IT was Helena Rubinstein who said there were no ugly people, just lazy ones. Do I believe this? Absolutely!
Beauty is subjective, but having good and healthy skin and hair, and looking clean and neat are what define beauty for me. You can have a face that’s not conventionally pretty but I wouldn’t care as long as you are well-groomed and take care of yourself.
In order to achieve this, one has to have good beauty habits, which may include double cleansing at night, drinking more water and applying hand lotion after washing one’s hands.
Here are some beauty habits I have adapted lately. They may work for me but not necessarily for all people.
1. Not shampooing every day is something I adapted after I began the Sunetics treatment for hair loss. I realized that it was the best thing to do after each treatment. Many hairstylists believe that shampooing everyday can lead to dry brittle hair, as it strips the scalp of its natural oils. Of course, I shower twice a day but I only wash my hair every other day. I don’t use dry shampoo because I am allergic to it, so I just leave my hair be and this has worked for me for the last two-and-a-half years. I don’t know how it happened but my hair is thicker and looks better than it has in decades. Someone once pointed out to me that I don’t have the hair of an old person. That’s thanks to my colorist Harry of Kami Salon and not shampooing everyday.
2. Use a foundation with skin-friendly ingredients. OK, here’s a true story. I managed to snag a bottle of Reboot Foundation from Make Up For Ever long before it launched. With it, I also received a Buffing Brush 112 from the brand. I was told to use the brush with the foundation. I used Reboot the day after I received it and, to be honest, I didn’t like it at all and just put it aside. One day, I saw my friend Nikki Tiu at an event and she looked lovely. I asked what foundation she had on and she said it was Reboot. Nikki is a beauty blogger whose opinions matter to me, so I gave Reboot another chance. I have been wearing it almost everyday for two weeks now and I love how its light to medium coverage works for me. Reboot claims to give tired-looking skin a boost and it really does. Reboot smooths, evens out, hydrates, firms and brightens. I tried using another new foundation in between Reboot and I got a few bumps and pimples. My skin is quite sensitive and Reboot works well with my sensitive skin. This is available for around P2,700 at Make Up For Ever stores.
3. Use a super serum like EstÉe Lauder Advanced Repair Intense Reset Concentrate twice a week. Estée Lauder claims that this concentrate “rescues and resets the look of skin fast. Immerses skin in sustained, 24-hour moisture with 15X concentrated hyaluronic acid in a multimolecular weight complex.” This is meant to be used over the Advanced Night Repair serum twice a week, although some women do use it every day. It claims to soothe the redness caused by irritation in one hour, it fortifies the skin’s strength and helps improve texture and look. What I love about Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Line is that everything can be used by those with acne-prone skin.
4. Use a deodorant without aluminum. I use a deodorant, one without antiperspirant. Yes, there are days when my deodorant lets me down but I much prefer that than having itchy underarms. I’m very sorry for oversharing but using natural deodorants has been a life-changing experience. I love what it does for my skin. I am very partial toward Lafe’s Deodorant Spray in Aloe, which I buy from Healthy Options.
5. Use a chemical exfoliator. I would rather die that exfoliate my skin physically (with those face scrubs) but I do exfoliate chemically with using an AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) or BHA (beta hydroxy acid). Salicylic acid is a form of BHA while lactic and glycolic acids are forms of AHA. I prefer salicylic more than other acids. Glycolic acids make me break out. Chemical exfoliants help the skin shed dead cells. Exfoliants, over time, help minimize the appearance of wrinkles, help improve dull/uneven skin tone, smooth rough and bumpy skin, and unclog pores. I alternate between The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2 percent Solution and Stridex Soft Touch Pads.