I've been on a journey (of over 1 yr!) to even out my skin tone, make my pores smaller and my skin less oily. I've tried many different types of products and have for the past few months found some that have been working well for me. This routine/products have helped my skin be more even toned, brighter, large pores have gotten smaller, my skin is plumper and slightly less oily. But most importantly for the past 2 months, I've not had a monthly hormonal breakout!!
Below is the routine I've been following along with the products.
AM
1. Cleanser - La Roche Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming cleanser
2. Toner - Herbivore's Jasmine Green Tea - I absolutely love this! I use 2 sprays onto the palms of my hands and then I pat onto my skin and let it dry. This has helped with balancing my skin's oil.
3. Serum - Caudalie VineActiv Glow Activating Anti-Wrinkle Serum (1 pump)
4. Moisturizer - Peter Thomas Roth's Water Drench. Pearl size amount and pat into skin. This is very hydrating/moisturizing without being greasy/oily. Or, La Roche Posay's Toleriane Fluide - great for sensitive oily skin, sinks into the skin.
5. SPF - Clinique's Pep Start UV Daily Protector. I use a separate SPF product because I don't like chemical SPFs and my esthetician also recommended I use an SPF specific product and not rely on products that contain SPF as you typically don't put on enough of them on to get the SPF protection. Plus, I have hyper-pigmentation and really need the protection from the sun.
Makeup Routine - Natural, no makeup, makeup look
1. Foundation - I don't use a lot of product. I rotate between BareMineral's Original Foundation, Estee Lauder's Double Wear Light (in 3.0 - use fingers or stippling brush) and IT CC Cream (medium tan - use a dense foundation brush to apply this - doesn't look good applied with fingers) - update: no longer use MAC's Studio Fix Fluid as it breaks me out!!. I use my fingers for the liquids as I find it leaves a very natural finish and as I said, I don't use a lot of product, so I get a very natural finish.
2. Concealer - Since I have dry eyes, I find that IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Concealer works the best for me. It's very hydrating/moisturizing and conceals darkness under my eyes. I use it very sparingly as a tiny bit goes a long way. I tap it onto my skin with my ring finger and then I go over it with a damp mini sponge.
3. Setting Foundation - When I use liquid foundation, I use IT's Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores to set my foundation. I know it's not meant to be a setting powder but I find that it does a great job of keeping my oils at bay since I don't use a primer on a daily basis. I press bye bye pores with the powder puff onto my t-zone and then brush it off and use what's on the brus on the rest of my face.
3. Bronzer - I lightly use The Balm's Betty LouManizer to bronze up the hairline and add a bit of color onto my skin (c4.5 skin tone - medium tan) as the bye bye pores does leave a little bit of a white cast on me. I also use HourGlass in DimLight in the t-zone where I pressed the powder for my skin to look more normal.
4. Blush - I rotate between cream and powder. Some favorirtes include Revlon Cream Blushes, BareMinerals Ready Blushes, Cargo and MAC's Blush in Prism (I'm obsessed with this one lately!)
5. Highlighter - Currently loving Hourglass Ambient Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette - love it!!
6. EyeBrows - I started using UD's Brow Pencil but found it to be a little too hard. I heard L'Oreal's Brow Definer Stylist was a dupe for ABH's so I tried it and I've been loving it.
7. Curl Lashes -
8. Mascara - I don't use mascara on a daily basis but when I do for work, I love Grande Lash paired with the primer or for evening/night makeup I love UD's Perversion also paired with the primer.
9. Lips - I have very dry lips and have been loving Avene's Cold Cream Lip Cream. I usually put this one during my skincare routing and after my makeup I may use a lipstick or sometimes I just line my lips with a color and don't use any actual lipstick, or sometimes a tint like Maybelline's Baby Lips in Grapevine.
PM
1.Remove makeup - with 100% jojoba oil (from Trade Joe's). I massage the oil on my skin. If I have mascara on, I use L'Oreal's Eye makeup remover first and then the oil for the rest of my makeup.
2. Cleanser - Wash it all off with La Roche Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser for normal/oily skin. This leaves my skin clean without it being dry.
3. Toner - I use Thayer's Witch Hazer in Cucumber on a pad to remove any remains of makeup along their hair line but I also tone my skin with it.
* Occasionally after toning, I use Caudalie's Brightening Essence, but when I do this, I don't use Algenist's Liquid Collagen after, as I find my skin gets a little sensitive combining these two. But the brightening essence goes very well with the Radiance serum and then 3 drops of jojoba oil.
4. Serum - Algenist's Genius Liquid Collagen. I absolutely love this! I only use 2 drops for my entire face and let it absorb. I think this has helped with my skin feeling smoother and also more plum. I then follow it with Caudalie's Detox Oil (3 drops).
5. Eye Cream - La Roche Posay's Substiane Eye Cream. I have dry skin in my undereye area and this by far has been the best in terms of hydrating my sensitive dry skin.
8. Lip Care - I've been using Peter Thomas Roth's UnWrinkle Lip Treatment and it seems to work immediately but I don't think the results are long lasting. I then follow it up with Laniege's Lip Mask. This mask is very hydrating. I really like it. If anyone has any reco's on longer lasting lip plumping products, please let me know! I'm in my early 40's and have noticed my lips are more wrinkly and have lost some volume and dont' want to do lip fillers.
Masks - 1-2 times per week
I do these at night after cleansing and toning. To keep my pores clean and to prevent pimples I use Peter Thomas Roth's Sulfur Mask (sometimes I add 2-3 drops of 100% tea tree oil to it), Philosophy's Pore Extractor Mask with Salysilic Acid and GlamGlow's Clearing Treatment. After these, if my skin is feeling a little dry/tight, I then follow it up with Fresh's Rose Petal Mask or Glamglow's Hydrating Treatment mask and then I continue with my regular skincare routine without the toner..
Acne/Pimple Care
I've tried treating my hormonal acne/pimples with salysilic acid or sulfur masks but I find that they don't work at all for me. I haven't tried benzoyl peroxide so I can't say if that works or not. What has worked for me is 100% tea tree oil. (I first discovered it when I used it to treat my perioral dermatitis.) I use it when I first notice that a pimple is starting to surface. You know, it starts feeling itchy and your skin starts to get red. I immediately spot treat it by using 100% tea tree oil. I just dampen a cotton swab and dab it onto the affected cleansed area. I ensure that I do this morning and night and usually within 2-3 days it's gone. Sometimes even by the next day depending on how early I got to it. Since tea tree oil is very strong, I recommend you do a patch test because it can be very irritating/drying so be careful with it and do your research.
I hope you find this helpful!
PS - These products may not all work for you but I think that if you find the right products that work for your skin and you follow the routine consistently you will definitely see results. It may not happen overnight but it will. Also, drinking water and your diet also influences how your skin looks. True story, my aunt who is in her late fifties has beautifyul even skin and I asked her what she did. She told me she drinks a veggie smoothie every morning. The secret to the smoothie is spinach! Say yes to veggies!
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