1) I hate the HEAT!
Heat causes me to sweat and become sweaty all over...
2) My skin tends to be more greasy!; More prone to BREAKOUT!
During summer, my skin tends to be more oilier than usual. Thus, it get clogged more easily and more often which leads to BREAKOUT! Rawr, I hate this!
3) ENLARGED PORES!
*faint*
The reasons/problems stated are not happening only to me. I believe many of you face the same problems as well. Summer causes us to be more prone to sweat, breakout and enlarge pores but there are a few ways to reduce these problems. Let me share with you how I tackle them.
Let's talk about 'breakouts' first, shall we?
I received enquiries asking how's my skin now. To be honest, it's not doing too good but it's not doing too bad either.
Despite using acne-fighting skincare products from Etude House AC Clinic,
Well, you be the judge! Here's a RAW picture of my skin, taken on 19th June 2014.
Today, majority of my clogged pores(flesh colored bumps) have cleared up. 
I'm in the process of treating my enlarged pores now. Will update on my progress in the future. 
I'm in the process of treating my enlarged pores now. Will update on my progress in the future. from 0:12 to 2:29
from 0:10 to 1:58
I exfoliate twice a week and my current favorite exfoliators are Cure Natural Aqua Gel and Etude House Baking Powder Crunch Pore Scrub.
For more info, check out my full review here:
Baking Powder Crunch Pore Scrub: http://bitsdiaries.blogspot.com/2014/04/review-etude-house-baking-powder-crunch.html
Cure Natural Aqua Gel: http://bitsdiaries.blogspot.com/2013/05/review-cure-natural-aqua-gel.html
As for zits that are already at the stage of inflammation, treat them with acne spot treatment. There are many over-the-counter acne spot treatments that come in different forms like a cream, gel, liquid... My personal favorites are Liquid Spot and Pink Powder Spot from Etude House AC Clinic range.
AC Clinic Intense Liquid Spot: http://bitsdiaries.blogspot.com/2013/10/review-etude-house-ac-clinic-intense.html
AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot: http://bitsdiaries.blogspot.com/2012/01/review-etude-house-ac-clinic-foam.html
In unexpected circumstances, where the zit popped itself or I accidentally scratched and popped the zit and it started to bleed, I will definitely not touch the area with my fingers. I will usually use a tissue to stop the bleeding and then, I will paste Nexcare Acne Patch on the opened wound.
Next, ENLARGED PORES. This is another problem that many people are facing. It is something like acne which is so difficult to get rid of. Yeah yeah~ I know... I realized my pores seem to get more enlarged in the summer. (You can judge it from the picture of my skin posted at the beginning of this post.) I guess...it probably caused by oily skin...hmm... If that's the proximate cause, by tackling the sebum may prevent further enlarging pores problem.
When we mentioned 'sebum', we thought of oil-blotters. This is an important summer essential to me. As my skin gets more oilier in the summer, oil-blotters come in really handy to instantly clears the excess oil.
Oil-blotters only help to clear excess oil(=reduces clogged pores). It does not make the pores smaller. To achieve smaller pores, I need some pore tightening products. Usually pore-care skincare products contain sebum-control properties so those with oily skin and enlarged pores without bad acne, you can look for products that are specifically for pore care.
In fact, I actually bought some pore-care skincare products but I have yet to open and use them because I would prefer to finish my current opened skincare products before opening new product. Having that said, I have to look for other alternatives for now, in which, I seek for facial masks.
I owned quite a few pore care/sebum-control masks and I decided to select only three out of my mask collections. These selected ones are the ones that I have been using most frequently in the summer. They are all part of my holy grail products by the way and they are:
Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask
I believe many of you have heard of this mask. It's pretty famous in the beauty world. It contains solidified lava caused by volcanic eruptions in Jeju Island which helps to absorb dirt, sebum and impurities deeply embedded within the skin pores, leaving the skin feeling clean and purified. Absolutely love this!Caolion Blackhead Steam Pore Pack [Step 1]
This steam pore pack generates a warm, steaming effect that helps to open the pores. It contains charcoal powder which helps to extract sebum, blackheads and impurities from the skin pores. It can be applied to the whole face by the way. This mask is the most awesome heating mask I have ever tried. Like seriously... The heat generated is much warmer than TheFaceShop Blackhead Heating Gel Mask that I had reviewed 2-3 weeks ago. But no worries, the heat will not scald you. It really opens up the pores and cleanses throughly deep into the skin pores, leaving your face feeling clean without drying your face.
Caolion Pore Original Pack (Tightening) [Step 2]
As for this, it is a tightening mask which can be use as an "after treatment" .aka. second step after using the Blackhead Steaming Pore Pack. Basically, it claims to tighten the pores and it really does! When applied on the face, it gives a cooling and minty sensation which helps to calm down the skin. This mask is by far the most effective tightening mask I have ever tried!
Both products from Caolion have been added into my review list so stay tuned for the reviews~
Apart from the problems stated previously, HYDRATING is very important too! Do not forget to hydrate the skin! As the climate in Summer is usually mega hot, our skin can get dehydrated very easily. So DRINK UP!, DRINK PLENTY OF WATER! Also, do not forget to feed your skin with hydrating skincare products/masks.
Lately, my skin is facing different problems(breakouts, enlarged pores, super oily + mild dry skin etc. ). I kind of use different products from different brands to achieve maximum results in treating all the problems my skin is facing. So besides the additional pore-care masks, I am still using the same skincare products listed in my 'skincare routine' page but recently, I added in Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum, which I received during my birthday, into my skincare routine.
And not forgetting hydrating masks, my favorite soothing and hydrating masks are from My Beauty Diary...
Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Mask and Aloe Mask
Both masks soothe and hydrate the skin super well and to maximize the soothing effect, chilled them in the fridge prior application. Absolutely perfect for summer!Moving on to... Sweaty~Sweaty~ problem eww...
A deodorant helps to keep you smelling fresh all day. My personal all-time favorite is the Rexona Shower Clean 48hr Anti-Perspirant Deodorant.
Sweating makes you feel sticky and uncomfortable? Well, cleansing wipes come to the rescue~ Of course, it does not stop us from sweating but it does help in some ways...like...temporary relieves you from sweaty and stickiness. While some contain fragrances, it reduces the bad odor, leaving you smelling pleasant~ So keep a packet of cleansing body wipes in your bag! It might comes in handy in this summer. FYI, I'm using the Holika Holika So Cool Deo Perfume Tissue. Sorry, no picture for this.
Also, don't forget to use sunscreen! I don't use one so I can't share about anything about sunscreen but I know it helps to protect and prevent the skin from the damage, such as wrinkles and age spots, caused by the sun ray. I'm considering getting one soon... maybe... not sure yet~
Alright, we have come to the end of this post. I hope you readers enjoy my long writing. Ermm..., I have read all the emails and comments you readers sent in but I have yet to reply to any of them... Sorry about that. I will reply as soon as possible. Give me some more time, please~ That's that, I will update again soon hopefully.
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