The Mission to Improve My Skin #5



I originally intended to post this last month, but because I was so busy and barely had the time to keep up with this log, I decided to lump two months together and upload it this month instead. After all, my skincare routine hadn't changed save for the finishing up of my night cream, so I wasn't getting much of a difference when it came to the appearance of my skin. However, my skin over the past month has been quite sporadic, so what better time to post the next issue of the Skincare Mission?

If you haven't read my previous issues, I kindly suggest that you go and read them, so that you can see my progress when it comes to my skincare mission. I've got the links right here to take you to these posts: Issue #1, Issue #2, Issue #3 and Issue #4. These days I'm inspired by Caroline Hiron's Cheat Sheet, and I've been adapting her recommended routine into my own as I add new products to my rotation. I've heard nought but good things about her routine, so that's why I'm using that as the framework for this one.

As some of you might already know, I have an oily T-zone, while the rest of my face is normal. It tends to get dehydrated sometimes because of certain ingredients, seasonal changes and unwelcome changes to my routine. I break out on occasion and have blackheads that are somewhat raised, and some milia around my eyes. My pores are large and clogged, and becomes quite dark towards the end of the day. I'm trying to reduce the grease production, clear my pores and get rid of blackheads.


30 November
My skin has erupted a little because of my picking at it, but aside from that, it has been relatively smooth and hydrated. I did find that my skin went quite a bit dehydrated when I wore makeup and then cleansed my face twice, so perhaps cleansing twice with Sukin Sensitive Cleansing Lotion does not have the benefits I'd like - or it could be the Makeup Revolution Oil Control Fixing Spray. I know, I know, I'm still using it even though I know I shouldn't! I've gotten quite the milia mainly on my left eye, and I'm still trying to figure out why the hell that is happening. There hasn't been an increase since I started using the Sukin Antioxidant Eye Serum, so I suspect it is skincare-related. I've heard that glycerin can result in milia, which has me suspecting the moisturiser that I had been applying to the area before I bought the eye cream. The SugarBaby Creme De La Creme Daily Moisture Cream is doing my skin huge favours these days - I find my skin to look somewhat radiant and more even in tone.

7 December
My skin appears to be more dehydrated than before, and I'm having trouble deciphering what's causing it. I know my water consumption is still pretty low, all things considering, but I'm not experiencing signs of dehydration elsewhere. I've got a painful pimple under my nose that's been simmering under the surface for a few days and doesn't seem to want to go down. The milia hasn't gotten worse since my last entry, though I think they've stopped forming ever since I stopped putting my serum and moisturiser around the eye area. My blackheads are no longer raised so I'm not getting those ugly bumps on my chin area. The pores on my nose appear each day. I think they're actually starting to clear out properly, as they look tiny now on one side of my nose.


15 December
My skin is driving me bonkers! There are quite a few bumps on my skin, namely my forehead, my cheeks and under my nose. What annoys me is that nothing has changed in my routine, be it diet or skincare, yet I'm getting these bumps. Most of the milia have now faded away, but I've seen a few more crop up on my right eye. Also, there's been three pimples on my brow next to my right eyebrow, in the past week, in the same place.

02 January
I've been using a sample of REN Clarimatte T-Zone Control Cleanser for about four/five days now, both morning and night to see if it made a difference to the oil production on my face. It did, my face was noticeably less oily than usual, but when I tried applying the Clarimatte T-Zone Balancing Gel Cream on the night of the 31st and the morning of the new year, my skin was incredibly greasy. I told Sean I could fry up some bacon for him using the grease from my nose. Today, I found out that Ren Skincare was owned by Unilever, so I won't be using the samples anymore. I did some research into Glycolic Acid toners and Hyaluronic Acid serums, and I think I've made my choices. I'm waiting, or rather, hoping, that Priceline has one of their 40% off sale this week, so I can get the Hylamide Low Molecule HA Serum on special and with my $5 complimentary voucher. I'm looking into the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner in the meantime.

08 January
I finished the sample of the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner, and at the end of about four days of usage, I noticed that my skin appeared clearer, there was less redness on my cheeks, and what acne scarring I had were practically invisible. They made my blackheads almost invisible as well and I have as much texture as I used to, and the oiliness is actually getting better. Since I finished the sample my skin's starting to go back to its previous state. I'm also getting a few pimples showing up, one of them on my inner brow and one on my chin. I've actually noticed that my skin really does need the added hydration at night after running out of my night cream, so I've done some research recently. I've decided to try out Innoxa's Thirsty Skin Day & Night Creme. I'm going to keep on using the Sugarbaby Creme de la Creme Daily Moisture Cream in the mornings because it has hyaluronic acid in it which helps keep my skin looking supple and soft. I need to stock up on this one as I'm already running very low.


12 January
The blackheads have been a bit problematic lately, as they've made themselves more prominent, forcing me to attack them with my fingertips to the point where they've become red. Ouch. I've decided to get the Mario Badescu Toner the next time I go to a Mecca store. When you compare the price of it to the price of Sukin's Hydrating Mist Toner, which is basically rosewater and chamomile, it doesn't cost that much more, yet it boasts a lot of benefits. I also figured out why my skin would feel dry at the end of the day after cleaning off my makeup. I made the connection that on days when I applied grapeseed oil on un-moisturised skin, and then added foundation on top of it, finishing off with the Makeup Revolution Fixing Spray, my skin was parched and the spray didn't help as it had alcohol in it. This didn't happen when I used grapeseed oil on moisturised skin and then set it with the spray. I've fallen back into the habit of picking at my skin now that there are flaky areas where I've squeezed out the blackheads. I've now got several red spots on my face as a result, and it's not pretty when I go without makeup.

18th January
I bought the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner on Monday from Mecca, and have only just started using it properly. I'll report back on the long term results of using this product in next month's Mission post, but I can't wait to see the results. I've noticed that blackheads and the sebum in clogged pores come to the surface where they can be scraped off. On a much better note, the milia on my eyes are almost completely gone, and I feel like the glycolic acid toner is going to help improve it in the long run. Earlier this month, I used rose hip seed oil in conjunction with the Sugarbaby Daily Moisture Creme to further hydrate my skin at night, and I noticed that repeated use does, in fact, clog my pores to the point where they become blackheads. I've made the decision to not use it anymore.


I'm eagerly waiting for Priceline's 40% off Skincare Sale. Going by my calculations, it should take place on the 25th and 26th of this month, which is at around the same time as last year. Conveniently I'm running low on several skincare products, so I'm definitely going to stock up on them, especially my moisturiser and serum. This here is a list of all the products in my routine, and yes, I know, it's quite long, but you gotta do what you gotta do. At least it's not a 30-step routine a la Chloe Grace Moretz. I plan on adding two more products to this routine, the hyaluronic acid serum I mentioned earlier, as well as the Innoxa Thisty Skin Day & Night Creme. I was going to use the HA serum in the mornings, and my Sugarbaby one during the nights along with the Innoxa Creme, which also contains Hyaluronic Acid.
  1. Sukin Micellar Water
  2. Sukin Sensitive Cleansing Lotion
  3. Sukin Antioxidant Eye Cream
  4. Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner
  5. Sugarbaby Creme de la Creme Daily Moisture Cream
  6. Sugarbaby Vita+Skin Super Serum
  7. Nip+Fab Glycolic Scrub Fix
  8. Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner
I noticed, while looking at Caroline Hiron's Cheat Sheet, that I've completely glossed over the 'No Mineral Oil' rule and have pretty much overlooked them while looking at the ingredients for my products. I just had a look at each and every one of them and I haven't found any form of mineral oil in any of my products. Go me! (I could be wrong, so feel free to correct me.)

Have you ever tried Mario Badescu products before? What do you think about it?

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