Disclaimer: You will not see anything in this post related to skin lightening. If that is what you seek, this post is not for you.
Hey hey brown skinned beauties! I'm writing this post from my own perspective as a brown skinned, Indian woman. Take what you want from it. I personally feel like there is a huge dearth of skincare and beauty tips for Indian women so I thought I'd share what I've learned from sheer experimentation.
My skin type is mixed, oily but dry in some places. I am most certainly prone to acne. I have tried a whole bunch of products for my skin and can share my current skincare regimen along with my favorite products.
First of all, I swear by jojoba oil. When in doubt, douse your face in it (but use sunscreen because sun + oil = a fried face). In the mornings I wash my face with the Murad vitamic C cleanser followed by Dr. Bronner's rinse. Pat dry, follow up with about three drops of jojoba oil. Three drops is my magic number, as in it moisturizes my face without making it too greasy. I follow up with a pretty basic Neutrogena oil free sunscreen, but I am on the lookout for a better one. This one feels too creamy and greasy, and I definitely don't need the added moisture after the jojoba.
After that comes the make-up. I keep my daily make-up to a super minimal routine. I recently discovered the Urban Decay pore perfecting primer and OH MY GOD it has changed my life. I've gone from dabbing my face around noon to remove excess oil to marveling at my oil free face at 6pm. And the best thing is that you only need a tiny amount, it makes your face feel smooth and soft, you can wear it on its own with no make-up on top, it doesn't make your skin dry, it doesn't make me break out, and it has no scent. Okay, maybe that was more than "the best thing", but you surely should purchase a product with so many best things.
Okay, done gushing.
Following the primer I dab on some Tarte concealer (in Deep) where ever needed. The concealer is light and actually helps improve acne, win-win.
I do my eyes differently everyday. Sometimes I don't do anything. But usually I use an eyeliner (Maybelline Stiletto is a personal fave) and some mascara. Okay now I have to gush about a mascara.
Better than Sex mascara is seriously the best mascara ever. Even the name is enticing! I have tried a bunch of different mascaras and this one just knocks it out of the ballpark. Buy it, use it, love it. Sometimes I'll play around with eyeshadows. FYI I only use talc-free eyeshadows as I break out with any kind of talc usage on my face. Bare Minerals and Tarte both make talc-free eyeshadows.
Top off with something on the lips if needed (balm, gloss, lipstick) and boom, done! With shower, the routine takes about 35 minutes end to end. With about 20 minutes spent relaxing in the shower.
In the evenings I cleanse again with the Murad and then exfoliate with Clean and Clear. I follow that up with a jojoba oil dousing and some eye cream. I think any eye cream works, but I've had good experiences with Clinique and Korres. Apparently eye cream is a must to prevent and remedy wrinkles and bags. The eyes are probably the first to show the signs of aging, and it's an easy enough eye cream dab to do it every night, why not, right?
I can't say my skin is perfect, but I'm thrilled with the speed and ease of my regimen and my satisfaction levels with my skin are pretty darn high too. Most of all, I'm quite pleased that I've found a solid set of skincare products that please me, my wallet, and my skin. So give them a shot, and I'd love to hear from you about any products you love! I'm especially on the lookout for good weekly facial or mask options.
Ciao!