Skincare 101: Discussions, Questions and All

[fatimamummy]

This is a place to discuss everything skincare.

- Have a question about a product (Or type of product)

- Need recommendations

- Learned a new tip or trick you want to share with fellow skincare junkies

- New to skincare and lost about where to start

- Have a skincare emergency ( Bad reaction, broken dropper, lost lid of a jar)

Images From top left to clockwise (Essencz, Garnier, Men's Fitness, Harper Bazaar)

We have some great thread about skincare but I feel we don't have a general place to discuss skincare which is open for everything from lowend products to luxury skincare. 

Other skincare threads you may like to explore

http://community.sephora.com/t5/Ask-The-Experts/All-about-Luxury-skincare-Come-in-and-chat-about-you...

http://community.sephora.com/t5/Skincare-Stories/Daily-Skincare-what-are-you-using/m-p/2716765#M8681

[txcatx]

Thanks, @greenchilli and @fairlywell! I do use the DDG Extra Strength peels once a week or so, but I should probably use them more often. Luna didn't work for me, either, but I'll definitely have to check out more products from DDG!

[fatimamummy]

@kromance I don't think moisturizers alone can make a big difference to treat your concerns. What other products you are using currently? 

Are you using any Serums and/or chemical peel?  

[kromance]

Hey @fatimamummy 🙂

Soo I have a few products in rotation at the moment. 

In the mornings i wash my face with SR ceramic slip cleanser and follow that up with Fresh Black Tea Toner.  I am currently using a combo of Vitamin C powder + Daily Revival serum from Skin Addix.. I follow that with the Fresh lotus youth preserve cream. 

Night time: I use SR Luna oil in conjunction with Good Genes. I also have PC BHA exfoliant/ DDG extra strength pads that i use once or twice a week (alternate).  

Oils that i am currently using are AfterGlow Replenishing oil by Skin Addix and sometimes Tsubaki oil by Boscia.  Few times a week i also use the Farmacy Sleep tight balm. 

I feel in the mornings, the cream doesn't really provide adequate hydration as i am left with little tiny dry patches around the chin area (although I have a very oily T zone). 

[fatimamummy]

@kromance I think Mocha has pinned the reason of your current skin condition correctly. My skin is oily that becomes combo oily in winter. I used SR ceramic slip Cleanser as a morning face wash for a while . I did not get any dry patches but after a few days of use  I noticed my skin looked kind of flat. Like the natural glow was almost gone so I switched it with Darphin cleansing milk. Now I use ceramic slip only mixed with Good genes for flash facial or sometimes at night if I feel my skin needs a bit deep cleansing.

I am also using Farmacy Sleep tight as a last step of my night time skin care routine. I have to use it sparingly or my face looks very oily inthe morning. I think cutting back on ceramic slip Cleanser and continuing the use of Sleep tight will help improve your skin. 

Lets see what difference you notice after it and then maybe we can narrow down some moisturizers for morning and night.

[kromance]

@fatimamummy Yeah! I think mocha is right.. I didn't use the ceramic slip today and will probably give it a rest for a little while till skin is back to normal. I'll let you guys know if it makes any difference!! ps. how is the darphin cleansing milk? 

[fatimamummy]

@kromance Darphin is a decent enough Cleanser. I had a DS sitting and thought to get some use of it. It is very mild and do good job but I don't think I'll buy full size once the DS is finished. It's more like I like it but I don't love it.

I have been using Boscia thermal black cleanser in the morning for years and love it. Now I just want ant to try something new so I am experimenting with all the cleansers at hand. I have YTTP Cleanser on its way at to me and I am excited to try it. I'll let you know if it lives up to hype.

Purity Cleanser is not my thing but I know many people love it so you can try it and see how it goes.

[kromance]

@fatimamummy Ooo..i have wondered about YTTP. Let us know how it works out. Also i used the Philosophy cleanser and my skin is not taking well to it. I swear early last year it was fine on my skin but now it just added to the tight feeling ...GAH! why is skin so unpredictable and hormonal :(.  I have now switched to the shu-uemura sublime beauty intensive cleansing balm and that is working a lot better with my skin. 

[Mochapj]

@kromance you may want to try changing out the ceramic slip for a little while for something gentler and see how that affects the balance of what you're using.

Ceramic slip is a clay cleanser (somewhat drying) and you've got several kinds of exfoliation in the mix that can also be a lot for your skin to handle.

[kromance]

@Mochapj I think I will limit my usage on the Ceramic Slip for sure. That might be adding to my recent bout of dryness. I have purity by philosophy at home as well.. so i might switch it with that. Thank youuu P!

[lmi82]

I'd really love some help finding an eye cream. I'm in my mid-20s and although I don't have any wrinkles right now, I think I should get started on taking care of my eye area. I also don't have any problems with puffiness or dark circles. I do have a little bit of discoloration on my outer eye area, but it's always been there and isn't a huge problem. I think I'm just looking for something to keep the skin around my eyes smooth and healthy.

My main problem is that my eyes are easily irritated by moisturizers. I can't even put regular moisturizer on my forehead because it ends up making its way down to my eyes and irritates the living daylights out of them. This happens even when I put the tiniest amount on. I had tried the Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream a few years ago and the stinging was unbearable.

I've been reading that a gel based formula would be less irritating than a cream one, but I'm just getting overwhelmed with all the options. I've been going back and forth between some of the FAB, Fresh, Clinique, Philosophy, and OLEHENRIKSEN eye creams. 

Spoiler

First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Remedy AM Gel Cream
Fresh Rose Hydrating Eye Gel Cream
Fresh Lotus Eye Gel
Clinique All About Eyes
OLEHENRIKSEN Uplifting Transformation Eye Gel
Philosophy Take a Deep Breath Oxygenating Eye Gel Cream

Does anyone have any other suggestions or any thoughts about the ones I've mentioned?

[fatimamummy]

@Imi82 Itsunami a great idea to start using eye cream now as a preventive measure.

From your listed eye creams I have used Clinique All about eyes and OH eye gel. I like them both. Clinique is very hydrating and keeps the area around eyes , well moisturized. OH is really great to reduce the appearance of puffiness and fine lines. 

Another option you may want to consider is Youth to the people eye cream.

http://m.sephora.com/product/P416923

This is an age preventing eye cream and a little more along the lines with what you are looking for. Since your eyes are sensitive, so instead of buying it is better you get samples from the store to try first ( As @wheeeee has suggested) and then buy the one that you like better.

[wheeeee]

Sunscreen or good wrap around sunglasses while outdoors is good.

Go to Sephora and grab some samples since your eyes are so sensitive.  Or, try Trade thread.  Eye cream is always in all the GWPs so it can easily be found on people's list.  (just don't fall in love with a super expensive one!)  HA! 

For the most part, regular face moisturizers work on eye area, too. Creams just plump and hydrate.   which can be of extra help for dry skin people

You need BOTOX or surgery for wrinkles and lines. 

[DiVWA]

I'm also very sensitive underneath my eyes. You may be onto something in your idea to try a gel based formula, but I've not tried any on your list.

After becoming sensitive to almost every eye cream, I stumbled onto one that was at my health food store, Alaffia Everyday Coconut Replenishing Eye Cream. It's lighter weight than other eye creams and has no nasty ingredients like fragrances or irritants (to me, personally) like retinols or vitamin C:

I never thought I'd end up being able to use an eye cream that costs under $10. No irritation at all, although I don't apply it directly to my lids. (If my lids get super dry, I find applying some jojoba oil on them at night helps out a lot.)

Ingredients in eye cream: Carica papaya (Papaya) Aqueous Extract, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Water*, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Pentadesma butyracea (Kpagnan) Butter, Aloe barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Emulsifying Wax, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Argania spinosa (Argan) Oil, Aromatic  Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Ascorbic  Acid. *Certified Fair Trade by IMO

@lmi82

[MissPuff]

Thank you to you skincare gods for sharing your knowledge 🙂

I have a sort of general question...how long do you wait between each of your skin care steps before progressing to the next? I always apply my toner or essence right after cleansing, then layering on any serums/actives before my moisturizer than lastly oils (PM only, no oils for me during the day because then I look like a greasy hot dog) or creams.

I've been waiting till my essence or toner dries before tapping in my serums, then waiting till the serums are no longer tacky before layering on another one (if I'm doing multiples). All told, maybe only a couple of minutes or less, depending on how dehydrated my skin is. But I'm curious if I'm doing it wrong....either too quickly or too slowly?

And for those of you that use Odacite products, where in the steps do you incorporate them, either alone or mixed in with something else?

Thank you!

[fatimamummy]

@MissPuff I think you are doing it right. A couple of minutes between any two products are usually enough. You get a feeling one product is nicely absorbed, you can apply next shortly after that. Though if you have extra time on your hands, you can leave about 5 minutes between two steps.

I use toner right after washing my face. In morning I give it time to completely dry and a few extra minutes before applying serum. At night since my oil based serum is recommended to be used when skin is still damp, so I apply it right after toner or mist on moist skin. Next steps are mostly 5 - 10 minutes apart because I have to see to the kids on the side so it's not a hardship for me to leave extra time between steps. It is more like I steal time to apply skin care while helping kids get ready for school or bed. Lol

[fairlywell]

Same here! Who knew momming was so effective for spacing a skincare routine??

[Mochapj]

@MissPuff I do Odacite as my serum step, both during AM and PM.

I typically;

- cleanse

- tone

- mist

- massage in Odacite 

- if I'm particularly dehydrated I will follow with a moisturizer

Some people mix the Odacite serums with moisturizers to make them easier to spread, but I find if I put the few drops onto the palm of my hand and then pat onto a damp face, it's easy enough to apply.

[CC3616]

Love this!! Thanks for starting it @fatimamummy 🙂 Looking forward to finding more knowledge about different ingredients and how they work and interact here.

[trishavt]

Stopping by to say hello and thank you for creating this thread and sharing your thoughts. 

I have recently embarked upon some skincare soul searching and would love to get feedback from anyone with similar skincare concerns.

I have always had decent skin and never bothered with too many products or had a set routine. In college and throughout my 20s I used a mixture of vaseline, Jergens, Clean and Clear and other drugstore brand products to cleanse and moisturize my skin. I'm surprised my skin didn't react negatively to all these products. In fact it was in great shape (no pimples and very little redness). I chalk it up to genetics.

As of a couple years ago I noticed my skin began to change, for the worse. I am seeing more redness, experiencing more sensitivity and have observed a few red spots (not large pimples, just tiny red spots that are no more than a couple millimeters wide) that come and go with time. I'm not sure if these tiny red spots are due to insufficient exfoliation or are the result of some food I ate or environmental stressors. 

In response to these changes I have switched to these types of products and have noticed a slight improvement:

1. Cleanser: Shiseido Gentle Cleansing Cream or Shiseido Perfect Cleansing Oil

2. Exfoliater: Tatcha Rice Enzyme Powder or DDG Peel Pads, or M61 Power Glow Peel

3. Oil: Darphin Chamomile or Rose Aromatic Care 

4. Moisturizer: Several that vary on the day (Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream, M61 Hydroboost Cream, Tatcha Supple Silk Cream, to name a few).

My question for anyone that may have experienced this sudden change is how did you respond to it and would you attribute this to hormonal changes? 

Side note: I drink a lot of water, rarely drink alcohol, don't smoke, get roughly 8 hours of sleep a night.

[jemly]

hi @trishavt ! i'm gonna sound like a broken record here. i think your new routine sounds lovely. i'd add an additional hydrating serum, though. regardless of how much water we drink / our healthy life style choices, our skin can be dehydrated. skin is the first thing our body leeches water from the moment it needs it. and that's just internal factors--add external factors like air quality, and it's a double edge sword. SO ! yeah, i'd add a serum for dehydration and see if you feel any improvement in your redness and sensitivity. 

my 2 favorites--ones i've seen genuine improvement when i use them--are MURAD hydro dynamic quenching essence (it says 'essence' but use as a serum, before your oil), and VICHY aqualia thermal serum. both of these products give me instant and sustained relief from the many complications that arise from skin dehydration (and i feel like they make my other products--from oils to moisturizers to makeup--work even better, too). the MURAD is not exactly cheap and does not last long (6 weeks at best with regular use). if money is no object, i'd recommend still trying it, helping you get over that dehydration 'hump' and see if it brings you any relief / change. the VICHY serum, though, is half the price and equally effective (if not quite as lovely in its ingredients list as the MURAD). 

i hope this helps. please keep me posted !

[trishavt]

@jemly Thank you very much for your response and suggestions. I haven't had much success with essences in the past (I've tried an array of moderately priced to high end essences), but I will give these a shot thanks to your glowing review.

Out of curiosity what are some of your preferred oils? Thats one area that I'm open to exploring because my skin is generally more tolerant of oils.