Updated Skin Care Routine! Only 4 Products!!

My new routine…

Face Wash: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance-Free

I’ve thought about switching face washes since forever. But I’m still using the same face wash. I haven’t had any issues with it yet. I guess I’m going to stick with it. It’s a gel-type, foamy, non-drying face wash that gently removes excess sebum from my skin. It doesn’t strip my skin. It’s also affordable. I love that it has a fragrance-free version.

Skin Treatments: Neutrogena Stubborn Acne AM Treatment & Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid

Benzoyl peroxide is still a part of my skin care routine. It’s an awesome acne treatment. If it weren’t for benzoyl peroxide, my skin would be a mess right now. I think it’s a huge part of my skin care routine. Helped tremendously with my acnegenic skin. I use it as much as I need to, especially to keep my oily skin at bay to prevent new breakouts or diminishing existing breakouts at a faster pace. The best over the counter benzoyl peroxide I have used so far! It absorbs into the skin quick for mornings!

Another acne product I started using is Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid. When I started using this product again, my skin broke out a bit in my blemish-prone areas. After breaking out, my skin cleared up. It didn’t take too long for my skin to adjust since my acne issues were very few. I like using this salicylic acid product to decrease sebum and clear up difficult to treat areas of my skin. Just like benzoyl peroxide, I use it as often as I need it. Sometimes, I even use it at the same time as benzoyl peroxide. I haven’t had any issues with dry skin. My skin is tolerating both pretty well.

Sunscreen: Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30

I have purged chemical-based sunscreens from my routine. I stopped using Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 for a while. I started using it again and actually finished a bottle of this stuff recently. It seems to work when I use benzoyl peroxide underneath it. I haven’t experienced major breakouts compared to my experience before. Maybe it might work. I know it’s only SPF 30, but I’m using whatever SPF that works on my skin for the time being. With this sunscreen, I also noticed that it feels moisturizing on the skin, but it doesn’t truly moisturize the skin compared to what I was using before (La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100). La Roche Posay SPF 100 moisturized my skin upon application and afterwards. My skin was left feeling soft. With Vanicream Mineral SPF 30, my skin doesn’t feel moisturized whatsoever. The product is shiny on my skin, but it’s terrible at keeping my skin feeling nice, soft, and moisturized. But I’ll keep using it since I can’t find another mineral sunscreen that is suitable for my skin at the moment. This is it for now, haha. We’ll see how it goes.

That’s all I’m using to maintain healthy acne-free skin. 🙂 I’m keeping my skin care routine to a minimum. My skin prefers a minimalistic approach.

2 Weeks Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. My Results!

It’s been 2 weeks using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution! This week, I used glycolic acid products and benzoyl peroxide (more on this in a bit!). So, I started off the week using only glycolic acid products. Just this toner and another glycolic acid serum (read more about it by going to that link!). Glycolic acid has helped improve my skin. But, I can tell that it’s not going to clear up my skin fully. While using glycolic acid, I noticed smoother, brighter skin, and some closed comedones moving up to the surface, but it’s not getting to the source. It’s not going to be the miracle cure for my acne. I stopped using it every day. Now I’m only using it only a few times a week for exfoliation. Hopefully it’ll help with acne marks with continued use. It’s a nice product to have in my routine. I haven’t had any issues using it. No redness, itchiness, or burning. The stinging sensation has diminished over time too. My skin is getting used to it real fast. Now on to my experience with benzoyl peroxide…

I decided to use benzoyl peroxide last minute (at the end of the week). It’s because I didn’t see much results with glycolic acid acne-wise. I know it’s only been 2 weeks, but that’s more than enough time for me to see if it works for my acne or not. I just don’t think it’s working. I noticed inflamed acne popping up, and it looks like it’s going to get worse if I didn’t do anything about it. Glycolic acid alone just isn’t going to cut it. At least for the products I was using. I’m using benzoyl peroxide now. I didn’t expect to use it again, but here I am, using it again, haha. Let’s see if it works this time around. It has worked plenty of times before. I just ended up venturing out to other ingredients/products to help with my acne. I guess, to no avail. Here’s my experience using benzoyl peroxide for the first time again.

So before applying benzoyl peroxide to my skin, I applied my moisturizer (La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer for Oily Skin) first. I might re-add Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence to increase moisture in my skin. I removed it because I didn’t need it anymore. But, more moisture right now wouldn’t be a bad thing while using benzoyl peroxide. Moisturizing the skin helps to prevent skin dryness and any other skin irritations. After applying moisturizer, I applied benzoyl peroxide all over my face! I’m not using it as a spot treatment. Just not yet until my skin is clear. The results the next morning was pretty amazing. I noticed a decrease in sebum, clearer skin, less closed comedones, and my overall complexion just looked less inflamed. I had some inflamed pimples the night before. They have diminished in redness and in size. I also notice some clogged pores making an appearance. That didn’t bother me much. I’m trying to unclog my pores for a smoother feel anyways. My skin has been super clogged for a long time. I can feel this gross bumpy texture to my skin when I move my fingers over my skin. It doesn’t look bad visually, but I can feel it when I wash my face. That’s been bothering me a lot. Hopefully benzoyl peroxide works this time.

Here’s my current skin care routine + benzoyl peroxide added last minute. Stay tuned for my results next week. I’m constantly changing up my skin care routine and trying to figure out what works.

Products I’m Experimenting With…

Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum:

I really like this glycolic acid serum. It’s a higher percentage (14%) and leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth, and exfoliated. My skin is tolerating it pretty well. When applied to the skin, it stings a little bit. That stinging sensation eventually disappears. I tried using it every day and didn’t have any issues using it every day. But, I don’t think it’s necessary to exfoliate the skin that much. I’m only using this serum once or twice a week whenever I feel like it. The higher percentage of glycolic acid has helped blemishes move up to the surface even faster than the glycolic acid toner. My skin looks brighter and so much smoother. I’m really liking what I’m seeing so far. Hopefully it’ll continue to make a difference in my skin.

Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ Clear:

I tried the Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ Clear this week. It was a last minute kind of thing. I haven’t let this product touch my face in ages. I still have a few bottles left, so I thought I would give it another try, lol. Hopefully it doesn’t clog my pores like last time. My skin care routine is pretty minimal right now so I’ll know if it’s breaking me out or not. The sunscreen felt really nice when applied to the skin. It’s lightweight, gel-like. It absorbs easily into the skin and leaves the skin feeling and looking matte. I didn’t experience a sheen on my skin like I used to. The sunscreen does soak up oils on the skin. I used a moisturizer before applying this sunscreen. From my past experience with this sunscreen, it doesn’t protect my skin well. I noticed some skin darkening when I used it. But, I’m not going to use it alone. I’ll use my usual, daily sunscreen on top. This is a good way to use up a sunscreen that I won’t purchase again. I kind of miss the gel texture. It feels amazing on my oily skin.

Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50:

I stopped using this sunscreen, but I started using it again. Since my routine is shorter, why not give it another chance? Also, I finished my first bottle of this sunscreen this week! It took forever! So this sunscreen is still moisturizing and leaves the skin looking greasy on the surface of the skin. It burns the eyes if any gets in there. I really do love how protective this sunscreen is. It has a high SPF and high UVA. I hope it doesn’t clog my pores, but we’ll see as I continue to use it. I bought quite a few. I don’t want to waste them.

If you missed out on my updates…

Update: The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA & La Roche-Posay Anthelios Body & Face Mineral Sunscreen Gentle Lotion SPF 50

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!

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 3 Weeks Results

It’s a new week! 🙂 My results!!

1 Week Update on Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid

It’s been 1 week using Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid. I started off using it in the morning only. Since I noticed a difference in my skin after a day of use, I started using it twice a day. Fortunately, without any issues. My skin didn’t dry out or become irritated. So after a single day of using the BHA, clogged pores were unclogging. Blemishes I didn’t know existed moved up to the surface. I had clogged pores this whole time? Who knew! Also, sebaceous filaments decreased, especially on my nose. That was my main problematic area for sebaceous filaments. By the end of the week, my skin looked clearer and smoother. I was incredibly shocked because I’ve been battling closed comedones, blackheads, and acne in general for so long. Adding the BHA Liquid was a good move. And it worked! But too bad Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid is pretty costly. It used to be affordable and just plain amazing (price and size), so I’m not sure if I’m going to stick to it if the price is this high. I might have to find another BHA product to use. But we’ll see what happens. My skin is looking pretty clear after adding BHA to my routine. I’m happy with the results so far!

Note: I’m only using this product a few times a week now. 🙂

Trying AHA & Niacinamide…

I tried using an AHA product this week. It’s the Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum. It’s been a while since I’ve used this serum or an AHA skin care product. With this serum, I only used it at night. Only once this week. This is a glycolic acid serum (14%). It contains Glycerin, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Green Tea Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, and a few other ingredients. My experience using this serum didn’t go well the first time I tried it again. It didn’t really do anything for my skin. It’s a 14% glycolic acid product, but my skin doesn’t seem to care for it at all. I didn’t see any changes in my skin. Even though I used it only once this week, I remembered why I stopped using it in the first place. It feels like I’m applying water to my skin, and I never noticed any results using this serum in the past. It could just be this AHA product that doesn’t work on my skin. I’m not going to bother finding another one any time soon. I’ll stick to the BHA for now. It seems to be working so much better.

I also tried a product that contains niacinamide. It’s the SOME BY MI Niacin 30 Days Miracle Brightening Sleeping Mask. This product contains 5% niacinamide. I’m not big on niacinamide, but my skin has been very oily lately. It’s been a while since I’ve revisited this product, lol. The last time I used this sleeping mask it helped to control oil on my face (a little too drying from what I remember) and helped to brighten my complexion. The sleeping mask contains Niacinamide (as mentioned), Citrus Junos Fruit Extract (70.5%), Panthenol, Arbutin, and it even has Ascorbic Acid, ha! After a single day of using the sleeping mask, I noticed a brighter, more glowy complexion. But, after the third day, my skin started to get really dry. I mean so dry that my whole faced looked chapped. My face was cracking. I immediately stopped using it since I didn’t have a good moisturizer to use. I stopped using Vanicream around this time too thinking that SOME BY MI would be moisturizing. 😂 I was so wrong. It’s extremely drying!!! Like it was before, haha. I wouldn’t recommend this sleeping mask if you have naturally dry skin. For me to continue to use this product, I would have to pair it with a good moisturizer to make it work.

What happened this week?

I’m still trying to figure out what works for my skin. I’ve removed a bunch of products too. I’m glad I did. I didn’t need that many products. I started to look back at the times when my skin was at its best. It was when I had a minimal skin care routine. Removing these skin care products was just a test to see how my skin would react. So far, it’s been going well. I really think it’s just a skin care addiction. LOL. For a few days I felt like I was missing something in my routine. Now, I know that I don’t actually need it, hahaha. So if you missed out on the skin care products I removed from my routine recently, check them out below!

Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream

The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3%

Benton Fermentation Essence

The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA

Melano CC Vitamin C Essence

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum – I started using this serum again but stopped using it again this week. It’s a nice serum that soothes the skin, but it provides absolutely no long-lasting moisture. The product that was moisturizing my skin the whole time was Vanicream. I tried using the Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum as a lightweight hydrator/moisturizing product, but it just didn’t work. My skin became so dry after I applied it to my skin. I think this serum is only effective when paired with a moisturizer that actually moisturizes.

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence – I stopped using Cosrx Snail Essence for the same reason as Purito. It didn’t provide my skin that much hydration as I thought it did. It didn’t help protect or strengthen my skin either. My skin still felt dry while using it. Maybe I’ll add it back in the future. But I think I’m done with it for now. Hopefully this time, lol.

What I’m doing now. 🧴

My face skin care routine has been simplified. I’m only using a cleanser (looking for a more moisturizing one for the winter), acne products (tret, bha), moisturizer, and sunscreen. That’s basically it. I’m thinking about adding benzoyl peroxide too since I had good results with it before. I’ve been using it as a spot treatment, but I’m thinking about an all-over treatment again. What I used to do. It worked too. My skin looks really good without an excess amount of products. Hopefully a minimal routine like this works because I am so sick and tired of getting breakouts. Let’s hope for the best and move on to another new week! Hello 4 MONTHS!! 😲😮‍💨

My Acne Journey is right here if you missed out!

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

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 2 Weeks Results

August Skin Care Empties! 🧴

Here are some products I finished in the month of August! These products are no longer with me! Finally. 😆 I’ve been trying to finish them since forever. It’s about time that they’re done and gone. They were taking up a lot of space too. haha. I still have a bunch more skin care products to use up. I’ll talk about them some other time. Today, here are my thoughts on what I’ve finished! Enjoy! 🙂

Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence:

I finally finished Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence. It’s a moisturizing essence, but I don’t need it. I didn’t see any changes using it on my facial skin. It’s simply just moisturizing. Nothing special. It didn’t brighten up my skin either. It didn’t make it more radiant or clear. I prefer other moisturizers and essences compared to this one. In my opinion, the Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is so much better in terms of moisture. The Snail Essence also leaves the skin feel and looking more moisturized and dewy. It has definitely helped boost moisture in my skin in combination with other moisturizers I use. My skin prefers it over the Galactomyces Essence.

Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Lotion SPF 15:

This is a moisturizing sunscreen (SPF 15) that’s very gentle on the skin. It absorbs nicely into the skin. Leaves my skin feeling very moisturized. But, I couldn’t use it on my face. It’s too pore-clogging and way too moisturizing. I had issues with it on my facial skin. I ended up using it only on my neck and upper chest. Once I finished it, I knew I wasn’t going to purchase it again. SPF 15? Pore-clogging? No thanks. There are better sunscreens out there. This one isn’t worth my time and money.

Cos De BAHA MA Peptide Facial Toner:

I had this facial toner for a while. It’s a gel-like, moisturizing facial toner. It’s not your typical drying facial toner. I liked the ingredients in this toner. It contains sodium hyaluronate, peptides, beta-glucan, adenosine, and so much more. But I didn’t notice much of a difference in my skin while using it. All it really did was moisturize my skin for a short period of time. It doesn’t provide long-lasting moisture in the skin. I stopped using it on my face because I thought it was an extra step for little benefits. Now I’m glad I’m done with it. Out it goes!

La Roche-Posay Lipikar Balm AP+ Intense Repair Moisturizing Cream:

I received this product as a sample. It’s a moisturizing cream that’s supposed to reduce dry, rough skin. Honestly, it felt like any other moisturizer that I’ve used. I can’t tell if it provided more hydration than my other moisturizers/creams. But it didn’t irritate my skin. It left my skin feeling moisturized just like my other moisturizers. This cream contains shea butter, niacinamide, and glycerin, which I do love besides the niacinamide. My skin doesn’t care for niacinamide so I learned after using products with niacinamide. I thought this cream was OK. I don’t think I’m going to purchase the full-size product any time soon. It was nice to use for the time being or at least try it out.

Graymelin Pineapple Mild Peeling Gel:

This is a peeling gel that I was very excited about at first. After using it and finishing the whole tube, it’s not worth it at all. This product didn’t do anything for my skin. It’s so gentle and doesn’t really exfoliate the skin. I had noticeable dead skin on my face and thought this product could help. Nope, it did not. It did absolutely nothing. I still had dead skin hanging off of my face afterwards. Ugh, I can’t recommend this product to anyone. No results. Honestly, in my opinion, peeling gels are just for fun. It doesn’t do anything for the skin. On my skin, at least I didn’t see any benefits. I won’t purchase it again.

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream:

I finally finished all of my CeraVe Moisturizing Creams. I didn’t use it on my face due to fear of closed comedones. CeraVe and my skin don’t go well together either from my past experiences with the brand. I’ve tried plenty of their products too. So I used the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream as a body lotion instead. The cream feels lightweight, but it does leave some sort of thin film behind on the skin that I didn’t like. I didn’t think it left my skin feeling super moisturized either. To me, there was nothing special about it. I love some of the ingredients in the cream, but it didn’t deliver in the end. I was just using it to finish the product. In my opinion, I think this cream is overhyped. I won’t purchase again any time soon. I’m glad I’m done with it. It’s time to move on.

If you haven’t yet, go check out my acne journey! New updates coming up soon! 👇🏻

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!! 😃