Wanting To Revamp My Routine!

Aug 16, 2016

Alexis C.

I've been wanting to revamp my skincare routine for awhile but since I really don't know much about skincare I didn't know where to start!

I have normal to oily skin with hyper pigmentation and occasional breakouts.

Current Routine:

Morning:
-splash of water
-Pixi Glow Tonic
-Garnier SkinActive Clearly Brighter Moisturizer SPF 15

Night:
-Neutrogena Ultra Light Cleansing Oil (to remove makeup)
-Origins Checks & Balances Frothy Face Wash
-Clarisonic Mia 1
-Boscia Exfoliating Peel Gel
-No7 Beautiful Skin Toner for Normal/Oily Skin
-Korres Wild Rose Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial

I also use the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask, but not as often as I probably should.

Any product recommendations? Anything I should add or remove from my routine? Any suggestions and/or tips/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Aug 17, 2016

Brook A.

I really LOVE the Walgreens Acne Control Facial Wash. It in a purple bottle with white polka dots.

Aug 17, 2016

Brook A.

It's

Aug 17, 2016

Alexis C.

Thanks, Brook (:

Aug 17, 2016

Leuca S.

I basically recommend Paula's Choice to everybody I meet.

The Pixi Glow Tonic contains witch hazel, which means it basically contains unlisted alcohol (the bad kind), as alcohol is a natural byproduct of the witch hazel distillation process. It's also a highly tannic ingredient, which mean it constricts blood vessels just under the skin's surface and can cause further irritation.

Your SPF product has loads of fragrance ingredients, which are inherently damaging to the skin, even if you aren't seeing outward signs of it. Looking at the ingredient list I can see: citral, geraniol, limonene, linalool, and then the "fragrance" listed at the end.

The Origins face wash contains lavender, which I don't ever let touch my skin if I can avoid it. It's inherently irritating and can also be phototoxic like citrus extracts.

Looking at the Boscia peel gel it looks like something along the lines of 75% of the plant extracts are irritating, phototoxic, or both.

The No7 toner contains a really high amount of SD alcohol, which you shouldn't have high amounts of in any skin care product.

The Korres Wild Rose product contains denatured alcohol as the fourth ingredient, and is followed by a bevy of fragrance.

Coming from the perspective of somebody who's been privately researching the science of skincare for the better part of 6 years, I would recommend revamping your routine.

Aug 17, 2016

Alexis C.

Thanks, Leuca. Pretty disheartening to see that basically all of my skincare isn't doing anything for me...

Aug 17, 2016

Delara g.

I have been using Paula's choice for a few weeks now and my skin has gotten cleaner and my blemishes are fading, I have dry sensitive skin and although they state that their products are non irritant, I get a little bit of tingling from the cleanser. I really like the toners though, they do not irritate me.

Overall I recommend their products but it is on the expensive side, especially if all your products are Paula's choice

Aug 17, 2016

Alexis C.

Thanks, Delara

Aug 17, 2016

Leuca S.

I apologize if I was blunt. I spent a really long time and more money than I care to admit on products that weren't worth it.

The good news is that it's never too late to start! Even better is that once you start giving it what it needs, your skin has a remarkable ability to snap back into good shape if you start early.

Aug 17, 2016

Alexis C.

Well I thought my skin was in good shape but I guess it isn't.

Aug 17, 2016

Leuca S.

That probably means you have naturally resilient skin; that's not a bad thing! Investing in products that really work and don't contain all that bad junk just means your skin will look even better.

I haven't needed foundation for my face in a long time. I basically only break out if I skip/slack on my routine now. The results are totally worth it, and you'll be able to spend money on the more fun side of makeup; my current obsession is highlighters.

Aug 17, 2016

Dana E.

Skincare is overwhelming. I use the Garnier moisturizer as well and really like it, I really feel like it helps fade my dark spots.

I don't use anything "special" or super super expensive on my skin and I'm happy with my it. I have a few spots left to get rid of, but I am happy with my routine.

This isn't personal Leuca so don't take it personally :) however I just feel like almost anything can be bad for your skin, there is almost no way to avoid something harmful. I feel like most people (not personal) don't need to take extreme heavy measures like that. If something works for you, it works. You know? I don't wear full coverage foundation because I hate my skin. I wear full coverage because I like the way it looks and enjoy that "full face" look. :)

Aug 17, 2016

Leuca S.

I don't take it personally at all. Skin care as a science is quite intimidating, because everybody is different, so there is a degree of subjectivity within a field that has things which are proven to be beneficial.

However, short of being allergic to certain ingredients (for instance, not being able to use chamomile as an anti irritant because you have a ragweed allergy), there is absolutely a way to find products that totally agree with your skin. There are thousands upon thousands of ingredients with exhaustive amounts of research being done on them, and there are a few companies that only use ingredients which have demonstrated benefit for the skin, or in other words, ingredients that have scientific evidence backing their efficacy.

Just as lemon is universally phototoxic on all skin, so is denatured/SD alcohol drying and damaging to the skin, so are fragrance ingredients irritating and damaging to collagen/elastin, and so is retinol one of the most potent anti aging ingredients ever discovered, decades into its use as a skincare ingredient. To dismiss the science behind skincare is to really be missing out on a host of benefits.

Good skincare works; that's all there is to it.

Aug 17, 2016

Kat S.

I love the St. Ives Apricot scrub.

Aug 17, 2016

Alexis C.

Kat, I don't find that scrub to be good for the skin but thanks

Dana, I'm happy with my skin as well (at least I was before making this thread), I just wanted to see if there was anything else I could/should do

Aug 17, 2016

Alexis C.

Thank you for all your help, suggestions, and information, Rozberry! I just bought a Sephora Favorites skincare set so I'm going to try out the products in there and see what happens (: