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

After My Break & Trying Out Exfoliants

I stopped using tret about 2 weeks ago. My skin healed within 4 days, but I wanted to play it safe and just leave my skin alone for a bit. My skin became really oily during the break. If I didn’t have oily skin that is prone to blemishes, I would just stick to a basic skin care routine. I could only wish. Knowing my skin, it just can’t. It needs more than a basic skin care routine. So after 1 week of taking a break, I decided to add a cleanser that contains salicylic acid (CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser) into my routine. I swapped my moisturizing facial cleanser for another facial cleanser that contains salicylic acid. I’m nearing 2 weeks on this facial cleanser! 🙃 It cleanses my skin and doesn’t dry my skin out! This cleanser feels moisturizing on my skin. I didn’t expect it to be this moisturizing. Maybe it’s because I have oily skin. It seems to work to cleanse and makes my skin feel good afterwards. No dryness or any irritation. But, I’m not sure if it’s doing anything for my acne. Since I didn’t notice an improvement in my acne using the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser, I started using other products to treat my acne.

Here are some products I tried out first…

Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant:

Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid has always been my to-go-to salicylic acid product. It contains 2% salicylic acid. I love that it’s a liquid too. It absorbs quickly into the skin, and I can use it twice a day without drying my skin out. Unfortunately, this product isn’t working like it used to. It helps to decrease some sebaceous filaments and some blackheads. I said SOME. Not most or all. My skin is still struggling with acne when using this product. I’ve been trying to get rid of closed comedones that have been lingering around for far too long. This bha product isn’t doing much. So far, I’m quite disappointed in the results. It’s been months using this bha product. I still have 2 bottles left, so I’m going to keep using it to finish it up. But, I most likely won’t purchase it again unless I notice a difference with it vs without it. I’m currently using it in the morning, 7 days a week. I know that’s a lot for some people. My skin is pretty sturdy, lol. I was using it twice a day, 7 days a week before I changed it to using it only in the morning. Not because it’s drying. It’s because I wanted to make room for other products. I didn’t see results using it twice a day either. The results were the same using it once a day.

Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum:

This is the first aha product that I decided to try again. It’s the Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum. It contains 14% glycolic acid. I haven’t used a glycolic acid product in a while. I was pretty excited about it, haha. I chose the Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum first because it’s the strongest aha product I have. And I have acne to demolish. 💥 This serum is more like a gel rather than a serum. It smooths over the skin nicely and leaves the skin feeling moisturized. Once it absorbs into the skin, it leaves the skin looking dewy, but it doesn’t feel heavy or greasy on the skin. I noticed some stinging upon application. It didn’t bother me. I was thinking, hey, at least I know it’s effective, haha. My results with the Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum has been…not too bad. So, I guess it’s effective after all. I noticed some clogged pores unclogging, and my skin looking softer and smoother. I had a closed comedone on my upper lip for months. It’s finally out! This glycolic acid serum is pretty moisturizing too. This could make it back into my routine if it keeps on improving my skin!

The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA:

I have a few bottles of The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA left. I decided to try it out again. This serum is more on the watery side compared to the Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum. It actually feels like a serum. It absorbs into the skin faster and more efficiently. With this serum, also, I noticed a stinging sensation upon application. That stinging sensation disappeared after a few seconds. This serum felt moisturizing on the skin. I really love the way lactic acid makes my skin feel. Why did I ever stop using it?? I noticed a brighter, smoother, and a more even complexion after using it once. Compared to the Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum, it feels so much stronger. Between the two, I’m leaning towards glycolic acid at the moment. It was nice to try out this lactic acid serum though.

The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA:

I haven’t used The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA in ages. I was searching for an exfoliant that could work better than salicylic acid. This one popped up. I wanted something that would work better for blackheads and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Mandelic acid is a popular choice. This serum felt thicker and more greasy in texture and consistency. It was oily. I didn’t enjoy using it, so I only used it once and never looked back. I didn’t notice any breakouts after the first try, but I can’t see myself using this serum on a daily basis to treat my acne. The texture of the product is just way too greasy and oily for day-to-day use. My experience with The Ordinary skin care products that have this type of texture is a no-go. It was nice to try out. It’s just not going work. My skin doesn’t like oily serums. I’m trying to eliminate my acne here, haha!

The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution:

The last aha product that I tried this week was The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. You know, I’ve always loved liquid skin care products (like the Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid). This one was very easy to use and apply. I dispensed the solution onto a cotton pad and swiped my face all over! Easy-peasy! There was a stinging sensation that later on disappeared. No troubles there. Once the solution absorbs and settles into the skin. Wow, my complexion looked brighter and super glowy instantly! I was so amazed. I dropped all of my other exfoliating skin care products (except for the bha liquid) and decided to stick to this one. It’s a texture thing. The product is a liquid and it just sinks into the skin easily without leaving any sticky residue behind. It doesn’t feel greasy or oily either. Here’s another product where I catch myself asking why I stopped using it, lol. I’ve only used it once, but I’ll make an update next week.

What I’m Doing Now…

After this experience, the only product I’m going to continue on with is Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid (have to use a lightweight acne-fighting product in the morning, maybe it’s doing something if I keep using it? lol.) and The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution (a nighttime exfoliant and also helps with acne). I really love my liquid-based skin care products. Having oily skin, they just absorb and sink into my skin better. It makes it easier to apply other skin care products afterwards too. They’re also time-savers. I find them more effective too. My skin loves them! What else this week?? I started using tret again. It’s about time I get back into it! My skin condition now is so much better this time. I wonder if it’s the aha products. My skin transformed so quick after using them in a short period of time. My skin looks cleaner, clearer, and more glowy. It helped to unclog clogged pores too. Goodbye closed comedones! My jaw literally dropped after seeing immediate results from aha products. Along with the chosen exfoliants, I’ll be using tret. I’ve already started using it, and I’m trying to use it every day. So far, it’s going pretty well. I haven’t had any issues with redness or dryness using it daily. Hopefully it works out this time. Wish me luck!

3 Week Update on Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum!

I just finished up 3 weeks on Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum! So close to heading into a month! So if you missed out on my updates on Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum, don’t forget to go check them out!

Starting Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum!

After 1 Week of Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum! My Results!

When I first started using Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum, I was very excited and had very high hopes. I really wanted this serum to improve my skin. I’ve used so many skin care products that I haven’t found something that’ll make a difference and change my skin for the better. After a night of using the serum, I noticed a change in my skin the next morning. My skin looked so much softer, smoother, and more refined. My pores looked smaller. This serum also helped with acne too. I had some skin purging going on. But after around 2 weeks, those pimples went away. This serum did help with blackheads at first, but I noticed that the effect was temporary. It didn’t truly help with blackheads on my nose in the end. I could still see them. But I really liked how Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum transformed the overall quality of my skin. It just looks so much more glowy and youthful. My skin is soooo smooth!!! 😍

The first 2 weeks using this serum was pretty amazing. I fell in love with the product and the results that it gave me in that short amount of time. But after 3 weeks, the results plateaued. My skin still looked good as in it looked soft and smooth, but it didn’t do much for my acne anymore. I was hoping that it’ll help with acne maintenance due to its ability to exfoliate the skin. I just didn’t see improvements in my acne during the 3rd week. I was using it twice a day too, in the morning and at night. As I mentioned in my earlier updates, this glycolic acid serum is more on the gentle side. It says that it contains 14% glycolic acid, but it honestly doesn’t feel like it. I find this serum more moisturizing than drying. But that could just be my skin type. I have oily skin. Since it didn’t do much for my acne, I stopped using it twice a day and stuck to nights only. Eventually I stopped using it since I wasn’t seeing much results from this serum. I guess I decided to take a break from it. I’m not sure if I’m going to keep it in my routine. Maybe use it a few times a week at night at most. We’ll see what happens…

After 1 Week of Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum! My Results!

It’s been 1 WEEK of using Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum! This is what happened after a single week! If you missed out on my previous post on Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum, don’t forget to check it out!! Click that link! 🙂

I started off using the serum only at night. I alternated it with another acne treatment. Go here to read more about it!! So, I didn’t use the serum every single night. So far, it’s been working for me. Every time I use the serum, I wake up with skin that’s softer, smoother, and more refined the next morning. The difference is very noticeable (before and after). I’m very happy with the results just after the first night of using it and as I continue to use it. Even though the main reason why I started using the serum again is to treat my stubborn, clogged pores, I noticed an improvement in *any* fine lines and wrinkles (not deep wrinkles) that exist on my face. My skin looks more even toned and glowy. It looks so much better than before. This is so exciting because I’ve been on an acne prescription cream for years now, and it hasn’t done much for my acne compared to this serum. I’ve been really trying to clear my skin FOR YEARS with little results. And, fortunately, this magically worked again. It didn’t work last summer when I tried it. The results are very odd (in a good way) and surprising this time around!

I was planning on sticking to using the serum only at night and every other night, but I decided to start using the serum in the morning after the first couple of days. Yeah, I didn’t expect that to happen but it did. This decision seems rushed, but my skin didn’t tingle anymore using the serum. I didn’t have any major irritation or redness. My skin is just getting better and better by the day! Honestly, I think the formulation of this product is so much gentler compared to other AHA products I’ve used before even though it states that it contains 14% glycolic acid (pH 3.7). I’ve used a lower percentage that felt stronger and more aggressive on my skin. This serum just sunk into my skin, and my skin took it pretty well. In the beginning, I didn’t want to use it in the morning because it’s an AHA product. But, I’m hardly ever outdoors anyways since it’s been cooler outside. I changed my mind, haha. I’m also using SPF 50 instead of 30 (just in case) to protect my skin from harmful UV rays.

So after increasing my dose of this serum, there’s an even greater improvement in my acne and oily skin. Instead of unclogging pores every other day at night. It’s more of an every day thing now. It has accelerated the healing process considerably. I just hope it doesn’t stop working. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a more gentle AHA product. It feels weaker compared to other AHA products I’ve used before (especially for the percentage). But I’m going to stick to it for now and see what happens. BUT! I’m not planning on using it in the morning for too long. From my personal experience with using glycolic acid this much, my skin is more prone to burning. The reason why I don’t use glycolic acid too often or any other chemical exfoliant for that matter!! Especially during the summer when the sun is beaming. My skin burns so much faster even when I’m using SPF and reapplying! I love the results though! Just have be extra cautious with sun exposure that’s all.

That’s my one week update! Everything is going good so far! My skin has improved. Acne is going away along with some fine lines. Deep wrinkles? No. Not at all. But we’ll see within a few more weeks. Stay tuned for my next update! See you all there!!

⭐ If you missed out on my previous experience with tret…

My experience with tret the first week…

After 1 Month on Tret + Skin Care Routine. Here are My Results.

2 Months on Tret. My results. 🙂

Taking a break from tret…

Back to tret! 1 Week Results & My Skin Care Routine. Did it work? 🤔

1 Month on Tret. My Results!

A break from Tret & What I’m Doing Now

Surprise! Back on tret + Other Acne Treatments for Clear Skin. 🙂

Starting Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum!

I’ve used Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum on and off. I think it’s the perfect time to re-add it back into my skin care routine. I’m looking for something else other than benzoyl peroxide to treat my acne. I’m still using benzoyl peroxide whenever I can, but I just wanted something else like glycolic acid or lactic acid. I happen to have some leftover Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum. I can test it out to see if it works. Luckily, I don’t have to purchase a new bottle of serum! Yay! 🙂

I’ve only used it once. I know, that’s not that much time, but here are my results…

Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum contains 14% glycolic acid. It does contain other ingredients too, such as glycerin, matricaria extract, green tea extract, sodium hyaluronate, aloe baradensis juice, to name a few more. This serum feels liquidy when dispensed. I use about 2 pumps. That’s more than enough to cover my whole face and neck area. The product absorbs into the skin very well. By the way, I only use it at night since glycolic acid (14%) makes the skin more prone to sensitivity and sun damage. Yes, I make sure to wear my sunscreen every day. But still, I want to prevent my skin from damage as much as possible. So this serum does tingle when applied to the skin, but it eventually goes away within a few minutes. I didn’t have any issues with that.

After a night of using this glycolic acid serum, my skin looked more refined and smoother the next morning. It helped to decrease sebum in my skin. I was having trouble with oily skin some days of the week. It would just get really messy and oily. I liked how this serum just killed the oil off. I also woke up with some new breakouts. I wasn’t surprised, since that’s one of the main reasons why I wanted to start using glycolic acid. I wanted to unclog some stubborn clogged pores that won’t budge. I’m on tret, but it doesn’t seem like it’s helping much with some pimples. It’s getting really annoying. I’m still using benzoyl peroxide, but I wanted to see if glycolic acid could possibly do anything for those stubborn, annoying clogged pores. It doesn’t hurt to give it a chance again.

My results have been good so far. I mean, it’s only been a single day. But after noticing breakouts (pores unclogging) and a decrease in blackheads on my nose, I think it’s doing what it’s supposed to do. Hopefully it’ll get rid of them entirely as I continue to use it. Benzoyl peroxide works for that too, but glycolic acid did both — made my skin look smoother in texture and is eliminating blackheads. I’ve tried BHA for blackheads, but it wasn’t that great. I still use a facial cleanser with salicylic acid (read more about it here). It’s not something I would give that much credit for fighting against my acne. Seems like most salicylic acid products don’t work on my acne, or I haven’t found one that works. Oh well, haha.

So my overall skin texture is softer and smoother. The changes are so noticeable!! I think I’m going to keep using this glycolic acid serum a few times a week. Maybe 2-3 times a week and take it from there. If tret isn’t doing much, gotta look elsewhere to fix the problem. I’m already seeing changes in my skin after a day. I’ll make an update soon if it’s doing anything for my skin or not. 🤞🏻

⭐ If you missed out on my previous experience with tret…

My experience with tret the first week…

After 1 Month on Tret + Skin Care Routine. Here are My Results.

2 Months on Tret. My results. 🙂

Taking a break from tret…

Back to tret! 1 Week Results & My Skin Care Routine. Did it work? 🤔

1 Month on Tret. My Results!

A break from Tret & What I’m Doing Now

Surprise! Back on tret + Other Acne Treatments for Clear Skin. 🙂