Day 18 progress report of my Natural Instinct 6 week skincare challenge
A quick snapshot of part 1 and part 2: the idea of the 6-week skincare challenge to use a range of Natural Instinct skincare products (including a foaming cleanser, serum, eye cream and moisturiser) for 6 weeks continuously. On day 5 I had to discontinue using the moisturiser as it gave me a burning sensation, and it also caused dry, itchy patches on my skin. After my skin was allowed to heal, on Day 8 I resumed using all of the above Natural Instinct products except the moisturiser, which I have replaced with my own facial oil and moisturiser.
Refreshing foaming cleanser | I usually have a low tolerance for a cleansers leaving residue behind, but I persisted with this one and I am starting to get used to it - the residue does not annoy me as much. It certainly cleanses well and I do not have any skin congestion.
Plump & renew serum | My major concern is the amount of drying alcohol in this product, which is listed as the second ingredient. Initially, I did not feel any negative effect from the alcohol, but as the trial progresses, I started to notice that my skin becomes drier. I have now cut back from using 1 pump to half a pump each time, and the dryness seems to come under control. Otherwise, I haven't noticed too much difference in my skin.
Dark circle + wrinkle correction eye cream | Again, I am gradually using lesser of this product as it is not the easier to absorb into skin. On the flip side, this eye cream is going to last forever as such a minute amount is needed each time. I haven't noticed any difference to dark circle and wrinkle.
Overall changes to skin
I am showing Day 0 and Day 18 no-makeup no-skincare photos for comparison. They were taken at approximately the same time of the day, but not being a professional selfie-taker I found it difficult to adjust the lighting to make them look the same.
I can't see any significant changes in my skin - perhaps a slight loss in luminosity because I feel my skin is drier on Day 18 compared to Day 0. That said, coming from a $600 skincare regime down to a $150 regime, no bad changes could be considered a success in itself.
