🐌 Fantastic Skincare: Vanities Are The New Shelf Porn

[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?

So You Want To Buy A Retinoid - A Guide

MAY 2020: We're in lockdown and it's doing weird things to our faces

I have just moved up to dermatica trey 0.05 and I have cracks at the corners of my mouth. Is this peeling from the tret, and am I okay to keep using it if I keep well away from around my mouth?

Stripes that happened to me too. Are you using it every day? I would give it a rest for a week or two and then reintroduce once or twice a week. Apply moisturiser to the area before applying the tret. Are you using any other actives?

I'm now on Skin+Me 0.04 and taking it very very slowly.

I am using buffet from the Ordinary (peptides) and then their basic moisturiser - ‘natural moisturising factors.’

I use glycolic acid and vitamin c in the morning but not every day, as I end up rushing around.

I have always been very cavalier with 0.025 with no reaction but never used 0.05 before.

And yes, I use it everyday, but this was my first day on 0.05!

Sallie I know what you mean, I had put away my acnederm because it felt harsh. But I’m using nothing else so I think I can cope better.

Thanks Pupsie and Sallie is it the number 3 you've both used?

Sallie if you're on the sallow side :) , maybe a warmer hair colour would be better? I've got a yellow undertone and naturally dark brown hair and red/ginger hair suits me (even though my skin tone isn't typical English rose/very pale)

Yes mine was no 3 Ts it was ok but didn’t work any miracles, my garnier leave in conditioner works just as well and it’s about a fifth of the price. But apparently some of the stuff sold on amazon is fake so I may well have been using a duff one.

Yes I’ve come to the conclusion that cool/ashy hair colour doesn’t do much for my sallow skin, I’m miffed as it looks so lovely on other people but I definitely need something warmer, found a dark rose gold temporary dye in my stash so will give that a go. Fingers crossed I don’t end up pink

Stripes probably a good idea to use a barrier in the corners of your mouth when you start using the tret again. Something like lansinoh/Vaseline/gloopy lip balm.

Hi all, de lurking as I need some advice. I'm about to get serious about skincare and need some recommendations. I have looked at some of the resources here but it will take a bit of time to study and digest.

I'm 51 and I think I want a better daily moisturiser. I've been using Olay spf15 for yonks and I love it, the low price, lightness of texture and low key scent but I accept I need higher spf for summer at least. What do you guys recommend for normal skin at my age.

I have some "baby face" serum that my sister bought and I put a bit of this on my face and neck maybe 3 nights a week. Not sure it's doing anything though. I hardly wear any makeup so I just use a warm flannel at night. I think I may need something with vitamin c as well, as it said on one of the charts I downloaded.

Pupsie OMG I've just seen the difference in your hair from the first Curly Girl page to the last - I'm shocked at how much curlier it is!! Amazing!! The talk still seems like a foreign language to me but I'm a little bit in awe at the change

Ha Ts! Yes, I look back to the very beginning I can see it has changed a lot over the last 2-3 months. What's your hair like? Are you interested because you too have well hidden waves/curls?

It's definitely quite wavy (my hair takes a perm really well, I was an 80s teen!) but is heavily coloured so I think that precludes from the CG method? I've used some CG products/done co-washing occasionally but never really stuck with it. The results you've had are impressive though!

I'm also wary of falling down an expensive rabbit hole at the moment but had a look at the thread to see your experiences with Olaplex...

Hi @OneFootintheRave (not a bad username!) It sounds like you’ve read some of the info sheets from the OP already since you’re thinking about vitamin c? I’ll let the others tip you off about that because I can never remember the best brands ;) Generally though you never get enough sunscreen from a moisturiser. If the Olay one works for you ie doesn’t make you react or anything then why not stick with that and look into a separate sunscreen instead. You need to consider a good cleansing routine to take the sunscreen off at the end of the day, or you’re just rubbing anything else on dirty skin and sure what good would that do. I like an oil cleanser that rinses off (but I often take it off with a flannel instead to minimise splashing) and after that a foam cleanser. At the moment I’m using an oil cleanser from Decleor and Cerave foaming and hydrating cleansers alternately.

TS I hear you re teen of the 80s and my hair also used to take a perm really well. I don't know if you saw my retort to Bo: "I don't think my hair is as wavy as you think" .

I don't cowash: most of us don't stick to the CGM rigidly. Some of the products are quire reasonable/no more expensive than regular hair products. The trouble is you don't know which products are going to work for you: it's more trial and error than skincare imo. I definitely spent quite a lot in the first 4 to 6 weeks, but also I saved a chunk on no cut/colour.

@OneFootintheRave

Hi!

Regarding vitamin c, it depends how much you want to spend.

On the more affordable end I like Revolution or La Roche Posay (both available at superdrug)

On the higher end I like Oskia or Sunday Riley.

I use vit c in the morning after a cleanse and before Spf.

If you want to add to your routine you could look at a Retinol for anti aging. Medik8 is a great one - mid range price wise.

Regarding cleansers - a milk texture can be really nice - consider Kate Somerville goat milk or espa cleansing milk is lovely too if you like fragranced.

Jordan Samuel is nice if you like something more plain.

Thanks @doadeer and @banivani. Maybe I should stick with the Olay then? If I'm going to be outside for anytime at all (and I do live in a hot country) then I add a bit or Nivea factor 30 on top. A bit cheap and cheerful but works.

I don't think my skin is bad for 51 (see attached) but it's the tiny red broken veins and slackness that I want to address.

Your skin looks good in that pic Rave unfortunately re slackness the only topical treatment that’s likely to work is retinol and not sure if you’re ready go down that road yet? I started having fillers for my droopy mouth but that’s on pause for now due to covid.

I don’t know anything about Olay but I’d say keep using if it suits you but would strongly recommend moving up to SPF 50 if you live in a hot country especially if you’re going to introduce acids like Vit c. I use Timeless Vit C from their website but they may not ship to where you live. If you give us an idea of what’s easily available where you are we can try and give some recommendations within those ranges.

I’m off to check the hair thread, full on CGM did not work for me but it’s a while since I tried it and likely better products available now. I still follow some bits of it though like leave in conditioner and air drying where possible.

All the dyes I slap on my head don’t really help my cause though I did the rose gold yesterday and it’s come out well, it’s a light reddish brown but a slightly pinky red rather than a ginger red.

Sallie please ignore the several times where I called Sophie Sallie on the hair thread 🙄

@OneFootintheRave Love your user name!

And your skin looks fab. 😊

@botemp

It's so weird that it affects my forearms and not the top of my arms. Wonder why that is.

Oddly since my post a week or so ago) I've used nothing at all on the top of my arms and the KP is about the same. Weird and not sure how long I'll get away with that for! Will try Cerave just on top of arms for now and see when the KP comes back. I do get a little KP on my forearms just at the top but it's not really noticeable you can just feel it so I'll leave it alone.

I loved how the Cerave was super moisturising so it's a shame. And I'd just bought another one 😢

@botemp

Oops posted too soon. Wanted to ask something...

I've added in a hyaluronic acid serum. When am I meant to put this on? Morning or evening, and if morning, before or after vit c serum?

Does everyone leave a gap between serums, moisturisers and spf?

I've been doing so but it's taking a long time. It's ok whilst wfh but won't be when I'm back to work.

I have ADHD and the gaps can mean I don't get the SPF on my face for hours which is not great. Gaps lead to distraction and forgetting things so not ideal.

It would be better if I could just slap it all on.

mini, there isn't really a set place for HA serums. As a general guide always use active things like vitamin c first (which have a low pH and the order tends to be lowest pH first). I don't really consider HA all that essential and when you use it isn't all that set in stone the way it can be with actives. I'd say, just use it where it fits when you feel the need for it, that can be morning or evening.

There's no need for waiting times, not sure where you got that impression, the only thing I'd suggest is a few seconds for things to get absorbed so you're not gliding new product over a wet face (damp is fine). I tend to pat in rather than rub, it's gentler on the skin and it absorbs quicker. The only space where waiting time can be useful is after applying sunscreen before makeup, 'ideally' 30 minutes but it depends on formulation.

Do you use fake tan, by any chance? Anecdotally I find this can sometimes aggravate my KP as it's so drying, I then get breakouts weirdly enough.

@OneFootintheRave, yes, can't stress the importance of SPF50 enough (or at the very least SPF30 per WHO guidelines), especially if you're living in a hot country. An SPF in a moisturiser just doesn't offer enough protection as you're not using enough.

Focus on the basics first, SPF, cleansers, simple moisturiser and then consider other additions. From your picture I did think you may have a touch of rosacea but I'm a random on the internet with no education in this, so don't take my word for it. I'm just pointing it out because if that is the case, most active ingredients are off the table or should be treated with extreme caution at the very least and it's probably better to use a mineral over a chemical SPF.

I got some more storage today and I'm so happy with it!

@botemp - I still haven't found a great moisturiser. There are a few that I like, but maybe that's the point. They are a workhorse and not supposed to be show horses . LRP Fluide is OK, but such a small container.

After a break from the Skin+Me I've had another bash but tbh I think I'm going to give up and go back to either the 0.025% Dermatica or the Neostrata (Bo do you have an opinion on which is best?). Skin all flaky and dry/scaly/sore/cracked in places despite only using it twice a week and with a barrier around the mouth. I've gone from being pretty happy with my skin (considering I'm almost 51) to being a bit unhappy with it and I'm just not sure it's worth the pain long term. Life's too short and it was looking okay before. As Bo said, with Rosacea it's best to skip most actives and I do feel lucky that I have been able to use many (still not sure I have Rosacea). Also, I really miss my Vit C.

Annoyed I didn't pause the Skin+Me in time and I received another one yesterday. Happy to send it on to someone who could use it, but only if you've already tried/have been through their process etc. Let me know.