my simple facial care routine

I have a very relatively simple facial care routine that I follow. I only put makeup on very special occasions so my routine is not meant to care for the face with daily applied makeup. My facial skin is also quite sensitive and on the dry side (i.e., I sometimes need to use Vaseline to moisturize my face and not lotions/creams). Even though I am in my late twenties, I still get pimples. That’s right, I am so far away from my teenage years, and I am still getting pimples, isn’t that just annoying?! But it’s not a crazy acne problem. I usually get 1 or 2 pimples about a week before my menstruation period starts. It used to be a lot more, but I have adjusted my facial skin routine to minimize the pimple appearances and want to share it.

I only use 2 products – a facial cleanser and a facial exfoliater. For facial cleanser, I use the NAIVE Facial Cleansing Wash – Aloe, and for facial exfoliator, I use the  St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub.

NAIVE Facial Cleansing Wash, Aloe

St Ives Scrub, Fresh Skin Apricot

The instructions for the NAIVE cleanser are in Japanese, but it’s not hard to use. Every time while in the shower, I let the warm water splash my face to open up the pores. I squeeze less than a dime sized amount of the NAIVE Facial cleanser and gently massage it around my face. It does sting the eye if you accidentally get any of it in your eyes so be careful for that. It does not foam very much, which I very much appreciate as my dermatologist told me to stay away from foaming products since the foam dries out the skin even more. It has a very light fragrance and has a flip-cap lid which is very handy.

I squeeze out less than a dime size amount of the exfoliator and using my other hand, I distribute that amount by patting a small amount onto my forehead, chin, cheeks, nose, and temples. Then I start massaging them around those facial areas. You only need this little to do the job. I use the exfoliator only once a week or so as it is a bit drying and exfoliators are not meant to be used more than that. The cap lid is a twist off kind so that part is a bit annoying.

Despite my sensitive skin, neither of these products have had negative effects on me. My skin feels smooth and soft after I use the NAIVE facial cleanser. My pimples appears less often too. I used to use the Cetaphil Facial Cleanser as it is one of the mainstream brands meant for more sensitive skins, but it dries out my skin more than the NAIVE, has a very alcohol-y scent, and did not improve my pimple problem.

Both products are also very tight budget-friendly and you only need such a small amount too. While I had been using the exfoliator since my college days, my Bubee was the one who first bought the NAIVE facial cleanser since he was first introduced to it while he was visiting Japan and I have been sharing it with him for over a year, and still maybe has a little less than another year’s supply of it left. So this product is definitely suitable for men to use as well.