A crosspost from Reddit SCA, plus a little extra rambling

I recently did a B&A on Reddit.  Despite recent posts here, I'm actually pretty happy with how my skin is at the moment.  I think watching out for overuse of chemical exfolliants around my period will be key, but acne is significantly cleared (an occasional spot here and there, but nothing like before!) and I live in hope that the scars and redness will fade with time.

I've got TO 10% Lactic Acid with HA and Niod's Flavonone Mask on the way with hopes that they may help even things up.  My plan is to do a five day (likely over half term break) accelerated treatment with the mud and then replace my Friday night GA treatments (not listed below) with the flavonone mask followed by the LA as I've read about people getting really good results following the mask up with an AHA.  I will, of course, be skipping my tret on those evenings.

In other news, before I C&P my Reddit post, I did another camping weekend (camping this time, not glamping) with my school's DofE group and managed breakout free.  The only changes to my routine, other than not showering for the weekend, was swapping my evening use of Eucerin Cleansing Milk with a Nivea Face Wipe and not bringing the Vitamin C serum I normally use.  I was nervous about the glass bottle with all my other stuff on a camping trip!

Without further ado, here's my Reddit B&A, chock full of reviews with, of course, a few piccies.

I’m feeling brave, so I’m going to do a B&A! I am one of those people that had perfect skin in high school, then when to university and started getting spots. I don’t wear makeup and tend to be a bit lazy about my appearance, so it was just around Christmas that I finally thought, “F-this…I’m going to see what I can do to sort my skin out.” I’m starting to settle into a routine with little tweaks here and there and, day-to-day, I’m not getting spots anymore! I still have a lot of redness, which I think is left over from a decade+ of acne, but I’m hoping with time, acids, and Niacinamide, this will fade. I’m listing my current routine and mini-reviews of what I use, but I’m happy to answer any extra questions anyone might have about the products.

AM:

• Wash with Eurcerin Cleansing Milk
• Treat with Clearasil Ultra 5 in 1 Cleansing Pads
• Wait 30-40 minutes while I drink coffee/read the internet
• Tone with G9 Skin White in Milk Toner
• Treat with TO Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12%
• Moisturise with Nivea Soft
• SPF with Biore Watery Essence

PM:

• Initial wash with BioDerma Micelar Water
• Wash with Eucerin Cleansing Milk
• Wait anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and a half and use Jolee light therapy mask during that time for 8 minutes
• Treat with Dermatica Tretinoin 0.025% and Clindamycin
• Tone with G9Skin White in Milk Toner
• Treat with My Skin Matters (Sainsburys brand) Anti-Age Serum
• Sheet mask, usually with Kose Clear Turn Essence Mask Collagen
• Moisturise with Nivea Soft

Reviews: Eucerin Cleansing Milk-Prior to using this, I had been using Dove Beauty Bars. I wanted something simple, non foaming, without added scents/colours. This fits the bill. It leaves my skin feeling clean and not at all tight.

Clearasil Ultra 5 in 1 Cleansing Pads-These are a HG item for me. They have alcohol denat in them, so some my find them drying; I do not. They’re SA based, but they also have the tiniest bit of physical exfoliation and I find they keep me from getting flaky. I have attempted to stop using these and I keep coming back to them.

G9 Skin White in Milk Toner-This is a new product for me; I’ve only had it for a couple of weeks and I’m still trying to work out how it best fits in my routine. I purchased it because I’m constantly striving for an even complexion and I was interested in adding an Asian toner to my routine for extra moisture and nutrients. This seemed to fit both wants. I really like it. I splash a couple of drops on my finger tips and pat them in. It has a light, powdery smell and feels lovely going on. I think it’s still too early to see if it’s actually having an impact.

TO Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12%-Loads of people use this. It’s Vitamin C. I’ve got it to brighten my skin, but I don’t know if it is. I’ve been using it for about two months or so now and haven’t noticed a huge difference from it. I’ll likely finish the bottle and replace it with a different Vitamin C

Nivea Soft-I got a sample of this in a travel skincare kit and it saved my face on a long airplane ride (although, when I saw my sister for the first time in months she immediately asked me why I smelled like our grandmother). It sinks in nicely and on occasions that I’ve gotten too enthusiastic with chemical exfoliants, it didn’t sting.

Biore Watery Essence-I want to love this, I really do. It doesn’t leave me with a white cast, but it smells like rubbing alcohol to me and it isn’t waterproof. It’s my work-day face sunscreen and I currently have three bottles of it. One that lives with the bulk of my skincare stuff, one that lives in my handbag, and one that is tucked away in reserve. I’m still looking for something in the same price range that doesn’t leave me with a white cast or super oily, but is alcohol free and, ideally, available in the UK.

BioDerma Micellar Water-I use this to take off my SPF and all the ick from the day (I’m a secondary school teacher who uses public transportation; there’s a lot of ick). It’s incredibly satisfying to see all the dirt on the cotton round after wiping my face. I’m almost out of this bottle and have a bottle of Garnier to replace it; I’m hoping the brand won’t matter too much.

Jolee Light Therapy Mask-This is my newest purchase! It looks like a dupe for the Neutragena mask, but it just uses regular batteries instead of a special activator. I haven’t been using it long, so I don’t really know if it’s making an impact, but I’ll likely report back later if I feel like it has. I got it on Amazon for around £25-30.

Dermatica Tretinoin 0.025% and Clindamycin-Dermatica is an online dermatology service similar to Cureology, but available in the UK. I started the survey that you have to do to get your treatment, but was wavering on buying. After having an unpurchased treatment in my basket for a few days, they sent me a code to get my first month for free, except for the small cost of shipping. This and my Clearasil pads are the two things that I attribute the minimising of my active acne. I’ve been using the first months bottle for about two months now. When the second bottle came, I stopped the subscription, but I will restart it when I’m a month into the second bottle. I’d like to up the tret level as I feel like I’ve responded well to the 0.025% and, for me, that will be a sign of if the service is worth it. I want to know how customisable the treatments are.

My Skin Matters Anti-Age Serum-This is another HG for me as it feels so lovely on my skin. It has niacinamide in it, which I really like. There’s just something about it; whenever I put it on I feel a bit nicer instantly. Plus, it’s only £4 at the grocery store.

Kose Clear Turn Essence Mask Collagen-This is a 30 pack of Japanese sheet masks. I got them because I wanted to do a daily sheet mask to improve moisture. I like them. They aren’t the most luxurious masks, but they do the job. Occasionally, I’ll use them in the shower if I’ve already done face stuff for the day and still need to shower.