My Beauty Routine

My kumareng Dy from Belgium and I have been exchanging a lot of emails about beauty and make-up tips lately and we had so much fun in the process that it inspired me to come up with the idea of sharing beauty routines of real women here on my blog.  We'll start, of course, with yours truly.  Here's a peek at my dresser.  Hope you enjoy it!
a
a
Before we begin, a little side kwento: I'm ashamed to admit that it takes me a lot of time to get ready in the morning: shower, seremonyas after shower, dress up, put on make-up...30 minutes is not enough!  An hour is ok.  Evening rituals are relatively shorter but not entirely faster.  Removing my make-up alone takes around 10-15 minutes and I like to spend more time with my skin care routine to sort of "pamper" my face so it can rest properly after a day in make-up.  It's not a scientific fact or anything, it's just my thing.  Heehee!
a
a

In the shower, I like to alternate between two shampoos #1 Rejoice anti-frizz - I love the scent, my all-time favorite!; #2 Pantene nature care - I just saw this at the supermarket and thought I'd give it a try since it's new.  I'm addicted to shower gels and I like to keep a couple of them in stock.  Right now I'm using #3 Soap & Glory's Wash Almighty, which is so bango!  It's a blend of eucalyptus, rosemary, chocolate, mint and thyme. And the detox spa claim is true because it really relaxes me when I use it at night after a long, tiring day.  I exfoliate at least once a week and I love Soap & Glory's The Scrub of Your Life because it smells like candy.  Soap & Glory products are found at Boots.  I love the how they name their products and their packaging is nice.  I wait for their annual buy 1 get 1 sale so I can hoard their stuff.  Heehee!
a
a

My skin care routine.  I use the "famous" Clinique 3-step skin care which is customized for my skin type (combination to oily): #1 Liquid Facial soap - mild and tingly.  #2 Clarifying Lotion - which is supposed to remove excess oil and dead skin.  #3 Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel - I first tried this when my sister Angel gave me a sample.  I love how it's non greasy and my skin really drinks it up as their ads claim.  #4 Burt's Bees Acne Solutions Spot Treatment Serum - for my zits.  This came with a cleanser + moisturizer but this is all that's left.  It's pretty much ok, but I'm looking for a better alternative.  I want something that will zap away my zits faster.  #5 Clinique Derma White Micro-Motion C Serum - it's supposed to remove my freckles.  It comes with a roller and you're supposed to massage the serum on your face.  I find it cumbersome so once this small vial is finished, I will replace it with another formula.  #6 Pore Minimizer - I'm hoping that this will work wonders on my pimple scars.  #7 Repairwear Intensive Eye Cream - this is just a freebie from the stuff that I purchased.  I tried All About Eyes before (another sample from my sister) and I loved it.  I'm trying to see if this will do a better job at "repairing" my dark undereye circles.  For daytime, I finish off my skincare routine with #8 Super City Block in SPF 40.  It's tinted so it's great as a make-up base, but I think SPF 40 is too much for me, considering I don't really get a lot of sun exposure so I might replace this with a lighter formula when it's finished.  At night time, my last step is #9 Clinique Super Rescue Antioxidant Night Moisturizer - I absolutely love this!  It makes my skin really soft and when I wake up in the morning, my face feels great.  It's a great buy!  It has a daytime alternative too with SPF 25.  
a
a

Two products that I consider a classic are #1 Jergens Original Scent lotion - mom and dad have been using this forever!  Just a whiff of the cherry almond scent immediately transports me back to my childhood.  That's why this is the only scent that I buy.  Richard uses this lotion too!  #2 Pond's Cold Cream - I use this to remove my make-up and it reminds me of my lola Nene.  My mom uses this too.  I remember when I was a kid, she'd smell like Pond's in the evening.  So I keep a jar because it's like keeping a beauty legacy of my lola.  I'm down to the last drops of my #3 Maybelline make-up remover.  Great value for a cheap make-up remover.  After Pond's, my face feels a bit oily and there are small traces of make-up left so I use #4 Boots Cleansing Wipes.  Got this on sale (buy 1 get 1) so it's great and cheap enough for everyday use.
a
a

At night, before I go to bed, I slather on lotion on my feet #1 Boots Fashion Survival Softening Foot Butter - this was on sale as well (buy 1, get 1 -- isn't Boots the greatest?) so yay!.  I also put cuticle oil on my fingernails to keep them soft #2 Sephora stimulating lavender cuticle oil - I bought this from Hongkong and I love the convenient, click-type pen packaging.  I keep both on my bedside table.
a
a

My favorite scents right now are #1 Ferragamo Incanto Charms - a Christmas gift from Richard.  I'm just finishing up the bottle so I can use #2 Acca Kappa - I discovered this through my BFF Pat.  I was in her house, waiting for her to get ready before heading off to dinner and when she came out of her room she was so bango!  It was the perfect after-shower scent!  Apparently she was wearing this and she got me a bottle which is great because they don't have it here :)  Thanks, Pat!  #3 Gap Dream body spray - I usually spray this on in the morning when I bring Aly to school.  #4 Bath & Body Works body spray in Night-blooming Jasmine - I spray this on at night before going to bed.  I love how it leaves a faint scent on my pillow and shirt.
a
a

My favorite make-up. #1 MAC Studio Fix powder foundation in NC30. My go-to shade for almost-nude lips is #2 Bobbi Brown Brown 4, but on days when I want to look stariray, I put on #3 MAC Russian Red. #4 NARS Orgasm blush - my all-time favorite blush!  I don't think I will look at anything else!  This blush rocks!  
a
a

Pencils: #1 MAC lip pencil in Whirl - this shade is close to my natural lip color and when I'm wearing my Bobbi Brown lipstick, I like to line the lips (after putting on the lipstick) to define my lips.  #2 Bobbi Brown eyebrow pencil in Mahogany - I never leave home without filling in my brows because I don't want to scare my neighbors when they see me with unmade brows.  I look like a ghost!  Haha!  #3 Maybelline Eyestudio eyeliner in black - another cheap find but it works really well.  It glides smoothly.  Great value for money.
a
a

More make-up -- yes, I use these everyday!  Kaya ako natatagalan.  Hehe!  #1 NYX eyeshadow base in skintone - my best ebay purchase yet!  I love how this intensifies my eyeshadow and it really makes them last longer!  I like to keep my eye make-up as natural as possible, so I stick to neutral shades #2 Clinique eyeshadow trio in Totally Neutral - a pasalubong from Richard.  #3 Maybelline XXL Pro-curl mascara - my lashes are stick straight and even if I curl them, they'd straighten back after a while.  This mascara may not work 100% on me, but it helps keep them curled longer.  I bought this from the airport here in Bangkok.  Another mascara that I love is #4 Bobbi Brown Extreme Party mascara in black - I love how this makes my lashes look lush and I like the brush because it doesn't clump my lashes together.  #5 Bobbi Brown Natural Brow Shaper gel in clear - after filling in my brows with pencil, I put this on to keep them in shape.  They say it also makes the color last longer too.  This, together with the mascara, pencil and cleansing oil are all included in the kit that I got.  The only concealer that I have is #6 Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals Healthy Natural Concealer in medium sand - it does an ok job for a cheap concealer, but I'm looking for a better one.
a
a
Gosh, I didn't know this post was going to be this long!  Let me wrap this up with my make-up tools:
a
a

I got a #1 set of brushes from Platinum Mall.  It's a set of 10 brushes, but I only use the blush, eyeshadow and eyeliner brush more often.  #2  Tweezerman tweezers for removing strays.  They say this is the best tweezers for the job.  #3 Shu Uemura eyelash curler - another beauty awardee.  #4 Sephora I Will Survive! Radiance Face Spray - spray it on my face after putting on make-up and it makes my skin glow.  It's similar to MAC Fix+ which I'm getting soon kasi malapit na tong maubos.
a
a
So there you have it: my beauty routine.  It's a lot of work, but as the saying goes, "no pain, no gain".  Let's face it, we're not getting any younger.  That's why I was motivated to start taking better care of my skin.  I don't have great skin to begin with kaya doble talaga ang effort!  Haha!
a
a
I had fun doing this and I'm hoping that my friends and family will have as much fun when I feature their beauty routines here.  So friends and family back home, get ready because I will be raiding your boudoirs soon!