Fantastic Skincare - Snail Optional 🐌

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For those who are taking a peek and wondering whether previous threads are worth reading, we mostly discuss a bit of advanced skincare here with a perspective of seeking out the right ingredients for our particular skin 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 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 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.

Currently in Madrid with my DD - any skincare brands I need to look out for?

And yes I'm awake at stupid o clock.... the bed in this airbnb is awful, like sleeping on a door....

I loved MAC waterweight at first then it started breaking me out as all bloody Mac formulas seem to do grrrr!
I'm very tempted to try the niod naap now, heard good things about it! I've been a good girl and have kept my routine plain and simple for a very long time now.
Oh and I've now dropped hylamide subq....

Bo I'd be interested in trying Astalift - may search for a sample online....

Banivani Hope all is well in your little end of the world. Can't remember if you're in Stockholm or not but hope you and your loved ones are safe.

It's not very legible unfortunately, JDSTR large zoomed out spread that goes all fuzzy once zoomed in

Enid, yes, coconut oil is comodogenic but it would be an individual type of thing and the cosmetic industry is full of coconut oil derivatives so hard to say. I know rosemary was a no no with you but was lavender too?

Check Zalando for PJs too, I don't know if the offerings are the same regionally but hunkemoller (it's either Dutch or German, I really should know) have some good ones year round and they sell through Zalando. Also, Cos have some nice PJs, saw a few in the sale the other day. H&M occasionally do nice ones too but I usually just end up picking up some linen long shirts from the L.O.G.G. section and use it as a night shirt.

Tsnmummy08, only thing springing to mind in Spain are the Casmara modelling masks (the gold one). Will ponder on more.

Just remembered, ridiculously expensive but supposedly amazeballs: Natura Bisse. I've seen the most praise for their eye cream which is also a concealer.

Aren't there giant Sephora branches in the El Corte Ingles? I will not be held accountable for your spending, nope, definitely not

Just a quick question from a lurker.
When should I apply my sun screen?
Night time routine - hot cloth cleanse with lush ultrabland, cleanse with boots botanics cleanser, retinoid ointment, night cream, eye cream
Morning routine - hot cloth cleanse with lush ultrabland, tone with glycolic toner, serum, primer, make up

I am using a la roche posay sunscreen but when should I put it on before or after serum?

bo as far as I know I'm ok with lavender but I have heard it can be an irritant in some people. Skin is a bit rubbish atm. I think it's definitely most influenced by hormones. I'm back on the super greens smoothies so they might help soon. It's not too bad though. No huge breakouts. Just feels a bit sensitive.

Enid mine is influenced by hormones too it's a bugger! Some months I might only have one good skin week! Really gets me down and because my monthlys are not necessarily monthly lol I can have symptoms for ages!

Hi everyone

My first post so you've tempted another lurker out of lurkdom!

I've been reading the previous threads and learnt a lot from them, I'm now double cleansing and using a dedicated SPF.

I haven't filled out the full form (let me know if you think it would help) as thanks to advice given here and notes I've made, I think I've got my routine nearly sorted. My problem is I went a bit overboard buying stuff from the Ordinary - it's so cheap compared to other ranges I've used and I keep trying to fill my basket to get free P&P - which left me with a load of stuff I didn't know how, when or where to use.

This is the routine I've got currently with TO stuff, I've introduced things gradually and it seems to be working, but I don't know if I'm over loading a bit? And I've got Vit c from TO I'd like to use but not sure where or when.

AM: TO salicylic acid, hylamide subq, sub q eyes, ultra sun Spf 50 for face
PM: TO retinoid 2%, then I use TO azelaic acid or niacinamide every second night followed by Hylamide subq and TO rose hip oil.

I've also got TO Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA that I'm guessing I could use instead of the rose hip oil as that's nearly finished, and TO Vit C which is homeless currently. I don't really want to use it in the morning as I've read here it doesn't work well under makeup, plus I like using the salicylic acid in the morning as it seems to help during the day with oil control.

I also use Glamglow supermud once a week which I think works well to minimise SF, I don't use anything else on that night other than hylamide and rose hip oil.

My skin type is oily with open pores, SF and occasional small whiteheads (not had any recently) & a bit dull/dingy looking. I'm late 40s, not really wrinkled (thanks oily skin!) but starting to get crows feet round my eyes and sagging round my mouth/jowls.

I wear med-full coverage makeup every day which is why I'm worried about using Vit c in the morning. I'm also not sure if I should have an AHA in there somewhere, I've used alpha h liquid gold in the past but it had no effect on my face and gave me a rash on my neck.

Thanks for any and all advice

I have Cosmo... not sure much of this will be news to you guys.

Very tired summary of 3 pages:

• Influencers aren't doctors, they can be paid to promote stuff. People keep trying (expensive) DIY treatments even though they aren't working because an influencer says it works.
• NHS (mostly) doesn't cover dermatologists so people turn to the internet.Dermatologists are expensive AF.
• "Dermatologists say less is more and a streamlined routine should be the way forward". "Understand what you're using and why" because layering product after product can create more problems
• Use SPF
• Not dangerous to use anti-ageing too young, it's a waste of money, prevent the ageing in the first place. They can be too heavy for young skin and clog pores.

Tips:

1. You don't need to double cleanse. One good product is enough. LRP Micellar Make-up Remover Gel or LRP Effaclar H Cleansing Cream. Something with "soap free" or cocamide.
2. Choose Acids Carefully. Retinol: skin renewal, not for early 20's unless prone to acne. Lactic Acid: Mild exfoliant, doesn't cause redness or sun sensitivity, best for acne prone skin. Salicylic Acid: an anti-inflammatory, peels dead cells, unclogs pores, clears blackheads, for acne prone skin. Hyaluronic Acid: hydrator, for all skin types and ages, boosts moisture, plumps and reduces the look of fine lines.
3. Incorporate Antioxidants. Serums have higher concentrations, worth spending on. Vit C is dermatologists go to. Medik8 CE-Tetra Serum.
4. SUNSCREEN. SPF30 upwards instead of moisturiser unless skin is v dry, then use both (SPF over dry moisturiser). Extra important with retinol, lactic/glycolic/salicylic acid. Heliocare Advanced SPF50 XF Gel.
5. Adapt to Your Skin's Needs. Have two moisturisers, rich & light, to use depending on what is needed that day. Avène Recovery Cream. Bioderma/Cetaphil for cheaper alternatives.
6. Stick with a routine. 4 weeks - 3 months. Stability & Consistency.

There's another piece about not mixing certain products but I'm too sleepy now (I walked 8 miles today and it wiped me out)

Has anyone been to the Deciem shop in Spitalfields, what's it like? I'll be passing by it tomorrow or next weekend and I might look at some to the recommended products.

Must order a sunscreen tomorrow. Why is easyparapharmacie.co.uk so much cheaper than boots/high street pharmacies?

For general cleansing, (& problematic skin on back, shoulders in particular), how does this ingredients list look? (It's a solid bar. And relatively cheap.)

Saponified Olive Oil, Water, Mineral Salts.

What's the general consensus on soap? Is it really that drying for the skin? If it is, is it still preferable to mostly SLS based (& expensive) shower wash that's often full of potential irritants? Or does it really depend on the specific ingredients / method of manufacture?

I could read cosmo article on Dr Sams Facebook page fine.

userall welcome. It does sound like you might have gone a bit overboard as you don't say over what time period you introduced everything (I'm guessing all at once in the excitement).

I have similar sounding skin to you. I use TO vit c every morning without issue. It offers added benefits in terms of skin protection when used in the morning with an spf and it's morning time when you should be focusing on protection. With that in mind your acid should be at night. I also use salicylic and retinoid but alternate, so one night acid, next retinoid (approx 3 nights acid and 4 nights retinoid in the week). I wouldn't worry about a AHA at the moment, your BHA (salicylic) will be fine for now. You mention salicylic helping with oiliness during the day but longer term, the retinoid should help overall with oil production. I've certainly found my skin is a little less oily with its use. I've also found I can use less makeup during the day- you mention wearing full makeup. Also, do you use a primer? I can get away with a lot less by using a primer as its pores that bother me.

umbrella. You don't mention moisturiser? If not using one then after serum. I wait about 10 mins after moisturiser then apply spf. I notice you also use acid in morning and again would suggest alternating with retinoid at night - it seems people are using acid exfoliants every day which I thought was a bit much even for oily skin.

Thank you JD, I was fairly good at introducing things gradually but only because I had no idea what to do with them all & was scared of melting my face! I e-mailed Deciem with no reponse, so it's only since I started reading here that I got some idea of what routine I could establish. Until these threads I was worried about combining anything at all with the retinoid as I'd over estimated the potency/strength of TO one.

I'll try Vit c in the morning - I'm off work next week so will have some wiggle room in the morning for trial and error & seeing how it works with makeup etc.

I'll start alternating retinoid and SA at night, can az acid and nia be used with SA? I'm thinking yes to nia but not sure if the az would be acid over kill.

Nia is fine with SA. Not sure about azelaic as I don't use. Why are you using it?

A lot of people find just a small amount of vit c pressed into the skin causes the least problems. I don't bother with the pressing thing and it doesn't cause me any problems but you can experiment.

I got the az acid because the blurb said 'brightens the skin tone while visibly improving the evenness of skin texture and reducing the look of blemishes' which are all issues I want to address. But I think nia, Vit c and SA will do that between them anyway so it's probably a bit superfluous, and a symptom of my over enthusiasm filling up my shopping cart on the Deciem website! I'd still like to try and use it somewhere now I've got it but not the end of the world if I don't.

My skin is looking quite good at the moment, it seems to be less oily during the day and I've not had any of those annoying little whiteheads break out for some time - but I don't know if the az is contributing to that at all. I've been using it for about 2 weeks so it's probably too soon to even know if it's making a difference.

I'm sure someone on here said the TO vit c is silicone based?? But on website it says silicone free??

It has a feel/slip of silicone but is as stated silicone free

Azealic usually for acne or rosacea. If you've only been using a couple of weeks maybe other products are making the difference. That's the problem with introducing lots of products at the same time- you can't evaluate properly but I think you know that

Mint TO 23% vit c is silicone free - it's squalane based. They do 2 other vit c serums so I don't know about those.

user the Azelaic did most for my skin and did it very quickly. Even now I don't use it as often and when I do I see a difference the next morning!

I've finally tried the Toleriane fluide which I had promised myself I wouldn't do due to it being discontinued but I did and it seems perfect. Stocked up on a couple while escentual have 1/3 off and still have some.
My routine is pretty steady now I think and I've started trying my numerous foundations to see what breaks me out etc. I had a huge cheek spot from a bb cream and it had left its usual flaky red mark, used the cicaplast Enid recommended and its improved loads since last night, I'm really impressed.

My red marks are not fading
Any tips? Very blurry unattractive photo attached. The skin is completely smooth, no spots but these damn marks

Thanks all I think I'm going to try ret & az acid/SA and nia on alternate nights with Vit c in the morning and see how that goes.

JD sorry I missed your question about primer, I stopped using them as they all had that silicone slippy feel that I didn't like and didn't find they made any difference, some (smashbox was definitely a culprit) made my skin more oily. I'd be willing to try again with a non slippy silicone one if there is such a thing. I'm also going to try and ease up on makeup, I typically use CC cream & concealer which isn't bad but I go very heavy on mattifying powders to keep oil/shine at bay, I think I could cut back on that now.

Mint TO Vit c I have got says it is silicone free, can't comment on the actual texture or feel as I've not used it yet. Tomorrow is D day for the Vit c.

Thanks everyone re the vit c.

What would be the best active for redness/texture/and congestion? I seem to still be getting whiteheads and SF and red lump spots (not awful but enough to annoy me) I have the basics now of a cleanser my skin likes and a day/night cream. I don't use spf year round as my skinis hypersensitive and cannot tolerate it for long periods but from about may-sept I use lrp anti shine dry touch for face

Also been using the balm balmshelter tinted moisturiser for few weeks now (I think) and I really like it so far

Olli how are you finding retinol? Have you tried LRP cicaplast so loved by Enid (I even bought some based on her rave reviews 'just in case')

Enid out of interest how did you find TO primer I sent you? I don't mind if you hated it!

user tricky as all primers I've used that blur pores are silicone based- I can't wean myself off them. Which powder do you rate btw?

mint I wouldn't dare rec any actives for you- you react to lots if I remember correctly. Also tricky if not able to use SPF daily. You're thinking about Vit C presumably?

No Sunday supplements from Bo this week. Hope you're surviving your busy spell ok Bo