One of the things that I had to thoroughly adjust to when I moved here is my skincare routine.  All my life, I’ve lived on a tropical island.  My hair have had natural volume for as long as I can remember, and my skin with a light sheen from the humidity.  But here, it is a completely different thing.

Winter was the worst.  I have never experienced such polarities in my entire life!  One day, my skin is as dry as powder and cracking, the next day it goes hyper oily.  Honestly, I’ve never even broken out for the longest time, but it all changed when I got here.  So that was the priority:  get a skincare regimen in order.

I do this routine once a week, and so far, my face is liking it.  I wash my face with Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash, 6 Ounce, rinsing it off with warm water.  It leaves my skin feeling refreshed, it’s unscented, and it comes off easily, so I’m never really worried about residue.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash, 6 Ounce

This facial wash really helped controlling my breakouts.  I found most products here in the US to be quite harsh, but Neutrogena has served me well so far.

After rinsing, I put on this glorious mask.  It’s always part of Amazon’s Best Sellers, and if you’re an Amazon fan, I’m pretty sure you’ve seen this around.

Pure Body Naturals Beauty Dead Sea Mud Mask for Facial Treatment, 250g / 8.8 fl.oz

This mask can easily be applied, but once I left the lid slightly open and the edges hardened.  Hahahaha.  So always take care of your product.  That way, it can take care of you.  😉

Pure Body Naturals Beauty Dead Sea Mud Mask for Facial Treatment, 250g / 8.8 fl.oz needs to be left on for at least 15 minutes.  I usually leave it on for 20, but that’s because I wait for everything to completely dry out.  Rinse with warm water and pat dry.  AND I MEAN JUST PAT.  I dried off overzealously before and it left some red streaks across my face.

WORD OF CAUTION WITH THE MUD MASK!!!!  You have to make sure that your sink is cleared of all its residue.  Once, I forgot to drain it completely and the mud mask residue got stuck on the sink.  Hahahaha.  Don’t worry it comes off with warm water and a light scrubbing!  It’s just a morbid scene to wake up to.

A zit still pops out every now and then, but they don’t come in droves anymore.  When one shows up, I make sure that I cover it up with Nexcare Acne Absorbing Cover, Two Sizes, 36 Count.  It dries up the zit overnight and it doesn’t have to swell up so noticeably anymore!  It’s such a joy.  I used the same product back in my home country and I’m so happy I found the same one here.

The mask helped in refining some laugh lines (since I’ve been using it for the past 6 months), and it never fails to leave me feeling clean and moisturized.  I still put on a pea sized amount of moisturizer, but not immediately after the mask.  I cherish the smoothness and cleanliness of my skin for a good five minutes or so.  Hahahaha.

There you go!  What’s your skin cleansing routine?