Becca's Surprising Method for Perfect Skin! | The Art of Beauty S04E01: Tailored Skincare Routines
Beauty creator, Becca shares her surprising skin hacks, including the "mouth pulling" technique and the magic of the Asian skincare routine.
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00:00I would sometimes do mouth pulling with coconut coconut oil. Yeah. What is that?
00:10Hi everyone, welcome back to season four of Art of Beauty. My name is Amanda Imani and today we
00:16have a very special guest with us. We have the very beautiful Becca Lee in the house.
00:22How are you doing? You look so beautiful today. Thank you, Amanda. Thank you for having me on
00:27this podcast. You're welcome. I mean, I love how you style your outfit to the weatherwear. I just
00:33gotta say it's so innovative. I never thought of that. Thank you. Yeah, today our topic is actually
00:39tailored skincare routines and I'm sure a lot of you want to know how this beautiful girl,
00:45you know, maintains her beautiful skin. Maybe you'd like to give a little bit of an introduction
00:49to yourself, what you do to our viewers. So I'm Becca Lee and essentially I assist in staging
00:56and styling interior spaces and not only that, I also make them look aesthetically pleasing and
01:03functional. While I create beautiful spaces, I let others make me look beautiful and make me look my
01:12best on set. Yeah, so she's she wears many different hats. You are a TVC talent, you do a lot of
01:18commercials. That's right. And ads and you're also a beauty creator. You do lifestyle beauty fashion
01:23content. Yes. And I see you all the time on Instagram. I love your little get ready with
01:28me's and your little, you know, videos that she puts out. So I wanted to ask you, like,
01:34what kind of skin do you have? You know, working in the industry, I'm sure you wear a lot of makeup
01:39during shoots. Yes, that's right. Right. And so like, how do you maintain your skin? What kind
01:44of skin type do you have? And maybe like, what is your skincare routine that you usually do? Day
01:50and night? I'm sure it's different looking at your skin. I know she really takes time to take
01:53care of her skin. So maybe you could share with us. Sure. So basically, I have combination skin
02:00right now. I used to have dry skin, but as the season change, you know, you grow over time,
02:07your skin changes. And for me, I had a challenge tackling this combination skin.
02:16And I would say that I try and experiment different beauty products to tailor to my
02:25skin type. And I would say I'm blessed that I have good skin already. So I think that is
02:32already a good base, a good foundation to have. And it's kind of funny because a lot of times
02:38that when you're younger, you have combination oily skin. And as you progress and you age,
02:42you get drier skin. But it's funny that you mentioned yours is reversed. Like you used to
02:46have dry skin and now it's oily. It could be the weather. And I think a lot of times people don't
02:50realize actually like environmental factors actually play a big part in like how your skin
02:55is, right? How it feels, how it looks. And also I think what are some of the maybe like health,
03:01healthy stuff that you do? Like, do you drink like a certain number of like liters a day of water?
03:07Or do you exercise a lot? Because all those things, I think, you know, play a very important
03:11factor in how your skin health is. Yeah, that's right. So for me, I have a very strict morning
03:16routine where I wake up, I dip my face into ice water. And I've incorporated that step into
03:27this year's morning routine. And I do see a huge difference. I just feel like if I don't do that
03:35step in the morning, I feel weird. You know, I get that kind of feeling. And after that, I would
03:43sometimes do mouth pulling with coconut oil. Yeah. What is that? So that is to draw toxins from your
03:52body, from within. So that's something that my mom kind of practiced that and also told me to
04:01do that as well when I was younger. So you do this every day? I don't. I mean, I try to. Right. I try.
04:07I mean, coconut oil is expensive. Okay, so take us through it. Like, what actually happens when you
04:13like, what's the process like? So you do it in the morning, you take a spoonful of coconut oil and
04:19you just gargle and leave it in your mouth for a few minutes. And then you chew it out, you know,
04:26spit it out and then you brush your teeth. That's it. Wow. And how about the ice, the face ice bath
04:32you were telling me earlier? That's so interesting. I love that. I got to try that for myself. So you
04:36mentioned that you try to do that every day because you feel like there's a visible difference and you
04:41can actually feel a difference in your skin, like how it feels tighter. Yeah. And what else? It
04:45improves circulation. Yeah. So it has a few benefits like minimizing pores. It helps to reduce
04:51inflammation. And also a few other benefits would be you feel refreshed, right? It helps with the
05:00blood circulation. It helps with the blood rushing to your face because it's cold. Right. It's like
05:06shocking to your face, right? So it helps you to wake up. Yeah, it's like an ice bath but for your face.
05:10Yes, you're right. We got to definitely try that out. I feel like it's such a simple thing that
05:14everybody could do at home, but like nobody really does that. Yeah. And it only takes like, what, a
05:19few seconds for you to dip your face in water and boom, you're snatched. So I got to try that sometime.
05:24And it helps to reduce puffiness. And for girls, I mean for us ladies who puts makeup, it helps to
05:29set your makeup. Wow, that is great. Thank you for the tip, Becca. I think we should definitely try
05:35that out. Like skincare-wise, okay, so you mentioned that your morning skincare routine is
05:41different than your nighttime skincare routine. Yep, that's right. What are some of the differences?
05:45Do you use like, you know, a different set of products or is there anything that you use in the
05:49day that you don't use at night, vice versa? So currently, I am using a range of products from
05:55Sotus. Thanks to Sotus team for, you know, sponsoring me these products because I used to have a
06:04very sensitive, not acne, sensitive itchy patch here because of hormonal imbalance. And ever since
06:13I started using that whole skincare range for day and night, it tremendously helped a lot.
06:23I do see a huge difference. It's very lightweight on my skin, which is great because I have thin skin.
06:30So it's not great to layer very rich products on thin skin or any skin for the matter of fact,
06:38because your skin needs to absorb those products, right? So they say less is more, which is true.
06:45And yeah, I use basically Sotus products for sometimes I do a gentle cleanse, but sometimes I
06:56don't. So after the ice bath for my face, I just skip cleansing. And go in straight with your like
07:02toner and all that. So toner, essence, sometimes an eye cream in the morning, and then serum, and then a moisturizer.
07:10SPF. SPF is a must to end your skincare. That is like, I mean, if you had to pick like one
07:19skincare product that, okay, you can only pick like one, what would it be? Like if you had to live with
07:24one? This is tough. It is tough. This question is tough. I would say a lip mask. A lip mask? Yeah.
07:34You love your lips, girl. I gotta take care of those luscious lips. Okay, why a lip mask? Like you can't stand that feeling of like a dry chapped lip. I can't.
07:43Yeah. I can't stand that on others, and I can't stand that on myself. Okay. I mean, I can understand because sometimes like,
07:50I understand how you feel, like when the lips are like chapped, they kind of like rub together,
07:54they kind of feel flaky, right? And they also look flaky. And it's not just that it's painful. It is.
08:00Like you tend to like have this habit of biting, you know, dry skin. I have that bad habit sometimes.
08:05And it's not just that, but you have to hydrate yourself with water. So I have to take at least
08:11two liters of water daily, and that it depends on your body weight measurements. Everyone has,
08:17it's different. So I try, I try my best to drink at least two liters of water every day. Yeah. And I think
08:24that's a lot, something that people don't also realize, like your skin is your largest organ.
08:29It is. And you know, when we talk about skin, it's not necessarily just for your face. It's literally
08:34your whole body is covered with skin. So you know, you might think like, okay, I just take care of my
08:39face, but people forget to also take care of their neck. And also like, the skin on their body,
08:44like you could have really dry skin on, you know, your arms or your feet or anything. And that
08:48is just as important as taking care of your skin on the face, right? Okay. So that was really cool.
08:53So sunscreen. Yeah. She did mention sunscreen. I am a big, big fan of sunscreen too. What is your
08:58favorite sunscreen at the moment? I use Sotus, BRA, because BRA came out with this gel, like a
09:07water-based. It's very suitable for our humidity, our weather, our climate. Yeah. Because a lot of
09:13people do not like that sticky, greasy feeling. Yeah. And I do recommend that because I've tried
09:18it, I tested it. And it's essential to find the right SPF ratings. Yes. You know, a lot of people,
09:27actually, I did not notice until I went to BRA event to learn about this. And it's so educational.
09:33I love educational events, by the way. Hey, me too. Right? You remember a photo of me, you know,
09:38in Sunway Lagoon, I was very young and I started using sunscreen. I was very young because I think
09:43thanks to my parents, they're like, you know, very health, grooming, everything is very like
09:50important. So that's where I have all this. You pick up all the good habits. Yeah. From young.
09:56And I think it's very important to start from young, like literally all the good habits, like,
10:01you know, the skincare routine, your grooming habits, your oral care, all these things is
10:05essential and it's important to start from young. So it doesn't feel like a chore, like a chore.
10:11Yeah. When you're growing up. That's funny that you brought that up because I wanted to ask you,
10:16like, for people who feel like maybe skincare is like, oh, I hate to do my skincare. It takes like
10:2220 minutes for me to get out of my house. Right. Like, I just want to, you know, do it and just
10:27get done. Like, it's not enjoyable for them. Like, what would you tell them? Like, what would be
10:32something you tell them? Like, how, how, you know, do you get someone to actually enjoy their skincare
10:37routine? And, you know, that, that I feel like that self-care time that you have with yourself
10:42is really important. Like, yeah. So what would you say to them? I would say maybe tune into your
10:48favorite playlist or a get ready playlist, which I always do. That's also my morning routine. When
10:54I wake up, I'll just turn on and blast good music. So that is basically to start your day.
11:02Yeah. You know, um, and not only that, I work out in the morning too.
11:09But that also is like really important for your skin, like sweating everything out,
11:12detoxifying, like, you're right. Right. You're right. Yeah. Get you pumping, ready for your day.
11:18And I think you need to, you need to form this habit first. Um, it's something like exercising,
11:26right. It's also taking care of your body, physical health, but your skin is something
11:31that is, is visible. It's first impression to, to others. Right. So I think that is,
11:39that is something I would say is a mindset of an individual, you know, how you take care of
11:45yourself. It, it portrays. Yeah. And not just what you apply externally, but also internally,
11:53right. How you feel, your internal health, stress levels, your diet, everything. It's your lifestyle.
11:59Lifestyle. Totally. It's not just skincare, but your overall lifestyle, your habits,
12:07right. It just shows it portrays out. Yeah. Yeah. Totally. I mean, that is a really good tip.
12:14And I think just like Becca mentioned, it's really important to also, you know, want to actually make
12:19a difference in your skin. If you feel like maybe your skin is feeling a little dull or sluggish and
12:24you feel like, Oh, I don't know what to do. Like, I think it's really important to take that time
12:28out. It could just be like an hour in the whole week. So I totally agree with you on that. Um,
12:34but maybe you could also tell our viewers, like, how do you, you know, like, how do you maintain
12:40such crystal clear skin? Cause I know you do a lot of work, um, in front of the camera. I try. I try.
12:46Yeah. And you always look so put together and you have really beautiful skin. Thank you. Very
12:51refined skin. I must say in person. So maybe like, you know, what are some of the pre, for example,
12:58like pre shoots or maybe like during a shoot, is there anything you do specifically to prep for
13:03like a day of shooting tomorrow? For example, what do you do for me? I, what I practice before
13:10every shoot is to put a sheet mask at night. That's what I essentially do basically. And I
13:18go sleep with sheet, um, after a sheet mask and maybe, um, uh, leave on mask, like a moisturizer
13:27mask. And I just sleep with it. So it's very hydrating for your skin overnight and it leaves
13:35it on, you leave it on and then you wash it off in the morning. Like a sleeping mask. Yeah. Sleeping
13:40mask. Yeah. Cause yeah, I totally agree with you. I think like, you know, like moisturizing your face
13:44and keeping your skin hydrated really helps make up wear longer and sit so much better on the skin.
13:49So yeah, totally agree. So that's an added step, but otherwise I practice the same routine that I
13:56do normally. And, uh, also to have this hydrating spray where you keep, you know, like misting your
14:06face. It's actually really enjoyable. Cause like sometimes when you feel like you've been like out
14:10in the sun and it's really hot and dry, it's really nice to have that feeling of like, Ooh,
14:15I have a little like fresh mist on my face. I love that too. You're right. And not just that,
14:20but also you're in an AC environment, like an air conditioned environment, right? It's dry. It's,
14:27it's, you know, very dry for your skin and you have all this makeup on your face and you have
14:34all the lights, you know? Yeah. So sunscreen as well is important before you, um, have that makeup
14:41on. Yeah. Yeah. And at nighttime, do you double cleanse? Are you double cleanse kind of girl?
14:46You know, some people are just like, Oh, I take a makeup wipe. I don't, I honestly don't believe
14:52in makeup wipes. Um, I think that is convenience, but I believe in double cleansing. Double
14:59cleansing is very important. And not just that, but like, cause you have all the hairspray, I have
15:06all the hairspray and everything. So I'm like double cleansing everything, my scalp, my hair,
15:12that's a really good point. Yeah. Cause a lot of people don't realize like the amount of like
15:16product that they put in your hair on your face. Like it takes a while to like get all that out
15:22just for you to do it again. But yeah, you brought up double cleansing. Now I'm a big believer in
15:27double cleansing because I do that myself. Um, I do have friends also who are like, I don't think
15:32I need a double cleanse. Like I just, you know, use a little bit of foundation. I could just go
15:36in with a makeup wipe, take the day off and like three seconds. I'm like, girl, people don't
15:40realize like how damaging actually cleansing tissues are. Yeah. Right. People don't, don't
15:45think about the long run. Sometimes they think about present. Yeah. Which is the benefits like
15:50they're in there. Like, but I think a lot of people also don't realize they're getting acne
15:54because they're not really cleansing their face as well as they should. Like some people, you know,
15:58like it's kind of like brushing your teeth guys. Like if you are going to wash your face,
16:02you definitely want to spend some time kind of working the product in your skin and actually
16:06cleansing your face. It's not literally like 10 seconds and you're like, okay, I washed my face.
16:10I think a lot of people take that for granted. Like I washed my face. Yeah. I think a lot of
16:13people take it for granted. As you say, you said it right. They take it for granted for, you know,
16:18their health, their skin health, oral health, everything because they think, Oh, I don't need
16:26to do this. I think it's fine. Right. They always say that. Yeah. But you're not thinking about the
16:31long run, right? If you do this, it's same with everything else. If you practice this habit,
16:39you have better skin health in the long run, right? You can maintain, everything's maintenance.
16:45I think people forget that. Yeah. Like maintaining is key in everything. Same with building, right?
16:52Because I do, I do designing for, for spaces. I'm not an architect, but I'm an interior architect.
16:57So it's essential to maintain these things. Same with yourself. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. I
17:06totally agree with that. And I think like, you know, it's, it's like you said, like prevention
17:11is always better than cure. Like you always want to prevent getting the wrinkles or the sunspots,
17:16you know, as opposed to like, Oh, now I got to fix, you know, my wrinkles. You'll be spending
17:20more time, more money, more resources to fix that. Yeah. So choose your battles. Yeah, that's right.
17:26That's a really great point. I mean, that's like, basically what you said, like in a nutshell is
17:30like, you know, it's always important to take care of your skin and start as soon as you can,
17:35like start when you're young, if you have exactly the means to do it, definitely do it, you know,
17:40take care of skin. Cause you only have one, you know, skin basically. And you know, once you go
17:45a certain point, you know, it's all about fixing. And I think the most important thing is like
17:49prevention, which leads me to my next one. I know you're big on K-beauty. I see you a lot,
17:54like on Instagram, you know, you know, showing like makeup and techniques and you have,
18:00you know, really interesting, like makeup content, I would say, cause you do a lot of different
18:05things. And I know you love K-beauty. I love K-beauty too. So have you tried, or do you see
18:10any differences between like Asian versus maybe Western skin, skincare? I do. And especially we
18:18have Asian skin. I feel typically following the Asian skincare routine helps and using,
18:28you know, Korean or Japanese products really help. And, um, there is a difference like Korea,
18:35like they, we, I think we talked about briefly in our Korea talk show that, you know, Korean skin
18:44beauty skincare routine has like so many steps, right? Like 12 or 15 steps. It's insane. But
18:54all those products are interestingly lightweight. They're like gentle to your skin. That's why they
19:03can layer it, you know, so many times. And again, disclaimer, I am no skincare expert.
19:10I'm just basing off. We're just sharing our experiences. So yeah, definitely. But yeah,
19:15like you mentioned, like all the, they have so many different, um, types of things that you put
19:20on your skin and like one single routine, but it's also interesting that they were actually
19:24formulated to be layered one upon the other. Yes. You're right. Yeah. And so like with K-beauty,
19:30for example, right. Asian beauty, I've realized like over time, looking at the products,
19:34trying out the products myself, a lot of times like Asian beauty is catered more towards like
19:39prevention. It's always like repairing your skin barrier, keeping your skin barrier in check,
19:44or it's more like hydrating and plumping the skin versus like Western beauty.
19:48I feel like a lot of the skincare products are kind of like to fix an issue that you already
19:53have. Like for example, active ingredient, like rejuvenants or AHAs. Yeah. They're big on, you
19:58know, like chemical exfoliants, like things like that. So I think it's really interesting. Like,
20:02yeah, like Becca said, retinol, AHAs, BHAs, you see a lot of that, like wrinkle, like wrinkle
20:07corrector, you know, or like targeting the skin concerns. Yeah. Targeting skin concerns. And I
20:12think it's really interesting. Do you think like, you know, um, culture plays a big part in like
20:18how people actually see their skin and how they actually take their skincare routine seriously?
20:23Cause I feel like in Korea, it's almost like, it's kind of like a given, like when you do skincare,
20:28nobody, nobody really does like a, you know, one product and like, you know, that's it. Like
20:33everybody actually enjoys taking the time out. And I feel like it's kind of like in their DNA
20:37to want to take care of their skin and their appearance. Um, so do you think like, you know,
20:42different parts of the world, do you think like, you know, the culture and, you know, how society
20:47actually, you know, plays an important role in how they view their skin and their aesthetics?
20:52Right. So I, I do see like some Western, um, friends or people in the States or, you know,
21:00in the Western parts of the world, they do practice K-beauty as well. Yeah. So they do
21:06see a huge, tremendous difference by practicing that. Yeah, definitely. And I think, I mean,
21:12that speaks for itself. Like K-beauty, honestly, like I'm sure you've tried so many, but I've also
21:16tried like so many K-beauty brands and I keep going back to it just cause I feel like you can
21:21really tell the difference. And also they're really reasonably priced. Yeah. You know, they're
21:25not like super expensive. You don't need to spend big bucks on skincare actually. Like again,
21:30less is more. Less is more. So yeah, I want to talk about less is more because you like,
21:35some people feel like more is more, like they go in and do everything. Like they do, you know,
21:39the whole nine yards. Like I said, they do that. They do the mask or like, so you're a big believer
21:43in less is more. Like, what would you say is like, you know, maybe like that's a little too much.
21:49Like I, you know, maybe not everybody needs to be doing, you know, a certain thing. Like,
21:53do you think that there's like a, you know, a differentiation for like, maybe you're a certain
21:57age, you want to start doing this, but you don't have to do it if you're like in your late teens
22:01or your early twenties. Is there, do you think that there's a, you know, like a fine line of
22:06like too much and just enough? I think understanding your skin condition is important. And also
22:17what age you're at, because like certain products, serums or anti-aging products,
22:24you only can use after probably 21, 25. Right. That sort of thing. Right. So by
22:32applying, let's say retinols as well, not everybody's skin is good to use. Going to receive
22:40everyone. Yeah. Cause all these are active ingredients. I mean like retinols or vitamin C,
22:46like I don't, I don't act, my skin doesn't act well with what vitamin C or retinols because it's
22:51too strong for my skin. So I have to understand that. Right. So not every skin type or everybody's
23:00skin is, is good for certain products. Yeah. So you have to really understand your skin. And I
23:08do stress on doing a skin analysis check. It's like a body health check. Right. So this is a
23:14skin health check. Yeah, definitely. I think that's really important. Like if you're just
23:18starting out your skincare journey, you definitely want to know what kind of skin type you have.
23:24Maybe you want to address certain concerns, whether it's brightening, right. Or if it's acne,
23:28or if you have sensitive skin, you definitely want to, you know, do some research online. I
23:33think it's, you know, there's so many different like platforms online now that you can actually
23:38read up on and actually learn about products and ingredients, you know, and people are just so much
23:42more, you know, exposed to, you know, what actually goes into like skincare these days. So,
23:49yeah, definitely, if you're going to start your journey, like Becca said, don't just, you know,
23:54focus on the outside, also focus on like, you know, your food intake, your health, your lifestyle,
23:58your diet, you know, how active you are, sleeping habits, gym, and basically everything. Right.
24:05So definitely keep that in mind. And, you know, before I wrap up, I just want to ask Becca like,
24:11okay, if you could maybe recommend three products for someone who's maybe starting out in skincare,
24:18like maybe what are the three things that you would say, okay, if I got to buy a few things,
24:22I'm going to the store, like, what are the three things, you know, someone should pick up first?
24:29You know, because like, when people start, they're like, I don't want to buy like 10 things. I just
24:32want to start simple. And maybe then they can, you know, start incorporating different things over
24:37time in their skincare routine. Like what are the most like, you know, most important skincare items
24:43you would say, for someone who's just starting out? I would say probably a toner, moisturizer, and SPF
24:50for day, for daytime skincare. And yeah, probably a good serum as well. Yeah. Right. Okay, that's a
25:02pretty good one. I think that's a good starting point. I'd like to thank Becca so much for like,
25:08coming on this episode. It's been lovely chatting with you and learning some of your little
25:12behind the scenes secrets on like, what happens, you know, during your shoots and stuff. Thank you.
25:17Do you mind sharing like, where everyone can find you in socials, maybe? You can find me on
25:21at B-A-E-C-C-A-L-E-E, which is Becca Lee on Instagram and TikTok as well. Thank you so much,
25:31guys, for tuning into this episode, and I'll see you guys in the next one. Bye!