Trying Vitamin C for the Millionth Time + Skin Care Updates

I took a break from tret for my skin to heal (see my 1 week experience right here). In the meantime, I thought I would give a vitamin c product a try once again. I thought about purchasing a different product, but I decided against it. I wasn’t sure if it’ll be worth the splurge. Instead of shelling out on a new product, I remembered that I still have Melano CC Vitamin C Essence. Why not try this product?!!

I started using Melano CC Vitamin C Essence for the first time in the morning. The product felt nice on the skin. It absorbed quickly and didn’t feel sticky. I enjoyed applying it to my skin. I really miss this product now. 🥲 I’m excited about the results (if there’s any). Well, not much to say about the first day. On the second day, I also used it in the morning. The product was way too strong for my skin’s current state. I stopped using it after the second day. I waited for 4 days for my skin to become less sensitive. On the last day of the first week, I started using it again. This time, with a moisturizer. Let’s see how this goes!

Some other things I have been doing:

• Restarted tret. Only nights. When my skin is able to tolerate it.
• Moisturizing my skin daily, morning and night.
• Wearing sunscreen every morning. I’ve been using Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30. It’s not too bad for my skin at this moment. I’m leaning towards mineral sunscreens as well.

I do have a new skin care routine. I’ll post it up when I have a minute. 🙂

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.

Review: L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum

So I wanted to try a new vitamin c product out. I haven’t found one that worked on my skin just yet. The vitamin c product that I picked up was the L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum. On the packaging, it says that this is a lightweight 10% vitamin c concentrate that helps to restore skin’s radiance in 1 week and reduces wrinkles. The serum was formulated without water and packaged in an air-tight metal tube. It’s sealed and ready to use. Produced in controlled conditions to minimize oxygen exposure. It’s fragrance-free, dye-free, and paraben-free. Contains no mineral oil or synthetic dyes. Suitable for sensitive skin. Did it work? Keeping reading to find out! Here’s my experience with the L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum!

My Experience with L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum:

Texture & Application

The product comes in a sealed metal tube (1 fl. oz/30 mL of product). I only used a small pea-sized amount for the whole face and neck/chest area. The texture and consistency of the serum feels like silicones. Looking at the ingredients, I’m not shocked that it felt like I was applying silicones to my face. The texture of the serum is VERY silicone-y. I’m not a fan of products that are too silicone-like due to it potentially clogging my pores (from my past experience with silicone-based products). Besides the fact that it feels like silicones, the serum blends and smooths over the skin easily. It absorbs pretty quick. After application, the serum didn’t feel sticky or tacky. It vanishes into the skin and feels like I have no product on my skin. When I was applying the serum to my face, it feels moisturizing. Once the product dries, it left my skin feeling rather dry. My skin felt dry for hours after. I started to develop flakes and crusties all over my facial skin, especially my jawline area. This serum does contain 10% vitamin c in the form of ascorbic acid. And vitamin c serums can dry out the skin in higher concentrations, from my experience. It’ll be a good idea to use a moisturizer afterwards to prevent dryness.

Results..

I only lasted a week using this product. I used it twice a day, morning and night. Here are my results!

What the product claims…

1 Week: Brightens, more youthful and radiant skin. Skin looks more refined, looks more vibrant and smoother.

2 Weeks: Fine lines and uneven skin tone are visibly reduced.

4 Weeks: Wrinkles appear reduced. Dark spots and pores look less noticeable.

What happened…

Within one week of using this vitamin c serum, my skin looked brighter and more radiant. I actually noticed brighter and more radiant skin before it reached one week. It was after a few days. Oooo brighter and glowy skin! Since the serum dried my skin out, I didn’t experience smoother skin. I tried using a moisturizer after applying the serum too. Nope, my skin was still dry, flaky, and crusty. It felt really rough on the surface. This serum really did a number on my skin. So freaking dry! I would’ve continued to use it along with a moisturizer to see if it works or not on my skin. My skin was already brighter within a few days. What other results could it bring? Also, this vitamin c serum didn’t turn my face orange. Most vitamin c products do. I was very happy to notice a brighter, glowy complexion without the orange face, lol. BUT, I had to stop using the serum because…yeah…breakouts…

Breakouts?

This vitamin c serum ended up clogging my pores. I figured it was this product. Once I removed it from my routine, the breakouts disappeared. And, it’s most likely the silicones. There’s so much of it! My oily skin and this serum just didn’t go well together. I noticed an increase in blackheads on my nose when using it and some other breakouts on my chin, forehead, and cheeks. They just popped out of nowhere. I stopped using this serum, and my skin looks clearer now. No new random breakouts.

Final Thoughts

The L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum didn’t work on my skin. It’s too drying, contains too many silicones, and ended up clogging my pores. The product claims that it won’t clog pores, but it clogged my pores. I noticed breakouts pretty early on but dismissed that it could be this vitamin c product. I used it twice a day, morning and night, too. Hoping that it would fade some acne marks, brighten up my complexion (which it did), and vitamin c is simply just a nice antioxidant to have in a skin care routine. I’m glad I figured out early on that this product isn’t compatible with my skin type. It would suck even more if I kept using it and ruined my skin. I might just go back to my previous vitamin c product or search for a new one.

This is what the vitamin c serum looks like. The product comes sealed and comes in metal tube. The applicator of the product is very nice. It makes it easy to dispense a specific amount of product. 👌🏻 I’m seriously in love with this type of packaging. 🥰

September Skin Care Empties 😎

It’s the end of September! Here’s what I finished! September’s empties was quite satisfying. I knocked out a ton of products this month! I’ve been meaning to finish up some of these products, such as the Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel (finally!) and Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ (White)! And some others. 😁 Now here are my thoughts on my September empties! Enjoy! 😊

iUNIK Propolis Vitamin Synergy Serum:

Here goes my last bottle of iUNIK Propolis Vitamin Synergy Serum! I purchased this serum to help moisturize and brighten my skin. That’s what this serum claims to do. It says right on the packaging that it’s powerful calming, nourishing and brightening, and is for wrinkle care. Some beneficial ingredients in this serum are Propolis Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Niacinamide, and Sodium Hyaluronate. I went through a few bottles of this serum. It’s a serum that feels nourishing and soothing on the skin, but it does feel sticky and takes a while to absorb into the skin. I didn’t like the texture of the product. After finishing a few bottles of this serum, I didn’t notice much of a difference in my skin. It helps to hydrate, but it didn’t help with wrinkles and didn’t brighten my skin. All it was is a hydrating serum. I’ve decided that I’m not going to purchase it again.

Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel:

Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel was one of those products that I couldn’t let go, which is weird because the ingredients aren’t too exciting. It contains Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Glycerin, Propolis Extract, Betaine, Cucumber Fruit Extract, to name a few. The product was lightweight, somewhat hydrating, and soothes the skin. It also didn’t break my skin out. I loved it for a while. But, I haven’t been using on my face lately, and I don’t miss it at all. Thinking about it now, I don’t think it did much for my skin. I just kept it around because it didn’t clog my pores, and I needed a product that moisturizes my skin just a little bit. I had a hard time finding a moisturizer that works on my skin. This was the closest to a product that moisturizes my skin. It worked for a while, but I’ve found something better.

Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ (White):

I finally finished the last Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ (white version!). It took me so long to reach the last bottle. Finally, I have! So the white version is the unlikable version of the ‘Clear’. The white version didn’t break me out, but it leaves the skin with a noticeable white cast and dries out the skin tremendously. Well, on my skin it did. It didn’t look good on my skin. It accentuated every fine line and wrinkle, pore, and flake. There’s no way I’m going to purchase the white one again. It’s terrible. I don’t recommend it at all. Stay away from it unless you like having a white cast and dry skin. The cooler weather is coming up, so it’s best to stay away from this sunscreen.

Gold Bond Ultimate Neck & Chest Firming Body Treatment Cream:

I’ve been using Gold Bond Ultimate Neck & Chest Firming Body Treatment Cream at the beginning of this year. I’m on my second tube. The product is pretty tiny. It’s only 2 oz. The cream is supposed to help improve skin elasticity, texture, firmness, boost hydration, and repair dry, depleted skin. It contains salicylic acid to exfoliate to help reveal younger-looking skin. After finishing the cream, I feel that this cream is just another body cream. I didn’t notice an improvement in skin elasticity or texture. It’s just another product that’s making claims and under-delivering. It’s not a bad product when it comes to moisturizing, but there’s more affordable options out there that moisturizes the skin. I couldn’t tell the difference between this cream and my other moisturizing creams. I’m glad I’m done with it. I won’t repurchase again.

Differin Oil-Absorbing Moisturizer SPF 30:

Another sunscreen I finally finished before the winter season! It’s the Differin Oil-Absorbing Moisturizer SPF 30! I’ve been trying to finish this sunscreen up too. I don’t use it on my face anymore. I stopped after it started to make my skin oily while causing breakouts. Also, it burns my eyes too. It’s just not the type of sunscreen for my sensitive facial skin. My skin is very picky with sunscreens. This one failed the test. So I used this sunscreen mainly on my hands. It’s moisturizing, lightweight, and feels just like a non-greasy moisturizer. When I finished it, I never looked back. Out it goes!

Up & Up All In One Micellar Cleansing Water:

I stopped using micellar cleansing water on my face. I had half a bottle left, but I couldn’t finish the rest. The product does help to remove residue and makeup from the facial skin, but I just don’t like the way micellar water feels on the skin. It’s just one of those products that I can live without. So with the rest of the micellar water, I ended up using it to remove my eye makeup. I had to use it for something. I didn’t want to waste it. Once I finished the whole bottle, I tossed it out and didn’t repurchase. It’s not just this micellar water that I don’t care for. It’s micellar water in general. I haven’t found one that I liked. It feels like an extra step in my skin care routine that I don’t need. A cleansing oil alone removes my sunscreen and makeup just fine. I’ve had no issues just using a cleansing oil followed by a face wash. It works, and I don’t have to use another product like this one to aid in the product removal process. I prefer to keep my skin care to a minimum as much as possible, lol.

CeraVe Eye Repair Cream:

I’ve tried a ton of eye creams and this one just sucked. lol. There’s no other way I can put it. The ingredients look nice. It contains Niacinamide, Ceramides, Hyaluronic Acid, Almond Oil, Aloe, Vitamin E, and much more. But it doesn’t live up to its claims. The eye cream is supposed to reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness. Ceramides help to repair and restore. Nope, none of that happened. It didn’t help with dark circles or puffiness. I love ceramides, but it didn’t do anything for my skin in this eye cream. My skin still felt dry using this eye cream. It just didn’t do anything. I wouldn’t recommend this eye cream. It just wasn’t a good pick.

RoC Line Smoothing Daily Cleansing Pads:

I finished two containers of the RoC Line Smoothing Daily Cleansing Pads. The product claims to visibly reduce fine lines and improve tone and texture in 1 week. Diminishes signs of photo-aging and uneven skin tone, dark spots in 4 weeks. Visibly diminishes wrinkles and pores in 12 weeks. There are 28 pads per container. After finishing this product, I didn’t notice many changes in my skin besides softer and smoother skin. It didn’t help to reduce fine lines or wrinkles. Tone and texture, not so much either. Signs of photo-aging and even skin tone? Nope. Diminishes wrinkles and pores? Not at all. Just softer and smoother skin, lol. It’s a good physical exfoliant (pads with tiny little bumps on it) that cleanses the skin very well. My skin always feels squeaky clean afterwards, which is nice on this oily skin of mine. I liked this product, but I don’t really need it in my routine. I feel like it’s one of those products that’s just fun to use. I won’t purchase again.

Neutrogena Sport Face Oil-Free Lotion Sunscreen SPF 70+:

I tried Neutrogena Sport Face Oil-Free Lotion Sunscreen SPF 70+ on my face, but that didn’t work out. It felt really greasy and oily on the skin. It has a chemical smell to it too that I didn’t like. It also broke me out. I wanted it to work out due to the price and that it’s SPF 70+. I finally finished my last tube of this product, and I’m happy that it’s gone. It worked well on my body but not my face. I won’t repurchase it again for the body because it’s only 2.5 fl. oz.

For my August Empties go here 👈🏻

Update on Benton Fermentation Essence & The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA & Melano CC Vitamin C Essence

It took me a while to stop using these products. I’ve been using them for a while and didn’t want to give them up out of familiarity. But, I think it’s time to pull the plug. Even though I love skin care products, I wondered if any of them are even working on my skin. I feel like I’m just flushing money down the drain sometimes. I decided to stop using these products. Read on to find out why. I stopped using these products the other day too. 👈🏻

Benton Fermentation Essence:

I’ve been using this product for over a year now. I really liked this essence. It’s lightweight, easily absorbed into the skin, and feels silky smooth on the skin. The only thing I really liked about this essence is how it feels on my skin. Other than that, it hasn’t done much for my skin. It contains Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Ceramide NP, Aloe Extract, Betaine, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, and other skin care ingredients that are good for the skin. The ingredients look very nice, but I didn’t see much of a difference in my skin using it. It didn’t help boost skin’s elasticity and moisture levels (as it claims to do). It gives the the skin lightweight hydration, but that hydration doesn’t last long. Only when applied to the skin. This essence just vanishes into the skin and didn’t improve my skin over time. It just felt like putting expensive water on my face. It actually feels like I’m applying just water to my face. This essence when dispensed, shoots out straight liquid. Make sure to dispense it into the palm or it’ll get everywhere. This was one of my favorite essences for some time, but I didn’t see any good results with continued use. As I mentioned earlier, I just like the way it feels on my skin. But, I don’t think it’s worth it to keep it around for that reason.

The Ordinary Matrixyl 10%:

Here goes another The Ordinary product that I’m removing from my skin care routine! Here are some others that I removed recently:

The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%  

The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%

The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3%

Now it’s The Ordinary Matrixyl 10%. So this is a thicker serum. The texture of the serum is gel-like. When applied to the skin, I don’t like how it feels on my skin, but the serum absorbs into the skin pretty well. It doesn’t leave any sticky residue behind once it sinks into the skin. I was able to use it twice a day without any issues like pilling or stickiness. The serum is supposed to help with signs of aging, such as fine lines. It contains Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, and Sodium Hyaluronate. This is another skin care product with beneficial skin care ingredients, but from my experience using this product, I didn’t notice any changes in fine lines including other wrinkles (as it claims). I don’t think it did anything for my skin. I’ve gone through several bottles of this serum. I kept using it because I was just hoping for the best. I really liked the ingredients in this serum too. It seems so promising. But, I think it’s time to remove it from my routine and see what happens. I don’t want to keep using a product that does absolutely nothing just because. I just haven’t seen any results using it.

Melano CC Vitamin C Essence:

I was going to keep Melano CC Vitamin C Essence in my routine, but I decided to remove it. This essence did help to brighten the overall complexion of my skin (subtly, nothing major), but it didn’t help with acne marks or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. I still noticed acne marks on my face while using this vitamin c essence, and I’ve been using it for years too. It should’ve done something by now, but I have seen zero changes in my acne marks. With the Melano CC Vitamin C Essence, I wasn’t impressed with the overall results. It’s OK. Nothing amazing. What’s great about this product is the packaging. It’s sealed and easy to travel with. I can bring it with me wherever I go easily without spilling the contents. But, since this essence hasn’t done much for my skin over the years, I’m just using it because I have it, and it’s much better compared to other vitamin c serums that I’ve tried in terms of texture. It’s lightweight, oily but not too oily, and absorbs into the skin decently. After seeing very little benefits from this product, I think it’s time to move on from it. It’s time to let go, lol. Instead of keeping the Melano CC Vitamin C Essence around, I decided to swap it out with another vitamin c product. It’s the vitamin c powder. A vitamin c powder contains only one ingredient while the Melano CC Vitamin C Essence has a lot more ingredients (compared to a vitamin c powder). I wanted to keep things simple. Also, vitamin c powder is more affordable too. I’ve been using vitamin c powder, and it’s been working just fine.

For my update on Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream:

Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream & Breakouts

For my acne journey…

My Acne Journey: 1 Week In…

My Acne Journey: 2 WEEKS!! 

My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 WEEKS IN!

My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Results…

My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 2 MONTHS!! 

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 1 Week Results!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 2 Weeks!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 3 MONTHS!! 😃

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 1 Week Results