My Week 3 BP Results!

If you missed out on my updated skin care routine 👈🏻

Some changes have been made, hehe.

Here are my week 3 results!!

I took a break from tazorac and benzoyl peroxide as an all-over skin treatment this week. My skin looked a bit flaky and crusty. If I continued on with these products, my skin would look like crap. I just wasn’t feeling the all-over the face acne treatments like taz and benzoyl peroxide this week. I still used benzoyl peroxide though. Only as a spot treatment. I only targeted my breakout-prone areas. If I see a pimple forming or has formed, I’ll dab a little bit of benzoyl peroxide on that pimple. At the beginning to mid-week, I didn’t use any leave-on actives besides spot treating with benzoyl peroxide. At the end of the week, I noticed pimples that benzoyl peroxide wasn’t able to get at. I started using Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant again. Since I’m not using much (not even a moisturizer), I thought I would give this product a try again, haha. After eliminating so many products including moisturizer, the quality of my skin improved. It looks more natural. The texture of my skin is more refined and healthy-looking. Even with the positives, my skin has been extremely oily. And it’s not from not using a moisturizer. I think it’s my sunscreen. I’m currently using CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint. I haven’t been using Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 much. Maybe once a week or skip it? haha. CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint makes my skin feel oily/greasy, and it could be causing issues that I didn’t expect. I wish I could go sunscreen-free. No products on the skin is best for my skin. *sigh* But that’s never going to happen.

Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant used to dry my skin out (when used with a moisturizer). The times I used it this week, I didn’t experience skin dryness, redness, peeling, or any other skin irritations. Nothing. My skin took this product pretty well. It helped to decrease sebum on my skin, but it didn’t help much with my acne. Hmmm! I noticed even more pimples, which was not from purging. The bha liquid didn’t do much to unclog stubborn clogged pores. Boooo!! I’m not sure if I’m going to keep using it. Perhaps once or twice a week. It’s not as effective against acne (on my skin anyways) compared to when I first used it. Darn, I have a lot of product left too. 😭 So I went back to using benzoyl peroxide. I might take another week off of taz. We’ll see what happens to my skin next week. Nothing seems to work on my acne anymore besides benzoyl peroxide.

Some things I’m thinking about switching out: my sunscreen and cleanser. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance Free has been OK. I’m thinking about switching over to a face wash that contains benzoyl peroxide since I’m not using anything on my skin/face besides an acne treatment and sunscreen. I’m not liking my current sunscreens either. I need a sunscreen that’s more lightweight and less oily/greasy. The ones I’m using could be causing acne issues. Mostly CeraVe. I use it the most out of the two. My skin doesn’t look good after using it. I always make sure to remove it properly too. I think it could be the fact that sunscreens feel super occlusive on the skin, which could lead to breakouts. I have annoying skin. What to do? lol. Nothing ever works for my skin type. 😢

That’s my update for this week! Have a splendid day!

Catch up on my experiences!

Restarting Tret & My First Week Experience

My Week 2 Results With Tret. Changes I’ve Made.

December Skin Care Empties 🎄

Here are my December skin care empties! 👇🏻

Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask:

I thought I finished my last bottle of Cosrx Ultimate Rice Overnight Spa Mask, but I still have one more left. *sigh* I’ve been using this moisturizer on my body (not my face). My face can’t tolerate this product. I tried it so many times, and it failed each and every time. It’s just not compatible with my skin type no matter how much I want it to be. I love the niacinamide for the brightening effect, but it clogs my pores. This product contains sunflower seed oil, palm oil, and palm kernal oil. My skin hates oils in general. If they made an oil-free one, maybe I’ll give it a try. This moisturizer just didn’t work on my skin as I had hoped.

Coppertone Defend & Care Clear Zinc 50:

I have 2 bottles of Coppertone Defend & Care Clear Zinc 50. I finally finished my first bottle after a year. Don’t worry, it hasn’t expired. I’m using it indoors anyways on my hands (to finish it). For the face, this sunscreen is way too thick, way too white (ghost-like, leaves the skin powdery white), and it’s too heavy on the face for daily use. I tried it on my face before. It clogged my pores. It contains beeswax, which my skin doesn’t like. On the body, it works just fine. But, it does have a sunscreen smell to it that I don’t like. So, either way, I won’t purchase again after I finish my last bottle.

Cosrx Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream:

I finally finished my fourth bottle (last one!!) of Cosrx Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream! Andddd I won’t purchase it again. It’s a nice moisturizing eye cream, but it didn’t do much for my the skin around my eyes. I can’t tell if it helped to boost radiance, reduce under eye circles, or reduce puffy under eyes. I definitely can say that it didn’t help with fine lines and wrinkles. It just provided good moisture. From my experience and results, that’s all I’ve seen from this product after going through four bottles. It’s time to move on to something else if there is something else out there that works for under eye circles, eye puffiness, fine lines, and wrinkles.

Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin:

I finished a bottle of Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin this month. It’s a good moisturizer that moisturizes, hydrates, heals, protects, and soothes the skin. But, it didn’t work for me in the end (face). I was using it because I have no other moisturizer, and my skin was feeling flaky and dry. But then I realize how terrible this moisturizer is for my skin. I love that it moisturizes. It really does. I’ve never experienced moisturized skin like this before. It’s just that, this moisturizer clogs my pores. I think it’s the squalane. I can’t even use pure squalane oil without it clogging my pores. Since I have a few left, I’m currently using it as an eye cream and on my neck to use it up.

Purito Centella Green Level Eye Cream:

One tube of Purito Centella Green Level Eye Cream down! One left to go! I’ve gone through plenty of this eye cream to say that it’s a pretty below average eye cream. Even though it contains ingredients like centella asiatica extract (49%), shea butter, peptides, sodium hyaluronate, madecassic acid, panthenol, hydrolyzed collagen, cholesterol, macadamia seed oil, and so much more, it didn’t do anything for my eye area/under eyes. It wasn’t moisturizing enough either. It did absolutely nothing to improve my eyes. In my opinion, this product is overhyped. A good moisturizer does the same thing and comes in a bigger bottle than this 30 mL (1 fl. oz.) eye cream. It’s best to save your money.

Benton Fermentation Eye Cream:

Here’s another eye cream I finished this month! It’s the Benton Fermentation Eye Cream. You know, I’m starting to like this eye cream. It’s thick, creamy, and very moisturizing. Maybe it’s because it’s been colder and I’m losing a lot of moisture from the skin around my eyes. My under eyes are getting really dry, but this eye cream has helped replenish the moisture loss along with my other moisturizing skin care products. This eye cream is very rich. Since the texture and consistency of the product is rich and heavy, it’s a bit difficult to spread. I love how moisturizing it is, but I would like it if it was easier to blend into the skin. I’ll keep using it for the rest of winter and see if I’ll repurchase or not. I currently have 2 tubes left. I think that’s more than enough until next year. One tube lasts for months anyways.

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum:

Unfortunately for me, I purchased a bunch of the Purito Centella Green Level Buffer Serum, lol. I stopped using this serum months ago. I’m glad I did. I haven’t noticed a difference after dropping it from my routine since. My skin doesn’t miss it at all. It has centella asiatica extract (49%), niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate, asiatic acid, madecassic acid, peptides, panthenol, and lots of other beneficial skin care ingredients, but it didn’t do anything for my skin. It provides temporary moisture and soothing effects, but that’s it. I didn’t notice a huge difference in my skin using it. It didn’t make my skin brighter, healthier, or even supple as it claims to do. I guess this serum could work if you’re searching for a basic serum and have sensitive skin. For me, it’s not for me. Seems like a waste of money for something that doesn’t improve my skin over time. It doesn’t really moisturize my skin either.

The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA:

One more The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA down! I did an update on this product not so long ago. I tried using it as an eye serum instead of a facial serum. It didn’t work out. The serum didn’t help with fine lines or wrinkles. It dried my under eyes out and pilled under my other skin care products. It didn’t work underneath sunscreen either. I never saw results with this serum. I just stopped using it anywhere near my face.

The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane:

I haven’t been using The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane on my face. I’ve been using it on my body. This retinol serum clogs my pores (on my face). The other ingredients in this product are not compatible with my skin. It’s just way too oily. I have a few more bottles left of this serum. I’m glad I knocked one out by the end of the year. It’s a very moisturizing retinol serum. It’s gentle on the skin. I can’t tell if it’s doing anything for the skin on my body. I just can’t tell. I don’t have any skin issues on my body besides some dryness once in a blue moon (during the winter). This is another product I’m trying to finish up from The Ordinary, lol.

The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%:

One more The Ordinary serum I finished up this month! I’m officially on my last bottle of The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%. I’m ready to just be done with it. So this serum is still oily and greasy. I love the ingredients in it still. If it doesn’t work on my facial skin, I can’t do anything about it. It clogs my pores and irritates it to no end. I’ve tried it so many times with the same terrible results. It also turns my face orange. I walked around with a bright orange glow to my skin all year round because of this product. 😆

The Ordinary 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder:

It took me nearly a year to finish a jar of this vitamin c powder. It’s finally done, and I’m not purchasing another one. In my opinion, it’s not worth it. Ascorbic acid powder can be easily purchased at a much more affordable, lower price than what The Ordinary is selling it for. I love the tiny jar that it comes in, and I’m still using it for my antioxidant powders. But, I’m pretty much done with this particular product. Results were mediocre. I didn’t notice that much of a difference in my skin. I’m still trying to fade acne marks. It’s time to try another vitamin c product out!

The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%:

I finished The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%! It’s the last bottle too! Yay! No more! The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% did nothing for my skin but left my skin feeling oily like a whole bunch of other The Ordinary products I’ve used. It’s so oily and greasy. It didn’t do anything for my skin either. It’s supposed to enhance hydration (nope!) and improve elasticity (nope!). Scavenge free radicals and recycle oxidized vitamin c (who knows if it did any of that). I just can’t tell. Is it doing anything?!! I’m over it. I’m glad I’m done with it. I won’t purchase it again. It took me soooo long to finish the last bottle.

It’s been quite a year. December seems to have the most empties. I’m just cleaning out for the new year! 🥳🎉 Merry Christmas everyone!!

August Skin Care Empties! 🧴

September Skin Care Empties 😎

November Skin Care Empties 🦃

My Acne Journey: 7 MONTHS!!!

I took a whole week off of tret. I just wanted to take a break from it for a little bit and restart maybe next week?? I’m not sure yet. So this week, I focused on using an antioxidant. I chose vitamin c. Yes, it’s back, hah!

Vitamin C 🍊

I started using vitamin c again. Not the powder version. The essence or serum version. I started off with whatever vitamin c product that I had (Melano CC Vitamin C Essence). I used Melano for two days. Melano has a lightweight, oily, greasy texture to it. It absorbs into the skin fast and leaves a matte finish. It slightly moisturizes the skin but not by much. I’m not a fan of the texture of the product. The essence stung my skin upon application. It irritated my skin just a little bit. After a few seconds, the stinging sensation disappeared. So, what are the results from this product? The essence brightened my skin instantly after a day of use. I noticed a brighter, more glowy complexion. But, I stopped using it after 2 days because I wanted to try another vitamin c product. I’ve been using Melano on and off over the years. I think it’s time to let it go if it hasn’t worked for me for this long. The vitamin c product I’m using now is L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum. I picked this product up this week. This vitamin c product contains 10% ascorbic acid. It also comes in a metal tube. One of the reasons why I chose to purchase this one. I’ve only used this serum for…I’m nearing a week soon. I started off using it at night at first then moved up to twice a day, morning and night. So far, the texture of the serum is soft and moisturizing. It has a silicone feel to it, but I’m not bothered by it. It smooths over my skin nicely and effortlessly. It feels nice, and it’s very easy to apply to the skin. I only use a pea-size amount for the whole face. I’m liking this serum a lot more compared to the Melano (texture-wise). As for results, I can’t say it. I haven’t been using it for too long. I’ll make an update on my new vitamin c serum soon.

What happened when I took a break from tret??

As mentioned earlier, I took a week off of tret. I’m glad I did. My skin needed it. I still don’t know when I’m going to restart it or if I am. My skin looks pretty decent right now. When using tret, my skin looked so thin. I lost so much fullness from my face. It’s been a week off of tret, and my skin looks normal again. My skin thickness is back! It looks more youthful and more natural-looking now. It’s not shiny and plastic-like. Tret gave me this weird, odd look to my skin. It makes my skin look smoother, but how it makes my skin look overall is a bit too much for my liking. It just doesn’t look natural or even normal. It made my skin appear more aged. Hmmmm, that’s something to think about. 🤔

At the beginning of the break, my skin was so dry. I stopped using a moisturizer because the moisturizer I was using was breaking me out (Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin). I didn’t have any other moisturizer to use. All I had was CeraVe Healing Ointment. I used it. Applied a whole bunch of it to my face. I know slugging isn’t for me, but my skin was too dry to do nothing. I love the CeraVe Healing Ointment too. It’s a versatile product and contains ingredients that I love like ceramides and hyaluronic acid. It helped to prevent my skin from drying out, but I won’t be doing this (slugging) again. It was a once in a while type of thing. It feels too sticky. It gets in my hair and makes it difficult for me to get a good night’s rest. It’s difficult to wash off in the morning too. It is oily after all.

During this break, I started a new acne product. I needed a product to treat my acne. I picked up the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. I’ve been meaning to try this product out. What put me off from trying it out were the negative reviews on it. But, everyone’s skin is different. It could work. I’m currently using it. Stay tuned for my 1 week experience on this product soon! It’s coming up real soon! The other cleanser I was using was from Neutrogena. I stopped using it for now just to try out CeraVe. Neutrogena cleaned my skin and didn’t dry out my skin, but I needed a product that would help with acne. In particular, those close f*cking comedones. They’ve been hanging out on my skin for far too long! Also, it’s time to try a new acne product when I’m not using any harsh acne products.

Product Updates

Remember that eye cream I stopped using? The RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream. I stopped using it on my eye area weeks ago, but I started using it on my neck for a week. After a week of using it on my neck and chest area (to finish it up, need to use it somewhere), I developed a rash on my neck! It was red, swollen, and itchy. WTF. I don’t know what they did to the formula of this eye cream, but it sucks. It used to be soft, smooth, and moisturizing. Now it just burns and makes the skin itch. It’s not cheap either. 😡

Happy 7 months! 🥳 This is my last update on my acne journey. It’s time to move on to new things. I feel like this journey has run its course. I need something new. A new adventure. A fresh start. Look forward to a new update on my experience with the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser!

Here’s the rest of my Acne Journey if you missed out!! 👇🏻

My Acne Journey: 1 Week In…

My Acne Journey: 2 WEEKS!! 

My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 WEEKS IN!

My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Results…

My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 2 MONTHS!! 

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 1 Week Results!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 2 Weeks!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 3 MONTHS!! 😃

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 1 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 2 Weeks Results

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. 🙂

My Acne Journey: 5 MONTHS!!

My Acne Journey: 5 Months + 1 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 5.5 Months Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 Months + 3 Weeks

My Acne Journey: 6 MONTHS!!! 🎉

My Acne Journey: 6 Months + 1 Week!

My Acne Journey: 6.5 Months

My Acne Journey: 6 Months + 3 Weeks!

Review: RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream

I’ve been using RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream for some time now. I’ve gone through two tubes. I’m now on my third. I think that’s more than enough time for me to share my experience with this product. Here are my thoughts on this eye cream. 🙂

What’s the purpose of the RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream? It contains peptides to lift, firm, and contour. 1.5% hyaluronic acid to smooth and fill in lines. Caffeine to de-puff and rejuvenate. In 1 week, 100% had visibly reduced crow’s feet and visibly hydrated skin. In 4 weeks, 85% saw a visible reduction in under-eye puffiness. In 8 weeks, 88% saw visibly firmer-looking skin around the eye and 85% saw a visible reduction in dark circles. It is dermatologist and ophthalmologist tested, fragrance-free, paraben-free, and non-comedogenic.

My Experience with RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream:

Texture and Application

The eye cream is a soft, smoothing gel. I love the texture and consistency of this eye cream. It’s so silky and smooth. When applied to the under eyes, it feels very gentle, elegant, and soothing. It glides over the under eyes and skin around the eyes effortlessly. It doesn’t tug at the eye area. Very easy, simple application process. I just love how soft and smooth it is on the skin. It absorbs pretty fast into the skin and leaves the skin feeling hydrated. Worked well underneath moisturizer and sunscreen too. I didn’t experience any pilling due to how fast it sinks into the skin.

A moisturizing eye cream.

If you’re searching for a moisturizing eye cream, this works to hydrate the skin. I didn’t experience any dryness. My under eyes were left moisturized. Once again, fast-absorbing, moisturized skin.

Results?

In 1 week, I couldn’t tell if it helped to reduce crow’s feet, but it did help hydrate my skin. I noticed instant hydration. It didn’t take 1 week. A regular moisturizer would hydrate and moisturize the skin as good as this tiny 0.5 fl. oz. (15 mL) eye cream product. I didn’t think it was that much of a difference between this eye cream and a moisturizer. In 4 weeks, I didn’t notice any de-puffing of under eye puffiness. In 8 weeks, I didn’t see firmer looking skin or a reduction in dark under eye circles. The only thing I noticed was hydration. If you’re looking into trying this product, I’m not going to stop you. Everyone’s experience is different. From my experience, it was simply just a hydrating eye cream that contains peptides, caffeine, and hyaluronic acid. I didn’t see any improvements in my under eyes or skin around my eyes after going through two tubes of this eye cream. Just hydration.

Burning sensation?

I’ve finished two tubes of this eye cream already. I’m on my third. The first two went quite well. I didn’t experience any burning sensation or irritation. But once I started using the third one, my under eyes were extremely irritated. It looked like an allergic reaction. It was red, sore-looking, and burned like hell. Maybe I received a bad batch? Maybe the formula changed?? I have a fourth tube of the eye cream. Unfortunately, it smells just like the third tube. It has a very strong chemical smell to it. It doesn’t smell right. The products I have are new too. I recently purchased them. I have a fourth one because I bought the third and fourth together, lol. The first two I finished up didn’t have this strong chemical smell. Who knows what might’ve happened. Either way, I stopped using the eye cream on my eyes. After I stopped using it, all symptoms vanished. I’m quite disheartened with my experience with this eye cream after this happened. It made my eyes look worse and emphasized wrinkles.

Final Thoughts

I was going to keep using this eye cream, since it feels nice on the skin and contains ingredients like peptides, caffeine, and hyaluronic acid. My first couple of tubes of this eye cream went well. It didn’t help with crow’s feet, fine lines, wrinkles, dark under eye circles, puffiness, but it did help to hydrate my skin. I’ve used plenty of eye creams and have never found one that did anything amazing other than moisturize the skin. And, I really liked the texture of this eye cream. It’s silky and smooth. I love how little effort I have to put into applying it. It just glides and absorbs quick. It works great underneath my other skin care products too. BUT, since I had a bad experience with it (burning, third tube), I stopped using this eye cream. Like, wtf happened??!! I haven’t used it for a week and am happy with my decision. My under eyes went back to normal. It’s not red, puffy, swollen, and super wrinkly anymore. The under eye area is very delicate. I can’t trust using this product on my eyes after this experience. I won’t repurchase. What a huge disappointment.

This is what the eye cream looks like. Brand new. It’s a clear gel. When I twisted the cap open, the product seeps out.

My Acne Journey: 6 Months + 1 Week!

It’s been 25 days on tret. I’m moving on to 1 month soon! This is what happened this week!

Increasing Strength & Adding Moisturizer.

I tried to increase to a higher strength this week from what I’m using. Ugh, I burned myself again after a good streak with little to no irritation. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I should’ve known from my prior mistake. My skin was so irritated. It was reddish and pink. It looked so flushed. So painful, so sad. Super itchy! Should’ve slathered on a heavy-duty moisturizer beforehand. This burn was worse than the previous burn. Ouch! So I took one day off before getting back on tret. It took ONE day for my skin to fully heal. I was shocked how resilient my skin was. It bounced back that quick. My skin settled down after a day of nourishing my skin. Here are the skin care products I used to soothe and heal my skin. I used whatever I had, lol.

Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin:

This is the only moisturizer that I have found that actually works to heal, protect, and soothe my skin. It didn’t soothe my skin at the beginning though. It burned my skin when applied to damaged skin. When the moisture barrier is damaged, almost everything burns. This product was one of them. I still used it anyways. I needed a moisturizer with ingredients like ceramides. It was the least likely to clog my pores out of all the moisturizers I have. I find that my skin really like ceramides when it’s feeling irritated and burned. With this moisturizer, I only used it at night. Before I stopped using Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin, I was using it daily, morning and night. Maybe that was just too much moisture for my skin. Using it at night only has helped replenish moisture in my skin without going overboard. I don’t plan on using this moisturizer every single night. Just a few times a night when my skin needs it. I went back to my no moisturizer routine after my skin felt moisturized and healed. Who knows when this moisturizer will pop back in. It’s nice to have around to alleviate dry skin.

CeraVe Healing Ointment:

After applying Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin, I slugged for one night because my skin really needed it. I couldn’t take the itchiness anymore. It was getting to be too much. I took the CeraVe Healing Ointment and applied a thick layer over my facial skin, slept with it on, and woke up the next morning with less irritated skin. This product also contains mineral oil, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid. It made my skin look so poreless and smoother in the morning. Very moisturized with a nice sheen to my skin. I love keeping this product around to heal dry, itchy skin. It’s amazing stuff! I can’t slug every night. It’s too moisturizing, heavy, and sticky. It gets in my hair too and makes it sticky in the morning. It’s a once in a blue moon thing when I destroy my skin by accident.

Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50:

I don’t use Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 as my face sunscreen at all. I use it around my eyes, on my ears, and neck. I’m on my last bottle and won’t repurchase after I finish it. I find that this sunscreen is just way too heavy and moisturizing. It seals in moisture in the skin. And that’s why I used it while my skin was irritated, dry, and itchy. This sunscreen makes a great occlusive with SPF in the morning. It felt extremely soothing on the skin.

Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50:

I love the UVB and UVA protection of the Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50, but I can’t use this sunscreen every day due to how moisturizing it is. My skin starts to get clogged if I use it too much during the week. This sunscreen worked pretty good at keeping my skin moisturized and protected from harmful UV rays as my skin healed. I love applying this sunscreen directly on my bare skin, it’s just so soothing.

Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40:

I’m not a fan of the Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40. But, this sunscreen is definitely another moisturizing sunscreen that makes the skin feel silky smooth and soothes irritated skin. I piled this sunscreen on throughout the day to increase my skin’s moisture levels. It’s not something I would use as a daily SPF, but it served its purpose during the healing process. It was nice to have this sunscreen around for that reason. I’m on my last bottle too. Another sunscreen that I won’t purchase again after I finish it. At least it’s good for something, haha.

So am I going to try to increase the strength again? Probably not. No. I’ll just wait until the weather is warmer when my skin is even more oily. I’ll just stick to the lower strength from now on unless it stops working. Tret burns are just terrible to go through. I’m glad it’s been fixed and over. I’ll try not to do it again. 😵 lol.

An update on skin care products I tried this week…

Melano CC Vitamin C Essence:

I tried using Melano CC Vitamin C Essence again. The essence felt lightweight and absorbed into the skin very quick. I loved that aspect about this vitamin c essence. But, I didn’t like the way it left my skin feeling and looking drier throughout the day. By the end of the night, my skin looked drier. I noticed some pimples too. Ugh. Why did I try this product again? The dryness and breakouts turned me off from using this essence again. I stopped using it immediately after one try. Skin felt so much better after I stopped using it. I prefer to apply my sunscreen products directly to bare skin anyways. It was nice to try out this vitamin c essence again to see if it’ll work on my skin since I have several tubes left, but I won’t bother with it anymore after this. I hope, haha. I’m currently not using a vitamin c product. I can’t find one that works well with my skin. They tend to be irritating on the skin too with little results. Oh well.

Check out my 1 month update on The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG!

My Results.

After my skin healed, I went back on tret. I also started using Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant again to help with skin congestion. I noticed my nose had a ton of sebaceous filaments. And the only product that I know will help with this type of skin issue (on my skin) is the bha liquid. I’m actually using it with tret at night also. I apply bha first, let it dry. Next, apply tret. I apply moisturizer (Vanicream) if my skin feels dry. If not, I skip it. I haven’t noticed any breakouts from using this moisturizer at night only. I might try to be more consistent with moisturizing my skin if it doesn’t cause any clogged pores. I love how soothing and how moisturizing it is without leaving my skin feeling and looking oily. It feels a bit sticky and tacky upon application, but it doesn’t feel that way after it absorbs into the skin. With the bha, I noticed results after using it once. My pores looked clearer and cleaner. It helped accelerate the skin purging process. My skin cleared up even more after using it again. Overall, my skin looks pretty good right now. No noticeable blemishes and no new cysts. Hopefully it all just gets better in the next upcoming weeks!

Read more on my acne journey below!

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. 🙂

My Acne Journey: 5 MONTHS!!

My Acne Journey: 5 Months + 1 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 5.5 Months Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 Months + 3 Weeks

My Acne Journey: 6 MONTHS!!! 🎉