My skin has been freaking out, I broke out, went to the Derm, she put me on a regimine of Duac Gel and Retin A. My previous routine was Philosophy Hope in a Jar and Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash.
I find that the HIAJ is too strong for my face now. The FFFW was fine but boring. I was thinking of trying Philosophy's Purity Made Simple, has anyone tried it?
As for moisturizer, I need something that is very gentle, with SPF that will just restore my face back to normal, any recs? I would say I have combination skin with a tendency to be dry (due to all the products I use).
I have been looking at MakeupAlley, and I swear that site confuses me. Everything I like has like a 50% approval with very contradictory reviews. Help!
Olay has been very good to my face. I've tried other brands, but end up disappointed and with dry patches on my face. I use the wet face cloths, daily facials, and beauty fluid (face moisturizer). (All for normal to dry skin). I never tried the one with SPF though because my sister told me that one dried out her skin. The good thing about Olay is that it is inexpensive and available at all the drugstores.
2 recs for effective cleansers that are quite gentle. Origins Checks & Balances and the Calming Aveeno foaming facewash.
As for moisturizer, I like Origins A Perfect World Antioxident moisturizer with whte tea. It doesn't have spf though.
On makeupalley, I indicate the product type. I leave the brand name blank, and I will occasionally type a keyword in like "spf" or "whipped"- - something special about the formula or something.
after the list pops up, I click to arrange the list according to the % of people who would buy it again 100% and down. Ignore the products with only one review. Keep going down the list until you start seeing more products that have more reviews WHILE keeping the high score. 80% + are the ones that catch my eye. Once you have looked at the statistical stuff, start reading the anecdotal reviews. Anecdotal reviews should be considered in aggregate. If there are six reviews that are fabulous and one that is not, weigh the chances for yourself. The answer will shine through.
Remember that you can tell negative reviews that aren't worth much. You know: The UPS guy was late. I didn't get my face mask til Thursday! Ugh. I thought this stuf was supposed to resurface my severly pitted skin from years of acne. It didn't and I've already tried it twice!
Go with your gut. Ask yoursel if the negative comments come out of unreasonable requests or if they're truly heartfelt remarks.
Did you ask your derm what you should moisturize and cleanse with? If not, I would definitely do so - if you're breaking out, most will tell you what you should/should not use. My derm has me use Neutrogena Oil Free Acne wash and the only moisterizer he lets me use is Cetaphil. It's mild and moisterizing, but it also keeps me from breaking out, where a lot of others would contribute to it. HTH!
Yup - agree with shopchicago33. I went to the derm a couple years ago due to my sensitive skin issues, and he put me on a Cetaphil cleanser and Cetaphil moisturizer to calm things down.
I still use the Cetaphil cleanser to this day - it works great for my combo skin. In the past year, I've started using the Eucerin Redness Relief line, in particular, the Night Cream, which I use throughout the day on really dry spots - it's excellent, and I've seen a noticable improvement in my skin texture (it really reduces the red too).
HTH
shopchicago33 wrote:
Did you ask your derm what you should moisturize and cleanse with? If not, I would definitely do so - if you're breaking out, most will tell you what you should/should not use. My derm has me use Neutrogena Oil Free Acne wash and the only moisterizer he lets me use is Cetaphil. It's mild and moisterizing, but it also keeps me from breaking out, where a lot of others would contribute to it. HTH!
__________________
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a misinformed beholder a black eye."
Miss Piggy
i found aveeno's clear complexion foaming cleanser to be very gentle on my combination skin.
like the other ladies suggested, cetaphil would be a good option. i tried it, but i found that aveeno worked more to my liking. however, for my mom who has EXTREMELY sensitive skin, it worked very well.
as far as moisturizers go, i Perricone's Face Finishing Moisturizer is good for all skin types. i went from combo/oily while living in Hawaii, to combo/dry while living in California and it worked really well.
i switched to using 2 different moisturizers now that i'm in Minneapolis. my skin has switched again and i need a lot more moisture here than ever before. for the day, i use Neutrogena's Intensified Day Moisture w/SPF 15.
at night, i use olay's total effects night firming cream for face and neck. i haven't had any problems using it and it really helped my skin transition from california to minneapolis w/ease.
I also agree with ShopChicago - sometimes the most basic products are the best. I got a horrible rash from self tanner a few months ago, and my derm said I should ONLY use cetaphil until it was gone, and I am hooked for life. My skin is clearer and more "balanced" than it's ever been.
He also recommends skinceutical products, which are pricey but definitely work. I have used emollience moisturizer in the winter and love the daily protection sunscreen.
I have sensitive skin and dry skin. I use only cetaphil cleansers and moisturizers (although I do use Dr. Brandt moisturizer with spf for under my make-up). They are soft and do an excellent job. I don't think I've ever had any skin issues due to them.