Project chio-ier, skin edition/nose update

My post titles are getting better and better, I think you'll agree.

So I started an updated skincare regime on October 3rd (last Wednesday).  My number one goal is glowing, clear, even-toned skin.  My skin is pale and prone to freckles, but not the cute defined dot type of freckles - unfortunately I get the blotchy, mottled sort that just make my skin look blemished.  I'm also seeing a few breakouts on my chin but I think that's due to always holding my jaw because of wisdom teeth pain, so hopefully that will clear up after my operation!  Finally, now that I'm in my late 20s (ugh) I'm interested in early intervention for fine lines, wrinkles and other general age-related signs.  Meet the team!

Morning crew, L-R: Bioderma Solution Micellaire, philosophy turbo booster c powder, L'Oreal Youth Code Luminosity serum, Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Deep Wrinkle Moisture with SPF 15+

Evening regime, L-R: Clarisonic, Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser, philosophy miracle worker pads, miracle worker serum, Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Lotion, miracle worker moisturiser.

This regime, particularly the evening, has a heavy focus on retinoids.  Retinoids are great for addressing all of my concerns - they're the only product approved by the FDA to reverse wrinkles, smooth the skin and even out pigmentation.  They also do well at treating blemishes.  I bought the philosophy miracle worker miraculous anti-aging trial-sized kit (try saying that ten times fast) from Adore Beauty.  I guess this is a mini-review!  It comes with retinoid treatment pads, serum and moisturizer.  There are 15 pads in the kit but they are quite big and I am quite stingy, so I cut them all in half before adding the magical elixir to them.

I also bought the philosophy turbo booster c powder while I was at it to add to my morning routine.  Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant so it's good for resisting sun damage, and it also stimulates collagen production.  This particular product is unique as it's a powder that you mix into water or a serum of your choosing.  This is good because Vitamin C is more stable in powder form than aqueous, so making it up fresh daily means that it's more potent.  (This sounds like an infomercial -_-  I wish I was being paid but I guarantee that the good people at philosophy wouldn't know me from a bar of soap.  I am a biochemist, which is where the Urge To Explain Things is coming from.)

So, my routines.  First thing when I wake up, I wipe my face and neck with a cotton pad soaked in Bioderma water.  I then mix half a scoop of turbo booster powder into a squirt of Youth Code, and massage that in.  Once it's sunk in, it gets locked down with an application of Ageless Intensives.  I've been using this product for a while and it's great but I wish it had higher SPF :(

In the evening, I take off my makeup with Bioderma (plus Neutrogena Oil-Free eye makeup remover if I'm wearing waterproof eye make).  I then use my Clarisonic with Neutrogena cleanser, rinsing with tepid water at the end.  After that, I wipe my face and neck (excluding eyes and lips) with miracle worker pads.  Once that's sunk in, I use one pump of miracle worker serum.  Next I apply the Hada Labo whitening toner, patting it in gently.  I then seal in all the goodness with miracle worker moisturizer, and apply eye cream (I'm bouncing between several at the moment because I have a scaly inflammation due to allergies, so I haven't pictured any above.  The one I plan to use regularly after the allergies clear up is also from the Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Deep Wrinkle blah blah line because it has retinol and hyaluronic acid, which makes me happy.)  The miracle worker moisturiser tingled a teeny bit the first couple of uses but not anymore.  (I say "tingled" because it was milder than what you might describe as stinging.  Some people are sensitive to retinols, so please ease into them by only using them every few days when you are first starting out!)

It's been a week and my skin definitely feels springier and smoother.  I also think it is a bit brighter though it's not super obvious in photos yet.  Photos for your perusal:

Left is last week, right is just now.  Curse my bathroom's lighting/my lack of decent camera/my hereditary dark dark undereye circles!  I also have just realised that my eyebrows are quite hideous.  But anyway yes I think there is less uneven pigmentation now.  I'll take another shot in a few more weeks' time to compare further.  Right now I'm really happy with how it's looking, anyways.

I am a little bit antsy about having so many no-make photos on my blog >_<

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I also had a follow-up treatment today for my IPL on my nose that I blogged about last month.  The therapist was super excited at how un-red my nose is now.  I didn't realise there was such a difference until she showed my my before photos, but boy was she right!  So yes I very much recommend the treatment for anyone who has a rosier nose (or any area I guess) than they would like.  She re-treated my one stubborn broken capillary on my nose, which is now almost invisible.  Woohoo!

I also had her treat a few spots on my chest  - I dunno what to call them, they look like little clusters of broken capillaries that are raised flat patches - which worked like CRAZY.  They are all black dots now (gross) that will fall off in 5-10 days and be gone forever after that!  One of them looks a bit yucky right now though because it was in a blood-vessel rich area so some of the vessels around it got a little bit treated - looks like a bruise.  The surrounding vessels are still quite pink though so I am confident that there has been no damage done to them.

I might go back for treatments on other areas in future - we'll see!  Please check Skin Resus in Floreat out if you are interested in having this done, they are so nice and very professional (and very reassuring when you wimp out about how you think it will be painful, haha.)