Fantastic Skincare - Snail Optional 🐌

[botemp]

Thread 1 Thread 2 Thread 3 Thread 4 Thread 5

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]:

---

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.

^that was to Althea

(*chuck some

I'm not sure how micellar water got so popular it doesn't seem to be good for anyone really except for quick makeup removal backstage or something

It's on buy 1, get 1 half price at Boots that should say.

Olli it started cropping up on all the beauty vloggers videos and then it was everywhere. Maybe they were all paid loads to say it was good. They can't really think so. Like you say, it'd be ok for desperate fast changes but that's it really and wipes would do a better job surely.

Thanks Enid, I've added to my list!

Tbh, i don't know why i went for the micellar water. I thought it was like a toner, and thought it would be good as it specifically said it was for dry skin. A normal cleanser and toner would have been better i think.

This is my skin at the moment, almost 12 hours after using the product. I can still feel it burning.

Sorry to meet you under such horrid circumstances Althea, I'll have a look later what exactly is in the Neutrogena lineup to identify the possible culprits but for now I'll echo what others have already recommended I've taught them well

LRP Toleriane Dermo Cleanser AM and PM - provided your makeup isn't very heavy I'd stick to a single cleanse for now, otherwise double cleanse with this in the PM.

Eucerin UltraSensitive moisturiser for normal to dry skin or Bioderma Sensibio Tolerance+ - the latter may be a bit light for your skin type but would layer well under the LRP Cicaplast, further aiding in barrier repair.

LRP Cicaplast B5 to use whilst your skin is still in its irritated state, you'll have to see whether you prefer this just in the PM or in the AM too as it's quite rich.

I'm normally quite adamant about sunscreen use but I'd wait at least two weeks for skin to resettle itself but it might need to be longer than that as it is probably wisest not to be introducing anything new until your skin has recovered.

It sounds like your initial complaint was dehydration and I'd recommend looking at the Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum further down the line when skin has settled somewhat (give it a week or so), this is hydrating and helps with barrier repair (which by the sound of it, you're suffering from if it appears to have caused/feels like burning).

Vaseline isn't terrible btw, mineral oil gets a bad rap and there's plenty of reasons to avoid it for some but it's one of the best things to help with water loss in the skin as it is highly occlusive, however, the opposite side of that is that it traps any irritants and can worsen the effect. Provided there are no product remnants left (which I assume is the case, you're simply left with the irritation) and you tolerate mineral oil it shouldn't be an issue. The LRP Cicaplast B5 works in a similar way but has some adjuvant ingredients to help your skin recover.

See how you go the next few weeks, it usually takes skin on average a full cycle of 6 weeks to recover, probably best to reassess at that moment on how to expand your routine at that point.

Thanks bo. You sound like you know your stuff 😀 I'll heed your good advice and have written down all the suggestions ready for a trip to Boots tomorrow.

And once my skin has calmed down (I never realised it could take six weeks) I'll set to work on the products for keeping it hydrated.

All those years i spent trying to strip the oil from my face...now I'm trying to put it back in. How things change!

I meant to say, in terms of the ingredients, I've used the Neutrogena cleansing wipes without issue in the past. Maybe it was the micellar water. Or maybe i shouldn't have used an exfoliating face wash before applying it. I was treating it as a toner which i now realise it isn't.

Blimey that looks really sore Althea I hope your skin recovers soon. I don't have sensitive skin but have very sensitive eyes and micellar water makes them sting really badly so I steer clear. I had the garnier one which fair enough is cheap and cheerful, but also tried a sample of a lancome one which did the same thing.

The only thing that did similar to me was Liz Earle cleanse and polish. Felt all red and hot

Althea, was it the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Smoothing Exfoliator Gel? Is so, that would be the most suspicious as it contains glycolic acid and exfoliating enzymes, your type of reaction does sound like a bad reaction to those fact acting (chemical) exfoliators.

That's the one, bo. Maybe that was it, then. And putting the other products into damaged skin probably didn't help.

I bought an exfoliator because, with my skin being so dry and flaking off whenever i put make up on, i felt like i needed to scrub the dead, dry skin off. I think I'll do better to work to replace moisture instead.

Olli a fellow Liz Earle sufferer, I thought I was the only one in the world. My neck in particular was so red and itchy, I thought they'd altered the ingredients in Bold or Comfort (Winter, so high necks) and changed wash powder/softener.

My friend was delighted when light dawned and I handed over the Liz Earle bundle to her! Not the cloth of course, now that is useful.

Funnily enough I was going to mention Liz Earle C&P earlier but forgot. My skin looked like I'd burnt it for about 2 weeks afterwards. Tight, shiny, red skin that hurt when I moved and then broke out in cystic acne afterwards which took months to heal. It's really harsh! Worst thing I've ever used. My skin was damaged for ages afterwards.

Althea You do look like you have nice soft skin under the redness. Sorry you've had such a bad reaction.

I fell for the micellar water hype too. I'm terrible for getting distracted in Boots and coming out with a basket full of things I never went in for.

Can I add a water spray to bo's suggestions Althea? I really like them and find them soothing and refreshing when my skin is feeling sensitive. They are just mineral water in a spray can do a bit extravagant really but I think you might find one nice to use atm. I like the Avene one and I think Bo prefers the LRP ones. I think they do little teeny travel sized bottles of the Avene one, in Boots, if you just wanted to try it out.

The travel sized ones will be with the travel stuff with the mini shampoos and toothpastes etc.

I'll shut up now.

All suggestions very welcome Enid! Good idea to try the travel size one first. I'll do that!

My skin's not usually soft, but maybe slathering on the vaseline made it appear that way in the photo! I'm very greasy and shiny at the moment but at least the burning feeling is finally subsiding. I'm worried about putting anything on my face at the moment for fear it will irritate it again. But I'll be spending some money in Boots tomorrow for sure! And I'll report back once I've tried the suggested products.

Do you all use spf even if not going outside or only out for short while? I used my spf 50 yest and quite liked it lol.

I don't Unless my moisturiser happens to have it in. I find SPFs to be overly greasy. Which brand do you use? Are they specifically for the face?

Yes there are loads specifically for face, I would never apply a normal body one on my face it would burn like hell and be soooo greasy! I really like lrp anti shine dry touch gel/cream, it's fragrance free too which for me is very important. I do still use moisturiser underneath as my skin is very dehydrated and because the spf is mattifying I still need to add my hydration first.

Mint Yes I use a SPF 30-50 every day (usually 50) because I use lots of actives and there's still UVA around in the winter. I've found my skin's less pigmented and red since I started doing this.. I feel a bit stupid that I wasn't being so diligent earlier (I've used actives for years without being quite so careful with my sunscreen).

Thanks Tsmummy

Yes I wear spf30 or 50 every day without fail. I have done since I was 33 and now nearly 40. It would feel really odd not to now, like not brushing my teeth or taking off my makeup every day.