If you’re a frequent reader of our magazine – or website – then you’ll probably know that I am a BIG believer of the 10-step beauty routine. My own regime consists of 12 products in the day and 13 at night. (If you’re interested, you can read more about it here.) Yes, I know it might sound crazy, but in my defense I did live a couple of years in Tokyo and Japanese women really do bring their A game when it comes to their faces.
So a couple of weeks back, I was happily minding my own business and having a crazy fun Friday with some colleagues at an Izakaya bar/restaurant when my face started itching. Fast forward a couple of hours and I was sitting in the hospital at 2 a.m. with a face filled with hives due to allergies. After seeing a doctor and getting a quick injection, I was promised that the bumps and redness on my face would go down in a couple of days but I should try not to irritate my skin in the mean time.
When the itching subsided to a more bearable level, I was finally able to have a good look – and feel – of my skin. While the bumps were less discernible, my complexion looked red and patchy. But was what even worst, my skin’s texture was really rough and uneven. I was horrified. Obviously my first reaction was to throw on a ton of products. Thankfully, my good sense prevailed and I went with the basics: a soothing mist in place of my regular toner/softener, followed by a skin healing serum and a moisturiser.
After a few days, I noticed that my skin seemed a little drier than usual, which led me to add a soothing oil to the combination just to give my complexion an extra boost of hydration. Despite my hives subsiding, I decided not to take a risk in further irritating it and continued on with my pared down routine.
It’s been just a little over three weeks since I adopted this basic regime, and I have to admit that my skin largely looks the same. No one seems to be able to discern a difference, despite my cutting out more than half of the usual skincare that I use. However, I’ve been noticing subtle changes in the past couple of days. For one, my complexion is definitely less dewy and radiant than before. Also, my T-zones seems to be getting oilier, which I suspect is my subum glands working over time to compensate for the decrease in moisture (I usually add in at least one hydrating serum in my past routine).
In conclusion, while there doesn’t seem to be a big decline or change in my skin at the moment, I am starting to see the “cracks”. And when it comes to beauty, prevention is definitely better than cure. Which means I’ll be continuing on with this fuss-free regime for one more week before I slowly begin introducing back all my usual products. And while I am looking forward to getting my skin back to it’s original condition, I have to admit, I’ll miss only taking five minutes to complete my skincare.
The skin soothing products that helped to calm and hydrate my complexion: