My Skin Care Routine 🙂

Here’s my skin care routine! 🙂 Let’s start…

Face Wash: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance Free

The face wash I’m using is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel (the fragrance free one). I’ve tried other cleansers in the past weeks, and I didn’t like them as much as this face wash. The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel feels soft, soothing, and gentle on the skin. It slightly foams up, cleanses the skin, doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry, and refreshes my skin. It doesn’t contain any acne fighting ingredients. I prefer facial cleansers without them. I’ve tried cleansers that contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide before in the past, and they didn’t do anything for my acne. I didn’t see the point in using them anymore. I’ll just stick to a plain, boring face wash that cleanses without stripping the skin. This one has been working for me.

Acne Treatments: The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution

It took me a while to settle on products for my acne. I think this is it for now. I’m only using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution to help unclog my pores and to help prevent future breakouts (if it works that way, lol). I love how this product is a liquid. It absorbs quickly into the skin and leaves my skin feeling very clean. It doesn’t feel sticky or tacky on my skin. Let’s see if this works or not. I’ve only been using it for 2 weeks. Check out my experience/results below (first week).

My Experience After 1 Week Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution + Other Skin Care Updates

Moisturizer: La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer for Oily Skin

It took me forever to find a moisturizer that works on my skin. In other words, moisturizes and doesn’t cause breakouts. This moisturizer isn’t the most moisturizing. It’s also not the best at absorbing excess sebum (like it claims to do). I still have excess sebum seeping through the moisturizer afterwards. But, it’s good enough for now. It somewhat moisturizes, and I haven’t noticed any breakouts. It also contains niacinamide, but I haven’t noticed a brightening effect or any other improvements with this ingredient. I’ll stick to this moisturizer until I find another moisturizer that’s better for my skin (if there’s one). My skin doesn’t seem to like moisturizers too much. I’ve gone through life not bothering with moisturizers due them clogging my pores.

Sunscreen: CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint

I have a few more sunscreens, but the one sunscreen that I’ve been using the most is the CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30. It’s a mineral and tinted. Contains SPF 30. The tint in this sunscreen product makes it easy to reapply throughout the day. The tint is a tad dark on my skin. At first, it didn’t bother me. But now, it makes my skin appear a little dull. The shade isn’t a perfect match for my skin. It blends into the skin, but I can still see that my face is darker than the rest of my body when using this product. Oh well, haha. I’ll use it for the time being. I haven’t experienced breakouts from it after going through 3 bottles. I’m on my 4th! So with the tint, there’s no white cast, obviously. It’s moisturizing and simply just very easy to use. It’s currently winter with less sun. I’m mostly indoors, so that’s why I’ve been using this SPF more often over the other sunscreens I have. This will change when spring and summer arrives. I will need a higher SPF.

In the morning, I use a lip balm with SPF too. You can check out my lip care routine right here!

So what else should I add? I’m only using 4 products (face). 😂

My 1 Week Experience with Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin!

It’s time to try a new face wash! I stopped using CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. If you missed out on my thoughts on the CeraVe product, you can check out the links below. 🙂

I Finally Tried CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser! Here’s My 1 Week Experience!

2 Weeks Experience with CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser!

Now on to my thoughts on Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin…

Day 1:

I started using Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin tonight. It was a last minute decision. I started noticing more sebaceous filaments/blackheads on my nose and on other parts of my face. Maybe it’s from the CeraVe face wash? Something else? All I know is that the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser wasn’t doing much for my acne. I’m quite disappointed in that facial cleanser. It’s a facial cleanser that contains salicylic acid. It’s supposed to help with acne. What’s the point on using a product that contains salicylic acid when it does nothing. It didn’t help my skin whatsoever. The ingredients in the CeraVe face wash look nice and all, but if it doesn’t work, it just doesn’t work. So I wanted to ditch acne fighting ingredients in facial cleansers. Just stick to a basic, boring facial cleanser like what I was doing before for so many years. My experience using it (Vanicream) tonight wasn’t bad. The product is a runny gel that foams up when mixed with water. It was very easy to use. It didn’t burn my face. It cleansed my skin pretty well. I used it to remove my makeup remover (oil-based), and it cleansed it off thoroughly. There was no trace of oil left on my face. Wow, I’m impressed! You know, I went overboard with this face wash tonight. I tried cleansing my face with it 2 more times, lol. Yep, no redness or irritation. Just clean skin. It’s really made for sensitive skin. Well, it’s only been the first day. Who knows what might happen the next few days. Let’s see…

Day 2:

It’s the second day of using Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin. I’m using this facial cleanser twice a day, morning and night. I used it this morning and thought it felt so much more gentler compared to CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. I don’t even miss the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser. It was a good run (for 2 weeks and a day, lol), but it’s not for my skin type. I was hoping that it would do something for my closed comedones. But, nope, it did absolutely nothing. I’m glad I switched over to the Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin. I was going to go back to what I was using before (Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance Free), but I wanted to try something different first. I wanted a facial cleanser that’s even more gentle. From my limited experience of the Vanicream face wash so far, the Vanicream cleanser feels so much more gentler compared to both the CeraVe and Neutrogena cleansers! So after washing my face tonight, my experience was similar to this morning and yesterday’s. The facial cleanser cleansed my skin without stripping it. It removes dirt, debris, excess sebum, all of that gunk off of my face easily without being rough on the skin. It soothes and calms my skin. My acne didn’t look inflamed after using it. My skin looks better after cleansing. Maybe this is just what I needed. A gentle facial cleanser that cleanses without any acne fighting ingredients. That salicylic acid stuff isn’t working for me. It’s time to let it go for now. I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow! I’m back to being excited about washing my face, haha!

Day 3:

I’m going through a breakout/purge from my acne products right now. This cleanser has been very helpful! It’s gentle, soothing, doesn’t dry out the skin, doesn’t irritate the skin, and leaves my skin feeling cleansed. I’m still using it twice a day (morning and night) without any issues. My skin loves this face wash! I haven’t had any issues with it breaking me out. No breakouts so far! I’m really shocked because I’ve been meaning to try out this face wash for some time. It’s about time I tried it. So far, everything is going well. It does what it’s supposed to do. I’m glad I stopped using the salicylic acid cleanser. Maybe it was doing my skin more harm than good. My skin feels so much better with a cleanser without any actives.

Day 4:

It’s already day 4 using Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin. I woke up this morning with clearer skin! It looks so much brighter and smoother too. It’s not the cleanser doing this. I’ve been using aha products. The combination of Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin and chemical exfoliants have been amazing. Whenever I wash my face, it just feels gentle and nice. My skin hasn’t dried out yet. I’m seeing positive results every day. I’m still impressed with this face wash at removing heavy oils, sebum, debris, and whatever gunk that has been on my face the whole day. It’s so gentle. It’s doing a much better job than the previous cleansers I’ve used while being soft and gentle all at the same time! I actually look forward to washing my face ever since I started this cleanser.

Day 5:

After 5 days of using Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin. I will repeat everything I have said already. It’s gentle cleanser that cleanses the skin and doesn’t dry it out. It feels very soft on the skin. I haven’t noticed any breakouts using it. But, it’s only been 5 days. I love how it washes off. It doesn’t leave any residue on the skin. It does what it’s supposed to do. Even after all of that, I’m kind of missing my previous (not the CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser, the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance Free) cleanser. The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel is more gel-like. I just love how it makes my skin feel. Vanicream is nice too, but there’s something about the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Cleansing Gel that I can’t put my finger on. It cleans my skin even better? I just like the way it makes my skin feel even more. I’ll give Vanicream some more time before I make a decision to switch back or keep it as my main cleanser.

Day 6:

I made the decision to go back to Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel with Hyaluronic Acid Fragrance Free. I didn’t feel that Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin was cleaning my skin enough. It was missing something. It cleanses my skin, but I need something a little bit stronger yet gentle. And that would be the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel. I washed my face with Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel this morning and tonight. My skin likes the Neutrogena cleanser so much more! My skin feels cleaner even if it’s just a little bit more. I could feel the difference, lol. My skin looks and feels less oily afterwards. Also, Vanicream has shiny reflecting particles in the cleanser. Looking at the ingredients, it contains mica and titanium dioxide.

Here’s the full ingredient list:

purified water, glycerin, coco-glucoside, sodium cocoyl glycinate, acrylates copolymer, caprylyl glycol, mica, sodium chloride, 1,2-hexanediol, titanium dioxide, sodium hydroxide, disodium EDTA

It’s short and pretty straightforward.

Day 7:

It’s the last day, and I have already (sorta) given up on Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin. Since I still have it, I’m using it to cleanse my skin at night. I use it before my actual cleanser (Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel). I most likely won’t purchase Vanicream again when I’m done with it. It was nice to try out, but I don’t think it’s cleansing enough for my skin. The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel is working so much better for my skin. Both are very gentle cleansers. Both didn’t dry my skin out. I’m just leaning towards Neutrogena a little bit more. Vanicream has been raved about so much. Now I can say that I’ve officially tried the facial cleanser, hah! Too bad it didn’t turn into my main cleanser. Seems great for sensitive skin though!

Follow me on my battle against closed comedones! ~ My Experience After 1 Week Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution + Other Skin Care Updates

An Update on PanOxyl Acne Foaming Face Wash! What I’m Using Now.

Here’s an update on PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash! I’ve been using it for goodness knows how long. It feels like forever. It’s been my facial cleanser since last year. I’ve switched between the Acne Foaming Wash and Acne Creamy Wash. Between the two, my skin much prefers the Acne Foaming Wash. It’s that oily skin that I have. The Acne Foaming Wash isn’t drying at all on my skin (as of late), which is a good thing, but there’s more to this face wash that I want to talk about (keep reading!!). Meanwhile…the Acne Creamy Wash doesn’t do much for my skin. It’s too moisturizing for my skin type. I think it’s better for someone with dry or normal skin. I only used it when my skin felt super dry from my acne treatments. But, I haven’t had that problem lately. I stopped using it because I simply don’t need it. Plus it’s not doing anything for my skin. I need a facial cleanser that actually leaves my skin feeling clean. I have excess oil on my facial skin that needs to be removed. The Acne Creamy Wash wasn’t cutting it.

So I’ve been having second thoughts about PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash. After going through many tubes of this product, it looks like the 10% benzoyl peroxide in the product has very little to no effect on my acne. I love benzoyl peroxide. It’s amazing stuff for acne. I’ve used it for so many years on and off. But this face wash isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do. On the packaging it says that it’ll clear existing acne and helps to prevent new breakouts from forming. Nope, didn’t happen. Not for me at least. Treats acne on the face and the body. That didn’t happen either. Benzoyl peroxide is an effective ingredient for acne. I have a bottle of benzoyl peroxide gel that I use to spot treat my acne when necessary. It works. But this face wash did absolutely nothing for my acne. I tried leaving it on my skin for a few minutes too. I even tried leaving it on for 5 minutes. No results. It’s just like any other facial cleanser. It’s good at cleansing the skin, but it’s not good at treating acne. Well, it didn’t work on my acne-prone skin.

At the moment, I’m trying to finish up my PanOxyl facial cleansers (both of them, lol). In the meantime, I’m using Neutrogena Hydro Boost Exfoliating Cleanser as my main cleanser. It’s all that I have that (I guess) works on my skin. Just for now, I mean. Even though it contains AHAs like glycolic acid and lactic acid, it hasn’t dried out my skin or irritate it. It’s a pretty moisturizing facial cleanser like it’s advertised as — a hydro boost exfoliating cleanser. Maybe my skin is just so oily that it can handle it. At the same time, it’s good at removing excess oil without drying my skin out. It hasn’t done much for my acne though. I find the AHAs in this product useless. It’s not left on my skin long enough just like how the benzoyl peroxide in PanOxyl facial cleansers isn’t left on my skin long enough to have any effect on my acne. It’s quite a disappointment. I wished it would have some positive effect on my skin. So I think I’m going to use this face wash until I find something else that’s better for my skin. It works for the time being.

Read more on PanOxyl Facial Cleansers and Neutrogena Hydro Boost Exfoliating Cleanser here:

PanOxyl Acne Creamy Wash (4%) vs Acne Foaming Wash (10%)

Review: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Exfoliating Cleanser

Review: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Exfoliating Cleanser

I have a new facial cleanser! It’s Neutrogena Hydro Boost Exfoliating Cleanser! I was trying out a bunch of Neutrogena Hydro Boost skin care products, and I knew I had to try the facial cleanser out. The purpose of this facial cleanser is to gently exfoliate the skin and boost hydration with hyaluronic acid. It removes dirt, oil, and dead skin on the surface. Leaves the skin instantly soft and refreshed. This sounds like the perfect facial cleanser for my skin type. I do have another facial cleanser right now. It’s PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash 10%. But maybe if this works out, I could switch over. Who knows what might happen! I hope all goes well! I’ve been using Neutrogena Hydro Boost Exfoliating Cleanser for 2 weeks already. So here are my thoughts on this cleanser!

My experience

This facial cleanser is a gel. It doesn’t feel like a gel-cream at all as it claims to be. It doesn’t look like it either. Just your typical gel cleanser. It contains exfoliating beads in it, but they are not plastic microbeads. On the back of the product, it says does not contain plastic microbeads. The cleanser has fragrance. Yep, another hydro boost skin care product with fragrance. I’m not a fan of it, but I’m able to put up with it. At least I don’t have to leave this product on my face all day long. Just for the moment when I’m washing my face. So it’s not that big of a deal. If you’re sensitive to fragrance, this may not be the right product for you. So this facial cleanser foams up. It feels very soothing and refreshing on the skin. I actually enjoy using it. It feels very nice on the skin. I noticed that it helps to remove sebum, dirt, debris from my skin without leaving my skin feeling dry. Well, most of the time. This cleanser can be drying if you’re using other products that are drying as well. The cleanser isn’t just a facial cleanser but an exfoliant. And it does say that it’s an exfoliating cleanser on the packaging, lol. It’s not just because of the exfoliating beads in this product. Honestly, the beads in this product are pretty much useless. They don’t do much of the exfoliating. If any, at all. The cleanser contains glycolic acid, lactic acid, and papaya fruit extract to exfoliate and remove dead skin cells from the skin. It can actually be a little too harsh if your skin is in a dry, sensitive state. I would be very careful with that. It could burn your skin due to the chemical exfoliants. If you have sensitive skin, do a patch test first. Overall, since my skin is the oily type that’s not sensitive, I really liked using it. My skin feels so good after using this face wash. I’m really shocked that it worked so well on my skin. It didn’t dry my skin out at all unless I use it on a day when my skin is a bit more sensitive due to the use of my acne treatment. I would say that it’s a pretty hydrating facial cleanser. Thanks hyaluronic acid! It’s been working for me almost every day of the week, in the morning and at night. I feel like I’m about to switch over to this facial cleanser soon. 🙂

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Exfoliates and cleanses the skin
• Doesn’t dry out the skin
• Very moisturizing! Leaves the skin feeling hydrated too after cleansing.
• Doesn’t clog pores
• Contains glycolic acid, lactic acid, and papaya fruit extract to exfoliate the skin
• Affordable

❌ Cons

• Contains fragrance (just like the other hydro boost skin care products)

Conclusion

I can’t believe this face wash worked out for me! I didn’t expect it to. I was just trying out a bunch of Neutrogena Hydro Boost skin care products and happen to pick this one up! I’m glad I did! This cleanser is perfect for my oily, acne-prone skin. It helps to remove sebum from my skin wonderfully. And at the same time, it keeps my skin hydrated. Also, it contains glycolic acid, lactic acid, and papaya fruit extract to exfoliate the skin. I haven’t been using any leave-on chemical exfoliants (glycolic acid or lactic acid) at all. I’m moving towards wash-off chemical exfoliants, since I’ve noticed that my skin likes them a little better. They work to an extent without leaving my skin looking and feeling dry and burned. I’ve always had a sunburn look to my face when I use leave-on chemical exfoliants. Unless I haven’t found a good leave-on chemical exfoliant yet. All I know is that I didn’t like what they did to my face. It was pretty obvious to others too. But this cleanser with exfoliants is working for me. I always look forward to using it and really like it. If it works out in a couple of more months, it may even become my main facial cleanser. We’ll have to see!

For more reviews on Neutrogena Hydro Boost skin care products go here

Review: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Serum

I’m on a roll with Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost skin care line! Now I have the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Serum. I was going to try out the gel-creams but decided on the hydrating serum instead. This product looks very promising, since I’ve used the sunscreens (Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Lotion Sunscreen SPF 30 & Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Lotion Sunscreen SPF 50) and the body moisturizer (Neutrogena Hydro Boost Body Gel Cream). 👈🏻 Don’t forget to check out my reviews on these products! They’re all moisturizing on my skin but felt a bit too heavy for my skin type. I thought I would go for something else that feels more lightweight on the skin. Serums tend to be much lighter on the skin compared to gel-creams or creams. So the purpose of the hydrating serum is to increase hydration in the skin for smooth and supple skin. It contains hyaluronic acid, which is a hydrator that attracts moisture and locks it into the skin. This product is also oil-free and non-comedogenic (we’ll have to see if that’s true, lol). I’m really hoping that this serum works. I have a hyaluronic acid essence (not serum) in my routine, but it’s not super hydrating (Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence), so I hope this product gives my skin some moisture or hydrate it better. Here are my thoughts on the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Serum! 🙂

My experience

The product comes in a sleek pump bottle. It feels rather clunky, so I’m not a fan of it. It’s 1 fl. oz. One pump of the product covers the whole face and neck. Just gently pat the serum into the skin. So this serum feels lightweight and smooths over my skin nicely. It has a makeup primer kinda feel to it. I was a bit worried about this, since my skin doesn’t react well to products that have a silicone texture to it. But I continued to use the product. Anything can happen at this point. It may or may not work. Who knows! So the first day of using this serum went well. My skin was so hydrated, looked and felt silky smooth, and more supple. It hydrated my skin so much better compared to the hyaluronic acid product I had in my skin care routine (Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence). Since my skin felt so moisturized, I thought I had found a much better replacement. I really liked how the serum felt on my skin and how it transformed my skin into this silky smoothness. My skin just felt really nice. It was so smooth and hydrated at the same time! I was really happy with the results within 1 day. My skin looked softer, felt moisturized, and glowed! But that was only the first day of using the product. Now let’s move on to the next day. What happened? To find out, keep on reading!

Even though I loved how this serum hydrated my skin, I started to notice closed comedones on my forehead by day 2. Nooooooooooooo! We had a good thing going on! Once I noticed the breakouts, I removed the serum from my skin care routine. It took a couple of days for my skin to go back to normal, but the breakouts disappeared eventually. Just as I predicted, my skin didn’t like the silicones in this product. It was just too good to be true. It feels like the serum just sits on my skin, and there’s a thin layer of film on top of my skin (like a makeup primer). When this happens, it traps sebum, debris, dirt under the surface and causes breakouts. The same happened to me with Neutrogena Sport Face Oil-Free Lotion Sunscreen SPF 70+.

Overall, the serum did increase hydration in my skin. It made my skin smoother and left it feeling supple. It felt lightweight on my skin, which seemed perfect for my skin type. Worked well under sunscreen and makeup. I loved what it did to my skin when I was using it, except for the closed comedones that developed. Ugh! It could’ve been a good product if it weren’t for the breakouts. Oh well. Can’t do anything about it. My skin just doesn’t like the ingredients in this product. Also, keep in mind that this product does contain fragrance. I’ve been using products from the Hydro Boost line, and it gets really nauseating having to smell that awful overpowering fragrance day in and out. It was ok at first, but it just gets really annoying over time. Well, it looks like the Hydro Boost Hydrating Serum didn’t work for me. Moving on…

This is what Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Serum looks like. It’s not blue, but it has an overwhelming fragrance to it. Like most of their other hydro boost products…

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Contains hyaluronic acid
• Feels lightweight
• Hydrates the skin. Left my skin feeling more moisturized!
• Makes the skin look flawless
• Smooths over the skin nicely
• Feels slippery on the skin and makes application very easy because of that.
• No blue dye this time

❌ Cons

• Breakouts. Closed comedones.
• Overpowering fragrance
• Annoying clunky bottle

Conclusion

I really wanted this hydrating serum to work. Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence doesn’t hydrate my skin by much. The only reason why I’m still using it is because it doesn’t break me out. I was looking for a better hyaluronic acid serum that does a better job at hydrating my skin. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Serum seems like it would work, since all of their other products helped a ton with hydration. And the hydrating serum actually did moisturize my skin. But it ended up breaking me out after using it for 2 days. I was so shocked when I saw closed comedones on my forehead. The serum felt really nice on the skin. Very lightweight. It left my skin feeling and looking more youthful, more hydrated, and giving my skin that silky, dewy texture to my skin. Since it breaks me out in acne, I’m done with it. This product could work for others, but be aware that that it has an overpowering fragrance. If you can handle the fragrance, and the ingredients agree with your skin, go for it. It definitely helps with skin hydration. Otherwise, don’t bother with this serum. Honestly, I don’t miss this serum, the smell bothers me but also the packaging. lol. It’s so clunky for a product that is only 1 fl. oz.

Go here for more reviews on Neutrogena skin care products