Celebrity Beauty Guru Xiao Kai Lao Shi Shares Secrets to Getting Radiant Skin

A beauty guru's skin is the best calling card for his or her advice, and let's just say that we're going to follow anything Xiao Kai Lao Shi says. The Taiwanese makeup and skincare expert was in town recently and we got to pick his brain to find out how busy women can care for their skin.

#1 Oily skin needs hydration too

The biggest misconception about moisturising is that it makes skin even oilier, and cause pimples. Whether you have dry, oily or combination skin, applying moisturiser is necessary to maintain essential hydration levels in the skin. When oily skin is sufficiently hydrated, it produces less sebum and skin has a translucent radiance to it.

#2 Dry skin ages faster

Women with dryer skin don't experience much skin issues when they're younger, but the problem usually sets in when they're older. When skin is dry, it is more prone to fine lines but don't wait until the fine lines form before you start hydrating it. When skin moisturised, it can to a certain extent, delay the signs of ageing.

#3 Lotion is more important than you think

After cleansing, applying lotion is the first step in providing skin with moisture. Lotions prep the skin for absorption of the products which follow, boosting the penetration and retention of the ingredients in your serums and moisturisers. When serums and moisturisers are applied on dry skin, they often remain on the surface of skin and leave behind a sticky feeling, but the introduction of lotions will eradicate this problem.

#4 You can use your lotion as a mask

Saturate a few pieces of cotton pads with a lotion like the Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Lotion and apply them onto your face for three minutes, concentrating on the areas which are especially oily or dry. If you do this before applying makeup, you'll notice that it'll go on smoother and stay on for longer.

#5 A basic skincare regimen should include these steps...

After cleansing, a hydrating lotion is a must, followed by a serum and moisturiser. If you're heading out, use sunscreen or if you prefer something with more coverage, a BB cream with SPF would be good for protecting skin against UV damage. Sun protection is essential for preventing premature skin ageing and pigmentation – especially important in sunny Singapore.

#6 Not all hyaluronic acids are made equal

Naturally found in the human body, one gram of hyaluronic acid (HA) is able to hold up to six litres of water, making it a great hydrating ingredient, even for sensitive skin. However, hyaluronic acid molecules come in different sizes and not all of them are able to penetrate deep into the skin. The larger sized HA molecules stay on the surface of skin to form a barrier to simultaneously attract moisture from the air, while preventing trans-epidermal water loss. Medium-sized HA molecules and super HA molecules penetrates the surface and can reach the epidermis. Nano-HA are 20 times smaller than regular HA molecules and can reach all the way to the basal layer (deepest and innermost later of the epidermis) to replenish moisture. A good HA-based product should contain different sized molecules.