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

[botemp]

Thread 1 Thread 2 Thread 3 Thread 4 Thread 5 Thread 6 Thread 7 Thread 8 Thread 9 Thread 10
Thread 11 Thread 12 Thread 13 Thread 14 Thread 15 Thread 16 Thread 17 Thread 18 Thread 19 Thread 20 Thread 21

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

I have been thinking about how best to reapply sunscreen during the day. I hardly wear much make up- no foundation , just eye make up mostly. I am put off by rubbing more cream on my skin so was wondering about sun sticks for the face. I think I would be more likely to use something that was not messy.
Does anyone here use sun sticks?

No, I don't like the feeling of sticks, and you'll still have to rub it in a bit to get a good coverage so I'm not really seeing the advantage. The Supergoop one would interest me if it wasn't glowy though.

Pigeon, no, Korean sunscreens have always been a bit suspect due to their regulations, they did tighten them at some point but it's always been French pharmacy brands, the Swiss, Japanese and American (but for mineral sunscreens mostly) that have been highly regarded. Germany does good sunscreens too but they don't place a lot of importance on cosmetic elegance as much.

I think all of the Purito SPFs were made/developed by the same lab/factory but I don't know the status of those. I know there was a Klair's SPF that was also removed/suspect as it was made/developed by the same lab/factory.

I'm currently on a teeth whitening mission and smothered in sensodyne because... ow! Sensitive teeth

Queen I'm about to start on Monday
I hate doing it.
I got the trays 8 years ago for overnights and did the course then and have never faced it again.

I've got the day time treatment this time. 30mins a day so I'm hoping that's better.

I coukd never do invisilign I hate the feeling of the trays

Arrghhh it keeps posting when I want more lines

I meant to ask?

How are your teeth feeling now??? Are they blinding?????

I'm using the zoom day white. Still think they're yellow but I have a bit of a complex about my teeth and how crooked/yellow they are
Day off whitening today to give them a break, this seems to be the whitest they go but I've another few days in the tube

queen they look really good!

Apart from the front two the rest are really straight looking so it gives a more quirky, cool look than a mouthful of crooked teeth. Definitely more interesting than a over dentalised (I made that word up) smile.

Mine are really crooked, I had braces but I think I was too young, mine and my sisters teeth both moved badly (or a shite orthodontist)

If I can get to that level of white I will be happy 😊

My tooth on the bottom (left side on the photo) crosses over as well which is annoying
I asked my dentist about braces at one point and he just rolled his eyes at me. Told me what looks good on Instagram looks like tippex painted on tombstones in real life
Front two are weirdly straight but different shapes one next to it dips in and makes it look crooked

For whoever is interested, this just came up for sale today:
www.cultbeauty.co.uk/cult-beauty-the-female-founders-edit.html

Happy international women's day everyone!

Would anyone have a recommendation for a facial oil I could buy on lookfantastic for around £40?

I use clarins lotus oil pretty much exclusively and they don't sell it there and I would like to get a facial oil as a present for a friend who has just had a baby.

I'm specifying lookfantastic as I have a discount code and they deliver to me.

She has no specific skin issues, infact her skin is amazing. She does use similar products to those on this thread but no tret.
She likes fragrance as a treat product.

I've discounted pai rosehip ad I've used it myself as unless you expect the smell you would think "ughhh why would someone buy me this???"

Does it have to be a facial oil? Aurelia Probiotic do a really nice dry body oil, think it was originally even marketed as a maternity/postnatal thing. It smells really lovely, and with the discount it's around £40 probably. They do facial oils too but they're a bit meh in comparison.

My only thought against a whole body oil is that after I had a baby I didn't have time to moisturise my body but I did have time for my face.

It's now 8 years later and I'm still using this excuse so in my case it's probably definately laziness

True, fellow lazy person but I'm much more inclined to use a dry oil than body lotion/oil as I don't need to stand there waiting for it to absorb and freeze my tits off. My laziness sets in again when I finish it up and put off a repurchase because it always looks a bit grubby at the end with the label peeling off and being slippy.

Meanwhile I always forget I own a facial oil. But if you insist on a facial oil, the Aurelia night time one would be my pick, the Omorovicza (sp?) is nice too and while marked down well where I am it's probably still over budget but does have bakuchiol so it's a bit more than just facial oil. Not sure what it smells like anymore, very spa like iirc.

Hello, I am in my 50s and my skin is looking dull, not to mention wrinkled. I’m thinking of using a vitamin C serum and would appreciate a recommendation. I don’t have a huge budget, I’m considering Vichy or La Roche Posay. Any one tried either and were the results good? Thanks for any advice.

@BigButtons, if I need to reapply sunscreen during the day (over makeup) I use this www.boots.com/la-roche-posay-anthelios-sunscreen-face-mist-spf-50-75ml-10217616?cm_mmc=bmm-buk-google-ppc--beauty--La+Roche-Posay%7CAll-_-UK_Generic_La+Roche-Posay+DSA&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7aP9k7-m7wIVhtKyCh3a-wy6EAAYAiAAEgI5v_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

@Jedstre thankyou. I will check that out😀👍

Still haven't bought the Bear but I can get 15% off from cult beauty till the end of March so unless Look Fantastic or Cult Beauty come up with a higher discount before that I'll buy it. Beauty Expert have 20% off but it's more expensive there anyway. But they are currently the only site I can get the CosRX snail stuff, bo, so I was wondering if you've found that working ok with the Bear? I don't know that my face will like an additional rinse off of gel/lube/whatever. I've not tried the CosRX before either but hopefully my skin won't hate it. It's not happy at the moment at all and I'm cross with myself because I slapped on some LRP shaka fluid - I've been using this up on my neck and I did it without thinking. It was always ok before just meh but even with my low dose retinol it has had a horrible reaction, redness, slight rash, heat, sensitivity, bleurgh. So I'm back to basics. One cheek is more or less recovered and the other has not. It looks ok but I can feel it. I won't be putting anything new on my face for a while.

70s your really made me . Isn't it handy that the pom bear thread provided us with an emoji?

@whataboutbob I saw bo recommend the Vichy as an option now that Timeless is no longer available, it's on this thread somewhere.

I am peeling away still. Going to take a day off my prescription. It's mostly gone after my morning cleanse but comes back through the day. Plan was to push through while WFH so I don't have to wear makeup!

Yes, Bob, between those two I'd pick the Vichy, I've used it and works well, keep it in the fridge though as it oxidises quickly. I believe the LRP contains fragrance and is overall a bit meh.

Apileofballyhoo, I saw Cult Beauty has a package offer with the Bear and two serum serums, it looks a pretty good deal, especially with an additional discount. Yes, I still use the CosRx and really like it.

Thanksfor the tip re keepin gun in the fridge @botemp. I’ll persevere and report back on thé results.

Keeping gun in the fridge! The curse of autocorrect again!

Ballywhoo I think you are in Ireland? So I dont know if this info will be helpful or work, but on the off chance you are a carer for someone lookfantastic offer 22% discount, as they do for NHS workers, I dont know if they do the same for HSE workers.
I am a carer for my son who is disabled and I was able to sign up for the discount on this site discountsforcarers . Com . Its free and surprisingly I didn't have to give any medical or benefit information, I am assuming due to Covid generosity.
Just thought I would mention it incase you can use it.

Bo thanks for the suggestions, I'm still dithering

I got the Frezyderm today, very different texture to any sunscreen I've had before...but you all know that. I like it so far, obviously want to give the tinted a go now. I also got the Cosrx overnight rice mask as a mother's day treat which I shall enjoy tonight. I do like an overnight mask as my skin is soooo dry I need all the hydration from all the sources.

I'm not sure about the medik8 CE pure. It's nice to use, I think it's bringing out some of my hyperpigmentation already (10 days or so in)
My freckles which usually only come up in the sun are visible.
But I have had a breakout around my chin which never happens. However I have been on steroid tablets so they could be the cause. So jury is out at the minute. I will continue and see.

is still amazing me. I'm now concentrating on my neck and jawline. To see if I can get the firmness back a little from the weight loss. I have seen clearer definition on my cheekbones and maybe slight softening of my forehead lines.

To do this I have been spending less time on my eyes which I'm now happy with and just quickly go over them each day. So I think once you have reached a certain level of "toning" it can be maintained relatively quickly and probably doesn't need done everyday.

@Apileofballyhoo if you haven't purchased yet, currentbody have an extra €10 off the foreo bear today (only) with the code SPRING it comes to €250 including shipping (on my country specific CB site anyhow).

Hello bear users! I’m thinking about taking the plunge and getting one... just wondering a couple of things:
If I use it before bedtime does that mean I’d sort of ‘sleep off’ the benefits and wake up with my usual 42 yr old slightly squishy face? Is it best to do it in the morning so I can take advantage of any differences it makes?

Also, how does the serum ‘fit in’ to a regime? Would I end up effectively doubling up on serum and over-moisturising if I did a session of the Bear and then put my usual serum/ moisturiser etc?

Any advice welcomed! Would love it if a Bear could help put a teensy bit of pep back into my face..
(Btw a vague skim seems to show a preference for a Foreo bear over a Nuface device?)

Hi, YouSetTheTone, yes the Bear is preferred as it's more powerful (the full size magenta one, anyhow) and it's therefore quicker and going by before and afters of both devices the Foreo looks to give more noticeable results. It also has t-sonic pulsations, I'm not sure whether they actually add anything but it's a more responsive tool as a result as you don't really feel the microcurrents so you don't otherwise know if it's making proper contact and I think that psychologically motivates more to keep using it.

The first 8(?) weeks you just work on building up, and then it's just maintenance so it's not as if you artificially send your face skywards and then it slowly slides down during the rest of the day. It's more like exercise, you tone up and then maintain that tone, so long as you're working at it you don't suddenly revert back. The only benefit of doing it in the morning would be that it does work to depuff a bit.

Most of us use a conducting gel/serum that doesn't need to be washed off, if you do use one that you have to wash off then your routine is pretty much unaffected (except you're washing twice as you need a clean face to start). You can layer your existing serum underneath if it is water based and contains no oils, wrt doubling up, possibly, you just have to see what works best for you if it's too much hydration you just move your serum to your morning routine (or evening).