Yet More Fantastic Skincare and Where To Find It

[botemp]

Thread 1

Thread 2

Thread 3

For those who are taking a peek and wondering whether thread 1,2, and 3 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.

This January we're doing some added extra chitchat about food and diet and reducing or eliminating sugar for both overall and skin health. Recipe sharing encouraged.

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 in as much detail as possible, 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, please do read through the previous threads first. It takes a lot of time and effort to answer these queries and often the answers can be found in previous threads, but if you still have questions use the following form to make life easier on us. We generally answer one or 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.

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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]:

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Ahem, and finally a little note on spending. I'm well aware these threads cause many to reach for their wallets and spend with wild abandon. There can sometimes be a bit of a frenzy surrounding the excitement around a newly discovered product or on the back of great improvements when someone reports back. This is all great, it doesn't however, mean everything that's a sudden miracle for one will be it for you. Usually, it's a light bulb moment for connecting the right skincare ingredient with an individual experiencing a specific problem. Take your time to mull over decisions and question whether it's right for you too. Skincare is highly individual, it's a slow game that should cost mostly in patience, input, education, and perseverance. Please don't make it cost you financially needlessly either.

Looking at the Eucerin ingredients and it looks good. What is 'lanolin alcohol'?

Obviously I know what lanolin is but don't know how you'd get alcohol from it or I'm just being thick today.

This isn't a skincare question but I feel like you'd all know. (Hollin you'll definitely know.)

When getting ready to go out out, do you do hair or make up first? Hair is washed and dried, face is cleansed and prepped. Will be using a waving wand and washing and drying a fringe. Full make up.

Help!

I do mine in a weird order as I do eye makeup before face and hair before rest of face
For me because I get hot doing my hair I do hair first then makeup

Skincare, hair, makeup is usually my order. No particular reason but preference. Think lanolin alcohol is most likely a fatty alcohol derived from lanolin.

Thank you botemp. I'm going to order the Paula's Choice BHA and an spf. I'm a bit ashamed to say that I haven't been using an spf unless I've been on holiday!

I should have recorded when I actually started the PC, but can anyone tell me how long purging should last

I've started the HA now but the spots had worsened before that

Hi everyone. I've been following and reading everything since I posted a couple of months back and absorbing all your fabulous knowledge. I have LRP Redermic Eyes on order for DP. He commented unprompted (!) the other day that my skin was looking the best he's seen it and he wanted a little piece of the action. I remembered seeing this recommended before so I hope it works well for him.

I have a question for you all of you don't mind...foundation! Now my skin is pretty clear, I don't want to be caking it in thick matte ELDW or equivalent as it just doesn't seem necessary. I'd like something a bit lighter and more dewy. Do any of you use anything you think might fit the bill? I've always gone for thick to cover up so I've no idea where to begin.

I'm super happy with my routine now, still looking for the moisturiser to slot in and complete it but I'm using up what I have at the moment. I tried TO moisturiser but really didn't get on with it.

bo and we totally forgot we have to go to Canada and visit the Deciem labs (even auto correct on iPhone can already predict Deciem after a few letters) ask them all our pesky questions re texture of future Vit C serums. God knows we've recommended their stuff more than enough. Pheewww, it's going to be a looong trip!
In Weleda I'd like to sleep inside a vat of the rose oil please...

Goatkid what kind of coverage are you looking for - medium or light?

Pupsie I agree that a little bit of the right concealer can work wonders. Applied and blended properly you can get away with very little else - a very light coverage foundation r CC cream, or maybe even just a bit of blush and perfecting powder.

Light please

Seeing as you used EL previously, how about double wear all day glow BB which I like - comes in a tube, or there's a day wear light I think it is but haven't tried it

If I did my routine at 5pm, do I put anything extra on before bed?

I sometimes add a little more moisturiser if I feel dry or a sleeping mask

I'll pop some extra moisturiser on! I don't have any sleep masks but they sound interesting, will have a look!

Cheers Hollin and bo I did hair first, make up, then fringe. I'd completely forgotten what I usually do.

For anyone using a water spray as a make up setting spray, the LRP one works much better that the Avene, the spray is finer. Make up hadn't budged when I looked in the mirror once home. Don't know if that was the spray or just because my skin is happier. Usually foundation and eye make up goes a patchy after a few hours where either it's gone oily or my skin has sucked the water out of it. None of that tonight. Haven't even moved on to acids yet apart from the bha.

I'm rambling and it took me 7 attempts to spell 'forgotten' so think I should go to sleep. Night night all.

So obviously I'm still awake. 🙄

Just wanted to add that I ate sugar tonight (brownies) but no wheat as they were gluten free so I'll see if that causes any issues in a couple of days. Think a one off, without wheat as well, will be ok but putting it down here so I'll remember.

goatkid I like the Chanel vitalumiere aqua foundation for light coverage - particularly if like me you find lots of makeup can be drying. It blends very well too so I often only use a tiny dot of it on my nose and chin to even my skin tones out, and blend it across from there. The shades can be a bit yellow for some, that is a common complaint about Chanel makeup.

Yes my fav light foundation at the moment is also Chanel Vita Lumiere Aqua. That plus a good concealer works for me. If you put one drop of oil before you apply it you get an even glowyer result. I also found Chanel Les Beiges foundation very good, but not as glowy.
I actually have a neutral shade - BR 32 and it's not yellow at all. Les Beiges also have mixed tones shades.
For even easier application I use Clinique CC cream in medium light, but you could also have a look at LM tinted moisturizer.
I tried both the EL CC and EE but they have to much "glitter" for me. Might look good in photos but in RL I found it a bit absurd.
And please don't buy anything without insisting on getting samples and trying them at home a few times! If they won't give them to you turn around and walk away!

Just gone to ASOS to order TO Vit C but it's sold out!

Ok so I need another skin rant so apologies in advance.....

Wtf is wrong with my skin!! I had 2 very sore hard red lumps along my jaw and this morn they had a yellow head (so sorry that's rank) I sorted this out and now have 2 red lumps that are tender!
Also I'm not happy with the foundation I'm using at mo, it's Mac waterweight and sounded perfect for me but it seems to make my skin dry and dull as soon as I apply it....it's very odd because after a little while it looks better (can still see some settling in my pores) but definitely better than when first applied but I want one that looks right straight away and doesn't settle or accentuate my dehydration! Would be very tempted by the Chanel rec above but they contain fragrance...WHY OH WHY!!!!
The bridge of my nose looks dehydrated and crepey and have either filaments or blocked pores on nose, and I have tiny minuscule dots on chin n forehead, possibly filaments too think I actually have these on my cheek too?!?
Arrrrrrrrrgh!!! Rant over.....for now

Yongnian, may I ask what you think of the Natura Siberica Rhodiola Rosea night cream. I'm interested in it but the website doesn't list the ingredients. I contacted them a while ago but they didn't reply.
Also, do you like any of their other products? Thanks!

Storm, I've never actually purged but I know it is possible with acids. It can last up to about a full skin cycle iiirc so 6-8 weeks . Just make sure it really is purging and not a reaction, and possibly decrease use. You did build it up slowly from 2x a week, right? Here's some additional info from PC.

goatkid, that's so lovely to hear and yongnian's DH has some competition now . For light coverage I like Laura Mercier's tinted moisturiser, definitely get matched in store, especially the pink toned and oil free versions are prone to oxidisation. I also like Giorgio Armani Luminous Sik but heard recently that the L'Oreal True Match is 80% the same and has a really wide range of colours and without fragrance, keep meaning to look into it. I've used Chanel VLA too and like it but the fragrance in it eventually irritates me with continued use.

I think the Dr. Jart BB cream that's mispriced at 8 quid instead of 26 at boots may be interesting too, perhaps? Someone on the thread really loves it.

Wrt moisturiser, what's the moisturiser like in your mind? I'm still looking for mine and don't think that'll ever be found, but I've tried enough in between...

Hi plastic. I really wanted to like this range...for various reasons I won't bore you with. So far I'm trying the night cream, as you've noticed and I also had a sample of the day cream rhodiola rosea (SPF 20) which I've used all of.
The best thing about the night cream is the texture - it's heavy enough for a night cream and seals other layers of hydration in. But, the fragrance reminds me of something like nivea (yuk, yuk and yuk for me personally) which is not what I expected from a product like that and so far can see no discernible benefits to my skin that I couldn't be getting from any other moisturiser. It's not doing me any actual harm however, despite not liking the smell. Will use up but won't repurchase.
But the real offender was the day cream - it was as heavy, if not heavier than the night cream (and I like a heavyweight cream, even daytime but this was just too much) again, unpleasantly old fashioned fragrance and if I remember rightly was quite white-castish even though only SPF 20. I actually binned it after a bit.
If after all that you'd still like to try for yourself, I also had a sample of the cloudberry daycream which I haven't opened. If you pm me your address, I'll be happy to send it to you.
I was pretty disappointed as I really liked the look of it and had been wanting to try rhodiola rosea ages ago.
Re ingredients, just trying to remember where I ordered it from, pretty sure the INCI was there but maybe not, in which it probably served me right!
As an aside, I noticed the range being sold by Monoprix in France. Pity I hadn't tried it out first!

Hi yongnian, thanks so much for your detailed reply. OK I will forget about it as I hate the Nivea smell also. Well, anything too smelly on my face. Yuk. I will continue my ongoing search for the perfect moisturiser. I prefer to use more natural stuff. I had it once actually. It was the Rosa Mosqueta moisturizing cream from Aubrey Organics, but they bloody went and reformulated it and the replacement is honestly the worst thing I've ever put on my face.
That is really sweet of you to offer to send the cloudberry daycream sample. However, I cannot accept as I am in the Netherlands and the postage would be too expensive (I am presuming you are in the UK). But thanks so much anyway,

I ordered the TO Vit C from Victoria Health :-)

Got an email from Face Theory today to say that their "Signature Cleanser C1 now has 5% Vitamin C for an additional anti-oxidant boost". Is there any point Vit C in a cleanser? (Not thinking about purchasing, just curious!).

Ah ok plastic chances are you wouldn't have liked it either then in terms of smell.
Yes I like those kind of products too sometimes and that probably influenced my decision to try this, but can't say it was what I was after, in that respect at all!
I think I might have seen the product you're talking about in our local whole foods shop, but never tried.
Onwards in the perfect moisturiser quest! Though I have to say I like TO's moisturising factors thing - utterly plain, no fragrance, does what it needs too. Inexpensive too. Have just re-ordered. Only prob is it's in a 30ml tube so I get through it quickly.