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

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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.

Where did you get the Avene sunscreen mint? And how much? Was interested in this myself.

Good idea re the Satin cap olli.

lego I didn't get on at all with Azeliac or niacinamide. Made any redness worse and really irritated my skin.

Skin I ordered mine from boots for click and collect but it's now out of stock online (it says stock coming)

Bo but everyone on here is big on spf and if u speak about a new one etc then everyone always responds so can u see my point??

41/36/40 - they're sisters...

Oh sorry skin forgot price, it was £19 but was buy one get one half price (not sure if it will be when back in stock tho)

Lego I've bought azelaic for same reasons as you BHA not cutting it for SFs/blackheads. I haven't actually tried it yet though! Its not long since I introduced a retinoid so I'm being patient. I haven't found niacinamide/zinc has helped at all. I got it for pore reduction but been disappointed and won't repurchase.
Mary Una Brennan salicylic clay mask is great. I think any oil based cleanser is fine for the 50 shades technique. I used body shop camomile.

Tsnmummy08 can't you foist the SC to someone on this thread? cad may want to try it or Cinders seems to get on with it very well.

If you need to get rid of it, I'll be happy to have it. It seems to work well on me, but given I hadn't used anything except Nivea kids SPF50 for years, I'm not very picky. It certainly doesn't leave a whitish cast on me, though perhaps I'm not using enough? I do a drop on the back of my hand about the size of a 10 pence piece, and it just glides on. I think it makes my skin tone slightly more even, but it's pretty marginal - I doubt anyone else can tell I've got anything on my face.

I'm off for my 8 week spinal surgery check up. Eek!

Forgot to say, great news Bo. 🥂

Good luck Olli!

Hello again Shestood

I have an enourmous spot on my chin. It's painful no I have only myself to blame. Realised that whenever my skin starts looking clear and go looking for tiny lumps and bumps to poke at which pisses my skin off and the next day there's a huge spot. I need to put a "do not pick" post it on the mirror. I have a week to get rid of it as I have a thing to go to next weekend.

Dilemma. My fringe really needs trimming. It hasn't been cut well enough to do its usual draping to the sides in a cool French way thing which usually buys me more time between cuts. So. Do I risk a quick fringe trim at the salon that fecked it up in the first place or try and find somewhere new? New places won't do fringe trims alone for the first time but I'm scared of having the back cut now until it grows more.

I might be transferring a bigger worry into my hair but I still need the trim. It's almost beyond Claudia Winkleman levels.

onto

Oh and I used the No7 total renewal face scrub on my upper chest, followed by LRP toleriane and it worked very well. Much smoother and small marks reduced. Few days ago and no irritation or spots. So think I'll keep using the LRP there rather than relying on my shower wash.

...and look at the Avene cleansing stuff you suggested bo.

(Why do I always post in threes?? )

Thanks mint .

Lego, Az is technically an AHA so in the PM and I believe TO version is quite tricky to work with texture wise so you'd probably want it in the PM anyhow, after watery serums if using.

Welcome back Storm! It was a cancer scare, I have one about every year so the anxiety was mild but still there none the less.

Cattier masks are always good, Mary you can get them from EPP who also sell the cheap and very cheerful Edenens Cleansing Oil which I just emptied this morning, already had a backup ready and waiting must do my empties before it's officially August.

Sorry, mint, I can't really see the point or why it matters. Usually, when I mention an SPF it's with someone in mind or certain skin conditions/types so there's a hook that appeals to specific people, it's not necessarily anecdotal iyswim. It's great that you're finding another SPF that works for you but whether people on this thread get excited about it or not really shouldn't impact your excitement. There's plenty of things I mention on here that never gets responded to, or only months later, doesn't mean it hasn't been helpful to someone else because it's gone without immediate response.

Hope all went well, Olli!

Can you do your own trim, maybe, Enid? I know French woman diy it quite often, it doesn't look that hard. Violette_fr I'm aware I sound like a proper shill for her now has a tutorial where she does it with nail scissors but it somehow looked totally doable Caroline de Maigret also is seen cutting her fringe somewhere on YT but it was a Lancome ad I think rather than a tutorial.

Ok, so Mary and Figuier (nope, not sisters) have gotten one age right... so to no longer hold you in further suspense. From left to right...

ahem...

36

63

41

They all looked 16 at most to me

I'm back saw the surgeon who muttered "sizeable disc prolapse" and "bloody lucky" at me. Along with warnings not to take up running on roads or high impact aerobics you're ok, I'll stick to spin class thanks

The disc herniation was 15mm x 10mm and google seems to consist of "10mm is a giant herniation". Surgeon said it was emergency surgery and if left for 48 more hours I would have likely lost use of my legs and bladder

And he let me take pics of the MRI. The dark bit above the red circle should be a vague circle. The red circle is all the bulging disc

Bo they are sisters. Some of the articles have wrong captions under the photos. Not that I've been Instagram stalking...
www.instagram.com/p/BV0vP5nH7Fq/
www.instagram.com/p/BV0w-5QD21v/

Here's the photo with mum
www.instagram.com/p/BUE4UHFjt1s/

It doesn't change the fact that all 4 look ridiculously good.

Oh my god, they all look about 12! bathes in sunscreen

Thanks JDSTER and Bo! What's EPP?

That's a relief bo, having just been through the same (well a potential recurrence) I understand a little of what you've been through!

I must admit my routine is very simple at the moment. Tried a couple of TO products that broke me out so I'm scared again! (Hylaronic acid and nia) I've got Vit C unopened.
Still lusting after brighter, clearer skin.

I'm also with whoever is having summer clothes issues! Bring back winter

And I won't ask about the hair though I really want to

The Mum looks the same age as all three of them still.

There's got to be some surgery and vast amounts of filtering going on there surely. I mean good genes, spf and water might get you so far but that's extreme!

Olli That's very scary! So glad they caught it in time.

SheStood I started the hair thing with one of those haircuts where you go somewhere new and spend the next month couple of days crying about it. 4 inches off more than I asked for and stupid flipping out on one side layers. My hair was so nice before. Any I moaned about it on here. A lot. And must've cursed the thread because then bo was given a haircut she most definitely didn't ask for and then someone else (can't remember who? sorry. Woolly brain) had a haircut that made them want to cry. So now I'm trying hard to grow mine but it needs a trim and I am ssscccared!
Basically.

bo I'll watch those YT videos but I'm not confident. I know I'll see one hair that needs a tiny bit more off and it'll escalate until I have one of those v.v.short curved rockabilly fringes. 💇🏻

Lucky escape, Olli!

Ah apologies, Figuier, I much admire your insta stalking abilities. I didn't realise I had a shoddy source in Elle Magazine, well considering the amount of spelling and grammar mistakes on there I probably should have known. Still, they look bloody young, and the mum does too. Feel somewhat vindicated though as I though the one on the right looked the oldest.

EPP is easyparapharmacie.com they're a France-based giant internet seller with all the French pharmacy stuff for very cheap. Over £29 it's free shipping to the UK IIRC. Ah, yes TO HA is on my shit list, it's only been good for some but we've seen too many bad reactions to it on here to consider it worthy of notice. Niacinamide is a bit troublesome too. Are you still suffering from acne? I keep mentioning it but no one seems to have made the jump yet, but I'm really curious what blue light therapy (the at home treatment devices) can achieve. Read over on another thread today that someone followed a hack on YT so they can use that Neutrogena mask perpetually without having to buy the activator over and over again and was having good results with it. When is someone going to buy one already?

We're all moaning over this summer's truly awful offerings of clothes, but it's mostly me as I've dropped down several sizes and am struggling massively on several fronts with it despite having pretty much ideal proportions. Shops are evil .

My hair was cut too short and I was a sobby mess which was a bit unusual for me until it dawned on me it looked exactly like the wig my mother wore when she was terminal, it's at an ok length now but am deathly terrified to ever see a hairdresser again. Enid, was the first to bey butchered after growing it out for forever. It's since become a curse on this thread to get your hair cut as several others have been plagued by shitty haircuts. I've opened up a gallery with a pout couch to scowl at the public with to make up for the shitty haircuts.

It's mostly those messy French fringes, Enid, I think that makes the difference. I'd be too scared to try it with a very blunt precision one but basically, they just snip a bit like they're thinning the hair till they arrive at the right length.

Glad all ok Bo. You've been open about it so may I ask what type of cancer scare? Was it related to what your mum had? My mum had breast ca so I'm going to start on a screening programme after deliberating for quite some time.
olli glad all ok with you too.
I was one of the cursed with a layered haircut too! I had another trim yesterday which has evened up the back a bit thankfully.

Hello all,

Just wanted to update since I first joined this forum a few hundred pages ago...

I have started a routine use LRP Toleriane Dermo Cleanser, Hylamide SubQ Anti-Ageing Serum and LRP Toleriane Riche. This has been going well, my skin is definitely feeling more hydrated and less tight, and my makeup is going-on (and staying-on) much better (thanks very much for the recommendations Bo)

I am ready to add some new things in, specifically Vit c, Hyaluronic acid, retinol, AHA, niacinamide and peptides (as per Bo's anti-aging factsheet)

I am trying to find products, I have found the following and would appreciate any feedback before I go shopping... (Just for info, I am mid 30's and until I started this routine I had dehydrated skin which I had confused with being dry. I have enlarged pores on my nose and cheeks. I have a few signs of aging, specifically wrinkles around eyes, light wrinkles between eyebrows, mild lines at side of mouth. Also the skin above my eyes is a bit droopy but I'm not sure a cream can help with that!!)

Vit c... Either Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% OR Serumtologie Anti-Aging Vitamin C Serum ( 22% vitamin C, 5% hyaluronic acid, 1% vitamin E & 1% ferulic acid... not sure if this will be too harsh for me but it does have good reviews saying it didn't react with their skin)

Retinol - LRP Redermic Anti-Wrinkle Treatment 30ml (Retinol Linoleate + Adenosine] - Lipo-Hydroxy Acid [LHA] 0.3%

Niacinamide... Paula's choice Resist Anti-Aging Serum (Key ingredients are Niacinamide/Vitamin B3, Quercetin, Hyaluronic Acid although it does not specify percentages)

AHA... Paula's Choice Resist Weekly Resurfacing Treatment with 10% AHA (60ml).

I am planning to introduce all new things slowly and will probably buy one new thing a month, I just want to be clear in my head what I need to buy. And I need to restock my LRP Toleriane Riche so now is a good time to shop!

I also tried Eucerin Sensitive Skin Q10 Active Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream SPF 15 but this made my skin really greasy and my pores were huge, so I have discontinued. (If anyone wants this, I will post it to you for your enjoyment... just let me know!!)

Also Bo you wondered if I could have historic skin damage which has contributed to my big pores, I think you are probably right as I am very pale and freckled, and I never remember having sun cream as a child. I also remember going to an outdoor concert when I was about 20 and even though it wasn't that sunny, getting sunburn blisters on my cheeks and nose!

Also I was wondering if eye creams are worth getting??

Also Bo sorry to read about your health scare, horrible horrible times.

Or, further to above... I could just go for all TO products??

It was ovarian/uterine this time, JDSTER and the usual annual (for me anyhow) cervix smear. I do incidentally see the same gyn. as my mother did who is a dual specialist oncologist which I think makes her much more alert, especially considering how well acquainted she is with my mum's history and how quickly that cancer progressed. I've never had the BRCA gene testing done as I don't qualify with my family history (mum's was an extremely rare uterine variety which has very little research attached to it, never mind the genetic component but the entire female line is pretty much gynecologically challenged, I do seem to be the first one to suffer from it from a very young age though). I have considered getting the BRCA testing done privately as there's a strong link between ovarian and breast cancers, but I think it's more the issue of deciding what to do with the results more than anything. Weirdly if I could get a test that would tell me about the type of cancer my mother had I wouldn't hesitate and know exactly what to do but I completely understand the hesitancy with the BRCA tests.

Welcome back, Well. What are your specific skin concerns/issues? Just because an ingredient is mentioned, it doesn't mean you necessarily need it all at maximum strength, so best to cater what to get to what you need iyswim.

Historic damage is definitely possible, with age the ability for pores to stretch and return will diminish so there's that factor too. Dehydration is a bit of a catalyst for that process.

That Serumtologie looks well dodgy. The INCI isn't an official INCI and it's all US based with glowing reviews on Amazon . It's SAP based rather than L-AA so the 22% isn't comparable in strength or expected results. The Mad Hippie Vit C (also SAP based but at least reputable) would be a better alternative to that but I'd try TO first and see how you get on with that.

Peptides you already have in your SubQ, I wouldn't go out looking for them specifically. They're new fangled, and in terms of anti-ageing either to use instead of the more established powerhouses when you can't tolerate them or in conjunction in a 'let's see if this works too' kind of way.

Eye cream, only if skin behaves significantly different there, is more sensitive prone or has a specific issue and the other relevant facial products (like Retinol and Vit C) you use distinctly state not to use in the eye area.

Retinol - the LRP is fine but the TO Advanced Retinoid 2% is an equally good one to start with.

Niacinamide- PC has a 10% booster, Pupsie was using it but I've now moved her on to Sidmool's 10% Niaten (Niacinamide + Arbutin) and she's liking that better, it's also cheaper. However, if you're not in need of Nia as a specific ingredient for skin tone evening or pigmentation than any night cream with a 5% concentration will do.

AHA - 10% glycolic is a bit high to start off with. You could potentially try the 7% from TO and water down the pad initially or get the travel size from PC as not everyone gets on well with glycolic. Under 5% is usually where I'd start with glycolic and build up use very very slowly. 1-2x a week and you probably won't need to use it more than 2-3x a week.

The order of what to try first depends on your impatience. Retinol takes the longest to evaluate and glycolic is the most instant. Vit C is also quite quick, niacinamide takes a bit longer but not Retinol longer. So take that as you will with what you'd rather start with.

And ahem... I do hope sunscreen is involved otherwise that would be priority number one before any of all this gets contemplated.

Bo yes I should have said, am using LRP sunscreen daily which is great (and it seems to go a long way)

Main issue for me is uneven bumpy/porey skin which has got worse over the past couple of years ( I think it has... I perhaps didn't notice it before). If I could even out the texture of my skin. I also have reddish undertones to my skin but they are a secondary concern.

I was thinking about eye cream due to the crows feet which are developing when I smile. I wasn't sure if anti-aging eye creams are particularly good for that purpose, or whether it's a bit of a myth?

In terms of what order to try things, I was thinking maybe starting with AHA then moving onto Nia, I was thinking these would be the best for skin texture? Then adding Vit C and Retinol for anti aging?

Thank you x