How is it that whenever I stay at a nice hotel, its bathroom always has a counter way nicer than my own? I’m talking granite slabs, warm diffused lighting all round the huge mirror and lots of natural light coming in through the tall glass windows.
It’s so good that all my facial flaws suddenly seem so glaringly obvious, and I end up wondering if I’ve always looked like that even when I’m back in Singapore, where the humidity is supposed to make my skin age slower.
I’m in the midst of a new book I bought, PRETTY HONEST BY SALI HUGHES (I can’t recommend it enough), and Sali starts off with her grandmother’s beauty mantra. That got me thinking: What was my mantra?
If you asked me this question 5 years ago, it would be to create the best smokey eye that any girl could have, using not more than 4 colours of eyeshadow and one eyeliner. But fast forward 5 years later and times have changed.
It took me a couple of trips by the beach – and several scrutinising sessions in front of said bathroom mirror – to realise how being in the sun magically creates sunspots in places I don’t necessarily desire. And the worse part is that it’s not easy getting rid of them, unless I get some laser done (and I’m not keen on burning my skin off).
So now, it’s 2016, I’m older, and my new mantra is to take care of my skin and use sunscreen as much as I possibly can when I head outdoors.
Having sensitive skin isn’t fun, but at least I have skin to care for. And breaking out in a rash almost every time I try something new can get frustrating. But at least I know which products work and which don’t, and I never make the mistake of using the ones that don’t work again.
Foundation with SPF used to work wonders for me, when all the rest of my body would burn but my face would stay unaffected by extended periods under the sun. But now that it doesn’t seem as effective anymore – I seriously wonder why – I’m starting to believe that sunscreen is more important than foundation with SPF. Which is why I ended up getting some COOLA SUNCARE FACE SPF 30 CUCUMBER MATTE FINISH SUNSCREEN and COOLA MINERAL SPF 30 DAYDREAM MAKEUP PRIMER during a recent trip to Birchbox Soho. Testing those products out at the store made me feel like perhaps, there is still some hope left in finding the perfect sunscreen for my very reactive skin.
Can’t wait to use these two.
You’ve probably never thought about your own mantra, so why not take the chance now to ponder upon it over some lightly roasted caffeine? Decide on one that seems the most practical to you, so that you will follow through with it for the next few years or so. I would tell you to stick with sunscreen but everyone has different skin, lifestyle and needs, so you’ll have to decide for yourself what your mantra will be.
And then, share it with me! I’d love to hear it.
Keep glowing,
Roxanne