Welcome to this month's edition of The Mission to Improve My Skin. I know, I know, another one, but guys, looking for the perfect routine takes a lot of trial and error. I still haven't perfected it, but I'm well on my way there, and I think I'm almost at the end! Since my previous Mission update I've actually found products that works better for my skin, and I'm going to touch on that during this edit. I really like documenting the changes that my skin goes through on a monthly basis, so that I can keep track of them. I tried keeping a skincare diary but it lost my interest quickly, and I'd forget to write my routine in it for several days at a time.
At least this way, not only am I on track, but I am also inviting others to share their recommendations and/or suggestions. The beauty blogging community, for the most part, are super supportive, and someone always comes up with a great suggestion that I'm willing to try out.
19th January
I went to see the dermatologist this morning, and I asked her about the acne on my chest and back, as well as the grease pit that is my face. She prescribed Retin-A, and I was on the fence about using it, because it isn't vegan. I showed her a list of my skincare routine and she went on to say that everything I was using, except the cleansing lotion, was useless and a waste of money. She was saying that the glycolic products that I was using needed to be 4-5 times stronger, and toners were useless. I was surprised because my Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner really makes a difference to how much oil is produced on my skin, and I was actually getting results from the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner.
She also said that my skincare routine was too long and that I should omit the eye cream, the serum, the toner, the other toner, the exfoliating scrub and pretty much everything else except for the cleansing lotion and get either the Retin-A, Cetaphil or QV. I've decided that I'm going to seek a second opinion because I don't trust what she says.
25th January
Yesterday was the beginning of Priceline's 40% Off Skincare Sale, and I stocked up on the products that I was running low on. I also added Hylamide's Low-Molecular HA Serum and Innoxa's Thirsty Skin Day and Night Creme to my cart. I tried out the HA Serum today, and applied grapeseed oil and RCMA foundation on top of it at Kevin James Bennet's recommendation. My skin looks significantly less greasy 8 hours after application than it used to, but it's looked quite dry and flaky since application. There are a few things that could have caused the dryness, and that's either the glycolic toner, the Innoxa moisturiser or the fact that I didn't moisturise my skin today. It's time to experiment.
30th January
I returned the Innoxa Thirsty Skin Day and Night Creme because it was not moisturising my skin at all. I woke up three days in a row with both cheeks full of dehydrated, flaky patches, and it was not pretty. I had some difficulty with the staff at Priceline, but I finally managed to get it exchanged for two tubes of the SugarBaby Daily Moisture Creme, because at least it's reliable. The manager was a bitch and it took me a good few minutes to remind her that Priceline has a Consumer Guarantee on products that don't do what they're meant to do, and she kept trying to get me to keep using the product.
6th February
The SugarBaby Moisture Creme seems to have had its formula changed, because it's not as viscous as it used to be, it's looser now and doesn't seem to moisturise as well as it used to. I've just had a look at the ingredients on both the old and the new tubes, and they're identical. I've got the sneaking suspicion that they've upped the coconut fruit juice or water. I've contacted them today to see what they have to say about it. A few days ago I obsessively picked at a large pore on my nose and it ended up being somewhat inflamed and the skin around it became flaky, and my foundation looked awful on my nose. I threw on the YesTo Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Mask yesterday in the afternoon, and for the rest of the day, my entire face was practically dripping with oil. Ew. SugarBaby said that they didn't change anything in their moisturiser.
12th February
My skin is still relatively the same with little change in the past week. I've noticed that the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner actually helps with my blackheads and really brings them down so that they're practically invisible. They make the blackheads flush to my skin so that I'm not picking at them as they are almost impossible to find with my fingers when I touch my face. Also, I noticed that my foundation starts to look horrible throughout the day if I don't moisturise my skin, so that's a miss on KJB's recommendation to use grapeseed oil instead of moisturiser. On another note, I started my new job working at a cafe at the beginning of February so I've been wearing makeup twice a week.
17th February
I've noticed the same kind of bumps under my nose that I experienced while I was in Japan. I also found sporadic appearances of pimples; two on my forehead, a red patch of skin on the tip of my nose, and one on my jaw. They're large and uncomfortable, and they are not areas that I normally pick at for blackheads. I remembered exactly what makeup I brought with me to Japan, and made the connection that it was my Wet n Wild Ultimate Sheer Tinted Moisturiser causing them. I've gotta do damage control - properly cleansing my skin, making sure it is hydrated and not touching it. I'm on the hunt for a new tinted moisturiser or a BB/CC Cream.
22nd February
I've been trying out a sample of the same night cream that my sister uses from Sukin, and I actually really like it! It's non-greasy, it hydrates my skin so nicely without causing any dryness, and my skin produces less oil. I've worn it both morning and night, and when paired with the Hylamide HA Serum, it works even better I wish I didn't buy the second tube of the SugarBaby Creme de la Creme Daily Moisturiser. The breakouts have calmed down somewhat since last week, and I'm trying to up my water intake as well. I replaced my tinted moisturiser with Natio's Pure Mineral Skin Perfecting BB Cream in Medium and so far, so good.
So, it seems like I'm dialling back a number of products that I use in my morning and evening routines. I've had some lazy days this month in which I would skip doing my skincare in the morning, and at the end of the day my skin doesn't look or feel that great. In the morning I use the Sukin Sensitive Skin Cleansing Lotion, and then I apply their Antioxidant Eye Cream and the Hydrating Mist Toner. After that, I'll add a couple of drops of the Sugarbaby Super Serum, and finish it up with the SugarBaby Creme de la Cream Daily Moisture Cream. If I'm using makeup for the day, I'll use the Hylamide HA Serum instead of the SugarBaby one, and the Glycolic Acid Toner straight after cleansing.
In the evenings I use the same cleanser, twice if I've worn makeup and/or sunscreen. If I've indeed worn makeup I'll use the Sukin Micellar Water to remove it first before cleansing. After that, it's a drizzle of the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner on a cotton pad and applied all over my face, even around my eyes. Then I apply the eye cream, the toner, the Super Serum and, finally, the moisturiser. I'm looking into condensing both routines a bit more, maybe omitting the eye cream once I run out of it. I might also only use the Sukin Hydrating Moisturiser whenever I use the HA Serum to help it absorb more moisture into my skin. Once a week I use the Nip + Fab Glycolic Acid Scrub to exfoliate.
Lately, my skin is much more hydrated, and aside from the horrific burst of breakouts from the tinted moisturiser that was likely too old to be used, it's been relatively clear. I've finally found a product that doesn't leave a residue on my skin (the Sukin Moisture Restoring Night Cream), let alone encourage excess oil production but I won't be able to pick that up until I use up my SugarBaby moisturiser. Over the past week, I've noticed considerably less oiliness, and my blackheads don't appear as awful towards the end of the day as they normally do. My skin also feels much smoother.
If you were to change or remove anything from my (or yours) routine, what would you pick?
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