What to mix and what not to mix

[mandapanda333]

I have scoured the Internet without a 100% answer so here I am lol. I may or may not have had a wine date with my Sephora credit card  and bought a ridiculous amount of The Ordinary products and I have no idea what to mix and what not to. Let’s just say thank the gods for Ceramides and REN overnight recovery balm because my face nearly melted off. They all say AM and PM but I’ve noticed some are not friendly with my current routine products, I’ll post a photo of my current regimen I rotate with as well. 
Any insight for a revamp anti-aging routine that won’t destroy my face would be helpful. Also I’m thinking a few products clash each other and may have to return them.  

Thank you

 

 

 

[WinglessOne]

@mandapanda333  Ouch, sorry your skin got so irritated! In general, it’s best to introduce one new product at a time to your routine. Doesn’t matter if the product is from the same brand or product line as any others you use. Introducing too many new products to your face at once can cause problems, and it’ll be hard to narrow down which one’s the troublemaker. 

I did a quick lookup of all the products in your photos. Let’s start by categorizing them. That’ll  help you see how much overlap you have. 

Cleanser: 

111Skin Cryo Pre-Activated Toning Cleanser 

Exfoliant: 

• Sunday Riley Good Genes 
• Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Hyaluronic Clay Pore-Tight Facial - contains PHA, a gentle exfoliant 

Use products in the exfoliant category no more than 1-3 times a week, and never twice on the same day. Especially an AHA exfoliant like Good Genes. I know some brands claim you can use their glycolic acid products daily, and I wish they’d stop saying that. It’s very easy to over-exfoliate (damage) your skin with an AHA. 

Toner/essence: 

Sunday Riley Pink Drink 

Treatments: 

I'll italicize redundant products I doubt you need, with the assumption that you just want to prevent future signs of aging (rather than reverse existing issues). 

• The Ordinary Buffet - contains Matrixyl 3000, argireline, and all the amino acids in The Ordinary’s standalone amino acids serum except glutamic acid, which is a non-essential amino acid (our bodies can produce it). Also contains everything in Buffet + Copper Peptides except copper tripeptide-1. 
• The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides - contains everything in Buffet plus copper tripeptide-1. Choose to keep either this or the regular Buffet. You definitely don't need both. 
• The Ordinary Matrixyl - provides a higher concentration of Matrixyl than Buffet. 
• The Ordinary Argireline - provides a higher concentration of argireline than Buffet. 
• Wishful Thirst Trap Juice HA3 Peptide Serum - contains Matrixyl 3000. It's in your existing routine so maybe you'll wanna use it til it's empty, or perhaps AM/PM-alternate it with one of the Buffets. 
• The Ordinary Amino Acids 
• The Ordinary Pycnogenol 
• Glow Recipe Watermelon Niacinamide Dew Drops - good for niacinamide, watermelon extract (antioxidant), neem extract (antioxidant), and moringa seed oil (great source of oleic fatty acid). 

Retinol: 

• Sunday Riley A+ 
• Dermelect Outcrease Retinol Trifecta Serum 

You don’t need both of these unless you use one on your face and the other on your neck. Otherwise, pick one retinol product and stick with it. How long have you used retinol, and how frequently do you use it? 

Eye treatment: 

I'll italicize the product I doubt you need. All of these contain caffeine, so there's definitely redundancy. Consider keeping the retinol eye cream plus one of the non-retinol products, if you don't currently use retinol under your eyes daily and need to alternate it with a non-retinol product. 

• The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 
• The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream - contains Matrixyl 3000, but so does The Ordinary Buffet; just bring Buffet up onto your undereyes. 
• Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream - maybe keep this for the retinol, since it's already in your routine. Don't layer it over one of the other eye products though; that's not necessary. In fact, you could ditch the other products and just stick with this one, unless you need to use a non-retinol product some days of the week. 
• Nena Mineral Eye Cream 

Moisturizer: 

• The Ordinary 100% Squalane 
• Volition Yaupon Tea Glow-Awakening Moisturizer 
• Tula 24-7 Moisture 
• 111Skin Nocturnal Eclipse Recovery Cream 
• Dr. Brandt Do Not Age Time Defying Cream 

Which one(s) you keep depends a lot on your particular skin type/behavior and how well any of those products keep your skin moisturized. Since they're all in your current routine, I assume you already alternate them throughout the week, and that's perfectly fine. EDIT: wait, The Ordinary Squalane is new to you. I'll italicize that one as unneeded: squalane's a good moisturizer, but you probably don't need that product if your current moisturizers already work well for you. 

Sunscreen: I don’t see one in your photos. Do you already use a broad spectrum sunscreen that’s at least SPF 30? Sunscreen is the best preventative anti-aging skincare product on the market, since many signs of aging (including some wrinkles) are caused by UV damage. Plus, you absolutely need sunscreen since you use Good Genes: AHAs increase your skin's sun sensitivity. 

[ShayeZee]

Wow....good for you for helping so much!  The first thing I thought when i read the post was "OMG - shes lost and buying everything under the sun"....not only is that expensive, but its dangerous. 

My second thought was "How long is my post going to have to be to help her"...then I saw yours and was relieved !  I read everything and totally agree with what you are saying.  Applause to you for taking the time to help out a fellow nervous ager!

[CynthieLu]

That's really good information @WinglessOne , especially Sunscreen.

@mandapanda333 if you exfoliate or use a retinol sunscreen is soo necessary to protect your skin 🌞 

[Westcoasty]

Hi, @mandapanda333 - I suspect a lot of us have had wine dates with Sephora! I know I have. 🍷

You have a number of products from different lines, so it's not surprising that they don't all play well together. I love trying different lines, but not all at once. LOL

So my suggestion is, try only one product line at a time, like Glow or The Ordinary. Then look up each product on the Sephora webpage for it, and read the How To Use directions. This should give you a lot more clarity! You could try one product line for a week or two, then switch to a different one. That way you get to play with all your toys.

I note as well that while I love Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One AHA Lactic Acid Treatment , which I see in your picture, I can only use it once a day at most, even though they say you can use it morning and evening. In general I'd suggest using any kind of chemical exfoliant only once a day until you see how your skin responds to it.

Have fun, and good luck!