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

[fatimamummy]

@abbzzzzzzz Looks like you are already on right track with your skin care routine. I have used both Vitamin C serums you mentioned and they didn't do anything for me. For a serum, the sample can only tell you if the product broke you out or give you any undesirable outcome. To see if it actually makes a difference in your skin, you have to use it atleast for a few weeks before you start seeing any results. A deluxe sample can give you a better idea about the product though. 

Some other Vit C serums you may want to check are Deciem Hylamide C25 booster

Algenist Genius Vit C serum

Drunk Elephant C Firma Day serum.

I hope someone else chime in and suggest you some tried and tested products for hormonal acne.

[Anonymous]

Great thread @fatimamummy 

Love your new profile pic!!!

[fatimamummy]

Thank you 😊 @Anonymous

[RC1989]

I come for advice!!

Age 27

Skin Type: Sensitive, Combo to Oily

I have always struggled with my skin, I have dealt with cystic acne in the past.  Luckily it had pretty well resolved over time but now I am left with acne scars/very uneven skin tone and the occasional break out.  I have learned a lot from the daily skincare thread but I feel like my skin is still not improving with the products I am currently using.  In the past I would try to use different make-up products to hopefully remedy my issues.  Luckily I have now understood that I need to first fix my skin.  When I wear makeup it pools in the pores and completely disintegrates (or so it seems).  Not attractive!!

This is my current routine:

Ren Cleansing Milk

FAB facial radiance pads OR Herbivore Rose hibiscus

Caudalie SOS Serum

Ren Vita mineral daily supplement moisturizing cream

Then from there I will use a primer and whatever make-up I am using.

For night time 

Clinique cleansing balm

Ren Milk cleanser

Clarins Lotus oil

Philosophy renewed hope in a jar

On occasion I will use the following but not often as I don't want to over exfoliate!: 

Fresh sugar face polish

Paula's choice 2% BHA liquid

Spot treatment: Mario Badescu Drying lotion

I thought I would pose the question in case I am not using products in the right order or if there are other recommendation that might be beneficial.  I know it will never be perfect but I can at least dream it will get better! 🙂 

@jemly 

[fairlywell]

You have gotten really great skincare responses here! I just wanted to note that I've found some moisturizers/serums incompatible with my base makeup. Sometimes it's as simple as oil vs. water based, or not enough time to absorb. When you have time to play around, try patch testing different layering schemes on your cheeks to see what's happening.

[Anonymous]

@RC1989

Hello! 

You have received great advice! I just want to add that a vitamin C serum in your morning routine would help immensely fading scars and unevenness. 

[RC1989]

Thanks so much, I really appreciate it  @Anonymous !

I think I will definitely do that.  Any one in particular?

[fatimamummy]

@RC1989 You have a great skin care routine and jemly has given you wonderful suggestions. I am not familiar with Caudalie or Vichy serums but REN Glycolactic radiance renewal mask is hands down my favourite resurfacing mask. I would suggest starting with biweekly use and see if your skin needs or can tolerate weekly use. 

One more thing is FAB facial radiance pads. If you are getting desired results then keep using them every night otherwise you may want to try Peter Thomas Roth Max Complection correction pads. For myself I found FAB pads a little too gentle and didn't see any visible difference in my skin but switching to the PTR pads was a game changer. 

 Many of the makeup issues can be due to the dehydrated skin. A hydrating mask will be a good addition in your routine. You can use the mask whenever you need it but more ideally using a hydrating and/or calming mask after peel ( In this case REN GRR mask) will be very helpful.

I am still having problem accessing product pages at Sephora website so I'll try later to add some links to the masks which you may want to try.

[RC1989]

@fatimamummy

Thank you for the response! I actually have tried the PTR gentle complexion pads and had break outs so I might stick with the FAB pads until I discover something else! 🙂

I think I will try out the Ren mask and also see about following it up with a hydrating mask.  I never would have thought to do that!!

[jemly]

hi @RC1989 !!

i think you have a lovely routine, but i have a few thoughts. (you're on the right track, though, for sure).

i'd move your acid use (the fab pads) to the evening. i think they're totally fine for both morning and night. but if you're gonna use an acid only once a day, night is best. it promotes cell turnover, and you'll definitely get the best results at night as opposed to in the morning when you have to put makeup on. (more on acids in a minute....)

pooling in pores suggests a few things: dehydration, mostly, as well as cell turnover (which is more of a 'separation' but can look quite similar to pooling, if ya know what i mean). use your caudalie SOS serum at night before your clarins lotus oil (i love this stuff; also consider trying the clarins blue orchid oil which is formulated for dehydration). it's fine to use a serum--particularly one that targets dehydration--twice a day.

i like the caudalie sos serum. i think it's lovely. if  were to be completely honest, i've had better results with VICHY aqualia thermal serum (can be purchased at most targets and CVS, as well as ulta). i love caudalie in theory, but i find their products clog my pores with regular use. this breaks my heart (i think they're lovely in theory, just not for everyone i suppose). if you're skin is similar to mine you may find you get better results with the VICHY.

lastly, when it comes to your occasional treatments, i'd try a more hardcore AHA like the REN glycolactic radiance renewal mask. it's more hardcore than something like the FAB pads, but with use limited to only once a week or even just a couple times a month, you won't risk over exfoliating. it'll give you that extra 'push' in cell turnover that can really benefit acne-prone skins. use it in place of the fab pad at night when you choose to go for it (or, if you're doing it, say, on the weekend during the day, just skip the fab pad a night).

[RC1989]

Hi @jemly !

Thanks for the great info!!! I am going to switch the serum and the fab pad at night.  I think that will work out even better when I have more time.  

I love the idea of blue orchid for the wintertime, maybe I'll save the lotus for the summertime!  And the VICHY serum sounds great as does the Ren mask.  I'll be ready for the next sephora sale for sure.

One last thing, I am extremely fair.  Currently I am ashamed to admit it BUT I'm not really using a sunscreen.  Any suggestions?  I'm just afraid of that greasy look!

Once again thank you so much!! I truly appreciate it!

[jemly]

i can't quite explain it, but there hardly anything that makes me happier than talking about skincare. please feel free to tag / @ me if anyone ever thinks i can contribute in a helpful way (and i've failed to pop my head in). hooray ! thanks fatimamummy.

[fatimamummy]

I will start the discussion with a tip I learned this Friday during "Skin Fit" treatment at Sephora. The very sweet and nice Sephora associate shared a trick to keep skin well hydrated. 

Instead of increasing the layers of moisturizer, spritz your skin generously with water ( She used Caudalie Grape water) and apply moisturizer on top.

I do use a mist before my serums but never used it before moisturizers. So basically spritzing your face before every step of skincare regimen helps skin store the moisture and stay well hydrated.

[fatimamummy]

@Tamara76 @veronika23 @Mcakes I am doing it for last two days and liking the result. 

I use toner only as a first step and inbetween the steps I LOVE this Rose water.

It doesn't have Rose essence like many grocery store Rose waters. The Rose scent is nice and subtle IMO way less overpowering than the Jurlique Rose water.

It is a nice and economical option.

You can get it from any Pakistani grocery store, some Indian stores or through Amazon. 

You can use any mist you like or even cool water will get the job done.

[veronika23]

Awesome! Thanks @fatimamummy 🙂

[Tamara76]

@fatimamummy  Thanks for starting this thread and for sharing that tip!  😊  I never would have thought to spritz between each step!

[Mcakes]

Yes thanks for starting the thread and the tip @fatimamummy! My skin is always in need of moisture lol. 

[veronika23]

@fatimamummythanks for this new thread! Love it!  Also thanks for the tip! Like @Tamara76 said I wouldn't have thought to do it between each step 🙂