Rav

2 years ago

dark circles under eyes. UK based - budget friendly required

Hi all, so i've been slowly building my skin care routine trying to take more care, as a male i'm lazy when it comes to skincare products. My whole life (im in my early 30's) i've pretty much just used aloe vera and argon oil up until recently (passed down from generations of advice from my family). I've started using other products after doing some research on here and trying to keep costs down.

I'm trying to stick to the lowest possible budget while trying to target my concerns pigmentation/dark spots/dark circles under eyes. I have light brown combination skin. In regards to pigmentation/dark spots i'm not sure what the difference is but i know it runs in my families genetics, not a lot but it's their on my face like the side of my face and under my eyes.

I'm also trying to stay cruelty free. I'm based in the UK. Any help would be great or tips to improve my new skin care routine :).

AM -

Yes To - Avocado Fragrance free daily cream cleanser

The Ordinary - Ascordbyl Glucoside Solution 12% (Vitamin C)

Yes to - Watermelon Super Fresh Gel Moisturiser (light hydration as i don't like the shine)

Altruist - Sunscreen Fluid SPF 50 (two finger lengths) rubs in fine with my beard.

PM -

Indian Kesar Goti soap bar (cleanser) Contains Coconut oil soap base, Pure Saffron, Olive Oil, Almond Oil

The Ordinary - Ascordbyl Glucoside Solution 12% (Vitamin C)

Yes to - Watermelon Super Fresh Gel Moisturiser

Argon oil (3-4 drops)

Aloe vera (2-3 pea sized amount)

Yes To - Avocado Fragrance-Free Daily Cream Cleanser

Veda

2 years ago

I don't like the ingredients from the YesTo products, i would stop using them. Inkey List has the fulvic acid brightening cleanser, i love that one! Also argan oil (always buy in a bottle that protects the product from light) helps with pigmentation, but is also good against aging and sun damage, so i would focus on it with that one daily, it's like magic! For hydrating during the day maybe a Cerave product instead of the YesTo?

Rav

2 years ago

What ingredients aren't good in the YesTo products? Is this for the face cleaner or moisturiser?

Also Cerave isn't cruelty free so wouldn't purchase that. I don't have any issues with hydration, argon oil/aloe vera helps a lot with this :).

Any other suggestions welcome though? Thanks :)

Veda

2 years ago

Cerave is nit cruelty free in america, but in europe they are! We have different laws here.

The YesTo product contains preservatives that have way better alternatives. And other things too, i don't remember exactly.

Other tip could be to go to 30% vitC (ascorbyl) when your current bottle is finished. It's a product that you should build up to. Maybe use the 12 in summer afterwards and the 30 versions in fall and winter.

Aloe and argan are great indeed! I use argan also in the morning.

Rosewater is also very good for an even skintone, and very good in combination with vit c products because of it's calming properties and often en very economic purchase.

Rav

2 years ago

30%? oh wow haha, i may try somewhere around 20% next time then after that see how my skin reacts rather then jumping from 12% to 30% but thank you for the tip.

I've found these items below on sale in the UK so i've gone ahead and purchased them to try out, see how it feels on my skin and I'll post my review at some point after, looks like good ingredients, what do you think of these three products?

Q+A Niacinamide Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser 125ml - https://www.qandaskin.com/products/niacinamide-gentle-exfoliating-cleanser?_pos=1&_sid=0b3ec81a4&_ss=r

Q+A Caffeïne Eye Serum - 15 ml - https://www.qandaskin.com/products/caffeine-eye-serum?_pos=1&_sid=ab245caff&_ss=r

Q+A Zinc PCA Daily Moisturiser 75ml - https://www.qandaskin.com/collections/shop-all/products/zinc-pca-daily-moisturiser

All the above 3 for £12, cruelty free too so it was hard to say no to this, plus supporting a local brand.

JacobZA

2 years ago

Heya

I agree with Maria and share her sentiment regarding the Yes To range.

My eyes have, too, been quite dark underneath for long.

In my unqualified, humble but thoroughly read up on, tried and tested opinion my conclusion for the under eye thing is :

1) you were not born with bags and pigmentation under your eyes. This had been a gradual development over years of oxidative stress, as well as good old "Stress", in my case intense insomnia for prolonged periods, while at the same time I didn't care much about water intake.

Things changed for me (and the change was not instantaneous!) once I started going to bed an hour earlier, but adding a serum we get in Cape Town, South Africa - The Ordinary should have an equivalent : basicalky it is a light cream with the buffet and Cu complex with a good helping gaba, adenosine, Serine, yeast, Licorice Extract, and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate..

and yes I have heard all the stories about not combining ascorbic acid with any of the peptides as it ruins the peptides and or make them less active but in this case it seems to be working just fine.

Because this concoction will not work overnight, irrespective of its potency (... And if you found a way to effect instantaneous behavioural change such as correcting sleep habits, increasing water consumption both in volume and regularity etc. you would become incredibly famous and rich).

I am surprised that it works for ME only because of my general nature which relentlessly demand that when I want something, I want it now.

2) while you wait for the cure to kick in you can do what I did. I had to combine this potent therapy with something a little more cosmetic I ended up buying myself Clarins SOS primer in 0 (universal light and also I think nr 2?- have a look at their color corrector.

As I continued religiously with my potent, dedicated eye skin are and drinking H2O and leaving the party a little earlier, going to bed with my white jar of pure gold.

I'd loved to hear about this as time goes by.

Love and peace from sunny Cape Town

PS. My God i hope this makes sense. It's so long I think I have dark bags m user MY eyes now from squinting 😝

Male skin - I want to target pigmentation/dark spots/dark circles under eyes. UK based - budget friendly required

AM - Everyday

PM - Everyday