Hello everyone!
I just wanted to post and update about my New Year’s resolution regarding skin care. I’ve always had pretty decent skin, but since I moved, it’s gotten a little greasier, and I’m experiencing blackheads, enlarged pores & other unsightly, unpleasant side-effects. I’ve been trying a few different things over the past month or two, but the truth is I still don’t know what the heck I’m doing. I know almost nothing about skin care, and I really can’t afford to spend a ton of money to go visit a dermatologist. Also: I’m afraid that if I go she will laugh at me. Honestly, my skin problems aren’t that bad, my main problem is that my skin has changed. I used to have problems with dryness, now I have problems with oiliness & it’s all very shocking.
DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert. BUT this is what I’ve found so far in my search for knowledge. I’ll just stop and remind you here about my last post about Glam Glow, and also my first post where I initially talked about developing a regular skin care routine. The following are photos of the products I use most often.
So, I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube beauty gurus lately, but some of the products they recommend are a little pricey, so I’ve been trying to use their advice, but to find products that are less expensive, but still meet my needs. My favorite YouTube beauty gurus, for skin were Veronica Gorgeois, who can be found here, and Ingrid Nilsen, who can be found here.
I have developed the following routine for myself:
In General, twice a day:
Cleanse: I usually use Total Matteness by Philosophy, $25, in combination with my Clarisonic Mia 1, $125, and totally worth it. I use my Clarisonic every day & I love it. You should change your brush every 3 months & I’ve found some good deals on duo packs on Groupon.com & Overstock.com. On the Clarisonic website the 2-packs are $40, but you can get them for around $25 on Groupon & Overstock. I sometimes use Purity by Philosophy and Aveno “Clear Complection” Foaming Cleanser, but it just depends on how hard I’ve been on my skin in other ways. I think Total Matteness is a good medium cleansing treatment. Purity is very mild and the Aveno ‘Clear Complection’ has Salicylic Acid in it, so in my view, it is more invasive.
Exfoliate: Technically, I think this is a second exfoliation, because the Clarisonic exfoliates on its own, but I do use an exfoliant after I cleanse. I have two different exfoliators. One is from The Body Shop’s Tee Tree Oil line, which I love & I have almost every product in that line. Specifically it’s called “Tee Tree Blackhead Exfoliating Wash,” which is perfect because my number one complaint is enlarged pores resulting in blackheads. The other exfoliator I use, which is more mild, is called “Aveno: Active Naturals *positively radiant* Skin Brightening Daily Scrub.” I use the milder one more often, but I really like the Tee Tree one too.
Toner: I currently use the Tee Tree Oil toner by the Body Shop as well. I like it because it has the same “shake to activate” indication as the Clinique “Acne Solutions” Claryfying lotion, but is cheaper & I was unable to find a full ingredients list anywhere, so I figured I’d stick with what I knew. The main difference between what I use now & the Clinique is the Salicylic Acid & menthol in the Clinique. The Salicylic acid is good for acne treatment, but the menthol just irritates the skin, so I figured I could do with out it.
Serum: I currently use a sample I got in BirchBox called DDF Amplifying Elixir. I’m not sure if it works, but I do like it. I don’t know if I’ll buy this when it’s done, just because it’s kind of pricey and I’m trying to develop a routine that’s affordable. I’ll look for a cheaper alternative with similar ingredients.
Moisturize: In the morning I always use a moisturizer with sunscreen. In the evening I use a night cream, recently I’ve been using Clinique Overnight Turn Around, but I doubt I’ll be buying it. I also use The Body Shop’s Tee Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion, but because it does target acne, I sometimes find that a little drying, so sometimes I end up using “Take a Deep Breath” by Philosophy. I also re-apply moisturizers at varying points during the day, usually sunscreen, and usually not more than twice more.
Other: I also use a pore minimizer once in a while, from The Body Shop’s line and I Glam Glow three times a week. I also sometimes do an acne treatment and I am still using a 2% Salicylic acid treatment. It’s the strongest I was able to find.
Note on my Glam Glow use: I used to apply Glam Glow to my entire face, but I found that my cheeks were getting ultra dried out & I was getting blemishes on them, so I started applying Glam Glow only to my T-zone and it’s working out much better for my skin. I still love Glam Glow & I find that it’s making a positive impact on my skin.
I’ll update again when I choose a primer or find new or better products, but I just wanted to let y’all know how it’s going and maybe give you some ideas. Like I said, I’m not an expert, so if you have any ideas for me, I would love to hear them in the comments below!