Skincare Routine Monthly Check-in: March 16, 2018

I accidentally overwrote this entry. It's a blah entry. I was on a Whole30 and my skin was amazing and I forgot to update until halfway through the month.

1. Oil Cleanser: None!
2. Water-based Cleanser:  Cosrx Low Ph Good Morning Gel cleanser Lagom's Gellup Gel to Water Cleanser, 
3. Hydrating Toner:  Mizon's AHA/BHA toner, I feel meh about this, similar to how I felt with Park and Son's Beauty Water as a toner
4. Active: Mizon's 8% Peeling Gel AHA/BHA, it tingles
5. First Essence - SK-II
6. Serum: Olivarrier's Fluid Oil Squalane is almost done. I like it, but I am ready to try The Ordinary's version. 
7. Eye Creams: Algenist white in the evening. I slop the stuff on, don't mind it, but don't know if it does much.
8. Moisturizer: Beauty of Joseon Dynasty cream is on it's last day(s). Really, maybe one use left, I'll miss you!! Totally going to repurchase. It's on Amazon for $18 right now, should I snag another jar?
9. Sleeping Pack: Whoops, haven't been using one.... But I use a coconut moisturizer that is really thick at night instead.
10. Sunscreen: Peripera Oil Capture Peach Sun Finisher with SPF 50/PA+++, it's nice, but I am hoping to finish it soon.

Skincare Routine Monthly Check-in: February 5, 2018

Second month of the new year and what's this? I love my skin? Oh wow, wait, what is going on?!

1. Oil Cleanser: None!
2. Water-based Cleanser:  Switch between Cosrx Low Ph Good Morning Gel cleanser.and Lagom's Gellup Gel to Water Cleanser. Depending on how I feel. Usually use Cosrx when I wear some make-up.
3. Hydrating Toner:  Missha Clear Toner, which I have been using since September 25, 2017, is on it's very last legs. Mizon's AHA/BHA toner is next, and I wonder if it's going to hydrating enough to use alone.
4. SK-II - LOVING IT, even though I still imagine myself pasting a dollar bill to my face each time I slap some on. Maybe two dollars if I go back for another shake. It's just that expensive, and cost over 1/3 of my overall trip. If I splurge on anything, I think this will be it.
5. Serum: Still using Olivarrier's Fluid Oil Squalane and I have praised it for when it was the only one that didn't hurt my skin when I chemically burned myself. My The Ordinary order is at my FRONT DOOR. I am super excited and I am going have to hold myself back from opening it because I am trying to get used to all these new products. (Moisturizer, and soon, toner!)
6. Eye Creams: Algenist white in the morning, Algenist slate in the evening. Using them because I have samples, so why not? Actually have a full tube of something eye cream that I'm not going to use until my other eye cream are gone. I have until 4/19 when the tube expires.
7. Moisturizer: Beauty of Joseon Dynasty cream which is only 50 ml, but feels like so much less. I used a dab and it goes so quickly. But smells so good and absorbs so much. It's great, but it's going too fast.
8. Sleeping Pack: Too Cool for School's Pumpkin Sleeping Pack, forever!! It's pratically done, but I haven't been using it as much.
9. Sunscreen: BAE Biore is ready to be cut up, but while I'm lazy I stick to Peripera Oil Capture Peach Sun Finisher with SPF 50/PA+++. 

Haven't been late to work, latest I've been is 9:02 or 9:03, I forget. But this is besides the point. The point is sometimes I still mess with my strawberry dotted nose and I pick and pick and squeeze out sebum, watching the little tubers come out of my already enlarged pores.

HOWEVER, my strawberry dots... they're not as dark as they used to be. In fact, even the ones that start to spread to my cheeks that reminds me more of little dirty peach fuzz than sebum... are clearer. My pores and their enlarged size are still there.... but it just looks cleaner! I am not sure what is going on, but I like it.

Let my strawberry nose be something of the past.... pore minimizing is impossibly, but I really need to stop picking at my skin.

Also noticed that it looks like I'm going to get pimples, but instead they just turn into dark spots that are flat and unnoticeable when I brush over my mouth/jawline area. It's like my hormonal acne wanted to come out, but all they got was a shadow and then POOF they're gone.

I don't know what combination of products this is, but I'm loving it!! Imagine if I started eating right and doing the Whole 30 again and now much more perfect my skin would be.

My The Ordinary Order

The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane - 30ml	7.90	x 1	7.90
The Ordinary “Buffet” - 30ml	14.80	x 1	14.80
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% - 30ml	5.90	x 1	5.90

This simple order makes me smile. Though I originally wanted the Rosehip Seed Oil, it was sold out, so I opted for Niacinamide instead. (Free shipping starts at $25, so might as well try something else!)

Ever since my lovely time healing from when I chemically burned my face (that's really must have been what I had done, there's no other explanation for it), I have been very thankful for Squalane. The ONLY item in my routine that did not leave my face stinging upon application.

However, it is important to not discount the fact that I had also incorporated two newer items into my routine: SK-II and Beauty of Joseon Dynasty cream. SK-II stung my skin when I was going through my reaction, and the Beauty of Joseon Dynasty was applied at the tail end, so I cannot actually assess if it was helpful or not.

Squalane, precious plant-derived squalane. Though the one I am using now was bought for $10 during the Peach and Lily, the original price is $42 and I am not willing to pay that much for 1 ounce of facial oil. The price that The Ordinary offers is cheaper than what I originally paid and I am going to compare it when I get the chance. DECIEM notes that they can take up to ten business days to process and order, nevermind actual shipment and deliver of these products.

There is no rush, I have an abundance of skincare products that I need to get through before they expire.

Maybe this is the time where I should introduce an eyecream... after using SK-II for a month to see how my skin stabilizes. (Ah, but sometimes I just get so excited about products that I want to use them all at once!)

Allergic Reaction Non-Action

So, where I might have tried to up my game and fix my allergic reaction that I felt two Sundays ago (January 21), I realized that maybe less is more and time will heal it in itself.

So I did mask a couple time at first, but my face was still really sensitive. Even my Missha Clear Toner and my SK-II essence felt like it burned when I slapped it (figuratively) on my face. Especially around the upper lip and mouth area. Oh boy, it stung and stung and stung, morning and night, both routines. Then, on January 24th, on Wednesday I ran out of my usual moisturizer, and started using the Beauty of Joseon Dynasty cream which I purchased on a whim when I saw it went down to $15 USD on Amazon.

This is one of those sticky creams, and I AM LOVING IT. Whereas I did not have a good experience with Donkey Milk cream, I am having a good one with Beauty of Joseon Dynasty.

However, I think it's only fair that I mention the importance of 100% Fluid Squalene, the ONLY part of my skin routine that did not sting my skin on contact.

Thank for face oil, for treating my skin right when everything else brought me pain.

ALLERGIC REACTION ACTION

Masking is great, I LOVE sheeting masking.

However, it does not always love me. I found this out the hard way when I tried a Freeset Donkey Milk Aqua Skin Gel Mask Pack and found that my mouth area felt like it was burning... well I knew I had to take it off and wash my face again immediately.

Of course, I did this mask and had this sort of discomfort right before a Friday night date. Wonderful :/

I quickly applied a Lovemore Milk and Barley smoothing mask over it to counteract whatever issue I had just felt and thought I evaded all problems. I thought wrong. Though Friday night it was fine, and all Saturday I felt normal, when I woke up Sunday morning, it looked like I was wearing a red muzzle. It was dry, it was tight, and it felt swollen and uncomfortable.

This morning, Monday morning, it felt the same, and worse, if that's possible. It feels like my skin is dried but still stung by bees. I brought moisturizer to work, but I am worried that by over lotioning my skin, not only will I look oily and greasy, but that it will exacerbate the problem.

Ugh, what a reaction for the first day of classes. Not fun.

Need to take action without exacerbation. We will see how this works. Used sheet mask good and still felt it. I wonder if using The Boy's Neutrogena Deep Clean face wash to wash my make-up off on Friday night excaerbated the issue... but it didn't show until a day later? That's kind of weird, but now that I think of it, totally plausible.

Skincare Routine Monthly Check-in: January 14, 2018

Not only am I fourteen days late of my personal deadline, but I am also all over the place because I have been traveling for the last two/three weeks.

The end of december went well, but it was full of final papers and things to take care of, and then before I knew it, it was December 26 and I was in the air on my way back to my beloved Taiwan. Taiwan was great, but I had my travel skincare routine, which consisted of Kiehl's facewash, leftover Moistfull Booskin toner, Maycoop Raw, and goodal's boost moisturizer. Sunscreen, of course, BAE Biore, new formula. Broke out a little, but that makes sense with the change of atmospheres between Taiwan, Bali, and back home. Bali was even hotter and more humid and Taiwan, which was already hot and humid enough.

However, I did do one thing while at Duty Free on my way home... I spent over $300 USD on SK-II. Pouring that liquid money all over my face as of January 12, 2018. My fine lines, especially the ones around my eyes, feel more apparent, in an exponentially fast pace. Therefore, when I saw the bottle that retails for $229, for $146 USD, I jumped on it, got the two bottle special edition Year of the Dog set, bought another started set that brought me up to over $10,000 Taiwanese dollars and gave me a travel set (which was probably worth $50 USD on its own).

In 2018 I vow to take the best care of my skin, and I have started with the expensive SK-II habit. Oh, feel that lifestyle creep? It says you're graduating and won't have to pay school bills for much longer.

Well, let's get on with it, my 2018 Skincare routine!

1. Oil Cleanser: None!
2. Water-based Cleanser:  Mornings still get Cosrx Low Ph Good Morning Gel cleanser. Been going back to usng Lagom's Gellup Gel to Water Cleanser, but it doesn't feel like it does anything much.
3. Hydrating Toner:  Missha Clear Toner, SK-II dupe of their $76 clear toner. It does the trick, but I have so many toners that once this bottle is done, it's time to use something else. It will be a product I miss using, I think that's an indicator that it's gaining HG status.
4. SK-II - Essence slapped onto my face here. It is lightweight and much sweeter smelling than I imagined. Reminds me of one of my favorite Taiwanese breakfast drinks, yi ren jian, or Job's Tears Barley drink. At over $60 for the little 75 ml bottle I'm using right now (Sephora sells it as a part of a $99 starter kit), I remind myself that each shake of the bottle is practically like pasting a dollar bill to my face. It's just that expensive.
5. Serum: Still using Olivarrier's Fluid Oil Squalane and it's odd, but I do like it. I make to pat extra around my eyes, I am so scared for those fine lines right now. Still using Derma Dr.Lab Hydromoist Night Rich Serum can't tell if it works, but I am going to finish using it all the same.
6. Moisturizer: Dr. G's Hydra Volume Cream tube, which has been on it's last legs (and if I didn't go on vacation, would have probably been gone already). Going to transition into another day cream, but I am not sure yet. Using the Coconut Souffle moisturizer at night since it's so thick.
7. Sleeping Pack: Too Cool for School's Pumpkin Sleeping Pack, forever!! But it has started to run out and I squeeze out compressed air half the time now. Once it's done, it's time to start and finish the other Holika Holika sleeping pack I have, though I know it won't live up to the Holy Grail status of TCFS's Pumpkin.
8. Sunscreen: Haven't been using the Peripera Oil Capture Peach Sun Finisher with SPF 50/PA+++. Instead I had opened up a new formula tube of BAE Biore. I still like it, even though its different. Interestingly enough, I got four more tubes in Taiwan.... and they're still only selling the old formula. Got to use that up first then, I usually run out every month and a half, so that's not going to be too bad, no matter how old the formula is, I think.

Really need to make amends to my sleeping patterns, as I vowed never to be late to this job again. Also, I need my beauty sleep, but I keep finding myself in long naps each evening. Tired from vacation, need a vacation from vacation. Totally missing the daily massages we would get in Bali.

Skincare Routine Monthly Check-in: December 8, 2017

It's been over a month since I finished my Whole30, and I am begging for the Whole30 skin back! It's been just over a month of eating outside of compliance, and my acne has come back (but not as bad, more of a eye-sore than an actual problem), and so has some belly. Being on the Whole30 really felt fresh and clean and I did it again for four day straight after Thanksgiving (because Thanksgiving nearly killed me, my gluttony really got the best of me!).

1. Oil Cleanser: None!
2. Water-based Cleanser:  Goodal's Natural Clear Deep Cleansing Gel to Foam recently ran out, and though I liked it, it was time to use something else I haven't tried yet: Lagom's Gellup Gel to Water Cleanser.  Yes, I did get this at the Peach and Lily sample sale where I was standing in line at 6:45 like a crazy person. It really does feel like water after I rub it in a little. Can't tell if it cleans, but I am hoping it does. Of course, I still use Cosrx Low Ph Good Morning Gel cleanser in the mornings.
3. Hydrating Toner:  Missha Clear Toner, really still liking this product. Kind of sad I only have one more bottle in my stockpile, but I have so many other toners that I have to cycle through, that it will get a rest for a little once this bottle is over. 
4. Serum: Caudalie Vinoperfect Serum also ran out last week, exactly the same time my cleansing gel to foam cleanser ran out. Instead, I have also opted to use another Peach and Lily sample: Fluid Oil Squalane from Olivarrier. The girl at the sample sale raved about it from someone else, and I think it was $10/15, so why the hell not?  Derma Dr.Lab Hydromoist Night Rich Serum that honestly just feels like a thinner moisturizer, not a serum type product.
5. Moisturizer: Mornings have been Dr. G's Hydra Volume Cream tube. In the evening I kind of use whatever moisturizer I want, though I have been using the Hydra Volume Cream more often than not.
6. Sleeping Pack: Too Cool for School's Pumpkin Sleeping Pack, forever? Or just for the season? time will tell. I also have a Holika Holika Wine Sleep pack that I should crack open.... but I don't know if anything can compare to TCFS's Pumpkin!! Slightly worried about this, is this a holy grail sleeping pack?! We will see.
7. Sunscreen: Still using the slightly white-casted Peripera Oil Capture Peach Sun Finisher with SPF 50/PA+++. I wish I wrote the date down on the tube, like I did with some of my other products. I'm curious to see how long this tube will last.

Been having a hurty-time pimple that has no head... probably because I keep putting those acne patches on them. I found a sheet that my friend gave me and I've been using them. Nexcare from Taiwan, she swears they work... I haven't had a pimple like this in a few months, so I am not happy about it. Says it takes 12 hours? 72 hours? I can wash with it on? It's basically supposed to be a miracle patch, and though I've used three of them now, I am not so convinced. Maybe I'm just using it wrong.

While I'm at it, I should write what new items I have acquired:

1. Maycoop Raw Sauce Mini ($7.99 from Marshalls)
2. Maycoop Raw Moisturizer ($19.99 from Marshalls)

Really, I should write what I get so I truly understand how much I am buying and stockpiling. My Taiwan trip is in a matter of weeks, and who am I kidding, I am going to get a haul!

Bottomline: Two new things this round: Lagom Cleanser and 100% Squalane. We will see how this winter goes; tomorrow it's supposed to snow.