My Daily Skincare Routine 🧿 has changed over the past few years... that too quite significantly. I’m more into skin care than makeup, I can’t afford makeup anyway, nowadays you need a primer for everything your face, lashes, lips, eyelids, even the feet!
I don’t use mascaras or highlighters, the last time I tried one, I got big red rashes and an allergic reaction... it was from Benefits & promised a pearlescent glow.
I have a dry, sensitive skin.
Just saying... (refer to the previous blog post for the “So-So” story www.cashmerecult.com/post/notfunnybro)
We are all highly secretive about our beauty regimes, the Brands that we swear by or holy grail products that make us covetable... and I’m no different when it comes to keeping secrets.
I’ll be sharing what my weekly routine includes, without disclosing the brands
shhh...
I will also be comparing it with CHANEL
I was a loyalist for the past 7 years but then I had to shift to other brands because the only store they had in Mumbai was shut down in late 2018 without any notice.
I wasn’t very happy with their products anyway... the cleanser was clearly overrated, it would dry out my skin and make it feel tighter, it would also make it softer later on if used with their moisturiser with camellia extract. I would wake up to healthier, softer skin, the Hydra Beauty Creme (Dry Skin variant) was the only one which was somewhat worthy, it was non-comedogenic, anti-clogging... it would make your skin healthier which would glow naturally from within but that’s it. It didn’t contain any SPF or other properties.
The prices have also hiked now, the Hydra Beauty Serum was Gel based, it was sticky, both the cream and serum would lead to excess sebum production and give me tiny rashes as in itchy bumps, my new cream does the same thing but if you have dry and sensitive skin, you gotta deal with this mess.
The other two variants in that cream which had a gel and gel cream formula were useless, they wouldn’t get absorbed or penetrate into the epidermis no matter how hard you’d try to blend ‘em... they would instead form a thick, greasy film/layer on the top of your skin making it tacky and patchy. As a youngster I would love their Classy Sporty packaging but now, the plastic containers & pump bottles are too juvenile for my taste. I’d rather invest in products that look expensive, that match their heavy price tags.
The foaming face cleanser also had a yellowish discolouration even though it wasn’t expired, I had taken it from Chanel store itself, so it was obviously a genuinely product. Even the liquid cleanser was runny and yellow... it wasn’t off-White but literally yellow. No offence Chanel, you'll always be close to my heart.
To afford a Lip Balm, Moisturiser - SPF, Foaming Cleanser & Serum from CHANEL you need to spend at least 25-30k or 400$ maximum (Not that I would spend this much... Revised Prices)
P.S. The below Gif was a part of some meme my uncle had shared once... it said,
“This is what having a daughter feels like.”
Coming to my selection of skincare products...
I don’t like compromising on my skin so I do tend to spend a similar amount on other products... (Actually much lesser because I’ve kept US price tags in mind for my weekly ritual)
Some like it matte, some like it dewy, some prefer velvety nights (ref. Lana Del Rey) while some others want to wake up with Sunkissed Glowing Skin!
I prefer having a Dewy Glow... not like a “Tacky Dusky Goddess” but that “Oh so lovely” Bright, Rich, Glossy Dewiness which can highlight my best features like the cheekbones, cupid’s bow, eyebrow bone, arched brows, chin, etc.
Beauty Sleep & lots of water intake is also equally important...
My Hydrating Créme de la créme
regime includes:
An Exfoliator once a week (to detoxify)
Face Mask as and when I like it
Nowadays we are all counting on them to do away with fatigue & stress.
Face Polisher once a week (For Glowing, Radiant Skin)
Need to buy a face brush +
Face Cleanser (one which can even out the skin tone) at night
NO TONERS. They contain astringent & alcohol. Luckily no matter where I went, whichever beauty section or brand, none of the counter girls or beauty consultants ever ALLOWED me to buy toners & lotions -which are milk based toners for dry skin. I have had a lovely coincidence even there... So I was once at Lakmé, back then it wasn’t a drugstore brand, it used to be more premium, I was accompanying my mom and aunt, I must be barely 14... the girls at over there gave me admiring glances & whispered something to each other, something pretty audible then they told me, “Mam, your eye shape is very beautiful, you have really beautiful eyes... ” They were busy applying an eye liner on me while my mom and aunt were shopping. The next time we went to some other brand and there were obviously different salegirls assisting us, coincidentally, they too ended up complimenting my eye shape lol! That’s the first thing they noticed and I was just busy blushing as always.
Anyway, as far as toners were concerned I was literally told that I was too young to use them even when I was 21! I never went anywhere near them at 14... don’t worry! And even after that I wasn’t allowed to buy them! That’s called caring... Last time when I ordered one online from L’occitane (they had come up with a new range of cleansers and toners) I realised why they would all redirect me from the “fancy” toners & lotion section, be it whichever brand.
My skin started burning and breaking out. It is supposed to tighten your pores which is more essential once you start aging because that is when you get open pores primarily in the (oily or not) t-zone. All in all, it’s meant for skin or pore tightening to make the next step of using a serum + moisturiser more seamless. None of these products can clog your sealed pores if you use a toner prior to moisturising, etc. but FYI dry skin can also lead to breakouts, it’s like having dry or oily dandruff, an oilier, greasier scalp can lead to (sticky) dandruff just as much as a dry scalp. Watery toners keep the t-zone dry even after applying moisturisers because it is almost, always oily, they try to balance out the PH levels in your skin and for that they have high alcohol content (which can be too strong, toxic & harmful especially for sensitive skin, it can cause dryness, dullness & breakouts). Even milk based toners/lotions which are made for drier skin types are mattifying.
Tightened pores/skin equals to pulled, stressed, rough, dry skin... so I doubt I’ll be using it even when I’m aging. You can opt for non-comedogenic products which are formulated without harmful or even natural/organic ingredients which can trigger acne. Those which will seep into the skin, get absorbed faster & work right from the epidermis ie: the second layer of your skin to hydrate your skin naturally and reactivate it’s collagen boosting ability.
Hyaluronic acid has collagen building properties.
Softer skin can look healthier & much more plump.
I’m naturally blessed with high cheekbones (my photos online are a bit old, none of them are recent) I have natural contouring & a slimmer lower jaw so I find plump skin and chubbier faces more attractive because the grass is always greener on the other side!
I skip using toners and serums because most serums are either oil or gel based... oil is not always non-comedogenic & products formulated with gel are more often than not sticky.
Also, serums are too expensive for me.
So what I add next to my routine is,
a matte Lip Balm with SPF for hydrated plump lips. I use it all day long
Lip Conditioner to diminish the lip line around my Cupid’s Bow which I apply every night before going to bed
Another fancier Lip Balm with a slight pink tint in it and some shimmer for shinier super moist, soft lips
A Day Cream with SPF (Our Smartphones can emit strong UV rays which can lead to premature aging)
Then an Eye Cream for the sensitive under eye area (this is one of the least expensive products I have it’s only for INR 900/- or 11 €)
A Silkening Night Cream
That’s it!
So all these 10 products + a set of 4 sheet masks + I have my eyes set on another Rose cream will cost around 25k or 25000/-
Please bear in mind, I had calculated old prices for Chanel in MRP which have escalated now. Their Mumbai Store was shut down 2 years ago so I don't have the revised prices with me... whereas for all other brands I have kept US prices in mind which are relatively higher (than India for certain products) + Indian prices which are again slightly higher than US/UK (for their specific ranges) so the prices may vary.
But rest assured, I've estimated the maximum total cost in my last line up there...
which means I actually don't spend 25k, yet!
Xoxo
Au Revoir
Zara Sauleh
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