skincare routine 3.0

[stoplight]

confined to my bed rn and can't do work anyways so i might as well update the skincare routine

morning

CLEANSER: round lab mugwort calming cleanser — went back to using a cleanser in the morning because... um. i don't know. anyways the mugwort smell is more present in the cleanser than the moisturizer but the cleanser itself is definitely a lot softer/finer than the b.lab one even if nothing can compare to the smell of matcha. perfectly serviceable tho!

TONER: hada labo shirojyun lotion moist — incredible showstopping amazing wonderful etc etc. sorry lady gaga for butchering your line. but this stuff is actually magical part 2... i'm glad i switched to this for summer because it's thinner than the gokujyun but does the exact same thing somehow <3 i will say though that i have no idea whether this "brightens" or not because i didn't notice anything. but also i don't really have dark spots/pigmentation for it to brighten so... probably not the best person to test this part of it.

ESSENCE: cosrx advanced snail 96 power mucin — you already know.

MOISTURIZER: round lab birch juice cream — hmmm well i like gels because they're super light on your skin but creams definitely tend to hydrate more/sink in better so i thought a gel cream would be a good solution... and it definitely is! this is light, still sinks in (though kind of slowly imo), and works well... but i just wish it wasn't shiny. unfortunately unavoidable with anything remotely gel-like though.

SUNSCREEN: nivea super water gel — lightweight, works well, dries fast, but makes me look so incredibly shiny and also the alcohol smell is definitely strong. thankfully my skin isn't sensitive to alcohol but certainly something to be aware of. i think i'm going to go back to cream sunscreens though... i forgot how much i preferred matte finishes.

night

OIL CLEANSER: bifesta eye makeup remover — i only use this one when i'm wearing makeup so this bottle is going to last me quite a while. which is good because it gets all my waterproof mascara off perfectly <3

OIL CLEANSER: kose softymo speedy cleansing oil — yes we are STILL working on this one!!! massive bottle incredibly cheap does the job well perfect of ever... also unintentional bonus of using an oil instead of a balm is that it's super easy to use it to correct eyeliner if i mess up the shape LMAO.

CLEANSER: round lab mugwort calming cleanser

ACTIVE: paula's choice 2% BHA — i REALLY just think that BHAs aren't for me. this isn't really doing much at all for me... i'm just using it to use it up right now.

TONER: manyo bifida biome complex toner — thank you lena for carting this all the way back from korea for me <3 though unfortunately i'm not super taken by it... it has witch hazel which is def not great for skin but thankfully mine isn't bothered by it. i just don't think it's really doing anything for me :/ smells nice though!

ESSENCE: cosrx advanced snail 96 power mucin

MOISTURIZER: cosrx propolis honey overnight mask — using this as a night time moisturizer to transition between summer/fall/winter and it's very nice. definitely super hydrating and successfully locks everything in at the end of the night.

up next

OIL CLEANSER: heimish all clean balm — for real this time!!! i just completely underestimated how long using up the kose softymo speedy would take me lmao.

CLEANSER: cow brand cleansing foam — i think i like foams the most in the end... going to test out that theory with something boring and safe and reliable first though.

ACTIVE: the ordinary lactic acid — my beloved... i'm going back to you soon <3

TONER: anua heartleaf soothing toner — thank you lena part 2. high hopes for this toner considering ummm exo suho apparently recced this (NOT why i wanted this toner. i wanted it because it's supposed to work well. i swear).

ESSENCE: manyo bifida biome complex ampoule — thank you lena part 3. high hopes for this one as well because the ampoule is supposed to be the best of manyo's bifida biome line... fingers crossed that the toner is just a miss for me.

MOISTURIZER: etude house 2x barrier cream — winter here we come...

Comments

[sleepyshamrocks]

ur sooo cool for this!! how do u even get started with skincare.....every day i live in the shadow of people who have the moistest shiniest perfectest skin 😔 [<-- guy who pops into cvs to get cetaphil and then leaves immediately]

[stoplight]

help i certainly don't know if this can be called "cool" but i'm flattered nonetheless <3 skincare definitely does not need to have this many steps though! the only 3 that are actually "essential" are cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen, used in that order. when starting out you should just make sure that you have something for each of those 3 categories that works for you 100% (doesn't break you out/isn't actively doing anything negative for you) before venturing any further.

it sounds like you already use cetaphil as either cleanser/moisturizer or both? if that's the case, i'd just focus on finding a sunscreen that works well for you... since you're in taiwan i rec trying to find japanese sunscreens because they tend to be cheap, lightweight, and effective, though a lot of them do contain alcohol (to help them dry faster on your skin) and as a result tend to make you look shiny. i think taiwan climate tends to be pretty humid, so i rec trying the nivea super water gel or the biore uv watery aqua rich. also take into account your skin type—if you're sensitive you might want to stay away from alcohols and choose a sunscreen like the etude house moisture sunscreen (the mineral filter one is fine too, but it uses physical filters instead of chemical so it's automatically going to leave a bit of white cast, if that's a concern to you). korean sunscreens tend to have more variety, so if you figure out what you like/dislike from whichever sunscreen you try i can provide a rec if you'd like!

if you're only using cleanser/moisturizer right now—i'd still go straight for sunscreen next because you can sub using cleanser by just washing your face with water rn and moisturizer with your sunscreen (bc the ones i mentioned all tend to be decently moisturizing as well). after you find a sunscreen that works for you then move on to finding a cleanser/moisturizer.

and then the last thing i think you need to know rn is that you should try to patch test anything new before you slather it all over your face... this is dependent on skin type obviously and patch testing doesn't catch everything, but what i do is just apply whatever thing i'm going to use next on my arm the night before, and if i wake up the next day with no reactions then i go ahead and use it all over my face. my skin isn't sensitive at all though so i'm less cautious than others are about this. and when you do add something into your routine make sure it's the only new product you're using at that moment (ie you should only be using 1 new product at a time). that way if you end up breaking out you know for sure it's because of that product, vs if you use a ton of new stuff all at once and break out you have no idea what caused it.

i hope that was helpful and not too overwhelming... i'm happy to talk more over twitter dms/the like if you want! i only started doing skincare freshman year of college bc i got intimidated by how put-together/pretty everyone was on campus and it definitely took me time to figure stuff out. but it's doable!

[sleepyshamrocks]

ok so turns out i do have all 3 products but i guess i just never thought of them as 'skincare'....like i think of them separately as cleanser -> wash face, sunscreen -> protect face, moisturizer -> make dry skin not dry, so i don't typically use them in tandem with each other, i'll just use whatever the situation calls for. here are the products i use:

- cleanser: cetaphil gentle skin cleanser
- moisturizer: nature republic aloe vera 92% soothing gel (i use this for my whole body tho not just my face. it works sooo well with dry skin esp during the new england winters u_u)
- sunscreen: aveeno protect+hydrate spf 60 (idk why but lately it's been separating(?) on my hand, like the white part will slide off and leave an oil residue. the internet says that that means it's expired but i just bought it this summer and i'm only halfway through the container 🤨 i will peek intently at ur sunscreen recs once i decide to hunt for a new one. i didn't know sunscreen could come in gel or cream! i've only ever used cream and i'm not too fond of the matte finish so i might try the nivea super water gel first)

i also used paula's choice 2% BHA for a while but didn't really see a difference, i think my skin would just feel tight for a couple of minutes right after applying. maybe i just didn't use it long enough for it to have an effect....i really want to try exfoliants again!

my main concern right now is that i'll be in taiwan/indo/australia and maybe korea until end of jan and then back in connecticut in the dead of winter ;_; my skin is going to hate me fr. do u switch up ur routine when ur going to a different climate? and is it necessary to use different cleansers/moisturizers depending on the time of day or can you use the same ones with minimal difference? the idea of dropping so much money on products that i'm not sure will definitely work is kinda daunting T_T which is why i never rotate products and always stick to the same mediocre ones...

tysm for edifying me ur literally a god crys <3 i really appreciate the advice and recs. please do not be shocked when u do get a dm notif from me hehe

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ok hi just sent u a dm!

[sinkingwaters]

waaah we love a skincare queen

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crying... i am certainly trying <3

[permutative]

oh srry u dont like nivea… tbf i love being shiny as fuck so um. yasss… anyways i guess i’ll try the brightening hado labo thing MAYBE (?) at some point but also i get so paranoid abt trying new products… we Shall See…

[permutative]

always love hearing abt what ur up to tho

[stoplight]

i did like the nivea! i just think it's better for summer/i don't like looking like i just got dunked in grease lmfao but as a sunscreen it's great. also you REALLY should try the hada labo lotions (they're toners the name is just confusing bc toner is lotion in japanese i think...) because they truly are incredible and lifechanging. i rec the shirojyun given where u are but also be careful bc all the hada labo lotions work via HA and if ur climate isn't naturally humid it's not going to mesh well. like u should be okay as long as it's not super dry. looking forward to seeing what u get up to as well... permutative dw update coming soon?!