Beauty Tips For Body Care
I hate this picture because it shows me how much money I've wasted. Whoops.Now presenting: the graveyard of all the stuff I tried that didn't work!First, my skin type and routineI have large pores that clog pretty easily. I wake up with a bit of oiliness on my t-zone and chin, but I’m prone to dry patches on the sides of my mouth and nose. It’s pretty sensitive - the wrong product will break me out and clog my pores. I’ve also always had pink blotchy cheeks and redness on the sides of my nose that I suspect is mild rosacea.I’ve never had bad acne, but do occasionally get some pimples before my period or with the wrong product. I scar really easily, so the few pimples I do get tend to leave nice dark spots and make my skin look worse than it is (yay).My base routine is pretty simple:AM:Blot away oilThin layer of sunscreen (lately Neutrogena's Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sunscreen, SPF 70) and/or BB cream with SPF (usually Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB Cream SPF 30)PM:Remove any makeup with Garnier's Micellar Water (blue cap - wipes away my waterproof eye primer like it's NOTHING)Cleanse in the shower with Neutrogena's Gentle Hydrating Cleanser, creamy formulaMoisturize with Neutrogena's Hydro Boost Gel Cream (Extra Dry)Couple times per week:Paula’s choice 2% BHA before moisturizer on areas prone to clogging like my chin and noseOCM with jojoba and hemp before showering if I need some extra moistureDIY mask with honey and turmeric for some gentle physical exfoliationJojoba oil from Cliganic, $8.50 for 120ml from Amazon (on left, because I like peeling off my labels)I originally bought this for my cuticles, which I still love it for and use at least 2x per day. I also use a little bit on the ends of my hair after styling to try to keep frizz away.This was the first oil I tried OCM with. I loved it, it made my skin feel super smooth, and healed any little flaky patches within days. But after a few weeks of using it every night, I felt like it was too comedogenic. Now I just use it for OCM once in a while mixed with some hemp oil when I need an extra boost of moisture, but I wouldn’t use it every day. I’ll definitely repurchase when it runs out, though, since I use it for my nails and hair too.Nutiva Hemp oil, $9 for 236ml from Whole FoodsAfter the jojoba oil was too comedogenic for daily OCM, I decided to try hemp (slightly influenced by this post). It has a higher proportion of linoleic acid, so I figured it would be less clogging. But instead, it had the opposite problem - I loved it at first and it didn’t clog my pores, but after a few weeks I found it too drying and my flaky patches were coming back so I stopped using it. I might repurchase if this big bottle ever runs out because I occasionally still use it for OCM mixed with jojoba when I need an added moisture boost. It’s just not as versatile because it should be kept in the fridge and it has a strong nutty smell, so I wouldn’t use it on my nails or hair. At least you can cook with it!Squalane oil, $10.50 for 60ml from Timeless on Amazon (olive-derived)I bought this after reading some rave reviews on this sub and elsewear. Often touted as the “perfect facial oil,” squalane is a natural component of our skin’s sebum and is said to be thin and fast-absorbing. I bought this one since it was plant-derived and had twice the amount as The Ordinary for a similar price. I mixed 3 drops in with my moisturizer at night for some added moisture and…woke up with dry flaky skin the next morning. Uh? I tried for a few more nights and the flakes got worse - even the skin on my fingertips, which I used to apply it, started drying up and flaking off. I was flaking in places I didn’t know I could flake! Yikes. I’m not sure what was going on there from a chemistry perspective (any insight appreciated), but add moisture it did not. Not quite sure what to do with my almost-full bottle since this isn’t going anywhere near my skin now! Maybe a friend will have better luck. Would not repurchase.Rosehip seed oil, $10 for 30ml from Whole Foods (their brand)Still on the fence with this once since I didn’t use it for long. So many people on this sub love it, and I decided to try it since it has a a higher proportion of linoleic acid than jojoba, but less than hemp so I hoped it would be a middle ground. I mixed it in with my moisturizer for a few nights, hoping for an added moisture boost and reduction in some little acne pigmentation. I love the smell - like black tea with rose petals - and it absorbed really nicely. I felt like it actually made my moisturizer dry down better? But I swore I started seeing some more flakiness, just like with the squalane though not nearly as extreme. I stopped using it since my moisturizer ran out and I bought a new one, and only wanted to try one new product at a time. So the verdict is still out on this one - I might try incorporating it again, or try using it for OCM and see what happens. For now, I'm dabbing a little on scars on my knees to see if it fades them at all.Everyone Face for Every Day moisturizer, ~$9 for 237ml at Whole FoodsThis was from my “natural” phase. Let’s not talk about it. I actually liked this - nice smell, nice thin texture, not greasy, absorbed well, pretty nice ingredient list with argan oil and other goodies. But for some reason it just wasn’t moisturizing enough and after a week or two of use it dried me out. I use it occasionally as a hand and body lotion now, but I wouldn’t repurchase when it runs out.Burt’s Bees Skin Nourishing Night Cream, bought on sale but normally ~$17 from TargetGot this on sale during my natural phase, too, mostly just because it sounded luxurious. If I remember correctly, this and their soap bark face wash are what gave me the little milia bump right under my eye that I’ve now had for months and will. Not. Go. Away. I use it as a hand cream now, but would not repurchase.CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream, $14 for ~50ml at TargetThis was someone’s HG moisturizer on this thread, and it has niacinamide and fatty alcohols so I thought I’d try it out for some added moisture when my ol’ faithful Neutrogena oil-free ran out. In short, this…was terrible. It was as thick as vaseline, difficult to spread around, and made my face feel like it was suffocating. It did nothing for my dryness, made my pores look clogged and feel rough, had me waking up with a shiny oil slick down the center of my face, and caused a cystic breakout on my chin. But one thing it did do was finally reduce the stubborn redness on my cheeks - this may have been the niacinamide. I don’t think my face can handle the fatty alcohols. So now I use this as a hand and foot cream - though I wish I’d just returned it to Target and gotten my money back. Would not repurchase.Aquaphor healing ointment, $4 for~50ml at TargetI already made a post about this, but in short, I bought it to protect a new tattoo and tried using it as a thin occlusive layer over my moisturizer at night as some people on this sub do…and it was terrible. Cue warming pore-suffocating sensation, strands of hair stuck to my face, a shiny oil slick in the morning, and my face pouring oil all day. Nooo way. I sometimes use the tiniest amount on my lips, a layer on my feet as an occlusive over moisturizer at night, and I used it under my nose when I had a cold and was blowing my nose all the time and it did a great job at keeping my skin from getting dry. But that’s all I plan on using it for for now. Stay away from my face. This tube will likely last me YEARS because such a tiny amount goes a long way, but probably wouldn’t repurchase since Vaseline can do the same things I use it for.Thayer’s alcohol-free witch hazel with lavender, ~$8 for 355ml at Whole FoodsThis was one of the first things I purchased when I really started getting into skincare. It dried out my face a little and didn’t do much else, and it did nothing for my little bit of chest and back acne like I hoped it would. So now, it just kind of sits in my cabinet. I recently used it as a base for a tea tree oil spray that I made for my chest and back (which also may or may not be doing anything), and I use it on my bikini line after shaving to help prevent razor bumps, but that’s about it. Wouldn’t repurchase unless you can recommend me some miracle uses!Not pictured: CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser, $13.99 for 473ml at Target (value size)This was the first Cerave product I tried since this sub loves it and I wanted a plain, gentle face wash. I know the bottle said “hydrating” but my skin set out to prove it wrong, because it gave me terrible dry patches for some reason. I stopped using it and started OCM with jojoba as I mentioned above, and that healed the flakiness in a couple days. So that bottle went in the trash (hence no pic) and I wouldn’t repurchase.Not pictured: Olay Total Effects Fragrance-Free, $21 for 50ml at Target (website says $15, mine came out to $21)Apparently I didn’t learn from the CeraVe Skin Renewal experience, because this moisturizer also contains fatty alcohols. I bought it for the niacinamide, and because it was a lot lighter of a texture than the Cerave. I loved it the first night - it absorbed really well, made my skin super smooth, immediately reduced pigmentation from a couple recent pimples, and calmed down my redness! But after that, it got worse - my pores felt rough and looked clogged again, I had some flakiness on my nose, and got a couple little pimples on my forehead. It also had that strong, perfumey Olay scent even though I looked up every ingredient on PC and none of them seem to be a fragrance ingredient - I wonder which one smells this way. I actually returned this one yesterday and got my money back (phew), hence no pic. Would not repurchase.Total money wasted over the past year: $124.99As a broke a$$ bitch, this hurrrtts. Although I did return the Olay, and I don't consider the jojoba a waste because I still use it for other things/occasionally on my face. So more like $95.49. Still ouch.What I learnedFatty alcohols are the devil, for me.I might look into a niacinamide serum to mix with my moisturizer to reduce redness.YMMV; I shouldn’t jump on a bandwagon just because SCA loves it. I need to learn what my skin can tolerate.I need to get better about returning things that don’t work to get my money back! I always feel guilty for some reason, but I returned that Olay moisturizer to Target within a week of having it and they refunded me without a problem. I’m sure my hands and feet appreciate all the luxury moisture, but I need to realize that if I get my money back for things that don’t work, I can put it towards things that do.Planning on doing a shelfie of things that DO work next!
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by AnchovyZeppoles
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