Ask me anything!

[Carli3501]

I am an esthetician who is stuck at home bored during quarantine!! Ask me your biggest skincare/makeup questions and I will answer! Or feel free to contact me with questions!

[princessninaxo]

Hi! I have dry, sensitive skin, and acne prone skin. Someone recommended the Clinique moisture surge to me and it ended up breaking me out. I stopped using it and it has helped but my skin has been very dry especially with the cold weather. Is there a good moisturizer you would recommend, preferably even if it was fragrance free or did not have a lot of fragrance. Thanks so much!

[KaitlinMae]

My skin is dry and flaky almost scaly looking. I have a think layer of dead skin of my forehead. Do you have recommendations for a skincare routine/products that will leave my skin hydrated without flaking and dead skin buildup?

[RAWRitsRED]

Hi @Carli3501!

What products or ingredients are best for treating oily skin with blackheads, hormonal acne and pores?

[oneeyeclosed]

Chemical exfoliant: Team AHA, BHA, Glycolic, or a combo? Also, are they really better than physical exfoliants for someone with normal skin?

Thank you for your service!

[laceyloveeee]

Hi! So I would say I have normal to oily skin. It’s not dry. It will sometimes become oily as the day goes on. My biggest issue is that I break out SO BAD on my chin. I will finally clear it up, and then a few days later it starts all over again. How can I prevent this?

[shefii]

I have very sensitive skin. I do take care of my skin but still, I have one or two acne always which leaves red marks afterward. it starts with itching and the turn into acne. also clogged pores are one problem these days..

can you suggest anything...

[OliveMerielle]

I have sensitive, acne prone skin that is dry but becomes over hydrated easily. If i don’t hydrate enough my eczema flares up all over my face and i look like a scary monster. At the moment I’m using a Clarisonic with a cleanser from fourthray beauty, following with witch hazel for toner, Midnight in Corsica facial oil and a light weightmoisturizer from fourthray on the driest parts of my face, finished witheye cream. Unfortunately I still wake up every morning with at least one breakout, either a full on white head or just an oily breakout. If you have any recommendations please, I turn 21 in a month and I’ve been struggling with my skin for years.

[Carli3501]

First thing I would do is stop using the clarisonic brush. They are great exfoliation tool for people who have normal skin but with dry skin or sensitive skin or with a history of eczema, that is only going to irritate it more. It can also hold bacteria in the bristles and when you use it, it makes it easier for the bacteria to get into your skin and cause breakouts. So absolutely ditch that until your skin gets better. 

I do have a clarifying question: What do you mean when you say dry skin? Are you referring to dehydrated skin or low oil production? Oily/combination/dry skin types refer to oil production only, not the hydration level. Because of that I will give you two answers. 

If you are referring to a dry skin type/ low oil production: I would also suggest getting a heavier moisturizer for night time. This heavier moisturizer will help keep your oil production up. I would also suggest getting some hyaluronic acid and apply it at night with the heavy cream (Cleanse -> toner -> hyaluronic acid -> moisturizer -> facial oil)

If you are referring to dehydrated and oily/comb skin: I would suggest getting a hyaluronic acid serum (like The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Hydrating Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL) to keep your moisture level up. Apply it in the morning and at night. I would also suggest ditching the facial oil as this can only make oily skin worse. I would suggest an oil cleanse, which would be applying a oil like jojoba or argon oil to the skin, rubbing it in for 30-60 seconds and removing it. Then following up with a regular cleanser. The oil cleanse can help draw out impurities and excess oil. Leaving it on for a few hours could be doing more harm than good. 

For the facial oil (if you keep it) make sure to avoid facial oils with coconut oil or any other heavy oils. Look for products with jojoba oil, argon oil, glycerin, anything that is considered non-comedognic (does not cause black/whiteheads). 

Also try to incorporate (safe) exfoliation about 1-2 times a week paired with a mud mask (draw out impurities and oil) and/or a hydrating mask. Safe exfoliation is using a physical exfoliant with jojoba beads, NOT plastic, coffee, sugar, salt, etc. I do not suggest using a chemical exfoliant because your eczema will not like that. But you should still be very careful with any exfoliation because of your eczema. 

Just watch how your skin responds to different products and different routines. If your eczema flares up from exfoliation, don't do it. Pretty simple. 

I would also suggest going to see a dermatologist about everything you just told me because they can give you a step by step plan. (They are also a doctor) 

I hope that helps. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. ❤️

[Caitlin0614]

Hi there, I am on month 4 of accutaine, and I use La Roche Posay Toleraine Hydrating Gentle Cleanser paired with the Toleraine Double Repair Face Moisturizer SPF 30 in the day time then my night routine is the cleanser with aloe gel. I have one month until I am done accutaine and was looking for a good salicylic acid. And if you have any recommendations for new skin care routines for acne prone skin. I'm always up for suggestions.

TIA.

[Carli3501]

I would recommend trying out Curology. I would view it more as a fix rather than a new skin care routine. Like a weight loss diet isn't super healthy to keep long term but it can help you get to a healthy weight so you can maintain that with eating healthy foods and exercise. I would use Curology for 2-3 months as a weight loss diet to get you skin in a good healthy place and slowly start switching over to a more sustaining and less aggressive skin care routine. Which I know doesn't really answer your question but thats what I suggest. (Make sure to tell them you have been on acutane)

My absolute favorite acne skin care line is the lira ICE line. You can get it from professionals in your area and I think it's on amazon as well. That's always my first suggestion. If not I would try the CeraVe skin care. It's affordable and decent. 

I hope this helps. If I didn't answer your question fully or at all please reply back and I will get back to you!

[ilovegod1]

So I had purchased the power kit Sunday's riley good genes and luna sleep. I did some research drunk elephant bha/aha is a better product than the good genes, I did some more digging discovered sundays riley retinoidA+ might be better than the luna sleep. so my question is can I combined the drunk elephant aha/bha with the Sunday riley retinoid A+ ? I know you can mix the sunday riley power kit together. I know the Sunday riley power kit will be less money but I honestly want the best effect. Is it true retinoid is better than retinol ? thats why I'm thinking I should switch my good genes to drunk elephant bha/aha & my luna sleep to reniod A+.... another product caught my attention Peter thomas retinoid....is that any good wich products will I get more effects from ?

[Carli3501]

It's hard for me to tell you which products to purchase because I don't know what skin issue we are trying to solve and how serious it is. I know the drunk elephant aha serum is very aggressive for consumer products. I think that would be your best bet. As for mixing these products I suggest alternating nights. One night use your drunk elephant serum and use your retinol serum another night. 

I also have no idea what that kit is, so I can't say whether I would suggest it or mixing it with other products. I would say, just pay attention to your skin, whether it gets "angry" with you for using certain products. Paying attention to your skin's reaction is the best advice I could give. 

Might sound weird but I would use one product for 1-2 weeks without combining it with any other serum and see how you like it. Then do the same thing with another product. If you like the results it gives you I would then use 2 together (every other night switch) for 1-2 weeks. And then if you really wanted to, try them together. This is a little experiment to optimize your skin care routine. Just be careful and safe. 

[itstara]

Hi Carli! 

One of my biggest concerns are my milia on my face. I use the Ordinary Glycolic Toner along with their Alpha peel every week. It makes a small difference but I want to know what other products I can use to make a bigger difference! Is there anything else you can suggest for me?? 

[Carli3501]

I would suggest going to your local esthetician or dermatologist to have them extract them (PLEASE don't try to do it yourself!) and have them make suggestions. I believe you are doing everything right but they will struggle to go away. They can also see your skin and touch it which is very important for determining what to do.

[Carli3501]

To those who waited a long time for a reply, I apologize, the salons in my area just opened back up and I was a little distracted. Happy to answer more questions, but be aware it might take me a minute to reply. ❤️ 

[hina84]

Hi.my concern is skin care.i m not getting what to buy for my skin care routine from cleanser to moisturizer need to buy a good products for my dry to normal skin.I m 35 years old. kindly help to select a good products.

[Carli3501]

I suggest brands like Glo and Lira, these are professional grade products. They are usually sold in high end salons and the employees there can help you find the perfect products from those lines. They are usually more expensive but worth it.

For more affordable, Mario Badescu is the best. I would buy one of their skin care sets to figure out what works best for you. Test them out and see what you like. The kits are inexpensive and are small so if you end up not liking a product, it's not like you dropped $70 on it. 

Here's my suggested routine:

Morning: double cleanse -> toner -> Vitamin C serum -> moisturizer -> sunscreen

Night: double cleanse -> toner -> solution serum (anti-aging, hydrating,...) -> eye cream -> moisturizer

[frankie24]

Hi!! Thank you for taking the time to answer skincare questions. I have one. I have milia on my cheek and no amount of aha/BHA exfoliating gets rid of it. Since I can't visit my dermatologist during this time. Any advice to get rid of it? Or should I wait for a pro? Thank you so much! 🙂 

[Carli3501]

Definitely wait for a professional. They are difficult to extract at home. You will probably only make it worse if I'm being honest.

[AshlynBriana]

What would you recommend for skin that gets super dry & can also get really oily