Daily Face Routine - Feat InstaNatural Retinol Moisturizer

Hello Lovelies!

This post is in honor of yesterday's Earth Day and attempts at #goingGreen! 

I decided to share with you my morning face routine, using various products I have grown to like and have decided to try out! I received this InstaNaturals Advanced Action Retinol Moisturizer to try out, and I decided to replace my current moisturizer (from CVS brand), to compare it!

I decided to use this routine instead of washing my face with the other face washes because it helps save water! This way I use cotton pads instead of water and while it does generate some waste, with California's drought, any water saved is good! So I think its a good trade off.

1. Deep Cleaning Astringent - This Clean & Clear Essentials Deep cleaning astringent is something I love using, I pour some of it on a cotton pad and then wipe my face with it. I feel it working and it has salicylic acid acne medication to keep control of your acne! It is similar to the other face washes with salicylic acid but doesn't require any water! 

2. Pore refining Toner - my next step is using this Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner - I have heard a lot of other bloggers using this in their skin regimens, and it does work! I get a lot of blackheads and I make sure I use this to reduce the size of my pores so less likely to build up dirt in my pores! I also pour some of this on a cotton pad and in upward circular motions, cover my entire face, focusing primarily on my nose and cheeks near the nose (thats where I get blackheads the most, might be different for you!)

3. Advanced Action Retinol Moisturizer - This InstaNatural Advanced Action Retinol Moisturizer is a good product, I was looking on Amazon for the list of products from this company that I got the Dead Sea Mud Mask from, and this had good reviews so I thought I would try it. It is supposed to repair and restore your skin, containing Retinol, Vitamin C, Halluronic Acid, Jojoba oil, Shea butter and Green Tea extract. I dispensed a dime size amount on my finger and used my finger to spread it over my face! 

One of the downsides of this moisturizer is that you have to use an SPF with it - they suggest if you use it in the morning that you pair with with some kind of sunscreen. The other moisturizer I was using from CVS brand oil free moisturizer, had SPF 15, but it doesn't contain all of these extra ingredients that are supposed to repair and restore your skin.

4. CC Cream - After my moisturizer dried, I used my favorite Smashbox Camera Ready CC cream that has SPF30. I tend to wear this anyway to cover up blemishes and any dark spots/redness on my skin, so it wasn't too bad that I had to wear an SPF with the Retinol moisturizer. And it gives my skin an even, polished tone!

So did the product work? I have been using it for about 2 weeks, and I don't think I see a big different in my skin, any repair or restoration, although I am 26 years old, so maybe I don't have much damage to repair? The list of ingredients lists Aloe Vera as the top ingredient - which may be the reason why skin feels so smooth and soft, rather than the effects of the added ingredients.
Hyalluronic acid is typically used in cosmetic injections to reduce the presence of lines, so I'm not sure how much applying it to your skin in a small concentration will actually help, and the amount of Retinol (Vitamin A), doesn't seem to be in its active form (retinoic acid), so I'm not sure how much of anti-aging this product is actually doing. In addition, it is supposed to protect your skin but you are advised to wear sun block when going outside after applying it during the day -- meaning it must make your skin vulnerable to damage instead of fixing it!
Being a chemist, I was interested in looking at the ingredient list, and while there are several reviews out there on these kinds of products, no one actually looks to see what these compounds actually do and if they are in their active forms. All of the amazon reviews list the ingredients and how they are for smoothing your skin, hydrating your skin, providing anti-aging effects, deleting lines and wrinkles... but do you know how? A little google searching can do a body good. Looking up hyalluronic acid (just go to the wiki page!) made me not want to use this product! But this product is safe to use, and hyalluronic acid is at such low amounts, that it is commonly used, as I said, in cosmetic injections, so applying a small percent to your face shouldn't be an issue.

Overall, the product was nice, and I have a lot of it, and will possible continue to use it, but not on a regular, daily basis. It will be nice to use this to repair my skin if I feel like it is dry or damaged.

What is your normal daily face routine? Do you use any other products like an exfoliator that I missed in my routine? Have you tried any of these products before? Do let me know in the comments below!

xo
Andrea


PS. I was given this product at a reduced price to give my honest opinion and review, which I have given here! You get to see my inner chemist come out in this post! :)