Beauty Tips For Body Care
As we are coming up on the end of the year, I wanted to share my thoughts on skincare as it's my first year really understanding products/ingredients and working hard to learn how to properly take care of my skin. I am going to list out my routine, with personal reviews and some notes on why I chose/did not choose to stick with certain things, and what has worked best for me.My routine (skin type is combo, can be much more oily in the summer and drier in the winter and since it is winter here I have to use a bit more product to keep my skin hydrated):Morning:Cleanse with La Roche Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser- I had initially listened to advice to just rinse with water in the morning and go into the rest of my routine, but I found that my acne and stubborn CC's were still persisting despite the acids I used in my routine at night. That's why I added this into my routine a couple of months ago and it has made a huge difference for me! I can tell the cc's are starting to fade, but it is a very slow process.Thayer's Unscented Witch Hazel - I have tried a couple of their scented ones (aloe and rose water) and have found that unscented products, however natural or unassuming they may seem, have probably affected my skin more than I realized. I know some have said Thayer's is harsh for them but it works well for me, doesn't leave my skin feeling tight or dry and is good for getting any leftover product off from cleansing/removing my makeup at night.Hadalabo Gokujyun Premium Lotion - Japanese skincare products have made a huge difference for me. I like a lot of Korean skincare products as well, but many of them have scents that just irritate my skin. What's great about this brand is that their products are very soothing for my skin with no scent and are cheap and basic but get the job done so well. I started with the non-premium version of this product earlier this year and that worked for the summer, but because I need more hydration in the winter, I bought the premium to try and it really creates a smooth hydrated base for my makeup to go on. I don't need primer anymore and I believe a lot of the reason is because I added this product in. Sometimes I do two coats of this, and sometimes I use this at night after an acid peel because I find that it's very soothing and hydrating.I moisturize next and honestly this is the least solid part of my routine, I don't think I have truly nailed down my am moisturizer because I often just use my PM, Cerave PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion. I have been working 2 jobs at 70 hours a week for the past few months so have not had time to really land on a moisturizer I like for the morning (as I have cycled through a number of them this year), but truthfully the cerave works just as well as anything else, and just because it's marketed for pm doesn't mean it can only be applied then.Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+/PA++++ - This was the first sunscreen I tried and honestly I haven't tried another because it works well enough for me, does not pill (I just have to give it enough time to sit after putting it on, 5-10 minutes works well enough before applying makeup), doesn't feel drying or leave a white cast, and is pretty cheap. Sunscreen was one of the first things I added in to my routine per the advice of this sub, and while I believe it seems like it has the least noticeable effect on my skin, the protection is still there, and if anything I think it not only protects, but helps my skin to heal better as well.After all this I apply my makeup, which finally applies smoothly and looks good! I asked a friend with fantastic skin last year how she makes her makeup look so smooth and glossy and she was like, "honestly, it's the skin underneath it. If you're putting makeup onto bumpy/acne scarred skin it's still going to show to some degree." I had never even thought about that, I had started to wear makeup at 27 and did not understand proper skincare at all, I just thought makeup could fix it. Turns out I wasn't washing properly, was using harsh chemicals on my skin without understand how to care for it, and wasn't moisturizing enough or using sunscreen. Her comment was one of the catalysts for me to start pursing skincare and I'm glad she was honest about it.Evening:Hadalabo Gokujun Cleansing Oil - My first oil cleanser was actually Innisfree Apple Seed Cleansing Oil, which worked well but when I wanted to eliminate as much fragrance as possible I knew I had to look at other options. That's why I fell back on the brand I knew was working well for me and bought the hadalabo cleansing oil - and it has certainly helped. My skin is less irritated and this oil works just as well.Krave Beauty Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser - I think gel cleansers work well for me because it's a little less drying than some others. I bought the Hadalabo Foaming Cleanser to replace this with once I ran out because I really love the brand, but I read that foaming cleansers can be drying - I'll be saving it to try when the weather starts warming up but for now this product works very well for me, feels nice and I don't feel the need to change it at this point.Thayer's Witch Hazel Unscented to remove any makeup/soap residue.As a note - I was shocked by how much products was left on my face when I started getting into skincare. I had cleansed with face wipes or Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser for sensitive skin - turns out I didn't have sensitive skin, just terrible skincare. When I started double cleansing and toning I realized that so much of my acne problems were caused right here in the cleansing step and from not properly removing dirt/makeup from the day.An acid is next in my routine, and that can change depending on the day. I had been alternating between Stridex in the red box and an aha - (I had also tried Paula's Choice 2% BHA first before Stridex and while it worked, I don't think it worked as well as Stridex). However, there are some irritating additives in the Stridex red box that I believe caused me irritation and redness - probably the menthol, so I decided to cut out the Stridex and stuck only to The Ordinary's Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution and it has worked out really well for me. My face is smoothing out and my acne breakouts are much better. I don't feel the need to change or cycle acids every other day anymore.Kikumasamune Sake High Moisture Skin Lotion Toner - At the beginning of the year I was watching a Japanese NHK program which happened to be on sake production, and they talked about how people who work in the sake factories had fantastic skin - turns out a lot of the byproducts of the fermentation process that hang in the air are also great for skin - and after seeing that I did some research and found a skincare line that was produced by a sake company, Kikumasamune. I bought their toner to try and never looked back - my skin glows because of this product and it really helps to heal and hydrate it.Moisturizing is the final step for me of course, and a few months ago I wanted to add some of those delicious ceramides in. A lot of choices I have made have come from this sub and talking about certain ingredients that are good for this or that on your skin - hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, etc. Turns out the Cerave PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion has all 3! And it's worked really well for me. I also mentioned above that I often use it in the am.I also went to Sephora about a month ago and got samples of the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream and I still have some and will sometimes apply this at night - I don't think it clogs my pores and is very hydrating for my winter skin. I think in the summer it would be a bit much, but I am considered rotating my Cerave to the AM exclusively and buying a tub of this for the PM, at least for the winter.A few months ago I was becoming very happy with my routine, but believed that stubborn cc's and breakouts still occurring on my cheeks and jawline could be helped by a stronger product. I bought The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution and twice a week I use this in place of any other acid for the night. This product has been truly marvelous for me - my skin is so much smoother and my acne kept at bay with it. My stubborn cc's are also disappearing, but it is taking quite awhile to really clear them.This is why I want to stress the importance of sticking to a routine - I often read on this sub about people who have miracle products that seemingly clear their skin overnight - while that's great I don't think that's the norm. Skincare is work and your skin requires time to heal and adapt. I also struggle with pie/pih and redness/spotting from acne can take months to go away completely. You simply cannot rush that process. Some of us heal quicker than others (lucky!) but my skin bruises/marks up easily and is fairly light, so unfortunately any trauma to it lasts awhile. Because I was still getting acne, when any pie/pih would finally fade it would be replaced by another round from another breakout. Finally, FINALLY, my skin, with a proper routine and sticking to it even when I am frustrated, is healing and I am not breaking out nearly as much as I used to, which is allowing time for the pie/pih to fade without being replaced by some other irritation.Also, and I can't stress this enough - stop picking!!! This is something I struggle with SO much, as I have very bad anxiety and I definitely pick at my face a ton to relieve it. When I can feel a pimple forming now, I don't try to squeeze it out, where as before I would pick at anything before it even came to a head - I spot treat with a simple benzoyl peroxide drug store cream and let it be. 9/10 times it will fade away before coming to a head now. If it does come to a head, I try to gently extract it and then use Peace Out Acne dots, which are medicated and have made a huge difference in clearing acne faster and with less redness than I had before.Some products that have been left by the wayside (that I didn't mention above):The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% - This is a product I actually thought was working for me for awhile. Recently I dropped the applicator on the floor and the bottle sat out uncovered for a few days (working 70 hour weeks, haven't really been giving cleaning up proper attention) and so now I won't be using the bottle, but because of that I have a noticeable reduction in redness and I think my jawline is breaking out less - either it's this product, or it is unnecessary to begin with and thus not worth buying anymore anyway.Drunk Elephant Protini moisturizer - I got samples at this at Sephora a few times and really liked it, but truthfully I think DE is a lot of hype for a lot of money and I have managed to find a routine that works for me and is overall relatively cheap all things considered. This does not work any better than other cheaper products for me and thus isn't worth the investment.Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin - I said before that I thought I had sensitive skin for years since I was a teenager, but given all the acids I use and the fact that my face has never had a really bad reaction from any skincare product I have tried, I am concluding that it was a terrible understanding of proper skincare that was the cause. My first acne product as a kid was this awful benozyl peroxide cream that dried and crusted on my face and stained all my pillow cases - I wouldn't wash my face, would just put this on, and never moisturized - my mom had taken me to a derm and they prescribed this with no other guidance. This went on for years. I stopped using the cream but continued to get these red, dry itchy patches on my cheeks and horrible acne. All of this is completely gone after a whole year of trial and error, and it is sad that it took me 31 years to get here, but I'm so happy I put in the work.Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel - I so badly wanted this product to work for me to soothe my redness, but I really think it makes me break out, and I truly don't have bad reactions to most products. I will very occasionally use this if I have a particularly irritated routine that night (acid peel or the like, as the soothing feeling is quite noticeable) - but I almost certainly will get a pimple or two on my cheeks or jawline. I don't know if it's the aloe, this particular product, or what, but as I altered other parts of my routine to adjust for the redness/irritation I was having, I don't really need this anymore anyway.Melano CC Vitamin C Essence - This was one of the first things I tried adding in when I found this sub - and it's possible I did not give it enough time, plus the rest of my routine wasn't fleshed out - but I dropped it pretty quickly. I know vitamin c is a product raved about here for a number of reasons, and I do want to give it another go now that my skin is more stable, but I just haven't gotten around to it.Pixi Glow Tonic - I dropped this one not because it didn't work (it did), but just because I found it didn't work well enough. It was a great introductory acid for me and I made the jump up to higher percentage acids, but by no means is this a bad product. I just needed something stronger.Also, good riddance face wipes from my routine, which I will only use in an absolute pinch if I can't access my skincare products and am feeling particularly nasty. Less waste, less irritation, no more scrubbing at my skin to get product off!And on that note I will also say I tried Proactiv Renewing Cleanser, which is grainy and I thought was helping/exfoliating my skin, but really I think it was just irritating. This was one of the first acne products I tried and honestly it just created itchy dry patches on my face. I cut any type of psychical exfoliation out, from products that were grainy/had exfoliants to actual physical exfoliant face pads - and my skin thanks me for it. I do think benzoyl peroxide is a good acid for me, but effaclar cleanser has been so less irritating and helpful than proactiv or a harsh drying cream.By no means do I think I am completely finished, I am sure there are things here and there I will discover that work really well for me, but overall I am so thrilled at where I am. I still get acne occasionally, still am not completely 100% happy with my face (struggling still with leftover pih and some scarring is bothersome, but it's healing well enough that makeup is starting to cover it better and better), and I'm happy that the majority of the products I use are pretty cheap when I consider some of the more costly products out there. What sucks is the initial investment into skincare can be pretty costly, especially when trying to find the right products and trying out a number of different ones, so take advantage of samples where you can, and start with drug store brands if you have to! So many of them work just as well as those with higher price tags. So when I say stick to a routine, if you find something that is working, give it time. That's the best advice I can give - skincare is a process, give your skin time to adjust and have a little patience! And you're all beautiful, please be kind to yourself. Thank you to this sub for all the help over this past year of my journey!YMMV and all that but these are my thoughts. Happy Holidays and New Year's y'all!
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by BaristaAssassin
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