Review: CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum

I finished using CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum. It lasted about 7-8 months. Just a guess. I’ve been using it on and off for a while. More on this product….

• Defends the skin against free radicals
• Antioxidant
• Skin brightening
• Improves the appearance of fine lines, dark circles, and uneven skin tone
• Contains 10% vitamin c (L-ascorbic acid)
• Visibly brighten complexion
• Soft, radiant, and healthy-looking skin
• Contains 3 essential ceramides to restore protective skin barrier
• Hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5 for hydration
• MVE Technology for controlled release for all day hydration
• For all skin types
• For sensitive skin
• Protective packaging to prevent oxidation
• Non-comedogenic
• Paraben-free
• Fragrance-free

I was very excited about this vitamin c serum since it contains 10% L-ascorbic acid, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid. After skimming the ingredient list, I noticed that it contains ingredients that are not suitable for my skin type. I didn’t use it on my face for that reason. I ended up using it on my neck and chest area only. Here are my thoughts on the CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum!

My Experience with CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum:

Texture & Application

As mentioned before, I didn’t use this vitamin c product on my face. The product contains denatured alcohol and isopropyl myristate. These ingredients are not compatible with my skin. Denatured alcohol dries my skin out and irritates it. Isopropyl myristate clogs my pores from my own personal experience. I debated whether to use the serum on my face or not. When I first purchased it, I was looking for a vitamin c serum that I could incorporate into my skincare routine. In the end, I decided not to. The idea floated in my mind for a bit. I wanted to make the right decision. I didn’t want to suffer from breakouts. So my experience using the CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum is on my body (neck and chest area).

The texture of the vitamin c serum is soft and smooth. It blends into the skin nicely and absorbs quickly. It’s very moisturizing. It didn’t leave my skin red, irritated, or dry. But, that’s just on my neck and chest skin. It could be different if I used it on my face, which is more sensitive compared to the skin on my neck and chest area. I really liked the texture and consistency of this product. It was very easy to use. Just dispense the product out of the tube and seal it with the cap. My skin didn’t turn orange using this serum either. It’s been a very nice experience using this vitamin c serum. I wish I could use it on my face. That will only happen if they remove the ingredients I mentioned.

It’s moisturizing!

Even though this vitamin c serum contains denatured alcohol, it’s moisturizing. My skin didn’t dry out or become irritated. I’m not going to test it on my face though. I wish I could, but it’s not going to happen.

Breakouts?

Same with breakouts, I didn’t see any breakouts on my neck or chest. But I don’t break out on my neck or chest often or at all. Once again, I would love to try it out on my face if it didn’t contain denatured alcohol and isopropyl myristate. Isopropyl myristate is at the end of the ingredient list, but I don’t want to bother with it and cause clogged pores. All products I have used in the past that contain isopropyl myristate ended up clogging my pores.

Results…

It’s difficult to tell if the vitamin c serum is doing anything for my neck and chest area. I guess it looks a little brighter and smoother. I can’t tell, haha. I enjoy using it. That’s all that really matters. I’ve had no issues like redness, itchiness, or any other signs of irritation. It’s a nice antioxidant product that’s moisturizing.

Final Thoughts

I didn’t use this product on my face, but my experience using it on my neck and chest area has been positive. It’s a nice moisturizing vitamin c product (10%) to incorporate in a skin care routine. I love that it contains 3 essential ceramides and hyaluronic acid. I wish CeraVe would reformulate the vitamin c serum and remove the 2 ingredients my skin dislikes (denatured alcohol and isopropyl myristate). Since I can’t use this vitamin c serum on my face, I most likely won’t purchase it again.

My Week 3 BP Results!

If you missed out on my updated skin care routine 👈🏻

Some changes have been made, hehe.

Here are my week 3 results!!

I took a break from tazorac and benzoyl peroxide as an all-over skin treatment this week. My skin looked a bit flaky and crusty. If I continued on with these products, my skin would look like crap. I just wasn’t feeling the all-over the face acne treatments like taz and benzoyl peroxide this week. I still used benzoyl peroxide though. Only as a spot treatment. I only targeted my breakout-prone areas. If I see a pimple forming or has formed, I’ll dab a little bit of benzoyl peroxide on that pimple. At the beginning to mid-week, I didn’t use any leave-on actives besides spot treating with benzoyl peroxide. At the end of the week, I noticed pimples that benzoyl peroxide wasn’t able to get at. I started using Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant again. Since I’m not using much (not even a moisturizer), I thought I would give this product a try again, haha. After eliminating so many products including moisturizer, the quality of my skin improved. It looks more natural. The texture of my skin is more refined and healthy-looking. Even with the positives, my skin has been extremely oily. And it’s not from not using a moisturizer. I think it’s my sunscreen. I’m currently using CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint. I haven’t been using Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 much. Maybe once a week or skip it? haha. CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint makes my skin feel oily/greasy, and it could be causing issues that I didn’t expect. I wish I could go sunscreen-free. No products on the skin is best for my skin. *sigh* But that’s never going to happen.

Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant used to dry my skin out (when used with a moisturizer). The times I used it this week, I didn’t experience skin dryness, redness, peeling, or any other skin irritations. Nothing. My skin took this product pretty well. It helped to decrease sebum on my skin, but it didn’t help much with my acne. Hmmm! I noticed even more pimples, which was not from purging. The bha liquid didn’t do much to unclog stubborn clogged pores. Boooo!! I’m not sure if I’m going to keep using it. Perhaps once or twice a week. It’s not as effective against acne (on my skin anyways) compared to when I first used it. Darn, I have a lot of product left too. 😭 So I went back to using benzoyl peroxide. I might take another week off of taz. We’ll see what happens to my skin next week. Nothing seems to work on my acne anymore besides benzoyl peroxide.

Some things I’m thinking about switching out: my sunscreen and cleanser. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance Free has been OK. I’m thinking about switching over to a face wash that contains benzoyl peroxide since I’m not using anything on my skin/face besides an acne treatment and sunscreen. I’m not liking my current sunscreens either. I need a sunscreen that’s more lightweight and less oily/greasy. The ones I’m using could be causing acne issues. Mostly CeraVe. I use it the most out of the two. My skin doesn’t look good after using it. I always make sure to remove it properly too. I think it could be the fact that sunscreens feel super occlusive on the skin, which could lead to breakouts. I have annoying skin. What to do? lol. Nothing ever works for my skin type. 😢

That’s my update for this week! Have a splendid day!

Catch up on my experiences!

Restarting Tret & My First Week Experience

My Week 2 Results With Tret. Changes I’ve Made.

My Week 2 Results With Tret. Changes I’ve Made.

I stopped using tret, lol. After last week’s results, I wasn’t happy with any of it. Using tret directly on my skin yielded better results, but it tore my skin up. The lower strengths of tret, from my experience, don’t have any positive affects on my acne. I tried buffering to lessen the side effects, such as dryness, redness, and any other skin irritations. My results buffering was so poor. My skin ended up so clogged. But It might’ve been the Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence clogging my pores. Or, Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin?? I get mixed results with this moisturizer. So I stopped using Cosrx Snail Mucin Essence and kept using Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer. It’s the only moisturizer that I have. I still can’t find another moisturizer that works without ruining my skin. Vanicream it is for now. Just for now, haha. That’s until I find a better moisturizer for my skin type. Just using the Vanicream moisturizer and leaving out the Snail Mucin Essence, my skin looked better and less clogged. But, my skin didn’t look that good. I could tell that I still had acne issues. It could’ve been better. I can just tell if my skin is improving or not. It just seemed stagnant. Since I stopped using tret, I started using a different retinoid instead. It’s time to switch things up again for another time. This time, it’s tazorac. This retinoid isn’t anything new to me. I’ve used tazorac with amazing results before. It actually cleared my acne up once before like tret. Let’s give it another try. I also started using benzoyl peroxide more frequently than I expected this week too. Here’s my experience and results for week #2!

My Experience with Taz & Benzoyl Peroxide this week!

I used taz 3 times this week. And I used taz 3 times in a row, back-to-back. That was a bad decision. It worked to help clear up some clogged pores, but my skin started to feel dry and started to sting. After using it 3 times in a row, I took a day off. After a day of not using anything but a moisturizer (which stung my skin), I decided to increase my application of benzoyl peroxide. My skin just looked so clogged even when using taz. After 2 days of using benzoyl peroxide, I noticed a dramatic change in my complexion pretty quick. My breakouts diminished. My skin looked cleaner and less clogged. It killed active acne blemishes on the spot. It helped to decrease sebum on the surface of my skin. I also noticed some skin peeling all over my face. Wow, this thing called benzoyl peroxide is amazing. It seems like I’m stuck using it for the rest of my life. It’s the only acne treatment that makes any changes in my skin in a short period of time. Since my skin looks pretty good right now after increasing my use of benzoyl peroxide, I decided to use benzoyl peroxide more often than taz. Taz helps, but I think benzoyl peroxide is where it’s at when it comes to clearing my skin. Every time I use benzoyl peroxide, my skin gets better. I have less closed comedones, less blackheads, less chances of pimples developing. I’ll figure something out in the upcoming weeks, but my skin looks clear at the moment because of benzoyl peroxide. So, by the end of the week, I took a break from actives and just moisturized my skin. I’ll restart when my skin is ready. It’s looking very crusty and dry. It itches too from the dryness, haha. I have no new pimples though!

Update on Sunscreens! 🧴

Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50:

How much I love the high UVB and UVA in this sunscreen. I simply cannot use on my face. I noticed clogged pores and whiteheads/blackheads on my nose, forehead, and chin area. The formula of this product is just not working for my skin. I wished it did. I stopped using it after noticing an increase in clogged pores. I guess I could use the rest of what I have on my body. This sucks because I really wanted it to work.

CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sheer Tint:

I’ve been using this sunscreen as my main sunscreen. I like it, but there are some things that I don’t like about it. First off, the tint of this sunscreen makes my face look super orange. Repplying the sunscreen makes my face look even more orange than before, lol. Other reasons I don’t like about this sunscreen includes it being only SPF 30, the fact that it feels a little heavy on my oily skin, and it stings my face when I’m using acne products that peel the skin. My skin literally burns with this sunscreen. But, yes, I’m still using it anyways, lmao. I’ll be on the look out for another sunscreen. That’s if I can find another one that works just as well as this one while being afforable.

Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40:

I picked up two new bottles of Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40. I missed it, so I purchased more. It’s also effective, has SPF 40, has a nice texture to it (silky, smooth, moisturizing, doesn’t burn my skin), is broad spectrum, and is very affordable. It costs less than the CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sheer Tint. Trader Joe’s SPF 40 is a chemical sunscreen though. I do prefer mineral sunscreens over chemical sunscreens. But, this chemical sunscreen makes my skin feel super elegant and nice. I’m loving it using so far after using it again.

That’s my 2 week update! Stay tuned for next week!

Check out my first week experience here!

Restarting Tret & My First Week Experience

My 1 Week Experience with Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin!

It’s time to try a new face wash! I stopped using CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. If you missed out on my thoughts on the CeraVe product, you can check out the links below. 🙂

I Finally Tried CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser! Here’s My 1 Week Experience!

2 Weeks Experience with CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser!

Now on to my thoughts on Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin…

Day 1:

I started using Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin tonight. It was a last minute decision. I started noticing more sebaceous filaments/blackheads on my nose and on other parts of my face. Maybe it’s from the CeraVe face wash? Something else? All I know is that the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser wasn’t doing much for my acne. I’m quite disappointed in that facial cleanser. It’s a facial cleanser that contains salicylic acid. It’s supposed to help with acne. What’s the point on using a product that contains salicylic acid when it does nothing. It didn’t help my skin whatsoever. The ingredients in the CeraVe face wash look nice and all, but if it doesn’t work, it just doesn’t work. So I wanted to ditch acne fighting ingredients in facial cleansers. Just stick to a basic, boring facial cleanser like what I was doing before for so many years. My experience using it (Vanicream) tonight wasn’t bad. The product is a runny gel that foams up when mixed with water. It was very easy to use. It didn’t burn my face. It cleansed my skin pretty well. I used it to remove my makeup remover (oil-based), and it cleansed it off thoroughly. There was no trace of oil left on my face. Wow, I’m impressed! You know, I went overboard with this face wash tonight. I tried cleansing my face with it 2 more times, lol. Yep, no redness or irritation. Just clean skin. It’s really made for sensitive skin. Well, it’s only been the first day. Who knows what might happen the next few days. Let’s see…

Day 2:

It’s the second day of using Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin. I’m using this facial cleanser twice a day, morning and night. I used it this morning and thought it felt so much more gentler compared to CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. I don’t even miss the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. It was a good run (for 2 weeks and a day, lol), but it’s not for my skin type. I was hoping that it would do something for my closed comedones. But, nope, it did absolutely nothing. I’m glad I switched over to the Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin. I was going to go back to what I was using before (Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance Free), but I wanted to try something different first. I wanted a facial cleanser that’s even more gentle. From my limited experience of the Vanicream face wash so far, the Vanicream cleanser feels so much more gentler compared to both the CeraVe and Neutrogena cleansers! So after washing my face tonight, my experience was similar to this morning and yesterday’s. The facial cleanser cleansed my skin without stripping it. It removes dirt, debris, excess sebum, all of that gunk off of my face easily without being rough on the skin. It soothes and calms my skin. My acne didn’t look inflamed after using it. My skin looks better after cleansing. Maybe this is just what I needed. A gentle facial cleanser that cleanses without any acne fighting ingredients. That salicylic acid stuff isn’t working for me. It’s time to let it go for now. I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow! I’m back to being excited about washing my face, haha!

Day 3:

I’m going through a breakout/purge from my acne products right now. This cleanser has been very helpful! It’s gentle, soothing, doesn’t dry out the skin, doesn’t irritate the skin, and leaves my skin feeling cleansed. I’m still using it twice a day (morning and night) without any issues. My skin loves this face wash! I haven’t had any issues with it breaking me out. No breakouts so far! I’m really shocked because I’ve been meaning to try out this face wash for some time. It’s about time I tried it. So far, everything is going well. It does what it’s supposed to do. I’m glad I stopped using the salicylic acid cleanser. Maybe it was doing my skin more harm than good. My skin feels so much better with a cleanser without any actives.

Day 4:

It’s already day 4 using Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin. I woke up this morning with clearer skin! It looks so much brighter and smoother too. It’s not the cleanser doing this. I’ve been using aha products. The combination of Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin and chemical exfoliants have been amazing. Whenever I wash my face, it just feels gentle and nice. My skin hasn’t dried out yet. I’m seeing positive results every day. I’m still impressed with this face wash at removing heavy oils, sebum, debris, and whatever gunk that has been on my face the whole day. It’s so gentle. It’s doing a much better job than the previous cleansers I’ve used while being soft and gentle all at the same time! I actually look forward to washing my face ever since I started this cleanser.

Day 5:

After 5 days of using Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin. I will repeat everything I have said already. It’s gentle cleanser that cleanses the skin and doesn’t dry it out. It feels very soft on the skin. I haven’t noticed any breakouts using it. But, it’s only been 5 days. I love how it washes off. It doesn’t leave any residue on the skin. It does what it’s supposed to do. Even after all of that, I’m kind of missing my previous (not the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser, the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance Free) cleanser. The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel is more gel-like. I just love how it makes my skin feel. Vanicream is nice too, but there’s something about the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Cleansing Gel that I can’t put my finger on. It cleans my skin even better? I just like the way it makes my skin feel even more. I’ll give Vanicream some more time before I make a decision to switch back or keep it as my main cleanser.

Day 6:

I made the decision to go back to Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance Free. I didn’t feel that Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin was cleaning my skin enough. It was missing something. It cleanses my skin, but I need something a little bit stronger yet gentle. And that would be the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel. I washed my face with Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel this morning and tonight. My skin likes the Neutrogena cleanser so much more! My skin feels cleaner even if it’s just a little bit more. I could feel the difference, lol. My skin looks and feels less oily afterwards. Also, Vanicream has shiny reflecting particles in the cleanser. Looking at the ingredients, it contains mica and titanium dioxide.

Here’s the full ingredient list:

purified water, glycerin, coco-glucoside, sodium cocoyl glycinate, acrylates copolymer, caprylyl glycol, mica, sodium chloride, 1,2-hexanediol, titanium dioxide, sodium hydroxide, disodium EDTA

It’s short and pretty straightforward.

Day 7:

It’s the last day, and I have already (sorta) given up on Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin. Since I still have it, I’m using it to cleanse my skin at night. I use it before my actual cleanser (Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel). I most likely won’t purchase Vanicream again when I’m done with it. It was nice to try out, but I don’t think it’s cleansing enough for my skin. The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel is working so much better for my skin. Both are very gentle cleansers. Both didn’t dry my skin out. I’m just leaning towards Neutrogena a little bit more. Vanicream has been raved about so much. Now I can say that I’ve officially tried the facial cleanser, hah! Too bad it didn’t turn into my main cleanser. Seems great for sensitive skin though!

Follow me on my battle against closed comedones! ~ My Experience After 1 Week Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution + Other Skin Care Updates

My Experience After 1 Week Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution + Other Skin Care Updates

My Experience Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution:

I’m mainly going to talk about my experience with The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. I used tret a few times this week. I’m debating if I should keep using it or just move on to this glycolic acid product. My results with the glycolic acid toner has been pretty good. I used it every day at night. The instructions of this product says ~ Use ideally in the PM, no more frequently than once per day. After cleaning, saturate a cotton pad with the formula and sweep across face and neck. That’s what I did. I prefer using a cotton pad too. It helps to remove whatever is left on my skin. Sometimes I can see stuff on the cotton pad. It’s another nice treatment + cleansing step (even if it’s not a cleansing product).

When using this product, there’s a stinging sensation that fades away. I didn’t experience any other irritation other than that. It’s pretty normal for a glycolic acid product to sting upon application unless it persists. After applying the toner, I move on to my other skin care products, and I always end my routine with my moisturizers. I’m currently using La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer for Oily Skin and Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. Both are lightweight moisturizers. One being a hydrating product and the other moisturizing. I apply the Cosrx Snail Mucin Essence first then follow up with La Roche Posay Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer. This combination has worked for me so far. I wake up the next morning with no redness, itchy skin, or any other signs of irritation. I tried other moisturizing products this week too. Read more about them here.

After 1 week of using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution, my skin improved. It’s working. Something is finally working to unclog those closed comedones that I’ve been suffering with for so long! I had closed comedones on my forehead, upper lip area (ouch!), chin, and jawline area. I noticed these closed comedones unclogging within the first few days. It was my forehead and chin area where I noticed improvements first. Now it’s the rest of my face by the end of this week. It’s only been 1 week, and I’ve already seen tons of improvements in my skin. It’s freaking amazing. I haven’t experienced any major irritation either. No dryness, itchy skin, redness, or burning. Just soft, smooth, clearer skin. And this was done all by glycolic acid. It made me question if I should keep using tret. 🤔 I’m loving the results with this glycolic acid toner!

Products I Stopped Using:

I stopped using Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid again. From months to years of using this product, it’s not working on my skin anymore. It helps a little bit with sebaceous filaments and blackheads, but it hasn’t done anything for my closed comedones. I’ve been using it to unclog my pores to no avail. The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution has done a better job at unclogging closed comedones and getting rid of whiteheads and blackheads. Along with all of that acne, it has also decreased sebaceous filaments, especially on my nose. I’ve been having issues with that for a long time. Finally, something that works! I guess if a product just doesn’t work, it just doesn’t work. So what to do with it now? I have a few bottles left. 😭 I couldn’t even finish what I was using, lol. Salicylic acid doesn’t seem to work on my skin as I thought. But I kept on trying, haha.

Moisturizers I Tried This Week:

I tried hydrating/moisturizing skin care products this week. I needed to add at least a hydrating serum or essence. I ended up picking Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. It’s the only one that didn’t break me out. Well, I hope it doesn’t. Let’s get into the other products I tried. I honestly can’t believe I gave them a try again. First up! Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum…

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum:

This serum contains 49% centella asiatica extract, niacinamide, arginine, panthenol, green tea leaf extract, adenosine, ceramide np, asiatic acid, peptides, and so much more! I thought I would give it a try again. After 2 days of using it, I noticed blackheads and more breakouts. My pores were clogged once in again. Once I eliminated this product, the breakouts diminished. Now, it makes me wonder if this serum has been clogging my skin the WHOLE TIME! Wow! I’ve been using it for so long and have gone through bottles of it!

Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin:

I tried the Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin for a few days but ended up weaning off of it. It felt moisturizing and helps to protect my skin, but I couldn’t continue to use it due to my past experience with it. It seals in too much moisture. I know I will end up with a clogged up nose if I keep using it. If my skin barrier ever gets impaired, this is a good moisturizer to go to even though it burns upon application, lol! I wish they would make it without squalane. My skin doesn’t like squalane.

Check out my thoughts on CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser:

I Finally Tried CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser! Here’s My 1 Week Experience!

2 Weeks Experience with CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser!