3 Weeks With The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution + BP!

It’s the 3rd week using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. I’ve only used it once this week. This product really makes my skin glow. I love it for that, but I think it’s time for me to move on to other skin care products for my acne. This toner isn’t cutting it. As I said, it helps to brighten my skin. I just haven’t noticed a drastic difference in my acne. It helped to unclog some pores, but I think it has created more pimples. Every time I use it, I feel like I get new pimples (not from purging). My skin isn’t liking an ingredient or ingredients in this toner. I love liquid-based skin care products. I love that it’s affordable and feels very nice when applied to the skin. It helps to remove excess sebum and debris too when used with a cotton pad. This glycolic acid toner just isn’t working for me. I’m not going to drag it on using it when I don’t feel like it’s right for me. Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum seems to work better on my skin. It’s soft, gentle, and doesn’t clog my pores or irritate my skin. I’ll try this serum out by itself instead. It’s a higher percentage of glycolic acid, but it hasn’t caused my skin issues like The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. Maybe my skin just doesn’t like The Ordinary skin care products. They seem to work better on my body though! Just not my facial skin. It’s time to switch things up!

I added benzoyl peroxide in the 2nd week. I needed an acne product that’s anti-bacterial. Yes, I’m back to using benzoyl peroxide. I used it once during the first week. During the second week, I used it as often as possible. I’m still trying to transition my skin into using benzoyl peroxide. Currently using moisturizer first then applying benzoyl peroxide. The results have been pretty good. After this week, using it more often compared to the first week, my skin has improved drastically. My acne (mainly closed comedones) are not completely gone, but my skin has changed for the better. I’m getting results very quick. I wish I could use it in the morning to get faster results. It’s just too difficult to apply benzoyl peroxide, let it dry on the skin, and apply other skin care products afterwards in my morning routine. I don’t have the time to let it dry on the skin. I just can’t. Since I need an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial in the morning to help with acne, I started using Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid again. I know! It’s back! I don’t use it every morning. I’ve only used it twice this week. This has been working for me so much better. I might’ve been using too many salicylic acid products before (face wash and a leave-on product). This is working for me right now. Just a few times a week to help unclog pores and for its anti-bacterial properties. Let’s see what happens in the upcoming weeks!

I tried some moisturizing skin care products this week too!

My Thoughts on Moisturizers…

La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer for Oily Skin:

This is a lightweight, mattifying moisturizer. It’s not the most moisturizing moisturizer. It moisturizes a little bit. It doesn’t keep the skin moisturized throughout the day. I’ve been using it for nearly a month now, and I’m not too impressed. It should work on my skin because I have oily skin. But, it’s not doing much for my skin. I need something that actually moisturizes my skin a little bit more. After I stopped using this moisturizer, I noticed some breakouts vanished. I wonder if it’s breaking me out? 🤔 I’ll try it again when I’m ready.

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence:

I tried using Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Essence for extra moisture this week. I didn’t think it was moisturizing enough for my skin. It lightly hydrates the skin, but the hydration doesn’t last. My skin started to feel drier throughout the day. Honestly, I think it caused my skin to dry out more. I noticed more gunk in my pores too while using it. I stopped using it on my facial skin because of this.

Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence:

I wasn’t going to use the Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence on my skin again, but I have a few bottles of this left. I’ve been using it on my body to use it up. I thought I would try it again on my facial skin just to see if it’ll work or not. This essence (like the Snail Mucin Essence) ended up drying my skin out. I used the Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence on damp skin too. It just didn’t work. It made my skin look worse. I noticed my pores filling up too. Clogging my pores? I guess it doesn’t work on my skin. Back to using it on my body.

Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin:

I was in need of a moisturizer that moisturizes my skin that I started to use Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin again. This moisturizer left my skin feeling moisturized and soothed my skin. It helps with dryness and skin irritations. I stopped using my other moisturizers and just stuck with this one after trying the other moisturizers. I prefer to keep my routine as minimal as possible instead of using a bunch of moisturizers all at once, lol. And this moisturizer did a better job at moisturizing. I’m currently just using Vanicream (once again) as my moisturizer. I don’t use it every day though. Only when my skin needs to be moisturized. Hopefully it works this time around since I’m using benzoyl peroxide, which is helping a ton with my acne.

Catch up on what happened right here:

My Experience After 1 Week Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution + Other Skin Care Updates

2 Weeks Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. My Results!

My Experience After 1 Week Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution + Other Skin Care Updates

My Experience Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution:

I’m mainly going to talk about my experience with The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. I used tret a few times this week. I’m debating if I should keep using it or just move on to this glycolic acid product. My results with the glycolic acid toner has been pretty good. I used it every day at night. The instructions of this product says ~ Use ideally in the PM, no more frequently than once per day. After cleaning, saturate a cotton pad with the formula and sweep across face and neck. That’s what I did. I prefer using a cotton pad too. It helps to remove whatever is left on my skin. Sometimes I can see stuff on the cotton pad. It’s another nice treatment + cleansing step (even if it’s not a cleansing product).

When using this product, there’s a stinging sensation that fades away. I didn’t experience any other irritation other than that. It’s pretty normal for a glycolic acid product to sting upon application unless it persists. After applying the toner, I move on to my other skin care products, and I always end my routine with my moisturizers. I’m currently using La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer for Oily Skin and Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. Both are lightweight moisturizers. One being a hydrating product and the other moisturizing. I apply the Cosrx Snail Mucin Essence first then follow up with La Roche Posay Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer. This combination has worked for me so far. I wake up the next morning with no redness, itchy skin, or any other signs of irritation. I tried other moisturizing products this week too. Read more about them here.

After 1 week of using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution, my skin improved. It’s working. Something is finally working to unclog those closed comedones that I’ve been suffering with for so long! I had closed comedones on my forehead, upper lip area (ouch!), chin, and jawline area. I noticed these closed comedones unclogging within the first few days. It was my forehead and chin area where I noticed improvements first. Now it’s the rest of my face by the end of this week. It’s only been 1 week, and I’ve already seen tons of improvements in my skin. It’s freaking amazing. I haven’t experienced any major irritation either. No dryness, itchy skin, redness, or burning. Just soft, smooth, clearer skin. And this was done all by glycolic acid. It made me question if I should keep using tret. 🤔 I’m loving the results with this glycolic acid toner!

Products I Stopped Using:

I stopped using Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid again. From months to years of using this product, it’s not working on my skin anymore. It helps a little bit with sebaceous filaments and blackheads, but it hasn’t done anything for my closed comedones. I’ve been using it to unclog my pores to no avail. The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution has done a better job at unclogging closed comedones and getting rid of whiteheads and blackheads. Along with all of that acne, it has also decreased sebaceous filaments, especially on my nose. I’ve been having issues with that for a long time. Finally, something that works! I guess if a product just doesn’t work, it just doesn’t work. So what to do with it now? I have a few bottles left. 😭 I couldn’t even finish what I was using, lol. Salicylic acid doesn’t seem to work on my skin as I thought. But I kept on trying, haha.

Moisturizers I Tried This Week:

I tried hydrating/moisturizing skin care products this week. I needed to add at least a hydrating serum or essence. I ended up picking Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. It’s the only one that didn’t break me out. Well, I hope it doesn’t. Let’s get into the other products I tried. I honestly can’t believe I gave them a try again. First up! Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum…

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum:

This serum contains 49% centella asiatica extract, niacinamide, arginine, panthenol, green tea leaf extract, adenosine, ceramide np, asiatic acid, peptides, and so much more! I thought I would give it a try again. After 2 days of using it, I noticed blackheads and more breakouts. My pores were clogged once in again. Once I eliminated this product, the breakouts diminished. Now, it makes me wonder if this serum has been clogging my skin the WHOLE TIME! Wow! I’ve been using it for so long and have gone through bottles of it!

Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin:

I tried the Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin for a few days but ended up weaning off of it. It felt moisturizing and helps to protect my skin, but I couldn’t continue to use it due to my past experience with it. It seals in too much moisture. I know I will end up with a clogged up nose if I keep using it. If my skin barrier ever gets impaired, this is a good moisturizer to go to even though it burns upon application, lol! I wish they would make it without squalane. My skin doesn’t like squalane.

Check out my thoughts on CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser:

I Finally Tried CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser! Here’s My 1 Week Experience!

2 Weeks Experience with CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser!

Update on The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG & Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

I stopped using more products. 😃 I’ve been using these two products since forever. I think it’s time to let them go. They are The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG and Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. Let’s start off with The Ordinary!

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG:

It’s been about 2 years using The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG. The purpose of this product is to reduce the appearance of eye contour pigmentation and puffiness. I thought it was working at first, but I haven’t noticed much of a change in my skin (under eyes) after another year of using it. All it did was dry my under eye area out. I still have dark under eye circles. I make sure to get enough sleep too, and I still have them, lol. Must be genetics, haha. Oh well. I only have puffy eyes once in a while, but this product didn’t do much for puffy eyes when I had them. Just like most The Ordinary skin care products, this one didn’t work for me either (2 years!!! 😮‍💨). This is the last of The Ordinary products I have in my skin care routine. I removed all of The Ordinary products I was using. I think I’m over this brand. Most of their products are too greasy, oily for my skin type. They don’t sit well on my skin. My skin gets more oily and ends up with breakouts. I’ve been dealing with acne for so long that I wonder if The Ordinary products contributed to the clogged pores. So far, after not using any of them (along with a bunch of other skin care products), my skin has improved. With the Caffeine Solution, it was just drying even when I moisturize my eye area heavily. It tightens my under eyes and dries it out. When I stopped using it, the dryness went away. I’m going to stick to moisturizing products only for the eyes from now on. I’m over this product. It didn’t work for me.

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence:

I stopped using Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence since I wanted a simple, basic skin care routine instead. All products that didn’t serve a purpose in my routine had to go. This was one of them. With the Snail Essence, it didn’t really hydrate my skin by much. I tried using it alone without any other skin care products, and my skin felt extremely dry. My skin started to crack. I couldn’t even smile, lol. The dryness started to hurt my face. So the essence doesn’t do well as a stand alone skin hydrator. It works better in combination with other moisturizing products. So did it do anything at all for my skin? lol. Well, I didn’t see improvements in my skin texture and hydration levels while using it. I’ve gone through several bottles too. I just didn’t see the purpose of this product anymore. It feels like I’m just wasting my money hoping that it’ll do something for my skin since it’s a snail product. Nothing’s happening and it seems like a waste of time and money. Also, another aspect of the product that I didn’t like was the packaging. This applies to other Cosrx skin care products as well, such as Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence, Cosrx Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion (with Birch Sap), and Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence. They all come in the same type of packaging/bottle. It’s a plastic bottle with a pump. Once you reach the bottom of the bottle, it’s difficult to get the rest out. They should really change the packaging of these products. It’s extremely annoying. I feel like they did this on purpose. 😂 So that’s another reason why I’m going to stop purchasing products that come in lousy packaging like this. They’re also very clunky to carry around and to travel with. It’s just not for me, I guess.

More products that I stopped using…

Benton Fermentation Essence

The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA

Melano CC Vitamin C Essence

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum

The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3%

Review: Cosrx Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream

It’s been a year without Cosrx Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream. I decided to try it out again. My neck was getting super dry and itchy, and I needed something that would fix that itch real quick. I tried using CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, but it didn’t help much. I needed something more effective. So this cream is a snail-based product. Yeah, that doesn’t sound pleasant, but snail mucin has many skin care benefits like replenishing hydration levels and softens rough skin. Good for tired complexions and is suitable for all skin types but especially dehydrated skin. It not only hydrates the skin but brightens and supports healthy skin repair. Nourishes and helps to reduce redness. Also, supports skin elasticity and plumps up the skin. This cream has a pH of 5.5-6.5. Dermatologist-tested. Hypoallergenic. Paraben-free. Sulfate-free, Phthalate-free, Alcohol-free. It sounds like a miracle cream. We’ll see about that! So I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now. Here’s my experience with this cream so far!

My experience

I’ve been using this snail cream at night. I don’t use it on my face. Just my neck. It contains Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, which my skin dislikes. I get really bad closed comedones when I use products with this ingredient. I try my best to avoid it. From my prior experience with this snail cream, it did clog my pore on my face. So that’s why I’m not using it on my facial skin. Lesson learned. After a few weeks of using this cream on my neck, my skin isn’t dry anymore. I used it once and woke up the next morning with skin that’s extremely moisturized. The itchiness went away and skin just went back to normal. It made my skin feel softer and a lot smoother. This cream is working a lot better compared to my other moisturizers. It does have a sticky, slimy texture to it. It makes it hard to use the product. The product also comes in a jar, so it’s not sanitary. I make sure to wash my hands before I dip my fingers into the jar anyways. Maybe they should change the packaging of this product into a tube instead. That would make it a lot easier to use the product. Just a thought. Overall, my experience with this cream has been good. I like how it helped with skin dryness, itchiness, and just made my skin feel calm and soothes it. I love that there’s no fragrance to this cream. It doesn’t smell like anything. Amazing. Wow, I’m falling in love with this snail cream once again. It’s super effective.

A jar of snail slime! 🐌

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Contains 92% snail mucin and hyaluronic acid
• Super moisturizing
• Leaves the skin feeling soft and nourished
• Great nighttime moisturizer
• Absorbs into the skin nicely
• Results the next morning

❌ Cons

• May cause breakouts if you’re prone to breakouts (face)
• Comes in a jar
• Difficult to retrieve product from jar due the sticky texture of the product

Conclusion

I didn’t think I would like this snail cream this time. But I was so happy when I noticed that the skin on my neck wasn’t itchy anymore. Also, my skin became super soft, smooth, and just so nourished. I haven’t broken out in a rash with this product. Amazing. I have a very sensitive neck, and it seems like it can only tolerate gentle facial products and not products made for the body. I like the results I’m seeing, so I’m going to continue to use this cream. I love it so far! I highly recommend trying it out if you’re interested!

For more reviews on Cosrx beauty products go here

Update on My Moisturizers :)

Here’s an update on my moisturizers. Moisturizing my skin has helped so much with skin dryness, flaky skin, and just skin that looks aged. My skin looked so bad without moisturizing. I knew that I needed to moisturize my skin, but I couldn’t find a moisturizer or a set of moisturizers that worked on my skin. I have problematic skin. It’s genetics. I have very oily skin that’s easily clogs. So I’m battling to keep my skin pimple-free at the same time. It’s tough. Not easy at all when so many moisturizers are pore-clogging and just not suitable for my skin type. But here I am with a set of moisturizers that I use. I talked about them in my first moisturizer post. Now here’s an update on what I think about each product.

⭐ Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence

I still love this essence. It’s still not the most hydrating, but I still like it for what it is. It gives my skin some moisture, doesn’t break me out, and sits on my skin nicely. It’s a good option for people with oily skin. It doesn’t leave the skin looking shiny or greasy. It absorbs into the skin very well. I’ve been using this essence twice a day without any issues. It’s a staple in my routine now. Love it!

⭐ Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

Unlike Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence, I don’t use the Snail Mucin Essence every day. It’s too moisturizing on my skin. My skin starts to act up when I use it too often. This is something I use 1-2 times a week or when my skin feels drier than usual. Sometimes I use it in the morning if I need it, but I prefer to keep it at night.

⭐ Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel

Since my skin is getting a little bit more sensitive, I can feel this moisturizer burning my skin, lol. But I’m still using it, hah! It’s a nice soothing aloe gel (when it doesn’t sting the skin). It absorbs into the skin well and leaves it somewhat moisturized. The moisture doesn’t last long, but it’s something to use that doesn’t cause breakouts. The smell of the product is getting to me though. It has a weird scent to it that I’m not fond out.

⭐ Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask

The most moisturizing moisturizer I use is the Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask. I love how it leaves my skin moisturized. But did it leave my skin looking brighter? I’m not impressed with the brightness. I was hoping it’ll fade some acne marks, since it contains rice extract and niacinamide, but I haven’t seen much. It does a great job at keeping my dry skin moisturized. It does feel a little bit oily though. This moisturizer is not oil-free, by the way. It contains sunflower seed oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil. I can’t believe I’ve lasted this long using this product, lol.

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

This is the latest moisturizer I added to my moisturizing routine. This is on par with Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask in terms of moisture. It leaves the skin so moisturized without making the skin look like a greasy mess. It also contains lemon peel and tea tree oil. I wish tea tree oil wasn’t at the end of the ingredient list. Tea tree oil is one of my favorite natural acne-fighting ingredients. It helps to tame my acne. I used to use a tea tree oil face wash that worked wonders for my skin for so many years. I miss it! But this moisturizer has done my skin good. I like it. 🙂

I hope this was helpful. Thank you for reading. 🙂