Column Candy/July 2011/Irene Yap

This months first Column Candy is Irene Yap. Originally from Malaysia Irene has suffered from dry skin and extremely sensitive skin. However, upon arrival, Irene has the most beautiful skin I’ve seen in a long time. Not only it is flawless and radiant, but it is also poreless. Because she has dry skin, this could well be the contributing factor to her pore size. Read on to see what her skin care regimen and favourite products are to help her skin look its best.

For the past few years I have been using the Body Shop’s Vitamin E range. Technically it’s not prepared for sensitive skin, but it’s good for dry skin and it really helps to moisturise. At the moment, I’m trying to switch to different product lines within the Body Shop [using the Aloe Vera line] but I always return to the vitamin e range. I’ve been using this for the past 4-5 years.

My routine consists of the basic three step, cleanse, tone and moisturise. I use creamy cleansers instead of the foaming cleansers [for my dry skin]. I moisturise with a day moisturiser, I did use a night moisturiser but this one [vitamin e] is good for both day and night. I always use an eye cream too. The one I found to be best was from Natio. Which provides moisture and to help to diffuse the dark under eye circles I have.

I exfoliate using a cream exfoliant by Natio, I think it’s an anti-aging one, but it’s creamy so it’s just right for me. It’s a good product because I don’t find it irritates my sensitive skin and helps to remove dead skin and liven dull skin. It’s really gentle.

There’s a lot of talk with the addition of parabens in our products – I’ve been hearing about how bad these [parabens] are for you. After researching, I found out they’re in pretty much everything.  Recently, I did buy some products online from the developer of Skinfood NZ, Karen Murell, who has her own product line. Everything is organic, with no preservatives and see how this suits my skin. In the end our skin absorbs all the toxins and no amount of make-up is going to help is your skin isn’t in good condition in the first place. I guess, with no conclusive studies on parabens, I wasn’t entirely sure whether to switch up my skin care, but it has been seen to help those with sensitive skin and I was willing to try it.

I do wear make-up; most of my collection includes Revlon, because it was one of the first brands I began to use that doesn’t irritate my skin. So I simply didn’t venture out looking for other products because Revlon was compatible. I’m currently using Revlon’s mineral powder foundation because it looks more natural. I don’t use too much makeup, as my skin’s so sensitive that I don’t want to aggravate any sign of dryness. I love nude lips, as they are easier to wear but I also love really bright red ones, my favourite red lipstick is by Chanel.