🐌 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

Garden of Wisdom Azelaic Acid.

I finally braved the big scary Primark and I located the makeup and skincare area, but no luck in finding that particular skincare line. Probably this Primark is not big enough. I give up...
I saw a recommendation on a different thread where somebody was asking about hair products, someone recommented the product called dream coat from colorwow, I got mine from lookfanstatic with 20% off and I have to say I never seen anything like it. It has to be used in towel dried hair, the hair has to be sectioned and saturated in the product and then styled using heat (blow dried but I use a babyliss). A straightener can be used after drying for an even more sleek result (I don't bother). It coats the hair so that it becomes super soft and non-frizzy but without feeling like it has product in it. Protects from the humidity as well. My hair was/is prone to frizz no matter what I did (especially the dryer ends) even if it's not damaged but I feel like I found my holy grail hair product and will be ditching all the many others that simply do not work.
m.lookfantastic.com/color-wow-dream-coat-supernatural-spray-200ml/11516014.html?affil=thggpsad&switchcurrency=GBP&shippingcountry=GB&shoppingpid=cyberweekendsave20off&thg_ppc_campaign=71700000026979850&adtype=pla&product_id=11516014&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAiAjNjgBRAgEiwAGLlf2vxndL87bNClfeeIkh3SOc37nsmfFn-oE9x6Gz1Hu6VyBXO95NqFsxoC2BkQAvD_BwE

I have a feeling there are better deals on everything this year, continued sales, I don't remember last year just before Xmas to see so many offers.
I got myself a lancome set with a full size dolls eyes mascara, and 3 different mini mascaras, I never tried any of them before and it really seems like a good deal. One of the mini ones, the volume a porter one, I might get it in full size after I finished all of them, it has a nice small brush that coats and separates very well and it's pretty light too (I hate mascara clumps).
I also have 10 pounds off spacenk and I'm looking at the hourglass diffuse light powder, no idea if it's it's good but it's tempting.
I signed to beautypie to give it a try, so far the one powder wonder is really great, but the lipsticks are not that impressive to be honest, I got a matte and a shiny one, and they are underwhelming. The performance is rather poor on both of them formulas.
Talking about lipsticks, that Lisa Eldridge velvet lipstick is amazing, I used it a few times and it really performs very well even after eating and drinking, I was surprised. Usually I'm left with clown lines after the lipstick wears out unevenly while eating and drinking. Not this time, it performs like no other lipstick I tried. Also not drying. That formula is perfection. If she releases a nice range of colours with the same formula, she will have the best lipsticks on the market, so then I can chuck out my 101 so-and-so lipsticks and only use a few of hers. I hope she does make more of them, and she makes them permanent, because that formula has all I ever look for in a lisptick.

Tantric I use Elasticizer every three weeks.

Ive never tried elasticizer as I'm worried it will cause build up (I suspect I have low porosity hair) as it has some silicones in it. Does anyone who easily builds up product and feels like most hair products just sit on the hair use elasticizer regularly?

I've looked into dreamcoat before, at the time it was only for straight hair, now they have a curly version too but it's even more silicone heavy than elasticizer so I doubt it would work well for me, also you need to use some sort of heat treatment IIRC. Annoyingly you can get a tester size for the straight version but not the curly, otherwise I would have probably given it a go.

Madeline, for enlarged pores just follow the standard advice on here:

Daily standalone SPF (minimum 30) year round- sun damage and ageing are the biggest contributor to the appearance of pores.

The less irritated the skin is, the less likely pores are stretched out visibly- Avoid common irritants like fragrance, fragrant compounds, essential oils, alcohol (fatty alcohols are fine), comodonogenic ingredients like coconut oil, etc. Mineral sunscreens can also enlarge the appearance of pores but are less irritating so it's an individual weigh up, go for nano if only able to use mineral sunscreen.

You can't make pores disappear but keeping them clear will help with the appearance- BHA, AHAs, and retinoids are the most helpful with appearance of pores by clearing them out and keeping them clear. BHA usually has the most impact immediately (Paula's Choice 2% perfection liquid is excellent) especially if pores are blocked.

If you have large open pores and a redness around cheek and nose it could possibly be Rosacea and the above advice still stands with the exception of the use of the mentioned actives, a proper diagnosis and prescription is more helpful in those cases.

Baby that product looks really good, however it says it's silicone free but then when you see the ingredients there's definitely silicone in there 🤔

babypigeon I wasn’t overly impressed with colourwow dreamcoat. I now have a keratin treatment every few months to tame the frizz and fluffyness of my fine hair.

I got the Lancôme hypnose mascara set yesterday (well DH did for Christmas) with full size and 4 minis for about £20. John Lewis had 20% off. I’ve never tried the Lancôme mascaras so I’ll see what I make of them.

Hello, first time poster here so apologies if I am asking something that has already been addressed, haven’t yet had the chance to read the full thread.

I was about to buy a bunch of stuff from The Ordinary when I read the OP and wondered if someone could clarify for me. Are the products not good anymore or is it just the odd behaviour of the founder that has put people off?

Secondly, can I just buy all the equivalent products from GOW or do I need to research each thing? Was thinking of a niacinamide, an acid, vitamin C and a retinol. Thanks so much for clearing up my confusion!

I love the lancome volume a porter mascara, it's my favourite!

mintmagnummm I didn't even check if it has silicone, I kind of blind bought it because I got tired of leaving the house in the morning with normal decent hair and coming back at night with super frizzy unruly hair. The humidity and wind really do a number of my hair, it's also
naturally wavy...

JDSTER Sad to hear it didn't work for you, I guess hair type is also a factor. I never had a keratin treatment, does it weight down the hair at all? I would hate to trade volume for smoothness. The Lancome set it's nice value for money considering the 3 minis. I know it makes sense to not splurge on mascara because it does not last long and has to be replaced frequently, but I hate the (cheaper) ones that smudge and crumble as the day goes on.

ChoctasticFantastic I don't have much experience with the ordinary but as far as I understood it was the owners behaviour that put off people from buying the products (in protest, as to not be supporting his brand and indirectly his actions). I assume the products are pretty much the same, and some consideration has to be given to the other people/employees in this company (I don't think its their fault).

cad186 I like it, It's becoming my favourite as well. :)

Choctastic, it's a combination of both. When this thread started the owner drama was running high but most of us have found a lot of the products to be inconsistent and to lose potency over time or even to go off. They're cheap but not ideal. Certain products are better purchased elsewhere and some even at better prices.

I would not be buying all those things at once or from one single brand. Establish a good simple routine with a gentle cleanser, simple moisturiser, and a good daily standalone SPF (30 or above) first then slowly introduce one active at a time.

Thank you @botemp, very helpful!

botemp and babypigeon thanks very much for your input!

I didn’t find TO products to be very effective at all and agree with Bo that they seem to have a limited shelf life and a couple of them started causing irritation even though they’d been fine to start with so suspect they had gone off.

And yes Choctastic definitely add one at a time and gradually and there’s no need to go all out for one brand, once you’ve got your basics sorted think about what you want to add first and we can give you some suggestions and reviews.

I’ve tried elasticiser and it did nothing for me, my hair was a bit softer but it was still very frizzy - just softer frizz

I’ve looked at dream coat as well but the fact you have to heat style puts me off as heated appliances give me terrible frizz and static, my hair is a lot more manageable when it’s left to air dry.

Babypigeon I love hourglass ambient light powders, I think your medium skin toned though aren’t you in which case I’d recommend dim light over diffused, or radiant light which I use as a (very subtle) bronzer.

Morning everyone,
Does anyone own (or has used) the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer?
Thanks!

Actually I'm pretty pale Sallie. And with yellow undertone, think MAC NC15 or NC20. That's why I was looking at diffused light. But they have a nice palette with dim and diffused and otjers, that looks really nice. 😁

I have Sophie, I bought a duo from QVC just based on reviews and wasn’t overly impressed so I sold the unopened one. Continued using it and after a month or so picked up my previous - bare minerals bare Skin concealer one day. I was shocked how bad it looked in comparison and have gone back to the Shape Tape 😂

BabyP I'm an NC20 and I use Dim light. Diffused light is very Edward in Twilight.

ie more of a hi lighter

I like shape tape but I LOVE the hello bendy avocado concealer. And I find the MUR dupe more hydrating

Thank you NiceUnusualDifferent. What was it that you thought you didn't like about it?
May I also ask (if you don't mind) your colouring and what shade you use. There's about 30 shades I think and I will have to order without trying a sample. I have an idea of where I am on their spectrum but not entirely sure...

Thanks Olli. Never even heard of those brands! Will have to look them up.
What shade are you in Shape tape? I've seen people mix the shape tape with eye cream as apparently it's quite thick?

The hello fab avocado one is more sheer but incredibly doesn't crack or crease so perfect for under eyes
I will check when I'm not trapped in the car (horizontal rain!)

Shade is fair!

I use shade light. I’m generally the second lightest in foundation shades slthuvant wear anything warm, has to be cool or neutral.
The others went more into fine lines and didn’t cover my immense dark circles as well. I think because I only need a tiny bit that makes it less likely to crease.

at Edward in Twighlight!

I don’t find diffused light sparkly but it is on the pale side for me, I swirl it with one of the darker shades.

The edit 4 palette is gorgeous and contains both dim and diffused.