what things do you do to take care of your skin outside of the products you use? for me, a silk pillow case that i wash weekly, and washing my cotton face masks after each use have been a game changer!

nonproduct-related holy grails?

i’m looking for a cruelty free alternative to the foaming facial cleanser by cerave! bonus points if it’s relatively affordable and accessible (ie not that i’d need to order online, i like to shop in stores as much as possible). my skin type is combo/oily. thanks :-)

cruelty-free alternative to cerave foaming face wash?

have any of you purchased and skincare during the event? i got the indie lee COQ10 toner today (and the cosrx snail mucin for free shipping!) i’m excited to try them out :-)

if you bought anything, share below!

ulta 21 days of beauty!

i just recently switched from a retinol to differin and am going through a pretty mild purge right now. i’ve noticed that my skin has been getting a LOT oilier throughout the day and i’m trying to figure out if this should be attributed to the purge, or if there’s some other product in my routine that might be responsible. 

has anyone experienced anything similar?

can purging make skin oilier?

looking for a body treatment to brighten dark spots and treat bumpy skin! i’ve been using the cerave SA cream but haven’t noticed much of a difference. i’ve been considering trying a retinol for the body instead. does anyone have any recommendations or thoughts about using one or the other for my concerns?

salicylic acid or retinol for the body?

the cleanser is bare bones, so not a lot of added goodies. this doesn’t bother me, i prefer to get those antioxidants or actives in my other products.

the packaging gets a 0&#47;10 for aesthetics. i’ve actually repackaged it into a glass soap bottle so that it looks nicer on mg countertop!

this product contains mica, which i know some people avoid

one of the most reliable cleansers for me. super bare bones ingredients list so it’s guaranteed not to break me out, which is a huge plus. i tend to use this if my skin is freaking out or i’m trying to adjust to a new active ingredient. 

a gel cleanser consistency, it does not foam up when applied to the face. 

the price is also reasonable.

That being said, I also didn’t experience any results. After finishing this tube, I tried The Inkey List’s retinol and within weeks noticied me skin beginning to turn over-something that never happened with this product.
This is also pricy for the amount you get.

This was my introduction to retinol, and was very helpful in getting my skin used to the product. I did not experience any sensitivity or irritation when using this product.

As others have noted, the smell is really unpleasant, but because I only leave this on for 10-15 minutes before washing it off, it’s definitely bearable. I use this at most twice a week as an all over mask.

Really effective at shrinking any active breakouts without leaving a scar or causing irritation. I also had what I thought was a fungal acne breakout on my forehead a few years back and was able to clear up those pesky, itchy bumps primarily with this treatment!

none i can think of besides being on the pricier side for the rate i go through these.

note the yellowy color.

this is a holy grail product. the skin brightening effects are quite noticeable after going through just one bottle, as well as the fading of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. i’ve repurchased it several times! 

the product comes with a dropper, and i apply one drop of it to my skin in the mornings after cleansing. there is no strong smell. the consistency is that of a serum, and it lays sticky on the skin for a few minutes before sinking in completely. i always apply moisturizer after because it can make my skin a bit tight without it. 

the serum is a yellowy color, and while i’ve heard that this can mean the vitamin c is unstable and no longer effective, i’ve still noticed quite a difference with the product so i wonder if the color is due to another ingredient.

While it didn’t increase my fungal acne, it did make me break out into tiny closed comedones all over my chin! I’m also not a fan of the packaging, I felt like the product was too thick to squeeze out of the tube sometimes.

I purchased this while creating a fungal-acne-safe routine. I felt like this moisturized well without making my skin too or shiny. The texture is a bit thick but can be rubbed easily into the skin, so this sat well throughout the day under makeup.

elliemz