2021 Beauty Thread

[toaster]

Thanks, Donna and Anna! You'd think that at 52 I would know more.

Overall, I actually haven't had a lot of major skin problems; I'm grateful for that! But maybe that's why I get more frustrated by the occasional problematic periods.

[alisoncooks]

Originally Posted by toaster

I think I need to wrap my head around the concept that there are both physical (scrub) and chemical (AHA, BHA) exfoliants.

I know people keep mentioning masks; that's another thing I've tried off and on but have never really noticed a difference. Some leave my skin feeling nice afterward, but little beyond that.

I stopped using physical exfoliants when I found chemical ones. (Also, there used to be a lot of talk about the microbeads in scrubs getting into the water system, etc. IDK)

I've never found a mask that's worth the effort. Messy.

I love skin care stuff! I have sensitive, combo skin (used to be oily). I still get occasional bumps but am mostly clear (finally, lol, it only took 40 years!).
I use:
Cerave SA wash (am/pm)
Paula's Choice Pore Reducing Toner (am/pm)
Cerave PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion (am/pm)

I also sporadically include BHA (Paula's choice Toner), AHA gel, retinol (Cerave), vitamin C (the ordinary) and azelaic acid (the ordinary). Of all those, my face seems to like to Azelaic acid most, and since it does a lot that the others do, I just mostly stick with it.

[alisoncooks]

Originally Posted by pharma_gal

I ordered a few things from the Ordinary and am wondering if someone can help me figure out a Am and pm regimen together or even let me know which ingredients to mix or not to mix together. These the ones that I have:

Vit C 20% cream with HA
Peptides + Copper
Niacinamide
Retinol
B Oil

I use Cerave Pm moisturizer.

Thank you.

Have you looked at the ordinary's regimen guide? It tells you what you can/can't use together and the best time of day to use.

https://theordinary.deciem.com/regimenguide

Everyone seems to love their Niacinamide but it irritated the heck out of my face. But I haven't had problems with that ingredient in lotions (Cerave uses it) -- I guess it's pure form is too potent for me.

[Leonana]

Alison, Lab Muffin just did a video on The Ordinary, and she explains why their products don’t work for everyone. She mentioned that niacinimide is in everything nowadays, so adding in 10% might be too much.

https://youtu.be/Qi3e82Qixes

Beth and Donna, glad to hear your routines are working for you.

I finally realized my ski is still oily. I’ve always had oily skin, but I’m 61 and use retin a. It is less oily, but adding in more moisture makes it break out. I have to cleanse my face twice a day with a foaming cleanser, and use my sunscreen as moisturizer in the morning. At night after cleansing, I use the Cetaphil Redness Relieving Moisturizer then retin a. Once a week I use Paula’s Choice 8% AHA.

I haven’t been tested, but I think I have a fragrance allergy to some fragrance, and maybe sensitivity to others. Sometimes my skin reacts to fragrance free. For example, the CeraVe PM breaks me out. Although it didn’t break me out before L’Oréal changed the formulation, after they bought the company. But the ingredients are mostly the same and I can use other products with those ingredients. Go figure.

[Leonana]

Originally Posted by BunnyHop

I've got rosacea these days, but before my skin got all sensitive, I used to like using an occasional scrub. I think I liked an old Clinique one, not sure it's made any more. Whatever it was had a little glass jar, the product itself was kinda blue-green, and seemed gently scrubby, not obviously rough like some.

I also used to like the Peter Thomas Roth jojoba bead ones.

These days I don't do much to my skin beyond washing it with the Cetaphil redness face foam wash stuff and using my Rx and a sunscreen. Whenever I've tried doing anything else about my pores my skin gets all flared up again. (sigh. )

I did not know there was a Redness Relieving face wash! I’ll have to try it. I love the Night Moisturizer. Unfortunately, the day moisturizer with sunscreen breaks me out. I think it’s because they have different preservatives.

[antbuko]

Originally Posted by toaster

I think I need to wrap my head around the concept that there are both physical (scrub) and chemical (AHA, BHA) exfoliants.

I know people keep mentioning masks; that's another thing I've tried off and on but have never really noticed a difference. Some leave my skin feeling nice afterwards, but little beyond that.

I'm very non-compliant with facial masks (not the kind we're all wearing now). I agree with your assessment about skin feeling nice afterwards. I sometimes think that if I was consistent with using them, they might help with clogged pores. As for scrubs, I think they are too harsh for my skin. Before quarantine, I was having my face waxed at European Wax and they recommended a gel mask to help with ingrown hairs. It's not mask-like at all. It's much gentler on the skin and with consistent use, it does indeed help me to avoid ingrown hairs. I would like to go for facials regularly, as I think the best way to unclog pores and keep them that way is to have them extracted periodically. Unfortunately, COVID and the cost keep me from doing that.

[Demeris]

I have fine hair, lots of it, but very fine. I need volume. What are some good volumizing products that won't dry my hair out and don't have an overpowering scent? thx

[BunnyHop]

Originally Posted by Demeris

I have fine hair, lots of it, but very fine. I need volume. What are some good volumizing products that won't dry my hair out and don't have an overpowering scent? thx

I get along best with fairly light conditioning near my scalp. It helps that my hair is long, so I can put a heavier conditioner (Biolage conditioning balm) on my length.

Overall, I do think that Nioxin 1 is a good choice for me. I also like Paul Mitchell's Clarifying shampoo.

Another issue for me is that my hair just does not respond well to blow drying. All that work that stylists do to 'create lift' just breaks my hair, so I skip it. My hair type (fine, wavy hair with no natural body) seems to get along best being air dried.

When my hair was shorter, I do remember that it responded well to some sort of wave setting foam or spray? It's long discontinued by now, but I did find something that worked similarly by Biolage, a conditioning mousse?

At these longer lengths, I honestly don't bother with styling products, but do like the ones by the long hair specific line by George Michael/Madora. Not a fan of their shampoos at all, but the styling products seem just fine.

One trick I've found helpful is to dilute shampoos that seem too strong. I put maybe an ounce in an empty dishwashing soap bottle (nice flip top, easy to grip in the shower) and fill it with water. To shampoo, I just turn the bottle upside down and squirt some of the soapy liquid onto my scalp. It makes it super easy to get the cleanser right where I want/need it. A little goes a long way, and the diluted mixture lasts a long time.

[Demeris]

Originally Posted by BunnyHop

One trick I've found helpful is to dilute shampoos that seem too strong. I put maybe an ounce in an empty dishwashing soap bottle (nice flip top, easy to grip in the shower) and fill it with water. To shampoo, I just turn the bottle upside down and squirt some of the soapy liquid onto my scalp. It makes it super easy to get the cleanser right where I want/need it. A little goes a long way, and the diluted mixture lasts a long time.

What a great idea! I like to use baking soda with my shampoo a few times a month (to keep my gray/white hair shiny and WHITE). This would be perfect for that.

I just got a haircut, lots of layers and texturizing. It falls about an inch below my chin. It's a great cut, BUT even with blowdrying with a round brush and using a light mousse, it looks as if I've slicked it down.

I'd love to find a light spray or a light volumizing mouse to help plump the hair up.

[BunnyHop]

Originally Posted by Demeris

... I'd love to find a light spray or a light volumizing mouse to help plump the hair up.

Give the Biolage lineup a good look for something that might suit you. In general I find their products are good. They do tend to revamp things fairly regularly, but the conditioning balm I love is still around even if the name seems a bit different depending on what they've named the rest of the line most recently.

When my hair was a good bit shorter, I did like to work a volumizing mousse through my hair, then comb it then scrunch a bit and let it air dry, then brush it with a Denman type wire brush (widely spaced hard bristles) just to style.

FWIW, I've never had good luck actively persuading my hair to be styled and stay that way. It's wayward enough that any effort to thwart my natural wave pattern is doomed to failure. The only styles that stay in place for me have been updos with longer hair. Everything else is vulnerable to the ravages of weather and humidity.

Your new cut sounds like fun! I'd love a good trim, but given the pandemic I'm not going to bother til next year. The best thing about wearing my hair really long is that I don't need to visit the salon very often, so I get to minimize that trauma, LOL! I'd actually been hoping to visit a salon in NYC that specializes in long hair, and I do think that I'll put it on the list of things to do when I get the chance.