skincare routine
Sep. 14th, 2021 12:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stoplightthis is not the august 2021 media round-up post that i should be working on, but it's what you're going to get because i do what i want <3
(i promise i will get there eventually though)
BACKGROUND
i never did ANYTHING to my face except let it get wet whenever i showered for like... the first nineteen years of my life. then i started college and realized the lengths that everyone put into their appearances on the daily and was like "oh no... i have to do that TOO!" and so i have been researching and shopping around ever since.
part of the reason why i never did anything for so long was because i'm pretty lucky: my skin type is normal, i get a pimple maybe once or twice a year, and i'm not allergic or sensitive to any ingredients (that i know of).
i DID think i had fungal acne at first though because i got some closed comedones and sent a picture to my friend like "ummm what the hell is this" and she went "OH I HAVE THE SAME THING!" and then sent me a million links. in reality, i got those CCs because i was using a many-years-expired bottle of glossier milky jelly cleanser. so i took a lot of care to make sure my routine was FA safe at first—the only thing here that isn't is the oil cleanser (because oils are naturally not really FA safe). now that i know that i DON'T have to worry about that i can try all sorts of fun new stuff :') anyway let's go!
part of the reason why i never did anything for so long was because i'm pretty lucky: my skin type is normal, i get a pimple maybe once or twice a year, and i'm not allergic or sensitive to any ingredients (that i know of).
i DID think i had fungal acne at first though because i got some closed comedones and sent a picture to my friend like "ummm what the hell is this" and she went "OH I HAVE THE SAME THING!" and then sent me a million links. in reality, i got those CCs because i was using a many-years-expired bottle of glossier milky jelly cleanser. so i took a lot of care to make sure my routine was FA safe at first—the only thing here that isn't is the oil cleanser (because oils are naturally not really FA safe). now that i know that i DON'T have to worry about that i can try all sorts of fun new stuff :') anyway let's go!
MORNING
WATER-BASED CLEANSER: cetaphil gentle skin cleanser — the only reason i'm using this thing is because my mom bought a gigantic value pack of it from costco. it's not awful by any means, but because it's so gentle i feel like it isn't doing all that much for me, and also it feels like rubbing watery lotion all over your face.
TONER: muji light toning water moisture — i wanted to try the high moisture version but couldn't find it in store, so i settled on this instead. this is pretty basic and light; it kind of feels like i'm just patting water onto my face. i usually do two layers and then leave it at that because i don't really have the patience (or time) to do more.
SERUM: the ordinary niacinamide 10% + zinc 1% — the same friend who thought i had fungal acne gave me this because she said it helped with hers. no clue how true that is but niacinamide is supposed to brighten your face/control sebum production/improve skin texture anyway, but in my usage of it i'm finding that it isn't... really doing that. it's definitely not doing anything BAD for my skin but i don't think it's doing anything special either. it just feels like a gloopy layer of hydration. also it keeps foaming up in conjunction with the muji toner, and i think that's getting in the way of it doing things too.
MOISTURIZER: benton aloe propolis soothing gel — this is light and basic, goes on easily, and is good for the summer. it leaves me quite glowy because it's so dewy, which i'm not the biggest fan of, but that does fade with time.
SUNSCREEN: missha essence sun milk — i really like this sunscreen :') it spreads easily, absorbs easily, feels hydrating, doesn't sting my eyes, and doesn't leave a white cast. my only complaint is that it leaves me looking a bit oily (fades after like 10 minutes), which isn't a dealbreaker but is slightly annoying.
TONER: muji light toning water moisture — i wanted to try the high moisture version but couldn't find it in store, so i settled on this instead. this is pretty basic and light; it kind of feels like i'm just patting water onto my face. i usually do two layers and then leave it at that because i don't really have the patience (or time) to do more.
SERUM: the ordinary niacinamide 10% + zinc 1% — the same friend who thought i had fungal acne gave me this because she said it helped with hers. no clue how true that is but niacinamide is supposed to brighten your face/control sebum production/improve skin texture anyway, but in my usage of it i'm finding that it isn't... really doing that. it's definitely not doing anything BAD for my skin but i don't think it's doing anything special either. it just feels like a gloopy layer of hydration. also it keeps foaming up in conjunction with the muji toner, and i think that's getting in the way of it doing things too.
MOISTURIZER: benton aloe propolis soothing gel — this is light and basic, goes on easily, and is good for the summer. it leaves me quite glowy because it's so dewy, which i'm not the biggest fan of, but that does fade with time.
SUNSCREEN: missha essence sun milk — i really like this sunscreen :') it spreads easily, absorbs easily, feels hydrating, doesn't sting my eyes, and doesn't leave a white cast. my only complaint is that it leaves me looking a bit oily (fades after like 10 minutes), which isn't a dealbreaker but is slightly annoying.
NIGHT
OIL-BASED CLEANSER: the inkey list oat cleansing balm — bought this because it was cheap and it came in a TUBE PACKAGING! i hate the little tubs and scoopers that balms usually seem to come with so i was pretty excited for this. and it works fine—it gets makeup off (including waterproof mascara) and doesn't sting my eyes. however it does have a tendency to separate in the tube, which is a little annoying, and also it leaves a film on my face afterward. it's okay, since i'm double-cleansing anyway, but it's still not my favorite :/
WATER-BASED CLEANSER: cetaphil gentle daily cleanser
TONER: muji light toning water moisture
SERUM: the ordinary niacinamide 10% + zinc 1%
ACTIVE (2x a week): the ordinary lactic acid 10% + HA — this is the first exfoliator i've ever used so i don't really have anything to compare it to, but i like it quite a bit! it's gentle and it leaves my cheeks feeling REALLY soft the next morning. i'm purging a little bit on my nose from it but i'm pretty happy overall :')
MOISTURIZER: benton aloe propolis soothing gel
WATER-BASED CLEANSER: cetaphil gentle daily cleanser
TONER: muji light toning water moisture
SERUM: the ordinary niacinamide 10% + zinc 1%
ACTIVE (2x a week): the ordinary lactic acid 10% + HA — this is the first exfoliator i've ever used so i don't really have anything to compare it to, but i like it quite a bit! it's gentle and it leaves my cheeks feeling REALLY soft the next morning. i'm purging a little bit on my nose from it but i'm pretty happy overall :')
MOISTURIZER: benton aloe propolis soothing gel
CURRENTLY TESTING/UP NEXT
OIL-BASED CLEANSER: kose softymo white cleansing oil — i want to make the switch to cleansing oils because they’re cheaper than balms and i hate the tub packaging that balms usually come in. kose is a standard one so i figured i’d test run the white version once i finish up my current oil cleanser and then see which one of the three fits best (since white is supposed to be in the middle).
WATER-BASED CLEANSER: b.lab matcha hydrating foam cleanser — i’m using this right now instead of the cetaphil and so far i looooove it :') it foams up so nicely (idk if that's good or special but it's satisfying to me) and the matcha smell is really good. plus it does a good job of getting rid of all the oil from the balm without stripping my skin, which is exactly what i want it to do.
ESSENCE: cosrx advanced snail 96 mucin power essence — patch testing this on my arm right now and it's definitely making it softer/smoother—i’m hopeful that this works because it seems to be fairly standard and i think it’ll 100% be more hydrating than a toner, which i’m hoping to phase out of my routine because i don’t think i really need one to begin with.
MOISTURIZER: barr centella calming barrier cream — i have yet to test this; i’m saving it for winter because it’s supposed to be really thick and hydrating. i don’t know if i NEED the thickness but i figured i’d try it out! centella is an ingredient i want to test anyway.
SUNSCREEN: missha aqua sun gel — i really like missha’s sunscreens so i’m going to test run their entire line and see which one i like best. this one is supposed to be mattifying so fingers crossed that that’s the case!
WATER-BASED CLEANSER: b.lab matcha hydrating foam cleanser — i’m using this right now instead of the cetaphil and so far i looooove it :') it foams up so nicely (idk if that's good or special but it's satisfying to me) and the matcha smell is really good. plus it does a good job of getting rid of all the oil from the balm without stripping my skin, which is exactly what i want it to do.
ESSENCE: cosrx advanced snail 96 mucin power essence — patch testing this on my arm right now and it's definitely making it softer/smoother—i’m hopeful that this works because it seems to be fairly standard and i think it’ll 100% be more hydrating than a toner, which i’m hoping to phase out of my routine because i don’t think i really need one to begin with.
MOISTURIZER: barr centella calming barrier cream — i have yet to test this; i’m saving it for winter because it’s supposed to be really thick and hydrating. i don’t know if i NEED the thickness but i figured i’d try it out! centella is an ingredient i want to test anyway.
SUNSCREEN: missha aqua sun gel — i really like missha’s sunscreens so i’m going to test run their entire line and see which one i like best. this one is supposed to be mattifying so fingers crossed that that’s the case!
