Advertisement

Buy skincare products that actually suit your skin, says blogger Venecia Lim

Elizabeth Tong
·Entertainment Reporter

Each week, Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore profiles a beauty blogger that is based in Singapore. Get to know their beauty secrets and find out how you can improve your daily skincare and makeup regime. This week, we feature Venecia Lim, who runs the Dayre blog hoppypoppyz.

Beauty blogger Venecia Lim. (Photo: Venecia Lim)
Beauty blogger Venecia Lim. (Photo: Venecia Lim)

1. How did you start becoming a beauty blogger?

It all started with my first trip to Korea back in 2015 where I came in contact with the world of K-beauty, which honestly changed my life. I have always had an interest in beauty products but never really got down to knowing more and did not even wear much makeup back then, unless it was for special occasions. I was using blogging platform Dayre since it first came out around four to five years ago to mainly share my day-to-day life and travels.

When I brought back Korean beauty products and started to use them, I fell in love with many of them. At the same time, I started working full-time and got into a habit of wearing makeup daily. My friends were surprised when they saw me share on more and more beauty-related topics on my Dayre account and I haven’t stopped since.

2. Can you describe what a typical day is like for you?

It is pretty normal actually! On weekdays, I will start my day by getting ready for work as I am working a full-time office job. While on the way to work, I will be blogging on-the-go. I will also find time throughout the work day to blog, such as during lunch break. After work, I will either head out for dinner with friends or head home to spend time with my boyfriend. On weekends, I will spend most of my daytime taking photos of new beauty products to share or catch up on the dramas I am watching at the moment.

3. What’s your morning beauty regime?

My morning beauty regime is shorter and simpler as there is no luxury of time to do many steps. After washing my face, I will use a toner to add moisture back into my skin. This will be followed by a serum and gel moisturiser. After giving it some time to absorb into my skin, I will go in with sunscreen, which is a must every day!

Once the sunscreen has set, it is time for makeup and it will usually be a “full face” of makeup, which includes concealer, foundation, setting powder, contour or bronzer, blush, highlighter and lipstick. On some days, I will do my brows and wear eyeshadow. I will always use a setting spray to reduce any powdery look on my face, which also helps my makeup to last all day without any touch-ups.

4. What’s your night-time beauty regime?

I enjoy being able to sit down in front of my vanity table at night and do all my skincare steps while watching YouTube videos. My night-time beauty regime is quite long but I do find that this more elaborate routine has helped my skin to look more glowy and feel healthier. I also have fewer breakouts now.

After removing my makeup with micellar water, I will wash my face with a cleanser in the shower. I will also do a wash-off mask. After that, I will use one or even two toners which have different purposes. This will be followed by serums and ampoules which are mixed and matched, depending on my skin needs that particular night.

I will then apply eye cream and emulsion or gel cream to the rest of my face. To help seal all the skincare in, I will finish the routine with a sleeping mask and also apply lip balm or lip sleeping mask on my dry lips. On some nights, I will do a sheet mask before the face cream step and skip the sleeping mask altogether.

5. What are your current favourite beauty products? Why?

For skincare, I cannot live without the Laneige Fresh Calming Toner, Sulwhasoo Essential Balancing Emulsion and Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. These are great for my combination (oily and dry) skin, and the lip sleeping mask keeps my dry lips soft and supple.

For makeup, Clear Last High Cover Face Powder, Tarte Cosmetics Shape Tape Contour Concealer, Essence Pure Nude Highlighter, Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder, Too Cool For School Artclass by Rodin Shading powder, Laneige Two Tone Matte Lip Bar and Mamonde Highlight Lip Tint Glow are all products that have a permanent spot on my vanity table.

I use a good mix of drugstore and higher-end products for makeup, as long as they work well for my skin type and our humid weather.

6. What is the most common beauty mistake you’ve heard or seen Singaporeans making? How would you wish to correct it?

Not finding the right type of skincare and applying them the correct way. I have seen many who use products which may not even be suitable for their skin type and mainly got the products because a blogger or YouTuber recommended them. It is important to make sure you know your skin first, as no two persons have the exact skin conditions at all times. What worked for someone may not work for you, and your skin is also always changing due to external factors like weather or irritants and internal factors like hormones or age.

Also, it is important to know which skincare product to use first and which follows next. My general rule of thumb is to use skincare products which are less viscous first, as lightweight products can absorb better than thicker products. Always give time for each skincare layer to absorb before moving on to the next and it helps to gently pat the products in by using your fingers or palms.

7. Is there a beauty secret that you swear by?

Always apply lip balm before using a lipstick, as it gives a smoother canvas for even application. Especially if you are using a matte lipstick or liquid lipstick that dries down completely matte, it is important to hydrate your lips so it will not be dry or flaky by the end of day. I will apply lip balm while putting on my skincare and makeup, and wipe off excess lip balm before using a lipstick as the last step of my morning routine.

8. How big is your beauty collection now?

Well, it is definitely sizable. Haha. Bigger than that of a regular girl for sure! I am always looking to make space to accommodate new products added to the collection. Even my boyfriend has given up trying to tell me that I have a “problem”.

Read also:

Follow Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore on Facebook.