will keep this in mind if I get into a skincare and makeup obsession sometime, I’ll try to post and bring this community along with me
to start, maybe people could share their daily / nightly skincare routine in this post?
I’ll start:
every night I shower and use a facial cleanser - CeraVe is a decent brand, but I prefer a cruelty free alternative brand (Ceramedx). Their facial cleanser is rather gentle and has ceramides for hydrating the skin. I also keep a salicylic acid facial cleanser and use that a few times a week, especially concentrating it on my nose and cheeks for extra exfoliation.
Then after toweling off, with clean hands I apply an overnight facial moisturizer - “CeraVe in the tub” (the moisturizing cream that comes in a tub) is what I would recommend, but I also use the Ceramedx cruelty-free alternative. The main beneficial ingredient are the ceramides and the hyaluronic acid.
Then I apply an eye cream under my eyes and on my eyelids, I switch up which one I use and don’t have a favorite yet. Technically you can just carefully apply the CeraVe cream under the eyes, but I like the idea of having something formulated to be near the eyes instead, but it’s probably unnecessary to buy a separate eye cream.
That’s about it.
In the morning I wash my face just with water and dry with a clean towel (I don’t use a cleanser in the morning) and then I apply a cosmetic sunscreen (my favorite is South Korean, SKIN1004’s Madagascar Centella sunscreen). The sunscreen is not just important to prevent skin cancer, but it also an anti-aging treatment to prevent the sun damage that causes you to look older.
I hated sunscreen until I found foreign cosmetic sunscreens that aren’t greasy and feel & look great on the skin, literally life changing.
General advice:
Keep your skin clean and practice good hygiene
replace your pillowcase once a week to help prevent break-outs,
eat a healthy and diverse diet with lots of fruit and vegetables
drink water and hydrate consistently throughout the day
refresh sunscreen every few hours if outside, and wear a hat and UV protective clothing - avoid direct sun at all times
Good skincare tips, thanks! I heard positive things about Korean skincare products, particularly how they have lighter and less greasy sunscreens. Is there a non-cosmetic one that you can recommend?
For my routine, I wash my face with a cleanser and apply moisturizer in the morning and at night, both from La Roche-Posay toleriane line. At night I use tretinoin 0.025% gel in between cleansing and moisturizer.
yes, Japanese and Korean cosmetic sunscreens are truly amazing! I also love Canmake’s Mermaid Skin Gel cosmetic sunscreen, though they keep changing the formula so your mileage may vary - it used to be really amazing, esp. for a glossy skin look 🥰
Re non-cosmetic sunscreens, the Australians have this on lock, I use Bondi Sands SPF 50 fragrance free sunscreen, and they have the same product but formulated to be safe to use on your face. I use the non-face one on my arms, legs, chest, and neck when I’m in short sleeves and I use the face formulated version on my face when I’m going out for non-social reasons (like if I’m going to garden or exercise).
Bondi Sands marketing claims their sunscreen is not greasy, but in my opinion it’s straightforwardly greasy, just a lot less greasy than most non-cosmetic sunscreens.
For sunscreens you can buy on shelves in the U.S., La Roche-Posay has some decent-ish cosmetic sunscreens, but I don’t love it enough to keep buying it (esp. when I have the Asian ones that are less greasy).
I’ve heard good things about tretinoin, esp. if you struggle with acne and breakouts. I don’t have acne and my skin skews dry and breaks out into eczema, so I constantly have to manage heat and moisture on my skin (literally can’t wear shoes for more than a few hours, even just going for a run a few times a week can be enough to cause eczema breakouts on my skin).
My spouse however has skin that skews oily and she suffers from acne so she doesn’t apply any moisturizer and in addition to a facial cleanser she uses a three-part application:
0.025% tretinoin gel
1% Clindamycin gel
10% Benzoyl peroxide gel
I don’t know her exact routine, some she wears during the day and some before bed? But she has to see a dermatologist for this and has a prescription, so this is where I would probably recommend someone see and follow a doctor’s recommendations.
EDIT: my spouse gave some more details on her routine! the tretinoin is applied before bed and stays on the skin overnight, then in the morning she washes her face with the Benzoyl peroxide facial wash (you can buy this over the counter). She said you have to let it sit on the skin for a minute after applying it, so maybe wash other parts of the body or do something while it works on your skin. Then after the skin is clean and dry, she applies the Clindamycin for the day (she actually applies it twice a day, but this isn’t typical).
The Clindamycin and tretinoin are both prescriptions and require a doctor to get, only the Benzoyl peroxide is available over the counter - so the instructions your doctor gives may differ.
Thank you for the detailed response! I will see if I can find Bondi Sands sunscreen.
Even though my skin would be fine without tretinoin, I find that it is the only ingredient that makes a significant difference in an otherwise low-maintenance routine.
I like their products (they’re relatively inexpensive, widely available, and effective), but no - they are not cruelty free as their products are tested on animals (their products also have animal-derived ingredients).
CeraVe is a brand owned by L’Oreal, and they have also been in trouble for supporting Israel, so I’ve heard the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has called for boycotting L’Oreal products like CeraVe as well.
eh, I don’t think all the responsibility falls on the consumer for the immorality of the producer, especially if you as a consumer are not perfectly free to choose more expensive and less accessible products… if you can boycott then that’s great, if you can’t then you shouldn’t feel any guilt over that imo
if I had the time I absolutely would do this 😁
will keep this in mind if I get into a skincare and makeup obsession sometime, I’ll try to post and bring this community along with me
to start, maybe people could share their daily / nightly skincare routine in this post?
I’ll start:
every night I shower and use a facial cleanser - CeraVe is a decent brand, but I prefer a cruelty free alternative brand (Ceramedx). Their facial cleanser is rather gentle and has ceramides for hydrating the skin. I also keep a salicylic acid facial cleanser and use that a few times a week, especially concentrating it on my nose and cheeks for extra exfoliation.
Then after toweling off, with clean hands I apply an overnight facial moisturizer - “CeraVe in the tub” (the moisturizing cream that comes in a tub) is what I would recommend, but I also use the Ceramedx cruelty-free alternative. The main beneficial ingredient are the ceramides and the hyaluronic acid.
Then I apply an eye cream under my eyes and on my eyelids, I switch up which one I use and don’t have a favorite yet. Technically you can just carefully apply the CeraVe cream under the eyes, but I like the idea of having something formulated to be near the eyes instead, but it’s probably unnecessary to buy a separate eye cream.
That’s about it.
In the morning I wash my face just with water and dry with a clean towel (I don’t use a cleanser in the morning) and then I apply a cosmetic sunscreen (my favorite is South Korean, SKIN1004’s Madagascar Centella sunscreen). The sunscreen is not just important to prevent skin cancer, but it also an anti-aging treatment to prevent the sun damage that causes you to look older.
I hated sunscreen until I found foreign cosmetic sunscreens that aren’t greasy and feel & look great on the skin, literally life changing.
General advice:
Good skincare tips, thanks! I heard positive things about Korean skincare products, particularly how they have lighter and less greasy sunscreens. Is there a non-cosmetic one that you can recommend?
For my routine, I wash my face with a cleanser and apply moisturizer in the morning and at night, both from La Roche-Posay toleriane line. At night I use tretinoin 0.025% gel in between cleansing and moisturizer.
yes, Japanese and Korean cosmetic sunscreens are truly amazing! I also love Canmake’s Mermaid Skin Gel cosmetic sunscreen, though they keep changing the formula so your mileage may vary - it used to be really amazing, esp. for a glossy skin look 🥰
Re non-cosmetic sunscreens, the Australians have this on lock, I use Bondi Sands SPF 50 fragrance free sunscreen, and they have the same product but formulated to be safe to use on your face. I use the non-face one on my arms, legs, chest, and neck when I’m in short sleeves and I use the face formulated version on my face when I’m going out for non-social reasons (like if I’m going to garden or exercise).
Bondi Sands marketing claims their sunscreen is not greasy, but in my opinion it’s straightforwardly greasy, just a lot less greasy than most non-cosmetic sunscreens.
For sunscreens you can buy on shelves in the U.S., La Roche-Posay has some decent-ish cosmetic sunscreens, but I don’t love it enough to keep buying it (esp. when I have the Asian ones that are less greasy).
I’ve heard good things about tretinoin, esp. if you struggle with acne and breakouts. I don’t have acne and my skin skews dry and breaks out into eczema, so I constantly have to manage heat and moisture on my skin (literally can’t wear shoes for more than a few hours, even just going for a run a few times a week can be enough to cause eczema breakouts on my skin).
My spouse however has skin that skews oily and she suffers from acne so she doesn’t apply any moisturizer and in addition to a facial cleanser she uses a three-part application:
I don’t know her exact routine, some she wears during the day and some before bed? But she has to see a dermatologist for this and has a prescription, so this is where I would probably recommend someone see and follow a doctor’s recommendations.
EDIT: my spouse gave some more details on her routine! the tretinoin is applied before bed and stays on the skin overnight, then in the morning she washes her face with the Benzoyl peroxide facial wash (you can buy this over the counter). She said you have to let it sit on the skin for a minute after applying it, so maybe wash other parts of the body or do something while it works on your skin. Then after the skin is clean and dry, she applies the Clindamycin for the day (she actually applies it twice a day, but this isn’t typical).
The Clindamycin and tretinoin are both prescriptions and require a doctor to get, only the Benzoyl peroxide is available over the counter - so the instructions your doctor gives may differ.
Thank you for the detailed response! I will see if I can find Bondi Sands sunscreen.
Even though my skin would be fine without tretinoin, I find that it is the only ingredient that makes a significant difference in an otherwise low-maintenance routine.
deleted by creator
Is cerave not cruelty free? I like their cleanser, in the pump bottle…
I like their products (they’re relatively inexpensive, widely available, and effective), but no - they are not cruelty free as their products are tested on animals (their products also have animal-derived ingredients).
CeraVe is a brand owned by L’Oreal, and they have also been in trouble for supporting Israel, so I’ve heard the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has called for boycotting L’Oreal products like CeraVe as well.
Ughhhh… when I found a thing I liked for a good price…
eh, I don’t think all the responsibility falls on the consumer for the immorality of the producer, especially if you as a consumer are not perfectly free to choose more expensive and less accessible products… if you can boycott then that’s great, if you can’t then you shouldn’t feel any guilt over that imo