🐌 Fantastic Skincare: We're So Drunk We're Seeing Elephants 🐘

[botemp]

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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

WRT to The Ordinary/Deciem:

Most of us had long since stopped using it, partially due to the inconsistency of formulations and the worrying behaviour of the CEO on Social Media.

For more info on the latter, overview here

A good overview of alternatives is here

Since that compilation, other brands like the Inkey, Revolution Skincare, QRXLabs, and Alex Steinherr x Primark have launched with similar products/concepts.

From the limited experience on here, the Vitamin C 23% and Azelaic Acid from Garden of Wisdom (at Victoria’s Health) is well liked and much preferred over TO versions.

OCTOBER 2018: In other news, we’re two years old this month! We’re so old- Drunk Elephant is finally available in the UK, but all this celebration is probably overshadowed by the fear that our beloved LRP Toleriane Fluide may have been discontinued

Shestood I've just bought my second bottle of it. Our old fave has been discontinued I'm afraid. I can't remember your skin type/needs but for my oily t zone, spot prone, dehydrated skin it's pretty good.

Make up sits well on top of it. Better than the original toleriane fluide actually. My skin is less congested (invisible little bumps under skin on forehead and lower cheeks) and it's brighter/more even. It sinks in very quickly but still feels moisturised with no greasy residue. Slightly lighter than the other one so I find I use more and I feel like I need to introduce a heavier moisturiser for nighttime maybe.

Overall it's a good one to try as a replacement for toleriane fluide. The ingredients are different. The sensitive contains niacinamide. I have sometimes had a tiny bit of tingling on application but it goes after 10 seconds. It has that no frills reliable feel so I'd say it was worth trying.

BabyP Thank you forbthe brilliant list and links! Really enjoyed going through it all. Added a couple of things to my list. I haven't tried any of them before either. (other than the micellar which I didn't like.) Love the look of the oil and the blush.

Shestood i like the lrp toleriane ultra fluid although it has Shea butter and I know it breaks some people out but luckily I'm not one of them! I like the night time version too.
I think my skin just does not like acids/retinol. Both the medik8 3tr and the GOW azelaic have caused consistent breakouts.

De-lurking to say thank you Babypigeon.

I was given a sample of the YSL Black Opium and it is indeed a very nice fragrance (although it wasn't the innovative dispenser).

Also like the OGX hair products (but use a different shampoo and conditioner from the range).

@EnidButton that sounds perfect, thanks for the review! I have a similar skin type and think the sensitive one may be perfect. I'm sad the original has gone though!

@mintmagnummm thank you. I have previously purchased that one in error (LRP could do with some better names!) and it breaks me out.

mumno11, if dryness is your main concern then Sallie's advice is spot on. I'd recommend the Eucerin 5% Urea face cream above others. It's a game changer for people with dry skin.

Get yourself a good daily SPF without alcohol (denatured) in it. Frezyderm Velvet Face is a well loved one on here, think Tsmummy08 has dry skin as well and has mentioned a couple of Japanese SPFs that are well suited to drier skin.

I wouldn't waste your money on Paula's Choice, there are a few standout products but they're ridiculously overpriced for the basics and that's what you need to be sorting out first. We can talk Vit C and Retinol when you actually reach that stage.

Focus on cleansing at night (echoing the LRP Toleriane Dermo for this) and getting a moisturiser in. If you're still dry you can consider bringing in a Hyaluronic Acid serum. Once you've got that sorted, then focus on actives.

Thanks @botemp
My skin is dry overall first thing after a shower but after moisturising it calm down.
Can I use the same moisturiser am and pm or should I use a serum /oil at pm?

That sounds more like dehydration than dry mumno11. Eucerin is good in either case and can be used am and pm. I suspect you'll see improvement alone from quitting the physical scrub on a daily basis. It sounds very much like you're another victim of product misuse/abuse that has led to a compromised skin barrier. I'd suggest reading that info sheet as well. Keep things simple for now, cleanser, moisturiser, spf.

Apologies for recommending Paula's choice, I know they tend to be overpriced, but I feel uncomfortable to suggest using something that I neved used myself or have no knowledge about.🙁
Everybody seems to go on about this Aurelia skincare with probiotics , even Wayne Goss put a video on YouTube praising it and then ppl were confused cause he seemed to really love and use DE. Any idea about this brand ? It seems highly scented.🤔

Essential oils etc in Aurelia which bother me. There's a Caroline Hirons recent video about Aurelia too. I find Wayne Goes far too changeable to be believable, I'm afraid. I know it's his job to review brands, and it must be difficult, but he's so absolutely for one brand one month and the same for another the next. I quite like how CH will say a brand is good and why but she's always quite down to earth and practical about how necessary stuff actually is. I'm probably not explaining it very well, I know she's not everyone's cup of tea 😬

Threads moved on a bit but re horizontal lines on throat/neck, I found a happy side effect of taking my cleanser (am & pm) and face masks off with a konjac sponge was a noticeable differences to those lines.

Re CH I was thinking just the morning how she was diplomatically calling out Brandon about 6+ months ago. I know she can be a bit marmite, but she does generally say if she doesn't like something, in her brand overview vidoes especially.

🤔interesting @botemp about my skin being dehydrated. Never thought about it. So what do you think the reason behind that may be? I do drink about 2-3 litres of water.
@BabyPigeon83 I totally understand recommending products which you have tried rather than hearsay. I do appreciate it.

I've ordered cleanser , moisturiser and spf ....can't wait to start. Ooops forgot flannel.... !

Does anyone want my GOW azelaic acid and their eye serum?

I do like CH and I watch some of her videos, I will have to look up the Aurelia one. I saw her drunk elephant review. She is on point but I wish she would show the packaging more clearly, sometimes the camera does not focus or the light is too bright and I can't see it. She also speaks very fast and sometimes it's hard for me to understand the names of the products. She puts everything in the description bar thought which is nice.

I like Wayne as well, I've watched him for ages, he does not receive many products for testing,he buys a lot of stuff and he is honest, that's why I was surprised about his Aurelia review. Of course the man has the right to try new stuff and change his mind, but him liking so much a scented range is very weird for me.

mumno11, there isn't much of a relation between how much water you get in or not. When we talk about dehydrated skin it mainly means that your skin barrier is compromised (in your case overexfoliation) and it struggles to retain its own moisture reserves. It's most noticeable after cleansing as contact with water makes the barrier open up anyhow but with a compromised skin barrier you're pretty much robbing it of the available moisture.

Humectants like HA, glycerin, urea, etc. help in the interim but long term it's important to restore the skin barrier to good health again. By the sound of it you have pretty easy skin otherwise so it won't be terribly compromised but you've probably just slipped into the vicious cycle of damaging the skin barrier with too much exfoliating and then thinking more exfoliating will fix it.

TL:DR version: physical scrubs are evil

Great explanation Bo. I experience far less of a drying sensation after the cleansing these days. I used to feel a real sense of urgency re getting some moisturiser on my skin post-cleansing but I've realised that feeling has pretty much gone. I do think that 2 a bit years of properly looking after my skin (with the odd bit of trial and error), and certainly a solid routine with products I know work for me over the last year, has really paid off. I'm really happy with how it looks and feels at the moment. I mean, I am 50 next year, so it's not exactly a baby's bottom, but I definitely feel that I've slowed down the signs of ageing a tiny bit.

@EnidButton just popping on to let you know Elemis have free full size hand wash and lotion with every order with code BLACK4 through Elemis.com site. I’m sure you like a couple of the body products?

JD Thank you! I do need some more salt scrub. I'll order some now. Love a free gift.

Ahem. Missed bo's tldr. The salt scrub is for my bum body.

Sallie My skin just wasn't getting through the pink/irritated phase as it has done in the past, but I highly recommend the P&M oil if you're feeling wussy about tret - if you do see any deals can you PM me as I'm not checking here every day, I'd be eternally grateful

Pupsie I'm using it every other day, alternating with BR P50 but would be happy using it nightly as it feels quite gentle...

Thanks TS. I'd use it every night too, but then I wouldn't be able to fit my Cerave/Nia. I don't usually feel I need anything after the P&M oil but maybe I should switch to every night, do most of routine early evening including P&M and then a light swish of the Cerave at bedtime?

Pupsie Cerave is my "go to" after using retinol - I could possibly get away with using P&M on its own, but I do tend to use Cerave afterwards, especially if I've cleansed and applied retinoil etc earlier in the evening as you suggest. I'm definitely saggier and crepier (new word?) after losing a bit of weight (arrrrgh!) so any extra moisturiser is probably a good thing!

Thx TS. I shall try that for a while. P&M nightly 😁.

Sorry you feel saggy. Have to say I have had zero motivation to exercise lately and I'm really missing it, mentally/emotionally. Iamaged a 30 minute HIIT/weights this morning and I felt instantly brighter. You've cut back too right?

TS Often skin fills out a bit again a few months after weight loss. It's like it resettles or something.

Anyone bothering with Black Friday? I find sales a bit stressful, think it's the competitive vibe, fear of missing out and the email bombardment. (Did buy some pyjamas which I wanted anyway and took advantage of the Elemis free gift) Think it's just me though 😬

Avert your eyes bo and anyone else who does exfoliation properly...

I got a sample of Omorovicza face exfoliator/mask with my LF order and tried it yesterday. Gorgeous dark green teal colour. It's a bit drying but quite liked it. Not sure it's £65 a tube nice but happy to use up the little satchet I have. Anyone used their products before? Feel like I've seen then mentioned on here.

@botemp does make sense about dehydration now. I thought I was helping my skin by exfoliating. My skin overall is dry as well especially legs- snake like(scaly). I don't exfoliate everyday but do once every two weeks.
I've started on my routine today still awaiting moisturiser thought but I've cleansed and applied the spf. Will report back .
Thanks again.