What Spot? Dots from Disciple

I am currently at a stage where I do not normally get a lot of pimples rising. When I do it is typically around the holidays when I have consumed food righter in fat, sugars and salts than I do at any other time of the year or it is related to stress.

Yes my body’s reaction to stress is to stress is to retain weight, suffer from insomnia and to break out. It is a trait I share with all of my father’s side of the family. On the other hand my Mother and all of her side of the family tend to drop weight and retreat into sleep when a big dose of stress hits. It makes for interesting family problem solving.

It also means that I don’t keep a lot of pimple related products on hand. For me the rise of pimple patches has been amazing. The small containers are easy to store and they tend to last longer than a lot of skincare products. The two brands I usually use for this are Peace out Skincare and Zitsticka. I find them both to be incredibly effective. However this set of What Spot? Dots from the brand Disciple came in a subscription box and so when recent stress arrived and caused a painful bump to rise, I decided to give them a go.

I don’t know about you but for me when I get a blemish rising in that area between my lips and the side of my nose they really tend to hurt when they are coming up. Perhaps because the skin is so thin there. Regardless I was happy to have something to put on it.

Because I don’t use these products often, I always check the dates for expiration and I was pleased to see that it was stamped in easy to read numbers on the interior container. Occasionally I will loose outer packaging for things like this so the inner expiration date helps me. In this case it told me that I had until 2025 to use these dots.

According to the website…

The BHA-powered What Spot? Dot? by DISCIPLE Skincare are effective hydrocolloid patches designed to minimise the look of blemishes and redness.

Featuring salicylic acid, the spot stickers help to decongest the skin, promoting a more clarified complexion. Hyaluronic acid helps to keep the area hydrated, preventing the blemish from drying out.

before on left, after on right, the Disciple brought the pimple closer to the surface

The dots went on like they usually do. You peel them off and stick them onto the rising blemish. You then leave them while your body absorbs the goodness and the redness and pain retreat.

I will say that this Disciple product did take down the pain of the rising blemish. My skin felt less achy and it did feel a little less red. Was it as effective as either Zitsticka or Peace out? No. I certainly found both products to be more effective. However this did help calm the area somewhat and it did take away the pain of the blemish. It is not a bad product, it simply isn’t the best. I will use these dots for the few blemishes that rise in the near future, but when i restock, I will go back to my usual brands rather than adding the Disciple What Spot? Dots to my list of must purchase items.

Beyond Clean Beauty. Ogee is plant powered, vegan, gluten-free, GMO free and certified organic ingredients.

Trying out the Kate Somerville Exfoliacate: First Use

I have to admit, this one was a fun test for me. First of all you know I love exfoliators. I love the physical ones and I love the chemical ones too. In addition this is a Kate Somerville product. I find Kate Somerville an interesting brand.

On one hand there are so many people raving about the products that it is hard to believe the hype.

On the other hand, every product I have tried from the brand has lived up to the hype.

But this is the Exfolikate. To be more precise this is the Kate Somerville Exfolikate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment. I have heard so many super fab things about this product for a really long time. Everyone I know has at some point tried this. The reactions range from ‘this is the best’ to ‘it was a little too intense for me but it was still fabulous’. In short I have heard no bad things about this other than comments about it’s intensity.

But what’s a little pain among friends?

And so I am going to pretend i have not heard any of the rave reviews and see how it works for my skin, after all what is fab for one isn’t always fab for all. So to the website!

Reveal smoother, clearer skin in two minutes with Exfolikate® Intensive Exfoliating Treatment from Kate Somerville. This clinic-inspired exfoliating scrub clears pores and preps skin to better absorb the rest of your regimen, making every product and ingredient that follows more effective.

Removes surface dullness

Softens fine lines and wrinkles

Reveals a smooth, healthy-looking, glowing complexion

Helps reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles

Dermstore

This product retails for $28 which is quite reasonable actually. According to the directions, a thin layer is applied to the skin, it is massaged in and left for a maximum of two minutes. And then it is rinsed off. The results I am looking for are listed above so I know what I am looking to find. And so onto the face we go.

I have to say I wasn’t expecting it to be green. I know that is an odd thing to say but somehow I thought it would be a clear jelly like thing. I think that might be because a lot of the chemical exfoliators I’ve tried have had that kind of texture. So i found it surprising.

The treatment was easily smoothed over the skin and before I even began the massage in circles part, I could already feel my skin heating up under the mask. I started the timer, massaged the mask and waited the two minutes.

They are not kidding about the intensity of the mask. It was quite intense. I began to have visions of my skin burning off and leaving me extra crispy like Spawn or maybe Freddy Kruger. About the time I was contemplating a life of horror movie existence, the timer went off and I gratefully washed the Intensive Exfoliating Treatment from my skin.

Much to my relief my skin was still there. My skin looked less dull and was in fact glowing just a little bit. It felt soft and smooth. It is recommended that this product be used twice a week. I am sure that if i used it twice a week it would have some pretty good effects. I plan to try it actually. So while I go on with my other skin care I will go on with the ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating treatment. Once I am finished with the tube (or a month has passed whichever arrives first) I’ll circle back and compare my skin to the photos in this post. However I have to say that for a first use, this was quite the product and as impossible as it seems, it feels like the Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment will be living up to the hype.

Trying out the Keys Soulcare Reviving Aura Mist

The Keys Soulcare line is a beautifully packaged line of products. Each item I have tried has come in a lovely dark purple glass bottle. It is a line of products where it is clear that someone spent a great deal of time thinking about how the products look and how the packaging functions.

This Reviving Aura Mist from Keys Soulcare is no exception in that department. The dark purple glass bottle feels lux in the hand and the spray nozzle is large enough to comfortably press down. Despite the Luxe feel to the bottle and the spray, the Reviving Aura mist retails for only $25.

I think that may be one of my favorite things about the brand as a whole. The products are designed to feel really expensive but are affordably priced.

The mist itself is quite fine. When it sprays it actually qualifies as a mist. Sometimes, these sorts of sprays can be a bit heavy. In terms of the mist it is light enough to be sprayed both on bare skin and on a fully made up face without fear of the makeup running.

Although it you have a full face of makeup on, don’t over do it with the spray. one or two pumps is fine. The more mist you spray the more it turns into liquid. So keep it light if you are wearing a full face.

But what is the point of a reviving Aura mist, other than to revive slumping auras? According to the website, the answer is simple…

A naturally rose-scented, revitalizing face mist spray and toner formulated with rose of Jericho and witch hazel. Witch hazel helps tone and revive your skin’s appearance. Rose of Jericho helps lock moisture into the skin.

Which hazel and I are old friends. When i was a kid my mother kept a bottle in the medicine cabinet and it was applied to everything from sunburns to rashes to pretty much any other kind of skin irritation you could think of. we also used it straight as a toner when i was younger as well and when my face was covered with acne it was quite helpful in the taking down redness. To this day I prefer toners that have witch hazel as an ingredient. Possibly because I am used to it and partially because it works.

Ingredients: ROSA DAMASCENA FLOWER WATER, WATER (AQUA), GLYCERIN, HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA (WITCH HAZEL) WATER, TREHALOSE, BETAINE, ANASTATICA HIEROCHUNTICA EXTRACT, ROSA RUGOSA FLOWER OIL, SODIUM HYALURONATE, DIPOTASSIUM GLYCYRRHIZATE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, PPG-26-BUTETH-26, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, PHENOXYETHANOL, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, DISODIUM EDTA, TROMETHAMINE, CITRONELLOL, EUGENOL, GERANIOL.

But here is the problem. If you look on the list, there are a lot of things other than witch hazel in the mix. I’m pretty sure the witch hazel did my skin some good in the month since i started spraying this regularly onto my skin (I used it once every day mid afternoon for the past month which is why the bottle is mostly empty now)

I don’t think that this mist did my skin any harm. I think it was refreshing in fact and might have actually done some good. There is nothing I can point to as evidence of improvement, but it was cool and refreshing to feel against the skin. It was a nice light mist and I like sprays that have a nice light mist.

The problem is the scent. This product is so heavily scented with rose that even if my skin felt like it was getting a nice dose of moisture, my brain thought i was spraying rose scented perfume in my face. The package is lovely. The mist is fantastic and the witch hazel is top notch in my book. But that scent is too much. It is way too intense for a facial spray. In general I have liked everything I have tried from the Keys Soulcare line and honestly I really like 90% of this spray. However that final 10% is scent and it looms large. I will use up the last of this bottle of Reviving Aura Mist and hope that in the future they come out with a lightly scented version in the future. I would use this product again if it came to me in a subscription box, but I would not purchase it on my own.

Trying out the Patchology Flashpatch Rejuvenating Eye Gels

By now I think everyone knows that I love eye masks in pretty much every form. They are one of my favorite skincare items. well, the good ones are anyway. For me a good eye mask will provide much needed moisture or some sort of beneficial serum to the under eye area. It may make me feel more awake, but above all almost all of the eye masks that fall into my use again category help me with some depuffing during allergy season.

Now I know you’ve been in the stores and seen various eye masks and realize that none of them say recommended for allergy relief on them. That’s because it never seems to be what they intended. I think it is a combination of the fact that they are cool against the skin and providing skin enhancing benefits through their serums that helps out my under eyes. Some of them specifically mention depuffing while others don’t. I am getting ready to start a longer trial with a box of Depology Hydrogel under eye patches but before then I wanted to try out the last untried single eye gel pack in my box of single use masks.

The box isn’t empty but the other ones in there I have tried before. I tried clearing them out and by the time I emptied the box more came in through subscriptions. I will never complain about that because I always use them, but this was the one I hadn’t tried out.

So this is the Flashpatch Rejuvenating Eye Gel from Patchology. While I have a single use set, a set of thirty will cost $50. So about $1.66 per set of eye gels, if you want to break it down that way. which isn’t too bad. The name Patchology is familiar to me, but I can’t honestly say I have tried any other products from them. If I have I don’t remember them. So this is a first use product for the brand for me as well.

According to the website…

Puffiness. Fatigue. Dryness. Enter the fast fix for tired eyes, featuring Caffeine and Hydrolyzed Collagen. Look like you got your full 8 hours every day. REVIVE IN FIVE Refresh in an instant. Eye Revive FlashPatch® 5 Minute Hydrogels feature our highly advanced HydraSurge5™ Moisture System. More effective than topical creams or serums, this patch technology accelerates the delivery of essential ingredients Caffeine and Hydrolyzed Collagen. And the Hydrogels stay put—so you get these ingredients where you need them most. Cooling. Smoothing. Refreshing. Your just-woke-up-like-this suddenly looks a whole lot brighter.

So these eye gels are specifically designed to depuff and to do so in five minutes. Now while I will wear eye masks throughout the day while working at my desk over lunch or if I feel like I am in a mid afternoon slump. I decided to try these out first thing in the morning. I washed my face patted everything dry and then opened the packet. I decided to wait for the rest of my skincare until later so that I could see what this set of eye gels did on their own. Then I wore them for five minutes while I set the coffee on to brew and got my clothes out for the day. I think i ended up with about a seven minute wear time instead of a five but I don’t think that should affect to much.

First off the eye gels were very juicy when they came out of the pack. The plastic holder was a bit on the slick side. The eye gels were still connected to each other which I haven’t had in a really long time. Actually I can’t remember a set where the gels were attached to each other. There might have been but I don’t recall them. I pulled them apart and they did separate without the use of scissors but I was worried that I was going to tear them. I managed it without incident and then put them on.

They went on easily and stayed in place for the length of time I wore them. they were wet enough that I thought they might slide or leak serum down my cheeks (which i have had happen before). These did neither. They were comfortable to wear and easy to forget about while I passed the wear time.

Back in the bathroom I removed them. The before and after pictures are below.

To be honest, I can see a definite improvement. It isn’t huge, but it is certainly there. Some of the allergy related puffiness is gone. (The ragweed is in the wind where I live and everything has a fine yellow dust over it). Oddly, I think there might have been more of an improvement if I wore the patches for a little bit longer. They were still wet when i removed them although they were significantly drier than when I put them on so i know the serum either evaporated or absorbed. even though these are bulled as five minute eye gels, I think if I had worn them the standard fifteen I would have seen much more depuffing. I will say that this single use of the Flash Patch Rejuvenating Eye Gels does make me want to pick up at least one more set to try for the fifteen minutes to see if I am right. I could easily see these Flashpatch Rejuvenating eye Gels from Patchology in a longer use trial with a full sized container. As for now i will say that they did exactly what they said they were going to do. And for me, that’s a win.

A different sort of Line up for the Skin: September 22nd, 2022

if you are looking at the picture above and thinking, that seems like there are some duplicates, you aren’t wrong. in the above photo I have the products I have been using and I also have the products that will be going with me when I leave tomorrow morning. Tonight i will use the products going with me and if there are no issues they will be packed and taken for two weeks at my mother’s house. Currently in rotation Are…

Cleanser: Avant Blue Volcanic Stone Purifying and Antioxidizing Cleansing Gel

Toner: Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner from First Aid Beauty

Serum: 35% Vitamin C Perfecting Serum from Allies of Skin

Eye cream: Kat Burki Nutrient C Eye Cream

Moisturizer: Volition Yaupon Tea Glow Awakening Moisturizer

Lip Mask: Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask

while there is probably over a week’s worth of cleanser in the Avant, there probably isn’t two weeks worth and I don’t want to pack two cleansers. So I will be taking the Alpha H Balancing cleanser with me. I wanted to try it out and I have two other Alpha H products to try so they will be going with me. One I know I like (the Liquid Gold Toner) and one I haven’t tried. But I will get to that below.

The FAB toner won’t be going with me because there is very little product left and it is a big bottle. As the Alpha H toner can only be used every other day, I have added in the travel sized bottle of the Byroe Toning essence. I’ve use it before and it is both a fantastic toner and a great essence. I will use it on the days I am not using the exfoliating toner.

I did pack a physical exfoliator as I really like exfoliating once a week. I am taking a travel size of the ESPA Refining Skin Polish because I have used it before and absolutely love it. I am sticking with the allies of skin serum since it has a locking pump and I am keeping the Volition moisturizer in the travel line up. This week i did use the Elemis Super Food Midnight Facial a few nights and it really worked well with the volition to give my skin the moisture it needed so i will be keeping them paired up for the trip. As I felt I had enough glass bottles and jars I traded out the eye cream for a tube of the Alpha H eye cream. It not only goes along with the other AlphaH products but it is a smaller tube.

Over all I was rather pleased with the products I used this week and I am happy with the ones going with me on the trip. While I am gone, there will be no skincare updates so tonight I will make sure there are no skincare reactions and then I will report back on the skincare in motion once I return from my trip.

Traveling with me are…

Cleanser: Alpha H Balancing Cleanser with Aloe Vera

Toner: Alpha H Liquid Gold and Byroe Bitter Greens Toning Essence

Serum: 35% Vitamin C Perfecting Serum from Allies of Skin

Eye cream: Alpha H Liquid Gold Firming Eye Cream

Moisturizer: Volition Yaupon Tea Glow Awakening Moisturizer

Night Mask: Elemis Superfood Midnight Facial

Exfoliator: ESPA Refining Skin Polish

Lip Mask: Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask

And so my darlings, those are the products I will be taking with me. I look forward to putting them to the test and reporting back about how well they worked and how well they traveled. I also can’t wait to tell you all about it when I return. Until then…

The Skincare Line up: September 16th, 2022

That’s right it is time for my favorite post, the weekly skincare line up. This week there were a few changes.

Cleanser: Avant Blue Volcanic Stone Purifying and Antioxidizing Cleansing Gel

Toner: Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner from First Aid Beauty

Serum: 35% Vitamin C Perfecting Serum from Allies of Skin

Eye cream: Kat Burki Nutrient C Eye Cream

Moisturizer: Volition Yaupon Tea Glow Awakening Moisturizer

Lip Mask: Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask

Okay let’s talk about those products that have been in motion for a while. First the Kissu mask from Tatcha. My lips love it and continue to love it. I adore wearing it to bed at night and I enjoy the light scent of it. It is a keeper in the line up and as so little is used each time i use it, this little jar is sticking around a while.

The First aid beauty toner is fine. It is an oat based toner and works well especially after a day in the sun. I like it and wouldn’t mind using it again but it isn’t on my repurchase list.

while I have had one clogged pore under the eyes with the Kat Burki eye cream I haven’t had another one so I don’t think it is a problem. The cream absorbs well and it has a light fresh scent.

the Avant cleanser doesn’t have as light of a scent as I thought it had for the first week. I think it was just lighter than the previous cleanser. There is something about the scent that i find vaguely cloying. Not enough to make me stop using it, but I don’t think i would buy this again. Well to be honest as the cleanser costs $110 I doubted I would be buying it again in any case, but a part of me hoped it would be knock me out of my socks fantastic. I actually tried a lip balm from Avant that was that good and (almost) made me think it might be worth the price. A part of me hoped this cleanser would be the same. It is not. It is good, but not fabulous. And certainly not $110 fabulous. It would be good for $35, great for $25. There is nothing wrong with it in other words, it just isn’t good enough to justify the cost.

There were two new products this week. The first was the Allies of skin Vitamin C serum. The Depology serum did last until yesterday morning so last night and this morning I used this serum. I love the glass bottle and I really do like the fact that the pump locks down. I had several serums to choose from and I did choose this one primarily because the pump could be locked. Next Friday I am leaving town and if I was starting a serum I wanted one I could take with me. with the locking pump, I can take this one with me.

I found it interesting. You have to shake well before each use. The serum is listed as having a waterless base so my guess is that it separates as it sits. It comes out looking and feeling like an oil. it is a dry feeling oil but it will leave you shiny until it absorbs. once it absorbs there is no shiny factor or greasy look. There is a slightly citrus note to the serum. while two uses isn’t enough to give any kind of detailed notes, I did like how it felt on my skin. It also seemed to pair well with the moisturizer.

The moisturizer is a Volition moisturizer. I have tried Volition products before. Their sunscreen is one I stock up to use consistently. I use it year round, but they generally have sales both in the spring and over the Black Friday shopping season so I tend to buy six month’s worth at a time. (each tube will give me about a month and a half’s worth of product plus a little bit extra so it is four tubes each sale if you are doing the math. It is well worth it.). I also enjoy their snow mushroom serum. This is my first use with the Yaupon Tea Moisturizer.

Yaupon is a type of holly native to southeastern North America (Yes i had to look it up). There is a light, almost floral note to the cream but it is one of those scents that if you stick your nose in the jar and inhale it seems strong but the scent dissipates very quickly. It almost reminds me of jasmine tea actually. mostly it just has that skincare cream scent. which i am fine with. The cream is a light one that is almost a water cream but not quite. When applied to the skin it does go sort of liquid-y as though it was melting into water. It absorbed well because of the consistency and I found it to be a good light cream. I am somewhat let down by it at night. It is a great day cream but I think that a few times a week I am going to have to roll in some form of night mask. I actually don’t mind that. i am perfectly fine with having a separate day cream and night cream. And I think the Volition is, for me, a really good day cream. it just needs a little help at night.

And that is my line up this week. At the moment things seem to be rolling right along. I am happy to keep this line up for the coming week.

Thirty Days of the Depology Matrixyl 3000 Collagen Boosting Serum

Depology very kindly gifted this Matrixyl 3000 Collagen Boosting Serum for the purpose of review. As always my thoughts and opinions are my own.

For the past thirty days I have been using the Depology Matrixyl 3000 Collagen Boosting Serum. The initial post for this serum covers a lot of the basics, the feel the look the scent and to be honest, not a lot of that changed. The serum has no scent to it. It is clear, and it is a surprisingly thick liquid. There is a viscosity to it when it comes out of the dropper so it is thicker than water even though it has the appearance of it.

The link above will take you to my previous post detailing the feel of using the serum. the use remained consistent throughout. I had no irritation or problems from the Depology Matrixyl 3000 Collagen Boosting Serum and quite frankly I am not surprised. A look at the full ingredients list has no items on it that would irritate my skin.

Full Ingredients List: Water, Butylene Glycol, Matrixyl 3000, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Codium Tomentosum Extract, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Cereus Grandiflorus (Cactus) Extract, Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate, Trehalose, Hydroxyacetophenone, 1 ,2-Hexanediol, Coconut Oil, Rosehip Seed Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, Allantoin, Stearic Acid, Xanthan Gum.
Depology

While ingredients like Aloe coconut oil, and sunflower oil help to soften the skin, items like grapefruit seed extract and cactus help with brightening. Hyaluronic acid helps with plumping the skin and eliminating the fine lines and wrinkles as does the matrixyl 3000 that the Depology Matrixyl 3000 Collagen Boosting Serum is named for. Many of the other ingredients are humectants (helping to dray moisture into the skin) or stabilizers. all in all it is a pretty good list of ingredients.

And it cause me no trouble. I used this Depology Matrixyl 3000 Collagen Boosting Serum twice a day for the past thirty days. It absorbed well and left my skin feeling soft and hydrated. It was best if I dried my skin post face wash because if the skin was damp the serum tended to be a little foamy. The foam was minimal and mostly irrelevant, but it made me think I hadn’t washed all of the soap off of my face, which made me want to rinse my face which would have made applying the serum pointless.

This foamy-ness happens with a lot of serums so it is sort of expected,. I think it is one of the stabilizers just reacting with water. It isn’t anything to worry about. And it is easily avoidable if it bothers you. I washed my face, patted it dry and then brushed my teeth. But the time I was finished brushing my teeth my skin was dry enough not to cause the serum to foam.

the big question of course is how did my skin look after thirty days of use. Let’s zoom in and take a look.

There is a slight reduction in the wrinkles at the corner of my eyes but the change is more noticeable when you look at the under eye. the wrinkles there are not as deeply set as they were at the beginning of the month.

And then we have the line on my forehead. This is the line I refer to as my stress crack. They are slightly different photos and I apologize. when I took the second one I had to zoom in a little closer because the line wasn’t quite as pronounced as it was before the trial, hence the different angles. Hopefully it isn’t too disorienting.

In general it takes thirty days to show any actual results. Today actually marks the thirty days of use and as you can see I am starting to show some definite signs of improvement in the most prominent of my wrinkles. As with all skincare use needs to be continued if the effects are going to last. I feel certain that as there is some improvement at the thirty day mark, continued use of the Depology Matrixyl 3000 Collagen Boosting Serum would show greater effects the longer I used it. Skincare isn’t magic though so to continue to see the results I would have to continuously use the serum. As with all skincare consistency is the biggest key to getting results. and I think a consistent use of the Depology Matrixyl 3000 Collagen Boosting Serum would show some pretty good results.

The Skincare Line Up: September 9th, 2022

It is time once again for the weekly skincare line up. Here slowly but surely i work my way through products in my routine. For me I find this sort of thing exciting. I like the first use posts because there are interesting first impressions and of course I like the end of use posts where we see if there are any actual results, but I really find the in progress line up to be the most fun. Not only do I get to think about an array of skincare, but i get to think of it working in conjunction with other skincare. Does this product work better if I incorporate a facial oil into the routine or if I leave it out. Does this take longer to absorb and thus better left for evening use when I have more time in my skincare regimen than I do when i am racing to get my day started? These are the sorts of thigs I really do find interesting to know. So let’s see what we see with this week’s line up.

Cleanser: Avant Blue Volcanic Stone Purifying and Antioxidizing Cleansing Gel

Toner: Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner from First Aid Beauty

Serum: Depology Matrixyl 3000 Collagen Boosting Serum

Eye cream: Kat Burki Nutrient C Eye Cream

Moisturizer: Korres Santorini Grape Poreless skin cream

Lip Mask: Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask

This week there is only one new product but we have two products that are reaching the end of their life. This week I started the Avant Gel Cleanser. Avant is known for having both extremely long names on their products and for being rather expensive. This cleanser for example is listed at $110. which in my opinion is far too much to pay for a cleanser. All of the Avant products I have tried have come to me via subscription box. Which I like because while I love trying new products and in all honesty don’t mind spending money for good skincare, I am not going to spend a lot of money for something I haven’t tried before. Which is partially why I love samples. The reason is because skincare can be very subjective. Some products that work well for someone else’s skin type can work less well for you. I’ve also moved a lot in my life and to be honest there are some products that I’ve used in some places that simply don’t work with my skin when i moved to a different area.

that being said, this week i tried the Avant cleanser. It is a gel cleanser and it has a light fresh scent. I have to say that is actually just a pleasant relief. While my skin worked well with the BFF cleanser, the highly perfumed scent was starting to get to me. By contrast this was light and fresh. It is slightly on the perfumed side, but it is far lighter in scent and it leans into the clean scents rather than floral ones. It will be interesting to see if i continue to think it is light and fresh as the use goes on. Mostly because it is kind of on the edge and I think I might be giving it a bit of a pass since it has less of a scent than the Bff. Beyond that it is a nice, decent cleanser. It doesn’t seem to be doing anything spectacular. But it also doesn’t seem to be doing any wrong either. Again this will be interesting to watch as time progresses.

The First Aid Beauty toner is still working well. it is a good toner. I don;t mind using it and wouldn’t mind using it again. It isn’t one that I will feel the need to repurchase, but there is nothing wrong with it.

The Kat Burki eye cream is interesting. This week I had one clogged pore in my under eye area (left eye). i did some spot masking to draw it out and it cleared out well. I have had no other issues with my under eyes (and they are prone to clogged pores) so it may or may not be related to the eye cream. It is thus far the only one so I will watch it as time continues.

The Depology Serum has just completed it’s fourth week of use (the full review post will go up next week.) and I have to say i really liked this serum. it absorbed well and I can really feel a difference in my skin tone. My skin feels soft and hydrated with an improvement in texture. I will continue using this serum in the coming week. I don’t know how far into the week the serum will take me but i will be using every last drop. It will also be repurchased down the road.

The moisturizer I have been using is also reaching the end of the line. I will be able to use the last of it tonight and then I will need to roll in a new moisturizer. In general I enjoy Korres products and while I can’t say that i saw a reduction in my pore size throughout the use of this cream, I can say that it was the perfect level of moisture for my skin at this time of year. It wasn’t too heavy and it wasn’t too light. I used a little more at night than i did in the day, which is fairly typical for me. This summer it has been rather difficult to find moisturizers that weren’t too heavy for day time use, but this worked out well. It is a light cream and absorbed well. It did take a little longer to absorb in the mornings than I liked, but part of that might have been the humidity. There were very few days this summer where the humidity dripped below 80%. That this one took a little longer to absorb but didn’t just slide right off, was quite impressive.

And then finally we had the Fantastic Tatcha Lip mask. While only a little is used at a time, the mask is starting to show a dip in the center. I still think it will last quite a while, which i am pleased by. It is a fantastic lip mask to wear to bed and let absorb over night. I would happily repurchase it, but i am just as happy to have it last a long time before i di need to repurchase it.

And that my darlings was my skincare for the week. there was only one new addition, but next week, there will be two new products to join the line. I can’t wait to see how they perform.

The Skincare Line Up: September 2nd, 2022

Welcome once again to one of my favorite posts of the week. It is time for the skincare line up. Her I get to talk a little bit about each product and how it is working out on my skin, not only on it’s own but in conjunction with the other products in the line up. So let’s see what products we have in motion shall we?

Cleanser: Best Face Forward (BFF) Purifying Cleanser

Toner: Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner from First Aid Beauty

Serum: Depology Matrixyl 3000 Collagen Boosting Serum

Eye cream: Kat Burki Nutrient C Eye Cream

Moisturizer: Korres Santorini Grape Poreless skin cream

Lip Mask: Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask

This week I did finish up the Wander Beauty Glow oil that I had open last week. It was a great oil and one I will be ordering again. I had it in use partially because of the cleanser. The BFF cleanser is designed for skin prone to break outs. I had some problems with break outs when I opened the cleanser and while it was handy to have, and took care of my break outs, I have combination skin so the cleanser helped the breakouts and the oil, applied mostly to my dry spots helped them out. I didn’t add in an oil because this morning I used up the last of this BFF cleanser. So I will be switching to a non-salicylic acid based cleanser.

As for the BFF cleanser. It worked well and was gentle on the skin. The part I didn’t care for was that it is pretty heavily fragranced. It is far too perfume-y for me. while I don’t mind scent in my skincare, with cleansers I am a little picky. i want them to smell clean and if the fragrance is to strong it can make me feel like my skin is not as clean as it really is. I like knowing that I could use this when my skin is breaking out and that it works well, but I would only purchase it for that specific reason because of the scent.

The wild Oat Toner is going strong. It still has plenty of product for the moment. It is a good toner and feels nice after too much time in the sun. It isn’t my favorite toner though and once it is used up I probably wouldn’t use it again.

I am loving the Depology serum and I think I am starting to see small improvements in the fine lines around my eyes and mouth. This is the end of week three so the signs are minimal, but even if I am mistaken, this serum does make my skin feel really good. It is a fast absorbing serum that hydrates well and leaves my skin soft. It is a little sticky before it absorbs fully in but once it does it looses all stickiness and just feels great on the skin.

This was the first full week for the eye cream. I rolled it into the line up at the end of last week. Thus far it is performing well. It isn’t greasy and it hasn’t clogged any of the pores around my eyes. They are prone to bumpy clogs so that is nice. I also like the fresh clean sent of the product. it just has that clean skin care scent to it. I have no other name for it. We’ll see how it performs over time. And since it is a pretty big bottle i will have plenty of time with it. the trick seems to be not dispensing too much with the pump since only a little product is actually needed. thus far, I like it.

I am almost at the end of the Korres Poreless moisturizer. I have really enjoyed it. It is light weight and was perfect for the summer heat. I did end up using more at night than I did during the day. But i didn’t actually need a night cream. I think in the future though I would probably use this as a day cream and use something heavier at night.

And then finally there is the Tatcha Lip mask. So little is needed that it will last a while and I really enjoy the light scent and the way it melts into the lips over night. It is a definite winner that will be used until there is not a drop left and then repurchased.

And so my darlings that was my skincare line up for the week. Tonight I will have to pick out a new cleanser to try I think I have enough of the Korres to make it through this week, but I suspect by next Friday there will be a new moisturizer joining the line up as well. And yes, I am excited about going into the skincare drawer and seeing what products I can try next. I know a small thing to be excited about but i do get excited selecting the items to try.

The Skincare Line Up: August 26th, 2022

Once again it is time for my favorite post of the week, the skincare line up. This week we have one new item, a couple of items facing down their last week and a few who are still rolling on. Shall we take a loom at them?

Cleanser: Best Face Forward (BFF) Purifying Cleanser

Toner: Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner from First Aid Beauty

Serum: Depology Matrixyl 3000 Collagen Boosting Serum

Facial Oil: Wander Beauty Glow Ahead Illuminationg Facial Oil

Eye cream: Kat Burki Nutrient C Eye Cream

Moisturizer: Korres Santorini Grape Poreless skin cream

Lip Mask: Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask

I brought the BFF cleanser into the line up when I was having some skin issues and it really helped. while it isn’t causing any major drying issues, I can feel the drier parts of my face beginning to not be as happy with this cleanser as my skin was before. I only have about a week’s worth of product left and if I continue to pair it with the Wander Beauty Glow Ahead oil I should be fine. For me this is a cleanser that works well when I am breaking out and isn’t too drying, but really should be set aside once my skin has stopped breaking out. Which is good to know. Many cleansers designed to help break outs I can only use one or two days in a row before my skin starts to get flaky dry patches. this Has been less damaging than most and I will put it on a list to be ordered next time I do have need of a break out friendly cleanser. At this point in my life though that isn’t all that often. I generally have problems after I’ve been sick or around the holidays when my skin reacts to over indulgence. But I do like knowing what cleanser to call.

The Facial oil has been key I think to helping balance out which parts need more moisture. I concentrated the facial oil on my traditionally drier spots and blended out which really helps me. I really like this oil in general as it gives my skin a nice glow without clogging pores. It just did doubly duty paired with the cleanser.

The toner is nice and I will use it until it is gone, but I probably won’t buy it again. It feels good in the summer months but to be honest I haven’t seen it work better than my usual toners. And I kind of miss my Thayers with it’s which hazel.

The Depology Matrixyl 300 Collagen Boosting serum is something that my skin really loves. It smooths on well and absorbs easily. I do have to make sure my skin is dry or it will foam a little on the skin and feel momentarily slightly soapy (it goes away as it absorbs but still makes me think I missed rinsing off my cleanser). I have noticed an improvement in the texture of my skin as I have worn it. There is still plenty of serum to go and I will happily continue this trial.

The Korres Moisturizer is getting low in the jar, but it is a moisturizer I will pick up again. It has been a really good summer weight moisturizer. In general I like Korres products as my skin usually reacts really well to this. I can’t say I’ve seen a major reduction in my pores, but I can tell there are fewer clogged pores and my skin feels fantastically hydrated.

The Tatcha Lip mask is a permanent favorite. I love using it and will happily repurchase repeatedly.

This week’s new to the line up product is the Kat Burki eye cream I rolled it in Thursday morning so it is very new to the line up. It has a gel moisturizer like texture and a light fresh skincare scent. I love the glass bottle and the pump. It absorbs well and in the last day it seems to work well with my skin. I will keep an eye on it as I move forward, but it looks like it is going to be a good product.

And that my darlings is this week’s skincare. In the coming week I will finish out the cleanser and possibly the facial oil. I think I’ll have another week with the Korres and another two with the serum. Which for me is the perfect spacing for products. I like to space out the new arrivals so that I can monitor the effects on my skin and determine what product is doing what and make sure to deal with any interaction issues. So for me, things are rolling ahead nicely.

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