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 🦃

I’m Hooked on The Ordinary. 😲 What I’m Using…

So I’ve been using The Ordinary skin care products for so many years. I recently, well not too recent, but I’ve been adding my leftover The Ordinary skin care products back into my routine. It started off with The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA and The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%. Next, The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5. Now I’m also using The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%, The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3%, and The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%. I have a couple of others that I’m using too. It’s unstoppable at this point. These serums are amazing and are doing wonders for my skin as we speak. I hope what I’m saying won’t backfire, and the products stop working, lol. But, I like what I’m seeing when I use The Ordinary serums. It’s amazing how effective they are for the price. Super, super affordable compared to the higher end stuff I used to use YEARS ago. This is so awesome! Now let’s do a quick recap on these serums and how it’s going for my skin.

The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA:

This is a lightweight serum that comes out in blobs. Don’t be alarmed how it’s not a runny liquid or serum-textured serum. It feels like it’s in between a serum and a gel. It doesn’t feel sticky on the skin. Doesn’t leave any residue on the skin after application. The serum just absorbs into the skin nicely and leaves the skin feeling like there’s nothing on it. I’m nearing a month using this serum, and I can’t believe how well it’s working on my skin. I think it’s doing something because my skin does look a lot better after a few days of using it. It’s supposed to be good for fine line and wrinkles, so I’m going to keep using it for that. I like it so far! No breakouts from it either. Love it!

The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%:

This is another anti-aging serum that’s supposed to be like botox-in-a-bottle. It’s supposed to help with fine lines and wrinkles too. Using the Argireline Solution 10% in combination with the Matrixyl + HA has been amazing. My skin looked pretty good after using these two together. I noticed a softer, smoother, and more youthful complexion. It took a week or two to see some results with the Argireline Solution 10%. Since I’m nearing a month soon of using this serum, I can see some changes in my skin. It’s another good serum from The Ordinary that feels lightweight and absorbs into the skin well. It doesn’t leave any stickiness behind. It just sinks into the skin and works well with my other skin care products. I’ve had zero issues with this serum so far. Awesome stuff! But is it like botox? I’ve never had botox done before, but I will have to say no just by looking at people who have had botox. It’s a skin care product. I mean, it’s a good alternative that’s not invasive if that’s what you’re looking for. The results won’t be the same as botox, obviously.

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5:

This is a lightweight, runny, liquid serum. It absorbs into the skin very well. It feels like I’m applying water to my skin. 💦 I guess it hydrates my skin a little bit. Not too much. With this serum, I can’t tell if it has done anything, but it doesn’t hurt to keep it in my routine. It hasn’t clogged my pores at all like I thought it did before. It’s been pretty good using it daily. No harm done. I just hope it does something positive for my skin in the long run. I’ll keep using it for the time being.

The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%:

I thought I would never use The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2% ever again. Now here I am using it every single day without any issues. This vitamin c serum with alpha arbutin has not cause my skin to breakout. No irritation. Nothing bad at all. Since it has an oily feel to it, it leaves my skin feeling moisturized and silky. I’m not a huge fan of the serum feeling oily, but it hasn’t done any harm. I’m nearing 2 weeks on using it. So far, everything is going well. I hope everything goes smoothly as I keep using it. I can’t wait to see results! I’m definitely a fan of vitamin c serums. I feel like this might be staple in my routine soon!

The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3%:

Just like The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%, The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3% has that oily feel to it too, but it hasn’t done anything bad to my skin. It hasn’t clogged my pores, no irritation, nothing. Everything is going well. With this serum, I just can’t tell if it’s doing anything. I’m just using it because it’s an antioxidant serum with resveratrol and ferulic acid. And ferulic acid and ascorbic acid go very well together. This is something I’ll keep using just because. Let’s go for it!

The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%:

Here goes to another serum that I can’t tell if it’s doing anything for my skin. It also has a oily feel to it. Hasn’t clogged my pores either. No skin irritations. No redness. All is good! But does it work? Who knows. I have a couple of bottles of The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% to use up. I’ll continue to use it just because too. I have it, so why not? Let’s see what it can do. If I can ever visually see the effects it has on my skin, lol.

That’s my update on my The Ordinary skin care products/serums! Look forward to a new update on them soon! I’m very excited for the results, since my skin has improved so much since! 🙂

I Have The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%! My Thoughts On This Serum!!

Here’s another The Ordinary skin care product I decided to add into my routine! It was just sitting there next to my other The Ordinary serums, and I thought I would just use it. It’s The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%!! Now I have a bunch of The Ordinary skin care products in my routine! If you missed out on the other ones that I talked about, you can check them out right here!

The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%

The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5

The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%

The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3%

These skin care products have transformed my skin in a short amount time. I’m so excited for them, and I’m very excited to try The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% once again! Even though I didn’t get good results or any results from this product the last time I used it. But! I have hope because the other skin care products I’m using from The Ordinary have been good additions to my skin care routine so far! So what are the benefits of The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%?? They are…

• Contains procyanidins, bioflavonoids, and organic acids to rejuvenate the skin
• Enhances hydration and elasticity
• Scavenges free radicals
• Recycles oxidized vitamin c

Looks good! I hope it works! lol.

So I’ve been using this serum for a few days already in the morning and night. It’s an antioxidant, so there’s not much to report back. I love vitamin c serums and since it recycles oxidized vitamin c that’s just awesome. Also, scavenges free radicals plus helps with hydration and elasticity. Rejuvenates the skin? That just sounds too good to be true! With antioxidant products, it’s difficult to tell if it’s doing anything. It’s one of those products where you use for prevention. Hoping that it’s making improvements over time. This little serum bottle (0.5 fl. oz.) seems to last a long time. I only use a single drop each time I use it, so it’s not going to be too bad adding it into my routine. Just like some of the other The Ordinary serums (Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2% and Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3%), it does feel oily and doesn’t absorb well into the skin. But, I haven’t had any negative reactions to the serum, so I’m going to keep using it and see if it helps my skin or not over time. So far, everything looks fine and dandy. Look forward to another update on this product! 🙂

Review: The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%

I picked up The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% on a whim. I thought I would give it a shot. I’ve gone through a few bottles of this stuff already. Thought I’d share my experience with everyone. 🙂 Don’t forget to check out my other reviews on The Ordinary skin care products if you haven’t yet. Thank you for reading. ♥

Product claims

• Contains procyanidins, bioflavonoids, and organic acids to rejuvenate the skin
• Enhances hydration and elasticity
• Scavenges free radicals
• Recycles oxidized vitamin c

My experience

This serum comes in a 15 mL bottle. It’s really tiny compared to the other The Ordinary serums (The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2% and The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA). It’s half the size, and it’s in the same price range. It comes out runny and is a deep red, orange, yellowish color. It looks pretty cool. This serum feels oily and takes a few minutes to absorb into the skin. It leaves an oily residue behind. With The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%, I take a drop of this serum and mix it with my other The Ordinary serums to give my skin care an antioxidant boost. Sometimes I would mix it with my other skin care products (not The Ordinary). I’m so used to using vitamin c as my to-go-to antioxidant, so this was different. Pycnogenol comes from pine tree bark. Some benefits are reducing the signs of aging, collagen production, and protecting the skin from UV rays. It was basically just another antioxidant to try besides good ol vitamin c. It was nice to try it out.

After going through a few bottles of The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%, I haven’t noticed any changes in my skin. The claims are simply amazing. It’s supposed to rejuvenate the skin, enhance hydration and elasticity, and recycle oxidized vitamin c. But unfortunately, I didn’t see any improvements in my skin or at least didn’t notice anything with the naked eye. I used it for 5 whole months and nothing. This product is very small for the price too. I didn’t think it was worth it to keep it in my routine. I decided to stop using it. It just felt like an extra step in my skin care routine that I didn’t need. I can’t see myself paying for another bottle of this serum again when I’m not seeing any improvements in my skin after 5 months. I think that’s a pretty long time for a serum or any other product. I should see at least something by now. Ever since I stopped using it, my skin doesn’t miss it at all. I can’t see a difference in my skin with or without it. Out it goes!

A drop of The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%. 💧

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Contains pycnogenol

❌ Cons

• Expensive for a tiny bottle (15 mL)
• No results after 5 months of use
• Feels oily on the skin

Conclusion

The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% didn’t work for me. I didn’t see results from it after months of using it. I thought it felt a little too oily on my skin too. The base of the serum is just like The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%. It contains propanediol. It could’ve contributed to clogged pores over time too, but it’s really hard to suspect it as a pore clogger since I was using only 1 drop and mixing it with my other skin care products. It has the same texture to it as the other The Ordinary products with this ingredient. I guess it doesn’t matter anyways since I didn’t see any results from it. It’s pretty useless. It’s time to move on, and I won’t repurchase it again. I can’t recommend this product. Don’t waste your money.