Rach's Days

It's hard to be a woman, I tell you that in advance. (this post is just a rant and may act as slight information but I'm nowhere near a medical expert)

Why - you may ask? Oh it's for hundred, if not thousands, of reasons. But here's my main concern for now:

Health.

As we all know, we've been blessed with such complex, life-giving organs, that, MasyaAllah, is such a meticulous creation that does so many wonders in so many levels. But, as they say, high risk high maintenance. Hahahah you may be laughing at this point - why is it high maintenance? I'm not a doctor, never have and never will be at this point of my life. But so many hormones involve in such a small organ may be one of the proof. Too many things can get your hormones messed up :

• You get stressed from that loss of yours? Or from heavy continuous workload? Oops!
• You don't have enough sleep at nights? Oops!
• Oh you've been travelling? Oops!
• Embracing healthy lifestyle? But too much of exercise? Another oopsie!
• Not getting enough nutrients? Or even, too much wrong nutrients? Oops for you!

How does one maintain all of above and still capable of keeping her mental health is a serious question. And what if your hormones messed up?

• Missed period
• Late period
• Probably too heavy or too light flow
• Unfertile from hormon imbalance

Ya Allah... ease my mind, give me a happy and healthy life. Aamiin.

XOXO,

Rach

Hello!!

So, I have been trying to hop on the Tretinoin train since a year ago, since I have noticed a slight fine lines on my smile lines. uh oh! I'm only 25 and my fine lines are starting to show up. It may have been caused by smiling / laughing a lot (lol, I have a good life yaknow) or, the fact that I have only started using sunscreen religiously since my late university life. So there ya go!

I have been dying to use tretinoin but didnt have the time to actually start the journey, especially me working on the rig, having to be out under the sun whenever needed. And I know, I KNOW, that tretinoin is a marathon, not a sprint. Known to be the only anti-aging formula approved by FDA, it must be hella something right? Riiight?

So when the coronavirus hits, along with me started working from Jakarta again (now, work from home), I decided oh well! This is now or never, the journey has to start somewhere. To tell you the truth, my skin is Oily - Combination, means I have oil on my T-Zone, but normal in the rest of the face. And also, I never really had an acne issues since probably 3rd year of my uni life, except for some (only 1 - 2) pustules/papules during period time. However, I always, constantly have blackhead on my lovely nose and cheek. They seem to never go away no matter what I do; clay masks, salicylic acid, etc etc. They just hold strong to my pores, seemingly sitting comfortably lol. So, starting this Tretinoin journey for me is mainly for anti-aging benefit and partially hoping that my blackhead would go away leaving my pores clear and clear.

And there I go, ordering my tretinoin online with brand name Vitacid (it's Indonesian local brand, super duper cheap compared to US or any other countries. Only ~IDR 30,000 or ~1.5 - 2 USD). Eventho they are chategorized prescription drugs, they are freely sold in pharmacies all across the country without the prescription. Couple days later, I receive my package of tretinoin safe and sound ready to rock and roll.

However, reading into so many blogs and watching videos on youtube, I got a bit worried and scared, if tretinoin would purge me or cause any irritation to my face, which is expected but I can't stand if it's too severe anyway. I've had a bit purge with BHA using COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid. And honestly it wasn't so bad, just a few pimples for 2 weeks and they're gone. But still, going through the purge would not be easy especially if you're going to work and meet people. Lucky me, all these conditions make it more tolerable for me.

Here's my picture before tretinoin journey. Oh, fyi, I never use complexion make up daily, only on a special occasion. This picture of me is only me using sunblock & lip cream




How I use it

From what I read on countless blogs and videos, I need to ease up to using tretinoin. Irritation, heavy peeling or heavy redness would not always mean a good thing. So I decided to buffer 'sandwich' my tretinoin on the first week and only using it every 3 days. I know my skin pretty well and know that it is not that sensitive. But I still need to be careful. Anyway, buffer sandwich means, I wash my face at night, put toner, essence and moisturizer (just because I love toner and essence. but you dont have to use both of them in buffer sandwich method. Just moisturizer is enough), wait until they are sucked into your skin leaving your skin supple but NOT wet. Then, apply a pea sized amount of tretinoin all over your face (I use it for my neck as well). Careful not to put it near your eyes, nasal, and lips as it may cause severe irritation. Then, wait several minutes until I'm sure it has been absorbed to my skin, then continue putting my moisturizer on top of it again. Aaand, there ya go! My nighttime routine is ended with me putting moisturizer making sure my skin would not get dehydrated and dry especially since tretinoin can be very very drying. And in the morning, I just use my vitamin C, moisturizer and continued with sunblock application. Remember, sunblock is a staple in your routine, with or without tretinoin. But even more urgent when you're using tretinoin as it can sensitize your skin.

Week One

I literally feel nothing. My skin is still moist, no dryness, no irritation, no purging, no redness, no nothing. I even increase my frequency to every other day on the third application since it literally is not showing anything on my skin. I know I am not the most patient person in the world he he. So, here, I have got no updates to show you

Week Two

Still sandwich-ing my tret application and right after 1 week passed, I start noticing that my nose has a mild peeling to it. Oh by the way, I stopped all the chemical peel stuff that I regularly use to reduce irritation once I introduced tret to my routine. So, I knew I need to exfoliate but gently, and I'm scared chemical exfoliant will only worsen my skin condition. So I did not actually change anything to my routine, and hoping that my double cleanse with micellar water + cotton pad application would gently remove the peeling. In addition to that, I also notice that I get a pimple on my jaw area, which sucks becaus it's been a while since I have an acne this big. But well, okay. Nothing that I can't bare yet.

Here's some pictures of my week 2 updates :

bare face with sunblock

Pimpleee

See? My smile lines are showing up

So there ya go!

2 weeks update!

I'll update it regularly as I keep on using tretinoin

Byeee

Rach

Hello, you!

This post is dedicated to my future self -hopefully safe, well and healthy- to tell you that once in your life, right at this moment, that we are in the Global Pandemic state caused by a teeny tiny virus called "Corona virus". Despite of the size, and literal invisibility of it, the virus, in fact, is a very easily spreadable ones, highly contagious which causes ~2% known lethal cases globally (although ~9% lethal case in Indonesia)

Right now, you are working from home, has been like that since 18th of March 2020. You just got back from offshore work and finally got back to the office but doing a Work From Home. You're safe at home but you're panicking over things that would happen in the future. You definitely should and you definitely should not. You are worrying for your parents and family, and so do billions of people in the world. You're scared that you would be a carrier for those at risk. You're worried and also excited for the possibility of City / National Lock Down. You feel so out of control of situation. You feel like you can't trust your Government being so slow handling situations (yeah, 1000++ people infected and 100++ deceased people, they still haven't locked down yet). You're worried for your extended families in Bandung & Sumatera, especially for grandma in Bandung. You're worried for all your families & relatives that live economically sub-standard, since it really does affects the economy. You're worried that poverty would eventually hit harder than the virus itself. You're worried for greedy people that try to benefit from this economy. You're worried for people that panick buy groceries and necessities leaving the poor empty handed. You're worried for your mother and sister still working to the office taking public transport since our cars are damaged because of the flood a few weeks ago. You're worried that your sister will be a carrier for your parents. You're worried for your father that has chronic asthma and insisting him to stay at home and avoid hanging out even only with neighbors in front of home. You're worried for your planned wedding in a few months. You're worried for your future in laws working as a Pulmonologist in times like this. You're worried for all the medical workers working in the front-line with  the lack of Protective Gears. You're worried for apocalypse (no kidding, I'm worried that sun would rise from west to east). You're worried for every single thing at every single time. You're worried at uncontrollable things that you should not be overly worried.

On the bright side, you have more time to spend at home with your family. You talk more with your mother and father. You have found more meaning to life, to find out what and who really matters. You have a cleaner sky and greener earth. People work together hand in hand to overcome this situation. People have become individually greedy but communally stronger. You see on every social media platform that people are raising fund for all medical workers, and all the haves not for their basic necessities. You see the trends of treating the less fortunate, like Go-Jek Drivers a meal is rising. You see the better side of people, the 'we're in this together' type of situation. You see countries help each other and tried their best effort to find the vaccine and the cure. You see good things everyday.

Be safe, be positive, be grateful, be aware, be compassion, be patient, be understanding, be caring.

We shall overcome.

Regards,
Rach

Source : http://www.cosdna.com/eng/cosmetic_c514321823.html

Halo!!

SO, I know I am turning 25 last september and I have been obsessing over anti - aging products to keep my skin supple and wrinkle-free.

Terus baca-baca review orang dan ketemu sama produk vitamin C serum yang laku bangeeet di Amazon, yaitu TruSkin Vitamin C Serum. Diracuni oleh ~11,000 ulasan, jadilah kaan beli dari Amazon dengan memakai Jenius punya adek hahaha. honestly, the serum's price is still reasonable (USD 19.99 / 30 ml) But, the delivery price to Indonesia...my god!! it's literally the same price to the serum itself.

Without further a do, lets get into the review, shall we?


Claims on Website

• Advanced Antioxidant Serum - An indispensable nutrient for collagen production, vitamin C synergistically blends with Botanical Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin E in this advanced formula designed to target the most common signs of aging including brightness, firmness, fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots & sun spots.
• THE DIFFERENCE in skin treated with TruSkin Vitamin C Serum is striking. See thousands of reviews from real Amazon customers below rave about brighter, fresher looking skin, improved tone and clarity, smaller pores, less breakouts, fine lines and dark spots.
• Plant Based Formulation - Free of synthetic color additives, fragrance, and stabilizers, dynamic active botanicals like Aloe Vera, MSM, Botanical Hyaluronic Acid, Witch Hazel and organic Jojoba oil combine in a silky smooth serum that can be used day or night.
• Leaping Bunny certified CRUELTY FREE. Formulated and bottled in the USA.
• EXTENDED MANUFACTURER GUARANTEE - Love it or your money back! We understand it can take some experimentation to find just the right product for your unique skincare needs. If for any reason you decide this product isn't a good fit for your skin, we offer a 90-day money-back refund. No questions asked (in fact, you don't even have to return the bottle).

Halo!!

Been so long ya! hahahah maaf ya... life gets me busy, and I just found so many excuses not to post. Swear I'll post more!

Jadi, buat yang belum tau, dulu sunblock holygrail ku adalah Skin Aqua SPF 50 Moisture Milk. Namuun, karena diriku yang setahun belakangan harus bekerja mencari sesuap nasi di tengah laut, baru lah kerasa kalau "KO GUE GOSONG!? PADAHAL PAKE SUNBLOCK?" and guys, believe me when I say I am a very religious person when it comes to Re-Applying Sunblock.

Kemudian sadar, kerja di lapangan tuh keringetan banget. Jadi sunblock yang biasa pasti gampang keapus. Huhu jadi sedih gosong. Lalu mencoba mencari alternatif yang harganya affordable tapi perlindungannya SUPER EXTRA dan tentunya water resistant. Terlintaslahhhh sebuah produk dari Rohto, perusahaan yang kucintai sekali karena suka menelurkan produk produk terbaik dan affordable (please endorse please lol) yaitu "Sunplay SPF 99+ High UV Defense"

Berikut adalah reviewnyaaa

• Dengan SPF 99+ (untuk UVB Protection) dan PA++++ (banyak ga tuh UVA Protectionnya :D) untuk perlindungan maksimal
• Sangat tahan air & keringat
• Textur yang ringan seperti air dan terasa lembut saat digunakan
• Rendah iritasi dan tidak mengandung alkohol

• Untuk segala jenis tipe kulit
• Dapat digunakan di seluruh permukaan tubuh termasuk wajah
• Lebih mudah diratakan dan tidak lengket
• Cocok digunakan untuk perlindungan aktivitas luar ruangan dalam jangka waktu yang panjang
• Kemasan praktis, nyaman dibawa saat berpergian

3

1

2

Opening 2019 with a good learning : the person you've spent a long time with, doesnt necessarily be the person you'll spend time with forever. If both hearts and minds arent in the same place, reasons will always come up. Sometimes you just have to be faithful to what God has planned for you. So thank you, next.