Within 1-2 hours of putting on basic make-up, my eyes start to water and redden.
By “basic make-up”, I mean really just basic- a few pats on the face with foundation, a few still-awkward sketches on the eyebrows, and nothing else. That’s why I prefer to go out bare-faced, but I really can’t help putting on make-up on days I have to look a little professional/put-together, because my face gets flushed really easily.
Not the cute, pink flush kind-
but the unglamorous slight splotches of red on my cheeks.
They flush when I step out into the sun for 1-2 minutes (by the way I live in a country with all-year round summer), they flush in the middle of the day (for no apparent reason). They flush when I laugh, like just a little. (Even when I’m not finding anything hilarious) They just flush when they feel like it.
When I first put on make-up after graduating from high school/junior college, I thanked a glorious invention called “foundation” for covering up my redness. Until, as if to compensate, my eyes turned red from make-up.
It took me a few months of researching and experimenting, and here are some hard-earned tips for fellow pink-cheeked fellas. They may not work for everyone, but they worked at least for me.
1. Cucumber pack
I have very sensitive skin so I look for make-up and facial care products which are made relatively more from natural products rather than chemicals. Then my dad recommended that I go for actual natural products.
I’d never actually tried putting on something edible on my face. It did feel weird putting cucumber slides on my face instead of into a kimbab roll.
The cucumber slices freshly from the fridge was were so cooling it instantly felt like my face was becoming less red than it was before. After some googling, I found that cucumber packs:
-Soothe irritation
-Alleviate sunburn
-Help with acne-prone skin, etc
It’s been 1-2 months, and my skin feels and look less flushed. Of course there must be other factors as well (perhaps the rainy weather), but the slices cool my heated face down so effectively I’ve been putting them on after a long day at school.
2. No hot baths
The last time I visited Korea in the pre-Covid era, I went to a skincare clinic in Seoul.
The doctor examined my skin and explained that I did not have serious Rosacea but would have to avoid a few things like: 1) long periods of rigorous exercise 2) hot bath. The two things that are known to be good for diets and the one thing that I loved to do after a tiring day.
3. Avoid strong sunlight
For the almost 9 months of break after my A levels & before uni started, I spent a fair number of days going on long walks (1-3 hours) around Singapore to build up my stamina & get some long-due exercise.
Knowing I get my brain-work (e.g. reading) done the best when the sun is down, I used the afternoon to go on walks instead. I did put on a cap, put on sunblock, sun sleeves and wore long pants, but that didn’t help. I didn’t get tanned, but by the time I arrived home, my face was a tomato.
Getting some sunlight is definitely important for health, but for rosy-cheeked fellas, it might be good to avoid going out for long during time periods when the sun’s the strongest.
4. Green concealer
Technically green concealers do count as make-up, but they hurt my eyes less & irritate my skin less than foundation. I don’t have to put on more layers of foundation to cover up my flushed cheeks, too.
That’s it for my tips! They’re nothing much but do make a big difference for my skin- I hope they do for you too!
