My Top 5 Skincare Must-Haves

It has been a while since I wrote my last Beauty Post. A lot of things have happened in between, and just like any busy mummy, I have been caught up with a lot of work . Since Mother’s Day is tomorrow, I thought of writing this Beauty Post and dedicating it to my mom (the biggest influence in my life especially when it comes to anything related to beauty and skin care) and to all my fellow busy and beautiful Spoiled Mummies out there!

We all know that being a mother is the hardest job in the world. It doesn’t really matter whether you are a stay-at-home mom or a career woman. As long as you are a mother, you are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with neither a salary nor a day off! In this regard, I am a strong believer that no matter how busy we are in our daily lives, we should do our best to look our best – not just for the sake of our families (husbands and / or children), but more for our sake! I agree with what they say that before we can start taking care of others, we must first know how to take care of ourselves!

So let me now share with you the favorite things I use in taking care of myself (beauty and vanity wise)… Here are My Top 5 Skincare Must-Haves :

CELETEQUE ADVANCED ANTI – AGING, ANTI-WRINKLE, ULTRA HYDRATING CLEANSING OIL

I have always loved cleansing oils. I have my favorites but lately I’ve been experimenting and trying out new stuff in the market today. Then I stumbled upon Celeteque’s Advanced Anti-Aging, Anti-Wrinkle, Ultra Hydrating Cleansing Oil. After a full month of using it, I must say, I was quite impressed.

It possesses all the qualities that I look for in a cleansing oil: 1) light and non-greasy, 2)  removes dirt and makeup, 3) moisturizing, and 4) most importantly, erases the lines and wrinkles caused by aging. Now, I think that’s a very powerful concoction of so many good things in one small bottle!

Two more nice things I appreciate about Celeteque : It’s a Filipino brand (made by UNILAB) and is very affordable! Yes you read that right Mummies – this is by far the most practical and yet effective cleansing oil in the market today.

Available in most health and beauty stores. (I got mine from PCX, Rockwell.)

VMV HYPOALLERGENICS RETINOIC ACID SUPERSKIN 1

VMV Hypoallergenics is another Filipino skin care brand I am proud of. They have established quite a following here and because of such success, they have managed to put up several stores worldwide. This brand has been featured several times by international beauty magazines and have gotten rave reviews from Hollywood celebrities. I have been using a lot of their products for many years now, and I have not suffered a major breakout ever since.

My favorite products from them are the VMV Cleansing Milk and the VMV Cleansing Scrub (which I’ve written about in my last beauty post here). But then for the longest time, I realized that I have been skipping the 2nd step from what they call “the 3 most important steps in proper skin care” (1.cleanse,  2.tone, 3.moisturize). In short, I have not been using a toner after my cleanser!

I then went to the nearest VMV store and asked for their recommendations for a good toner, and they suggested this Retinoic Acid Superskin 1 for my skin type. From there, I learned the 2 benefits of using Retinoic Acid : it treats and controls acne AND it prevents signs of photoaging (ie. the lines, wrinkles, and dark spots that result from our sun exposure). Even if I don’t have much of a problem in terms of acne, my skin (especially the T-zone) can be quite oily. I’ve noticed that using Retinoic Acid as a toner at night has helped control my oil glands’ production during the day.

Available in VMV shops here and around the world. You can also check their VMV Website and Boutique here. 

ESTEE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR 

I discovered this beauty in a bottle in a duty-free shop on a long haul trip a few months back. I was tired and my skin looked very sullen. Then I saw these big, bright posters of Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair with its very pretty, blonde and blue-eyed model staring right back at me. Of course, I felt tired and depressed all the more! 🙂  Needless to say, the ad was too powerful for words and so I ended up buying a bottle.

I started using it as soon as I arrived home. In a matter of days, my skin instantly felt refreshed and rejuvenated. It was like my skin didn’t go through the changes in weather and timezone that I was subjected to. I noticed that my skin looked more refined. I used it on my face and on my neck – which brings me to another important tip I learned from my mom.

Mother taught me never to neglect the skin on my neck because taking care of it is as important as taking care of my face.  Both are seen together as one and both are equally vulnerable to signs of aging, stress and sun exposure. From then on, whatever I apply on my face, I make sure I apply on my neck too. Doing this ensures that both parts will appear even in skin tone, color and texture. This bottle I must say, has helped me achieve that more youthful look all over.

Available in Rustan’s Department Stores and Rustan’s Beauty Source.

MARIO BADESCU DRYING LOTION

When I get my pimples and whiteheads, this is the ONLY solution I turn to. I’ve proven how effective this works time and again. Just one drop of this pink drying lotion, immediately dries up my acne spots. It is not hard to believe then this is Mario Badescu’s best selling product.

This Mario Badescu Drying Lotion is formulated with salicylic acid, calamine and other quick-drying ingredients that dry and heal my breakouts right away. I use this only at night after I’m done cleansing, toning and moisturizing. I will not even attempt to use this during the day – as when it dries up, it leaves a “pinkish white stain” that I think might scare people away! 🙂

After I apply it on my acne spot/s with a cotton swab, I leave it there overnight to dry. When I rinse it off the next day, it’s always a surprise because just like that – my annoying pimple is gone!

Two more nice things about this product : It can also be used on those pesky little chest and back acne spots AND because of its calamine component (color, texture and formulation similar to Caladryl), this can also be used to take the itch out of mosquito bites fast!

Available in Rustan’s Beauty Source.

LA PRAIRIE WHITE CAVIAR SPOT TREATMENT

Going back to my mother (Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!), if there’s one skincare brand I’ve gotten to love because of her, it’s La Prairie. It was she who first introduced me to this brand way back when I was still young, carefree and restless (yes, that’s roundabout 10 years ago!) She taught me the value of proper skin care and always looking your best, no matter what. I always say that everything I know about beauty (and vanity) is all because of her. Thanks, Mom! 🙂

As a side note, if there’s one La Prairie product I can’t live without — it’s their eye cream. I’ve been using this for more than 10 years now and I can probably say that I’ve tried almost every single La Prairie eye cream that came out and I just LOVE all of them!  (I’ve written about my current eye cream in this article here).

But this post is not about La Prairie’s eye cream; this is about their newest wonder product, the White Caviar Spot Treatment. I love it from the first time I saw it —  it comes in a sleek, handy and portable silver-white packaging (sort of like a pen or a “magic wand” as I’d like to call it), which makes it easy for me to carry when I’m traveling.

How did I discover this? Because we are all “aging” everyday, I’ve noticed that I have developed some tiny dark spots on my face, neck and hands too.  This uneven coloring and pigmentation of the skin is a pretty normal skin concern (when you’re in your 30’s and upwards) and it comes out on areas that are prone to sun exposure.  So I tried and experimented with several brands in the market until I landed (and stopped) on this one.

I must admit that the La Prairie White Caviar Spot Treatment is pricey compared to other skin brighteners nowadays, but there is a good reason for it. It is composed of the most luxurious and most effective skin care ingredient available in the market today : the White Caviar. The moment it touched my skin, I immediately understood why they put such a premium on this product. The formula itself is translucent, lightweight and fast absorbing — easy for me to use both day and night, with or without makeup on. Really, the results were fast! In less than a month of application (twice a day), my dark spots immediately lightened and sooner than later, they were all gone! 🙂

Available in all Rustan’s Department Stores.

Remember Mummies, we need to learn how to take care of ourselves first before we can take care of anyone else. You know what they say… “If Mummy is happy, everybody is happy!” 🙂

Wishing you all a Happy and Spoiled Mother’s Day!!