Hullo friends.

You may remember that I tried a smattering of products from The Ordinary about 2 years ago before baby (or BB) to assist in eliminating some dark spots, brightening and hydrating the skin and for general anti-ageing purposes. Check out this post for my before and after photos. I feel like it did a decent enough job and I was on a roll, so to speak.

Then I had a baby.

My skincare routine fell victim to extreme fatigue, excessive Little Debbie consumption and far too many Netflix binges. I could barely drag a makeup wipe across my face let alone apply multiple serums, creams and tonics AM & PM. And so, my beloved products from The Ordinary sat in the cabinet and collected dust.

Fast forward to a couple of months ago, when baby girl turned one and I took a good hard look in the mirror at my poor, neglected mug. I decided it was high time I dust the cobwebs off my skincare shelf and get back in the saddle! I quickly made the sad discovery these products had likely expired and therefore, much like The Office, I needed a re-boot.

So, I made David bounce Clara around Ulta while I squatted in the aisle for 30 minutes, bent over my phone like a mad scientist trying to figure out which “regimen” I should go with. Do I go for a retinol? Squalene? Is hylaraunic acid still the IT ingredient? Do I need a peel!?

After my research, I decided upon the following:

• Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA
• Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
• Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
• Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

The first three items are all to help with my dark spots while the caffeine solution is for my atrocious under eye circles. If you would like to read more about these products and the science behind them, I would check out their website. 

And for accountability purposes, here are some “before” photos (taken a little over a month ago):

Obviously I am using other products besides these 4 from the Ordinary. I am working on a current skincare routine which I will share very soon so stay tuned for that!