Product Spotlight: Skincare

Avrilmai

By request!

What is your skincare routine? Before pregnancy? During? After? Did/do you change your routine?

What do you recommend, love? hate? 

What to avoid in pregnancy? What works best? 

Share it all here.  No need to answer all of the questions, just a jumping off point.

Product Spotlight Spreadsheet

doxiemoxie212

I have an absolute eff ton of skincare. 

Before pregnancy, I was using retinol, so I stopped that even though there's evidence topical retinol is fine (oral retinol is extremely NOT fine). 

I have super dry skin. I think that's always the thing about skincare - you can't really follow someone else's plan because they probably have different skin, different sun exposure and different humidity levels in their area than you do. 

During the day I use Skinceuticals vitamin c serum followed by Skinceuticals moisturizer with one of a few Korean sunscreen brands on top (so much better than American sunscreen, my God).

At night usually use Paula's Choice BHA toner, followed by the Krave serum, and then a moisturizer (I have like 15 lol) or instead of the Krave I'll use the Faded serum from Topicals. 

For body I use the Biossance body oil after I get out of the shower. Sometimes I'll use the skinfix body AHA lotion, but usually I don't. I'll probably start using thicker body creams once my belly starts to grow. 

aukeev

@doxiemoxie212 would you mind sharing the sunscreen brand(s) you recommend? I can't stand regular sunscreen on my face and would love a good alternative. 


My skincare routine is nonexistent, so nothing to contribute here lol.

shlecks

I am obsessed with skincare and always love finding new products and systems that feel good and seem to make a difference.

I am currently using Dime which is big with the Instagram influencers I've seen which is how I found it.  It's got very clean ingredients and really feels good going on and I feel like my skin (especially pre-pregnancy, because right now my skin is CRAP) looks super healthy and hydrated since I started using it.  There's a cleanser, toner, two serums (one for day and one for night), 2 moisturizers (day/night), and an under eye cream.  They have other products too, that's just the package I use.

I also supplement with a few things from Good Habit which is a blue light blocking system.  I really wanna try more of their products, I currently only have a masque and a toner.  I get them from my perfume subscription service Scentbird.

doxiemoxie212

@aukeev Biore, order it from Stylevana (you have to order it from Korea, it has to go through customs). Also follow Charlotte Parler on ig and go to her "shop my shelf" thing because she lists the best sunscreens and does reviews on them, etc. 

aukeev

@doxiemoxie212 Thank you! That feels so fancy. 

doxiemoxie212

@aukeev it's actually pretty cheap lol it's like drugstore over there, but we have to pay fees to get it over here because the filters haven't been approved by the US FDA yet (though every dermatologist says their filters are way more effective than our filters here). 

loveanddatadriven

I can’t say enough good things about EltaMD SPF 46 for acne prone skin. It’s a feather light sunblock with niacinamide. Cleared up some redness, acne and evened out my skin tone.

I also use the EltaMD cleanser. And that is my entire skin routine.

Edited to add: when I’m done with pregnancy/breastfeeding, I’m looking forward to resuming retinoids (adapalene, the only OTC retinoid), Babyfoot glycolic acid skin peels for my feet, and Botox for my forehead (🙈)

miss_lynn9

I've had very bad skin for as long as I can remember. It was always oily and I had cystic acne. I agree with @doxiemoxie212 that what works for one person won't always work for someone else. 

For myself, I've found that natural ingredients work best for me and the reason I have oily skin is because it's dehydrated. My routine is:

Morning
- wash with OM organics oil cleanser 
- mix OMs blemish treatment with Living libations maverick moisturizer.
- living libations eye serum 
- sunscreen I'm currently using coola sport but I'll be switching to Think Sport when I'm done this bottle. 

Night

- remove makeup with almond oil

- wash with OM's clarifying wash

- mix OM blemish treatment with a face oil that I make myself. 
- OM eye cream 

minnie_yoga_mama

I go minimalist to the extreme when it comes to skincare! I don’t wear makeup and prior to becoming pregnant, I used pure evening primrose oil on my face after showering. When I became pregnant, I switched to argan oil. I also recently just bought a belly butter in prep for my stretching belly! It’s Glow Organics belly butter with shea butter and cocoa butter in it and I LOVE it! I’ve been having terrible eczema on my hands and using just a little bit of it on my hands too has helped so much! Also I’m in love with the smell of cocoa butter. 😊 I try to shade myself with hats and long sleeves whenever possible but when I need to use sunscreen I use Alba botanica.

armasmd

One thing I've learned at nwcollege.edu and found very applicable during my pregnancy is that using glycolic acid and similar ones — such as azelaic acid — can also help reduce fine lines, brighten skin, and reducing enhance skin pigmentation.