My Acne Journey: 5.5 Months Results!

My results for 5.5 Months is here! Wow, I’m moving on to 6 months soon. 😲

I tried my best to use tret every day this week. I skipped 2 days to rest because I ran out of my hydrating tinted mineral sunscreen. I didn’t realize this product was doing all of the heavy lifting when it comes to moisturizing my skin. I ran out of the product and noticed that my skin was more dull and more dry. Who knew. Gotta make sure I never run out of it! Especially when I don’t have a nighttime moisturizer. I still can’t find one. Lol, I’m not even trying to find one anymore. I don’t want to spend my money on something that I don’t need or won’t work out. It might ruin my skin again. So what else happened this week? I started using bha again. I noticed my blackheads coming back. Also, sebaceous filaments were getting worse. Once I added bha back into my routine, I noticed a purge. Geez, not this again. But, I’m going to keep using bha. Trying to stick to 1-2 times a week and see what happens. Hopefully my skin doesn’t dry out from it.

My current facial cleanser is Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Revitalizing Facial Cleanser. It worked well when I was using a moisturizer. Since I don’t have a moisturizer anymore, it’s drying out my skin a little bit. It could be the change in weather plus this facial cleanser. All I know is that it’s not as moisturizing anymore. It is gentle on the skin, but it feels like it’s stripping my skin. Not as bad as many other cleansers I have tried. I think I need new facial cleanser after finishing this one. I think I need a new one anyways since I don’t want to pay for a face wash monthly, lol. So what cleanser should I try next?? This is a difficult decision…

When I ran out of my CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sheer Tint, I found Skinfood Mushroom Multi Care BB Cream SPF 20 PA+ in my product bag. I needed a product to replace CeraVe for a short period of time (2 days) before getting my hands on a new bottle of CeraVe. Fortunately, this bb cream has not expired. It doesn’t expire until next year (later on the year next year). So I used it. My experience with this bb cream again was horrid. At first I sort of liked it. The bb cream felt soft and was super concentrated. I loved using it around my eyes for some reason because it’s so soothing and blends into the skin around the eyes nicely. I liked the way it felt on my skin. But, the bb cream was drying and made my skin look like plastic. It was wax-like. It felt heavy on the skin. I didn’t like the way it felt on my skin at all. It was kind of gross. Even though it has arbutin in it, it didn’t do anything to brighten my complexion. It made my skin appear duller. Haha, the sun protection is laughable too. It’s only SPF 20 PA+. I wonder why I even liked this bb cream in the past. It used to be good, I guess. This bb cream does have fragrance. It’s nauseating. I’m glad I didn’t have to use this product for more than 2 days. After I picked up another bottle of CeraVe, I stopped using it on my face. I’ll finish the rest up as a concealer to use it up. Every drop cannot go to waste!

That’s my 5.5 Months update! 🙂

Catch up on my acne journey right here:

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 Months + 1 Week Results

Here are my results after 5 months + 1 week!!

I stopped using a moisturizer and benzoyl peroxide this week. I couldn’t even use benzoyl peroxide all over my face anyways. Only as a spot treatment when necessary. This is what happened when I stopped using a moisturizer…

My skin cleared up! Remember those blemishes that kept on reappearing? They’re gone. It felt weird not using a moisturizer at first, but since my skin felt and looked cleaner without one, I got used to it. As I mentioned in my previous post, I never really used a moisturizer before in the past. It’s because my skin can’t handle all of that excess moisture. It comes to a point where it retaliates and blemishes pops up due to having too much moisture in the skin. I’m glad to have dropped Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin from my routine. This moisturizer only lasted for a month (sometimes a month and a half, lol). I’ve always thought it had a sticky texture to it when dispensed from the bottle. I don’t have to deal with that stuff anymore or pay for it. It’s done. I tried it, and it didn’t work out. I’m not looking for a new moisturizer right now or any time soon. My skin just doesn’t need one. It’s doing way better without one.

As for benzoyl peroxide, it doesn’t seem like I need to use it as an all-over acne treatment anymore. Honestly, I’m happy that I don’t have to. If I don’t need to, I’m not going to. I’m still using benzoyl peroxide as a spot treatment when necessary. I love it for that purpose because it works to kill zits fast. I had a pimple on my chin, applied a little bit of benzoyl peroxide to the pimple, woke up the next morning with a zitless chin. Benzoyl peroxide works, so it’s good to keep it around. Since I’m not using benzoyl peroxide anymore (as an all-over acne treatment), I started using tret slowly and eventually moved up to every day. I was going to use it every other day, but my skin is tolerating it pretty well without a moisturizer. Actually, much better than I thought. How?!! I don’t know! It just is! Less products, less irritation? It seems like it! I’m not experiencing any burning, itchy skin, or dry skin. Tret smooths over my skin and absorbs easily. I feel like I’m starting all over with tret once again! I noticed some blemishes popping up, and I’m sure it’s from ‘purging’. At the same time, my overall complexion looks glowy and so much smoother than before. The results so far are very pretty. I can’t wait to see what the results will be within a few weeks. Since I’m using tret every day, I decided to hold off using bha. I didn’t want to aggravate my skin even further and just stick to a single acne treatment. I’m hoping to re-add it whenever my skin is ready.

Am I truly moisturizer free??

Yes and no. I use sunscreens that provide some moisture to my skin in the morning. They’re actually sunscreens, not moisturizer with sunscreen. Sunscreens I’m using are La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100, CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint, and Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50 (new to my routine, reviewing coming up soon!!). These sunscreen products help to moisturize my skin in the morning (which is more than enough moisture, no need for an extra moisturizing product) and protect my skin from sun damage. La Roche-Posay SPF 100 is my favorite out of the three. It’s lightweight, moisturizing, and I love how it blends (or melts) into my skin. I haven’t had any breakouts from using it at all. The only problem I have with it is that I can’t use it near my eyes. It burns. I like the texture of the sunscreen. CeraVe is moisturizing too. It’s tinted and blends into the skin effortlessly while not leaving a white cast behind. It makes life easier for reapplication. It contains niacinamide that helps to brighten my skin. My skin likes this product. Altruist is rather new to me right now. I’ve only been using it for a week. It’s the stickiest out of the bunch, but it’s so easy to apply. It’s a cream that blends into the skin. I haven’t had any issues with it yet. I may have some soon. It’s only been a week of using it so look forward for a full review on it coming up soon! With all of these sunscreens, I can’t imagine using a moisturizer underneath any of them. My skin is oily. The sunscreens are moisturizing already. That’s just adding more unnecessary moisture to my already oily skin.

I didn’t think my no moisturizer week would go this well. I’m sooo happy that I stopped using moisturizer (Vanicream). It did nothing for my skin. It just clogged my pores and wasted my time and money. I guess some people (like me) just don’t need a moisturizer. My skin is doing fine without it.

I did a review on my current face wash ~ Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Revitalizing Facial Cleanser 👈🏻 Read!!

Here’s the rest of my acne journey! Enjoy! 🙂

My Acne Journey: 1 Week In…

My Acne Journey: 2 WEEKS!! 

My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 WEEKS IN!

My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Results…

My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 2 MONTHS!! 

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 1 Week Results!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 2 Weeks!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 3 MONTHS!! 😃

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 1 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 2 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 3 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 4 MONTHS!!

My Acne Journey: 4 Months + 1 Week Results.

My Acne Journey: 4.5 Months + Clear Skin!!

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

My Acne Journey: 5 MONTHS!!

Review: Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Revitalizing Facial Cleanser

It’s time for a review on Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Revitalizing Facial Cleanser! I’m on my second tube of the face wash. I started using this face wash because I needed a facial cleanser that was gentle and more moisturizing. This seemed like a good choice. So the purpose of this face wash is to deep clean, remove dirt, oil, and impurities to reveal healthy-looking skin. It contains hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and peptides. It’s fragrance-free. Contains no synthetic dyes, parabens, mineral oil, or phthalates. I’m on my second tube of this face wash. Here are my thoughts on it!

My Experience with Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Revitalizing Facial Cleanser!

This facial cleanser is a gel cleanser. It comes in a 5 fl. oz. (150 mL) bottle. It was $7.49. I’m not too big on hyaluronic acid (it’s everywhere!!), but I thought I would just give this facial cleanser a try. I was searching for a face wash that was more hydrating, moisturizing than what I was using. My skin was a mess. I needed a face wash that was basic, gentle, and didn’t leave my skin feeling taut and burning. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to stumble upon Olay Hyaluronic Face Wash. It feels very gentle on the skin. It’s soft and soothing. It doesn’t foam up that much, but it cleanses without stripping the skin. I loved using it at night in the shower. Every time I use it in the shower it leaves my skin feeling silky smooth, moisturized, and hydrated. The results were really nice. I like using it in the morning too, but it’s not as good without the steam and moisture from the shower.

So this face wash worked out. I mean, I’m on my second tube. The face wash is simple, gentle, didn’t burn my skin, didn’t leave my skin feeling dry, cleansed my skin without leaving any residue behind. No issues at all. My skin was fine with it. But, it seems like I go through this face wash very fast. My first tube lasted a month. The second one, I’m nearing the end of the bottle. It’s reaching 1 month. I use it twice a day (morning and night). So, I’m not using it any differently compared to any of my previous facial cleansers. I think Olay Hyaluronic Face Wash is a nice facial cleanser but spending $7.49 a month for face wash is pretty absurd. I’ve used many other facial cleansers that lasted so much longer. It should last at least 4 months. Some face washes I’ve used lasted even longer (6 months). Some even longer than 6 months. A month? Nah, I’m going to find myself another facial cleanser that’s more affordable and lasts longer. Something was off about this face wash, lol. I think this was it. It only lasted a month. I couldn’t even push it to 2 months. Feels like a waste of money.

Those are my thoughts on this face wash. Good formula, wished it would last much longer. Moving on to something else…

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 2 Weeks Results

It’s been 3 months and 2 weeks! 😲 Here are my results for this week! 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

Switching facial cleansers

I was using Dr. Woods Tea Tree Castile Soap for a while, but that didn’t last too long. I love how Dr. Woods Tea Tree Castile Soap is gentle on the skin, contains tea tree, has minimal ingredients, and comes in a larger bottle for a lower price, but it didn’t clean my skin as well as I thought it did. I went back to my tried and true Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Face Wash. I started to notice blackheads on my nose and more acne on my facial skin every time I use Dr. Woods. It just didn’t leave my skin feeling clean. It’s gentle, but I need my skin to feel clean. When using Trader Joe’s, the blackheads and other acne that I experienced disappeared. My skin feels fresher and just plain cleaner with Trader Joe’s. So I’m back to what I was using before. I still have Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Revitalizing Facial Cleanser too, but I don’t use it too often. Only 1-2 times a week when my skin is feeling a little more sensitive. Otherwise I’m using my regular, everyday face wash Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Face Wash. It’s been working nicely so far. I like it. 🙂

More Products I Stopped Using This Week!

I stopped using more products this week. You can check them out below.

Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream

The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3%

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum

Benton Fermentation Essence

The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA

Melano CC Vitamin C Essence

Some of these products were a staple in my routine, but I’m getting to the point that I don’t actually need them. I’ve been using them on my body instead to finish them up. Some of them feel really oily and heavier than I thought on the skin. That’s not something I want to be putting on my facial skin, so I’m glad I removed them. Let’s see what happens when at least a few weeks or a month goes by. Some may make its way back into my life.👌🏻

My Results!

This week went differently than expected. I stopped using most of my face skin care products. I started off using a facial cleanser, tret, moisturizer, and sunscreen. After following a basic skin care routine, I thought it was too basic for me. It felt like I was missing something. I didn’t like applying moisturizer directly onto my skin either. It feels a little gross. So I decided to re-add one of the products that I removed. It’s the Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum. I really missed this serum, lol. Even though it doesn’t do much but soothe my sensitive skin. I enjoy using it and love how it calms my skin down. It helps with redness too. I like using it after a nice shower. It’s an enjoyable product for me to use. It has a watery-gel texture that sinks into the skin quickly with little effort. I think I’m going to keep it in my routine. We’ll see how the others products I removed go. If I miss them, I’ll re-add them. Just not yet.

I’ve been dealing with a lot of sebaceous filaments. I started using Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid this morning. I don’t think tret alone is going to help with that type of skin condition. I’ve been trying, and it’s not working. It could be from the moisturizer I’m using (too moisturizing for my skin type) or my skin is just getting more oily. But, let’s see if BHA can do the job. So far, after using it this morning, my skin is less oily. By night, I started to notice breakouts. My skin is purging! 😲 So it looks like tret isn’t going to be the answer to clear my acne fully. I have to use other products like BHA or AHA (I might try this again) to unclog my pores. I’m really surprised that BHA is working, since it didn’t work in the past. It did, but it stopped working. I can’t wait to see what the results will be after a week!

As for vitamin c, I mentioned in this this post that I stopped using my vitamin c product and started using vitamin c powder instead. That lasted for 2 days. I didn’t like it at all after the first day. I’m not even sure if I’m going to stick with it. I really don’t care much for vitamin c serums/products, to be honest. They haven’t done much for my skin. They just end up making my face orange or irritating my skin. I’m going to stop using them for now and see if my skin is better off without them.

I’m nearing 4 months soon. Wow, such slow progress, but it’s progress after all. 🙃

Here’s my full acne journey! 👍🏻

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

New Skin Care for Dry, Sensitive Skin :)

Hello everyone! I picked up some skin care products over the weekend. My skin is feeling extremely dry and sensitive to touch. Sometimes it would burn too. So I’ve been thinking about adding a new moisturizer to my skin care routine. I thought about it and I thought about it. I kept on thinking about it until I finally pulled the plug. My skin couldn’t take it anymore. It’s dry, red, and itchy. What to do?? I picked up a new moisturizer. Before I talk about my new moisturizer, the reason why I went out and bought a new moisturizer is because the moisturizers that I have weren’t doing much for my skin. It feels like they only moisturize my skin when they’re applied to my skin. The moisture doesn’t last long. Just for the moment and a couple hours after application. After that, my skin is back to being dry and itchy. Also, my skin still feels dry (even drier) and uncomfortable the following morning using these moisturizers. I needed a moisturizer that actually, truly moisturizes the skin but also repairs and heals the skin too. A moisturizer that keeps my skin moisturized throughout the day. I’ve been having issues with dryness and skin irritation and nothing has worked to prevent skin dryness and irritation. It feels like I’m wasting my time and money on products that just don’t work, but I continue to use them because I can’t find anything better that works.

The moisturizers I’m using are…

Cosrx Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion (with Birch Sap)

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream

GUERISSON 9 Complex Cream

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum

Benton Fermentation Essence

Some of these products are a staple in my routine like the Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum, Benton Fermentation Essence, and Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream. I like them, but they’re not as moisturizing as I want them to be or as they should be. They each have their own individual purpose in my routine. I like them for different reasons. For example, the Purito serum helps to calm redness and soothes the skin. This is the first serum I use on my face after it’s been cleaned and washed. It feels very soothing and nice on the skin. Benton is a more watery essence. It has this ultra silky texture to it that I adore so much. It contains ceramide np and ferment ingredients. Absolutely love!! Lastly, Eucerin is a heavier, richer cream that semi-moisturizes my skin. Even though it helps to moisturize my skin, it doesn’t help to prevent redness or itchy skin. That’s something I’ve been dealing with for a while. Also, it’s so weird how sometimes it makes me breakout and sometimes it doesn’t. I’m already back to using it on my face without any clogged pores, lol.

My new moisturizer!! 🙂

So I did the unthinkable. I picked up a product that I thought I would never touch again after having a terrible experience with it. I’ve been searching high and low for a moisturizer that’s at least affordable and works to moisturize my skin. I’m on a budget and can’t spend too much money right now. So I decided to try it again after researching for a moisturizer that I think could work or at least try it and see what happens. Whatever. I needed a moisturizer ASAP! My skin is in need of moisture! Since my skin has changed so much (compared to last year), I thought maybe it could work this time around. I’m giving it a second chance after that gruel, unpleasant experience with it. Guess what product it is?? Yup, it’s Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin. I developed very bad acne the last time I used it. It was one of the many products that I tried last year that destroyed my skin within a week of use. I was traumatized and didn’t take it lightly. I was p*ssed. But it’s a new year and a lot of things have changed since. My skin has been behaving much better after I started eating meat again. So long those vegan years! 👋🏻 The last time I purchased Vanicream, I purchased it off of Amazon. I don’t recall the product being sealed. The Vanicream bottle I have right now, I purchased it from my local drugstore. The product is sealed at the opening. This is why I don’t buy majority of my skin care products off of Amazon anymore. It’s difficult to know what you’re going to get. New, used, old? Who knows! Now let’s see how this moisturizer works this time! 😀

Note: I’m thinking about removing some of the moisturizers listed if my new moisturizer works. I’m crossing my fingers that it will work because that’s way too many moisturizers for me, haha. Wish me luck!

New face wash…

Another product that I picked up is a facial cleanser. It’s the Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Revitalizing Facial Cleanser. My current face wash contains tea tree oil, and it sometimes stings after my skin peels from my acne cream. It isn’t too bad, but I thought I would keep a creamy, more moisturizing face wash around just in case. This cleanser is formulated with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and peptides. I’ve used other facial cleansers from Olay before with positive experiences…

Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide 24 Cream Cleanser

Olay Regenerist Vitamin C Peptide 24 Brightening Facial Cleanser

I hope this facial cleanser goes well. 👍🏻

Stay tuned for my thoughts on these products in my next acne journey update! Coming up soon!

If you missed out on my acne journey, don’t forget to catch up on it!

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!