Change | Current Skincare Routine

Change was the buzzword during our country’s presidential elections last year. Many believed it was time for a staunch authoritarian to lead us to prosperity, peace, and order. Looking at what is happening now, several months after the president was sworn into office, you can see that the promise of change was fulfilled, but not in the way many of us imagined.

On the streets lay the bodies of our brothers and sisters. There have been more than 7,000 deaths, and many more are expected to die as our Congress pushes for the return of death penalty. Change has come, and it’s not pretty, to say the least.

I’ve said it many times over — I can’t possibly look as relaxed and stress-free no matter what I put on my face because the gravity of what’s going on around me will loom over me. But the least I can do is try. The fight for human rights will continue, and I will do my best to participate and contribute in any way I can no matter how small. The struggle to continue prioritizing self-care exists, but I will try to remind myself that I can see my country’s problems and my personal welfare as both important.

If you’ve seen my latest update, you’d know that I’ve made a big change in terms of my career. And because of that, I’ve made a few changes in my schedule and the way I use my time. I find myself having less me time lately because I haven’t fully adjusted to the demands of my new job yet. So I resorted to sizing down my regimen. My dreams of having a routine that involves 12 steps will have to be set aside for now. I’m sticking to easy.

Cleanser

I’m halfway through a tube of the Safeguard Derma Sense facial cleanser, and I like it so far. I can’t vouch for its power to get rid of acne because I only get pimples when I don’t cleanse properly or don’t get enough sleep now. (Thank the universe I don’t get hormonal acne anymore.) I can, however, say that it’s good at keeping my skin hydrated. Its consistency reminds me a bit of Cetaphil’s albeit it’s a little thicker. It washes off rather easily and leaves my skin feeling moisturized after wash.

Toner

The bottle of LANEIGE White Plus Renew Skin Refiner that Rae sent me a few months ago is still what I use. I think I still have a long way to go before I finish this, but I don’t think I’d be repurchasing after. Toners are not exactly my favorite things to review because I haven’t encountered one that really rendered a significant change on my skin. I still tone out of habit, though. As far as this particular product is concerned, I really can’t say much about its effectiveness because as mentioned, the cleanser I use is rather moisturizing so I can’t really tell how well this does as far as balancing goes. In terms of lightening dark marks, I do think it does the job, but I need a more potent product — perhaps a lightening essence or a different vitamin C serum.

Exfoliator

The Human Heart Nature Balancing Facial Wash is what I currently use as an exfoliator. This one’s something I have to give a bit more time to gauge. I’ve yet to try chemical exfoliators, so I can’t say whether that would work better than this. I use it because it has speckles of bamboo. So far, this does the job. Also, it’s a natural product, making it expire faster, so I want to finish it right away.

Moisturizer

I bought the Olay Moisturizing Cream on a whim. It was a couple of days before I was out for a PR trip, and I needed a moisturizer because the sachet I was trying out for my series was already emptied. I like it so far, although I like the effect of the Total Effects one better.

I’m planning to add a few more things to my routine as soon as I get into the groove of things. As far as what I’m planning to do with the dire situation of my country, I’ve yet to figure it out. But I sure as hell won’t change my mind about speaking up about things that matter to me.