Having pimples can be a big problem for many. Sometimes it can even negatively affect self-esteem and confidence. Acne can be unavoidable, but there are also ways to mitigate its development. Hence, it is important for us to know what things are our breakouts.

Genetics
One of the main reasons that we get acne is because of our genetics. If your parents have a history of acne, the chances of you getting some will also be very likely. Your hormones will determine how sensitive you are to acne, or how oily your skin can be, and etc.

Stress
Another big reason why we get acne and have breakouts is stress. When we are stressed, our hormones can fluctuate in an unusual manner, affecting our skin negatively. This results to an influx of sebum, which then leads to frequent and more severe acne.

Your pillowcase
One may disregard his/her pillowcase, but unchanged pillowcases can house dirt and bacteria that can influence the presence of acne. Naturally, we are always shedding dead skin cells, especially when we are asleep. Thereby, try to change your pillowcases frequently.

Smoke
Smoke from cars and cigarettes can also be bad for the skin. When we are exposed to smoke from vehicles, some toxins can attach to the skin causing inflammation and flare-ups that can lead to more acne. This is the same case with smoke from cigarettes. But when you do the smoking yourself, it dries out your skin and prevents proper distribution of collagen. When this happens, your pores become irritated and you may get more wrinkles.

Hair products
Hair products like shampoo, hair wax, and even conditioners can cause acne. This is because when they are not rinsed properly, they can enter the pores. This results to clogging, which eventually leads to pimples, and even acne on your chest, back, and hairline.

Touching your pimples
Don’t touch your pimples! No matter how tempting it may be, poking or pressing on your pimples can be very bad for your face. If you pick on a pimple, you’re either spreading the bacteria or pushing it deeper. Acne scars are also the result of a wound caused by forcibly picking a pimple.

Not washing your face (well)
If you want to get rid of, or avoid getting acne, you should wash your face as you get home or before going to bed. All the sweat, dirt, and oil that’s been built up in your face the whole day will settle into your pores and cause more acne and pimples if you don’t wash it away. The takeaway here is to simply implement proper hygiene, it can give you more benefits than you would imagine.

Eating too much junk food
Obviously, these things are called ‘junk food’ for a reason. Junk foods have no proper nutritional value, in addition to being produced in nasty oil. They contain too much carbs that can lead to inflammation all around our body.

Personal hygiene took a turn for the better throughout history with the invention of soap, which is a specific substance designed to remove dirt, sweat, sebum, and excess oils from the skin with the use of surfactants and chemical agents.

What Is Soap?
Soap is essentially a fatty acid’s salts, with each molecule consisting of a “water-loving” (hydrophilic) end and a “water-hating” (hydrophobic) end that arranges in spheres of about sixty or more when mixed with water.

“True” soaps are often made using a process that involves mixing animal or vegetable fats with a strong alkaline, and may or may not be suited to certain skin types depending on the chemicals listed in the ingredients.

The Different Types of Body Cleaning Products
Most body cleaning products you use are products of mixing surfactants that are derived from petroleum (e.g. sodium laurel sulfate). You can get different types of depending on the fat you use, such as:

• Hand/body wash – These soap types are often made with mild surfactants in mind to avoid drying out the skin too quickly. They are also much less foamy and more concentrated than shampoo.
• Shampoo – Shampoo consists of a surfactant and a co-surfactant mixed with water in order to form a thick liquid and is designed to be gentle on keratin (the proteins that make up hair).
• Bar soap – This is the “true” soap that’s mixed with animal and/or vegetable fats and a strong alkaline solution.

Considering Your Skin Type
There are at least four different skin types that exist: normal, dry, oily, and combination. While the first skin type is balanced in terms of moisture, dry skin loses moisture too quickly and appears flaky. Oily skin appears glossy on account of the excess oils and sebum being produced, and the last skin type is a combination of both dry and oily.

People with normal skin should best work with ordinary bar soap and avoid soaps formulated specifically for the other three skin types, as it can upset the balance of their skin and cause problems.

For people with dry skin, soap that contains moisturizing properties is the best bet when it comes to helping to lock in moisture. Soaps made with oils such as coconut oil, aloe vera, and jojoba can also work wonders.

Oily skin is oily because of overworked sebaceous glands, which leaves the skin more prone to acne breakouts. If you happen to have this skin type, it’s important that you wash your face frequently and go for soaps that have sea salt, oatmeal, or peach pits in the ingredients.

Combination skin is the trickiest, as there aren’t many soap types designed specifically for skin that’s both dry and oily at the same time. However, glycerine soaps could be a good start.

As someone donning a short pixie cut, I know better than anyone that this haircut makes any woman feel a bit masculine in a few situations. No need to worry though, since it’s completely possible to rock that pixie and look fantastic at the same time. Here, we’ve listed down some tips on how you can bring your feminine glow back with your pixie cut.

1. Focus More on Your Face

The advantage of having a pixie cut is you don’t need to spend a few hours curling and blow-drying your hair, giving you more time to really pamper your skin or do an amazing makeup look.

Just a find the best feature of your face, and accentuate it – it’ll definitely look more striking without
your locks getting in the way. Going is a bold eye look is a good choice to draw attention to your facial feature, and less towards your pixie cut if you’re feeling self-conscious about it.

2. Be Proud of Your Short Hairdo

What most ladies struggle with when having a pixie cut is the idea that your whole appearance is open and out for the world to see, without the curtain of long locks to hide behind. Stop worrying about this thought though, and confidently wear your hairdo instead. You’ll instantly feel cute and fabulous with your pixie cut if you are proud of it.

3. Wear a Girlish Statement Piece

Another good and easy way to make you feel more feminine with your cut is to choose a statement accessory, bag, or clothing piece that shows you’re a woman. A chunky, bold necklace would be the perfect choice if you want to feel feminine and feisty at the same time.

4. Stop Stressing About Your Hair

Have you ever disliked a person because of how they part their hair, or because they have a fringe? Yes, nobody’s that shallow, so stop stressing out and thinking that people are staring at you as you first flaunt that gorgeous cut of yours. Having a pixie cut is not a big deal at all, so stop sweating it too much. Just move on, and let your crop become a part of you.

5. Stay Classy and elegant

Wearing clothing pieces that make you feel comfortable and sexy will make you feel more confident with your new hair. Just make sure that you keep things classy and elegant to properly rock your short crop. Simply think of Audrey Hepburn, and you’re good to go.

With these tips in mind, you can now throw away all your pixie cut woes and welcome the confidence you’ve always wanted to have in your short locks. So start taking pride in how you look, and be confident in your own skin.

Singapore is almost always sunny all year round. With this hot and humid weather, women should always be on guard to keep looking pretty and fresh throughout the day. An oily skin could ruin our looks, which is why makeup tricks for oily skin are so essential. In order to shine-proof your makeup and make them stay in place for longer hours, here are some tips we want to share with you.

1. Start a Good Cleansing Regimen

As we all know – but ignore most of the time – it’s important to have a good skin cleansing regimen. Out of all the tips we compile, this is the most important one. For oily skin, look for a facial cleanser and toner with salicylic acid. This ingredient helps to deeply penetrate pores and controls excessive production of oil.

2. Don’t Skip Moisturizer

You may have enough moisture on your skin, but nobody’s excused from moisturizing as we all need the extra vitamins to keep our skin supple. The good thing is that you don’t need expensive essential face oils, such as argan oil, tea tree oil, grapeseed oil, etc., to fight wrinkles and fine lines. Your natural oil will take care of that – just make sure to control oil production the right way.

3. Use Makeup Primer

The best way to keep the makeup in place for longer hours is to apply makeup primer. Just like artists, you need to prep up your canvas for smooth application of colours. Don’t forget to prime the eyelids as well to make your eye makeup stay in place.

4. Puff On Some Powder

After putting on your makeup, make sure to set everything with powder. As with primer, powder also helps extend the longevity of your makeup and avoid creasing. You will need to reapply this several times during the day to control shine, especially on the T-zone.

5. Remove Oil With Blotting Paper

Anyone with oily skin should always keep a pack of blotting papers in their purse. With Singapore’s hot and humid weather, there will always be a time when you need to touch up with powder. Never retouch an oily face with powder without blotting the oil, unless you want your make up to look thick and cakey.

6. Skip Anything Shimmery

Since you already have that naturally shiny skin, avoid products that give off dewy or shimmery look. Choose a matte finish over a dewy finish foundation, and then match it with powder type blush instead of the cream type one.

Try incorporating these makeup tips to your beauty routine and we guarantee you’ll be looking fresh all day. Just bear in mind to look for products that control oil and stick to matte finish whatever makeup product you use.