Beauty Bag

Retinol

My beauty bag this year has been rather empty, which is not surprising, considering I have bought only a few products, and if you have been following my skincare routine of 2020, you will understand why. Unintentionally, my approach to skincare involved mostly time and patience, and it has paid off. Before I get to the last two products I added to my beauty bag, check out what I invested my time in here. I’m still working with this routine and continue to see the benefits.

Once I felt at ease with my new skincare routine I decided to take it up a notch and I added retinol to the mix. I’m a total novice when it comes to retinol; my limited knowledge extends to it apparently producing collagen and as a result, reducing fine lines and wrinkles. The other thing I know about retinol is that slow and steady is the best approach. I started with The Ordinary’s Retinol 0.2% in Squalane based on the low percentage of retinol, and the fact that I love squalane. I started using it once a week and didn’t get much further than that. No sign of irritations that some experience when using retinol, however I did find the area from my nose down to my chin (think frown lines or smile lines whichever your prefer) did become a little tingly and red. If I’m honest, only I would notice, but important to note as a first time retinol user.

At the same time as I started using it, I dived into Caroline Hiron’s book, Skin Care, and was thrilled to read the section on retinol. I soon discovered that the area I found slightly irritated was in fact an area to avoid applying it to, so that was a welcome discovery. Before I continue, if you are a fan of skincare I hope you know who Caroline Hirons is. I have followed her for as long as I can remember and, despite all the information shared in her book being available on her website and social media channels, I did enjoy the book and will use it as a point of reference in the future.

Back to retinol. Well, sort of. My plans to use it were halted and I had to remove it from my regime. I replaced it with Bakuchiol, a natural alternative to retinol. If any of you fellow skincare lovers are clever enough to know why I removed retinol, I applaud your suspicions. If you have no clue as to why, don’t worry, I will explain all soon. So, out with The Ordinary’s Retinol 0.2% in Squalane and in with Indeed Labs Bakuchiol Reface Pads. Initially, I treated this product as I did retinol, slow and steady. No signs of irritation, a little tingly and tightness but overall the product is ok. I say just ok as I’m not convinced, even after months of using it that I can see a difference. I know some consumers reported the pads being dry on purchase. I didn’t have that issue but found that they became dry before I finished the container. With that, I’ll be looking to other bakuchiol products as retinol is staying out of my beauty bag for a while longer.

Skincare has really been the focus for me this year. I have hardly bought a new makeup product all year, using every last scrap of what I have. I had planned on buying some of Lisa Eldridge’s latest lipsticks but sadly, I missed out. I have my eye on a fiery red and will make a purchase when it is back in stock. The other products I purchased were two of Pat McGrath’s MatteTrance lipsticks in the black Friday sale. Thirteen euro instead of thirty nine, so they were hard to resist. Only one of the shades arrived so far, on Christmas eve, and if you want to see what it is like, take a look over on my Instagram feed.

2020 has been so upside down, I have found such happiness in skincare and makeup. The familiar routine of looking after my skin and applying makeup, even when only stepping out to my letter box, provided such comfort and security this year, and thank goodness! I hope you too have found such comfort throughout the year.