The Ordinary – Jupiter Gimlet

The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + Hyaluronic Acid 2%

As a follow-up to one of my first posts, I decided to bump up a level with my lactic acid use and test out the 10% version.

In general, the product is not too significantly different. It comes in the same kind of container (glass bottle), same dispersing mechanism (glass dropper), the color of the liquid is pretty similar. The cost is even similar at $6.79 compared to $6.50 for the 5%. All all, if you’re wanting to make a change and move up a step with your skincare routine while still being gentle, this is not a bad option.

There are no specific claims that The Ordinary makes for this product on their website, interestingly enough.

All it really states is that it is an exfoliant, which is true. The rest of what they write is something that I would expect to be lost on someone who isn’t entirely sure of where to start, which makes me think this is intentionally a product for more experienced folks. It piques my interest they don’t really make any specific claims on their website; I can’t tell if that’s a deliberate marketing move to bolster their “scientific approach,” (which is a specific marketing tool in and of itself, much like the greenwashing of “natural” or “organic” products) or if it’s that they don’t want to make any claims they can’t deliver on. However, the Sephora website gives a little more insight into what it intends to accomplish:

So now that we have an idea of what this intends to do for your skin, I’ll share my experience and whether or not this actually managed to accomplish what it claims (at least, according to a mix of both The Ordinary and Sephora):

Chemical Exfoliant (or uneven texture): ✔️ Yes. I definitely do not have issues with my skin looking or feeling as flake-y when using this product. Within about an hour of initial application, skin feels very soft. Definitely true to my experience.
Uneven skin tone: ❌ For me, my skin tone has a lot of red/pink overtones and is reactive easily. Given the higher percentage of lactic acid, I would actually say this probably increased redness for me. That isn’t necessarily a knock on the product because this is an individual reactiveness, but this was my experience with it so I can’t give it a positive mark.
Fine lines and wrinkles: ❔ I don’t have wrinkles (yet) and I don’t have fine lines that are strong enough to determine the effectiveness of this, so I’m going to go with inconclusive for now.
Dullness: ✔️ Yes. I would definitely say this helped to brighten my skin and make it look slightly more radiant.

Compared to Sunday Riley Good Genes and The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + 2% HA

Now, compared to the other two, I’d probably say this one fits in the middle. By that, I mean the following:
Sunday Riley Good Genes is…

More gentle, less reactive than The Ordinary at both the 5% and 10%. (Though, not significantly enough to warrant the cost difference at the 5%.)
On par with the 10% for brightening/radiance factors.
Slightly less effective at exfoliation than the 10%.
Ultimately, still not worth the cost differential of almost $100.

The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + 2% HA is…

More gentle than the 10%, but very slightly less so than the Sunday Riley Good Genes.
Less brightening/radiant than both Sunday Riley Good Genes and the 10%.
Comparable to the Sunday Riley Good Genes for exfoliation, but slightly less than the 10%.
Better as a first step at trying lactic acid/chemical exfoliation than 10% and Sunday Riley Good Genes.

Some other things worth mentioning about this is in the initial post, I remarked on how The Ordinary 5% had a particular smell. In October 2017, the formula was changed slightly for the 10% and the 5% where they changed the grade of lactic acid that had no odor and also removed the carrageenan from the formula (the carrageenan did not impact the smell, but the viscosity.) I suspect I had one of the newer ones because the smell on it is non-existent.

Next Steps from Here?

Now that I’ve made a comparison between the bigger players on the market, there are a few things I’d like to do once I finish off this and the exfoliant back-ups I have. Some things I intend to do next once they’re polished off:

Ren Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic: It’s in an 8.5 oz bottle with a pump (!!) and is a lactic acid exfoliant. This one should take me a while to burn through before I give a review, so it probably wouldn’t be likely until late(r) 2018 for a review on this.

Mandelic acid: this is supposedly an even gentler exfoliant, so I think this will be my next step after the REN.

I’m also sure between then and now, there will be plenty of new things added to the market for me to give a shot. But for now, this is what I expect to be doing and working on in the next several months.

Yours ’til Niagara Falls,
Jupiter Gimlet

Sunday Riley Good Genes v. The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA 2%

It is a good time to be a chemical exfoliant fan, particularly if you enjoy lactic acid. In the last few years, lactic acid has been becoming more and more prevalent among exfoliants, which is great if you happen to have more reactive, sensitive skin. Lactic acid also tends to be excellent for drier skins as it helps retain moisture.

Both of these products that are getting focused on today are fairly well-esteemed in the chemical exfoliant niche. However, I do not believe you need both. I tested out both of these products over several months and as promised in my prior Instagram post, I thought I would give an update on my review and offer a comparison between these two products in the beauty zeitgeist of the moment.

After I completed my first bottle of The Ordinary 5% Lactic Acid + HA 2%, I went and got a sample or two of the Sunday Riley Good Genes from Sephora to refresh my memory and to see if my results would be replicated. Normally, I use an AHA/lactic acid every other day rather than every day. In this period and spacing out the products, I went 3 days without using a chemical or physical exfoliant (this is the time frame I’ve managed to figure out through multiple means of being really damn lazy and not using skincare that the effect from a chemical exfoliant stops working on me and I start flaking.) This was to see if the results would be different between the two so I could narrow down what the differences were between products.

With the exception of the samples, I paid for both products and used both; Sunday Riley Good Genes (SRGG) lasted me from early January to mid-April. This was during winter, although the winter this year was fairly mild, with few days of dry coldness. The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA 2% (TOLA) lasted me from mid-April to late June, in a very humid period, so I would not expect my dryness to be worse in this period.

Now, with that out of the way, I can get to the nitty-gritty on these reviews.

Sunday Riley Good Genes (SRGG)

Price: $105 per 1 oz (Note: I bought this on a post-Christmas sale for 30% off, so it was approximately $78.75; Also comes in a 1.7 oz bottle for $158 making it slightly cheaper per oz at $92.94/oz in that size.)
Purchased: Anthropologie (can also be found at Sephora and DermStore.com)
Ingredients: Opuntia Tuna Fruit (Prickly Pear) Extract, Agave Tequilana Leaf (Blue Agave) Extract, Cypripedium Pubescens (Lady’s Slipper Orchid) Extract, Opuntia Vulgaris (Cactus) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract & Saccharomyses Cerevisiae (Yeast) Extract, Lactic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, Squalane, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Ppg-12/Smdi Copolymer, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol And Ceteareth20, Glyceryl Stearate And Peg-100 Stearate, Arnica Montana (Flower) Extract, Peg-75 Meadowfoam Oil, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass) Oil, Triethanolamine, Xantham Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Steareth-20, Dmdm Hydantoin

SRGG has a cult following, and I can understand the appeal behind it. It really is an excellent but gentle chemical exfoliant. It comes with a pump (which I love, personally) and is in the form of a cream rather than a liquid. Although I don’t buy based on packaging alone, it is a nice-sized, stand up bottle made of glass. It looks fairly elegant and while I’m not the biggest gold lover, it gives it a nice appeal.

The product has a noticeable and strong scent. The scent itself does not fade away quickly on me and could take up to an hour before dissipating. I found it unpleasant at first, but over time, I came to appreciate it. It’s got a very light lemony smell, but also smells of chemicals which–well, yeah, it’s a chemical exfoliant. No shit, Sherlock.

For those that prefer to only purchase products that do not involve animal testing, the brand does not test on animals.

The product promises to do the following according to the advertisement on the Sephora website:

Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment is formulated with high potency, purified grade lactic acid that immediately exfoliates dull, pore-clogging dead skin cells, revealing smoother, fresher, younger-looking skin. Fine lines appear visually plumped while the skin looks more radiant. With continued use, the appearance of stubborn hyperpigmentation and the visible signs of aging are reduced for a healthier-looking complexion. Perfect for all skin types and all ages, this treatment is enhanced with licorice for brightening, Good Genes clarifies, smooths, and retexturizes for instant radiance.

Here’s what I found to be in my experience, both initially and after giving myself a refresher after trying it again:

Exfoliant: ✔️ This did an excellent job of keeping flaky skin at bay and making my skin feel soft without being too harsh.
Fine Lines: ❓ It’s hard to say on this one. Since my initial review, I was able to find a few on my face, but I don’t know that this product necessarily prevented them or if they occurred after using. I’m doesn’t really seem like this did a lot on that front, so I’m going to have to consider this one inconclusive.
Radiance: ✔️ Initially, this one was inconclusive for me but after going a second round, I do think this product adds radiance and a brightening effect.
Hyperpigmentation: ❔ As I don’t have hyperpigmentation, I can’t speak to this one and so it will remain inconclusive on my end.
Redness Reduction: ✔️ So, they don’t say anything about this in the description, but I do have to share this because it did work very effectively for me at reducing redness. It didn’t clear it up completely, but it definitely reduced it significantly.
Anti-Aging: ❔ This is going to be another inconclusive for me. As I look very young as is, you could argue that it kept me looking young, but that’s–probably not the intended purpose to keep someone looking 14.

The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA 2% (TOLA)

Price: $6.50 per 1 oz.
Purchased: Beautylish (also available through Skinstore.com, ASOS, and the brand’s website)
Ingredients: Aqua (water), Lactic Acid, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolmer, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract, Arginine, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Trisodium Ethylene-Diamine Disuccinate, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ethyl 2.2-Dimethylhydrocinnamal, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Ethylhexylclycerin, 1.2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol.

TOLA is one of those products that’s flying off the shelf and it’s not hard to see why; The Ordinary is a very affordable but effective product line. It doesn’t shy away from using effective chemicals (a plus in my book because I don’t buy into the hype around organic being best.)

Like Sunday Riley, this brand also does not perform any animal testing. It’s also a vegan product. (These two things are not necessarily the same; Ethical Elephant explains it very well if this is a concern for you.)

The product itself is in a small, clear glass container. It’s minimalist, but does not seem to have anything to deflect UV influence on the product, which is interesting to me because I would think it would degrade the product faster. Another quirk about this product is that it has a dropper as opposed to a pump. Given that the product is liquid rather than SRGG’s cream, this makes somewhat more sense.

The Ordinary has gone and explained why they use a dropper as opposed to a pump, and it largely comes down to a functional purpose despite being less cost efficient. While I appreciate the conscious effort on their end to not waste product/money, I still do prefer a nice pump at the end of the day. Not to mention, for someone like me, I’m prone to losing at least 15% by being a clumsy asshole anyways (as evidenced by how much faster I used this product up comparatively.)

Much like SRGG, this one has a scent too. The first few times I used it, I longed for the lemon chemical stench of SRGG, but I’ve come to tolerate it. It does fade quickly despite its strength (within 10-15 minutes.) It’s hard to describe what this smells like; it’s got a fruity underbody to it but it just reeks of chemicals.

Now, here is what the Beautylish website describes it as:

This treatment gently resurfaces the skin to promote a bright, even tone and a smooth, soft texture.

If nothing else, I appreciate the brevity. Here’s how I find my first go round and second go with this product:

Exfoliant: ✔️ It keeps flakes away and leaves skin smooth after application.
Brightness: ✔️ It does, to a degree. I definitely find my skin looking bright right away, but by the middle of the next day, it has faded some.
Redness Reduction: ✔️ Again, it does reduce redness. I find it’s actually very red upon application but when I wake up, the redness has gone away. This is likely due to my skin being more sensitive.
As this product does not indicate anything about fine lines or anti-aging, I am not judging it for that. Not that I really could anyways, since those are difficult things for me to pin down on my skin.

Conclusion

No one needs both of these products. Although I find the SRGG is more effective at keeping redness away longer and slightly more effective at reducing redness, it isn’t enough to warrant the $98.50 price differential.

Here’s what I would recommend: if you are needing to look good for a special day, really need that anti-aging or fine line reduction, or have the budget to not break the bank by buying it regularly, it may be worth splurging to get SRGG.

However, for most people, it’s really unnecessary. TOLA does close enough to the same thing at a significantly lower cost. Considering skincare is something that should be as regular a habit as brushing your teeth, for me, it’s a no brainer: The Ordinary wins this one for me.

Skincare Empties – Summer 2017

I believe in many things; that your favorite sandwich tells a lot about you (mine is BLT for those wondering), that “positive vibes only” is a whole lot of fair-weather bullshit, and that taking care of your skin is basic care for everyone. Your skin is your largest organ; treat it as you would any other part of your body. You wouldn’t let your cardiovascular system go uncared for, so why would you let your integumentary system?

I will be the first to admit that all things considered, I am genetically #blessed with “good” skin. I rarely develop blemishes (and those that are tend to be either reactive to something I have worn or due to my bad habit of touching my face when frustrated), I generally don’t have a lot of discoloration, no acne, and the actual worst of it is some persistent redness.

I didn’t develop a skincare routine until I was 23, but even before this, my years of being a teenage hermit did me some good in the fact that I rarely exposed myself to sun and kept out of skin cancer and photo-aging’s way. But as I am now (said in Wayne’s voice from Wayne’s World) a little bit older and a little bit wiser, I do have a skincare routine set in place that I will eventually expand upon. It is not much of a routine, but it exists.

Today, though, are what I’ve gone through thus far this summer, now that I have a few things.

As I said before, I don’t have a particularly extensive routine and I generally don’t follow the Korean Beauty line of using 10-11 products in a given night. However, when I do use is tried and true for me and my dry, reactive skin. None of what I say here should be taken as a comprehensive review, but I’ll share what these products do for me and what role they fill in my skincare routine.

Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm – Facial Cleanser

I tend to use two cleansers to remove makeup or to clean my face. This particular one serves as my cleanser for removing facial makeup. I use a little bit of the Shiseido cotton rounds and swirl it in the tub (usually at the ends rather than the center), wet it, and begin to remove my makeup. I find this is not particularly drying and does a great job at not irritating my skin but doing the job in which it was intended when purchased.

The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA 2% – Chemical Exfoliant

As a lizard woman, it is important for me to have a heat rock to digest, but also a chemical exfoliant to keep my flaky skin at bay. I prefer lactic acid to glycolic acid because it is much gentler and is much more effective at reducing my redness. I also tend to prefer a chemical exfoliant over a physical exfoliant out of concern for micro-tears in the skin and the simple fact it’s much easier to deal with; I just use the dropper (not my favorite method) onto a cotton round and lightly press into the skin and let it sink in for 20 minutes before moving on.

belif The True Cream – Moisturizing Bomb – Night Moisturizer

There are many things I generally do to keep the scale-skin at bay; I use a chemical exfoliant, I use moisturizer, I (sometimes) use oils, I use a nourishing primer, I use a water-based foundation. While all these things are nice, this is the only product that has really made a difference in my skin’s moisture levels (well, that, and actually drinking water.) I use it at night-time because it is a thicker cream, but once it’s on the skin, I don’t personally find it to be particularly heavy.

At some point, I will be doing a more thorough review on each of these products. All three of these are staples of mine and it certainly won’t be the last you hear of them from me.

Yours ’til Niagara Falls,
Jupiter Gimlet