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

[androqueen]

I'm looking for recommendations on any skincare products for combination skin!! I've been needing to refresh my routine and I got a breakout (probably the worst I've ever had, but not severe) about a month ago and haven't gotten it to clear up, so I'm hoping trying something new might help clear it up. thank you!! 😊❤

[KrishAtl]

#androqueen have you tried Tarte Knockout Tingling Treatment and definitely I feel that the secret to beautiful skin is masks! I try to use one daily now as part of my evening routine. I have combination skin and tend to have a huge zit during PMS that leaves a dark mark on my skin for months after! Sucks!! Using masks has made all the difference for me. I don’t seem to breakout anymore, or when I do, they aren’t a full-blown zit.

[androqueen]

I have not!! I will look into it! thanks!

[kaatya]

If your skin isn’t too sensitive I would definitely recommend using an aha/bha toner or solution followed by a clay mask and an oil cleanse. This helped clear my combo skin up a lot and it makes my pores look smaller. You can use any aha/bha product, the one I’m using right now is la Roche posay effeclar serum but you can really use anything with those active ingredients. I have been using the glam glow mask lately but you can always go ask for samples of masks at Sephora and see which one works best for you! And for oil cleanser I am currently using Bobbi brown extra.

[androqueen]

I will check these out! thank you!

[Rosegold47]

@androqueen Do you currently have skin care products that you use? Do you tend to be on the more oily or dry side of the combo skin scale? Also if you haven't tried a sulfur based mask on that break out it should help. 

[androqueen]

I've been using first aid beauty brand exfoliator and face wash, and belief aqua bomb moisturizer. I have some extremely oily spots and some very dry, flaky spots, so I'm not sure which side I lean toward most. I will keep this in mind! thanks!

[Rosegold47]

@androqueen If you can, get some Image skincare ( its a spa brand but you can find it online, i believe walmart online has it ). They have a balancing line called Ormedic. It's a full range of products: masks, cleansers, moisturizers, serums; so you should be able to incorporate it easily. If you want something that sephora sells, Korres Balancing Pomegranate cream-gel moisturizer has saved my skin many times. Avoid anything harsh (stripping, drying, over exfoliating, harsh detergents) for a while. Also try a beauty oil on the parts of your face that are dry, making sure to avoid the oilier parts. Try only exfoliating the oily parts of your face every other time you use the exfoliator. A low strength glycolic or other chemical exfoliant (AHA/BHA, fruit enzymes, lactic acid, ect.) may be worth a try as well because dry skin can experience dullness and oily can experience clogged pores, and these will help both. Remember if you change multiple things try not to introduce all of them at once, stagger them out by a few days at first. Please let me know if you need any more help or need clarification on anything!

[Anonymous]

I have extremely pale skin with red cheeks and giant pores and to top it off.. dark circles. I can't get any foundation at all to match my skin. someone please help me cover my holes, and circles and please please please tell me how can I find a color to match my skin. 😭

[Shelbstirr]

Hi @Anonymous, I have fair skin with cool undertones and have a hard time finding a color match for foundation too. Tarte probably has the most options for fair skin, and I have found matches in Bare Minerals and Nars as well. I hope that helps!

[AssassinsBeauty]

I recommend going to your local Sephora and getting your Color IQ done.

[Aaliaa]

Hey @Anonymous, If you live near a Sephora store I would recommend booking a makeover session. They are free with a $50 minimum spend but they can help match you with foundation, find a corrector/concealer to help with dark circles and redness.

[JGSFLA]

I use skincueticals retinol 1.0..am I supposed to use it in place of a serum or before or after a serum? ty!

[fatimamummy]

@JGSFLA Retinol is supposed to be used on clean skin So you need to apply it before serum. However if you feel it is a bit too much for your skin, in that case you can try. Using it on top of your serum leaving at least 5-10 minutes in between. I would wait around 30 minutes before applying anything on top of retinol though, just to give it enough time to completely absorb.

[JGSFLA]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP! 😀

[PeachesLive]

I'm really interested in Drunk Elephant, but is it worth the money???

[MickeyLou30]

@PeachesLive 100% yes. I've tried more brands than I can list on here. I love all of the Drunk Elephant products. I recommend purchasing their "The Littles" Kit. It was a great way for me to try their products and it got me hooked!

[snoflakefaerie]

@PeachesLive I have found great success with the DE c-firma and aha framboos serums. Unfortunately, all vitamin c serums that use ascorbic acid oxidize easily if they are in a comfortable water based serum. The 1 oz size lasted about 4 months for me with daily use. It was darker toward the end than it was in the beginning (indicating oxidation), but it's still worth it for me. I try to buy it during sales though bc it is so expensive. 

If you're interested in trying them, I also recommend trying the day and night duo. Or, you can try the Acid Trip set, which is more expensive, but bigger sizes than the duos and includes the baby facial. It's half sizes of the c-firma and framboos, so you can use up the vit c in a timely manner. If you can get it during the sale, it's definitely worth it. It also just came out, so the stock is relatively fresh. If your skin isn't used to active ingredients, start slowly, using things every 2-3 days, not using them on the same day.

I've tried the Hydra moisturizer and it's sort of meh. I am excited to try the baby facial since I've heard great things from my friends and online reviews of it. I'd stay away from the bar soaps because they still contain coco-sulfates, which is a blend of various sulfates, including SLS.

https://m.sephora.com/product/acid-trip-kit-P430147?SKUID=2062099&om_mmc=ppc-GG_1165716902_567602238...

[Jaimebliven]

The night serum which is the pink bottle. It’s amazing! You can try the small one first it comes with the facial oil as well for $28

[greeneyedgirl107]

@PeachesLive I bought a less expensive Vitamin C serum, C15 Super Booster by Paula's Choice.   I liked it, but it comes in a dropper and of course it oxidized; IDK why the company did that b/c they often criticize poor packaging.  I think it's a good alternative, but it will only last you so long.  I think I'd have to crunch the numbers and see which would last longer, since DE comes in a more or less airtight pump.

I think it's hard to find a good Vitamin C product, esp one that's affordable.  I checked beautypedia.

For now, I'm focusing on other antioxidants.  There are plenty out there, and I think one problem may be that people are getting too focused on the Vitamin C (although I have heard it's the best, but IDK!).  I picked up FAB Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum b/c I read on beautypedia that it's not so much moisturizing as it is packed with antioxidants, and I like FAB.  

For other ideas, you can always do what I did and search beautypedia's "best of" list for serums, and go through them and see which ones are packed with antioxidants.  Or, perhaps look at toners with good concentrations of antioxidants (I'm not familiar with toners).

[Mhoarder1]

Depends on the product. They really have issues with the vitamin c serum. If you are interested in that only buy directly from them and use right away. Otherwise it oxidizes way quicker then they say. Check out reddit skincareaddiction for honest reviews. If they could figure out the packaging for that product it would be lovely. Otherwise i think their products are chemically elegant, ethical and effective. I like babyfacial and protini. Their morula is sooooo expensive but ethically sourced and I’m picking it up on sale. The ordinary has Similar oil for 1/4 price but it’s not as great. And not sourced the same. I would suggest to try their little sizes first or get samples in stores.