TOPAZ HORIZON

It's no secret that I've been battling acne for the last three decades. Because of Flawless Face & Body Clinic, my face is finally clear!!! Smooth and radiant for the first time in the longest time. Does this mean I've been cured? Well, no. I still need my monthly facials to manage my acne-prone skin. Notice I now say "acne-prone skin" and not "acne-ridden face." I'm soooo happy!


Anyway, since I'm still an oily-skinned woman (yes, even though I'm already 41), I'm here to share with you how I manage to look fantabulous even though my skin had suffered from oil, breakouts, dark pimple spots, and ice-pick scars. How? With the right makeup!

You'll be happy to know that I don't use a ton of products, too. Here they are, my tried-and-tested makeup for oily skin:

Primer
I only use primer when I have a whole day of events or when I have a speaking engagement. Primer creates a smooth base by filling up pitted scars and fine lines (acts like masilya haha) and also makes makeup adhere better, longer. I've tried a few primers. The Bobbi Brown Skin Smoothing Pore Perfector, P1,780, is my favorite. Two thumbs up for helping me look pore-less, line-less, and scar-less.


Foundation
A huge perk of my job back then as editor at Calyxta.com was we Calyxta girls could sample the tons of products our beauty website sells. I've been happy with Maybelline Dream Mousse foundation until one day, testers of L'Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte 24HR foundation dropped at Calyxta HQ. I tried it and our art director, Ming, said, "What are you wearing? You look great!"

This was a huge deal for me, guys, because when I was working at Calyxta, I couldn't do reviews that showed my face—I had sooo many pimples and dark scars. L'Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte 24HR foundation, P700, covered that all up! Even better, the foundation dries to a matte finish and my face stays shine-free all day long. I love it!


Concealer
For really dark spots and for those days I hadn't gotten a good night's sleep (and when you're a mother, you never get any of that!), Pink Sugar Our Lil Secret Concealer, P349, always rescued me. Pink Sugar is a local brand. Yes!!! Support local!!! I love that it's local because its formula takes into consideration our tropical climate. This concealer covers all blemishes and it stays on those blemishes all day. This concealer does not budge! It comes in a tiny tube but that's okay because it's a thick product. Just a tiny bit goes a long way. I love it!


Eyeliner
This is another fab find. I love the Malissa Kiss Super Black Ultra HD Eye Liner, P349. Malissa Kiss is a Thai brand. I used to skip eyeliner because it always smudges. Always! I always end up looking like a raccoon. But here comes this liquid eyeliner from Thailand, sporting an extremely fine point that makes for precision lining. The ink dries quickly so blinky-eyes me won't even need to fan my eyes for the liner to set. And when it sets, it's there forever. I love it!


Eyebrow Pen
Behold—the Malissa Kiss Super Shape Ultra HD Brow Pencil, P349! It's so easy to use. Just brush up brows with the built-in spoolie, then draw on your arches with the crayon on the other end. The crayon is waxy so it acts like a pomade and keeps brow hairs in place. Best part? The crayon is deeply pigmented, smudge-proof, sweat-proof, and oily skin-proof. I love it!


Pressed Powder
Innisfree No Sebum Blur Pact, P759, is a revelation. It really does blur imperfections so that I look like I'm glowing (not shiny!). I use this to set my makeup and then I find that I don't need to powder my nose anymore, no matter how long my day is. The fine powder made from Jeju clay combined with other minerals absorbs oil and controls oil production, too. It's so amazing. I love it!


Blotting Paper
For extra hot days or if I want to freshen up, I don't even need to bring out my powder. I just use Happy Skin Tickled Pink Skin Perfecting Absorbent Charcoal Blotting Sheets, P149. It's my favorite because it's huge. When you have oily skin, it's oily everywhere, not just on the nose. So I appreciate how big the paper is because one sheet is enough to suck up the oil on my entire face. I love it!




I'm still looking for a mascara. When you have oily skin, the mascara smears on lower lids every time lashes brush against the oil. Yep. Think about eye makeup remover—what's it made of? Oil. And oil on my skin is abundant. So the search for mascara continues! If you have any recommendations, please share!

Now I want to happily say that as my skin improves with every visit at Flawless, I've found that I no longer need makeup. Oh yes, it's true! Shout out to my derma, dear Dr Boyles of Flawless SM Light, for taking care of my skin! I am super grateful. She walked me through my Flawless treatments—first the Advanced Acne Control Facial with Salicylic Acid Peel when my skin was volcanic; next was the Glycolic Acid Peel when my skin had calmed down, and now my Rejuvelite Facial (Acne Control) to maintain my now-almost-perfect skin!

We still need to address my ice-pick scars, and for that Dr Boyles recommends the Fractional Needling Therapy (FNT), which celebrities regularly get. It's a therapy that uses micro needles to resurface skin and push powerful skin-nourishing serums deep into the dermis. Because needles are involved, there's downtime—your face will be really red for days, which is why I haven't said yes to the FNT yet because as a working mama with no yayas and maids and who picks up my kids every day from school, I don't have the luxury of hiding away from the world as I wait for my face to heal. I should've done it during the ASEAN holiday!!! If I ever do FNT, I'll update you!

Meanwhile, I'm already happy with my pimple-free face and content that my fab makeup finds helps me achieve that flawless look!

This post is brought to you by Flawless Face & Body Clinic.