

Seriously! 💢💢💢Clinique Can Do Better Than This!
gigi1990
Hello🌞You must know the importance of cleaning your face. I have combo-oil skin, not sensitive. I have acne-prone skin, and I have some dark spots. So I started building up my tolerance for acid since long-time ago. Today, I want to talk about my fav and meh products!
pixi - Glow Tonic
Vitamin E in skincare
Exfoliation
Vitamin C for dark spots
Fav or Meh?
Vitamin C in skincare
pixi
clé de peau BEAUTÉ
CLINIQUE
SK-II
Toner
Face Serum
Jun. 9, 2020
Comments
cybwifeyClinique one works really well for my time to time breakouts. Definitely NOT for sensitive skin though 😅
Jul. 8, 2020·1 like
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Product Mentioned
How do you exfoliate? Serum or Toner?
Sometimes I feel like the more I learn about skincare, the more confused I get 🤷🏻♀️
I just finished reading Caroline Hirons new book “Skincare: the ultimate no nonsense guide”. I definitely recommend it. I’ll post soon some of my biggest take aways. But, the major thing it left me confused about is exfoliating and acids
Caroline Hirons, the Queen of skincare, recommends acid toning twice a day. You should have 2-3 acid toners in your skincare line-up and rotate them, a stronger one followed by gentler, different kinds of acids. I was hoping her treatment section she would touch on acids and how she uses both, but she didn’t talk about acids as serums.
Before my skincare journey I was using CLINIQUE - Clarifying Lotion 2 For Dry Combination Skin
I had no complaints. It was gentle. I wouldn’t really call it exfoliating. But, after reading the ingredients and seeing alcohol at the top and dyes, I’ve decided to ditch it.
I was also using CLINIQUE - CLINIQUE Exfoliating Scrub
Again, no complaints. A gentle 7-day scrub. But, I learned that chemical exfoliation is better than physical, so I decided to stop using this everyday.
I learned that adding AHA & BHA into your routine is important in your 30s.
I tried SUNDAY RILEY - Good Genes All in One Lactic Acid Treatment
And wow 🤩 it claims that you can notice smoother & brighter skin in 3mins. MINUTES! Not months or weeks. And it is true! I love this serum. I was using 1-2 times a week. Adding acids slowly to my routine. I never experienced any irritation.
I also purchased The Ordinary - Lactic Acid 10% + HAto see how it compared to the Sunday Riley Good Genes, since it’s less than 10% the price. I’ll give a review after I’ve been using it at least a month.
I’ve also tried Kate Somerville - Liquid ExfoliKate Triple Acid Resurfacing Treatment
This is a strong acid toner. More similar to the products that Caroline Hirons recommends. I don’t love it as much as the Sunday Riley. It smells strong. And I find it more irritating. I’ve used it every other day and that seems like too much. I do find it stings.
Here’s my questions:
How do you exfoliate? Serums? Or toners? Or both? To make matters more confusing, what about night creams with AHAs???
How often? I’ve read no more than twice a week. But products recommend daily. And Caroline Hirons is recommending twice a day (although alternating between gentle & strong).
I think like the serums more than a strong toner. I will try a new gentler toner for twice daily use. And continue using a serum twice weekly in the evenings.
I’d love to hear how you incorporate acids into your routine!
Thanks 😊
PamelaSargent
Critique a skincare newbie’s routine
Skins problems:
I tend to get mild Rosacea on my lower cheeks and develop tons of blockheads in the creases of my nose, chin and between eyebrows. Other than that I have combination skin with an oily t-zone and normal to dry everywhere else.
Where I’m at...
So I kinda feel down the rabbit hole into skincare the other month and have tried using a morning routine as follows:
GARNIER - Micellar Water Facial Cleanser Sensitive Skin
The Ordinary - Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (Made my skin so smooth really quickly, love this one)
CLINIQUE - Dramatically Different Oil-Free Gel
Neutrogena - Sheer Zinc Face Lotion SPF 50 (leaves a really bad white tint which I can’t seem to get rid of)

And a nighttime routine as follows:
CLINIQUE - CLINIQUE Liquid Facial Soap (leaves my skin a bit tight-feeling)
PAULA'S CHOICE - Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliator (I think it’s working I just can’t really tell)
CLINIQUE - Clarifying Lotion 2 For Dry Combination Skin (a bit drying but I don’t want to waste the product)
The Ordinary - Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (Made my skin so smooth really quickly, love this one)

CLINIQUE - Dramatically Different Oil-Free Gel
Outcomes so far:
My skin is overall more hydrated and smoother but I still find black dots in my problem areas.
Plea for help
I have seen improvements but I feel like I don’t quite know what I’m doing and could use some external input. Plz feel free to add any (and I mean any) tips or critique.
Thank youuuuuuu
eloiseeeey
Need a new Vitamin C serum? Look no further!✨
Y’ALL! I can’t even begin to tell you how much my skin has improved since incorporating this only several days ago!
Although my skin has finally been on a slow upward trend in terms of healing dark spots and minimizing pores, the second I added this, that process started increasing SO FAST!
I have always wanted to add a vitamin C serum to my routine, but I was always so nervous because I know some can be very potent, hard to keep, too reactive, etc.
Like you always should, I did a 24hr patch test prior to introducing the serum, and no irritation whatsoever!
SOME BY MI - Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum Along with pure Vitamin C, this serum also contains Galactomyces! If you don’t know, this is a nutrient yeast and byproduct of fermented sake! If you’re familiar with SK-II, it’s the same ingredient that they call their PITERA essence. (SK-II - Facial Treatment Essence (Pitera Essence))
This serum is jam packed with so many great nutrients for your skin and I have LOVED using it!
I store mine in the fridge to avoid oxidizing since that is a very common occurrence with pure Vitamin C, and I apply in the AM and PM after toner, following a moisturizer!
Since adding this serum, I have minimized my routine of other essences and serums at the moment so that I am able to see the full effects of the serum, without any reactivity from my other actives. It has given me such glowy skin and my dark spots fade more and more each day I wake up, as well as reducing my dark circles! I ABSOLUTELY recommend!!!!
marygough
All the toners and essences I have emptied
I want to name a few products worth trying:
LANEIGE - Cream Skin Refiner so hydrating for winter. You may not need a moisturizer after if used in summer time. Will get a full size some time.
fresh - Rose Deep Hydration Toner super comforting just hard to get the juice out at the end with all the flower petals.
ORIGINS - Dr. Andrew Weil For Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Soothing Treatment Lotion Limited Edition I didn’t think I would like it. Looks like a boring product but I then realize my skin was really stabilized during the period I used it. Will I get the full size? Maybe not. But for those of you with reactive skin, give a shot.
fresh - Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence love love love the smell and the touch on the face. Will consider repurchase.
LA MER - The Treatment Lotion a bit oily feeling but hydrating. With the price point I will not get the full bottle.
SK-II - Facial Treatment Essence (Pitera Essence) I suppose it’s good but after over a year journey with the biggest bottle I’m not going to get another one for now. But if you never had one, try it.
niniyang
my progress in the span of 3 years
This is my first post pls be gentle I am soff
My experience and exposure to skincare was...odd growing up. I came from a poor family and was constantly switching between households. Consistent skincare routines did not exist for me, if we could afford it at all. I also had no idea what was going on with my face or why, just that I was being mocked and berated for it as though it was some sort of lack of hygeine or moral failing on my part.
About 3 years ago, I started using a consistent skincare routine with more than just a face wash in the shower. Granted, it was whatever the cheapest face wash I could find at Safeway that week (likely biore or st. ives) and argan oil that I found at Marshall's. I had no idea what ingredients to look for or even what my skin type was. That first pic STILL marked a huge improvement for me and kicked off my desire to learn more to finally rectify this issue that had plagued me for more than a decade.
The 2nd pic is from a few months ago. I kinda think I peaked there. I was using Neutrogena - Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser in the shower. I have oily, sensitive skin (thanks eczema) and it's very gentle, not irritating in the slightest. However, it feels like all it does is clean my face. No real benefit apart from that. I was using pixi - Glow Tonic as a toner which I loved and gave me great results but rent is literally over half my monthly income and that doesn't touch all the other bills I have and at anywhere from $18-$24 a bottle? Well... I'd rather eat tbh. I also got over the "oily skin don't need moisturize hurr durr" mentality and began to use (still do, this jar has lasted me since like July) AVALON ORGANICS - Intense Defense, With Vitamin C, Oil-Free Moisturizer . Works fine, nice and light, absorbs pretty quickly, and I like the smell. I'd like something that qualifies as a night mask instead tho, just because my entire routine is done exclusively at night with extra moisturizer or treatments as necessary.
3rd pic is from about a month ago. I've changed up the roster a few times. I'm really feeling FORMULA 10.0.6 - One Deep Attraction Daily Foaming Face Wash as I used it years ago, liked it then for the suds and the actives, but haven't gotten much in the way of results. I might try the FORMULA 10.0.6 - Three Times Sublime 3-in-1 Blackhead Wash + Scrub + Maskand FORMULA 10.0.6 - P.M. Perfectorinstead of the moisturizer I use as mentioned above. I'm also alternating between Cos De BAHA - BHA Salicylic Acid 2% Exfoliant Liquid 4oz with Niacinamide Acne Spot Treatment + Redness Relief + Pore Minimizer + Pore Cleaner and The Ordinary - Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% . The serum makes my skin incredibly soft and the suspension helps a bunch with oil control.
If y'all have any comments, questions, or suggestions regarding my routine, I'd love to hear what y'all have to say!
turboslxt
How I Built an Entire Routine for Under $150
For a long time I was intimated by skincare because it seemed very expensive and overwhelming. How do I know what to buy 🤷🏻♀️
When I started noticing wrinkles that was enough of a push for me to invest in skincare. Here’s some great lessons I’ve learned to build your skincare routine affordably:
1. Research to figure out what you need- here’s where my love of @cheriestarted! I read lots of reviews, advice, so I knew what type of products I should buy and what ingredients I should focus on.
2. Keep it Simple
It’s easy to want to buy new products, adding new steps or ingredients to your routine, or try out the hype after reading reviews! Focus on your concerns and add slowly to give your skin time to adjust and see what’s working. It’s better to have a few great products that you love than many products you don’t use.
I started with:
Cleanse
AM antioxidant serum, PM anti-aging serum
Moisturizer
Sunscreen
Toners, eye cream, facial oil, and masks can be extras if you are looking to save money
3. Spend your money on the middle - if you can only splurge on one product make it the serum! This has the most benefit. Drugstore cleansers, moisturizers, and spf are great!
4. Try some great affordable brands such as The Ordinary, The Inkey List, Versed, or CeraVe
5. Buy trial size first, Value Sets or better free rewards before investing in a new product
6. Once you’ve found your Holy Grails keep your eyes open for sales to stock up, join the brands mailing list or reward program, buy value size
Here’s my current skincare line-up and how much it cost me:
CLINIQUE - Jumbo Liquid Facial Soap Mild
Use AM & PM
Bought on sale for $27 for 13.5oz
CLINIQUE - Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
Use PM
Free from Clinique rewards
pixi - Glow Tonic
pixi - Milky Tonic
Rotate PM
Bought multi-pack on sale for $22
OLE HENRIKSEN - Banana Bright Eye Crème
Use AM and / or PM
Bought on sale $25
The Ordinary - Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
Use AM
$6.80
VERSED - STROKE OF BRILLIANCE Brightening Serum
Use AM
$26.99
OLAY - Wrinkle Correction Serum with Vitamin B3+ Collagen Peptides
Use PM
Bought on sale for $32
BIOSSANCE - Squalane + Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Serum
Use PM 1-2 times per week
Free from Sephora Rewards Bazaar
CLINIQUE - Moisture Surge 72-Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator
Use AM & PM
Free gift with purchase from Clinique
CAUDALIE - Vinoperfect Instant Brightening Moisturizer
Use PM when not using lactic acid
Free offer with purchase from Sephora
The Ordinary - 100% Organic Cold Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil
Use PM
$9.90
(Not pictured) currently using my kids Banana Boat Kids Simply Protect SPF 50 as my sunscreen
PamelaSargent
More Reviews
💛BEST HYALURONIC ACID SERUM EVER! 🧡💙
Myth: Only dry skin can be dehydrated.
Wrong! Normal and oily skin can be dehydrated as well. Dehydrated skin is skin that lacks water content, while dryness refers to skin that lacks oil . In fact, oily skin tends to overproduce oil to compensate for the lack of water. This can lead to breakouts and enlarged pores. Other signs of dehydration include tightness, fine lines, dullness, and increased sensitivity.
💛Let’s Talk Hyaluronic Acid🧡💙
Hyalruonic Acid is one of the best answers for dehydrated skin. It’s a humectant, an ingredient that binds to moisture. It has the ability to hold 1,000 times its weight in water! This results in hydrated, soft, plump skin! HADALABO - Gokujyun Premium Lotion contains FIVE types of hyaluronic acid as well as sacaran algae known for its moisturizing properties. Hello hydration! 💦
💛Review🧡💙
(Swipe to see texture pic) This product is a serum with a thick milky consistency. It’s formulated WITHOUT fragrance, dye, or mineral oil.Since this product is a humectant, it’s best to use this product when the skin is wet. I currently use this at night.After I cleanse my skin, I immediately put this on and tap it into my skin. After it fully absorbs, I follow up with my moisturizer.
This J-product product beats all of the overpriced HA serums in Sephora! Not only does it keep my skin hydrated, soft and plump for hours, but within 10-15 minutes of usage, the appearance of my enlarged pores are gone! This will also be a lifesaver when my skin becomes dry and sensitive during winter. This is a new constant in my routine. I got mine in an Asian beauty store but you can find the product on Amazon and YesStyle! It’s only 15 dollars!!
Can’t wait to try more products from this brand! Happy Hydration! 💦
HADALABO-Gokujyun Premium Lotion
Toner, Serum and Mask for Combo/dry Skin
First of all, my skin type is combo/dry, and there are the face toner, serum and mask that I want to recommend to you if you have the same skin type.
Dr. Hauschka - Facial Toner
This Facial Toner is more suitable for dry and sensitive skin. It's very mild and I like how it feels on my face . I love its spray nozzle which creates a fine and delicate mist. Overall, it's very suitable for soothing acne-prone skin.
Kiehl's - Midnight Recovery Concentrate
The price is not cheap, but it's a great product and you only use a little of it every time. This is why I think it's worth its price. Its main function is skin repair. When I wake up the next morning after using it the previous night, my skin feels great and glowy! I think it does a decent job in terms of maintaining skin balance, moisturizing and lightening acne scars.
FIRST AID BEAUTY - Ultra Repair Instant Oatmeal Mask
I will use it for these two purposes: To hydrate my skin before makeup and for repair after sunlight exposure. I sometimes use this mask to adjust my skin condition before applying makeup. I will use this mask to calm my skin after sun damage. It repairs my skin very well.
Dr. Hauschka-Facial Toner
Toner I’m most thankful for
I'm thankful for this being the first toner I tried out and made me love toning.
Thoughts: This wonderful toner I always go back to it in the night time. I feel like it helps me to get the pure cleanse that I need without my skin being stripped. Everytime I use this my skin always looks much more radiant and back to life. I been using this for almost a year and would rotate between using it in the daytime and nightime. During the summer time I used it in my AM routine and I loved how my face would go from oily to soft and supple with the right amount of hydration. During those hot months it always helped maintain my skin clean but with enough nourishment. Now in the winter time, during cold nights, my skin gets the hydration it needs and mainly the healthy glow it craves.
Personally this toner is a favorite of mine because it didn’t irritate my skin, break me out and wasn’t harsh on me. I saw instant results when I first applied it and how my skin could look every day (Glowy and alive) I’m glad I decided to try it it out after seeing all the hype about it on instagram.
Claims: it’s gentle for all skin types
to exfoliate, brighten and smooth skin
Targets: Dullness and impurities
Texture: It is a orange liquid consistency almost like water with soap.
Price: $16 and definitely worth buying when you need something gentle yet effective to help achieve glow and hydrated skin in seconds.
Recommendation: Yes, I think anyone would enjoy this. I highly recommend this to anybody with any type of skin if you are not allergic to any of the ingredients, of course.
Some ingredients:
Aloe to help soothe and hydrate
Ginseng to improve circulation and energize
5% of Glycolic acid to exfoliate
Cruelty free 🐇
pixi - Glow Tonic
pixi-Glow Tonic
Mad Hippie Vit A + Triple C Night cream - NR
MY CURRENT NIGHT ROUTINE
So for those who have seen previous post of mine you probably know my obsession with Mad Hippie - Vitamin A Serum
It’s been a huge help with my hyperpigmentation and it keeps my face feeling soft, plumped, hydrated and healthy
Recently purchasing Mad Hippies Night cream, I thought I’d share some details on both products and why These . Are . IT
Mad Hippie - Vitamin A Serum
Vitamin A or what others know as RETINOL is known for stimulating collagen production, reducing pigmentation and premature aging
What makes mad hippie different is they use HPR, a form of vitamin A that is bio available and does not need to take the metabolic steps like Retinol.
It also contains
Sodium hyaluronic - the salt of hyaluronic acid which reallllly helps with the moisture
Aloe Vera & Oat Beta glucan - both helps fight wrinkles, soothes and nourishes
After cleansing my face I apply a few drops on clean skin and give it 5-10 minutes to really absorb
Mad Hippie - Triple C Night Cream
Containing 3 bio available versions of Vit C this cream is a strong contender for fighting daily stressors, brighten, reduce discolouration and wrinkles (um yes).
Reishi - Mushroom that contains antioxidants and hydration (on a side note) I LOVE MUSHROOM PRODUCTS. I drink mushroom coffee errday and have 10 mushroom blends I use daily. The power of mushroom is no joke and you should look into it
Sodium PCA - binds moisture, improves hydration
Cloudberry - Helps with pigmentation and brightness
Turmeric extract - pigmentation/discolouration boo and known to help my acne prone friends
Chaga - ANOTHER MUSHROOM 😍 but like also good for protecting you and daily stressors
Shea butter!!!!
Ceramics - holds moisture
A lot of people like to use Vit C during the day but I’ve always liked using it at night. Having this cream has eliminated my nightly VitC step all together :)
Though I’ve had this night cream for less than a month this is a SUPER hydrating face cream for my dry ladies
I apply this after letting my Vit A serum absorb
It does NOT irritate my damaged skin and in combination with VitA leaves my skin feeling like a babies bottom :)
If you made it to the end, this is your sign! Look into organic, natural skin care products or mushrooms lol... always remember less is more :)))) bye
Mad Hippie-Triple C Night Cream
I KNOW HER ... and I Love HER
So At a time where money was low like real real low.
All I used for weeekss was an affordable cleanser + moisturizer and THIS ..... no serum 🙃 which I wouldn’t recommend but I didn’t have a choice .
THIS ALONE kept my hyperpigmentation manageable.
This toner has Glycolic acid which is a great agent to treat hyperpigmentation 🙌🏽
It has citrus and fruit extract which I’m a big fan of for even tone skin ☺️.
This product is also alcohol free 🥳
I highly suggest this for oily or combination skin
Beauties with hyperpigmentation
Or anyone looking to even the tone of there skin
This is also effective for blemishes and black heads
ALERT 🚨 -If you have dry skin or severely dry skin I would recommend using this product 2 to 3x a week only and make sure to monitor your results .
Definitely follow with a hydrating serum and/ or moisturizer 🤙🏽
FELINE APPROVED 🐾
pixi-Glow Tonic
How to use Glycolic Acid products
My skin is a bit mixed but easily get sensitive when seasons change. Acne is another nightmare for me. 😩 so choosing the right product to get rid of acne and dark marks is my big thing fro skincare.
Glycolic acid is relatively mild and very common in skincare. It can remove your dead skin and clean up your pores to make your skin look smoother and reduce acne and deal with pimple marks
My skin is quite sensitive sometimes, so I don’t dare to try high acidic concentration product. 5% of glycolic acid in Pixi’s is quite mile but effective. If u r in entry level of using acidic product, start from 5%. Won’t be wrong.
Strongly recommendpixi - Glow Tonic, absolutely big fan of it!!!! I use it three times a week just by wiping whole face with cotton pads. Mine is nearly bottom up and it’s alr in my shopping list.
pixi-Glow Tonic
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