the constant canvas: skincare!

[schiaparelli]

hello, let's talk about skincare.

what's your routine? what's worked, what hasn't worked? teenage acne problems go here, or early-twenties-my-skin-has-betrayed-me acne problems. do you wear sunscreen? do you feel guilty now that i asked that question? how vain are you about your skin? can you compose illustrative metaphors about the power (or futility) of proactiv? how much sun do you get? how much sleep do you get? what are your habits?

i don't know i'm just trying to make this sound legit. but i think skincare is interesting to me because it's the constant canvas and starting point for any experimentation with hair, makeup, &c.

[RycePooding]

I've always had relatively good skin, which makes any pimple seem like the end of the world.

Just wash my face any time im in the shower with whatever soap is around, seems to work okay for me.

Historically bad about sun screen, really should get better about it, get a horrible sun burn every year.

Shaving irritates my skin, but it's probably because I've been using the same disposable razor for too long

[schiaparelli]

[kyung]

I used to have a moderate amount of acne in the beginning of high school, but hands down the number one thing that helped me wasn't a product, but drinking a shit-ton of water. I cut out all soft drinks minus coffee and all natural juice and it was really cool to see the difference it made. I had more energy and I feel like I lost a bit of weight because of it too (though this might be b.s) and now it's a regular thing for me to drink like 5+ liters of water a day for me. Granted, you pee like every hour but other than that, no problems.

Nowadays, I use St. Ives apricot scrub at night and stuff in the morning. I got my hands on the Ursa Major stuff through some free samples at Hickorees and I decided to try the face tonic thing. This was the first sort of non supermarket brand skincare product I had used and it's great. It tightens and wakes up your face after you wake up and the smell is pretty good too. I have pretty oily skin but applying a couple of splashes periodically through the day helps me keep it in control.

[spahdfgo]

Cleanser (currently using Biotherm something) and moisturizer (Clarins) daily and that's about it. It helped cleared some of my acne but not completely but it wasn't meant for that anyway.

I don't tan and living in Paris, I really have to worry about getting too much sun.

I think everybody should take care of their skin, wandering around Rome and seeing all the 40 year old italian women with completely wrinkled faces is not exactly a turn on

[Catfush]

I used to have pretty substantial acne until about a year ago. Took a lot of trial and error but I finally figured out a routine that works well for my fickle skin. I was my face every morning with Cetaphil Oil Control Acne Wash and then I moisturize with 100% jojoba oil. Also, I always put a fresh towel on my pillow and this has seemed to help a ton.

The biggest thing that helped my skin was cutting out anything high in sugar. I cut out pretty much all sugar from my diet, aside from apples, berries, and the occasional banana.

While my face has never been clearer, my back/chest has broken out quite badly in the past few months and I'm unsure why. Going to try natural detergent (seems to be only where my clothes touch my body) coupled with tea tree oil baths to see if that does anything.

[SteevMike]

i get the odd pimple but never really had legit skin problems since, like, high school

however, my skin is p oily and i have large nose pores and the couple of regular skin care routines i've tried never seemed to do much w/r/t addressing either of those

[hmwut]

i've had chronic moderate/cystic acne for a long time. started sophomore year, and i think i'm on the tail end of it now. it's been shitty, not only because of problems with self-image and irritation and medication and all that, but just because of how LONG it's been going on for. it's a relatively minor part of my life, but when a relatively minor part of your life is one of the only things that's consistently there for years, it starts to eat at you mentally.

like i said though, i believe i'm on the tail end due to recent success with my regimen. it's been a long period of trial and error (including a stint with natural oils and astringents), but I think what I have now is producing the best, most consistent results i've had in a long time.

i use:
10% benzoyl peroxide face wash in the morning
clindamycin once in the morning
10% salicylic acid stridex pads in the morning, periodically through the day, and at night (seriously recommend these, adding this was the key to the puzzle)
aleve moisturizer
tazorac (tazarotene) topical cream in the morning and at night
benzoyl peroxide topical cream at night

acne problems have been good for me in a way. it's forced me to focus on the underlying issue of the problem, pay attention to my personal hygiene and be mindful of balance. too much product and it will irritate your skin and exacerbate the problem, too little and it's not enough to be effective. dry skin is also an issue, but that's been resolved with diligent exfoliation.

waking up in the morning with a clear face is not only good for self-image, it's good as relief from a chronic issue. it's still something to deal with, but having the upper hand makes a world of difference.

[anshin]

best place for skin care info http://www.reddit.com/r/skincareaddiction

anyway, i use a cleanser at night and just splash my face with water in the morning. i use a moisturizer morning & night and apply sunscreen every morning. i've found that that simpler the routine is the better, at least for my skin.

and schia u want a separate sunscreen for your skin, only spf 15 or 20 bb cream won't do anything to protect your skin. the sunscreen i use is the 'neutrogena ultra sheer dry touch spf 45' thought im sure any non-irritating sunscreen over spf 30 should work.

[schiaparelli]

Catfush, i used to religiously do the towel/new pillow cover every few days and it indeed helped a ton. i think i'll start repurposing old t-shirts for that and get into the habit.

i think skin for me, as huhwot said, was the gateway to caring about overall health. vanity motivates best and i'm not going to fight that, just accept it and use it for good. i also drink a ton of water now, and being careful to eat healthier. it's not always easy, and it sucks to avoid cheese (since i usually break out like mad after a good amount of cheese consumption) but something something practicing moderation…

anshin, you're probably right. will check out the neutrogena and try to get into a daily habit! my big problem with sunscreens is that i hate the feeling of slickness and oiliness…ever since i stopped playing tennis on the reg i've also avoided sunscreen.

(edit) i'm checking out the neutrogena right now. what is the most reasonable everyday SPF? my sun exposure veers from walking in and out of buildings (30min exposure max) during the school year to maybe 2 hours biking around without time to reapply

[charybdis]

I'm surprised I haven't wrecked my skin.

I think switching to bb cream instead of dabbing concealer is going to do wonders for me though.

I'm a low maintenance girl though. So generally I just use wipes to remove makeup and a wet towel to clean my face at the end of the day.

[Syeknom]

[hunnish]

I was just thinking about making this thread! I only recently started getting into this and actually developing a routine. Before I would just use whatever my mom gave me.

Morning:

Clean and Clear acne cleanser: very thick and pasty but I feel it gets the job done.
Clean and Clear acne moisturizer: I use it because I have it and it's supposed to be good for prevention.
CeraVe moisturizer: applied liberally because it's great.

Evening:

CeraVe hydrating cleanser
Clean and Clear exfoliator: only recently started exfoliating but I haven't noticed any dryness or redness so I think it's doing its job well.
CeraVe moisturizer

I've also recently started wet shaving (I guess we could also talk about this here) because using disposable razors were giving me a terrible shave and consistent razor burn. My setup right now is pretty basic/entry-level: Edwin Jagger De86bl, a SimplyBeautiful badger hair brush , Speick shaving cream, and an assortment of blades to try out. It took 4 bad shaves until a couple days ago where I finally did it right getting 0 cuts (nick relief sticks are definitely a must for anyone who's going to start this) and the smoothest shave I've ever had. I honestly didn't know my face could be that smooth. It took about 4 passes but it was worth the time. Also, creating a good lather sometimes take a couple minutes (even longer with a boar brush whose bristles are much coarser) and in the beginning it's sometimes difficult to create a lather with the right amount of moisture. I found the best way to be 1) soak the brush in water while showering 2) flick off a bit of the moisture from the brush 3) put about a dime-sized dollop of cream into the bowl 4) mix for a a minute or so and dip brush into water to add moisture as needed. I use an alum block following each shave, but it's still stinging when I use it so I've got some practicing to do. If anyone has a good after shave to recommend, I'm all ears. I'm excited to keep improving my technique and I'll probably ask for a proper bowl and stand for xmas as mixing lather in the same bowl I eat soup from probably isn't the most sanitary option.

/r/skincareddiction and /r/wicked_edge have been great resources

[hmwut]

let's parallel an aspect of this discussion with a familiar topic point of clothing - what is the stratification of skincare product quality? does a $7 product do as much as a $70 product, or little enough that the difference is marginal and only worth it to hobbyists?

i'd like to answer this myself but frankly i have no experience. my girlfriend loves skincare and makeup, and while i didn't get to try any topicals, i used her clarisonic electronic facial brush. it requires dedicated use to have a significant impact, but as an exfoliant and cleanser it was very effective. she's also recommended me several tone eveners to combat acne inflammation/scarring, and while they cost a fair amount i'm inclined to think they're worth it.

[schiaparelli]

oh, good question. i wish i knew. when i hang around /r/skincareaddiction they largely advise drugstore brands as base products (cerave and cetaphil are pretty accessible). i'm guessing that those match more budgets/more people have tried them/they really are solid skincare regimen mainstays, but i've often wondered where the benefit is in spending more with skincare.

i also read and it's a beauty blog that interviews the fashion set and has writers drawn from the fashion set…so is that the reason they have more of a brand-heavy emphasis? a lot of what people tend to mention there are slightly more hyped cosmetics and creams and whatnot.

hoping hirokinakamura will contribute to this thread at some point since i know he's a fan of aesop and i'd like to know his thoughts on the high/low end question

[okayfruit]

[kewks]

I figured out that for skin care right now, Kiehl's is really for me. Not to mention, they have awesome service and invite me to private events even though I really don't buy much there! Their sales associates seem to be really educated on the product and they can match my needs or suggest things that might work for me. And they give lots of samples!

I don't use that many products. In the morning I use Ultra Facial Oil Free cleanser and to moisturize I've recently started to use the Ultra Facial moisturizer with SPF 30. I've used the cleanser for awhile and I'm just waiting for it to run out because I'm ready for a new one, but it's been good so far. The moisturizer is really nice. I used to use Aveeno or Neutrogena daily moisturizers with SPF but the Kiehl's one isn't as oily or thick.

At night I take my eye makeup off with a remover from Sephora and then use the same cleanser. Then I use the Midnight Recovery Concentrate which has worked wonders on my dry spots and has brightened and smoothed my skin. It's great! I am still trying to look for a good night eye cream and a cleansing oil to apply before I use my cleanser though.

[hooplah]

my skincare routine is that if something gets on my face that i don't want there, i wipe it off with my finger
that's pretty much it

i was blessed with good skin (knock on wood), so i just don't fuck with it. i just let it do its thing. i get a pimple like once every 4 or 5 months and then sometimes in the winter i'll get dry in spots but overall my skin is my fellow teen
i do use sunscreen every day though, gotta maintain that ~*~pale asian skin~*~

edit: fine, just to please disby, i sometimes use shiseido the skincare (wash and brush) if i'm feeling extra fancy. it never fully takes off all my makeup though, i come out looking like a raccoon

[smiles]

Aesop fanboy~~~

Aesop fabulous facewash
Aesop bodywash
Aesop oil-free serum combined with Aesop post-shave moisturiser
Aesop something Tea toner
Aesop lip cream if my lips are chapped
Aesop shaving serum

baxter deodorant

used to have moderately bad acne. its mostly better now but my face tends to get oily which is really frustrating. i also drink lots of water.

yes, Aesop is expensive but i've found that it works really well for me. all of the other facial cleansers really dried out my face and the moisturisers were too oily. never use scrub shit (maybe once a week) that stuff is really bad for you skin.

the packaging/branding for aseop is also excellent which makes it additionally worth it for me.

[pips]

I have extremely oily skin and live in a very humid city, two things that dont go well together.

Right now I'm using this pore minimizing cleanser that has some sort of cooling agent that makes it feel like you have a mint mask on or something when you're washing your face. After that I use Hada Labo lotion, the clear one, which is to my understanding considered as a toner. I'm not using any sort of moisturizer right now but I'm planning to get one from Hada Labo as well.

I used to mess with oil cleansing but I never got past the purging stage. My skin did feel much softer when I was oil cleansing though. I just wish the skin purging wasn't so painful, literally, because I got several cystic pimples all at the same time when I was doing that shit.

For makeup I use a gel BB cream from Kanebo that has SPF so it's like one step less. I'm also considering buying a wide spectrum sunblock from VMV Hypoallergenics.

Generally speaking I have fairly okay skin. The oiliness is the bane of my existence and with it comes things like blackheads which I take care of by having facials about once a month (should be more frequent but money :< ). There's one product I'm really fond of and never ceases to amaze me every time I use it: Cure Natural Aqua Gel. It's this gel exfoliator you rub on dry skin and as you do that it sloughs off the dirt/dead skin/oil and turns it into something that looks like eraser rubbings which you wash off afterwards. It's hard to explain but I swear that stuff is magic. Downside is it's expensive as hell.

[LandslideBaby]

Yay, fun!

After a blissful period of pimple free teenage years due to birth control it started drying my skin TERRIBLY. I stopped taking it, tried another but got off of it eventually and now I'm having lots of hormonal breakouts. I don't mind the pimples as much, but since I'm pale(lol yes I'm portuguese and pale) and with thin skin the redness shows a lot and lasts a lost. SUCKS. Also, I admit that I'm completely futile and a product slut who likes pretty packaging, good smelling things and trying on new stuff.

Morning:
Korres White Tea Fluid Gel Cleanser- it smells nice and doesn't dry my skin
Liz Earle tonic- it's pleasant on the skin, but I want to end it and start using serozinc.
Nuxe Créme fraiche de beauté light- packaging is nice, texture is nice, although it separated on the summer and it was weird.
Liz Earle eye cream- my desperate attempts to have a non creased concealer.
Kiehls Spf 50
Makeup
If I'm running late and/or lazy I skip the last 4 steps and just apply the Nars tinted moisturiser.


Night:
Trilogy cleansing cream- I love this so much, I use it and remove it with a muslim cloth.
The Liz Earle tonic
Estée Lauder Advanced Night repair- I only bought this because a trusted friend said it worked on her to fade the scarring.
Rosehip Oil
A yes to (tomatoes?) cream that was way to rich to use in the morning.
Usually bepanthen on my lips because they hate me and this is the only thing that works

Ocasionally:

Aesop Chamomile mask
Clarins Exfoliating toner(I only used this once but the next day i woke up with amazing soft skin)
YSL Instant Pur Gommage sans grain - one of the only 2 good recommendations I had at sephora
Clinique - Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief- the other good recommendation I had at sephora

[bels]

All Paula's choice everything. Would like to use kiehls, Aesop or Baxter because they have cooler packaging but whatever

[fun_yunchables]

does anyone have experience with malin+goetz grapefruit cleanser? I have relatively clear skin (short of an occasional stress pimple) but my main problem is that I have combination skin with an oily forehead and nose. I've been using tea tree oil to help reduce the oiliness but it seems a little harsh so I was looking for something gentler.

[sparkyoriental]

I don't have any acne issues, but my skin is extremely dry. I also swim in a heated chlorinated pool 3x a week which exacerbates its natural dryness. For swimmers, what has helped me:

before getting in the pool, shower. apply a thin layer of aquaphor or vaseline over your face and any commonly dry areas. completely saturate hair and apply a small amount of whatever conditioner throughout. use a cap.

after swimming, immediately shower. apply a heavy moisturizer afterwards then another layer of aquaphor or vaseline to seal in the moisture.

a humidifier is also helpful.

I also have a clarisonic which I use with Boots No. 7 dry skin cleansing balm. That is hands down the best cleanser I have used for dry skin. If I am wearing makeup, I'll massage sweet almond oil everywhere to remove the makeup, wipe it off with a towel, and then wash with the cleansing balm. I follow up with a heavy lotion or cream and then again another layer of aquaphor. spf everyday. I've been using Neutrogena's ultra sheer dry touch spf whatever for about a decade but I switched to a physical sunscreen from cvs a couple weeks ago and I prefer it.

the crux of this comment: aquaphor

[bueno]

Started moisturising my face morning and evening which i've never done before and after a week my skin is feeling and looking quite a lot better. Not sure why i never did before.

[iffe]

In the morning I wash my face in the shower. After that I apply a moisturising lotion. Once a week or so I use a peeling lotion. I also change my pillowcase multiple times a week, I guess that counts as skincare.

I have no idea what I'm doing.

[hmwut]

for everyone like me that struggles with cystic acne, here is your salvation:


http://www.amazon.com/Nexcare-Absorbing ... ds=nexcare

hydrocolloid patches. they suck out all the nasty shit that's been festering in that gross thing on your face, and can make a huuuuuuge difference in a night. they're particularly popular in asia from what i've gathered, and have only recently hit american markets. amazon is the main place to get them, but there are sellers distributing the asian versions on ebay too.

rapgenius thread about them: http://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddicti ... now_about/

[hmwut]

uh heres a working link http://tinyurl.com/pob3nuo

also you can just buy adhesive hydrocolloid bandages and cut them up into a patch, which should be alot cheaper.

[sid3000]

Current setup


anti blemish mask, moisturizer, face cleanser. I use the mask once a week and the other two before bed daily.

Ive been leeching off aesop samples for a while with bouts of success and wanted to trickle down my "routine" to like two things because I have the discipline of a baby goat and want to make it as simple as possible so I would actually do it regularly. It was expensive and I'm not really sure if it's going to work consistently but it's nice to have something to believe in and my skin doesnt usually give me problems anyway and I'm mostly doing this for preventative measures so I dont hate myself 20 years from now.

[sparkyoriental]

I had terrible acne as a young kid (started at age 10) and eventually went to a derm when I was about 11. She prescribed Retin-A, Cetaphil, and Neutrogena sunscreen. It cleared up my acne in about 6 months and I haven't really broken out since. Retin-A is prescription only in the U.S. and I haven't been to a derm so I haven't bothered with it. It's OTC in China though, and my dad brought back a few tubes of it. I've been using it for about 3 weeks.

HOLY COW my skin looks amazing. My skin looks photoshopped. My pores are gone. I don't think my skin has ever looked this good.

What I do now:

evening:
wash face with Cetaphil Gentle Skin cleanser (really like this, I've used it for the better part of 10 years. super cheap as well, ~$15/16 oz. and lasts almost a year)
apply Retin-A 0.01%

morning:
Banana Boat Natural sunscreen spf 50 (really nice physical sunscreen with zinc oxide/titanium dioxide, doesn't have too much of a white cast and isn't greasy/shiny on the skin. I got it at Target)

Someone on this thread mentioned r/skincareaddiction and one of their recommendations is a Vitamin C serum. I'm going to order some and a tube of Biafine. Hopefully the Biafine will soothe the rashes I get from the chlorine in pools. It's so expensive in the U.S., though! The small tube is $40 and it's <10 euroes in France.