Sisters and Skincare
Posted on April 10 2021
National Siblings Day is on April 10th, and I wanted to celebrate the day by interviewing a couple of siblings about their skincare! I’ve always found it interesting how siblings can have such varying skin types, so I sat down with Merina and Leila over Zoom to ask them about their relationship with their skin as individuals and as sisters.
Merina and Leila (our Community Manager at Cosme Hunt) are sisters with a 4 year age difference. Both have great interest in cosmetics and beauty products, so they talk about it often — and now they’re sharing it with the rest of us, too!
Hey Leila! I’m glad to finally be the one to interview you, along with your older sister. So, to start with, what are your skin types?
Merina: I have Oily/Dehydrated skin.
Leila: And I have Dry/Dehydrated/Acne-prone skin!
When did you two start caring about your skin and begin your skincare journey?
M: Since 2018, around the same time I became more invested in makeup. I learned that good makeup starts with good skincare.
L: For me, I think it was around my sophomore or junior year (2012-2013) when I started to casually care about my skin. My mom came home with pink Nature Republic bottles and creams and said, "Here, use these. They're cute. Do the watery one first then the cream," and I was like, "Sure." But I really started caring around 2018 when my skin decided to freak the heck out and give me a gnarly breakout that couldn't be controlled without prescription medication.
What are your skincare routines?
M: Oh boy, this is a long one.
AM:
- Wash with Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser;
- Skinfood Peach Sake Toner;
- The Ordinary "Buffet";
- Inkey List Niacinamide;
- Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid (every other day);
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Cream moisturizer;
- Coola Matte Cucumber sunscreen or Supergoop Unseen sunscreen on the days I go out;
- then makeup!
PM:
- Hadalabo Gokujyun Oil Cleanser;
- Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser;
- Skinfood Peach Sake Toner;
- The Ordinary "Buffet";
- Inkey List Niacinamide;
- Cosrx Snail Mucin Power Essence;
- Clindamycin/niacinamide/zinc cream (prescription);
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Cream moisturizer
Occasionally: Tonymoly I'm Real sheet masks in lieu of the Cosrx Snail Mucin Power Essence in PM.
L: Strap in for mine too, it's a doozy.
AM:
- Water;
- 2 layers of Momopuri Concentrated Lotion on damp skin;
- Hadalabo Premium Gokujyun Milky Lotion;
- Etude House Moistfull Collagen Eye Cream;
- Canmake Mermaid UV Gel (clear).
PM:
- Banila Co Clean It Zero Purifying;
- currently alternating between COSRX Good Morning Gel Cleanser and Momopuri Cleansing Wash (trying to figure out which one my skin likes more lol);
- 2 layers of Momopuri Concentrated Lotion on damp skin;
- Hadalabo Premium Gokujyun Milky Lotion;
- Etude House Moistfull Collagen Eye Cream;
- regular Vaseline petroleum jelly all over to lock it all in.
If it's a tretinoin night, I apply it after the 2 layers of Momopuri. If it's a Friday night, I use any sheet mask after 2 layers of Momopuri. But if it's a Friday AND tretinoin night, I do the sheet mask first.
It sounds like you two know what works for your skin! Is there something about your sibling’s skin that you’re jealous of?
M: Not really; we have different skin types, and all types have their pros/cons. Leila has sensitive skin, and I am not envious of that at all because I like trying new things.
L: Same here; Merina has oily skin, and I know trying to control oil is a pain. I feel like the only skin type to be envious of is "normal" and neither of us have it, haha.
Agreed! What’s your favorite part of your skincare routines?
M: Oil cleansing. Let all that ish melt off.
L: Me too! I like oil cleansing especially after wearing a full face of makeup. If you've seen Avengers: Infinity War, there's a scene where Captain America, Black Widow, and Black Panther confront Proxima Midnight at the edge of the dome and Proxima Midnight says "We... have blood to spare. (grunts while holding up a scepter)." I recreate that scene every time my dark eye makeup goes everywhere while oil cleansing.
You are amazing, haha. What’s your favorite skincare product of all time and/or something you’re loving right now?
M: Hadalabo Gokujyun Oil Cleanser. It's inexpensive, melts my makeup/oil off with minimal rubbing, removes all of my waterproof makeup, cuts through my dozens of layers of makeup and setting sprays, emulsifies well, and washes off cleanly. I always recommend it and keep extra refills.
L: Absolutely not intending on plugging one of the new lines we carry, but the Momopuri Concentrated Lotion made a huge difference in my skin in such a small time period. My acne scars immediately lightened up bit by bit, my skin looked brighter, and I was impressed with its moisturization abilities.
I’m gonna have to try Momopuri ASAP. Do you tend to splurge on your skincare products, or are you more frugal?
M: Both price points have great products. I use anything that works, although everything in my current routine just happens to be relatively inexpensive.
L: I'm a broke recent graduate, so I’m pretty frugal. I only buy something new when a product is at the bottom 10% of its container.
I can relate to that! Growing up, did you guys have different expectations about your skin? (Boy vs. girl, age differences, etc)?
M: The expectation was the same, but was pushed on us differently. We have both been conditioned to want light skin, so we both used our share of skin lightening products as we grew up. However, I have always been darker (both naturally and from doing outdoor extracurriculars), so it was pushed on me more.
L: Like what my sister said, we went through the skin whitening expectation growing up due to Filipino cultural preference of white skin. I remember asking our grandmother to send me bars of kojic whitening soap for a couple of birthdays.
I do remember whitening creams and soaps being pretty popular when I lived in Asia. That being said, do you prefer western or Asian skincare for your skin and why?
M: Asian. I like that Asian skincare focuses on 1 or 2 specific concerns and aims for healthy and hydrated skin overall, in contrast to Western skincare which has marketed quick results (and a quick routine). My skin does feel healthier after starting an Asian skincare routine, paying attention to ingredients, and learning my skin's needs.
L: Asian skincare for me too! I think it was during Mary's interview, but I remember discussing how Western skincare has such a scorched earth tactic compared to Asian skincare, which tends to be more about TLC.
I prefer Asian skincare too, since it tends to be more suited for my skin! Thanks so much for your time, you two. Hope to talk again soon!
I hope it was interesting for everyone to learn more about Merina and Leila’s skincare journeys and thoughts; it sure was fun for me! Personally, I have 2 younger brothers with much different skin than me, so it was enlightening to hear that other siblings also differ in that aspect. Happy National Siblings Day everyone!
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Elizabeth Yen
Lizzie is based in the San Francisco Bay Area after living in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan for almost a year. Having spent time in Los Angeles, the Philippines, Japan, and the Bay Area, Lizzie continues to search for ways to become more socially aware on a global scale. You can find her either spending time at the local cat shelter or playing with makeup at home.
