🐌 Fantastic Skincare: Heatwave, schmeatwave, we've got our trusty SPF50 and are donning wide brimmed hats

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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.

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.

I am very slowly working on consolidating the gathered information from previous threads into easier to read formats but it’s slow going. 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

Understanding Which Sunscreen(s) to Buy

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

A Damaged Skin Barrier - Now What?

NEW SERIES:

So You Want To Buy A Retinoid - A Guide

JULY 2018: Sorry, terrible title, I haven't been keeping up but I assume Dr.Sam’s new cleanser will have some fans on here.

Sallie I see alcohol denat in the ingredients list of the serum. :(
www.vichy.co.uk/liftactiv-serum-10-supreme?utm_source=td&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=Skimbit%20UK&tduid=531501293dee69054eab2a0384d88856

Penelope Does this REN moisturizer contain retinol? Despite the name, I don't see retinol in the ingredients list and the description is that it offers "retinol results" (whatever that means...). It also seems to have a lot of fragrance, is it highly scented? Perfume is listed in the middle of the list, not at the end...

www.feelunique.com/p/REN-Bio-Retinoid-Anti-Ageing-Cream-50ml

Sallie how are you getting on with the medik8 vitamin c?

Thanks Babypigeon I'm probably best off sticking with the Vichy mineral 89 as I know that suits me.

Mint so far so good with medik8 Vit c, I really like it but it's early days yet as I tend to get the itchy reaction after 1-2 weeks use. Fingers crossed for this one though!

Oh sorry Sallie I thought it was an immediate thing. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far and fingers crossed you don't get the itchiness in time!

I'm hopeful Mint but the Vichy Vit c was fine at first then The Itching started...

Brandon from Deciem is at it again, Estée Lauder this time. As usual I'm not sure what he's on about as his ramblings don't make much sense, but he seems to be sharing a (presumably) private email exchange between him and some EL bods on Facebook.

babypigein I have just read through the ingredients and I can't see any actual retinol? I am quite upset and annoyed now because it wasn't cheap and because it says 'Retinoid' on the actual bottle I assumed it contained retinol

If it's just another fancy serum then I don't want or need it. I wanted a product that contained retinol.

Penelope I agree that I cannot see any mention of
anything retinol related (it's often called retinyl or retinoic something or other in OTC products) in that serum, though I'll admit I'm not the most knowledgeable here ingredients wise. I'd be inclined to message REN and ask them to confirm, hopefully they'll refund you as it sounds like they might have sold you a pig in a poke

Kokoloco the barrier repair sounds like a very good idea from what you've said about your skin and it's a good starting block if you want to add acids or retinol to the routine further down the line. I got cerave pm fairly recently, someone here gave me the link let me try and find it.

Koko I cant remember where I actually ordered from (thought it was fairly recently but seems not) but they have it here on look fantastic now

www.lookfantastic.com/cerave-facial-moisturising-lotion-no-spf-52ml/11798688.html

It's not called cerave PM but the ingredients are exactly the same, I compared them with the ingredients listed for the PM on cerave's own website.

penelope I’ve just had a quick look at that REN retinoid and it looks like they’re using natural stuff and calling it a retinoid analogue so suggesting it has results ‘similar’ to a retinoid.

Being on these threads does help to educate oneself on skincare ingredients and cut through the bullshit of marketing language that companies use. You can put it down to experience I suppose

Penelope It's really just a marketing ploy isn't it, I would be annoyed as well. I agree that the moisturizer has a lot of plant oils/plant extracts but I have no idea on what they base their claim of retinol results. The price is another reason for annoyance because there are better formulated retinol products out there at that price range and I hope the perfume will not iritate your skin.
Unless you can return it for being not suitable, I would also put it down to experience. We all made expensive wrong choices because of marketing ploys, but from now on the way forward is to always read the ingredients list.

I'd be trying to return it Penelope In fact if it was me I'd be inclined to tell them I had a reaction to it, I would never normally do that but having retinoid in the title like that is incredibly (and I think intentionally) misleading.

I would assume that they have put rosehip oil in the REN product which contains vitamin derivatives. So strictly speaking they aren’t miss selling (!).

Koko how much did you pay for the cerave PM if you don't mind me asking? I used to buy mine from amazon but the last time I looked the prices were ridiculous.

I use IT cosmetics cc cream as a foundation, a few of us here use and like it but a few didn't get on with it so like everything else it's not one size fits all It gives good coverage and is very buildable but I don't find it too heavy or claggy, I don't like the super heavy duty ones like Estée Lauder double wear as they oxidise on me. QVC sell IT cosmetics and they have a 30 day money back guarantee.

Another one that's popular here is NARS tinted moisturiser but I've not used that myself. I've not tried the Vichy one either, I think dermablend is very full coverage though isn't it, so might not give you the natural look you want.

Oh that's not bad at all Koko I think it was over £40 for one bottle last I looked on amazon plus some ridiculous P&P as it was coming from the US - and wouldn't even get here weeks. It's meant to be coming to Boots, they've got a few bits on their website but no PM yet.

Biologifemini They are misselling because they advertise "retinol like results" from their formulation. Rosehip is good but it's no retinol and I don't believe for 1 second it has similar benefits. I would expect to see some comparative independent tests that prove those "retinol like results" are real.
All I see from the ingredients is a mix of plant oils and extracts and a ton of fragrance but at that price I can't help asking : where are the high end ingredients like ceramides, peptides, niacinamide etc. ( since retinol is missing)?
I looked for a review done by experts on beautypedia and I managed to find only the concentrate serum from the same line, but it's close enough :
www.beautypedia.com/products/bio-retinoid-anti-aging-concentrate/?archive_search=%2F%3Fs%3DBio%2Bretinoid%2B

I have emailed REN directly and really hope they take pity and refund me. If they don't then I will just chalk it up to experience, and I must admit it seems like a very nice product to use. I really feel aggrieved that they are misselling like this. Oddly enough, it barely smells of anything?

Poor of REN to use the word retinoid - I had a look as well and couldn't see anything vitamin A-like...

Can anyone think why I wouldn't be able to use GOW vitamin C under their multi-peptide serum? They suggest using the vit C at night but I've always used mine under a HA serum in the morning (at the other end of the day from my retinol). There's no niacinamide in the serum AFAIK.

I bought the MP serum and daily cleanser recently - serum seems nice, absorbs well, quite moisturising but the cleanser is not what I was expecting: it's like a gently foaming cleanser but still too drying for my skin so I'm back to LRP Toleriane as a second cleanse and will reserve the GOW one for after the gym when I'm at my greasiest!!

Kokoloco If her skin is good (no blackheads, acne, congestion, extra sebum) she could use BHA only on the random spots, as needed. This trial size version will last a long time and It will reduce the spots over night, decrease inflammation and speed up the healing process. Try BHA only if she is not allergic to aspirin.
www.paulaschoice.co.uk/resist-anti-aging-daily-pore-refining-treatment-bha-m7820.html?dwvar_m7820_size=trialsize&cgid=#q=bha+travel&start=0&top=837

If she needs help with acne, there are also travel size kits available with cleanser, bha and spf moisturizer:
www.paulaschoice.co.uk/clear

She does not have to use a night moisturizer if she does not need it and for cleansing a gentle non scented and non stripping cleanser would be better than neutrogena. I used those products and they are anything but gentle.
Ideally, she could use SPF everyday (mineral, if chemical is a problem).