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!

Review: The Ordinary Products (What I’m Trying to Finish)

Here’s a list of The Ordinary skin care products I’m trying to finish. I’ve been trying to use them every night. I couldn’t use most of them during the day. The texture of most of these serums are too thick, heavy, and greasy on my skin. I started to get itchy from them too due to the oiliness of the serums. But I’ve been trying to purge these products from my life. But since I’ve been using them consistently, what are my thoughts on them now? Are they any good? Will I try them out again or just drop them from my routine? Keep reading to find out!

The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%:

I remember when I first purchased this serum. I thought it would work well with my other antioxidants. The product advertised itself to recycle oxidized vitamin c. It’s supposed to help hydrate the skin and improve skin elasticity. Also, scavenge free radicals and so much more. When I was using vitamin c serums, my face was darker than the rest of my body. My facial skin was literally a pumpkin. 🎃 Who knows if the pycnogenol serum did anything to help recycle oxidized vitamin c. The overall formulation of this product is moisturizing, but it’s more on the greasy, heavy side. It didn’t help to rejuvenate my skin or improve skin elasticity. I didn’t notice any changes in my skin. Why did I purchase this again? lol. The bottle of the serum is tiny. It comes in a 0.5 fl. oz (50 mL) glass dropper bottle. It’s cute and all, but it’s not worth it for me. It did nothing for my skin. I’ve been using more than one drop (more than I usually use) to finish it up. Still, it’s taking forever to finish it. It lasts forever. I guess that’s a good thing if you’re interested in this product. I’m on my last bottle and can’t wait to be done with it!

Hylamide Booster Glow:

Before I begin, this product is a self-tanning serum. It contains a raspberry derived alternative instead of self-tanning ingredient DHA to build pigment in the skin. The purpose of this product is to give the skin some radiance, golden glow after 2-3 days of use. I made a mistake of purchasing this product thinking that it would help fade some acne marks and skin discolorations. It’s a self-tanning product, not a product to help fade acne marks or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. The last time I used a self-tanning product was when I was a teenager. That was when it was all about having that bronze, glowing tanned skin for me. Since I’ve only used self-tanning products to get a tan, I think I saved my skin from UV damage over the years. Looking back, I’m pretty happy with most of my skin care decisions. haha. I said most, lol.

When I first opened this product, it smelled so bad. I almost vomited. The smell of the product just gives me headaches as I continued to use it. The smell lingers on the skin too. I haven’t used this on my face in months due to it having an awful smell. But also, I didn’t really like the results. The times I used it on my face, I took a few drops and pat the serum into my skin, twice a day. After a few days, I noticed some color in my skin. It really does add some pigment into the skin. Unfortunately, it made my skin extremely yellow (just like the color of the serum). I was expecting a more natural, less-yellowish hue to my skin. More like a light tan, bronze shade that I got from my past tanning products. I didn’t get those results from this product. I stopped using it. It takes some time for the color to fade, so my skin was just bright yellow for a while. I don’t remember how long it lasted, but I could clearly recall how yellow my face was. I’ve always liked the smell of tanning products but this one just stinks. 🤢

The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane:

I used to love squalane in products when I first started off with skin care. I was able to use them without clogging my pores. But it seems like pure 100% squalane does a number on my skin. The oil sits on top of my skin and doesn’t absorb as quickly. The product claims that this serum is a fast-absorbing oil-like serum. No, it didn’t absorb fast. It felt heavy and greasy on my skin. It saturates the top layer of my skin and just sits there. It just makes my skin appear more oily. It doesn’t hydrate or moisturize my skin either. Maybe oils are just not for me. This squalane oil serum didn’t work for me. I didn’t like the way it felt on my skin. I’ve been using it on my feet to get rid of it, lol. I can’t use it on my upper body. It sticks to everythinga and (once again) it doesn’t sink into the skin properly.

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5:

One of The Ordinary products that feels like water. 💧 The purpose of this serum is to add hydration to the skin. The key ingredients are Betaine, Arginine, Panthenol, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, and PCA. It also contains other amino acids, to name a few, Valine, Proline, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, and Threonine. The product is called ‘Amino Acids’ for a reason. It contains a bunch of amino acids in it. B5 or panthenol is a b vitamin. Panthenol is an ingredient that soothes, moisturizes, and strengthens the skin. I love skin care products with this ingredient. It’s non-irritating and leaves my skin in good condition. But, this serum didn’t live up to my expectations. As I mentioned, the serum feels like I’m applying water to my skin. It didn’t leave my skin feeling hydrated at all. I tried applying it once (didn’t hydrate my skin well) and applying layers of the product to my skin (no hydration or extra hydration, just wasted product). Honestly, I didn’t think this serum did anything special for my skin including something as basic as hydration. It absorbs into the skin quick, but I didn’t see any noticeable improvements in my skin. This serum was a waste of time and money. On my skin, at least.

The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane:

The purpose of this retinol product is to help with uneven skin tone, texture irregularities, signs of aging, and dryness. Bingo. That’s what retinol does for the skin. For me, even though this is advertised as high-strength retinol, I thought it was too gentle on my skin. I wasn’t able to use it for too long due to the other ingredients being incompatible with my skin type. I thought the texture and consistency of the serum was too oily. The first ingredient in this product is squalane. And I know that squalane won’t work on my skin if it’s the first ingredient or base of the serum. It also contains jojoba seed oil and tomato fruit extract. I wish the ingredients were even shorter for my acne-prone skin. This serum ended up breaking me out (not a purge). It clogged my pores, and my skin never improved using it due to the breakouts. I don’t think this is a terrible product. If your skin can handle the other ingredients besides retinol in this product, it could work for you. My skin didn’t like the overall formulation of this retinol product. So, as you can see, I’ve been using it on my body instead.

The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3%:

So the purpose of this serum is to help with dullness and target the signs of aging. I’m a fan of resveratrol and ferulic acid. And I was madly in love with this antioxidant serum for a while. I kept trying it over and over again. I even tried it on my face again not so long ago. I was hoping that it would work on my skin because it’s an affordable serum and contains resveratrol and ferulic acid. Nope, too bad, my skin rejected this serum. I started breaking out in acne out of nowhere. I didn’t have to use this serum for too long to develop breakouts. I think I’m finally over this serum. I don’t have the urge to use it on my facial skin anymore, lol. I love the active ingredients in it, but the overall formulation of the product is too heavy and greasy for my oily skin. It makes my skin even more greasy and shiny. So I’m glad I have finally detached myself from using it ever again (on my face). I thought about purchasing it for the skin on my body (haha!), but I can’t seem to get over how greasy it is. It’s official. I’m over it. It’s time to move on.

The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%:

Another product that I kept on going back to like the Resveratrol & Ferulic Acid is the Ascorbic Acid & Alpha Arbutin. The purpose of this serum is to even out the skin tone, combat signs of aging and dullness, and it’s also an antioxidant (woohoo vitamin c!!). I was in deep denial when I was using this serum (not the first time, lol). With this serum, I didn’t notice much brightening in my skin. I didn’t notice fading of acne marks or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation either. My skin actually turned orange. It made my face darker than the rest of my body. I just kept using it because it was affordable and contains vitamin c plus alpha arbutin. I didn’t think it was worth using anymore due to poor results. But also, the serum has a greasy, heavy feel to it (like a bunch of other The Ordinary skin care products). I was using it in combination with the Resveratrol & Ferulic Acid serum, and it was a huge disappointment. I can’t believe I stuck with it for years! This serum isn’t coming back to my routine. Once I’m done with it, it’s done.

The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA:

I really love lactic acid. It’s one of my favorite aha products. It’s gentle, works to exfoliate the skin, leaves the skin looking glowy and smooth. It’s just amazing. I’ll choose it over glycolic acid any day. It simply works better on my skin with less irritation. So this lactic acid serum is a high-strength exfoliator that works to reveal smoother skin. It’s for uneven skin tone, texture irregularities, and skin dullness. All I needed was a few drops for the whole face, pat it into the skin, and that’s it! It absorbs pretty fast into the skin without leaving any sticky residue and doesn’t feel heavy or greasy on the skin. It’s not like the other The Ordinary serums that I’ve talked about. This one is lightweight and feels decent after application. I’ve used this product on and off over the years. The first time I used it was a mess. My skin was just terrible and nothing was working. Not even this lactic acid serum alone. I stopped using it for a while. I started using it again, and it seemed like it worked better on my skin this time around! I was shocked and excited at the same time. My skin was actually peeling like it’s supposed to when using a chemical exfoliator. Keep in mind that this is the 10% formula. It’s much stronger. If you’re not experienced with lactic acid, The Ordinary has the 5% formula. I haven’t tried the 5% yet. I’ve only used the 10%. I stopped using this product because I went on to use other products to treat my acne like salicylic acid. They seem to work better for my acne than lactic acid. So, in saying that, I would definitely give this serum a try again if it comes to it. That’s if my other acne products stop working. I’m currently using this product up right now because I don’t want to let it expire. It’ll be a waste.

The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%:

This product is advertised as a ‘non-injective’ solution for dynamic lines. It’s supposed to treat crow’s feet and signs of aging. Some say it’s ‘botox in a bottle’. The star ingredient in this product is Acetyl Hexapeptide-8. I don’t have major dynamic wrinkles, but the product did claim that it’ll help with signs of aging. I have some signs of aging that I could tackle or at least prevent. The serum is a watery liquid and very easy to use. It absorbs into the skin fast and leaves the skin feeling like there’s nothing on the skin. It felt like I was applying water to my skin. As for the results, I didn’t like what it did to my skin. I noticed my skin started to look droopy and saggy. Like, what, what’s going on? I stopped using it immediately, but that was after going through a more than a few bottles. ha! *sigh* My skin bounced back to what it was before using the product. Thank goodness! While using this serum, I would like to mention that my skin didn’t freeze or feel motionless. From my experience with this product, I won’t purchase again. Honestly, I don’t care much about it anymore. Just trying to finish up what I have now (not on my face).

The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA:

With The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%, I used the Matrixyl 10%. The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA is a skin-firming serum that targets fine lines and signs of aging. This product contains peptides, such as Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38. I’ve gone through several bottles of this serum too. I’m not sure if it did anything for my skin. In my mind, I was hoping that it did and will. 😁 It’s an affordable product that contains peptides. I stopped using this product on my face. My skin doesn’t like the texture of the serum. It’s a gel that blends into the skin well, but it seems to dry out my facial skin and irritates it to no end. After quitting this serum for months, maybe I should try it again? lol. Not on my face but the skin around my eyes. I have some fine lines that I want to get rid of or at least diminish. Hopefully it’ll help with the ‘signs of aging’ too. Why not? I still have it. I think this is the only serum I’ll make an update on soon! Counting down the days and look forward to a new review on The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% HA!!

I do have more products from The Ordinary that weren’t included on this list like The Ordinary EUK 134 0.1% and The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA. They’re on my list to finish up, but I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed with the amount of products I’m using right now. 😮‍💨 I’ll get to them when I can. More reviews coming up soon!

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!! 😃

Review: Graymelin Pineapple Mild Peeling Gel

I’ve been using Graymelin Pineapple Mild Peeling Gel for about a month (maybe even longer). I used it on and off whenever I needed to gently exfoliate my skin. This peeling gel contains pineapple extract. Bromelain in pineapple extract helps to effectively remove dead skin cells and sebum buildup from the pores. It also contains apple water and yellow 7 complex to deliver rich vitamins to moisturize and brighten the skin. This is my experience with this peeling gel!

My Experience

I thought this product looked really pretty. It’s a pale yellow that’s really cute. The instructions says to apply a proper amount of product to dry skin after cleansing. Gently massage to exfoliate dead skin cells and rinse off with lukewarm water. That’s what I did. The product feels very soft and soothing on the skin. It has a slight plastic smell to it that didn’t bother me too much. When massaged into the skin, the product transforms into little tiny soft balls on the skin. It’s supposed to exfoliate the skin. I liked the way it felt on my skin, and it’s fun to use, but this product did not exfoliate my skin that well. It didn’t help remove sebum buildup. It is moisturizing, but it didn’t brighten my skin up as it claims to do. It just felt like I was using it for fun. The reason why I know this product isn’t good at exfoliating is because I had skin peeling from my face (from my acne treatment), and this peeling gel did very little to remove the dead skin. I’m talking about skin that could easily be scrubbed or rubbed off. I still had dead skin on my face after using the peeling gel. That was a huge disappointment in the effectiveness of the product.

So the peeling gel didn’t live up to its claims. I think it’s better to use an exfoliant with beads or even a facial brush. I took a facial brush and brushed off the dead skin from my face. Majority of the dead skin cells came off quickly. It worked much better. And it’s also less expensive than this peeling gel that did very little to remove dead skin cells. Looking at the ingredients, the first ingredient is apple fruit water. Next, water, cellulose (what creates the tiny soft balls that roll on the skin). It also contains a bunch of other ingredients including pineapple fruit extract (star ingredient of this product!), allantoin, turmeric root extract, and grapefruit seed oil. This peeling gel contains isopropyl alcohol too. I’m not a fan of drying alcohols in my skin care products even if it doesn’t feel drying on the skin. I just prefer my products to be without it. This peeling gel didn’t dry my skin out, by the way. It was hardly even on my skin for that long. It didn’t break me skin out either. Of course, it wasn’t on for that long. I only used it as a gentle facial exfoliant.

This is what the Graymelin Pineapple Mild Peeling Gel looks like.

After using this product, I like how it’s gentle on the skin. I think it’s really fun to use. At the same time, I hope it’s doing some good for my skin. But, the results were not significant. I feel like I’m just tossing my money away for a product that didn’t give me any results. I didn’t think it was worth it. Seems like a ‘for fun’ product and that’s not what I’m looking for. I won’t purchase again after I finish it.

My Acne Journey: 5 WEEKS IN!

Here are my 5th week results! 🙌🏻

At the beginning of the week, I started off with what I was doing before, which is using tret and lactic acid every other day. Turns out that was way too much for my skin. I couldn’t handle the dryness and peeling skin any longer. My skin looked terrible with sunscreen on. It would cling to every dry patch and flaky skin at every corner of my face. It just didn’t look good, and it was impossible for me to go through the day like that. I just can’t. I have to see and talk to people. lol. By the end of the week, I stopped using tret and lactic acid on my skin. I took a break. No exfoliants. Nothing. Just moisturizing my skin. My skin improved for once this week! It was peeling, looking softer and smoother, and just overall brighter! So yeah, there’s such a thing as over-exfoliating. 😬

Also, I ended up dropping some more skin care products from my routine. And guess what? My skin looked so much better without them. I think I may have been doing way too much. I wasn’t seeing results using a bunch of products either. Just a waste of time and money. My skin care routine has dialed down a ton, but I’m really liking it. It allows me to focus on letting my skin heal in its natural state (as much as possible) instead of having blobs of products on my face. I’ve also been trying to reapply sunscreen more often too. I did some updated reviews on Cetaphil mineral sunscreen products this week, don’t forget to check them out!

What I’m Using Right Now…

The sunscreen I’m still using is Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ Clear. I also have it in White. The White version is horrid. Don’t buy it. It doesn’t blend well into the skin and leaves a very noticeable white cast on the skin. I guess some people might like that type of look. I didn’t. I thought it was atrocious. It just looked terrible on my skin. Like white face paint. lol. The texture and consistency of the sunscreen is just like the Clear, but it just leaves an obvious white cast behind, doesn’t blend into the skin well, and dries out the skin a lot more. I’m currently looking for a better sunscreen. I like Canmake, but it dries my skin out when I reapply. I do wear moisturizer underneath and my skin still dries out after applying and reapplying the sunscreen. It gives the skin a dewy look but also feels like plastic silicone on the skin. Well, on my skin it does, lol. Also, I want a sunscreen that is water-resistant. It’s summer and sunscreen comes off much more easily during this time of the year. Canmake isn’t water-resistant.

So I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this sunscreen. Maybe I’ll keep using it. All I know is that it’s the only sunscreen that I have that doesn’t break me out. It might work better on days when it’s less sunny and when I’m not outdoors often. Because when using this sunscreen, I noticed that my face became a little tanner than usual. Hmmmmm. 🤔 I’ll be on the search for another sunscreen in the meantime.

So what products did I remove from my skin care routine??

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence:

It took me a while to see if I wanted to remove this product or not. Looking back, I used it for a few years, I think it’s been about 2-3 years already. Honestly, it hasn’t helped much with hydration. It hasn’t helped with fine lines and wrinkles either. I don’t think it really did anything significant. Absolutely nothing. So! I decided to stop using this product. I didn’t see the point anymore.

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5:

Here’s to another serum that I saw ZERO results from. It’s not even hydrating. I don’t even know why I’m using it anymore. It’s pretty much a waste of time using it. It didn’t break me out or irritate my skin. It just felt like I was applying expensive water to my skin.

Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence:

I had a chance to try this essence again. It felt very lightweight and soothing on the skin. I didn’t use it long enough to see the full benefits of this product (if there’s any). I used it, stopped using it. I didn’t notice any breakouts this time. I didn’t think this essence was super moisturizing. It’s somewhat drying on the skin. I think I’m over it. Apparently I still have it, lol. That’s why I tried it again.

RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream:

I started using this cream last week but decided to stop using it. I know, it’s way too soon. But, this is another product that I don’t need. What’s the point in using it when I have other exfoliants and retinol/retinoid products? Also, I think it’s too moisturizing on my skin as well. I didn’t think it was working for me. FYI, I’ve used this product before in the past. I guess I stopped using it for a reason.

RoC Line Smoothing Daily Cleansing Pads:

I loved these cleansing pads, and they do work to cleanse the skin. I’ve been using them whenever my skin starts to peel. I think this is a good product, but it’s another product that I don’t necessarily need in my life. And I don’t feel like wasting my money on it anymore. I feel like the dead skin cells on my face comes off naturally as I continue to moisturize my skin and let it heal. I’m not into cleansing pads or even scrubs right now. It’s not my thing at the current moment, so I decided not to buy it again when I’m done with it.

That’s all I changed and have done this week. I spent the week mostly re-evaluating my sun care products and how I’m applying them (how often too). I’ve been eliminating skin care products from left to right too. My skin is still adjusting to tret after 5 weeks. In all honesty, I feel like this acne journey shifted from using tret to lactic acid. The results I’m getting from lactic acid have been amazzziiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnng! ✨

My Acne Experience:

My Acne Journey: 1 Week In…

My Acne Journey: 2 WEEKS!! 🙌🏻

My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!