Ditch The Foundation, Embrace Some Fantastic Skincare Instead!

[botemp]

Thread 1

Thread 2

Thread 3

Thread 4

For those who are taking a peek and wondering whether thread 1,2, 3, and 4 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 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.

Make sure you've read the earlier threads (or at the very least the first one) so we're not being asked to answer to previously raised questions. 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 relating specifically to you, 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.

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.

The 💅🏻 is my favourite.

They don't show up properly on here though. MN need to extend their range.

mintleaves I can second (or third) a good mask for putting a bit of luxe back into a sensible no-frills routine...I like Cattier pink clay and dr Haushka firming mask, but have just started to dip a toe into sheet masks...so far tried Dr Jart's firming mask and a French supermarket one with lavender and aloe Vera one which was also nice....
Haha aurora bo yes an ailing company or a wrecked old building - both good analogies...and no, not for the faint hearted.... I have to have regular breaks from the uphill struggle!!
bo I have that marula oil, have no real use for it -you're welcome to a decant or even the whole thing, I ordered it purely for the free shipping but am really very loyal to my rice bran oil.
And noooo i am sure we won't get into competitive haul pix...personally I am a bit of a graphics junkie so was just wanting to see some Japanese characters on the products! (I know, weird...I also have a bathroom display cabinet which has 'interesting' beauty packaging in it, from random corners of the world....don't ask)
Anyhoo, enough diversionary ramble from me for now off to gallop away on an imaginary and exemplary version of a horse I don't own but is snazzy sports car for wrecked building money

Maybe if you'd name her Stila insert skimlink here a nice reputable non-sinking cosmetic company would pay for her and the upkeep . She would instantly become THE horse.

Well, these products aren't that exciting graphics wise but I have some other ones that are nice graphically will picture them tomorrow if I remember.

I actually wanted the Marula for shipping purposes too and was going to use it for the body as supposedly it's nice for that too, I'm not really that desperate for it but thanks for offering.

The only danger with photos is likely my makeup "issues"
I asked my dad to make some shelves and he went "what, one for green eyeshadow, one for gold eyeshadow... You'd need hundreds"
Thanks dad

I'm just looking at storage options on Ikea Hollin Do you have anything from there you'd recommend? I have the fat low Alex drawers but want to swop them for the tall 9 drawer ones.

I don't actually have anything from there for makeup I keep meaning to look as I have a fab large storage unit and boxes
My stuff is all in hat boxes, makeup is in a drawer unit from staples and everyday stuff in a storage holder I bought from trendmood on Instagram

That sounds good. I love a good bit of storage and organising. I've been looking at make up storage on Pinterest for the past two hours. It's fascinating.

bo thank you, can I as why you would do the Superdrug in the am as opposed to pm? Just curious. Also did you see me say upthread somewhere that after using the Superdrug serum my skin felt drier and slightly itchy? Any idea why that could be?

mint/jo, it could easily be PM/AM too, just considering your product reactions I'd minimise the possible variables and therefore not layering it initially. If the dryness and itchiness are not a single occurrence -possibly circumstance induced- and persists and veers into irritation then I'm afraid we're going to have to call defeat on it. I wouldn't be able to say what the cause is. There is HA in there and I know you've reacted to that before (though no to the one SubQ but that's an HA complex of different molecular weights iirc, so that may be the differentiating factor). Have you used it since?

Please don't start on makeup storage... I've been lusting after the Shu Uemura Atelier Makeup Box

My son (just turned 14) has just finished up his tea tree oil face wash. It was very drying. I've been waiting to get him something new. He's not got acne (yet) but has little bumps under the surface. He's been using the tea tree in the shower (I know! But it needs to be easy for him, he's a 14 year old boy!). I've never suffered from acne. Anything from LRP or such like? Don't mind spending up to a tenner. He's got pale skin like DH and I and I suspect it will be a little sensitive. Normal otherwise I'd say but probably dehydrated. Just really want to keep the spots at bay as much as possible (my brother had awful acne and has very bad scarring).

Also, my Face Theory day moisturiser is getting near the end I think (hard to tell due to the packaging). Thinking about trying something else. I do like Eucerin. Bo what didn't you like about the Toleriane Ultra? I can't remember - silicone?

I do like Eucerin. Might see what they have. Any other recommendations? Just a simple moisturiser really - no actives required.

He could just use the LRP Toleriane Dermo, maybe with a Konjac sponge to make it easier to use? Otherwise the CosRx Low pH Morning Cleanser is one to look at (with or without Konjac) which has low levels of gentle BHA to help with inflammation and minimise acne formation. Should warn that it does cause some to break out but generally, it's a very well liked affordable cleanser in the AB community (who tend to be a bit younger and deal with acne more from a teen/late-teen perspective rather than the adult-onset variety). LRP do a foam mousse in their Effaclar H line that would sort of force away from the shower cleansing (or at the very least minimise the face drenching period) but may prove too challenging to use for a 14yo boy? It's good because it's not drying (one formulated to use along drying prescription medication) but I'm not 100% on the availability of that anymore, LRP for whatever reason discontinued a lot of good and popular cleansers not too recently.

I know Aurora's son uses the Weleda almond cleansing milk (which I also used as a teen but I wasn't spot prone at all) and I think Aurora's DS is only slightly spot prone and uses the CosRx BHA incidentally to address that. Speaking of which CosRx do these lower concentration BHA pads, the One Step Pimple Clearing pads, which will most likely be pretty good for teens (in an emergency or with the especially lazy could sort of count as a cleansing step if you just park it by their bedside - I mean not really but in a better than nothing type of way). No alcohol or fragrance and some hydrating ingredients added to it, a lower concentration than the BHA toner (I think 0.5 vs 4) so good for daily use to manage minor acne woes. For the equally lazy, they also have these moisture pads from CosRx which in an emergency could sort of make up for the lack of using a moisturiser/ha serum.

Btw why do you think he's dehydrated? Generally, it's quite rare (unless genetic or some sort of compromise to the skin barrier has occured) to be dehydrated before the age of 25. If there's a sense of dryness/tightness it's much more likely down to a shitty stripping cleanser than actual dehydration.

Jolse is the easiest to buy CosRx from (not necessarily the cheapest but shipping is free so unless you're hauling it always works out better, though Amazon and eBay can be competitive too). There also a few K-beauty shops setting up in the UK recently, I'm not sure which ones are reliable but there will be a slight markup but much faster shipping (but they're relatively minor eg. CosRx low pH is around €8-9 from Korea incl. shipping -2/3 weeks usually- but the K-beauty shop in Rotterdam sells it for €13).

Wrt the Toleriane Ultra, I dislike the heavier presence of Acrylics/Silicones and Shea Butter so it's less good as a universal rec. From Eucerin (INCI wise) I like the UltraSensitive for oily/combo as a good alternative for the Toleriane Fluide. A lot of their other lines contain fragrance which I'm generally not a fan of as its such a common irritant.

Thanks bo. Yes probably not dehydrated at all. His school looks tight and dry and you're right, it will be as a result of the tea tree face wash (purchased on 3 for 2 about a year ago. I should have just binned it). I will look at those options. Thank you.

Yes pupsie like bo said my son (almost 12) uses -
Weleda almond cleanser
Cosrx BHA
Serozinc
Weleda Almond moisturizer
(In the shower obvs... no other way with teen boys I'm afraid )

He's actually neglected his routine for the past few weeks, I think, and now for the first time has two proper huge spots on his forehead . That or it's the result of his face being constantly bombarded with snow balls during the weekend.

bo I meant why did u suggest the Superdrug in the am rather than the hylamide am and Superdrug pm (I knew u meant to try not to layer them for now) just curious if the Superdrug one had specific benefits more suited to the am if you see what I mean??
I used the Superdrug this morning (left out the hylamide) as you suggested and I had a stinging sensation and skin felt uncomfortable for a little while after but then it subsided and has been fine so not sure what that was about. Yes ha seems to be an irritant for me in some formulations, I didn't get on at all with hydraluron or the dermalogica hydrating booster. My skin does turn slightly red when I use my hylamide and also my active moist but no stinging and it does calm down after a little while. The moisture seems to be sucked out of my skin very easily and quickly if I'm around central heating or air con etc that's when my skin looks very shiny but feels very tight and itchy and red, my skin doesn't seem to be able to hold onto moisture.

Aurora where do you get the Cosrx BHA from please?

(There are lots on Amazon and I'm not sure which one it is...). Thank you. Quite fancying the Weleda almond range myself.

Thanks yong, will check those ones out too.

I'm feeling sore, itchy and sensitised all over today. Itchy lumps on forehead and sore spots on lower cheek. Tried to shave legs and could tell I was getting a rash so stopped. Also have bad thrush. So annoying when I get like this. I'm due on in 4-5 days time wonder if that's causing it.

I've basted myself in 3 different body moisturisers and pared back face stuff to LRP tol and cicaplast. I'm feeling a bit ratty too actually so most likely hormonal.

Pupsie it's the BHA blackhead power something. Can't remember if I got it from BeautyNetKorea or eBay. I can look up later if you want.

Yeah the Weleda almond cleanser can be a great AM cleanser IMO.

Corsrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid.

I got mine from Amazon but it took a while. Think where Aurora gets it from is better.

I've not read this yet (saved it to my Pocket app, which is well worth getting).

'Bonkers' Skincare Ingredients

Thanks guys.

bo did you have to create a new account for Amazon Jp? Strangely it doesn't seem to be accepting my "normal" account info