More December Skin Care Empties! 🥳
I didn’t expect to finish more skin care items after posting my December Skin Care Empties. Here’s more!
RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream:
I have 2 tubes of the RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream left. I finished one this month. I stopped using it on my eyes a while ago due to skin irritation and burning. It made my eyes look super swollen. Since I’m trying to use it up, I’ve been using it on my body. I haven’t had any issues with using it on my body. It’s such a waste using this product like this. This is supposed to be an eye cream. Who wants to use a 0.5 fl. oz. (15 mL) product on their body? Definitely not a product I would purchase again. Don’t waste your money.
Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40:
I really liked the texture and consistency of this sunscreen. It’s soft, soothing, and moisturizing on the skin. It’s full of silicones, lol. Yeah, the silicone texture was way too much for my skin. But, the sunscreen was super easy to apply and blend into the skin. It smooths over the skin and vanishes nicely. It’s clear and doesn’t leave any cast behind. It works great as a makeup primer too. It makes the skin appear softer and blurs a few imperfections here and there. Also, it’s broad spectrum and SPF 40. I finished my last bottle of the Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40. Will I purchase it again? With this sunscreen, sometimes it breaks me out, sometimes it doesn’t. I’m not sure if I’ll buy it again. Maybe if I’m at Trader Joe’s and shopping for groceries. It’s not a bad sunscreen product, to be honest.
Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream:
I finished a jar of Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream this month. I stopped using this face cream on my face so long ago that I don’t remember when. So this is a heavier cream made for the facial skin. I used this face cream for quite some time. I eventually stopped using it due to it clogging my pores. It’s just too heavy for my facial skin and didn’t do much for my skin. My skin never felt truly moisturized. It felt heavy and cakey on the skin. I didn’t see improvements in my skin while using it. I just stuck to it for so long because I needed a moisturizer and couldn’t find one that’ suitable for my skin type. Many times, I thought it worked on my skin. It just didn’t after plenty attempts. I have 2 jars of this face cream left and am trying to finish it up. I know for sure that I won’t repurchase again. Out it goes!
Finally, another tube of Melano CC Vitamin C Essence down! I think I have 4 more left! 😭 I’ve tried using this essence on my face so many times that I gave up. It just doesn’t work for my skin type. It doesn’t brighten my skin like I thought it did. I used it then stopped using it. There was no difference in my skin before and after. I haven’t noticed a reduction in acne marks or evening of the skin tone when using it. I never liked the oily, grimy texture that it leaves behind either. It leaves a matte finish, but there’s some odd residue texture thing going on after application. I need to find a new vitamin c product. This one isn’t working for me.
For more skin care empties…
Acne, Acne Skin, Anti Aging, Anti Wrinkle, Beauty, Broad Spectrum, Daily Facial Sunscreen, Eucerin, Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream, Eucerin Q10 Face Cream, Experience, Eye Care, Eye Cream, Face Cream, Hydrate, Hydrating Eye Cream, Lifestyle, Melano CC Vitamin C Essence, Moisturizer, Review, Rhoto Melano CC Vitamin C Essence, RoC, RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream, Skin Care, Skincare, SPF 40, Trader Joe's, Trader Joe's Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40, Trader Joe's SPF 40, Trader Joe's Sunscreen, Vitamin C, Vitamin C Essence, Vitamin C Serum, Wrinkles
My Acne Journey: 4 Months + 1 Week Results.
It’s been 4 months & 1 week on this acne journey… 😌 This is what happened this week. 😊
I tried some products again… 😬
I tried some products again that I stopped using this week. Since my skin is more maintained now, I thought I would give a few antioxidants a try again. I picked The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3% and vitamin c powder. The first night of using The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3% and vitamin c powder (mixed together) went well. I only used 2 drops of the serum and a pinch of vitamin c powder, so it wasn’t a lot of product. I mixed it in with my moisturizer. Both antioxidants mixed well with my moisturizer. The next morning, I woke up with a slightly more moisturized skin. My skin looked nice but nothing amazing. It was only one night of using it. That same morning, I tried the same method. By night, my skin felt so greasy and very dry at the same time. I noticed some parts of my face was clogged too. I noticed some blackheads, and my face looked darker/orange. Hmmm, is the serum clogging my pores and vitamin c drying my skin out and oxidizing on my face?! At first the mixture made my skin feel more moisturized. All of a sudden, my skin just dried out and looked darker/orange. So, it looks like these products didn’t work out for me once again. I had a little hope that it might work out this time, but it didn’t. I think I’m going to let my skin revert back to what it was and stick to what works on my skin for now. I tried. My skin didn’t like any of them. 🤷🏻♀️
My results after 4 months & 1 Week!
I’ve been using benzoyl peroxide for about 2 weeks now, and my skin is soooooo clear!! 🙌🏻 This is only after 2 weeks of using benzoyl peroxide once a week! I went through a short initial breakout, but it cleared up pretty fast. I currently don’t have any new blemishes. I’m not sure if there’s going to be any in the next few weeks (still purging??), but benzoyl peroxide has done wonders for my skin. I would say my overall skin texture has improved too. It’s clearer, cleaner, and smoother. My skin looks softer and more youthful. 😍 And all of this happened just by adding benzoyl peroxide?? Wow, I’m so happy with the results so far! I’m kicking myself for not trying it out again! Benzoyl peroxide has always been the to-go-to product for my acne. Once again, it is! Hopefully it continues to improve my complexion! Also, along with benzoyl peroxide, I’m still using tret but only once a week. It’s been a so-so product for my acne. I’ll just keep it in my routine and see what happens. It doesn’t hurt to keep using it. It fits in my routine perfectly well. Sometimes my skin gets a little oily. Tret helps to decrease the sebum in my skin. Hey, better than nothing.
I also switched facial cleansers once again. I was using Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Facial Cleanser. Trader Joe’s was too harsh on my skin. My skin would dry out every time I used it. It made my skin feel really tight and itchy. It’s a good facial cleanser for hot, humid weather, but it’s too drying for the fall, winter weather, especially when I’m using drying actives. The cleanser I’m using now is Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Revitalizing Facial Cleanser. It’s moisturizing, soothing, and doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry. It makes my skin feel and look better afterwards. I’m liking the results from this face wash. I purchased it out of the blue but turns out that it’s pretty good and works very well on my skin. This facial cleanser made it a little easier to use actives in my routine since it’s so gentle and moisturizing on the skin. I can’t get over how gentle it is and how cleansing it is all at once. So! That brings me to my next product that I introduced this week! It’s the Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid. I don’t use this product every day. Only a few times a week. I have the product, so why not just use it. It was just sitting there in the dust. 😂
That’s my 4 months + 1 week update. See everyone next week! 😊
The rest of my acne journey is right here!!
My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!
My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!
My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Results…
My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results
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 + 1 Week Results
My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 2 Weeks Results
My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 3 Week Results
4 Months + 1 Week, 4 Months + 1 Week Results, Acne, Acne Journey, Acne Marks, Acne Prone Skin, Acne Scars, Acne Skin, Acne Skin Care, Acne Treatment, Anti Aging, Anti Wrinkle, Beauty, Benzoyl Peroxide, Blackheads, Blemishes, Experience, Face Wash, Facial Cleanser, Hyaluronic Acid, Life, Lifestyle, Moisturizing Skin Care, My Acne Journey, Olay Hyaluronic Cleanser, Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Revitalizing Facial Cleanser, Paula's Choice, PIH, Results, Review, Skin Care, Skin Care Products, Skin Care Routine, Skincare, Tret, Tret Journey, Tretinoin, Tretinoin Journey, Tretinoin Log, Wrinkles
My Acne Journey: 4 MONTHS!!
I’m 4 months into my acne journey! Here are my results! 😀😀😀😀😀
4 Months…
I stopped using salicylic acid and started using benzoyl peroxide instead. After a single night of using benzoyl peroxide, my skin looked clearer. Benzoyl peroxide helped to treat blackheads, sebaceous filaments, cysts, and all of the other acne issues I was having very quickly. Much better and more quickly compared to salicylic acid. I’m not sure if I’m going to use salicylic acid or not. Maybe later on? But right now, I’m going to stick to benzoyl peroxide. Maybe I’ll add salicylic acid when my skin adjusts to benzoyl peroxide first. I don’t want to be using too many products all at once. I want to see if benzoyl peroxide actually is working first. This is one of the benefits when it comes to having a minimal skin care routine. I know what’s working and what’s not. 👍🏻 So it was pretty exciting just seeing results the next day after using benzoyl peroxide for the first time in months (perhaps it’s been over a year?). My skin peeled so much after using benzoyl peroxide and purged. I was shedding for a few days, which was pretty awesome. My skin always looks better after a peel. After all of that shedding, my skin looked clearer, softer, and smoother. My acne is more tamed. It’s working so much better compared to tret too, which I’m still using on other days of the week when I’m not using benzoyl peroxide. It’s working… 😌👌🏻
A Recap on Skin Care Products I Stopped Using!
For the last week or so, I’ve been removing a lot of skin care products from my life. It was actually more than I thought. Here’s the list with some of my thoughts on each one after I stopped using them.
- Benton Fermentation Essence: It took me a while to remove this essence because it’s a lightweight product that sinks into the skin quickly. I didn’t think it was giving my skin any issues. But since I’ve been without it, I honestly can tell now that it didn’t do anything for my skin. It made zero difference. This essence is like applying water to the skin. Expensive water, lol.
- The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA: I wanted this matrixyl product to work, but the texture of the product is not something I really miss. It absorbs into the skin well, but what comes to mind whenever I look back at this product is how plasticky the serum is. It kind of reminded me of The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, which gave me one of the worse acne of my life (tons of closed comedones along the jawline that took ages to go away). It’s one of the reasons why I started to use so many skin care products to fix my skin. 😫
- Melano CC Vitamin C Essence: I’m currently using the rest of this essence on my body. So it does leave a weird residue behind on the skin? 🤔 My skin felt a little dirty with this essence on my skin. I’m not impressed anymore.
- Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum: I shouldn’t have stocked up on this serum, lol. I really thought it was a really good serum. Well, not anymore. I haven’t noticed a difference in my skin after I stopped using it. I’m currently using it on my body to get rid of it. It’s going to take forever, haha. I can’t believe I lasted this long on this serum. I don’t miss it at all.
- The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3%: This is one of the serums I actually do miss. I just wish that it wasn’t so heavy, oily, greasy feeling (like a bunch of The Ordinary products that I’ve used). Ugh! What a disappointment.
- The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG: I’m glad I removed this caffeine solution. My under eyes are officially restored and hydrated. This solution dried the living hell out of my under eyes even with tons of moisturizers and eye creams on top. It just didn’t work after 2 darn years.
- Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence: I’m officially over this essence. It didn’t do anything to help with hydration.
- Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ (Clear): Recently removed this sunscreen from my routine and my skin feels so much better. I mean, less dry. I was wondering why my skin feels so dry all the time. Look no further, it was this sunscreen all along. Also, I can’t let go of the fact that it burned and made me freckle badly. Can’t use it in the summer, can’t use it in the winter. Out it goes! Finally.
- GUERISSON 9 Complex Cream: That silicone feel that this cream has really bothers me. It just sits on top of my skin. It also has fragrance. Sometimes I can use products with fragrance, sometimes I can’t. It depends on the product. But heavily scented/fragranced skin care products gets to me after a while. I think it’s finally getting to me. Another cream that I don’t care for anymore.
9 products down. 👀 Woohoo! And I’m back on my boring, simple, plain, whatever you want to call it skin care routine. Wow, my skin sure does look better. 😊 I’m glad I removed these products. It feels like a sense of relief! 😌
Here goes my Acne Journey if you missed out on them!!
My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!
My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!
My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Results…
My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results
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 + 1 Week Results
My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 2 Weeks Results
My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 3 Week Results
4 Months, 4 Months Results, Acne, Acne Journey, Acne Marks, Acne Prone Skin, Acne Scars, Acne Serum, Acne Skin, Acne Skin Care, Anti Aging, Anti Wrinkle, Beauty, Benzoyl Peroxide, BP, Experience, Life, Lifestyle, My Acne Journey, Paula’s Choice, PIH, Results, Review, Skin Care, Skin Care Products, Skin Care Routine, Skincare, Tret, Tret Journey, Tretinoin, Wrinkle
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%
The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA
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: 3 Weeks Results!
My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!
My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Results…
My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results
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 + 1 Week Results
My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 2 Weeks Results
3 Months + 3 Weeks, 3 Months + 3 Weeks Results, Acne, Acne Journey, Acne Marks, Acne Prone Skin, Acne Scars, Acne Serum, Acne Skin, Alpha Skin Care, Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum, Anti Aging, Anti Wrinkle, Beauty, Experience, Glycolic Acid, Life, Lifestyle, My Acne Journey, Paula's Choice, PIH, Results, Review, Skin Care, Skin Care Products, Skin Care Routine, Skincare, Tret, Tret Journey, Tretinoin, Vanicream, Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin, Wrinkles
Getting Rid Of My Blackheads With Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant!
I know I’ve talked about Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant so many times. I’ve used it on and off, since I have full bottles of it, and I don’t know what to do with them anymore. haha. So I decided to pick up on using it again after quitting it just recently. These blackheads on my nose are getting annoying. I must do something about it! It seems like nothing works long term. I’m also using The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA, but it stopped working on my blackheads. I like it, but it’s just not working anymore. I’ll talk more about The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA another time. Now let’s focus on Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant! Read on! 🙂
I’ve tried using Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant two ways. I used it with a cotton pad and dispensing some product into my palm and gentle patting it into my skin. Both of these methods are good. I didn’t have any breakouts or irritation from any of these methods. But it seems like the latter isn’t up to par. I’m not getting results from it like I did before. It’s like my skin gets better then I see no improvements as weeks go on. I feel like I’m wasting my time when something doesn’t work as intended. SO! I decided to switch over and use it with a cotton pad. This is my experience using it with a cotton pad instead…
What I did was dispense a little bit of product onto a cotton pad and swipe my face with the cotton pad. You know, I used to use Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant with a cotton pad back then when this 2% BHA Liquid was my facial toner. I’m not sure if it did anything for my skin, but my skin was in really good shape. Hopefully, I can get the same results again. Maybe it was doing something for my skin that I didn’t know of. But after swiping my face, I noticed debris on the cotton pad. Uh oh, looks like I have leftover dirt and debris on my skin! Possibly more excess sebum that I can never get rid of even after using 10000x exfoliants and oil-controlling products, lol. But, my skin definitely looked and felt much cleaner afterwards. It left my skin prepped for the next skin care products in my routine. My skin felt happy! 😀
I followed this method for a few days in the morning and at night. Knowing how oily my skin is, I know it can take drying skin care products like this. My skin hasn’t dried out from using Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant (yet) and other chemical exfoliants I’m using by much. All is going well. And it seems like the cotton pad method is the way to go to remove excess dirt, sebum, and debris from the skin if you have oily, acne-prone skin like mine. As for acne, I really can’t tell if the 2% BHA Liquid is doing anything yet. I’ll just have to wait and see. It’s only been under a week to see any improvements. But I like the way my skin looks and feels after using the 2% BHA Liquid with a cotton pad — oh so smooth and clean! I’m crossing my fingers that it’ll help decrease blackheads and acne in general over time. We’ll see! A new update coming up soon! Stay tuned!
For more posts on Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant:
Review: Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid
My Experience with Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid
2% BHA Liquid, Acne, Acne Prone Skin, Acne Skin, Anti Aging, Anti Wrinkle, Beauty, BHA, BHA Liquid, Blackheads, Blemishes, Experience, Lifestyle, Paula's Choice, Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid, Review, Salicylic Acid, Skin Care, Skin Care Products, Skincare, Thoughts, Wrinkles