Use Your Toner To Clean The Back Of Your Neck

Have you ever worn a light-coloured blouse with a collar throughout the day, only to find the inside of the collar "dirty" (yellow-ish/black-ish)? 

I have. So have my friends. It looks dirty because it IS dirty - it's dirt from the back of your neck.

I'm not talking about the sides of the collar, people. Not the sides that sometimes have traces of powder/foundation from our jawlines and necks. I'm talking about the back - the part of the collar that has direct contact with the back of your neck.

I accidentally came across this particular tip during one of my daily cleansing-toning-
moisturing skin care routines. After I applied the toner on my face and front of my neck, I 
also applied it on the back of my neck. 

I've doing this for months now and not only is the back of my neck cleaner, the insides of my collared blouses are also cleaner! If you haven't done this before, then you should. 
TRY IT!

Here's what you do:

*Note: you can do this anytime; not just during your daily beauty rituals.

1. Put a little toner on a facial cotton.

2. Apply the toner on the BACK of your neck 
(like you usually would on your face and front of the neck).

3. That's it - there's no step 3. :p

It's a really simple, cheap and easy tip. Ever since I tried it, it's become part of my daily skin care routine because it really works. I've told my friends about it and they see the difference too. Trust me! Give it a go and let me know what you think.

Happy weekend, beauty lovers! :)

What Everybody Ought To Know About Pore Packs (Again)

Yes, this is the same title as my first post. Only THIS time it's slightly edited and (wait for it, wait for it...) with larger, better, clearer photos! Just.For.You. 

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

This is for both men and women.

I have sensitive, combination skin - oily t-zone, and a little dry on other areas of my face. I also have the dreaded whiteheads and blackheads, especially on my nose and chin. Unsightly buggers, they are! Blegh!

What I have been using for several months now are pore packs. Beautiful little wonders. These packs contain individually-packed strips that are designed to literally remove whiteheads and blackheads for a cleaner and smoother surface.

I have tried other brands and they just don't do the job for me. What I have been using is Biore's Cleansing Strips Pore Pack Formulated with Witch Hazel Extract. Okay now. Biore's Cleansing what the what -?? 

Too many words to remember, right? I'll make it easier for you: the front of the packaging is black and red, with white words. I'll post photos of it below for visual.

These babies are great and really work as advertised! 

How To Use A Pore Strip On Your Nose:

01. Remove nose studs or nose rings.

02. Thoroughly cleanse your face with a facial cleanser. 
     You can use a facial scrub after the cleanser if you'd like.

03. Leave your face wet - don't wipe your face dry with a towel yet.

04. With dry hands, gently peel the black strip from the clear protecting sheet.

05. Make sure you don't wet the pore strip before placing it on your nose.

06. Hold the strip with the sticky side facing downwards 
     (it's best to hold only the sides of the strips with your dry fingers).

07. Now, gently place the sticky side of the strip on your nose making sure it's not close to
     your undereye area as the skin here is very thin and sensitive. 
     (The "pointy" tip of the strip is to be placed on the ball of your nose. 
     Adjust it so that it covers the top and sides of your nose. 
     You may need to gently press some parts down, so that it sticks and covers your nose.)

08. Wipe the rest of your face dry with a towel and leave the strip on to dry for 10 - 15
     minutes.

*Important:
Follow the instructions on the packaging because it CAN hurt your skin when you leave it on longer than instructed. You'll have a teary-eyed experience peeling away the pore strip from your nose 
(I left it on longer once and nearly cried peeling the strip off!).

09. Once the time's up, gently peel the strip from your nose. I'd suggest starting gently
     from one end, then slowly removing it all the way to the other.

10. You may have slight traces of black bits on and around your nose. Don't worry about
     this as they're from the strip and can be easily washed away.

This next part may be a little gross to some of you, so brace yourselves.

11. Take a look at the strip - you'll see tiny, white bits of "stuff" on it. These are the
     whiteheads from your nose; you can't see the blackheads because the strip's black
     (like, duh). 

Check your nose in a mirror and you'll see that it really IS cleaner and smoother!! Voila - magic! 
(nah, it's technology) ;)

12. Apply your toner (if you use one) and facial moisturiser like you normally would.

Like I said earlier, beautiful little wonders. These strips are GREAT for removing whiteheads and blackheads! I find that the more regularly I use them, I have lesser of those nasty little buggers. I swear by them.

However, what I have found is that the more frequently you use them, the more your pores begin to slowly enlarge over time. This is the part I find not many people know about pore strips. Though it shouldn't be a surprise because these wonder babies literally pull the gunk right out from your skin.

What you could is lessen the frequency of using the pore strips and/or apply a pore refining serum/moisturiser after each use. Just my two cents worth. :)

These are some photos that I took for you:

Front of Packaging

Back of Packaging

Individually-Wrapped Strip

(L-R) Opened Strip Packet, Before - Pore Strip with Protecting Sheet

After - Top View of The Gunk

Each pack contains 10 strips and costs about RM10 - RM12. I buy them from either Guardian or Watsons.

Happy stripping, folks! :)

What's A Tinted Moisturiser, BB Cream and CC Cream?

Oh dear. As the years go by, there are more and MORE products in the market claiming to work all sorts of miracles. While it may be great for the companies selling these products, it's a nightmare for us beauty junkies because we just don't know what's what and which ones really work! I'm sure you agree that it can be very overwhelming.

See I'm almost running out of my daytime moisturiser and have been hearing and reading LOTS about tinted moisturisers, BB creams and CC creams. What?? What on earth are BB creams and CC creams?!? They're all over the place! Gone were the days when moisturisers were simply that: moisturisers.

Fret not, Lil' Missy comes to the rescue as I've done my fair share of research on this. To help clarify, these are the fundamental differences:

Tinted Moisturiser

• Moisturiser with colour that helps even out your skin tone.
• Provides sheer coverage.
• Hydrates like a moisturiser.
• Typically lightweight on the skin compared to a foundation.
• Includes an SPF of at least 15.

BB Cream

• Also called as Blemish Balm, Benefit Balm, or anything you want the "BB" to stand for.
• Amped up tinted moisturisers.
• All-in-one product that replaces your serum, moisturiser, primer, foundation, and sunscreen.
• You can expect the look/feel of a tinted moisturiser with antioxidants, acne fighting ingredients and some whitening ingredients.
• Includes a hefty broad spectrum of SPF.

CC Cream

• Also called Colour Correcting, Colour Control, or anything you want the "CC" to stand for.
• Newest addition to these range of moisturising products.
• All-in-one product that replaces your serum, moisturiser, primer, lightweight foundation, and sunscreen.
• Works like a BB cream, but with a lighter texture and lighter coverage.

I currently use Herbalife Nourifusion Multivitamin Moisturiser with SPF 15. I have combination skin, so I use the one for normal to oily skin. I've been using it for about 4 months now and it's hydrating. Overall, it's alright. I'll write another post about this product soon. 

Since "alright" is hardly ever good enough for us, I thought of trying out "better" products. Sigh, the curse of satisfying our beauty needs.

Anyhow, I went to Sephora at Paradigm Mall over the weekend and gave the sales assistant very specific instructions. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Hi! I need a moisturiser that hydrates, minimises pores, is lightweight, and gives a dewy look without looking oily. It must contain SPF. Oh, and I'm willing to try a CC cream. Could you help me?"

Sales Assistant: (looking at me like I'm a nut) "Err.. Sure. Okay.. we have Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation, which is a tinted moisturiser, and Smashbox Camera Ready CC Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Dark Spot Correcting, which is a CC cream."

Me: "I've not used either before, but I'll give it a shot. Could you please try each product on each half of my face (half of my face with one product; the other half with the other product). I have sensitive skin and need to try them on for several hours to see if there's a reaction."

Sales Assistant: (now looking at me with a nervous smile like I'm some kind of psycho) "Okay, miss. Have a seat and I'll bring the products to you."

Me: (grinning like a Cheshire cat) "Great! Let's do this!" 

Poor girl. She seemed confused yet intrigued. She was pleasant, though. I'm glad that Sephora caters to needs like mine (kudos, Sephora!).

After a couple of minutes, she comes over with some products and cleans my face with a Sephora make-up remover, then uses a Sephora toner. Then, she begins applying the products she mentioned.

The comparison table below describes how I find the look and feel of the products:

Thing is that companies are running a business, so they're not to blame that we are overwhelmed with countless products on the shelves. As harsh as it sounds, the beauty business isn't charity, and these companies need to market and sell their products.

Here's my take on it: do your research, check the ingredients list, and ignore the claims on the packaging. It's important to try different products on before deciding which ones work best for your skin, and makes you look and feel pretty. I know it's simpler said, but different products work differently for people because of the different skin tones, skin textures, skin conditions etc. 

It's also best to see how the products look on your skin under white light or even better, in broad daylight. Most cosmetic/beauty shops have yellow lights and it can be very deceiving how you look under yellow light.

Make informed decisions and stay moisturised, folks! :)

What Everybody Ought To Know About Pore Packs

This is for both men and women.

I have sensitive, combination skin - oily t-zone, and a little dry on other areas of my face. I also have the dreaded whiteheads and blackheads, especially on my nose and chin. Unsightly buggers, they are! Blegh!

What I have been using for several months now are pore packs. Beautiful little wonders. These packs contain individually-packed strips that are designed to literally remove whiteheads and blackheads for a cleaner and smoother surface.

I have tried other brands and they just don't do the job for me. What I have been using is Biore's Cleansing Strips Pore Pack Formulated with Witch Hazel Extract. Okay now. Biore's Cleansing what the what -?? 

Too many words to remember, right? I'll make it easier for you: the front of the packaging is black and red, with white words. I'll post photos of it below for visual.

These babies are great and really work as advertised! 

How To Use A Pore Strip On Your Nose:

01. Remove nose studs or nose rings.
02. Thoroughly cleanse your face with a facial cleanser. 
     You can use a facial scrub after the cleanser if you'd like.
03. Leave your face wet - don't wipe your face dry with a towel yet.
04. With dry hands, gently peel the black strip from the clear protecting sheet.
05. Make sure you don't wet the pore strip before placing it on your nose.
06. Hold the strip with the sticky side facing downwards 
     (it's best to hold only the sides of the strips with your dry fingers).
07. Now, gently place the sticky side of the strip on your nose making sure it's not close to
     your undereye area as the skin here is very thin and sensitive. 
     (The "pointy" tip of the strip is to be placed on the ball of your nose. 
     Adjust it so that it covers the top and sides of your nose. 
     You may need to gently press some parts down, so that it sticks and covers your nose.)
08. Wipe the rest of your face dry with a towel and leave the strip on to dry for 10 - 15
     minutes.

*Important:
Follow the instructions on the packaging because it CAN hurt your skin when you leave it on longer than instructed. You'll have a teary-eyed experience peeling away the pore strip from your nose 
(I left it on longer once and nearly cried peeling the strip off!).

09. Once the time's up, gently peel the strip from your nose. I'd suggest starting gently
     from one end, then slowly removing it all the way to the other.
10. You may have slight traces of black bits on and around your nose. Don't worry about
     this as they're from the strip and can be easily washed away.

This next part may be a little gross to some of you, so brace yourselves.

11. Take a look at the strip - you'll see tiny, white bits of "stuff" on it. These are the
     whiteheads from your nose; you can't see the blackheads because the strip's black
     (duh). 

Check your nose in a mirror and you'll see that it really IS cleaner and smoother!! Voila - magic! (nah, it's technology) ;)

12. Apply your facial moisturiser like you normally would.

Like I said earlier, beautiful little wonders. These strips are GREAT for removing whiteheads and blackheads! I swear by them.

However, what I have found is that the more frequently you use them, the more your pores begin to slowly enlarge over time. This is the part I find not many people know about pore strips. Though it shouldn't be a surprise because these wonder babies literally pull the gunk right out from your skin.

What you could is lessen the frequency of using the pore strips and/or apply a pore refining moisturiser after each use. Just my two cents worth. :)

I just used a strip myself so that I could take some photos for you (the larger the photo, the more unclear it is - sorry!):

Front of Packaging

Back of Packaging

Individually-Packed Strip

(L-R) Opened Strip Packet, Before - Pore Strip with Protecting Sheet

After - The Gunk

Each pack contains 10 strips and costs about RM10 - RM12. I buy them from either Guardian or Watsons.

Happy stripping, folks! :)