Skincare Haul

Every time I travel to Toronto, I visit my beloved Shopper's Drug Mart to check out all of the skincare. They renovated the stores years ago to include premium skincare and cosmetics brands and I love checking out all of the different lines they carry.

Now don't get me wrong, I love Walgreens and CVS, but goodness, there's just something special about Shopper's Drug Mart and the availability of the premium brands is a huge differentiator. I wish we had them in the states.

I picked up some tried-and-true products and some new ones so I thought I'd share those here. As you know, I totally minimized my skincare routine during pregnancy and since having Harper, I hardly use any products on my skin other than a cleanser, moisturizer, two preventative/spot treatments (as needed only) and (sometimes) eye cream. No anti-aging serums or creams, masks, toners or exfoliators. My skin was in such great shape while I was nursing that I didn't need to do much so I decided to keep it really simple.

Now that my body and hormones are getting back to normal, I have no idea what to expect. When I went off of the pill a couple of years ago, I had great skin for a month or so and then my entire back and face broke out---to date, it's the worst breakout I'd ever experienced. I'm not sure what to expect now that I've weaned from pumping�I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic that my skin will do okay but I know that's probably just wishful thinking. 

The first product I purchased is this Bioderma Sensibio H2O which is a lovely makeup removing cleansing water. I hard such rave reviews about this on YouTube a couple of years back but never found it in the states. I use this to remove my eye makeup at night though it can be used for all makeup. I love that the line is especially created for sensitive skin (a great thing, given that I continue to experience chronic, temperature-induces hives).

Next up is my beloved La Roche Posay Anthelios XL sunscreen. I opted to get the regular (face and body) version since it came in a larger size and with the Posthelios post-sun lotion in a promo pack. I like that the sunscreen leaves a matte look so it wears well under makeup. I've already used the Posthelios lotion on a little patch of sunburn I accidentally got on my arm while in Canada.

I got the products on the far left and right as a "gift with purchase" from the Bioderma rep at Shopper's. She was so fantastic and recommended I try out the Sensibio eye cream. I have to admit that I was SO lazy with my eye cream after Harper was born. It would be generous to say I used it once a week. Basically it just sat on my counter top and I used it when I felt like it. Having said that, my under eye area looks okay, but I thought a new product might motivate me to be more consistent with restoring moisture to that delicate eye area. 

The other two creams, Hydrabio--- a concentrated moisturizing cream for sensitive skin and Cicabio Creme--- a soothing reparing cream are on my list to test out. In fact, the Cicabio is formulated so that it can be used on babie's skin too. I wonder if the repairing lotion would work well on random razor knicks or irritation? I will test it out and report back!

I couldn't leave Canada without purchasing my holy grail cleanser in the extra large pump containers. La Roche Posay's Effalcar cleanser is without a doubt the best facial cleanser I have ever used. I love the larger size because I find the pump system to be very easy to use, sanitary and it lasts a long time. I also like that this cleanser doesn't contain any harsh ingredients like salicylic acid, so I was able to use it  during pregnancy too!

Lastly, I picked up some La Roche Posay Effaclar targeted breakout corrector. For some (odd) reason you cannot buy this in the U.S., even online. You can buy the Effaclar Duo, but not this. So I always stock up in Canada. The sample on the left is LRP's soothing/repairing balm.

I find myself attracted to skincare brands out of France. I feel they focus on great quality ingredients and making products that do what they say they will. When I was living in Canada the dermatologist I saw for my acne recommended La Roche Posay to me and I've never turned back! I love trying new products but LRP favorites will always be a staple in my skincare routine.

FTC: this is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Pregnancy Skin Care: My Updated Skincare Routine

Before we started trying to conceive, I stopped taking antibiotics for my acne (I had only used them for about 2 months or a little less---you can read about that here). I was still using the Proactiv Refining Mask as a spot treatment, but about 2 weeks after I got my positive OPK read, I stopped using topicals too, "just in case." 

The first month and a half or so of my pregnancy, my skin was pretty incredible. It was more oily, but it was also very clear. I did still struggle with blackheads, but my acne was gone.  I'm still not sure if it was due to a surge in hormones or if my antibiotics had wiped it all out and kept it from coming back for a couple of months.

After the initial six weeks or so of pretty great skin, I did start to experience some breakouts, but they were different than the cystic acne I used to have. I still break out, mostly on my chin and jaw, but they are not as cystic/under the skin and painful as they used to be (although I will get an under the skin one occasionally).  The acne on my back also went away which I was thrilled about---though I have gotten a few pimples on my chest randomly since being pregnant.

For the first couple of months my skincare routine was incredibly simple: I used my La Roche Posay Effaclar cleanser (it doesn't contain salicylic acid or other no-no ingredients) and then applied my Neutrogena sensitive skin moisturizer on top.  That's it. At night, I had the same routine only I added eye cream (I was using Kiehl's).

Recently I ordered products from the Belli skincare line.  The line was created by a doctor and made with pregnancy-safe ingredients so I didn't have to stress about what I was using on my skin and could still use a spot treatment. I purchased the facial scrub, eye cream, spot treatment and belly oil.  So here's what my skincare routine looks like now.

Morning:

• Wash face with LRP Effaclar cleanser
• Apply Neutrogena sensitive skin moisturizer
• Apply Mamma Mio Tummy Rub (if I remember!)

Night (before bed):

• Wash face with LRP Effaclar cleanser (with Clarisonic Mia)
• A few times a week use the Belli scrub on my face
• Apply Neutrogena sensitive skin moisturizer
• Apply Belli eye cream
• Apply Belli spot treatment if needed (usually just areas on my chin/jaw-this product is very drying so apply lightly)
• Apply Belli elasticity belly oil

So, as you can see, my skincare routine is pretty simple these days. I am happy with it though. One odd thing I've noticed is that my forehead is a little bumpy sometimes, texture wise. It's like little tiny bumps but it's not excessive so most days I don't notice it much.  I also noticed more recently, between about 16-18 weeks of pregnancy that my jaw and chin areas are experiencing more blackheads and pimples than before. I usually can't resist extracting them which I know isn't good.

I didn't really know how pregnancy would affect my skin.  I would say my skin is just slightly worse now than how it was when I was on the pill-and it's slightly more oily. My dermatologist once told me that if your skin looks good on birth control, it will probably react similarly during pregnancy.  In my case, that appears to hold somewhat true.

How was your skin during pregnancy and how did your skincare routine change? Leave me a comment below, I love to hear your advice and experiences!