Skincare Routine of the Day

[l8totheparty]

This is a place to share your skincare routine of the day!  Whether it be daytime routine or nighttime routine, I know you have one.  From simple to complex, expensive to inexpensive products: show and tell! If you are anything like me, your skincare routine changes daily. Skincare isn't as showy as makeup, but it is the quiet work horse of our daily lives.

You might want to include with your post: your skin type, skin concerns (& the weather where you are).

⭐ Sometimes if all you can do is your skincare, that is enough.

[WinglessOne]

@Samtian  Heh, someone asked what I use when my skin’s in bad reaction mode, so I figured I’d include that here—especially since it’s not a rare occurrence for me. 

[ather]

@WinglessOne  I’ve been using “snail slime” now for maybe 2-3 months. I have seen some skin changes. Pores looking smaller fewer blackheads my scars are diminishing but I’m not sure I can pinpoint it to the slime. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I like it so it’s better then hating it. 

[WinglessOne]

@ather  I’m glad you’re seeing some skin improvements, whether or not slime juice is the cause! 

At some point, I need to consistently use that stuff for a month and see what happens. I don’t hate it, but I don’t look forward to using it. 😄 

[itsfi]

@WinglessOne, aquaphor is a workhorse when it comes to skincare. ♥️ I didn’t realize Aveeno made a hydrocortisone cream; will have to check it out. 

[WinglessOne]

@itsfi  Yep, Aquaphor’s not just for minor wounds and tattoos (which are, um, minor wounds). 😉 It’s one of the best things one can use on barrier-damaged skin. 

Have you used other hydrocortisone creams? Whenever I’ve tried a different one, I’ve come back to Aveeno’s. (Well, excluding whichever cream I used—or was used on me—in the 70s and 80s.) I also have a tube of Benedryl, but that stuff rarely works well for me as a topical cream. The pills work, but I’d better not need to be anywhere or do anything for the next 1-5 hours after taking them. 🤣 Which is why I prefer Claritin-D. 

[itsfi]

@WinglessOne, I have a couple of Aquaphor tubes in the house and one in my drawer at work, just in case! 🙂 The only hydrocortisone cream I've used Cortizone 10 - the one with aloe in it, but I will be getting the Aveeno one now. Aveeno is very gentle on my skin. Yeah, Benadryl pills. If I ever have to take one, I make sure I'm in bed when I take it; that stuff knocks me out like that! 

[ShortErica]

Oh wow, I misread that as "For bad reactions" meaning products that gave bad reactions. And I say the aveeno lotion and thought, really?! Haha. Now I understand it is recovery. 🤦‍♀️

[WinglessOne]

@ShortErica  D’oh, now I kinda wanna edit that sub header for clarity! 😂 

That specific body lotion is the only one in Aveeno’s lineup my skin (anywhere on my body) likes. I’ll be in real trouble if it ever starts irritating my skin. 

[ShortErica]

What's in some of their other formulas that irritate you @WinglessOne?

[WinglessOne]

@ShortErica  I haven’t done an ingredients cross reference of Aveeno lotions and creams, so I’m not sure what—aside from the fragrances in some of them—my skin doesn’t like about most of them. The plain ol’ Daily Moisturizing lotion has a rather short ingredients list, though. 

Aveeno’s Skin Relief 24-Hour lotion makes me a little itchy for some reason, and I don’t like its texture nearly as much as that of the Daily Moisturizing lotion. I think Skin Relief contains shea butter, but my skin usually doesn’t react badly to that ingredient. Weird. I don’t remember exactly what I didn’t like about the Positively Radiant body lotion. I do remember the oil body lotion (don’t recall its name... the one in the pink bottle) was too greasy and fragranced for me, and it made some of my skin itch. The Sheer Hydration lotion was ineffective for me. Other Aveeno lotions I’ve tried were either too fragranced, itch inducing, or ineffective. 

Aveeno has an eczema body lotion I don’t think I’ve ever tried; I think that one also contains a ceramide. I keep forgetting to buy it to test. They also have something marketed as “CICA balm,” but it doesn’t contain cica (centella asiatica). Their “CICA” refers to cicatrisation, not tiger grass. 😄 

[ShortErica]

Wow, you're always so knowledgeable @WinglessOne. They are being such tricksters with the "cica" one.

[WinglessOne]

I’ve been testing a few new things since March and seasonally shuffling my skincare routine. This weekend I’ll post more about that. For now, here’s last night’s routine: 

No sheet mask last night, and *gasp* no YTTP Superfood Moisturizer!

Details: 

Spoiler

Wash: Paula’s Choice Hydralight Cleanser, which is still my favorite PM face wash. I finally found a large enough reusable bottle with a plastic pump that’s not transparent, hooray! (I don’t like the bottle Hydralight comes in, especially since it has no pump.)  

Tone: Cosrx Centella Water Alcohol-Free Toner. This new addition to my routine is marketed as a soothing hydrating toner. It contains cica water instead of extract, and I wish it was listed first in the ingredients list (it’s listed second, after water). But I put it to a difficult test on some new large hives on my neck and it helped calm that stuff down. There are just 9 ingredients, among them allantoin, panthenol, and sodium hyaluronate. Bonus points for being fragrance-free! 

Lip care: Aquaphor Ointment. Now that temps are warming up, I don’t need an additional lip mask each night. 

Exfoliate: Paula’s Choice Clear Anti-Redness Exfoliating Solution. This continues to be my 2% BHA leave-on exfoliant of choice. 

Spot treatment: Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting BHA 9. I introduced this to my routine in March and love it. Best spot treatment I’ve ever used. I’ve said this before but: I can’t use benzoyl peroxide, so salicylic acid is my go-to acne treatment. This stuff contains 9% salicylic acid. 👍 

Eye serum: NIOD Fractionated Eye Contour. Another item I began in March and have since used consistently. It’s softened some of my undereye texture and reduced some of my fine lines. I didn’t expect noticeable changes within 2.5 months, so I’m pleasantly surprised! 

Serum: Cosrx Centella Blemish Ampule. Notice a theme yet? 😄 Last night was my first use of this ampule. I didn’t patch test it because the ingredients list convinced me that wasn’t necessary: it contains 13 ingredients, including both cica water and extract (cica water is used instead of plain ol’ water), sodium hyaluronate, allantoin, and arginine. It reduced some surface redness and calmed acne, and my skin had no objections to it overall. So far, it seems like a good product to have on hand when I don’t feel like using a cica sheet mask, though I wish it contained even more cica components than it does. 🙂 

Hydrating mist: YTTP Adaptogen Mist. That’s the full size bottle I bought after my mini bottle ran out. You might say I like this mist a lot. I especially enjoy using it after a serum that contains a good amount of hyaluronic acid. 

Facial oil: Herbivore Emerald CBD Oil. Still my favorite facial oil. I use it mostly as an anti-inflammatory serum and undereye moisturizer, now that temps are warmer. 

Moisturizer: Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer. One more new-to-me item. Normally I use YTTP Superfood Moisturizer, but last night I used this on my neck (which is still in hives recovery) and decided to also apply it to my face. My skin felt so moisturized, I didn’t need to layer a cream moisturizer on top. 

[ather]

@WinglessOne  Oooo I e been wanting to try the YTTP spray. I think it was OOS during the sale which made my sad. 

[itsfi]

Looky all the great skincare!!! 😍😍 So happy to hear the LANEIGE - Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer is to your liking so far! It really does a nice job of moisturizing! 💙🤍 I’m hoping to get to the PC BHA goodies by next week; so excited! 😃

[ShortErica]

I haven't really incorporated toner but that cosrx one piques my interest @WinglessOne. I'll be curious to hear more as you continue using it.

[eshoe]

A couple of nights ago, weather has been HOT and skin is...ok? Nothing major going on with it, just normal.

Spoiler

[Samtian]

@eshoe Hmm that nectar sounds interesting.

[eshoe]

If you have extra dry skin, @Samtian - it’s amazing. Oily skin wouldn’t be too happy with this one.

[Samtian]

@eshoe Scratch that idea!

[ather]

@eshoe  I didn’t realize cosrx had an eye cream! I need to look into it. You suggested me to try the snail essence and I love it. Does the eye cream help with fine lines or mostly just moisture?

[eshoe]

Hmmm not sure I could answer that yet based on my experience alone, @ather. The label claims it ‘nourishes, brightens and brings a glow.” I haven’t been using it more than a week or two, but I will make a mental note to tag you if I notice anything spectacular 😄 it definitely feels nourishing, though.