Nivea's Hydra IQ - guilty for breakouts?

A while ago I bought the new Nivea "Aqua Effect" (with Hydra IQ) moisturizing face cream, because I always liked the Nivea products and because I saw the commercial and thought that would be an interesting concept, "moisturizing the skin from within", as they say... So I picked this one:

(Sorry for the blurry pic, my camera just won't cooperate at times)

It is quite a thick product, consistency-wise, but once you put it on the skin it's lighter than the classic Nivea creme, and it absorbs quite well into the skin. I also like the smell too. I must say that my skin is combination, with a high tendency for breakouts, so I am usually very cautious when buying face creams, but as I have always been using the Nivea Soft without any problem, and because I noticed that the more hydrated my skin is, the less likely it is to breakout, I thought this Aqua Effect would be worth a try.
Buuuuut! After 3 days I realised it was definitely a mistake because my face broke out badly ... at first I didnt know for sure wether the new moisturizer was the problem, so I stopped using it and went back to my La Roche Posay Effaclar, to get rid of the pimples. Then I tried it again, after a few days, to see if it really was the cause of my breakout. And it was :( I broke out again. So, I downgraded is to the "hand cream" status :)
So far so good, I thought "oh well, maybe this cream was too fatty and too rich for my oily face..."
But since a few weeks ago I noticed that I was kind of breakin out on my back too, which never ever happened to me, and it was beyond annoying, I had no idea what to do for that one. And then it "hit me" LOL. The shower cream that I have been using was also Nivea, with Hydra IQ! These ones!

As you can see, I was not happy with just one, I had to have 2 of them! Because I really enjoy them, the smell is great and they are really quite moisturising. I love using them as bath foam.
But heck, they were the cause of my back breakout :( I stopped using them and in 3 days there were no more spots on my back! Whew! I am kind of boomed tho, 'cause I really liked these :(
Back to my Dove soap bars for face and body, they clear acne like nobody's business, even if they are not meant for that ...I think precisely because they are not meant for that! lol I love these new ones, cause they are pink and they smell soooo nice!!

 

(again, sorry for the pic quality in this post but as there was no detail needed I didn't bother to try and fix the camera, that usually is a very annoying and frustrating process...) 

As for face (and whole body) moisturizer, nothing beats this one, I think it even comes close to the effects of face serums, for me at least, as weird as it may sound, considering its low price:

I did a bit of research on the "Hydra IQ" topic to see what the heck it means, and I found this:

**** Glyceryl glucoside: = glucose + glycerin. This is an aquaporin stimulator, which basically helps to maintain hydration. A recent patent expressed the capabilities of these compounds. Aquaporins are little proteins located on a cell membrane, and they police the flow of water in & out of the cell. Aquaporin stimulators basically prod & tweak the aquaporins to let it more water. In this techology it is targeted to the aquaporins of keratinocytes, which make up a very large portion of our epidermis.
Aquaporin stimulators like glyceryl glucoside are simple sugars. Glyceryl glucoside and other monosaccharides like it have a binding affinity for water (they are hydrophilic.) In nature, it has been found that some organisms produce these types of monosaccharides to survive in extreme dry environments. This is because these monosaccharides attract water, and when produced they help keep the water inside/with the organism.
{What happens otherwise, i.e. without the aquaporin stimulators, is osmosis--which is the process of two solutions of different concentrations (like, a dry environment and a hydrated organism) by natural process, equalizing via exchange (like, the hydrated organism becomes less hydrated, and the dry environment becomes more humid from the water molecules that were osmotically transferred from the organism to the air.)}
By facilitating the aquaporins, the stimulators also help to maintain osmotic adjustment--- here, skin's hydration level vs the air/atmosphere around it. They keep the skin cell membranes receptive to water molecules, i.e. hydration!

I am surmising based on the properties of aquaporins and aquaporin stimulators, that this is the Hydra IQ technology.

Source(s):

wikipedia.org, college chemistry, http://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/formulating/category/skincare/33602299.html?page=3

Yeah I put it in smaller font on purpose cuz you don't really need to read it! I read the first 3 rows and it was way too much chemistry for my brain configuration! Ugh! I don't know what to say, too much chemical stuff never sounds good to me. 

So, that was my experience with the dear new Hydra IQ. But you don't have to take my word for granted because as I said, my skin is prone to breakouts. (even if... only the skin on my face! What about my back??) Just be careful, if you have any problems with your skin too.  

Thanks for reading!

oxoxox

Roxana 

Face Serums: Lancome Genifique and La Roche Posay Derm AOX review

This stuff, is FAB! I don't know if it works the same for evrerybody but I guess it wouldn't be so famous if it didn't! I have combination skin, with the T zone getting really oily during the day. Right now I don't have problems with the acne anymore, but before pregnancy I used to have really pimple-prone skin, with tendency for black heads and cystic acne! And this stuff used to work for me back then too! It does NOT clog pores, does NOT get your face greasy, does not dry it, it really gives you a nice glow after only a few days of use, the fine lines are visibly reduced and, in my case, I noticed the pimpes were fading and drying faster, when I was having those! I am using it alone at night, not under some other face cream (as they recommend), because I think it is enough for me, I don't like to put too much stuff on my face at night because I am paranoid about clogged pores and greasiness. I only use it at night, because in the morning I am using my Effaclar DUO under the foundation, and it still works great, even if on the box it's recommended that you use it twice a day. Indeed, it IS a bit expensive but I bought the big 50ml bottle and spared some money. 

In Germany, the 30 ml bottle is around 69 euros and the 50 ml one is around 102 euros.

Funny fact: I was looking at the wand that the bottle comes with and I was like...wtf is this? How do you use this, you just hold it above your face and wait for the drop to fall? LOL Actually it is a little pump wand, you press the button on top of the lid and the serum comes out, all you gotta be careful about is to actually land it on your face...or in your hand. I personally prefer pump bottles not pump wands.

 (please disregard my exfoliated polish-less thumb nail!)
 If you can't afford or do not want to pay so much for the Genifique serum, then a great replacement for it would be the La Roche Posay Derm AOX face serum.
 Compared to the Genifique, as consitency is the same only that it comes in a pump lil tube and is brown colored (The Genifique is white/colorless actually). Oh and the LRP has a smell to it that some might not like. I like it because it's clear that no perfume was used so it's only the smell of the ingredients. It is known that perfume can cause allergic reactions to sensitive skin types. I didnt't see a huge difference in results from using both serums, all I could see was that the Genifique is giving a more glowy aspect to your face, but the difference is not dramatic. The LRP costs only 26.50 euros for 30 ml, which is alot less than the Genifique. This is my used and abused tube:

  If you read my blog/watch my YT videos you know that I love the LRP products and the thermal water-based products in general, I think they are awesome and they work just great for my skin.

I wanna add that the serums last you quite a long time because they are practically liquid so 2-3 drops are enough to spread all over face and neck! I think they are alot more worthy than actual face creams. Of course, they say is best to use serums AND the cream, but here I am sharing my experience and my way of using these :)
Hope this post was helpful to some of you!
Thanks for reading my blog!
oxoxox
Roxana

New YouTube Video! Yay! I finally managed to resume making videos! Go me!!

So this is what I pretty much do every morning, to take care of my face! At times I slightly change the products, for example when I don't have breakouts or blackheads (because this routine does work, so there are times when I am free of those!) I am using a different foundation. Actually I am rotating 3 or 4 foundations, function of the state of my skin and of whatever I will be doing that specific day. For example, if I am to go out and be out or busy for a long time, I would use my Estee Lauder DoubleWear.
It took me years and years of trial and error to get to this skincare formula. I used hundreds of products and these are the ones that really work. Well, they do work for me, anyways.
So I am gonna break down the video here and explain more as I prefered to make it without talking. And talking needs to be done! :))
I am starting with cleansing my face, I try not to use water but in the days when I have a breakout or when I was out somewhere polluted or with alot of dust (then I use the Effaclar Gel Moussant Purifiant for Oily Sensitive Skin and rinse it off with water), and only in the evening of course, cuz in the morning the skin is supposed to be clean from the night makeup removing process. So I clease the excess oils with La Roche Posay's Effaclar Purifying Lotion for Sensitive Oily Skin (they seem to have a real pleasure in changing the names of their products, though, last time I bought it was named Lotion Micellaire.. but is sure the same product). After that, I apply a toner (Effaclar Lotion Astringente Micro-Exfoliante, aka Exfoliating toner, which is also from La Roche Posay and made for acne-prone skin). Yes the La Roche Posay products are GREAT for acne prone sensitive skin, the best products I have ever tried and I did try hundreds, believe me! They are not some fast remed that will cure your acne in  day but they do work great in time when used right and regularly and they prevent all skin problems because they are so gentle (not drying or harsh) but effective.
Next step is the eye cream, which I use religiously at times even 3-4 times a day, and it sure works because I am 32 and I only have a few very fine lines under my eyes, while everyone else I know my age already has goose wrinkles at the corners of the eyes and little bags underneath... In the video I was using Avene Ystheal + which is great, but I also use La Roche Posay "Redermic +" for Sensitive Eyes (which I have, grr!). Next, for when I have any spots or pimples, I apply Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Spot Treatment gel on them. This is a great product but you must apply it before your face cream or it won't be as effective anymore.
To prevent and treat the fine lines, I apply (only locally) Diadermine Intense Age Repair Day Cream, but I cannot say this is an amazing product, is good but I guess any other anti-wrinkle cream would work because I pretty much use it to prevent the wrinkles, I am not sure how it would work if one would actually have those wrinkles and would wanna get rid of them. I apply it on all expression fine lines, around my mouth, between my eyebrows, on the forehead, etc.
Now time for the main face cream, and this is a fab product, good as spot treatment, blackhead prevention and correction, hydrating and also a great foundation base. It even helped me with the cystic acne, little nodules that were forming under my skin and I wasn't even able to pop them! Grrr. I know is not good to pop them but I was doing it.. So I apply Effaclar DUO Correcting and Unclogging Anti-Imperfection Care all over my face. Vichy has got such a cream too, anti-imperfections, but I used it for a few months and is not even by far as good, it was kind of drying my face too much and sucked as makeup base.
The next step is the foundation, that I cannot go out without because I am paranoid about the spot marks and other ugly lil shadows that I have on my face. In the video, as it was specially made as acne prone skin care, I am using my Clinique S.O.S. Anti-Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup, which is a fabulous foundation, lasts long and doesn't get greasy, but it does get a bit patchy at the end of the day, unless you take care of it with blotting paper or powder. It has a great effect tho, sure prevents spots and blackeads and keeps the ones that already exist under control. I don't like to use it when my face is clear tho, I rather use my Chanel Matt Lumiere then, looks a bit more *fancy* :)
Last step in my routine of making my face look as good as it can (except for the makeup) is the concealer, and my absolute all time favorite would be the Helena Rubinstein Magic Concealer. Excellent product, has a great finish, doesn't crease, doesn't run, stays put all day and doesn't dry the eye area. is really fab! And you can believe me because I have tried a few tenths of concealers too! lol. Of course when needed I would add concealer on the visible spots too but this time was no need for that, the foundation did a good job.
So that's about it, now if I would wanna go out looking like a *good young girl* I would be only putting on some blush and maybe some tinted lip balm, and that would be about it. I am not too much into the *good young girl* look tho, so I add alot more makeup to that! haha
Well, I hope some people find this useful, and if you do, please comment and ask more, if you wanna know other tips and oppinions!
oxox
Roxana