Fantastic Skincare: Skin (almost) sorted- decent fucking summer fucking clothes would be fucking nice. Don't ask us about our hair 🐌

[botemp]

Thread 1 Thread 2 Thread 3 Thread 4 Thread 5 Thread 6 Thread 7

I am very slowly working on consolidating the gathered information from previous threads into easier to read formats but it’s slow going. If you wish join us on this thread I would suggest reading thread 1 and at the very least the following info sheets (provided they apply to you):

Where to Start

Basics of an Actives Routine

Skin Types vs. Skin Conditions Info Sheet

Anti-Ageing Info sheet

Adult Acne Info Sheet

For those who are taking a peek and wondering what this all about, we mostly discuss a bit of advanced skincare here with a perspective of seeking out the right ingredients (rather than the latest new shiny product and all its empty promises) 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. Newcomers are always welcome but please note the following:

Questions and asking for help on this thread is encouraged, however, we can’t give you a specific routine to follow and hope it works out for the best. There are no overnight miracles in skincare whether it be in the form of products or techniques. It’s about perseverance, understanding your skin, assessing its needs and responding to that in a diligent manner.

These threads were created to help those who want to learn for themselves. We’re a group of interested and invested skincare nuts happy to offer tea and sympathy and dole out advice. Everyone’s journey with skincare is different, what is universal and binds us is that through actually learning about the different active ingredients it helps us get to know our skin and help us adapt as it will change many times throughout our lives - with seasons, hormonal changes, ageing, genetics etc. It's in everyone's best interests to get to know their skin and to keep reviewing those changes with the confidence that comes from the gathered knowledge here. We really encourage you to spend the time reading through previous threads and linked info sheets that the many contributors have taken the trouble to share.

By no means are we experts, we're only a bunch of amateurs that can only respond by suggesting what we would do in your place, for any severe conditions please seek out professional help.

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If you pose a question and we need more contextual information to answer properly we may ask you to fill in the following form. Please only use this form when asked, unsolicited forms will be deleted. Responses to the form can be found here

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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.

MAY/JUNE 2017: It’s summer and some of us are hourglasses (and otherwise beautifully shaped) that desperately need to bitch and moan about the severe lack of clothes available to us. Also, some of us are recovering from a ‘fine’ butchering to our hair. Don’t ask. Some of us suffer from all of the above. At least the weather is good, wear sunscreen.

Yeah the fibres seem to be for length definitely. I need to play around with it a bit
And yes to Japanese

Thanks bo! The bioderma mineral was next on my list to try, hadn't seen the nude one so will definitely try that one, I'd quite like a tinted one for on holiday so I dont need to wear make up.

Hydraluron £7 at TK maxx http://www.tkmaxx.com/skincare-/facial-moisture-hydraluron-serum-50ml/invt/42085468

Also Nars powder foundation in Siberia if you're v pale
http://www.tkmaxx.com/make-up+nailcare/siberia-powder-foundation-12g/invt/42483653

And the Bee Good cleanser - this is lovely, it's like a Liz Earle cleanse and polish texture so thick cream, smells vaguely of honey and it's completely non irritating on me. Ingredients are on the bee good website
http://www.tkmaxx.com/skincare-/honey+propolis-cream-cleanser-100ml/invt/42274666

And a link to the by nature stuff. Their conditioners are the best I've used but they generally have more choice in store. The hand wash smells incredible (lemongrass and ginger in a brown bottle if you see it buy it!) , I haven't tried the skincare but will be doing
http://www.tkmaxx.com/page/search?q=By+nature

Also a big sale at organic surge https://www.organicsurge.com

Ooo thanks Olli, I'm going to snap up some hydraluron, just debating do I order online tonight or chance it by going into store tomorrow.

Tempted to try the organic surge moisturiser too as I'm in need of a lighter product. Have you used the organic surge products before, are they good?

I've used a body lotion, a face wash ages ago and finished a bath foam this week. All really nice, I'm v tempted to order the bulk bath foam as it's such a saving. The rose day cream looks good too

Oh dear, accidentally purchased a face wash (£4, total bargain), the daily moisturiser and shampoo & conditioner. I mean, I don't actually need face wash or shampoo right now but I will at some point so it's justified.... Gotta make paying the postage worthwhile I hate paying postage

Fingers crossed I like the products! I got an extra 10% off with the code SAMPLE

Code SAMPLE10

Says it's for a first order only but sometimes they say that and work for all.

Mascara update. It survived a hot day, a physio and a PT session AND me falling asleep for two hours face down in my pillow
Then I came to remove it. Apparently it had seduced me with how easy it was to remove the first time. Two attempts with my normal eye makeup remover just made it blacker
Dermalogica pre cleanse, it's oil I thought, that'll shift it. Nope
Duo phase eye makeup remover that "sweeps away even waterproof makeup". Nada
I actually feared I might be left wearing this mascara in my grave at one point, it's a mascara I would recommend to buffy the vampire slayer

Thanks bo. Have finished the dr haushka now and think it was that causing the irritation...last couple of days I've kept it well away from affected area and it's starting to settle...if it continues then I'll know to ditch embryolisse too....
My vit c arrived. Yay! Got two weeks to get a big red mark from a recent spot under control before it hits serious sunshine...
Oo olli tempting tk links....
In other news, I've noticed an improvement in my neck and throat area, over quite a long period and I think this is purely down to the actual massage employed in cleansing and moisturising there, rather than any product. Also seem not to have gained a double chin, which I usually do if I'm carrying more weight. I am spending plenty of time sweeping upwards and really massaging. Probably due to increased blood circulation and better lymphatic drainage.
Must do more around forehead and eyes, I used to know a great set of manoeuvres from practicing Qi gong, for the face. If I can remember, I'll incorporate. The combo of toleriane on thermal water gives good slip for massage I find.
Must get my body brush on the go too. (Frowns at legs)
Ramble over.

Thanks to this thread I have gone out without foundation on today, first time in forever! (I did use a bit of concealer and powder to soften the shine from my spf but thats it!) My skin is looking so much clearer and bright, I feel like I actually know my skin much better now and what to use on it. So a big thank you to everyone!

Cad I've been using the BareMinerals Prep Step for a few days and really love it - the white cast disappears quickly as you rub it in and makeup sits well over the top - although it's possibly sinking into my pores a little... small price to pay for a mineral sunscreen that looks and feels good!

Ok so I bought the new avene anti ageing spf 50 (fragrance free woo hoo) I used it this morn and think it's going to replace my eucerin, impressed so far! Fingers crossed it stays that way!

Sorry this is late but thought I would report back on what I'm using

JUNE EMPTIES
PRODUCTS WORKING

AM
La Roche Posay - Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser
The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension
The Ordinary Caffeine Soloution
The Ordinary Hyaluronic acid
SPF either BIORE Aqua Riche or
LRP Anthilios xl comfort (tinted)

PM
Clinique Take the Day Off
LRP Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser
The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid
The Ordinary Niacinamide
The Ordinary Buffet
LRP Toleriane Fluid

Precription Differin (Last thing at night for acne.

SPECIAL MENTION

The LRP Toleriane Fluid is discontinued at Boots so I was looking for something else. Cant seem to find the EURCERIN that was recommended. So got The Ordinary Natural Moistirizng Factors. It was ok but bobbled terribly under makeup.

I did go to Spain and forgot my moisterisor so bought Eucerin Aquaphor it was like Vaseline so I only could use it at night. It didn't cause any reaction. And I was shocked it worked.

I did try the Body Shop camomile Balm. I quite liked it but wondered if some of the spots I was getting was because of the fragrance. I thought this because I got The Ordinary Rosehip Oil and I got a lot of spots. I stopped on my face but continued on my neck and the spots were all over my neck and not on my face.

The Spf Biore aqua Rich although I have just received from Japan I thought shortly because of the new formulations it had gone down hill and I needed to think about something else.

The LRP anthilios xl comfort tinted is nice but to dark for my pale skin. So I think I will try the clear.

The makeup I was using was Bare Minerals but it just doesn't sit on all these layers of skin care. So I am just finishing the Estee Lauder Double Wear which is far too thick, and then I will be purchasing the Lancôme teint Idol (cant wait for this).

And one last thing, when funds allow I will be purchasing Paulas choice BHA I think it was skin perfecting.

Just to say a massive thank you to *botemp

and all the advice I have received on this thread.

In the past I have just been going more and more expensive and that wasn't really the soloution.

So thank you very much.

Ooh I keep meaning to do my June empties the list is long but I keep forgetting. Maybe tomorrow....

Lovely to come back on here and hear all the great progress people are seeing. Happy to hear things are working well for you and you're saving yourself some money, purple15. The only thing I'd point out in an effort to save even more money is whether you need both HA and Buffet in the PM.

Welcome to the smug 'Oh just a dab of concealer and nothing else, darling' society, cad186. We're very elusive and snobby, our cult leader is violette_fr over on youtube (have I mentioned her before? She's has a very cool Marais insouciance vibe with somewhat arty/pretentious videos but I kind of like them and I want most of her wardrobe and she abhors foundation).

Speaking of foundation and concealer, was over at Kiko today and tested out their full coverage concealer which kind of frightened me by name but it's one of those balmy type compact ones. Actually really good coverage but not heavy at all, I tried it out over the remnants of the Sisley concealer and it works beautifully together as a top-up product. Obviously, it was sold out in my colour , did just see Lisa Eldridge feature it in her latest tutorial so that explained that. It was also on offer, only a little over 5 euros. Also taken with a new foundation (annoyingly my colour is online only so will have to order) called Skin Tone and it really is exactly like skin tone, completely undetectable but evens out the complexion beautifully. It reminds me of a MAC one, not the face and body, a newer one that's also pretty much undetectable, just can't remember the name and am too lazy to Google.

Argh! Forgets to mention the most important thing (well important to me anyhow). Got the all clear yesterday

Though I fear in my excitement and after last night improv celebrations, I went off the deep end shopping today. Am looking at a new blazer and boots and wondering if I should return them Halp, this never happened before...

Great news bo so pleased for you. Shop away!!!

Win for today's hair. And yes I have no makeup on except very smudged (not the epic one!) mascara. Hand over that society badge

Piffle, Olli, you got yours months ago. Don't come begging for another just because you've misplaced it under piles of foundation You should probably get a special chip for carrying off the 'smudgy mascara from last night' look though.

Ah, no, yong, it's not a spending issue. Think I've spent less money than ever on clothes this year as I waited out which size I'd end up as. They're just not things I'd usually buy, boots are knee high and very classic, lovely burgundy colour but they seem somewhat frumpy now. The blazer/jacket is more of an ethnic boho thing but is one of those collarless ones that can be a bit boxy. Figured it would look nice on shorts, seemingly forgetting that I only own one pair that sort of fit now having been unable to find any in the shops, they're either terrifyingly tight butt crawlers or so roomy I look like I'm smuggling watermelons I think I've been seduced by discounts, though I'm now looking at velvet lobster embroidered slippers (for outdoor wear) online, and not on sale, which I know won't suit me but I just like the look of them... hopefully sanity will prevail soon.

Bo The problems are definitely not caused by the products as I've had crappy skin since I became a teenager, but I've never managed to find the perfect combination. I do like the facewash, but I am very open to looking at other moisturisers, this is my first time using this one and it isn't perfect. It looks like a different green to that one, but I think it's the same name?
I've just started the nip fab stuff, I'm giving it a few weeks to see how it goes and if it's not a winner I'll use it to keep pesky ingrown hairs at bay as per the other thread!

And for your jacket, could you pair it with skinny jeans rather than shorts? It means it's not as summery, but ready for when the shite weather kicks in again?

I meant that the problems with my skin aren't completely caused by the products, but they may not be being helped.

Great news bo! Olli your hair and skin look fab. My skin is nowhere near that good but I have hated my skin for so long it was quite an achievement for me to go out without foundation! I can't say I'll be doing it all the time though!

Since I'm only doing the SS every fortnight during the summer months I come bearing other offerings. I finally finished up the promised sunscreen info sheets, way more work than anticipated (don't expect these every other Sunday) and probably far from covering everything but I think it covers the basics well enough:

Do I Really Need to Wear Sunscreen Every Single Day of the Year?

Understanding Which Sunscreen(s) to Buy

I'm still on the fence currently about a recommended list of sunscreens. There's a lot of continual questions about these at this time of year so it would potentially save me time from answering all the time but I still feel somewhat uncomfortable linking that outside of the MN forum when I'm using their platforms as a base. Then again, I hardly ever bother linking directly anyhow, opinions?

And to really ram home the sunscreen message, for some more added Sunday Funday, please see attached pic and tell me which of those 3 is the mother (yes, one of them is the mother), and which are the daughters and ages (from left to right), please They're relevant because -wait for it- they claim to owe their good looks to diet (low fat, high protein, complex carbs), exercise, and.... sunscreen and amazing genes obviously. I should probably offer a prize for whoever gets it right, but brands aren't knocking on my door with free stuff so you'll just have to do with a make-believe badge and bragging rights on the thread if you get it right.

Is the INCI the same Holy? I wouldn't know what else to rec without knowing more about your routine at he moment.

Ehm... I think skinnies look universally shit on everyone... I can sort of make an exception for black ones but it's hardly an enthusiastic exception and I can see how they're beneficial to certain body shapes but proportionally they're always compensating for something else and need very specific other pieces for it to work as a silhouette. Needless to say, I'm all too pleased they're losing their dominance on the jean market. Though my hourglass figure deeply despairs the return of 100% cotton jeans. Argh! Anyhow, the idea is good, I have a pair of Bell jeans (I think this is the new term for bootcut/flares without the hippy connotations or something) that are super slimming, it may work on that, thanks!

Mum on the right? How old are the daughters, that's amazing!

Bo I love skinnies the skinnier the better of all colours! I find them the most flattering by far and really can't get on with bootcut/bell. I hope I'm not deluded and other people think I look shit