It’s not a cult, it’s just I want to save on money, time and unnecessary ingredients. Less products mean less waste too (great for this unwell world we live in).
Let’s focus on our skin needs, and what made them happy, because face it, skin are also a living organ. You know you, so pick the right ones for your skin.
Here’s my Skinimalism Routine (please note that they’re also fungal acne safe products):
CLEANSE
No more cleansing oil and cleansing balm. If my skin felt super dirty and oily (usually after a workout session), then I’d just splash water on my skin and use micellar water before face cleanser. Mine: Bioderma Sensibio, Vanicream Gentle Cleanser.
ACTIVES
What, no toner? Yes I skip toner and go directly to actives. Make sure your skin is completely dry before applying any actives. Mine: Azelaic Acid 20 Gel (AM) and Adapalene (PM)
MOISTURIZE
I practice 3 steps moisture method by Olena Beley (click here for the details) After the active is completely dry, spritz (don’t splash) water to dampen (not wet) the skin, then quickly apply humectant followed by emollient. Mine: Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Serum (humectant) and Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Soothing Gel (emollient).
SUNSCREEN (AM)
Staying indoor for most of the time doesn’t mean that UV rays won’t catch us. They will cause collagen and elastin in our skin to break down. So, if you want your skin to stay firm and bouncy for longer, please do apply sunscreen. Mine: Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Gel SPF 50+ PA+++
Got a few DM on my Instagram about Retinol, so I guess I’ll answer them here while also giving you update on my skin condition.
Disclaimer: I’m not a dermatologist, so these are totally based on my own personal experience.
WHEN I STARTED IN AUGUST 2020, AND CLEARED UP IN OCTOBER 2020
Q: If I successfully cleared up acne after using Retinol, shall I continue using it or stop? A: Based on my own experience, I tried to reduce the usage to once every night. So on non-Retinol night, I’ll use other actives serums like AHA or BHA (depends on my skin’s condition).
MY SKIN CONDITION (FEBRUARY 2021)
Q: Will the acne be back even after you manage to clear them out using Retinol? A: As long as I’m alive, I guess I’d still have acne hanging around. My mom used to tell me that after I passed my teenage years, my acne would clear up by themselves. Well, they didn’t. Hormonal acne on chin area are the worst for me, so they’d pop out uninvited, no matter how clean I cleansed or how diligent I am with my routine.
Q: What’s the correct order to apply Retinol on one’s skincare routine? A: First thing first, use it at your night time skincare routine. Mine would be: double cleanse, hydrating toner, Niacinamide serum (just because it works well with Retinol), moisturiser then Retinol. If you’ve been following me, you’d probably know that I use two types of Retinol, Adapalene as base and Retinoic Acid as spot treatment. Please don’t apply them on their own, at least you can do is to mix with your moisturiser after cleansing.
Q: How about the skincare routine for morning, after using Retinol? A: Best that you can do is to treat your skin gently in the morning. Cleanse with gentle cleanser, use hydrating toner, moisturiser and never forget your sunscreen (even if you are not out and about like me).
Q: What type of Retinol are you using now? A: Evalen Adapalene Cream 0.1% and Vitacid 0.05% Retinoic Acid Cream. Adapalene went first for the whole face, then Retinoic Acid as spot treatment (on acne and acne marks). Both are local products, so they’re affordable.
Thought I’d be sharing you guys my current PM routine during these never ending #stayathome nights.
Disclaimer: this isn’t a one-size-fits-all routine. Remember, you know your own skin best!
First Cleanser: SULWHASOO GENTLE CLEANSING OIL Even though I didn’t wear makeup anymore since the pandemic began, but I still apply sunscreen in the morning. And I do feel it’s necessary to clean sunscreen with cleansing oil, even though I haven’t found cleansing oil or balm that are safe for fungal acne. But the trick is to rinse the first cleanser well with warm water then quickly continue to the next cleanser.
Second Cleanser: VANICREAM GENTLE FACIAL CLEANSER My new HG cleanser, for sure. I prefer gentle cleanser with the main and basic purpose, to cleanse. Yes, leave the actives on other products such as serum or ampoule. Gentle cleanser won’t strip our natural oil and disrupt skin’s microbiome that can cause irritation. Just use gentle cleanser like this if you are active with actives (you know what I meant right?).
Toner: ABILL FIRST STARTING TONER Again, a simple toner with very minimal ingredients list. I use the exfoliating toner for morning skincare routine, but never on nighttime. Because I will use prescription strength treatment, I try to keep the basic steps basic. I use cotton pad and never leave it dry until next step.
Moisturizers: VICHY MINERAL 89 SKIN FORTIFYING DAILY BOOSTER & KRAVE BEAUTY OAT SO SIMPLE WATER CREAM With skin half damp because of the toner, I apply Vichy first then Krave. Great layers of hydration and emollient to make my skin ready for the next powerful stuffs.
Treatment: EVALEN KRIM ADAPALENE 0,1% &VITACID 0,05% RETINOIC ACID CREAM I can imagine if I don’t layer my moisturizers, I will end up ruining my skin since I use these two prescription strength treatment. Both are local brands, and it worked like a charm if you know how. I’m glad I took these while staying at home most of the time during the pandemic. And I guess seeing the result on my skin (bye clogged pores), I’ll use these continuously just to maintain.
What are their differences and which one to choose according to your skin problems?
My first introduction to this Vitamin A game, was Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream.
Contains 1.0% Retinol, I was worried when I first applied it. Purging is like a nightmare, and I don’t think I can deal with it (at that time before pandemic). Turned out, I didn’t purge at all using this cream. I applied twice a week and it did bring slight changes to my skin. It made my skin smoother with less oil plugs and it did deflate acne. I kept going using this for almost a year, until I realized that my hormonal acne and whiteheads on chin area kept on appearing when I used this oil-based cream.
That’s when I decide to step up my game to Adapalene right on this pandemic moment. As I’m also in a saving mode, I was glad to find Evalen Krim, a local brand from Indonesia. It’s super affordable compared to an imported brand, and yes, I was surprised by the great result (so far). Currently I’m still on my Adapalene journey (read here for the early stages), but I can already see drastic change on my skin. Adapalene seems to push every closed comedones I have out to the surface. Scary at first, it was like getting a bad facial. But I learned throughout the process, they showed up fast but they will be gone fast too. And eventually, they all will get better in 12 weeks (max). So, cross my fingers and I’ll update on separate blog post.
Then, I found a YouTuber applied Retinoic Acid on top of her Adapalene in her night time routine. I was like, what? Double the A’s, really? But turned out, it worked for her and I certainly wouldn’t mind to jump into the same wagon while #stayathome all the time. So, now I also apply Vitacid 0,05% Retinoic Acid Cream as a spot treatment on top of Adapalene.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED:
It’s true when they said that Retinol tends to have fewer side effects than Retinoic Acid. It’s gentler, so if you just started in this Retinol game, start with Retinol first then you can upgrade if your skin can tolerate.
Both of Retinol and Retinoic Acid are vitamin A (under the same RETINOID umbrella), but Retinol contains a lower concentration of the active Retinoic Acid ingredient. Compared to Retinoic Acid, Retinol is about 20 times less potent. So if you feel (like me) Retinol worked too slow, maybe it’s time to fasten up. But don’t just take it from me, speak with your dermatologist first.
I believe Retinol is more ‘cosmetic’, while Retinoic Acid is more prescription strength that goes deeply into the skin to stimulate collagen production & increase cell turnover.
Adapalene is a synthetic Retinoid and it’s supposedly better tolerated than Retinoic Acid. From my experience so far, it normalized both of my skin struggles: keratinization and microcomedone formation.Everyone might experience different side effects, especially during the first few days of treatment. Just be patient, they are not magic in a tube.Always sandwich with a gentle cleanser and three step moisture method (water, humectant, emollient). I guess I survived not having super bad ‘retinization’ (redness, dryness, and flaking caused by Retinoid), because of this method.
This post is dedicated for my followers and readers who always think highly about my skincare budget (thanks but it’s not true).
I rarely purchased high-end products, if you can tell. I am more into K-beauty products, drugstore products and (lately) local products. And being a skinfluencer really helps on my budget a lot, especially if brands are sending me products that I can actually use (because they’re safe for FA) in in my skincare routine.
These are my current skincare products that I use everyday, and all of them in total cost me below IDR 2mio. Some of them are given to me, that’s how I save some money.
ONLY IDR 52K!
(Please note that prices may vary, most of them purchased on discount prices).
0 MEANS IT WAS GIVEN TO ME BY BRAND
Tips on how to save:
Wait for discount, online or offline (trust me, there will be always that time).
Be a smart shopper on marketplace. Choose trusted sellers with the lowest price offered.
Trying a new product? Buy sample size first if available. Don’t buy share in jar/bottle please ( you might not know the hygiene of those).
Since July 29 2020, I’ve introduced Adapalene into my routine.
After a lot of careful thoughts and hundreds of YT reviews that I’ve watched while #stayathome, I finally decided to just go for it. Should’ve started earlier since the beginning of this pandemic though, so it might resolve my skin problems earlier. But, better late than never, right?
If you’ve been following me on my IG and reading my blog, you’ll know my never ending fight with acne, from fungal acne back in 2018 until adult and hormonal acne (especially on chin area) in 2020. I think I have tried mostly everything, AHA, BHA, LHA, PHA … you name it! I’ve used Retinol (Drunk Elephant) and of course they are all different in what they do. Over The Counter Retinol might has fewer side effects, but it takes several months to a year for visible results. Meanwhile, Adapalene, which is a Retinoid, is way stronger, making it an ideal treatment for acne.
I’ve had the urge to try Adapalene before, but never had the courage. The risk of purging heavily for 12 weeks, really put me off by that time (that was before this pandemic #stayathome situation).
But now, who knows when this pandemic is going to end? While staying at home all the time, I guess this is the right time for me to start Adapalene, with all its’ risks. If I have to go out, I’d wear mask anyway and cover the bad purging situation.
Since I’m on a saving mode, I decided to use a local Adapalene instead of imported ones. I’m using EVALEN KRIM ADAPALENE 0,1%, it’s very affordable (IDR52K for 10gr tube). They also have this in gel format, but after I saw some reviews, I decided to use the cream version. I believe cream forms are gentler with lesser side effects.
Now, I’m going to share with you guys my skin progress on week one (I will update again on month one, so stay tune).
MY START FACE: OIL PLUGS ON LEFT CHEEK & CHINDAY 1
DAY 1: Was the hardest, seriously. I was paranoid all night that I’d wake up with angry zits all over my face. But, turned out, NOT! Only two zits felt really itchy, red, swollen and ready to be pop. So I use acne patches on those two.
DAY 2
DAY 2: Apparently but those two zits with puss just didn’t budge with acne patch, so (don’t follow me) I decided to pop them. Of course, I left myself with two huge PIE aka red acne marks on my chin.
DAY 7
DAY 7: I decided to show my weekly (not daily) progress on my IG stories highlight. BTW, on day 5 I decided to apply Evalen every night for more speedy progress, since (thank God) I didn’t experience any bad irritation. Turned out, those oil plugs on my chin will either became blackheads or pustules. Which I think was great, because blackheads and pustules are easier to pop (either intentionally or unintentionally).
TIPS FOR BEGINNERS:
Start with every other night application for two weeks, than use it every night after that.
Don’t do it on daylight. Always apply at night time before bedtime only.
Better to apply and sleep with it in an Air-Con room.
I strongly suggest to do 3 step moisture method beforehand. Read here on how to do it.
Mix Adapalene with your moisturizer with 1:2. So one drop of Adapalene mix with two drop of moisturizer. This is a way to buffer Adapalene in order to lessen the effects of irritation and such.
Wait for your other skincare to dry before applying.
Avoid areas such as eyes, around the nose and lips.
Make sure you generously moisturize and apply sunscreen the morning after.
Stay away from physical or chemical exfoliants which can lead to over-exfoliation.
Be patient, just like pandemic, everything takes time to heal.
PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA
(UPDATE) Next Progress, here and how to survive the retinol uglies, here
shintarosvita 
You must be logged in to post a comment.