Even More Fantastic Skincare And Where To Find It

[botemp]

Thread 1

Thread 2

For those who are taking a peek and wondering whether thread 1and 2 are worth reading we mostly discuss a bit of advanced skincare here with a perspective of seeking out the right ingredients for our particular needs. Distinguishing the acid toners from the actives whilst avoiding the truly unimpressive and harmful ingredients with a hope to achieve a bit of anti-ageing, alleviate irritation and sensitivities with some idle chat in between deviations on this thread are mostly my fault.

If you're in need of some advice coming to grips with your skincare routine please don't hesitate to ask, we don't bite, only occasionally sting with a bit of Biologique Recherche P50 now and then . Just make sure to state clearly what your concerns and needs are, skincare is highly individual and a random recommendation for a 'good' product will be completely different from one person to the next.

If you want help, have read through the previous threads, but if you still have questions use the following form to make life easier on us. We generally answer up to two people a day on a first come first served basis. Not everyone will have answers and sometimes we can't answer you at all. We're only a bunch of amateurs that can respond by suggesting what we would do in your place, for any severe conditions please seek out professional help.

Skin type:

Approx age (range):

Primary skin concern:

Routine :

AM :

PM :

Makeup : eg. no/light coverage/medium coverage/heavy coverage

Occasional treatments:

Things I've tried in the past with disastrous results:

Things that are really working well for me now:

Any dietary/health concerns/pregnant:

What I'm willing to spend on a single skincare item: eg. >£10, £10-20, £20-50, £50-100, no limits.

I specifically [want help with/am looking for a product to/am curious about trying]:

Signals been a bit crap here - trying to upload pix...so shelf porn alert
Ducray/bioderma
Topicreme
Cotton wool!
Scored some KIKO from the market today - a nifty eyeliner pen and a touche èclat type concealer pen
Skincare resolutions? Thinking I might need to get more serious about my fine lines....and need to invent a skincare tool for delivering some vit c to my back and shoulders where I now have very visible hyper pigmentation scars from the recent outburst of bacne :-(

I am back from hols on 30th and promise to sort decants of P50 then. Sorry for the delay.

Been wondering, what does Caroline Hirons officially do apart from the blog and facials? She keeps saying lately that she works in retail but she's not exactly stood behind a till in John Lewis is she, so what does she mean?

Genuine curiousity, not taking the piss. I feel like I should know already.

I'd love some advice if anyone is around, as have some vouchers to spend on skincare.

My skin is very sensitive, excema prone when younger and still gets the odd patch that only steroids seem to touch.

I get the best results with Dermalogica, I use skin smoothing cream, ultra calming cleanser and the daily microfoliant every couple of days.

I'm 35, and rarely get spots unless hormonal, if I do they're on my chin.

I've been quite lazy with my skincare in the past, just using a simple face wipe to get make up off and then moisturising but would like to try harder. I do use an SPF 50 on my face for about 9 months of the year, it is an Elemis one I think that I use like a primer.

I have about £100 to spend which needs to cover moisturiser in the main as am nearly out of Dermalogica, and would like a cleanser and maybe a booster/acid.

Any advice?

Thank you so much bo!
Been using eye products because they just seemed part of a routine
I have dark circles (lack of sleep!) and some fine lines appearing... can be puffy too (see: lack of sleep and toddler)
I always thought moisturiser was too heavy for the 'delicate eye area' so have always used a separate product.

WRT skincare resolutions...I've already started! Mine is to pare my routine down then build it back up with things my skin needs not what a blogger suggests

Pupsie hope you're enjoying a wonderful holiday!

Enid I believe she works with brands? So retail in that sense maybe?

Eye cream is a bit of disputed territory, Storm. I tend to go with the wisdom that not everyone needs it unless your skin reacts/behaves decidedly different there or you have specific orbital area issues. I tend to prefer an eye serum over eye cream personally as I find them too heavy where someone else might be in desperate need of something richer as they're dryer there, iyswim.

Dulci and Pupsie both seem to be liking the TO Caffeine eye serum for depuffing and hydration. Seeing as you're not actively looking to reverse something like already established wrinkles or genetic dark circles I think it would probably be a good thing to try and it's rather bargainous too. Pupsie keeps hers in the fridge for extra depuffing magic.

Enid, has she uploaded another vlog? That was the question I was left wondering the one time I sat through the entire length of one which probably has more to do with editing out all those bits. I believe she consults and reps for niche US brands (think Hampton Sun was mentioned once, Pixi, etc.) with a smaller presence in the UK market, makes sure they're adequately stocked getting the right display and attention in places like SpaceNK, Net-A-Porter, etc. Though I would guess these days her business will involve a lot of consultancy on how to appeal to her blog demographic and whilst it's all separate entities the territory blurs somewhat. Not implying her opinion or space on her blog are for sale but that there's a synergy between her consultancy and blog activities that's hard to separate as they operate in the same field with the same set of people, she just happens to be on alternating sides of it now and then dependent on the occasion.

witsender, are you looking for Dermologica recs specifically?

Oh yes sorry, it's more serums or gels I use rather than heavy creams! Will check out the recommendation, thank you

I've just put an order in with TO, going to give the caffine eye serum a go and also the HA + moisturising factors. Can't wait for that to arrive

I have been using the extra strength BHA from PC for over 2 weeks now and am really pleased with the results. I have eating lots of sugar and rubbish this last few weeks and would usually be an oily, spotty mess. I just have 2 spots on my chin, so very impressed with it.

I am now properly back on the wagon, need to lose over a stone, so the healthy eating should also really help with my skin issues.

I tried TO Vit C again last night and have a bit of a red rash on my cheeks this morning... Is this a normal reaction to the Vit C initially- should I persevere with tiny bits every other day or just give up? Last time I tried it I got a rash as well but I was throwing too much at my skin too quickly, so I thought it may be that. I'm not sure if I should keep going or not...

I also reacted to LG in the same way I think, I don't know whether to abandon that completely or eventually try to introduce it back in again. I initially used it 2x a week on a diluted cotton wool pad and gradually increased from there, reacted about 3 weeks in once I was using it 3x a week with no dilution- is that too quick an introduction?

Does anyone find with SLS free shampoo that it doesn't clean your hair as well as shampoos with SLS? I can't decide whether its my crappy eating habits at the moment which is making me oilier or whether my shampoos just cleaning my hair properly. Currently using MoroccanOil moisture repair shampoo and conditioner, which has helped a bit. I don't normally have greasy hair and recently I need to wash every 2 days instead of 3-4. Just wondering if anyone else has found this?

Hmm no chocolate, can't say I have noticed that but i think they vary a lot.

I have fine curly hair, thin on top thank you PCOS so in fairness, it should not be hard to clean. I'm using bioderma's one.

I tried the Jason vitamin e one but it irritated my scalp. V happy with the bioderma one.

You could try using an sls one once a week or so to do a deep clean? Why did you switch?

I've just about caught up with the thread after a few days iPad free!

Interesting about raisin and her switch to paula's choice extra strength BHA.

I've been using PC skin perfecting 2% BHA liquid for more than 6 months but hand on heart I don't think its done much for visible pores or SFs/blackheads on nose and chin. I really want to sort them out!

Enid sounds like you've had great results from cosrx BHA. Is it the blackhead power liquid?

I definitely want to try a new acid. Which one should I go fo PC extra strength or cosrx or even anything else? Also when reading some blogs, they recommend waiting twenty mins after a BHA to allow skin to normalise its ph before moving on to next step in routine. What are people's thoughts about that?

There are also suggestions about using Vit C first then using BHA. Seems like you would be 'sweeping away' the vit c but perhaps you have to wait a while? I have to say I don't really like hanging around, prefer to do routine all together.

I've got TO vit c serum and I haven't had any problems with it 'balling up' on my skin at all. I'm not sure if it's done anything but texture wise I like it. I'm finishing off NIOD copper then I'm going to add TO niacinamide followed by NIOD HA to my morning routine. This is the first winter when I haven't suffered with dehydration and I'm sure it's the HA that's helped.

Still spotty
I whined at my haematology consultant and he's said I can inject my meds early as I'm probably low on neutrophils again and so can't fight anything off
We seem to have noticed if I go and whine about my skin, I'm generally low (we play guess the neutrophil count)

Also, while I'm on a whining moan day
Olay have DISCONTINUED the only eye makeup remover that removes my excess eyeliner and doesn't hurt my eyes
Any recs? I'm looking at the body shop camomile one
Those bi phase ones don't work for me, I prefer a cream type or lotion

Hello girls! Just back from a few days in the wilderness with lovely frosty sunny weather.

Catching up but will be back hopefully later or tomorrow re Caudelie oil etc upthread, more details about cryotherapy (including niche reviews about which mascaras hold their own in -110c ), more positive views about OT Matryxil and final thrashing of BT cream blush

Got the new Chanel No 5 L'Eau for Xmas and loooove it! Though No 5 itself is a bit much for me because of the powdery base notes, this version does not become powdery not too sweet, just stays flowery in an intense kind of way and slightly "mysterious ".

bo No CH vlog just couple of tweets lately saying she works in retail so she understands how hard working on Oxford St before xmas is and something else. Hardly treading a dept store floor. But I'm feeling particularly moody today so I'll 🤐.

JD Yes that's the one. Only used on bridge of nose, and end of nose, nowhere else until I get a bottle. Was using a sample. Seems good so far. But I can use things in my nose that cause havoc elsewhere on my face so we'll see.

I have felt particularly ill the past few days and my skin is reflecting that. So just using cleanser and moisturiser + eye cream.

Re-read that. Not moody with anyone here just moody in general and could feel a moan about bloggers coming on.

I have that question too JDSTER about the bha. Have a sample from PC that I'm trying out, skin seems to love it. PC says no waiting but various blogs say I should wait.

Waiting is a pain.

Thought it was to allow the acid to penetrate and go its work rather than a skin pha issue?

I suppose we should follow the instructions on the bottle instead of second guessing it

Not specifically Dermalogica, that's just what has worked best in the past. I'm reading back through the thread, but for a complete newbie it is a steep learning curve!

I find SLS free shampoo definitely doesn't clean my hair as well, but it's the trade for not irritating my scalp! The OGX range is pretty good though and I do an Aussie wash one a week or so.

Wilting I stopped using shampoo with sls because I think it contributes to flare ups of cystic acne that I can be prone to and I have dermatitis on the back of my head which sls shampoo seems to make much worse. Sls free seems to help both issues.

I was using OGX but recently my hair became very dry, wiry and straw like so I swapped to the Moroccan oil. I love the smell of it, my scalp is still clear and my hair is back to being silky and soft. It sometimes just looks a bit greasy in the second-third day though. I've bought some clarifying shampoo today to see if that helps. I think the diet clean up will really help.

JD I initially tried the PC skin perfecting 2% BHA and found it made little to no difference. I've now got the PC clear 2% extra strength and have really seen a change. Stubborn blackheads and clogged pores have shifted, I had over 50 small blackheads on my cheeks and temples, I've now got probably less than 10.

I put it on in the morning, brush my teeth and then put TO nia on and it seems to be working well, I haven't been waiting.

Well first of all a huge thanks to botemp for all the advice (on the last thread now I think). I've purged a few products that were out of date, purchased some recommended to me and a few others that sound like they would combine well with them. Consequently I have taken delivery of some lovely new skincare today. I'm interested in the actual ingredients so making an effort to understand what is behind the product and what it all does.

Just as a reminder I'm (almost) 40, have normal / occasionally oily skin, main concern is anti-ageing as seeing more lines than I would like appearing, I swim four times a week which is fairly drying and run most days so work up a sweat on a regular basis. I've also got a baby and pre-schooler and work with a long commute so generally have a frantically busy life with less sleep than I need.

I just wanted to check the following regime sounds about right.

AM
Boots No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser*
LRP Toleriane Dermo Cleanser
The Ordinary Buffet
Biore UV AQUA Rich Watery Essence*

PM
Clinique Take the Day Off balm*
LRP Toleriane Dermo Cleanser
Nip + Fab Glycolic Extreme pads*
The Ordinary Buffet
Advanced Retinoid 2%
100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil

The products with a * are ones that I already use and have done so for several months.

My questions are, if you don't mind a few more:

1. Should I add in The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 into my morning regime after using TO Buffet? I'm not really sure my skin is dehydrated, it is pretty normal, but anti-ageing is my primary concern and I think it is possibly more dehydrated than I think it is.

1. I'm aware the Nip + Fab Glycolic Extreme pads aren't for daily use, although I have always used them that way. Would I be better introducing something milder on alternate days? I have always liked Clarins Toning Lotion With Iris "Combination/Oily Skin" and found it very good for my skin although I see it is mainly fragrance and not actually that good on the ingredients front. Maybe the Nip+Fab Dragons Blood Fix Pads instead?

The only one of the new products I've not loved so far is the Rose Hip Oil as I've never used an oil on my skin before and it feels a bit greasy but I've not had any negative reaction so will continue to see if it has a positive effect over time.

Thank you.

Salty just a comment to say why are you double cleansing in the morning? Just the LRP should be fine.

Have had a cracking time skiing. Up at 5.30am tomorrow so will be a long day. Looking forward to getting home to my usual skincare routine .

Hi Salty. I'm by no means an expert but as pupsie said, no need for the hot cloth cleanse in the morning as you're not wearing makeup so just LRP.

I don't think you need to use HA and buffet as buffet hydrates the skin although you can use both if you wish. You would use buffet before HA.

Not sure about nip and fab other than I think it's a bit harsh so I'll let others comment on that. I personally can't see any advantage to adding the toner. As you say fragrance and nothing that will do anything positive for your skin. Save your money!

If you're not used to an oil I can see that you would find it greasy but I and many others on here love a good facial oil! Thanks to recommendation on here I got clarins lotus oil for Christmas (suitable for combo/oily skin) and I'm liking it

Thanks raisin and Enid for replies. I always use acid at night. Still not sure which one to get- PC or Cosrx? Decisions decisions. We should do a swap shop on here. I noticed the purchasers of the M&S advent calendar have a swapping thread going on at the moment.