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 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!!

Review: Skinfood Mushroom Multi Care BB Cream SPF 20 PA+

I’ve been makeup-free for a while now after discontinuing Purito Cica Clearing BB Cream, and I rarely (never, lol) use MAC Blot Pressed Powder. Don’t forget to check out my reviews on these products! As for my skin, it’s been doing so much better without these makeup products. I’m not going to stick to any makeup product. It has to be one that I really like and truly works on my skin. So I’ve been on the search for another makeup foundation. In my case, a bb cream, since I have a preference for bb creams. During my search, I stumbled upon Skinfood Mushroom Multi Care BB Cream SPF 20 PA+. I’ve used this bb cream before, and I have fond memories of it. I’m not sure if it’s still the same. If it still works the same. But, I have good feelings about it. I didn’t think it would still exist today. Some of the other bb creams I’ve used years ago have been discontinued. Shockingly, Skinfood Mushroom Multi Care BB Cream is still available. This bb cream contains mushroom and chamomile extracts to hydrate the skin. It’s also a wrinkle-care product with firming and whitening properties. Sounds good. Here’s my experience with this bb cream years later after trying it again! I hope this review is helpful!

My experience

This bb cream is soft and creamy. It doesn’t feel like heavy silicones like my previous bb creams. When applied to the skin, it feels more like a thicker lotion yet feels lightweight on the skin at the same time. It’s very easy to blend into the skin. I didn’t have any issues with the application of this bb cream. If you have dry skin, it accentuates fine lines and wrinkles. Settles into those dry patches but also creases. This bb cream isn’t good at smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles if that’s what you’re looking for. I was pretty much turned off by the texture and the way it made my skin looked. My skin’s more on the dry side (oily at times) right now, and it just made my skin look worse. I didn’t like the results at all. I don’t remember this bb cream being this way, but I guess that’s just how it is now. lol. So this bb cream is more drying rather than moisturizing. As for coverage, it provides very light coverage. I thought the coverage was very poor. It didn’t matter how many layers of this bb cream I applied to my skin. It was never enough. Coverage isn’t buildable either.

I have the shade in #02 Natural Skin. The shade of this bb cream is pretty dark on my complexion. It looks like a medium, tan shade. It has neutral-pink undertones. It made my skin appear more dull. Even though it contains whitening ingredients (arbutin, mushroom), I haven’t noticed any brightening effects from it. The sun protection is nice, but it is pretty low compared to other bb creams that are available. It’s also lower compared to the sunscreen I use on a daily basis. I guess a little sun protection is better than nothing. So I had to stop using this bb cream. The reason why is because I started to notice clogged pores on my chin. I didn’t think it was the bb cream at first, so I kept using it. But I realized it was the cause of my new breakouts. I stopped using it, and my breakouts went away. Honestly, I don’t remember breaking out from this bb cream when I tried it the first time. I finished the whole tube of it too. This time, this product seems very different. It’s not the same anymore. Also, I can’t stand the fragrance in this product. It’s too irritating and strong.

Here’s a swatch of #02 Natural Skin. It looks lighter and brighter in the photo. In person, it’s actually much darker.

And the bb cream comes sealed.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Contains arbutin, aloe, chamomile, mushroom (50mg)
• Contains SPF

❌ Cons

• Low SPF (SPF 20 PA+)
• Accentuates fine lines and wrinkles
• Gave me chin breakouts
• Shade was too dark on my skin (could work for others)
• Drying
• Annoying fragrance
• Poor coverage

Conclusion

Here’s another bb cream that I wanted to work but failed on me. I think I’m done searching right now until something good pops up. I don’t want to keep spending on bb creams that don’t work. I really thought this would work again (hoping that it would!), but I guess not. I’m very disappointed in the outcome. I didn’t like this bb cream, so I can’t recommend it. It’s not good.

Go here for more reviews on Skinfood beauty products

Go here for more reviews on bb creams

Skinfood Face Mask Wash Off: Rice Mask vs Strawberry Mask vs Black Sugar Mask

Here’s my review on Skinfood face masks! I have the Rice Mask, Strawberry Mask, and the Black Sugar Mask. I purchased these face masks because I wanted a physical exfoliant in my routine. I have those pesky, annoying dead skin clinging to my face sometimes that I need to get rid off. So I haven’t found a facial scrub that I like yet. These seem to fall in line with what I’ve been searching for. Each individual mask has its own benefits and purposes. Check them out right here:

The benefits look amazing. Skinfood face masks have a ton of good reviews on them. Also, they’re not too expensive either. They’re all under $10 each (depending where it is purchased). I’ve used Skinfood products in the past before too. From what I remember, they’re not too bad. I used to be an avid user of their bb creams. This brand brings back some good ol memories. But I think the bb cream I used often has been discontinued. So here are my thoughts on Skinfood face masks! I hope this is helpful and enjoy! Don’t forget to leave a comment. 😊

Skinfood Rice Mask

⭐ Key Ingredients: Rice Bran Water, Vitamin E

The rice mask contains white particles that are a little gritty. The base of the product is lightweight and creamy, which makes the product feel less harsh on the skin. I love the creaminess of this product. It feels soft and fluffy in texture. When applied to the skin, it feels like I’m applying tapioca pudding onto my face. The product feels cooling and soothing. It calms the skin down. Even though it has some grit, it doesn’t exfoliate the skin well. I tried adding a little bit more pressure (not too much) to remove dead skin cells hanging from my face. It still didn’t work. It’s not a good exfoliating product. The rice mask is too gentle for that purpose.

After massaging the product into the skin, I left it on for 15 minutes. Instructions advises to leave it on for 10-15 minutes. After rinsing the product off, it left my skin feeling moisturized but that’s about it. My skin felt softer due to the moisturizing properties. I didn’t notice brighter-looking skin after using it. There was no change in my complexion or acne marks. For my oily skin, I’ll have to pass on this product. It’s too rich for my liking. This rice mask would work better on someone with dry or normal skin. This product does contain fragrance, which didn’t bother me too much. If you’re sensitive to fragrance, this may not work for you. It has a sweet and soapy smell. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it smells like, but it’s not my fragrance of choice.

Skinfood Black Sugar Strawberry Mask

⭐ Key Ingredients: Organic Black Sugar, Strawberry Seeds, Strawberry Seed Oil

The first thing I noticed when I opened the strawberry mask was the smell. It smells really good. Smells like strawberries! The face mask looks like strawberry jam. 🍓 The mask is made up of small particles that are gritty (black sugar) and strawberry seeds to remove dead skin cells. This face mask, in fact, does a very good job at exfoliating the skin. It helps to remove dead skin and flakes from the skin. My skin is left feeling softer, smoother, and cleaner afterwards.

With this product, I leave it on for 5-10 minutes. Instructions advises leaving the product on for 10-15 minutes. Since the face mask has a waxy consistency to it, I didn’t enjoy leaving it on my skin for too long. It just feels too waxy and feels like it’s going to clog my pores. Also, it makes the skin look super shiny and oily before rinsing it off, lol. I have oily skin, so I didn’t want to aggravate my skin. 5 minutes is more than enough. Sometimes 10 if I’m feeling a little bit risky, haha!

Fortunately, leaving it on my skin hasn’t caused clogged pores or irritated my skin yet, but I make sure to remove every trace of the product off of my skin to prevent breakouts. As for results, this face mask didn’t moisturize my skin. It didn’t leave my skin looking brighter either, but it makes a very good facial scrub. I think it’s too abrasive though to be a part of my skin care routine. I prefer something less harsh and more gentle on the skin.

Skinfood Black Sugar Mask

⭐ Key Ingredients: Black Sugar, Macadamia Seed Oil, Shea Butter

Last but not least, we have the Black Sugar Mask! It’s the most popular out of the bunch! I’ve always wanted to try this face mask. I thought I would give it a go since there’s so many good reviews on it. I wanted to see what the fuss is about! It’s about time! Here are my thoughts on it. 🙂 My first thought when opening the product is that it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing face mask compared to the rice mask and strawberry mask. This one kind of looks like 💩. Maybe chocolate? lol.

The face mask isn’t runny. It’s a soft, thick paste, which made it less messy to use. When I applied this product to my skin, I dampened my skin thoroughly, so it can glide on my facial skin much better and more freely. The mask has large crystals (black sugar) compared to the other face masks from Skinfood (rice and strawberry). They are a tad too big and rough on the skin. I can feel the granules rolling on my face even when I add water to it. Water does help to soften them up a bit, but it still feels abrasive. I made sure not to apply too much pressure and not to scrub my face too harshly.

After massaging the product into my skin, I left it on for 15 minutes (as the instructions advises to do). Once I rinsed the product off, my skin felt soft and smooth. My complexion looked brighter and glowy. It looked more even. The results were very nice. I really liked it. But still, I think this face mask is too abrasive for the delicate facial skin.

Conclusion

I really wanted to like Skinfood face mask products. They’re very affordable, and they come in cute packaging. For me, they didn’t live up to the positive reviews. They also didn’t deliver results. The rice mask was supposed to brighten the skin, but there was no brightening effect in my skin. The strawberry mask felt too waxy, greasy on the skin and was too harsh on my skin as a face scrub. The black sugar mask was even more harsh and abrasive on the facial skin even though it was the only one that brightened my skin while leaving my skin feeling softer and smoother. But harsh facial scrubs will only do more damage than good in the long run.

I still have these products, but I don’t use them on my face anymore. I use them as a body scrub instead of a face scrub. Seems to work better for that. Overall, I wouldn’t purchase any of them again. I gave the rice mask plenty of tries and still ended up with the same results. Yes, I had hope, lol. Would I recommend Skinfood face masks? No, I wouldn’t recommend the rice mask, strawberry mask, or the black sugar mask. Skinfood does have other varieties, but I’m not interested after this experience. Maybe some time in the near future I’ll give them a go.