Product Review: My Eight Skincare Staples!

By Sha-Lene

Hey shopping kaki! Yes it's me, founder of Your Shopping Kaki! I'm all graduated now and living permanently in Austin, Texas - which means I can blog once in a while to say hi to our beloved readers. Yay!

Sadly I've been really out of touch with the local online shopping scene and it's not something I can catch up on overnight, so I didn't really know what to start blogging about again. Thankfully, one of YSK's current managers, Wei Ni, suggested that I blog about what skincare products I use -- since they're items that may be foreign/new to Malaysian readers. 

I don't know if they are different or new to you guys, but I'm more than happy to share the 411 on my skincare regime! So here goes.

As some of you may already know, I spent the past two years studying in Los Angeles but regularly flew to Austin to spend long weekends/vacations with my then-boyfriend/then-fiancee/now-husband. While the weather in Malaysia is humid and moisturizing for our skin, California is under a drought and Texas is hugely made up of flat, dry land. It's more humid in Texas than Cali, but you know what that means... dry weather, the enemy of supple skin! My skin needed to do some big adjusting!

(Now, just in case you're thinking this "dry weather" problem is an issue Malaysians are invincible to, I think it's important to realize that many of us sit in offices at least eight hours a day in air-conditioned rooms, which has equally drying effects on our skin!)

Skincare Staple #1: A really strong base moisturizer

Let me preface this first point by saying that my mom is an avid fan of SK-II products, and has been using the skincare line for as long as I can remember (at least 10 years!). As a result, her skin looks as youthful as mine, if not more so, despite having 25 years on me. However, she uses about 10 different products every single night before bed -- and I don't have that kind of patience or discipline. Mom laid down the law for base moisturizer, though, and regularly stuffs bottles of SK-II Facial Lift Emulsion into my hands every time she sees me. I use this every time after I wash my face or shower, because if I don't, I start feeling the dryness pulling at my skin within minutes.

I'm not saying SK-II moisturizer is the best or the only one worth using, I'm just saying: whether you think you need it or not, use a moisturizer. Your skin is worth that extra 10 seconds!

Now, moisturizer used to be the only skincare product I needed to use when I was in Malaysia. But with dry weather weathering (excuse my pun) my skin's natural moisture away, I needed reinforcements. Which brings us to...

Skincare Staple #2: (Snail slime) Eye patches

When I first heard about snail slime eye patches, my immediate reaction was "Ewwwwwwwwww." Then I watched Lindy from Bubzbeauty vlog about it, and it didn't seem so gross anymore. However, they cost about $25-$30 per "jar" in the U.S. and I didn't want to pay that much for an experiment... so I asked my parents to get a tub for me in Korea -- where the snail slime eye patches originate from. Much cheaper in Korea and they got the brand that the local Koreans liked the most: Gold Snail Eye Gel Patch Set. I loved that it came with a little spoon and airtight cover under the cover, so you can put the cover back on each time and it won't dry out.

The first time I tried on a pair, I put them on wrong. I tried two different ways and until now I can't decide if I wear them correctly or not. But they feel awesome! They smell wonderful, makes my skin all moisturized, reduces puffiness of eyes -- and I use them regularly now as an anti-ageing product for my eye area since I'm already turning 27 this year. :P (Not that 27 is old!)

Excuse my bare face, but who puts on makeup before doing masks lmao

So the snail slime eye patches - or any eye patches! - cover your eye area, but what about the rest of your face?

Skincare Staple #3: Aloe, Aloe, Aloe!

When I was in Malaysia I used to go for regular facials, and my facial therapist would put aloe vera gel on my face when ever she detected dryness. It always worked like a charm, so when I moved here and realized I couldn't afford facials anymore, I got a big tub of aloe vera gel. My favorite is Nature Republic's Aloe Vera Soothing Gel, and largely it's because it's such a big tub I don't have to feel stingy about putting it on my face. I don't always use this, but only when I feel dry spots starting to crop up! 

On a side note, as Malaysians we're so lucky to have affordable facial services anywhere. I never realized how expensive it is in other parts of the world -- or at least in USA -- and how I always took facials for granted. It usually costs at least $60 here, not even including tips! That's RM225. So you can see why it forced me to find affordable alternatives to skincare.

Staple #4: Hair serums

Not only are facials expensive in the U.S., hair services are too. If you go to get your hair cut at a budget chain, it's about $16 but they won't wash or dry your hair for you. If you go to a legitimate hairstylist, it's usually $50 minimum just for a haircut -- and the more services you want, the higher the number will be. For a hair cut and color job, be prepared to pay at least $100! And if you want a hair treatment? Add anywhere from $30 to $250 to your total.

Dry environments not only affect our skin but also our hair, so I started using a hair serum that's low maintenance, inexpensive and saves me the wallet-burn from needing any professional hair treatments.

I use Kor Nourishing Serum with Quinoa because it smells nice to me, and sometimes hair serums smell funky. A small amount goes a long way so a small bottle of hair serum usually lasts a long, long time.

Staple #5: Moisturizing + Sun-Protecting Foundation

I've blogged about Missha BB cream back in 2010, when BB cream started exploding on the Malaysian online shopping scene. I hope this is a testament to how much I love BB cream: I've been using it for at least five years now!

Even though many, many other brands pop up all the time, I've stuck to Missha because it's been great for me all this while. While the rest of my body has been sunburned five shades darker in California, my face has retained its same hue thanks to the SPF 42 protection in my makeup foundation. It also moisturizes my skin, so I don't feel like makeup means drying your skin out even more.

Staple #6: Face Scrub

Anyone who wears makeup regularly knows the dangers of residue makeup clogging up your pores, if you don't remove your makeup thoroughly. I only use makeup remover for my eyes, and then I use a moisturizing shower gel that has little organic "pearls" in them. And once a week, I use St Ive's Blemish Control Apricot Scrub to make sure I'm keeping my pores unclogged.

I think any (decent) brand of face scrub will do: I just use St Ive's because there are dozens of brands here that I've never heard of, and when faced with the unknown we gravitate toward the brand we've actually heard of before!

Staples #7 and #8: Don't "Mask" Your Inner Beauty!

After years of writing nothing but research papers, it feels so good to flood my writing with puns again. But seriously, I love face masks. There are few elements of any skincare regime that feel as good as putting on a revitalizing, moisturizing mask on a Friday night and sitting back to read a book.

Ideally I like to use a mask twice a week, which is why I put this as TWO staples. Pictured above is my latest haul of masks from Korea: again courtesy of my parents who visited me for graduation last month. But worry not, you can get masks anywhere -- I like to get them in bulk because it's cheaper that way, and then you can use them regularly.

So there you have it, my eight skincare staples! 

What are your skincare staples? 

Where do you buy them? 

Please share in the comments below, because I'm curious what the latest trends in Malaysia are when it comes to skincare too!

Happy Shopping!

Your Shopping Kaki :)