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Skincare Essentials

To expand on the Makeup Essentials that I posted about the other day, here are the Skincare Essentials that I will reference after no-buy January.   I will use the same color coding as on my last post:

Green I am allowed to repurchase this item and I don't have a specific replacement I need to buy
Blue I am allowed to repurchase this item, but I have to get a specific replacement
Grey I am not allowed to repurchase or buy anything new in this category if I happen to run out

Skincare Essentials:

Morning Routine:

Acid Toner:

This is a relatively new addition to my skincare routine and yes, I know I probably shouldn't do this step in the morning, but it has worked well for me for a while. I used up a bottle of P50 a few months ago, and I really loved that stuff. It is expensive, but it takes a while to go through, so the cost per month wasn't really that high.  I have a couple of other acid toners to go through, but when I am done with those, I will repurchase the P50 again. 

In the meantime, I am using Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution from the Ordinary.  After I go through that, I have some COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid that I will need to go through before I can replace anything.

Vitamin C Serum:

I am currently using a K-beauty serum from a YesStyle order that I made in the second half of last year - Rohto Mentholatum - Melano CC Vitamin C Essence. This doesn't do anything bad to my skin, but I don't feel like it is doing anything at all. The packaging sort of drives me crazy because it is hard to get much product out at a time and it doesn't really spread that well.

I will be replacing this when I run out because I don't have any backups. When I do, I am planning on getting the 20% Vitamin C + E Ferulic Acid Serum from Timeless.

Suncreen:

I love the sunscreen that I am using now. It is a serum sunscreen that has no white cast, no pilling, and no strange smell. I heard about this sunscreen first on the podcast Fat Mascara, which I really do like, but they do cover some MLM companies in a way I am not a fan of and have frequently had guests that delve heavily into woowoo pseudoscience. Anyway, I use the Solid and Striped Face Sunscreen. It is a chemical sunscreen which I am not a fan of, but in the interest of not spending a lot of money looking for a different one that works, I am likely going to stick with this. I am nearly done with my current bottle of this, but I have two backups due to an amazing Black Friday sale they were having. If I go through all of these bottles, I do have Japanese sunscreen that I will use up if it isn't gone already (I use it for my hands), but when I am totally out, I will repurchase the Solid and Striped. 
That pretty much wraps up my morning routine.  I splash my face with some water in the morning and sometimes I spray my face with something before the acid toner, but that is not a regular thing at all.

Nighttime Routine:

First Cleanse:

For this step I use a balm.  I have tried both balms and oils before, and I far prefer balms.  Oils don't seem to rub around as well and I feel like I have to rub my face harder to get them to do anything.  Right now, I am using the Ebanel Makeup Remover Cleansing Balm.  I sort of hate it. I don't like the smell, it makes my eyes cloudy if I get the product too close to my eyes which defeats the purpose of a balm that is supposed to get makeup off.  That being said, it doesn't bother my skin, it gets rid of the makeup and it emulsifies fine, so I can't just ditch it.  I was hoping that it would work because it is a great cost per ounce, but it isn't working for me. 


Once I run through this, I have the Tacha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil that may or may not last longer than this balm. I use the oil in the shower at night instead of lugging the balm in with me.  When I am completely out of everything, I will buy another balm.  I just got a sample of the Good Molecules Instant Cleansing Balm which is the next that I wanted to try so if that works out for me, I will order a full size. I don't have a specific replacement that I need to buy.

Second Cleanse:

I have too many of these. I will not run out before the end of this year, and mostly likely not the end of next year.  I am currently using a travel size of the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser.  It is fine. I don't mind the smell and it doesn't negatively effect my skin.


I keep thinking that I shouldn't worry too much about the first cleanse since it is only on my skin for a short while, but it seems like if my skin is going to have a bad reaction to something, it will be this step.  I had a horrible reaction to something my dermatologist gave me, and also a cleanser from Maelove. Apparently I have to be careful with this step. As backups, I have a big bottle of Rooted Cleanser I got for free from Grove, a half a bottle of CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser and nearly a whole bottle of Mario Bodesco Enzyme Cleanser. Looking at this, it might be three years before I can buy another cleanser.  When, and if, I ever run out, I will probably look at a LaRoche Posey cleanser.

Facial Spray:

This is something that I use occasionally, but not enough that I need to replace it.  If I run out of the Mario Bodesco Aloe spray, I can do without something in this category. 

Actives:

I have a lot of products in this category, and I don't need to replace each individual type of acid/retinol when the run out. All of these are currently in rotation:


When I get down to having only two options, I will repurchase something, but I don't have any specifics in mind right now because that is a long way off. I plan on one of the items being a Retinol, and the other most likely some sort of AHA.

Serum:

I like to use some sort of moisturizing serum before I use a night cream.  Right now, I am using the 
Truely Mary Jane CBD Glow Serum. Again, this is something I hate the smell of and frankly I most likely bought this because I liked the bottle.  I am about a third of the way through this, but I don't buy it again when I run out.  This leaves me open to something new and I will be looking for an affordable option.

Facial Oils:

This is something I use occasionally, if my skin is acting up or if I feel really dry. I currently have a bottle of the Ordinary Rose Hip oil.  It is fine, but I don't find it life changing by any means. If it runs out, I will probably try using the Jojoba oil that I bought for my cuticles or the bottle of Marula Oil from the Ordinary that I have. If I run out of everything (unlikely), I do not need to repurchase an oil this year. 

Night Cream:

I am a little picky with my night creams.  I like feeling like there is still something on my skin, an occlusive layer, when I rinse my face with water in the morning.  One cream that does this is the Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream.  I am tempted to try one of the drugstore creams that people seem to like, but it isn't really likely because I like and have repurchased this cream. I am going to keep my options open at this point. 


Lip Treatment:

I am trying to work through a tube of Glossier Cherry Balm Dotcom.  This thing has lasted forever!  Once I work through this, I have a tube of Coconut Balm Dotcom that has barely a dent, and a Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. I am not going to need to repurchase this category this year. 


Weekly Treatments:

I like doing a mask or a sheet mask once a week when I take my soak.  I have 4 products that fit into this category, and several sheet masks that I am not going to list individually here.


Do I really need any of these products? I am going to have to say yes. I see a real difference when I use the Babyfacial, Dark Angels and the Enzyme mask. I don't see as much with the two from Farmacy.  I am not going to repurchase anything until I work through all four of these, even though I think they do different things.  I would like to have, at most, two items in this category, most likely an acid and a clay mask.  My weekly bath is something that is important to me and gets me ready for the week. It makes sense to me to have special weekly products to use at this time. Some of these are pretty expensive, but because I only use them once a week at most (but in reality less since I only use one a time) the cost per month is really low. I doubt very seriously that I will pay Drunk Elephant prices though. I do not see myself going through all of these as well as the sheet masks I have before the end of the year.

That about wraps it up!  I am starting a foundation project that I will cover in my next post.

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