No yellow face!

When I was a kid, I often heard this term: 黄脸婆

Huh? Yellow-faced old woman? Sallow face - gosh, sounds horrid.

Well, it typically refers to an old housewife. Why? Beats me! A quick search reveals the following possibilities:

1. Hormonal changes can cause changes to the skin in an older woman
2. In the past, cosmetics tended to contain lead which could cause skin pigments to turn yellow; older women were more affected as they were exposed to those products for a longer period of time

"Old" and "yellow skin" aren't words that are flattering to a woman of any age! So this term always carries a negative connotation. But I wouldn't mind it if Sito says that I'm his 黄脸婆 in an endearing manner :) And I do embrace my age.

Still, that doesn't mean I should allow myself to look old or ugly even though I'm *just* a SAHM. Yes, I don't have video conferences, and my interactions with friends are mostly via WhatsApp given that most of us have kiddy commitments.

But Sito sees me - I'm his ex-girlfriend and wife before I'm the mother of his kids. The kids see me - there is no reason I can't be effective at home and presentable in and out of the home too.

So I never dropped my skincare routine. Yes, there have been changes. I dropped cosmetics when I was working from home but I never stopped my sunscreen. Now, I still put on sunscreen on days I don't leave the house. When I do go out, I may even put on some loose powder to even out my skin tone.

From January, I use face masks nearly daily after my evening shower as I bought a few packs from Japan. But I think that's not sustainable as I have to lie down for 10min after putting that on. Some more, I don't think it has made any difference so far. I'm on my last pack and will not buy anymore.

In fact, lately, I've been looking at cheek and lip tints to give myself some colour when I go out. And since the past week, I've been applying facial moisturiser on my perpetually dry lips. Seriously no lip balm works well for me! So far so good. Hope it can help...

Anyway, point is, 内在美固然重要，外在也不可忽略！