🐌 Fantastic Skincare: Is Everyone Having Botox Without Me? 💉

[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

December 2019: Time for The Snailies way more reliable and better than the MN recommends annual roundup (yes I'm still bitter about them quoting me in isolation and making me sound like a wanker please don't revoke my special image allowance privileges, MNHQ )

Also: Thread 20 in time for 2020!!! Ahem, where are my presents?

Sorry above is to Fete

Thanks bo I'm well, pleasantly surprised by how things are being handled here. I have never seen cerave but have never really looked either, I'll keep an eye out. Conditioner I often buy whatever is on offer/available so it changes regularly could easily be contributing.
client how did you find the hair mask in the brown pot? I've definitely seen that brand or a similar one around but wondered if it would be to heavy for me. My hair is thick, dry and prone to frizz but is wavy rather than curly

Oh yeah Client wanted to ask about Boucleme from your empties, any good? Ever tried ecoslay orange marmalade by any chance? The name is putting me off...

Just found this thread and I'm so pleased after a couple of weeks of being so concerned about my skin. I have never followed any routine as my skin always seems to get spotty after a couple of days so I quit. Looking for some advice on products and to ask about 'cleansing' is it not just washing your face? (Told you I have no clue)

I have read through some links in first page which have been great and will def be a reference for me.

I'm 42, my skin has some acne scars (I pick when stressed), I have dark patches on my forehead, chin and cheeks after my last pregnancy (13 years ago) not too bad but worse when tanned. I also have issues with skin tags on my neck and little bumps/spots around hair line and on cheeks at times. It's basically a big mess.....

I tend to just wash my face with soap and whatever Moisturizer I can find 😬

Will try and add a pic...

Thanks for recommendations for my birthday. Definitely more challenging to choose something when you can’t get to a physical shop.

I’m not a big lipstick user bo more of a quick swipe of gloss. tattie I love essie nail varnishes too and have a good collection of them. I’ve moved towards powder blush more recently. I’ve gone back to NARS orgasm, which for a long time I felt looked too sparkly on my skin but it looks much better now. I think the texture of my skin has improved a lot since I’ve been using actives for a while (more than a year).

@Tsmummy08 I’m already a fan of silk pillowcases. I’ve heard you mention hourglass ambient light before. Tell me more please. Do you us it as a blusher? I’ve used Bobbi brown pot rouge for years now but more recently moved back to using the NARS powder.

@botemp @Outtheforest
The Shea moisture is lovely, but it's probably one of the heavier masks, I use it to mix a gelatine treatment. The ten in 1 (think it's called super fruit) is lighter
The boucleme is good but the yellow gel doesn't have enough hold for me, it's a nice formula though, quite runny. I mixed it with the purple boucleme which is a firmer hold
And yes I have the ecoslay! It's an incredibly firm hold, doesn't smell of marmalade more a v light scent

Well I LOVE my Surratt blushes, Jedstre. The Glossier cloud paints are really popular though for a subtle healthy look and should work well with good skin texture. Maybelline has a dupe now but apparently they don't last very long.

How does it compare to Spiralicious, Client, I'm trying to decide between the two. Yes, I read that the scent isn't that bad but the idea of putting marmalade in my hair is just so off putting but the ecoslay has a pump...

Welcome, missy, starting from scratch is usually a lot easier than paring back so don't worry. Cleansing is indeed washing your face with a cleanser. Soap really isn't great for skin health so definitely change that up to a simple cleanser. Cerave hydrating is a good all rounder to start with. Do you wear makeup at all, you'd probably need a separate product to remove that first.

Then daily sunscreen is the mantra, especially since you're struggling with pigmentation. Recs really depends on budget/need/current shipping restrictions.

Moisturiser, depends on skin type. Any clue? In general I would say you have reactive skin as it does seem to stress out easily and overcompensate that reaction (eg. Trauma to the skin leads to long lasting pigmentation/scars), but in terms of dry/oily, I'm guessing combo at least?

Once you've got the basics sorted, I'd probably suggest signing up with dermatica if you want to attempt to tackle the pigmentation and melasma (it's tough to tackle with a dermatologist but just not doable with over the counter products, so save yourself the effort and go straight to the derms) and any anti-ageing/spot control/scar minimisation. They currently have a waitlist but by the time you get your basics sorted that will hopefully have resolved itself.

Hmmm. Spiralicious isn't as much hold I would say on my hair but I prefer the results. Ecoslay is thicker, spiralicious quite runny
I think the ecoslay do a sample size, jessicurl definitely do

For anyone who is having trouble getting bits from japan. I order on amazon.jp using my amazon UK login. I got a sunscreen, the hada labo premium and the Softymo cleansing oil. It came out to £30 including shipping and got to my house in 7 days even with all the corona issues and over the bank holiday weekend.

Definitely recommend as you know you are getting the real product and it comes so quickly.

Which sunscreen did you get cinanmon they don't allow the shipment of a lot of them. Amazon JP is brilliant, forgot about them for HL. The last time I ordered it was here within days, think I ordered before the weekend and it arrived on Monday

Thanks Client, yes they both do samples but it's a bit of a false economy, there's a shop here that sells testers but I get so away with it I'm suddenly spending €€€ and it really isn't that much product... What do you prefer about the Spiralicious results, volume or frizz control?

@botemp As ever, massive thank you for taking the time to help a newbie out. Will take a look at the info sheet on repairing the skin barrier.

So, if I’m starting again, completely from scratch, how does this sound?

Morning -
Cleanse (Olay)
Timeless Vit C (Only used it once but I swear to God I have woken up with a nice glow. I actually look hydrated) I will use this 2-3 times a week until I can build up to daily.
Olay moisturiser (Considering buying the Cerave PM moisturiser, as i’m fed up of the Olay one & fancy a change)
La Roche Posay SPF 50

Evening-
Double cleanse (Olay)
Hyaluronic acid booster/HA serum of some kind?
Moisturiser

I like the look of Vichy thermal spray to help seal in the HA - any thoughts?

DP has called dibs on the PC 2% BHA as he suffers with blackheads, so luckily that won’t go to waste.

Timeless UK sells Hado Labo products, I saw them when I purchased the Vit C.

Yep, that sounds sensible. I'm not sure what you're planning in terms of exchanges/using up but HA is not something I'd spend heavy on.

Are you wearing makeup/water-resistant SPF at the moment, otherwise a single cleanse is fine in the PM, no need to over cleanse, that would be working against skin health.

Cerave has ceramides and niacinamide so that's a good switch over. Timeless also sells Cerave, the PM lotion is a bit hard to get hold of, and people tend to get confused which one it is this one. Currently sold out and they seem to charge a lot more for it than others but at least you know which one to buy as a lot of people accidentally end up buying the body lotion. Just personal preference, similar formulation but less slippy and more of a traditional moisturiser that feels (I can't really say if it is, I l've used both but I think it's just the psychology of it) more hydrating, LRP Toleriane sensitive also has niacinamide and ceramides (though less of a range than Cerave), tends to cost slightly more. It's this one also out of stock

Vichy thermal spray, yeah it's a bit of a cult product on here but generally used to mitigate the effects of hard water on sensitive skin after cleansing. The whole spraying down, locking in, moisture sandwiches, etc. is only really useful for certain skin issues, eg. Acne prone skin that's using a lot of drying treatments, and genetically dry/mature dry skin.

I find the spiralicious is really consistent results if that makes sense? It doesn't seem to matter how I apply or the weather, it always gives me decent hold and frizz control
Eco slay is a bit more finicky
The rockin ringlets they do is excellent if your hair likes salt/sea water

Ah poo, I'd just evicted rocking ringlets from my basket thinking it's probably nothing special. But I do like sea salt sprays...

Have you ever dared tally up how much you've spent on all the CG products?

@botemp Honestly can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. Sorting my skincare out is the only thing keeping me from obsessing over my IVF coming to an abrupt halt. It’s much appreciated that you’re taking the time to advise me.

A month or two after doing the above, if all is well, could it be beneficial to add an acid, such as PC 2% BHA or her weekly AHA exfoliant? For the last year i’ve always made sure i’ve exfoliated in some capacity once a week (Usually a Dermalogica product or the no7 AHA resurfacing paste) But following your advice, i’ll nip this in the bud for now.

Once all my IVF nightmare is over I think Dermatica is calling my name.... 🙏🏼

You can use the ones you're familiar with once a week now, and newer products when you're more settled. AHA or BHA depends on skin needs, one tends to be favoured by oily spot prone skin, the other by dry dull skin. Most don't need to use both. Just keep in mind the vit C is a low pH and an acid so it will exfoliate in some capacity, just not in the same way tradition exfoliators do.

Er. No
I'm using the lockdown to work my way through all the stuff I don't love as what my hair looks like doesn't matter!
Rockin ringlets is weird. I was meh, this will be rubbish. But my hair just sprang up and looked lovely with it
This is the review I read before I bought https://curlycailin.ie/jessicurl-review-what-to-buy/

Right, back in the basket it goes.

Yes I'd stumbled across that blog too, she sold me on jessicurl for the consistency in our weird weather.

Any thoughts on Umberto Giannini curl jelly, it's supposed to be good for wavy hair, but I worry it's going to be too light.

I didn't like it TBH - reading my replies I'm seriously concerned that I actually own ALL the curly stuff
It didn't do much for me, no hold. But my colleague uses it and loves it

Do I need to get out my list of potential products and ask you and just save myself the trouble 😂

Does hold = frizz control or does it mean holding curl pattern for you. It seems to be different from one person to the next. I don't seem to struggle with curl pattern but not all hairs are enticed to play along and I end up with slight frizz regardless after the cast is removed.

Also, silk bonnets, worth the trouble or not. I fear I'd just wake up without it.

Hold for me is pattern and frizz because with my hair they go hand in hand. Mine tends to lose the pattern by going frizzy IYSWIM
I don't have a silk bonnet but I do use a satin pillowcase which makes a huge difference
For scrunching out the cast I do use a dab of oil which seems to help any residual frizz. Mousse and gel together seems to work best for me

@botemp I ordered the Nivea super water gel. I think the packaging just said ‘cosmetics’ so it was allowed in by customs. I had a long browse and I would say about half of the sunscreens could be shipped to the UK. Including the biore watery essence and gel and a few Shiseido and suncut sun screens.

It is amazingly fast shipping so I think I’ll do an order every few months to stock up on the cleansing oil and hada labo.

Thanks cinnamon have you used it yet? I've sorted them before on international delivery but then I often still had to take it out of my basket at checkout but the Nivea seems to pass through without issue. So long as you stay under the import threshold (€21 in my case) it usually works out quite cheaply. May put in an order too, just have to figure out what else I'd like.

Frizz is my main issue client, mousse tends to make it frizzier unless you jump through ten thousands flaming hoops, it's just way too high maintenance and unpredictable. Creams do seem to work well for frizz but too much leaves me without volume which is just weird and shaking it out just unravels into more frizz. Maybe rocking ringlets is the dark horse I've been looking for... Any thoughts on Bounce curl clumping cream, apparently it works brilliantly in combination with ecoslay orange marmalade.