HELP: skincare products are not helping anymore

[tjayakar]

Hi

I need help with my skin-care routine. i have reached my 30s and unfortunately none of the products i used earlier are working on my skin.


I have a combination skin which is not too sensitive, cheeks can get dry sometimes and funnily even my t-zone acts crazy - sometimes oily, sometimes dry. (Wot the hell is wrong !) i see some acne on my cheeks (tho cheeks are normal to dry), sometimes forehead, nose , sebum development on my chin.
ok basically everything is going wrong.


I usually follow the CTM process in the night.

Cleanser - i have used neutrogena foaming cleanser, clarins "some" cleanser -- i think both dried my skin coz in the morning i saw oil build up in my t-zone area. so i have changed it to a LUSH product which has some oils, rice vinegar etc. sage oil, etc. i hv noticed atleast its not drying my skin and i dont hv oil build up. BUT this product costs 600 bucks! i saw people mention the OCM method. i want to try that so I want to know which oils to use (EVOO + castor only cold pressed??? or any other coz cold pressed products are difficult to find here) also i saw people having some problems with it as well -like sebum, drying, etc. so please suggest an everyday use cleanser.

Toner - im using the Clinique clarifying # 3 - well, its not doing anything to my skin since 2 years. it has not stopped blackheads, whiteheads or acne. Please suggest a good (not overdrying) toner (is body shop tea tree toner good?)

moisturizer - i hv atleast 3-4 moisturizers on my shelf. i wonder if they even help my skin. there is no glow or anything special happening. currently im using ponds age defying [i think im going to use the rest of my moisturizers on my legs & feet ]

so guys, you have heard me out, please help me find some good (not too expensive) products which will balance the oil, reduce blackheads, whiteheads and bring in some glow to this 30 year "old & growing" face )

Oh btw, we have ponds, clinique, body shop products here.


Thank you for reading.
TJ

[shellygrrl]

so i have changed it to a LUSH product which has some oils, rice vinegar etc. sage oil, etc. i hv noticed atleast its not drying my skin and i dont hv oil build up. BUT this product costs 600 bucks!

$600?! I'm sorry, but that's rubbish. The most expensive cleanser, according to their website, costs $35 USD (Ocean Salt). Where do you live? What's the cleanser called?

[tjayakar]

not $600 , its 600 indian rupees. Its definitely a lot

[amalia12]

Actually, I just discovered a Lush store where I am and I dont think they carry the full range, but I got a cleanser called "9 to 5" and its ok. It cleans my face without drying. But it was only 35 dirhams, which is less than $10. Maybe you could try that one, or maybe they just have a high markup?? Myself, I am going back to Clinique even though it for sure is marked up at least three times more than in the US, but at least I trust their products to actually work, they did for me for years, only some temporary issues related to my pregnancy caused me to switch. Oh but for toner, I really like the Boots one, its something with witch hazel I have to look exactly what its called, do you have Boots?

[Aro]

I'm going to guess Herbalism, a quick Google showed it has the ingredients mentioned. Thing is, once you take currency conversion into consideration the prices listed on Lush's Indian site are the same as what's listed on Lush's American site, both of which are only around a US dollar more than that listed on the UK site. Don't get me wrong, I'm smart enough to know that the worth of a currency between countries has little to nothing to do with the worth of a currency within its own country, it's simply that you're not getting that bad of a deal when you consider the international worth of the product.

I use the oil cleansing method in the evening. You can use a lot of different oils, you don't have to restrict yourself to olive and caster, personally I don't use either, I'd suggest looking at what the cheaper options are for oil where you live. I prefer cold pressed, but that doesn't mean you need to restrict yourself to it.

To be honest, I'm a huge fan of online shopping, mainly because everything in NZ is usually two or more times the price I can buy it for online. My favourite cleanser is Etude House's Happy Tea Time range. You can get them on eBay for $8us inc delivery, which is around 410Rs. They come in big 150ml tubes, and you only need a pea size amount so they last ages. For toners I think grabbing a BHA toner is great for gentle daily exfoliation and the other benefits such things offer. Silk Naturals has one on their website that's $11.75 for a 4oz bottle, so it's around 600Rs. This may be a bit much given what you said about the cleanser, but considering that's half a cup of liquid you'd apply only a small wipe of every evening it does end up lasting a long time. As for moisturizers, I would suggest trying to find one that hydrates the skin with water rather than oil, you may find this helps.