Is it too much for my skin to use two hydration serums in one routine/ is it necessary? I’ve been using the ordinary hyaluronic acid and the cosrx snail mucin and I LOVE both but I wonder if I’m wasting my money using both? I’d really appreciate any thoughts!

Hydrating serums!

So I regularly go on long hall flights, which always gives me dry skin but recently because of wearing surgical face masks I now have mascne as well! I always apply hydrating serums and a moisturiser, change my mask every two-three hours and never wear makeup but it’s not quite doing the trick! I saw a video about someone applying an under mask face mask on flight and it seemed like an AMAZING idea. I have super sensitive skin which reacts badly to most types of active ingredients and in any case this seems like an amazing way to stop irritation in the first place! Has anyone got an recommendations for under mask face masks? Or any other mascne prevention tips? Thanks in advance! ✨

Under mask face masks for long hall flights

It felt very stripping to my dry and sensitive skin and caused my other skincare products to sting.

I love cerave and so I was so disappointed that this product irritated my skin! I have long used the cerave hydrating cleanser (with great results!) but due to recent stress related breakouts I decided to try out this cleanser instead to help manage my spots. 

I have very sensitive dry skin so I was naturally cautious about incorporating salicylic acid into my routine but I hoped with the other soothing ingredients in this cleanser my face would be okay! My face didn’t immediately sting when I applied the product but my skin was left feeling very tight and my next two skincare products (the very mild Iunik tea tree serum and the cerave moisturising balm) stung my face. I noticed six more small whiteheads on my nose and cheeks the following morning and my skin felt tight and dehydrated. I did however notice some improvement on the comedonal acne on my forehead. 

Overall - unfortunately not for me, but I do have very dry and sensitive skin!

Okay I love this serum. I love how hydrating it feels, I love the pacakging and I love how long it lasts me. I can’t honestly say whether it has significantly changed my skin, since I already had many hydrating products in my routine when I bought this, but I can say that my skin was better than ever when I used this product so I will definitely be buying it again! 

For anyone interested, I also used the cerave hydrating cleanser, the ordinary hyaluronic acid and the cerave moisturising cream, which are all products I love but I feel this product gave me that extra hydration my dry, sensitive skin needed. 

I can sometimes find it irritating if my skin barrier’s compromised, I don’t like the waxy texture and for my skin type I prefer an even richer cream. 

I have very mixed feelings about this product! On one hand, I have to admit that with long term use my dry, sensitive skin becomes much less red, dry and dehydrated with this cream, and it is certainly effective at maintaining my skin barrier. When I first started using this cream (alongside the Cerave hydrating cleanser and the ordinary hyaluronic acid serum) I was absolutely astonished at the transformation my skin went through in the first week. 

On the other hand, it does sting when my skin barrier is already comprised, and I really don’t like the waxy texture of the cream. As someone with very dry skin I love an incredibly rich nourishing moisturiser, and even though this undoubtedly has improved my skin it doesn’t leave me with the hydration or nourishment I would like. I have always paired this with a hydrating serum such as the ordinary hyaluronic acid or the cosrx snail mucin, which has definitely helped on the hydration front, and I find using an occlusive such as the La Roche Posay Circaplast Baume B5 or the Cerave Healing Ointment amazing for the evenings, but I still am on the hunt for a richer moisturiser for day time use! 

That said after experimenting with a few other day creams, which have ended up irritating my skin or compromising my skin barrier, I have re-purchased this cream. 

Overall - it’s a great product with amazing ingredients, but not a holy grail product for me!

Initial thoughts - This cleanser is definitely worth the hype. I’ve always had the most sensitive dry skin that would become irritated with even the most mild products, but this product worked for me a charm! It leaves my face feeling so clean, fresh and hydrated, and I noticed, even after my first week of use, that my skin was visibly smoother and more ‘plump’. I was totally astonished when I started seeing such quick results! I am now on my third bottle, which has lasted me a surprisingly long time considering I’ve been using this product twice a day for over a year. It can be found in most drugstores (in the UK) and is also very reasonable priced. 

One thing I will say is I’m still getting regular breakouts using this cleanser. This wasn’t a problem for my first year or so of use, however recently (probably because of stress since my routine has stayed consistent in all this time) I’m finding that I’m breaking out much more. I tried cerave’s other highly rated sa cleanser, hoping that this would help managed my acne, however, I found it much much too striping! This wasn’t entirely unexpected but still a shame. 

Also - people with dermatitis should be careful with this product! Although it is very mild, when my dermatitis flares up it does sting. 

For anyone interested - I generally pair this cleanser with the ordinary hyaluronic acid and the cerave moisturising balm. I also use the La Roche Posay Hydrating SPF50 in the mornings and use an occlusive like the La Roche Posay Circaplast Baume B5 in the evenings aswell. I’ve always found this combination has kept my sensitive skin plump, strong and hydrated. However, I do find when my skin is at all irritated I find the cerave moisturiser stings!

Overall - definitely worth a try, especially for those with sensitive skin. I’d love if it manage my acne better, but one product can’t do everything! 

Absolutely nothing I really love this product 

I totally love this serum and almost entirely credit it with transforming my damaged, dry skin (alongside the cerave hydrating cleanser and the cerave moisturising cream). It has never irritated my very sensitive dry skin and is a very reasonable price! I’m now on my fourth or fifth bottle (I’ve lost count!) 

catclover