The Secrets to Achieving an Effective Beauty Sleep
If you’re young and working in the city, then chances are, you like talking about how much sleep you’re not getting because of your weekday drinks. But come weekend, isn’t it great to just wakeup fresh and well-rested? Or have better-looking skin because you rested early for three consecutive days? Well, that’s all because of good sleep. So if you ever decide to start hitting the sack early one of these nights, here are several ways on how you could possibly make the most out of your beauty sleep.
Keep Your Hands Off Your Gadgets
Perhaps you already heard about it, but that little white and blue lights on your phone will only disrupt your sleep. You could turn on the night mode on your gadgets but it won’t only keep you up, it’ll also wear your eyes out. Instead of spending more time on your phone at night, just set your alarm and snuggle with your partner or your favourite pillow – this will definitely help in relaxing you more.
Start a Night-Time Beauty Routine
Sitting down and paying extra attention to your skin can be a good me-time ritual. Start with the thinnest formula to the thickest, then the most concentrated to the least. Go straight for the eye cream and apply it directly on the under eye area so it could refresh your sleep-deprived skin. Once you’re done, pat on some night serum and let it sink in. After that, seal in the hydration using a night-time moisturizer so you’ll wake up to a softer and glowing skin.
Read Novels Before Hitting the Sack
If surfing the net or reading online is your way to wind down at night, then choose to go back to reading a good old novel. With this, you keep reading until you fall asleep but ditch those murder mysteries though, as they might keep your mind from relaxing.
Invest in Quality Sheets and Blankets
That’s no surprise here. It’s the reason why most hotel blankets are so comfortable and so good to sink into. To recreate the same feeling on your bedroom, make sure that you invest in quality blankets and sheets.
Enjoy a Luxurious Warm Bath
Enjoying a warm bath and shower is a guaranteed way to calm you down. Plus, it’s more comfortable to hit the sack when you’re all clean and scrubbed.
Getting a quality beauty sleep is the key to looking fresh even after a hard day at work or a night full of partying. So be sure to put these sleep-friendly tips to use so you could maximize your beauty rest, and enjoy a youthful-looking skin.
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A Snow White Complexion in Your Beauty Bag
5 Best Skin Brightening Products to Keep in Your Beauty Stash
While we encourage that we all be happy and content with the beauty that was bestowed upon each of us, there definitely isn’t anything wrong with wanting to have a fairer and brighter skin. As the saying goes: to each his own. So for ladies who are looking for the best way to brighten their complexion, we listed down some of the best beauty shop finds that’ll do the trick.
- Estée Lauder CyberWhite Brilliant Cells Night Cream
Hate applying thick, sticky creams on your face? Then we’ve got the right whitening product for you. Estée Lauder’s CyberWhite Brilliant Cells Cream is a lightweight milky lotion perfect for ladies with very dry skin. It has a rich formula that deeply penetrates into the skin, enabling it to hydrate and brighten dark areas from within.
- Kiehl’s Ultimate White Activated Whitening Cream
Touted as one of the whitening cream favourites, Kiehl’s whitening moisturizer is an all-in product that takes care of more than just one skin issue. It’s loaded with light-reflecting minerals that lessen the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and dark spots, while brightening your overall complexion. This day moisturizer also has a non-sticky formula that leaves you with a matte finish, making it work great as a double for your makeup primer.
- Lancôme Blanc Expert Nuit Night Cream
The good thing about night-time restoration is it allows our skin to heal itself as we sleep, which means applying a multitasking cream that whitens the skin as it speeds up its restoration process. Lancôme’s night cream won’t only help in lightening your skin, it’ll also boost your body’s collagen production, allowing you to wake up to fairer, firmer and softer skin.
- Olay White Radiance Brightening Foaming Cleanser
Wash away all the day’s dirt and impurities using Olay’s gentle foaming cleanser, which doesn’t just promise clean skin, but also brighter and fairer complexion in just a few weeks’ time.
- Pond’s Flawless Dewy Rose Whitening Soft Gel
If you’re looking for an affordable cream that promises to deliver amazing results, then Pond’s Dewy Rose Whitening Soft Gel is for you. Although it’s inexpensive, this lightweight gel actually manages to whiten your skin in just two weeks.
Knowing what whitening products to keep in your beauty stash will certainly help achieve your dream of having fairer and brighter skin. So make sure that you give any of these products a shot the next time your current whitening cream runs out.
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Important Ingredients Your Anti-Aging Product Should Have
One thing that puts some women off skin care is its complexity. There’s just plenty of products to choose from, which can be quite overwhelming if you’re not sure about what product to buy. To help ease your confusion in choosing the right product to buy, we listed down some of the important anti-aging ingredients you should look for while shopping, particularly if you plan on keeping your youthful glow.
- Alpha Hydroxy Acids
Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) is an acid that exfoliate the outermost layer of the skin to reveal a smoother and revitalized complexion. In most skincare products, AHA takes the form of lactic acid, glycolic acid and mandelic acid. Products containing such acids perform best in acidic pH levels, and when they’re formulated well, they’ll certainly pack a good punch.
- Hydroquinone
Hydroquinone goes a long way when it comes to evening out blotches, sun spots and mottled skin. This skin lightener fades hyperpigmentation away by blocking the enzymes that trigger melanin production in the skin. Using a product with a four percent hydroquinone formula is already enough to fade blotches away, but pairing it with a 0.5 percent retinoid will give you faster and better whitening results.
- Niacinamide
You can always rely on the powers of niacinamide when it comes to solving issues like skin dullness and hyperpigmentation. This skincare ingredient aids in preventing the biggest issues of aging skin, such as elasticity and moisture loss, which contributes to the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Niacinamide works best in higher concentrations, so if it’s included in the ingredient list of a particular product, consider giving it a shot.
- Retinol
Known as a form of vitamin A, retinol helps in boosting your skin’s collagen production, leaving you with better skin tone, texture and immunity against skin irritants. Although it’s a must-have ingredient in your anti-aging product, be careful in choosing your retinol though, because using a strong retinol product might cause your skin to peel and purge at the initial stages.
- Vitamin C
Still have the acne scars brought by your teenage years? Then be sure to include a vitamin C or an ascorbic acid serum in your skincare routine. Making vitamin C a staple in your routine won’t only help in fading acne scars, it’ll also make your skin more resistant to sun damage to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles overtime.
Knowing what ingredients your anti-aging product should contain will surely help in slowing the effects of time on your skin. So be sure to keep your eyes on these ingredients the next time you shop for your skincare products.
Aloe Vera Gel as Acne Treatment
Aloe vera is widely used as a natural treatment for skin conditions like minor abrasion, burns and cuts. Its leaves are cut and the gel is applied on the affected areas to facilitate healing. Acne, a skin condition characterized by irritation, itching, inflammation, and pain, occurs when the follicles become clogged with dirt and oil. If completely blocked by bacteria, acne can become a painful and unsightly problem. Fortunately, aloe vera – along with a good skincare regimen – can help you get rid of your acne problems.
How Aloe Vera Treats Acne
Aloe vera treats acne by acting as a natural astringent that removes dirt, excess oil, and dead skin cells, which clogs the pores and causes bacterial infection. Other than that, the miracle plant also aids in reducing inflammation, pain and redness associated with acne. Lastly, aloe vera gel Singapore improves appearances of scars due to its influential antioxidants, vitamins C and E, and zinc.
How Aloe Vera is Best Used
As much as possible, use fresh aloe gel extracted from the leaf as it contains the effective and essential healing properties needed to treat an injured skin. It helps to drink aloe vera gel for health in Singapore as it is good for clearing up acne as well. So purchase an aloe vera plant from your local market to treat acne on your face, chest, back and scalp. It’s inexpensive and doesn’t require a lot of work to use.
How to Treat Acne Using Aloe Vera
1. Thoroughly wash the affected areas of your facial skin twice a day with an antibacterial soap. While washing, scrub the soap on your skin in a circular motion then rinse with warm water, and dry it with a towel. Also, avoid reusing the towel as it may spread the bacteria causing additional acne.
2. After washing your face, cut an outer leaf of your aloe Vera plant using scissors, pruning shears, or a sharp knife. However, don’t pull the leaf when cutting as it may damage the plant. Instead, firmly hold the end of the leaf when cutting it off.
3. Gently squeeze out the gel from the leaf, and dab a thin layer of it on the affected area. After that, let the gel dry before putting some clothes on. For additional protection from acne-causing bacteria, apply some antibacterial cream over the gel and let it dry. Singapore dermatologists explain that aloe contains substances that stimulate skin cell growth, which aids in speeding up healing and reducing chances of acne scarring.
4. Apply the gel to the affected areas after washing and before going to bed. Use the gel at night to give it enough time to work on healing acne inflammation. If you don’t have an aloe plant at home, just purchase an aloe vera gel available at your local pharmacy. Pure aloe gel has similar soothing and healing properties as the plant, and is a more convenient way of keeping aloe in your home.
5. Use the aloe vera gel Singapore on a regular basis even if your acne has completely healed. Apart from its healing properties, aloe also contains properties that help in decreasing skin aging and is considered as an effective moisturizer. Using it on a regular basis protects the skin from bacteria build-up and environmental effects that may cause acne breakouts.
Aloe Vera Face Masks for Acne Treatment
1. Aloe and Lemon Mask
This aloe face mask features lemon juice that works as a natural skin brightener. It also aids in fading acne scars and dark spots, making your skin look clearer just after a few uses. Create your own aloe-lemon face mask by doing the following:
• Choose and cut a thick aloe leaf from the plant, and wash it under running water. After that, squeeze out as much juice as possible into a clean bowl, and scrape out the aloe gel with a spoon.
• Once you’re done, simply mix the gel with two to three drops of lemon juice.
• Apply and gently massage the mixture on your face and neck, then leave it on for 15-20 minutes before rinsing with warm water.
• After that, pat dry your skin with a clean towel and apply moisturizer as usual. Continue performing this regimen thrice a week to even out your skin tone and prevent acne breakouts.
If you don’t have lemons at home, grapefruit and lime works as good alternative.
2. Aloe and Honey Mask
This face mask combines aloe vera’s anti-inflammatory properties with honey’s moisturizing and anti-microbial benefits to create a powerful treatment that calms and soothes the skin while fighting acne at the same time. So start making your own aloe and honey mask by doing the following steps:
• Add a tablespoon of aloe gel and honey in a clean bowl, then stir the ingredients using a spoon until it’s well-combined.
• Once you’re done, apply and leave the mask on your face or any other areas for 20 minutes.
• Wash your face or body with warm water, and pat your skin dry with a clean towel. You can apply your moisturizer if desired.
3. Aloe, Milk and Sugar Mask
This face mask is great for brightening, moisturizing, soothing and fighting acne with the additional benefits of milk and sugar. Sugar is rich in glycolic acid, which promotes cell turnover. It’s also a humectant, so it helps in drawing in moisture. Milk, on the other hand, enhances the complexion with its brightening, moisturizing, soothing and toning properties.
• Mix a tablespoon of sugar and ½ tablespoon of milk until the former is completely dissolved. After that, add two tablespoons of your store-brought or freshly prepared aloe vera gel.
• Apply and leave the mask on for 20 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water. Once you’re done, pat dry with towel and apply your moisturizer, if desired.
Acne Treatment Alternatives
If you don’t feel like using pure aloe vera gel, then opt for over-the-counter treatment alternatives for your acne problem. Most Singapore dermatologists recommend using over-the-counter products that contain benzoyl peroxide for treating pimples.
Apart from having a good skincare routine, using aloe vera gel is another natural way of getting rid of your acne problems. Just make sure to consult your physician about using pure aloe gel beforehand to get the most out of this miracle gel.
