Foundation, pores and wrinkles - what am I doing wrong?

[holymolymolly]

I'm posting here because I'm hoping someone can commiserate... I just came out of the blur of having babies after my 4th is finally moving on to toddler stage and I am remembering that I am a woman, with skin and hair that can be made nice looking, and I'm having to relearn all of this all over again with my completely different post partum skin. I feel like I am never going to figure out how to put my products on the right way! When I am finished, I always look like my pores are massive craters (they are hardly visible beforehand), like my wrinkles around my mouth are more obvious and like my foundation or powder just look flaky at the edges of my face or look like my skin is very dry, though it really isn't. What am I doing wrong? Here is my routine in the morning... -Wash, tone -truth serum and byebye undereye -boscia tsubaki swirl creme -either farmacy green screen or tarte spf 30 (should I skip thissince my skin tint is spf 25? I am crazy fair and 5 minutes of sun gives me 65,978,034 freckles) -sephora collection bright future skin tint -IT airbrush perfecting powder -then a little mascara and lip gloss I have tried other creme foundations but they never seem to match my skin tone (fair with yellow undertones says my color id match thing but I have very pink cheeks). I really want to find something that evens my skin tone but I don't really want it to make me look as wrinkly as a pug. Thanks for any help. (Oops, edited for weird paragraph format!)

[PuckNic214]

Hey Momma! The other girls had some great tips that I wanted to second - exfoliate, hydrate, and stay away from powders! The hormone changes after pregnancy seemed to worsen my dry skin! I use facial oils, moisturizer, eye cream and a brightening serum. I exfoliate at least twice a week with a gentle but gritty scrub, and do a mask once a week. It sounds like a lot but I manage to cram these things in during my 20 min showers and when my son is napping. It sounds like you may be following an old routine of what once worked but is no longer right for you. Hopefully soon you can treat yourself to a nice facial or stop into Sephora for product recommendations? You’re worth it!

[JewelsInSpace]

I’m totally there with you. After my third baby, it took me awhile to remember that I was a woman and not just a mom. The first time I wore makeup she looked at me like I was a stranger. It took her a minute to get used to it. My skin changed too, and it’s been difficult figuring out what I need to do with it. One big thing is exfoliating. I use a glycolic pad and scrub on alternate nights and that has helped my makeup apply better. I also have been working my way into the Korean skin care regimen, and I really like it so far. The double cleanse is great. At the moment I’m using a 3 pack of serums that I bought on amazon. It’s got vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and retinol, and my skin is so soft since I’ve been using them. And since they’re all separate, you can customize how much you need on a daily basis. When I was a little extra dry this winter, I just used some extra hyaluronic acid to give me a little more moisture. I’ve also been using a Korean sun milk instead of a traditional sun screen. It’s super lightweight, spf 50+, and doesn’t get greasy under my makeup. But it’s taken some trial and error to figure out what I need. I’ve also had to change how I apply my makeup. I used to use my fingers, but it looks terrible now. So I use a beauty blender knockoff or a brush. It seems to lay down nicer and blend better. So maybe you can play around with different application techniques? I’ve been using the brush that has the toothbrush look, I bought some cheap ones on amazon but I really like them. I was really surprised at how good they were. Anyway, hope this helps! 💕

[6come6]

Hi there @holymolymolly! I’m glad to hear the fog has passed and that you are finding your beauty you always had. Skincare can be so overwhelming (and time-consuming with kids)! I am no expert but two specific things struck me: I love that you don’t forget your spf. I personally like to use a separate spf higher than 30 ( I actually use 50) even if my moisturizer and/or makeup products claim to contain spf. I want to make sure I have that guaranteed layer of protection on my skin. You mentioned you have texture and fine lines, I am wondering how often you exfoliate. Chemical exfoliation with alpha hydroxy acids, basically lactic, glycolic or malic acids, will help lift dead skin cells and kind of resurface the first layer of skin. This process promotes skin cell turn over. How is the Truth Serum working for you? I really like using facial oils because they boost hydration. I hope this bit of info helps- good luck!

[holymolymolly]

Thanks for the reply! I have a bunch of samples I have been trying, so I have been using some stuff with ahas and acids, but only retinol regularly. I use murad’s night cream with retinol in it each night, and have tried a drunk elephant night cream with glycolic acid in it, olehenriksens night treatment and a whole bunch of masks by someone someone Roth lol. I can’t remember all these names! I love what the Murad retinol does to my skin. I have two really stubborn smile wrinkles that don’t budge and terrible acne scars on my chin, so I am really hoping to find something that helps that soon. Should I use retinol along with other acid treatments? The truth serum doesn’t feel like it is doing much but making my skin feel a little tight. It does wonders for my husbands skin though!

[6come6]

Haha .... these husbands! @holymolymolly ! With sensitive, reactive skin, I try to steer clear of products that make my skin feel tight, with exceptions to clay masks. Whenever my skin feels tight, I think that it is too drying for my skin. I’m not sure if that is your case. As far as using retinols and acids in one routine, I would try to use them on separate nights. Or, maybe the acids AM, and the retinol PM. For my skin, I just feel it would be too drying. Also, I read somewhere that using them together will diminish their effectiveness. Both treatments are effective at different ph levels. I also read, however, that if you must use both in one routine, just wait (about 20 mins) to make sure the products has soaked completely in. Hope that helps!