1. After using a facial mist, don’t let the residue mist evaporate naturally as that can dry out your skin. Instead, always pat off the excess as the water left on your face.
2. Many women tend to scope up their moisturiser and immediately apply it to their face, which actually affects the efficacy of the product. Always warm your moisturiser with your hands before applying it. Creams and emulsions that are at body temperature penetrate much faster and better.
3. If you like to pencil/colour your entire brow, it’s time to stop. Unless you have extremely sparse eyebrows, just fill in the holes and gaps. This looks much more natural and modern.
4. Yes, popping a pimple might be (strangely) satisfying but you should never squeeze a pimple as you might damage the tissues. Your skin might be able to recover and heal itself without scarring in your teens, but once you hit your 20s, you might not be so lucky.
5. It’s a common misconception that you can get rid of blackheads by exfoliating, but excess scrubbing can actually irritate skin. Blackheads are caused by clogged pores so using skincare that dissolves or control sebum production would be more helpful.
6. Most women tend to just shampoo and condition their hair, with no thought to their scalps. Your scalp ages 12 times faster than your skin, so don’t neglect it. To keep it youthful, regularly apply hydrating and nourishing scalp serums.
7. It might feel “shiok”, but you should stop asking your shampoo boy/girl to scratch your scalp with his/her nails or any scratching device when he/she washes your hair. A scratched scalp is a damaged one, which equals weaker scalp and hair in the long term.
8. If you apply sunscreen (which you should), don’t think you can get away with just washing your face with a regular foam cleanser as it won’t be adequate. Instead, you should use double cleanse with a makeup remover. The only exception: an oil cleanser, which removes everything.
9. If you’ve been using your conditioner and hair mask interchangeably, it’s time to stop as they have different purposes. A hair conditioner’s main purpose is to hydrate strands and seal cuticles for smoother locks, while a mask is a more targeted treatment that penetrates deeper and should be used about once to twice a week (any more can ‘overload’ your hair with nutrients that it can’t absorb).
10. Even though most sheet masks recommend applying them on your faces for about 15-20 minutes, it’s always tempting to leave it in longer to get the most of the product. Our answer to this: don’t. If you leave the sheet mask too long, reverse osmosis happens. The mask will start absorbing moisture from your skin, which totally defeats the purpose of using them in the first place.
Like this? Check out the luxe Holiday makeup from French brands we love, how to tailor your skincare when you’re travelling and why you need fruit acids in your skincare regime now.
