[Skincare] Everything Sunscreen

[ThiamWan]

There's something called the ABC of skincare:

but take note, Vitamin A and C should not be used together at the same time
Vitamin B and C should also not be used at the same time

so night time = Vit A + B
morning = C + antioxidants

vitamin A should not be started at too early an age and personally, I won't recommend anyone below the age of 25 to use it.
also, Vitamin A tends to trigger sensitivity
there are many things about Vitamin A that I am too lazy to explain, so do your own reading on Retinol/Vit A.
just in case it isn't clear enough, let me reiterate
Vitamin A is not an ingredient you jump into haphazardly without your own reading

I am using a brand that is no-nonsense, a brand that sells the most POTENT ingredient at a HIGH concentration, at a low price
but you need to know what you are doing
as with sunscreen, I avoid all non-fatty alcohol and make sure there's no questionable ingredient high up on the ingredient list

looking at the kind of comments and questions that are being asked here, I would not recommend it to people on this forum who most likely have very low-level skincare know-how.

This is confusing.. some sites do say it good to combine A + C.
https://www.paulaschoice-eu.com/6-retinol-myths-busted

I use Vit A (retinol, drunk elephant) on Day 1 and 2, then rest on 3 and 4.
I’ll mix it with Vit C (serum, Paula choice), that I use daily.
And I use Vit B (namicide, Paula choice) daily with moisturizer. But skip on days I put retinol.

 

[Renzokukenz]

This is confusing.. some sites do say it good to combine A + C.
https://www.paulaschoice-eu.com/6-retinol-myths-busted

I use Vit A (retinol, drunk elephant) on Day 1 and 2, then rest on 3 and 4.
I’ll mix it with Vit C (serum, Paula choice), that I use daily.
And I use Vit B (namicide, Paula choice) daily with moisturizer. But skip on days I put retinol.

I use all ABC daily if I am not in the army or going to the beach or swimming

what you said is right and Paula's choice is indeed a very established website that I myself go to

problem is I do not leave things to doubt because there is conflicting information online about it

since there is conflicting info
and since there is no benefit of combining A+C, I play safe and not use them together

also, vit A is HIGHLY recommended NOT to be used during daytime
it's ok, ok as in acceptable but not ideal, to use vit A plus a SOLID SUNSCREEN during daytime but how solid is your sunscreen regime ??

can you guarantee it last throughout the day and reapply every 2-3 hours??


Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and their perils and effect and contradictions are very in-depth. People here argue even with me if alcohol is good for the skin, I really don't want to be responsible of making any recommendations and then someone wrecks their skin cause of some other factors they are unaware of or didn't pay proper attention to in real life.

 

[Renzokukenz]

Sidenote #1

Drunk Elephant is a good brand but somewhat costly

Sidenote #2

Vitamin A on its own may cause sensitivity
Vitamin C on its own may cause sensitivity

another reason beyond their contradictions is that I would not personally recommend TWO products that will BOTH cause sensitivity on their own to be used together at the same time(this is my personal strategic reasoning than scientific)

I use all ABC daily, just that AB at night and C+antioxidants in the day

 

[Wishdom]

I use mad hippie vitamin c in the morning and mad hippie vitamin a at night. Generally, derivatives are more stable and less irritating than a and c pure form. For A, it is always good to introduce slowly at lower frequencies and concentration(beware of the purge). For C, I will suggest getting one with vitamin e and ferulic acid.

Can't do niacinamide cause I'm sensitive to it.

Looking to try tretinoin at low concentration.

Sent from Ilovennp using GAGT

 

[Renzokukenz]

I use mad hippie vitamin c in the morning and mad hippie vitamin a at night. Generally, derivatives are more stable and less irritating than a and c pure form. For A, it is always good to introduce slowly at lower frequencies and concentration(beware of the purge). For C, I will suggest getting one with vitamin e and ferulic acid.

Can't do niacinamide cause I'm sensitive to it.

Looking to try tretinoin at low concentration.

Sent from Ilovennp using GAGT

this is interesting because Niacinamide is the least risky one among the ABCs. In fact, most people with sensitive skin are ok with Niacinamide but is sensitive to A and C.

I think you should give Niacinamide a try again but perhaps switch to another brand.


now on Vitamin A
do be careful with tretinoin, it is considered to be toxic and hence they are prescription-only in some parts of the world
(issues with Retinols/Vitamin A: https://www.theepochtimes.com/risks-of-retinol_720405.html)

To be honest, although I am applying Retinols daily, I am still unsure about it.
Retinols work by speeding up cell renewal, but we know from Biology that all cells have a limited number of times they can split (hence renew themselves). My hypothesis is that if we use Retinol to speed up the renewal process, are we making ourselves age faster over time (like 20 years?)

Further reading on this will lead to a discussion of the Hayflick Limit.
While I dug even deeper into it, there are articles saying that my fears might be unfounded because the Hayflick limit does not apply to stem cells that sit beneath our skin and hence Vitamin A will not make you reach the Hayflick Limit when the Hayflick Limit does not apply to them.

But I am not convinced entirely to be honest with that.

If you are still reading on and understanding what I am saying, yet another ingredient comes into mind - teprenone.

Teprenone works against the Hayflick Limit by extending the limit - it increases the number of times cells can divide and renew themselves. Hayflick Limit is the reason why all of us age, so if you can increase this, you effectively slow down aging.
But the thing is this is not a widely researched ingredient and there are few articles concerning them since most consumers do not even know what it is and what it is for.

If by chance anyone reading this has information or thoughts about Vitamin A and the Hayflick Limit, please do share your 2 cents.

 

[systemsgo]

SKII essence (miracle water) has alcohol

The company knows it is bad but since the product got so popular, they don't want to risk reformulation

Missha, Time Revolution, The First Treatment Essence
is what many skin enthusiasts go to but what do you think about this systemsgo?

sorry i actually don't have much any experience using drugstore brands. i occasionally try some but i just end up regretting it.

my skin just doesn't react well to the miracle water (and the various versions other brands have created with the same active ingredients), i'm really not sure why.

i do know that l'oreal gets many of lancome's (and other high end brands owned by l'oreal) formulations X years after lancome launches it. it's always just a little bit worse, but much better value. 85% of the quality at 40% of the price

 

[Renzokukenz]

sorry i actually don't have much any experience using drugstore brands. i occasionally try some but i just end up regretting it.

my skin just doesn't react well to the miracle water (and the various versions other brands have created with the same active ingredients), i'm really not sure why.

i do know that l'oreal gets many of lancome's (and other high end brands owned by l'oreal) formulations X years after lancome launches it. it's always just a little bit worse, but much better value. 85% of the quality at 40% of the price

to be honest, SKII is just the fermented extract of a certain Bacteria that chow down on rice.

Extracts being extracts are very inconclusive with their benefits:

• What in the extract is good for the skin?
• Is it the trace vitamins? Is there a key ingredient in that makes the extract so special?
• Is the unidentified key ingredient in these extracts stable enough for me to use them?

The answer: NOBODY KNOWS

Every time I apply extracts on my face I wonder if I am wasting money because their benefits are all from anecdotal evidence which are not reliable or conclusive.

So I'd say, you're not missing out much and in fact, you are saving money!!!

 

[systemsgo]

Interesting to hear that feedback on SK11.... but the pricing is still way cheaper than Lamer - it’s half the price...

Lamer is SUPER EX ahaha - cannot being myself to buy it

it really isn't cheap and i hate that old lady smell. but the sizes are not small and a little bit goes a long way. for e.g. their cleanser size is at 200ml, which lasts me a really long time.

also perhaps cause i don't use the really high end range of items that i don't find it as bad. but if i used the creme de la mer series.... ouchhhhh

 

[systemsgo]

Vitamin C is very notorious to work with

removed the long post - but yes. do be careful with vitamin c.

one of the worst breakouts i ever had (5 acne in less than 24 hours!!) was when i forgot my moisturiser in korea and i thought to try to be thrifty to try to use innisfree, since so many people use it in singapore, it must've been good?

oh god, it took me 3 months to get rid of those acne cause they were those big huge bumps where the acne's growing under the dermis?

i tossed that jar, wouldn't even use it as a leg cream after

 

[systemsgo]

to be honest, SKII is just the fermented extract of a certain Bacteria that chow down on rice.

Extracts being extracts are very inconclusive with their benefits:

• What in the extract is good for the skin?
• Is it the trace vitamins? Is there a key ingredient in that makes the extract so special?
• Is the unidentified key ingredient in these extracts stable enough for me to use them?

The answer: NOBODY KNOWS

Every time I apply extracts on my face I am wondering if I am wasting money because their benefits are all from anecdotal evidence which are not reliable or conclusive.

So I'd say, you're not missing out much and in fact, you are saving money!!!

by the way, are you also interested in hair, makeup?

so hard to get a good conversation going on in here about anything other than rolex-yay, wax-yay

 

[Renzokukenz]

removed the long post - but yes. do be careful with vitamin c.

one of the worst breakouts i ever had (5 acne in less than 24 hours!!) was when i forgot my moisturiser in korea and i thought to try to be thrifty to try to use innisfree, since so many people use it in singapore, it must've been good?

oh god, it took me 3 months to get rid of those acne cause they were those big huge bumps where the acne's growing under the dermis?

i tossed that jar, wouldn't even use it as a leg cream after

L-ascorbic acid can be irritating to the skin
I would recommend Ascorbic Glucoside as an alternative though it is not as effective as L-ascorbic acid, it is much gentler

 

[Renzokukenz]

by the way, are you also interested in hair, makeup?

so hard to get a good conversation going on in here about anything other than rolex-yay, wax-yay

I am a very science-based person

the real reason why ai am so interested in all these is because I want to look 30 when I am 40, and 35 when I am 50.

Aging is not a reversible process so the only way is to slow it down when I am still young.

Why I want to look 30 when 40 and 35 when 50?
I want all my exes to regret every mistreating me many years down the line
I want to get the last laugh

admittedly HWZ might be the wrong place for such discussions but I don't like reddit so i am not sure where else to go to

 

[systemsgo]

L-ascorbic acid can be irritating to the skin
I would recommend Ascorbic Glucoside as an alternative though it is not as effective as L-ascorbic acid, it is much gentler

i'm actually very risk-adverse these days when it comes to skincare. i know of certain brands i've used before that don't irritate my skin and i try to stick to them where possible.

i'm not 青春 anymore but still very prone to 青春痘

 

[systemsgo]

I am a very science-based person

the real reason why ai am so interested in all these is because I want to look 30 when I am 40, and 35 when I am 50.

Aging is not a reversible process so the only way is to slow it down when I am still young.

Why I want to look 30 when 40 and 35 when 50?
I want all my exes to regret every mistreating me many years down the line
I want to get the last laugh

admittedly HWZ might be the wrong place for such discussions but I don't like reddit so i am not sure where else to go to

i do use reddit sometimes for game-related stuff, but a lot of the bigger discussion groups have just become all about youtubers and whatever they're currently promoting. and then yt-gossip.

i just don't believe the reviews and the discussion ends up just not being great

 

[Renzokukenz]

i'm actually very risk-adverse these days when it comes to skincare. i know of certain brands i've used before that don't irritate my skin and i try to stick to them where possible.

i'm not 青春 anymore but still very prone to 青春痘

don't judge by brands la

I brought my friend to sephora, asked him to tell me what he is using, take a look at the ingredients and shot down one by one they are bad

going by brands is risky. unless the brand is a brand such as Drunk Elephant which builds its entire brand around safe products that are beneficial for the skin.

more here: https://www.drunkelephant.com/pages/about-us

 

[systemsgo]

don't judge by brands la

I brought my friend to sephora, asked him to tell me what he is using, take a look at the ingredients and shot down one by one they are bad

going by brands is risky. unless the brand is a brand such as Drunk Elephant which builds its entire brand around safe products that are beneficial for the skin.

more here: https://www.drunkelephant.com/pages/about-us

i don't really buy into brands that market themselves around the concept of "safe products" and no harmful ingredients, because that is only as true as the founder is honest.

and everyone can be sensitive to different things, mine is pretty ridiculously prone to breakouts. sephora is full of some of the worst things for skin actually - many of the brands there just have pretty great marketing and branding concept.

i also like the feeling of the expensive jars and bottles in my hands

a friend asked me to try out this brand as a favour: https://www.skinfirm.co/
i'm still testing it but so far, so good, in that nothing is an irritant to my skin. it's cheap too. i think the cheapest things that go on my skin

 

[systemsgo]

by the way, what do you think of glamglow?

 

[Renzokukenz]

i don't really buy into brands that market themselves around the concept of "safe products" and no harmful ingredients, because that is only as true as the founder is honest.

and everyone can be sensitive to different things, mine is pretty ridiculously prone to breakouts. sephora is full of some of the worst things for skin actually - many of the brands there just have pretty great marketing and branding concept.

i also like the feeling of the expensive jars and bottles in my hands

a friend asked me to try out this brand as a favour: https://www.skinfirm.co/
i'm still testing it but so far, so good, in that nothing is an irritant to my skin. it's cheap too. i think the cheapest things that go on my skin

if your skin is really sensitive you need no frills brand
the founder committed suicide after firing his whole team and criticizing them for corporate greed

but this brand you need, NEED, to know what you are doing
they sell the most active ingredient in the MOST BARE BONES form

https://theordinary.com/vitcguide

 

[Renzokukenz]

by the way, what do you think of glamglow?

glamglow is more gimmicky than Drunk Elephant
but yea their black mud is pretty popular due to the very strong AHA/BHA in the mask

I would trust drunk elephant more than GlamGlow

why?? Drunk Elephant actually in a few instances explained why they added risky ingredients into their formulation without people pointing it out

They explained and criticized themselves even before ingredients purist like me found out

Good brands does that

 

[ThiamWan]

I use all ABC daily if I am not in the army or going to the beach or swimming

what you said is right and Paula's choice is indeed a very established website that I myself go to

problem is I do not leave things to doubt because there is conflicting information online about it

since there is conflicting info
and since there is no benefit of combining A+C, I play safe and not use them together

also, vit A is HIGHLY recommended NOT to be used during daytime
it's ok, ok as in acceptable but not ideal, to use vit A plus a SOLID SUNSCREEN during daytime but how solid is your sunscreen regime ??

can you guarantee it last throughout the day and reapply every 2-3 hours??


Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and their perils and effect and contradictions are very in-depth. People here argue even with me if alcohol is good for the skin, I really don't want to be responsible of making any recommendations and then someone wrecks their skin cause of some other factors they are unaware of or didn't pay proper attention to in real life.

Oops, maybe I should have been more specific.
I only take Vit A night time. Day and night will be too strong for me.
Vit C is mostly in the morning only and sometimes at night (with Vit A).
Vit B is night time only, daily.

I know what you mean about how its hard to recommend it as it’s not suitable for everyone. My gf can’t take the Vit A and can only use Vit B on alternate nights. Her skin will flare up.

Another serum I use on alternate days (night only) is a AHa/BHA serum from drunk elephant.
I’ve been using the sunscreen from Paul Choice, but going to try the shisheido one you recommended.

I’m trying to explore other brands other than drunk elephant to compare too. It’s not bad but just costly. That’s why I’m asking what brands you using too.

Do you use toner? I’m mixed about it. I read that it’s part of a basic skin care regime, but my fren told me her Derm said that toner is the most useless one and can exclude it out.