The little bumps under your skin are called "closed comedones". Some call them "milia" also. This is technically a form of acne and occurs when the pore gets so blocked over that there is no contact with the open air. They take a long time to go away on their own. Avoid any mineral oil in your products because this is often the culperate.
The "couperosa" you mentioned may or maynot be "rosacea". I know many Europeans call skin with 'telangiectasias'/'broken vessles'/'spider veins' by the name "couperose/couperosa". The skin often looks rosey, flushed, and may continually have little red lines on the cheeks. This usually gets worse with time unless you take good care of it. I have a mild form of this myself which is why I treat my skin as though I have rosacea. The worst things for this skin type: scrubbing of any kind, harsh chemical peels, retin-a, alcohol, spicy food, extremes in heat and cold (facial steams, ice packs, etc), caffeine, oranges, red wine (boo, hoo!). Vitamin B complex (especially B1 and B2) can help the skin. The products that can be helpful (especially in the anti-aging realm) is BHA, Ester-C, SUNSCREEN, and ALA (at least my skin has improved with it), and probably the copper peptides. Kinerase/Kinetin may or may not be helpful -- to be safe I wouldn't put it on the cheeks (which is why I don't).
As far as exfoliation goes, stick with a very mild form of it (the BHA, aspirin mask, etc).
If you love the Humektan moisturizer, then by all means stick with it!! A good moisturizer is golden -- something I am searching for myself. Instead of having a one-product-does-it-all mentality, I like keeping the ingredients separate that way I can mix and match as I please.
If the Roc cleanser is getting watered down -- that isn't necesarily a bad thing. Most cleansers are too harsh anyway. As long as it gently cleanses your skin and doesn't irritate or make it dry or tight, then it is fine. The Sheseido Pureness Water Cleanser is runny like water and I use the Sheseido cotton pads (INCREDIBLE, by the way) to gently cleanse my face. I have never used cotton pads on my face without some irritation due to the fact that they are made of wood pulp. The Sheseido ones are soft and fluffy and absolutely incredible. They cost about $6US but are worth every penny! If you look at the Darphin or Clarins, make sure you try the samples first!! I know both companies have samples on almost all of their products. Some people have trouble with the botanical lines irritating their face. I have never had this trouble. I know Sisley can be quite "strong" in the botanical department so I bet this might be the most irritating for some people. I personally never had this problem but I never felt like my skin got quite clean enough with the Sisley. It left some sort of residue on my skin. I never felt like this with the Darphin or Clarins, though.
The salt scrub was probably way too harsh -- always be leary of people trying to sell you something that benefits them. The scrub would be great for you body, though!
In my opinion, the BEST anti-agers are the Vit c, ALA, Copper, and Kinetin. These have been proven in clinical trials and some biopsy results to actually change the architecture of the connective tissue. None of these provide a temporary "lift" like some of the products for skin with wrinkles already. FYI: a great product for a 'lift' is Clarins Extra Firming concentrate!! I tried it on my right eye and right 'laugh lines' and used the Darphin eye/lip cream (which I love due to it's moisturizing effect) on the left. I couldn't believe the difference. Now, I don't have wrinkles, but there are very faint squint lines and smile lines. They were gone with the Clarins. I havn't bought this product (just the sample) but some day I might. I have tried the Clarins Double Serum 38 and this clogged my pores. The Clarins Multi Active Night Cream/Day cream was harsh and irritated my skin.
I think retinols and AHA (the "traditional" anti-wrinkle things) are over-rated --but for someone who has terible wrinkles, I think they would be a great choice. As you and I are both young, we want prevention -- luckily the products for prevention can be used with sensitive skin. The trick is just finding the right product!:)
One last product to mention: foundation. Do you use it? If so, you might benefit from a mineral foundation. I have been using one for the past 3 years and love it -- it is also reported to be good for rosacea/sensitive skin. The one I use is Jane Iredale Mineral Powder Foundation. It is incredible -- once you get the hang of it. Another great brand is La Bella Donna. There is also Youngblood, and a few others but these are either quite shiny or very matte and in my opinion never look like 'real' skin.
The minerals give a very subtile glow--like great, incredible skin -- and have a light to heavy coverage depending on how much you useIuse a powder brush for application -- I find it is the most natural looking for my skin. It stays on all day, has an SPF of 15, and is awesome for covering up dark circles and spots (by using a concealer brush I once camoflaged the worst acne spot ever -- no one could even tell!:) )
I just love talking about skincare and makeup. Some freaky addiction, I know!
Dagny
2/22.5/32
