what's the next step in my skin care journey?

[zangly]

i'm a 21-year-old korean-american student, currently using: kiss cleanser, and apricot cleansing oil (both love!) from SN.

long story short, i used to have pretty severe acne thanks to PCOS, along with sensitive skin that took forever to heal. even now i have visible red marks left over from my high school days.

but now my pcos is under control and my skin is loads better. just the ever so stubborn blackheads on the nose, occasional pimples during TTOTM or when i use irritating products. besides working on the underlying hormonal issue of my acne, i also started using retin-a micro last summer.

now that i don't have that much active acne, i feel like i have much more freedom in skincare and facial products. i don't HAVE to use only my stuff anymore; if i go on an overnight trip and forget to bring my cosmetic bag, i no longer stress! because my skin can handle "normal" products now

one issue that remains is my constant redness. the only time i'm not red is first thing when i wake up in the morning. washing my face, using toner, moisturizers, etc., and the slightest exertion make my face dark pink.



me on the left, mom on the right, both of us makeup free. you can see how everywhere but my eyes and nose are very pink. my current solution is to be gentle to my skin, and to occasionally lightly pat on some bb cream.

as for my current skin routine, it really varies depending on how i feel/what i put on that day. but generally..

cleanser: cetaphil, kiss cleanser, ACO, or combination thereof
toner: clinique extra mild clarifying 'lotion' or various sample toners i have lying around
moisturizer: burt's bees radiance night cream (on dry days!) or jojoba oil or random samples i have lying around
sometimes: zinc powder, skinfood gingko bb cream, retin-a micro (night only)

so, any product recommendations? i'm open to any suggestions for serums, moisturizers, and a nice powder to use over (or below?) my t-zone that gets shiny when i use bb cream. (there are so many powders i don't know which to choose! i currently own SN's ultra sheer zinc powder but i only bother with it when i know i'm gonna be outdoors for a good half hour or more)

[karen]

Give the Awesome Sauce or the Firming Moisturizer a try. I have very pinky skin too, and the Renovage in either one of those products works really well for redness. It doesn't sound like you really need much in the way of a moisturizer- so I'd say you'll probably wind up loving the Awesome Sauce. If your skin does get dry the Hemp Moisturizer is quite nice too.

BHA Toner is a nice thing to have in your skin care arsenal- it clears up the big pores, and helps with breakouts.

I also don't think the ginko is helping you. It increases circulation, and can really cause redness (I have an extensive list of ingredients that cause redness...because I've tried them all!) Also, be wary of any leave-on product with glycerin in it.

[zangly]

thank you karen! this time i'm going to order some moisturizer samples along with a full size of awesome sauce and cross my fingers that my skin likes it.

interesting about the gingko.. i will have to do some further research about it, thanks!

[frckls]

For powder, I can suggest you the ULTP. I purchased a sample of it one time and me and my skin really really liked it. I found the ULTP really helps mattifying my skin without making it look dull and dry. I, too, have oily skin. It makes my skin feels silky smooth (and it's actually not).

I had it in my shopping cart and almost went to checkout with it, when I found one long lost Indonesian traditional jamu (herbal) powder (and can also be used as cold/paste mask when mixed with drops of rose water) that works WONDER on my skin and everyone else who have tried it. Because it's herbal, some dirty skin might purge for a week, but afterwards the skin will look really good. And it's dirty cheap here because the ingredients are simple, easy to find in Indonesia, that really works.

I am sorry Karen. I will keep promoting the ULTP as it is simply AWESOME. But considering the shipping cost and the wait, I will just have to stick with the jamu powder, for now (since I carried a big batch with me to NL from Indonesia).

I don't wander away from your lippies, eyeshadows, blushes, and skincare, though!