Trying Out Mineral Sunscreens…

I’m trying out mineral sunscreens again! I picked up some mineral sunscreens I used in the past to test once again. They are Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50 and Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30. I’ve been using chemical-based sunscreens for some time now consistently. I’ve been getting really bad migraines from them. My eyes would burn constantly even though I’d only applied the sunscreen to my face. It would seep into my eyes somehow. I even wash my hands before applying mineral sunscreen on the skin around the eyes. Still, my eyes would end up burning no matter what. Reapplying chemical-based sunscreens was terrible. It’s just so irritating. I’d have teary eyes all day. I’m over chemical-based sunscreens. I have a few more bottles of chemical-based sunscreens left. I will use them up eventually. I’m just not interested in using them right now. I think it’s time to switch back to using mineral sunscreens. So let’s begin with Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50…

I picked Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50 because it’s a thin liquid. I wanted a sunscreen that’s lightweight. I’m getting tired of thick sunscreens. I’ve used it before, but I wanted to see if it’s going to be different this time. My skin is pretty good right now, and it’s easy to detect if a product is working or not fast.

Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50 contains 12% zinc oxide. It has a SPF of 50. How? This sunscreen isn’t a true mineral sunscreen. On the ingredient list, it lists Butyloctyl Salicylate as the third ingredient. I’ve noticed that mineral sunscreens with high SPF that doesn’t feel heavy or doesn’t give off too much of a white cast contain this ingredient to boost the SPF.

This sunscreen is truly lightweight on the skin. That’s one of the main reasons why I chose it. When dispensed from the bottle, the sunscreen is a liquid. It’s white. It smooths over the skin nicely. It smells like plastic though. I hated the smell of it. Once applied to the skin, the white cast somewhat fades away, lol. It’s not too bad. It’s pretty easy to blend into the skin. The sunscreen is silky and smooth. As I said before, it’s truly lightweight.

As for irritation and breakouts, I noticed both. The sunscreen feels like silicones. It ended up irritating my skin. It made my skin extremely itchy, especially the neck area. I can’t recall this sunscreen giving me a rash in the past. I also noticed some clogged pores. Even though it feels lightweight on the skin, it does feel like plastic wrap on the face. I stopped using this sunscreen on my face immediately after noticing irritation and breakouts. I’m quite disappointed in the outcome when used as a face sunscreen. But, as a body sunscreen (on my arms), it works pretty well. It’s lightweight, doesn’t have a white cast, and absorbs quickly. It doesn’t stain my clothes either. Unfortunately, I’m not going to purchase it again for these reasons. It’s not a true mineral sunscreen. It irritated my skin and caused breakouts. The size of the sunscreen is too small for a body sunscreen. I know it’s not a body sunscreen. I’m currently using it as a body sunscreen but will not repurchase to use as a body sunscreen. I would rather go for a larger sized sunscreen bottle for the bottle to save money.

Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 was another mineral sunscreen I chose. I picked it for its moisturizing properties. This sunscreen is a true mineral sunscreen with 19.5% zinc oxide! I remember this sunscreen being thick and heavy. It’s thick but absorbs into the skin very nicely this time. I actually like it. It feels very gentle on the skin. I didn’t experience skin burning, eyes burning, itchy skin. It’s soothing. It has a white cast that fades into the skin. My experience with the Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 has been good. I haven’t noticed any breakouts. Just moisturized skin. This sunscreen is definitely for sensitive skin. We’ll see how it goes in the next week or so. Hopefully no new breakouts from this sunscreen! I think this might be my to-go-to sunscreen if it works out!

Those are my thoughts on Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50 and Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30! I’ll make an update soon. 🙂

2 Months & 1 Week Results!

It’s been 2 months and a week trying to clear up my skin. Well, it’s been much longer than that. BUT! Here I am. 2 months and 1 WEEK! My skin is basically clear with some random breakouts. Iono. I don’t think I will ever have 100% clear skin. It’s just my skin type. I have to keep it all under control. So! This is all I’m using on my face — face wash, benzoyl peroxide, and sunscreen. I did the whole reapplying sunscreen for a while then stopped. I felt that reapplying sunscreen really could be contributing to breakouts. You know, applying more product on the skin. It starts to get all clogged up and gross. So, I stopped doing that. I don’t even need to reapply that much anyways. I think I went overboard. If I’m out in the sun all day, I’ll reapply, but I’m not going to be obsessive about it. My skin is looking better without the excessive amount of product on my skin.

This week, I did try to use taz. I used it once, but I stopped using it after I noticed it did more damage to my skin. I noticed some weird pimples on my forehead and other parts of my face. Maybe it just doesn’t work for me. I’ll just stick to benzoyl peroxide for now. I just remembered that I’m running low on benzoyl peroxide too. Ugh! I’ve been holding on to the very last drop, haha! Once again, I’m still using Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30 indoors. I’m using a higher SPF for outdoors. I wish I could go SPF-free. I know that’s not going to happen. Overall, it’s been a decent week. I haven’t thought much about my skin since I’ve been so busy. Stress could be contributing to breakouts too. I’m trying to stay healthy and eat healthy. It’s been challenging with this busy schedule. Hopefully, all goes well next week. That’s all for this week. I’ll see everyone next week! Yay! 😊

Readddddddddddddddddddddddddd!

Restarting Tret & My First Week Experience

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

My Week 3 BP Results!

1 MONTH Results with BP!

1 Month + 1 Week Using BP & Some Changes I Made This Week!

1 Month + 2 Weeks Experience!

1 Month + 3 Weeks Experience!

2 Months Experience!

2 Weeks Experience with CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser!

Here’s my day to day thoughts on CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser PLUS other skin care products I’ve included to try to eliminate acne! It’s been 2 weeks on this face wash! 🙌🏻

Go here if you missed out on my 1 week experience. 👈🏻

Day 8:

It’s the 8th day using CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. I’m still using it twice a day (morning and night). This facial cleanser is still cleansing and moisturizing at the same time. I haven’t had any issues with my skin drying out. It hasn’t irritated my skin. Nope. Nothing. It’s still doing it’s job and that’s cleansing my skin without stripping my skin. This face wash is more moisturizing than I thought it would be. That’s a great thing, but my skin is feeling a little too moisturized at the moment. I noticed some new pimples popping up out of nowhere. Maybe my skin is too hydrated right now? Maybe it’s the 2% bha liquid that’s unclogging my pores? Maybe, but I highly doubt it’s the 2% bha liquid. Honestly, I don’t think this product is doing much for my skin in terms of acne. I’ve been using it on and off over the years. I’ve been pretty consistent with it recently. I’m not sure if I’m going to stick with it. I’ll finish what I have and take it from there. I do love using it as my toner. The reason why I use a cotton pad along with it instead of using my palms. The product with a cotton pad leaves my skin feeling clean and free from whatever is on my skin. In saying that, I might need a product that’s stronger than the 2% bha liquid to help with acne. The face wash isn’t strong enough. The 2% bha liquid isn’t either. Hmmm, what to use? I’ll think about it. I just hope the face wash doesn’t end up breaking me out. I’m still hoping that it still works this week.

Day 9:

It’s been 9 days using CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. I still don’t think it’s doing anything for my acne. I just keep hoping but nothing happens. The CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser feels like any other moisturizing facial cleanser. At least it doesn’t dry my skin out (still!!). And it contains niacinamide, ceramides, and I guess salicylic acid, lol. Even with niacinamide, my skin doesn’t look brighter or glowier anymore. Looking back from last week, it must’ve been the vitamin c serum that I was using doing all of the skin brightening and making my skin super glowy. I’m not experiencing any of those effects lately using the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. It’s so sad! Too bad that vitamin c serum clogged my pores, and I haven’t found another vitamin c serum that works. I tried Melano CC Vitamin C Essence again. It didn’t brighten my skin this time. My skin reacted poorly to it when I used it. I don’t know what happened. It just didn’t work. I THINK I’m done trying it. 😆 So, after 9 days, I haven’t seen any improvements in my acne. The 2% bha liquid product isn’t doing much either. I need some sort of miracle. Isn’t this face wash supposed to be amazing? What’s going on? So, instead of waiting on this face wash to do something for my acne, I started using aha products to help chemically exfoliate my skin. My skin seems to have a bunch of skin build-up. Removing a layer of skin might help unclog the clogged pores. FYI, my skin didn’t dry out at all using aha products along with the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. Let’ see if adding aha products would help budge my skin into the right direction.

Day 10:

It’s DAY 10! I’m still using the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser in the morning and at night, lol. I feel like I’ve said this so many times, but I’ve read that some people only use this face wash a few times a week. So I’ve been using it twice a day, every day, which seems more advanced. So, after adding aha products into my routine, my skin is now smoother and so much brighter. I also noticed some skin purging. Some on my forehead and side of my face. But my skin looks clearer. What a difference! 😃 I’ve been clinging on to the 2% bha liquid and salicylic acid products leading to zero results, while I should be using aha products instead. I’m already seeing some results with ahas. I’ll keep everyone updated on the progress. The good news today is that my skin hasn’t dried out from adding these new products into my routine. 👍🏻 My face is supposed to be melting, but it’s not. Thank you sturdy skin. You’ve done something right!

Day 11:

Everything is going well with CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. No breakouts, dryness, redness, or any other skin irritations. I’m still experiencing cleansed and moisturized skin. Besides that, since it’s working just fine, after experimenting with aha products, my skin improved. Many of the closed comedones I was complaining about are finally shrinking. I’m going through a mini purge, but it seems like it’s working to unclog my pores. So the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser did nothing to unclog my pores even though it contains salicylic acid. I love using it daily to wash my face to simply cleanse. In terms of getting rid of my acne, it didn’t work. But, the good news is that I didn’t experience any new breakouts using this cleanser. And I absolutely adore the ingredients in this product (niacinamide and ceramides). I love how it’s moisturizing too. I like it. I just wished that it helped my acne.

Day 12:

I’m deep into using aha products, and my skin isn’t stinging or burning using the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. I am amazed!! My skin even peeled, and this facial cleanser hasn’t burned my skin. It still cleanses and leaves my skin feeling moisturized. I was expecting it to burn my skin after it peeled. Nope, it didn’t. So impressive. 👏🏻 The only place it burns would be my eyes if I open them while cleansing. This facial cleanser is truly gentle on the skin and non-irritating. It works to cleanse. It just didn’t work on my acne. I’ve seen no improvements in acne using it today, lol. Just another day with cleansed and moisturized skin. Not bad. I guess I could keep using it just for that. Let’s see what happens tomorrow first, haha.

Day 13:

I’ve been taking care of my moisture barrier within the last couple of days. My moisturizers burn my face, but this cleanser keeps on cleansing and moisturizing my skin, lol. My face does not burn at all using this face wash even when my moisturizers turn my face red. I thought about switching to another facial cleanser like a facial cleanser without any actives to prevent further irritation. But, this face wash has not irritated my skin one bit. Not at all. I used it twice a day (morning and night, still) this whole week without any issues. It feels gentle on the skin, lathers and foams up. It doesn’t leave my skin feeling or looking irritated. No redness or itchy skin. I’ll just stick to it right now.

Day 14:

It’s the last day of the week. It’s been 2 weeks using CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser! I didn’t think I would make it this far. I was going to switch over to a different facial cleanser out of boredom. Yeah, this facial cleanser does what it’s supposed to do. It cleanses, doesn’t strip my skin and leave it feeling dry. It moisturizes. I feel like I’ve said this so many times already, lol. I think I did, haha! I didn’t experience any breakouts while using it. But it didn’t help clear what acne I have left. When I first purchased this cleanser, I was hoping that it would help with some closed comedones and help maintain my acne in general. It’s not a bad face wash. It just didn’t do much for my acne like I was hoping for. Well, at least it didn’t clog my pores or cause a rash. I’m glad I gave it a chance. I’ve been curious about this face wash for so long. And now, I finally tried it out.

Go here to read about the new products (bha & aha products) I included in my routine 👈🏻

November Skin Care Empties 🦃

I didn’t have any empties last month (October). Here are my skin care empties for the month of November! If you missed out on my empties for August and September 👈🏻

SOME BY MI Niacin 30 Days Miracle Brightening Sleeping Mask:

I’ve been trying to finish my last jar of SOME BY MI Niacin 30 Days Miracle Brightening Sleeping Mask. I tried using it on my face and body. My experience using it on my face was not that good. The sleeping mask feels very drying on the skin. I could see the skin along my chin cracking. It’s not a good product if you have dry skin. I don’t. I have oily skin, and this sleeping mask dried my skin out like crazy. It helped to temporarily brighten my skin, but the brightening effect faded within a week. Maybe my skin just doesn’t like niacinamide in this product? I just know that it’s very drying and made my skin feel awful. With the rest of the product, I used it on my body and won’t repurchase ever again.

Kose Suncut UV Perfect Essence Super Waterproof SPF 50+ PA++++:

This sunscreen is lightweight, blends into the skin easily, absorbs quick, has SPF 50+ PA++++, comes in a 110 mL bottle instead of something tiny like 40-50 mL (yes!!!), sweat-resistant, water-proof. Ah, how this sunscreen could’ve been perfect because I can overapply and my skin wouldn’t feel sticky or greasy. But, this sunscreen lists ‘ethanol’ as the second ingredient on the list. It smells like alcohol and dried my skin out and irritated it. I couldn’t believe how my skin looked so aged after using it at least once. Sun protection is important, but this product is not for me if it makes my skin look all wrinkly because of how drying and irritating it is. I won’t purchase again. By the way, I also tried it on my body and hands. It made my skin super itchy. I ended up with a bad rash and blisters.

Dear, Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop:

This vitamin c serum feels gentle on the skin. It contains 5% ascorbic acid. The serum didn’t irritate or burn my face. But I wasn’t a fan of the texture of the product. It’s on the oily side. As for fading acne marks, I didn’t see much results using this serum. It didn’t help to brighten my complexion either. Maybe the 5% concentration is just too low for my skin? All I know is that I didn’t see any results while using it. So I wasn’t able to use the whole bottle, the serum turned really orange. It oxidized. Hmmm, note to self, never purchase a vitamin c serum that claims to be formulated with stabilized vitamin c that comes in a clear, see-through bottle. It’s clearly not stabilized. It turned really orange, and I kept it in a dark, safe place. I had to toss the serum out. Not recommended.

Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30:

This is a moisturizer with sunscreen. It feels like a moisturizer. It’s thick, rich, and feels heavy on the skin. I have oily skin, so it felt very rich and heavy on my skin. It left my skin looking more shiny and greasy on the surface, but it helped to moisturize and soothed my skin. I don’t think this is a bad product. It’s just that, it’s only SPF 30, and I’m using another product that contains similar ingredients to the Vanicream that works better for me. This product works to moisturize and protect. It’s not something I need in my life right now. It was nice to try it out.

CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint:

One of the products I finished this month that I really like! It contains ingredients like ceramides and niacinamide. The sunscreen moisturizes my skin and helps to brighten my skin up. I haven’t noticed any breakouts using it. I’m still keeping my eye out for any clogged pores just in case! Some things I would love to change about this product is to boost the SPF 30 to 50, make it water/sweat-resistant, and add more shades. The shade isn’t a perfect match for my skin. It does blend into the skin, but I wish it wasn’t too orangey. I wish it was a more natural-looking skin color. As for reapplication, it’s really easy to reapply sunscreen with this product. There’s no white cast. This sunscreen comes in a 1.7 fl. oz. (50 mL) tube. It would be nice if it was larger, especially for the price. It’s 13.99 where I am. It’s not super affordable compared to other sunscreens I have tried.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Lotion Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50:

I figured out that I still had a bottle of the SPF 50. I found it in my bag, lol. And it’s still usable and hasn’t expired yet. I didn’t use it on my face. It’s not the type of product for my facial skin. So I used it on my hands instead. The sunscreen absorbed into my skin very well and quickly. The fragrance was awful. I didn’t like it at all. Since I didn’t use it on my face, I didn’t have to worry about the alcohol content in this product. I used this sunscreen up and threw it out. I won’t repurchase. I hope this is the last Neutrogena Hydro Boost sunscreen that I have, haha!

August Skin Care Empties! 🧴

September Skin Care Empties 😎

My Thoughts on Sugar Scrubs, Peeling Gels, & Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid

Sugar Scrubs

Andalou Naturals Clear Skin Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub felt so harsh on my skin at some point. I don’t know what was going on with it or with my skin, but I used it again with awesome results. It didn’t feel too harsh or rough on my skin this time. It helped remove dead skin cells off of my face and left my skin feeling and looking smoother. I had dry patches of stubborn, flaky skin that came off using this facial scrub. My skin looked clearer and more glowy afterwards. It looked better. I didn’t think it felt harsh or rough on my skin as before. It’s like my skin just changed and the facial scrub now works. So much has happened over the past year. My skin is finally healing ❤️‍🩹. I don’t need a lot of product when using this facial scrub to exfoliate my skin either. Just a little bit goes a long way. This is what I’ve been using to remove dead skin cells off of my face for the time being. Even though the results have been good, I’m still not sure if I’ll purchase it again. I’ll have to think about it. I do have another facial scrub (Skinfood Black Sugar Scrub), but I don’t really like it. I’m just using it to get rid of it. It doesn’t have the same effect as the Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub. Also, the granules are larger too and feels more abrasive on the skin. I’m also not a fan of the stickiness of the Skinfood Black Sugar Scrub. The results have been so much better with the Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub that’s all.

Peeling Gels

I still have nearly a full tube of Benton PHA Peeling Gel, which I’ve been using only once a week. That’s if I remember to. I’ve lost interest in peeling gels. They do absolutely nothing for my skin. I haven’t noticed any improvements whatsoever. Yeah, they feel nice on the skin. Like I’m pampering myself, but I feel like it’s a waste of time and money. I haven’t noticed any significant results using it. I still have a couple of more unopened tubes of peeling gels that I purchased a while back (of a different brand). Maybe they’ll be different compared to Benton. I’ll have to try them out to find out. So, I’m not a fan of this particular peeling gel — Benton PHA Peeling Gel. It’s not for me. No results. Waste of money. Waste of time. I got nothing out of it. I’m not going to purchase any peeling gels any time soon. Moving on…

Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid

I’m just going to get to the point. This product isn’t what it used to be. It doesn’t work at all. At least on my skin. I was still developing acne, blackheads, cysts, pustules, whatever. The point is, it didn’t nothing for my acne. I’m not going to purchase it again when I’m done with it. I really don’t know what to do with what I have left. Probably just give it away. Haha. Out it goes! I really tried to make it work too. It’s an overhyped product, in my opinion. It wasn’t worth it for me.

That’s a quick update on some products that I have and what I think about them. I feel like I’m purging a bunch of skin care products from my life. If it doesn’t work, it just doesn’t work. Stay tuned for more skin care updates!!