My Acne Journey: 5 MONTHS!!

My 5 months experience! 🙂

Some thoughts that crossed my mind ~

Should I stop using moisturizer? Is Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin clogging my pores? Should I take a break from benzoyl peroxide?? Hmmm! So many questions!

So! I didn’t stop using a moisturizer this week. But, I’m going to try to stop using a moisturizer (Vanicream) next week. Why? I feel like it’s slowing down my progress. Possibly clogging my pores. I noticed some sections of my face that keeps on getting re-clogged even after using tret, benzoyl peroxide, and bha. Vanicream feels a little bit sticky and heavy on the skin too. I love the ingredients in the moisturizer and how it helps to heal and protect my skin, but it could be setting me back when it comes to acne. I never used a moisturizer before in the past. It’s not because I don’t like them. It’s because all of them (the ones I have tried, tons!!) ended up breaking me out. I think Vanicream may be one of them. As for benzoyl peroxide, I don’t want to use something as drying as benzoyl peroxide in my routine right now while my skin is without a moisturizer. I’ll have to wait until my skin adjusts to this new routine first before adding it back in. That’s if I need to. I’m still using tret and bha. Both of these products are drying enough for my skin. I’m also going to use both of them without a moisturizer. Let’s see what happens!

I tried some old or previous products too, haha! Oops.

I tried The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3%, The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%, and The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG again. The Resveratrol & Ferulic Acid serum and Ascrobic Acid & Arbutin serum was a mistake, lol. I haven’t used any The Ordinary serums on my face for a while. I was in for a surprise. Well, kinda. I should’ve known. Both of these serums felt extremely greasy on the face. It didn’t sink in my skin at all and left my skin feeling and looking sticky, heavy, and greasy. I woke up the next morning with red, irritated skin and clogged pores. It messed up my skin so quick. Lesson learned once again. I thought I would try it out again and this happens. Now I know once again that these serums simply do not work on my face. Another product I tried again from The Ordinary is the Caffeine Solution & EGCG. This one worked better. I kind of missed it, so I started using it again, lol. I’m only using it at night since it has a drying, tightening effect on the skin around the eyes. Also, it takes time for the serum to absorb into the skin. So far, nothing bad has happened.

My thoughts on some of my sunscreens…

Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30:

I’m almost done with this sunscreen. It’s a thicker and heavier sunscreen, and it does has the tendency to sit on top of my skin. Ahhh, I love the ceramides in this product. It helps to moisturize, heal, and protect my skin. I haven’t noticed any breakouts from using it daily either or from reapplying. I can reapply this sunscreen without the product pilling. It works great as a moisturizer and contains ingredients that I like. I use it when I’m indoors or when I need my skin to heal from exfoliants or actives. I think it’s much more moisturizing compared to Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin too. The Vanicream Mineral SPF 30 is making me have second thoughts about Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin. Hmmmm! So I’m still on the fence about this product. It just feels a bit too rich for my skin type. But it could work. I’ll finish the rest of the product and think about it.

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

I tried to use this sunscreen up on my face. I really tried. It’s just too drying on the skin, and I couldn’t stand the dryness any longer. It ruined the moisture levels in my skin. My skin looked cracked, felt super tight, and painful. I tried using it with a heavier product underneath too, and it still didn’t work. I guess I could just use it on my body. I won’t repurchase again. I know I’ve said this many times, but I hate this product. 👎🏻

CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sheer Tint:

A product I grew to love this week is the CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sheer Tint! It’s a tinted mineral sunscreen (SPF 30) that contains niacinamide. I was really shocked and am still shocked that it brightened my skin. I noticed a clearer and brighter complexion after rinsing it off for the day. I’m really, really liking this product. I’m using it as my face makeup product (foundation) too. It doesn’t provide any coverage, but it’s best for my skin to not have anything thick and heavy on it. Also, too many products just causes more acne issues. My skin just looks better after rinsing it off at the end of the day. I’m really enjoying applying this product to my face too. It blends into the skin without leaving a white cast behind. Perfect for sunscreen reapplication.

5 months in and now on to a new week!!

My whole acne journey is right here! Enjoy! 🙂

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

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 3 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 4 MONTHS!!

My Acne Journey: 4 Months + 1 Week Results.

My Acne Journey: 4.5 Months + Clear Skin!!

My Acne Journey: 4 Months + 3 Weeks! What I’m Doing to Maintain My Clear Skin. 🙂

Skin Care Products I Stopped Using

So I’ve been pondering about eliminating skin care products from my routine and life. At first, I thought I would just use them up on my face and stop it at that. But, I decided to stop using it on my face here and now. I was deep cleaning my pores (yuck!) and noticed how congested my skin was. I immediately thought of the vast amount of skin care products I use on my face daily. I questioned if I needed to use these products any longer if I haven’t seen much results from them. What’s the point of using them? What’s the point of buying them? I mean, they haven’t done much for my skin. What am I thinking? lol. Also, I don’t have the time to apply that many products on my face anymore. If I did, I wouldn’t want to anymore. I think I’m going to simplify my routine and just make my life so much easier.

Here are the products! 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel

This is a lightweight moisturizing aloe and propolis gel. I used it for its lightweight moisture and how it didn’t clog my pores. Overall, it did a terrible job at keeping my skin hydrated. Sometimes the gel would burn my face when it felt more sensitive than usual. I feel like I’m just using it because it’s a lightweight gel. I haven’t been amazed by the results, so I decided to drop it from my routine. 

Cosrx AHA BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

This is probably the worst aha and bha product I have used. The amount of aha and bha is so little that it does absolutely nothing for my skin. I thought it helped to minimize the oil in my skin at some points while using it, but it just didn’t deliver in the end. It’s a clarifying treatment toner, so it’s not your typical aha or bha product. I think it’s a waste of time using it. At least for me. I’m done with it. Finally, haha. Out it goes!

Purito Galacto Niacin 97 Power Essence

This is actually a good galactomyces and niacin product. It helped to brighten my skin and helped to diminish the oilies from my skin while making my skin appear more glowy. But! I have other galactomyces and niacin products I love way more. I can’t wait to finish this product. It’s not something I will purchase again any time soon. Good product but I prefer my other galactomyces and niacin products that I have way much more.

iUNIK Black Snail Restore Serum

What can I say about this snail serum? It’s moisturizing, sticky, and contains snail. It doesn’t brighten or lift the skin, but it does nourish and leaves the skin feeling moisturized. Honestly, I think it’s too sticky and heavy for my skin type. Also, I haven’t noticed much of a change in wrinkles. Yes, it claims to help with wrinkles. It’s really just a moisturizing serum. Nothing more. 

iUNIK Propolis Vitamin Synergy Serum

Another serum from iUNIK. The only difference between the texture of the propolis and black snail is that the propolis isn’t as sticky. The results are basically similar. It moisturizes and nourishes. As for brightening and wrinkles, nope, nothing. Don’t expect it to brighten your skin. It’s just another moisturizing serum. I kept using it hoping it’ll improve some acne marks and help with wrinkles, but I haven’t seen any changes in my skin/acne marks using it. I think it’s time to move on from it.

Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence

This is a really good moisturizing galactomyces essence. It’s lightweight and leaves the skin feeling hydrated and moisturized. I didn’t break out from it either. But, since I have another galactomyces product that I prefer much more, I decided to stop using this one. I don’t see the purpose of using more than one galactomyces products at one time or in my routine. So, I’m not purchasing it any time soon again. 

Cosrx Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream

I stopped using this snail cream on my face a long time ago. I only use it on my neck and body. I really can’t tell if it’s doing anything but moisturize, which almost every moisturizer does. It hasn’t helped much with any of my skin conditions, such as fine lines, wrinkles, and overall skin texture. It feels like any other moisturizer, except it’s more sticky due to the snail ingredient. 

iUNIK Beta-Glucan Power Moisture Serum

Here’s another serum from iUNIK. It’s more moisturizing compared to the snail and propolis serum. That’s all it really is — a moisturizing serum. I haven’t noticed much when it comes to skin elasticity as it claims on the bottle. I think this serum is way too heavy for my skin anyways. It’ll work better on someone with dry skin. All I know is that it’s too much for my skin. So I guess that’s another iUNIK serum down. 

Gold Bond Ultimate Neck & Chest Firming Body Treatment Cream

I haven’t done an update on this neck and chest firming cream. Sorry, I’ve been busy. Here’s a short review on it! So this cream feels very nice on the skin. It’s a rich, dense cream that leaves the skin feeling pampered and very moisturized. I used it on my neck and chest for months, but I haven’t noticed much in a decrease in any lines or crepey skin. It just felt like a thick, rich moisturizer for the neck and chest. I didn’t think my skin felt firmer with or without the cream. I used it twice a day, by the way. I think it’s pretty overpriced for the amount of product. It feels so similar to Gold Bond Ultimate Crepe Corrector Age Defense, which comes in a larger tube. Honestly, I would just go for the larger tube instead. I’m not going to buy the neck and chest firming cream again. It’s just a moisturizer. Lol. 

Stay tuned for more! Also, a new update on my moisturizing skin care products! 🧴

Wow, that is a lot of skin care products!! 😹

My Thoughts on Sugar Scrubs, Peeling Gels, & Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid

Sugar Scrubs

Andalou Naturals Clear Skin Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub felt so harsh on my skin at some point. I don’t know what was going on with it or with my skin, but I used it again with awesome results. It didn’t feel too harsh or rough on my skin this time. It helped remove dead skin cells off of my face and left my skin feeling and looking smoother. I had dry patches of stubborn, flaky skin that came off using this facial scrub. My skin looked clearer and more glowy afterwards. It looked better. I didn’t think it felt harsh or rough on my skin as before. It’s like my skin just changed and the facial scrub now works. So much has happened over the past year. My skin is finally healing ❤️‍🩹. I don’t need a lot of product when using this facial scrub to exfoliate my skin either. Just a little bit goes a long way. This is what I’ve been using to remove dead skin cells off of my face for the time being. Even though the results have been good, I’m still not sure if I’ll purchase it again. I’ll have to think about it. I do have another facial scrub (Skinfood Black Sugar Scrub), but I don’t really like it. I’m just using it to get rid of it. It doesn’t have the same effect as the Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub. Also, the granules are larger too and feels more abrasive on the skin. I’m also not a fan of the stickiness of the Skinfood Black Sugar Scrub. The results have been so much better with the Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub that’s all.

Peeling Gels

I still have nearly a full tube of Benton PHA Peeling Gel, which I’ve been using only once a week. That’s if I remember to. I’ve lost interest in peeling gels. They do absolutely nothing for my skin. I haven’t noticed any improvements whatsoever. Yeah, they feel nice on the skin. Like I’m pampering myself, but I feel like it’s a waste of time and money. I haven’t noticed any significant results using it. I still have a couple of more unopened tubes of peeling gels that I purchased a while back (of a different brand). Maybe they’ll be different compared to Benton. I’ll have to try them out to find out. So, I’m not a fan of this particular peeling gel — Benton PHA Peeling Gel. It’s not for me. No results. Waste of money. Waste of time. I got nothing out of it. I’m not going to purchase any peeling gels any time soon. Moving on…

Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid

I’m just going to get to the point. This product isn’t what it used to be. It doesn’t work at all. At least on my skin. I was still developing acne, blackheads, cysts, pustules, whatever. The point is, it didn’t nothing for my acne. I’m not going to purchase it again when I’m done with it. I really don’t know what to do with what I have left. Probably just give it away. Haha. Out it goes! I really tried to make it work too. It’s an overhyped product, in my opinion. It wasn’t worth it for me.

That’s a quick update on some products that I have and what I think about them. I feel like I’m purging a bunch of skin care products from my life. If it doesn’t work, it just doesn’t work. Stay tuned for more skin care updates!!

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

Gold Bond Ultimate Neck & Chest Firming Body Treatment Cream! My First Impression!

I have a new cream for my neck and chest skin…

It’s the Gold Bond Ultimate Neck & Chest Firming Body Treatment Cream!

This is my second purchase of a Gold Bond skin care product. If you missed out on my first, go to this link right here: Gold Bond Ultimate Crepe Corrector Age Defense

This product is a lot smaller. It’s only 2 oz (56 g). It made me curious what’s so good about this cream vs the other cream (Crepe Corrector Age Defense). So! Let’s learn more about it…

This cream is clinically tested and proven to increase elasticity, improve texture, visibly firm, boost hydration, and repair dry, depleted skin. It contains advanced hydration blend to draw in moisture to improve texture. Salicylic Acid (BHA) to exfoliate to help reveal a younger-looking complexion. Stress Response Proteins to boost skin’s moisture retention to improve smoothness. It’s fragrance-free and dermatologist-tested.

The more I read about this cream, the more excited I am for it, haha! It just seems so promising! I’M SO EXCITED!! 😅😃

This is what the cream looks like.

This cream feels very similar to the Crepe Corrector Age Defense. It’s soft, thick, and creamy. It feels very rich and moisturizing. And yes! It felt soothing and moisturizing when I applied it to my neck and chest skin. With this cream, I noticed that it absorbed into the skin much better compared to the Crepe Corrector Age Defense. It just vanishes into the skin nicely, but it does leave a little bit of a sticky feeling behind. Just a little bit. I wasn’t too bothered by the stickiness of the cream at first, but we’ll see as I continue to use the product. On the box it says…

82% saw softer, smoother skin immediately

85% saw improvement in skin texture within 1 day

97% had visibly firmer, more taut skin in 2 weeks

88% had improvement in skin elasticity in 6 weeks

My Results After 1 Day…

Well, my skin did feel softer and smoother immediately. It is a moisturizing lotion. I’m not too surprised about that. My other moisturizers that are soft, thicker in texture, creamy leave my skin feeling softer and smoother immediately too. No biggie. Within 1 day of using this cream, I did notice an improvement in skin texture, but it could be from my other skin care products. I’m using other skin care products in conjunction with this neck and chest cream. But, good news, I like the way it moisturizes my skin and leaves my skin feeling hydrated! I can’t wait to see what my skin is going to look like within 2 weeks and 6 weeks!!

What’s in this product? Here are the ingredients!

water, hydroxyethyl urea, glycerin, dimethicone, hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, steareth-21, jojoba esters, petrolatum, selaginella lepidophylla extract, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, salicylic acid, stearyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate, isohexadecane, ubiquinone, whey protein, jojoba oil/macadamia seed oil esters, phytosteryl macadamiate, bisabolol, pyrus malus (apple) fruit extract, citrullus lanatus (watermelon) fruit extract, phytosterols, panthenol, tocopheryl acetate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, sodium lactate, methyl gluceth-20, C12-15 alkyl benzoate, sodium PCA, cetyl alcohol, hydrolyzed jojoba esters, squalene, cetearyl alcohol, stearamidopropyl PG-dimonium chloride phosphate, lens esculenta (lentil) fruit extract, methylparaben, ethylhexylglycerin, propylene glycol, tocopherol, EDTA, zingiber officinale (ginger) root extract, potassium hydroxide, polysorbate 60

This cream contains hydroxyethyl urea, which I mentioned about in my post about the Crepe Corrector Age Defense. It also contains petrolatum, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, salicylic acid, ubiquinone, whey protein, panthenol, vitamin e, vitamin c, and sodium pca, and many more ingredients. Just comparing the ingredients between the Crepe Corrector Age Defense and the neck and chest cream, the ingredients in the neck and chest cream are very similar to the Crepe Corrector Age Defense, except that the neck and chest cream contains salicylic acid and a few other ingredients that are different. Not by much. And it looks like the beneficial ingredients are way up higher on the ingredient list too in the neck and chest cream. That may be why the neck and chest cream comes in a smaller bottle (2 oz. vs 8 oz.). They’re priced very similarly. Around 10 bucks. As I mentioned earlier, the neck and chest cream absorbs into the skin much quicker making it feel more lightweight on the skin.

Final Thoughts

So far, it’s not a bad product. But it sure does feel like any other moisturizing product I have. I’m not too impressed yet, but I’m anxious to see what the results will be after using it for 2 or 6 weeks. I really hope to see visibly firmer and more taut skin (2 weeks) and an improvement in skin elasticity (6 weeks). If it lives up to its claims, I’m going to be thrilled! Well! We’ll see what happens soon. That’s all for now! I’ll make an update when it reaches 2 or 6 weeks. See everyone there! 😃

For more reviews on Gold Bond skin care products click here!!