Which products have made a noticeable difference to your skin?

[Bellasblankexpression]

Mine is looking dull, tired and lacklustre and I have a lined forehead. It’s also not that even complexion wise... I’ve found using a vitamin c serum makes a marked difference but wondered what everyone else swears by for their skin - and what your skin type is!

I’m in Bangkok at the moment..second the Retin A which is available here without prescription at Boots. I stock up!

I take starflower oil capsules daily. I started them originally for sore boobs before my period because they reduce inflammation.

They did bugger all for my boobs but my skin looks fab - redness and acne scars gone!!! hallelujah! + a really healthy glow. £2 in Savers - better than the hundreds I've spent over the years on other products

I'm another one who doesnt know what you are all talking about! Whats an occlusive? Whar ARE all these things? I'm guessing my Nivea night cream and Boots serum isnt going to cut it with you guys?

What’s the ordinary like as a brand? I saw it mentioned upthread?

I use wipes to clean and exfoliate (give skin a good scrub) ACV (tones, exfoliates and gets rid of spots and age spots) then coconut oil or almond oil.

I've always been very underwhelmed by The Ordinary buy people rave about in on here.

Vitamin c. I used the ordinary and have noticed I look much fresher and my skin looks more plump and dewy for using vit c.

Demented - basically you are trapping moisture by using something like Vaseline on top of your products. Vaseline is not moisturising on its own but it locks in other products.

So you can carry on using your usual products but swipe a layer on at night.

Personally I only use over my eye gel around eyes. I don't like the craggy feeling of it all over my face. I have been doing it since early June based on a thread on here. My eye area does look more "alive", it does not make you look years younger but it looks plumped up. I didn't expect it to work so pleasantly surprised at the effect. It has not caused milia either.

If you are prone to spots I would imagine it is not a good idea to do this.

Claggy, not craggy.

Verily1 I think with skincare up to a certain point you get what you pay for. The Ordinary definitely uses very effective ingredients, but not always in particularly sophisticated formulations. The trouble with that is that the products may not penetrate the skin far enough to be as effective as they could be, or that they can cause irritation, whereas the same ingredients in a better formula wouldn’t. Also because they deviate from the traditional sort of cleanse, tone, serum, moisturise structure it can be overwhelming if you aren’t really au fait with skincare ingredients and what they do. While they offer guidance and sample regimes on their website, I think there’s a risk that people could end up using the products in a way that might irritate their skin, or combining ingredients that shouldn’t be combined. For example, they sell a 30% glycolic acid peel for about £6, which is a really potent peel and if you don’t know what you’re doing you could give yourself a nasty chemical burn. I suppose the same could be said of other brands, but I do think that the pricing means you’re more likely to buy it to give it a try, which when a comparable peel costs £90, you’re less likely to do without reading up on it.

That said, the ingredients are effective and if they make skincare more accessible then that’s a good thing. But I would proceed with caution!

Also ButteryMuffin Alpha H Liquid Gold is an overnight glycolic acid treatment, which is designed to resurface the skin, reduce pigmentation and scarring, and stimulate collagen production. It should only be used 2-3 times a week but it’s very effective. I love the stuff!