I’m officially halfway there! As of writing this, I’m completing my 20th week of this pregnancy. I’m grateful to make it this far without any scares or health issues. Strangely, I feel unphased but also unprepared as my delivery date approaches. A few of my Facebook friends are also anticipating babies next spring. I guess we made the best of the quarantine *wink*. After being overwhelmed in my first-trimester, probably due to hormones, I’ve taken it a little easier in the second trimester. My energy returned, and my skin calmed down a lot.
I pared down my skincare routine for items that do double duty. I’ve also included additional items I forgot to mention in my first-trimester skincare post. I still use www.15minutebeauty.com as a guideline for all my pregnancy skincare purchases.
Here is my second-trimester skincare routine, but please discuss which product/ingredient is acceptable during your pregnancy with your medical provider.
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Cleanser (For Day & Night)
LA ROCHE-POSAY TOLERIANE PURIFYING FOAMING FACIAL WASH is still my favorite facial cleanser. My hormonal acne/mask-ne calmed down a lot in my second trimester. As we settle into California winter, this cleanser is still great for my oily, dehydrated skin. I’ve learned to drink more water to accommodate the baby and me, which helped my skin and digestive system A LOT. It’s still a gentle cleanser that helps remove my sheer to medium coverage makeup as well as physical sunscreens. I did change my process to wash this after remove my makeup and exfoliate. This way I can ensure I remove everything that’s not supposed to be on my face.☆☆☆☆☆
Moisturizer (For Day & Night)
NEUTROGENA® HYDRO BOOST GEL-CREAM WITH HYALURONIC ACID FOR EXTRA DRY SKIN is a new moisturizer in my routine. While I enjoyed wearing AVEENO® ULTRA-CALMING® DAILY FACE MOISTURIZER, SPF 30 in my first-trimester on no-makeup days, with the holidays coming up, I was wearing more makeup. Hydro Boost works well under makeup, almost like a primer, absorbing quickly into my skin. This moisturizer doesn’t interact with my tinted moisturizer, allowing both products to co-exist on my skin with my natural oils. I was having skin hydration issues at night as my acne was healing and dead skin clogged my pores, a frustrating endless cycle. Hydro Boost helped with gently but firmly, hydrating my skin during the dry, winter nights. It’s one product that can do double duty for night and day. I used the original Hydro Boost when it first came out. I had a small reaction on my forehead and it was heavily fragranced. Despite my initial experience, I returned to this brand and loved this version of their Hydro Boost line.☆☆☆☆☆
Sunscreen/Tinted Moisturizer
MAYBELLINE DREAM FRESH BB CREAM in 120 Medium is my current sunscreen step. First, 120 Medium is more my summer skin tone, too dark for NC20 skin. I’ll probably repurchase this in 110 Light/Medium when I finish this bottle. Once my energy returned in the second trimester, I wanted to incorporate makeup back into my daily routine. Having a mini makeup routine helped me mentally feel less frumpy and blobby. It motivated me to wake up a bit earlier and attempt a day and night look. I didn’t want to live in sweat pants, even though I could. This BB cream is a sheer to medium coverage with SPF 30 in the form of Titanium Dioxide (physical sunscreen). For me, it wears about 4-5 hours, which is fine since I reapply as needed if I’m going outdoors. I can apply this with my fingers or brush. It provides a natural finish that washes off easily. I prefer it since I only go out to walk the dog or to the grocery store these pandemic days. It’s great to experiment with what I can do within the time the baby allows me in the future. ☆☆☆☆☆
Makeup Remover
TATCHA PURE ONE STEP CAMELLIA CLEANSING OIL is one of those popular brands I wanted to try out. It’s a learning curve with this product. You apply it to dry skin and massage it into your face. I find it a bit hard to wash all the product off my face with just plain water. It’s probably my fault for rushing and washing with cold water. It works slightly better with warm water. I might be a preference thing since this is very highly rated. Maybe I just prefer the feeling of stripping off everything, while this leaves a little moisturizer behind. I use the cleansing oil first, then exfoliate, and finally wash with my foaming wash.☆☆☆☆
Exfoliation
BLISS MICRO MAGIC is described as a microdermabrasion scrub, gently exfoliating with volcanic pumice, aloe & peppermint. You gently massage onto clean, damp skin for 1-2 minutes, then rinse well. I’ve used 2x a week and THE ORDINARY LACTIC ACID 10% + HA 1x a week. Using a physical exfoliant gave me more control over the areas where my hormonal acne was erupting weekly, mostly around my chin area. The scrub does not contain large, coarse particles but small pieces of sand-like material. It feels less abrasive as the minute countdowns, which I like. It doesn’t feel like I’m over-exfoliating. Perhaps it’s hormones or exfoliation or hydration, but my acne has dramatically calmed down. I will continue to purchase this product. ☆☆☆☆☆
Acne Treatment
COSRX ACNE PIMPLE MASTER PATCH is one of the original pimple patches. Used for acne whiteheads, it contains 100% A.D.F Hydrocolloid dressing. Since it does to include any additional ingredients, it’s perfect for my pregnancy. I’m still using these pimple patches from my first trimester, but luckily less frequently in my second trimester. It really helps stop me from touching it. If I can’t help myself, these patches allow me to poke at my giant cystic acne without contaminating the skin with my dirty finger. A must for hormonal acne. ☆☆☆☆
Body Wash
DOVE GO FRESH COOL MOISTURE BEAUTY BAR is one of the ways I’m trying to lessen my plastic waste. I love Dove bars since they are bit different from regular bar soap. According to Dove, their beauty bars are formulated with mild cleansers and ¼ moisturizing cream. The moisturizing cream helps protect your skin’s moisture and does not dry out your skin. Since I’m pregnant during this pandemic, I don’t need an intense body cleanser. The amount of cleanser in this soap works for me. I need the moisturizing cream to help with my future stretch marks. The fragrance is refreshing during my hot shower. Dove also offers fragrance-free if your pregnant nose can handle the scent. I will try the Dove White bar next. ☆☆☆☆☆
Body Lotion
BURT’S BEES MAMA BEE BELLY BUTTER was gifted to me. CP sent a wonderful care package when she first learned I was pregnant. It was filled with a lot of self-care items for the mama. It’s been fun going through those items when I just feel like a baby-making machine instead of a human being. I’ve been using this belly butter at night after my shower. It’s very moisturizing but not too greasy. It does need a little dry down period before I put on clothes. I’m not expecting this product to prevent stretch marks, but it’s a wonderful way to end the day by massaging the baby and me. I don’t slather all over my belly, so I think one tub will last me until the remaining trimester. We shall see what happens at the end of this pregnancy! ☆☆☆☆
~Placenta Brain Musings~
It has been an interesting ride navigating my pregnancy during a pandemic. Many things worry me, but I’ve learned that I can only rely on myself to protect myself. We recently had a coronavirus incident with my family. Someone thought they were exposed and went to get tested during Thanksgiving week. Someone stated that they wish they never told us they were potentially exposed. That hit me really hard. Did this person really just say that? As a high-risk person, did my child and I not matter? Was Thanksgiving more important than life itself? The test ended up being negative, but it was a real wake-up call. As a parent, I might not know what the right thing to do sometimes, but I will do my best to protect my kid, whether they like it or not.
I also struggled with my Amazon: Baby Registry. Scouring reviews to see what worked for our family while making sure I’m making the right choice became very stressful while trying to be more minimalistic. I guess this is just a small precursor to being a parent. To help with my anxiety over the registry, I reached out to relatives and received many baby clothes for the first year. I also received a lot of plus-size/maternity clothes as well. I mostly put “older” kid items on my registry. But who knows what I’m missing as a first-time parent.
Until next time,
Diana
diana luong 