Recent Skin Care Recs
First off, is skin care one or two words?? I feel like it use to be two words, but now it’s such a buzz word we’ve made it into one word. Ah well, I’m just going to use both ways in here, depending on my mood. đź¤
To say my skincare routine has been a journey, is an understatement. To keep it short for you all, I have struggled with hormonal acne since I was 14. This led to me seeing dermatologists starting at this time, and personally, I have been consistently let down by dermatologists—sorry to those that practice, but I think as a whole, y’all could do better!
These dermatologists put me on a low dose daily doxycycline, an antibiotic targeting acne causing bacteria. As the registered nurse & active gut-health freak that I am now, I am HORRIFIED that a doctor would put me on a daily antibiotic like that?!
Thankfully, I got myself off of that while I still had gut bacteria lol. And guess what, my acne came back. So what was their plan, to keep me on it forever? Idk every dermatologist that I have gone to has just tried to put a band aid on the issue by using some kind of pharmaceutical drug & never truly looked for the source, or made a tailored plan just for me, so I’m personally done with that route. If you did Accutane, you probably have a different perspective and I love that for you.
On top of that, I knew nothing about caring for my skin or the direct link my diet, and therefore, my gut health had on my skin. I mean is anyone else a victim of the St. Ives face scrubs, over cleansing, & under moisturizing era of the early 2000s?Â
It also didn’t help that I haven’t exactly been in a financial situation to spend a lot on skincare. I mean these products are a lot of money and half the time they’re disappointing.
Right now the market is so saturated with products, and influencers trying to sell them to you, it has become so difficult & frustrating as a consumer to shop for products.
All of that to say, I have taken my my skin into my own hands. I’ve done a lot of my own ‘research’ & invested in my skin this year and my skincare routine has been elevated due to it.
For once in my life, I feel confident in my natural skin & I am actually getting compliments on it. Now my skin is still far from perfect, but I got a facial a month ago (at a really boujee place, too) and the esthetician told me she didn’t even see the issues I was complaining about. I never thought I’d see the day! Â
Okay, thanks for reading my story <3 Now for the fun part! I am hype to share the products that have worked best for me! If it is listed, it has made a direct impact on my skin.
Since I ranted on about my acne, let’s dive into that a little bit more. I brought up gut health having a direct impact on my skin, but I am strictly talking topical products in this post & will eventually write a separate one on what supplements I take/ daily lifestyle choices I make to improve my skin.
Acne is so complicated, but broadly put, we know acne to be an inflammatory condition that leads to the sebaceous glands of the skin becoming clogged. Now, I covered that I personally have hormonal imbalances that cause my glands to be more prone to congestion, so I have prioritized the practice of exfoliation to stop the inflammatory cell build-up in its tracks.
Exfoliation ✨ this has become the key in clarifying my pores & preventing future build up. Now, I mentioned my St. Ives face scrub days because it matters how you exfoliate!
A viral product for a reason 👏🏼
Beta hydroxy acid (BHA, also known as salicylic acid) mimics the natural exfoliation process of skin by helping it shed extra layers while clearing pores.
I’m trying to not use the phrase miracle product, but that is what this is to me. I use it daily in my night routine to gently clean my pores while my skin regenerates in my sleep. I have seen so much improvement in my general texture using this product.
I find the Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid Exfoliate to be so gentle, that I do need additional exfoliation, in the form of masks.
Ugh I love a mask. It’s one of the best ways to invest in yourself. I mean think about how many at home facials you get out of buying an at-home mask.
Which brings me to, the Herbivore Blue Tansy BHA and Enzyme Pore Refining mask.
Seen in the name of the brand, Herbivore is a plant based, more natural skincare line, as the active ingredients in this product are:
White Willow Bark:Â A natural source of beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) to help clarify skin.
Fruit Enzymes:Â Papaya and pineapple enzymes gently exfoliate and leave the complexion smooth and refined.
Blue Tansy Oil: A natural source of Azulene which in addition to giving the oil its beautiful blue color, helps soothe the appearance of redness and irritation.
I use this 1-2 times a week & I swear by this one! The way it so gently takes away my texture & build up! & due to the gel consistency, a little goes a long way & this jar will last me forever.
PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash: Maximum Strength Deep Cleaning with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide.
This was recommended to me by my waxing lady who told me to use it to prevent ingrown hairs, but I recently started consistently working it into my skincare routine.
This can be a daily cleanser, but I just use it about two times a week when I get off work & my skin feels more inflamed.
This powerful cleanser is advertised to kill over 99% of acne-causing bacteria. I find it leaves my skin feeling exfoliated, but not stripped.
I rub it in & let it sit for about a minute or 2 in the shower & can tell a difference in texture after!
I just pulled the trigger on this Kora Organics: Tumeric Brightening & Exfoliating Mask, as I have been eyeing it for months & it was worth the wait.
The turmeric! The enzymes! The physical exfoliant powder! You can really feel the dead skin dissolve, revealing a clean, glowing you!
It’s a perfect way to start your day when your skin looks like it needs a pick-me-up.
Some reviews say it’s intense, but I think because I have been working in exfoliation into my routine, I haven’t had any bad side effects from this mask.
While I’m on the topic of exfoliation, I want to emphasize the importance of using a clean towel to dry your fresh layer of skin.
Okay, just think about all the germs your towels come in contact with & then the breeding ground the towel material sets for bacteria to thrive.
That’s why I made the switch to The Clean Skin Club Towels. On their website, they cite a study that found that 90% of the towels from the study had Coliform bacteria & 14% had E. Coli & over 3 days the bacteria multiplied by 10-fold– holy yikes!!
I am a huge fan of these disposable towels. I was hesitant to buy them, as it’s adding another expense to the routine, but I don’t think I can go back to using a household towel, especially after I do my exfoliating masks.
It just feels like I am doing my skin such a disservice by putting a bacteria-loving towel on it. I’ve been ordering the bamboo ones, because the tree hugger in me is thinking these will decompose naturally.
Alsooo, I’m over here preaching a single-use towel, but I reuse mine a few times, because I’m cheap & an environmentalist lol.
Say I use a new one after my Blue Tansy mask, I’ll hang it up to dry, wake up the next morning, splash water on my face, use it, hang it up & then use it after I cleanse my face that night. Works for me!
Other products that have improved the overall appearance of my skin:
A high-quality vitamin C serum– helps fade my hyper-pigmentation from years of negligent sun exposure I exposed myself to in my teens.
When you shop for a vit C serum, you want to make sure it also contains vitamin E & ferulic acid, because these stabilize the very traditionally unstable vit c compound.
I have really enjoyed this Paula’s Choice C15 Super Booster! It’s affordable when you compare it to the viral Skincudical’s vit C serum, which has the same active ingredients.
I’ve always been able to purchase PC products 20% off, as they have sales year round, one that’s going on right now!
Sunscreen: Something I wish I knew sooner! But that’s okay, it’s not too late for me or you!
I’m sure you’ve all heard about the necessity of wearing a daily sunscreen, but I really have noticed a difference in my hyper-pigmentation and old scaring by protecting my face from the sun.
I am still in search of my all-time favorite, but I have enjoyed this SPF Restoring Moisturizer from PC, I got free this year in one of my orders. Ideally, I would like to find the perfect 100% natural mineral one that doesn’t leave any cast.
Toner: right now I am using a natural rose water toner, made by a small supplier, but I really like this Peach Slices Toner, as it has helped with my acne, feels very hydrating & is very affordable.
Retinol: I use a lot of BHA products, as you can tell, so I’ve kind of put off retinols to the side for now.
But before, I was using this Naturium Retinol Complex Cream, and really enjoyed it, as it felt gentle & left me with results of smoothing my forehead wrinkles.
Merit Great Skin Instant Glow Serum: This one is more of a bonus serum to add to your daily routine. It feels so hydrating, while instantly giving your skin a such a glowy radiance, which makes your natural skin look so healthy.
I love this product when I don’t feel like wearing foundation because it instantly wakes up the look of the skin, but also wears so nicely under makeup on the nights I do my full glam.
Products I use when I do have a breakout:
I make sure I always have these Hero Mighty Patches in my house– they are lifesavers. My skin is much less irritated if I use this to extract the breakout, as opposed to physically popping it.Â
Regardless of how the breakout resolves, it’s going to leave redness & irritation behind, sometimes for a week+, but this Hero Rescue Balm is so key to a faster healing process.
As you can tell, I am quite passionate about my exfoliation routine, but I may love my moisturizing routine more.
I feel like in the early 2000s it was fed to us that applying oils or moisturizers would make us breakout, which is why I used to under moisturize & completely strip my skin barrier, & in hindsight that lead to me developing more inflammation and more acne!!?
And if it wasn’t for the internet and TikTok age, I’d probably still be doing the same things. You live & you learn & you teach others so they don’t repeat the same mistakes. 🤓Â
So that brings me to barrier repairing. đź’¦
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PC Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster: I bought this earlier this year just based on the incredible reviews, honestly not expecting to be so obsessed, but here I am, ordering my second bottle of probably 1000 more!
Again, really not trying to use the phrase miracle product, but I can’t help it, this meets that criteria!
I naturally have deep (at least for only being 27) expression lines on my forehead that I have a love/dislike relationship with.
I haven’t pulled the trigger on Botox yet and am trying to push off that cost for as long as I can, and this product is helping me do just that!
The magical little collagen peptides in this bottle instantly come in and fill the fine lines on my forehead and around my eyes, which again, helps my skin look so healthy when I go all natural but works as a beautiful primer when I wear my make-up.
I notice a big difference in how my skin feels & appears when I go without it.
Herbivore Cloud Jelly Plumping serum: I find this and the peptide serum to work so well together to just really plump everything and lock in all that moisture.
If I had to decide between the two, I would go with the PC peptide serum over this one, but I am a huge fan of this. If you feel like your typical hyaluronic acid serum just isn’t cutting it, give this one a try.
10% off for first time customers on their site.
Cosrx Snail Mucin Essence: Another viral product for a reason.
Yes, it is snail secretions, but that does not bother me– the French know what they’re doing when it comes to skincare, so trust the process, sister!
I use this daily and nightly. Again, a great alternative to a typical hyaluronic acid serum.
Buy it, it’s a great value for the cost & amount of super hydrating product you get!
I think I have found my forever moisturizer. I originally started with the La Rouche-Posay Double Repair Cream, and it felt really great, but I felt like my skin drank it up & just wanted more.
So, before completely changing tracks, I gave the L-P Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream a shot, and I was speechless.
Forget the formaldehyde, embalm me with this when I die & put an extra bottle in my hands.
This stuff is heavy duty & I could see how some people could find it greasy, but I’m at a point where I want to feel my moisturizer working overtime.
While we sleep, our skin goes through a process called transepidermal water loss; this is when your skin barrier becomes more permeable & moisture seeps out through your epidermis and evaporates— & why your skin feels so crusty when you wake up in the mornings. So lather up before you sleep!
I’m not kidding when I say, I can see the lipids in my skin dancing when I put this on. This product right here is the definition of a restored skin barrier.
Just like Frank’s Red, I put this sh*t on everything!
For my every night cleanse & makeup take down I use the L-P Hydrating Gentle Cleanser wash and I love it!!Â
That’s another thing, I don’t wash my face with cleanser when I wake up, I just splash cold water on it, because over cleansing can strip your skin & just cause more irritation.Â
Anddd just to add a little cherry on top, I just started incorporating this Kora Organics Glow Sleep Mask over everything to just… Lock. That. Moisture. In. AMEN!
Okay, at this point your face is so hydrated that you think ‘hm, I wish my lips matched the hydration of my face,’ and I got you! This Poppy & Pout is my favorite Lip Balm stick. It’s also a fabulous lipstick primer.
And holy moly the Laneige Glowy Balm 🙌🏼 A sleep mask for your lips!! I don’t like to leave the house without this, especially in the cold months!
So glossy & hydrating!!
Tools that help my skin:
The viral Skinny Confidential ice roller! Love this thing to help me de-puff in the mornings, especially after a night of drinking.Â
You can find a cheaper one on Amazon, but I like to start my day feeling boujee đź’…
High frequency wand: These neat wands use Neon to generate small currents of targeted thermal energy to oxygenate the skin and increase circulation.
It can be use for many reasons such as increasing cell production to fight aging, helping your skin absorb your products deeper, and taming bacteria & inflammation in subdural layers of the skin.
Below are my routines!! The morning one is my full routine when I have the time & energy to do it.
I’m not doing my full routine on nights I go into the hospital, but definitely on my days off.
It looks long, but the products all absorb quickly into the skin.
I keep my night routine very simple & incorporate my extra exfoliation masks in as I feel 🙂
If you do incorporate any of these products into your routine, please share your experience with me!
I am not a professional in this market & everyone’s skin is one of a kind, so my biggest recommendation would be to talk to a professional esthetician, so they can tell you what your biggest needs are.
Treat yo self & get that facial; you work hard & deserve it!!
As I said before, my skincare has been a journey and I am always incorporating new products, so I look forward to sharing more recs in the future. Xoxo, JWTR