My routine: double cleansed, green tea toner, BHA Power Liquid on my nose, L-Ascorbic Acid Powder + Snail Mucin + Squalane + Amino Acids + Resveratrol emulsion on my face and neck, eye cream, Youth-Boost Gel.
The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil
Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream
La Roche Posay Redermic R Eyes
What I did: Double cleansed, BHA Blackhead Power Liquid on my nose as a toner, Cica Toner all over, Amino Acids + Snail Mucin, Redermic R eye cream, Squalane + Alpha Lipoic Acid + Rose Hip Seed Oil, Ceramidin Cream.
The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil
Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream
La Roche-Posay Redermic R Eyes
How I use these products: double cleanse, BHA Blackhead liquid on my nose, toner, sheet mask, Redermic R eye cream, mix Amino Acids + Retinol in Squalane + Rose Hip Seed Oil + Snail Mucin in an emulsion, Lala Retro cream.
The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil
The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane
The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5
COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid
COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
How I use these products: Double cleanse, eye cream, BHA liquid on my nose as a toner, Glycolic toner all over my face (except for the eye region), then I mix Amino Acids liquid + Snail mucin + Squalane + Rose hip oil into an emulsion and apply all over my face and neck.
I usually use a sleeping pack as my last step but tonight has been rough and I didn’t bother with one.
Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream
not pictured: Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream
How I use these products: Double cleanse, cica toner, BHA toner on my nose, sheet mask, eye cream, Alpha Arbutin + Amino Acids, Niacinamide, snail mucin + squalane, water drench cloud cream.
I know you’re supposed to use a moisturizer beneath facial oils but that has never worked for me. I always mix my snail mucin with my facial oils and I find it sinks into my skin better. Then I seal in the oil emulsion with a moisturizer.
Also, I know The Ordinary’s Niacinamide serum is infamous for its pilling beneath skincare products but I’ve never had an issue. The trick is to wait a few minutes for it to absorb into the skin before layering on more products.
I’ve used this toner (not exclusively) for two years and it’s good.
That’s it. It’s good. Not great but good.
I don’t have blemished skin but I do get blemishes randomly. And when I do, I use this toner. I’m not sure if it reduces my breakouts but its anti-bacterial nature helps prevent more blemishes. During the summer, I get red angry bumps on my décolletage, and using this toner in that area every night for a week not only reduced them but completely prevented them!
That being said, I do have to address the elephant in the room. Yes, denatured alcohol (alcohol denat.) is listed as the second ingredient. I know, I know. Not good.
Which is why I don’t love this toner. Though witch hazel is listed as the third ingredient and tea tree oil is listed as the fourth, the fact that denatured alcohol is listed as a second is iffy to me.
Witch hazel acts as an astringent and anti-inflammatory ingredient, while tea tree oil is an anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and is an anti-acne treatment. Both (in theory) are really good ingredients to fight blemishes.
I know alcohol is often added to skincare and there are so many different types. Some are good and some are bad. Denatured alcohol is in the bad category. It’s drying, it strips the skin and can damage your skin’s barrier. In all, not really a good ingredient.
And yet, I still return to this toner. Lately, I’ve been branching out and using gentler or homemade toners but I still keep this in my skincare regime. I can’t seem to quit it. I’m convinced it helps with blemishes and maybe it does. So when my skin is revolting, I reach for this toner.
Note: this will dry your skin out! It’s verrrrry drying and I don’t use it regularly because of that.
Also note: I have combination skin so if your skin leans towards the drier side, please be aware that this will exacerbate your dryness.
Do I recommend this? Honestly, not really. I’m sure there are better tea tree toners out there but for the price (I paid $7.99 CDN and it lasts me 6-7 months), it’s okay.
Overall, I like this toner because of its anti-inflammation and anti-microbial properties but hate that there’s alcohol in it.
I have a confession to make. I’m a sheet mask hoarder. You’re not surprised? Well, it would surprise you if I told you how many masks I have. But I won’t. It’d be too much to handle for anyone’s ears. Just know it’s an obscene amount.
I found these masks on my monthly sheet mask shopping trip. Yes, I used to go monthly to a few of my favourite stores and browse, inevitably picking up sheet masks along the way. I’ve stopped this monthly madness and instead, now order the masks online. R.I.P my wallet.
With a minimalistic packaging and radiant boosting claims, what were my thoughts?
I don’t feel like writing a comprehensive review about these products and I’m sure no one really wants to read it anyway. So let’s do an informal Chat with Me!
I should say before I go further that rose and jasmine are up there with my favourite scents (leather, amber and wood being my favourite in fragrances). If a fragrance has any of those notes, especially rose or jasmine, guaranteed I’m going to obsess until I can smell it.
When I found out L’Oréal released the Fine Flowers line with rose and jasmine, I went to the store the very next day and bought them. The best part? The store was having a BOGO and I had a gift card so I only had to pay (you ready for this?), ¢11 CDN! I couldn’t hide my shock when the sales associate told me what I owed. Seriously!? I can’t even be too bitter about how much I dislike the cleansing milk because I basically got it for free.
Here is my extremely convoluted and overwhelming skincare routine. At first, even writing this and finding what works for me was too much and I became anxious just trying to work out which product works together and which conflicts (The Ordinary’s products and how to layer them were the most confusing for me).
The reason I am posting this is that when I review products, you need to know the state of my skin and the current products I use so I can give you the most honest and transparent review possible. Continue reading “My current skincare routine:”
The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Light Cleansing Oil,
Tatcha Classic Rice Polish Foaming Enzyme Powder,
Youth to the People Superfood Face Wash,
DIY Rice Water Toner,
DIY Green Tea, Aloe Vera, Witch Hazel Facial Mist.
I am currently loving this lineup in the morning (note: I don’t use the Rice Powder every morning but this morning, I did so that’s why I included it in this photo). Continue reading “My current a.m lineup”
Honeysuckle Haiku 