September is usually the time when I return to my heavy-duty skincare, my retinols and strong acids and vitamin C. This overview is partly late because the weather has been extremely warm and one needs to be careful with actives in sunshine and partly because of my intense work situation. Another reason I’ve been hesitating is that my skin is in fact not looking its best at the moment. I don’t know whether it’s because of the change of the season, or because I’ve introduced too many new products, because I’ve dialled up the actives or because of stress. Seeing all this written down, it seems obvious that it’s a combination of all these factors. I might therefore need to do an update at some point to let you know whether all these new things are actually working for me. But I can certainly already tell you what these new things are.

1. Cleansers. I have introduced two very different new cleansers to my stash: the Biologique Recherche Lait VIP O2 and Tata Harper Clarifying Cleanser. The latter is one of the very few ‘green’ products on the list, but don’t let that fool you, this is powerful stuff*. If your complexion is oily and/or congested and you like that super fresh, minty feeling after cleansing, this is for you. I don’t use it every day and generally prefer Tata’s Purifying Cleanser, but it’s great in specific circumstances. The Biologique Recherché** is also not something I would usually turn to, as I don’t particularly like milk cleansers. However, this one – there are several variations – was recommended to me so many times that I had to give it a go. And it really is good: effective and leaves skin feeling soft and healthy. I’m still not the biggest fan of the texture, but it’s the best cleansing milk I’ve ever tried.

2. Toners. I’m well stocked in the acid toner department, so I’ve ordered two alternative options. One is Pixi’s Retinol Toner that I use when I don’t want an acid for some reason, but still would like an ‘active’ toner. I don’t know how much retinol there is and how much it does, but it’s pleasant to use and I trust Pixi not to sell me something entirely useless. I think it could be a way to introduce retinol into one’s routine in a very gentle way? The other option in this category is Josh Rosebrooks’s cult Hydrating Accelerator that comes in a mist format. I tend to get excited by mists, only to find that they don’t do much for me, most of them don’t even hydrate properly (the initial relief is soon followed by a feeling of dehydration). The only one I truly like is the insanely priced Jasmine Garden by May Lindstrom. Hydrating Accelerator is very nice, though. If this is a type of product you like, it is definitely worth checking out.

3. Serums. I still use my Joanna Vargas Daily Serum and plan to repurchase Drunk Elephant’s B-Hydra and C-Firma. In addition to this, I have acquired NIOD’d Re:Pigment serum that should fight the sun damage from the summer. It has a very thin water-like consistency and I can feel it tingle on the skin, but I’m not sure how effective it is. My hyperpigmentation situation has definitely improved, but I believe it’s mostly due to another product on this list (see below). Then again, it seems likely that other things have contributed as well, including this. For hydration, I’ve been using Biologique Recherché Serum Matriciel Visage which is a great hydrating and plumping serum. I cannot honestly say I have noticed much tightening and lifting (which it also claims to do) however, so this makes it a bit too expensive a way to get one’s hydration – don’t remember the exact price, but this stuff is not cheap.

4. Retinol. My current everyday retinol is by Lixir, their Night Switch Retinol 1%. It is very liquidy and can be easily mixed with other products, in case you need some buffering. I think it’s a decent retinol and no too expensive. That said, I have not noticed any significant difference when using this, although this might also be because I have built up so much tolerance to retinol by now. I have also been trying out a very affordable retinol product, about which more in the coming weeks.

5. Vitamin C. I have mentioned the DCL C Scape High Potency Night Booster before and I think it’s the most effective pigmentation-fighting product I have ever used. Unfortunately, I may have gone overboard with this in the end of September, using it every night. It is extremely strong and has a rather unpleasant texture, thick and gritty. While it did not sensitise my skin, I believe it did make me break out. So for the moment, I have taken a break from using this, but plan to return once my skin feels better.

6. Moisturisers. I’ve got two new proper moisturisers, which is unusual, as it’s not among my favourite categories. I do really like Drunk Elephant’s Protini, however. It’s a medium-weight moisturiser with a slightly gelly texture (it’s still very much a cream, though). It contains lots of peptides, the latest it ingredients that address many concerns, especially related to ageing. I like that it’s about peptides, as I prefer my vitamin C or retinol at the serum stage rather than the cream stage, so a peptide cream fits this scheme perfectly. I also bought Biologique Recherché Creme VIP O2 that specifically targets pollution and dull skin. The jury is out on this one: it may be a little too rich for me at the moment, so I need to use it some more before giving a verdict.

7. Masks. I’m not the greatest mask person and generally have no time for ‘nice’ masks, I want them to trigger immediate, visible improvements. I am therefore partial to strong acid masks and Drunk Elephant’s Sukari Baby Facial is among the best I’ve tried. You can read my thoughts here and join me in lamenting the fact that it cannot be sold in the EU. I think it also makes sense to have a deeply hydrating mask at hand, I in fact like to follow one with the other. I got the Masque Visolastine+ from Biologique Recherché and was initially rather unimpressed – it seemed much like any other hydrating mask. But then I noticed that my skin was indeed much softer and nicer the next day (the mask promises long-lasting hydration) and I’m now rather happy with this. However, what I really need to do is to buy a new tub of Masque Vivant, the best – and smelliest – mask ever.

So this is an honest account of my current skin situation, I’ll be back soon with some affordable options and maybe with some more in-depth reviews on the things above.

*This is also another reminder that ‘natural’ ingredients are not automatically more suited for sensitive skins than man-made ones. Green products can often include strong fragrance or essential oils or other things that can make the skin react (like menthol in this case).

**There is lots of BR in this overview, as it’s now available in Estonia and also because when we talk about serious skincare, brands like BR, DCL and NIOD definitely take their science seriously.