Week 1 of Barrier Repair

BANILA CO - Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Purifying I’ve been on the hunt to find the perfect cleansing balm for the first step of my double cleanse process and this one is definitely in the running for 1st place! The texture is more of a firm waxy feeling when it’s first scooped out, but turns into a luscious creamy, smooth balm when warmed up in hands before applying to the face. This removes ALL of my makeup ( two mascaras, Stila eye liner, full eyeshadow, and foundation/concealer/setting powder) in one go and then rinses off easily and completely. My skin is fairly oily and I find that cleansing balms work much better for me than cleansing oils when it comes to not leaving a film on my skin. This balm reminds me of the Clinique take the day of cleansing balm, but this one has a sweet fragrance to it which I enjoy, but others may not. Also, this balm has quite a few added ingredients like centella asiatica extract, licorice root extract, and aloe. Have you tried this one out or any of the other Banila cleansing balms? What are your thoughts?

So you know the deal, if you wear sunscreen (which we all do, RIGHT 👀) then you need to be double cleansing at night to get rid of buildup and clean your skin. Since I’ve started double cleansing, my skin has really been more receptive to my nighttime treatments, serums and moisturizers because there isn’t an oily film preventing absorption. Fair warning when I started oil cleansing I went through a 2-3 week purging period where my skin broke out from all the gunk being pulled out. These are my top 3 cleansers for step 1 of double cleansing, let me know what your favs are! VERA BOTANICS - VERA BOTANICS Oil Cleanser and Makeup Remover I love love love this oil cleanser, it is super light weight and emulsifys so nicely! It only has 4 ingredients and takes off a days makeup like a charm. Because it is so light, I find myself using way less than normal oil cleansers because it spreads easily. This product is only 9-12 dollars, depending which vendor you are buying from and when. One bottle will last me about 2 months cleansing 1x a day! BANILA CO - Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Purifying This is a cult fav, so I had to try it. While I really appreciate the easy emulsification, the initial application feels a bit weird to me and has the consistency of hardened coconut oil that you have to melt. While I really like this one for removing heavy makeup, I don’t run to it when just double cleansing off sunscreen for the day. DHC - Deep Cleansing Oil Ahhh a classic and popular pick, its true DHC is that girl! Easy, classic, olive oil based for all skin types, and no fragrance. I like DHC, it has all the whistle and bells for a great oil cleanser, however I only have this size thanks to Costco and wince at the normal price. I would recommend DHC for more sensitive/dry skin types because this is the creme de la creme of oil cleansers and is one of the OG legit formulations.

COSRX - Low PH Good Morning Gel Cleanser Claims: This gel type cleanser with Tea-Tree Oil and natural BHA to shrink the sizes of pores and and refine the skins texture. It gently dissolves oil, dirt and other impurities without stripping the skin of its natural oils. I really wanted to like this cleanser. I enjoyed the texture of it, but it was just too drying for my skin. I also didn’t notice any refining of my pores. I won’t be repurchasing. COSRX - One Step Green Hero Calming Pad Claims: Essence made of Green Tea Leaf Water and Green-Rx Complex relieve redness and irritation while providing gentle exfoliation. It contains Lactobionic Acid to even-out skin texture and enhance the skin's natural barrier. This product was also not my fave. I was in search of a calming product because of a damaged skin barrier. This stung a little after I used it. Will not be repurchasing. THE inkey LIST - Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum Claims: Working across multiple layers of the skin, this super serum hydrates your skin, helping it appear plump and smooth, while reducing the appearance of fine lines. I understand the hype behind this product. It’s water like consistency immediately absorbs into your skin and doesn’t leave a sticky feeling. Would repurchase The Ordinary - Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Claims: Niacinamideis indicated to reduce the appearance of skin blemishes and congestion. A high 10% concentration of this vitamin is supported in the formula by zinc to balance visible aspects of sebum activity. This product really helped with my hormonal acne! Repurchase? I already did! FIRST AID BEAUTY - Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration Claims: Instant relief and long-term hydration for dry, distressed skin, even eczema. Suitable for all skin types, leaves skin feeling smooth, hydrated and comfortable after just a single use. This is a very thick yet whipped consistency. I intended to used this on super dry areas on my face, but it had a harsh sting. I did start using it on the rest of my body and got really good results! CeraVe - Eye Repair Cream Claim: Help reduce the appearance of dark circles, eye puffiness and brighten the entire eye area. Suitable for all skin types, this non-greasy, fast-absorbing, fragrance-free eye cream My moisturizer was lacking in some key ingredient areas like ceramides, It was soft and absorbed super quickly. I liked this product. I would consider repurchasing it. THE inkey LIST - Caffeine Eye Cream Claims: Reduces the appearance of puffiness and dark circles, Can also reduce the appearance of fine lines and the smooth texture provides a perfect canvas for make-up. I have noticed an improvement using this eye cream! The caffeine acting as a diuretic does make a difference. I would repurchase this, but I’m curious to try their retinol eye cream.

Have you ever looked at the ingredients of a skincare product and just went "wtf... what does this mean??" Get ready to learn y'all because imma teach you to read these confusing labels! This is part two of my series Ingredient Dive, but this one is special because im teaching YOU how to read an ingredient label this time! (instead of doing it for you) INGREDIENT CONCENTRATIONS: Ingredient lists are listed in order from highest concentration to lowest concentration. If a product is advertising "THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS NIACINAMIDE! 😃", and you see niacinamide as the last ingredient, then don't count on getting any of the benefits of niacinamide. This also means that if you see an irritating ingredient on the top of the list, that is a NO on using that product. You do NOT want that stuff touching your skin. When quickly analysing an ingredient label, try to just go through the first 6 ingredients, because they're in the highest concentration. Any ingredients below that, unless they're really irritating, won't make much of a difference to your skin. INGREDIENTS: HOW TO KNOW WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE GOOD FOR YOUR SKIN? Although I wish I could go through every single ingredient in skincare, there's actually pretty good sources on the internet if you know where to look. The main one being Paula's Choice Dictionary. You can search through THOUSANDS of different ingredients and get accurate results! It will tell you EXACTLY what that ingredient does, and if it's going to irritate your skin. Some irritating ingredients at low concentrations can actually be good for your skin, so don't throw anything away just because it has some irritating ingredient as the last ingredient. Everything is relative. DECODING THIS INGREDIENT LIST: I attached a photo of an ingredient list to this post. It's the ingredients of the CeraVe - Eye Repair Cream . Im going to decode the first 6 ingredients with ya now. Water Water might sound basic, but it's a good ingredient. It can bring moisture to your skin especially when paired with other ingredients like glycerin Niacinamide Niacinamide is one of the best ingredients you can see on an ingredient list! It has incredible properties. it's a blend of several B vitamins plus peptides and it's amazing to see as the second ingredient! Cetyl Alcohol This ingredient makes this eye cream easy to use and textured. It helps make this eye cream a cream without irritating your skin. Caprylic/Capric triglyceride This is an amazing skin emoliant derived from a coconut. It's a humectant and can draw moisture into your skin. Glycerin This restores your skin and is a humectant, and draws moisture from the air into your skin. It's hydrating and healing and is very soothing to the skin. Propandiol This is a delivery agent that delivers all these ingredients into your skin. It makes sure that these reach their full benefit! This is an amazing eye cream, as you can see Thanks for reading! :))

I’ve been using both of these serums for the same amount of time (6 months-ish) and I’ve grown to love both of them because they each have their own perks. The Ordinary HA likes/dislikes: ❤️comes in glass packaging ❤️lightweight ❤️hydrates very well ❌ can be a bit sticky if skin isn’t damp enough The Inkey List likes/dislikes: ❤️ lightweight ❤️ less sticky ❌doesn’t come in glass packaging These two products are very comparable in pricing, formulas, and overall results. I love them both and use them daily!

Hi! I’ve been using every product reviewed for at least 3 weeks & my main concerns are fine lines, blemishes and post acne hyperpigmentation! Let me know your thoughts & recommendations 💕 Cleanser: I start with the BANILA CO - Clean It Zero 3-in-1 Cleansing Balm the 1st balm cleanser I’ve used & so far so good! This removes waterproof mascara to varying degrees of success but all other makeup gets blitzed with this. There is no real fragrance & I’ve not found it drying! Then I use the CeraVe - Hydrating Facial Cleanser which I’ve reviewed in my morning skincare routine post Exfoliator: 2-3 times a week I use the Neutrogena - Bright Boost Resurfacing Micro Polish which is the only AHA product in my routine. It has a physical exfoliant texture so I v gently massage it into wet skin and leave it for about a minute. I don’t experience any redness or tingling & my skin does feel very smooth after. I don’t use my retinol on nights I use this! Toner: On a damp face I use the LANEIGE - Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer which I’ve reviewed in my morning skincare routine post Serums: Then I use The Ordinary - Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 followed by The Ordinary - Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% which I’ve reviewed in my morning skincare routine post Moisturiser: I’ve been obsessed with CeraVe - SA Smoothing Cream ever since I got it. It has Urea (great for eczema) & salicylic acid so it’s very hydrating whilst also working against acne. I use this for my bikini line & any back acne I get (full review on my page) When I use the brightening polish I switch out the above for sukin - Facial Moisturiser 125ml so I’m not combining BHA’s & AHA’s. This is a solid, basic moisturiser that hasn’t broken me out & sinks in quickly. It’s rich in jojoba & avocado oil so I tend to skip face oils when I use this! Retinol: after using the neutrogena SA retinol for 6 months & seeing no results I switched to indeed LABORATORIES - Retinol Reface : Skin Resurfacer & Wrinkle Repair I’ve had no irritation & love the light texture. My skin has been feeling plumper & not dry at all. I’ve been using it 4 times a week while my skin adjusts to the higher %! I go over the bad hyperpigmentation with PALMER'S - Skin Success Anti Dark Spot Cream (I have the pump version to avoid air contact & contamination). This product WORKS. It has retinol & liquorice root extract but also seems to contain glitter? Bizarre. Then Neutrogena - Rapid Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream as I like a gentler formulation of retinol for the more delicate skin. This sinks in fast, doesn’t irritate & my dark circles have also decreased since using! Oil: finallyKiehl's - Midnight Recovery Concentrate an oldie but goldie. A great seal & smells 🔥🔥

KOSE COSMEPORT - SOFTYMO Speedy Cleansing Oil This bit$& let me down. I had high hopes. This product did not clean off make up as well as it claimed and I didn’t see any added benefits to my pores, skin, anything. I used the product for a month and nope nothing..... It has a weird olive oil scent which in all tranparency made me a bit nauseous🤢 TMI and it didn’t pair well with a hyluranic acid cleanser CeraVe - Hydrating Face Cleanser For Normal To Dry Skin I usually like to start with a cleansing oil then a foam cleanser. The oil also blocked pores and wasn’t fun to use. Also if you have CYSTIC acne I wouldn’t suggest this. And if you are having a bad day this kinda makes it worse in other words. If you are under a lot of stress(about to get real here) it doesn’t pair well with tears lol yes. The back story of this is that college life and relationships get to us. And an important face wash and moisturizer in my opinion take away stress from the face. However, the PEACH & LILY - Power Calm Hydrating Gel Cleanser that I switched to seemed to be sufficient enough for cleaning my skin and giving my skin a good protective barrier, however, if I put on my full face of make up then I need something to take away my powdered donut, so TATCHA - The Deep Cleanse Exfoliating Cleanser is unreal, how much grime, and make up it will take off with such a small amount. But for a cheaper alternative CeraVe - Hydrating Cream-To-Foam Cleanser but for this you should follow up with an exfoliant. I personally, have dry skin at the moment without makeup, so I have to be careful what I use because a lot of products strip everything from my skin. Okay lastly, I personally believe oil cleansing before a foam cleanser is not for everyone. Because I have seen some people have great success and me not so much. But in my experience learning how to exfoliate and cleanse your face is key. And truly understanding your face is key. I’m other words, focus on what your face needs. I feel that face masks twice a week that are for My SKIN conditions are vital to a nice well rounded well shall we say just great looking skin and let me just last note that this is too cool for school - Pumpkin 24K Gold Mask a holy of holy grails. This was incredible! Incredible! Incredible. Treat yourself and find relaxation you deserve it..

Hi! It’s me again! So this is my morning routine while on my accutane treatment. Thank you btw on all the positive feedback I’ve received! So my ultimate goal with this routine is to just do a basic cleanse and moisturize heavily due to the drying nature of my medication. I’ve mentioned most of these products before except for the African Black Soap. CeraVe - Hydrating Face Cleanser For Normal To Dry Skin A gem as always. RATA & CO. - Rose Water & Witch Hazel Facial Mist Toner She’s a queen. CeraVe - AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30 boring but gets the job done ✅ HAWAIIAN Tropic - Silk Hydration Air Soft Ultra-Light Sun Lotion SPF50 I’m gonna switch this one out for something without added scents. But this works for the most part. Honestly it will not last all day, I’ve gotten sunburned while wearing this. SKYORGANICS - 100% Pure African Black Soap Body Wash NOW THIS... if you’ve had a rough couple of days where you’ve worn makeup and forgotten to wash your face a couple of times, this will deep cleanse you. I got it after seeing a lot of people recommending it on pinterest (ik but that was before i had this app) . It’s just a little interesting if it gets near your nose. Like it has this interesting burning sensation. And don’t wash open wounds with it because that also burns.

Hey guys, I thought that I’d give a quick skin update! Overall my skin has really improved it’s a little brighter and healthier, I am getting some small spots but I’m not really expecting perfection. I’ve started using some new products: Swisse - Olive Leaf Deep Cleansing Gel - this a very effective and gentle cleanser for oily skin - it keeps my skin reasonably clear and doesn’t leave it feeling strip or dry, which I’m definitely happy about - I think the small bumps are because of of the glycolic and salicylic acid drawing the nasties out! ALAFFIA - Coconut Face Toner - hydration, hydration, hydration 💦 - leaves my skin glowing The Ordinary - Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA - light weight moisturiser that doesn’t leave the skin greasy - actually leaves the skin super soft - I don’t like that it leaves like white buts on my face 🥴 The Ordinary - Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% - this is golden, literally pulled the blemishes out of my skin - controls oil so that I’m glowing and not shinning - gonna so I solo post on it cause chiiillllldddd!!! Thanks for reading my loves!!

Hi everyone!!! This is my current skincare routine. I’ve been using these products for about 6 weeks now and have noticed a huge difference in my skin but I’m still struggling with large pores, dark spots, and breakouts around my chin and mouth. Do I need to add or take away something to my routine? Is it too early to switch products?? Please help!! Daily Cleanser: The Ordinary - Squalane Cleanser Serum: The Ordinary - Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum: SKYORGANICS - Organic Rosehip Oil Moisturizer: The Ordinary - Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA Weekly Exfoliation: The Ordinary - AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution Retinol: HONEST - Honestly Pure Retinol Serum Thanks!