suncream, zits and wrinkles: rolling skincare thread?

you're gonna laugh but I use one of those little battery-powered fans to dry down the layers.

The sunspots will just magically start appearing one day.

This is true. I can't even with the weird spots on the back of hands and chest and one on my neck and wtf is that thing on my face. I'm using AHA and BHA products (Dr. Gross - lol but super portable for all the travel I do) to resurface and lighten these definitely-not-freckles.

I splurged on Sunday Riley good genes and will kind of wish I hadn’t because it’s amazing and my skin hasn’t looked this good in years and now I can’t go back!!

OKAY HERE'S MY SKINCARE UPDATE:

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser: this is... weird. I've never used a cleaning product that didn't lather and it's VERY off-putting at first just spreading goop on my face but after a few weeks with it I've gotten more used to it and it seems to be working okay. I don't mind it. I'd still like to try the Foaming Cleanser (I went to like 6 stores one afternoon trying to find a travel bottle of it and none of them had it in stock).

Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion: this is annoying because the product is pretty thin and the travel bottle has an opening the size of like a dime and it's a real pain in the ass to only get a small dollop out w/o overdoing it. I'm still getting used to this, it feels superfluous and it might be making my face greasy throughout the day. I try to only use like a pea-sized dab and I think I'm acclimating to it but I don't feel tied to this product in any way and will prob try something different when it runs out.

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion: I had this already for hands and elbow and I have to say I prefer it for my face too. It's thicker and it seems to dry/soak up quicker. I've only used it a few times though and should prob use it a little more.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch SPF 30: This is fine. And for me, "fine" is probably very great bcz I don't mind it and I ALWAYS mind sunscreen. I think my issues are less with the specific product and more with sunscreen itself, like it goes on fine and dries to a nice matte and I don't notice that it's there, it doesn't feel sticky or clammy or anything on my face, but whenever I touch my face w my hands I notice it's there.

My routine is the cleanser in the shower, and then as soon as I get out of the shower I do the moisturizer, and then 15045 minutes later I do the sunscreen.

I've noticed that my hand touches my face a LOT throughout the day! Like when I put my elbow on the table and rest my cheek on my hand, that sort of stuff. I'm trying to do it less.

All in all I think this is a pretty good start and it's only been 2 weeks but I've been sticking to it pretty consistently??

oh also after learning the thing where you put a blob on your finger and then make lots of dot dot dots all over your face has made applying minimal amounts with even coverage SO much easier! total game changer!

I am very bad about doing the dot thing. I just smear it everywhere. I am good about washing my hands a lot though (because I also overtouch my face).

If your skin is on the oilier side, a foaming cleanser is fine. Foam usually dries your skin out. But if not, stick to the hydrating cleanser - one or two pumps and massage it into your face for a minute or two.

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion: I had this already for hands and elbow and I have to say I prefer it for my face too. It's thicker and it seems to dry/soak up quicker. I've only used it a few times though and should prob use it a little more.

A+++++ Aveeno is magic for my skin. Everything else is basura.

But if you feel like even a light lotion is making you greasy, as a person with oily-ish skin that is really well suited for braving the winter wind and looking rosy-cheeked without chapping, may I recommend The Ordinary Buffet serum? It's super thin and watery and doesn't feel "moisturizing" at all but it is making my skin P E R F E C T. And it's like $8. Which frankly is about HALF the price of a bottle of Aveeno.

Also it comes in a frosted glass vial with a medicine dropper top so you feel like an uber glamorous tincture.

Honestly I love the concept of the ordinary, I would be into that. I have also determined that I will buy everything at drugstore prices (i.e. anything at a rug store, and also the ordinary).

I haven’t had coffee yet and was having a hard time figuring out how carpet pricing was factoring in here

lmao whoops

quincie i want to come visit you so we can do our skincare together and make like a 45 minute youtube video about it

I can introduce you to the ACID PEEL!!!

okay I tried the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser and it made my skin feel REALLY dry and tight! So I am sticking w the hydrating cleanser, which I just bought a huge bottle of from CVS an hour ago! As well as a big bottle of Aveeno. I feel like I have gotten into the skincare groove.

insofar as I will prob just use these 3 products (cerave cleanser, aveeno daily moisturizing lotion, neutrogena ultra sheer dry touch spf 30) in perpetuity

I still have most of a bottle of the st ives apricot scrub but now i'm worried it's too harsh on my face and I don't want to use it

you can use the st ives as a body scrub for rough areas or your butt.

yes. . . just ask a booty cleaner

Yeah apricot scrub is great for body, definitely avoid using on face.

still swear by korean/japanese skincare, but I've cut down my routine a fair bit after correcting the issues I had last year (mainly that chemical exfoliants just don't work for me!). Right now it's:
- double cleanse: Banila Co sherbet cleanser + Hada Labo foaming face wash
- Cosrx snail mucin essence, which I use pretty much as a moisturiser
- Sunplay skin aqua watery gel spf 50

I will recommend Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop if anyone wants to try a Vitamin C serum, by the way. it's not as potent as other vit c serums but it worked wonders for me, and isn't likely to irritate as much as some other brands might. it's a korean brand but widely available (and affordable) online in the US and elsewhere.

Ok so Sunday Riley good Genes and Skinfood Light seem to be my holy grails. Now I just need a good sunscreen. Is the wAtery biote one as good as everyone says?

I got the biore off amazon recently and it had a really strong alcohol smell that I don’t remember it having the last time I bought it

E, you might like this article about good genes and trying to find dupes: https://www.fanserviced-b.com/the-hunt-for-a-good-genes-dupe-17-lactic-acid-reviews/

Basically, she thinks using gg as a “special event” product and a cheaper lactic acid daily, is the way to go if you don’t have the $$ to drop on it regularly

isn't Glycolic the main active in gg? that article talks at length about lactic acid rather than glycolic.

They changed the biore watery essence formulation end 2017 I think? The reviews have not been as good, and yeah complaints about the smell.

The sunplay skin aqua sunscreen (also Japanese) has been my go to for the past couple of years. They have a few different formulas based on skin type, but all of them are super light and non-greasy.

Xp no it’s 5% lactic acid at a really low pH

Roz, I might try that Cosrx snail mucin essence. Is it sticky? some reviews say so but I think people sometimes review the idea of something rather than the reality. i use that Pynkyang Yul toner and might get the mist version of it.

The GG that's sold in the UK is a Glycolic based thing. I think it might be a different formulation.

https://www.spacenk.com/uk/en_GB/skincare/treatment/serums/good-genes-glycolic-acid-treatment-MUK200022775.html

Yeah it must be bc that link redirects to their home page and if I search gg this is the one that comes up and it’s lactic acid

https://www.spacenk.com/us/en_US/skincare/treatment/serums/good-genes-treatment-MUS300023215.html

Very weird. It’s raved about everywhere so I’m surprised I haven’t heard this before. Can you c&p the ingredients list?

SUNDAY RILEY
Good Genes Glycolic Acid Treatment

INGREDIENTS
WATER/ AQUA/ EAU, DIMETHICONE, GLYCOLIC ACID, SQUALANE, CAPRYLYL CAPRYLATE/CAPRATE, PPG-12/SMDI COPOLYMER, POTASSIUM LACTATE, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, PROPANEDIOL, STEARIC ACID, GLYCERIN, PPG-24-GLYCERETH-24, BIS-STEARYL DIMETHICONE, OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA FRUIT EXTRACT, SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE EXTRACT, CYMBOPOGON SCHOENANTHUS OIL, PEG-100 STEARATE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, HYDROXYETHYL ACRYLATE/ SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE COPOLYMER, CETEARETH-20, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, CHLORPHENESIN, XANTHAN GUM, SORBITAN ISOSTEARATE, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE, PHENOXYETHANOL, CITRAL, GERANIOL, LIMONENE

& you can get The Ordinary 10% lactic acid with pepperberry in the UK/EU so it can't be because of restrictions on LA.

That’s a totally different formulation. So weird.

really weird considering how much people love it in North America.

jed, the cosrx snail mucin is a little bit gooey and syrupy, but dries down pretty quickly - definitely not sticky once absorbed. It's very soothing and hydrating imo, but I can see how others might not love the texture.

i don't know why it's marketed as an essence though, it's closer to a gel or something.

“ The Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment (which is still available to buy in the U.S.) was pulled from shelves in the UK at the beginning of the year due to its lactic acid content. The Scientific Committee of Consumer Safety law states that products must have a pH level greater than 5 to be sold in the UK and EU.”

I just ordered a small bottle of the infamous biologique recherche p50. Think I might try those garden of wisdom lactic acid pads mentioned in the gg dupes article next.

I partly gave up on the ordinary and just went to my doc and got an rx for tretinoin/stieva-A (generic retin A) and clindoxyl, which use at night after washing my face. Still cleansing with Avene gentle cleansers. I use a Hado labo hyaluronic serum and the Ordinary Squalane for moisturizer. It’s definitely improved my skin after a month+ so that’s cool.

Though I’ve worn an spf tinted moisturizer for years or used mineral makeup, I’ve always had a bit of a reaction to it - I have yet to find an SPF I like and don’t react to :/ Canada has different rules for approving spf so options are limited... I just want to protect my skin dammit! Will keep trying...

I have a new bottle of The Ordinary squalene and couldn't remember what I was supposed to use it for. Moisturizer it is. One day I am going to do a deep dive about asian beauty products. I am going to be within walking distance of a large japanese grocery/drugstore for two months soon and want to be prepared. I started looking at the reddit thread on it and saw 50something year old man on there with such nice dewy looking skin

So, I am trying to revamp my routine a bit and try out a bunch of new things. I got the Kose Speedy Cleansing Oil, Mizon black Snail All in One Cream and some konjac sponges. I don't think I need a new cleanser. I have too much stuff I need to get through anyway (cerave, perfect whip, alpha skin). There is a Face Shop near me and a place that has a bunch of Hada Labo with testers so one day when I am prepared to focus I want to try to compare some of the other oil cleansers and moisturizers.

I am also interested in some of the MIssha stuff I see come up a lot. But I have some of the L-Ascorbic Acid Powder from The Ordinary I should probably start using (mixed with the squalene oil I had not clue what I was using it for).

I am also really interested in Tretinoin but need to use up some of the retinoid The Ordinary products first.

oh wait, I did not get the mizon black snail thing. I got the COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream. This snail stuff is confusing.

forgive me for being a 3 yo about it but i find the whole snail phenomena gross and hilarious

i should i find out what studies I can participate in where I just put random shit on my face.

When I was a kid I used to help my mom take the eggshell membrane out of eggs so she could put it on her face.

wow

xps re Missha, I have this & can strongly recommend it. Really nice coverage and light.

Yeah, I might splurge on a time revolution thing from Missha. That brand seems to constantly get very good reviews.

I think I am going to get the Skin Aqua spf 50 gel too (rec'd above). I try not to have too many products at once around but I am trying to have a lot of spf around all the time now (in my bag, in the bathroom, by the front door).

The Ordinary’s Buffet serum is really good, and it was even better at 23% off when I bought it :). Skin definitely feels smoother and softer and just looks overall better.

i finished a bottle of the Buffet but didn't feel any way about it. If it was on sale again, I would probably pick it up but I didn't love it like a lot of people do.

I do like this snail stuff a lot though.

Looooove the Buffet but it has turned out to be a bit too dry for winter weather so I added one of their moisturizers--I forget which one. Something I don't love but I want to use up.

I put Aveeno body lotion on my face for YEARS and it was the only thing that didn't burn my skin, and now if I do give in to the dryness and use it, I get breakouts the next day. (It still doesn't burn me though.)

Though I’ve worn an spf tinted moisturizer for years or used mineral makeup, I’ve always had a bit of a reaction to it

I completely gave up on sunscreen for my face. It all burns like blazes. I wear floppy hats while gardening & at the beach, instead.

I cannot be at the beach without a hat and sunglasses. If it's too choppy to get in the water without a hat and sunglasses, I constantly have my hand shielding the sun and squint until I get headaches.

Wearing a hat saves me SO MUCH fatigue and sun stress. Just having the sun's rays not hit directly on my head is amazing.

Agree
I’m out there with an umbrella if I have to.

People who enjoy laying out in full midday sun are a mystery to me