As I write this post – 4th June 2017 it has been officially 6 months since I gave up coffee. I tried giving it up briefly in October of last year and lasted only a few weeks, a month later and I’d had enough with the state of my skin – it was beyond terrible down to a multitude of factors, lots of gluten in my diet despite knowing that my body can’t process it properly, trying every product that came through my door from niche to seriously high end luxury brands and a bad reaction to a salicylic acid peel and extractions not performed correctly at Face Place at the Rosewood hotel (I don’t love naming and shaming but feel it’s important, especially as they also tricked me into paying £100 extra than agreed only to end up with the worst skin of my entire life).
Anywho, my skin was bad and my mood was even lower and I decided the last straw was giving up coffee and cleaning up my diet. I cleaned it up so much in fact that I didn’t even break and have any sugar/coffee or gluten (dairy isn’t a problem for me as it doesn’t feature in my diet and I’ve never liked the taste – I’ve never even had cheese properly ever!) on Christmas day or the whole of the festive period all together, on boxing day I snacked on carrots instead of chocolate!
My first break and ‘treat’ was my birthday when I had a slice of cake. Anyway, giving up coffee and cleaning up my diet has meant that cystic acne is a thing of the past. My skincare was relatively simple for around 5 months, simple verging on bland – I only used La Roche Posay Toleriane and my HG serum Skinceuticals Phyto Corrective, however 5 months in I realised that the milky texture of the cleanser was clogging my pores and causing blackheads. I switched and now use Avene Cleanance Gel (which I swear by) and my La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Moisturiser Fluide and then slowly I started thinking about introducing something a bit more active into my skincare routine now that I’d cleared up the majority of the problem.
If you haven’t heard of The Ordinary they are owned by parent company Deciem and have disrupted the beauty industry like no other skincare brand. Their serums retail for around £5.80 making them extremely affordable but not only that, they are extremely effective. The science behind the brand has stunned me, and quite frankly I think a brand like this has been a long time coming. I picked up the hyaluronic acid first and introduced it seamlessly into my routine, my skin which was feeling a tad dry due to using a cleansing gel instead of a milk instantly felt plumped and my skin slurped up all the extra hydration (don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t have dehydrated and oily skin), then I picked up the Lactic Acid 5%. I knew that the lactic acid would work well for me as its an ingredient my skin has loved in the past (Sunday Riley Good Genes), what I didn’t realise was just how amazing this incarnation would be. It literally gives results overnight – tighter pores, smoother skin, scars are lessened and redness and blemishes are diminished. I’m going to finish this bottle then upgrade to the 10%, I also love that it has anti-ageing benefits as well, at 26 I’m still relatively young but it doesn’t mean I’m not starting to consider the future of my skin.
I feel like as consumers these days it’s easy to get caught up in super luxe products and feel like to have decent skin you have to spend a small fortune – I do believe that lots of high end skincare does actually work (my mother swears by La Mer, however she also uses and loves the Hyaluronic 2% and the Retinol 2% by the ordinary and is as obsessed with the brand as I am) and I do use an eye cream that costs a small fortune (La Mer again), however I believe that if you’re in your twenties or early thirties and are looking to fix a problem or improve your current skincare routine The Ordinary would be an excellent starting point coupled with French pharmacy powerhouses La Roche Posay and/or Avene.
Now for the fun part, let me know what you’ve tried from the brand and what I need to add to my shopping basket?
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I’m so intrigued by the Ordinary. I just ordered the Squalane and am excited to try. I’ve used the Beauté Pacifique one before but if this works, then well – I will save a lot of money in the future 🙂
Let me know how you get on! I’d highly recommend the two serums above!
Thank you for always being so supportive Frida 🙂
Do you drink Matcha tea or does that have a reaction to your skin as well with the higher caffeine content? Cx
I don’t drink matcha because I don’t love the taste – however it has no effect on my skin 🙂
Dying to try The Ordinary but always so overwhelmed by their range! Sounds like the Hyaluronic Acid and Lactic Acid would be two good ones to start with 🙂 x
http://www.cocoamay.co.uk
Hi Tijan! I also love this brand. The alpha arbutin is great for fading hyperpigmentation (mine left form blemishes). A definite repurchase for me! I just bought the squalane and it’s a light hydrator that I use on top of my hydrating serum to seal in the moisture. Their retinol is also great : I haven’t noticed a difference from my more expensive ones in terms of results; I think it’s more a question of texture preference. On my wishlist: marula oil, cafeine solution 5% and Argireline. X
hello! I do have the Lactic Acid 5% and the Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA… basically I order them to exfoliate and for fading hyperpigmentation! But I don’t really know how to include it into my skincare routine ’cause I’ve never used serum or something like this. When do you use it? before or after moisturize?
And last one: can them be used together or you need to use them separately?
Thanks :*
Hello! Sorry for the delay, I just saw your comment. I use the alpha arbutin after cleansing and toning and my hydrating serum as a spot treatment on my hyperpigmentation because I found that it was drying when used all over. After that I moisturize as usual (I use an oil). I haven’t bought the lactic acid yet but there’s a couple of ways I would use similar products. You can use it on its own after cleansing at night for more of an impact (if you’re not too dehydrated or dry) or add a moisturizer afterwards. I would use it a couple of times a week only as to not over exfoliate the skin. Voilà! Have a good day X