pimple take a combination of salicylic acid and sulfur to get the maximum results. I found benzoyl peroxide extremely drying so it is my least preferred anti-acne active.
• Eye Cream– If I don’t put on any moisturizer before I go to bed, I at least will put on some eye creams. Since eye cream is the most important anti-ager for the first sign of aging. When it comes to eye creams, I am willing to experiment as I have yet to find one that helps with “sunken eyes”- that is loss of firmness around the eye area often associated with weight loss. Among the eye care products, my most repurchased brand is Estee Lauder. Their night repair eye gel-cream is nice and appeared to give results of less lines. The resilience eye cream also helps to feel restored. A trick for you readers, if you overuse eye cream (by the way, use your ring finger and just pat gently around the eye area), you can always put the residual amount on the lip area. The lip area is just as delicate as eye area. You will find your lips “chaps no more”. Shiseido actually has an eye & lip cream but I found the eye cream a bit rich for my eye area.
• Eye Mask– Can’t stress enough on this one. I love Shiseido’s eye mask. It contains retinol yet non-irritating. You see immediate results- brighter and firmer eye area. I use it before any special occasions. During winter months, I would also use a steam eye mask by Kao. It’s very popular in Asia. It helps to relax the eye area and make you sleep better. It heats up when it contacts the air. I would love to “copy” that formula unfortunately it has international patents all around!
• Face Mask– If you follow my blogs, I have talked about masks many times. Yes, my ALL TIME favorite facial mask is Grand Central Beauty Skin Perfecting Mask. It’s truly multi-tasking, multi-efficient, and multi-amazing (if there’s such a word). You get smooth, moisturizing, anti-aging, redness-reducing and toning S.M.A.R.T. results as well as long lasting hydration. It’s fun to use and easy to carry and clean. It’s my travel must have.
• Sunscreen– yes we all preach the use of sunscreen but I am an in-door person. What I make sure I do is always selecting a foundation with SPF in there. My most favorite foundation is Estee Lauder Double Wear. Unfortunately they reformulated the SPF 10 version so I now have to put on Clarins’s SPF 40 sunscreen prior to my makeup. Clarins makes great non-greasy, non-ghosting (the massive whiteness you see from the sunscreen) SPF products. SPF 40 is good enough even if you have to be out door for a while. If you don’t have a great sunscreen to use, try Clarin’s.
Beauty should not be complicated. Did you notice I don’t even mention using a moisturizer? I have oily skin so I use moisturizer as needed. In Summer, I use Grand Central Beauty Skin Perfecting Serum. In Winter, I may add on Clinique Repair Wear night cream. We lose moisture at night so it is important to keep the skin hydrated especially if you are ‘dry’.
Beauty is individual. What works for me may not work for you but being a cosmetic chemist, at least I know what my necessities in my skin care regimen are. Care to share what is your skin care regimen or if you have any skin care or beauty questions, please feel free to ask.
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