Amazing faces quiche 2- hold onto your purse strings!

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New thread!

I'm back on here having spent the last few weeks flitting back and forth between this and the Korean thread. Nice to read peoples updates, glad to hear so many people have had such great results!

I am having a bit of a bad face day and not sure why. My cheeks are really dry, I just think my skin is massively dehydrated. I definitely look better than I did a month ago, my skin is smoother, and looks pretty good with make up on, but I still haven't tackled the dryness and the introduction of Nip & Fab pads (glycolic in AM and dragons blood in PM) along with LRP Redermic twice a week doesn't seem to have helped, although I think the acids have definitely improved the unevenness of my skin. Really disappointingly don't think I'm getting on very well with the retinol. The second day after using it I seem to get these little bumps on my cheeks, not somewhere I've ever suffered before, and my skin feels very sensitive. It's been a month so I'd have thought I'd have got used to it by now. I am torn between quitting and upping my usage to every other day to see if I can get through it! Does anyone have any suggestions? Maybe I need to try another retinol product? Maybe I just don't need retinol at all. Seems a bit hardcore when I have basically good skin.

I recently stopped using my REN francinsense night cream and rose oil serum as I thought my skin was getting a bit greasy, and I was getting the odd little pimple in the morning, but I haven't replaced it with anything nourishing enough I don't think. I really want to try Hylamide, would that help my dehydration?

I've also been dabbling with Asian products and am in love with the Biore sunscreen.

So my hits are:
Balance me cleansing balm - Love it, has replaced my Eve lom. Completely love it.
REN rose centifolia cleansing gel - Have used this for years, it feels so cooling and gentle after hot cloth cleanse.
Balance Me ultra moisturising cream - not too oily, not too thin. Perfect creamy consistency.
Biore Watery essence SPF50 - just amazing
Nip & Fab pads - both varieties. Am tempted to drop to once a day but alternate the pads, see if that helps with the dryness issue.
REN clarifying toner - I know CH doesn't rate it but I use it on the redermic nights and the morning after as a gentle alternative to the pads.
Asian sheet masks - feel so lovely even if I don't see them actually doing anything!

undecided
LRP Redermic. No idea if I'm reacting to it or if its doing its job, or if its just a bit strong for me.
Clinique City Block - Quite like this but don't think I can ever stray from Biore now!
Mizon Snail Repair Gel (from Korea) - feels lovely, certainly not moisturising enough alone but definitely calming. I need to find a place for it and decide how it works best/with which other products
REN AHA concentrate - hardly had a chance to try it as I just don't know where to fit it in, doesn't seem right using an acid treatment when the pads are acid toning every day.
Una Brennan Superfacialist calming rose cleanser - boring, meh, unexciting. But it is quite calming. Doubt I'd rebuy when there are so many other things to try!
REN rose oil serum - I don't get facial oils. I don't know how they work/when to use/whether they in fact just give me spots. But it was bloody expensive and I want to persevere!

my wishlist
hylamide
Clinique moisture surge spray
Various Korean snail/bee concoctions :)

Thanks for everyones knowledge and tips on this thread, its brilliant!

Thanks Drama! I'll try the dragons blood ones next. Great to hear you are seeing results.

I'm definitely with Drank - it's my skin but better sums it up perfectly :)

Drank what is the Olay toner called? Is it anti-wrinkle toner or is that something else? Not sure if it's sold in UK but sounds good.

back2Two basically I feel like you do. I don't think I look much different at all!

I have combinTion skin prone to rosacea.

This morning I went back to basics and

Cleansed in shower using only a Muslim cloth
Lrp toner
Lrp effaclar duo
Followed by BB cream

And 9 hours later my skin is looking better than ever

I have decided anti ageing serums and cleansing balms are not that great for my skin so I'm taking it easy.

Pm I will use as I did last night

Micellar water
Lrp cleanser
Clearasil wipes
Effaclar duo

And leave it at that for now.

I have the following which I do still like but am not using for now

Cetaphil cleanser
Loreal revitalift 10 serum - not sure if it's blocking up my pores
Superdrug vit e cleansing balm - not sure if it's blocking my pores
Loreal youth code night moisturiser - like this if my skin is dry
Superdrug vit e serum - like this if skin is feeling dry
Loreal revitalift day cream SPF - will use on days of no make up when it's sunnier
No 7 SPF protect and perfect moisturiser - will use on sunny days with no make up.

Dragons blood are sacyillic *sp !
I find them less drying but think the the other nip and fab give better results for me

DrankSangriaInThePark do you have a link to the olay you are using please? I have been using the clearsil fruit pads which are great but I like to mix things up a bit

I want to say a big thanks to everyone on here and the Korean thread - I have had no new spots and my skin is feeling fantastic

Next issues to try and find some miraculous treatments for are dark circles and some persistent reddness on my cheeks. I think kundry was using the haloxyl? Has it been worth it?

It's called Total Effects 7 in 1. I am in Italy and picked it up in my version of Superdrug. It was â?¬3.99!
Will try and see what it is called in the Uk

It's called Total Effects 7 in 1. I am in Italy and picked it up in my version of Superdrug. It was â?¬3.99!
Will try and see what it is called in the Uk

www.amazon.co.uk/Olay-3255825-Anti-Wrinkle-Cleansers-Toner/dp/B000T9AK8E

This is it. I think the level of "acid" (salicylic) must be very low, but that suits me.

Can I just ask for a recommendation please? I have really dry skin around my eyes, and a few fine lines. I need concealer as I have such dark circles but recently its been caking and sitting in the creases. It almost makes them look worse. But I am extremely sensitive to eye creams, well the two I've ever tried, which were Boots botanics and Boots time delay - both made me tingle and sting and I hated it. Is there anything out there for me? I'm tempted by the hylamide but its a lot to spend if it makes me react.
Thanks!

Back2Two fantastic news that the spots are going. What are the ishoos you still want to deal with?

ilovetosleep I'm not sure Hylamide will solve the issues you are concerned about. It's hydrating rather than combating dryness. The peptide content etc might help the wrinkles but won't be a miracle sadly. I have found Haloxyl helps with my sort of dark circles - v thin skin, obvious capillaries and purple leakage from said capillaries - but I don't think much works for any other sort of dark circles, and the Haloxyl certainly does sting. Not sure on the dryness front as my skin is v much the opposite.

I've liked Benefit Erase Paste more than concealer - it doesn't sit in the wrinkles, only need the tiniest of dots and it seems to tone down the darkness a lot so I no longer need heavy duty concealer on top, just a bit of Clinique Airbrush Concealer can you tell I want Lisa Elderidge videos too?

I've finally started to notice peeling from using the 0.025 retin. Nothing too horrific so think I'll keep ploughing on.

Hi everyonejust want to give my update, & thanks for all the advice just, wish I knew all this years ago.
Skin much cleaner, brighter & smoother, had the odd spot but, cleared quickly, two age spots vanished, dont need nearly as much foundation, so have been using
miceller water
SD hot cloth
nip n fab pads alternate with clearasil pads
LRP gentle toner
boots protect serum thingy
EL moisturiser
LRP redemic r built up to every night now.
Toying with trying retin a, once redemic used up? Also still bit confused about serums & what products are hylamide & where would you, use in the routine?
Also what else could I be doing/using or what would be better am 55 pale complextion, smooth forehead crows feet & fine lines spreading, down side of cheeks, some open pores side of nose & chin, sorry for epic post

CH has a very helpful summary of what works and what doesn't work for anti-ageing which is essentially what you are looking for - smaller pores, fewer fine lines or stopping them getting worse.

It boils down to:

Not smoking
SPF
Vitamin A
Exfoliating acids
Vit C and E
Niacinamide
possibly peptides and ceramides

In your routine you already have acids with the pads and the vit A in the Redermic R - as you point out you could go stronger with this. Can't see a SPF in your list but there but assuming there is if there isn't get on it

Couldn't track what LRP Toner you are using but that's prob your least useful product on your list, unless it has something fantastic in it. You are getting peptides from your Boots protect.

So what you could do is:

Add SPF if not there already
Increase strength of Redermic to Retin A seeing as you are comfortable on Redermic
Check all your products, see if there is any niacinamide in there
Consider adding a Vit C/Vit E/Ferulic serum in the mornings and use Boots in the evenings, prob most important if you want to reduce pigmentation
Scrap Boots for a different peptide serum eg Hylamide
Check if moisturiser or serum has ceramides in and consider switching to one that does tries not to recommend Cerave again

Or alternatively be happy where you are as you have prob got at least 75% of the improvement you are likely to and your skin is happy

Kundrythank you right - toner is physiologial soothing toner, its ok nothing special, am using city block sunscreen, was going too get the biore one, as seems to get good reviews, & cerave moist when I finish the EL one, is there any hylamide/vit c you would recommend?
Smoking still battling with once again many thanks, have found the threads
so helpful & informative

Good luck with battling the smoking So tough but honestly the best thing you can do for your health and your skin.

Having looked at the LRP toner, all it is really is glycerin so is in the category of fairly pointless toners as it's just moisturising a bit and you have a whole other product for that

Personally I'm not convinced by 'hydrating toners' unless they are doing something else as well but that's possibly because a) I don't have very dehydrated skin and b) I use hylamide anyway so get a double hit of hydration + peptides.

If there was anything you wanted to leave out/save cash on hydrating toners is it to my mind - and normal toner definitely - you've double cleansed, you moisturise so what's it for?

I haven't got as far as Vit C serum yet however we had a long chat about it poss on the previous thread which went along the lines of:
it's most effective with Vit E and ferrulic acid
it's not worth spending ££££ on the Skinceuticals one as the Vit C has gone off before you finish the bottle and you have to throw it away
Bigbuttons had a recipe to make your own for peanuts
some people were using the Oz Naturals one from Amazon and liked it

And I know I am unnaturally obsessed with the Cerave which people are right to say is a bit of a dull product but it has hyaluronic, ceramides and niacinamide plus oil-free and fragrance-free and isn't ££££ which are all massive winners for me

Is this the one you use Kundry?

Thanks for the advice Kundry. I have realised this last month that I have pretty dry sensitive skin so we don't really have the same skin type BUT you clearly know what you're talking about! This might be a really daft question but what you said about hylamide - if something is hydrating doesn't that mean it combats dryness? I don't really see what you mean but then I am totally clueless about all this stuff, still, despite reading these threads religiously I still am no closer to understanding my skin :( I don't like the sound of the tingly haloxyl although I was attracted to it earlier on the thread when you said it was meant to be good for dark circles. As for concealer, it is Erase paste that I use and it seems to emphasise the dryness on me but as you say your skin is not dry.

I have never really suffered with spots apart from hormonal but I have uneven skin tone, redness around nose and red marks from old spots on my chin.

So I really want a Niacinimide product and was about to jump on the Cerave PM bandwagon BUT i just looked on the Cerave website and it is targeted at dry to oily skin, which I don't have. There doesn't seem to be any niacinimide in any of their lotions or creams for normal or dry skin. Does anyone with dry skin use the PM version and rate it? Or should I really try and find something else?

Thanks once again for all the help on this thread

I use this one

www.amazon.co.uk/CeraVe-Facial-Moisturizing-Lotion-PM/dp/B00N43VZEA/ref=pd_sim_194_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0A1EVPGTN4Q34GQ3K57S

It says dry skin but frankly it's just all skin types, if you are dry you might prefer the tub version, it has some suggestions what might be best on their website. As a normal to oily it's definitely good for that.

Kundry thanks again going to get the cerave, like you said it does what it says & is not £££.