🐌 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

I was wondering if anyone uses a product to combat the rhino skin on elbows? I have tried dry brushing etc over the years but it has not helped.
I was thinking that I want/ need something that would do to my elbows what p50 has done to my face. Perhaps a stronger acid since the elbow skin is so tough? I’m not going to use something that expensive on my elbows!

Well, you can just use P50 on the elbows (whatever is left on the pad), does the job well.

If it's a lot of buildup, Avène Akerat 30 is good and works well in tandem with P50 pad remnants.

Never found BHA to do much for my KP, Sallie, it's also in the Cerave reterxturising moistuiser iirc.

@botemp

Well, you can just use P50 on the elbows (whatever is left on the pad), does the job well.

If it's a lot of buildup, Avène Akerat 30 is good and works well in tandem with P50 pad remnants.

Never found BHA to do much for my KP, Sallie, it's also in the Cerave reterxturising moistuiser iirc.

Thanks Bo. I’m starting not to like my chicken skin elbows and after this very long, dark winter am looking forward to finally ditching the jumpers and coats and exposing my arms.(elbows) I will check that putt.

Mrobama I’d heard that about altruist but I’m not pale skinned and hardly anything makes me look orange/tangoed - yellow/jaundiced is another matter

Thanks Bo I thought the extra SA might give the Cerave a boost, I’ve also just got an Aldi glycolic acid passed on to me by a friend I was thinking of trying. But I should probably just stop faffing and buy that Alpha stuff

If your friend hasn't sent you the Timeless yet you could ask her to send you the Alpha BL, it's $16 on Amazon usually.

Thanks Bo she’s posted the timeless but can ask for the alpha next time. She likes no 7 stuff and is finding it hard to get in the US so we’ve entered into a reciprocal arrangement

Ninny Oooh tell me more... I've been trying out a few new moisturisers over winter and kept meaning to come on here and let people know. Always happy to hear about things for dry skin :)

I've been using the Honest Beauty Hydrogel cream during the day but it's a bit weird in texture - sort of wet/watery and doesn't sit well on top of the Glossier vit C I'd been using, I think because the latter has some oils in it. When using on top of essences/toners it's rather nice.

What has wowed me though is the Kate Somerville DeliKate recovery cream - bloody lovely for dry perimenopausal tret skin. Feels buttery and like something I've used before but can't remember what. Not for oily types but great for dry, irritated skin.

Also got a large sample of the Augustinus Bader Rich Cream with a SpaceNK order. which feels a bit like La Mer, no way in hell I'd pay £200 for it!

Still using the Bear and liking what it's done for under the eyes (and possibly pre-jowls, though that may be wishful thinking), but hasn't had any lifting effect on my lids/brows, so I'll be relying on my Botox for that.

Went into town today (madness, clearly!) but wanted to get some bits - lots of new lines in Boots (Dr Jart, Fenty, Bareminerals) but everything labelled DO NOT TOUCH. I want to find a new perfume - hard to do without testing.

Did anyone else brave the craziness today?

No Ts as not any shops where I’m living now (rural) will be going shopping for house stuff at the weekend though.

BIG NEWS OF THE DAY I’ve ordered a Bear 🐻 look fantastic sent me a 20% code so went for it! I’m sure this has been discussed but to save me reading back what gel are people using (and no I don’t want to use lube ) I’ve got Vichy mineral 89, is that suitable?

@Tsmummy08 - we tried to make an appointment for the hairdresser and was on hold for 20 minutes .

But we're in Pembrokeshire so no crowds, although can't think of anything I want to buy in the shops, although interested in a new perfume. Can't get Calyx anymore and my mom who usually brings it over from the US hasn't been able to visit.

@SallieSallow I am using ultrasound gel and it works just fine. I do have to rinse it off but that’s ok for me.

@SallieSallow I use the Silk'n gel that Bo recommended - I thought it was causing spots but wasn't. It's a bit sting-y on my tret sensitive areas due to its hyaluronic acid content, but does the job and isn't expensive.

@ilovemydogandmrobama2 Yeah I didn't text my hairdresser immediately after the announcement on timing so don't have an appointment until May 1st... I've been doing hairline/parting every few weeks using the same colour she uses but am still looking a bit badgery

TS it reminds me a bit of a Clinique's Moisture Surge?

I've also been using the Delikate (I had some Space NK rewards to use up so went a bit mad lol). I really like it too.

I also signed up for Beauty Pie last month (months of hardly any spend on hair, body and beauty clearly got to me). I wanted to try their retinol hand cream so I signed up and got some make up bits too. Just the £10 a month membership. I can imagine getting a couple of the hand creams per month anyway so will probably pay off.

Anyone else used Beauty Pie?

The silk 'n gel did definitely cause spots with me, I now use the CosRx snail mucin and I like it a lot.

As I'm not in the UK no need to brave crazyness, non essential shops are open by appointment for private shopping only here and it's bliss to have the shop (almost) to yourself, I'll miss it when they open up fully again.

Sorry I forgot who asked now, but I just remember I forgot to answer about layering different types of sunscreens, so I'm doing it now. It's okay so long as they're the same type, so chemical over chemical/physical over physical, but I think it's avobenzone or another filter that interacts with physical filters and makes the chemical filters unstable (I think) and renders it useless and leaves you with just the physical protection. I'm not sure how it is with SPFs that have both physical and chemical filters, simplest is just to stick to one product.

@botemp, It was me who asked about layering. My reasoning being is that I like to have a bit of tint, but it's quite expensive using only tint, so use Altruist face fluid as the, 'base,' and Heliocare on top, and think they are both physical?

@Tsmummy08 - ha! My hair appointment is the same day, although am thinking of doing the colour at home... DD1 said she would help for a fraction of what they charge at salon.

Couple of purchases and samples!

Oh I might look at the snaily stuff Bo 🐌 would like to try Vichy 89 first though as I’ve got a stockpile

I’m having my hair cut tomorrow but only having a dry trim at lunchtime so got in easily.

Ok what witchcraft is the ameliorate?! Used it last night, bumps on arms virtually gone

Ameliorate is Lactic acid and Urea, isn't it? Those don't do much for my KP. Weren't you on a 2021 no spend

So there's more Korean SPF issues, it's a Korean video so attached is the findings (don't recommend that sub, it's a raging dumpster fire). TL;DR, I was totally right in always scorning them all.

And for entertainment purposes, I was looking up the reviews for the moistuiser version of my beloved Hada Labo tranexamic acid lotion and you just have to laugh at Amazon's auto translations. I'm not sure I want a moistuiser to kidnap me 🤣

Do not be sober?! The mind boggles
Er yes.. technically no buy unless I was replacing something. I was replacing the palmers aha I had run out of
It's literally shifted it overnight, my skin feels so smooth, tried BHA and glycolic and all sorts before

I love Hada Labo. I have used their face wash and hylauronic lotion for years. What does the TA do for your skin? I have only ever taken it as tablets for heavy periods 🧐

TXA is really good for PIE, I don't mind the occasional spot but the mark (red for a really long time and then it turns into a PIH) but what gets left behind after is way more annoying to me. It takes ages to disappear, well over a year total, with TXA it's gone within weeks and far less obvious while it's still there. It also takes down general redness, as I've said on here before about my love for the HL TXA, it turns me into an ethereal ghost.

@botemp thanks. I might well give it a go then. I don't get many spots but they do stay red and then of course the discolouration afterwards . Do you apply it everyday or just when you have an eruption ?

gawd- just checked on amazon- there seems to be more than one HL whitening lotion? Which one should I be looking at? Thanks

It's the premium blue one, but they've just changed the packaging. I'm not sure if the formula has changed too, the original Hada Labo lotions have recently been reformulated, I do know that.

Yes, I apply it daily, just like a normal HL lotion, it's not super irritating or anything despite the scary sounding name.

Love a press pump moisturiser! Finished the KS today, won't RP as honestly it's way too expensive (£120 or something)
Swapped in the tarte bada bomb, wow this is rich. Would be way too much for oilier skin but perfect for me. Better price of £30 ish. Made in Korea