SB: Hello Melike! Thank you so much for joining us for this skincare interview series. Your insights are incredibly valuable, and we truly appreciate your contribution. Every person’s skin is unique, and we all have our own personalized skincare routines. By sharing your experiences and tips, you will be contributing to our community. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to hear from you and bring your voice to our community of skincare enthusiasts.
MO: Thank you for having me! Before starting, I would like to mention that all the content here at Skincare Basics looks so professional and valuable. I will be watching the evolution of this platform very closely.
SB: Before we dive into the skincare questions, would you mind telling us a bit about yourself?
MO: I am Melike. I am an energy systems engineer, working in a large corporation for the last 8 years. I am a morning person, my mornings are very scheduled and very productive. I prepare the next-day apparel look before sleep, so I do not have to think about it in the morning. I wake up at 6 AM every weekday, and I check the boxes on many things within 2-3 hours before I start working. I shower, take care of my bodycare and skincare, commute to the office, have breakfast at the office, and join the reformer pilates class 3-times a week in the workplace’s fitness center. I can say I am very active in terms of sports.
I am also very interested in astrology. I am the mother of a cockatoo parrot, called Felix. Felix is the equivalent of a highly active male child, he is very very active in the house, I love him so much.
Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please note that this post contains affiliate links and any purchase made through such links will result in a small commission for us.
SB: You mentioned, you start the day very early. Can you tell us more about your morning skincare routine? Can you take sufficient time on your skincare in those busy mornings?
MO: Yes I do. I believe skincare investment is the best investment that you can make for yourself, I am very sensitive about this. That’s the reason why I wake up at 6 AM. I think facial cleaning is very very important. The moistness of my skin is very critical to me. I do not like the feeling of dryness and desquamation. Currently, I am using La Roche-Posay Toleriane to moisturize my skin. After cleaning and moisturizing my skin I use La Roche Posay’s Niacinamide 10 Serum, also known as the purple serum, to rebalance the look of uneven skin tone. I am very satisfied with this product, it tightens my facial skin, makes the pores smaller, and makes my skin ready for my makeup. It works so well that most of the time I do not feel like using an additional base for my makeup.
I also make facial massages to myself, while applying my morning routine every day.
SB: Tell us about your bodycare routine.
MO: I would say my face is a mixed-type skin, however, I experience dryness mostly in my body. I am using strong moisturizers on my body to prevent dryness. I am using Cuccio’s products in the bath. Cuccio is a brand famous for nail care. I think their focus on making nail cuticles softer makes them experts on moisturizing well in the rest of the body as well. They also have great after-bath products. There is no oil in these products, but hydrates super well. Cuccio products have the most absorption capabilities I have ever seen.
I also use Yves Rochers Monoi Oil to prevent dryness. I also love the glowy look.
I give importance to my bodycare a lot. Neck and chest area and hands are as equally important as with my facial skincare. You can tell a person’s age by looking at these areas. If you have wrinkles on your neck and hands, it is very hard to recover from there, therefore I care about bodycare a lot.
SB: Do you have a haircare routine as well?
MO: I do not have specific shampoo brands, I change them occasionally. I mostly prefer shampoos including biotin. Occasionally I experience temporary hair loss. I use vitamin supplements from Vitabiotics to strengthen my hair. I also use hair and scalp oils with rosemary weekly, which I observed resulted in thicker hair. I believe, our biological health conditions are as important as topical treatments. I use Olaplex daily after showering, it reduces frizz and flyaways.
If you have unhealthy eating habits, it will result negatively in your skin, body or hair, it is a fact. That is why, I try to eat well and balanced, like green teas, avocados, staying away from fried food, and take supplements like Perfectil. I use Kerastase Chronologiste to complete my hair routine.
SB: Have you experienced any skincare problems in the past?
MO: I used to have strong acne problems in my high school years. Spent so much effort on treatments, as well as prescribed medical treatments. I even took the golden needle and mesotherapy treatments to get rid of the post-acne scars. All these treatments also impacted my skin positively in terms of having young and firm skin, since those treatments also have collagen production capabilities. These were all good investments in my skin. However, I would not prefer to go into the same recovery process again, so that’s why I am very sensitive to keeping my skin healthy all the time. Recovery of a harmed skin takes too much effort, so I prefer to keep it as healthy as possible as it can be.
SB: How is your everyday makeup?
MO: I love making makeup during wintertime, however, I do not like to have too much makeup in summer. I love brown tones and mocha tones. Mocha is my favorite.
I use YSL as the primer, it completely removes the unwanted look of pores. Contour is an essential part of my makeup, I use Fenty contour very often. Then, I continue with Lancome concealer, which is my favorite concealer. Then, I set my look with Fenty’s powder. My blush is again in brown tones, I use Mac to blush my look. I use Kiko’s eyeshadow products.
If it is a makeup for a night, I prefer a waterproof version of mascara.
SB: What is in your everyday bag?
MO: I have done most of my skincare at home, so believe me if I say I don’t carry much in my bag. However, I always have my sunscreen Avene SPF 50+ Tinted Cream with me. I also have my Kiko mascara every day with me. This is so far the best mascara I have ever used. I always have my Clinique brown eyeliner, Pink Honey lipstick, and Lancome concealer with me.
SB: There is a rising interest in sunscreen products these days all over the world. What is your practice in this?
MO: During summer I use more sunscreen products instead of makeup products. My sunscreen products are always tinted. Avene SPF 50+ Tinted Cream is my favorite. I am also a huge fan of Anthelios Pigment Correct SPF50+. It also works as a foundation for my makeup. It also helps to even my skin tone and help to correct hyperpigmentation.
My skin is prone to creating spots and blemishes, which is why I love La Roche products since this brand works the best on my skin by evening out the skin tone and spots.
In the summertime, I reapply my sunscreen twice a day, even though I am in the office.
SB: Have you ever applied Retinol or Vitamin C treatments?
MO: I really experienced the benefits of retinol. I use retinol from October to April. I do not use it in the summertime. I use it only twice a week. I observed that the fine lines and wrinkles around my mouth, cheeks and between my eyebrows faded with retinol. If I use retinol, I do not use vitamin C, and vice versa. During hot summer days, I do not use either of them since my skin is prone to blemishes.
SB: What is your favorite fragrance?
My everyday fragrance is Givenchy L’interdit. I use Armani My Way occasionally, more often in winter.
SB: How about your night routine?
MO: Cleaning the make-up is essential to me. I never go to bed with makeup. I use Esthederm Osmoclean to remove my eye makeup first, and then I apply Bioderma to complete the cleaning session of my night routine. After cleaning my makeup, I apply La Roche-Posay Toleriane to moisturize my skin again. I use Esthederm’s products around my eyes and my face to complete my total night routine.
SB: Thank you so much for your time Melike. Any final words?
If we do not take care of ourselves, no one will. Taking care of your own skin means self-respect to me. If we want to experience satisfactory things in life, we should first behave well to our skin, our hair, our body, and ourselves as a whole. This is what I believe. Thank you so much for having me.
Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please note that this post contains affiliate links and any purchase made through such links will result in a small commission for us.
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