🐌 Fantastic Skincare: Jump through flaming hoops, repeat, 'Beauty is Pain', and acces to this thread will be unlocked

[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

Yeah I was on that thread

I think a lot of people get confused about double cleansing but basically you use an oil based cleanser first to remove makeup and/or SPF which broadly works on an oil dissolve oils basis and then a water based cleanser will clean your actual skin picking up remnants of the other cleanser and other impurities. It's not the whole story as all cleansers will tackle oils and water at the same time but their focus tends to be different. If you're using an oil based cleanser twice you're focusing on removing oils mostly including the good ones that protect your skin. Since you're dry and in short supply of them that's not very helpful. Either one would work as a first cleanse and your morning cleanse would work well as a second probably (I'm not familiar with it but assume it's water based and gentle going by the name).

How dry are you truly? The need for lightweight but nourishing moisturisers plus love of oils and heavy creams but not responding to them well usually suggests an impaired skin barrier and dehydration that often gets mistaken as dry skin. You can also be dealing with all of the above.

If you liked the Belif (I'm assuming the aqua bomb), while not the same it's probably worth a try with this one from Curel. The Eucerin 5% Urea face cream can also be great if you're in that territory of dry/dehydrated/sensitive confused space.

Usually I'm quite brow beating with the SPF daily us but if you're in a windowless room fair enough although I hope it's only a short term thing. If you're ever looking for a different SPF I suspect you'll like the purito centella green SPF50.

Thanks Botemp, I will look into your suggestions. I think you are right that my skin is probably a bit stripped hence me craving a heavier feeling cream. Probably points to dehydration from the cleansing stage as you say so sounds like I need to sort something gentler out and go from there.

Interestingly I think the Jordan Samuel cleanser might be an oil based one? This is the ingredients list:

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Aqua/Water, Sucrose Laurate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Anthemis Nobiliss Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol.

It is quite gentle, but i wasn’t planning to repurchase as I found the gel texture quite thick and tough to spread on the skin. It’s a shame as I wanted to like the brand, but the products just haven’t worked for me. Have you any water based cleanser you’d recommend?

The windowless room is def temporary! Already wanting to fast forward a couple of months when this work is all over :) I’m due to head back to the office in October so will start wearing the spf again. The thing I like about thank you farmer is that it feels quite nourishing, like another layer of moisture. I will check out Purito as well though, as not heard of that brand and would be good to have another choice when buying spf as I’m nearly out of the thank you farmer.

@Ohthatsgreat just to say I've been using that Curel moisturiser for a few months and I really like it. I stopped using it consistently during retinol hell but am back on it now.

Re oils, and I'll probably get eyerolled for this lol, I love DE Narula Oil. Pretty sure you can buy marula oil elsewhere a lot cheaper but the DE lasts ages so I don't mind the expense. Think I'm on my third one in three years. I like to add a drop or two to my moisturiser most days. (And I add it to hand and foot cream before bed .

Oops. DE *Marula oil.

For a thicker cream I like the Bioderma Hydrabio, especially during winter, used sparingly.

Love Purdito Centella, and think Sallie did a link where to find it cheaper?

On the SPF front, quite like Altruist Fluid, but not the anti redness unless you like the orange look.

Not decided on Garnier Ambre Solaire Ultra Light Fluid. It may have been the culprit as far as eye irritation.

Yeah Marula oil is nice but it's like £10 for 100ml at Gracefruit (DIY skincare shop) although that amount is only useful if you also use it on the body as oils don't go that quickly. I know the DE one is fair trade (not sure if certified) but the markup is still enormous. Have you ever tried cheaper brands to compare Ninny? I know the ordinary do it as well.

I'm still not sure if ohthatsgreat is actually dry skinned so it makes it hard to say what oil to go for but Marula is probably a decent one to go for since it's okay for most skin types.

Purito is cheapest (at the moment) on yesstyle.

Ohthatsgreat, it's more of a traditional general cleanser that does both as it contains oils and water, sometimes that's enough but for most people with an SPF/makeup habit it often isn't. An oil cleanser won't have water in the ingredient list, it'll have an emulsifier in there that binds oil to water so as soon as it comes into contact with water the consistency will change from balm/oil to a milk which is why you always apply an oil cleanser to a dry face first and milder cleanser can just be applied to a damp face. For water based cleansers, Cerave hydrating is usually good for most but not if you're truly sensitive. La Roche Posay Toleriane dermo is an old favourite but it can leave a fully feeling with some (seems to be related to water hardness) and Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser tends to be good too. I also like LRP Toleriane hydrating cleanser but it's not as easy to source in the UK.

I haven't tried any others Bo. And certainly over the last 6 months all my patience and energy for researching and trying new products has gone into 1) hair and 2) post retinol meddling fixing.

After dabbling with The Ordinary when it first came out I'm loathe to try anything from the brand given the various issues/experiences we all had.

I also know I don't have text book skin (eg having such a strong instant reaction to the Cerave cleanser when I "shouldn't have had" leads me to a mentality of if I like sth stick with it.

Ultimately finding products that work well for me/saving my time and effort is more important than spending more than I need to when results aren't guaranteed. (Appreciate it's quite a simple product though).

Most of my products are under £20-£30 so I'm not going to sweat this particular one's price tag given the above. Although I would always caveat a recommendation with "cheaper versions are available".

Oh, and also I rarely buy from Space NK these days but what I do buy racks up reward points nicely (the DE MO, Chantecaille mascara, Fresh lip balm, By Terry lip balm) so I generally always have at least a £10 voucher to come off.

Sorry, no, didn't mean to suggest you need to try another. I was just curious if you had as there is a quality difference in oils that's not legible in an ingredient list or price tag. When I last used an oil it was MV Organics which were lovely and ridiculously expensive but the quality was noticeable but they are certified organic so that's at least something to go on. Drunk Elephant has been caught out with misleading messages so I'm always a touch cautious with their claims that translate into the higher price tags.

Understood Bo. And I'm also cautious re DE as I had those issues with out of date Vit C on two consecutive purchases (and shame on Space NK for not picking it up too) so I totally hear what you're saying.

I was in Space NK last week. I had no idea DE have released so many more products: haircare and body care too. But then I don't follow them anywhere so no surprise I guess.

Has anyone heard of a German brand called, 'Colibri?'

DD1 saw it when one of her, 'influencers.' [eye roll] mentioned it. Apparently it is amazing

@botemp thanks for those cleanser recommendations. I’m going to order a moisturiser and cleanser tonight and see how I get on with those changes, then revisit the oil.
I did have a small tube of the DE oil when I bought a DE set from the states a couple of years ago and I remember liking it. I don’t mind spending a bit more for the right product, although I get it’s just marula oil and DE have added a nice mark up! I also liked the Josie Maran oil that I got from Sephora but can’t seem to get that brand here which is a shame.

@Ohthatsgreat I've just noticed autocorrect changed a film feeling to fully feeling about the LRP Toleriane dermo (not that that makes it much clearer), anyhow some people experience a film being left behind.

Colibri is new to me, MrObama, but then again I may as well be an OAP in influencer land (how do you keep your DD sane with those types constantly blabbering on about all thing being Ah-MAZE-ing?). It looks fine but not remarkable and expensive for what it is. LRP at twice the price about sums it up. And for the record, La Roche Posay has been Ah-MAZE-ing since well before I was born.

Bo More like how I keep sane . She casually mentions what some of her influencers are recommending, and tbh, most of the advice is fairly good, keeping it simple, and there is a huge CeraVe following, which she tells me has, 'cult,' status. There are sometimes some random products that are deemed, 'miracles,' that always have a link

Am not changing her routine at the moment until she has her dermatology consult in a couple of weeks, so she will continue with the old tried and tested, LRP

Am moving up the strength with Skin + Me and wait for it..... Am on 0.015% Tret. Still no adverse reaction, which I'm wondering if it's due to the slow increase?

For anyone looking for the Purito SPF it’s just over £10 on YesStyle

www.yesstyle.com/en/purito-centella-green-level-safe-sun-spf50-pa-60ml/info.html/pid.1070026959

You get 10% off your first order and free P&P over the rather random amount of £43. I got 3 Puritos as I’ll get through it fast in autumn/winter as I use it as a morning moisturiser, then ordered a few random bits to take me over the £43 & they’re sending some freebies too. Don’t leave it till you’re desperate for anything though as takes about 3 weeks to arrive.

Thanks for that tip Sallie, I’m going to take a look later!

I ordered the curel moisturiser this morning, should be hear by Monday which is good.

Botemp, you mentioned the LRP cleansing cream - is this the one? Was just browsing feelunique and it seems to have the name..

www.feelunique.com/p/La-Roche-Posay-Effaclar-H-Hydrating-Cleansing-Cream-200ml

No it's the Toleriane Hydrating Cleanser (although it has many names in different markets but it's not in the UK last time I checked you can order it from France here shipping is free over £29 IIRC) or Toleriane Dermo Cleanser. The Effaclar range is for very acne prone skin.

*£49 apparently, it used to be £29 I think.

Thanks Bo, good spot. Can be confusing to tell which product is which range as they look similar. I’ll go with the Toleriane Dermo. I realised I’ve had this one before and got on ok with it. I know what you mean re the film but using a wash cloth to gently take it off meant I didn’t feel anything afterwards.

Hello all! Just saying a quick hi and then slinking back to my frantic writing :)

@SallieSallow or @botemp can you recommend any fun stuff to get from YesStyle? I've ordered a Purito to try out ... nice, lux moisturiser maybe?!

Skin-wise I'm just pootling along using Skin&Me, plus occasional PHA and Superdrug Vit C a few times a week - so basic! I'm back to using Ceramidin as a moisturiser but not really using HA any longer.

I did buy Perricone No foundation foundation serum recently but it's more pigmented than I was expected and a little darker (annoyingly)... I seem to look better with less makeup these days, probably just overly tired!

Tsmummy I ordered a couple of lip tints and some peel off eyebrows not turned up so no idea what they’ll be like.

These are the lip things, not sure if the name of them (glasting!) is a typo...

www.yesstyle.com/en/romand-glasting-water-tint-8-colors-02-red-drop/info.html/pid.1086575382?cpid=1086575387

You can get Ceramidin on there if you want a backup, Tsm, otherwise CosRX have a few nice moisturisers. Peri Pera make nice makeup, especially the lip products. There are lots of Japanese sunscreens on there too and Canmake makeup from Japan is also nice, I like their cream blushes. Missha first treatment essence is the classic first AB beauty buy.

I must admit I got a bit overwhelmed with all the products on yesstyle especially as I wasn’t familiar with many of the brands. Those glasting lip tints have gone up, they were half that price when I ordered

Ooooh thanks for the recommendations - those lip tints look perfect for me :) I'm always intrigued by talk of your peel-off brows Sallie!!

Bo I'll have a look at the cream blushes, think I need to make the switch to a more moisturising formula...
What's the Missha essence supposed to do?! I've generally swerved the AB multiple-step routine (but do love the sunscreens and moisturisers)..

Ts these are the peel off eyebrows I’ve had something similar from Maybelline which do a pretty good job so hoping these will be ok too.

www.yesstyle.com/en/berrisom-oops-my-brow-tattoo-pack-no-02-latte-brown/info.html/pid.1051484089?cpid=1051484091

Not having brows is the bane of my life, I’m still swithering about getting microblading but I really don’t want thick brows (even though they’re in fashion) just tops and tails adding.