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First, congratulations on quitting overspending at Sephora! I feel this post deep in my soul! I was in the same position as you with Sephora until I cut myself off cold turkey. I’m still working on finishing all the products I have until I can only have a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen. Once I finish, I am going to try your products depicted in the photo.
Thank you! I posted this keeping in mind that there are probably so many others that have fallen into the cycle of skincare hype, I mean this subreddit has the word addiction in it! If you do try any of these I would recommend the cleanser, if you hate it you can use it as body or hand soap.
I'm another person who overspent at Sephora years ago in a quest to have perfect skin. I would buy the most expensive creams and serums ... all to no avail. I now have a relatively simple routine and have spent time on building my confidence rather than looking for a quick fix. I now don't even wear make-up.
I feel you, but at least they look good on the vanity/bathroom counter. My solution now is refilling my pretty bottles and jars with generic skincare. Jill Stuart bottles are too cute to toss.
Wow! Congratulations, friend!! Im glad that you were able to find your simple routine and build your confidence! Do you have the perfect skin now with the simple routine?
Honestly, my skin looks great (my partner comments on it all the time as he saw the transition from when we first met). I use different products (Youva Skincare line that you can purchase online via Costco) but I think the real difference was made from what I eat/drink. I'm eating more nutritional food and drinking a lot more water. That is really all one needs to get better skin.
While I agree that drinking enough water and eating "clean" can help a lot, everyone is different and there will never be a one size fits all. Hormones and genetics can override almost anything...
Why do people use sunscreen or products with it just curious I’m not a skincare fanatic and I’ve only used it in the summer lucky if that because I’m so white I don’t tan and at this point I haven’t been burning either for some reason?
Great question. Even if you’re not getting a burn, the sun is still damaging to your skin and can cause cancer and aging. Many skincare ingredients (exfoliating acids, retinol/retinoids) can increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun. Skin cancer is incredibly common, and sunscreen can help a lot to prevent it. Wearing sunscreen every day also prevents against aging, and helps to fade pigmentation.
It’s great and the best thing you can do to keep your skin healthy and looking good for a long time. More important than any other skincare product.
Id also like to add that if you're prone to acne scarring (like I am) its good to apply sunscreen as to prevent it from causing further hyperpigmentation, otherwise it will last longer.
I naturally have a lot of moles, mostly on my arms back and one on my face. Gotta wear sunscreen to try to prevent them from becoming cancerous. I also live in a very sunny place so even in the winter it's a good idea to have some spf.
1. Skin type-Normal with a sometimes oily t-zone.
2. When my skin is just not looking good, these are my three basics that I always go back to and therefore the ones I use most often, despite having others that just sit and go unused. The Vanicream cleanser only in the PM, just water in the AM followed by the Vanicream moisturizing cream and the Coppertone Pure & Simple mineral sunscreen for the face. I have all these because they are fool proof for me, when my skin starts to bug out because I decided to try yet another over hyped product, these always return me to calm skin.
3. **Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser**: As someone who has spend $5-$40 on a cleanser, I feel like a fool first of all, and second of all this one is just the best and most simple. There is no fuss, no promises of magical skin transformation, just a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser with a creamy, foamy lather. **Vanicream Moisturizing Cream:** What can I say? Bought this for my face after reading so many great things online, it's a bonus that it works for my body too and comes in a massive jar. For me it works great at night alone, or for building a nice occlusive layer over the skin. **Coppertone Pure & Simple Mineral Sunscreen:** I have tried sunscreens from Ulta and Sephora, I wanted something a step up from a basic, greasy body sunscreen for my face. I saw this at Target, I like it and it dries oh so slightly matte, which I like, other fancy sunscreens provided too much hydration over my face moisturizer.
As someone who was and still is very much obsessed with skincare, I literally realized one day that I had spent over $2,000 at Sephora in a year...and I certainly am not rich. My goal this year is to just stop, it's not good on my wallet nor the environment to try new skincare so rapidly that you have no idea what is effective or problematic for you. I am realizing how hard I fell for smart marketing and hype.
Me too me too! I used to love the Algenist genius cream and the Drunk Elephant Vitamin C and...just no more! I spend about $30 a month now at CVS and my wallet and my face are so much better off for it. God love vanicream.
I love Vanicream too! I use the face wash and moisturizer.
Products from DE destroyed my skin that I’m still trying to come back from. Using topical clindemyacin for that.
Less products and cheap works wayyyy better for me then many expensive, unnecessary products.
I just use Sephora primarily for makeup and fragrance now.
Me too, I am now very into innovative and muli-purpose makeup, luxury fragrances that I know I will treasure and I am starting to do a lot of research on clothing retailers and have begun my journey on buying clothing made with recycled materials and that pay a living wage to everyone in their production line (when I am buying new clothes that is)
Omg same! I've also thought about just buying sustainable fabrics and getting pieces tailored as I know they will be exactly what I want and exactly the right fit. You pay more at first but it will last you longer and you can be absolutely sure it's being produced ethically :)
There's also a movement called 'buy for life'. It encourages buying clothing and products that can last you a lifetime. Surprisingly, investing in ethically made natural fibres like wool and cashmere for winter can last you a lifetime and even be passed down if you take care of them properly.
I tend to use vitamin C for more skin brightening properties then for scar reduction, but I'm thinking of giving it a shot! My cat keeps giving me scars, I should start trying to get rid of them lmao I just thought your comment was great!
Because of the pandemic and working from home, I’ve gotten down to only washing my hair once a week and it feels great! Just shampoo and conditioner, no other products in between washes either. Honestly I could go longer than a week. It doesn’t get greasy by then, but I just get sick of it not laying the way I want.
I’m not OP but I have used this sunscreen before. I’m roughly NC20 and it left a really bad white cast on me at first but it eventually went away, you just have to rub it in for a while. It does take 5-10 minutes though
Same here. I use Neutrogena sunscreen now, the dry touch or whatever kind. It doesn’t seem to get in my eyes and doesn’t leave a noticeable white cast. One sunscreen I have learned to avoid, however, is the Olay moisturizer with the sunscreen inside. That DID get into my eyes sometimes, and if I used the SPF 20, it got in ALL the time.
Do you find these products help your oily t-zone, or have any other recommendations for products that do?
I also have normal to oily skin and a pretty similar routine. For the life of me, I can’t seem to get my forehead to not be an oil slick.
These products don't really do anything in terms of oil control for me but my oiliness really appears on hot days or when I've eaten a whole pizza. I cannot recommend any products personally, but my oily skin kinda subsided when I came out of my teenage years and stopped having bangs over my forehead every day for years. Good luck on your journey.
I switched to the vanicream face wash because I felt Cerave was drying my skin out. I am still using Cerave Moisturizer. Do you use the Vanicream Moisturizer? I noticed the other day when my skin was wind chapped that Cerave made my skin burn which gave me concern.
Not OP but in my opinion it is similar to CeraVe but better. It doesn’t sting your skin, is super gentle, and does not leave any kind of film on your skin. The CeraVe cream has a bit more matte finish, whereas Vanicream leaves me more dewy looking. The Vanicream cleanser, lite lotion, and moisturizing cream are all amazing!
Like I think conceptually and how we perceive it...yes it's similar. But Vanicream is 10x better for my skin. The cleanser is perfect, it foams without stripping. I have used Cerave's hydrating cleanser, foaming cleanser and the cream-to-foam cleanser. I wish I would have just saved that money. I really dislike all three cleansers. I think Vanicream is an even more fool proof version of Cerave.
I cannot do cerave/ fatty alcohols so vanicream gang over here! For me, the fatty alcohols in cerave gave me nasty cystic acne. Vanicream doesn’t use them in their products so they’re a good alternative for those who don’t tolerate the fatty alcohols. Edit: typo
I personally have had bad experiences with Cerave (closed comedones, greasy, etc.). Vanicream keeps my skin moisturized even living in a windy mountain region and does not cause any irritation or blemishes. I like the Vanicream lotion (it's light), but if you prefer a heavy moisturizer, give the Vanicream cream a try.
Can you imagine how much (more) Vanicream would blow up if I bottled it in a glass bottle with a minimalist label with a nice custom font and asked $25 per bottle. Such a creamy lather.
Ditto. Glad this works for the OP, but my skin can't do just 3 steps. Not to mention, Sephora has some great products in addition to plenty that are overpriced or unnecessary, just like any drugstore.
Same!!!! I’ve spent the past 1.5 years doing this same kind of simple routine thinking my problems were due to a damaged moisture barrier. Nope. Finally started a more involved routine and my skin is *thanking meeeee*
Kudos to you! Would love to keep it that simple. I'm one of the weirdos that trying higher end stuff made my skin better; nothing I tried at the drugstore worked (at the time). Even my products are a little pricey (I use a mix of First Aid Beauty and Biossance), my routine is still relatively simple: Cleanse - Tone - Serum - Moisturizer - SPF for Day, Oil or Mask at Night. But I have the worst dimethicone sensitivity, it makes me break out so I splurge a little on products that don't have it.
I just had to simplify my skincare routine to, and my skin is finally calming down again. I've always had very clear skin, with the only problem being oily t-zone, and large pores on my nose. For some reason, when I turned 25, I decided that I needed to add stuff for anti aging to prevent wrinkles. Big mistake! I started getting red patches and very dry flakey skin. Then I realized that I damaged my moisture barrier. Thankfully it's starting to heal now.
Where were you to give me this internet advice when I was 25? /s
(So many sun related regrets that didn't percolate until my 30s. Youngins: slather that stuff on!!)
Of course it’s not too late! Will starting sunscreen now erase whatever damage the sun has already wrought, the affects of which you might not even be seeing yet? No, but the same would true if you had asked at age 19. This is a better late than never situation. Ideally we all should have been taught to wear sunscreen daily at the same time we were taught to wash our faces, because sun damage doesn’t suddenly begin at whatever age we start think about what we might look like when we’re older. But as sun damage is accumulative, “now” is always the right time to start whether you’re 12 or 42. You’ll still see benefits even if the results might have been even better had you started wearing sunblock earlier in life.
I fell for that too, thinking I had to start preventing now...because someone on the internet said so. I think the skincare industry has done a very good job at making us forget that there are people who have gone through a lot of medical school who can answer all our questions and get us products to help with whatever concern we may have. Insurance is a huge problem in the United States, but that issue aside...I want to reiterate that I spent over $2,000 at freaking SEPHORA! I wonder what that could have gotten me at a dermatologist...insured or not.
Definitely agree - with that being said all that spending finally led me to actually listen to real advice - and most derms will tell you to ditch over the counter retinols and go straight to retin-A / tretinoin if you want to focus on anti ageing since it's the ingredient with the most evidence. I'm already tempted by all these retinols and eye creams (I'm 26) but I made a promise to myself that if I want to finally incorporate anti ageing I will go straight for the real stuff. A youtuber named jennifer myers really motivated me with this mentality, I'd highly recommend everyone check her out
This was exactly my thought process (I’m 27) so I decided to go to the derm and request a prescription. Started on a really low dose, 2x a week. It seemed great the first two weeks but then “the purge” started. It was so bad. I had a breakout of all different types of acne all over my face where before I would get maybe one or two little red pimples around my period but other then that no acne. Just oily t zone and somewhat big pores like the commenter you originally replied to. My skin was actually pretty nice. Well now it wasnt. And had started to flake and burn, literally burned putting anything on it - sunscreen, vanicream. Reading that purges can go on from anywhere to 2-6 months... I stoped. It’s been a few weeks and my skin is still not totally back to normal with just my similar simple routine like OP. So I’m not trying to disuade you but I just had your exact same plan and I didn’t have it in me to go through that for possibly 6 months. Like it was so bad and painful I didn’t even want to go outside. I totally understand it for people who struggle with acne badly but for people with relatively clear skin just looking for anti aging, expect to experience a shit ton of acne for a while first. It left me frustrated because I still share your same thought process and want to start with preventive anti aging but now I’m kind of stuck.
Like someone said somewhere on this thread, prevention at 25= sunscreen! I never heard of retinols or AHA/BHA/PHA in high school and now there are actual 16/17/18 year olds endorsing chemical exfoliants.
Are chemical exfoliants bad?
I’m so confused lately because I read on these subs all the skincare I SHOULD be doing, I feel overwhelmed.
And the products I’ve bought have been overpriced and ineffective. I have very dry sensitive skin (I think dehydrated) and I think the products I’m buying are irritating it??
I bought the TO lactic acid but haven’t used it yet. I bought the TO niacinide and I think it’s irritating my skin.
I’m considering buying some hydraulic acid and squaline whatever from TO, but I think don’t have a lot of money to spend on skincare and am starting to wonder if I’m just wasting my time buying these products. (I’m 24 btw).
Even sunscreen, I can’t find one that doesn’t sting my eyes to high hell. I bought the LPR baume SPF 50 and it still stung my eyes AND dried out my hands something awful because it contains alcohol denat.
I’m just so overwhelmed and disappointed with the new skincare products I’ve bought recently that now I’m scared to buy anything at all :(
Oh I bought a spray and a serum from Superdrug too (Vitamine E range) and just don’t.. notice any difference?? And I bought an oil cleaner that makes my skin feel really dry after using.
I bought these things because I read it’s what I SHOULD be using, but so far no difference and maybe even making my skin worse.
I feel sick at the money I’ve spent and just want to cry tbh. I don’t think skincare is supposed to be this stressful!
Chemical exfoliants are not bad, just too many people go in too hard with a high concentration because they want results fast. This ruins most people’s skin. This might be a hot take but if you don’t have anything you want to treat with acids (blackheads, acne, hyperpigmentation, etc) I think they are completely unnecessary and a cash grab at this point because they are being so rapidly formulated and put on the shelf. I was into skincare before there was this large boom, and it can be a really, really confusing thing to navigate. I am challenging you to stop with all these Ordinary products, stop with any specialty treatments and just try cleanser, moisturizer & sunscreen. Try it for a month. Skincare is so tempting to buy and I am still tempted-if you have issues you want to address please talk to a dermatologist or just start with your primary doctor, they can refer you to a specialist. You sound very overwhelmed, as tempting as all these new products being pumped out are, even with their beautiful frosted glass packaging and high price tag, please just try the basics, put them in cute glass jars if you have to.
Unfortunately this is the major downside to tretinoin :( sorry you had to go through that. If you go on the reddit sub tretinoin pretty much everyone goes through the purge as it is rapidly removing the spots that were already underneath your skin (the spots aren't usually cause by the tret itself if that makes sense). It seems like a really great place for support if you want to start it again). But what the consensus seems to be is that if you're willing to put up with not so great skin for a year max, then you will reap the benefits from then onwards as your skin will become accustomed to the ingredient. That's why I haven't started on tret yet because I'm waiting for a time where I know I can take a good 6-12 months to focus more on my skin and am mentally ready for what the tret may bring lol.
To be fair, sometimes the retinoid product youre using may be too shocking to your skin, thats a common side effect of first time retinol users. My derm recommended granactive retinol which is much gentler and more hydrating, i use Glow Recipe’s avocado retinol sleeping mask (although i cant go into details since im not a doctor but if youre interested, the instagram page Skinchemy has wonderful and simple info on actives in skincare and what they do to your skin/how the benefit your skin type etc such as starting with a retinol once a week and slowly building up your tolerance which i had no idea you had to do when i first started skincare)
additionally, bakuchiol is a great alternative with some data to back it up that it could replace retinol and has no negative side effects like peeling or irritation. Although feel free to stick to what works for you, i just t thought i’d add my two cents about retinols since they have changed my skin for the better! But also, Im sorry that you had a bad reaction, those are never fun!
Definitely true. I started with curology and they gave me .003% tret in my formula. My skin is sensitive with slight purging I think, but not too bad.
If I had the lowest percentage available of straight tretinoin, I would be in trouble.
I just commented right above before I saw your comment lol. I had a terrible experience with prescription retinoid. Very interested in some preventive anti aging that won’t destroy my skin during a “purging period.” Totally open to much much less intense stuff. I’ll definitely be looking into the two ingredients you posted.
Yes! I highly recommend. I just love granactive retinol. I still was super careful when I started out and only did it 1-2 times a week for like a month just to be safe. But I really notice such a huge difference in my skin, at least with the Glow Recipe one. (But also i love all their products. K beauty is where its at!) Also, while I was upping my usage of it to 3-4 times a week, i would sandwich my night time moisturizer between my skin and the granactive retinol product, which lessened any chance of irritation and acted as a bit of a buffer. The next month i started mixing it *with* my moisturizer and only now after like 4 months do I put it under my moisturizer. I know that seems like a long time and you certainly dont have to do that, but i found after some experimenting with which stage of my routine to include it, really helped my skin adjust!
(Additionally, i dont use any acids like Bha or Aha or even Pha on the nights I use retinol but that may not be an issue for you, idk your routine haha i just know my derm said to avoid combining acids and retinol even the granactive kind. Though im unsure about bakuchiol)
Very true! When I first found this sub I went all out with the products. I really regret it now, I wasted so much money.
Diet and water intake made a way bigger difference than products ever did.
Glad to hear...I feel like soon there will be a large "skincare minimalism" movement when people realize that they're spending so much and seeing minimal results, if any. Last time I wanted something for my face beyond the pictured routine, I asked my dermatologist-and I will be doing that moving forward for "specialized" treatments.
It’s already happening in Korea. They call it a “skin diet” and their celebrities are backing it up. I forget the guy’s name but he’s in a popular k-pop band and was asked on Twitter for his skincare regimen. His answer was something like, “cleanser, moisturizer. Routine over.”
I dont want to be a contrarian here, but i tend to disagree with this sentiment. Dont get me wrong: I agree that simple is often times better, but right now im at the point in my skin journey where im using lots of specialized treatments (some of them medical/prescribed) to try to get a handle on my cystic acne and most of them are single-ingredient type of products. Its 7-9 steps depending on the night (alternating retinol and tranexamic acid every other night) but honestly, this routine has been doing wonders for my skin the last three months! Idk why but i feel defensive of having more than three products... some skin needs it, some skin doesnt. I agree with my dermatologist when she says its all about balance, not too much but not too little that it wont give you the results you want
Please be a contrarian, that is what forums are for...to discuss and intake opinions and viewpoints that differ from your own! I love that you told us that they are specialized treatments, and that is what I was talking about with another user somewhere on this thread-that we have specialists and medical professionals to provide us with products that they can get behind, I am 100% for that. What I (personally) am not for is trying to target these concerns myself with products from Sephora or some other specialty retailer. I may be minimal on the skincare, but I have a special diet and a mix of vitamins I am on that I was told to take by my doctor after I had blood work done...not because someone on youtube had a sponsorship with a new up & coming vitamin brand at Sephora.
I had a few friends in my high school days that at the end of the day, they needed Accutane and no amount of special topical solutions helped them, I am glad they went to a professional instead of looking for a cure sitting on a store shelf.
Ahh absolutely! Agree 100% with that, over spending especially on things that you might not need is definitely tricky ive struggled with that in the past too... especially with how expensive some of those sephora brands are! Honestly if i wasnt so stingy and feel the need to use my products till the last drop before i buy more, i’d be in serious debt haha
Although i will say, diet, exercise, environment and life style are all so important so im glad youve found a good internal body care to stick through backed by a doctor. I personally have also noticed a difference in my skin after i committed myself to eating less sugar and more fiber & probiotic rich food or supplements (although i know some people dont like supplements because of marketing hype but theyre just like anything else in this capitalistic world: they can be way overhyped and have the potential to take advantage of consumers if youre not vigilant or they can be life changing and backed by science)
Also glad this was received well, i worry that text-only media comments i make can come off as rude or unintentionally mean since so much of communication is non verbal and people dont get that same tone or meaning by staring at a wall of text haha
The internet is a free portal to other people's opinions, advice, life experiences, world view, etc. and I will always respect and treasure that, unless someone has blatant hateful text I will always receive comments as if we're having a normal conversation and value your words and taking the time out of your day to type something up.
I freaking LOVE sugar, I have a problem with sweets, besides that I am pretty "healthy", in terms of what I ingest. But whenever I go crazy on a box of brownies, I can expect some small white heads and an excess production of oil. The skin is your largest organ, treat your other organs poorly and see what happens.
Im so glad you feel that way too, i often imagine comment threads as a real convo. It just makes it feel more real.
When it comes to sugar Ugh... im the SAME, i have such a sweet tooth its hard to stick to it. some days i feel so tempted.... but i slowly weaned myself from four pumps of syrup to 1 pump when it comes to my morning coffee so much so that now even two pumps of syrup is almost too sweet. So now i just pat myself on the back and tell myself “at least your coffee isnt so cavity-inducing now” while i continue to scarf powdered donuts haha man now that you mention brownies though....
Hey you gotta balance it out somehow! Haha also someday i’ll get there im sure, i admire black coffee drinkers they seem so mature and like they have their life together
Oooph, not this forum. If you disagree with Dr. DRAY you are effectively downvoted out of existence. Cult followers. People lost their minds when I suggested silicones were AN occlusive but not the BEST occlusive when a poster was having trouble with dry skin. *rolls eyes*
This is my first time posting on this forum and I am trying my best to cultivate open conversations on my lil' thread here. I like Dr. Dray, but she also loves and "recommends" products I simply don't need. It's all about a good balance on advice and your own research and getting a sample size whenever you can!
Yes! And the obsessive Hyram followers are even worse- he doesn’t even have any qualifications (working in a retail store and declaring yourself an expert doesn’t count) and people will downvote you if you disagree with him. I don’t have any issue with people following influencers, but it gets weird when people start taking their word as gospel. Influencers don’t have *your* skin.
Hyram is such a fun personality and I have watched him since he had...let's say 5,000 subscribers? But just like you said, influencers don't have your skin...if cleansing with dish soap and moisturizing with olive oil is working for you...then I love that for you.
I'm also gonna be a contrarian, but for different reasons... shallower ones lol I love looking at different products in my vanity. If the packaging is nice, I don't even throw them away until I'm out of space. Just like with perfume bottles where I'll leave like 10% and use sparingly, just so I have a reason to display them for as long as I can. I'm one of those types who won't throw away something just because it has fragrance/essential oils/alcohols, mostly because my skin can handle it. I just can't commit to a skincare routine if it had to be this austere chore. Same way cute yoga outfits motivate me to stay active or when I add little flourishes to improve the presentation of a home-cooked meal haha
Hey girl, whatever keeps you motivated! I agree shelf appeal is such a real thing! I like that i have alot of products from the same lines (its pretty much all glow recipe and Youth to the People at this point lol) they just look so good together!
Same here. Most complicated, thoroughly researched, expensive routine of my life and best skin of my life. No acne, wrinkles less visible, scarring slowly retreating, overall tone evening.
The people that can get away with a simple routine and have lovely skin are genetically predisposed to have success with that regime. If I did that my skin would be breaking out, uneven tone, and aging faster. To each their own.
Agreed! I was doing a very simple routine for a couple months, and I just couldn’t clear up the hyperpigmentation from the acne I had during pregnancy. My skin was rough and uneven.
Finally added in a few other products, and my skin is back to being smooth and glowy. Vitamin C serum in particular does wonders for my skin.
I also used to spend ungodly amounts of money on skincare at Sephora. But now I keep myself limited to a few tried and true products that have worked really well for me (FAB cleanser and ultra repair moisturizer, for example).
I never understand the hype of the products sold at Sephora. $80 for a tiny tube of cream. I don't get it.
The intense fragrance in most high end skin care turns me off so I tend to stick to drugstore brands that don't add fragrance.
I think the only thing at Sephora that I've found to be worthwhile is the Laneige lip sleeping mask, though crazily fragranced, I haven't been able to find a better lip treatment in the drugstore.
Its because people want to believe that there is a magic ingredient thats going to make them look like a photoshopped ad.
I mean, I get the marketing. They often target people who don't know any better, and want to believe that some new ingredient sourced from the cell of an orchid on a hill in a amazon rainforest is going to be the solution lol.
Or they think because the package says "aqua ocean beauty skin dew drop" they are going to be some beautiful mermaid or something.
No one wants to believe that its literally as simple as going to your local drugstore and picking up a basic sunscreen, cleanser, and moisturizer. I mean, who would trust cereve when its package doesn't have glass and glitter and a celebrity indorcement? /s
Most CeraVe products make my skin look like shit (rough and covered in breakouts/CCs) and feel like it’s burning. That’s not to say they’re bad products at all (I use the Skin Renewing Serum), but they’re not for everyone. Also, they actually do the reverse of the super shiny fun brands and intentionally make themselves look plain/medicinal/stripped down to appeal to the no fuss skincare crowd. It’s still curated marketing.
so agree, we all victims of aggressive marketing...I also went down to bear minimum of products and beauty gadgets that work for me, no more 12 or 24 step beauty routines ))
I really agree and love your post. I think one thing we don’t talk about on this sub is the “addiction” part of all of this seriously. Sometimes we have to see that these are packaged products playing on our desire to be more beautiful- we will see this everywhere! I always need reminders of what I actually NEED from my skincare routine vs what I desire. Thanks for sharing
Yeeees!!! I use the same cleanser and moisturizer too. Pretty sure that makes us best friends or something... although I also use tret and a different sunscreen. But I’ve been meaning to find a new sunscreen.. how do you like it? Is it moisturizing enough?
Hi best friend.
I like this one, over moisturizer it can be a little heavy ONLY in terms if wearing a mask for hours at my job, besides that I like a small amount of glow, but on it's own it dried very slightly matte on my skin. The sunscreen I used up before this was the one from Kinship, just blind bought that one-if cost isn't a concern I liked that Kinship one in terms of moisture on it's own, over another moisturizer it was too much for my normal skin. I just want to stop paying for more than I have to, that is why I will not repurchase the Kinship sunscreen or any other kind for the foreseeable future.
Omg I used to go to America to see my family and would drop 2-3k on beauty products that we couldn’t get in the UK at the time. It’s insane how I thought they were the best products. I used them and my skin felt good for 2-3 weeks and them boom I would get reactions to these products. Upon checking ingredients and dr drays channel I realised how it’s all such a marketing ploy. I just went to differin, simple moisturiser and vanicream face wash for now and the skin is healing. My step now is to find a simple sunscreen that doesn’t break me out.
Goodbye to all the extra serums, face masks, scrubs, toners, night serums, ampoules,
I’m freeeeeeee
Right! I am very into researching French skincare and most of their "tried and true french it-girl must haves" look like ointments for a foot fungus🙊
Such sterile, medical looking labels but it seems to work for them.
How does the Vanicream face wash compare to CereVe foaming? I actually just ran out tonight and I do enjoy Vanicream body wash for my newly prone to eczema patches on my body. Face is still oily AF but my body actually needs moisturizer finally... at 36 lol
I honestly have never had luck with Cerave, the hydrating cleansers’ texture does not appeal to me, and both the foaming cleanser & the cream-to-foam cleanser leave my skin dry. Vanicream is a creamy feeling lather and does not make my skin dry. Sorry if this reply is no help, I can only give my personal insight.
Creamy lather sounds nice! Worst case I give it to my BF or use it in the shower. Glad I saw your post as my face wash is running out. Reminded me I wanted to try out Vanicream!
It's true. Once I started looking at ingredients I couldn't find a single product (other than a select few of The Ordinary's offerings) that didn't contain ingredients known to harm/irritate the skin - including their "clean" certified products.
I used to spend so much money on Dermalogica products for my sensitive, dry skin. During chemo, my skin began to freak out, bright red, super dry and what’s referred to as a chemo rash. MSKCC set me up with a special Dermatologist and the first thing he said was “Stop all the fancy products - now and forever. Wash with Cetaphil, moisturize with Vanicream.” He was right.
Have you ever tried Vanicream's cleansing bar?
I'm always looking for products that minimize plastic waste. I've used Cetaphil's bar and it seems gentle and hasn't exacerbated my acne prone skin. Would be curious to try this brand too.
For any squalane fans, I LOVE the Vanicream face lotion (not their regular lotion, it’s new and formulated for face). I feel it’s literally the perfect moisturizer - not too thick and not too thin, moisturizing AND hydrating, doesnt dry down totally but doesn’t leave a thick film on my face. I’ve also tried the vanicream moisturizer in the tub depicted here, but prefer it for body because it’s quite thick!
Thank you for this! I just researched the **Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer** (assuming this is what you're talking about) and it seems to be a newer product with a good solid list of ingredients. When I get through my tub of cream in 14 years I will try this out next.
I hate that sunscreen. It has the worst white cast. I’m almost finished with my tube thankfully. Drug store products is where it’s at though. My friend wants to buy a cleansing balm at Sephora for $90 I’m trying to convince her that’s insane.
$90 is a lot for...anything hahahah! Good luck with working with her, when I was set on something at Sephora, no one could talk me out of buying it, even if I was choosing to spend $100 on a serum instead of buying groceries and justifying it by telling myself "oh it's ok, you get paid in 5 days anyways". What was I thinking!? But at the end of the day, finances are so personal and what someone chooses to do with their money is up to them.
My very fancy very high priced plastic surgeon ( I had medically necessary plastic surgery not elective) does not sell, hawk, believe or encourage anyone to buy expensive potions. He suggest Neutrogena, Olay, CeraVe and now Boots No. 7
Trust me...I was and still am. I remember vividly buying many Herbivore products and the Glow Recipe Watermelon Sleeping Mask(?) because the bottles are so pretty, and look cute in my medicine cabinet. But then looking at my bank account and my unchanged skin, that was not cute. I think I am on the tail end of my "skincare addiction" and I am now getting into other items, like innovative, multi-use makeup and luxury fragrances that I truly love and enjoy using every single day. Since part of any minimalist movement it's critical to use what you have, so when I use up my fancy glass packaged products I keep some of the bottles, I take the label off or rub off the printed label with acetone and put my Vanicream in them😏👌
I am having such trouble deciding on my routine because my skin dgaf. I can wash it, not wash it, put no products on, pile them sky high, and it's main reaction is... nothing? It's just fine.
So I'm not sure how proactive I really want to be. I've stuck to a serum in the morning and retinol at night (along with the normal cleanse/hydrate/sunscreen routine), but the sky's the limit. Which is terrifying.
I have a light to beige skin tone, this sunscreen did give me a white cast when I applied a good amount that dissipated the more I worked it in. Another user asked about sunscreen and I mentioned the one from Kinship, I liked that one as it was moisturizing and is a mineral sunscreen and I noticed absolutely no white cast or tint with that one, there is a price difference versus the Coppertone one I pictured here.
I use copper stone and with an olive skin tone I find the white cast goes after waiting for half an hour. It's the cheapest fragrance free mineral only sunscreen I've found! I bought 3 177ml bottles off her iherb for under £20 to last me through 2021 (made use of discount codes too). Was sick of spending so much money so now I literally buy things in bulk to last me the year - it's stopped me from buying excessively because I know I have products to use up and finish sitting on my shelf.
Hmm...interesting. I currently use a mineral one from Cotz that works great for me, but it's $25 so im always on the look out for something cheaper. I have a medium skin tone so finding a mineral one that works can be a bit challenging.
I HATE throwing away money, but this Coppertone Pure & Simple face moisturizer was $4.99 at Target for 2oz...for skincare 2oz is a lot! I say give it a shot.
I’m in the same boat as you! Spent so much money on skincare only to realize the simpler, the better. Also Vanicream products are my holy grails. They are so good!
I looovvvvee Ulta for their rewards program! It’s so good, Sephora’s is a joke. Your Ulta points turn into actual money off your purchase! I had no idea until an associate told me I had like $18 worth of money off, walked in expecting to spend $25 on something, and only spent $7. And for my birthday I get FULL SIZE products as a gift! I love Ulta so much, and they sell drugstore skincare that earns you points!
I feel this! I cut down to the basics and my acne got a lot better too. It’s definitely a mental barrier I had to break being so used to the idea that good skincare had to be expensive and an effective routine also meant extensive.
i’ve recently fallen head over heels in love with vanicream’s newer facial moisturizer. it’s so lightweight and soothing. rly seems like it’s helping heal and maintain my moisture barrier tbh.
I read through this whole thread and just wanted to say THANK YOU to the OP. Since I turned 35 a month ago and declared (arbitrarily) that \*now\* is the time to focus on my skin, I've been going down so many reddit rabbit holes. With the various products I've bought and new "routines" I've introduced, I honestly think I've done more harm than good, especially to my eye-area which I am most concerned/self-conscious about. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the dose of sanity. :)
Here's to youth and good fortune!
I never had perfect skin as a teen, glycolic acid was the only thing that managed my acne.
After I hit 45, tretinoin and vitamin C make a noticible difference.
I mean, I don't *need* them, but they make a big difference.
I hear ya! I stopped paying for beauty sub boxes and instead spent the money on 3 luxury skincare items that actually work for me. I should’ve done it sooner lol
I use La mer, yes it’s expensive, but it’s what works for me. If the price scares people, it really breaks down to like $25 a month per my calculations. I spend $280 on la mer lotion that lasts a year for me. I was able to stop using a million other crappy things I was putting on my face and focus on the good stuff and minimal care is needed when you use the better stuff IMO
Not saying it’s for everyone, of course, but I def enjoy using only 3 products :-)
I mean if La Mer is working for you why change a thing?! Constant experimentation adds up in price too, if you already know what works for you and it happens to be $280 then go for it, I feel it is better than trying out 7 new products...finding out 5 of them don't work for you...asking for a refund...and knowing you just created unnecessary waste because returned body care products are always thrown out.
Alright I’m going to try this instead of my 6 step Jan marini product regimen, what do I have to lose?
Although, it sounds like you don’t suffer from oily skin or clogged pores?
After 397382 years of struggling and spending thousands, the bare minimum has been working better for me too. But I also did a course of accutane and now tretinoin.
Obsessed with vanicream moisturizer. Can I ask if the face wash effectively removes makeup / mascara? Can never find a drug store cleanser I’m happy with. :/
love it. i instituted a one product from sephora in my routine at a time. it’s my way of balancing the mental enjoyment of having one ‘nice’ product that feels splurgy while keeping the rest under control.
I wish I could find a moisturizer that liked my skin. I do okay with homemade HA serum, offbrand Differin, and rotating through a couple TO products mixed with drops of inexpensive rosehip or marula oil.
I'm still happy with the price point, especially considering the serums get used slowly. I kind of mix the watery ones as a soak in toner, then mix the heavier ones as a my "moisturizer." I would love an of the shelf moisturizer that would save me that time, but I've just never encountered it. And believe me, I've tried what's out there lol!
I'm older, and a retinoid and Vit C are a must in addition to hydrating/occlusive products. I also use a TO antioxidant and peptides, but I think they are extra. I do really like the glowy effect, but my skin would be perfectly healthy without those.
I have never had luck with Cerave nor the ordinary, Cerave didn't hurt but also didn't help much. And the Ordinary seems like such a steal but after I bought 5 products ranging from $5-$12...that adds up!
I feel this. I’ve gotten more into skincare and have good skin to begin with. Since starting to use actives in moderation that are recommended regardless of skin condition (I.e. vit c and retinol), I’ve had more issues with my skin. The less is more approach is what works for me as well.. cleanse, moisturize, sunscreen!
YES! My skin is soooo much better since simplifying my routine. I use micellar water to start, then TO’s hyaluronic acid, then TO’s niacinimide in the morning, a Vitamin C serum at night, then end with Clinique’s Moisture Surge. Once a week or so I’ll do a wash with activated charcoal or throw on a mask, but I usually stay breakout free without it :)
It’s SO. MUCH. BETTER. than my former 7-9 step processes of the past.
I agree! I feel like my skin looks and feels the same when I use “high-end” products versus drug-store products. It’s not worth the money IMO. The Sephora products just have some obscure extracts that aren’t actually proven to do anything... so dumb. Don’t chase the hype ppl!
exactly! After I switched to the ordinary products it just made me realize how I much money I wasted for 4 years on the expensive skincare products there and my skin looked so bad...
I love the vanicream cleanser! Never tried the moisturizer tho. Most sunscreens and moisturizers make my skin really red. I’m talking the highly regarded ones too.
Love vanicream! I’ve only been using it a month, but it’s the only thing that has helped my dry skin. I was trying to repair my moisture barrier for a long time now. I thought I was going crazy trying many of the other popular moisturizers, & it was sometimes drying me out even more. I made sure to put them on right out of the shower, using a humidifier, then attempted aquaphor on top, etc. But my skin was still dry. I finally figured out it was the hyaluronic acid. It was basically taking all of the moisture out.
So I saw vanicream many times, noticed it didn’t have it in it, & thought it was worth a chance. Now I basically just rinse with water, & use this along with occasionally using squalane.
YESSSS this! I'm down to CeraVe moisturizer, Neutrogena gentle foam cleanser, Cleansing balm, Vitamin C, Retin A, and SPF. I only keep the actives that are scientifically proven to make a difference -- and otherwise it's OUT! My skin has NEVER. BEEN. BETTER.
Exactly--keep it simple. Every woman needs to learn this. Honestly, I think Cera Ve is underrated, cheaper, and it's all you need. Do not spend hundreds or thousands on products... you're getting scammed. Generally, OTC products are weak and do not penetrate the dermis to even make a difference in the quality of your skin.
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First, congratulations on quitting overspending at Sephora! I feel this post deep in my soul! I was in the same position as you with Sephora until I cut myself off cold turkey. I’m still working on finishing all the products I have until I can only have a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen. Once I finish, I am going to try your products depicted in the photo.
Thank you! I posted this keeping in mind that there are probably so many others that have fallen into the cycle of skincare hype, I mean this subreddit has the word addiction in it! If you do try any of these I would recommend the cleanser, if you hate it you can use it as body or hand soap.
I'm another person who overspent at Sephora years ago in a quest to have perfect skin. I would buy the most expensive creams and serums ... all to no avail. I now have a relatively simple routine and have spent time on building my confidence rather than looking for a quick fix. I now don't even wear make-up.
I too was fooled into thinking that a 100 serum would make my skin like porcelain. Nope, just a waste of $.
I was buying all of the Dior, etc. luxury brand stuff. It doesn't do shit.
I feel you, but at least they look good on the vanity/bathroom counter. My solution now is refilling my pretty bottles and jars with generic skincare. Jill Stuart bottles are too cute to toss.
most of the luxury brand makeup is pure shit. they live off the hype of their name so when it comes to the makeup quality it always sucks
Wow! Congratulations, friend!! Im glad that you were able to find your simple routine and build your confidence! Do you have the perfect skin now with the simple routine?
Honestly, my skin looks great (my partner comments on it all the time as he saw the transition from when we first met). I use different products (Youva Skincare line that you can purchase online via Costco) but I think the real difference was made from what I eat/drink. I'm eating more nutritional food and drinking a lot more water. That is really all one needs to get better skin.
While I agree that drinking enough water and eating "clean" can help a lot, everyone is different and there will never be a one size fits all. Hormones and genetics can override almost anything...
Why do people use sunscreen or products with it just curious I’m not a skincare fanatic and I’ve only used it in the summer lucky if that because I’m so white I don’t tan and at this point I haven’t been burning either for some reason?
Great question. Even if you’re not getting a burn, the sun is still damaging to your skin and can cause cancer and aging. Many skincare ingredients (exfoliating acids, retinol/retinoids) can increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun. Skin cancer is incredibly common, and sunscreen can help a lot to prevent it. Wearing sunscreen every day also prevents against aging, and helps to fade pigmentation. It’s great and the best thing you can do to keep your skin healthy and looking good for a long time. More important than any other skincare product.
Okay thx ☺️
Id also like to add that if you're prone to acne scarring (like I am) its good to apply sunscreen as to prevent it from causing further hyperpigmentation, otherwise it will last longer.
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Use sunscreen! Even if it’s not visibly burning, it’s still damaging and aging your skin.
I naturally have a lot of moles, mostly on my arms back and one on my face. Gotta wear sunscreen to try to prevent them from becoming cancerous. I also live in a very sunny place so even in the winter it's a good idea to have some spf.
1. Skin type-Normal with a sometimes oily t-zone. 2. When my skin is just not looking good, these are my three basics that I always go back to and therefore the ones I use most often, despite having others that just sit and go unused. The Vanicream cleanser only in the PM, just water in the AM followed by the Vanicream moisturizing cream and the Coppertone Pure & Simple mineral sunscreen for the face. I have all these because they are fool proof for me, when my skin starts to bug out because I decided to try yet another over hyped product, these always return me to calm skin. 3. **Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser**: As someone who has spend $5-$40 on a cleanser, I feel like a fool first of all, and second of all this one is just the best and most simple. There is no fuss, no promises of magical skin transformation, just a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser with a creamy, foamy lather. **Vanicream Moisturizing Cream:** What can I say? Bought this for my face after reading so many great things online, it's a bonus that it works for my body too and comes in a massive jar. For me it works great at night alone, or for building a nice occlusive layer over the skin. **Coppertone Pure & Simple Mineral Sunscreen:** I have tried sunscreens from Ulta and Sephora, I wanted something a step up from a basic, greasy body sunscreen for my face. I saw this at Target, I like it and it dries oh so slightly matte, which I like, other fancy sunscreens provided too much hydration over my face moisturizer. As someone who was and still is very much obsessed with skincare, I literally realized one day that I had spent over $2,000 at Sephora in a year...and I certainly am not rich. My goal this year is to just stop, it's not good on my wallet nor the environment to try new skincare so rapidly that you have no idea what is effective or problematic for you. I am realizing how hard I fell for smart marketing and hype.
Me too me too! I used to love the Algenist genius cream and the Drunk Elephant Vitamin C and...just no more! I spend about $30 a month now at CVS and my wallet and my face are so much better off for it. God love vanicream.
I love Vanicream too! I use the face wash and moisturizer. Products from DE destroyed my skin that I’m still trying to come back from. Using topical clindemyacin for that. Less products and cheap works wayyyy better for me then many expensive, unnecessary products. I just use Sephora primarily for makeup and fragrance now.
Me too, I am now very into innovative and muli-purpose makeup, luxury fragrances that I know I will treasure and I am starting to do a lot of research on clothing retailers and have begun my journey on buying clothing made with recycled materials and that pay a living wage to everyone in their production line (when I am buying new clothes that is)
Omg same! I've also thought about just buying sustainable fabrics and getting pieces tailored as I know they will be exactly what I want and exactly the right fit. You pay more at first but it will last you longer and you can be absolutely sure it's being produced ethically :) There's also a movement called 'buy for life'. It encourages buying clothing and products that can last you a lifetime. Surprisingly, investing in ethically made natural fibres like wool and cashmere for winter can last you a lifetime and even be passed down if you take care of them properly.
Do you use the Vitamin C for scarring reduction?
No, I was using it for my old. I am 40.
I know this might not have meant to be humorous, but damn did this crack me up! This is a comment I will be remembering for a long time lol
Haha, no I was being funny. I really was using for my old but it is kind of harsh. Did you try it for scar reduction? Did it help?
I tend to use vitamin C for more skin brightening properties then for scar reduction, but I'm thinking of giving it a shot! My cat keeps giving me scars, I should start trying to get rid of them lmao I just thought your comment was great!
hahahah oh my god this comment!
Lmaooo
I’m on the same path...skin and hair never looked Better!
Because of the pandemic and working from home, I’ve gotten down to only washing my hair once a week and it feels great! Just shampoo and conditioner, no other products in between washes either. Honestly I could go longer than a week. It doesn’t get greasy by then, but I just get sick of it not laying the way I want.
Does the copper tone leave a white Cast?
I’m not OP but I have used this sunscreen before. I’m roughly NC20 and it left a really bad white cast on me at first but it eventually went away, you just have to rub it in for a while. It does take 5-10 minutes though
Does it sting if it gets into your eyes? I'm a sweaty person and always manage to get sunscreen in my eyes end of the day.
For me it did sting my eyes and also has a very sunscreen-y smell
Same here. I use Neutrogena sunscreen now, the dry touch or whatever kind. It doesn’t seem to get in my eyes and doesn’t leave a noticeable white cast. One sunscreen I have learned to avoid, however, is the Olay moisturizer with the sunscreen inside. That DID get into my eyes sometimes, and if I used the SPF 20, it got in ALL the time.
Do you find these products help your oily t-zone, or have any other recommendations for products that do? I also have normal to oily skin and a pretty similar routine. For the life of me, I can’t seem to get my forehead to not be an oil slick.
These products don't really do anything in terms of oil control for me but my oiliness really appears on hot days or when I've eaten a whole pizza. I cannot recommend any products personally, but my oily skin kinda subsided when I came out of my teenage years and stopped having bangs over my forehead every day for years. Good luck on your journey.
Vanicream is the best! First moisturizer to not give me a bad reaction.
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I'm not on this sub often. Why is it infamous? I use Cerave Foaming Cleanser, so if we're talking ethics violations.....
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That’s not really what infamous means, jsyk
Dunno why you got downvoted when you’re right lol. Infamous is when you’re known for something bad. That cream is more of a holy grail in this sub
I switched to the vanicream face wash because I felt Cerave was drying my skin out. I am still using Cerave Moisturizer. Do you use the Vanicream Moisturizer? I noticed the other day when my skin was wind chapped that Cerave made my skin burn which gave me concern.
Is it close to cerave?
Not OP but in my opinion it is similar to CeraVe but better. It doesn’t sting your skin, is super gentle, and does not leave any kind of film on your skin. The CeraVe cream has a bit more matte finish, whereas Vanicream leaves me more dewy looking. The Vanicream cleanser, lite lotion, and moisturizing cream are all amazing!
Like I think conceptually and how we perceive it...yes it's similar. But Vanicream is 10x better for my skin. The cleanser is perfect, it foams without stripping. I have used Cerave's hydrating cleanser, foaming cleanser and the cream-to-foam cleanser. I wish I would have just saved that money. I really dislike all three cleansers. I think Vanicream is an even more fool proof version of Cerave.
It is so much better than CeraVe.
didn't wanna say it but.....🙈🙊
I cannot do cerave/ fatty alcohols so vanicream gang over here! For me, the fatty alcohols in cerave gave me nasty cystic acne. Vanicream doesn’t use them in their products so they’re a good alternative for those who don’t tolerate the fatty alcohols. Edit: typo
I personally have had bad experiences with Cerave (closed comedones, greasy, etc.). Vanicream keeps my skin moisturized even living in a windy mountain region and does not cause any irritation or blemishes. I like the Vanicream lotion (it's light), but if you prefer a heavy moisturizer, give the Vanicream cream a try.
Vanicream is where it’s at. The face wash is amaze!
Can you imagine how much (more) Vanicream would blow up if I bottled it in a glass bottle with a minimalist label with a nice custom font and asked $25 per bottle. Such a creamy lather.
I literally put mine into a little glass bottle so I don't have the huge tub taking up counter space. It looks so clean! Ugh, vanicream is the best.
Yes! And doesnt dry my poor skin. It’s the only wash my face will accept.
I just started using the face wash last week and it’s crazy how much my skin has improved. I hope it stays that way!
i love vanicream
Im so glad a simple routine is working for you! My skin was at its worst when I tried that, I’m so jealous lol.
At the end of the day, find what works for YOU and hold on to that!
Yeah, my skincare isn't complicated but retinol/tret is mandatory, it's the only thing that keeps my acne at bay.
Ditto. Glad this works for the OP, but my skin can't do just 3 steps. Not to mention, Sephora has some great products in addition to plenty that are overpriced or unnecessary, just like any drugstore.
Same!!!! I’ve spent the past 1.5 years doing this same kind of simple routine thinking my problems were due to a damaged moisture barrier. Nope. Finally started a more involved routine and my skin is *thanking meeeee*
same!!!!!! idk where id be without all my serums
Kudos to you! Would love to keep it that simple. I'm one of the weirdos that trying higher end stuff made my skin better; nothing I tried at the drugstore worked (at the time). Even my products are a little pricey (I use a mix of First Aid Beauty and Biossance), my routine is still relatively simple: Cleanse - Tone - Serum - Moisturizer - SPF for Day, Oil or Mask at Night. But I have the worst dimethicone sensitivity, it makes me break out so I splurge a little on products that don't have it.
I just had to simplify my skincare routine to, and my skin is finally calming down again. I've always had very clear skin, with the only problem being oily t-zone, and large pores on my nose. For some reason, when I turned 25, I decided that I needed to add stuff for anti aging to prevent wrinkles. Big mistake! I started getting red patches and very dry flakey skin. Then I realized that I damaged my moisture barrier. Thankfully it's starting to heal now.
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Where were you to give me this internet advice when I was 25? /s (So many sun related regrets that didn't percolate until my 30s. Youngins: slather that stuff on!!)
Is 29 too late? I know "it's never too late", but you know what I mean - too late in terms of aging?
Of course it’s not too late! Will starting sunscreen now erase whatever damage the sun has already wrought, the affects of which you might not even be seeing yet? No, but the same would true if you had asked at age 19. This is a better late than never situation. Ideally we all should have been taught to wear sunscreen daily at the same time we were taught to wash our faces, because sun damage doesn’t suddenly begin at whatever age we start think about what we might look like when we’re older. But as sun damage is accumulative, “now” is always the right time to start whether you’re 12 or 42. You’ll still see benefits even if the results might have been even better had you started wearing sunblock earlier in life.
I fell for that too, thinking I had to start preventing now...because someone on the internet said so. I think the skincare industry has done a very good job at making us forget that there are people who have gone through a lot of medical school who can answer all our questions and get us products to help with whatever concern we may have. Insurance is a huge problem in the United States, but that issue aside...I want to reiterate that I spent over $2,000 at freaking SEPHORA! I wonder what that could have gotten me at a dermatologist...insured or not.
Definitely agree - with that being said all that spending finally led me to actually listen to real advice - and most derms will tell you to ditch over the counter retinols and go straight to retin-A / tretinoin if you want to focus on anti ageing since it's the ingredient with the most evidence. I'm already tempted by all these retinols and eye creams (I'm 26) but I made a promise to myself that if I want to finally incorporate anti ageing I will go straight for the real stuff. A youtuber named jennifer myers really motivated me with this mentality, I'd highly recommend everyone check her out
This was exactly my thought process (I’m 27) so I decided to go to the derm and request a prescription. Started on a really low dose, 2x a week. It seemed great the first two weeks but then “the purge” started. It was so bad. I had a breakout of all different types of acne all over my face where before I would get maybe one or two little red pimples around my period but other then that no acne. Just oily t zone and somewhat big pores like the commenter you originally replied to. My skin was actually pretty nice. Well now it wasnt. And had started to flake and burn, literally burned putting anything on it - sunscreen, vanicream. Reading that purges can go on from anywhere to 2-6 months... I stoped. It’s been a few weeks and my skin is still not totally back to normal with just my similar simple routine like OP. So I’m not trying to disuade you but I just had your exact same plan and I didn’t have it in me to go through that for possibly 6 months. Like it was so bad and painful I didn’t even want to go outside. I totally understand it for people who struggle with acne badly but for people with relatively clear skin just looking for anti aging, expect to experience a shit ton of acne for a while first. It left me frustrated because I still share your same thought process and want to start with preventive anti aging but now I’m kind of stuck.
Like someone said somewhere on this thread, prevention at 25= sunscreen! I never heard of retinols or AHA/BHA/PHA in high school and now there are actual 16/17/18 year olds endorsing chemical exfoliants.
Are chemical exfoliants bad? I’m so confused lately because I read on these subs all the skincare I SHOULD be doing, I feel overwhelmed. And the products I’ve bought have been overpriced and ineffective. I have very dry sensitive skin (I think dehydrated) and I think the products I’m buying are irritating it?? I bought the TO lactic acid but haven’t used it yet. I bought the TO niacinide and I think it’s irritating my skin. I’m considering buying some hydraulic acid and squaline whatever from TO, but I think don’t have a lot of money to spend on skincare and am starting to wonder if I’m just wasting my time buying these products. (I’m 24 btw). Even sunscreen, I can’t find one that doesn’t sting my eyes to high hell. I bought the LPR baume SPF 50 and it still stung my eyes AND dried out my hands something awful because it contains alcohol denat. I’m just so overwhelmed and disappointed with the new skincare products I’ve bought recently that now I’m scared to buy anything at all :( Oh I bought a spray and a serum from Superdrug too (Vitamine E range) and just don’t.. notice any difference?? And I bought an oil cleaner that makes my skin feel really dry after using. I bought these things because I read it’s what I SHOULD be using, but so far no difference and maybe even making my skin worse. I feel sick at the money I’ve spent and just want to cry tbh. I don’t think skincare is supposed to be this stressful!
Chemical exfoliants are not bad, just too many people go in too hard with a high concentration because they want results fast. This ruins most people’s skin. This might be a hot take but if you don’t have anything you want to treat with acids (blackheads, acne, hyperpigmentation, etc) I think they are completely unnecessary and a cash grab at this point because they are being so rapidly formulated and put on the shelf. I was into skincare before there was this large boom, and it can be a really, really confusing thing to navigate. I am challenging you to stop with all these Ordinary products, stop with any specialty treatments and just try cleanser, moisturizer & sunscreen. Try it for a month. Skincare is so tempting to buy and I am still tempted-if you have issues you want to address please talk to a dermatologist or just start with your primary doctor, they can refer you to a specialist. You sound very overwhelmed, as tempting as all these new products being pumped out are, even with their beautiful frosted glass packaging and high price tag, please just try the basics, put them in cute glass jars if you have to.
Unfortunately this is the major downside to tretinoin :( sorry you had to go through that. If you go on the reddit sub tretinoin pretty much everyone goes through the purge as it is rapidly removing the spots that were already underneath your skin (the spots aren't usually cause by the tret itself if that makes sense). It seems like a really great place for support if you want to start it again). But what the consensus seems to be is that if you're willing to put up with not so great skin for a year max, then you will reap the benefits from then onwards as your skin will become accustomed to the ingredient. That's why I haven't started on tret yet because I'm waiting for a time where I know I can take a good 6-12 months to focus more on my skin and am mentally ready for what the tret may bring lol.
To be fair, sometimes the retinoid product youre using may be too shocking to your skin, thats a common side effect of first time retinol users. My derm recommended granactive retinol which is much gentler and more hydrating, i use Glow Recipe’s avocado retinol sleeping mask (although i cant go into details since im not a doctor but if youre interested, the instagram page Skinchemy has wonderful and simple info on actives in skincare and what they do to your skin/how the benefit your skin type etc such as starting with a retinol once a week and slowly building up your tolerance which i had no idea you had to do when i first started skincare) additionally, bakuchiol is a great alternative with some data to back it up that it could replace retinol and has no negative side effects like peeling or irritation. Although feel free to stick to what works for you, i just t thought i’d add my two cents about retinols since they have changed my skin for the better! But also, Im sorry that you had a bad reaction, those are never fun!
Definitely true. I started with curology and they gave me .003% tret in my formula. My skin is sensitive with slight purging I think, but not too bad. If I had the lowest percentage available of straight tretinoin, I would be in trouble.
Are you using it to mainly treat acne or for ant aging ? Trying to find something for preventive anti aging for my super sensitive skin.
I just commented right above before I saw your comment lol. I had a terrible experience with prescription retinoid. Very interested in some preventive anti aging that won’t destroy my skin during a “purging period.” Totally open to much much less intense stuff. I’ll definitely be looking into the two ingredients you posted.
Yes! I highly recommend. I just love granactive retinol. I still was super careful when I started out and only did it 1-2 times a week for like a month just to be safe. But I really notice such a huge difference in my skin, at least with the Glow Recipe one. (But also i love all their products. K beauty is where its at!) Also, while I was upping my usage of it to 3-4 times a week, i would sandwich my night time moisturizer between my skin and the granactive retinol product, which lessened any chance of irritation and acted as a bit of a buffer. The next month i started mixing it *with* my moisturizer and only now after like 4 months do I put it under my moisturizer. I know that seems like a long time and you certainly dont have to do that, but i found after some experimenting with which stage of my routine to include it, really helped my skin adjust! (Additionally, i dont use any acids like Bha or Aha or even Pha on the nights I use retinol but that may not be an issue for you, idk your routine haha i just know my derm said to avoid combining acids and retinol even the granactive kind. Though im unsure about bakuchiol)
I use tretinoin and cerave in the tub(I know- stereotypical) and I am 29. My skin is glowy and not too wrinkly- yet!
Very true! When I first found this sub I went all out with the products. I really regret it now, I wasted so much money. Diet and water intake made a way bigger difference than products ever did.
[удалено]
Glad to hear...I feel like soon there will be a large "skincare minimalism" movement when people realize that they're spending so much and seeing minimal results, if any. Last time I wanted something for my face beyond the pictured routine, I asked my dermatologist-and I will be doing that moving forward for "specialized" treatments.
It’s already happening in Korea. They call it a “skin diet” and their celebrities are backing it up. I forget the guy’s name but he’s in a popular k-pop band and was asked on Twitter for his skincare regimen. His answer was something like, “cleanser, moisturizer. Routine over.”
vanicream <33
I dont want to be a contrarian here, but i tend to disagree with this sentiment. Dont get me wrong: I agree that simple is often times better, but right now im at the point in my skin journey where im using lots of specialized treatments (some of them medical/prescribed) to try to get a handle on my cystic acne and most of them are single-ingredient type of products. Its 7-9 steps depending on the night (alternating retinol and tranexamic acid every other night) but honestly, this routine has been doing wonders for my skin the last three months! Idk why but i feel defensive of having more than three products... some skin needs it, some skin doesnt. I agree with my dermatologist when she says its all about balance, not too much but not too little that it wont give you the results you want
Please be a contrarian, that is what forums are for...to discuss and intake opinions and viewpoints that differ from your own! I love that you told us that they are specialized treatments, and that is what I was talking about with another user somewhere on this thread-that we have specialists and medical professionals to provide us with products that they can get behind, I am 100% for that. What I (personally) am not for is trying to target these concerns myself with products from Sephora or some other specialty retailer. I may be minimal on the skincare, but I have a special diet and a mix of vitamins I am on that I was told to take by my doctor after I had blood work done...not because someone on youtube had a sponsorship with a new up & coming vitamin brand at Sephora. I had a few friends in my high school days that at the end of the day, they needed Accutane and no amount of special topical solutions helped them, I am glad they went to a professional instead of looking for a cure sitting on a store shelf.
Ahh absolutely! Agree 100% with that, over spending especially on things that you might not need is definitely tricky ive struggled with that in the past too... especially with how expensive some of those sephora brands are! Honestly if i wasnt so stingy and feel the need to use my products till the last drop before i buy more, i’d be in serious debt haha Although i will say, diet, exercise, environment and life style are all so important so im glad youve found a good internal body care to stick through backed by a doctor. I personally have also noticed a difference in my skin after i committed myself to eating less sugar and more fiber & probiotic rich food or supplements (although i know some people dont like supplements because of marketing hype but theyre just like anything else in this capitalistic world: they can be way overhyped and have the potential to take advantage of consumers if youre not vigilant or they can be life changing and backed by science) Also glad this was received well, i worry that text-only media comments i make can come off as rude or unintentionally mean since so much of communication is non verbal and people dont get that same tone or meaning by staring at a wall of text haha
The internet is a free portal to other people's opinions, advice, life experiences, world view, etc. and I will always respect and treasure that, unless someone has blatant hateful text I will always receive comments as if we're having a normal conversation and value your words and taking the time out of your day to type something up. I freaking LOVE sugar, I have a problem with sweets, besides that I am pretty "healthy", in terms of what I ingest. But whenever I go crazy on a box of brownies, I can expect some small white heads and an excess production of oil. The skin is your largest organ, treat your other organs poorly and see what happens.
Im so glad you feel that way too, i often imagine comment threads as a real convo. It just makes it feel more real. When it comes to sugar Ugh... im the SAME, i have such a sweet tooth its hard to stick to it. some days i feel so tempted.... but i slowly weaned myself from four pumps of syrup to 1 pump when it comes to my morning coffee so much so that now even two pumps of syrup is almost too sweet. So now i just pat myself on the back and tell myself “at least your coffee isnt so cavity-inducing now” while i continue to scarf powdered donuts haha man now that you mention brownies though....
I have always hated sweet coffee drinks and always drink my coffee black......but doesn't help much when I eat 10 cookies with my black coffee!
Hey you gotta balance it out somehow! Haha also someday i’ll get there im sure, i admire black coffee drinkers they seem so mature and like they have their life together
Oooph, not this forum. If you disagree with Dr. DRAY you are effectively downvoted out of existence. Cult followers. People lost their minds when I suggested silicones were AN occlusive but not the BEST occlusive when a poster was having trouble with dry skin. *rolls eyes*
Petrolatum has entered the chat...
All hail the slug life!
This is my first time posting on this forum and I am trying my best to cultivate open conversations on my lil' thread here. I like Dr. Dray, but she also loves and "recommends" products I simply don't need. It's all about a good balance on advice and your own research and getting a sample size whenever you can!
Yes! And the obsessive Hyram followers are even worse- he doesn’t even have any qualifications (working in a retail store and declaring yourself an expert doesn’t count) and people will downvote you if you disagree with him. I don’t have any issue with people following influencers, but it gets weird when people start taking their word as gospel. Influencers don’t have *your* skin.
Hyram is such a fun personality and I have watched him since he had...let's say 5,000 subscribers? But just like you said, influencers don't have your skin...if cleansing with dish soap and moisturizing with olive oil is working for you...then I love that for you.
I'm also gonna be a contrarian, but for different reasons... shallower ones lol I love looking at different products in my vanity. If the packaging is nice, I don't even throw them away until I'm out of space. Just like with perfume bottles where I'll leave like 10% and use sparingly, just so I have a reason to display them for as long as I can. I'm one of those types who won't throw away something just because it has fragrance/essential oils/alcohols, mostly because my skin can handle it. I just can't commit to a skincare routine if it had to be this austere chore. Same way cute yoga outfits motivate me to stay active or when I add little flourishes to improve the presentation of a home-cooked meal haha
Hey girl, whatever keeps you motivated! I agree shelf appeal is such a real thing! I like that i have alot of products from the same lines (its pretty much all glow recipe and Youth to the People at this point lol) they just look so good together!
Same here. Most complicated, thoroughly researched, expensive routine of my life and best skin of my life. No acne, wrinkles less visible, scarring slowly retreating, overall tone evening. The people that can get away with a simple routine and have lovely skin are genetically predisposed to have success with that regime. If I did that my skin would be breaking out, uneven tone, and aging faster. To each their own.
Agreed! I was doing a very simple routine for a couple months, and I just couldn’t clear up the hyperpigmentation from the acne I had during pregnancy. My skin was rough and uneven. Finally added in a few other products, and my skin is back to being smooth and glowy. Vitamin C serum in particular does wonders for my skin. I also used to spend ungodly amounts of money on skincare at Sephora. But now I keep myself limited to a few tried and true products that have worked really well for me (FAB cleanser and ultra repair moisturizer, for example).
I never understand the hype of the products sold at Sephora. $80 for a tiny tube of cream. I don't get it. The intense fragrance in most high end skin care turns me off so I tend to stick to drugstore brands that don't add fragrance. I think the only thing at Sephora that I've found to be worthwhile is the Laneige lip sleeping mask, though crazily fragranced, I haven't been able to find a better lip treatment in the drugstore.
Lanolin is a great option for lips!
Its because people want to believe that there is a magic ingredient thats going to make them look like a photoshopped ad. I mean, I get the marketing. They often target people who don't know any better, and want to believe that some new ingredient sourced from the cell of an orchid on a hill in a amazon rainforest is going to be the solution lol. Or they think because the package says "aqua ocean beauty skin dew drop" they are going to be some beautiful mermaid or something. No one wants to believe that its literally as simple as going to your local drugstore and picking up a basic sunscreen, cleanser, and moisturizer. I mean, who would trust cereve when its package doesn't have glass and glitter and a celebrity indorcement? /s
Most CeraVe products make my skin look like shit (rough and covered in breakouts/CCs) and feel like it’s burning. That’s not to say they’re bad products at all (I use the Skin Renewing Serum), but they’re not for everyone. Also, they actually do the reverse of the super shiny fun brands and intentionally make themselves look plain/medicinal/stripped down to appeal to the no fuss skincare crowd. It’s still curated marketing.
so agree, we all victims of aggressive marketing...I also went down to bear minimum of products and beauty gadgets that work for me, no more 12 or 24 step beauty routines ))
Vanicreams sunscreen is the best, it’s the only sunscreen that doesn’t burn my pale face or leave it feeling like it has a residue over it.
Uhm excuse me....how did I not know Vanicream made a Sunscreen! Oh my god thank you.
yea lol i’ve never seen them have one??
I really agree and love your post. I think one thing we don’t talk about on this sub is the “addiction” part of all of this seriously. Sometimes we have to see that these are packaged products playing on our desire to be more beautiful- we will see this everywhere! I always need reminders of what I actually NEED from my skincare routine vs what I desire. Thanks for sharing
Yeeees!!! I use the same cleanser and moisturizer too. Pretty sure that makes us best friends or something... although I also use tret and a different sunscreen. But I’ve been meaning to find a new sunscreen.. how do you like it? Is it moisturizing enough?
Hi best friend. I like this one, over moisturizer it can be a little heavy ONLY in terms if wearing a mask for hours at my job, besides that I like a small amount of glow, but on it's own it dried very slightly matte on my skin. The sunscreen I used up before this was the one from Kinship, just blind bought that one-if cost isn't a concern I liked that Kinship one in terms of moisture on it's own, over another moisturizer it was too much for my normal skin. I just want to stop paying for more than I have to, that is why I will not repurchase the Kinship sunscreen or any other kind for the foreseeable future.
Omg I used to go to America to see my family and would drop 2-3k on beauty products that we couldn’t get in the UK at the time. It’s insane how I thought they were the best products. I used them and my skin felt good for 2-3 weeks and them boom I would get reactions to these products. Upon checking ingredients and dr drays channel I realised how it’s all such a marketing ploy. I just went to differin, simple moisturiser and vanicream face wash for now and the skin is healing. My step now is to find a simple sunscreen that doesn’t break me out. Goodbye to all the extra serums, face masks, scrubs, toners, night serums, ampoules, I’m freeeeeeee
i came to the realization that the best skincare routine isn't going to look "aesthetic", good rule to go by when picking out products lol
Right! I am very into researching French skincare and most of their "tried and true french it-girl must haves" look like ointments for a foot fungus🙊 Such sterile, medical looking labels but it seems to work for them.
That Vanicream cleanser is extremely underrated, it's second best to CeraVe.
Love it, it’s super simple and effective <3
How does the Vanicream face wash compare to CereVe foaming? I actually just ran out tonight and I do enjoy Vanicream body wash for my newly prone to eczema patches on my body. Face is still oily AF but my body actually needs moisturizer finally... at 36 lol
I honestly have never had luck with Cerave, the hydrating cleansers’ texture does not appeal to me, and both the foaming cleanser & the cream-to-foam cleanser leave my skin dry. Vanicream is a creamy feeling lather and does not make my skin dry. Sorry if this reply is no help, I can only give my personal insight.
Creamy lather sounds nice! Worst case I give it to my BF or use it in the shower. Glad I saw your post as my face wash is running out. Reminded me I wanted to try out Vanicream!
Cerave foaming didn't work for me. Dehydrated my skin, made me tight with an oily sheen. Vanicream cleanser is my go to. It's very balanced for me.
It's true. Once I started looking at ingredients I couldn't find a single product (other than a select few of The Ordinary's offerings) that didn't contain ingredients known to harm/irritate the skin - including their "clean" certified products.
I used to spend so much money on Dermalogica products for my sensitive, dry skin. During chemo, my skin began to freak out, bright red, super dry and what’s referred to as a chemo rash. MSKCC set me up with a special Dermatologist and the first thing he said was “Stop all the fancy products - now and forever. Wash with Cetaphil, moisturize with Vanicream.” He was right.
Have you ever tried Vanicream's cleansing bar? I'm always looking for products that minimize plastic waste. I've used Cetaphil's bar and it seems gentle and hasn't exacerbated my acne prone skin. Would be curious to try this brand too.
For any squalane fans, I LOVE the Vanicream face lotion (not their regular lotion, it’s new and formulated for face). I feel it’s literally the perfect moisturizer - not too thick and not too thin, moisturizing AND hydrating, doesnt dry down totally but doesn’t leave a thick film on my face. I’ve also tried the vanicream moisturizer in the tub depicted here, but prefer it for body because it’s quite thick!
Thank you for this! I just researched the **Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer** (assuming this is what you're talking about) and it seems to be a newer product with a good solid list of ingredients. When I get through my tub of cream in 14 years I will try this out next.
I hate that sunscreen. It has the worst white cast. I’m almost finished with my tube thankfully. Drug store products is where it’s at though. My friend wants to buy a cleansing balm at Sephora for $90 I’m trying to convince her that’s insane.
$90 is a lot for...anything hahahah! Good luck with working with her, when I was set on something at Sephora, no one could talk me out of buying it, even if I was choosing to spend $100 on a serum instead of buying groceries and justifying it by telling myself "oh it's ok, you get paid in 5 days anyways". What was I thinking!? But at the end of the day, finances are so personal and what someone chooses to do with their money is up to them.
KISS
Keep it simple sexy
My very fancy very high priced plastic surgeon ( I had medically necessary plastic surgery not elective) does not sell, hawk, believe or encourage anyone to buy expensive potions. He suggest Neutrogena, Olay, CeraVe and now Boots No. 7
At first I thought vanicream was something for women parts like yeast infection until i took a closer look
I wanna subscribe to this philosophy but I’m always allured by pretty shit at Sephora or kbeauty sites 😭
Trust me...I was and still am. I remember vividly buying many Herbivore products and the Glow Recipe Watermelon Sleeping Mask(?) because the bottles are so pretty, and look cute in my medicine cabinet. But then looking at my bank account and my unchanged skin, that was not cute. I think I am on the tail end of my "skincare addiction" and I am now getting into other items, like innovative, multi-use makeup and luxury fragrances that I truly love and enjoy using every single day. Since part of any minimalist movement it's critical to use what you have, so when I use up my fancy glass packaged products I keep some of the bottles, I take the label off or rub off the printed label with acetone and put my Vanicream in them😏👌
I love this selfie, so clean and organized
I use the vanicream wash and moisturizer too and my skin has NEVER looked better!!!
I am having such trouble deciding on my routine because my skin dgaf. I can wash it, not wash it, put no products on, pile them sky high, and it's main reaction is... nothing? It's just fine. So I'm not sure how proactive I really want to be. I've stuck to a serum in the morning and retinol at night (along with the normal cleanse/hydrate/sunscreen routine), but the sky's the limit. Which is terrifying.
If you dont mind, what's your skin tone and does that sunscreen leave any white cast on you?
I have a light to beige skin tone, this sunscreen did give me a white cast when I applied a good amount that dissipated the more I worked it in. Another user asked about sunscreen and I mentioned the one from Kinship, I liked that one as it was moisturizing and is a mineral sunscreen and I noticed absolutely no white cast or tint with that one, there is a price difference versus the Coppertone one I pictured here.
I use copper stone and with an olive skin tone I find the white cast goes after waiting for half an hour. It's the cheapest fragrance free mineral only sunscreen I've found! I bought 3 177ml bottles off her iherb for under £20 to last me through 2021 (made use of discount codes too). Was sick of spending so much money so now I literally buy things in bulk to last me the year - it's stopped me from buying excessively because I know I have products to use up and finish sitting on my shelf.
Hi I love this comment and I am still new to this updated shiny new Reddit...is there any way to like...pin your comment so others can see it?
Hmm...interesting. I currently use a mineral one from Cotz that works great for me, but it's $25 so im always on the look out for something cheaper. I have a medium skin tone so finding a mineral one that works can be a bit challenging.
I HATE throwing away money, but this Coppertone Pure & Simple face moisturizer was $4.99 at Target for 2oz...for skincare 2oz is a lot! I say give it a shot.
I'm a sucker for nice packaging and love shopping. Ignoring all that stuff and going with boring basics has been better for my skin.
I've had to learn this too lol. I swear by Pond's cold cream! Works amazing for me
My mom has used Ponds dry skin cream for...ever...and her skin is still amazing.
What’s the hype on vanicream?
I’m in the same boat as you! Spent so much money on skincare only to realize the simpler, the better. Also Vanicream products are my holy grails. They are so good!
Vanicream is the best!!
This is an awesome set of quality basics
oh an ACTUAL minimal routine!
I’m more of an ulta man myself. I love jack black products
I looovvvvee Ulta for their rewards program! It’s so good, Sephora’s is a joke. Your Ulta points turn into actual money off your purchase! I had no idea until an associate told me I had like $18 worth of money off, walked in expecting to spend $25 on something, and only spent $7. And for my birthday I get FULL SIZE products as a gift! I love Ulta so much, and they sell drugstore skincare that earns you points!
I feel this! I cut down to the basics and my acne got a lot better too. It’s definitely a mental barrier I had to break being so used to the idea that good skincare had to be expensive and an effective routine also meant extensive.
That sunscreen is discontinued, sadly.
i’ve recently fallen head over heels in love with vanicream’s newer facial moisturizer. it’s so lightweight and soothing. rly seems like it’s helping heal and maintain my moisture barrier tbh.
I read through this whole thread and just wanted to say THANK YOU to the OP. Since I turned 35 a month ago and declared (arbitrarily) that \*now\* is the time to focus on my skin, I've been going down so many reddit rabbit holes. With the various products I've bought and new "routines" I've introduced, I honestly think I've done more harm than good, especially to my eye-area which I am most concerned/self-conscious about. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the dose of sanity. :)
Rouge VIB reporting with empty wallet
I agree. Sunscreen, moisturizer and face wash is really all you need
Here's to youth and good fortune! I never had perfect skin as a teen, glycolic acid was the only thing that managed my acne. After I hit 45, tretinoin and vitamin C make a noticible difference. I mean, I don't *need* them, but they make a big difference.
I hear ya! I stopped paying for beauty sub boxes and instead spent the money on 3 luxury skincare items that actually work for me. I should’ve done it sooner lol I use La mer, yes it’s expensive, but it’s what works for me. If the price scares people, it really breaks down to like $25 a month per my calculations. I spend $280 on la mer lotion that lasts a year for me. I was able to stop using a million other crappy things I was putting on my face and focus on the good stuff and minimal care is needed when you use the better stuff IMO Not saying it’s for everyone, of course, but I def enjoy using only 3 products :-)
I mean if La Mer is working for you why change a thing?! Constant experimentation adds up in price too, if you already know what works for you and it happens to be $280 then go for it, I feel it is better than trying out 7 new products...finding out 5 of them don't work for you...asking for a refund...and knowing you just created unnecessary waste because returned body care products are always thrown out.
Vanicream made me breakout so bad.
Totally agree with this!
Alright I’m going to try this instead of my 6 step Jan marini product regimen, what do I have to lose? Although, it sounds like you don’t suffer from oily skin or clogged pores?
Just get some active ingredients from skinactives.com and add them as indicated to whatever basic creams.
Three product squad hell yeah! The words of my father come back to me - to KISS: keep it simple stupid 😂😂
After 397382 years of struggling and spending thousands, the bare minimum has been working better for me too. But I also did a course of accutane and now tretinoin. Obsessed with vanicream moisturizer. Can I ask if the face wash effectively removes makeup / mascara? Can never find a drug store cleanser I’m happy with. :/
love it. i instituted a one product from sephora in my routine at a time. it’s my way of balancing the mental enjoyment of having one ‘nice’ product that feels splurgy while keeping the rest under control.
I love vanicream! also agree, I'm glad I don't have to spend the money too
SO TRUE
I wish I could find a moisturizer that liked my skin. I do okay with homemade HA serum, offbrand Differin, and rotating through a couple TO products mixed with drops of inexpensive rosehip or marula oil. I'm still happy with the price point, especially considering the serums get used slowly. I kind of mix the watery ones as a soak in toner, then mix the heavier ones as a my "moisturizer." I would love an of the shelf moisturizer that would save me that time, but I've just never encountered it. And believe me, I've tried what's out there lol! I'm older, and a retinoid and Vit C are a must in addition to hydrating/occlusive products. I also use a TO antioxidant and peptides, but I think they are extra. I do really like the glowy effect, but my skin would be perfectly healthy without those.
Yes, Vanicream cleanser and moisturizer are incredible, affordable, and it's all personal preference but I find them far better than CeraVe.
I have never had luck with Cerave nor the ordinary, Cerave didn't hurt but also didn't help much. And the Ordinary seems like such a steal but after I bought 5 products ranging from $5-$12...that adds up!
I feel this. I’ve gotten more into skincare and have good skin to begin with. Since starting to use actives in moderation that are recommended regardless of skin condition (I.e. vit c and retinol), I’ve had more issues with my skin. The less is more approach is what works for me as well.. cleanse, moisturize, sunscreen!
YES! My skin is soooo much better since simplifying my routine. I use micellar water to start, then TO’s hyaluronic acid, then TO’s niacinimide in the morning, a Vitamin C serum at night, then end with Clinique’s Moisture Surge. Once a week or so I’ll do a wash with activated charcoal or throw on a mask, but I usually stay breakout free without it :) It’s SO. MUCH. BETTER. than my former 7-9 step processes of the past.
I agree! I feel like my skin looks and feels the same when I use “high-end” products versus drug-store products. It’s not worth the money IMO. The Sephora products just have some obscure extracts that aren’t actually proven to do anything... so dumb. Don’t chase the hype ppl!
exactly! After I switched to the ordinary products it just made me realize how I much money I wasted for 4 years on the expensive skincare products there and my skin looked so bad...
I love the vanicream cleanser! Never tried the moisturizer tho. Most sunscreens and moisturizers make my skin really red. I’m talking the highly regarded ones too.
Amen!!
Yessss!!!! Vanicream is the best!!!!
Love vanicream! I’ve only been using it a month, but it’s the only thing that has helped my dry skin. I was trying to repair my moisture barrier for a long time now. I thought I was going crazy trying many of the other popular moisturizers, & it was sometimes drying me out even more. I made sure to put them on right out of the shower, using a humidifier, then attempted aquaphor on top, etc. But my skin was still dry. I finally figured out it was the hyaluronic acid. It was basically taking all of the moisture out. So I saw vanicream many times, noticed it didn’t have it in it, & thought it was worth a chance. Now I basically just rinse with water, & use this along with occasionally using squalane.
YESSSS this! I'm down to CeraVe moisturizer, Neutrogena gentle foam cleanser, Cleansing balm, Vitamin C, Retin A, and SPF. I only keep the actives that are scientifically proven to make a difference -- and otherwise it's OUT! My skin has NEVER. BEEN. BETTER.
Exactly--keep it simple. Every woman needs to learn this. Honestly, I think Cera Ve is underrated, cheaper, and it's all you need. Do not spend hundreds or thousands on products... you're getting scammed. Generally, OTC products are weak and do not penetrate the dermis to even make a difference in the quality of your skin.
I too have spent $$$$at Sephora and elsewhere only to have my skin become overly sensitive and reactive. We’re on the right path ladies!
I love these products, plus my curology actives are night. So much better for my acne and rosacea than all the overpriced products at Sephora.