Skin care routines

[ntusque]

Hi everyone. 

Going to apologize in advance. I can't seem to keep this short. So thank you in advance for taking the time to read. And thank you in advance for any help you can provide. 

So I have been trying really hard to care for my skin. I looked in a mirror about 6 months ago and hated myself for not caring for my skin. I used to leave makeup on overnight. I didn't washed my face often growing up. I used abrasive scrubs which made me break out more. Now I have started to put real effort into my skin. I want to look in the mirror every day and be happy with who I see and not criticize myself.

* Right now I am between 2 houses. So I use different products morning and night. 

In the morning:

Cleanse

Tone

Treat

Moisturize

*As we come to our winter months here in Canada I will be switching to something for dry skin. Suggestions?

In the evening:

Remove Makeup

Cleanse

Mask *What would be a good rotation of masks. I try to detox, purify, treat and moisturize. I have masks for all of the above. Suggestions?

Exfoliate *I do this every 2-3 days. 

Tone

Treat

Serum *I have been trying to find a night time serum for my eye area. Getting puffy and these ugly purple/blue bags. Using Lancome Genifique right now. It helps with the wrinkles I am starting to get on my forehead and the crows feet that are starting to develop but nothing is working for the darkness and the puffiness. Suggestions?

Sleeping Mask 

Am I doing anything wrong? I know I should be moisturizing at night but where do I moisturize? Before my sleeping masks? After?

My skin is starting to clear up where I usually have a lot of acne. My extra oily spots aren't as oily. My skin feels so clean and fresh now. But going into the cold dry winter months I feel like all this work I have done in the last few months is going to be ruined by our nasty Canadian winter weather. 

What do you awesome people think?

Sorry again for the novel.

-ntusque

[TheBrownLife]

@ntusque hi girl what stood out to me was 1. Winter weather concerns 2. You mentioned you used different products am/pm 3. You aren’t quite sure of the order and product list of what you should be using now that your on your new skin care journey to happier skincare.I think you should stick to one regimen am and pm. In other words everything you use in morning should be in your routine for night except maybe a diff face cream..So 1. Since the weather is dryer I recommend (because I have dryer skin in cooler months too) is to get a thicker product for moisturizing just for during pm. Also if you are traveling / moving around just purchase travel size skincare products so you can stick to that same regimen day and night. Our skin is very delicate it doesn’t like to have a bunch of different regimens going on randomly with no order or consistency. 3. I think less is more since you are in the beginning stages you should pay attention to what process your doing stick to it for few weeks and then see how your skin reacts. For 2 months just start off with gentle cleanser aimed for your particular skin concern, then a toner that is good for balancing PH level (P50 By BR) you can do a serum if you have problematic skin or a concern, finish it off with a am moisturizer and then for night use a pm moisturizer and that’s it no masks for a while because it’s product overload and you want you skin to breathe and balance and thrive first without extra stuff confusing it. All about consistency and patience 😘

[Anonymous]

Hey! I've always struggled with crazy acne and scarring on my face, chest, shoulders, and back (still do!). But it's gotten SO much better in the last year. I have SUPER oily skin, so it's heavenly for all that acne-causing bacteria. But the number one thing I've learned about my skin is that it needs CONSISTENCY. Consistency with products especially. This can be anything from cleansers, to moisturizers, to foundation. Skin likes routine. The other thing I learned is that exfoliating every day-- VERY VERY BAD. You would think that exfoliating, cleaning out those pores every day would be great right? I was so wrong. It caused severe irritation, dry patches, and even more breakouts. You really need to exfoliate only once a week, maybe every few days. Skin can be SO tricky!

[mrsbaine]

Apologies in advance for the book I'm about to write but I, too, take skincare uber serious. 🙂 

You have a Treat and Serum step in your routine at night; how are they different to you? Are you thinking of using a different treatment product from Serum? 

What types of products are you using? I think you mentioned Canada and how cold it gets and it seems like your skin is probably combo (with the mention of oily spots); What are you trying to treat first? 

What is your tone step? Is it the same morning and night? Is it an acid, or a moisturizing toner? What are you doing for eye cream? 

Here are some suggestions for you based off combo skin: 

Your tone can be an acid in both morning and night, but should be a different acid. For example, if you want to combat pigmentation, do a Vitamin C in the AM and a AHA/BHA at night, for exfoliation. They don't necessarily always play nice in the same application, but they do in the same day. 

Don't mask everyday. It can be too much. Try to do it 2-3 times a week, and tailor it to what you need. If you need extra hydration, do a hydration mask 1-2 times a week, and if you need purifying, clarity, do one of those 1 time a week. Dependent on what is more important, you can switch the intervals (2x Purifying, 1x moisture). This would include any sleeping mask you want to do. For moisture, I like the SK II Masks. They also double the day you use them as a serum.  First Aid Beauty also has an Oatmeal based mask that provides nice hydration too. For Purifying, my ride or die is Tata Harper Purifying mask. I love it. For me, I like it layered on an exfoliating mask; I will use Tata Harper Resurfacing mask for that. With this cocktail, I'm killing multiple birds with the same two stones: I exfoliate (tone), address pigmentation (also tone), deep clean (purify) and moisturize (Tone too). I do this once a week. On days where you mask, be aware of what other products you use. If your mask is specific for hydration, be careful with how many hydration products you use. SImiliarly, if your mask is for exfoliation, do not exfoliate again that day. 

Implement an eye cream; 2x a day. Our eyes can age us really quickly and while no eye cream is going to reverse what is happening, or fix hereditary stuff, it can help treat, temporarily the signs. Also, eye masks are a great option for lines, wrinkles and darkness. I like the Shieseido Retinol Eye Patches for a mask option. I do it once a week. For eye cream, one with retinol, which can help with darkness may work for you. Dr. Dennis Gross has a Ferulic one, and Trish McEvoy has a Retinol eye cream that I've used for years. 

Use a good moisturizer. I have had dry skin mostly and I see a huge difference when I started to moisturize properly. I switched to oils for moisture and I try to be aware of ingredients when thinking of moisturizer. I use nothing with alcohol because that is drying. There are lots of night oils on the market; Aurelia Cell Renew Night Oil is my oil of choice for evening. I have also used Sarah Chapman Overnight Oil. Also, Sunday Riley makes oils. I haven't used them but people around BIC love the brand. You can also incorporate an essence, or spray to help with moisture. Fresh Rose Spray is a good one. Herbivore also makes so great ones. 

Hope this helps. 

[ntusque]

Also mrsbaine,

You asked how my treat and serum are different. I treat with an acne gel then use serums. My main concern with serums is my eyes. I am trying my hardest to make this tired aged look disappear. I'm 25 years old and my eyes make me look 40. 

In the morning I use the Clinique 3 step system for combo oily skin. I cleanse, tone, then I use my neutrogena acne gel, then the lotion from Clinique. 

At night I use the Sephora Charcoal Micellar Water stuff. I really like it. 

I'll cut down on the masking. I thought the Sephora sleeping masks would be good for daily use but I'll cut down on those. The Alvocado one is my favourite. I wake up and my face feels so good. My skin feels happy. 

I just got a Shishedio sample so I will definitely have to try it! Going to look up those products now for my eyes. 

Thank you again for all your help. I love detailed answers. ❤️

[ntusque]

Oh my goodness! So much information! Thank you! I love novels! I'm going to look into those products and cut down on my masking. I thought if I did a different mask every day it would be beneficial not damaging. Thank you for your glorious information!!!!!!!

I love Sephora people! You're all so nice!!!

[RoseKilt]

For the masks, if it's a mask that you apply with a brush then apply one for oily skin wherever you notice the oils, then alternate between one for hydration and one for anti-aging. Masks 2x a week should be good.

[ntusque]

What are your thoughts on sleeping masks?

[RoseKilt]

You do need to switch products as the weather changes, but really only your cream and serum. If you have oily, acne-prone skin you have to used products made for this. To really make sure all your products have the best effect, you have to use most of them from the same brand. You need to keep your skin consistent, and if you can't get them all from the same brand then at least keep the cleanser and moisturizer the same every day. Here's a little regimen for you, if you have the dedication! Cleanse, toner, serum, moisturizer in that order every single day. If you can cleanse twice a day, then that's great but make sure you use toner and moisturizer afterwards, and the serum once a day at night (because that's when your skin regenerates). Exfoliate and mask 2-3x a week, if exfoliating 3x a week make sure it's a gentle one and it has to be good quality, not st ives. You need to make sure to HYDRATE, and not moisturize. During the winter months we lose water, not oils. So during the winter I suggest a hydrating serum! **I'm an esthetician!

[ntusque]

Thank you so much. 

Any suggestions on a hydrating serum?

I have oily acne prone skin. But in the winter it gets so dry and flaky. 

[trojanchick99]

Does your skin tolerate facial oils? I love Argan or Rosehip seed when it's dry out and Marula when it's normal.