(Part 4) Top products from r/30PlusSkinCare

For your melasma , I would use a sunblock, most of the time that is caused by sun exposure so you don't want to undo whatever treatment for them you are doing.

For sunblock I would explore the Asian brands which designed to be cosmetically elegant and even if you buy them online, they aren't usually too expensive. A really popular brand is Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence. It can be purchased on Amazon. Another brand , Canmake gets really good reviews here on Reddit for being moisturizing and working well under makeup. It is moisturizing as well so during the day you probably won't need a separate moisturizer .

I would skin the brightening face washes and invest in face washes which will be gentle and non-drying. Facewashes aren't on the skin long enough IMO to really help.

Just depending how bad your melasma is , it just may not be able to correct using OTC products. It may need laser treatment but a few things you can try which is known to help is hydroquinone and 20% glycolic acid ( you will want to build up tolerance to 20% ).

I would also add vitamin C serum for skin brightening .

For a moisturizer , I love La Roche-Posay double repair. It has Niacinamide which has anti-aging benefits and it's very moisturizing. If you DO use the glycolic acid peels you will want something like this that can help restore your moisture barrier.

I'm still a skincare newbie but I'm into:

• Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid (daily is my goal)
  
• Baebody Beauty Retinol Anti-Aging Moisturizer which I just found on Amazon recently and my face has never felt so hydrated in my entire life.
  
  I like to keep a pretty minimal skin care/makeup routine. I also have a handful of face masks, none that I'm over the moon about.
  
  I received these in a beauty box a while back and I wish I had more but I'm loving this new moisturizer so much I might not even need these eye pads! :)

I just responded to another one of your posts, but then I saw this and read the thing you linked to. My eyes water a lot, and sting as well.

I finally figured out that products I put on my forehead would slowly "melt" into my eyes. Also, as products are on our skin around our eyes, I found out they can swell with moisture and "creep" into our eyes even if we aren't wiping at them. But if we are wiping at them, it makes it so much worse! Taking an over the counter allergy med helps if I have to have something (like makeup or sunscreen) on my forehead during the day. Keeping my glasses super-clean also helps (I wash them in the sink 3-4 times a day, every time I go to the restroom).

On the idea of oily skin: if your skin is super oily, it often is over-compensating for dehydration. It's possible to have oily skin + very dehydrated skin at the same time. If you over-did the chemical exfoliation, then your skin may be making a lot of oil to try to fix it. (I should add that the reason I know this is because it happened to me!)

This means the opposite of drying is what you need to do. You need to plump and heal. This will also make your pores less visible.

Given what I've read in your other posts, I would try this gentle mask no more than twice per week to absorb some of the oil being created, and I would work on repairing the moisture barrier. Forget drying, try sleeping with a layer of hyaluronic acid + a layer of vaseline on top every night for one month. Then see where you are and what has changed. I think that is going to solve the oil issue! Good luck.

Edit: to add mask link.

ACK, not the St. Ives. Those walnut shells are variably shaped and can really scratch the skin. St. Ives is generally hated. If she uses an acid exfoliants, she should not use a physical exfoliant anyway. This is the one I was talking about., but again, you should choose one or the other, NOT both. I'd go with a chemical exfoliant, like the lactic acids below, because they can't leave microabrasians.

I'd recommend the Ordinary one if you are looking for a budget option, rather than a random, no name brand. If you want a more luxurious options Sunday Riley Good Genes is a good option. You can probably get the ordinary in Canada for less directly from them, not amazon.

Yes, the hydro boost is great. If her skin isn't super dry, it should work well for her.

Again, I'd go with a more known brand than a private label unknown for a night cream. She can use the hydro boost at night too, but if she needs more moisture (I do, personally), you might need something a little heavier. It's hard for me to recommend a night cream without knowing your budget or her skin type.

This one isn't specifically for the eye area but I really like how it goes on my skin. I put it on right after I use bakuchiol. I follow up with a primer. Even after using all this my makeup goes on perfectly. The Purito sunscreen (PURITO Centella Green Level Safe Sun SPF50+ PA++++,Broad Spectrum UVA1,2,UVB/oil-free suncream/non-nano system, Acne-prone skin) feels good but isn't moisturizing but the bakuchiol is moisturizing enough so it works out. I highly recommend it!

It depends on your skin type and preference. My skin doesn't react well with drugstore sunscreens. I am a huge fan of La Roche Posay sunscreens. Anthelios Melt-In Milk SPF 60 and Anthelios AOX SPF 50 are my favorite ones. They can be found at CVS, Target and ULTA. I adore Neova DNA Damage Control Active SPF 43. Japanese sunscreens are more cosmetically elegant than the US sunscreens. I like Shiseido Anessa Perfect UV SPF 50 PA++++ and Biore UV Face Milk SPF 50 PA++++.

You can check out /r/skincareaddiction's Holy Grail Sunscreen Thread and /r/asianbeauty's Best and Worst Sunscreens.

If you haven’t tried already, I’d suggest definitely looking into Activated Charcoal. It’s praised for its ability to draw out impurities in the skin, balancing out oils, reducing acne, and shrinking pores.

I highly recommend using a charcoal mask product likeOrigins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask that you use weekly, plus a high quality exfoliating charcoal based face cleanser. I use Boacia Charcoal Cleanser daily.

These have helped me to dramatically reduce my pore size and get rid of blackheads.

Basically you want to make sure you’re sucking out that dirt on a daily basis and balancing you sebum.

My bad! I totally missed that. I don't have oily skin myself, however most people that do say washing their face only at night before bed with a gentle foaming cleanser (like Cerave foaming) and then just splashing with water or micellar water in the AM has helped their skin from producing so much oil. So you would wash at night, use your toner, and then your moisturizer. In the AM, splash with water or use micellar water on a cotton round, use your toner, and then moisturize and use sunscreen. This is the sunscreen my husband uses and loves. It's tinted so there is no white cast, and actually helps control oil. Don't be put off that it's tinted, it literally just disappears once you rub it in. Here is a link to the Cerave foaming cleanser. Link to the Cerave PM moisturizer. Now, I wouldn't buy everything at once and start this new routine. You will want to use something for a week or so and see if you have any reactions, that way if you break out or have an allergic reaction you will know what product caused it. If you want to use micellar water, I really like the brand Simple. As for the sunscreen, try to get into the habit of using it everyday. Even if you're inside. No need to use it at night tho. :-) I think you will notice a huge difference in your skin with this routine. Check out the r/skincareaddiction when you get a chance. After you get used to this new routine you will to start exfoliating, I prefer chemicals to exfoliate. So you can read up on the different types and what you think would work best. But remember to space everything out so your skin doesn't freak out. I would start with the face wash and sunscreen first, and go from there. If you have anymore questions let me know!

I highly recommend checking out Japanese sunscreens. They are way more cosmetically elegant than sunscreen in the US. These two are my favorite: Biore Aqua Rich and Hada Labo UV Creamy Gel

If the scent of ferulic acid wasn't a migraine trigger, I'd use the Timeless serum. Their products are amazing. Since I want LAA 20% without ferulic acid, the best I've found so far is the NuFountain L-AA Serum.

For summer my main concern is SPF; in winter my concern is dryness.

• Winter: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion, SPF 15
  
• Summer Indoors: Olay Regenerist Regenerating Face Lotion With Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50
  
• Summer Outdoors: Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ / PA++++
  
• Year-round on top of the sunscreen: Mineral Fusion Brush-On Sun Defense, SPF 30

ask and you shall receive it’s a bit lighter than the baume - almost a gel consistency- but is great, i use it in the mornings!

I use NuFountain C20+Ferulic 20% Vitamin C Serum and love it!

I use Elta MD and love it, no plans to switch :) It is expensive though.

I donno if it’s been suggested here before....

I highly recommend a book by Chizu Saeke that came out a few years ago.

It’s a quick, non-preachy or alarmist read that keeps things simple with a focus on how the Japanese culture prioritizes moisture to combat aging and why it works and how to do it well.

Japanese skin care is pretty simple and not necessarily costly. I highly recommend the book to anyone who pays attention to their skin.

No pushing of products or procedures either. No pressure to spend on luxury or trends. No requirement to buy Asian products only.

https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Skincare-Revolution-Have-Beautiful/dp/1568364067

I've has this before. It is called melasma, and if appears sudden, it is usually due to a hormonal change and/or unprotected exposure to UV rays. Medications such as oral contraceptive pills, estrogen therapies and anti-seizure meds like phenytoin or body changes (pregnancy, thyroid fluctuations) can be the culprits.

I developed these suddenly due to a change in birth control brand, and a change in diet (where I ate a lot of "soy" proteins, which are basically phytoestrogens). After my gynecologist changed my birth control to a different brand and I stopped eating a bunch of soy products like these, they went away in a few weeks like magic.

https://www.amazon.com/DIM-Supplement-BioPerine-Treatment-Inhibitor/dp/B006KL4TYG

https://www.amazon.com/Nutricost-Pantothenic-Vitamin-500mg-Capsules/dp/B01IG07G4I

Pantothenic acid can cause headaches the first few days. They go away. DIM can also make you a little crampy. Lady cramps. But they go away as well.