Skin care - tell me all of the advice

[ThisIsMyDragName]

A tip I got from a Facebook group all about The Ordinary products is that Argireline works best if you rub it really quite firmly into your skin, not the usual patting it on gently. It’s said to give a sort of temporary Botox type effect. I do like it but my routine is a bit full so I haven’t used it recently.

just got my delivery today from the ordinary

- natural moisturizing factors + ha (already loving this one)
- niacinamide 10% + zinc 1%
- argireline solution 10%.

it sounds like i know what i'm talking about when i write this down but i absolutely don't.
can't wait to see some results though!

 

[mindlessness]

Can anyone recommend a really good eye cream, for bags and wrinkles. I'm thinking of getting some botox next month might be the only option haha.

There’s only so much eye cream can do! This is a good video on what ingredients to look for (the title discusses shadows but it’s relevant to bags and wrinkles as well!)

Botox won’t directly fix under eye wrinkles or bags either. That’s more the role of well placed fillers from my understanding. Definitely worth chatting to a professional about your options!

 

[Notorious PIG]

I’ve been watching YouTube videos over the past couple of months to learn everything (I’m a total beginner to skincare) and it is bloody complicated and overwhelming to say the least! I JUST WANT A SIMPLE ROUTINE DAMMNIT! Peptides this, niacinimide that, retinol, vitamin C, use this with this and that, don’t use x if using y and z…I might just have a read through this thread instead and see if I can get some simpler answers

So far, I’ve bought:

Strivectin: Wrinkle Recode line transforming melting serum, Super C spf 30 moisturizer, anti wrinkle Comforting Cream Cleanser

and

The Ordinary: Buffet Copper Peptides serum, Squalene Cleanser, Moisturizer HA something.

TBH I haven’t really got a clue about anything, apart from I’m starting to get fine wrinkles around the eyes and I don’t want it.

 

[under the ivy]

Ive just bought the ordinary argireline solution. How long until I’m supposed to see results? Ive used it last night and this morning. Also am I supposed to use this before or after moisturiser and can I use it jointly with retinol? Thanks I’m clueless!

I use it mainly on a night (I do that one night and retinol the next). I press it into my forehead and between my brows and I think the whole area looks smoother!
—————————————
I recommend MediK8 Crystal retinol. I’m on number 3 and will be purchasing 6 when I’ve used it up.

Has anyone tried Kate Somerville Goat Milk cleanser and is it worth the hype?

 

[Snowjoke]

Can anyone offer advice regarding hormonal acne? I really want to clear it. Any advice appreciated! I don't have easy access to a dermatologist.

I am 38, I have had acne on and off all my life - always on my neck/jawline (like a beard pattern!). I didn't have it when I was on hormonal birth control, I had to come off the birth control about 3 years ago as I developed severe migraines from it and I was advised not to use hormonal birth control again.

The acne reappeared soon enough after I came off BC but in the last year I have developed large cysts on my neck/jaw line maybe 2/3 a week. The rest of my face is perfect - to the point that I often get complimented on my skin (apart from the neck/jaw!). I have dry skin. I don't believe any of my skincare products cause this acne - I believe it is hormonal in nature.

To tackle the hormonal acne (without BC) I have been using A313 pomade for the past 1.5 months (my face is glowing) and I drink spearmint tea. I drink lots of water and I am fit and eat well.

I have used OTC retinol products since I was about 21 and wear sunscreen daily.

I hope someone can suggest something!

random q but what is your gut like? I would personally look into a probiotic. They help sooooo much with gut health which feeds into skin majorly. I would look into accumax supplements by the advanced nutrition programme aswell, they excellent for hormonal acne but only take if not planning a pregnancy as they contain vitamin a.

 

[macmac]

I hope it's ok to ask for some advice here?

Basically my skin is an absolute mess. I suffer with really oily, spotty skin, although more blackheads with the occasional whitehead. When I do get whiteheads they are huge angry red lumps for ages before eventually turning white and pus-filled (sorry). I've tried so many of the scrubs/exfoliation, face masks but nothing seems to work.
I don't know if it's worth mentioning I also suffer with spots on my back and top of my arms.

I'm in my early 30s and the time has come where I've decided I won't grow out of it and need to take action

I will be so grateful for any advice.

I’d highly recommend Skin & Me or Dermatica. They are prescription tretinoins with other active ingredients catered to your skin type and specific concerns.

I suffered terribly with spots on my chin, jaw and neck. The ones where there never come to a head. I was 33 with the skin of a teenager! Been using Skin & Me for almost a year now and I have finally found a routine that works for me. I’m also very oily!

Personally I’d avoid scrubs as this always irritated my skin. Try an acid based exfoliator rather than a harsh scrub such as an AHA/BHA toner such as Cosrx liquid BHA or Ole Henriksen balancing oil toner. I use cera ve foaming cleanser along with cosrx salicylic acid cleanser. The cera ve is gentle for everyday use and I use the cosrx cleanser 2-3 times a week.

As with anything, consistency is key and make sure to wash your face every morning and every night (twice in the night if you have make up on).

Remember you can also purge so stick at it as it may get worse before getting better.

I’m 40 and I’ve only just started noticing fine lines around the eyes and crepey eyelids. until a couple of months ago all I’d ever done was cleanse and use moisturizer, and that was only in the morning. No cleansing or moisturizer at night ever. Cheap as possible. In fact in recent years I bought moisturizer from Pound Land and used that.

I very rarely have spots, I have ‘normal’ skin (ie not oily or dry), I just want the wrinkles not to deepen and/or multiply!

I like the Ordinary and Strivectin serums I bought because they have lots of different ingredients in them, negating the need for loads of separate bottles/more steps. The Strivectin feels particularly nice on the skin.

And I need to start getting used to cleansing in the pm.

Have you considered a retinol eye cream/serum? Murad and Medik8 are worth looking at.

Ultimately you’ll never beat cosmetic treatments such as Botox, profhilo or surgical/non surgical blepharoplasty. I’d have eyelid surgery myself if I could justify the cost!!

 

[noseybirdxo]

Thank you I have the c-tetra and retinol 10 in my basket, but might get the 6 first have you tried the advanced night restore? I have tonnes of other products but want to whittle it down now and kind of settled on medik8. Although I did really rate the Dr Dennis Advanced Retinol and Ferulic Range.

what is your experience with retinol? like what have you used in the past and what strength? retinal is a bit difference to retinol. i’ve not used the advanced night restore but it’ll be great because of the ceramics and peptides in it for maintaining good barrier if you’re gonna get the c tetra and the retinal then make sure you are using spf after you’ve used c-tetra in the AM - CSA method is great for getting the best of your retinal and products x

 

[Traazers]

I signed up to be a Beauty Bible tester a couple of months ago and my parcel was dispached yesterday! I'm getting my forms I need to fill out through email today which I'm hoping will have a list of the products I'll be testing as I can't wait!

I have one of those ‘vampire facials’ on Thursday. I won it in a charity night at the aesthetics place I go. I’ve never had one. Has anyone else had one?

I'd recommend also asking here: https://tattle.life/threads/beyond-skincare-2-beauty-devices-and-procedures.18278/

 

[Codiaeum]

Do you use an eye cream or another moisturizer under your sunscreen? That can make the sunscreen slide into your eyes...

My undying sunscreen love is Bioré sun Watery Essence, it's the absolute best, very light and doesn't sting at all, it's one of the very few that doesn't creep into my eyes.

 

[TakeYourMama]

If anyone's after an SPF recommendation, I've been using Cetaphil for the last couple weeks and it's been pretty good. A lot of them make my eyes red and itchy but this has been fine. Not too greasy on either and no breakouts yet

It wasn't too expensive - I think it's usually about £9-10 but I got it for £6 on offer in Sainsbury's

-Bondi Sands Hydra SPF 50 (buy the body one, same ingredients as the face one and cheaper as its a huge bottle)
-Boots Soltan SPF 50 Sensitive (body again for the same reasons)

I have dry, sensitive skin and neither of these irritate my skin or eyes (you need fragrance free to avoid eye irritation).

 

[Also_smoke_and_mirrors]

I have a terrible rosecea flare up. Nothing I usually use or do is helping. Any suggestions

You have my sympathies. It's an awful condition. Dr Jart cicapair serum and cream work well for me when I have a burning/flushing phase. If you have a LED face mask that can lessen it too in general. I tend to just use cool water to cleanse (unless you have make up or sunscreen on of course) and then use cicapair serum, azelaic acid and very basic moisturiser until it passes.

 

[petitspois]

I think the main thing you should use daily is SPF and eye cream. The acid could be a glycolic or bha (glycolic for dull skin, bha if your skin is oily). If your skin is normal, you could skip this completely. The spray hydrate isn’t really needed either (in my opinion) but Superdrug do a good vitamin e spray for £3 if you wanted to try.

Serum - maybe hyaluronic acid to keep your skin plump? This could be used before the spray as hyaluronic acid attracts water from around you.

Moisturiser - Whichever your prefer, I really like Avene moisturisers for everyday wear.

SPF - I think this is the key step daily. I like la roche posay anthelios but it’s quite pricey. I think garnier do a good one.

Night

I like double cleansing! It’s key if you’ve worn makeup and spf during the day. Start with a balm/oil cleanser then your cleanser what you use on a morning.

Start off with retinol 2-3 times a week then build up to every other night then every night. What retinol product are you thinking of using? The la roche posay retinol is gentle for newbies.

treatment - don’t use any acids on the nights you use retinol. Treatment could just be your serum from daytime or something more moisturising for night time.


I hope this helps, sorry for the long post!

aw, thank you! The only steps I'm happy with are my Liz Earle cleanser and Heliocare SPF but that's all so far. Could you recommend a decent retinol and serum/HA please? Also - what is nicotinamide that I see people talking about? is that an acid?? and also where does vit c come in?

TY x

 

[ouroboros]

I only use it two or three times a week and never with retinol. I wouldn’t use any active ingredient with retinol as you could damage your skin barrier and it’ll take ages to recover. I use tretinoin nightly and use the Ren in the morning as and when I need it. Exercise caution and you’ll be fine

All the ladies using ren glow tonic, do you use it 2 times a day? And do use it with retinol?

I use mine in the morning and it gives a lovely glow so not sure i need it 2 times a day but I also use retinol at night with the glow cream which i know is ok but can’t see anything about it being compatible with the tonic, i assumed not because its an exfoliant?

I have heard the tonic and cream together gives better results but i dont want to stop using retinol

I've been using it at night after cleanser/face wash with Vichy night cream (Ingredient: Caffeine, Ceramides, Green Tea, Hyaluronic Acid

I’ve been using it at night. Not sure if that’s right. I also have the REN jelly cleanser. I’m convinced these have helped my skin enormously over the last few days.
I’m also interested in the Dr Dennis peel that was mentioned further up.

I use it at night only. I only use extra virgin olive oil in the day as my skin just wants moisture.

 

[glowup]

What is retinol used for ?

I’ve been using witch hazel from any chemist or home bargains on a cotton pad after I wash my face and when I ran out I noticed loads more under the skin spots appearing (not red but raised) and when I began to use again they begin to disappear!

if I don’t manage to wash my skin thoroughly for a couple of days, they come back (always around the chin) so along with witch hazel I dab sudocrem on my chin area at night which helps to dry the area out and they disappear

Retinol is Vitamin A which initially used as a spot treatment as it resurfaces the skin. Since then it's mainly used for anti-ageing so fine lines, smoothing the skin, etc.

Differin is one of the original spot treating retinols so might be worth trying. I don't have any personal experience of using it though.

 

[Lipgoss]

If you're looking for a less pricey hot cloth cleanser I highly recommend Superdrug's Vitamin E one it's lovely - in fact the whole Vitamin E range by Superdrug is great I swear by it

Second this about the Superdrug one, and also adding that I really rate the 'Your Good Skin' one from Boots. It's lovely and still a more affordable option but the packaging looks a wee bit more luxe, if you're like me and like things to match your bathroom!

 

[HumphreyB]

I was planning to use them separately (alternating nights) but I think I may lay off the bha for a while, while I'm introducing the retinol.

Id lay off the bha while you introduce the retinol. It can be a lot at once

 

[Nottonightbabe]

Hi, can anyone give me a little advice please! My husband is terribly stressed and has developed extremely bad, dark circles around his eyes. I know nothing is a miracle worker but can anyone suggest a non surgical cream or treatment that may help to improve them? They’re starting to effect his confidence! Preferably something which doesn’t require a remortgage on the house ! Help! X

With dark circles it often depends on the cause, as to what if anything will improve them. I think in a lot of cases, best results come from making sure everything is tip top inside the body, so sleep, lots of water, good foods, limiting salt and alcohol. I know that all of these things are easier said than done when stress is a factor!

For topical treatments, I see caffeine has already been mentioned, some creams have brightening ingredients in too, such as liquorice, Facetheory has one that's reasonable.

This cream is a 'men's' range one that has good reviews and is supposed to offer an instant effect as well as long term - https://www.boots.com/harrys-brightening-eye-cream-15ml-10294944

 

[Very Cherry]

I love the correction cream, it’s actually really lovely for them no make up days. I’ve worn it out with just concealer and a bit of bronzer and highlight and mascara and it looked sooooo nice. I wanna look at their repair cream.

Has anyone got any recommendations of a lightweight moisturiser? Potentially a gel type moisturiser..

The only gel mosturisers I've used are Clinique Moisture Surge and Neutrogena Hydra Boost gel. I liked them both equally but the Neutrogena is much cheaper.

 

[under the ivy]

Hi, never posted here before I was recommended the Ordinary skin care so ordered a set box with the cleanser, masque, niacinamide and moisturiser. I've been using it a couple days and my skin maybe subconsciously feels amazing! I was just wondering if I should leave it at that or add any other bits to my skincare routine? Tia

SPF for day time - This one is meant to be good

An eye cream really helps I find. There’s lots to choose from but I usually go for a moisturising one.

A hydrating serum (ordinary do a hyaluronic acid which is good) and maybe a vitamin c serum.

It’s not good to overwhelm your skin though. See how you go with the products you have and then if your skin tolerates them, you can introduce new products

 

[Natterbox80]

Can anyone help with adult acne please? My face is covered in blackheads and I get acne on my back and the top of my arms, really painful big spots.
I use salicylic acid but it doesn't seem to be doing anything so any advice would be great please.

I have never had body acne but face acne nothing worked other than going GENTLE. Eliminating harsh scrubs and drying creams in order to rebuild my skin barrier.

You could try Differin which is a new type of retinoid. Or just use Tretinoin which also speeds up cell turnover and clears pores. Might have to go to Derm for Tret, just GP for Differin.

I find pimple patches great for sore pimples when they come to a head.