I'm sorry it's been a few weeks. Between me being completely unsure as to how to finish everything up, then learning that I have to pack up to move in June, THEN nearly immediately losing power for a little over week and having to stay with my mom in the city (which added an hour of driving each day), I just haven't had the time. But finally, power is back, most of my packing is done, and I can sit down and finish things up.
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| This has been my life for the past month. |
Over the past couple of months, I've been keeping up with my new regimen, which includes double cleansing, a few essences and serums, and even a sunscreen. It's not something I ever thought I would ever do. I figured all that stuff would be too time consuming or expensive, and that in the end, it probably wouldn't even make a difference. Of course, I was pretty wrong about all three.
I've tried 15 new products, not including samples. Some were really good and will be staples for as long as they can be. Some were only okay and will probably not be purchased again. I learned a lot, and picked up a few of my own techniques. I even learned that I'll have to cut quite a bit of dairy out of my diet after a terrible one week breakout happened from eating a whole quart of Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream (not all of it, fortunately!) This little experiment was a helpful experience, and I'm happy to continue learning.
So, here are the results!
Unfortunately, I can tell you my camera didn't capture *at all* how truly bad my skin was. I had a lot of acne scars and a lot of cysts at the time of the first photo. The last one is the most recent. If my skin looks smoother, that's because it is! I hope you can see what a difference it is, because I sure can. At work, in the women's bathroom, the lights have a pink hue to them. As a result, all of the acne scars I had would be super magnified in the lighting. Even in there, my marks are fading, and my skin is a lot brighter. I may have to do something a bit more intensive, but for now, the Red Appletox is doing its job fine (and it smells so delicious!).
My skin has definitely become more hydrated, and a lot of scarring has finally lifted away. Currently, my next goal is to find a serum to combat my acne. I'm not getting as many pimples on the average day, but I do get bad hormonal breakouts, and I'd like to find something that can keep them from springing up, if possible. I guess I'll let you know how that works out, but I probably won't be able to try anything until I'm moved to the new place next month.
I actually didn't have any products that I hated. Though a couple disappointed me, besides that one sample, nothing reacted poorly to my skin. I will definitely continue using the Mizon Water Volume EX First Essence and the Black Snail All In One Cream, as well as the Tonymoly Red Appletox Honey Cream, as I saw the most favorable results with those. I don't think I will be purchasing anymore of Missha's Geum Sul Night Cream. The smell is a bit much, and I didn't see much happening. I'll also probably stop using the Mizon AHA 8% Peeling Cream once I run out. The Appletox seems to fill that position and can be used more often, so I'll start looking into a BHA instead. The Geum Sul Essence Booster is really nice, but I would only repurchase if it's on sale. However, even though I'm using 3 pumps a day, I still have a lot of product left. And I think I may replace Mizon's Steblanc Black Snail Ampoule with the Neulii Snail Bee serum, since my skin showed more improvement with it. Otherwise, everything else will continue to be used until I find something else I try and like more.
And... that's about it. Like I said, all I really do is work and stay home (I'm an introvert who handles around 300 people a day and has a weakness to loud sounds and heat, so I'm often pretty drained). I still don't feel confident enough to start working on makeup skills with my skin still in healing, and I rarely wear anything that's not my uniform anymore. I would love to say that I'm coming back for good this time, but as of right now, I don't think so, especially since I'm going to be moving in the near future. My grandma unfortunately passed away last year (don't worry, I'm fine now), and my mom inherited her other house. I've been living with my uncle who inherited the main house, but I'm taking the other one, now that everything is switched over officially. I have a little bit of work ahead of me, such as saving up for things for the new house. I'll have *a lot* more space to work with, far more than I've ever had in my life. I need everything!
Thank you all for your patience, and I hope to come back in the nearer, rather than distant future.
