I realized that you can't really expect to have clearer or more behaved skin as you get older. I only had my first major breakout, the type that makes you run to a dermatologist for, at the age of 26. I wouldn't want to relive it so I'll spare you the details. :D Let's just say I was like most girls during their teens and early 20s, who would get flare ups around the time of their period, with about 3 pimples tops (okay, maybe just the big ones!). I also get them at the same spots, like my forehead, near my eyebrows, my jawline and my cheeks (although less common). At one point, I've had enough and decided to read a book called Clear for Life, which was a good read (but I didn't really finish! Oops. I got the gist of it though.) and I did learn a lot from it. But it didn't change my skin condition that much - my fault - because I wasn't as committed.
The good old days when I didn't have to worry about foundation or whether my skin was too oily or dry, and just used what was available (mine was Neutrogena that my aunt gave me, I'm sure it had 'luminous' or 'illuminating' or something similar in the name because that's what you'd get on your skin). Unfortunately for me, as much as I like the 'dewy' look, I have to be careful now about using 'dewy' finish foundations that might make my face look very oily in a few hours.
College of Engineering Graduation 2006. Note to self: apply even foundation to the neck as well!
University Graduation 2006. Those were the days when you get 'dewy' skin instead of oily at the end of the day.
2006 Grad Ball. Again, didn't have to worry about foundation then!
Looking back I think I can pinpoint the factors that make me break out. As said in the book, breakouts can be due to a variety of factors - food, stress, sleep, hormones, genes, etc. I've accepted that it's in my genes (sorry future daughter!), and all the other ones I've mentioned also contribute in my case. Back in grad school, I would eat mostly processed food (Trader Joe's, I don't blame you, you made me a happy kid), because it was easy and fast. I also ate a lot of grapes and bananas, which were probably not the best fruits to eat for me. This has something to do with pesticides and whatnot sprayed on grapes (if you don't buy organic of course, which I didn't), and the fact that these fruits have high glycemic index (GI). Aside from food, during winter/spring I got so stressed out from taking a full load each quarter. It was also around this time that I had the worst insomnia (3 hours of sleep was normal). So it wasn't surprising why I had breakouts then.
But then I graduated, went back home, moved to Australia and the pimples were still there. I guess it would take a lot of detoxifying to undo what had been done while taking my masters. So I ate good food, low GI, less dairy, more organic kind of food. I don't think it really made a difference on my skin, but I felt good about eating healthy, and as most people noticed I also lost weight (but I'd say that's mostly from regular spin and body pump classes). Staying away from chocolate and chips was torture, and I still caved in. Having a goal sometimes makes you feel frustrated, and hence more stressed - my goal was of course having good skin on my wedding day. To cut the story short, there were lots of tears and money that were spent for this goal. On a trip back home I went to a good dermatologist in Greenhills, and all my trips to her clinic were worth the wait (and the waits were at least 30mins-1 hour) and money. She also offered sure fire ways of having flawless skin on my wedding day like roaccutane, which she prescribes to her stewardess clients, but I didn't do it for fear of the side effects. In the end I just took antibiotics and pills for about 3 months before the wedding. My skin still wasn't perfect (probably because I wasn't religiously taking antibiotics and took the pills kind of late) but it was much better.
At Brian's wedding, where I was professionally made up (sort of trial makeup). I had to beg the makeup artist to spare me the false eyelashes. This made Raymund think that maybe gay makeup artists do see things differently. One thing's for sure, they weren't after 'subtle'.
At Carlos' wedding, where I asked Raymund to buy me makeup (because I was sick and couldn't go out then) and I did my own makeup. It's not too obvious here but my eye makeup was a mess. :p I didn't know any better. :-s And I was in dire need of a lesson on concealer application.
My skin significantly improved after the wedding, when I was free of antibiotics and pills. It's still not perfect, I still have oily skin on my T zone, which was something I didn't worry about until I was 26. I still get breakouts due to hormone fluctuations like most girls do. I eat chocolates regularly now (actually since Christmas last year) and I don't think it aggravates my skin situation. So I realized that my skin acts up because of stress and lack of sleep and PMS. :p After the wedding, the stress significantly lowered and I got much better sleep. Hormones I still have to work on (the how, I dunno yet!), but I definitely won't take pills for that again.
My foundation has definitely changed in my late 20s. I don't really like matte, because for me it has the tendency to look unnatural, but I feel that I have to use this because of my oily skin and for its staying power and coverage. I also used to use 'ivory' shades (my Neutrogena foundation back then at least) but now I guess I'm not as fair skinned as before because I don't live in the Philippines anymore. :D I'm not that scared of the sun (actually feels good when it's cold), I don't use whitening products and I learned to like being tan (or at least not pale). I'm using drugstore foundations for now but will try high end ones on special occasions. :)
These are foundations I've had since I moved here. I guess the only expensive one there is the Shu Uemera Face Architect foundation which has awesome coverage. It makes my skin look less blemished. :p I got this from my mom, but haven't used it since mid last year because it's probably expired by then (I'm fussy about bacteria). :D My everyday foundation is the Maybelline SuperStay Makeup - can't really say if it's good - for me it's okay, it gives the coverage I need but on my combination skin I don't think it lasts until the end of the day. If I care that much, I would probably retouch at lunch time but I don't. Rimmel Stay Matte, I got a shade that's a tad dark for me - due to lack of testers. But it was on sale so I can't complain. :D I haven't used it that much, and with other foundations I bought recently, I think I'll just give this one away. Again on my skin, this didn't last very long. I bought Revlon Colorstay and Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse recently from Chemist Warehouse where they were halfpriced. Since most things here have rip off prices compared to regular prices in other countries, their half price is only slightly cheaper than their US price. Anyway it was still a good deal so I bought them together with the Maybelline Dream Smooth Primer. Now I don't really use a primer. The only stuff I've used before that came close to a primer were Benefit's Dr Feel Good and Clinique's pore minimizer. And I only decided to use a primer because my skin is peeling from using Vit A, and I wanted to make it look less obvious. I think this primer is great if you have dry skin. I don't, so after a few hours I felt my skin was oilier than usual. And I used the dream liquid mousse foundation on it which I guess wasn't the best idea too. It was good for flaky skin, but not-so-good for oily skin. I haven't tried Revlon Colorstay yet but I trust that it's better than the Maybelline SuperStay (well I don't really want to open it yet because I don't want to shorten its shelf life considering I'm still using 2 other foundations at the moment). I'm using the Dream Liquid Mousse for now because I think it's good for my peeling skin and while I don't think it particularly caters to oily/combination skin, I like that it's lightweight and a 'dream' to apply. :)
Hope this has somehow been helpful. In a month's time I will get my Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation and Oil-Free Primer, along with my other Nordstrom purchases (obviously I refuse to pay the relatively higher price here), so will probably write about those. Although as I've said, I'm fussy about bacteria and shelf life so I would prefer to open them when I'd actually have to use them. And I probably would in December, when we'll be going to several events. :)
Can't wait!
Can't wait!
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