New Skin Care Routine :)

I have a new skincare routine! And that’s my new favorite moisturizer that’s pictured. It’s the Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream for Dry to Normal Sensitive Skin. Read more about it below. 🙂

Face Wash: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Facial Wash

I switched facial cleansers! I was using Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance-Free. I’m still using it to remove my makeup, but I won’t purchase it again if La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Facial Wash works. So far, it’s been working. Hmmm! It leaves my skin feeling much softer and a bit brighter. The face wash does contain ceramide np and niacinamide. It’s not on the skin for too long, but it feels nice when using it. The face wash gets soft and foamy on the skin. I prefer it over Neutrogena. It feels like a higher-quality face wash. The texture, and the consistency of the product. It just feels so much better on the skin.

Moisturizers: Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream & Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream for Dry to Normal Sensitive Skin

I’m still using Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream, but I won’t purchase it again after using Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream for Dry to Normal Sensitive Skin. Cetaphil’s product is more moisturizing and helps to repair my skin better compared to Eucerin’s product. It works better as an under-eye moisturizer and a face moisturizer. I just hope this product doesn’t break me out in the long run. I’m on my second tub of the product. Maybe it’s working??!!

Acne Care: Neutrogena Stubborn Acne AM Treatment & Tret

I’m still using benzoyl peroxide as my main acne treatment, but I’ve also included tret. Here’s my 1 week experiece using it right here:

My Attempt At Using Tret Again.

I’m trying to work my way up with tret. I don’t use benzoyl peroxide and tret together. I use it at different times.

Sunscreen: I was using sunscreen only when outdoors, but my skin became severely dry with cracked skin. And oily at the same time. It was an awful mess. So, I decided to use sunscreen every day again. It hasn’t been too bad. I’ve been using Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 most of the time. It’s pretty thick and heavy. Sort of moisturizing. I think it’s good enough for indoors. I use my other sunscreens such as…

• La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100
• Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50
• Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 50
• Altruist SPF 50

Whenever I feel like it or when I’m outdoors. I mix my sunscreens up (not the products together, but use them on different days) and am trying to use them up still.

This is just a quick update. 🙂

My Attempt At Using Tret Again.

I started using tret again. My skin was looking dull. It was lifeless. I needed to do something about those issues. Acne marks became more prominent as well. I can’t use too many skin care products, but I thought I could give tret another chance. So here I am using tret again. Here’s my 1 week experience using tret.

I was able to use tret 4 times this week. I used it back-to-back for a total of 4 days and took a break for the rest of the week. During my use of the product, I was using a moisturizer. It was the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Face Gel Hydrator. It worked amazingly for my skin. My skin felt extremely moisturizing. At one point, I thought it gave my skin too much hydration. I thought about dialing back on the product. I didn’t. I just kept using it. Tret and this moisturizer went well together. I noticed smoother skin that’s brighter (probably the niacinamide in the hydrator). I was so happy that I was seeing results with this combination of products. Yesss! Finally! It’s working! Sadly, the moisturizer ended up breaking me out. I had clogged pores in areas that were acnegenic. I had to stop using it. Once I did, the breakouts went away. Once I stopped using the moisturizer, my skin couldn’t take tret daily anymore. It burned my skin. For the rest of the week, I took a break. I picked up another moisturizer called Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream for Dry to Normal Sensitive Skin. I purchased this to use as an eye cream, which works so much better than what I was using (Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Sensitive Skin Face Creme). Eucerin wasn’t that moisturizing and did nothing for my skin. I noticed some fine lines and wrinkles underneath my eye area vanished with Cetaphil! It works better as a moisturizer! I’m switching!

So! The Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream helped to alleviate any scalding, burning, and redness. This is awful! I burned my skin again. I’ll have to use a moisturizer with tret. I hope Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream works! I’ve been using it for 3 days and night without any issues. No breakouts. Nothing yet. It leaves my skin feeling soft too. It’s a two-in-one product for me. It works as a face cream AND an eye cream. Hey! Let’s see what happens. So far, so good.

Stay tuned for what’s going to happen next! 🙂

Review: Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Face Gel Hydrator

I picked up a new moisturizer/hydrator. It’s the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Face Gel Hydrator! My skin was very dry from the acne products I was using. My skin was falling apart. Flakey, crusty, peeling. I needed a moisturizing product. I stumbled upon the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Face Gel Hydrator and thought I would give it a shot. It comes in a large tube also (5.0 oz bottle). Maybe it might work. Maybe not. This is my experience with this product!

The texture of the product is a lightweight gel. It’s soft, smooth, and easy to apply to the skin. Once applied to the skin, it makes the skin look so much better. I loved how it made my skin appear softer and smoother after a single application. My skin felt hydrated, and it helped alleviate any dryness I was experiencing. The product does contain the ingredient dimethicone. Hmmm! That’s what’s giving it that silky, smooth texture, which I love very much!

So I used it for about a week. The first couple of days went well. The rest of the week? I questioned the product since I was noticing some breakouts in random places. My skin felt good, but weird things were going on with my skin. Since it contains dimethicone (a hit or miss for my skin), I thought it was breaking me out. I continued to use it because I was hoping for the best. Unfortunately, my skin started to get clogged up so fast. I really wanted this moisturizer to work! I can’t seem to find a moisturizer that works on my skin. On a good note, the 4% nicinamide helped to fade some acne scars and brightened my skin. My skin texture, pores, and acne marks looked SO much better using this product! But it didn’t do any good for my acnegenic skin. And the bottle says that it won’t clog pores too. That was a lie. At least for my skin. Back to the drawing board. sigh I’ll use the rest under my eyes or something. It works great as a makeup primer!

Update: My Skin Care Routine!

Here’s another update on my skincare routine! This photo was one of my previous skincare routines. I’m still using the same face wash and benzoyl peroxide acne treatment. The 2 sunscreens pictured (LRP SPF 100, Altruist SPF 50)…I still have it and use it. Read more about it in this post! Lastly, I finished the Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10. I stopped purchasing it because I liked the Neutrogena BP product a lot more. It seems to work better on my acne.

Face Wash: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance-Free

I’m using the same face wash as before. Same old. It’s the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance-Free. This product seems to work for me. It doesn’t help with acne, but it doesn’t break me out. It works to cleanse my skin. It’s fragrance-free. I love the big bottle. It lasts for months. I tend to be very generous with the amount I use also, haha. But at least I’m using it. If it works, why fix it? I guess I’ll stick with it. 😀

Eye Care: Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream

Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream is moisturizing and affordable. It doesn’t do much for wrinkles or fine lines. I like using it because it leaves the skin around my eyes moisturized. It’s perfect for that. Once again, it’s affordable. I don’t feel like spending that much on an eye cream anyway. From my experience, they don’t do much but keep the skin around the eyes moisturized. This is good enough for now.

Acne Care: Neutrogena Stubborn Acne AM Treatment 

I use Neutrogena Stubborn Acne AM Treatment as an all-over acne treatment and a spot treatment. I’m leaning toward a spot treatment. But I use it as an all-over acne treatment when needed. My skin loooveesss benzoyl peroxide. Possibly the only acne product that works on my skin over so many years!

Sunscreen: Whatever sunscreen I have. *See the list below*

I’ve been experimenting with sunscreens. Here’s a list of sunscreens I use. I switch it up.

• La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100
• Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50
• Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 50
• Altruist SPF 50
• Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30

I haven’t used Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 50 on my face in a while, but I thought I would toss it on the list of sunscreens to use. I like that it’s lightweight, a mineral sunscreen, and contains SPF 50. It’s not a full mineral sunscreen, but it’s better than nothing. This sunscreen works great as a makeup primer as well. It tends to dry out the skin a bit and accentuate dry patches though. That is why I’m not purchasing it again after I finish it.

I wish LRP SPF 100 was a mineral sunscreen. Too bad that it’s a chemical-based sunscreen. This sunscreen seems to work some days. On other days, it doesn’t. On the good days, it leaves my skin moisturized, smooth, and protected. I have no issues with it. On the bad days, it gives me really terrible headaches that it’s making me think if I should continue to use it. I haven’t used it since, but it’s there. I most likely won’t stick to this sunscreen when I finish it. Something is off about this sunscreen. The headaches are just so bad. Maybe it’s something else…I don’t know…

I’m only using Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 only on the skin around my eyes. It doesn’t dry it out or make it look bad. It works. I think I may have found a sunscreen for the eyes. Just not my face because it accentuates skin dryness, makes my skin flake, and just makes it look awful. I tried. It just didn’t work for me. It’s an affordable sunscreen to use around the eyes. Hey! Even my neck. And it’s a 100% mineral-based sunscreen. 🙂

Sometimes I use Altruist SPF 50. It’s a bit heavier on the skin. It leaves my skin greasy when used often. I might as well use it so it won’t go to waste. It’s a lot more moisturizing compared to my mineral sunscreens. It doesn’t give me a headache like the LRP SPF 100 does. Seems to work better during the colder months since it’s dryer.

So I haven’t spent a single dollar on a new sunscreen. I really still don’t feel like it. I think it’s a waste of money, especially when I have a bunch of sunscreens to finish. I’ll try my best to use what I have before I try another new sunscreen. This works for now, I guess.

Sunscreen Update: My Experience with Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

I used Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 this week in place of Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 50. Here’s my experience…

Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 is a zinc, mineral-based sunscreen. It contains 21.6% zinc oxide. It’s a pure mineral sunscreen. The texture of the sunscreen was sticky and became easier to apply each time. Still, sticky. It doesn’t irritate the skin or dry the skin out. It does accentuate dry patches on the skin if there are any. I noticed that I had some dry patches on the skin along my jawline and forehead. Even with the dry patches of skin, the sunscreen left my skin feeling moisturized. It was the combination of moisturized skin and dry patches of skin coming to light when applied to the skin.

The stickiness of the sunscreen bothered me. My makeup products had a difficult time setting on my skin. It smeared and didn’t look good. The sunscreen made my face appear shiny and weird-looking. I didn’t like it. There was also an obvious white cast that I couldn’t tame. Every makeup product I applied appeared lighter than it was supposed to. That’s something I didn’t like either. But it is a pure mineral sunscreen that I’m willing to put up with.

Fortunately, I didn’t break out when using it. It felt like it could clog my pores, but it didn’t. I didn’t use it every day, but I used it most of the week. All went well when it came to developing breakouts or not. This sunscreen worked for me. I’m still not sure if I can keep using it on my face. The stickiness, and shininess of the product really get to me. If I can’t find anything else, I might just try my best to make it work. It’s a non-chemical sunscreen that’s non-drying. I can’t seem to find any other mineral sunscreen that’s moisturizing and doesn’t cause breakouts. This one should work for now. I’m not sure what the future will hold for it. We’ll have to see, haha. So far, it’s been alright.