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

It’s been 2 weeks using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution! This week, I used glycolic acid products and benzoyl peroxide (more on this in a bit!). So, I started off the week using only glycolic acid products. Just this toner and another glycolic acid serum (read more about it by going to that link!). Glycolic acid has helped improve my skin. But, I can tell that it’s not going to clear up my skin fully. While using glycolic acid, I noticed smoother, brighter skin, and some closed comedones moving up to the surface, but it’s not getting to the source. It’s not going to be the miracle cure for my acne. I stopped using it every day. Now I’m only using it only a few times a week for exfoliation. Hopefully it’ll help with acne marks with continued use. It’s a nice product to have in my routine. I haven’t had any issues using it. No redness, itchiness, or burning. The stinging sensation has diminished over time too. My skin is getting used to it real fast. Now on to my experience with benzoyl peroxide…

I decided to use benzoyl peroxide last minute (at the end of the week). It’s because I didn’t see much results with glycolic acid acne-wise. I know it’s only been 2 weeks, but that’s more than enough time for me to see if it works for my acne or not. I just don’t think it’s working. I noticed inflamed acne popping up, and it looks like it’s going to get worse if I didn’t do anything about it. Glycolic acid alone just isn’t going to cut it. At least for the products I was using. I’m using benzoyl peroxide now. I didn’t expect to use it again, but here I am, using it again, haha. Let’s see if it works this time around. It has worked plenty of times before. I just ended up venturing out to other ingredients/products to help with my acne. I guess, to no avail. Here’s my experience using benzoyl peroxide for the first time again.

So before applying benzoyl peroxide to my skin, I applied my moisturizer (La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer for Oily Skin) first. I might re-add Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence to increase moisture in my skin. I removed it because I didn’t need it anymore. But, more moisture right now wouldn’t be a bad thing while using benzoyl peroxide. Moisturizing the skin helps to prevent skin dryness and any other skin irritations. After applying moisturizer, I applied benzoyl peroxide all over my face! I’m not using it as a spot treatment. Just not yet until my skin is clear. The results the next morning was pretty amazing. I noticed a decrease in sebum, clearer skin, less closed comedones, and my overall complexion just looked less inflamed. I had some inflamed pimples the night before. They have diminished in redness and in size. I also notice some clogged pores making an appearance. That didn’t bother me much. I’m trying to unclog my pores for a smoother feel anyways. My skin has been super clogged for a long time. I can feel this gross bumpy texture to my skin when I move my fingers over my skin. It doesn’t look bad visually, but I can feel it when I wash my face. That’s been bothering me a lot. Hopefully benzoyl peroxide works this time.

Here’s my current skin care routine + benzoyl peroxide added last minute. Stay tuned for my results next week. I’m constantly changing up my skin care routine and trying to figure out what works.

Products I’m Experimenting With…

Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum:

I really like this glycolic acid serum. It’s a higher percentage (14%) and leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth, and exfoliated. My skin is tolerating it pretty well. When applied to the skin, it stings a little bit. That stinging sensation eventually disappears. I tried using it every day and didn’t have any issues using it every day. But, I don’t think it’s necessary to exfoliate the skin that much. I’m only using this serum once or twice a week whenever I feel like it. The higher percentage of glycolic acid has helped blemishes move up to the surface even faster than the glycolic acid toner. My skin looks brighter and so much smoother. I’m really liking what I’m seeing so far. Hopefully it’ll continue to make a difference in my skin.

Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ Clear:

I tried the Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ Clear this week. It was a last minute kind of thing. I haven’t let this product touch my face in ages. I still have a few bottles left, so I thought I would give it another try, lol. Hopefully it doesn’t clog my pores like last time. My skin care routine is pretty minimal right now so I’ll know if it’s breaking me out or not. The sunscreen felt really nice when applied to the skin. It’s lightweight, gel-like. It absorbs easily into the skin and leaves the skin feeling and looking matte. I didn’t experience a sheen on my skin like I used to. The sunscreen does soak up oils on the skin. I used a moisturizer before applying this sunscreen. From my past experience with this sunscreen, it doesn’t protect my skin well. I noticed some skin darkening when I used it. But, I’m not going to use it alone. I’ll use my usual, daily sunscreen on top. This is a good way to use up a sunscreen that I won’t purchase again. I kind of miss the gel texture. It feels amazing on my oily skin.

Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50:

I stopped using this sunscreen, but I started using it again. Since my routine is shorter, why not give it another chance? Also, I finished my first bottle of this sunscreen this week! It took forever! So this sunscreen is still moisturizing and leaves the skin looking greasy on the surface of the skin. It burns the eyes if any gets in there. I really do love how protective this sunscreen is. It has a high SPF and high UVA. I hope it doesn’t clog my pores, but we’ll see as I continue to use it. I bought quite a few. I don’t want to waste them.

If you missed out on my updates…

Update: The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA & La Roche-Posay Anthelios Body & Face Mineral Sunscreen Gentle Lotion SPF 50

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

My Skin Care Routine 🙂

Here’s my skin care routine! 🙂 Let’s start…

Face Wash: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance Free

The face wash I’m using is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel (the fragrance free one). I’ve tried other cleansers in the past weeks, and I didn’t like them as much as this face wash. The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel feels soft, soothing, and gentle on the skin. It slightly foams up, cleanses the skin, doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry, and refreshes my skin. It doesn’t contain any acne fighting ingredients. I prefer facial cleansers without them. I’ve tried cleansers that contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide before in the past, and they didn’t do anything for my acne. I didn’t see the point in using them anymore. I’ll just stick to a plain, boring face wash that cleanses without stripping the skin. This one has been working for me.

Acne Treatments: The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution

It took me a while to settle on products for my acne. I think this is it for now. I’m only using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution to help unclog my pores and to help prevent future breakouts (if it works that way, lol). I love how this product is a liquid. It absorbs quickly into the skin and leaves my skin feeling very clean. It doesn’t feel sticky or tacky on my skin. Let’s see if this works or not. I’ve only been using it for 2 weeks. Check out my experience/results below (first week).

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

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

It took me forever to find a moisturizer that works on my skin. In other words, moisturizes and doesn’t cause breakouts. This moisturizer isn’t the most moisturizing. It’s also not the best at absorbing excess sebum (like it claims to do). I still have excess sebum seeping through the moisturizer afterwards. But, it’s good enough for now. It somewhat moisturizes, and I haven’t noticed any breakouts. It also contains niacinamide, but I haven’t noticed a brightening effect or any other improvements with this ingredient. I’ll stick to this moisturizer until I find another moisturizer that’s better for my skin (if there’s one). My skin doesn’t seem to like moisturizers too much. I’ve gone through life not bothering with moisturizers due them clogging my pores.

Sunscreen: CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint

I have a few more sunscreens, but the one sunscreen that I’ve been using the most is the CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30. It’s a mineral and tinted. Contains SPF 30. The tint in this sunscreen product makes it easy to reapply throughout the day. The tint is a tad dark on my skin. At first, it didn’t bother me. But now, it makes my skin appear a little dull. The shade isn’t a perfect match for my skin. It blends into the skin, but I can still see that my face is darker than the rest of my body when using this product. Oh well, haha. I’ll use it for the time being. I haven’t experienced breakouts from it after going through 3 bottles. I’m on my 4th! So with the tint, there’s no white cast, obviously. It’s moisturizing and simply just very easy to use. It’s currently winter with less sun. I’m mostly indoors, so that’s why I’ve been using this SPF more often over the other sunscreens I have. This will change when spring and summer arrives. I will need a higher SPF.

In the morning, I use a lip balm with SPF too. You can check out my lip care routine right here!

So what else should I add? I’m only using 4 products (face). 😂

Update: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Lotion Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF (30 and 50)

I started using Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Lotion Sunscreens again. I have a bunch of sunscreens to use up, and I noticed that I still had Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Lotion Sunscreens sitting around. What better time to use up my sunscreens than this time of the year. It is summer and sunny after all! ☀️ So with these sunscreens, I’m using them on my body. I didn’t like using them on my face. I tried. It just didn’t work out as a face sunscreen for me. That’s the reason why I stopped using them for a while. You can read more on my previous thoughts on the Hydro Boost sunscreens right here:

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Lotion Sunscreen SPF 30

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Lotion Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50

My Experience with Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Lotion Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF (30 and 50)!

I have this sunscreen in SPF 30 and SPF 50. They both work similarly besides each being a different SPF. Honestly, I would choose the SPF 50 over the 30 any day. But I remember my first time trying this product was the SPF 30. The SPF 50 was always out-of-stock. 😢 I prefer sunscreens with a higher SPF. I need all of the sun protection that I can get from a sunscreen. My skin is very prone to freckling. So from the label, it claims that both of these sunscreens are broad spectrum, has an invisible finish, is non-greasy, and water-resistant. They’re both chemical sunscreens. Here are the filters in each sunscreen bottle:

SPF 30: Avobenzone 2.7%, Homosalate 9%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 9%

SPF 50: Avobenzone 2.7%, Homosalate 9%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 9%, Oxybenzone 4.5%

I really love the idea of the Hydro Boost sunscreen. It’s supposed to be a water gel lotion (what it’s called). I’ve used Asian sunscreens that are lightweight, feels watery on the skin, and just soothing on the skin. They just vanish into the skin while providing sun protection. It’s amazing stuff. I think this sunscreen was supposed to be similar to that type of texture and feel. And you know what? The texture and consistency of the Hydro Boost sunscreen wasn’t bad at all. It feels like a gel and feels soothing on the skin. It absorbs pretty well into the skin and doesn’t leave a sticky, tacky film behind. The sunscreen didn’t look greasy on my skin. It was indeed invisible and non-greasy.

This sunscreen is not alcohol-free. It contains denatured alcohol at the top of the ingredient list for both (SPF 30 and SPF 50). I remember using the sunscreen on my face without my skin drying out. It was actually more moisturizing than drying even though it contains alcohol. The alcohol content wasn’t that big of an issue when it comes to this product. Even though I do prefer sunscreen products without drying alcohols. I had other issues with it, such as my eyes burning. I can’t use this sunscreen near my eyes at all. My eyes start tearing up. It also contains an overpowering fragrance, which I didn’t like. I remember it breaking me out too at some point. That’s one of the main reasons why I stopped using it.

Another issue that really bothered me (while using it as a body sunscreen) is trying to reapply the sunscreen throughout the day. The product would ball up and just roll off of my skin. So this sunscreen, from my experience, is not good for reapplication. It doesn’t layer on properly or in a clean way. I thought it was really annoying to use. If it rolls off of my skin, that means the product isn’t working to protect my skin. I finally finished the SPF 30 bottle this week. I’m almost done with the SPF 50 too. I most likely won’t purchase either one again. I didn’t enjoy using them. I’m just glad I’m done with them, but it was nice to try them out again.

More thoughts on sun care products!! 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

Trying Out Sunscreens Again! 

More Sunscreens I Tried Again for Summer! 

Review: Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40

Review: Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Sunscreen Stick Broad Spectrum SPF 50

Update: Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 50 + Other Cetaphil Mineral Sunscreens

I have a new sunscreen! La Roche-Posay Anthelios Body & Face Mineral Sunscreen Gentle Lotion SPF 50! Does it work?

Trying CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint + Review!

Trying CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint + Review!

I had a chance to try out CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint. I was getting annoyed with the white cast that mineral sunscreens give off even after blending it into the skin. That darn white cast (though sometimes subtle) never truly goes away. And I’m also trying to wear less makeup and focus on taking care of my skin aka controlling my acne breakouts. The less skin care products on my face, the better. So it seems like it after eliminating a ton of skin care products from my routine. So one day, I did a quick search and this product popped up. It’s the CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Sheer Tint!

So I’m not too fond of CeraVe skin care products. I haven’t had a good experience with this brand, and I’ve tried plenty of their products. It’s like my face just doesn’t like CeraVe. I’ve tried products from sunblock (tried it more than once), moisturizing cream, eye cream, face washes. The leave-on products break me out, face washes don’t leave my skin feeling clean (breakouts), and the eye cream is simply a waste of money. It does absolutely nothing, doesn’t even moisturize. The only product that I can tolerate is the CeraVe Healing Ointment. I rarely use it on my facial skin. Only when I have dry patches of skin on my face. Otherwise, I use it on my lips to moisturize. This is the only good product that works on my skin that I have from CeraVe, lol. With that in mind…

Now back to CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint.

My Thoughts on CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint!

This tinted sunscreen product comes in a 1.7 fl. oz. (50 mL) tube. It’s actually pretty cute. I really like the packaging and coloring of it. So this isn’t a high SPF product. It’s only SPF 30. I wish it was at least SPF 50, but it is what it is. I decided to pick up a box anyways. The product is NOT sealed upon opening. I prefer products that are sealed. That was a huge disappointment. As for the product itself, it’s a cream that feels super soft and moisturizing. The ingredients include ceramides, niacinamide, and sodium hyaluronate. Knowing the ingredients, this product would provide some skin healing, moisturizing benefits. Pretty awesome, especially when my moisture barrier was on fire.

When I applied the cream to my face, it smoothed over the skin very easily and effortlessly. It feels soft, smooth, and very, very moisturizing. I must emphasize how moisturizing it is on the skin. I think a little too moisturizing for my skin type, which is the oily type. I was a bit worried since I know I can’t use products this moisturizing. On the box, it did say that it’s a ‘hydrating mineral sunscreen’. It truly is hydrating. But on my skin, it looked very oily and I would say on the greasy side. I had to apply another product over CeraVe to tame the oiliness, greasiness. If you have dry or normal skin, this might work better for you. It just made my face look like pure grease.

As for the shade of the product, there’s only one shade available. It’s a sheer tint product. It’s supposed to work on all skin colors from extremely pale to deep, rich skin tones. On my skin, it was too dark and a little too orangey for my taste. I tried to make it work, but when I was going out, I noticed my face looked super orange compared to the rest of my body. The cream does blend and vanish into the skin, but there’s still an orange tinge left behind. It just made my face look like a pumpkin. 🎃 Also, there is no coverage (if that’s what you’re looking for). It’s a sheer tint (what it is). I’m putting this out there because I can understand that some people might have acne marks, dark under eye circles, and uneven skin tone they want to cover even when using a tinted product. This product won’t cover them at all.

This is what the cream looks like. It’s an orange, tan color. I think this would work best on medium, golden skin tones. I think I’m too pale for this product. 😢

Lastly, did it break me out? I’ve been using it for about a week. At first, I thought I found a pretty good moisturizer even though I didn’t like the shade of the product. I was super excited! I was planning on using it anyways because of that. But, nope, I noticed clogged pores by the end of the week. The product is too heavy on my skin. Way too oily. Way too greasy. It didn’t sit on my skin well. It feels wet and feels like my face is being suffocated. The cream also transfers onto clothing and can easily be scraped off the face. lol. Maybe my face is just too oily?

I was initially attracted to this product because I wanted a mineral sunscreen that didn’t leave a white cast behind. That white cast settles into the eyebrows, hairline, and creases of the skin. I noticed it made my skin look blotchy too. I can see white patches of sunscreen even after blending and blending some more. I needed a product that would hide that white cast. I thought this product (or any other tinted product) would make it easier to reapply sunscreen throughout the day too, since I wouldn’t have to deal with that embarrassing white cast. But it looks like this isn’t it for me. It just didn’t work out. I guess this is another CeraVe product down. lol. There’s something about CeraVe products that don’t mesh with my skin. Oh well. Moving on, hahaha.

I have a new sunscreen! La Roche-Posay Anthelios Body & Face Mineral Sunscreen Gentle Lotion SPF 50! Does it work?

I finally bit the bullet and picked up a La Roche-Posay sunscreen. 🙂 This brand has been floating in my head for quite some time. I’ve heard so many good things about it. But I was pretty much committed to my other sunscreens and didn’t want to venture out just yet. My skin is very picky, and I have trouble finding a good sunscreen for my skin type. There’s only been a lucky few that landed on my favorites 💞 list. But I needed a new sunscreen that is mineral-based (what my skin AND eyes prefer, my eyes have issues with chemical sunscreens, they burn!!), comes in a larger bottle, fragrance-free, and is water-resistant. That’s when I stumbled upon La Roche-Posay Anthelios Body & Face Mineral Sunscreen Gentle Lotion SPF 50. This sunscreen seems to hit all of those points. I just went for it! Here’s more information on this sunscreen:

• Oil-free
• 100% mineral sunscreen for face and body with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide
• Leaves the skin feeling soothed and protected
• Formulated with Cell-Ox Shield® technology
• Broad spetrum UVA/UVB protection with antioxidants
• Dermatologist-tested
• Suitable for sensitive skin
• Paraben-free
• Fragrance-free
• Non-comedogenic
• Allergy-tested
• Oxybenzone-free

The ingredients…

Active Ingredients:

Titanium Dioxide 5% Zinc Oxide 15% 

Inactive Ingredients:

Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Isohexadecane, Isononyl Isononanoate, Dicaprylyl Ether, PEG-30, Dipolyhydroxystearate, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid, Copolymer, Triethylhexanoin, Silica, Poly C10-30, Alkyl Acrylate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol, Diethylhexyl, Syringylidenemalonate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Aluminum Stearate, Chlorphenesin, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Alumina, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Tocopherol, P-Anisic Acid, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Propylene Carbonate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cassia Alata Leaf Extract, Maltodextrin.

I just hope this sunscreen doesn’t break me out. It says that it’s non-comedogenic but who knows what may happen. I’m just crossing my fingers and hope all goes well!

The product is sealed at the cap. Kind of hard to see in the photo but it is sealed.

My Experience

So I’ve only used this sunscreen for 5 days. Here are my thoughts on it so far.

The sunscreen lotion feels very soft and smooth. It’s fragrance-free. I was very impressed with the texture of the sunscreen, especially when compared to other mineral sunscreens I’ve used. This one wasn’t too thick like the Cetaphil mineral sunscreens I used. It’s thick in texture and consistency compared to the liquid mineral sunscreens, but I didn’t feel like it was a blob of mess on my face. It was pretty easy to apply to the skin. It did take more time to apply compared to a chemical sunscreen, but it is a mineral sunscreen after all. Mineral sunscreens tend to give off a white cast. This sunscreen, yes, there is a slight white cast. Fortunately for me, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I was able to blend the sunscreen into the skin. The white cast definitely blends into the skin much better compared to other mineral sunscreens I’ve tried.

This sunscreen also works very well under makeup. On days when I apply makeup, the white cast doesn’t even matter. It’s covered by my foundation. The sunscreen doesn’t ball up either. This sunscreen left my skin feeling very moisturized, which I really loved! It didn’t burn my eyes or irritate my skin. But it did accentuate peeling skin or flaky skin. So if your skin is peeling or have dry patches, be aware that this sunscreen will make dry skin more obvious. During this short experience, the only negatives so far would be the white cast (it has one even if it’s subtle), how it settles into dry patches/flaky skin, and the sunscreen takes some time to set on the skin. Otherwise, I really like it. I saw an improvement in my skin after using it for nearly a week now (almost a week!). Not just in sun protection but also the moisture in my skin. My skin feels and looks so much healthier. Lastly, I didn’t notice any breakouts or clogged pores from this sunscreen. I hope it stays this way. 🤞🏻

What the sunscreen looks like. 🙂

I’m really happy that my experience was overall positive. Now I’m kicking myself for not picking it up in the first place! I still like my current sunscreen, but this one is moving up there real quick! Now let’s see what happens when I finish the whole bottle! I picked up the 3 fl. oz. bottle by the way! This brand had other lightweight options for oily skin, but they were out of my budget (price vs size). Knowing how much sunscreen I use per day, I didn’t think it was worth it. I’m better off with a bigger bottle for sure! This was it. I’m really happy that I went for this one. It wasn’t too bad after all! Stay tuned for another update soon! I hope all works out! I hope this review was helpful! Have a nice day! 🙂

You can read more on sunscreens right here:

Trying Out Sunscreens Again! 😎

More Sunscreens I Tried Again for Summer! 🙌🏻

Review: Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40

Review: Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Sunscreen Stick Broad Spectrum SPF 50

Update: Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 50 + Other Cetaphil Mineral Sunscreens