Skin Care Part 2
I last talked about my skin care routine here and since then have added a few products to the roster.
Let me start with what my issues were: redness, under the skin pimples/clogged pores, non-smooth texture..over all not good without makeup.
I have been using the Dr.Dennis Gross beta peel pads for a few months now, I started every night and now use them 3-ish times a week. Slowing down because they are not only expensive but I started incorporating new things and didn't want to over do it.
If you are not an into the gloss reader and are a beauty junkie I don't know what you do with your spare time, haha! I now search any and every product I am considering or even curious about on ITG. Not only to see who is using it and why they love it but how they use. It is not only important to pay attention to am vs pm use but where in the line up it needs to live. My main goal with spending a lot of time and money on skincare was to wear less makeup, plain and simple. After a few weeks of using these great products regularly my skin has significantly improved. It is less red and blotchy all the time, my pores have unclogged meaning no more bumps! I am going to share what new products I have added to my routine.
The two products I had been reading about for months and have had friends tell me I needed to get were: Sunday Riley Good Genes and Biologique Recherche p50. Sunday Riley Good Genes is a lactic acid treatment that helps improve skin tone, minimize pore size and brighten skin. It smells like crap and everyone who has used it knows that but it is not so bad where I gag or anything. p50 was the product that I had read about and seen in a lot of articles but no one really knows about. You can only buy it on random spa websites that require a log in before even showing you the price...I don't get it or know why. It is a French skincare company but they have stolen the hearts of peoples skin that I admire so it must be that good to not be sold at American retailers! It is called a 'lotion' but is more a toner aimed to exfoliate and balance the ph (great article about it in more detail here) .
PM: Wash face with either Glossier Milky Jelly, Cetaphil or Tata Harper Oil Wash, all remove makeup great and allow me to rub my eyes without crying out in pain. Remove any excess mascara with Ponds Cold Cream (reviewed in detail here). Then I switch between the following three routines:
1- Beta Peel pad + serum + oil 2- p50 + Good Genes + serum + moisturizer 3- baking soda mask + toner/p50 + serum + moisturizer/oil
The Beta Peel Pads and the Good Genes are both made up of a lot of acids so together would just be too much. I wake up with toned skin and tightened pores. The switching of oil to moisturizer varies based on how dry I feel and if I am going right to sleep or have time for the oil to absorb. I think the beta peel pads are a little more drying than the p50/good genes-well not drying in a scary way but that they tackle acne so I feel like it pulls out some of my skins natural oils more. The baking soda mask is a super new thing that I stumbled upon when researching how to unclog pores and turns out one of my best friends moms swears by it so I gave it a shot and am not turning back! 2 tbs of baking soda and 1 tbs of water makes a creamy texture that you'll leave on for about 5 minutes. Afterwards my skin feel soo clean and like no pimples could ever live there. It does open your pores up (obviously to de-clog them) so be careful about what you use next. Most serums are pore tightening which is great, you just don't want to use a moisturizer or oil right after and clog them back up. I will use an exfoliating face wash (Tata Harper or Laura Mercier Face Polish) in the shower if I was feeling extra dry or worked out that night and need a little extra scrub.
AM: I am not an am face washer unless I work out; in my mind washing my face can cause it to un-calm after a nights sleep and I don't usually have time to wait for it to calm down lol. My morning routine is pretty boring in comparison to the night before. I will use a serum and a moisturizer (TBH I am in between moisturizers right now and having been going without and not hating it...only bc I am not wearing foundation) along with an eye cream. Eye cream in the am you say!? Well in one of the many articles I read recently it said you should use them in am vs pm. I have never been able to see crazy differences with eye creams use so I am kind of whatever on the topic. The one thing that I think was/is a real game changer is giving your am products time to soak in. I'll put the serum on then brush my teeth, get dressed whatever, but give each layer time. If you think about it we give our pm products 8+ hours to do their job but in the morning we just throw a bunch of stuff on our face and get frustrated when our makeup isn't immediately perfect.
Speaking of makeup.... I have now been gifted with the ability to wear less. As I write this I plan on posting a selfie on instagram to promote this post and show off my new non makeup pretty skin ;). I only wear under eye concealer (glossier) under my eyes (no shit) and a little on any red spots, which tend to be on the sides of my nose and the tops of my cheeks. From there is just depends on where I am headed...work = blush and mascara, out= contour and highlighter. Now blending powder is a different task when it is not on foundation, it is a little harder..I say it takes 10 more seconds haha.
OK if you made it through this thank you and I truly hope it was informative and helped! Please ask any questions!