TTMA your favorite skincare products

[katietopaz]

My skin has not loved this pregnancy. My face is overall a little drier, but if any moisturizer touches my t-zone, I break out like a teenager. I've had some luck with the African Black Soap brand toner, and a spot treatment with tea tree oil, but I can't find a moisturizer I really love.

What are your favorite skincare products? Any routine steps you swear by? Or just come commiserate with me.

[Leaf 🌱]

Yes, please help me not be embarrassed of my face.

...even though I’m sure the only answer is “give birth” 😒

[ArielMermaid]

Just here to commiserate. My skin is looking rough. I don't even know what to do with it.

[cornpop]

So what has been working best for me is to use my normal face wash and then an exfoliant every night. For my face wash I use Clean and Clear Essentials Foaming Face Wash and for my exfoliant I use the Body Shop's seaweed exfoliant. I have to do it every night and even then it doesn't make my skin perfect but definitely much better.

[katietopaz]

Nov 10, 2017 14:56:33 GMT -6 Leaf 🌱 said:

Yes, please help me not be embarrassed of my face.

...even though I’m sure the only answer is “give birth” 😒

I mean...my skin permanently changed even after I gave birth to DS. So here we go on another rollercoaster.

I should have asked for makeup recs, too. None of my makeup (not that I wear a ton, or even daily) is sitting well on my face. I may ask for one of those Sephora mini-makeovers as an early Christmas gift - they spend 30-45 min with you and you just commit to a $50+ purchase.

[polson]

i have just been using a neutrogena stress control wash with a clarisonic. i'm not sure that the clarisonic actually makes a difference or it's just placebo for me but i *think* i notice my skin is worse when i don't use it for a few days. i use cetaphil and a neutrogena benzoyl peroxide spot treatment cream at night. i am still having breakouts on my back and shoulders, but now that it's winter i really don't care much anymore
eta i know most obs say salicylic acid is a no no, but i found this on acog ( m.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Skin-Conditions-During-Pregnancy?IsMobileSet=true#treat ) and i used it all through my last pregnancy. i figure if it's in a face wash and i'm not leaving it on overnight or anything, any risk is pretty low. anyways, i'm pretty sure it's oral salicylic acid that is the problem (i.e. aspirin). that said my ob put me on low dose aspirin for pre-e risk so maybe i don't know what i'm talking about.

[clementine]

+1 to the salicylic acid polson. My OB also said that if it’s just in your face wash and it’s only on your skin briefly, it’s ok. I’ve been using Murad face wash with their benzoyl peroxide spot treatment. I just started using some tea tree oil cleanser from The Body Shop but I’m not sure it’s making a huge difference. I think most of what I’m dealing with is cystic acne and from what I’ve been told, it’s hormonal and most topical things won’t make much of a difference. Cool.

I’m still breaking out on my back and shoulders like crazy. It sucks. I’m using the tea tree oil body wash but again, I don’t know if it’s really helping.

So I guess I don’t have any recommendations because my skin is the worst. Sorry you all are dealing with this too!

[snowmoon]

So, I love and obsess over skincare. I've struggled with cystic, hormonal acne for most of my adult life and pregnancy does not help. For me, the two things that make the biggest difference for my skin is 1. Not over exfoliating 2. using hydrating serums. All of the physical exfoliants- the clarisonic, scrubs and what not, make my skin so dry and make acne worse. Gentle chemical exfoliants work so much better. I love the Pixi Glow Tonic from Target, or Shoppers if you're in Canada. It's glycolic acid and gentle enough to use every day. Using a mist or essence has been working well for me as an extra layer of hydration. I've also been using the water bank serum from Laneige and I love it. For a daily moisturizer, I've been using the Honey Drop moisturizer from Farmacy and it's so beautiful and smells so good. Neutrogena Hydro Bost moisturizer is really similar. I like to use Rosehip oil at night.

I'm also pretty strict about cleansing. An oil or balm cleanser to take of makeup and sunscreen, and a water based cleanser afterwards. And wash your face every morning.

[snowmoon]

And if I feel like I'm getting a spot, I use a q-tip and alternate layers of a chemical exfoliant and an oil over it as a spot treatment before bed. It makes it so, so much less inflamed and painful and they go away faster.

[katietopaz]

snowmoon I don't use a serum but I've thought about it, especially because my skin seems more dry now than before. Do you use it at night, morning, or both? Right now my night routine is just cleanser, toner, moisturizer. Morning, I'm kind of terrible about washing my face, especially if I know I'm not going to wear makeup, and I usually just do an SPF (sometimes tinted) moisturizer. I have a sample of Origins GinZing tinted moisturizer that I like a lot, but I'm waiting to see if my skin reacts to it over 2-3 weeks.

I did recently pick up the Neutrogena Hydro Boost moisturizer since it gets talked about so much over on GD, and I like it, but my skin still seems on the dry side.

[alwayscheese]

snowmoon is speaking a language I don't understand lol. But I'm gonna look some of that up and maybe try it.

I hoped I would be one of those people whose acne cleared up during pregnancy, but no such luck except maaaaybe it's been getting better the last week or so. I have an obsessive picking habit so working on that may be helping.

I use this Neutrogena All-In-1 Acne Control Daily Scrub, Acne Treatment 4.2 Fl. Oz. (Pack of 3) www.amazon.com/dp/B00G4EL8TS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_udLbAbN4K1A4Y and I think it's the main reason I don't have really have acne scars.

I've been trying this St. Ives Facial Oil Scrub Apricot 4.23 oz www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5CQ13L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_OfLbAbDQEND68 and love how it makes my skin feel, but haven't figured out if it's making my acne better or worse.

And lastly I use this tinted moisturizer bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream SPF 30, Birch 1.5, 1.18 Ounce www.amazon.com/dp/B01ETP8FL2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_IjLbAbKGTGFSK not to help with acne but because it's as close to makeup as I ever do and it really helps my complexion when my acne is bad.

[babybean]

I broke out a lot last pregnancy and a konjac sponge helped a lot.

[snowmoon]

katietopaz, I use it morning and night and it's made a huge difference. I don't even have dry skin, so it seems counterintuitive, but keeping it hydrated seems to balance out the oil production.

alwayscheese sorry. It's a lot. There's a lady named Caroline Hirons that blogs about skincare that I've learned a lot from.

[calendula]

alwayscheese, a good friend of mine is an esthetician and her training widely discourages those scrubs, like the St Ives Apricot one. She says its just way too abrasive on the skin. My skin texture was starting to get a little messy once I turned 30, and she encouraged me to pick a collagen based toner and chemical exfoliant instead. I use Paula's Choice products and they have made a world of difference vs the texture exfoliant and alcohol based toners I was using before.

I have dry skin and my concerns are smooth texture, redness and fine lines. I use a facial oil cleanser (Trader Joe's has a good one that is cheap), Paula's Choice gentle makeup remover on my eyes, Paula's Choice Resist Replenishing Toner, and Paula's Choice Resist Daily Smoothing 5% AHA. I actually don't usually need a moisturizer after that most nights, if you can believe it, but in the dead of winter when my skin is driest I will use a touch of coconut oil as a mask at night. My morning routine is usually just warm water and Olay beauty fluid for sensitive skin, plus my beloved It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC cream with SPF.

katietopaz I really love the Paula's Choice products. They are generous with their samples, so you could order some tests before committing.

[yianna]

I'm diehard for Rodan and Fields. I mix the Unblemish wash with the Redefine mask and use that to cleanse after I remove makeup. I skip toner (bc I just can't handle it right now) and use the AM Redefine cream, eye cream, and done. For night time, I use their new eye serum, and hydration serum, after I cleanse.

I also keep a bottle of Purity by Philosophy in the shower, as well as a small bottle of Mario Badescu Glycolic wash in there too. I'll use those a couple of times of week with my clairsonic. I also do a scrub a few times a week too.

Oh, I always remove makeup before 'washing', with Clinique's take the day off balm. I want my skincare to get to my skin, not remove make up, if that makes sense?

My skin is in pretty great shape. I have some irritation from some new make up I've tried, but no breakouts, no scaliness, no excessive oiliness.