I’ll tell you one thing I’m never gonna do again… Although, you know what? In beauty, one should never say never, because you just never (haha, say it one more time, Karen!) know how you’ll feel in a few months or years, or what will be in vogue at any given moment, so I’ll tell you one thing I’m probably never gonna do again. I’m probably never gonna do another crazy extensive multi-step skin care regimen.
I tried one last December and January. I was using multiple serums, toners and treatments, both in the morning and at night, and I think it was just too aggressive for my face. I started breaking out in places I never break out, and my face was just HURTING, like all the time. Even applying lotion was painful. Plus, the regimen was too time consuming! I felt like I was always in the bathroom waiting for something to dry so I could layer something else on top.
In February, I quit that nonsense. Eight weeks had passed, which I figured was enough time to assess whether the routine was working (and it was wasn’t working, that’s for sure), so I scaled everything back and returned to using the products and lines I’ve had good luck with in the past.
Here’s what I’ve been using for the past two months…
Morning
- Gentle cleanser — Avene Tolérance Extrême Cleansing Lotion, which I wipe off with a basic cotton washcloth
- Benzoyl Peroxide cream — Kate Somerville Anti-Bac Clearing Lotion (I wait till my skin is completely dry, then apply four pumps all over my face)
- Moisturizer/sunscreen all-in-one — Clarins Extra-Firming Day for All Skin Types, and/or Drunk Elephant Umbra Tinte (I’m less fond of the Drunk Elephant one; I don’t think it’s as moisturizing as the Clarins)
Evening
- Oil-based makeup remover — I’m currently using the one by Tatcha because I had it around and needed to finish it up. I had been using the Tata Harper one before that. Honestly, I don’t think you need to go fancy with this step at all.
- Gentle cleanser — Avene Tolérance Extrême Cleansing Lotion and a basic cotton washcloth
- Acid Toner — Biologique Recherche p50 1970 (the hype is real! I wait till my skin is completely dry before applying it with a cotton pad)
- Moisturizer — Clarins Extra-Firming Night (the last thing I do before bed, after I use the toner)
So, yeah, a much less intense multi-step skin care routine for this girl now.
(You should have seen it before!)
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. TGIF. 🙂
I have two: sleeping in my makeup and touching my face!
I’ve drastically cut back on the frequency of both for years now, but both are just terrible for my skin! I hear you on the extensive routine, that’s definitely YMMV!
A friend got me an Andalou naturals rose petal with hyalouronic acid foam wash for my birthday. It’s supposed to be gentle enough for sensitive skin. My first few uses were fine and then I was getting random break outs where I never get them so I stopped. I use a bar soap from Rocky Mountain soap that’s gentle enough for face, Mac cleansing oil to get make up off, and Josie Maran Argan oil at night. Very simple. I read something about Keira Knightley and how she struggled with her skin for years and only found relief when she stopped using a zillion products and just left it alone, so I’m following that example. I don’t use a day moisturizer/spf because literally everything I’ve tried breaks me out! So… Idk what to do for that. Anyone have recommendations for sensitive, combo dry/oily skin?
For me, stress is the big one! I always notice my forehead get oilier, my cheeks get drier, and my acne worse when I’m stressed. Also, I have PCOS, so if my hormones are wonky my skin freaks out. I’ve finally settled into a skincare routine that I’m happy with, though!
P50 Lotion users unite! I also use the original “1970” version. FYI, I thought it would be nice to switch the P50 version, but it was a no-go for me. It kinda burned and made my face really red for a half hour. The 1970 formula is supposed to be the strongest, but it really agrees with me.
Hi Amanda,
Yeah, it’s so good! I came this close to opting for the non 1970 version but figured it would be best to go with the one that everyone loves. 🙂 Where do you usually get yours?
Thank you for this! You have such amazing, glowy skin. I also just don’t have the time or effort to do a 10-step thing and have simplified to a double-cleanse in the evening + acid + serum + moisturizer. I’ve been using Cosrx BHA as my acid but have been wanting to jump onto the lotion P50 bandwagon for a while and this post totally just made me do it!.\ I’m not seeing much with the Cosrx and Paula’s Choice 2% BHA liquid makes my skin a bit angry so I’m hoping this is the ticket…
Hi Sheena,
I hope p50 works for you. I know they have a smaller sample bottle that’s less $ than the big one, so that might be the way to go if you don’t want to spring for the full size!
Clarisonic
I got one few years ago, just no
I have loved mine for at least 10 years!
Josie Maran cleansing oil breaks me out something fierce! I can use the regular oil, but the cleansing oil is terrible for me. Cutting soda and carbs keeps me clear too. I keep my routine super super simple, I wash my face at night, softly exfoliating with a washcloth. I use an eye cream and a moisturizer, usually whatever I’ve gotten in my Sephora Play box. I’ve noticed that it’s not the products that I use, it’s the consistency that works. In the morning I just use a little water on a washcloth and wipe down my face, and then use an eye cream and a daily moisturizer with SPF 30.
I’m just coming to the end of my Tatcha cleansing oil. I use it exclusively to remove my eye makeup because my skin didn’t love it, and I definitely didn’t love the 2-step cleansing. Now I’m back to Bi Facil.
I love my Retinol and think my skin looks a million times better. I’ve been using it for 3 months and am ready to bump up to the 1.0. I did make the mistake of not easing into it, though. My skin was burning, uncomfortable and had 2 spots of rawness. It was gone within 2 days and I then used a more gradual schedule and it’s been smooth sailing. 🙂 So, thanks once again to your blog and your commenters, which is where I got the rec on what to order!
Same! My skin had a major freak out when I succumbed to the use-all-the-products hype in 2016. Most exfoliating products don’t agree with my skin, I tried the P50 a year ago and chickened out after experiencing a tingling sensation. Coincidentally, I gave it another go last week and loved it! I’ve been more dry and flakey than usual post baby, this seems to be helping. My must have product is the MV Organics rose booster oil, I’ve been using it for about 1.5 years now, and it is the only product that hasn’t left my routine.
Is the Clarins moisturizer good for dry skin types?
Hi Pav,
I think the tingling is typical for P50 1970. It might help to wait 10-20 minutes after washing so that your skin is completely dry before doing it; I find it helps make the tingling less intense.
Re: Clarins. I’ve had good luck with their stuff (and my skin is very dry). I know it’s not super trendy but it works for me.
Age! My skin is so much more sensitive than it ever used to be, and more wrinkly!
There are so many things that make my skin angry, LOL! The worst things for me are too many steps (especially active ingredients – I don’t do well with AHA, BHA, retinoids), anything too drying, the vast majority of oils, and fermented ingredients. I also do fragrance free, no essential oils, no solvent alcohols. I’m prone to dehydration, dermatitis, and redness, but I’m breakout prone.
I’m also a skin picker, which causes lots of issues.
Glycolic acid toners just kill my skin. I don’t even like it in moisturizers. Long wear foundations tend to give me blemishes, too. I think whatever makes them long wearing, makes them rather occlusive on my skin.
Just a note, benzoyl peroxide can be very drying. So if you’re finding extra dryness, you might consider not using it every day.
I’m curious to try the Biologique Recherece p50 1970 because of the hype. But I’m pretty sure with my rosacea it would just rip my skin up.
Hi Tatiana,
Yeah, I’m thinking a glycolic acid is one of the things that made me break out. Le sigh!
Hi Tatiana, I too have rosacea and I use Biologique Recherche P50W, which is the formulation for sensitive skin. It has worked wonders for me, I had a number of “bumps” around my chin and upper lip that had been hanging around for months. Within a week of using the P50W they all disappeared. My skin is the clearest, smoothest and brightest it has been in a very long time. Long live P50W!
Hi Jane, I just looked at the list of ingredients in P50W. My only question is, “How does it smell?” I got a sample of the SK-II essence and it smells like fermented food to me and because of that I cannot put it on my face. Wondering if this is similar in smell?
Hi Tatiana, it doesn’t have a strong smell. If anything it maybe has a hint of white wine vinegar, but I don’t find it off putting. You only need to use 4 or 5 drops on a cotton pad to pat onto the face and I don’t notice any lingering smell on my skin. It does sting a bit, but that is normal.
OMG, have you been peeking back at me from my bathroom mirror? I’ve been having a super bad skin week and I think it stems from me having been on a major skin care trial for the past month. I keep trying all these samples. I feel like Lily Tomlin in The Incredible Shrinking Woman.
So, I’ve got to stop trialing for a while and get back to basics, which for me is a rinse in the a.m., just a warm water rinse because I’m pretty dry, followed by Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening water cream.
At night I wash with Philosophy Purity and then use Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil and a few times a week I use Sunday Riley Good Genes.
Hey lady! Sometimes you just gotta get back to the basics. Hope your skin clears up soon… I feel your pain.
P.S. Good Genes is good stuff. I used and loved it for years!
Hi Karen ,
I just had the worst winter here east coast that sent my skin into peeling and dry red patches .
I finally use , slather Eucerin on day and night .
I use makeup forever remover for sensitive skin and continue w that .
Any and all of the eye creams I use !
It’s almost May and the dry patches are disappearing slowly .
On an interim Derm visit she confirmed the winter skin issues are real !
Hi Michele,
Glad your dry patches are disappearing. 🙂 Happy spring to you!
Touching my face. Whenever I do it (and I do it a lot when working on my computer) I tend to get a lot of breakouts there.
I used to have that habit, too. It’s hard to break. One thing I’ve found helpful is to bribe myself, LOL! Sounds simple, but it works.
I totally feel you. I went in hard on masks and didn’t realise how badly my skin would react to the wrong kind of masks. My skin needs hydrating masks and I started using clay masks that totally dried it out. They stripped my face of all its moisture and even started peeling. It took weeks to get it back to normal and now I’m much more aware that I can’t just try fads without respecting my skin type. It’s hard when you review products too, but I’m far more selective now lol
Hi feel ya, Karin. What moisturizing masks are you liking? I have dry skin too!
The other thing I’m guilty of is washing my face in the shower with water that’s too hot – it makes it so blotchy – but in the winter months I totally forget!
Hi Karin,
Yes, I’m guilty of that one too. It feels so good though!
Any of the acids or retinols give me a nasty rash. It makes finding anti-aging stuff difficult! I stick to mild, gentle cream cleansers and lots of hydration & moisture.
I’m thinking of trying an enzyme exfoliant as in the past my skin did tolerate enzyme products – and I’ve got some dry patches that I can’t shift.
Dehydration! If I don’t get enough water I swear my pores double in size trying to drink it from the air.
I feel ya, Jaclyn! Water makes such a huge difference. 🙂
Benzoyl Peroxide was too much for my skin. I gave up on it fairly early, and at that time there wasn’t much else for acne. I just suffered through my acne until I got 2% BHA lotion and liquid, which worked very well for me.
Hi CL,
What 2% BHA are you using? My skin likes BHAs too!
Paula’s Choice. I used to use the lotion. I use the liquid now.
I had really, really bad breakouts from pollution when I first moved to China. It took me quite a long time to figure it out, because I was throwing everything at it what I had in my bathroom, and that’s always a bad idea. In the end I had a really stressed skin barrier, and when I realised that and catered my routine to that, everything got better. I still have scars from that, though. 🙁
Hey Dorit,
That sounds intense. Glad everything is better for you now.
Are you still in China? If you are, how long have you been there?
Hi Karen!
Hope you have a great weekend! My Sunday here in Shanghai just started – so yes, I’m still here. We’ve been here for about two years, when we’ll leave in summer it’ll be about two and a half. It made for a lot of great travel opportunities throughout Asia, but I’ll be happy to go home again! We’ve had a spell of bad smog for the whole weekend, and I’ll be happy to be in a country where it’s possible to have an open window and not wearing a mask when going out!
I’m sure it was an amazing experience, especially with travel. 🙂 I’ve always wanted to live in another country. That’s great you were able to have that chance!
Happy Monday to you and have a great week.
I’ll probably never add in a bunch of skincare products into my regimen altogether! With reactive skin (certain retinols, alcohols and acids break me out, for instance) I can’t believe it took me so long to figure out that’s a no-no! Anyway.. Nowadays I’m all about skincare with short ingredient lists, phasing each one in gradually so I can always isolate which one’s the culprit if I break out, lol! I second the poster above about pollution.. Broke out something fierce when I was in China for a work trip and it only got better when I realised I had to triple cleanse to really remove the invisible grime on my face!
Hi Jen C,
It’s a hard lesson to learn. What skin care products are you using/loving right now.
Over doing my moisturizing products and getting the dreaded milia spots. I only do a heavier cream like Bobbi Brown extra repair or argan oil 1x day at most (if my skin isn’t extra dry that day). And my pop sonic leaflet with a cleansing balm is amazing. Don’t have to use harsh exfoliating products now. Tried Paula’s choice, glycolic etc and liked exfoliation result but oh the itching &redness on my cheeks yikes. Less is more for me or I look worse lol
Hi Diana,
I totally feel you with less is more! 🙂
How did you end up dealing with the milia?
Hey Karen!
Happy Saturday (caturday ?)! Milia seems to just love hanging around, sooo hard to get rid of. I have one now (darn you new eye cream!) so I’m using Dr. Gross retinol ferulic acid serum to shrink it and seems to be working! Not as fast as i want but hey a start. Any and all tips appreciated. These things don’t like concealer lol
I had peri-menopausal cystic acne after years of clear skin. I would change my skin care routine… but nada. Finally, I realized that products with dimethicone and other ‘cones were killing my skin and it began to clear up. I also avoid sodium laurel sulfate (in everything, including shampoo and toothpaste), and talc in face makeup never serves me well. Without any of these, my skin cleared up. (Although if I go on a blush binge with talc, I’ll break out exactly where I put the blush after a few days in a row.) When my skin is irritated my go-to is old fashioned Albolene Cream, a petroleum-based product my grandmother swore by and she had amazing skin, even in her 90s! Like you, I like chemical exfoliants (the P-50) and also some physical exfoliation. I used the CE Ferulic for a year or two (really helped clear up those old breakout sites) until I found a dupe of it on Amazon for a *fraction* of the price. When I stop using it, I start to break out again. It’s made by a label called “Timeless”. Those are my lows. My highs are Vintner’s Daughter and Sunday Riley’s Good Genes, both of these are totally up to the hype. I learned to stop messing around with concealers and foundations with the ‘cones, because they were only throwing fuel on the fire. I swear by Kiehl’s BB cream and have used at least 6 tubes or more.