My Experience: Dry Skin, Use Sleeping Mask as a Serum

My skin type is normally combination, slightly oily at the t-zone and dehydrated at the cheeks.

Recently, my skin has been very dry and even flaky at the nose area. So I have been trying all means and ways to rehydrate my skin. Dry skin is a pain as it hurts at times when using certain skin products and causes my skin to be more sensitive than usual and my eczema sometimes flares up as well.

The routine I have been sticking with has been working well:

Cleansing: Shu Uemura cleansing oil. Avene gel cleanser
Toner: Clinique Clarifying Moisture Lotion 2
Serum: Laneige Water Sleeping Pack
Moisturiser: La Mer Creme de La Mer

Yes, I have been using Laneige Water Sleeping Pack as a serum, before moisturiser every night and I find it works nicely as a hydrating serum and a wonderful water boost for my skin. It takes a while to absorb and sink in, but it's like I am using a hydrating mask and then using the Creme de la Mer to seal the moisture in. I find that this works better than the other way round: Creme de la Mer then Laneige Water Sleeping Pack. I can't explain why but the effect is just different. In the mornings, I wake up with everything absorbed. My skin is not oily in the mornings but nicely moisturised. Unfortunately, by mid day my skin gets dry again (might be the office air con).

I would only recommend this routine if your skin is really dry or dehydrated like mine as it is this routine is not only rich in moisture but also in oil content. Dry skin means lacking in both oil and moisture, dehydrated skin lacks moisture but not oil. The Creme is really rich in the sense that it is very emollient and acts as a good barrier to prevent moisture loss. This is why I always have a tub of creme de la mer with me cos its the best to use in such skin changes and emergency situations like sensitive reactions.

So, if you have dry skin, you can try using your sleeping mask as a serum before an emollient (rich, oily) moisturiser. It might work better than using it as the last step.

Oil Cleansers

There are so many brands of oil cleansers in the market nowadays and so many different types of oil cleansers, but do all of us suit oil cleansers?

For some, oil cleansers cause break outs or increase in clogged pores. I suffered that before. One of the reasons behind this is because oil cleansers contain emulsifiers - an ingredient that causes the oil to become milky upon contact with water so that we can wash the oil off easily. The emulsifier can potentially clog our pores and cause breakouts.

That is what happened to me but I still prefer to use oil cleansers than milk cleansers to remove my make up and sunscreen. Reason being, oil cleansers give me a cleaner feel. With milk cleansers, I have to repeatedly use cotton pads to remove my make up and it gives me a sense of not having clean skin.

So how do I choose oil cleansers that will suit my skin? Consider whether the oil cleanser has reduced risk of clogging pores by checking the label to see if it is non-comedogenic. One example will be Shu Uemura's cleansing oil. One thing good about Shu Uemura is you can cloose the type of oil cleanser to use depending on your skin type. One drawback is that it contains mineral oil. Something that I usually avoid as it is also reputed to cause breakouts.

Do consider the texture of the oil and if it emulsifies thoroughly without leaving any oily residue. And most importantly, always cleanse with a normal facial cleanser after using an oil cleanser. Double cleansing is important to ensure that your skin is thoroughly clean from oil and dirt.

Review: Shu Uemura vs Fancl Cleansing Oil

Fancl Mild Cleansing Oil has been my favourite cleansing oil for many years. I have tried other brands' cleansing oil but none worked as well as the Fancl Mild Cleansing Oil, so I have been sticking to it for many years.

Recently, I noticed that my face has more oil clogs than usual. These look like bumps on the skin and I can feel it when cleansing my face. When I try to extract it (which is a bad thing to do), some substance will get squeezed out. My facialist at Fancl terms this the 'toothpaste' because it gets squeezed out similar to a toothpaste. After a round of questions, she said that the Mild Cleansing Oil might be causing the oil clogs but it is just a preliminary guess. So I thought I might just take the chance to try out the Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula. The Fancl Mild Cleansing Oil also recently upgraded to a new version so I thought maybe the new version didn't suit my skin. I will compare the two cleansing oils in this review.

I bought my Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula in Korea as it was cheaper there (also due to some sales at the duty free).

Back to my review, texture wise, the Fancl MCO is more thick/viscous and less oil-like, doesn't drip and flow down my hand while massaging away the makeup. The Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil however, is more similar in texture to cooking oil, so it is more runny. I personally prefer the thicker Fancl MCO texture as it feels less like oil on my face and has a cushiony feel while massaging. The Shu Uemura is more runny and oil-like in texture so I prefer the Fancl one more.

In terms of how well the cleansing oil emulsifies on contact with water, Fancl also does better as it melts away into a milky solution on contact with water and face feels clean, whereas for Shu Uemura, it feels like I still have something on my face after washing off and I feel like I must quickly use a cleanser to wash it off more thoroughly.

I also think that Fancl has more cleansing power than Shu Uemura, so my face feels cleaner after washing off. Upon testing with Clinique Clarifying Lotion, I sometimes find some yellowish stuff on the cotton pad, which is leftover dirt on my skin when using Shu Uemura but this doesn't occur with Fancl MCO (I use the same cleanser both times - Fancl Washing Powder).

I bought the 450ml Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil and it works out to be cheaper than Fancl MCO when per ml cost was calculated (surprisingly!).

All in all, I prefer Fancl Mild Cleansing Oil to the Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula, however as I am afraid that it might not suit me, I will be monitoring to see if there is any improvement with Shu Uemura and if anything happens when I switch back to Fancl.

Rate:
4.5/5 Fancl;
4/5 Shu Uemura