I think that's a really great improvement for two months!Anyway, I have some questions about the cleanser you're using. Do you wear makeup and, if so, does it remove it thoroughly?
There were three or four Olay cleansers that looked really nice and I don't know which to pick!
Glad to hear you will give the Regenerist line a shot!
I wear powdered mineral foundation and yes, I am satisfied with the cleansing of the Dual Action PoreScrub+Cleanser. What I usually do before I use cleanser is splash my face with water, and gently rub my face with my hands a couple of times to get some of the excess makeup and oil off first. Then I'll use a little soap to get the film of makeup off my hands before cleansing as usual. I've only started doing this recently but I've noticed it makes a huge difference in how effective any cleanser is. I actually chose this cleanser on a whim because it was on the clearance rack at my pharmacy, but I ended up falling in love with it and bought 3 more bottles so I could take advantage of the sale! It has some small exfoliating granules (think grains, not beads) in it, and leaves the face feeling very clean, but also very soft and natural, much like skin on other parts of your body. I also bought the Olay deep cleansing face wash with witch hazel which has a really rich lather, and I do like it but will be saving it for the warmer months since it has witch hazel in it. I am prone to flaking in the winter months. If you prefer something with a thicker lather I would say go for that. They both cleanse nicely though. The dual action is exactly as you'd expect: half way between a gel cleanser and cream cleanser's lather. Lol. =P
ABG mentioned that the Recovery Cream had bad reviews. I think it just depends on your skin. The OP uses the cream and she obviously has no problems with it, and I am the same. I am 22 and never thought I'd be using a nightcream so early. I think the best advice is to go by your gut feeling. If your skin has done better in the past with serums over creams, than go for the serum. In my case, I prefer a more simple routine, so I like to use the night recovery cream because it doubles as my moisturizer: I use it day and night with no other moisturizing product, even under makeup and have had no issues.
Best of luck to you, do come back in a couple weeks and let us know how you are doing!
edit: forgot to mention, one my my deciding factors in going with the cream over the serum was the size of the serum jar. it looked rather dinky, and if you need 2-3 pumps as ABG mentioned for it to function well as a moisturizer, I'd imagine it would go very quickly. The cream looks rich, but is actually quite light. When applied, it almost feels like a lotion-formula makeup primer and doesn't really feel like it needs any time to absorb before putting your makeup on. I have been using this day and night since January and I have only used about half a jar. I'm quite sparing with it: I dip just the edge or tip of my finger in it (never the whole pad) to get a little product and that is enough for one cheek, or my forehead. A little goes a long way.
ABG mentioned that the Recovery Cream had bad reviews.
Tangt88,
I don't recall saying it had bad reviews? I did state that it didn't have the best review from Beautypedia but certainly not a bad one. Also, I didn't mean to discredit or offend anyone who might be using the product, and I'm sorry if it came across what way. 🙂 Below is what it says.... definitely not bad but just sounds like if you're going to choose between the two (which NessaVeneanar was asking about), the serum would be the better option. I would chose the serum over the cream due to the packaging alone that doesn't compromise the ingredients inside.
Regenerist Night Recovery Cream comes in a jar, so the potency of the interesting ingredients such as niacinamide, vitamin E, and green tea is compromised. This also contains lavender and arnica extracts, which wont provide a mini-lift to skin, but do have the potential to cause irritation. This has a less impressive formulation than most of Olays Regenerist products, and if youre already using one or more of those, there is no reason to add this product... http://www.beautypedia.com/search.aspx?bid...V2pBxF1jhmsg8g=
Oh dear, I don't know why I didn't check this before I went shopping haha
I just received Dan's BP and AHA today. I think I will be changing almost everything about my current routine. So, I ended up buying Olay's micro-purifying cleanser and I went with the fragrance free serum. Then I was looking at their moisturizers for something at night (I will be keeping Aveeno for day use), but I couldn't decide which to buy, so I left with nothing. This is so difficult, choosing products....
As of now, for a night time moisturizer, I'm using LacHydrin Five, which has lactic acid (a form of AHA). Well, since I bought Dan's AHA, I'd rather use a really nourishing moisturizer that, obviously, won't break me out and to help with the drying of BP. Last time I tried BP it really irritated and dried my skin which is another reason I want something basic but really moisturizing. Any thoughts?
Thanks for all the help so far!
Oh dear, I don't know why I didn't check this before I went shopping hahaI just received Dan's BP and AHA today. I think I will be changing almost everything about my current routine. So, I ended up buying Olay's micro-purifying cleanser and I went with the fragrance free serum. Then I was looking at their moisturizers for something at night (I will be keeping Aveeno for day use), but I couldn't decide which to buy, so I left with nothing. This is so difficult, choosing products....
As of now, for a night time moisturizer, I'm using LacHydrin Five, which has lactic acid (a form of AHA). Well, since I bought Dan's AHA, I'd rather use a really nourishing moisturizer that, obviously, won't break me out and to help with the drying of BP. Last time I tried BP it really irritated and dried my skin which is another reason I want something basic but really moisturizing. Any thoughts?
Thanks for all the help so far!
If you are going to be using any of the Regenerist line with your BP, see if that aids in moisturizing on it's own. BP (especially the one I'm using now) has always left me with flaking, rough patches in the past, but since adding Night Recovery cream my skin feels like baby's bottom. You will notice it right away and be able to judge if you need an additional moisturizer. If it feels okay without, I'd say just skip it.
I've mentioned it elsewhere in the thread but I thought I'd repeat my tip of using the BP after the regenerist so as to avoid "spreading" the BP to areas like under your eyes and causing any lines to form from dryness. I have not found that lessens the BP's efficacy at all.
I'm not sure how the serum performs as far as moisturizing goes, perhaps ABG can shed some light on this for us??? I think maybe later on when one of my jars of Recovery cream runs out, I will give the serum a shot just so I know the difference between the two. Either way, I love Olay now!
ABG, in reply to your earlier, earlier post. I believe it's the niacinamide in the recovery cream that has been helping my skin. I have never used any product with this ingredient in it before. My cleanser does have salicylic acid in the ingredients, but it isn't listed anywhere on the front of the packaging, so I would assume that it isn't at an "acne-fighting" concentration. In either case, S.A. and B.P. has never worked on it's own in the past for me. All of my products are scented, coloured, and do not seem to tout any claims towards sensitive skin or the like, but I am lucky, I have only ever had product-related irritation once in my life and BOY have I tried a lot of stuff!!!
My (very unscientific =P) conclusion is that for my face, the dream team is:
Niacinamide: greatly improves the texture and tone of my face all over and helps nourish/heal broken out skin
BP: fights and prevents acne blemishes
Hydration: keeps skin supple, moving and not "blocked up" and dry/flaky as to allow everything to work in harmony.
hi, glad to hear its working well for everyone and its convinced me:)
but can some1 pleeeeeease send me a link to the oil of olay day/night moisturiser?
they have loads and i dont want to get the wrong one :/
wud appreciate a quick response...im on day 3 of bp 2.5 and neeeeeeed a moisturiser today!!
also im guesing this stuff is non-oil and non-comedogenic?
Nikolas92,
For during the day, the Oil of Olay Regenerist UV Defense Regenerating Lotions with SPF 50 got excellent reviews at Beautypedia (the SPF 15 has an excellent review as well and is cheaper): http://www.olay.com/skin-care-products/ant...id=075609032981
http://www.beautypedia.com/search.aspx?bid...zQlAnsLJTrFUfU=
For night, it seems several here are using the Night Recovery Cream (got a less than excellent review from Beautypedia though): http://www.olay.com/skin-care-products/ant...id=075609600647
I think that so long as you're using the daily serum, you'll get the benefit from this line and can be open to other moisturizers if you'd like. Here is a list of moisturizers with excellent reviews from Beautypedia: http://www.beautypedia.com/BestProductsDetails.aspx?bcid=15
I'd rather use a really nourishing moisturizer that, obviously, won't break me out and to help with the drying of BP. Last time I tried BP it really irritated and dried my skin which is another reason I want something basic but really moisturizing. Any thoughts?
Are you using salicylic acid? In place of BP, you could use tea tree oil. This list might be helpful to you - it's a list of all moisturizers with excellent reviews from Beautypedia: http://www.beautypedia.com/BestProductsDetails.aspx?bcid=15 . You might check out my skin-care thread (link in my signature) as well to make sure you're doing all the basic things recommended for acne, such as doing daily salicylic acid for exfoliation.
Also, I saw you in the holistic thread the other day - are you also trying dietary measures for your skin? I think that's also crucial! 🙂
ABG, in reply to your earlier, earlier post. I believe it's the niacinamide in the recovery cream that has been helping my skin. I have never used any product with this ingredient in it before. My cleanser does have salicylic acid in the ingredients, but it isn't listed anywhere on the front of the packaging, so I would assume that it isn't at an "acne-fighting" concentration. In either case, S.A. and B.P. has never worked on it's own in the past for me. All of my products are scented, coloured, and do not seem to tout any claims towards sensitive skin or the like, but I am lucky, I have only ever had product-related irritation once in my life and BOY have I tried a lot of stuff!!!My (very unscientific =P) conclusion is that for my face, the dream team is:
Niacinamide: greatly improves the texture and tone of my face all over and helps nourish/heal broken out skin
BP: fights and prevents acne blemishes
Hydration: keeps skin supple, moving and not "blocked up" and dry/flaky as to allow everything to work in harmony.
Ah! Very cool that you're getting this figured out! Isn't it so nice to know what your skin needs? I really do think there's something big to the niacinamide too! You can look up individual ingredients here, which might help you pinpoint it even further, but I do think the niacinamide plays a big role here! http://www.cosmeticscop.com/cosmetic-ingre...ctionary/A.aspx
Nessa- A bit of hope. My skin never did well with BP either. It wouldn't get irritated persay, but it would be dry as heck, which in turn caused itchiness, which made me scratch, and then it got irritated. LOL. It always did shrink existing pimples nicely, but the mess it made of my skin before Regenerist didn't allow me to use it to treat my acne because dryness for me = more acne. Since you have the BP already, give it a shot with your serum! And if still irritates then give ABG's suggestion of tea tree oil a try. =)
Nikolas- If you have a nice moisturizer already, combine it with the serum. If you want to simplify, try the cream on its own. I like the cream just because I am bad at sticking to a regimen if there are too many steps! (I'm lazy) Along with your BP in both cases of course! =)
ABG- Just curious, how does the serum fair as a moisturizer on it's own? I may try using it in the summer when the cream might be a little too rich for daytime. My skin flakes easily, but it also does get a little shiny after about 3-4 hours if I have foundation on.
Yay Olay!
tangtt88,
Actually, it does really well (but not if you have dry skin I wouldn't think). When I was using it as a moisturizer, it was summertime, and usually just a couple pumps was all I'd use. I don't know if that's the best idea though - probably a good idea to still use a moisturizer with it, but I guess it depends on how much moisture your skin is needing. Also, since you're talking about daytime use, I definitely recommend a sunblock for you - so important for keeping your skin youthful. I think zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are best, as they are not chemical sunscreens, and they do an excellent job. I use Elta MDs SPF 41 tinted moisturizer (it's oil-free), and I've really noticed that my skin looks less shiny at the end of the day.
y3rfd0g,
You can check out these reviews of the products. If there are bad ingredients, it will be noted: http://www.beautypedia.com/search.aspx?bid=174
Whoa! Check you guys out! Great to see some more people giving their feedback about the products. Keep it coming folks!
Tangt88, your before and after photos are awesome! Good to know it is working for you mahvelously! Keep at it. I was surprised to read that you use the night cream during the day. It's a pretty thick cream. But whatever works, right? 
I'm super impressed with everyone's improvement!!
The damn Philosophy set isn't working that well and I'm pretty tempted to try this regimen. Once I use up all the Philosophy stuff I will try this
oh my god they have so many products I don't know what to pick...night resurfacing elixir sounds nice (glycolic acid!), micro purifying foaming cleanser (citric acid, wtf), "detoxifying" pore scrub (SA), regenerating serum....
zhalvajegirl, I'm sorry if you said this already but could you just make a list of all the olay products you use (and in what order)?
So far, the products have worked well. It cleared up a pretty bad break out I was having.
I think the Olay serum has definitely helped to prevent dryness that occurs with BP. I do still get a spot here and there but they're smaller and go away faster. With continued use and bumping up the amount of BP, I think this will work great. I still use salicylic acid, AHA (I switched to Dan's) and an over-the-counter retinol. The only problem left now are marks (take time) and clogged pores, which is probably from makeup!
I will post again in a few weeks but so far, so good!
Interesting thread.
I checked the ingredients for the regenerist line and Niacinamide is the staple ingredient. Niacinamide has been shown to help acne and sooth skin also to decrease TEWL(transepidermil water loss).
It actually strengthens the skin barrier which BP breaks down and compromises. I have no doubt it is the Niacinamide that is responsible.
To the OP of this thread, how does just using 2.5% BP twice per day work for you?
You could also use the Olay Difinity Line too. It also contains Niacinamide and also pairs it up with N-Acetyl Glucosamine. Those 2 used together help to fade skin discoloration quite well from studies.
I'm breaking out right now 
I'm getting fed up with supplements and stuff so if I don't improve by saturday I'm going to march to target and get all the olay stuff.
SJW19...BP= benzoyl peroxide. and fyi SA = salicylic acid, BHA = beta hydroxy acid, AHA = alpha hydroxy acid.
Hey guys!
Just got done reading everyone's comments and I gotta say, this is an awesome post! I'm currently using the Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Elixir and I LOVE this product! It has glycolic acid and I've been using it for about 3 months now. I was using the acne.org AHA+ and although it was a great product, I wanted to start using a glycolic acid treatment found easily in stores so I won't have to order online. I put this on after my benzoyl peroxide has dried on my face for 20 minutes (at night only). No need for a separate moisturizer!!
As far as niacinamide goes, another great product I would recommend is the CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion PM. It's light, fragrance-free, and doesn't cause breakouts... for me at least. I think the AM version has niacinamide too, but I don't use it because it has chemical sunscreen.
I'm going to pick up some of that Olay Regenerist serum the next time I'm out shopping
since you are online I have one more question (sorry to be such a pest!)...is your face completely smooth (ie no blackheads, whiteheads, etc) or just inflamed acne free?
Unfortunately, no. I get blackheads and whiteheads sometimes, but I attribute that to being lazy and not getting enough sleep.
