Skincare in 20s

[Anonymous]

What's your routine? I'm currently loving my lineup but wondering if there are even better products out there! Are there any other things I should already be incorporating into my routine? [left side - day routine. right side - night routine. p.s. I rotate night treatments and use the moisturizers both day and night]

[comeoneileen88]

Your routine looks great! If it's working for you, I wouldn't make any changes. For me, as I've gotten into my late 20s my skin has changed and become more dry/combination and sensitive so I've had to cut back my routine a bit =( Right now I'm doing:

A.M.

Purity Made Simple Cleanser 

Pixi Glow Tonic

FAB Triple Duty AM Eye Gel 

Clinique Moisture Surge 

Neutrogena Dry Touch SPF 45

P.M.

Clinique Take the Day Off

Purity Made Simple Cleanser 

Pixi Glow Tonic

FAB Retinol Serum (every other day)

FAB Facial Radiance Pads (days I don't do the Retinol)

Clinique Moisture Surge 

once a week I also do some sort of scrub or mask depending on what my skin needs. 

As my skin calms down I definitely want to add in an eye cream at night and a vitamin c serum during the day, so your reviews were super helpful since the Drunk Elephant and Sunday Riley were at the top of my list to check out! 

[youdith]

AM routine

1. Rinse with water, no soap/cleanser, pat dry
2. Sisley Botanical Floral Toning Lotion
3. Moisturize/SPF (this varies for me depending on how my skin is):
   
   1. Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Moisturizer SPF 30
   2. or Själ Cela Intuitif moisturizer with Supergoop! Everyday Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50
   3. If I have something I want to cover up Erborian CC Crème High Definition Radiance Face Cream Skin Perfector but this is only SPF 20 😞 so I usually layer it with the Supergoop
   4. If things are very bad (:D)... IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream with SPF 50+
4. Some sort of lip treatment with SPF, I like the Fresh ones with light tints

PM routine

1. Algenist Gentle Rejuvenating Cleanser with or without Clarisonic (after workouts sometimes Erno Laszlo Oil-Control Cleansing Bar)
2. Sisley Botanical Floral Toning Lotion or SK-II Facial Treatment Essence
3. Serenity MedSpa ReBrightalyze Kit + Hydroquinone 4% Pads - this thing is intense so i only use it every 4 days or so
4. Sunday Riley Tidal or Själ Cela Intuitif moisturizer

Masks

I use a mask in the PM once or max twice a week after cleansing. I love switching them up or even mixing them together.
Purifying masks:

• Sisley Creamy Mask with Tropical Resins
• Perricone MD Chloro Plasma Purifying Mask
• Evanhealy French Rose Clay mask

Hydrating/Treatment masks:

• Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask
• SK-II Facial Treatment Mask (sheet)
• Dr. Jart+ Bright Lover Rubber Mask (sheet)
• Dr. Jart+ Hydration Lover Rubber Mask (sheet)

[Anonymous]

For my sensitive skin I've found that less is more - I do cetaphil cleanser one day, and exfoliator the next, use Dr. Thayers rosewater witch hazel toner, then the Olay complete moisturizer with sunscreen- the sensitive formula. I spot-treat extra dry areas (when I have them) with Marula oil but I've found you need a light hand with it or it just clogs your skin

[existincolor]

same with the marula oil!!! im kinda glad other people have this experience 🙊Sephora employees always look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them!

[Anonymous]

I love Marula oil but i can't get it to work for me!!always clogs my pores. so sad because i loved the glo

[Anonymous]

Sooo here's my review of the products originally posted. FRESH soy cleanser - really gentle which is perfect for me since tretinoin did a number on my skin. love that it has amino acids because I'm not getting peptides from any of my other products. imo it's not an effective makeup remover... but since hard tap water strips my skin of moisture I usually use Bioderma's sensibio micellar water afterward anyway. that takes care of all the makeup and tap water residue. FRESH hydration toner - LOVE. I ALWAYS use this regardless of what else I put on my face after. It totally fixes my hard water issues [esp if I didn't use Bioderma before/after cleansing because I didn't wear makeup that day.] I'm a BIG hyaluronic acid fan and love that this helps me get the ingredient onto my skin even before moisturizing. A little goes a long way and it preps my skin well for the rest of my products [I use less of the other products because the toner allows them to spread/absorb better.] Sunday Riley CEO - Another love. I had some hyperpigmentation issues [olive skintone] that are now GONE. I know the rest of my products also helped with that but I noticed a big difference when I didn't use it... the hyperpigmentation faded much slower when I didn't use it. It also smells like a vitamin c serum should IMO... really refreshing and invigorating. I honestly couldn't deal with the scent of Drunk Elephant's C-Firma and felt that Ole's Truth Serum had a fake sort of smell. I love knowing that I have an extra layer of defense against the heavy smog and free radicals in my city. Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse eye gel - love love love how lightweight this gel is. I tried SO MANY eye creams and all of them gave me little milia-like bumps under my eyes. I guess they were all too rich for my young skin right now. But I really like how much hydration this gel gives me without the negative effects I got from the other creams. A little goes a long way. I currently top the gel with the Algenist complete eye renewal balm but only because I had a really bad eyelid infection that stretched/dried out my eyelid. I feel like the thicker balm helps the gel really soak in and absorb. My eyelid is now back to normal and I will probably only use the Dr. Jart+ eye gel once I finish the balm. Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm - I really like this one. Again... I use it to top the water fuse gel because I had a really bad issue with dry eyelids during an eyelid infection. I do feel like the two TOGETHER helped my eyelid completely heal. So I owe a lot to this lil baby. However... I will probably not be repurchasing only because I don't want to develop little bumps under my eyes again. It is a rich balm and I don't think my skin can consistently handle that right now. The Dr. Jart+ eye gel alone is perfect for my skin type right now. Love that the Algenist balm also acts as an eye primer though... no concealer creases on the days I use this. Youth to People cream - really gentle and hydrating. I keep mine in the fridge since its 100% organic and it really soothes my skin upon application. Bought it for the hyaluronic acid and antioxidants. If I remember correctly I wasn't too impressed by the product initally but kept it because it was really gentle on my new-to-tretinoin skin. But after over a month of use I feel like it has helped with my skin's moisture barrier and water content. I use less of the product than I initially had to. Even after switching to FAB's face cream [bc I need to put back the ceramides that tretinoin takes out of my skin] I still find myself reaching for this moisturizer! Its a nice consistency and refreshes my skin. I will probably repurchase because it is SO gentle even on damaged over-exfoliated skin. COOLA mango suncreen spf 50 - LOVEEE. Its not available at Sephora but it is my go-to. My boyfriend even allows me to put this sunscreen on his face. It smells great and feels really refreshing! I love that its spf 50 because tretinoin thinned the outermost layer of my skin so I'm a lot more sensitive to the sun than I used to be [going higher than spf50 has more of a placebo effect than actual benefits.] Its also the best-performing sunscreen to use under makeup IMO. It doesn't break up my makeup or break me out. When I wear it without makeup it gives me a beautiful glow that I never want to cover up with foundation. Kate Somerville Antibac - AWESOME. When I was purging from the tretinoin and the AHAs [and going off birth control] this was the ONLY thing strong enough to kill off the bacteria that was giving me cystic pimples. I used salicylic acid on whiteheads but Anti-bac was the solution to the cheek zits that I had never gotten before. Now that I've been on tretinoin for about 2 months I never break out... not even around that time of the month even though I'm off birth control. But I keep this product around because I know that if a cystic pimple does pop up I do NOT have to wait it out because this potion will bring the gunk right up to the top and dry it out. A+. Kiehl's hydroplumping serum - Amazing. I didn't think much of it initially but kept using it because of reviews and because I know serums don't work overnight. I'm SO glad I did because the glycerin in this has reallyyyyy boosted my skin's moisture levels. My skin also looks really plump and I only use it every third night! I use it the night after using tretinoin to help put moisture back in [night 1 = Kiehl's moisturizing serum. night 2 = TLC framboos glycolic serum. night 3 = tretinoin. repeat.] It spreads really well so a little goes a long way. I'm not sure if I should be using it in dry weather though since the glycerin may pull moisture out of my skin and into the dry air? So far so good though. I damaged my moisture barrier when I started using tretinoin and AHAs simultaneously and I think the Kiehl's serum helped my skin fix itself because its now just as hydrated as when I wasn't on tretinoin. DE T.L.C. Framboos - I love this product. Didn't see results right away... in fact it actually made my skin purge but that's one way I knew it was working. I think you do actually have to shake it well to get it to perform like it's supposed to [that's written on the directions sooo nbd.] I use it the night before my tretinoin night so that my skin gets all the benefits of both. This serum makes my skin smooth and glowy and the huge pores on the sides on my nose are allllll the way shrunk. My skintone is noticeable brighter and accepts products and makeup so well the next day. I top it with Biossance's squalane + vitamin c rose oil and I can't even describe how ethereal my skin gets. LOVE LOVE LOVE. WORTH THE HYPE. [the biossance facial oil is also life-changing even though it is not pictured. I recently bought it and love how lightweight it is. Most oils clog my pores but this one doesn't so now I get to use vitamin c while I sleep too! Squalane is an oil that our skin produces less of as we get older so I like that I can use this to put it back in my skin.] .025 % tretinoin - prescription strength retinoid... love the results. I drank heavily and smoked toward the beginning of college [LOL] and didn't eat well. Gained weight slowly... but recently lost it all quite quickly... about a third of my original weight. After all of this my facial skin was looking a bit more tired and inelastic. So I started using tretinoin [bc you can never start too early amirite] and my skin is now back to the plumpness and elasticity of childhood. I promise! It does dry my skin out a bit but that's why I use the rest of my products to put moisture back in. I did purge a bit [never had bad skin so I freaked out] but now my skin is as clear as a model's and it feels great! I don't think I will ever stop using retinoids or at least retinol. If you're looking to get a prescription for tretinoin but don't have facial acne you can either tell your doctor its for body acne [like on your back] or for oily overactive pores [like I did.] Insurance covers it up until a certain age because they know that it's used for anti-aging... but you can still get it if you're over 35 and just pay the full price. A tube will last you a lonnnng time no matter how often you use it because you only need a pea-sized amount for your whole face. Definitely wait 20-30 min after the last step in your skincare routine to apply the tretinoin or else your skin will peel. I buffer my tretinoin with the FAB ultra repair cream because studies have shown that this reduces irritation without affecting the tretinoin's effectiveness. It has thinned the topmost layer of my skin thinner but it makes the deeper layers thicker [which is amazing for anti-aging and collagen production.] Before tretinoin my nasobilial folds were pretty apparent because I have chubby cheeks and smile a LOT but now I look like I got some juvaderm in there. in a good way haha! FAB facial radiance pads - awesome. Its a bit too much for me to use regularly because of the glycolic serum and tretinoin already exfoliating my skin... but when I see that some of the exfoliated skin has built up and needs to be gently scrubbed away this is what I reach for. I also used to cut up the pads to use them as spot treatments when I was purging... very effective because of the glycolic acid and witch hazel. That's it for now! =]

[existincolor]

Ooh love the question! It would be awesome if you could give a little mini review of each product (like/love, would buy again, etc) like they do on the Daily Skincare thread. Mainly because I'm just dying to know your thoughts on the Kiehls and like half the other products PM: *Plie Cleanser - freaking love. Works for first or second cleanse. * Mizon Aha & Bha - wouldn't get again. Will try Pixi Glow next probs * Hado Labo Hylauranic & Rosewater Mist - this with a mist layered over it is the ultimate hydration/ glow. * Caudalie Vino perfect - I have some bad habits and this heals any red spots right up! * Luna - good bc it's a retinoid but it's too drying. Really love Kora Organics glow facial oil and will probs switch to that next (unless I get some good ideas here!! 😉)

[Anonymous]

@existincolor how do you like Luna? I'm thinking of swiching from tretinoin to a milder retinol formula and was looking into Sunday Riley...

[existincolor]

@Anonymous Luna isnt my fave as far as facial oils go (definitely have to include something else to help with glow) but as a retinoid it's wonderful. Its veeeery gentle. It doesn't soak in the best - ive found I have to massage 2 drops in on damp skin or else I'll wake up to my face being a greasy mess. Personally I wouldnt buy it again because facial oils are normally where I get a glow so I would rather use The Ordinary Retinoid cuz it's a cream and then layer with an oil.

[Anonymous]

@existincolor also... even though I said that I moved on to the FAB moisturizer [in one of the comments] I still use it when my skin is irritated because I find it to be really soothing and refreshing esp since I keep it in the fridge. Its 100% organic so you can refridgerate it which I love.

[Anonymous]

@existincolor I really should post reviews... but I would buy each of these items again. I returned a few other items before finding this perfect routine for me. The Kiehls serum is AMAZING for repairing my moisture barrier while using tretinoin. I didn't see results right away but over time it did increase my skin's moisture content a LOT like it says it will. A little goes a long way because of the high glycerin content. I look forward to using it on my hydration nights!

[liv545]

@existincolor The Heritage!!!! I love that place!!! 

[Genaadventure]

I love all the products of "Fresh".

I also use Skin iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels when I need quick fix. And also I was told several times about SPF in moisturizers, so almost all of my current ones (like Paula's Choice tinted moisturizer and La Roche-Posay) have SPF 25.  

[Anonymous]

@Genaadventure I used la-roche posay and loved how lightweight the fluid was but I heard it's not broad spectrum?

[alexasteph]

@Anonymous If you love your routine and aren't running in to any issues or changing skin, there isn't really any reason to alter anything you're using. In you're 20's you are in the prevention stage of anti-aging, so getting a head start is great. I'm in my late 20's and have been taking good care of my skin since my high school years. It looks like you've got most areas covered! If you are looking for some product suggestions, masks or exfoliators are a great way to incorporate something new. I love Josie Maran Whipped Argan Mud Mask and Ole Henriksen Pore Balance Facial Scrub. 

[anfxo]

How do you like the kale spinach thing? That's eye cream right?

[Anonymous]

@anxfo I actually still use the YTP moisturizer when my skin is irritated because I find it to be really soothing and refreshing esp since I keep it in the fridge. Its 100% organic so you can refridgerate it which I love.

[Anonymous]

@anfxo its an all around face moisturizer and I really liked it but I moved onto the FAB moisturizer because it has ceramides that I need since I'm using tretinoin

[mattpoxx]

Moisturizer from Youth to the People. Recently tried it out and I've been obsessed! I have combo skin and it really helped balance out the moisture in my skin. I'm definitely purchasing after I'm finished with my Boscia one. That kale/green tea/spinach moisturizer is also full of antioxidants and cold pressed to keep all the nutrients!