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.

Thanks Hollin, I'll see if they have a tester next time I'm in Boots for those Bioderma ones - they have some silicones too but don't seem to bother me in small amounts...

Ahh, thanks JDSTER I knew there was a reason that I haven't already tried the Biore watery essence and the high alcohol content would certainly make me a bit wary.

botemps sorry for the omission- my skin is broadly normal and I just focused on the sunscreen for now (so I don't get too carried away!). With products I tend to prefer those formulated for drier skin, except when it comes to sunscreen as I have a deep revulsion of the gloopy factor.

Please do me! I've read the first three threads but the website started to freeze on me every time I opened the thread so I have missed most of the last thread. I've been following the advice generally and had some questions answered under the generic user name but have now worked out how to name change so have a proper handle.

Skin type:
Dry forehead, oily between eyebrows and on nose, normal cheeks. Helpful! Think a bit dehydrated too.

Approx age (range): 33

Primary skin concern:
Blackheads on nose, chin and upper lip, teeny skin coloured pimples on forehead and lower cheeks and general lack of glow. Wrinkles below one eye and finely on forehead. Not sure which is greatest concern though! Maybe the pimples.

Routine :

AM :
Wash with tepid water, occasionally use LRP Toleraine dermo cleanser if have been running before I shower.
Superdrug serum (the one recommended here)
FaceTheory M2 moisturiser for dry skin, the unscented one.
LRP suntan lotion - but I got the lait rather than the fluide by mistake. It seems okay so far though so I'm going to use it up and then get the fluide. This one is paraben, fragrance and sulphate free.

PM :
Una Brennan superfacialist vit c cleansing oil
LRP Toleraine dermo cleanser
The Ordinary niaciniamide
(Occasionally Paula's choice clear anti-redness exfoliating solution 2% salicylic acid extra strength, maybe once a week. Also sometimes TO rosehip oil.)
FaceTheory M2 moisturiser

Makeup : eg. no/light coverage/medium coverage/heavy coverage
Light coverage - cc cream, mascara, blusher, concealer. Sometimes don't bother with cc cream.

Occasional treatments:
I have some old Liz Earle clay/brightening masks but haven't dared use them since reading these threads - they must be four years old.

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

Hylamide did nothing I could see.
TO Buffet brought me out in small skin coloured pimples on forehead and cheeks, so did FaceTheory night cream m10. The Paula's choice acid I have doesn't seem to be doing anything to my blackheads and is drying. I've gone through phases of using it religiously but no luck so dialled it right back. The facetheory m1 moisturiser balled up horribly under my suntan lotion but they have agreed to replace it with M2, which should arrive in a couple of days - I was trying out a lighter one.

Things that are really working well for me now:
Double cleansing - been doing this since December thanks to this thread, and niaciniamide has been amazing on my nose. Rosehip oil makes my skin very soft but smells awful.

Any dietary/health concerns/pregnant:
I have non symmetrical vitiligo on my neck and jaw and lactose intolerance.

What I'm willing to spend on a single skincare item: eg. >£10, £10-20, £20-50, £50-100, no limits.
£20-50 if really good, but not for every product, would need to be standout!

I specifically [want help with/am looking for a product to/am curious about trying]:
I'm curious about vitamin c, and would like to build in some anti aging products.

Thanks for any help!

Goat. I saw that new Biore formulation too- it's waterproof and sweat proof which the 2015 version isn't. I've got a 2015 version from ebay took a good few weeks. Sellers on Amazon as well. Make sure you choose a seller from Japan, where it's made (rather than Chinese sellers). I'd also be interested if anyone's tried 2017 version?

Enid forgot to say thanks my parcel arrived too! Those EH cloths look great, cloth one side, muslin on the other- I like using both so v happy

Eve and JD Glad they arrived. No idea if the couple of little bits I popped in are any use to either of you but thought you could try them. Let me know how you get on.

Thanks bo I still haven't found a bronzer my skin can tolerate but just asking about brushes incase that day ever comes lol!

Does this product exist......I'm looking for a tint with some coverage that sort of just melts into skin and doesn't sit on the surface? I want one that leaves no shine or residue, almost like a dry touch tint that evens out the skin and makes it look better, and fragrance free! I think it's impossible sadly but I'm hoping someone can prove me wrong?? Pleeeeeeease

Hollin meant to say if you do get a face theory moisturiser you will only need a very small amount (a full pump would be enough for a week!) plus don't be alarmed by the heavy feel of it, it does disappear into the skin. It does also go quite white which I'm sure I read on here somewhere that's something u don't like but it does go away once massaged in.

I just bought a bronzer brush from Space NK mint (and my bronzer is Bobbi Brown). I am very happy with both.

botemp ah you're Dutch, I'd missed that. That explains ludicrously excellent language skills ;) I've been married to a Polish-born man these twenty years and do I speak Polish? Do I feckity. Very depressing and mostly because it's all due to my laziness.

I have no opinion on the tights in question because haven't tried them - they get some good press and I looked them up immediately when I read about them, but I'm looking for tights that have reinforced feet so my skanky toenails and dry heels don't immediately ruin them. I'm not paying big buckaroos for something that'll be as immediately ruined as the cheap tights made from recycled fibres in my high street shop. Granted, tencel might be longer lasting. This was a long way of saying sorry, no.

And I don't even like dill that much! But my MIL loooooves it. and she has successfully indoctrinated me into believing in its inherent virtues.

mint I have no idea if this is what you're after, but I bought a CC cream from Bielenda last summer when we were in Poland (I bought so much in the local beauty shop he threw in some full-sized products as samples haha, including a really good sunscreen)
www.bielenda-sklep.pl/index.php?p56,bielenda-cc-10w1-multifunkcyjny-krem-optycznie-udoskonalajacy-do-ciala-z-efektem-blur

I don't know if stuff like this has the "sink-into-skin" effect you're looking for, but it was light coverage and just a little bit bettering. A little smoother looking skin as a result.

Wondered if anyone had tried this sunscreen www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00IG12XLO/ref=ya_st_dp_summary?tag=mumsnetforum-21
Shiseido senka spf 50. Someone kindly recommend it to me on a previous thread as I was finding Biore watery essence was making my under eye area tight (due to alcohol content I think). This Shiseido one is lovely-almost like a primer under my make up. Dries down matte with no white cast. Just in case anyone else is on the look out for a sunscreen tip!

Thanks banivani I just checked the link and it's not English lol.

banivani and mint That bielenda CC cream is actually a body cream, not a face product, they seem to promise a lot blurring and retouching, illuminating, toning and evening the skin tone. Glow but with a satin effect. And some more. Wow. No ingredients but they are listing some silk proteins, hyaluronic acid and avocado oil.

Right, I'm going to feed in my details now as a form of introduction of myself.

Skin type:
Probably I am normal to oily but dehydrated. At least this is what the last three facials (spread out over about as many years if not more) have told me. Two of them proceeded to use products that two hours later had me feeling slightly tight and dry. Those two also asked me what I thought about my skin type and basically went with what I said.

Approx age (range):
40-ish (41)

Primary skin concern:
I'm ugly. :( I've always been ugly and I always will be, and all I've ever wanted is smooth clear skin. I've never gotten into makeup for example, partly out of personal inclination but also because dramatic and clever makeup on spotty skin has never been what I want. :((( (Realistically when I look back at photos from all the years when I felt so ugly I realise I wasn't, but you can't beat the feeling etc.)

Have always had acne/spots. I've had a few years of horrendous hormonal cystic acne from my mid-30s that seems to be clearing up now. I've used bensoyl peroxide and ruined towels, sheets and clothes, and though this did help I think it's just my hormones changing that's making the biggest difference. Thanks be to God and so on. My acne was along my jawline and down my neck (on the front). I've never suffered from acne on my body, anywhere.

So:

• tendency to acne
• clogged/congested skin, whiteheads, blackheads
• widened pores on cheeks, temples, chin (face...)
• some flakiness because why the hell not
• age 41 so wrinkles hard on the way to make my life just lovelier - big laughter lines, forehead 11
• fine lines (dehydration)
• very pale so all marks show up very well, have uneven skin tone, red marks from old spots and acne, also I'm a picker, so sue me
• loss of elasticity in general

One big problem is my neck. I have two lines/folds right across (think chubby baby). They're getting more pronounced and "wrinkle-looking" with age. Sadly, products on my neck tend to make me itch and react. Don't know why this area is so sensitive.

Routine :

AM :

• Wash with Cosrx Good Morning cleanser (am currently out of it and stealing my daughter's Innisfree Balancing Blueberry cleanser pH 5.5 cosmetic-love.com/products/innisfree-super-food_blueberry-rebalancing-5-5-cleanser-100ml-2017.)
• The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (quite like it but haven't quite pinned down why)
• Maybe bensoyl peroxide
• Maybe Cosrx BHA emulsion cosmetic-love.com/products/cosrx-natural-bha-skin-returning-emulsion-100ml (bought the wrong BHA product, am using it up, sigh)
• Maybe some The Saem Urban Harakeke Emulsion cosmetic-love.com/products/the-saem-urban-eco-harakeke-emulsion-ex-140ml
• Maybe The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
• Moisturiser: L300 Ultra Sensitive Light Face Cream www.apotea.se/l300-ultra-sensitive-light-face-cream-60-ml
• Sunscreen: Using up a SPF 30 sunscreen from Bielenda bielenda.pl/en/products/bikini-moisturizing-face-cream-spf-30-combination-and-oily-skin-50-ml which is a good product! I also have LRP SPF 50 Anthehelios whatsit but I don't like it - have to shake the bottle, what stupidity is this
• BB cream - Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream Nr.13

PM :
Oil cleanse - currently using L'Occitane Shea butter oil cleanser
Foaming cleanser same as AM

After that I am currently trying out a tip from Skincitys founder and therefore:
The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% followed by Advanced Retinoid 2% - have not noticed ill effects and results are bumped!

• Maybe TO Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
• Maybe Scinic Honey all in one Ampoule jolse.com/product/scinic-honey-all-in-one-ampoule-250ml/5927/?cate_no=44&display_group=1
• Maybe Harakeke as above
• Moisturiser, either same as AM or Ziaja Manuka tree night cream www.zjashop.com/products/manuka-tree-night-cream
• Maybe a sheet mask. :)

I am running out of steps at the moment, so I'm on the hunt.

Makeup : eg. no/light coverage/medium coverage/heavy coverage
BB cream, see above. Light coverage wanted for comfort, heavier coverage needed really because ugly :( no coverage is the ideal I strive towards.
Occasional treatments:
The odd facial. Looking for facialist whom a) I can get along with b) doesn't just try to flog me stuff c)can adjust treatment depending on what I need d) performs extractions (goal: Josefa M Reina, Youtube heroine). No luck so far.

Things I've tried in the past with disastrous results:
I've over-exfoliated badly. Learning, slowly. Also I've always traced a first downhill step in my skin health to using Biotherm products in my 20s. I maintain that my skin never really was the same after that.
Have tried OCM - bad results. Tried a lot of stuff recommended by CH. Only thing worth the money is Alpha-Gold, but still not for everyone and I overused it.

Things that are really working well for me now:
The Ordinary stuff is solid and good.
I have some Korean/Asian Beauty solid faves.
The simple, cheap moisturisers are good (like L300)
Carbamide as ingredient.
Mandelic and azelaic acid.

Any dietary/health concerns/pregnant:
Nah. My diet is a bit shite but frankly, when I improve it I notice no immediate result so I lack the motivation to overhaul. Brutal honesty. It should be like penicillin, something should change at once. Or I won't keep it up.

What I'm willing to spend on a single skincare item:
Max, MAX 60-ish quid an item? And I'd be very reluctant to. I've bought some expensive stuff over the past few years and I just don't see results quite worth the price, compared to what you can get for less.

I specifically [want help with/am looking for a product to/am curious about trying]:
Very intrigued by The Face Theory (Regenacalm?!), Stratia skincare, more The Ordinary, always looking for products that DO something but don't cost the earth. Not sure if niacinamide works great, did notice a kick from arbutin sheet masks so might try for that.

I need active products that pack a punch but also plenty of hydrating calming layers to compensate.

mint and arahia

I was speed googling and might have the wrong one there, but if not I have used it on my face with no ill effects. Bielenda do have an English page and some decent products too bielenda.pl/en/

Thanks banivani I'll check that website out.

No worries, I am Polish so if you have any questions about Polish skincare I'll be happy to look it up and check some reviews.

If anyone wants a nearly full FaceTheory m1 moisturiser let me know - FT are replacing mine with M2 for free so I should pay it forward. It didn't go with my sunscreen but I know there are fans here.

arahia That's excellent! I can ask my husband but he's so uninterested it makes him slow. ;)

FWIW I think a lot of Polish skincare is quite decent. I've used and liked the Ziaja Goat's Milk moisturisers for example. From Bielenda I used a mandelic acid serum that was nice.

Mary - I would be v interested

wellhello I have that sunscreen and I bloody love it. It's perfect for me! I also use the Neostrata tinted SPF50 if I can't be arsed with proper make up (tinted moisturiser is as close to proper make up as I get) but want something...

Pupsie is that sunscreen fragrance free?

I'm really tempted by the seventeen bb magic cream!

Hollin, PM me your address and I'll post it to you.