Since I started blogging diligently from 2012, I’ve been learning a lot about ingredients that (sadly) didn’t work for my skin. I’m telling you, it needs a lot of trial & error to find out (but I guess it’ll be rewarding in the end). But, having oily skin that prone to clogged pores and such, it’s really that hard. Anyway, these are based on my personal experiences.
ANYTHING WITH BUTYLENE GLYCOL I’m telling you it is very hard to find a skincare product which doesn’t have Butylene Glycol in it. Apparently, it is needed to increase the skin penetration by other ingredients. Unfortunately, it has comedogenic rating based on incidecoder.com.
ANYTHING WITH CENTELLA ASIATICA I’ve discussed this with dr.Eche Idrus, Board Certified Dermatovenereologist from Makassar, Indonesia. If you have active acnes, forget this ingredient, as it might trigger more. Some people also might also experience irritation with this natural ingredient. But again, it depends on how our skin reacted to this. Unfortunately, on me, it just can’t.
ANYTHING WITH MINERAL OIL I’ve been having acne problems for most of my life, and mineral oil can exacerbate it. It’s true what they said that it clog and suffocate pores.
ANYTHING WITH DIMETHICONE Yes, it is the most common silicone used in skincare products. It’s great for makeup primer and such, but covering my sensitive pores is just not my thing.
Hope things are fine with you all. For those of you who are still in a job and having fixed income in this pandemic situation, congratulations, you are lucky. But for those who are not (including yours truly), we really have to save some money and lose some things that we don’t urgently need.
Currently here are some products that I decided not to repurchase, not just because I’m in a saving mode, but I don’t think they really belong in my skincare routine. Anyway, these are just my personal opinions. Your final verdict is up to you.
UNDEREYES FILLERCAUTER PROCEDURE
I DITCHED EYE CREAM After I had undereyes filler done by dr. Olivia Ong at Jakarta Aesthetic Clinic, and Milia removal done at Beauty By Appointment, I only use emulsion (which is lighter in texture than moisturizer) on the whole face, including undereyes. Seriously, all that fancy eye creams can’t do wonders for dark circles and undereye bags (you need stronger treatment than just applying eye cream). Especially if you’re prone to milia like me, better pick your products wisely.
ESSENCES
Most essences are pricey. Usually they come in a luxurious looking glass bottle, but do we really need one? Essence might help with hydration, but I can get that from my current booster and hydrating toner.
FACE MIST
If I need to mist some on my face, I’ll just put my hydrating toner in an empty mist bottle. Anyway, most face mists are either having hydrating or soothing purpose.
MASKS
BYE WASH-OFF & PEEL-OFF MASK Both are not practical, I am done with the hassle of washing them off. Do not add stress to an already stressful time in life. I prefer to use sheet mask and modeling mask.
FACE OIL
Been there, done that. My pores seem to dislike face oil, even though I already tried the so-called ‘good oil for oily skin’. Personally, I believe if you want that glowing skin, don’t fake it with face oil. But I still use cleansing oil for double cleanse, just because it’ll be wash off anyway.
They’re confident enough to call this ‘Liquid Gold’. Does it live up to its’ name?
So, I started to buy the travel size (30ml) ones, like last year (and compare to 2020, 2019 was a great year). And because it worked so well on my skin, then I decided to splurge and purchased the 100ml ones.
PRICE? In Sephora Indonesia, 100ml cost IDR673K.
WHAT’S IN IT? Only 9 ingredients (another minimal ingredients winner!): Aqua (Water), Alcohol Denat, Glycolic Acid, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Silk, Potassium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract.
CLAIM: Effectively diminish wrinkles, pigmentation and sun damage.
HOW DOES IT FIT INTO MY SKINCARE ROUTINE (2x/week): Double Cleanse (Oil Cleanse & Foam Cleanse) LIQUID GOLD
MY THOUGHTS: I believe it’s a very clever skincare product. In one easy step, it works as a toner, chemical exfoliator, serum and moisturizer. On a very tiring night, it’s a savior. On this pandemic time, when we can’t visit beauty clinic to do facial, this will be a wonderful ‘overnight facial’. Their hero ingredient is Glycolic Acid, an AHA which works to exfoliate our skin, not just on the surface but on the walls of our pores as well. So it really helps to reduce the build-up of cells in pores that lead to breakouts. That’s why it worked wonderfully on my skin pores. I applied twice a week, but when I feel like a pimple is going to get bigger, I will apply this with cotton pad (recommended to use one because the texture is watery) and it’ll eventually flatten the morning after. Yes, it stings (and still stings after months of using this), but it didn’t cause any redness or irritation on me. It is one strong active, but somehow they say it’s safe to use during pregnancy & breastfeeding. But beware for those who have sensitive skin, try to patch test first. Some people compared this to Biologique Recherche P50 Lotion, but having tried it also, Alpha H works better on my skin, easier to find and more affordable. And yes people, it is safe for Fungal Acne.
Check out my skin before and after using Alpha H Liquid Gold (please note that I use other skincare products too).
On me, it’s great for skin textures and acne scarring.
Check out the used cotton pad of mine (I already double cleanse before, so imagine that dirt and gunk were still there if I don’t use this).
As life is not simple right now, it’s best not to over-complicate our skincare regime by trying to understand those long lists of ingredients.
Yes, there are sites for help like skincarisma, folliculitisscout, cosdna and incidecoder to break them down. But, I truly believe keeping it simple is the best. Especially if your skin is troublesome like mine, it’s a good feeling to know that we don’t layer hundreds of ingredients on our skin.
Here, I will list my favorite minimal ingredients skincare products (that only use ten or less ingredients for each product), which are also safe for Fungal-Acne prone skin.
EAU THERMALE AVÈNE TOLÉRANCE EXTREME EMULSION Contains only 6 ingredients, this is a staple in my moisturizing routine. Because it is an emulsion, I found it lighter than any moisturizer.
SIMPLE KIND TO SKIN REFRESHING WASH GEL Made with only 9 ingredients, this is an affordable face cleanser (even for sensitive skin). Easy to find at our nearest drugstore. It is a face cleanser, so it cleanse. That’s it and don’t expect something magical out of it.
LA ROCHE-POSAY SEROZINC Basically it contains only 3 ingredients: water, sodium chloride and zinc. Truly a must have mist for me, I don’t dig mist with too much gimmicky stuffs.
AMORE PACIFIC VINTAGE SINGLE EXTRACT ESSENCE Minimal ingredients with maximum price (LOL). There’s only 6 ingredients inside this luxurious bottle of essence. If you have the budget to buy, splurge. But to tell you the truth, I skip essence step most of the time.
OK, I have to admit that I am one of DIY Pimple Pickers. Especially during these #stayathome period, I am getting worse.
Having all the time in the world to stare at magnifying mirror, and see those pesky pimples/whiteheads/blackheads. And you just can’t help it, but to pop them (especially if you have the tools to do so like me). Well, damages are done, so what can we do next? Read on, folks.
FRESH SCARS Personally, I consider myself lucky if the puss went out, when I picked them. But if the pores are open already and none came out, clean them right away and stick pimple patch, stat!
If the puss went out and nothing left in there, make sure you dry it with clean tissue (I never use rubbing alcohol to stop the bleeding, because it’ll irritate them more). Then I will apply A’PIEU MADECASSOSIDE AMPOULE on the fresh wound. Made from the infamous tiger grass, I believe it calms the open wound.
Then I’ll top it off with COSRX ADVANCED SNAIL 92 ALL IN ONE CREAM. Made from 92% of Snail Secretion Filtrate, it will help to repair and sooth red skin.
RELATIVELY NEW SCARS GOODAL GREEN TANGERINE VITA C DARK SPOT SERUM is my HG for older acne scars. Read my review here.
OLD SCARS Try microneedle aka derma rolling therapy at home. Read my older post here about it.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, EXFOLIATE! It’s super important to remove those dead skin cells away. You may have your own preferences on how to exfoliate your skin. Daily exfoliation with gentle exfoliating toner (currently using KLAIRS DAILY SKIN SOFTENING WATER).
Weekly exfoliation with ALPHA H LIQUID GOLD, alternating with DRUNK ELEPHANT A-PASSIONI RETINOL CREAM.
Lately, having #stayathome with lots of time to kill, I’ve been watching a lot of YT videos. And there’s one that I’m obsessed with: @labeautyologist.
In this video, she shared The Ultimate Self-Care Skincare Routine for maximum hydration & product penetration. It’s like her version of 10 steps skincare routine. They’re really different from the renowned Korean 10 steps, and personally it gets me because I want my skincare products to penetrate well into the skin. Mind you, this routine will involve 4 times of hydrating toner and only one active in later step.
These are her steps.
CLEANSE It can be double cleanse (she’s more into oil cleanser for makeup removal than micellar by the way) and continue with second cleanser.
TONE Function of toner: to increase absorption. So, she recommends to gently pat the toner (hydrating ones) before the next step (which is exfoliation) to make it works better.
EXFOLIATE Not a chemical exfoliation, she prefers the one that we can apply and take off (like peeling gel and enzyme scrub). Do not scrub harshly, just apply gently then rinse off with water.
TONE Yes, again to increase absorption of the next step, which is….
MASK She chose a hydrating mask, a wash-off ones.
TONE She said hydrating toner works best with hydrating serum.
SERUM If your skin is prone to irritation, apply hydrating serum before serum with actives like Niacinamide or Retinol. This is the only step that allow us to use one active, so choose wisely according to your skin needs. If you’re using prescribed product from your derm, this is the step.
TONE Last toner, to push the actives further down into the skin.
MOISTURIZE This goes before oil because moisturizer is a mixture of oil, water and emollient. And heavier oils (except squalane which is lighter) will block the absorption of moisturizer.
OIL If you use squalane, you can mix it with moisturizer. But other than that, oil is the last step. If you live in colder climate or you have very dry skin, opt for occlusive to lock in water.
MY THOUGHTS:
This is why I love skincare and writing about them. There’s always new techniques to try, to learn and made me excited to see the result.
Somehow, this new routine kind of reminds me of 7 Skin Method (remember the toner layering?).
Usually, I do my double cleanse step inside the bathroom and continue the rest in my bedroom (because I never put my skincare products inside the bathroom, except cleansers). As these new 10 steps required 2 more rinsing steps with water (after exfoliate and mask steps), the thought of going back and forth to the bathroom seems daunting and uncomfortable.
I guess I won’t be doing this everyday morning and night, but I’ll try to simplify the steps with my choices of products (mostly FA safe). And doing this in the evening seems more reasonable as we are more chill, yes?
CLEANSE & EXFOLIATE Trilogy Rosehip Transformation Cleansing Oil – for oil cleanse Tatcha The Deep Cleanse – it is an exfoliating cleanser, so I use this as second cleanser to skip step number 3 and 4.
TONE Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner
MASK Freeman Deep Clearing Manuka Honey + Tea Tree Oil Clay Mask
TONE Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner
SERUM Alternate between Me+ Niacinamide & Zinc Booster or Drunk Elephant A Passioni Retinol Cream
TONE Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner
MOISTURIZE Eau Thermale Avene Tolerance Extreme Emulsion is my last step, as I try to avoid oil as most of them blocked my pores.
Personally, I always believe in the power of great cleanser. It’s a “Make It or Break It” situation for me.
Yes, serums are great, actives are great, but really what cleanse our skin thoroughly is cleanser. Now, I’ll be discussing about a different type of ‘just face cleanser’, they are called ENZYME CLEANSER.
First thing first, what the heck is Enzyme? Well, I did some research online and Enzyme is a “chemical that speed up the rate of a reaction between two substances without being consumed themselves. Enzyme works by breaking down that keratin protein to reveal smoother skin.”
Do we really need this type of cleanser? Well, as you might know, we all need exfoliation. Some (like myself) might depend only on chemical exfoliation, just because physical exfoliation (traditional scrubs) can be too rough on sensitive skin. But if chemical exfoliation is also too tough on your skin, because you simply can’t take the actives, you might try this enzyme cleansing method. It is noticeably one of the softest way to break down dead skin cells and other impurities. So, if you have oily and easily congested skin but very sensitive to harsh exfoliation, give enzyme cleanser a try. Please do treat this as a second cleanser, use your regular first cleanser to remove makeup.
There are currently two forms of enzyme cleansers out there:
POWDER
Yes, in a powder cleanser form. It literally contains no water, very concentrated formula that will go farther than liquid cleanser.
One of my favorite is KANEBO SUISAI BEAUTY CLEAR POWDER.
Made in Japan, they’re individually packed and contains soybean milk filtrate (for that enzyme action) and silk powder to soften skin.
How to use? When water is added, the powder will become gentle exfoliating foam. Open one package, place the powder on the palm of your hand, add a drop of warm water and work up a gentle lather. Apply on face and rinse off as usual.
Pros: very travel-friendly, and because they come in a dry form, they’re usually have longer expiry period.
Cons: they look like detergent (LOL), can be messy if you have shaky hands and not safe for fungal acne.
GEL
Some said that cleanser in a gel form will actually lessen skin irritation, therefore it’s recommended for sensitive skin. And one of the many fews that have enzyme cleanser in a gel form, is MARIO BADESCU ENZYME CLEANSING GEL. No wonder they claim this as their best-selling face wash. Even though they do recommend to cleanse twice daily with this cleanser, but personally I use this as a night cleanser with my Foreo. It contains Papaya and Grapefruit extract which are known for their exfoliating properties to remove buildup (the cause of blackheads and pimples).
And I remember my mom used to say when I was in my teenage years, “don’t worry, once you reach your adulthood, your acne problem will be gone” NOT!
After my 1st fungal acne attacked in 2018, me and acne problems is my kind of “new normal” skin situation. You name it, adult acne, stress acne, and last but not least chin acne.
First thing first, never be ignorant of what your acnes on your face are telling you.
If you see the pic above, acnes on your chin and around lip area, apparently are telling us that we have hormonal imbalance problem. It has been months that I’ve experience this, neglected all the signals that my acnes are trying to tell me.
Until one day, I had terrible tummy cramp for over two weeks. Starting from the first day of my period, which I thought was only an ordinary menstrual cramp. Well, after my period was over, I still have that bad tummy pain for a week. So I went to the doctor and had it diagnosed. After the 4D USG, it turned out, I have ADENOMYOSIS.
So, what the heck is that? Check out the pic below so you can get a pretty good idea.
Basically, it’s a condition of the womb where the cells that normally form a lining on the inside of the womb, also grow in the muscle wall of the womb. Yes, the womb gets bigger. On some, Adenomyosis can result in heavy periods (not on me thankfully). But, it sure can cause terrible period cramps, even before or after menstrual period. And no paracetamol and ordinary painkillers can tone it down. Some said, this condition comes with age (40+) and also C-section surgery (I had two, so yeah).
Chin Acne comes in various form, it can be blackheads, whiteheads, or cystic acne. In my case, they’re usually lots of congestions and some cystic acne. Because they’re caused by hormonal problem, obviously any topical treatment just won’t do. Adenomyosis caused estrogen imbalance, meanwhile we need estrogen to keep our skin clear. That’s why my chin acne just won’t heal no matter what kind of products I use. So, if a normal person’s skin got monthly pimples due to hormonal surges before period, I have them every day because of my hormonal imbalance (thanks Adenomyosis!).
TWO MONTHS AGO
If you’re having the same problems, better check and talk to your ObGyn, so he/she might suggest oral medication options. My ObGyn prescribed VISANNE for me.
When I googled it, it is used for the treatment of the painful symptoms of endometriosis. It really helps to reduce the pain without sacrificing estrogen level. And I saw better improvement on my face too after two months of consuming this. Yes, it took that long for them to clear up.
CURRENT CONDITION
Talking about consumption, also try to start addressing the food and beverage you’re taking. Personally (even if it’s hard as hell), I tried to consume less dairy and sugar, also less fried food. 1000mg Vitamin C is also a must and I’ve been doing morning sunbathing to get my natural vitamin D. And yes, being at home for more than 2 months without no makeup on did help, too!
Even though this problem comes from the inside, but still you have to do proper skincare routine. Mine is quite simple: Cleanse, Tone, Chemical Exfoliation (with Glycolic, two times a week), Hydrate and Sun Protection (in the morning). And last but not least, Retinol as twice a week treatment. Here are a few of my favorites.
Please note that I also did some research online to do this post. Before taking any oral medication, please speak to your ObGyn.
Obviously, before my first fungal-acne attacked in 2018, I didn’t even know which ingredients triggered them. But after the healing process, my whole skincare regimen has changed a lot. To give you a clearer idea, here’s my minimal skincare routine back in 2018.
Here’s my updated minimal skincare routine now, please note that these are during #stayathome periods (you’d be surprised, the more time I have the simpler the routine becomes).
MORNING:
CLEANSE: First thing that I apply in the morning, cotton pads soaked with warm water to wipe away oil residue and nighttime products. Then I cleanse with TATCHA THE DEEP CLEANSE, which I intend to finish before it expired. Luckily mine is a travel size ones.
TONE: I never skip toner, because I believe if I did, my pores will clog more. My current fave is EUCERIN DERMATOCLEAN CLARIFYING TONER, it’s not an exfo toner or hydrating ones, it’s a perfect daily toner that won’t irritate sensitive skin.
TREAT: I skip moisturizer in the morning, just because this #stayathome period. Instead, I do something that I rarely did back in the old days. AM Treatment! I dab on acne treatment and dark spot treatment on specific spots. My current faves: DERMA E VERY CLEAR SPOT TREATMENT (for pimples) and GOODAL GREEN TANGERINE VITA C DARK SPOT SERUM (for post acne marks). Both can be use on daytime, so I maximize this period to make sure pimples and dark spots are treated during daytime, too.
If I have to catch some sun in the morning (which I do lately every morning), this is my HG sunscreen: SKIN AQUA UV SUPER MOISTURE GEL SPF50+ PA++++. I admit it’s hard to find a new replacement for this. It’s not waterproof, so easy to clean with just micellar water (no need for balm or oil).
NIGHT:
CLEANSE: I will use BIODERMA SENSIBIO H2O to cleanse my leftover sunscreen and continue with PETER THOMAS ROTH IRISH MOOR MUD PURIFYING CLEANSING GEL. I use the cleansing gel with my FOREO LUNA3.
TONE: As lazy as I can be these days, I only use ALPHA H LIQUID GOLD, alternating with EUCERIN DERMATOCLEAN CLARIFYING TONER.
SERUM: On my non-exfo days, I apply GLOSSIER SUPER PURE SERUM.
TREATMENT: I apply DRUNK ELEPHANT A PASSIONI RETINOL CREAM twice a week, topped with DRUNK ELEPHANT T.L.C FRAMBOOS GLYCOLIC NIGHT SERUM. I love this combination for my never ending clogged pores problem.
HYDRATE: Last step for PM routine is to hydrate, with my old time favorite, VICHY MINERAL 89 – SKIN FORTIFYING DAILY BOOSTER. I love this because it’s gel, absorbs easily and feels so light on skin.
Sorry for such long hiatus. Dealing with a lot of things at once is no joke, people! Being physically and mentally healthy at this time is like liquid gold, don’t you agree? I’m trying to #stayhome as much as I can during this Covid19 outbreak (on almost 30 days now-and I didn’t even go out to do my groceries anymore). But doing nothing at home, literally can do serious damage to my bank account if I’m not careful. Online shopping is so tempting, don’t you agree?
As much as I tempted to try lots of new skincare products, I’d try my best to stick to the ones that work well. Here are a few of my favorite things if I have to repurchase during this hard time. Till then, stay safe and healthy.
DRUNK ELEPHANT A-PASSIONI RETINOL CREAM
Personally I prefer this rather than The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion. I apply this on dry, clean skin followed by their B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum. I believe this helped my bumpy skin (due to close comedo) and it didn’t cause me any purging. The one thing that I don’t like is the expensive price.
DERMA E VERY CLEAR ACNE SPOT TREATMENT
It didn’t zap away pimples in one night, but it healed them well. This gel will help to reduce the redness and worked well on cystic acnes and those pesky little bumps too. Totally recommended, even though it’s not cheap for a spot treatment.
AVENE TOLERANCE EXTREME EMULSION
I pick emulsion rather than moisturizer because they are lighter in texture. This is my favorite emulsion, it contains minimal ingredients and safe for Fungal Acne. Hard to find here in Jakarta, but always restock when I travel abroad.
LA ROCHE POSAY SEROZINC
Refreshing, cooling, mattifying. What’s not to love about this Zinc Sulfate face mist/no fuss toner? Make sure to hydrate properly after this toner/face mist.
COSRX ACNE PIMPLE MASTER PATCH
Being one of the pioneers of acne patches, they really stick like no other. If you have super oily skin like me and having trouble of sliding acne patches, this one’s for you. This works really well on extracting the puss out of matured pimples. And please guys, do not wear them under makeup, they still show.
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