Kelly Driscoll is a K-beauty devotee focused on moisturizers, eye care, and barrier-loving routines for combination, sensitive skin. Her followers love her thoughtful, journey-style approach and dependable picks for dry, dehydrated complexions.
Why Are They A Guru?
Independent K-beauty and barrier-care reviewer with deep, consistent focus on routines for combination and sensitive skin.
271Products
221 approved89% approval rate
26 skippedDoesn't pull punches
25 hot takesWhere they break from the pack
The hall of fame
Kelly Driscoll's top picks.
The products Kelly Driscoll has crowned best in their category, and brings up again and again.
I fell in love with this earlier this year. This is such a beautiful barrier strengthening and repairing serum. It has a really nice focus on ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, and there's some beautiful ectoin in here, which truly is the trending ingredient of 2024. Ectoin is a really great antioxidant that is particularly helpful for dehydrated skin because it really helps your skin retain hydration long term. So it's actually a really great pair with all these barrier restoring ingredients, because when your barrier is impaired, when it's weak or damaged, you are more prone to losing hydration through that weakened moisture barrier. Your skin is going to be more dehydrated. So not only do we have those major factors, those lipids that contribute to strengthening the barrier, but we also have some ingredients that help right here in the moment to keep your skin more hydrated and comfortable and really resist that tight and dry feeling deep within your skin. I just think it's a really smart formula overall. It has a beautiful texture. While it is creamy, there is a really good amount of hydration to it and it's light.
Aquaphor Healing Ointment comes in at five to seven dollars. Both of these products contain petrolatum at a very high percentage, much higher percentage than what you're finding in other moisturizers. And this ingredient is a very, very good occlusive. It creates that temporary barrier. That's what holds your skin care in place, holds the moisture and the hydration deep within your skin, and resists the dehydration, the dryness, the tightness, and the irritation. And when you create that temporary barrier on your skin, you're really sealing your skin care. It's going to work for you better. It's going to stick with your skin longer, and it's going to translate to faster healing. You can apply it to the areas that feel the most dry, tight, and irritated. You can apply it all over your face. It can even work on your lips too, if your lips are feeling dry and irritated. You can even mix a bit of this into your moisturizing cream at nighttime.
It's the Prequel Multi-Acid Milk Peel. I really enjoy this one. We've got 15% glycolic acid in here, as well as a couple of other different forms, gentler forms of AHA. There's also two different types of enzymes in here that don't necessarily exfoliate the skin, but they do aid in the skin cell turnover process by actually loosening up the glue or the keratin, that sticky thick sebum that holds onto the dead skin cells on your skin. I find this formula with the enzymes and the multi-acids to be particularly good for congestion-prone skin, which I do have. The enzymes give this formula a little bit of an edge for congestion and acne-prone skin.
This is one of my favorite gel cream moisturizers to recommend because it is just so hydrating and really refreshing for the skin. It uses 5% glycerin, which is a really good hydrator for the skin. What's interesting about glycerin is that it creates a reservoir of moisture or hydration or water right in the skin. So glycerin doesn't just feel watery and hydrating when you put it on, it actually builds up the hydration in your skin as you consistently use it. If you were to stop using glycerin for some reason, you would actually still maintain higher levels of hydration in your skin than you would have before you started using the glycerin. It really contributes to meaningful deep, long-lasting hydration in the skin. They have combined the 5% glycerin with 1% ectoin, which has that similar hydration shell effect where it really gets in there and surrounds every single skin cell with hydration.
This offers SPF 50 with broad spectrum protection and comes in at 9.99 for 207 milliliters of product. It's a chemical sunscreen using four older generation chemical filters, and it does not contain any drying forms of alcohol. There is some fragrance in here, but I find it to be incredibly light. The scent itself doesn't linger. It's really a very light smell of traditional sunscreen with a little bit of a pleasant clean smell to it. It's not super floral, it's not overpowering at all, and once you apply it you really don't smell it again at all. I really enjoy the texture of this because it's a lighter lotion type of texture. Some sunscreens can have a really thick or greasy feel to them, almost like they sit on top of your skin and never really dry down or absorb. This really does apply more like a lotion without that greasy or thick after effects. It spreads very nicely onto the skin and quickly dries. It's surprising because it doesn't contain denatured alcohol, which often aids the drying process on the skin. Without the denatured alcohol, I do still find that this adheres and dries on the skin very quickly. It doesn't feel thick or heavy, it's not greasy, it doesn't leave a shiny look on your skin, and there's absolutely no white cast to this at all. I've used this so many times with reapply after reapply with no pilling whatsoever.
I personally have been using Aquafor, which is about 41% petrolatum, on my lips for over a decade at this point. This is my main lip balm. I personally like Aquafor because it has the right mix of additional humectants and emollient ingredients in addition to the occlusive petrolatum. I also feel like it's long lasting. That's why it's my favorite for lips. It lasts me all night long. I never wake up to dry and parched lips.
By the numbers
What they review most.
Against the grain
Kelly Driscoll'shot takes.
Products where their take diverges from the rest of the gurus.
When I reviewed the smaller size bottle, I told you I'm not really seeing anything. It's probably doing some small things, but my skin is pretty optimized in a good spot that I'm just not really noticing anything mindblowing with this. It had a nice refreshing gel texture. It felt really refreshing and hydrating and light on my skin, but it just didn't really feel like it did anything. It might be working behind the scenes. It might be supporting good stuff in my skin. I'm not seeing anything in the mirror with this one. And I emptied the whole bottle. This is a 30ml bottle. I think the trial size I had was 15. So I think I've used enough of this by this point to know that it's just not really for me.
It just sort of sits on top of your skin. I don't think it's particularly effective peeling or exfoliating gel. I don't think it's a particularly effective hydrating serum. It might be an interesting moisturizing fermented type of product if you can tolerate the texture. I think it's interesting. I don't think it's good.
I actually am not a big fan of this. It's not a trash product by any means, but it's not my all-time favorite. This is a grinding balm, and that's what made it originally very viral because the mechanism is very different. Instead of a jar like packaging where you would open it up and scoop out the balm with a spatula, this twists and shaves the cleansing balm off and you scoop it right off the top. I do kind of like that aspect of it, but the grinding mechanism itself...
The worst Anua product at Ulta has got to be the Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil. It kind of just like misses the mark for me personally on a couple different levels. Number one, it smells weird. It has this very medicinal smell. The heartleaf extract does have a medicinal, earthy, planty, green kind of smell, but I think there's some artificial stuff happening in here as well. This is a fragrance product, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't strike me as pleasant. It just strikes me as kind of medicine-y in a non-appealing way. And I like earthy plant-like smells, but for whatever reason, this is not it. When I used this product, it actually irritated my skin. It kind of warms up and felt like it burned. It just felt kind of fiery on my skin. Now, I do have sensitive skin. I don't generally use products with fragrance on my facial skin, but it did create some warmth and some irritation that just felt very uncomfortable for my skin. And then the few times that I did use this I ended up with a pimple in not a normal spot.
Every take, in full
Every review.
All 271 products Kelly Driscoll has reviewed, grouped by product type. Click a product to see the full guru consensus.
"This Round Lab soybean serum provides the three essential lipids that you need to strengthen up that skin barrier and keep it really strong and healthy: ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids. These are the main lipids naturally found in the skin barrier. The serum provides all of those essential ingredients, what I call the holy trinity. They're that good in this lightweight, fluidy gel texture. It's incredibly hydrating. It's very, very light and thin. It's refreshing, a little bit cooling even on the skin, and incredibly breathable, and yet it still is strong enough to fight off the dehydration and strengthen up your skin barrier. It's not doing it in a cream or an oily type of format. It's so perfect for hot, humid summer days. It's going to work for a majority of skin types, even if you're struggling with lots of oil on your skin. And it just feels so, so good. This has become a staple for me. It's been in all of my skincare routines, especially in the morning when I want to keep things nice and light and I want to wear some makeup as well."
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81%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on Soybean Serum
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"It sinks in very very quickly. This is a kiss of moisture, but it's not heavy oil like moisture. It's not buttery like moisture. Don't let that milky appearance fool you. There's a lot more hydration, wateriness, and lightness here than it first appears. Really great absorbency into the skin without a sticky or tacky feel or a heavy weight. So this is great for combo oily and acne prone skin. It is also great for anybody looking for a very gentle gradual brightening to your skincare products because of the niacinamide content here and even the soybean. It is about a very gentle healthy glow. If you do get some dark marks after acne, the niacinamide content in here will help to gradually fade that. It's a very gentle type of product that's going to bring out that healthy, even complexion. It's going to help address dull skin as well and really help to address that issue on the skin between a lot of oil and a lack of water or dehydration. This is great if you especially identify with a lot of oil on your skin, but that deep down thirsty feeling. It's that you need the ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids to get that barrier stronger so that your skin holds on to more hydration in the long run. This is that type of product that helps to balance out multiple symptoms of a weak barrier and give you the ingredients you need to solve that issue, right, but also some additional benefits while you're doing it."
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"This is the Round Lab soybean serum. And I've really been into this. I actually used this a couple of years ago, but I recently just picked this one back up because I remember it having this beautiful plumping light gel texture, perfect for summer weather. And that's exactly what I've been craving for my morning routines. I need something light, but I don't need something that disappears off of my skin. I have combo skin, very prone to dehydration. Even in the summer, I got to take care of that barrier. This is secretly an amazing barrier care serum. Ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, a really great skin respectful formula. No fragrances, drying forms of alcohol. It's really great for my sensitive skin, but it's hydrating. It's light. It's refreshing on contact. It feels amazing for the heat, but it still protects my skin barrier as well."
7 Products That Fix Every Summer Skin Problem!
"This Round Lab soybean serum provides the three essential lipids that you need to strengthen up that skin barrier and keep it really strong and healthy: ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids. These are the main lipids naturally found in the skin barrier. The serum provides all of those essential ingredients, what I call the holy trinity. They're that good in this lightweight, fluidy gel texture. It's incredibly hydrating. It's very, very light and thin. It's refreshing, a little bit cooling even on the skin, and incredibly breathable, and yet it still is strong enough to fight off the dehydration and strengthen up your skin barrier. It's not doing it in a cream or an oily type of format. It's so perfect for hot, humid summer days. It's going to work for a majority of skin types, even if you're struggling with lots of oil on your skin. And it just feels so, so good. This has become a staple for me. It's been in all of my skincare routines, especially in the morning when I want to keep things nice and light and I want to wear some makeup as well."
"The Ordinary Rose Hip Oil. I do love oil in my skincare routine. I do have combination skin. It leans oily in the summer, but I have just found for whatever reason, my unique skin does amazing with some oil. This particular one has a really good fatty acid profile. It's great for strengthening your skin barrier, but it has a really nice lighter texture to it. It's not a really heavy dense oil. So, this actually is one of my favorite facial oils to use in hot weather."
"This is the Polish Choice 7% ectoin booster. Love this stuff. This is amazing for long lasting hydration. If you are suffering with dehydration, ectoin is an amazing hydrating ingredient. It doesn't just make your skin feel hydrated on application. It actually creates a network of hydration within the skin that creates longer lasting hydration throughout hours and hours and hours, like even 24 hours, 36 hours. The studies on ectoin for long lasting hydration are incredibly compelling. It's great for your skin barrier, but it's also very protective for your skin. It actually is a potent antioxidant. It helps to protect from pollution. All of these things in our environment can actually create a lot of damaging inflammation in our skin, and that's what speeds up the aging process. So ectoin is protective, very hydrating and particularly special for dehydrated skin. It's got a milky texture, but it actually thins out and sinks into the skin really quickly."
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77%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on 7% Ectoin Booster
My 2025 Skincare Wins and Lessons | Chatty Skincare Routine
"This is the Polish Choice 7% ectoin booster. And this has been a savior for me in November and now in December. It has definitely been fighting the winter induced dehydration. It got real cold and real snowy real quick here and my skin all of a sudden overnight was really starting to feel it. And so this is amazing because ectoin provides some long-lasting moisture in my skin and it really helps to fight that dehydrated feeling. And I like this milky texture too because just that kiss of extra moisture really suits my skin."
That Was a Mixed Bag of Skincare Empties!
"This is the Polish Choice 7% ectoin booster. Love this stuff. This is amazing for long lasting hydration. If you are suffering with dehydration, ectoin is an amazing hydrating ingredient. It doesn't just make your skin feel hydrated on application. It actually creates a network of hydration within the skin that creates longer lasting hydration throughout hours and hours and hours, like even 24 hours, 36 hours. The studies on ectoin for long lasting hydration are incredibly compelling. It's great for your skin barrier, but it's also very protective for your skin. It actually is a potent antioxidant. It helps to protect from pollution. All of these things in our environment can actually create a lot of damaging inflammation in our skin, and that's what speeds up the aging process. So ectoin is protective, very hydrating and particularly special for dehydrated skin. It's got a milky texture, but it actually thins out and sinks into the skin really quickly."
"I really like this device because it really does combine a lot of the different features that you would find on separate devices into one, which actually makes it a pretty good deal. You can really experiment with these different modes and the different intensities of them to figure out what is your favorite, what you like to do, and what's going to give you the best results for your certain skincare goals. And those goals change all the time, right? Sometimes we're working on skin elasticity and other times we are working on texture and so I like that all the modes are in one device and I really enjoy using mine. I always feel like I'm getting a little bit of a facial experience when I use it."
"I love their Peach and Lily Copper Peptide Pro Firming Serum because this is a really good example of a well-formulated peptide serum. They are using 2% of copper peptide which helps to stimulate collagen. It's a really great peptide for addressing the signs of aging on the skin. But it doesn't just stop at the copper peptide. They have also used 12 other different peptides that support collagen stimulation, skin elasticity, firmness, as well as tone and texture, and really just multiple signs of aging on the skin. This is one of those few peptide serums that I say actually works because peptides sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they're tricky to formulate, sometimes the formulation is off in certain products. But this one, I think, is really well-rounded. They're coming at it from multiple different angles. It's not just about blasting your skin with a lot of copper peptide, but also these other supportive peptides that address other signs of aging on the skin. When you're using this one consistently, and I've emptied like three or four bottles of this now at this point, it really does improve the overall quality of your skin. It will definitely help as a preventative peptide serum. I think it will show some firming benefits for folks who need a little bit more help in that department. Skin elasticity, definitely."
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75%of gurus approve
All 11 takes on Copper Peptide Pro Firming Serum
Chatty Morning Skincare Routine + 5 Minute Makeup
"I'm going in for the Peach and Lily Copper Peptide Pro Firming Serum. This is actually the second bottle of this product. I do have some reviews here on my channel of the first bottle and I absolutely loved it and I am really loving my second go-around with this product. First of all, it's very light with a little bit of a gel-like consistency, but it's extremely runny and quite hydrating and sinks into the skin really fast. That's kind of what I need because I'm going to start moving into some more moisturizing protective layers next, but I wanted to keep everything else really thin and very hydrating."
K-Beauty at Ulta! The BEST and WORST! | Pt 1
"I love their Peach and Lily Copper Peptide Pro Firming Serum because this is a really good example of a well-formulated peptide serum. They are using 2% of copper peptide which helps to stimulate collagen. It's a really great peptide for addressing the signs of aging on the skin. But it doesn't just stop at the copper peptide. They have also used 12 other different peptides that support collagen stimulation, skin elasticity, firmness, as well as tone and texture, and really just multiple signs of aging on the skin. This is one of those few peptide serums that I say actually works because peptides sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they're tricky to formulate, sometimes the formulation is off in certain products. But this one, I think, is really well-rounded. They're coming at it from multiple different angles. It's not just about blasting your skin with a lot of copper peptide, but also these other supportive peptides that address other signs of aging on the skin. When you're using this one consistently, and I've emptied like three or four bottles of this now at this point, it really does improve the overall quality of your skin. It will definitely help as a preventative peptide serum. I think it will show some firming benefits for folks who need a little bit more help in that department. Skin elasticity, definitely."
Peptides, 4 Ways!
"Copper peptide definitely helps with collagen stimulation and healthy wound healing, healthy scar formation, and mending up the skin, but it also does the anti-aging benefits as well. The reason I wanted to talk about this Peach and Lily Serum is they are using a meaningful amount of copper tripeptide one in the product, but they've also backed up this product with 12 other peptides, six of which are also collagen stimulating peptides. Copper tripeptide is probably one of the most popular peptides out there and I think it is the one that gives the most meaningful anti-aging results."
Peptide Skincare that ACTUALLY Firms Your Skin!
"It's a multi-layered sophisticated formula that's not just about copper peptide. You're getting the whole shebang in here. It's helping to address fine lines and wrinkles, dull looking skin, puffy skin, uneven hyperpigmentation within the skin, and skin texture. I'm halfway through my second bottle of this one. I started using this last year and I was really impressed with the results. Not only did I feel like it firmed my skin, but underneath my fingers my skin felt firmer and more lifted. And even when I looked in the mirror, my skin looked so much more refreshed. It goes the extra mile for your skin. It has such a fantastic texture. I have no hesitation recommending this for multiple skin types because it's so watery, very thin, very quickly absorbed into the skin. It's not sticky, it's not tacky, it doesn't have a bounce or a plumpness to it. It really just layers into a multi-step routine beautifully."
Hyped Skincare Ingredients, Are They Worth It?
"I recently started using this and I've been really impressed with the results. There is 2% of copper peptide and a complex of 13 other peptides that really do check out for that well-aging journey. What I've noticed with using this is the results happen pretty fast and my skin just looks a lot fresher, a lot more rejuvenated. My pores seem more refined, my skin just seems healthier, more alive. That's really the magic of copper peptide. It's a long-term game as far as prevention for fine lines and wrinkles or treatment, it takes time, but just seeing that skin rejuvenation is like a really good sign that it's working."
October Faves | Abib, Peach & Lily, Laniege, The Ordinary
"I have been using this non stop it is so good. I am loving the results that I'm getting with this so far. It has 0.2% of copper peptide and they are also using tripeptide one, which I always like to see in combination with copper peptide because it is not only a collagen stimulating peptide but it's also a carrier peptide for copper peptide. So these two ingredients work synergistically together. The tripeptide helps to deliver the copper peptide deeper into the skin to help it become more effective. So even though it's 2% of copper peptide, I find that tripeptide kind of boosts up the abilities of the overall copper peptide in this mix. The formulation here is working synergistically and I really think that's why I've seen such amazing results with this so quickly, really like within two weeks probably."
My Top 5 Serums | 2025 Edition
"What I really like about this is the texture. It's so watery, it's so lightweight, it just sinks into the skin and it does not weigh it down. It doesn't bring any thickness into the skin at all. So I'm really excited to recommend this for all skin types. There are a few products, some unicorn type products out there that have textures that I just don't hesitate to recommend for any skin type. This is one of them. Peach and Lily delivers on firming and skin health and skin brightness and so much more. It's a really multifaceted formula. Peach and Lily would be the one if you have minimal firming concerns but you want all the peptides, you want all the well aging, the collagen stimulation, the multiple signs of aging."
This or That ep. 30 | Peach & Lily, Biossance, RNW, Glow Recipe
"This is my second bottle and I really do enjoy this product. Peach and Lily has created a much more compelling product. First and foremost, the ingredients list, I mean, were you getting super excited by all of those peptides in Peach and Lily like I was? It really is such a compelling grouping of peptides. I also think the texture is something I always like to talk about when I'm talking to skincare fans because we all have different skin types and skin conditions. I would have a hard time thinking of who's not going to like this texture. I just think that it works really well, it layers underneath products really nicely. It's just like a very effortless type of product, you don't have to think about it a lot to use it. Peach and Lily is retailing for $49 for a 30ml bottle, so you're saving a little bit of cash there. I know it's still pricey, but it's less expensive, and so that really helped it edge ahead."
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"The Peach and Lily Copper Peptide Pro Firming Serum I would just emptied that a few weeks ago and that was another goodie that I noticed was really contributing to that healthy glow to my skin."
The Best Skincare of 2023! 🎉
"I felt really hard for this product. As soon as I started using it I was like this is it. I really love this serum so much. I'm really a big fan of copper peptides in general. I think they can do so much for the skin. I've seen what they've done for my skin and they're really one of my choices for that preventative well-aging kind of approach. They can really help with stimulating collagen, they can help with wound healing, they also help with the texture and tone of skin, it can really help with hyperpigmentation. It's overall a very supportive type of peptide. Peach and Lily has taken the power of copper peptide and they have also included 12 other peptides that support those well-aging concerns, definitely help to improve texture, definitely helped to improve tone of the skin. It really gave my skin a really beautiful healthy glow to it, but it's also something that has helped when I've had pimples. It helps to calm the inflammation, it helps to heal the skin if that pimple pops. Super smart formula, really elegant texture. It's not a sticky gel texture. It's got a nice fluidity to it, a nice amount of hydration to it. It just feels really pleasant to use."
Good, Better, Best Skincare Empties!
"This is the Peach and Lily Copper Peptide Pro Firming Serum and I fell hard in love with this pretty much from the first time I used it. I was like I really really like this and as I continue to use this in my skincare routine I was like I really really love this and as it got towards empty I was like I really really need to get a replacement for this. Copper peptide is really one of my favorite skincare ingredients and I do think that there are just a handful of products that have a meaningful amount of copper peptide in them that really focus on a good amount and really bring out those copper peptide benefits. This is definitely entered into that echelon. It is using a little bit less copper peptide than those other products but the way that they formulated this with the 12 other peptides in here has made a really compelling complex sophisticated peptide formula."
"I'm just not really impressed with this product. Folks who are looking for slickness, wetness, hydration are going to be disappointed by this."
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73%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Glass Skin Refining Serum
K-Beauty at Ulta! The BEST and WORST! | Pt 1
"I'm just not really impressed with this product. Folks who are looking for slickness, wetness, hydration are going to be disappointed by this."
Save $$ Pt.3 | Affordable Skincare Dupes for Expensive Products!
"It does take a long time to dry down and while it is in that kind of semi-wet state it's quite tacky. Once it is dry it does dry matte. I thought that a glass skin serum was going to give me really shiny skin, but it doesn't actually have like a high gloss finish to it. The texture is kind of a meh for me, but also the results of this are a meh for me as well. I understand why people may like this, but I also see why people don't like this. This can be a really you either love it or hate it type of product. On the whole I don't find it super impressive."
"My favorite is the glow serum. This is a great combination of propolis and niacinamide. This is a formula that really is about teasing out a healthy lit from within glow to your skin. And that's what propolis can do. It's a byproduct. It's not honey, but it's similar to honey. It has antibacterial properties, skin healing properties. It's particularly good for folks who do suffer with acne because it can reduce inflammation and redness but also promote that healing plus the antibacterial benefits of it. But it does also make the complexion very glowy, lit from within, healthy looking. Plus the niacinamide which can help to fade dark marks associated with inflammatory acne events on the skin, or just dullness or unevenness with the complexion. It has quite a thick texture. It's a medium gel texture that has a moisturizing element to it. And I think for some folks who deal with a lot of oil on their skin, this texture will actually feel heavy for you. So while niacinamide is an oil controlling ingredient, texture-wise, I don't think it's going to feel great for super duper oily folks. I more recommend this for combo skin."
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81%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide
BEST and WORST K-Beauty at Sephora PT 1 | Aestura, Beauty of Joseon, Innisfree, Dr. Jart
"My favorite is the glow serum. This is a great combination of propolis and niacinamide. This is a formula that really is about teasing out a healthy lit from within glow to your skin. And that's what propolis can do. It's a byproduct. It's not honey, but it's similar to honey. It has antibacterial properties, skin healing properties. It's particularly good for folks who do suffer with acne because it can reduce inflammation and redness but also promote that healing plus the antibacterial benefits of it. But it does also make the complexion very glowy, lit from within, healthy looking. Plus the niacinamide which can help to fade dark marks associated with inflammatory acne events on the skin, or just dullness or unevenness with the complexion. It has quite a thick texture. It's a medium gel texture that has a moisturizing element to it. And I think for some folks who deal with a lot of oil on their skin, this texture will actually feel heavy for you. So while niacinamide is an oil controlling ingredient, texture-wise, I don't think it's going to feel great for super duper oily folks. I more recommend this for combo skin."
Top 10+ K Beauty You Need to Try in 2024!
"I really love the glow serum that's propolis and niacinamide. Propolis is a byproduct of bees, it's like bee glue if you will, and it's very anti-inflammatory, it's very healing especially for acne prone skin and it brings a really lovely glow to the skin. They've married that with niacinamide and they've created a moisturizing gel texture. Please know that this gel is a lot heftier, more medium weight. You're going to feel it more on your skin. It's not a light hydrating runny gel, it's more moisturizing on the skin."
"The calming serum is a great combination of green tea and panthanol. Green tea is great for soothing inflammation on the skin, the calming aspect of this particular product. It also brings a healthy dose of antioxidants into the skin. And then they're using panthanol which not only hydrates the skin, it helps to address dehydration symptoms on the skin but it's also barrier strengthening. Panthanol helps to support the lipid layer, aka your skin barrier, and that's what helps to hold hydration in place and keep hydration on your skin in a long lasting way. So it's a really hydrating serum, but it's also a soothing serum as well. This is great if your skin is lacking hydration, if you're dealing with dehydration, or you're looking for a gentle serum, something to just support general skin health, your general skin barrier, some antioxidant care, some anti-inflammatory care, some general soothing without really harsh actives."
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77%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on Calming Serum
BEST and WORST K-Beauty at Sephora PT 1 | Aestura, Beauty of Joseon, Innisfree, Dr. Jart
"The calming serum is a great combination of green tea and panthanol. Green tea is great for soothing inflammation on the skin, the calming aspect of this particular product. It also brings a healthy dose of antioxidants into the skin. And then they're using panthanol which not only hydrates the skin, it helps to address dehydration symptoms on the skin but it's also barrier strengthening. Panthanol helps to support the lipid layer, aka your skin barrier, and that's what helps to hold hydration in place and keep hydration on your skin in a long lasting way. So it's a really hydrating serum, but it's also a soothing serum as well. This is great if your skin is lacking hydration, if you're dealing with dehydration, or you're looking for a gentle serum, something to just support general skin health, your general skin barrier, some antioxidant care, some anti-inflammatory care, some general soothing without really harsh actives."
Top 10+ K Beauty You Need to Try in 2024!
"The calming Serum is panthenol and mugwort. It's incredibly hydrating. It's got this beautiful gel texture that not only hydrates but also soothes the skin. Mugwort is a traditional Korean ingredient, an herb that really brings some anti-inflammatory benefits to the skin and can reduce some redness."
Deep Hydration 💦 | Panthenol Faves!
"The Beauty of Joseon Calming Serum contains 5% panthenol as well as 50% green tea and 30% mugwort. The very first time I tried the serum a few years ago I fell so madly in love with it because it was so incredibly hydrating for my skin. Panthenol 5% I know it doesn't sound like a lot but it really is that effective range that helps to really hydrate the skin and fight the transepidermal water loss while also strengthening the skin barrier. That's exactly what my skin needs because I do have chronically dehydrated skin and my barrier is always just a little bit deficient. I was so surprised the serum was able to do that without being heavy, without being creamy, without being rich. It really shocked me at how hard it went for my skin because it doesn't look like it would be that hydrating, it doesn't look like it would be that impressive, but if you have dehydration, you need a lot of replenishment for your skin, you need your barrier to be taken care of but it can't be creamy, it can't be rich, this is the one. So so so impressive, really really hydrating, a great thin gel type of serum texture that absorbs deep into the skin."
"Ectoin is fantastic for dehydrated skin. This product is good for dehydrated skin. My skin is dehydrated. And I love this product. It's getting cold and that definitely means drier environment inside, cold, windy, harsh weather outside. My skin is feeling dehydrated for sure, but also dried out as well. And so this is the time of year where my combo skin, especially the T-zone, starts to go really dry. And the irritation from the dehydration can really settle in if it's not balanced out properly. I'm actually waking up with a lot less of that because I've been working this into my skincare routine. 7% ectoine, which I've been obsessed with ectoin for over two years now, and it's really had a moment this year."
✓Approved
84%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on 7% Ectoin Booster
November Faves | Dr. Reju-all, Paula's Choice, Cerave, Phlur
"Ectoin is fantastic for dehydrated skin. This product is good for dehydrated skin. My skin is dehydrated. And I love this product. It's getting cold and that definitely means drier environment inside, cold, windy, harsh weather outside. My skin is feeling dehydrated for sure, but also dried out as well. And so this is the time of year where my combo skin, especially the T-zone, starts to go really dry. And the irritation from the dehydration can really settle in if it's not balanced out properly. I'm actually waking up with a lot less of that because I've been working this into my skincare routine. 7% ectoine, which I've been obsessed with ectoin for over two years now, and it's really had a moment this year."
November Faves | Dr. Reju-all, Paula's Choice, Cerave, Phlur
"I'm getting the moisture that I need for the dryness that I'm starting to feel in my skin, but I'm getting that deep down hydration that is solving the dehydration that's really helping my skin barrier as well, all in one bottle. I absolutely love this."
"I really like this product. I think it is a great peptide product. They're using a 2% copper lysinate complex, which is actually a complex of amino acids that really help to support the skin, skin hydration, skin barrier, and it can help to improve the signs of aging including skin density and firmness. They're also using a 2% complex of acetyl hexapeptide 8, which is a Botox peptide. It actually helps to give a really nice effect to the skin to lift and firm it pretty quickly. It is important to understand that this peptide though is not a collagen stimulating peptide. It's not actually changing the structure of skin in any way whatsoever. So it's not going to meaningfully treat fine lines, wrinkles, or be a preventative type of peptide."
"This is a very flexible product. It could be used as a serum or it can be used as a really light emulsion moisturizer as a final product in your skincare routine. Because there's two different uses for this, this could be a great product for folks who have combo skin that leans dry or if you have a dry skin type, this would be a great serum option for you. If you have a little bit more of an oily skin type, this could be a good moisturizer option for you because it's not like a heavy thick cream. It's not something that seals your skin off or really has any occlusivity to it. So this could be a really nice fluidy moisturizer option for you without all that heaviness and that seal it off quality. This is a really interesting mixture of ingredients here but it really is focused on your skin barrier. Half and half actually refers to half peptides and half ceramides. They're using metatricxel 3000, which can help to stimulate collagen. It has some really great anti-aging benefits, but it's also really helpful for just helping your skin retain hydration."
✓Approved
75%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Half and Half Peptides and Ceramides Fluid Moisturizer
I Tried 5 Prequel Skincare Products | Worth It for Sensitive Skin?
"I started using this to help strengthen my skin barrier. I could really feel not only relief like pretty much as soon as I started using this, like my skin was just like ah drinking it in. But I also felt like longterm it was helping to strengthen my barrier. In practice, this actually functions really well to help strengthen up the skin barrier, but just in a little bit of a different way. Not a really heavy, dense, rich way, but it still offers a lot of lightweight moisture to the skin."
Nourishing Serums for Fall! 🍁
"This is a very flexible product. It could be used as a serum or it can be used as a really light emulsion moisturizer as a final product in your skincare routine. Because there's two different uses for this, this could be a great product for folks who have combo skin that leans dry or if you have a dry skin type, this would be a great serum option for you. If you have a little bit more of an oily skin type, this could be a good moisturizer option for you because it's not like a heavy thick cream. It's not something that seals your skin off or really has any occlusivity to it. So this could be a really nice fluidy moisturizer option for you without all that heaviness and that seal it off quality. This is a really interesting mixture of ingredients here but it really is focused on your skin barrier. Half and half actually refers to half peptides and half ceramides. They're using metatricxel 3000, which can help to stimulate collagen. It has some really great anti-aging benefits, but it's also really helpful for just helping your skin retain hydration."
"I was surprised by the hydration that it does bring to the skin. And I think what really struck me about it was the long lasting hydration. I do often suffer with dehydration, and if you have higher hydration needs, your skin demands a lot of hydration because it's going through dehydration and transepidermal water loss throughout the day. You need something that lasts longer in the skin, that works harder for you. I felt like this lasted till the end of the day."
✓Approved
71%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Multi Quench Plumping Hydration Serum
5 Tips to Boost Confidence | Chatty AM Skincare Routine
"This is the Multi Quench Plumping Hydration Serum. I've really been enjoying this. This is poly glutonic acid. There's ectoin in here, which is one of my favorite ingredients for dehydrated skin. I definitely am feeling a touch of dehydration lately in my skin, so I've been playing around with this one. It's got this really great lightweight gel texture."
I Tried 5 Prequel Skincare Products | Worth It for Sensitive Skin?
"I was surprised by the hydration that it does bring to the skin. And I think what really struck me about it was the long lasting hydration. I do often suffer with dehydration, and if you have higher hydration needs, your skin demands a lot of hydration because it's going through dehydration and transepidermal water loss throughout the day. You need something that lasts longer in the skin, that works harder for you. I felt like this lasted till the end of the day."
"I have loved the ordinary chia seed oil in spring's past, but that oil has been discontinued. It helps keep my skin barrier strong, healthy, and hydrated."
✓Approved
72%of gurus approve
All 10 takes on Chia Seed Oil
Ranking My Skincare Empties with Emojis! Summer '23 Edition
"This is The Ordinary Chia Seed Oil. I have been in love with this for quite a few years and it's an oil that I pick up a lot in the more temperate months, really Spring and Summer for sure. It's a really nice kind of medium to lightweight oil and very supportive for your skin barrier."
Fall PM Retinal Skincare Routine + Why I Stopped Tretinoin
"The Ordinary Chia Seed Oil, I have just the tiniest little bit left. I did a routine a few weeks ago about three drops into the Liquid Gold here mixing it in. Chia seed oil, it is a very underground product, like it's not very hype, but I love that glow."
PM Routine w/ Tret | What Well-Aging Means to Me
"I'm going to use the ordinary chia seed oil alongside of that as well so I just mixed three drops of the oil into a pump of Stratia Liquid Gold and then I apply it that way. My skin just accepts these layers when they're mixed together a lot better than if I were to do a layer of like the emollient cream and then an oil on top it would just feel too thick for my skin. This way when I mix it I get all of that nourishing goodness and comfort but without a lot of thickness or greasiness on my skin."
Ranking Summer Skincare Empties! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
"The Ordinary Chia Seed Oil, 10 out of 10, you've seen me use it in a lot of my skincare routines. It's really the oil that I favor in warm weather. This was recently discontinued by the Ordinary. They made that announcement this summer, so zero out of 10 right for that decision. You can no longer get your hands on this, and this was actually my last bottle. I'm going to really miss this one."
How I Cycle My Skincare Actives Through the Week | Routine and Tips
"I'm also using three drops of The Ordinary Chia Seed Oil. This is something that I do in every single skincare routine that I show on YouTube pretty much. This is something I use every single night to keep my moisture barrier strong and have been doing since 2018. It's been a long time."
How K-Beauty has Changed in 13 Years | Chatty AM Skincare
"I have loved the ordinary chia seed oil in spring's past, but that oil has been discontinued. It helps keep my skin barrier strong, healthy, and hydrated."
4 MORE Skincare Ingredients that Changed My Skin | pt 2
"The Ordinary Chia Seed Oil, you know I love this one too. It's a 100% oil, it's very very affordable under $10, and chia seed actually has a really nice fatty acid profile too, especially for barrier deficient folks or those who are suffering with dehydration. What I particularly like about this one and why I reach for it is it's a little bit of a lighter oil expression than blends can be. It's not super duper thin but it's a little bit lighter, and so this is something that I reach for a lot in warmer weather when I'm producing more oil and I don't want a really thick kind of oil feel on my skin but I want all of the benefits of oil."
My Most Repurchased Skincare | 2024 Edition
"I've been using The Ordinary Chia Seed Oil since 2018, for almost six years now. This is not hype, I'm just being 100% with you, it's the product that just works for me and I don't want to take it out of my routine. I had really oily skin and was very acne prone, but as I got older it became more combination and prone to dehydration. Once I discovered oil, I realized it was actually really transforming my skin. I've used a lot of different oils, but I've bought The Ordinary Chia Seed Oil the absolute most because it's super affordable, it's like $10, so cheap but so good. The fatty acid composition of chia seed oil is a match made in heaven for my skin. It really helps with dehydration and it's a lighter type of oil, not so heavy that I can't use it in the summertime if I choose to. It's a really light, fluidy type of oil that's incredibly balancing, not overwhelming, not too greasy, and it just really helps my skin."
Stress-Free AM and PM Summer Skincare Routine
"I'm using the Ordinary Chia Seed Oil mixed directly into my moisturizer. I love oil because it really soothes and nourishes my skin, and the chia seed oil has that right Omega profile of fatty acids that's really good for your moisture barrier so that just helps keep my skin strong. What I like about this chia seed oil is that it's a little bit lighter weight than some of the other oils that I like. It's a little bit lighter so it's always kind of my go-to in the summer time to get the nourishment and comfort that my skin really wants without extra grease or without extra weight."
Slow Morning, Late Summer Skincare Routine
"I am using The Ordinary Chia Seed Oil. I'm just putting a couple of drops and I just mix that straight into my moisturizer. It helps to keep the layer thinner, it's quicker to absorb. I still get the nourishment and the glow of the oil but it's not sitting in like two separate kind of heavier layers on my skin. It feels so good. I love that last layer of the skincare routine."
"The VT PDRN Serum, which I've been using over the last couple of months, has given me extremely good results, especially for reducing redness on the skin and really increasing the vitality of my skin, firmness, smoothness, and plumpness. This is definitely something that helps me achieve that brighter, glowier skin."
"Rice brings that type of moisture and I think that's what you feel in the texture here because it is a hydrating gel texture but it has more of like a medium body to it, a little bit more of a medium weight on the skin. There is a hydration level here. I don't find this serum to be as hydrating as all the hyped up reviews make it out to be. I don't find it to be like deep, deep, deep hydrating or like really plumping to the skin. I think it's just some nice surface level hydration that you feel. The rice and the honey do round that out, bring a lot of balance to the skin, hug that light hydration in, soften the skin. It's sticky. The texture between your fingers, you kind of pull them apart and you get that like mozzarella cheese effect, that string effect. You do get some of that here. The absorbency rate is good but it's almost like it leaves a residue on top that starts to get really, really tacky and sticky, like your fingers start to stick to your skin as you're patting it in and as it's absorbed, and it takes a minute for that feeling to go away. It actually really kind of creates that film on top of your skin."
~Mixed
72%of gurus approve
All 4 takes on Rice Ceramide Hydrating Barrier Serum
My HONEST Anua Rice + Ceramide Review 🫖
"Rice brings that type of moisture and I think that's what you feel in the texture here because it is a hydrating gel texture but it has more of like a medium body to it, a little bit more of a medium weight on the skin. There is a hydration level here. I don't find this serum to be as hydrating as all the hyped up reviews make it out to be. I don't find it to be like deep, deep, deep hydrating or like really plumping to the skin. I think it's just some nice surface level hydration that you feel. The rice and the honey do round that out, bring a lot of balance to the skin, hug that light hydration in, soften the skin. It's sticky. The texture between your fingers, you kind of pull them apart and you get that like mozzarella cheese effect, that string effect. You do get some of that here. The absorbency rate is good but it's almost like it leaves a residue on top that starts to get really, really tacky and sticky, like your fingers start to stick to your skin as you're patting it in and as it's absorbed, and it takes a minute for that feeling to go away. It actually really kind of creates that film on top of your skin."
My HONEST Anua Rice + Ceramide Review 🫖
"All the hyped up reviews make it out to be, I don't find it to be like deep, deep, deep hydrating or like really plumping to the skin. I think it's just some nice surface level hydration that you feel, and when I say hydration I mean watery feeling. The rice and the honey do round that out, bring a lot of balance to the skin, hug that light hydration in, soften the skin. It's sticky. I couldn't believe how sticky this was. It reminds me a lot of a snail essence because when you get the texture between your fingers you kind of pull them apart, you get that mozzarella cheese effect, that string effect. You do get some of that here. But it absorbs in the skin and I feel like the absorbency rate is good, but it's almost like it leaves a residue on top that starts to get really, really tacky and sticky. Your fingers start to stick to your skin as you're patting it in and as it's absorbed, and it takes a minute for that feeling to go away. It actually really kind of creates that film on top of your skin. Anything you put on top of that, like your moisturizer or whatever your next skincare layer would be, the stickiness won't come through that. It will go away with your next layer. But I did find that quite unpleasant and kind of surprising because definitely not a sensory experience that I personally enjoy in my serums."
My HONEST Anua Rice + Ceramide Review 🫖
"I did find this to be brightening"
My HONEST Anua Rice + Ceramide Review 🫖
"I am personally rating this a six out of 10. I knocked a lot of points off for texture that may not be as important to you as it is to me."
"This is Geek & Gorgeous Power Peptides, 11 out of 10 I recommend. I love this. They're using really good concentrations of the peptides, interesting ones. When it comes down to it with peptides, does it work? And like it works. This formula really helps to target skin elasticity and firmness, and boy does this work and fast. That was what was really impressive to me about this. I named it one of the best skincare products of 2024 and it truly is. I could feel that my skin was firmer. I've definitely noticed changes on my face and definitely in skin firmness as well. I've lost a little volume in my face too from some health things, and so I definitely noticed a difference, but with using this within about two and a half weeks or so I was like my skin feels plumper, it seems firmer. I'm seeing that difference, and also I feel like it just contributed overall to the quality of my skin."
"Squalane oil is one of the lightest facial oil textures out there and it is also skin identical, which means our body kind of recognizes it as its own in a way. If you just want to dip a toe into the pool, you don't want to jump all the way in, this is where I suggest you start because it's the lightest one, it's the most skin respectful one. If you're just not sure if oil is right for you but you're open to trying, try this one."
"This is an interesting texture because it is very buttery, it's very rich, but it's not thick. It's like if you whipped butter, you know, kind of gets fluffy. That's how this feels. And as you spread this onto your skin, it straight up melts into your skin. It's very luxurious. You really feel the oil content here. You feel that nourishing skin softening oil melting into your skin in this airy, fluffy, buttery texture. Very, very moisturizing. If you have dry, flaky skin, this will really soothe that very nicely. And because of the barrier strengthening lipids in here, it can be quite soothing to the skin as well. It does not feel occlusive though, so this is why I feel like this cream may not be the best for those who have dehydration. A little bit of occlusivity in a moisturizer actually helps to resist the dehydration process and helps to resist hydration deep within your skin escaping through the top layers. But if your skin is very dry, if it's very flaky, if it needs softening, if it needs a lot of richness and moisture, this is definitely the one."
✓Approved
84%of gurus approve
All 6 takes on Barrier+ Triple Lipid + Peptide Cream
5 Star Skincare Empties! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I use this all winter long. It's very rich, it's moisturizing, it's barrier restorative. I knocked a star off of it because it's pretty pricey product for what it is, for the amount that you get, and it's not my year-round moisturizer. It's really only something that I've been gravitating towards in cold weather. They recently reformulated it within the last few years and I actually really like what they've done with the cream. I think they fixed a lot of the elements I didn't like about when I first tried it years ago."
Save MORE $$$ | Expensive Skincare DUPES (Drugstore Edition)
"This is a pretty nice barrier strengthening moisturizer. The key ingredients include a 3% triple lipid complex with different forms of ceramides, sterols, and fatty acids. These are important crucial lipids that help restore your skin barrier, especially if it's weak or damaged or needs to stay strong in the face of aggressive actives like retinoids or even cold weather. They're also using a 3% peptide solution derived from rice bran, which is good for helping to strengthen the skin barrier and help your skin retain moisture. The only issue is the use of the word peptide itself. It's not really like very recognizable peptides in here. Marketing wise, they are cashing in on the fact that the word peptides usually infers anti-aging benefits."
February Faves + Fails | Skinfix, Peach & Lily, Dr. Dana Nails, Tir Tir
"I'm really warming up to this, I'm really enjoying this. It's something that I think is really great and it's been helpful for me. This has been really helpful for me. My skin's been going through it this month and this really helped with the peely flaky irritation. I started using this one because it is so rich, it's so moisturizing. I've been playing around with using this cream with just a little bit of another moisturizing cream mixed in and it kind of creates like an even thicker, heftier kind of cream with a little bit more occlusivity. It is so rich, it's so moisturizing, but for me personally it's not overwhelming and it's just like that right mix, that right prescription that my skin needed."
Melt the Day Away | Calming Skincare Routine
"SkinFix has a little bit more silkiness to it. It's so silky and moisturizing that 9 months out of the year it's too much for my skin, but there's kind of an amazing thing that happens between the two creams when I mix them together. When my skin is feeling quite dry, maybe a little raw, maybe irritated, I'll mix them together to really boost up a lot of moisture."
My Sephora Top 15 Skincare Picks
"This cream has really good absorbency, it's not sticky, it's not so watery that it's hard to apply to your skin. It really does something very nice to the skin, softens it, smooths it, plumps it, it hydrates it, it balances it. You're getting the copper peptide as well. I had tried it quite a few years ago and didn't like it, it was kind of heavy, it was a little too rich, it was kind of smelly. But then I had the opportunity to try it again after it had been reformulated in 2023 and this is not how I remember this product at all. This is actually a lot more elegant. It's still incredibly rich but it's actually sinking into my skin a lot better. It feels so soothing, it feels so restorative to my skin. This is where this cream really shines, I think, for dry skin. It's incredibly rich, there's a lot of lipids in here, very very rich fatty acids, ceramides in here. It's all focused on building back your skin barrier, really working on soothing dry and flaky skin. It has a very moisturizing, rich, almost buttery-like texture to it. It's very very nourishing."
Favorite Cold Weather Moisturizers - 2024 Edition
"This is an interesting texture because it is very buttery, it's very rich, but it's not thick. It's like if you whipped butter, you know, kind of gets fluffy. That's how this feels. And as you spread this onto your skin, it straight up melts into your skin. It's very luxurious. You really feel the oil content here. You feel that nourishing skin softening oil melting into your skin in this airy, fluffy, buttery texture. Very, very moisturizing. If you have dry, flaky skin, this will really soothe that very nicely. And because of the barrier strengthening lipids in here, it can be quite soothing to the skin as well. It does not feel occlusive though, so this is why I feel like this cream may not be the best for those who have dehydration. A little bit of occlusivity in a moisturizer actually helps to resist the dehydration process and helps to resist hydration deep within your skin escaping through the top layers. But if your skin is very dry, if it's very flaky, if it needs softening, if it needs a lot of richness and moisture, this is definitely the one."
"Azelaic acid has anti-inflammatory benefits and it's an ingredient that's used to help with rosacea prone skin, but it also has a brightening effect for hyperpigmentation too, so it's really hitting a lot of the things we're talking about in one ingredient."
✓Approved
73%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
All About Azelaic Acid + Product Recs!
"This product is one of the more affordable ones and I think it's one of the more accessible brands depending on where you live. If you want to try azelaic acid but you don't want to break the bank and spend $40 on Polish Choice, or you're not ready to commit to a dermatologist or an online service, this is a great formula. It's especially great for those who do have skin sensitivities because there's no fragrance, essential oils, or drying forms of alcohol. This formula sidesteps a lot of other ingredients, so if you have sensitivities to hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, plant extracts, anything like that, it's not in here. It's just azelaic acid and a bunch of texture enhancers and silicone and things that help to deliver the azelaic acid into your skin. It absolutely can stand up to being mixed with a little bit of moisturizer without deactivating it or compromising the formula or the effectiveness of it."
Fade Hyperpigmentation in 3 Steps
"Azelaic acid has anti-inflammatory benefits and it's an ingredient that's used to help with rosacea prone skin, but it also has a brightening effect for hyperpigmentation too, so it's really hitting a lot of the things we're talking about in one ingredient."
5 Ingredients That Changed My Skin for the Better!
"For a budget pick I do actually enjoy The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%. The texture is not quite as elegant, but it is a workable product especially for the affordable price."
"I'm getting collagen stimulating from my retinol, I'm also getting it from the glycolic acid, I'm also getting it from the peptide serums that I'm using on a consistent basis that are targeted towards firming the skin and stimulating collagen."
"I absolutely adore it, it hydrates my skin, it plumps my skin, but then that soothing moisture on top just holds and hugs all that hydration in place. It's really soft but it's not sticky and tacky or greasy. However, my skin was feeling worse and worse. I was using this morning and nighttime, everything else in my routine was consistent, and my skin was not feeling it. It was inflamed, it was looking a lot more red, displaying all those classic symptoms of your barrier not being good: dull skin, uneven skin, red skin, inflamed skin, irritated skin, dehydrated skin, itchy skin, tight skin. I realized I had missed a crucial ingredient here and this is what was causing all the problems: it was gluconolactone, which is a PHA. It's misleading to me a little bit because they're saying it has ceramides, it's for your barrier, it's for a healthy strong barrier, right, and there's two forms of AHA in here. PHA is often referred to as a new generation AHA, so it is often touted as being a lot more gentle for your skin than say glycolic acid is, but it is still a chemical exfoliant."
"I really like this one because it's so gentle because they're not using that pure form of vitamin C ascorbic acid. This is a derivative or a stabilized form of vitamin C. It's not going to oxidize, you don't have to keep it in the fridge. It actually is a really nice brightening serum. Personally, I think it brightens the skin really nicely, not only if you have dull and uneven complexion, but I think it can be a helper product for brightening hyperpigmentation too. I think just overall it will rejuvenate that complexion for you, and then of course we've got some antioxidant protection in here as well. The derivatives and the stabilized versions of vitamin C can be sidekicks, they can be supportive ingredients in your skincare routine to your other collagen stimulating ingredients. But for sure where this one particularly shines is for brightening."
✓Approved
65%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on Vitamin C Serum
My Ulta Top 15 Skincare Picks
"I really like this one because it's so gentle because they're not using that pure form of vitamin C ascorbic acid. This is a derivative or a stabilized form of vitamin C. It's not going to oxidize, you don't have to keep it in the fridge. It actually is a really nice brightening serum. Personally, I think it brightens the skin really nicely, not only if you have dull and uneven complexion, but I think it can be a helper product for brightening hyperpigmentation too. I think just overall it will rejuvenate that complexion for you, and then of course we've got some antioxidant protection in here as well. The derivatives and the stabilized versions of vitamin C can be sidekicks, they can be supportive ingredients in your skincare routine to your other collagen stimulating ingredients. But for sure where this one particularly shines is for brightening."
Vitamin C for Sensitive Skin! | AD ft Vegreen
"It does not linger at all, it's just very generically herbal and goes away so quickly so I'm not too bothered by that at all. My experience with this, I have to be honest with you, it is not irritating to my skin at all. I really do like everything about this. It just feels really easy to add into your routine because it doesn't have that odd texture, it's not really oily or moisturizing, it's not siliconey, you don't have to really worry about pilling with this. You would just slot this into your regular serum point in your routine so it's really kind of effortless. You don't have to think about it too much. With vitamin C you kind of have to think about it a lot more especially when you're first starting to learn how to use it. You don't have to learn how to use this, you just use it like any other serum in your skincare routine. No refrigerator, no oxidization, no fuss. I think it's great for beginners especially but it's also great for sensitive skin that cannot tolerate any L-ascorbic acid. There's certain percentages that I can't go over sometimes I only spot treat it, depends on where my skin is at. This just takes all of that out of the equation and makes things really easy while still delivering really good benefits."
Vitamin C for Sensitive Skin! | AD ft Vegreen
"You don't have to think about it too much, just use it like any other serum in your skincare routine. No refrigerator, no oxidization, no fuss. I think it's great for beginners especially, but it's also great for sensitive skin that cannot tolerate any l-ascorbic acid. With vitamin C you kind of have to think about it a lot more, especially when you're first starting to learn how to use it. This just takes all of that out of the equation and makes things really easy while still delivering really good benefits. It's a stress-free skincare product. If you're suffering with acne, there's a little extra edge here with that antibacterial and anti-inflammation benefit. Especially if you're like me where you struggle with acne and the hyperpigmentation, you do want to think about something like this because you're getting multitudes of benefits in one bottle. It's going to treat a lot of your skin concerns with one application rather than making your skincare routine too long, too cluttered, too confusing."
"I fell in love with this earlier this year. This is such a beautiful barrier strengthening and repairing serum. It has a really nice focus on ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, and there's some beautiful ectoin in here, which truly is the trending ingredient of 2024. Ectoin is a really great antioxidant that is particularly helpful for dehydrated skin because it really helps your skin retain hydration long term. So it's actually a really great pair with all these barrier restoring ingredients, because when your barrier is impaired, when it's weak or damaged, you are more prone to losing hydration through that weakened moisture barrier. Your skin is going to be more dehydrated. So not only do we have those major factors, those lipids that contribute to strengthening the barrier, but we also have some ingredients that help right here in the moment to keep your skin more hydrated and comfortable and really resist that tight and dry feeling deep within your skin. I just think it's a really smart formula overall. It has a beautiful texture. While it is creamy, there is a really good amount of hydration to it and it's light."
✓Approved
84%of gurus approve
All 8 takes on Rescue Party Barrier Restore Serum
5 Star Skincare Empties! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"This is something I go to when my skin is feeling a little bit weak, a little bit sensitive or irritated, maybe it's burning, and this does the trick beautifully. It's a great barrier restoring serum. It has a couple different forms of ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, and it also has ectoin, which is an antioxidant that's not only very protective but also incredibly hydrating, really good for dehydrated skin, helps your skin retain hydration, which really plays into all that barrier support in the formula. I found it like a nice in-between expression of a barrier serum. Barrier serums often have a very creamy, very emollient texture, sometimes they can have more of a hydrating gel texture. This is somewhere in between it's a little bit lighter, runnier, still a little bit creamy but just not as heavy. It's a little bit pricey, but I feel like it was worth it."
My Ulta Top 15 Skincare Picks
"I fell in love with this earlier this year. This is such a beautiful barrier strengthening and repairing serum. It has a really nice focus on ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, and there's some beautiful ectoin in here, which truly is the trending ingredient of 2024. Ectoin is a really great antioxidant that is particularly helpful for dehydrated skin because it really helps your skin retain hydration long term. So it's actually a really great pair with all these barrier restoring ingredients, because when your barrier is impaired, when it's weak or damaged, you are more prone to losing hydration through that weakened moisture barrier. Your skin is going to be more dehydrated. So not only do we have those major factors, those lipids that contribute to strengthening the barrier, but we also have some ingredients that help right here in the moment to keep your skin more hydrated and comfortable and really resist that tight and dry feeling deep within your skin. I just think it's a really smart formula overall. It has a beautiful texture. While it is creamy, there is a really good amount of hydration to it and it's light."
Ectoin | Trending Ingredient Alert!
"It's so refreshing and deeply replenishing on the skin, and then we've got the creamy elements here with the lipids, the ceramides, the phytosphingosine, the fatty acids, and the colloidal oatmeal too, which brings a really beautiful moisturization to the skin that is so elegant, breathable, light, but also restorative and nourishing. I've been using this product quite a bit in my everyday skincare routines right now because I was using a different barrier serum that was actually starting to clog up my skin and create some congestion, so I switched out to this one and it's perfect. It's keeping all of the soothing nourishment and the restorative feel that I'm really seeking for right now in the dead of winter, but it's not overwhelming my skin with too many emollients that are maybe causing some congestion, so it's actually like the perfect fit for me right now. They really nailed it. They walk a line beautifully. Beautiful absorption deep into the skin, it's not sitting on top. Really nice balance between hydration and moisture, really great performance. The ectoin plays a huge role in the formulation here from the hydration feel to the fighting transepidermal water loss to supporting all the other benefits of this serum."
February Faves + Fails | Skinfix, Peach & Lily, Dr. Dana Nails, Tir Tir
"I could keep my barrier in a really good spot, give it that little extra lift that it needed without overwhelming it. Looking at the ingredients list, I felt fairly confident this was going to have a lighter texture to it, and I was right. It has five different types of ceramides, a couple of different fatty acids, phytosphingosine, and ectoin, which is a really potent antioxidant that protects from UV and environmental stressors and is a potent anti-pollution ingredient. It's considered an overall skin protector but it's also a deep hydrator for the skin. It doesn't just attract hydration into the skin, it actually creates this long lasting hydration shell within the skin that is incredibly beneficial for dehydrated skin. And dehydration is a symptom of a weak or damaged moisture barrier, so ectoin is a really smart addition. Plus they have colloidal oatmeal, heartleaf, and mugwort, which are really great anti-inflammation soothing ingredients. So all the things I want right now for my skin, but in a more hydrating lighter texture. This is more of a runny gel cream type of texture."
April Fave + Empties | Bringgreen, Dr. Idriss, Numbuzin, Aprilskin, P&L
"The Peach and Lily Rescue Party Barrier Restore Serum is particularly good for dehydrated skin, sensitive skin, and skin that maybe struggles with the moisture barrier. It really strengthens your skin but it also really helps your skin retain hydration. I like that little extra layer of antioxidant protection with the ectoin as well. This was really worth it, though it's not a cheap serum by any means."
This or That? Peach & Lily vs Skinfix Barrier Repair Serums | ep 32
"Adding in Peach and Lily was that really nice middle layer for me. I love how this absorbs into my skin and I love the hydration of this. For me personally, Peach and Lily feels like the type of serum that I could use at any time in any season. Texture-wise, I'm not afraid that this is going to congest my skin even when I'm more oily and it's hot and humid. It just has that flexibility to work in multiple different seasons, which is an important factor to me. I also really like the price of this compared to alternatives at the $47 price point."
This or That? Peach & Lily vs Skinfix Barrier Repair Serums | ep 32
"Peach and Lily was that really nice middle layer for me. I love how this absorbs into my skin. I love the hydration of this. For me personally, Peach and Lily feels like the type of serum that I could use at any time, in any season. I definitely could see myself using this in the summer if I felt like it was the right fit for my skin at the time. Texture-wise, I'm not afraid that this is going to congest my skin even when I'm more oily and it's more hot and humid. I'm not that concerned about the texture because it just has that flexibility to work in multiple different seasons. I also really like the price of this compared to other options, it's about $20 less. I feel slightly more comfortable at that $47 price point."
Spring Skincare Swaps | My Skincare Changes for the Season
"I've been really obsessed with the Peach and Lily Rescue Party Barrier Serum. I absolutely adore it. It's a really lovely, light creamy type of texture with a lot of hydration. There's a really good content of ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids. There's some Ectoin in here, which is a really strong antioxidant that goes the extra mile. It doesn't just protect your skin from free radicals, it actually shields your skin from pollution. It's a great ingredient if you do suffer with dehydration because it has the ability to help your skin retain hydration for the long term. So it really aids a hydrating formula or a barrier supportive formula. This serum has been so helpful for me, especially in the very late winter and early spring. It's creamy but not really rich, not really overly nourishing or thick or greasy. It feels really great on the skin."
"Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum is a fragrance-free formula, which is somewhat rare for Glow Recipe, but I really like the ingredients in here. There's five different forms of vitamin C, so they're using a lot of vitamin C derivatives, which makes this a really easy, chill formula. You don't have to keep it in the fridge, you don't have to worry about it oxidizing, and you don't have to worry as much about the potential irritation of pure vitamin C. They're also using some guava in here and tranexamic acid, which is great for brightening dark spots, which is exactly what this serum promises. I do feel like this serum delivers. This is a really beautiful brightening serum, and especially if you are acne prone, I think you're going to like this serum quite a bit. It's really, really good and really great at reducing redness as well. I love the color, the texture, the bottle. I think it's really fun and playful, and sometimes that's a really important element with skincare."
"Polish Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster is moisturizing, a little bit balmy, definitely nourishing but not greasy. It has really good absorbency into the skin, it's not too shiny but it is quite occlusive, which is another important component to keeping hydration in your skin. I think combo folks who lean a little bit more dry are going to enjoy this. I love azelaic acid as an ingredient, it's my number one pick for my skin with congestion, it just works so well. Azelaic acid is an exfoliating ingredient that works similar to BHA. It's not a BHA technically, but like BHA it's oil soluble and gets deep into the pore lining to exfoliate inside and release the clogs. That's incredibly beneficial if you have deep down congestion in your skin texture or if you're suffering with breakouts and active acne. Azelaic acid can get down deeper to the source and also works as a preventative to keep those pores clear in the long run. It also reduces inflammation and redness, it's antibacterial. It's treating the pimples at all the different cycles, it's exfoliating in the pore to help prevent the pimple, exfoliating inside of the pore if there is a clog or a pimple, helping to reduce the inflammation, the redness and the swelling of an active pimple, and also working to brighten up the potential hyperpigmentation after."
✓Approved
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All 2 takes on 10% Azelaic Acid Booster
All About Azelaic Acid + Product Recs!
"Polish Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster is a really great azelaic acid product using 10% of azelaic acid and it's also been combined with salicylic acid which I absolutely love because azelaic acid is a team player, so this is a really nice combination for really helping to clear out the congestion in the pores. I also like that they've combined it with niacinamide which is a nice soothing ingredient, it's nice to see that alongside the azelaic acid and licorice root extract which is an ingredient that can also help with brightening the skin, so you can see how the azelaic acid is being complemented and boosted with these other ingredients. I really like the texture of this. Most azelaic acid products will come in a cream type of texture. This has a really pleasing one. It is creamy and silky but it's not overly moisturizing. It doesn't have an oil feel or anything like that. This is a cream that you would apply in a thin layer right before your moisturizer and it just feels really nice on the skin. It's not heavy, it's not silicone, it doesn't pill at least in my experience, and it's not very rich like it's leaving your skin greasy. I think it'll work for a lot of different skin types. It's quite pricey."
My Sephora Top 15 Skincare Picks
"Polish Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster is moisturizing, a little bit balmy, definitely nourishing but not greasy. It has really good absorbency into the skin, it's not too shiny but it is quite occlusive, which is another important component to keeping hydration in your skin. I think combo folks who lean a little bit more dry are going to enjoy this. I love azelaic acid as an ingredient, it's my number one pick for my skin with congestion, it just works so well. Azelaic acid is an exfoliating ingredient that works similar to BHA. It's not a BHA technically, but like BHA it's oil soluble and gets deep into the pore lining to exfoliate inside and release the clogs. That's incredibly beneficial if you have deep down congestion in your skin texture or if you're suffering with breakouts and active acne. Azelaic acid can get down deeper to the source and also works as a preventative to keep those pores clear in the long run. It also reduces inflammation and redness, it's antibacterial. It's treating the pimples at all the different cycles, it's exfoliating in the pore to help prevent the pimple, exfoliating inside of the pore if there is a clog or a pimple, helping to reduce the inflammation, the redness and the swelling of an active pimple, and also working to brighten up the potential hyperpigmentation after."
"I do like the Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum and I have used it quite a bit, but while it's technically fragrance-free, when you look at the ingredients you don't see the word fragrance but there are actually a lot of plant extracts in here that do contribute to scent, and so I do hesitate to recommend this for everybody. I do hesitate to recommend this for sensitive folks and I do hesitate to recommend this as a barrier repair serum because I don't think that those ingredients work really well on vulnerable or damaged skin or very sensitive skin. I have personally used this just to keep my barrier in a good spot and to bring a lot more moisture into my skincare routine, a lot more nourishment. It's a very creamy nourishing moisturizing avocado oil-based serum and it feels very very good in the cold winter months if you want something just to keep your barrier strong, you're not super duper sensitive, your skin's in a good spot and you don't react to the types of ingredients. I really like it, I think it's a beautiful texture."
~Mixed
73%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum
My Sephora Top 15 Skincare Picks
"I do like the Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum and I have used it quite a bit, but while it's technically fragrance-free, when you look at the ingredients you don't see the word fragrance but there are actually a lot of plant extracts in here that do contribute to scent, and so I do hesitate to recommend this for everybody. I do hesitate to recommend this for sensitive folks and I do hesitate to recommend this as a barrier repair serum because I don't think that those ingredients work really well on vulnerable or damaged skin or very sensitive skin. I have personally used this just to keep my barrier in a good spot and to bring a lot more moisture into my skincare routine, a lot more nourishment. It's a very creamy nourishing moisturizing avocado oil-based serum and it feels very very good in the cold winter months if you want something just to keep your barrier strong, you're not super duper sensitive, your skin's in a good spot and you don't react to the types of ingredients. I really like it, I think it's a beautiful texture."
This or That ep. 30 | Peach & Lily, Biossance, RNW, Glow Recipe
"The gel texture of this might feel a little heavy for some folks on the very oily end of things, but generally I think a wider amount of people are going to enjoy the texture of this alone. I do like this product, I use this product, it feels amazing on my skin, I love the texture, it's very elegant and that kiss of richness is beautiful for me. But there are quite a few plant extracts in here, and when you have very sensitive skin it's a lot to navigate and it may not be worth trying out because if you do get irritation it's going to be impossible to know what irritated your skin. There are quite a few fragrant plant extracts in here, lavender, sandalwood. While they're not as aggressive as an essential oil, they are still going to contain trace amounts of those fragrant compounds that can be very irritating to skin. Because it's a product that claims to help calm and soothe irritated skin, it may not be the best ingredients list if your skin is very irritated. If you're prone to sensitivity with fragrance, those are not the smartest ingredients to include in this type of product."
"The newer version feels a lot lighter. I feel like it sinks into the skin really nicely and there's a decent amount of hydration. I don't know that I would call this the most hydrating serum out there, but I do feel like it adds a little bit to the skin. It's very very lightweight, not sticky, definitely not heavy, not moisturizing at all. I think it'll work for a lot of different skin types. It's a really well performing texture as far as absorbing into the skin and not causing any problems with the skincare that I put on top of it like no peeling or stickiness or anything like that."
"The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum retails for $6 for 30ml of product. I think it's fine. I don't think it has a very elegant texture. I think it's kind of sticky, and I think some people run into issues just trying to layer this with other skincare products just because it is a very inelegant type of texture, but it legit straight up costs $6. The 10% niacinamide is really great for tone and texture, something that can really help with the pores as well and definitely something that can help with excessive oil production, so if you're a very oily person you might like something like this. It's not one that I super duper recommend a lot in the whole world of niacinamide serums, but if you can only shop at Sephora or don't have access to more international types of brands, I think this is a really great place to start. If you are younger and just trying to build a skincare routine, this is a very effective place to start."
"The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 is affordable and accessible. Is it exciting? Not necessarily. But is it effective? I think it can be for a lot of folks."
"I was actually really surprised at how fast it started to brighten my skin is the Haru Haru Wonder Centella 4% Tranexamic Acid Dark Spot Go Away Serum. I've been slotting it into my nighttime routines when I'm not using retinol, but you could use it in the morning, and you could certainly use it every day morning and night if you want. It has this gel texture that's hydrating but spreads out a lot thinner than it first looks and melts into the skin really nicely. It plays alongside other products really well because it doesn't bring a lot of heft or moisture but it really is a beautiful treatment serum. It has 4% tranexamic acid in here, there's also centella, another beautiful anti-inflammatory ingredient that promotes healing, and then there's also a kiss of vitamin C in here."
"If you're struggling with hyperpigmentation, the Glow Deep Serum is what you want to look for. Arbutin is the brightener here that really helps to target the hyperpigmentation and discoloration on the skin to give you a much brighter complexion, and they have married the arbutin with rice that brings that healthy glow to the skin and really conditions the skin. They've created it in a much lighter gel texture, so if you're a little bit more oily this will be appropriate for your skin type, but it will also work for combination and dry skin types as well."
"Torriden really gets into the deeper layers and bursts into hydration but also locks in place. The hydration really sticks with you throughout the day, it really gets deep into the skin, locks in place, stays in place, and really works hard to keep your skin hydrated. Torriden really outperformed in the hydration department. They have a little bit more barrier care built into the formulation with the ceramide NP, the cholesterol, and humectants that really help to fortify that skin barrier while still keeping things very light. This is not a heavy serum, it's a very light expression of that but it's still barrier supportive, and that is exactly what you need if you're not just looking for plumping hydration but you're actually looking for barrier support."
"The key benefit here is aging, this helps with wrinkle prevention as well as improvement. This contains 2% of coenzyme Q10 and this is a great antioxidant to add into an anti-aging routine so we get the protection from the sun from free radicals from environmental stressors. This is actually an antioxidant that's naturally found in human cells and it is thought to have a major role in energy production in the skin and so that actually in turn kind of helps lead to the skin building back lost collagen and elastin. It doesn't directly stimulate collagen but it stimulates the processes that stimulate the collagen and elastin and all the beneficial proteins that keep our skin firm and smooth and that's what helps to either prevent the fine lines and wrinkles or as we're building back that collagen elastin and all those proteins to help improve the look of fine lines and wrinkles. That's really one of the standout benefits of adding coenzyme Q10 into your routines is that it helps to visibly improve the depth and the look of fine lines and wrinkles."
✓Approved
88%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Coenzyme Q10 Serum
5 Antioxidant Serums to Power Up your Skincare Routine 🌟
"The key benefit here is aging, this helps with wrinkle prevention as well as improvement. This contains 2% of coenzyme Q10 and this is a great antioxidant to add into an anti-aging routine so we get the protection from the sun from free radicals from environmental stressors. This is actually an antioxidant that's naturally found in human cells and it is thought to have a major role in energy production in the skin and so that actually in turn kind of helps lead to the skin building back lost collagen and elastin. It doesn't directly stimulate collagen but it stimulates the processes that stimulate the collagen and elastin and all the beneficial proteins that keep our skin firm and smooth and that's what helps to either prevent the fine lines and wrinkles or as we're building back that collagen elastin and all those proteins to help improve the look of fine lines and wrinkles. That's really one of the standout benefits of adding coenzyme Q10 into your routines is that it helps to visibly improve the depth and the look of fine lines and wrinkles."
5 Antioxidant Serums to Power Up your Skincare Routine 🌟
"I've been using this in the morning time and my skin really likes that rush of hydration and that plumpness. You can use this with anything, there's really no contradictions here, so if you just want stress-free skincare and don't want to think about whether you can use this with other products, just add it to your routine. It definitely makes the skin feel more firm under your fingers because it's so much more hydrated. When you use it really long term, you will start to notice the benefits. I'm starting to notice that it's really perking my skin up. The overall tone and texture is what I really notice: skin feeling firmer, looking smoother, more even toned, less red. That's what you're going to immediately notice with using this and the hydration, and then long term with the matrixyl and with the Q10, you're going to get that good prevention or improvement on your anti-aging goals."
"Resveratrol is really well known as an antioxidant that helps to stabilize pure vitamin C, another antioxidant ascorbic acid. The additional benefit of ferulic acid is that it helps to protect the skin against photo damage, against damage from the Sun. These two key antioxidants together in these high quantities right, 3% of both Resveratrol and ferulic acid, really do have that protective ability against the damages of UV rays. The Ordinary creates these really potent high percentage antioxidant serums without any water. They do believe that water does destabilize the antioxidant action of the ingredient, and so they actually choose not to use any water. It does create quite an oil-like texture but it does have a lightweight feel with an oil-like slip to it. It has really good absorbancy, almost feels a bit like a dry oil on the skin. It absorbs really fast. There's really not like a big greasy layer on top. It's not going to leave you super duper shiny. There's just a little bit of shine but it's not like a heavy grease layer on top of your skin and it feels fairly lightweight with good absorbency."
✓Approved
86%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3%
5 Antioxidant Serums to Power Up your Skincare Routine 🌟
"Resveratrol is really well known as an antioxidant that helps to stabilize pure vitamin C, another antioxidant ascorbic acid. The additional benefit of ferulic acid is that it helps to protect the skin against photo damage, against damage from the Sun. These two key antioxidants together in these high quantities right, 3% of both Resveratrol and ferulic acid, really do have that protective ability against the damages of UV rays. The Ordinary creates these really potent high percentage antioxidant serums without any water. They do believe that water does destabilize the antioxidant action of the ingredient, and so they actually choose not to use any water. It does create quite an oil-like texture but it does have a lightweight feel with an oil-like slip to it. It has really good absorbancy, almost feels a bit like a dry oil on the skin. It absorbs really fast. There's really not like a big greasy layer on top. It's not going to leave you super duper shiny. There's just a little bit of shine but it's not like a heavy grease layer on top of your skin and it feels fairly lightweight with good absorbency."
5 Antioxidant Serums to Power Up your Skincare Routine 🌟
"This is a very potent antioxidant mix. You can use this alongside vitamin C, and all of these ingredients play really well together. I personally have sensitive skin and I have actually found this serum to be a bit stimulating. The antioxidants from The Ordinary are extremely potent and they're not always going to be best suited to reactive or sensitive skin, so you want to proceed with caution. I'm not saying you're going to get sensitivity, I'm just saying I personally got just a little stimulated depending on the state of my skin. I did accidentally use it with some copper peptide product that didn't feel good, so I can definitely vouch for that not being a good combination. It's a very potent antioxidant serum, so proceed slowly with caution and check in with your skin. It is a very affordable product, but it is something that can really boost up your morning routine if sun damage is your concern. If you're currently working on sun damage, this is going to boost up your sun protection, which is crucial when you're working on sun damage to keep your skin protected."
5 Antioxidant Serums to Power Up your Skincare Routine 🌟
"I don't have a substantive quote to extract from this window. The transcript discusses The Ordinary EUK 134 0.1% as an antioxidant for brightening and UVB protection, but does not contain any reviewer commentary about The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3%. The window ends mid-sentence about EUK 134's benefits and does not address the Resveratrol + Ferulic Acid product."
"I noticed when I was using this that it seemed like I just wasn't struggling with that as much, and not every review that I read on this product mentioned that, but a lot of people said that it really did seem to help with texture and with pores. With fermented ingredients you can often see a refinement with your skin, especially when you're using high quality ones or a good quantity of them."
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All 2 takes on Real Ferment Micro Serum
Ranking Summer Skincare Empties! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
"This is a serum that contains some galactomyces ferment, I believe there's also bifida ferment in here, lots of different ferments as well as a little kiss of ascorbic acid. I actually like the serum quite a bit. It's a little bit more of a streamlined and focused ingredients list in my opinion, and I really liked the benefits that I saw with this. This is quite brightening, it really evens out the skin tone, brings out that healthy lit from within glow, which is what I expect from galactomyces, but the serum delivers and delivers pretty fast. The only thing I don't love about this is the texture. It is so thick, it's a really thick cream texture, and it's not like a silky cream texture, it's like kind of a heavy, slightly sticky cream texture. It's not going to work for a lot of skin types, and quite honestly it was a little heavy for me personally. As we move further into the warmer months it was just too heavy. Really great performing fermented serum for the right skin type."
Bifida Ferment | Healthy Skin Faves
"I noticed when I was using this that it seemed like I just wasn't struggling with that as much, and not every review that I read on this product mentioned that, but a lot of people said that it really did seem to help with texture and with pores. With fermented ingredients you can often see a refinement with your skin, especially when you're using high quality ones or a good quantity of them."
"This has a thin runny gel texture and at first you may be thinking that it's actually going to perform in a more lightweight manner than other serums, but no it really does not, appearances can be deceiving. While it looks a little bit looser, this dives deep into your skin hydration. This is a very appropriately named line; they did a great job naming this because that's exactly the sensation you get. As this gets into your skin, if other lines kind of go a little bit deeper than just on top, this goes down to the source of your dehydration. It's very, very interesting, very refreshing, incredibly like a hydration bomb deep within your skin. While it's not sticky and doesn't have a shiny greasy look and still feels very breathable and light on my combination skin, there's this really interesting effect that once it does dive deep into your skin, it's almost like it locks in place there deep in your skin, not on top. Sometimes serums sit on top of your skin and that's how they keep the hydration in place, but there's something special about this line that it kind of locks in place a little deeper into your skin. If you are suffering with dehydration that feels like it's in your skin, a little bit tight and a little bit irritated, that is an incredibly soothing feeling."
"Panthenol has a soothing anti-inflammatory benefit to it and it's also a barrier supportive ingredient. This has a really nice pleasing gel texture, kind of rides the line between a light gel and a medium gel. I've actually been really impressed with how this texture performs on the skin because the absorbency of this is really, really good. It's not the main goal of the serum to hydrate your skin; the main goal is to brighten your skin, and I'm very impressed with it. The way that it absorbs, it just absorbs so quickly into the skin and it feels very light once it is absorbed. It feels very breathable and there's no greasiness, there's no stickiness, there's no shine on top of your skin. Using this, I've noticed results for hyperpigmentation. I have some dark spots that were left over from when I got pimples that got inflamed and swollen on my skin, and absolutely worked for that. For dullness, absolutely worked for that. I think it actually helped a little bit with enlarged pores."
✓Approved
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All 3 takes on No.5 Vitamin Concentrated Serum
Serious Skin Brightening? Numbuzin No 5+ Line Review
"Panthenol has a soothing anti-inflammatory benefit to it and it's also a barrier supportive ingredient. This has a really nice pleasing gel texture, kind of rides the line between a light gel and a medium gel. I've actually been really impressed with how this texture performs on the skin because the absorbency of this is really, really good. It's not the main goal of the serum to hydrate your skin; the main goal is to brighten your skin, and I'm very impressed with it. The way that it absorbs, it just absorbs so quickly into the skin and it feels very light once it is absorbed. It feels very breathable and there's no greasiness, there's no stickiness, there's no shine on top of your skin. Using this, I've noticed results for hyperpigmentation. I have some dark spots that were left over from when I got pimples that got inflamed and swollen on my skin, and absolutely worked for that. For dullness, absolutely worked for that. I think it actually helped a little bit with enlarged pores."
Serious Skin Brightening? Numbuzin No 5+ Line Review
"It has a medium kind of feel and weight on the skin, and it absorbs so quickly into the skin and feels very light once it is absorbed. It feels very breathable and there's no greasiness, there's no stickiness, there's no shine on top of your skin. Using this, I've noticed results for hyperpigmentation. I have some dark spots that were left over from when I got pimples that got inflamed and swollen, and it absolutely worked for that. It absolutely worked for dullness. I think it actually helped a little bit with enlarged pores. When your pores look large and full of sebum and blackheads, it makes your skin look dull and discolored and very texturized. This helped with that, which was not something I was expecting or something I think it even promised anything with pores. So overall a lot of that was addressed with this."
Serious Skin Brightening? Numbuzin No 5+ Line Review
"I did see benefits with this. It really seemed to help with pores, which was not something I was expecting nor is it even something I think this promised anything with. As far as sun damage, I'm on the last leg of the most stubborn freckles and I haven't really seen too much of a change there. I don't think I've personally used this product long enough and I honestly would have to probably get to the end of this bottle before I could even give you an idea of what I think has occurred in that area. It is potent and it is a little aggressive quite honestly. If you have very very sensitive skin, this is a serious product with serious brightening ingredients in it at a serious concentration, so please proceed with caution, especially if you have had sensitivities to ascorbic acid in the past. If arbutin has been an ingredient that's a little stimulating for your sensitive skin, proceed with caution."
"I was a little afraid at first when I tried it this morning like how runny it might be, but it actually kind of stayed in the area that you apply it pretty well. I do two to three drops of The Ordinary Squalane and I mix it up in the back of my hand and that's how I apply it. This is very very rich, nourishing, oil-based. Those layers if I apply them separately would feel okay but it just does not feel as breathable and as quite as airy. I know that that sounds surprising for these types of textures but this is just how my skin accepts it. It just wouldn't feel as good. I really like the method for using it with the slip that I've created."
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All 3 takes on Squalane
Melt the Day Away | Calming Skincare Routine
"I was a little afraid at first when I tried it this morning like how runny it might be, but it actually kind of stayed in the area that you apply it pretty well. I do two to three drops of The Ordinary Squalane and I mix it up in the back of my hand and that's how I apply it. This is very very rich, nourishing, oil-based. Those layers if I apply them separately would feel okay but it just does not feel as breathable and as quite as airy. I know that that sounds surprising for these types of textures but this is just how my skin accepts it. It just wouldn't feel as good. I really like the method for using it with the slip that I've created."
Rating My Empty Skincare with Emojis! 😍💩😒
"This has never been out of my skincare routine. I tried to not buy it, I tried to use something else in its place, and it only lasted about three days and I put my order in. The Ordinary Squalane is quickly becoming a top favorite, like holy grail type of product for me. I've been using this oil over the last couple of years and this is my favorite blend especially for winter time. It's very nourishing, it is comforting, it's soothing, it is skin barrier strengthening and super duper affordable."
11/10 ⭐ Skincare Empties I Recommend!
"I have mad respect for this product. It's probably one of my favorite products from Deciem because I do find their products to be on the gentler side, but there is something about this one that is very robust, very effective, and works very fast. I've been using this since 2018. There's not much I can say. It's definitely an 11 out of 10."
"The panthenol is in here and that's always like that balance that keeps things from feeling too heavy and too overly creamy. This has a moisture element but with the panthenol we still get that watery really refreshing element to it as well. This spreads really beautifully across the skin, it's got very good absorbency. You feel more richness to this, a little bit more lipid content, a little bit more moisturizing, a bit more medium weight on the skin, but really good absorbency with that panthenol touch. You can feel that deep replenishment and it really does absorb deep into the skin. You're not going to get a shiny or greasiness on top. There's a little bit of a scent to this. There's no artificial fragrance or essential oils, but there's a few plant extracts in here that are offering up a little bit of a scent. It's a slightly powdery very floral kind of smell, it's not heavy. You got to get in there to really smell it, so you might smell it a little bit on application but it goes away in like 15 seconds or less."
"One of our community favorites that I have not gotten around to trying yet, but I really am going to mention it because it comes up every time I talk about azelaic acid: it is the Peach Slices Redness Relief Azelaic Acid Serum."
"Cosrx 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum is a really compelling mix of peptides and a great skin booster. It's a great booster if you're really feeling like there's something missing in your routine. The benefits that these peptides provide include some collagen stimulation, some firming, brightening, and some skin soothing and reducing of redness. The texture alone is going to work for a majority of skin types because it's been designed to be used in a multi-layered skincare routine and to work alongside other products to really help enhance those types of benefits. The hydration on here is so good, and for being a thinner texture it really does surprise me how good this feels on the skin. I think this is a product that if you're just starting out in your skincare routine and haven't quite figured everything out yet, this will impress you."
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All 4 takes on 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum
Cosrx The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum, Reviewed!
"Is it the best overall Superstar anti-aging product that you can add into your routine absolutely not is this a great co-star an additional product a booster that you can add alongside of a nice fully developed skincare routine to boost your results maybe"
This or That? Cosrx The 6 Peptide Vs Jumiso Snail + Peptide | ep 31
"Cerx is calling itself a serum booster, the key word there is booster. This is something that helps lift up the rest of your routine, but on its own, if it was your only active product, you know, active meaning the peptides in this, I think you might be disappointed with it. I personally was when I tested this out. I didn't feel that I got a ton of benefits from it on its own. I think that it works well as a booster, but it's important to know this isn't a highly concentrated serum. This is an essence. Cerx is using some more interesting peptides and the mix delivers a more unique set of benefits. There are some collagen stimulating peptides in here, but it's not a heavy focus of the six peptide mix that they're using. They're also looking to address signs of sensitivity and irritation on the skin, redness and inflammation, which can be particularly helpful if you do have a sensitive skin type or if you're struggling with your moisture barrier. It can also be helpful if you do struggle with inflammatory acne. There's also a brightening peptide in here that can help with the overall complexion and clarity of the skin and the evenness of it."
This or That? Cosrx The 6 Peptide Vs Jumiso Snail + Peptide | ep 31
"Cosrx 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum is a really compelling mix of peptides and a great skin booster. It's a great booster if you're really feeling like there's something missing in your routine. The benefits that these peptides provide include some collagen stimulation, some firming, brightening, and some skin soothing and reducing of redness. The texture alone is going to work for a majority of skin types because it's been designed to be used in a multi-layered skincare routine and to work alongside other products to really help enhance those types of benefits. The hydration on here is so good, and for being a thinner texture it really does surprise me how good this feels on the skin. I think this is a product that if you're just starting out in your skincare routine and haven't quite figured everything out yet, this will impress you."
This or That? Cosrx The 6 Peptide Vs Jumiso Snail + Peptide | ep 31
"From the texture alone it's going to work for a majority of skin types because it's been designed to be used in a multi-layered skincare routine. The hydration on here is so good. For being a thinner texture, it really does surprise me how good this feels on the skin. If you're just starting out in your skincare routine and haven't quite figured everything out yet, I think this will impress you and show benefits on your skin. If you haven't gone that far in your routine yet and you need a boost and you're thinking peptides might be the way to go, plus you're interested in trying different peptides than the same old ones that are in every product, the Cosrx 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum is the correct choice for you. If you like the idea of adding some extra peptides into the mix and you're okay with it feeling like an addition, just some extra peptide sprinkled in on top, then this would work. It's not a super concentrated peptide product, though, so as long as you know that."
"You can use this morning and night. It is not harsh or stripping on the skin, but it really does help to encourage the pimples and the breakouts to calm down, to slowly flatten out, and to help over time boost your anti-acne routines. They're not using the pure form of vitamin C, L-ascorbic acid. They're actually using a derivative known as 3-O ethyl ascorbic acid. This derivative is great because it gives you a lot of the same benefits as vitamin C, which is brightening and antioxidant care and a little bit of that well-aging and collagen stimulation. If you're particularly sensitive skin, if vitamin C pure ascorbic acid has not worked for you in the past or you're just looking for a gentler type of product, this would be the way to go with the derivatives because it has to take an additional step to convert on the skin, and that conversion process is what makes it a little bit more gentle and a little bit more tolerable for sensitive skin."
"Mary and May Idebenone Blackberry Complex Serum has idebenone, which is a very potent antioxidant ingredient that is really fantastic to help protect your skin from environmental stressors, pollution, and UV damage. Antioxidants can be a really helpful supportive ingredient for just healthy skin in general, and for a well-aging journey definitely antioxidants have their place. They're a great supportive ingredient for anybody's skincare routine just because they're so protective for the skin. That protection from the sun is one extra layer of something that's not damaging our skin or prematurely aging it, and same goes for pollution in our environment. Those can really stress out and test our skin, weaken our moisture barrier over time, and weaken the collagen structure over time. These are all things that build up over time and contribute to the look of the skin."
"The Multi-Peptide + Hyaluronic Acid Serum has quite a few different peptides in it, but they're using the famous peptide duo known as Matrixyl 3000. It's a great collagen-stimulating duo that addresses multiple signs of aging on the skin and can be a great alternative or addition to copper peptide. Matrixyl 3000 does help to stimulate collagen, and what's interesting about the cell communication process is that palmitoyl tripeptide 1 actually tricks your body into thinking that collagen was lost or that there was a collagen breakdown, and that's how it signals to your body to make more of your own collagen, which can really help to address fine lines and wrinkles. Matrixyl 3000 is well known for helping with prevention but also treating the look of fine lines and wrinkles, the depth and appearance of them. It can really help soften them over time."
"The B Oil from The Ordinary has a really nice mix of Omega 6 and Omega 9 fatty acids and has really been kind of obsessively researched to find that perfect balance."
"The bikil is doing the work in this formula. While I hate the marketing claims and the naming and everything that they're doing to sell you this product, the actual ingredients list is really really solid. The ingredients that they're using actually make for a really nice moisturizing serum that also brings anti-aging benefits to the skin. It's almost like a lotion-like texture, really interesting. It's not stiff, it's not thick, it's not even particularly rich and buttery, but it does have this comforting moisture to it. It doesn't have an oil-like feel. It just has that really moisturizing emollient but not super duper rich feel, and it spreads across the skin like a very thin lotion while being really light on the skin. It still goes into every little dried crevice on your face."
"The silicones really do their job because as you spread this onto your skin it feels really good, it feels like hydrating, it feels moisturizing and silky too. It's a really beautiful elegant type of gel. It absorbs into the skin really quickly and it doesn't feel wet as it's absorbing. It creates this really nice layer that feels silky and skin conditioning and smooth at the top but not sticky, not greasy, not heavy. For offering a good amount of moisture and comfort to the skin, it actually doesn't carry a lot of weight to it. The silicones are responsible for this really breathable texture while also offering a little hug to the skin, which I really like. It's just this slightest whisper of occlusivity, a little bit of hugging everything that you put on before into your skin. If you like to use a hydrating toner or an essence, this just helps to gently hug that hydration just a little deeper into the skin. It helps your skin resist dehydration just a little bit more. It's not petrolatum, it's not thick, it's not a barrier, it's not going to stop anything else from absorbing into your skin that you put on top of it."
"I particularly like marula oil. The fatty acid profiles of these particular oils have a lot of Omega nine fatty acids in them and that's something that really helps with very very dry skin. It's very rich and nourishing and can help support a healthy moisture barrier function."
"The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum is in the $30 range. It does feature 1% of copper peptide but it doesn't have the 1% of tripeptide in it. It does have another peptide mix that helps to support well-aging skin rejuvenating journey. Just because it costs less doesn't necessarily mean you're not going to get similar benefits."
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All 2 takes on Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum
Hyped Skincare Ingredients, Are They Worth It?
"The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum is in the $30 range. It does feature 1% of copper peptide but it doesn't have the 1% of tripeptide in it. It does have another peptide mix that helps to support well-aging skin rejuvenating journey. Just because it costs less doesn't necessarily mean you're not going to get similar benefits."
Skincare That Actually Firms Skin!
"Because of the 1% copper peptide, they've combined the copper peptide with other well-aging peptides and other collagen stimulating peptides to help round out the formula. This definitely works on the skin, but it's going to take a lot longer to show results or to feel results under your fingertips. I still really like this serum, and I think that with consistent use it definitely can help with that firming journey. It is not the only firming product that you want to use, but it is one of those supportive products that you can add into your routine, and this one is a lot more affordable at $31 for 30ml of product."
"It's always sticky, it always has this like weird gel-like texture that doesn't feel very hydrating to my skin at all. Hyaluronic acid just ain't it for me. It just does not deeply replenish my skin, it does not treat my dehydration, and honestly my experience in the past has been that hyaluronic acid actually makes my dehydration worse in the long run. When you apply it topically to the skin, the hyaluronic acid molecules are really big, and that means it's poor at penetrating deeper into the skin and getting down into where it needs to go to really plump up the skin to really hydrate it. So this really big molecule sits right at the top uppermost surface of the epidermis and it just sits there and attracts and binds hydration, but it doesn't do what it does when it's naturally occurring in the body."
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All 2 takes on Hyaluronic Acid
Hyped Skincare Ingredients, Are They Worth It?
"It's always sticky, it always has this like weird gel-like texture that doesn't feel very hydrating to my skin at all. Hyaluronic acid just ain't it for me. It just does not deeply replenish my skin, it does not treat my dehydration, and honestly my experience in the past has been that hyaluronic acid actually makes my dehydration worse in the long run. When you apply it topically to the skin, the hyaluronic acid molecules are really big, and that means it's poor at penetrating deeper into the skin and getting down into where it needs to go to really plump up the skin to really hydrate it. So this really big molecule sits right at the top uppermost surface of the epidermis and it just sits there and attracts and binds hydration, but it doesn't do what it does when it's naturally occurring in the body."
Hyped Skincare Ingredients, Are They Worth It?
"Hyaluronic acid is actually a poor ingredient to hydrate the skin. It can sometimes give you that plump and juicy and bouncy feeling to your skin in my experience combined with other hydrating ingredients, but it's fussy, it's not a great hydrator, it's kind of sticky, and I just don't like when you have to learn all these rules in order to use a skincare product. If you're looking at hyaluronic acid or you want to get the benefits of it, I would look for it in a more complex formula with other glycerin, panthenol, other moisturizing factors that can give you a more well-rounded hydrating plumping experience."
"It's a collagen stimulating peptide that signals to our body to create collagen, but it also is a carrier peptide for copper and it helps deliver the copper deeper into the skin where it can create more meaningful results. So I really like the combination here, there's some other peptides in the mix. This is a very expensive serum that is up in the like the $90 range, but it works. This is one of the very few expensive products where I would say if it fits your budget go for it. I don't think that you will regret it. It will show you results. It made my skin feel so firm so fast, amazing."
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All 2 takes on Copper Amino Isolate Serum
Hyped Skincare Ingredients, Are They Worth It?
"It's a collagen stimulating peptide that signals to our body to create collagen, but it also is a carrier peptide for copper and it helps deliver the copper deeper into the skin where it can create more meaningful results. So I really like the combination here, there's some other peptides in the mix. This is a very expensive serum that is up in the like the $90 range, but it works. This is one of the very few expensive products where I would say if it fits your budget go for it. I don't think that you will regret it. It will show you results. It made my skin feel so firm so fast, amazing."
Skincare That Actually Firms Skin!
"It's an expensive product, about $62 for 15ml of product or $93 for a 30ml bottle, but the reason I bring it up is because it works. I would never recommend something at that price point if I didn't have personal results with it. This firms the skin, makes it feel thicker but in a good way, thicker and firmer and more lifted. After a couple of weeks of consistent use it absolutely firms the skin. It has this really interesting refining quality to the skin. If you have enlarged pores it really helps to smooth those and make them look more refined and slightly tighter. It makes your skin look really smooth, really lifted, feels thick, feels firm, and that really comes down to those peptides that are helping with the structural integrity of the skin. The peptides help keep the pore from sagging, which is why we're seeing those results with the pores. It's also overall helping the skin to feel more firm and lifted."
"I find this ingredient to be properly rated. I think the hype around this ingredient is real, and I think it might be worth experimenting with it to see if you can't get the benefits that everybody is hyping up about this. Copper peptide is seen on the ingredients list as copper tripeptide 1, and this is actually a peptide that's been around for a super long time. It's really well studied, it's pretty well understood, and it was discovered in 1973 by Dr. Loren Pickart. It actually was first used for its abilities to calm inflammation and to promote wound healing on the skin. Its first use approved by the FDA was for a gel, a hydrating gel that helps with ulcers, can help with burns, and help just with wound healing on the skin in general. The collagen stimulating abilities of copper peptide and its skin rejuvenating and renewing abilities are really what drive it to the top of the peptide pack when it comes to anti-aging or well-aging."
"This is an old time suggestion, this has been in a lot of my fall content throughout the years because I keep going back to this, it just works. The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% is an antioxidant that's going to protect you from sun exposure, but it has some extra abilities beyond just environmental stressors, pollution, oxidative stress, UV rays. It can also help to calm the skin. Having something that's not only helping to protect my skin from further stressors and helping to address the stressors that are causing the inflammation, it's also helping to soothe the inflammation and the irritation that comes with it. It's also an ingredient that can help increase hydration within the skin because it helps with your skin's natural production of hyaluronic acid, which helps to keep your skin hydrated."
"It's fun and the popularity is in the fun of this product, but I have to say I'm not that impressed with it. It's not bad, I think it can absolutely be useful, I can see it working, it's not a bad product, but I wasn't super duper impressed with it. Beyond the fun and the packaging and the marketing, which is a big component, I was a little bit confused why it was so popular."
"I really wish more people knew about this product. It is really, when I think about niacinamide serums, this is like the top product that I think about because it really gives you a wow benefit on your skin. We have five percent of niacinamide in here, and it's important to know the percentage because different percentages bring up different benefits. At five percent we've got really effective brightening, hyperpigmentation, dull skin, uneven skin. You want your skin to glow? Five percent definitely gonna do that. It's going to help strengthen your skin barrier and it's also going to help stimulate collagen, and that is the name of the game for well aging. Collagen stimulation helps to prevent and target the look of fine lines and wrinkles on the skin. It is amazing for skin elasticity. It is so so good. Five percent is the percentage that is studied in clinical studies. They're using five percent of niacinamide. I know it sounds low but it's actually a very effective amount, it's a very safe amount too. As you go up in percentages there's a bigger potential for irritation. Five percent is a very gentle amount but as I said, effective."
"The Laneige Glowy Makeup Serum has a really similar concept to dewdrops and it's even pink. This delivers the makeup priming abilities in a serum format that I felt were slightly lacking with dewdrops. It has a really nice gel texture to it. There are some sparkly, glittery-looking elements, these are light reflecting particles, it does not look glittery on the skin, it does not look juvenile. It's an upscale, grown-up kind of light reflecting particle. It's a thin gel with a very mild plumping, hydrating type of feel at the top of your skin. If you're looking for a hydrating serum gel primer, I do find this more hydrating than dewdrops. It really does have a skin enhancing effect to it. I think Laneige delivers on that because it does have that like, oh my skin just looks a little bit better, it just looks a little bit brighter."
"I find the price of this incredibly fair, thirty dollars for 80 milliliters of product. Most serums are 30 ml or 50 ml, so I think that this is priced exactly right. This entire line has really been formulated to bring a high concentration of quality green tea into your skin, and it's been formulated with oily folks in mind because they have formulated the products within this line to help control sebum on the skin. Green tea also has all those great anti-aging benefits too, so it's also a great line even if you're not oily or have acne-prone skin. This is one of the products in the line that I do think could work for any skin type. It's got such a pleasing texture to it."
"When I reviewed the smaller size bottle, I told you I'm not really seeing anything. It's probably doing some small things, but my skin is pretty optimized in a good spot that I'm just not really noticing anything mindblowing with this. It had a nice refreshing gel texture. It felt really refreshing and hydrating and light on my skin, but it just didn't really feel like it did anything. It might be working behind the scenes. It might be supporting good stuff in my skin. I'm not seeing anything in the mirror with this one. And I emptied the whole bottle. This is a 30ml bottle. I think the trial size I had was 15. So I think I've used enough of this by this point to know that it's just not really for me."
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All 2 takes on Multipeptides & Growth Factor Advanced Lifting Serum
Sitting Down With My Skincare Empties (Honest Thoughts)
"When I reviewed the smaller size bottle, I told you I'm not really seeing anything. It's probably doing some small things, but my skin is pretty optimized in a good spot that I'm just not really noticing anything mindblowing with this. It had a nice refreshing gel texture. It felt really refreshing and hydrating and light on my skin, but it just didn't really feel like it did anything. It might be working behind the scenes. It might be supporting good stuff in my skin. I'm not seeing anything in the mirror with this one. And I emptied the whole bottle. This is a 30ml bottle. I think the trial size I had was 15. So I think I've used enough of this by this point to know that it's just not really for me."
How K-Beauty has Changed in 13 Years | Chatty AM Skincare
"This is the Allies of Skin Multipeptides & Growth Factor Advanced Lifting Serum and as the name suggests it is a peptide serum that is focused on anti-aging skin firming collagen stimulation. It has this really fantastic kind of runny but still medium to light gel texture. It actually feels pretty hydrating. I really am excited about the texture. So far so good. I do really appreciate the texture. The formula definitely is promising. I have high hopes for this one."
"When it comes to a better replacement for Allies of Skin, it's the Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptide Serum. This one is $20 versus like $200 for Allies of Skin. This is something that is using the clinical percentages of peptides. This is something that has shown me meaningful results by using it and finishing a couple bottles of this. This is something that I just trust to actually work for me. It's a lot more milky and emulsion-like. There's a hydrating element to this, a plumping element, but also a creamy, silky moisturizing element to it. I would call this a medium texture or medium weight serum. It's hydrating and moisturizing at the same time, and it adds a little dew to your skin as well, which I also like. It might be a little too moisturizing for some folks. If you're like super duper oily, you may not enjoy this. I personally really like it. This is something that I definitely have noticed firms the skin, gives a little bit of a lift to the skin."
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All 14 takes on Power Peptide Serum
Instant Gratification Skincare | 5 Products with Quick Results!
"Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides really surprised me at how fast it works for firming and plumping the skin. It uses a really nice mixture of really novel and new peptides that help to target collagen, that help to target fine lines and wrinkles, and to really help to support skin firming and skin elasticity overall. It's a really beautiful kind of milky hydrating moisturizing emulsion type of texture. It is a bit more medium weight and may not feel the best for very oily skin types, but I've really been enjoying this texture because just on its own it actually feels very hydrating, slightly plumping to the skin, while also a bit smoothing and moisturizing. Within about two and a half weeks or so, three weeks with this one, I was like whoa, actually it's not just plumpness from hydration that I'm feeling, it's actually like my skin is feeling tighter, it's feeling firmer, it's just a lot bouncier."
Instant Gratification Skincare | 5 Products with Quick Results!
"It has a milky hydrating moisturizing emulsion type of texture that is a bit more medium weight and may not feel the best for very oily skin types, but I've really been enjoying this texture because it actually feels very hydrating, slightly plumping to the skin while also a bit smoothing and moisturizing. Within about two and a half to three weeks with this one, I was noticing it's not just plumpness from hydration that I'm feeling, it's actually like my skin is feeling tighter, it's feeling firmer, just a lot bouncier. I could feel more firming happening for sure and I was very surprised. I also noticed there was a refresh or rejuvenated effect with this, my skin looked clearer and had more vitality to my complexion. My skin looked smoother. I think it might have helped to improve texture, which makes sense because collagen stimulating ingredients can help to positively affect texture on the skin, enlarged pores, all of that can be positively influenced by collagen stimulating ingredients."
5 Best NEW Skincare Releases of 2024!
"The mix of peptides that they're using can enhance that plump and firm feel on your skin as you're continuously using this, you might notice a little bit more of that which can be very nice especially if you're working to kind of firm up your skin. The brightening in here is really why I'm putting this on the list because it works, you will see a brighter, more glowy skin tone emerge when using this. This is really one of those products that pleasantly surprised me because it claims that it will firm up your skin and it does that and it does it meaningfully and I think it does it fairly fast."
5 Best NEW Skincare Releases of 2024!
"It gets a creamy silkiness right at the top of the skin, it's not greasy, it's not rich, it's not oily, but it gets hydrating inside with a nice skin softening moisturizing effect. Medium weight feeling on the skin. Within about two weeks of using this, my skin feels firm, it feels plump, it feels so smooth. I could feel the difference under my fingers. My skin was already pretty firm and pretty smooth, but I was like, whoa, this feels so good, so different. I can feel it working. My skin looks amazing."
Peptide Skincare that ACTUALLY Firms Your Skin!
"I've been talking about this quite a bit over the last couple of months because I'm kind of obsessed with it because of the results that it gives my skin. I was really just floored. I don't know why because Geek and Gorgeous always comes correct. I think it's because I'm like I don't really need that much firming so it's probably more of a preventative product than something that's really going to show me results right away. No, no, no, no, no. I was so wrong. It showed me results fairly quickly. Consistently using this for a few weeks, all of a sudden I was like, my skin is firmer. I can feel my skin is firmer. I can feel it with my fingers, I can feel it in my bones in my body, and I'm seeing it in the mirror too. And as I mentioned as well, an additional benefit that they're not necessarily claiming but I personally saw from this is a smoothness to my skin texture. I do have a pretty strong active routine going right now that helps to address congestion and helps with aging in addition to these types of products that help to stimulate collagen. But I've been on a pretty strict regime of the same products for a very long time now, and so this is something that I think has boosted that overall. It's definitely added to my routine. I don't think it's just a coincidence. I think it's about everything working together."
"This is the Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptide Serum, and this is about $20, which is more my speed personally. This is a peptide formula and a price for a product that I can really get behind. This is going to be a 10 out of 10. This is a very good peptide formula particularly for skin firming. I kind of almost want to say I know it works because I can feel it working. It actually firms your skin quite quickly, plumps your skin, firms your skin, smooths your skin in just a matter of a few weeks with consistent use. I definitely love the peptide mix that they're using here and they're using the clinical percentages."
My Top 5 Serums | 2025 Edition
"They're using the correct percentage as possible, the clinical amounts, but they're not just claiming the biggest because they can. They're really looking into each one and which one is going to give the maximum benefits at what percentage. I was really blown away with this serum when I first started using it. Within two, three weeks I was like my skin feels firmer, it feels plumper, and it's not just plump from filling my skin with hydration and sealing it in with moisture. This felt like more at that deeper level where I was like I can feel my skin has changed, I can feel it under my fingers. The texture is a little bit more of an emulsion type. It does have a hydrating feel to it but it's also very creamy and moisturizing, kind of medium weight. It's probably best appropriate for combo skin like mine. I think dry skin will like this too. If you have balanced skin type I think you might like this. Oily skin it could go either way, it might be something that works for you and it might feel just a little heavy depending on how much moisture your skin can truly tolerate."
THIS is What I Do Weekly for Bright & Glowy Skin!
"I've found the Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptide Serum. I was using that for many months, absolutely love it. Want to go back to that at some point."
Save $$$ | Expensive Skincare Dupes!! Caudalie, Allies of Skin and Paula's Choice Alternatives!
"I do think that this serum actually, unlike allies of skin, I do feel like this power peptides from Geek and Gorgeous can actually show some meaningful results for existing fine lines and wrinkles. What's unique about Geek and Gorgeous is they're using the clinical percentages of the peptides. They're using 3% of metatricxel 3000. In a clinical study of folks using this for about 30 days, two times a day has shown a significant reduction in the depth of wrinkles as well as boosting skin tone and elasticity and firmness. They're using 2% of metatricxel synth 6, which helps to boost a lot of the important components within the skin matrix like fibonnectin, hyaluronic acid, and lamin, but it also helps to boost collagen 1, three, and four. They're using 4% of Teopep 417, also known as tetropeptide 21. This is a peptide that boosts collagen within the skin as well as fibonnectin and hyaluronic acid."
Save $$$ | Expensive Skincare Dupes!! Caudalie, Allies of Skin and Paula's Choice Alternatives!
"It has a little bit of a different texture. It's more of like an emulsion type of texture. It's hydrating but it's also a little bit milky and moisturizing too, which I actually find really pleasant. You get that deep hydration, that wateriness, little bit of plumpness, and then just that little skin conditioning kiss of moisture. It's not greasy. It's not really rich. It's not super heavy, but it just kind of softens and conditions the skin. If your skin has a loss of elasticity and a loss of firmness, get this product. I stand behind that because this is a product that will firm your skin. I felt it. I could feel it. I not only see it, I can feel it in my skin when I use this. I feel very confident recommending this, not just on my experience, but on the experience of our community as well."
Brrr.... Serums for Cold Weather 🥶
"Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptide Serum is the serum to go for if you want moisturization and the well-aging benefits of peptides that help to firm up your skin. This is fast becoming one of my favorite peptide serums because the mix of peptides that they're using is a really compelling mix that really helps to support the well-aging journey, collagen production, skin elasticity. They're also using them in really proven percentages and being very transparent about that formulation and about the quantities present. They're using 3% of Matrical 3000, which is a duo of two peptides that helps to stimulate collagen production and also helps with skin tone and texture and brightness and smoothness and really just helps with overall more rejuvenated youthful looking skin. They're also using 2% of Matrical Synth 6, which is that next generation of the Matrical family of peptides and this also takes the collagen stimulation to the next level. It helps to promote collagen 1, 3 and 6 as well as fibronectin and laminin and also hyaluronic acid, which are all components within the skin matrix that really help to promote that firm look."
Brrr.... Serums for Cold Weather 🥶
"In cold weather it just feels so balancing and good and not sticky and not overwhelming, but the moisture that it delivers is very good. The benefits that it delivers is very good too. This is fast becoming one of my favorite peptide serums not just because I like the peptides that they're using and I like the transparency of the percentages and the proven amounts, but I actually like what this does to my skin. It actually made my skin feel really firm, like actually deep within the skin I could feel the tightness in my skin in a good way, not like dehydrated tight, but like firm and lifted tight. This is a really good peptide serum. I noticed those benefits fairly quickly, using it morning and night, sometimes just once a day, sometimes twice a day, but using it consistently within about a week or two I was starting to notice that benefit on my skin. It's not only something that delivers results, it actually delivers results pretty fast. This firms my skin pretty fast. If you are looking for a peptide focus serum because you feel like your skin is losing elasticity, if you feel like you do need that collagen stimulation in your routine, maybe in addition to retinoids or maybe as an alternative to retinoids, if you're serious about the well-aging journey, this is the serum I would recommend."
Brrr.... Serums for Cold Weather 🥶
"Using it consistently within about a week or two I was starting to notice that benefit on my skin. It's not only something that delivers results, I think it actually delivers results pretty fast. Very rarely does it seem like it happens that fast, but I will stand firm in saying that this firms my skin pretty fast. I am really really impressed with this. If you are looking for a peptide focus serum because you feel like your skin is losing elasticity, if you feel like you do need that collagen stimulation in your routine, maybe in addition to retinoids or maybe as an alternative to retinoids, and you're serious about the well aging journey, this is the serum I would recommend for you. You don't want to just rely on one peptide to do all the heavy collagen stimulation. You don't want to just rely on a serum that claims peptides but we're not sure exactly how much is in there. If you just don't want to mess around, this is the serum that you should get."
Empty Skincare and What I Replaced Them With!
"When it comes to a better replacement for Allies of Skin, it's the Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptide Serum. This one is $20 versus like $200 for Allies of Skin. This is something that is using the clinical percentages of peptides. This is something that has shown me meaningful results by using it and finishing a couple bottles of this. This is something that I just trust to actually work for me. It's a lot more milky and emulsion-like. There's a hydrating element to this, a plumping element, but also a creamy, silky moisturizing element to it. I would call this a medium texture or medium weight serum. It's hydrating and moisturizing at the same time, and it adds a little dew to your skin as well, which I also like. It might be a little too moisturizing for some folks. If you're like super duper oily, you may not enjoy this. I personally really like it. This is something that I definitely have noticed firms the skin, gives a little bit of a lift to the skin."
"I really have been enjoying this product and I wanted to talk to you about it as a favorite. It really does attack all facets of skin soothing and barrier support from many different angles. From the barrier support stance alone, they have ceramic content in here but it's not your traditional ceramides cholesterol fatty acids kind of barrier support. They are actually using plant-derived ceramides, so these are actually lipids that come from plant sources that can help to fortify your moisture barrier. Our skin and our body knows how to use them because they're seen as skin identical. But then they're also using two percent niacinamide which stimulates our body's natural production of ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids, our own lipid production, and that really helps to strengthen the moisture barrier and help your skin hold onto hydration and resist the dehydration process. There's also some great hydrating ingredients in here, those sugar molecules that help bind water into the skin."
✓Approved
82%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on Soothing and Barrier Support Serum
This or That ep. 29 | NIOD, The Ordinary, Beauty of Joseon, Klairs
"It's a serum that really relieves the skin. Yes, with long-term use it strengthens your skin, it hydrates your skin, it fights dehydration. It has some great antioxidants to it. It's a well-rounded serum that can be used in many instances. If you're somebody who wants a barrier support serum, maybe your skin is just feeling a little stressed, a little tested, a little weak but it's not like full out burning and itching, but you want something that's going to make your skin feel stronger in the long run, that's where I think The Ordinary shines, especially because you're going to save some money when you buy this one. If you're just looking for barrier support, this is a really really good serum. If your skin gets tested because you use AHA, tretinoin, retinol, vitamin C and you want to make sure that your barrier is staying strong through that, maybe through seasonal shifts as you go into colder temperatures when your skin gets a little bit more prone to dehydration as a sign of a weak moisture barrier, it's not intense but you just want to stay on top of it to keep your skin in its strongest, healthiest state, go for The Ordinary."
5 Serums for Fall '23
"I have eczema prone skin and very sensitive skin, and when I sweat I have to wash my face immediately if I let this sweat sit on my face it is a recipe for disaster and my skin gets so itchy and irritated from sweat. I went through about a week of my skin feeling weak and a little bit itchy and just a little stressed out, and I could tell that my barrier was just not in a good place. The Soothing and Barrier Support Serum is really good at giving it a pick me up. Not only does it give you relief on contact with that sensitive ingredient, so that itchy irritated feeling doesn't drive you nuts and you get that relief immediately, but really within a few days I could tell that my skin was improving, it was getting stronger, it was getting better. The serum really has all of those elements to treat multiple symptoms but also the source."
September Faves | Peach Slices, By Wishtrend, The Ordinary, Unpacking Beauty Pod!
"I really have been enjoying this product and I wanted to talk to you about it as a favorite. It really does attack all facets of skin soothing and barrier support from many different angles. From the barrier support stance alone, they have ceramic content in here but it's not your traditional ceramides cholesterol fatty acids kind of barrier support. They are actually using plant-derived ceramides, so these are actually lipids that come from plant sources that can help to fortify your moisture barrier. Our skin and our body knows how to use them because they're seen as skin identical. But then they're also using two percent niacinamide which stimulates our body's natural production of ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids, our own lipid production, and that really helps to strengthen the moisture barrier and help your skin hold onto hydration and resist the dehydration process. There's also some great hydrating ingredients in here, those sugar molecules that help bind water into the skin."
"This is a very lightweight, milky lotion texture. It is moisturizing, but it's not a stiff cream, and it's not gel-like or emulsion-like either. It's just a very fluidy, lightweight lotion. This is a really good amount of balancing moisture without overwhelming your skin. Great for combo skin types. This is great if your combo skin maybe leans just a tiny bit more dry in certain areas. You're going to appreciate how much moisture this brings without the grease and without the thickness. This doesn't bring a lot of oclusivity to the skin, so if you're severely dehydrated, this may not be the very best moisturizer for you. But this is going to be really great for folks who maybe just have a tiny bit of dehydration, a little bit of that dry feeling on the skin. I think this more firmly stands for balanced skin types, combo skin types, people who are leaning with just a kiss of dryness on the skin. You're going to enjoy this one a lot. What I really like about it is it's not sticky or tacky in the finish. It softens the skin, sinks in really good, does the moisturization inside without any tackiness on the outside."
✓Approved
81%of gurus approve
All 5 takes on Rice 70 Intensive Moisturizing Milk
My EVERYTHING Skincare and Self Care Snow Day! | AD ft iRESTORE
"I've actually been really liking this one from Anua because it feels like just as moisturizing as other creams but it's so much thinner and lighter and there's a little bit more of a hydration factor to it too than like a true medium cream. The lotiony aspect of this, the milky aspect of this, really just spreads and absorbs into this skin a lot better. So I've been using this a lot for my neck and chest especially and I don't get any peeling or any greasiness, but my skin feels so soft and conditioned and so smooth."
My HONEST Anua Rice + Ceramide Review 🫖
"It's an amazing body product. I've been putting it on my body a lot and I've actually been using it a lot for my hands too because your hands need love as well and my neck and chest. It's actually a perfect neck and chest cream because it's not heavy or greasy so it doesn't pile up and peel up on your skin. I feel like a lot of things pill on my neck that don't on my face but this is perfect. I'm going to rate this an eight out of 10. I was impressed with this. I didn't want to be impressed with this but I was impressed with this as well."
My HONEST Anua Rice + Ceramide Review 🫖
"This is an amazing body milk. I've been putting it on my body a lot and I've actually been using it a lot for my hands too because your hands need love as well and my neck and chest. It's actually a perfect neck and chest cream because it's not heavy or greasy so it doesn't pile up and peel up on your skin like a lot of things do on my neck. I'm going to rate this an eight out of 10. I was impressed with this, I didn't want to be impressed with this but I was impressed with this."
February Faves | Haruharu, Nacific, Medicube, Anua
"This is called a moisturizing milk but it truly is like a lotion type of moisturizer. It's not as heavy and dense as a cream, it's a lot lighter and not really super occlusive on the skin. What really impressed me about this particular product is it actually does pack a lot of moisture in a light breathable lotion texture. It's very nourishing, very skin softening, very comforting, skin soothing. There's a really nice skin brightening effect here with some niacinamide in addition to the rice, and there's just a really nice silky richness to this while still maintaining a milky lotion feel. So it's thin, it's light, it's breathable but it's moisturizing. It will soften your skin, it will condition your skin, it feels silky and rich and luxurious but light."
Lightweight Barrier Repair for Summer: 8 Products That Won't Make You Greasy
"This is a very lightweight, milky lotion texture. It is moisturizing, but it's not a stiff cream, and it's not gel-like or emulsion-like either. It's just a very fluidy, lightweight lotion. This is a really good amount of balancing moisture without overwhelming your skin. Great for combo skin types. This is great if your combo skin maybe leans just a tiny bit more dry in certain areas. You're going to appreciate how much moisture this brings without the grease and without the thickness. This doesn't bring a lot of oclusivity to the skin, so if you're severely dehydrated, this may not be the very best moisturizer for you. But this is going to be really great for folks who maybe just have a tiny bit of dehydration, a little bit of that dry feeling on the skin. I think this more firmly stands for balanced skin types, combo skin types, people who are leaning with just a kiss of dryness on the skin. You're going to enjoy this one a lot. What I really like about it is it's not sticky or tacky in the finish. It softens the skin, sinks in really good, does the moisturization inside without any tackiness on the outside."
"This is a product I also used when I damaged my skin in 2018, and it did help me heal. I really stand by it. It has occlusive ingredients that help protect your skin and hold in the hydration, which is incredibly essential if your skin barrier is weak, because that's what your skin barrier naturally does for you -- when it's weak or damaged, it can't protect your skin and it can't hold in the hydration. It can be expensive up front, but you're getting so much moisturizer, so much value for that price."
✓Approved
85%of gurus approve
All 32 takes on Moisturizing Cream
Barrier Repair on a Budget: $50 Core Routine (+ $75 Complete Upgrade)
"This is a product I also used when I damaged my skin in 2018, and it did help me heal. I really stand by it. It has occlusive ingredients that help protect your skin and hold in the hydration, which is incredibly essential if your skin barrier is weak, because that's what your skin barrier naturally does for you -- when it's weak or damaged, it can't protect your skin and it can't hold in the hydration. It can be expensive up front, but you're getting so much moisturizer, so much value for that price."
Sitting Down With My Skincare Empties (Honest Thoughts)
"CeraVe Moisturizing Cream is another one I feel like I could use all year round. It has a medium texture but it's not greasy. It is very occlusive, though, and I really like that for fighting off dehydration. I've been using this since 2018. I hate the pump container. There's always cream left when the pump stops being reliable. I prefer the tube. The squeeze tube is actually a lot better for face application."
Empty Skincare and What I Replaced Them With! | Spring 2026
"I love this moisturizer. I've loved it since about 2018. It's a really good one for winter for my skin. What I really like about it is how occlusive it is. That's what really sets it apart from a lot of other products for me. The occlusive ingredients really help to fight dehydration, which is really the main issue I face in winter. There's just something about how occlusive it is that is so good for the majority of winter. Sometimes I do need something a little bit thicker when it gets really, really bad, and I might mix something in to bulk it up and get some more occlusivity. But generally speaking, this works really well for me in winter, and most of the year as well. There's just something about this texture, medium weight, moisturizes, but it's not oily, greasy, or heavy, that does so well for me. I prefer to buy this in the squeeze tube if I can, because toward the end of the tub with the pump it just gets kind of annoying."
5 Star Skincare Empties! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"It's very rich, it's moisturizing, it's barrier restorative. I knocked a star off of it because it's pretty pricey for what it is and the amount that you get, and it's not my year-round moisturizer. I've only been gravitating towards it in cold weather. I've been using this for many many years. The reason I love this so much is I can seem to use this in any type of weather. Whenever my skin needs barrier repair, no matter the weather, this seems to work for me. It is meant to soothe irritation, but it also has a good amount of dimethicone, which is a great occlusive agent, and there's some petrolatum in here that also helps to tuck it into your skincare. I can mix it with other products to make it a much thicker, heftier type of cream, way more occlusive, and this actually worked for me towards the end of winter when my skin was the driest."
Sick Skincare Go To's
"I love CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, it's straightforward, it gets to the point. It treats my skin really well. There's some ingredients in here that help to promote healing of the skin, and because the skin around my nose and my upper lip can get quite irritated from blowing my nose all the time, the soothing qualities and the healing qualities of this cream just help to keep my skin in good shape as it's going through a rougher period and it's a bit more vulnerable. The 1% of dimethicone in this cream amps up the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, it makes it a little bit more protective. It does create a slightly more rich, a slightly thicker, luxurious cream texture."
One-Handed Skincare?! | Routine After Spraining My Wrist
"I love this moisturizer. This is what I've been using morning and night time. I don't change products. This is a pretty good year round moisturizer for me, but as I mentioned it's getting cooler, we're into sweater weather, and the cooler nights do mean that I wake up with a little bit more dry, dehydrated skin. On its own it's not moisturizing enough for me for those times, but I'm getting all that beautiful medium weight creaminess of CeraVe, all of the ceramides, right, the cholesterol, the fatty acids, the hyaluronic acid, all that stuff that makes my skin feel good."
How I Started YouTube, My 12 Year Journey | Chatty AM Skincare
"CeraVe moisturizing cream"
My Top 5 Moisturizers | 2025 Edition
"The moisturizer has gotten a little bit more rich through the reformulation that I mentioned a few years ago. It definitely is more moisturizing, it's got a little bit more heft on the skin, but I still find it very moisturizing, very skin protective, but still silky and just really a beautiful moisturizer all around. I've been using this right around the same time as another product in about 2018, 2019 era and I really do love it. I find myself being able to use CeraVe year round in any season."
PM Chit-Chat Skincare Routine | Well Aging, Getting Older, Wellness
"I've been using this CeraVe Moisturizing Cream mixed in with a pea-size amount of the L'Oréal Posay Cicaplast Balm for the colder nights and it's really been really lovely and it will also help me with my redness that I have going on. When you mix it in with the Cicaplast it gets so fluffy, it gets so lovely and rich and moisturizing and protective. It's like you're making your own sleeping mask."
My 2025 Winter Approved Moisturizers Picks!
"This is really one of my like key core moisturizers that I go back to all the time in most seasons, but this is definitely a cold weather staple for me for sure. And this is all about the barrier, baby. So, they're using three different forms of ceramides in here as well as cholesterol. And they're also using phytosfingosine. Now, this is an ingredient you will find in a lot of moisturizers or barrier supported products. It is actually a precursor to ceramides and it does provide some crucial lipid content that helps to keep our skin not only nourished and moisturized but helps to strengthen up that skin barrier as well. And I think that really the beautiful thing about this moisturizer is the oclusives in here. They're using petrolatum as well as dimethicone. And these are really the two if you're serious about finding some occlusive quality in your moisturizer, look for these ingredients: petrolatum, dimethicone. These create a really beautiful occlusive quality to moisturizers that helps to hold all the hydration in place."
Fall PM Retinal Skincare Routine + Why I Stopped Tretinoin
"I'm still using CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. I have so many tubes of this it's ridiculous. I'm using a squirt of the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream and then mixing it with another product, and it makes the CeraVe a little bit thicker, more occlusive, and a little bit fluffier and a little bit more luxurious too, and it feels amazing. I've been really relying on centella and CeraVe products especially to kind of help calm down irritation and take down the redness."
"This is the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. This is another long time favorite for my skin barrier. I actually also started using this in 2018. This was a moisturizer that really helped to make a difference for me. We do have ceramide content in here. This is all about strengthening the skin barrier. What's particularly special about this moisturizer that I think really works for me in this type of weather and environment where it's really cold, it's very dry and harsh is the petrolatum as well as the dimethicone content in here. These are two amazing occlusive ingredients. Petrolatum and dimethicone are occlusives. They are film forming agents in skincare. They help to lock in your skincare. They help to create a temporary barrier truly on the skin that helps to lock in, seal in whatever word you like all of your skincare. And because it is a bit of a temporary barrier, occluding, stopping it means that it's going to help keep hydration in your skin longer. It's going to help resist the dehydration. If your barrier is weak, you're more prone to dehydration. These types of ingredients really help to set everything in place. It's best for folks with dry skin because it's very good for replenishing the oil in skin and it is a little bit thicker. Not the best for folks who suffer with acne. It can sometimes exacerbate acne in individuals who are more prone to it."
7 Winter Skincare Essentials | Fight Dryness and Dehydration in the Cold!
"My main squeeze moisturizer, CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. Love, love, love that. It just wasn't quite enough on its own when my skin was really dry and irritated, but when I mixed it with other products, the CeraVe transformed into this luxurious, fluffy, dense cream that already is quite occlusive, and it upped the olusivity even more, which I needed something really protected that was going to last with me. It's a beautiful moisturizer, especially if the moisturizer you have right now is just not quite enough. A little bit of this mixed in, all of a sudden, it's the perfect amount. It's the perfect everything. It's enough. I sometimes will put a thin layer of this on top of a moisturizer to act like a sleeping mask, which creates a little bit of a thicker feeling on my skin."
Melt the Day Away | Calming Skincare Routine
"This is CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, this is a longtime favorite of mine. CeraVe has not always been enough for my skin in the winter time. You know, nine months out of the year it's absolutely perfect, but sometimes in the super cold it's not enough."
PM Routine w/ Tret | What Well-Aging Means to Me
"I'm just going to use a little bit of the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. I'm going to put some on my eyes, around my nose, and then a little bit on my chin. I like to put a little moisturizer here before I apply my tretinoin just to make sure that those areas are moisturized. The area around my nose tends to get really dry and then my chin for whatever reason is like the driest area on my face, so I just like to give another extra layer of moisture before I apply my tretinoin cream. When I mix it with other products I get all of that nourishing goodness and comfort but without a lot of thickness or greasiness on my skin."
Rating My Empty Skincare with Emojis! 😍💩😒
"I love CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. I've used so many bottles, more bottles are in my future. How many tubes and tubs of this have I emptied since 2018? Who knows, many many, and there will be many more in my future. This has never been out of my skincare routine. I tried to not buy it, I tried to use something else in its place, and I was like I'm irresponsible, I'm going to save money, I don't need to buy it right now. Yeah no, it only lasted about three days and I put my order in."
My 2025 Skincare Wins and Lessons | Chatty Skincare Routine
"I love this especially in the cold weather. There's just like the best blend of medium moisture, the way that it sinks into my skin and also the oclusivity that it provides that's just perfect for that dehydration and dryness in winter."
Tips For Youthful Neck And Chest Skin
"I love CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. This actually makes a great head to toe cream for every area of your body in my personal opinion. I think it's really great and something really easy to put on, like I said, right after a shower."
Ranking Summer Skincare Empties! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
"The CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, oh I love this so so much. This is really my go-to drugstore moisturizer I always have this on hand. A really good medium weight, not greasy cream. 10 out of 10, I adore it."
A Full Day of Skincare! AM to PM Routine ☀️🌙
"This is occlusive, fights dehydration, great for skin that leans a little bit more dry. You don't have to have dry skin. You could be like me, combo dry, or fighting off that air conditioning dehydration that you get in the summertime. This really helps to protect the skin, keep the skin barrier strong. Ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, it leaves your skin so silky and soft. It feels amazing. I'm just going to use CeraVe Moisturizing Cream to moisturize my neck and chest. I put that retinol on there and I just want to seal that in."
Barrier Care for Cold Weather Skincare Routine
"It's really really buttery and kind of thick, maybe a little heavy. That's what I want. Sometimes heavy is like a dirty word when it comes to describing moisturizer textures, but for me right now, oh this is heaven, this feels so good. It's definitely richer than CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, which is another staple of mine. It just has this beautiful, silky, creamy richness and butteriness. It just melts into my skin but it feels really nourishing and comforting."
11/10 ⭐ Skincare Empties I Recommend!
"I have 11 out of 10 I recommend empties CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. I know it's so boring but honestly my skin just loves it, it just always works. I've been using this since 2018. It's just that good. I've been using it for such a long time, such a staple for me, especially in this season now. I love CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. It's pretty much in all my empties videos because I do like this for face but I love this as a body moisturizer. I always call it a head to toe cream because this works so well. It's also more affordable than other options. I've been using this for a really long time and I mix a pea size amount of a balm into my CeraVe Moisturizing Cream and this really makes the cream more luxurious, thicker, more protective. It adds a little bit more occlusivity because there's dimethicone in here, a little bit more soothing, and it almost creates your own slugging or like sleeping pack."
5 Essential Tips for Cold Weather Skincare
"I love the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, but during the worst months of winter it wasn't quite enough with all of that going on. One of the ingredients in here is madecassoside, one of the biologically active compounds of the centella plant, so it actually soothes redness and inflammation and sensitivity. It really calmed my skin down in that sense. And it features a good amount of dimethicone, which brings occlusion and creates a temporary seal, a healing ointment basically on the skin that helps all of my toner, essence, serum, oil, cream all of that really hug into my skin. It helps to resist dehydration, which is the loss of hydration through the skin, especially happens a lot when you're sleeping, so it helps to keep everything in."
THIS is What I Do Weekly for Bright & Glowy Skin!
"I'm finishing off with one of my favorite moisturizers, the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. It is a really nice medium weight cream and it is really great for your skin barrier too. It's got ceramide, cholesterol, fatty acids, and what I really like about this is the petrolatum that's in it. It's a really great occlusive ingredient so it just helps to hug in all of this moisture and hydration that I've layered onto my skin. This just helps to seal it all in and will fight dehydration while I'm sleeping too."
Only 5 Products? Skincare I'm Taking to a Deserted Island
"It's really about what's inside of the jar that counts. This cream just suits my skin so well. It has ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids, which are really important for my skin to keep that healthy skin barrier. I also like that this has glycerin and hyaluronic acid in it. I love that it brings that element of hydration and moisture, and I really feel like this delivers a nice amount of both. But then it also has a nice occlusivity to it, which is really important. It really just helps hug everything into my skin and it really fights transepidermal water loss for me. Something I also really like about this cream is it has a neutral finish to it, so every time I put it on it has this smoothing kind of effect, this neutralizing effect to my skin."
How K-Beauty has Changed in 13 Years | Chatty AM Skincare
"Topping everything off with the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, that feels so good. I was mixing in a heavier cream during the winter and I have been backing off of that. I always like to leave it open for my nighttime routine because it's a very nice restorative period of time. Sometimes a little bit more demand for moisture makes sense, but it's really starting to warm up and get a lot more mild, so I'm kind of backing off of those heavier layers."
My Most Repurchased Skincare | 2024 Edition
"I still really do love this CeraVe Moisturizing Cream and I've been buying and loving this one since 2018. This is a cream that I can use year round. It's got the perfect texture, the perfect amount of moisture, the perfect amount of comfort and nourishment and protection for my skin, but it doesn't overwhelm my skin. It's one of those creams where it actually moisturizes deep inside of the skin and not on top of your skin. This feels like it fully absorbs into my skin, but it does all that nourishment and moisture deep in my skin where I need it the most, but it just does not interfere with the top of my skin."
Winter Am Skincare Routine with Makeup!
"One of my favorites long time is the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. I absolutely love this and I really gravitate towards it a lot in any season, really year round. This tends to just do really well for my skin. But lately it hasn't been feeling quite nourishing enough. My skin goes really dry in the winter and so I need something a little bit more nourishing than CeraVe."
3 Skincare Secrets to a Strong Barrier in Fall | AD ft haruharu wonder
"It has this really silky creamy texture that absorbs in very quickly. It feels really nourishing, comforting, soothing, but it's not really heavy. It doesn't seal your skin off or make it so that your skin can't breathe. It's a particularly good one if you do have a combination skin type or if you're looking for a barrier cream that's not too heavy. CeraVe Moisturizing Cream is an old school favorite of mine because it really has a lot of the qualities that I look for in a good moisturizer to fight dehydration as well as keeping my barrier strong. Ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids are in there. There's also some dimethicone and petrolatum in this moisturizer that create a nice occlusive quality to this medium-weight cream, almost like a little bit of slugging in your moisturizer. It has this great medium-weight texture and does all the moisturization inside of your skin, but it doesn't leave a greasy rich layer on top of your skin. It actually has a pretty nice neutral to satin type of finish. So it's really great especially if you don't want a very dewy, high gloss finish to your moisturizer."
Stress-Free AM and PM Summer Skincare Routine
"I'm using the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream which I've loved for a really long time. I'm actually going to put two to three drops of the ordinary chia seed oil mixed directly into my moisturizer and then apply. The reason that I'm doing this is because I love oil, it really soothes and nourishes my skin, and the chia seed oil has that right Omega profile of fatty acids that's really good for your moisture barrier, so that just helps keep my skin strong. Since I did up my percentage of tretinoin, I sometimes find that the next day I am a little extra dry, so this is just to kind of help prevent that really dry feeling in the middle of the day."
Good, Better, Best Skincare Empties!
"This is one of my hardcore favorite drugstore moisturizers and this is something I named as best of 2022 for skincare. I buy this all the time and I really love this. I use this as a body moisturizer quite honestly, but I also very occasionally use it for my face and really really like it. The only reason I don't always use it for my face is sometimes it's not enough, sometimes it's a little too occlusive."
If I was repairing my skin barrier today I'd use...
"It's a really silky rich cream, definitely much heftier and thicker than some other options, but it actually feels incredibly soothing especially if you're experiencing a lot of dryness on your skin from dehydration. I really like the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream and that's actually really the moisturizer I leaned on pretty heavily when I was healing my damaged moisture barrier. It was cheap, it was accessible, it was effective. This is a formula that is all focused on barrier care. There is a little bit of petrolatum in this cream as well, and that actually is an amazing occlusive ingredient because it does create that temporary barrier on your skin that holds the hydration into your skin longer and really resists transepidermal water loss. The texture is a medium cream that has a little bit more occlusivity and a little bit more protective feel than some lighter options."
"This is such a great occlusive healing ointment. Instead of petrolatum, it uses 1% dimethicone, and it also relies on madecassoside to soothe the skin, plus a zinc and magnesium complex that further helps to encourage healing, strengthening, and soothing, all in a slightly more creamy and occlusive ointment-like texture. It brings more moisture into the skin. You can apply it as a spot treatment anywhere that feels like it needs a little extra protection and care, or as a layer on top of your moisturizer. This is the most moisturizing, most protective option for this particular product, and it functions incredibly well as a sleeping mask to fight dehydration, but because of the soothing elements in it, it actually brings a lot of relief to the skin on contact as well. One of my favorite ways to use this is to mix a pea-size amount of Cicaplast Baume B5 into my moisturizer, which makes it more occlusive, more protective, more soothing, and more moisturizing."
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All 14 takes on Cicaplast Baume B5
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"This is such a great occlusive healing ointment. Instead of petrolatum, it uses 1% dimethicone, and it also relies on madecassoside to soothe the skin, plus a zinc and magnesium complex that further helps to encourage healing, strengthening, and soothing, all in a slightly more creamy and occlusive ointment-like texture. It brings more moisture into the skin. You can apply it as a spot treatment anywhere that feels like it needs a little extra protection and care, or as a layer on top of your moisturizer. This is the most moisturizing, most protective option for this particular product, and it functions incredibly well as a sleeping mask to fight dehydration, but because of the soothing elements in it, it actually brings a lot of relief to the skin on contact as well. One of my favorite ways to use this is to mix a pea-size amount of Cicaplast Baume B5 into my moisturizer, which makes it more occlusive, more protective, more soothing, and more moisturizing."
5 Star Skincare Empties! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I've been using this for many many years and I use this really part of the reason I love this so much is I can seem to use this in any type of weather. Whenever my skin needs barrier repair no matter the weather this seems to work for me. This is a skin protectant cream really, you can use it in many different ways. It is meant to soothe irritation, but it also has a good amount of dimethicone which is a great occlusive agent and there's some petrolatum in here that also helps to tuck it in your skincare. When I mix it with another product it takes the medium weight and makes it like a much thicker heftier type of cream, way more occlusive, and so this actually worked for me towards the end of winter when my skin was the driest it was ailing the most."
Sick Skincare Go To's
"I have been mixing in about a pea-sized amount of the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5. This stuff is really great because there's some really soothing madecassol in here and that really helps when my skin feels kind of inflamed. The madecassol just felt good on my skin and I think that it really helped. This cream has some ingredients in here that help to promote healing of the skin and because the skin around my nose and my upper lip can get quite irritated from blowing my nose all the time, I think that the soothing qualities and the healing qualities of this cream just help to keep my skin in good shape as it's going through a rougher period and it's a bit more vulnerable. The 1% of dimethicone in this cream kind of amps up or beefs up the moisturizing cream. It makes it a little bit more protective. It does create a slightly more rich, slightly thicker, luxurious cream texture that really just hugs everything in and that little extra protection actually helps keep my skin hydrated and moisturized and helps protect it."
Fall PM Retinal Skincare Routine + Why I Stopped Tretinoin
"The La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm, when you mix it together with another moisturizer, makes it a little bit thicker, more occlusive, and a little bit fluffier and more luxurious too, and it feels amazing. In the Cicaplast we have Madecassol, which is obviously very soothing for inflammation and itchiness and irritated skin, it just seems to work really well for me. But we also have some dimethicone in the Cicaplast, a good amount, and that is a great occlusive ingredient that helps to seal all your skincare in. Mixing it in together creates a little bit of a more breathable layer instead of layering on all that product and then another layer of cream right on top of that."
7 Winter Skincare Essentials | Fight Dryness and Dehydration in the Cold!
"La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm. Obsessed. Use it so many different ways in the winter time. It is such a staple for me. The hero ingredient in here is 1% dimethicone. Dimethicone is an amazing occlusive agent and that is what creates the barrier on our skin. 1% is a good amount. It's still a very elegant amount. It's not going to be suffocating, but it does create a really nice barrier on your skin and that can be helpful in a multitude of ways. This also includes some madecasside. That's the biologically active compound found in the centella plant. Centella is amazing for soothing irritation, itchiness, redness on the skin. It is great for sensitive skin that feels really irritated. It has a healing component to it. The biologically active compound madecasside is a soothing powerhouse, super highly concentrated and is really going to reliably deliver those results to you in your skincare routine."
Tips for Using Tretinoin in Winter | AD ft Dermatica
"A product like La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 has a bit of dimethicone in it which helps to create that protective layer on the skin that holds all that hydration in place, but because there's other skin healing and soothing ingredients in it, if you're suffering from a lot of irritation, this can be a nice product to add into your routine to bring some relief to your skin."
11/10 ⭐ Skincare Empties I Recommend!
"La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm is 11 out of 10. I've been using this for a really long time, especially in winter. I mix a pea-size amount of this Cicaplast into my moisturizing cream and this really makes it more luxurious, thicker, and more protective. It adds a little bit more occlusivity because there's dimethicone in here, a little bit more soothing, and it almost creates your own slugging or like sleeping pack, especially for winter. It can be great for soothing irritation on the skin, thickening up your moisturizer, making it more protective, and fighting against dehydration."
5 Essential Tips for Cold Weather Skincare
"I started mixing in a generous amount of the Cicaplast Balm into my current moisturizer because that moisturizer wasn't quite enough with all of that going on with my skin. What it does is it makes the cream more fluffy, more luxurious, and more moisturizing, and a lot thicker and richer. It creates a moisturizer that is going to give so much more moisture and comfort and soothing to the skin. One of the ingredients in here is Madecassol, that's one of the biologically active compounds of the centella plant, so it actually soothes redness and inflammation and sensitivity. It really calmed my skin down in that sense. But it also features a good amount of dimethicone, and this is an ingredient that brings occlusion. This ingredient creates a temporary seal, if you will, a healing ointment basically on the skin that barrier that helps all of my toner, essence, serum, oil."
4 Steps to Glowing Skin in Winter
"I love this formula because it tackles quite a few of the concerns that cause red skin in the first place. We've got the anti-inflammatory soothing effect with the Madecassol. Madecassol is the active compound found in the centella plant that is really really potent for soothing the skin, for calming down inflammation, for healing the skin. By not just using the plant extract but by isolating that active compound, you get that effect very reliably and very potently in the formula. They're also using one percent of dimethicone which is a skin protectant and an occlusive ingredient. This is really key to think about occlusivity in the winter when you have that dry air inside from the heating."
10 Tips to Fight Dehydration this Winter!
"Something I've also been experimenting with is using the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5. It has 1% dimethicone, I know it doesn't sound like a lot, it's plenty, but it does have a little bit more breathability to it. It's not super overwhelming for the skin, so you can apply this in a thin layer on top of your moisturizer, or if you want to mix it into your moisturizer for a slightly lighter feel, not like building up lots and lots of layers on the skin, allowing your skin to breathe. I've actually been doing that a lot during the day and it's been incredibly helpful. If your dehydration has gotten to the point where your skin also feels inflamed and irritated as well, this is a particularly good product to know about because it does have soothing and skin healing ingredients in it. It has madecassoside, which is derived from centella."
My Most Repurchased Skincare | 2024 Edition
"I am prone to eczema, I usually get it around my lip, and when I was getting a bad patch of eczema on my lip I would just put a little dab of this to ease the itching and it worked so good. I have a deep appreciation for products that can ease that itchiness with eczema. La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5, I've been loving this since I think 2020. This is such a multi-purpose cream. I use this in so many different ways, which is why I constantly have it restocked. You can use this for burns, cuts, bug bites. It's an amazing skin protectant to promote healing. It really helps to relieve itchiness and irritation on the skin. I tend to get a really robust immune response when I get bug bites, they swell up, get really red and really itchy, and this just really helps to soothe that and take the edge off. It promotes healing because it has a high amount of dimethicone, which really helps to protect the skin and keeps the skin moist. There are all different kinds of ingredients in here that really do help to promote the skin to mend. It's very occlusive. That dimethicone creates a really nice barrier for the skin to hold in hydration or to hug in all your skincare. It actually performs as a slugging product or sleeping mask very well if you're prone to dehydration."
15 Skincare Tips That Actually Work!
"One of my favorites that I started using last year to help calm down itchiness, irritation, redness and inflammation in my skin while also locking everything in place was the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5. I squirt a little bit of that into my moisturizer and then apply that to my face. It not only makes my moisturizer more moisturizing and locks everything in place, but all of those soothing qualities of that healing, anti-irritation ointment actually take down the inflammation, the itchiness, and really help to calm down my skin."
5 HG's for Eczema Flare-Ups! | AD ft Stratia
"This is my go-to when I do have a flare up to resist the itch. This is an intense soothing cream that can really help to relieve that deep down itchy feeling. I use this as a spot treatment in my morning and nighttime routines to cover and help nourish the flare up, but I also carry this with me throughout the day when I do have a flare up and put it on anytime I feel the need to itch, whenever I'm feeling that discomfort. It really does soothe the skin so quickly. The magic here as far as ingredients go is really a three-fold approach to soothing the eczema. The first approach is with an occlusive agent: they're using 1% dimethicone, and what this does is really help to seal and protect the flare up, especially if you do have that really bumpy, oozy eczema. This is really important to keep that area covered with an occlusive agent that really helps to promote the healing process and help keep that area free from any type of bacteria."
If I was repairing my skin barrier today I'd use...
"One of my favorites is the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5. This stuff is so great for calming the itchiness and the inflammation it feels so amazing. If you're feeling a lot of itchiness and irritation, there is soothing macide in here, there's some different ingredients in here that really do help to promote healing of the skin and really do help to take down inflammation as well as some dimethicone which also acts as an occlusive temporary barrier to help slow down the loss of hydration in your skin. You can use this for midday application when you just can't take it but you can't wash your face yet. You can also use this on top of your moisturizer like a sleeping mask if the irritation and the redness is just so bad. You can even mix a dab of this into your moisturizer. It not only thickens up your moisturizer so you get more occlusivity with that dimethicone but you get that soothing element with the macide and the healing components to this as well."
"Aquaphor Healing Ointment comes in at five to seven dollars. Both of these products contain petrolatum at a very high percentage, much higher percentage than what you're finding in other moisturizers. And this ingredient is a very, very good occlusive. It creates that temporary barrier. That's what holds your skin care in place, holds the moisture and the hydration deep within your skin, and resists the dehydration, the dryness, the tightness, and the irritation. And when you create that temporary barrier on your skin, you're really sealing your skin care. It's going to work for you better. It's going to stick with your skin longer, and it's going to translate to faster healing. You can apply it to the areas that feel the most dry, tight, and irritated. You can apply it all over your face. It can even work on your lips too, if your lips are feeling dry and irritated. You can even mix a bit of this into your moisturizing cream at nighttime."
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All 6 takes on Healing Ointment
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"Aquaphor Healing Ointment comes in at five to seven dollars. Both of these products contain petrolatum at a very high percentage, much higher percentage than what you're finding in other moisturizers. And this ingredient is a very, very good occlusive. It creates that temporary barrier. That's what holds your skin care in place, holds the moisture and the hydration deep within your skin, and resists the dehydration, the dryness, the tightness, and the irritation. And when you create that temporary barrier on your skin, you're really sealing your skin care. It's going to work for you better. It's going to stick with your skin longer, and it's going to translate to faster healing. You can apply it to the areas that feel the most dry, tight, and irritated. You can apply it all over your face. It can even work on your lips too, if your lips are feeling dry and irritated. You can even mix a bit of this into your moisturizing cream at nighttime."
Hand Care for Cold Weather! ❄️
"If you have the type of hands that really need the occlusivity, your skin is really dry and you really have to seal that lotion in, try adding a little squirt of Aquaphor or a petroleum-based ointment type of product. Petroleum is a very occlusive ingredient. This is all the rage when it comes to slugging because it seals everything in and helps to enhance skin glow. It's the same for your hands. The petroleum creates a barrier on your skin that helps to hug all that moisturizer in. But it also works as a two-way barrier. It keeps things in but it also helps to protect your skin from outside elements. If you're not in the best habit of wearing your gloves in cold weather outside, that can really dry out your skin and be very harsh on your skin. The petroleum acts as a protectant and can help protect your skin from being chapped by the wind and just the cold elements."
7 Winter Skincare Essentials | Fight Dryness and Dehydration in the Cold!
"It's really protective and this lasts on your lips so well while you're sleeping. It really nourishes them, moisturizes them, smooths and softens them. There is some fragrance in here, but I have not found this to be irritating for my lips. I find this to be really good and I find this to be better than the Cetaphil healing ointment and better than Vaseline. I like the formulation here because it's not just about the petrolatum, although there's a good amount and that is one of the most occlusive ingredients out there, it's one of the most protective. And this has a high amount because it's a healing ointment. And because it's so protective and because it's so occlusive, that's what helps it last on your lips while you're sleeping. But there's also some emollients in here and some hydrating ingredients that help to not only protect the lips while you're sleeping, but moisturize them, soften them, hydrate and plump them up. And you can get a giant tube that will last you all winter, if not into many more seasons after that for a fraction of the cost of what you're paying for a tinier amount for fancier lip sleeping masks."
Barrier Care for Cold Weather Skincare Routine
"I'm just running a little bit of it just in that area, feel empowered you know to slug just in select areas. You don't have to put it all over your face if you don't want to. That just helps to seal in all that good hydration I put on before and make sure that that's not getting absorbed by my silk eye mask."
5 Essential Tips for Cold Weather Skincare
"I hug it all in with a thick layer of Aquaphor on my lips and that brings the soothing relief. If your lips are starting to get irritated, it will bring soothing, it will bring softening, and then Aquaphor protects. There's also some great emollient in Aquaphor that helps to soften and moisturize the skin. It's the only lip balm that I use outside of lip color. It's amazing for the lips, so don't forget you can slug your lips too."
5 HG's for Eczema Flare-Ups! | AD ft Stratia
"If there was only one product that you could get for eczema I would say it would be this one. It is so simple, it is so to the point, but sometimes that's what you need when your skin is flaring up. I think about Aquaphor in terms of hydrate, seal, and heal because that's exactly what it does. Petrolatum is the star ingredient, and Aquaphor is using 41% of petrolatum, which is probably the best occlusive that we have in skincare. It is something that is incredibly protective. It creates that sealed off environment, it helps to hydrate your skin, which is what you need in the context of an eczema flare up."
"Ilune, at least with this cream, they know what they're doing. I do wish that they would just land on something and stick with it because it's just more of an annoyance now at this point, but it is still a product worth paying attention to. And for me personally, it still works for my skin type in certain situations. I'll probably be cracking back into that bottle in about a month or so as the temperatures start to warm up."
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All 4 takes on Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream
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"Ilune, at least with this cream, they know what they're doing. I do wish that they would just land on something and stick with it because it's just more of an annoyance now at this point, but it is still a product worth paying attention to. And for me personally, it still works for my skin type in certain situations. I'll probably be cracking back into that bottle in about a month or so as the temperatures start to warm up."
Good Morning Chicago! | AM Skincare Routine
"I knew I was going to need a good cream, and I just opted for the ILLIYOON Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream and I have not regretted it. It has not felt too heavy or too thick on any of the days that I've been here, and it's been great even during the warmer daytime."
Ranking 20 Top Selling Products at Olive Young!
"ILLIYOON Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream is one of those few creams that I think is trying to address more dry skin types instead of kind of telling the line between a gel and a cream and trying to please everybody. This cream was recently reformulated about two years ago to be a little bit more moisturizing, and while that was definitely something to get used to and I think it was a letdown for certain folks, I do think it actually helps this cream stand out. ILLIYOON changed in a way that made it stand out even a little bit more, and it's one of those few picks that I think has a richness to it that can really help to address dryness on the skin. Is it going to be enough for very, very dry skin? Probably still not. But for somebody like me who has combination skin, is a retinoid user, but can lean a lot more dry in colder weather, this is perfect. It's the right amount of moisture where other creams aren't going to stack up."
Tips For Youthful Neck And Chest Skin
"I do love the Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream. It is actually a face and body cream and something that works really well, especially if you have very dry skin or if you have barrier concerns. This one is very nourishing, it's moisturizing, it's very strengthening and healing for the skin."
"You could use it as a calming cream and then top it off with a heavier moisturizer. It really is formulated for calming the skin. That's what really made me fall in love with this cream when I first started to use it last year. I was really surprised at how soothing it felt right on contact, but it just does it in such a nice lightweight cream texture. Very soothing on application, very gentle on the skin with a nice kiss of moisture. I really love the texture of this. I think it's very soothing and healing. I think it has a lot of flexibility for different skin types and different uses. I will say more people need to talk about this cream, especially if you have some sensitive skin or irritated skin because it is something that just kind of flies under the radar, but it's actually such a good moisturizer."
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All 2 takes on 147 Barrier Cream
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"You could use it as a calming cream and then top it off with a heavier moisturizer. It really is formulated for calming the skin. That's what really made me fall in love with this cream when I first started to use it last year. I was really surprised at how soothing it felt right on contact, but it just does it in such a nice lightweight cream texture. Very soothing on application, very gentle on the skin with a nice kiss of moisture. I really love the texture of this. I think it's very soothing and healing. I think it has a lot of flexibility for different skin types and different uses. I will say more people need to talk about this cream, especially if you have some sensitive skin or irritated skin because it is something that just kind of flies under the radar, but it's actually such a good moisturizer."
Dr. Althea Worth the Hype? | 345 + 147 Moisturizer Review
"The Dr. Althea 147 Barrier Cream is one that I personally gravitate a little bit more towards than the more popular 345 cream. Dr. Althea really likes to market the 147 Barrier Cream on the soothing extracts and moisturizing extracts that they're using in the cream because it's all about the barrier. They do call out the peony flour extract in the formula, which is a floral extract. You may want to keep your eye on this if you do have sensitive skin because a floral extract may have trace amounts of fragrant compounds which could cause irritation on the most sensitive skin, though I'm not really sensing a lot of scent from this. They claim that this extract can help soothe and hydrate the skin. They're also calling out the argan and green tea seed oils which help to bring a lot of moisturization to the skin. They're using 10,000 parts per million each, so 1% each of mugwort extract, kale extract, and avocado fruit extract, all of which bring soothing to the skin, with the avocado also bringing some moisturization."
"It's just as protective and moisturizing. It just doesn't feel as thick on the face. I usually use this mostly as a body moisturizer. It's actually a great head-to-toe moisturizer. It sinks into the skin so beautifully. It's not streaky. It's not heavy. It's not greasy. And it leaves my skin incredibly soft. Right out of the shower, this just absorbs on my skin beautifully. I've been talking about this for many years as well. I love this one. I like the size, too. It's about 550ish milliliters, so it's really great. Cetaphil is probably going to stay my main body moisturizer just due to value, bigger size, and slightly lower price."
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All 12 takes on Moisturizing Cream
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"It doesn't sit on top of your skin. It moisturizes deep within. And then it creates this really breathable occlusive layer on your skin with this very kind of velvety to neutral type of finish. The absorption on this is so incredibly fast, so incredibly quick. I absolutely adore this. It's designed for face and body. I always look for a cream that has quick absorbency but lots of moisturization because I do have a dry body, dry and ashy body skin. And so, this has really quite a similar texture that I look for. I love that really neutral finish to this too because it's not wet, it's not heavy, it's not greasy. They're not attempting to go for that glass skin look that I feel like so many moisturizers are doing right now, and that's good and it has its place, but that's not what I want for my body. It's a really great body cream for sure. And then I tried it on my face and I was like, actually, I kind of love this on my face, too, because it is a little bit more of an occlusive and a little bit more protective."
Empty Skincare and What I Replaced Them With! | Spring 2026
"It's just as protective and moisturizing. It just doesn't feel as thick on the face. I usually use this mostly as a body moisturizer. It's actually a great head-to-toe moisturizer. It sinks into the skin so beautifully. It's not streaky. It's not heavy. It's not greasy. And it leaves my skin incredibly soft. Right out of the shower, this just absorbs on my skin beautifully. I've been talking about this for many years as well. I love this one. I like the size, too. It's about 550ish milliliters, so it's really great. Cetaphil is probably going to stay my main body moisturizer just due to value, bigger size, and slightly lower price."
5 Star Skincare Empties! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"This is what I call a head to toe cream. I use this on my face, I use it all over my body, I use it for my hands. I absolutely love this and this is something that I have been going back to for a few years now. It's a really nice barrier restorative cream. It doesn't have a focus on ceramides but it still is very protective with glycerin and niacinamide and all of that. I really particularly love it for my body skin because it absorbs really fast and it's not greasy or sticky, because sometimes I just want to get moisturizer on and get my clothes on and sometimes heavier lotions take a little bit more time to settle in. It just functions really well for body but it's also a really great face cream too, and it's affordable."
My Top 5 Moisturizers | 2025 Edition
"This is one of my favorite moisturizers that really falls into that head to toe category. I can use this all over my body right after getting out of the shower, works for my face, my body, my ashy knees and elbows, and it is really skin nourishing. It's moisturizing, it's occlusive and protective and holds the hydration in place, but what's really beautiful about it is it's not a heavy, dense, really rich type of cream. It's not overwhelming and like feeling like it's suffocating your skin. It's pretty light and breathable for packing a lot of protection and moisture in. It is a very simple, very gentle formula, and that is something that I really appreciate in all my skincare products. When you open the jar it does look quite dense, but you will notice that this has a very light, almost balmy-like texture to it. As you spread it across your skin, it doesn't have that traditional heavy creamy kind of quality. It actually spreads into a really thin layer that sinks into the skin really beautifully. There's no stickiness, no streakiness here. It really does absorb quite nicely, which does make it one of my favorite body products out of the shower because I don't have to wait too long or rub it in really hard. My skin just absorbs it."
My EVERYTHING Skincare and Self Care Snow Day! | AD ft iRESTORE
"Sealing it all off with my longtime favorite body moisturizer Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream."
Hyaluronic Acid Free Favorite Skincare
"If you are leaning towards the dry side, I would suggest the Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. This is a great drugstore find that I think is a fantastic hyaluronic acid-free competitor. They are using glycerin and panthenol to really get that hydrating element into the moisturizer, but then they're balancing it out with some more emollient ingredients. There's sunflower and sweet almond oils in here, and then the occlusivity factor with dimethicone and petrolatum, and that's what really helps to seal everything in. I love this cream texture. It's a little bit balmy but it still feels breathable on the skin. It feels great because it's nourishing but you can feel the hydration in here. It's not a very rich, buttery, heavy, overly emollient type of cream. It balances between that hydration and that moisture in a really good, equal amount. It's just that occlusivity that helps to seal everything in that really is like the icing on the cake for those who are a little bit more dry, a little more dehydration prone."
"This is the Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. I love this. This is a great head-to-toe cream. This is great for the face, but I particularly love it as a body moisturizer. This is really the body moisturizer that I use when I get out of the shower. It's got this amazing texture because it is a cream, but it's not like the type of cream that leaves white streaks on your body. It's almost like a balmy type of cream. So, it actually sinks into your skin without the streaks and it actually absorbs into damp skin very quickly, without that greasy residue or making your skin still feel waxy and like still damp. It just absorbs in very, very quickly, but it actually packs a moisturizing punch. It just doesn't leave that layer on top of your skin. Plus, it's really, really affordable. This giant tub lasts quite a long time. So, that's like a constant repurchase for me. 10 out of 10."
Tips For Youthful Neck And Chest Skin
"I do also like Cetaphil moisturizing cream. I find this to have a little bit of a lighter feel than other options, but it's still very protective and it's occlusive. I think it's still good if you do have some dryness on your face or your body, but it's just not quite as creamy. It just settles into the skin a slightly lighter layer. It's another head to toe option that I really really like."
Ranking Summer Skincare Empties! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
"The Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream, love love love this stuff. It's so straightforward but that's what I like about it. It's actually quite occlusive without being really heavy. There's not a lot of weight to this and it absorbs in the skin like a dream. This is actually something I do use on my face but I love it as a body moisturizer because it absorbs so quickly into the skin. Some of the heavier moisturizers and creams can take a long time to sink in the skin and then you're waiting around and it's like you can't get your clothes on fast enough, but because this sinks into the skin so quickly it makes summertime showers a breeze no matter how humid it is outside. So moisturizing, so nourishing but lightweight and quickly absorbed."
11/10 ⭐ Skincare Empties I Recommend!
"I've been using this since 2018. My skin just loves it, it just always works. It's pretty much in all my empties videos because I do like this for face but I love this as a body moisturizer. I always call it a head to toe cream because this works so well. It's also more affordable than other head to toe creams. I've been using this for a really long time and it's such a staple for me, especially in this season."
December Fave Empties | Prequel, VT, Paula's Choice, Cetaphil, Unove, Questions for Reflection
"This is one of my favorite body moisturizers. It has the perfect texture that just sinks into your skin immediately with no white streaks, no weird greasy residue at the top of your skin. It absorbs in, but it's moisturizing enough and it has this really silky velvety finish that is so good. It's super moisturizing for dry skin. It's occlusive, so it holds in moisture, especially if you're locking in hydration and plumpness. You can put it on damp skin and it just locks it all in really beautifully. It's long lasting. Smooths out rough patches, ashy knees and elbows. Keeps my skin really comfortable and itch-free because I get itchy if I'm really dry and not moisturized properly. The texture is such that you don't have to work it in and really rub it into your skin. It just absorbs so beautifully, so effortlessly. It's not the least expensive moisturizer at the drugstore, but it's also not the most expensive either. I appreciate the value that I get from this and that's why I keep coming back to it time and time again."
10 Simple and Gentle Skincare Products!
"This is such a simple drugstore moisturizer but that's actually what I really like in moisturizers. I like really simple, to-the-point kinds of creams and I really like to see a mix of humectants, those hydrating kind of water-binding ingredients, emollients, and I like a good amount of occlusivity so that just hugs and seals everything in. And this does exactly that in like the simplest, straightforward formulation. Ingredients we have glycerin and panthenol for that hydrating effect, dimethicone and petroleum just help to hug and seal everything in, and then on the emollient side, that kind of moisturizing skin conditioning side, we have sweet almond oil and they are also using some niacinamide, cinnamates help strengthen and fortify the moisture barrier. I do want to point out it can if you're non-sensitive it can actually be a really nice addition to your routine."
"When I tested this out last year in the spring, it was actually kind of the perfect moisturizer for my skin at that time and it was starting to get into later spring and even in the summer, I was using this moisturizer and really really enjoying it. The occlusivity here is very light. I could use this in warm weather. This is more robust for fighting dehydration quite honestly just because of the occlusive content. We do have the ceramides in here and it will strengthen your skin barrier. This is actually a little bit more healing in my opinion. In my experience, this is definitely something that just delivers a little bit more of that skin barrier strengthening just because of the ceramide content in here. I also like that it hydrates your skin at the same time because it's really helping to soothe that dehydration."
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All 2 takes on Ceramide Skin Barrier Moisturizer
Full Review: COSRX Ceramide Barrier Line for Sensitive Skin!
"When I tested this out last year in the spring, it was actually kind of the perfect moisturizer for my skin at that time and it was starting to get into later spring and even in the summer, I was using this moisturizer and really really enjoying it. The occlusivity here is very light. I could use this in warm weather. This is more robust for fighting dehydration quite honestly just because of the occlusive content. We do have the ceramides in here and it will strengthen your skin barrier. This is actually a little bit more healing in my opinion. In my experience, this is definitely something that just delivers a little bit more of that skin barrier strengthening just because of the ceramide content in here. I also like that it hydrates your skin at the same time because it's really helping to soothe that dehydration."
April Faves | Cocokind, Eqqualberry, Cosrx
"Give it a couple of minutes. It will fully settle, fully dry, fully absorb into the skin and then it's not sticky. It's not tacky. You'll still get a little bit of glow, but it's not like peeling up on you or anything like that once it's settled into the skin. I just feel that it needs a little bit more time than the moisturizer that you're probably used to, and I think that's just due to the humectant content in here being quite high. But otherwise I was won over by this. I didn't think I was going to like it just based on the feel alone, but there's something about this formula that's really hard-hitting. I was really impressed with this one and I do not regret buying it."
"I am one of those old school K beauty enthusiasts who would put the COSRX all-in-one snail cream around and use it as a budget friendly eye cream. And I actually really like the results of that. For me what I love about this is the snail. It's definitely got like a snail-like texture with like blended into a cream which I really enjoy. It's got this very medium gel cream like texture. It is quite stiff but it does glide on the skin really beautifully and it is quite plumping like you would expect a snail product to be. And I actually find that really helpful because I do have some very very superficial fine lines that are getting deeper."
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85%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream
Feb Faves | Cosrx, Laneige, Then I Met You, Tips for the Blahs
"I am one of those old school K beauty enthusiasts who would put the COSRX all-in-one snail cream around and use it as a budget friendly eye cream. And I actually really like the results of that. For me what I love about this is the snail. It's definitely got like a snail-like texture with like blended into a cream which I really enjoy. It's got this very medium gel cream like texture. It is quite stiff but it does glide on the skin really beautifully and it is quite plumping like you would expect a snail product to be. And I actually find that really helpful because I do have some very very superficial fine lines that are getting deeper."
Ranking My Skincare Empties with Emojis! Summer '23 Edition
"The COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream is totally underrated. It's a really nice barrier supportive cream with some good occlusivity to it and it is very very gentle too. I don't necessarily use this as a full face moisturizer, but occasionally I will do a full layer on all of my face and then I'll top it off with another moisturizer. This cream doesn't really have the level of occlusivity that my skin needs, but I love how this makes my skin feel. The quality of this is so amazing, it's hydrating, really plumping, and lightly moisturizing. I love to put this underneath my eyes and around my nose. This is fluffy, it's moisturizing, it's got that medium weight feel that I really gravitate towards. It's enough occlusivity to fight dehydration and it makes my skin feel really silky and conditioned and soft. There's a very generous jar that keeps on giving, and I love this so much."
"I was having some issues with my barrier earlier in January. It did address those. I got my skin back on track. Using this product, it kind of helped to keep that progress going. It kept my skin progress up. So, I was really impressed with performance, with the feel, with the texture. I really enjoy using it. I just found that I had less dehydration in my skin overall. It's maybe 5% less hydrating overall than Polish Choice, but it's also a fraction of the cost."
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79%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Rice Lipids + Ectoin Micro Emulsion
Save $$$ | Expensive Skincare DUPES (Paula's Choice Edition)
"I was having some issues with my barrier earlier in January. It did address those. I got my skin back on track. Using this product, it kind of helped to keep that progress going. It kept my skin progress up. So, I was really impressed with performance, with the feel, with the texture. I really enjoy using it. I just found that I had less dehydration in my skin overall. It's maybe 5% less hydrating overall than Polish Choice, but it's also a fraction of the cost."
Testing NEW Skincare Releases | Laneige, Dr. Althea, The Ordinary, Then I Met You
"It's light but mighty. It does have a creamy emulsion hydrating moisturizing texture. While it's maybe not a one for one total replacement for Polish Choice Actin Booster, it's pretty darn close. For saving that much cash, I could get a whole another skincare product for that savings. It's actually a really good option. It's definitely helped my skin hold up in some of this more chilly weather. I've been surprised at how hydrating, long lasting, dehydration busting this particular product has been. That's really what it aims to do and that's what it does. It really is just about hydrating and balancing the skin. That's exactly what it does."
"It's a fine product in my opinion, but for me it was sort of a meh. I feel like it got really hyped up on TikTok particularly, and for me it just didn't live up to the hype. The hype is a little bit bigger than this particular product, but on the whole it's not a bad product at all. They're using 1% niacinamide, 1% panthenol, as well as 1% prickly pear extract, and they've also included some ceramide MP and resveratrol, which is an anti-inflammatory antioxidant. This entire formula really is geared towards folks who are suffering with acne who also need a little bit of brightening from their moisturizer. The benefits of this particular product lie in soothing inflammation, taking down redness from acne. The niacinamide helps to gently brighten up hyperpigmentation or any discoloration that you might have after an inflammatory event or pimples on the skin. Prickly pear helps to hydrate."
"This is Aquafor Healing Ointment. This is a prolamine based ointment and I love this for my lips especially all year round but especially in winter. It is fragrance-free. It is occlusive but there are some emollient ingredients in here that offer moisturization as well. And so this is moisturizing, softening but also protective without any fragrances or some of the really fun ingredients but that can sometimes just not be beneficial if your lip area is really acting up."
"I absolutely love this especially for hand care. Hand care becomes increasingly important to me in the winter time because this season causes my hands to feel really dry, dehydrated, sometimes even itchy, irritated, and then I get all that rough skin around my nail beds and hang nails. What's different about this than the original moisturizing lotion is the intensive version includes 5% of synthetic urea. This is such an amazing ingredient that gives this moisturizing lotion the edge that I personally need for hand care in the winter because the 5% of urea is an amazing humectant for the skin. It's a natural moisturizing factor."
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88%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Intensive Moisturizing Lotion with Urea
7 Winter Skincare Essentials | Fight Dryness and Dehydration in the Cold!
"I absolutely love this especially for hand care. Hand care becomes increasingly important to me in the winter time because this season causes my hands to feel really dry, dehydrated, sometimes even itchy, irritated, and then I get all that rough skin around my nail beds and hang nails. What's different about this than the original moisturizing lotion is the intensive version includes 5% of synthetic urea. This is such an amazing ingredient that gives this moisturizing lotion the edge that I personally need for hand care in the winter because the 5% of urea is an amazing humectant for the skin. It's a natural moisturizing factor."
November Faves | Dr. Reju-all, Paula's Choice, Cerave, Phlur
"This stuff, it's so good. It's got this great lotion texture. It sinks in so quickly. The 5% of urea really helps the hydration deep down in your skin. It lasts a long time. It also helps to soothe on contact that itchiness that I can get in my hands. It's not greasy, but really nice and moisturized and soothed as well."
"Everything about this cream is light. It's fluffy. But it does pack some really nice silky moisture into it as well. But $72 is a lot of money. Not super impressive in the ingredients. Not bad, but not super impressive. Especially if you're well-versed in K beauty and J beauty products, you can get these ingredients at a fraction of the cost. And the texture is lovely, but it's not the only moisturizer out there that can serve you this type of experience."
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82%of gurus approve
All 4 takes on Dewy Skin Cream
Save MORE $$$ | Expensive Skincare DUPES (Drugstore Edition)
"Everything about this cream is light. It's fluffy. But it does pack some really nice silky moisture into it as well. But $72 is a lot of money. Not super impressive in the ingredients. Not bad, but not super impressive. Especially if you're well-versed in K beauty and J beauty products, you can get these ingredients at a fraction of the cost. And the texture is lovely, but it's not the only moisturizer out there that can serve you this type of experience."
Save $$ Pt.3 | Affordable Skincare Dupes for Expensive Products!
"It melts into the skin and it's definitely on the lighter medium side. This is not a hefty cream but it just melts into the skin and it leaves your skin so conditioned, so soft on top. It is incredibly appealing. The texture is so fun, absolutely really spectacular. But the ingredients themselves are fairly common to me. Nothing that really blows my mind. They're all fantastic ingredients, but as far as availability in less expensive products, there's so many out there where you can get these wonderful extracts. The fact that the smell is so incredibly subtle I think is great, but it does make me question why we have to use artificial fragrance and fragrant compounds which do have that high potential for irritation. This cream makes me very itchy. My skin does not like those fragrant compounds because they are so concentrated and they are derived from essential oils, so they just tend to be very potent. The irritants tend to be very potent on my skin and this makes my skin very itchy. Unfortunately, the texture's so lovely, I want to like play with it, I want to love it, but my skin cannot accept this."
Save $$ Pt.3 | Affordable Skincare Dupes for Expensive Products!
"This cream makes me very itchy. My skin does not like those fragrant compounds because they are so concentrated and they are derived from essential oils, so they just tend to be very potent. The irritants tend to be very potent on my skin. Unfortunately, the texture's so lovely. I want to like it, I want to love it, but my skin cannot accept this."
Top 20 Must-have Skincare Products At Sephora!
"I think it's really nice. It's got a really beautiful marshmallowy texture, very impressive, beautiful packaging. The experience of this cannot be denied, and that's what a lot of what you're paying for. I think that Tatcha really delivers on that. But I don't find anything mindblowing about the formulation here. I personally have a sensitivity to fragrance, and while I can appreciate the scent, my skin doesn't appreciate what it does once it is in contact with my skin. Also have to mention a little bit of drying denatured alcohol in this as well, so not suitable for sensitive folks. Not my personal favorite."
"I love CeraVe Healing Ointment. It contains about 46% petrolatum. Petrolatum is by far the most occlusive ingredient that you can use in skincare. It really does create the most barrier. It really seals everything in and it is really great for fighting severe dehydration, especially as you're sleeping. Some folks have really good success just putting this all over their face and they wake up with really glowing skin in the morning. You could also mix a dollop of this into your existing moisturizer to kind of cut down some of the greasiness. I personally have found some success where I selectively slug with CeraVe Healing Ointment on certain areas, especially with combo skin where I get a little bit more dry and dehydrated in others. A big one is my under eye area, which can get very dry and dehydrated very quickly. It really helps to hold all the hydration in place so my under eyes are nice and smooth and plump when I wake up in the morning. I also sometimes will put it around my chin area."
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All 12 takes on Healing Ointment
Sick Skincare Go To's
"I do like to use something with petrolatum to kind of help protect that skin throughout the day, so CeraVe Healing Ointment is a big one. Another use that I had for it was around my eye area because when I get sick my eyes can get very dry and scratchy, and because I'm just so prone to dryness in my eyes already they do tend to leak and water a lot, and that makes the area around my eyes very dry and irritated. I do like to put a little bit of CeraVe around the eye area as a protectant to help seal moisture in and help protect against all that wateriness. My eye area got very dry but with the CeraVe it was feeling a lot more moisturized. It's a great protectant for the nose area and the upper lip area too."
Fall PM Retinal Skincare Routine + Why I Stopped Tretinoin
"CeraVe Healing Ointment, this is a petrolatum ointment with 46% petrolatum in here, and that's what creates that really thick ointment balm texture. It's so thick, and sometimes it's hard to get out of the package. I'm taking a small amount and putting it around my eye area, slugging my eye area because my eye allergies have been really bad and when they're so irritated and itchy they start to water nonstop, which makes this area really dry. Because that area has been red, inflamed, and a little bit puffy, this just helps to seal in the skincare and hug in a little bit more of the moisturizing products I've applied."
Melt the Day Away | Calming Skincare Routine
"I'm going to finish up with some CeraVe Healing Ointment. This is 46% petrolatum. I am just putting it around my eyes. This is another habit that I fell into when I was sick with covid back in January and I've been sticking with it because as I mentioned this very early spring weather is kind of flaring up some very mild allergy symptoms for me and one of those symptoms is very watery, slightly puffy eyes, which actually make my eye skin feel very dry. It's actually creating an additional seal on all that skincare that we layered in, and so it's actually going to make that skincare last longer for me as I'm sleeping. I also do sleep with an eye mask on to block out the light and that absorbs a little bit of the skincare around my eyes and can result in some dryness. You can always feel free to slug in specific areas."
10 Top Tips for Tretinoin | AD ft Dermatica
"If you like to use something that is petroleum based like the CeraVe Healing Ointment, apply a small amount of that onto your lips, maybe even a little bit on top of the border of your lips, around your nose and underneath your eye. The petroleum will really block it because it's very occlusive, so if you accidentally go over those areas, the petroleum based product is going to kind of block in a way the tretinoin and the petroleum will really block it. If you've had really bad irritation in those areas in the past, I would say use petroleum over moisturizer, but these are ways that can help you even if you accidentally go over those areas to help sidestep the flakiness, the redness, and the uncomfortable skin."
Tips for Using Tretinoin in Winter | AD ft Dermatica
"You can slug over your moisturizer with petrol-based products like CeraVe Healing Ointment, Vaseline, or Aquaphor, or you can even mix a little bit into your main moisturizer to oomph up that protective barrier that it creates on the skin without adding another thick and sometimes sticky layer on top of your skin. This is also a really great tip if you spend an extended amount of time outside in harsh temperatures, if you're working outside, shoveling, maybe hiking, add a little bit of petrolatum-based product into your moisturizer to create that protection against the wind and against the icy temperatures."
10 Tips to Fight Dehydration this Winter!
"CeraVe Healing Ointment is one of the three most popular products to use for slugging. You would apply your moisturizer and then just put a thin layer of it right on top, kind of like a sleeping mask situation. If your dehydration has gotten to the point where your skin also feels inflamed and irritated, this is a particularly good product to know about because it does have soothing and skin healing ingredients in it, including madecassoside which is derived from centella."
20 Money Saving Skincare Tips 💸
"I'll seal it in with some CeraVe Healing Ointment, some Aquaphor, Vaseline right. I'll rub that all around my cuticles to keep them really, to slug them right, to keep all that moisture and all that oil and all that good skin softening magic sealed into my cuticle area which can get very rough if I don't take care of it."
My Top 5 Eye Creams | 2025 Edition
"I do like to put a little extra layer and I have found that has cut down significantly on my under eye dryness."
3 Skincare Secrets to a Strong Barrier in Fall | AD ft haruharu wonder
"I love CeraVe Healing Ointment. It contains about 46% petrolatum. Petrolatum is by far the most occlusive ingredient that you can use in skincare. It really does create the most barrier. It really seals everything in and it is really great for fighting severe dehydration, especially as you're sleeping. Some folks have really good success just putting this all over their face and they wake up with really glowing skin in the morning. You could also mix a dollop of this into your existing moisturizer to kind of cut down some of the greasiness. I personally have found some success where I selectively slug with CeraVe Healing Ointment on certain areas, especially with combo skin where I get a little bit more dry and dehydrated in others. A big one is my under eye area, which can get very dry and dehydrated very quickly. It really helps to hold all the hydration in place so my under eyes are nice and smooth and plump when I wake up in the morning. I also sometimes will put it around my chin area."
3 Skincare Secrets to a Strong Barrier in Fall | AD ft haruharu wonder
"I love CeraVe Healing Ointment. It contains about 46% of petrolatum. Now petrolatum is by far the most occlusive ingredient that you can use in skincare. It really does create the most barrier. It really seals everything in and it is really great for fighting severe dehydration, especially as you're sleeping. Some folks have really good success just putting this all over their face and they wake up with really glowing skin in the morning. But you may also consider mixing a little bit into your existing moisturizer to kind of cut down some of the greasiness. I personally have found some success where I'll selectively slug with CeraVe Healing Ointment on certain areas, especially with combo skin where I get a little bit more dry and dehydrated in some spots. A big one is my under eye area can get very dry and dehydrated very quickly. And it really helps to hold all the hydration in place. So my under eyes are nice and smooth and plump when I wake up in the morning. I also sometimes will put it around my chin area."
Sleeping Masks I Keep on Repeat! #sluggingskincare
"What I like about the formula is that it's not just the petroleum, there's a couple of other skin beneficial ingredients in here with the humectant, the emollient, the skin conditioning ingredients. It's not the most elegant texture, right, the petroleum is very thick. It's an ointment, it's called a healing ointment, that's exactly what it's like. It's like putting a thick ointment layer on your skin, not everybody's going to enjoy that. I do find CeraVe to be one of the better ones because I feel like this texture, because of the additional humectant and emollient, I find that on me personally it half absorbs into my skin, which is good because I don't want that thick layer on top of my skin. It's like all up in my hair and all up on my pillowcases and my blanket. It kind of half absorbs into my skin and then it kind of half sits on top, and I kind of like that. I like this one out of the three the best. I also use this around my eyes, just a thin layer, to resist that creepiness that comes with dry skin underneath the eyes."
If I was repairing my skin barrier today I'd use...
"CeraVe Healing Ointment, the main ingredient here is about 49% petrolatum and that is a very occlusive ingredient. They've also added in some ceramides and some other lipids to help with your skin barrier. You can use this on top of your moisturizer like a much thicker sleeping mask. It's a lot more occlusive than other products, so if you want to really preserve that hydration because you're probably waking up in the morning and your face feels shriveled and tight and dry, the petrolatum will help to ease some of that. It really just stops the loss of hydration. If your dehydration is really bad, you may want to mix a little dab of this into your moisturizer and put it right onto your face. It's not the best for applying makeup on top, I will be honest, it's a little thick and greasy, but it actually is one of the best ways to preserve all the hydration in your skin, so work from home days, perfect."
"I really love the Lar Ro Pose Sea Plast Balm. This uses 1% of dimethylone as well as some other soothing ingredients. Particularly good if you're feeling some inflammation, itchiness, or irritation with your skin. This is a very occlusive but thin cream. It creates a very protective layer on the skin. Now, you could apply this straight to your face as a slugging product. Or if you want, you can even mix a dollop of this into your existing moisturizer to kind of boost it up a little bit and get that really good dimethylone content into your existing moisturizer."
"Let's talk about the Ilune ceramide ado concentrate cream. Another goodie throwback from the 2019 era. I started using this in 2019 and I want to say it's been reformulated once, twice, three times now since then. This is one of the things that really irks me about the modern era of K beauty is so many reformulations of products that are working perfectly well. Sometimes these reformulations, you don't really detect any type of difference in texture performance or ingredients really. Some things get shuffled around, but it really just doesn't affect the product overall. I started using it in 2019. I want to say in 2021 there was a reformulation. I could really not detect any type of difference whatsoever. Then they reformulated it again. I want to say 2023 was it? And it significantly changed."
"I actually didn't think I was going to like this cream, quite honestly, because it is so simple, but it's actually a really well-performing moisturizer. It gently hugs in the hydration. It gently fights the dehydration. It offers moisturization that feels light, non-greasy, not overly rich. Not something that leaves your skin shiny at the surface. So it's actually something that I feel comfortable going out in when it's much warmer and my skin is feeling a little bit more oily. This feels seasonally appropriate if you have a little bit more dryness, but you don't want to overwhelm your skin. And just that simple formula is definitely great even when my skin's feeling a little bit irritated. This is my recommendation for combination skin that leans a little bit more towards the dry side. This is also going to be great if you have a weak moisture barrier, if you're suffering with a lot of dehydration on your skin or if you have sensitive skin."
"They call this a water cream. It definitely does have a creamy element to it, but it's definitely much looser, more gel-like, maybe even a bit runny. It bursts into hydration as you spread this on your skin. It feels incredibly hydrating, diving in a little bit deeper than lighter hydrators. It can help to soothe some symptoms of dehydration. It's very, very light, sinks in deep, and then right at the top of your skin you're going to feel a skin softening effect. Your skin's going to feel very smooth with just a kiss of really light moisture. That little bit of creaminess in the texture very gently hugs everything in without weighing your skin down. So you get hydrated, slightly plump, and very soft skin at the surface, but your skin is still very much able to breathe. It's not feeling suffocated or weighed down. It feels really great, especially if you have a humid climate. I don't find this to be sticky or tacky at the surface. It sinks in very fast so you can move in with your sunscreen right away. The ingredients like green tea, niacinamide, and zinc PCA have a soothing, calming, anti-inflammatory effect and can help to reduce redness on the skin. The really simple formula makes it a great choice."
"This is a drink of water type of moisturizer. It feels cooling, refreshing, and if you do have a little bit of dehydration, it will feel like it sinks in deeper to kind of that source of your dehydration. So it feels very very hydrating. The texture has just a little bit of bounce and body and plumpness to this, and that definitely helps to give some bounce and body and plumpness to your skin. It will plump it up and make it feel really nice and juicy, especially if you like to layer other hydrating products underneath it. And then at the top surface, you're getting that skin conditioning quality, that softness, that moisturization, and just a little bit more of a feeling of hugging it in. It's not full-on occlusive, but there's just a little bit more tucking in your skin care, just a little bit more preventing the dehydration. This is my recommendation for balanced skin types, combination skin types, and those that are suffering with dehydrated skin."
"This is the Hints True Dimension Radiance Balm. It's like a highlighter stick, a fleshy champagne colored highlighter and it's very beautiful. It's subtle. You see the shimmer? It's not glittery. It's just very light bouncing shimmery. It has like a dewiness to it. It's so melty and so moist. It's so much more dewy and plump and all than a powder highlighter. I love a good powder highlighter. When I was testing this out, I put it under my brow bone and I wasn't too loving that because my lashes touched the top of my brow bone and I was getting a little bit of smudging because of how moist this is. It can get a bit smudgy for the eye area depending on your eyes. But for cheekbones, gorgeous."
"The changes here with the Atobarrier cream were pretty significant and it actually made it from one of my favorite moisturizers, you know I named it one of the best of the year, right, one of my favorite moisturizers to something that's just not quite right anymore for my skin. They have used niacinamide in this moisturizer as well as some dimethicone to add a little bit of occlusivity to help seal everything in. The texture here is really interesting because if you just swipe it, not rub but just swipe it really quickly onto your skin, you're going to see all these little white flexs or flakes. These are the encapsulated ceramides, so this is meant to keep those beautiful lipids and ceramides really potent for your skin. I do believe that this technology claims to help deliver it more effectively into the skin. I'm not really sure if that really plays out or if that's just kind of marketing."
~Mixed
89%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Atobarrier 365 Cream
Barrier Skincare for Sensitive Skin | Aestura Atobarrier 365 Line Review
"The changes here with the Atobarrier cream were pretty significant and it actually made it from one of my favorite moisturizers, you know I named it one of the best of the year, right, one of my favorite moisturizers to something that's just not quite right anymore for my skin. They have used niacinamide in this moisturizer as well as some dimethicone to add a little bit of occlusivity to help seal everything in. The texture here is really interesting because if you just swipe it, not rub but just swipe it really quickly onto your skin, you're going to see all these little white flexs or flakes. These are the encapsulated ceramides, so this is meant to keep those beautiful lipids and ceramides really potent for your skin. I do believe that this technology claims to help deliver it more effectively into the skin. I'm not really sure if that really plays out or if that's just kind of marketing."
REFORMULATED! Aestura Atobarrier 365 2024 Review
"The old formulation of the Atobarrier 365 Cream I would have given it a 9 out of 10. It was a cream I really really loved, was so happy to recommend, my skin enjoyed it so much. However, now that it has been reformulated, I've updated my rating to a 6 out of 10. It has lost its specialness, lost a lot of its uniqueness. This does not stand out to me among the many moisturizers I've used. It just kind of falls in the middle, it's getting lost in the pack. It's not unique, it's not special, it's not really standing out in any way. The way that they've reformulated it, it's like a lot of other creams on the market, and it's still pricey at about $30 to $40 for 80 milliliters."
"This is the Nay cific ouu cream toner and this is so good it's really silky and moisturizing"
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80%of gurus approve
All 7 takes on Deep Sea Pure Water Cream
How I Started YouTube, My 12 Year Journey | Chatty AM Skincare
"This is a gel cream, and there is such a plumping hydrating factor to this essence. The honey in here does give it this kiss of moisturization, but this plumpness is so amazing."
My EVERYTHING Skincare and Self Care Snow Day! | AD ft iRESTORE
"This is the Nay cific ouu cream toner and this is so good it's really silky and moisturizing"
Rating My Empty Skincare with Emojis! 😍💩😒
"It's jam-packed full of great barrier supportive ingredients. This is actually a product that is multi-purpose so it can immediately address irritation but it can also help to strengthen your skin over time, helping to keep it more hydrated in the long run, strengthening your skin's moisture barrier. But it's also a protective product that has a heavy focus on antioxidants. Antioxidants really help us face the world essentially, it helps protect our skin from environmental stressors, it helps protect our skin from damage from the sun, helps protect our skin from damaging inflammation, and that is like the hidden cause of aging that we don't always talk about. Inflammation can damage the skin so much and speed up the aging process on the skin. So this is an all-in-one, especially for somebody like me who has sensitive skin, I can be very dehydrated, my moisture barrier can sometimes be weak, but I also have aging goals. This does it all."
Barrier Care for Cold Weather Skincare Routine
"This texture is so beautiful and buttery. You can see it still has a little bit of thickness to it even after running it across my skin, so you can tell that it's going to be really thick. It's definitely richer than Cave Moisturizing Cream, and I think it's even slightly richer than the Illiyoon cream. It has this beautiful kiss of silky creamy richness and butteriness. It just melts into my skin but it feels really nourishing and comforting."
Testing 5 Dupes for Laneige Cream Skin Refiner OG Formula!
"The Purito is a lot lighter, less heavy, I think even less dewy. It's still absorbing, but the way that cream skin feels is like it almost dives into each and every little pore and just goes with moisture, like it just fills it with moisture and that feels amazing if you have dry skin. Purito doesn't have that kind of quality. It just has that nice light kiss, it's kissing the top of your skin with just a hint of moisture. Purito feels lighter, there's a little less of that rich layer. It wouldn't be my first choice for a replacement, but it might be a nice lighter alternative if the original formula ever felt greasy for you."
Top 5 Essences | 2025 Edition
"When your skin barrier is a little bit more tested, a lot more weak, or possibly damaged, or you're struggling with tretinoin or retinoid uglies, you're starting that journey and you're getting a lot of peeling and flaking, and all of a sudden your skin is craving a lot more moisture than you're used to, a product like this would be perfect for that type of situation."
Bifida Ferment | Healthy Skin Faves
"This is actually one of the very first Purito ferment focus products I ever tried quite a few years ago now. It's gone through a little bit of a reformulation with the ingredients and new packaging since I've tried it, but quite honestly this new formulation really reminds me quite a bit of the older version. I haven't really noticed too much of a difference in performance. Where I really notice the difference is with sensitive skin, which I do have. My skin is easily sensitized and can easily be irritated, and my barrier can naturally feel a little bit on the weak side. One of the benefits I noticed with using this serum consistently is that it really just makes your skin feel stronger over time. It can just take it a little bit better than it used to be able to. It just doesn't get as easily irritated when it's faced with lots of allergens or pollution or lots of sun. It really helps your skin feel strong but also look incredibly healthy. Your skin is just looking bouncy and bright and beautiful and radiant, that type of glowy. This absolutely brings that out in your skin because it's working on the internal health of your skin."
"I've been doing a lot this winter is mixing in a little small amount of the triple repair moisturizing cream from La Roche-Posay. This is such a nourishing, really moisturizing, quite thick and heavy cream that feels so good when my skin is really, really dry. It's not always the most appropriate for my skin which fluctuates with the seasons, so sometimes I like to just balance out that really heavier texture with a more medium texture. This cream also seems to help give a little bit more occlusivity to my skin, which I can't emphasize enough how important that is when it's windy. It just feels like the right amount of moisture, the right amount of thickness to seal everything in."
✓Approved
84%of gurus approve
All 4 takes on Lipikar Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream
My Top 5 Moisturizers | 2025 Edition
"This is a true straight up dry skin cream. Don't touch this if you have oily skin. If you have combination skin that does not feel dry, don't touch this cream. I have sort of a love-hate with this one. I fluctuate with this a lot. In the winter I really like it, I love it, my skin enjoys it so much. In any other season it's way too heavy for me, it's too thick and it can actually sometimes cause some congestion on my skin when I use it in the wrong season. But it is a really great dry skin moisturizer. It's fantastic for your skin barrier because the ingredients are very minimal. La Roche-Posay is all about sensitive skin, so they focus in on Shea Butter, very nourishing, niacinamide which is barrier restorative, as well as some ceramide and pea in here. It's a very thick, very dense type of cream, it is very, very rich. It has very good absorbency into the skin. You're going to feel a bit of a glossiness at the top and then there is a really nice occlusive, very good seal it in factor. It's moisturizing deep within but it's also creating a very good protective layer on top of your skin."
My EVERYTHING Skincare and Self Care Snow Day! | AD ft iRESTORE
"I've been doing a lot this winter is mixing in a little small amount of the triple repair moisturizing cream from La Roche-Posay. This is such a nourishing, really moisturizing, quite thick and heavy cream that feels so good when my skin is really, really dry. It's not always the most appropriate for my skin which fluctuates with the seasons, so sometimes I like to just balance out that really heavier texture with a more medium texture. This cream also seems to help give a little bit more occlusivity to my skin, which I can't emphasize enough how important that is when it's windy. It just feels like the right amount of moisture, the right amount of thickness to seal everything in."
Sickness Reset | AM Skincare Routine After a Cold
"I really like this moisturizer, it's very gentle and it is very barrier restorative as well. I like to mix a little bit of the La Roche-Posay Lipikar Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream into lighter creams just to give it a little bit more fluffiness, a little bit more protective quality to it, a little bit more heft, and that really brings the moisture back into my skin and protects it."
2024 Skincare Wins and Lessons | PM Routine
"I'm going in for the La Roche-Posay Lipikar Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream. This whole routine is quite thick. I have to tell you my skin is so dry, and I don't always use this moisturizer because I have said in the past that it does sometimes give me some congestion, so I am tempting a little bit. But I have to say my dryness is overriding my desire for less congestion on my skin, so this is something that I've been doing a few nights a week just to really amp up the moisture and the protection, and that just feels so good."
"It's not long lasting in my personal experience and testing with this product. If you're really drawn in by the claims of that glassy shiny kind of look and finish to this moisturizer, I don't think that it's long lasting. I'm just really not impressed by it that much. I don't feel that this product falls into that at all. I think there's a very specific type of person that will be really thrilled with this product and I will be honest with you I am not that person. My skin type does not jive with this product at all. I do have combination skin so I do produce a little bit more oil in my T-Zone area and then my U Zone area is more dry and prone to dehydration."
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69%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on 345 Relief Cream
My TOP 5 Dr. Althea Skincare Picks! | 2026 Update!
"I personally don't enjoy it as much as I do the 147 cream. The 345 cream gets a lot more attention, particularly in content, but the 147 cream is really focused on calming the skin, strengthening the skin in this nice creamy texture that's not really heavy and dense."
Dr. Althea Worth the Hype? | 345 + 147 Moisturizer Review
"It's not long lasting in my personal experience and testing with this product. If you're really drawn in by the claims of that glassy shiny kind of look and finish to this moisturizer, I don't think that it's long lasting. I'm just really not impressed by it that much. I don't feel that this product falls into that at all. I think there's a very specific type of person that will be really thrilled with this product and I will be honest with you I am not that person. My skin type does not jive with this product at all. I do have combination skin so I do produce a little bit more oil in my T-Zone area and then my U Zone area is more dry and prone to dehydration."
"I've actually been using this product for quite a while, a whole year now, and I am really really impressed with this mask. It uses 15% glycolic acid as well as 3% lactic acid, and they've also combined it with tranexamic acid, which is a great brightening active ingredient. I've been incorporating this pretty much every single week into my masking routine to give my skin that perk-up, that brightness, and I've made some really good headway with my hyperpigmentation this year. This was really a crucial puzzle piece for me personally with my active routine this year. I do have sensitive skin and I've struggled with glycolic acid in the past, but I just put this on in a very thin layer, leave it on for just 10 minutes once a week, wash it off, and my skin is so good."
"Tretinoin is an amazing ingredient I absolutely love what it did for my skin for all those years but I do think it is important to share the other side of the experience is that it is maybe not the right choice for everybody and it may not be the right long-term choice for everybody. There's a lot of different ways for us to approach our skincare journeys our well-aging journeys. I've left the door open to tretinoin and I may walk through that door again, but quite honestly right now I'm so happy with where I'm at."
"I'm not finding substantial on-product commentary about CERX All-in-One Snail Cream in this transcript window. The passage discusses CERX's business history and market expansion strategy, but does not contain the reviewer's take on how the product performs, its ingredients, texture, results, or suitability for users. To provide an accurate quote about the product itself, I would need a transcript section where the reviewer discusses the cream's actual merits or experience with it."
"The 10% Urea Moisturizer, I really like. They came out with this a couple of years ago and I fell in love with it immediately. As a moisturizer, I think it will really suit folks who are a little bit on the oily side who want something a little bit lighter. This is not the heavy, rich creams I've been talking about all video long. So if you have oily skin or combination skin that leans oily, I think you'll like this. If you have more of a balanced or normal skin type, I think you'll like this as well. It is a really fantastic kind of gel-based moisturizer, feels very hydrating because urea is a natural moisturizing factor for your skin, so it really helps to hydrate your skin. It's also barrier supportive. It's just good for the health of your skin. But urea has a secondary benefit if you do suffer with eczema or if you have really rough patches on your skin, because it can really help to soften and loosen those over time. It also helps with irritation and itchiness on the skin as well."
"There is a good amount of moisture to this but it actually doesn't feel greasy or overly emollient. There's just a little bit more of that skin softening, a little bit more of that silkiness, a little bit of that my skin feels moisturized kind of feel along with that deep drink of hydration. This one actually has a little bit more occlusivity, so if you do suffer with dehydration this might be the smarter choice, not just because of the barrier protecting ingredients, but also because that little kiss of occlusion helps to tuck all your skincare in, hug in all the hydration, keep it in place, and act as a little bit of a barrier on your skin to prevent dehydration. The mix of ingredients here is quite fascinating because not only do they have their eye on the barrier with five different ceramides. Ceramides are lipids that help to hold the hydration in, right, a really important crucial element if you want that drink of water to stay in your skin. There's some really great calming extracts in here as well."
"This is one of my favorite moisturizers because it hits all those different checkpoints for me. It's focused on barrier care. They've done it without niacinamide, they're actually using biomimetic ceramides, which is a fancy way of saying lamellar ceramide. They're using this biomimetic ceramide and its benefits are actually incredibly similar to ceramide NP. They've used both ingredients here. They're also using cholesterol and fatty acids, and they're really focusing on getting your skin moisturized, getting your barrier strong, and helping with a little bit of occlusivity to help fight dehydration. I love the texture of this, it is a pretty traditional cream texture, but it's not that buttery, silky type of texture. It's more of a plain cream type of texture. I love the way it absorbs into the skin."
"You absolutely could use this cream for cuts, maybe some accidents with the razor if you're shaving right on your face or anywhere really, bug bites. I think it can be particularly helpful for anywhere that you need skin healing. The peptides in this formula and the overall formulation really do support that. I particularly use this one whenever there's that area on my face where the skin is raw, it's open, it's vulnerable. I am putting this on the area and it really does work. It really speeds up the healing like two times faster. If I just did normal skincare, I think that it's a lot slower to mend up on its own. Using this cream, it closes it up so much faster. But it doesn't just promote the healing by closing the wound; it really does promote the healthy healing of that wound, that smooth skin. I think it helps to cut down on the hyperpigmentation if you suffer from that."
"The Estra Ado Barrier 365 Cream is barrier supportive with ceramides and cholesterol, really all about supporting a healthy skin barrier. It has an approach for sensitive skin and doesn't include a lot of plant extracts, fragrance, or essential oils, it's a gentle formulation that's really just meant to strengthen your skin barrier. It has a beautiful texture that moisturizes inside your skin, not on top of it, with a nice, almost neutrally type of finish. It's not mattifying but definitely not shiny. Once I put this on, it seals everything in and smooths out my skin in such a nice way, just enough occlusivity to fight dehydration but not so much that my skin feels like it's suffocating or sealed off. It's not bordering on too rich either."
"I'm a really big fan especially of the moisturizers Hydration Station and Happier Barrier. I recommend them a lot because they're no nonsense, they get the job done, they have great ingredients and they feel really nice."
"I love the Cetaphil moisturizing lotion. It's really affordable and comes with a pump, so this is the one I really like to keep right next to my sink for right after washing my hands. It is very silky and nourishing but it's not overly greasy. It doesn't make my hands feel too slippery. It absorbs in really fast and easily, and I think it's just a really great straightforward everyday type of lotion."
"If you have the type of hands that really need the occlusivity, your skin is really really dry and you really have to seal that lotion in, try adding a little squirt of Cetaphil Healing Ointment, a petroleum-based ointment type of product. Petroleum is a very occlusive ingredient. It creates a barrier on your skin that helps to hug all that moisturizer in. It also works as a two-way barrier: it keeps things in but also helps to protect your skin from outside elements. If you're not in the best habit of wearing your gloves in cold weather outside, the petroleum acts as a protectant and can help protect your skin from being chapped by the wind and just the cold elements."
"The moisturizing layer is incredibly nourishing, very creamy and silky. My skin is just sucking this up, it feels amazing. Because I've used this for quite a while, I can tell you that there's some tea in here and I find my skin super responds to tea in skincare. I always get natural redness, especially in this cold weather, and tea really helps with that quite a bit. I feel like it just brings a really healthy complexion. It's an antioxidant and there's some great polyphenol content in here. The moisture element is so silky."
✓Approved
66%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Ceramidin Cream
Only 5 Products? Skincare I'm Taking to a Deserted Island
"It just absorbs and absorbs and absorbs and my skin can just drink it up, but it's very replenishing. I also really appreciate the larger size of this because I do a couple of layers so I run through products a lot faster, but with this bigger size I don't feel like I'm running through toner every single month. This lasts me a really, really good long time."
Testing 5 Dupes for Laneige Cream Skin Refiner OG Formula!
"The moisturizing layer is incredibly nourishing, very creamy and silky. My skin is just sucking this up, it feels amazing. Because I've used this for quite a while, I can tell you that there's some tea in here and I find my skin super responds to tea in skincare. I always get natural redness, especially in this cold weather, and tea really helps with that quite a bit. I feel like it just brings a really healthy complexion. It's an antioxidant and there's some great polyphenol content in here. The moisture element is so silky."
"The texture is that silky kind of cream with a nice richness to it. If you want a creamy moisturizer that bursts into hydration on your skin, I honestly think the Bubble Slam Dunk is more hydrating than Laneige. This is a very, very surprisingly hydrating and very refreshing on the skin while still maintaining a richness and a creaminess and a moisturizing, comforting feel on the skin, with a little bit of occlusivity to hug everything in. But this is still a medium to lightweight type of cream. It's a really special kind of experience with this moisturizer, and it's a little bit more affordable if you are on a budget."
"The moisturizer I think really great for combination skin especially because we've got some of that hydration element that plumping element and then a really nice silky emolliency that's not really greasy it's not overwhelming on the skin it's not heavy. It has a really nice hydrating plump and kind of airy feel to it. The benefits on this are really great at brightening if you really just want to brighten up a dull or uneven complexion, these products will really make your skin and complexion look more lively, more vibrant, more glowy from lit from within. It will take definitely longer especially if you're going to use the moisturizer to target hyperpigmentation, it's probably gonna fade at the slowest, but that's kind of the name of the game with sensitive skin. If you have very very very sensitive skin this can be a great way to incorporate vitamin C into your skincare routine. I think it could also be used as a booster too if you are using other vitamin C products and want a little bit more, you could definitely incorporate the moisturizer alongside maybe the other serums to get yourself a little bit more without pushing your skin with that pure form of L-ascorbic acid or really high percentage. I really think that this is best for very sensitive skin because of that percentage, but I also think the formats are incredibly easy to use and incorporate into your routine."
"I have to talk about Dynasty Cream because this is the product that made me fall in love with Beauty of Joseon so many years ago. I really fell in love with this cream because it was the absolute answer for me when I was struggling with my dehydrated skin. I just could not get the right moisturizer, either things were too light, these really watery gel-like creams that felt really good on application but did not really hold hydration into my skin long term, and then I would find these creams that were actually just too dense and too heavy and too rich and would clog my pores. I really did need to find something that was a little bit of both. I needed the hydration and lightness of a gel but I needed the longevity of a cream, and I really feel like this is the cream that did it for me. It was that magical unicorn that brought all of those qualities together."
✓Approved
81%of gurus approve
All 4 takes on Dynasty Cream
Ranking 20 Top Selling Products at Olive Young!
"I was very devoted to this cream for years truly years from 2015 to about 2018, 2019, just using this all the time as my main squeeze moisturizer. Beauty of Joseon has been around for nearly 10 years. It's a really nice type of cream especially if you have combination skin type or if you suffer with some dehydration because it really just helps soothe a lot of the signs and symptoms that come with a slightly weak moisture barrier. It helps with dehydration, it helps with irritation, it helps with inflammation. It gives the right amount of moisture without overwhelming the skin. It's just the right amount of occlusivity without sealing off the skin. If you have the type of dehydrated skin that also has some oil on top, I think you're still going to like this cream. It's not totally a gel cream but it's not super duper silky buttery or rich either. It strikes a happy medium. And it has some great ingredients in here too like ginseng."
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"I have to talk about Dynasty Cream because this is the product that made me fall in love with Beauty of Joseon so many years ago. I really fell in love with this cream because it was the absolute answer for me when I was struggling with my dehydrated skin. I just could not get the right moisturizer, either things were too light, these really watery gel-like creams that felt really good on application but did not really hold hydration into my skin long term, and then I would find these creams that were actually just too dense and too heavy and too rich and would clog my pores. I really did need to find something that was a little bit of both. I needed the hydration and lightness of a gel but I needed the longevity of a cream, and I really feel like this is the cream that did it for me. It was that magical unicorn that brought all of those qualities together."
Updating My Old Skincare Reviews, Did I Change My Mind?
"This is probably even to this day my most repurchased product still because I've gone through so many jars of this. They served my skin so so so so so so so well and for a very long time."
Updating My Old Skincare Reviews, Did I Change My Mind?
"What I was missing in my routine was balance. My skin was so imbalanced and nothing in my routine was helping to correct that, and so that moisture that this cream provided was just enough. It also had ceramides in it, which was something I was building into my routine at the time. Now having so much more knowledge of self, I really know that my body needs to be supplemented with ceramides, and so this was a huge revelation for my skin and for myself. This served me so well, but it's not appropriate for my skin anymore. It's just not enough moisture. It's not enough occlusivity for where I'm at right now. This is still something that I do recommend quite a bit though for those who do suffer with dehydration, for those who have very classically combination skin and you're not leaning more dry. You're going to really like this cream. I think it is so good. They have changed it in the last couple of years. They have taken out the fragrance in the cream. They've tweaked a couple of the extracts. They've added ginseng into it. I think they upped the amount of niacinamide in here. They've done really great things to the formula. The texture is still very good. It's slightly different. It's maybe a little less moisturizing now, but I still think this is a really nice in-between cream, in between a gel moisturizer and a really thick heavy moisturizer. It still has a lightness to it but it's still very balancing. A lot of the original qualities of the cream are maintained in the current formulation."
"It's a quick, easy toner, hydrator, essence type of product. The sea water in this I find kind of calming and soothing when my skin's feeling a little bit sensitive, or maybe a little red or inflamed. It's really good. The formula itself is good. The mister was good. I really liked this product. Plus the skin's entertainment value, it's really beautiful to look at. I loved everything else in the bottle, but the packaging is a failure, you can't open it or pour out the rest, and there's a not insignificant amount of product left that I won't be able to use. I recommend this with reservations because of that. I loved everything else, but when you can't use the last bit of it, it really turns me off."
"It's not as rich in the emollient and in the thickness of the texture. It actually suits my skin really well right now, where some days are warm but still very windy, where some days can be a little bit on the cooler mild side, but I'm not going full-on hardcore dry in my skin and I'm still dealing with some oil and I'm still balancing out some potential congestion. The Rhode Glazing Milk is really a nice balanced product for me right now. The humectant content, the lightness in the application, the way it doesn't feel as heavy on my skin, the way that it's not so overly rich: it's not causing congestion or whiteheads for me."
"I'm pretty well known for adoring this product since 2021. I love this so so much. It is still something that shows up at least in one routine every single year. I really, really love this essence. It is everything I want an essence to be. I'm looking for hydration, and this definitely has it. The hydrating portion is packed with fermented tea, lots of antioxidant content, lots of polyphenols, great for well-aging concerns. It is really anti-inflammatory and calming for the skin, reducing redness on the skin as well and just everything in there that just promotes that lit from within kind of a glow. I also like essences to have a little bit of a thicker texture than my hydrating toner really to lock in hydration to kind of balance out my skin. I have combination skin prone to dehydration and so that cream portion to this essence really does the trick."
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85%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence
Classic K-Beauty Skincare I STILL Recommend in 2026!
"I'm pretty well known for adoring this product since 2021. I love this so so much. It is still something that shows up at least in one routine every single year. I really, really love this essence. It is everything I want an essence to be. I'm looking for hydration, and this definitely has it. The hydrating portion is packed with fermented tea, lots of antioxidant content, lots of polyphenols, great for well-aging concerns. It is really anti-inflammatory and calming for the skin, reducing redness on the skin as well and just everything in there that just promotes that lit from within kind of a glow. I also like essences to have a little bit of a thicker texture than my hydrating toner really to lock in hydration to kind of balance out my skin. I have combination skin prone to dehydration and so that cream portion to this essence really does the trick."
Milky Toners for Cold Weather!
"This is a bifacial product with two layers separated in the bottle. The star ingredient here is a saccharomyces ferment, which is a really beautiful fermented ingredient that really helps with the health of the skin. This has been combined with tea, and that's where we get the fermented tea, the kombucha element to this. Fermenting an ingredient really unlocks a lot of the vitamins and minerals and what I like to call skin nutrition. It really helps to support a healthy microbiome and it really supports healthy skin. It can help with the hydrating content of the ingredient, it can increase the amino acids, it can just do so much. It also helps it sink into the skin a little bit deeper, so if you have deep dehydration, sometimes those fermented ingredients can deliver hydration kind of to the source of that tightness and itchiness within your skin. I also find tea to be a really great ingredient if you have some redness on your skin. It just seems to have a natural anti-inflammatory benefit that seems to bring out that healthy lit from within."
A Full Day of Skincare! AM to PM Routine ☀️🌙
"I love this because it is so nourishing and silky and moisturizing for my skin but in this lighter format. The tea also helps to reduce redness and it really is going to help with that little pimple that I have right under my eye just to take down some of the redness."
"It just sort of sits on top of your skin. I don't think it's particularly effective peeling or exfoliating gel. I don't think it's a particularly effective hydrating serum. It might be an interesting moisturizing fermented type of product if you can tolerate the texture. I think it's interesting. I don't think it's good."
"This is one of the most moisturizing creamy essences that I've ever tried. Like it is quite unique. This is my girl Friday when it comes to winter. I started using this last winter and you remember how obsessed I was with it cuz it just gives me everything that my complicated combo skin really really craves. And when that triangle of doom is flaring up, one layer is really all my skin needs. But I will take a couple more drops, just a few, and put a second layer just in the triangle of doom. It feels very soothing. The word essence makes you think it's going to be a lot lighter, but I always like to warn about how nourishing this is."
"The product that I most recommend from Then I Met You is the Giving Essence. I'm a really big fan of this particular product. It's a really good example of what an essence is in the Korean skincare world. Traditionally speaking, in the 10-step Korean beauty routine, an essence functions as a sort of bridge between a hydrating toner product and a serum or ampule treatment type of product. It lands somewhere in the middle of the hydration that toners can bring to the skin that replenish the skin and prep the skin for the rest of your skincare routine because hydrated, moist skin is going to accept other skincare layers better and absorb better into your skin from the hydration levels. But also, if your skin is lacking water, if it is dehydrated, replenishing that with a hydrating toner can make a huge difference. Hydration itself smooths and plumps the skin and promotes healthier skin."
"This has 5% panthenol in it and it has madecassic acid, which is the biologically active compound of Centella. It's really soothing, it's actually so amazing for irritation. It really calms the skin down, reduces redness, inflammation, itching. Panthenol is hydrating and barrier supportive. I like this as a soothing and calming spray, something you could use like a really lightweight toner. I don't find it incredibly hydrating probably because of the very light layer that this spray delivers. I would say it's hydrating, there is an element to it, much more hydrating than just a thermal spray. I mostly use this when my skin is irritated. It really does soothe on contact in a nice way."
"I like this one because it offers a little bit of moisture to my skin, but it still feels lighter and refreshing for this still very hot weather that we're having."
"Let's talk about the Tower 28 SOS Rescue Spray. This is a product that is new to my routine this spring. I have been using it in the winter and as I shared with you in my March favorites, I've been using it over the last couple of months to help prevent breakouts from sweating. My skin can sometimes get very irritated when I sweat a lot from my workouts. I'll use this spray before I work out, I'll sometimes spray it right after, or I sometimes build it into my routine right after my shower from working out. It's not a toner. It's not an essence. It's really a targeted mist for folks who suffer with inflammatory conditions on the skin. It helps to reduce the inflammation, the irritation, the redness and potentially things like eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis flare-ups on the skin, which are all rooted in inflammation within the skin. The only ingredient here is the hypochlorous acid, and this is a great ingredient for what I just said. I have found that it's been really helpful like I said for preventing breakouts because there is an antibacterial benefit to this ingredient, but it's also soothing inflammation."
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All 2 takes on SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray
March Faves | Tower28, Numbuzin, Aestura
"I really tried to build the habit of doing this pre-workout but also post-workout as well and I've noticed that the irritation from sweat, because if sweat's on my skin long enough even washing right away my skin just still feels a little iffy for the rest of the day, I've noticed a lot less redness, I've noticed definitely less congestion and pimples as well. So I do believe that this ingredient is beneficial. This really is a product that is meant to target bacteria and inflammation on the skin and it really is for folks who are really sensitive to sweat, or maybe you do suffer with bacterial acne, maybe you do get eczema flare-ups, maybe you do have rosacea or any kind of inflammatory skin condition. You might want to try something like this and just see if it doesn't cut down on your flare-ups or cut down on the amount of inflammation and redness or just even that raw sensitivity on the skin, because that's what I noticed using this."
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"Let's talk about the Tower 28 SOS Rescue Spray. This is a product that is new to my routine this spring. I have been using it in the winter and as I shared with you in my March favorites, I've been using it over the last couple of months to help prevent breakouts from sweating. My skin can sometimes get very irritated when I sweat a lot from my workouts. I'll use this spray before I work out, I'll sometimes spray it right after, or I sometimes build it into my routine right after my shower from working out. It's not a toner. It's not an essence. It's really a targeted mist for folks who suffer with inflammatory conditions on the skin. It helps to reduce the inflammation, the irritation, the redness and potentially things like eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis flare-ups on the skin, which are all rooted in inflammation within the skin. The only ingredient here is the hypochlorous acid, and this is a great ingredient for what I just said. I have found that it's been really helpful like I said for preventing breakouts because there is an antibacterial benefit to this ingredient, but it's also soothing inflammation."
"It has this softness, skin conditioning type of feel, but it doesn't have that real slip to it that feels very rich. It just sinks into the skin beautifully, hydrating and a little bit plumping because there's some body to this, and then the top of your skin is just going to feel very conditioned, very soft, but not greasy, not heavy, not overloaded. It walks a really beautiful balance between hydration and light moisture with a nice plumping factor. It really fills your skin but it just doesn't weigh it down. This is going to be perfect for me and my combo skin come deeper spring when things are really warming up and into the summer as well, because with combo skin you need both, and that's exactly what this product provides: hydration and moisture. If you have combo skin this will be up your alley. If you have dry skin, just know it's not as rich as it might first appear based on the texture. There's a lot more hydration and lighter moisture to this than your eyes might tell you it has, so I don't know if it's going to be enough for dry skin. If you have a balanced or normal skin type, you may enjoy this. If you have oily skin, I don't think you need something like this quite honestly."
"The Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream Mist was pretty dang close to that original formula, quite honestly. I really did enjoy this product. Ingredients-wise, we do have some ceramide content in here, and ceramides are really the ingredient that is going to help with your skin barrier because your skin barrier is made up of about 50% ceramides naturally. When you add ceramides into your skincare routine topically, they can be very beneficial for helping to keep that skin barrier strong or to repair and strengthen it if it's weak or damaged. They are very very effective in skincare products. We do have some ceramide content in here. It actually goes under an INCI list name that is a little bit long, but the trade name is ceramide PC102, and this is actually a lab-made ceramide and they are just as good as natural ceramides. They can sometimes be easier to formulate with, and that's why some brands will choose to use this."
"There's a little bit more juicy plumpness to this SK-II Facial Treatment Essence. This works so fast and gives such great results on the skin. It really brings a very beautiful glow to the skin, it really improves the quality and the texture of my skin, it helps to smooth out texture and pores, and it's just really a fantastic product. I use this as an occasional treat for my skin, and quite honestly with this one I think it's okay to do that because it works so well. If you have dry skin but you like a little bit more plumping type of texture to be built into your skincare routine, I think you will like this. I think balanced skin types will enjoy this."
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All 5 takes on Facial Treatment Essence
Good Morning Chicago! | AM Skincare Routine
"I really do love this Essence. It definitely transforms your skin very quickly, it's very brightening, and it can actually increase the hydration in your skin. It's also very supportive for your skin barrier, so it's a great prep product. It preps your skin as a first essence so everything that I put on after this is just going to absorb a little bit better, but it's also a great kind of special occasion prep because it does work so fast. It can help smooth out the skin, it can help with makeup application, and it definitely brings that bright complexion. I don't love the price, but the 75ml bottle actually does last quite a while because you don't need a lot."
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"It is super expensive. Before I ever tried SK-II, I always liked the ingredient and I always noticed a really beautiful glow up on my skin when I use the ingredient. When I use SK-II though, I have to say it is of a different league. While it is still using the same ingredient, it is so much more concentrated, it is so much more higher quality. You can just tell it works faster, it works bigger. There is a quality difference here. You absolutely are paying for that high concentration of galactomyces ferment that hasn't been cut with a bunch of other stuff. It helps with tone, it can help with texture for sure, and it is an ingredient that is well regarded for anti-aging purposes. It definitely does help to support the health of your skin. It helps to replenish amino acids which help with skin hydration, vitamins, minerals. It is a really great barrier supportive ingredient because it really helps to increase hydration within the skin. But it is not technically a cell communicating ingredient."
My Sephora Top 15 Skincare Picks
"This product really fills out each crevice of your skin with lots of juicy hydration and that's what plumps your skin, that's what firms it. Sometimes that's where you get a little bit like, hey, my skin kind of almost looks lifted. It's really firm and it's really smooth, the fine lines are nowhere in sight because your skin is just completely maxed out with juicy hydration. SK-II Facial Treatment Essence is definitely a pricey product, definitely a cult status product. It has been around for decades, famous for decades, been expensive for decades too. This is definitely one of those premier Japanese beauty products that has made its way over to Sephora. I personally find this product to live up to the hype. I don't really love super expensive skincare, but this is one that I will save up for to purchase because every time I use this product it reminds me about how high quality it is, how good it is, and how much it can really transform your skin. Just a few uses of this essence, you really will see an improvement, especially if you are suffering with dull and uneven skin, if your complexion just isn't quite healthy and lit from within. The main ingredient is a high quality yeast ferment called Pitera. This will absolutely brighten you up, it will light you up from within. It is full of what I call skin nutrition, tons of amino acids, tons of antioxidants. There's actually peptides in this ferment strain."
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"SK-II Facial Treatment Essence is quite an experience. I really do enjoy that product. It's a little pricey and I can't keep it in my routine all the time, but it really does transform your skin and it's probably a gold standard example of galactomyces. Galactomyces kind of just helped to enhance hydration on my skin, which was much needed at the time, so definitely one of my favorite fermented ingredients and probably one of the first fermented ingredients that I really tried and was able to really say, hey, this transformed my skin."
Top 5 Essences | 2025 Edition
"There's a little bit more juicy plumpness to this SK-II Facial Treatment Essence. This works so fast and gives such great results on the skin. It really brings a very beautiful glow to the skin, it really improves the quality and the texture of my skin, it helps to smooth out texture and pores, and it's just really a fantastic product. I use this as an occasional treat for my skin, and quite honestly with this one I think it's okay to do that because it works so well. If you have dry skin but you like a little bit more plumping type of texture to be built into your skincare routine, I think you will like this. I think balanced skin types will enjoy this."
"There's this silkiness at the top, there's this skin conditioning, skin softening effect. The moisture just hugs everything in place. If you have dehydrated skin, you want to pump your skin full of hydration but then you need that little bit of moisture to keep it in place, and that's exactly how this feels on my skin. It's so hydrating, so refreshing, so plumping, but then moisturizing and hugs everything in, but it's not greasy, it's not sticky, it's not overwhelming. I've actually found this to be the perfect fit for my skincare routine. It allows my skin to breathe, it brings in all that beautiful refreshing hydration my skin craves, and just the right kiss of moisture. This plays so well with the rest of my skincare routine. I've never had a problem layering it with any of my other serums and all the other things I like to put on my skin. It definitely brings that right replenishment for dehydration, that right amount of moisture without overwhelming my skin."
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All 11 takes on Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
5 Star Skincare Empties! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"You know that I've Loved this toner for a really long time um and I got the big size"
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"It's solidly in the middle of the pack. It's one of my top ranking products. I think it just really performs nicely. It has proven itself time and time again year after year after year. It's popular for a reason."
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Top 10+ K Beauty You Need to Try in 2024!
"It's been around for a really long time and it's been popular for at least a decade at this point, and it also is the product that Cosrx has built its reputation on. It has a hydrating, plumping, gel-like texture with just a little bit of balancing moisture to it. I think it will work for a majority of skin types. The snail is the main ingredient here in this essence, which you can also use as a serum, and if you wanted to get a little bit more of that repairing, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, well-aging supportive type of ingredient into your routine and you haven't tried this one yet, I would say start here. It has a good amount of propolis in it and it really does support not only a glowing, beautiful, healthy-looking complexion but it also supports some moisture in the skincare routine."
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"I haven't actually been to dehydrated during this cold which has been really nice"
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"There's this silkiness at the top, there's this skin conditioning, skin softening effect. The moisture just hugs everything in place. If you have dehydrated skin, you want to pump your skin full of hydration but then you need that little bit of moisture to keep it in place, and that's exactly how this feels on my skin. It's so hydrating, so refreshing, so plumping, but then moisturizing and hugs everything in, but it's not greasy, it's not sticky, it's not overwhelming. I've actually found this to be the perfect fit for my skincare routine. It allows my skin to breathe, it brings in all that beautiful refreshing hydration my skin craves, and just the right kiss of moisture. This plays so well with the rest of my skincare routine. I've never had a problem layering it with any of my other serums and all the other things I like to put on my skin. It definitely brings that right replenishment for dehydration, that right amount of moisture without overwhelming my skin."
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"The COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence brings similar qualities as Dr Jart+ Cicapair but it's doing it different. It brings a nice extra amount of hydration in addition to the toner, but then there's this nice balancing moisture to it. The difference is it's more of a gel type of moisture, not an emollient creamy oil-based moisture. In a hotter humid climate I don't want to overwhelm my skin with too much nourishment especially early on in the skincare routine, so the COSRX is just that right amount of balance to plump up the skin, hydrate it, but also help to gently hug all that hydration in the skin, a little bit of moisture without overwhelming or feeling greasy. Snail as an ingredient is really about healthy skin, and when your skin is healthy it's functioning optimally, it's going to be balanced, and a lot of the other problems that you might be facing are lessened to a certain degree."
Stress-Free AM and PM Summer Skincare Routine
"This is the perfect summertime product for me because what I love about this snail essence, this specific brand of snail essence, is that their snail is really balanced. It's really plumping and really hydrating but there's a little moisturization to this too that my combination skin loves. When the weather gets really warm is when my skin goes very classically combination. I do still struggle with some dryness, but generally the oil is coming back into my T-zone more prominently while my U-zone is still staying very dry. So I definitely need to focus my routine on balance and that's what this product brings me. It's both hydration and moisture and it feels amazing. The other reason why I've been relying on this so much is because snail is an amazing ingredient for when you're exposed to a lot of sun."
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"People talk about it all the time. I know it's overhyped, I think for good reason though. Hype doesn't necessarily equal a bad thing, it just means so many people have had their lives affected in a positive way by it. The hype that it gets I think is well deserved. I can't say that about every hyped up super popular product, but this one I can confidently say is worth the hype."
Bifida Ferment | Healthy Skin Faves
"One of the benefits I noticed with using this serum consistently is that it really just makes your skin feel stronger over time. It can just take it a little bit better than it used to be able to. It just doesn't get as easily irritated when it's faced with lots of allergens or pollution or lots of sun. It really helps your skin feel strong but also look incredibly healthy. Your skin is just looking bouncy and bright and beautiful and radiant. This absolutely brings that out in your skin because it's working on the internal health of your skin. The texture of this is an interesting liquidy type of gel texture but there is a bit of moisture to this. It does absorb really well into the skin. There is a rich slip to this. It's light but it is rich and it is there. I don't think that it's going to be a total turn off for oily folks but I do want to make you aware that there's just that little bit of rich moisture to this that may not work for you especially if you're very oily."
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"The COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is a great alternative to hyaluronic acid. If you like snail mucin or want to use snail mucin but for whatever reason it doesn't agree with your skin, I think the hydration and balancing powers of this essence are really similar to other hydrating serums. The texture works for a multitude of skin types and it just feels really nice."
"This Essence is a beautiful, beautiful moisturizing Essence. It is creamy, it's silky, it's luxurious, but it actually has like a gel base to it which actually makes it really hydrating as well. It functions really perfectly like in between toner and serum. It absorbs in really nice, it really plumps out the skin which I love. Really really hydrating, very replenishing. The milky honey moisture, the honey milk, it just locks everything in place without being greasy at the top. It has a really elegant texture where it really hydrates and plumps and softens your skin at the top but it doesn't have like an oil feel to it, doesn't like a slip at the top. It's incredibly balancing for my combination skin."
"This is the pharmacy honey milk Essence and I've been loving this. You can see in the texture that it is gel-like, it's got some body to it. It's definitely got like a hydration factor to it, but then just that little kiss of honey moisture really just kind of like hugs all that hydration from the sheet mask and the toner into my skin and really gives this beautiful glow. There's some calming chamomile in here, there's some ceramide and pea along with the honey and some fermented ingredients that really help with the complexion too. Honey is an amazing anti-inflammatory ingredient, moisturizing, makes you glow right. It's just really healthy for the skin."
"On top there's a little bit of moisture and almost a kiss of richness that feels a little slippery, almost like an oil, which I wasn't expecting because there's no oil content here, but it does have a little bit of an oil slip as it absorbs into the skin, a little bit of moisture, and it does leave a little bit of a shine on top of the skin. I do have sensitive skin and I am sensitive to the essential oils and the fragrant compounds present within this formula. They do make me itchy, and this product is no exception. It made me itchy. The essential oil that they use here is rose geranium oil, and that's really the forward scent that you're getting. It's a very floral, rose-based type of smell, but it's just not for me. I don't really particularly enjoy it. It doesn't feel very sophisticated or interesting to me at all, quite honestly."
"It gets to the source of that tight dry feeling that dehydration deep within my skin and it just expands and fills every little crevice, every little cell in my skin and in my epidermis full of hydration without weighing it down and without feeling sticky on top. It comes in a giant 500ml bottle which I find very economical because I do go through toner very fast. My skin does really well with tea. It really does help to reduce inflammation and really perks up my complexion. These two layers, the hydrating tea portion and then this creamy portion that's based in sunflower oil, you mix them together and then it actually applies like a hydrating essence with this really silky elegant creamy nourishing feel to it. It nourishes and moisturizes without being heavy. I think if you don't have dry areas on your skin it will feel heavy for you, but if you do have dry areas like I do, this area just feels so nourished and so comforted."
"I absolutely love this. This is another staple for me. I have used it in cold weather with great success, but there's a little bit more of a balance to this product, a little bit more lightness to it that suits my skin outside of the winter months very well. What I love about this is I can see the balance in the bottle. There's the hydrating portion, which is the kombucha, the fermented tea part of it, and then the silky creamy part is actually a sunflower-based moisturizing creamy layer. The fun about this essence is that you get to mix it up and those layers combine beautifully together to create a very watery hydrating essence toner type of product with a silky slip and a moisturizing creaminess to it, a lighter nourishment to it. It just feels so good. Combination skin really needs products like this. It really needs all that hydration and that moisture. It needs the balance, and it really does walk that fine line for my personal skin and it feels amazing."
"It actually seems to brighten and when I say brighten I'm talking about dark spots and hyperpigmentation, discoloration. It seems to work on that a little bit faster than other products. The different variety, the different combination that they're using really does seem to bring a brightness and a healthiness and a glow, but also target hyperpigmentation. This may be a better choice for you if you do have oily skin and just that little whisper of moisture in other products ain't for you. I think it'll be a great choice for you if you just don't want to wait around for results. And if you need some brightening without niacinamide, some gentle brightening without niacinamide, this would be a great choice for you as well."
"This is an old favorite of mine I've liked this for many many years and I didn't quite realize that there was glutathione in here but once I realized that I was like this actually makes a lot of sense why this works so well. It's better known for its snail secretion filtrate contents about 72% as well as the 5% of niacinamide that's the difference between this product and the original COSRX 92 snail mucin power Essence. The 5% is definitely a great amount for brightening the skin, but it's also an effective amount for stimulating your body's production of serum cholesterol and fatty acids so it actually really helps to support your skin barrier. Really brightens the skin, it also helps with collagen stimulation so well aging, brightening, barrier support, it's a goodie. Along with the snail which is also a natural antioxidant, it helps to promote wound healing on the skin. It's very hydrating, it's very barrier supportive. Some studies suggest it may also help with collagen stimulation and just that well aging journey can help to address photo damaged skin from exposure to the sun so sun damage. Amazing overall."
"I love this because it is such a simple ingredients list. It is just mugwort, that's a little bit of water, there's some preservatives in here, but this is what's considered a single extract essence so they're really just using one extract, one star ingredient to really give you all of the benefits using a high quantity in this essence. Mugwort is an amazing ingredient, you know it is very soothing. A lot of people go towards mugwort for soothing irritation. But you can see that there's a little bit of a fullness to the texture here and you absolutely feel that in your skin as you pat it in. It's very hydrating, it's watery, it's quickly absorbed, but there's just that little bit of plumpness. It's like, oh yeah, I love that plump feeling, especially when you want to build lots of hydration but without hyaluronic acid."
"I've been using it now for about five weeks or so and I'm really really happy with it because it is absolutely working and it's easy and that's what's important to me. It's an airless pump so when you hold down the pump you don't have to keep pumping it, you can just hold it down, it keeps spraying and the little shelf inside lifts up the product towards the pump. The two percent salicylic acid, it's so good for diving into the pores and helping to clean them out and to keep them clean over time. My issue is lots of dead skin cells, I'm dry but I do get some oil back there, and then when I sweat it all gets mixed together, it gets stuck inside of the pores and sometimes that sweat will bring in some bacteria and then we get the big inflamed breakouts. My strategy is to just kind of always be shedding those dead skin cells because the less dead skin cells that I have on my back and chest, the less chance for that sweat and bacteria to mix together and create that inflamed pimple. I've just been using this regularly every time I get out of the shower, I towel off, I spray my back, I spray my chest, a little bit tops of the arms, just let it dry."
"The galactomyces in here will absolutely improve tone and texture on the skin. It might take a little bit longer to see those types of results, but that is why you're going to see with a lot of the galactomyces based products some other helper ingredients that kind of lift it up within the formula. An additional brightener that's added into this product is arbutin, which is a really effective ingredient for dark marks on the skin. If you have hyperpigmentation, if you're really trying to fade those spots, arbutin can be a really nice accelerator to fading those spots. It's a fantastic brightening ingredient. The formula of Secret Key has changed slightly since I did a previous video on galactomyces products, and the little bit of criticism that I gave it a couple of years ago actually doesn't stand anymore. The one ingredient I didn't really love in this they actually took out, and I find the texture even more hydrating and pleasant than it was before."
"This is the Haru Haru Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence. I'm obsessed with this. I have been for a while now. I've gone through a lot of bottles of this. This is an amazing barrier strengthening product, particularly for damaged skin barriers, like extreme cases of your barrier needing a lot of repair, right? Not just a little pick me up, but like repair. This is a great product for that. It does come in this cream essence format. This is very creamy. It's not milky, light, watery, runny. It is truly silky, thick cream. Therefore, it's not going to be appropriate for all skin types. This is getting into skin types that are struggling with some dryness, right? This is really good for me, particularly combo skin with some dry areas in the winter time especially. It feels amazing. It can feel heavy in warm weather."
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All 25 takes on Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence
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"This is the Haru Haru Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence. I'm obsessed with this. I have been for a while now. I've gone through a lot of bottles of this. This is an amazing barrier strengthening product, particularly for damaged skin barriers, like extreme cases of your barrier needing a lot of repair, right? Not just a little pick me up, but like repair. This is a great product for that. It does come in this cream essence format. This is very creamy. It's not milky, light, watery, runny. It is truly silky, thick cream. Therefore, it's not going to be appropriate for all skin types. This is getting into skin types that are struggling with some dryness, right? This is really good for me, particularly combo skin with some dry areas in the winter time especially. It feels amazing. It can feel heavy in warm weather."
Sitting Down With My Skincare Empties (Honest Thoughts)
"I do enjoy this, but please know this is incredibly rich and it could trigger acne or clogging. I used this all last winter, 2024 into 2025, and I used it a little too deeply into the spring of 2025, and I started to get whiteheads. Once those temperatures start to warm up, my skin's not behaving that way anymore. I don't need as much richness. And then this combined with my other products just started to overwhelm my skin. I started to get congestion on my skin and some whiteheads. So I took this out and whiteheads went away. I know when to take this out of my routine. It is finally empty and I feel good about this."
My Top 5 Ceramide Skincare | 2025 Edition
"This is a little bit of a newer addition to my favorites category but quite honestly I am in love with this product. It wasn't love at first use but this product grew and grew and grew on me. By the time my bottle was empty I didn't want to let it go. This Essence contains five different varieties of ceramides, we have cholesterol and we have fatty acids. Those three ingredients are what I call the Holy Trinity of barrier care ingredients. These are the three main lipids that make up the skin barrier. Your skin barrier is made up of about 50% of ceramides, and then 25% of cholesterol and 25% of fatty acids. These lipids help to create that strong structure in the moisture barrier that helps to keep all the moisture or the hydration deep within your skin. It's a two-way barrier so it holds all the good stuff in, but it's also a protective barrier that keeps all the bad stuff out."
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"Haru Haru Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence, look at this texture, it is creamy, it is silky, it is rich, it is moisturizing. This packs a rich moisturizing punch and it's exactly what my skin has been needing over the last month and a half. I'm crushing on this hard right now. It's also bringing some great barrier strengthening ingredients: ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, the rice, the probiotic content. It is unlike a lot of the milky and creamy toners or essences that are available in K Beauty which tend to have a wateriness or a lightness to it, this is very rich. It's truly a cream, it's not milk. It is definitely a heavy cream, but it feels so nourishing when your skin needs that nourishment. It is truly a masterclass in some fantastic humectants for the skin. The beautiful hero ingredient here is the 5% of urea that they're using. This is a fantastic humectant that is great for skin that is feeling dehydrated because it is a natural moisturizing factor, it hydrates the skin, it supports your skin barrier, it's just very good for skin health."
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"This is the Haru Haru black rice probiotics barrier Essence and this is so creamy so moisturizing OMG. It's definitely starting to get cooler and so my skin is needing this extra moisture. As I have gotten older, especially going into my mid-thirties, I've noticed that my skin and my body just in general needs a lot more moisture as each year goes by."
7 Winter Skincare Essentials | Fight Dryness and Dehydration in the Cold!
"The Haru Haru Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence. This is the creamiest, the richest, the most moisturizing essence that I've ever tried in my life. It's been my ride or die since last winter. It's so nourishing. If you have really oily skin, I don't know that it would be my recommendation for you. I have combination skin that can start to get a little bit more oily in warmer temperatures, and once my combo skin started to kick in with the oil production, I started getting whiteheads around my nose when I was using this. That's how rich it is. If you do have oil on your skin, this is not where I would suggest you start."
Skincare Empties + Newbies | Repurchase or Replace?
"I am deeply truly madly in love with this product. When I first got this it was the end of August and it was very moisturizing but a little heavy, a little too rich for my skin at that point in time. I have combo skin and it fluctuates with the season, so I was a little bit more oily at that time. But then in November when it was getting cold and chilly, my skin was starting to feel really dry, and I brought this out and it has been in my routine ever since. My skin just drank this luxurious creamy silky moisturizing Essence up so much. However, I do recall a time when this felt thick, it felt heavy."
Skincare Empties + Newbies | Repurchase or Replace?
"This is something that you have seen in all of my skin care routines all throughout the winter. I am deeply truly madly in love with this product. When I first got this it was the end of August and it was very moisturizing but a little heavy, a little too rich for my skin at that point in time. I have combo skin and it fluctuates with the season so I was a little bit more oily at that point in time. Then in November when it was getting cold and chilly, my skin is starting to feel really dry and so I brought this out and it has been in my routine ever since. My skin just drank this luxurious creamy silky moisturizing Essence up so much. However I do recall a time when this felt thick, it felt heavy, it felt greasy for my skin in the warm months, so should I really be investing my money in this knowing that spring is coming."
Nourishing Toners and Essences For Fall 🍁
"This would be it for very dry skin because this is the thickest, the most luxurious, the most moisturizing, nourishing, really rich product. It's all about the barrier. As the name suggests, we do have ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acid content in here. Those are the three lipids that you really need to not only strengthen your skin barrier, but to help repair it if it has been damaged from overexfoliation or maybe your skin barrier is really worn down by the weather fluctuations. This can be a great product for that because not only does it help to address the dryness and maybe the flakiness or the redness that you're getting or even the irritation, but it actually gets down to the source, which is your moisture barrier. They're not only using all three of those ingredients, they're actually using the golden ratio of them, which basically mimics the ratio of those particular lipids within your skin barrier. They're just a little bit better for helping with repairing the barrier or helping to strengthen it up or keep it strong."
Sickness Reset | AM Skincare Routine After a Cold
"It's rich and moisturizing and it feels amazing on my nose, that area when I woke up this morning I was seeing some little flakies because that area is just feeling so dry, so I'm really pressing it in and making sure it gets there but it just feels so good. I've been really obsessed with this over the last two months or so. It really started to impress me in November, really started to become a staple for me all through December. I've been using this almost continuous morning and nighttime use, and my bottle is more than halfway gone. Even for two months of nearly continuous use, this is really something special. It's so rich that even though it seems like a standard size, you don't need much, and because a restrained amount really does bring full benefits to your skin because it's so rich and moisturizing, I find that I'm using the appropriate amount and the product's actually lasting me a lot longer."
Best SKINCARE I EMPTIED in 2025!!
"The Haru Haru Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence is probably the thickest, creamiest essence I've ever used. I could not stop using this. It's so moisturizing that I tried to stop in early spring because I knew it wouldn't be a good match for my combination skin once warm weather came around. But I stopped using it for a few weeks in March or April, and I couldn't deal. My skin was missing this product so hard. I just couldn't go without it."
Nourishing Cream Toners for Fall 🍁
"It makes your skin feel very soft. If your skin is very dry, I think it's going to feel great, but if your skin's not dry, it's going to feel oily and overwhelming. It's not sticky and doesn't leave your skin too shiny, but you can definitely feel that there's a layer of it on top of your skin. I have mixed feelings on this one. It's slowly starting to grow on me, but I struggled with this product when I first started testing it out because it felt too moisturizing, it felt too thick, it kind of overwhelmed my skin. When I first started to use this, I didn't even want to put a serum on top of it because it was just feeling like so much on my skin. It was feeling thick and it wasn't quite absorbing as well."
4 Steps to Glowing Skin in Winter
"Haru Haru Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence, OMG it's so silky, it's so rich, it's so creamy, it's so nourishing for the skin, and it's giving you all of those good lipids that help to support the moisture barrier. This is a particularly good essence to add into your routine if you're also suffering with dryness and flakiness on your skin. This is a very rich product, and I would never recommend this for folks who do have oily skin, it's going to feel too much, it's going to be very heavy and rich for your skin type. I personally do have combination skin, but once winter comes I almost treat it as borderline classically dry, and that seems to work really well for me."
THIS is What I Do Weekly for Bright & Glowy Skin!
"This is the Haru Haru Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence and this is a very creamy, milky type of essence. It's very moisturizing. My skin has gone through it this winter for sure, but this has definitely helped it get through a lot easier. This is really focused in on strengthening your skin barrier, but there's also some great antioxidants in here, some fermented content, and some rice, which is a great strong antioxidant. It's the kind of product that can play into that healthy lit-from-within glow. It's not just about having even skin, it's about having healthy skin. That's truly the difference between people who just have clear skin and people who have bright skin, really feeding the health of your skin with antioxidants, amino acids, peptides, vitamins and minerals and all of those good micronutrients that help to protect and rejuvenate the skin."
2024 Skincare Wins and Lessons | PM Routine
"This is extremely rich and creamy and moisturizing. It has a little bit more moisture and it's a little less wet, so I use it in conjunction with other hydrating layers."
Top 5 Essences | 2025 Edition
"This is the HARU HARU Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence, and OMG this is thick, creamy, rich, luxurious, and ultra moisturizing. I actually started using this product at the end of summer 2024 and I was like this is too heavy for me right now, and so I put it on my shelf. Then the deep fall months rolled around and then winter came and I was like this is it, this is your time to shine, and it did not disappoint me. I am obsessed with this. My skin drinks this beautiful creamy luxurious essence like nobody's business. It feels amazing. It's so barrier restorative, it's so moisturizing, it's so skin softening. It feels awesome. I absolutely love the ingredients here because there's such a really great mix."
My Ride-or-Die K-Beauty Skincare in 2025!
"The Haru Haru Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence because OMG, didn't I slam through like three bottles in a row this past winter, right? I was obsessed with this product. I still am obsessed with this product. This is a straight up cream essence. There's really no hydration here. This is all about moisture. This is all about richness. This is all about comfort for the skin. And this is absolutely the type of essence that is for dry skin. It is silky rich. I've never tried an essence that is this rich. This emollient, this luxurious, this elegant quite honestly because while it's rich, it doesn't feel overly greasy. It does still have a great absorbency. It still sinks into the skin like gorgeous thick creamy milk. Like it is just such a beautiful texture, such a beautiful experience, and such amazing moisturizing results."
3 Skincare Secrets to a Strong Barrier in Fall | AD ft haruharu wonder
"I love the Haru Haru Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence. I have been obsessed with this product for over a year now. I started using it last fall and I couldn't stop using it because of how good it was for my skin barrier. This does contain ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids. Those are the three ingredients that you absolutely essentially need if your skin barrier feels weak or damaged. Haru Haru is actually using the 3:1 golden ratio of ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids. This is the proper ratio that mimics what is found naturally in our skin barrier. The ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids keep that skin barrier strong and that is the root of glowing skin. There is also a focus here on galactomyces ferment as well as the fermented black rice and bamboo shoot bark. And all of these ingredients offer antioxidant benefits."
3 Skincare Secrets to a Strong Barrier in Fall | AD ft haruharu wonder
"I love the Haru Haru Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence. I have been obsessed with this product for over a year now. I started using it last fall and I couldn't stop using it because of how good it was for my skin barrier. This does contain ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids. Those are the three ingredients that you absolutely essentially need if your skin barrier feels weak or damaged. Haru Haru is actually using the 3:1 golden ratio of ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids. This is the proper ratio that mimics what is found naturally in our skin barrier. The ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids keep that skin barrier strong and that is the root of glowing skin. There is also a focus here on galactoyces ferment as well as the fermented black rice and bamboo chute bark. All of these ingredients offer antioxidant protection. They help to boost elasticity within the skin."
3 Skincare Secrets to a Strong Barrier in Fall | AD ft haruharu wonder
"The fermented ingredients tease out that really even glowing and healthy complexion because there's all these micronutrients within these ingredients. Even if you didn't drink all your water, you will still get this really beautiful glowing complexion by using these types of ingredients because they have all those little micronutrients that your skin needs to tease out that healthy lit from within glow. I love this texture. It's milky, creamy, silky, luxurious. It's incredibly moisturizing, soothing, nourishing. It will leave your skin so incredibly soft, so incredibly smooth, glossy, plump, and glowing. Everything you want for a glass skin in fall, this texture achieves."
3 Skincare Secrets to a Strong Barrier in Fall | AD ft haruharu wonder
"I love this texture. It's milky, it's creamy, it's silky, it's luxurious. It's incredibly moisturizing, soothing, nourishing. It will leave your skin so incredibly soft, so incredibly smooth, glossy, plump, and glowing. Like everything you want for glass skin in fall, this texture achieves. Starting off with one layer of the Haru Haru Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence, I like about three to five drops in my palm. I apply that to my skin and just pat it in. If you have an oily skin type, use one to two layers of the Haruharu Essence and use it as a moisturizer replacement. If you have a drier skin type, feel free to use the skin flooding method two to three times on your skin and use your favorite moisturizer to seal it all in."
3 Skincare Secrets to a Strong Barrier in Fall | AD ft haruharu wonder
"I absolutely love this essence. This is a cold weather staple for me to keep my skin moisturized, hydrated, my skin barrier really strong, and my skin glowing."
That Was a Mixed Bag of Skincare Empties!
"This is a 10 out of 10 holy grail. Can't recommend enough. Can't live without. I've emptied so many bottles of this. As soon as this one was empty, I immediately opened another bottle, and that one is now about half empty. This is a cold weather staple for me since last year's winter into 2025. The first time I ever used this, I couldn't stop using it, and it's the same story this year. So creamy, so luxurious. This is the thickest, most rich, most moisturizing essence I have ever used, ever tried, ever really seen. It's not watery. It's not milky. It is straight up thick, heavy, almost like whipping cream texture. Heavy cream. Heavy whipping cream. Definitely thick, rich, luxurious."
Downsides of Being an Influencer | Chatty PM Skincare Routine
"This is the Haru Haru black rice probiotics barrier Essence which I absolutely love and I don't have very much left, I'm savoring every drop of this. This has been saving my skin this winter."
Spring Skincare Renewal AD ft. Stylevana
"This is a very creamy, very rich, very nourishing essence that contains ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids to really help strengthen up your skin barrier. And it also provides probiotics to the skin, which helps with skin vitality and brightness. The texture is so creamy, silky, rich, and moisturizing. This really is for skin types that are suffering with dryness. So, if you're really feeling it on those chilly spring nights, this is perfect for your PM routine. If you're still feeling dryness in the morning, this is actually a really great combo with that round lab toner because this creates that perfect balance between that hydration our skin is craving and that rich comforting barrier supportive moisture that your dryness really needs."
"This is a great PDRN product. If you are interested in plant-based PDRN from VT, this is the product that I suggest you get. It uses 10% of the Wild Gins PDRN. PDRN is all about, it's one of those like complimentary ingredients that just really help your skin to behave more youthful. It helps with the processes that stimulate collagen. It helps with wound healing on the skin. Long-term consistent PDRN use can definitely help with collagen stimulation. It can help with skin elasticity. It can help with just skin firmness overall. And it also just contributes to healthier skin because your skin is just functioning more optimally because it just kind of like energizes all the cells in your skin. PDRN is an ingredient that is vague and subtle, but if you work it, it will work for you."
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All 13 takes on PDRN Essence 100
You Put WHAT on Your Face?! | PDRN the Hottest Trend in K-Beauty
"It's very moisturizing, but it also makes the skin, as you consistently use it, bring out a firmness to the skin that is really nice, a firmness and a smoothness as well. With very long consistent use of this product you will see some good improvements in skin elasticity. My skin looks so much healthier, so much glowier, maybe even a little bit more glass skin, a little bit more luminous. It's bringing out this healthiness to my skin. I've noticed this from ginseng products in general over many years in K Beauty, and that's why I love the ingredient. But it's a quite concentrated benefit with this particular product because it's in combination with that isolated DNA polymer that we're getting such a beautiful anti-aging response in the skin in addition to that glowy lift-from-within look. Everything coming together, my skin is looking so good from having used this. I'm super impressed and really on board with this."
The Best Skincare of 2024!
"This uses a vegan PDRN that is sourced from wild ginseng. Here in the essence they're actually using 10% ginseng PDRN. Even if you aren't totally into the PDRN part of it, this is actually just a good quality ginseng essence in my personal opinion, or a serum, quite honestly, that's how I use it, like a serum, because it is quite concentrated. It brings out that vital glow to my skin, but it also plumps and firms the skin. It actually firms the skin. It's great for anti-aging, it helps with skin elasticity. PDRN helps with skin rejuvenation and skin healing as well, and helps with some collagen stimulation. This is something that would be great right alongside a tretinoin or retinoid routine, it can be used in the same routine. I like to use this on the nights that I'm not using my retinol just to keep things simple, not because you can't combine them, but just to keep things simple for myself, to keep up those anti-aging benefits. It's a great sidekick to some of your more potent actives. I think it has a place in an anti-aging routine. This is quite moisturizing. I was actually really surprised by how moisturizing and rich this product is, but I do think it's worth it if you're looking for firmer skin and if you're into ginseng."
7 Things that Happened to my Skin Using PDRN | AD ft. VT
"I've been really excited about the VT PDRN Essence 100. I've been talking about this a lot in a lot of my skincare routines because this is truly like a daily driver for me when it comes to getting PDRN into my routines on a daily basis. This contains 10% of wild ginseng PDRN so it's a really good concentrated amount and there's no roller in this bottle. I'm going in with the essence on a daily basis because it is still moisturizing. I do like to have a little base layer of hydration on my skin before I apply it."
My Top 5 Serums | 2025 Edition
"I started using this towards the middle of 2024 but it just never left my skincare routine. I emptied a bottle and now I'm starting up on my second bottle and this is just so so so good. It's just so amazing at supporting skin health. It really starts more at cellular levels. It starts at the health of your skin. It starts with all the little things that help to feed the health of your skin that longterm make your skin just look healthy and dewy."
Best SKINCARE I EMPTIED in 2025!!
"When I do get hyperpigmentation marks, they're not as severe and they fade faster. This is the difference for me personally and why I stay loyal to this product. It is really pricey, but it also lasts a really long time. I've had bottles last five to six months, and so there's a lot of good value in here. A little bit goes a long way. VT PDRN Essence 100, Chef's Kiss. I really like the PDRN line from VT. They do use plant-based PDRN derived from Jins Singh, and I do think that the Jins Singh is what's giving this product probably the majority of the edge here. My skin just really responds well to Jins Singh itself. It really brings out a healthy vitality to the skin. It really reduces redness, inflammation. It's a strong antioxidant, very protective for the skin. It promotes skin elasticity. Everything I just said Jins Singh does, this product delivers. Plus some. Definitely helps to firm up the skin. I've noticed using this for over a year now, definitely some firmness and bounciness to the skin. It has a very dense moisturizing type of texture. This is not a watery essence. It's almost more like a thick serum. Very creamy, very moisturizing. Not going to be suitable for all skin types. But my skin, especially in cold weather, loves this."
2024 Skincare Wins and Lessons | PM Routine
"I'm going to use the VT PDRN Essence 100 which has a very rich, very milky creamy type of texture but it's very thick, it's not watery like at all. Because of the texture, a little bit of misting really helps the PDRN essence spread and as well as absorb into the skin."
My TOP 5 VT Skincare Picks!
"This is a great PDRN product. If you are interested in plant-based PDRN from VT, this is the product that I suggest you get. It uses 10% of the Wild Gins PDRN. PDRN is all about, it's one of those like complimentary ingredients that just really help your skin to behave more youthful. It helps with the processes that stimulate collagen. It helps with wound healing on the skin. Long-term consistent PDRN use can definitely help with collagen stimulation. It can help with skin elasticity. It can help with just skin firmness overall. And it also just contributes to healthier skin because your skin is just functioning more optimally because it just kind of like energizes all the cells in your skin. PDRN is an ingredient that is vague and subtle, but if you work it, it will work for you."
October Faves | Stratia, VT, Tula
"I saw that they have an Essence version without the needles. I use this morning and night time I don't have to worry about that right so I can keep getting consistent PDRN into my skincare routine without the needles. What I noticed with this is just like a more rejuvenated look to my skin. This is not an aggressive product so I can use this morning and night time. It pairs with retinoids, it pairs with all different types of ingredients, it's just easy. It's also creamy and moisturizing in texture too so it's perfect for the colder weather. I'm very excited about this ingredient."
Brrr.... Serums for Cold Weather 🥶
"It is derived from wild ginseng, so because it's derived from ginseng we do also have some additional benefits for antioxidant protection. It's also an anti-inflammatory ingredient that is a really good ingredient for supporting skin elasticity. That's really the biggest benefits I've noticed using this serum is that my skin does seem firmer and it also just seems so glowy and so healthy and so rejuvenated. It really does rejuvenate the skin, it really gives you that glow up, which I really appreciate. It has a really moisturizing texture, it is creamy, it's actually very thick, it actually feels pretty rich on the skin. It creates this really beautiful moisturizing nourishing creamy serum that sinks into the skin on damp skin really beautifully. Your skin is going to glow, it's going to feel really firm and plump."
My Ride-or-Die K-Beauty Skincare in 2025!
"The VT PDRN Essence 100 is a really great, very thick, very moisturizing, very traditional cream textured type of essence or quite honestly for me it feels like a serum. This uses 10% of PDRN derived from wild ginseng, and I think that is the secret sauce to why I like this so much. Ginseng is amazing for skin elasticity first and foremost. It is often used in well-aging formulas because it is so amazing for taking care of your skin, for helping with skin elasticity, skin firmness, skin vitality, the glowiness of your skin. Ginseng increases skin circulation. It has given me such great results for my skin that it just makes sense to include it."
PDRN Skincare That ACTUALLY Works! | 2025 Update
"The PDRN from VT this essence took me to glowing skin, not just clear skin. Reducing redness, helping to bring out that healthy lit from within complexion, feeding the skin barrier, keeping it nice and strong. The texture of this for my skin type, keeping a lot of moisture into my skin, keeping my skin protected from cold, harsh elements, especially in the winter time. It's made your skin look more youthful. It's made your skin look rejuvenated. It gives your skin a spa day. It makes your skin feel like fresh faced. Rejuvenated for sure, youthful for sure, but that fresh faced quality."
VIRAL K-Beauty I ✨DO✨ Recommend!
"I'm a big fan of the PDRN products from VT, especially the PDRN 100 Essence. I absolutely love it and really another viral product that I would recommend. It's this really gorgeous plumping, hydrating gel texture, and there's these really beautiful, perfectly precisely placed plops of this green cream inside of the gel. Those are the capsules. It's totally unique and different. And it is super fun to take your tiny little spatula and just like scoop out your little capsule, your little plop of cream with a little bit of that gel and then mix it on the back of your hand before you apply it to your face. What really surprised me is how much I actually really enjoyed this product. The texture itself is so hydrating. This gel, it's not sticky. It's actually incredibly refreshing, cooling, plumping, deeply hydrating. And then that cream capsule, as you break that into that gel texture, you get this really silky, very lightweight."
Downsides of Being an Influencer | Chatty PM Skincare Routine
"This is the VT PDRN Essence 100 and this is also a really milky texture that I absolutely love and it's just been a really good winter essence serum. I really treat it like a serum, it's just been really great for my skin."
"This is so good. You could use this like an essence in your skincare routine or you could use this like a hydrating toner or like a hybrid combo product. It really does cover what both of those products would do. It has the hydration like a regular toner, but it also has those actives and those benefits that you might expect from an essence, but it's not in a full-on serum or ampule like texture. This is definitely something that I would reach for right now for cooler temperatures with my combo skin."
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All 2 takes on Ginseng Essence Water
Beauty of Joseon Amazon Prime Day is HERE! My 5 Picks! | AD
"The Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water does bring out a really beautiful glow to the skin. It actually helps to increase the circulation in our skin and that's what really gets that really glowy healthy look. It's also a strong antioxidant. There's a lot of really good skin nutrition in here, a lot of micronutrients in ginseng that just support healthy skin. If you want your skin to look really good and really bright, if you want to work on well aging, it's not just about brightness to your skin but it's about health. I really feel like ginseng and all those micronutrients and all those antioxidants protect the skin and then boost that skin health and that's what really makes your skin and your complexion come alive. They have married the ginseng with 2% of niacinamide and I think this is a match made in heaven because while ginseng kind of brings out that lit from within glow, niacinamide will work on the hyperpigmentation. They're using 2% and that's a really good clinical amount for brightening the skin but it's also a good amount for helping to support your skin's moisture barrier."
My 5 Most Repurchased Beauty of Joseon Skincare | 2025 UPDATED!
"This is so good. You could use this like an essence in your skincare routine or you could use this like a hydrating toner or like a hybrid combo product. It really does cover what both of those products would do. It has the hydration like a regular toner, but it also has those actives and those benefits that you might expect from an essence, but it's not in a full-on serum or ampule like texture. This is definitely something that I would reach for right now for cooler temperatures with my combo skin."
"This is a mix of like a moisturizing milky cleanser and a foaming gel cleanser. So it's really that perfect match for this end of the colder weather. My skin is still feeling a little dry and dehydrated. It's very nourishing, gentle, but the foaming action is great for any thick moisturizer, skincare layers, and sunscreen that I have on from my day."
"Let's talk about the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. I have emptied multiple bottles of this, but I will say it's just not my favorite. I just can't get 100% with this one. I like it. I don't love it and I find myself not using it for my face all that often. This is an interesting texture because it is like a creamy gel, but it's more on the gel side than it is like on that richer creamy moisturizing side. And this is definitely meant for very dry skin, very sensitive skin to not strip the skin barrier. I think that it's actually very good at that. When you wash your face with this, your face will not feel dry and tight. It will not feel dehydrated. It will not feel stripped and irritated. It will actually feel kind of soft and moisturized. I just find that there's something about this that kind of goes in and just almost leaves like a film on my face. Not an actual stickiness sitting on top film, but just because it does leave a layer of moisture on my skin in a way that I just don't love. I don't know what it is. I just don't really like it. Especially because I do go in for so many other skincare products after washing my face. I think it's just not the way I personally prefer to start my skincare routine."
~Mixed
80%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Gentle Skin Cleanser
That Was a Mixed Bag of Skincare Empties!
"Let's talk about the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. I have emptied multiple bottles of this, but I will say it's just not my favorite. I just can't get 100% with this one. I like it. I don't love it and I find myself not using it for my face all that often. This is an interesting texture because it is like a creamy gel, but it's more on the gel side than it is like on that richer creamy moisturizing side. And this is definitely meant for very dry skin, very sensitive skin to not strip the skin barrier. I think that it's actually very good at that. When you wash your face with this, your face will not feel dry and tight. It will not feel dehydrated. It will not feel stripped and irritated. It will actually feel kind of soft and moisturized. I just find that there's something about this that kind of goes in and just almost leaves like a film on my face. Not an actual stickiness sitting on top film, but just because it does leave a layer of moisture on my skin in a way that I just don't love. I don't know what it is. I just don't really like it. Especially because I do go in for so many other skincare products after washing my face. I think it's just not the way I personally prefer to start my skincare routine."
I'm Breaking Out! Routine for Breakouts and Hyperpigmentation
"I already washed my face in the shower with the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. I keep this one in my shower. I love the pump because it's just nice so you don't have a slippery bottle. It's a really gentle, straightforward type of cleanser and I use this a lot in the morning but I also use it when I have to shower in the middle of the afternoon and do multiple skincare routines that day. I really like this cleanser because it's effective but it's very skin respectful."
"This is also a foaming cleanser but it's a little less moisturizing than the other one. I would say this one is more for balanced folks, slightly drier skin types. This one's more for oily skin types. And I don't have oily skin. And I do find this the tiniest tiniest bit drying."
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83%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser
That Was a Mixed Bag of Skincare Empties!
"This one is the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser. This is a foaming cleanser but it's a little less moisturizing than the other one. I would say this one is more for balanced folks, slightly drier skin types, this one's more for oily skin types. It says for normal to oily skin. I don't have oily skin and I do find this the tiniest tiniest bit drying. Not really like terribly stripping or anything, just tiniest. Because I already know I love the other one from the brand, I don't usually grab for this one. This one is good for body. It's so good for the body. I actually do use this on my face sometimes in the shower too. But comparison-wise, the other one is my preference. Not my most favorite for my face. I do love this in the shower, though. And I will often use this face and body, especially in warmer weather when I do have some more oil popping in my T-zone."
That Was a Mixed Bag of Skincare Empties!
"This is also a foaming cleanser but it's a little less moisturizing than the other one. I would say this one is more for balanced folks, slightly drier skin types. This one's more for oily skin types. And I don't have oily skin. And I do find this the tiniest tiniest bit drying."
"I actually am not a big fan of this. It's not a trash product by any means, but it's not my all-time favorite. This is a grinding balm, and that's what made it originally very viral because the mechanism is very different. Instead of a jar like packaging where you would open it up and scoop out the balm with a spatula, this twists and shaves the cleansing balm off and you scoop it right off the top. I do kind of like that aspect of it, but the grinding mechanism itself..."
"The worst Anua product at Ulta has got to be the Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil. It kind of just like misses the mark for me personally on a couple different levels. Number one, it smells weird. It has this very medicinal smell. The heartleaf extract does have a medicinal, earthy, planty, green kind of smell, but I think there's some artificial stuff happening in here as well. This is a fragrance product, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't strike me as pleasant. It just strikes me as kind of medicine-y in a non-appealing way. And I like earthy plant-like smells, but for whatever reason, this is not it. When I used this product, it actually irritated my skin. It kind of warms up and felt like it burned. It just felt kind of fiery on my skin. Now, I do have sensitive skin. I don't generally use products with fragrance on my facial skin, but it did create some warmth and some irritation that just felt very uncomfortable for my skin. And then the few times that I did use this I ended up with a pimple in not a normal spot."
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All 2 takes on Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil
K-Beauty at Ulta! The BEST and WORST! | Pt 1
"The worst Anua product at Ulta has got to be the Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil. It kind of just like misses the mark for me personally on a couple different levels. Number one, it smells weird. It has this very medicinal smell. The heartleaf extract does have a medicinal, earthy, planty, green kind of smell, but I think there's some artificial stuff happening in here as well. This is a fragrance product, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't strike me as pleasant. It just strikes me as kind of medicine-y in a non-appealing way. And I like earthy plant-like smells, but for whatever reason, this is not it. When I used this product, it actually irritated my skin. It kind of warms up and felt like it burned. It just felt kind of fiery on my skin. Now, I do have sensitive skin. I don't generally use products with fragrance on my facial skin, but it did create some warmth and some irritation that just felt very uncomfortable for my skin. And then the few times that I did use this I ended up with a pimple in not a normal spot."
My Skincare BETRAYALS!! | These Did Me Dirty
"Let's talk about the Anua cleansing oil because, omg, I started to use this earlier in the year. Gave me the weirdest pimple. The weirdest pimple right under my eye. What? I don't get pimples under my eye. And I got a pimple under my eye and it lasted for like a month. And then the hyperpigmentation from that lasted for like three or four months. Like it was just the strangest pimple in the weirdest spot. And this product has broken out so many people. Like kind of similar stories like in the weirdest places. It also kind of made my skin burn and tingle just on the whole. I just think it's I just hate it so much. And I wish more people would say that they hate it. Some people do enjoy it and I'm really so glad that it works for you. But there are just so many people who have bad experiences with this. My experience burning skin and then strange pimples is a total betrayal."
"The least recommended from Then I Met You has got to be the living cleansing balm for me personally. This definitely has some essential oil content in it. I'm not the biggest fan of that. For me personally, I just don't think it's a very good cleansing balm. I think it has kind of like a waxy sort of residue that kind of sticks to your skin. It's kind of hard to wash off and I just don't think it's amazing at removing makeup. There are much better cleansing balms, harder working cleansing balms even at Sephora. You don't necessarily need to have the essential oil or fragrant content to it in order to get the job done. But at the end of the day, I just don't really like the texture of this cleansing balm. There's definitely better ones out there."
"I'm using the SkinFix Barrier Foaming Oil Cleanser. This has a very creamy gel-like texture. It's low foam, but it definitely feels like it cleanses my skin of all the skin care layers and maybe a little bit of oil that's on my skin right now, but it doesn't strip my skin. It actually leaves it feeling very soft and not stripped."
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All 2 takes on Barrier Foaming Oil Cleanser
September Faves | Prequel, VT, Skinfix, PMD Beauty, Flow vs. Force
"The SkinFix split the difference between what I was looking for. Not like foaming and really cleansing, but not stripping and like soft and moisturizing and not too harsh, but not too thick either. It is almost like a gel type of cleanser mixed with like a cream type of cleanser. It is a really nice silky luxurious type of texture and it foams up really well. I love that it foams because there's just something about the foaming action that really helps to break through any thick oil that you might have on your skin. I have combo skin, my T-zone is still popping, and this really helps to break through all of that. Sometimes in the morning, my skincare layers might feel a little thick, especially if I slugged the night before, and so I like to use a foaming cleanser to just break that up. It just feels good, it feels really refreshing. They wash away really cleanly, but then I don't want it to strip my skin. So there's just that kiss of moisture and silkiness to this that when I wash it off my face, my skin still feels soft."
My 2025 Skincare Wins and Lessons | Chatty Skincare Routine
"I'm using the SkinFix Barrier Foaming Oil Cleanser. This has a very creamy gel-like texture. It's low foam, but it definitely feels like it cleanses my skin of all the skin care layers and maybe a little bit of oil that's on my skin right now, but it doesn't strip my skin. It actually leaves it feeling very soft and not stripped."
"It performs like a gentle foaming face wash. It does its job. I'm going to give it a nine out of 10. I think it's a pretty good cleanser."
A Full Day of Skincare! AM to PM Routine ☀️🌙
"In the summer my combo skin does tend to get a lot more oily and sometimes you sweat at night too, so I just feel a little bit better in the summer months with a nice foaming cleanser like this one."
"I do use this actually more for my body. It's a little bit too much for my very sensitive face skin, but I do get breakouts often on my chest, my back, and sometimes the tops of my arms. And this works pretty well to keep the skin clear. This definitely helped to keep the breakouts at bay. And when I emptied this, which was a while ago, my skin started to get a bit congested again, unfortunately. So this definitely works. And because this combination of exfoliants worked so well to keep my skin clear, I'm going to be rating this a nine out of ten."
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All 2 takes on Gentle Exfoliating Salicylic Acid Cleanser
November Faves | Cetaphil, Kitsch, Sleep & Glow
"This is very effective for keeping those areas clean and clear for me. I think it's the triple exfoliation here. We have salicylic acid, and that's the exfoliant you want to go towards if you're experiencing pimples or breakouts because that's the exfoliation that goes deeper into the pore lining to exfoliate deep within your skin, and that's where the acne is forming. I really do like the addition of the AHA with mandalic acid as well as PHA. PHA is an ingredient that is very similar to AHA and they work the same way, which is to exfoliate on the top of the skin. So BHA goes inside, AHA goes on top, and PHA does that just like mandalic acid but it is a little bit more gentle than mandalic, so it's nice that it's here to boost up the AHA without being too harsh on the skin. It helps to smooth out any bumpy rough texture, helps to refine the pores, helps to brighten the skin over time, and helps to smooth up the skin too. It helps if you're constantly using it, so every time I'm showering I'm putting this on my problem areas."
"I do use this actually more for my body. It's a little bit too much for my very sensitive face skin, but I do get breakouts often on my chest, my back, and sometimes the tops of my arms. And this works pretty well to keep the skin clear. This definitely helped to keep the breakouts at bay. And when I emptied this, which was a while ago, my skin started to get a bit congested again, unfortunately. So this definitely works. And because this combination of exfoliants worked so well to keep my skin clear, I'm going to be rating this a nine out of ten."
"This is the Prequel cleanser. This is a very gentle cleanser. And since this is an evening routine, I do suggest using a cleanser that is very gentle like this one. Something that doesn't make your skin feel squeaky clean or really tight right after washing it. That's actually going to make your dehydration worse. Cleansing is definitely something you want to keep your eye on with dehydrated skin because it can actually strip a lot of the essential moisture from your skin. That actually makes the dehydrated feeling a lot worse. So what I would actually suggest is in the evening, use the gentlest cleanser that you can stand."
"I'm starting off this morning using Prequil cleanser to wash my face. I do have some oil buildup and skin care from the night before, so I definitely want to gently cleanse that off. And this one's been really nice. It has this jelly-like texture and it's very gentle."
"I'm actually just going to use some micellar water from La Roche-Posay and I'm going to just put that onto a cotton pad to cleanse the sunscreen and any dirt and whatever off of my neck. You don't always have to rinse micellar water off your face but I do like to just go in with a wet washcloth just to get any of the remnants off because I do find like it can leave my skin feeling kind of sticky."
"The Isentry Yam Root Vegan Milk Cleanser has this milky, creamy, silky, luxurious, rich, nourishing, comforting texture. This is truly the most luxurious milk cleanser I think I've ever tried. It feels amazing on the skin and spreads so beautifully. It offers that moisturization and nourishment. It's actually quite soothing if you have dry irritation on your skin. The fact that it doesn't foam up on the skin and doesn't contain those harsh surfactants is really critical when your skin is very sensitive or irritated and inflamed, because those types of ingredients can actually really irritate your skin when it's already weak and damaged. Using products like this that don't foam up can be a really smart move. Plus, the moisture that they bring can bring a lot of soothing to the skin and help reduce inflammation and redness."
"This is the Claire's Gentle Black Fresh Cleansing Oil, a fragrance-free cleansing oil from Claire's. I do like it and I remember when it came out many years ago and I reviewed it and I was really happy with it. It's a good cleansing oil and I will happily use this until the bottle is empty. But it is actually a little thicker than my favorite cleansing oils, so it took me a minute to get used to this more cushiony, thicker feeling oil. But it absolutely does its job, you can see it's breaking down that makeup, getting down there so I can wash away a full face of foundation and makeup really cleanly."
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All 2 takes on Gentle Black Fresh Cleansing Oil
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"This is the Claire's Gentle Black Fresh Cleansing Oil. I feel like I need a really good cleanse tonight."
PM Chit-Chat Skincare Routine | Well Aging, Getting Older, Wellness
"This is the Claire's Gentle Black Fresh Cleansing Oil, a fragrance-free cleansing oil from Claire's. I do like it and I remember when it came out many years ago and I reviewed it and I was really happy with it. It's a good cleansing oil and I will happily use this until the bottle is empty. But it is actually a little thicker than my favorite cleansing oils, so it took me a minute to get used to this more cushiony, thicker feeling oil. But it absolutely does its job, you can see it's breaking down that makeup, getting down there so I can wash away a full face of foundation and makeup really cleanly."
"Dr Idris Soft Wash is a gentle sensitive skin friendly cleanser. It has a really nice gel texture that doesn't strip your skin. It's not like a milk cleanser or actual straight up oil that you're putting onto your face. It's kind of silky like gel cream kind of texture. It feels like a foaming cleanser but it just doesn't foam up like real harshly on the skin. It is not stripping and feels really nice on the skin. It is a little bit of a pricier investment for a cleanser at about $30."
"I find this cleanser to be a little drying on my skin, so not only is it expensive at $40 for a cleanser, but I personally just find that it doesn't work for my sensitive skin either. There's just a little bit of tightness, just a little bit of a squeaky clean feeling with this one. My philosophy is I really don't like to spend a ton on my cleansers, especially a product that you put onto your face but then you wash down the drain immediately. I'd rather invest my dollars into something that sits on my skin."
"It starts to emulsify into more of a milk type of cleanser so it leaves your skin really soft and moisturized. It's not a balm, it's not an oil, but it actually does effectively remove and break down makeup and sunscreen really nicely without that balmy oily kind of feel. It washes away really cleanly so it's really unique, it's really different something I enjoyed."
"This is the CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm. What's inside here is fine, it's fine and that's how I feel about it. It's not super duper impressive, it's not the best cleansing balm that I've used. Does it remove makeup? Yes. Does it remove stubborn sunscreen? Yes. Does it take down stubborn eye makeup really well? It's fine, it does the job eventually. I think it needs a little bit of help for really stubborn, waterproof, and hard to remove eye makeup, but it gets there. I've had products that get there a lot faster though. But for my general everyday makeup and stuff, it does really well. I find it kind of filmy though. I find it slightly hard to wash off cleanly. I just don't find it very elegant. There's nothing really enjoyable or pleasurable about the product. It's just straightforward and it does the job and it's accessible and it's at the drugstore."
"This is the Isntree Yam Root Vegan Milk Cleanser, and this is a true milk cleanser. It does have that more moisturizing creamy texture to it. It's been infused with a lot of different plant oils that really help to nourish the skin. It doesn't foam up at all, which is what really helps it to be very gentle and respectful on the skin, but it does still clean the skin really gently and nicely. When you rinse it away, you don't have an oily film on your skin, but your skin's not feeling dry and tight either. This one will leave a gentle layer on your skin after you've rinsed it away. It's not too filmy, but it just kind of goes into all the dry areas and sorts of fills it in with this light kiss of moisture, making your skin feel really balanced and moisturized."
"I'm obsessed with this. I've been talking about it for years. I've emptied quite a few bottles. This is actually something that I use year round. It's not just about chilly weather for me. The hybrid quality of this is what keeps it in my routines consistently. The key ingredients here are glycerin, niacinamide, and shea butter. This product's really formulated with eczema prone skin in mind. The glycerin really replenishes the skin, it hydrates. The niacinamide helps to restore the skin barrier, and the shea butter offers that soothing moisturizing element. I call it a hybrid cleanser because the texture is a little closer between a gel and a milk cleanser combined into one."
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81%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on Lipikar AP Wash
Only 5 Products? Skincare I'm Taking to a Deserted Island
"La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Wash, I like this for a lot of reasons. I think it is just a really good marriage between a moisturizing milk type of cleanser and a foaming cleanser. My skin can be prone to dryness especially if I'm going through a sensitivity or irritation, so I like that moisture element to this. But I also struggle with straight-up pure milk cleansers because I feel like they're a little filmy on my skin sometimes, and so I love that this foams, which means it's going to be better at cleaning my skin of any impurities. If I'm sweating a lot, sweat is a huge enemy to my pores when we're talking about congestion and acne. I really do need a foaming cleanser to break all that sweat off and all that thick layer of oil that I can produce in my T-Zone. I need that to really effectively clean through those areas, but I gotta be gentle on the drier areas of my skin too. So this does it all, and it's a nice big size as well. I think it's a nice all-purpose type of cleanser in any situation, it's going to suit my skin."
Moisturizing Cleansers For Cold Weather ❄️
"I'm obsessed with this. I've been talking about it for years. I've emptied quite a few bottles. This is actually something that I use year round. It's not just about chilly weather for me. The hybrid quality of this is what keeps it in my routines consistently. The key ingredients here are glycerin, niacinamide, and shea butter. This product's really formulated with eczema prone skin in mind. The glycerin really replenishes the skin, it hydrates. The niacinamide helps to restore the skin barrier, and the shea butter offers that soothing moisturizing element. I call it a hybrid cleanser because the texture is a little closer between a gel and a milk cleanser combined into one."
Stress-Free AM and PM Summer Skincare Routine
"This is the La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Wash. I love this obviously, I'm loving it down to the last drop. What I like about this is the texture is kind of like a milk and a gel all in one, so it's not super duper milky, moisturizing, creamy, but it's not so super like a harsh and foamy either. It's like the perfect blend of both. I produce a good amount of oil throughout the day and I have makeup on, so I want an effective clean. I don't want to strip moisture, I don't want to hurt my skin barrier, but I want my skin to feel so clean and so refreshed when I rinse this off. And this cleanser does that."
"This is a very good product. I can't fault it too much. It's a fragrance-free cleansing balm which I find very hard to find in skincare in general. I don't have really anything to fault the product with. The only thing I was slightly disappointed in is while the packaging is really beautiful, the actual package does seem kind of deep and wide but it actually only goes about halfway down. I feel like I emptied this a lot sooner than I was expecting. It's a hundred milliliter of product which I think is fairly standard for a cleansing balm, but just with my expectations using it, I was like oh my gosh I'm reaching the bottom already."
"This is the Isntree Green Tea Fresh Cleanser and I'm gonna rate this with the laughing but also sweating nervously at the same time emoji because I'm kind of a little bit nervous about this because I don't really love this. I want to love it, but it's just not right for my skin type. That said, I would not hesitate to recommend this for oily skin types. The green tea line from Isntree really is geared towards controlling oil on oily skin types, and I feel like the cleanser is no exception. This is definitely gentle, definitely a low pH respectful type of cleanser. There's not stripping ingredients in here. The texture is more of a jelly, bouncy type of texture with real green tea bits in it. It's very low foaming, which is another hint that it's not a really surfactant-heavy, harsh, and stripping cleanser. It's very gentle, it envelops your skin, it cleans really effectively and feels great, but my skin always just feels a whisper too tight, a whisper too dry when I use this. It's not full-on stripping, but it's just enough where I don't feel comfortable with it."
"I love that this is both a milky nourishing creamy kind of calming sensation but then it foams up and it actually cleans your skin effectively and rinses away without a film."
"This is the radiance cleansing balm. This is actually a balm cleanser that I would say 10 out of 10. I absolutely enjoy. You've seen multiple empties of this. And I always say this is the balm cleanser that made me love balm cleansers. It's fragrance-free. It's got a very luxurious, melty balm texture. If you're more of an oil cleansing person, you will like the texture of this. It's very melty, very luxurious. Really good at getting the job done. And it's also one of the more affordable balm cleansers as well, especially for sensitive skin."
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79%of gurus approve
All 6 takes on Radiance Cleansing Balm
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"I removed my makeup with the Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm and then I went in for the First Aid Beauty pure skin cleanser. The Beauty of Joseon is great to travel with because it doesn't leak, it's a solid balm."
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"I really enjoy this product because this is a product that made me enjoy cleansing balms. Before I tried this product I was like, you know what, not really into them for two reasons. Number one, ingredients. Most cleansing balms that I have found either contain lots of essential oils or lots of fragrance in them, and those ingredients are not on the whole bad by any means, but they can be bad if you're sensitive to them. If you have sensitive skin, which I do, I just find that these ingredients do not work well for my skin. This is blessedly fragrance-free and I do find that somewhat rare. And then the other reason why I really fell in love with this is because other balms I feel like kind of feel really waxy. They are sometimes hard to rinse off of my face. I feel like they just kind of leave a little bit of a residue. This is so luxurious, it's so melty, that is what I really enjoy about this."
My 5 Most Repurchased Beauty of Joseon Skincare | 2025 UPDATED!
"I'm a really big fan of this one definitely because it's fragrance-free. This is the product that made me enjoy cleansing balms because prior to using this product, I didn't really like cleansing balms. A lot of cleansing balms have wax content and they have a waxy sort of after taste or residue to them. You get them on your face and it just feels kind of waxy and then you try to rinse it off and there's a residue clinging to your skin or they're just really hard to remove. I'm congestion prone and so I don't want any residue on my face. So many of them, especially prior to this product, had that type of texture and they were just really hard to rinse off. When I first started using this I was really surprised at the texture because it was very different than anything I had tried up to that point. The texture is more melty. It's not as waxy. It really just gets fluidy and liquidy and silky right under your fingertips."
11/10 ⭐ Skincare Empties I Recommend!
"The Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm is a 10 out of 10 for me. I've emptied many of these and just went ahead and bought two more to have on hand. It's fragrance-free and there's something really luxurious about this balm texture. It's a solid, but when you get it onto your skin, your body heat melts it down a little closer to an oil, and I think that's why I like it so much because it's like a solid version of an oil cleanser. It's really effective at breaking down makeup and sunscreen and gets hard-to-remove eye makeup off. It's the only balm that I go back to time and time again."
Empty Skincare and What I Replaced Them With!
"This is one of my favorite cleansing balms that I have used many many jars of. Fragrance-free cleansing balm which I absolutely love. It definitely is a sensitive skin friendly cleansing balm. This works so good to remove makeup, especially when I have a really full face like full coverage foundation, lots of eye makeup, lots of mascara, hard to remove stuff. I always reach for this because this is such a good cleansing balm. It really removes makeup, stubborn, thick, multiple layers of sunscreen so well. And it has this gorgeous texture because a lot of cleansing balms tend to have a waxy feeling on the skin and sometimes they coat your skin in a way that just doesn't feel great and they don't rinse away cleanly and I absolutely hate that. This one's a lot different."
That Was a Mixed Bag of Skincare Empties!
"This is the radiance cleansing balm. This is actually a balm cleanser that I would say 10 out of 10. I absolutely enjoy. You've seen multiple empties of this. And I always say this is the balm cleanser that made me love balm cleansers. It's fragrance-free. It's got a very luxurious, melty balm texture. If you're more of an oil cleansing person, you will like the texture of this. It's very melty, very luxurious. Really good at getting the job done. And it's also one of the more affordable balm cleansers as well, especially for sensitive skin."
"This is the Numbuzin No. 9 NAD+ PDRN Glow Boosting Toner. Long name toner. I love this one. It's really watery, lightweight. It really plumps up my skin. I use about two layers of this to achieve some nice hydration. There's also, as the name suggests, NAD+ PDRN, lots and lots of peptides, but I just really like this as a plumping, hydrating base for the rest of my skincare products."
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All 2 takes on No.9 NAD+PDRN Glow Boosting Toner
GLOW UP OVERNIGHT! PM Skincare Routine for Plump, Glowing, Glass Skin in the AM!
"This is the Numbuzin No. 9 NAD+ PDRN Glow Boosting Toner. Long name toner. I love this one. It's really watery, lightweight. It really plumps up my skin. I use about two layers of this to achieve some nice hydration. There's also, as the name suggests, NAD+ PDRN, lots and lots of peptides, but I just really like this as a plumping, hydrating base for the rest of my skincare products."
Empty Skincare and What I Replaced Them With! | Spring 2026
"I think this is my second bottle of the toner. This toner is so amazing because it is very watery, it's lightweight, it's quickly absorbed on the skin, and it's very deeply hydrating. It feels like it does my skin well. It is really quickly absorbed to the skin, really easy to layer. I do two layers of this and my skin feels really good prepped, a little bit plump and ready to go. There's a whole host of interesting ingredients in here that are particularly good for skin health and just boosting skin's performance. In a toner format when they're a little bit more watered down, they're not going to be as hard-hitting as a serum or an ampoule targeted treatment type of product, but they're boosting. For the rest of the year it will do the trick until we hit winter again, when my skin is in good shape and moving into the early spring when my skin is going to lean a little bit more oily."
"This is such an amazing juicy hydration balm of a toner. This can double up like an essence product too. There's some great well-aging peptides in here, a lot of great humectants to really plump up and smooth out your skin. It so quickly absorbs into the skin and is so hydrating. It's great as your first layer of skincare too, so it can really kind of cover a few different steps in your routine. If you really want that plump, bouncy kind of skin, this is one of the best products from them."
"I was using the Ordinary 7% glycolic acid liquid, very affordable, big bottle, great for body application. I had been using it for a while, liking the results of that one. And then this one came along and I was like, okay, 7% glycolic acid, that actually is exactly what I'm using right now and it's working perfectly for me. So it's a nice switch over to this one. I love the packaging, loved the application. This does have that pretty characteristic glycolic acid smell."
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All 2 takes on Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
Pt 4 | MORE Viral K-Beauty 🙅🏻♀️ I DON'T 🙅🏻♀️ Recommend!
"I was using the Ordinary 7% glycolic acid liquid, very affordable, big bottle, great for body application. I had been using it for a while, liking the results of that one. And then this one came along and I was like, okay, 7% glycolic acid, that actually is exactly what I'm using right now and it's working perfectly for me. So it's a nice switch over to this one. I love the packaging, loved the application. This does have that pretty characteristic glycolic acid smell."
11/10 ⭐ Skincare Empties I Recommend!
"The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner is so unassuming but wow, the hydration of this is so long lasting. There's an ingredient in here that actually is touted for its ability to help hydration last a long time deep within the skin and that's the secret to this. It seems non-impressive, just basic, but there's really something special about this. I'm giving this a 10 out of 10. The glycolic acid at 7% is not a lot but it's not a little either, I feel like it's a real sweet spot with glycolic acid. It's enough to give you a good robust result without breaking your skin barrier. I really like the multi-use of this too. It's a giant bottle you could use this for body care and it doesn't break the bank. I've been using this on my back and arms for congestion and to brighten and even out the tone of my skin, which has been really uneven and dull, and it works right."
"I have loved this and used multiple bottles of this in the past. This is like a no bells and whistles kind of toner. A big reason why I do like it is just that convenience of being able to buy it locally, you know, just go to the store and get it. So convenient, pretty affordable. It's a really good American drugstore hydrating toner. And that is not something that you come across that often."
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81%of gurus approve
All 6 takes on Hydrating Toner
Hydrating Toners From the Drugstore! | e.l.f., Thayers, Peach Slices, Cerave
"I was really impressed with it. Ingredients-wise, we have three different types of ceramides, we have cholesterol, phytosphingosine, we also have niacinamide, and then they've also added in some sodium hyaluronic to really help boost up the hydration benefit. The texture is really watery and thin, it's really that perfect toner texture because it really replenishes the skin. Don't think because it's watery and thin that it isn't powerful with hydration. Once I get it onto my skin, I can feel it diving really deep into my skin and getting down to the source. Because I do suffer with dehydration, I feel like this gets down to the source of my thirst, my dehydration. When my skin is really ailing and really thirsty, something like this has almost a soothing effect to the skin. All those ceramides and cholesterol definitely helps too, but the hydration level here is so, so good. If you really suffer from dehydration, I think this is everything."
Hydrating Toners From the Drugstore! | e.l.f., Thayers, Peach Slices, Cerave
"The hydration level here is so good. I would rate this a five out of five on the hydration scale. This is the product that won me over to drugstore toners. I was like, they can't do it, there's no way, and this product I was like, whoa, look at you CeraVe, I'm majorly impressed. This feels amazing on the skin, it's replenishing, it's breathable, it's light, it will work for any skin type, it's got all those great barrier building ingredients in it. I am in love. And you can regularly get this toner for about ten dollars, maybe twelve, but it gives you about 200 milliliter of product, which I think is an extremely fair price a good amount of product, amazing ingredients, amazing hydration."
Hydrating Toners From the Drugstore! | e.l.f., Thayers, Peach Slices, Cerave
"This is the product that won me over to drugstore toners. I was like they can't do it, there's no way, and this product I was like whoa, look at you CeraVe. I'm majorly impressed. This feels amazing on the skin. It's replenishing, it's breathable, it's light. It will work for any skin type. It's got all those great barrier building ingredients in it. I am in love. And you know it's a good deal too. You can regularly get this toner for about ten dollars, maybe twelve, but it gives you about 200 milliliters of product, which I think is an extremely fair price, a good amount of product, amazing ingredients, amazing hydration."
My Top 5 Hydrating Toners | 2025 Edition
"I was very skeptical that a drugstore brand could do a hydrating toner to my level because I have a very high bar for hydrating toners. I was wrong. This is a really great solid hydrating toner. Part of the reason why it made a top five for me personally is because it is so available for me. I can just go down to my drugstore and just buy it, whereas with a lot of other products we are importing them and ordering from overseas and waiting a while for it to come to us. I think it's a solidly hydrating toner, but it's also just there, you know what I mean, and it's available and it's convenient for me personally. There's a lot to be said about that type of skincare too."
My Top 5 Hydrating Toners | 2025 Edition
"I think it's a solidly hydrating toner that's particularly good for supporting your skin barrier in my personal opinion. If your skin is thirsty and you need to hydrate your skin, watery skincare with lots of humectants are great, but you also need to work on strengthening your skin barrier to hold all that replenishing hydration deep within your skin so that it lasts and doesn't escape and create that dehydrated feeling on our skin. There's some barrier supportive ingredients in here: ceramide NP and niacinamide which helps to support your skin barrier along with a whole host of humectants that rehydrate and replenish the skin. It's got a really beautiful, very watery, quickly absorbed type of texture with just a tiny bit of slip and a tiny bit of plumpness, but I think it's going to be very suitable for pretty much every skin type. I don't find this to be sticky or tacky even when I layer it up a couple of times. I think this would be great for oily skin, I think you'll like this for combination skin especially, and I think dry skin will like this too."
That Was a Mixed Bag of Skincare Empties!
"I have loved this and used multiple bottles of this in the past. This is like a no bells and whistles kind of toner. A big reason why I do like it is just that convenience of being able to buy it locally, you know, just go to the store and get it. So convenient, pretty affordable. It's a really good American drugstore hydrating toner. And that is not something that you come across that often."
"I really do enjoy the rice 70 glow milky toner. This is a great example of a rice toner which is really kind of a staple hallmark type of product in K-beauty. Anua is doing it very very well. Rice is an amazing ingredient for bringing light skin softening, skin conditioning moisture to the skin that's not greasy. It's not oil-based. It's not slippery types of moisture that sits on top of your skin. But it does just very lightly soften and moisturize the drier areas of your skin. It's also a strong antioxidant that brightens up your complexion, just kind of brings out that healthy glow. Anua is using 70% rice water and they've combined that with niacinomide which is a really great brightening ingredient. And then they've also included three different types of ceramides. There's cholesterol and phytosphingosine in here for some barrier strengthening and some additional brightening coming from a little bit of ascorbic acid and arbutin which are both brightening ingredients. I really like the texture of this toner. Particularly for folks who want that lightly moisturizing type of toner that's not too greasy, creamy, too rich or oil-based, this is going to work."
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All 3 takes on Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner
K-Beauty at Ulta! The BEST and WORST! | Pt 1
"I really do enjoy the rice 70 glow milky toner. This is a great example of a rice toner which is really kind of a staple hallmark type of product in K-beauty. Anua is doing it very very well. Rice is an amazing ingredient for bringing light skin softening, skin conditioning moisture to the skin that's not greasy. It's not oil-based. It's not slippery types of moisture that sits on top of your skin. But it does just very lightly soften and moisturize the drier areas of your skin. It's also a strong antioxidant that brightens up your complexion, just kind of brings out that healthy glow. Anua is using 70% rice water and they've combined that with niacinomide which is a really great brightening ingredient. And then they've also included three different types of ceramides. There's cholesterol and phytosphingosine in here for some barrier strengthening and some additional brightening coming from a little bit of ascorbic acid and arbutin which are both brightening ingredients. I really like the texture of this toner. Particularly for folks who want that lightly moisturizing type of toner that's not too greasy, creamy, too rich or oil-based, this is going to work."
My HONEST Anua Rice + Ceramide Review 🫖
"It's like watery hydrating and then this beautiful blanket of light, skin softening kiss of moisture. It leaves your skin super silky soft like baby soft and there's no stickiness in sight. I really enjoy the toner a lot. It's a really nice light milky toner. The whole rice line is great for oily skin, great for balanced skin types. Combo skin may enjoy this but just know it's on the lighter side. It's one of the more light, lightly moisturizing non-greasy ones that I have used."
My HONEST Anua Rice + Ceramide Review 🫖
"This moisturizing milk is essentially a lotion to finish off your skincare routine. It's not as heavy or as dense as a moisturizing cream would be. The line has 70% rice water as well as niacinamide in here for brightening. They're also using five different types of ceramides, we have cholesterol and fatty acid content as well as phytosphingosine, which is a barrier supportive lipid. They're also using some ectoin, which is a really interesting humectant ingredient that provides long-lasting hydration in the skin. There is some oil content here, squalane, rice bran, meadowfoam seed, and coconut oils, to up the richness. Even though there is a rich feel to this, it's still very light and silky. The texture is definitely milky, creamy, a little bit runny. I was really impressed with this one, and my mom was really impressed with this one. Because of her opinion, thinking that it's actually better than the more famous rice toner, I'm actually going to rate this one an eight out of 10."
"This is one that I wanted to call out as a misunderstood product. It's actually a combination of rice and clay. There is a clay component to this toner and that is what most folks misunderstand about this product. A lot of folks who are looking at milky toners because they want moisture in their skin, maybe their skin is feeling a little dry or dehydrated, are going to be disappointed by this product because the clay content actually means that it's sucking up oil on the skin. And if you don't have a lot of oil on your skin to begin with, it's actually going to make your dry and dehydrated skin worse. There's a clay component in here that isn't like shouted out from the rooftops in the name or the marketing of this particular product. It's quite unique in the milky toner world. It's not quite like the other ones and it would be a recommendation for oily skin types."
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All 3 takes on Glow Replenishing Rice Milk Toner
BEST and WORST K-Beauty at Sephora PT 1 | Aestura, Beauty of Joseon, Innisfree, Dr. Jart
"This is one that I wanted to call out as a misunderstood product. It's actually a combination of rice and clay. There is a clay component to this toner and that is what most folks misunderstand about this product. A lot of folks who are looking at milky toners because they want moisture in their skin, maybe their skin is feeling a little dry or dehydrated, are going to be disappointed by this product because the clay content actually means that it's sucking up oil on the skin. And if you don't have a lot of oil on your skin to begin with, it's actually going to make your dry and dehydrated skin worse. There's a clay component in here that isn't like shouted out from the rooftops in the name or the marketing of this particular product. It's quite unique in the milky toner world. It's not quite like the other ones and it would be a recommendation for oily skin types."
NEW Beauty of Joseon Rice Milk and Honey Glow Mask
"I do think that it can really help with dull looking skin and sebum control. While I do like this product, I don't think that it's going to be perfect for everybody. If you do suffer with dehydration, if you're prone to that, that clay is probably not going to be for you. If you have a classically oily skin type or a combination skin type, I think you'll like this, especially if your combo skin leans a little bit more on the oily side. If you do have dry skin, you don't really need this. If you have a balanced skin type or what people call normal skin type, this probably would be okay for you, just keep your eye out on that clay because it could end up being too much in the end. That really unique addition of clay does actually, in my personal opinion, narrow the audience and who's going to really appreciate and enjoy and benefit from this type of toner. My personal rating on this is going to be a seven out of 10. I do think it's a really good product, but just remember it's not going to be for every skin type."
NEW Beauty of Joseon Rice Milk and Honey Glow Mask
"You don't really need this if you have a balanced skin type or what people call normal skin type. This probably would be okay for you, just keep your eye out on that clay because it could end up being too much in the end. That really unique addition of clay does actually in my personal opinion narrow the audience and who's going to really appreciate and enjoy and benefit from this type of toner. My personal rating on this is going to be a seven out of 10. I do think it's a really good product, but just remember it's not going to be for every skin type."
"I do like this one because it's definitely that full fat water type of situation toner. It's runny, it's very liquidy. There is just like a kiss of body to it, but it's not like thick plumping gelike type of consistency. It's watery, quickly absorbed into the skin, layerable without being sticky and tacky despite hyaluronic being in the name. It's very straightforward. Doesn't have to be super exciting to impress me. I do really enjoy this one."
"This is a hydrating toner. It definitely hydrates and plumps up the skin. Has a little bit of a thicker texture than the number one toner does, but it has the benefits of an essence. It helps to really brighten up your skin complexion. And it also helps to address dark marks or hyperpigmentation left over from things like acne or even a dull or uneven skin tone. Some of the brightening actives in here include niacinamide, 3-O ethyl ascorbic acid as well as ascorbic acid, arbutin and hippophae rhamnoides water which is also sometimes nicknamed as vitamin in K beauty. All of these ingredients have a strong brightening effect for the skin. The 3-O ethyl ascorbic acid is a little bit more of a stabilized form of vitamin C. It's a little bit gentler on the skin as well and it's not as much of a diva. It's not going to oxidize on you."
"I really don't like this toner and it definitely gained a lot of interest and popularity. They are really focusing in on the chamomile extract that they're using in the formula. This actually does have soothing and anti-inflammatory properties for the skin, but it is definitely an extract that can cause some sensitivity issues for certain folks with very sensitive skin. They're also using rice bran extract, which is very popular in K beauty and can really lightly moisturize the skin, but it's also something that smooths the skin, brightens the skin, brings a lot of antioxidant care as well. They've got niacinamide, another brightener in here. They've got sodium hyaluronic that helps to bring hydration. And then they have ceramide NP, which everybody's throwing a little ceramide NP into their products because everybody knows ceramides are so good for your skin and for your skin barrier."
"I didn't think this was going to be that hydrating when I first tried it because I'm so picky about toners. When I first was playing around with this I was like I don't know, and then I tried it out on my face and I was like actually I really love this. This is actually surprisingly hydrating. I personally just find this to be a really nicely hydrating toner. What I've noticed having used this now a little bit longer, at this point what I will say about this one is it does make my skin feel very smooth. I think on a certain level it is helping to shed away those dead skin cells. I'm a pretty well exfoliated human at this point in my skincare journey, so I think it's adding a little bit of benefit but I'm not noticing a ton of improvement because it's just not enough to really show me wow benefits when I'm already using other exfoliants. But I do notice that my skin feels a lot smoother when I'm using this consistently in my skincare routine. This is not going to wow you overnight. You have to use this daily. You have to use this for a long period of time."
"This toner uses 95% snail mucin. This is a mucin that is particularly good for calming inflammation. It's great for wound healing. It's very good if you have acne prone skin. It can take down redness. It can soothe irritated skin. It can help to heal the skin, really great overall while also containing all those great skin nutrients and components in the snail mucin that really help your complexion look very healthy. They also have a little touch of hyaluronic acid here, and Centella, which is really contributing to the blemish busting part of this toner. It's really good at reducing inflammation and redness, and it's also an antibacterial ingredient. So it's really great if you have acne prone skin. I just want to put a warning out there that if your skin dries just a little bit and then you put this on, it feels a little bit thick, so know that there's a little bit more thickness to this one. That being said, I think any skin type will enjoy it, especially if you have acne prone skin."
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All 7 takes on Snail Rescue Blemish Busting Toner
Ranking My Skincare Empties with Emojis! Summer '23 Edition
"This is an absolute Holy Grail and one of the best really really hydrating toners. I thought this was going to be a really thick textured toner just because there's snail in it, but it's actually a lot thinner and waterier than that so it actually acts like a toner really beautifully. It sinks deeply into the skin, really hydrates it, but because there's that snail element you get that plumping kind of action, that juicy goodness, and a little bit of balance too. It felt so refreshing in the heat of summertime. I've been on a real snail kick recently and it's really been helping my skin so much. I feel like this is such a gentle way to treat breakouts, or if you have congestion-prone or acne-prone skin, or inflammation-prone skin, snail is so great for treating all of that, reducing redness and swelling of pimples to facilitate healing."
Hydrating Toners From the Drugstore! | e.l.f., Thayers, Peach Slices, Cerave
"This surprised me because when I saw the name blemish busting toner I was expecting exfoliants, maybe some salicylic acid or PHA, and I was really surprised to see no exfoliants on the ingredients list. But I get what they mean by blemish busting because we have 95% snail secretion filtrate which is amazing for breakouts. It's really a trifecta because it is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing. Antibacterial helps to make sure that bacteria isn't spreading and making the acne spread on your face. Anti-inflammation helps to reduce the size of the pimple and really the look too, because if your pimple is really inflamed it's going to go really red, snail can really help to soothe and calm that down. And then the wound healing that snail encourages is amazing for acne-prone skin because if that pimple has popped or that skin has gotten damaged from that inflammation process, snail can really help to speed that healing up."
Hydrating Toners From the Drugstore! | e.l.f., Thayers, Peach Slices, Cerave
"This toner does not feel sticky or tacky, just feels really really nice and plumping on the hydration scale. I'm struggling between five out of five and 4.5 out of five, I'm so picky. It's a 4.5 out of five; we're so dang close to almost near perfection when it comes to hydration. This is so so so replenishing, so good. It's a really good value too. It retails for about fourteen dollars for 120 milliliter, though I bought mine for eleven dollars and it's often on sale. That's a really fair price for a toner, especially something like this with a high quantity of such a good main ingredient like snail secretion. This is an amazing toner with great price and great hydration, and it can really help if you do have acne-prone skin."
Hydrating Toners From the Drugstore! | e.l.f., Thayers, Peach Slices, Cerave
"This retails for about fourteen dollars for 120 milliliters. I bought mine for eleven dollars, it's often on sale or on an offer. I think that's a really fair price for a toner, especially something like this with a high quantity of such a good main ingredient like snail secretion. This is an amazing toner, great price, great hydration, and it can really help if you do have acne prone skin."
Plump and Hydrating Toners for Summer 2025
"This toner uses 95% snail mucin. This is a mucin that is particularly good for calming inflammation. It's great for wound healing. It's very good if you have acne prone skin. It can take down redness. It can soothe irritated skin. It can help to heal the skin, really great overall while also containing all those great skin nutrients and components in the snail mucin that really help your complexion look very healthy. They also have a little touch of hyaluronic acid here, and Centella, which is really contributing to the blemish busting part of this toner. It's really good at reducing inflammation and redness, and it's also an antibacterial ingredient. So it's really great if you have acne prone skin. I just want to put a warning out there that if your skin dries just a little bit and then you put this on, it feels a little bit thick, so know that there's a little bit more thickness to this one. That being said, I think any skin type will enjoy it, especially if you have acne prone skin."
The Best Skincare of 2023! 🎉
"The Peach Slices Snail Rescue Blemish Busting Toner has a really beautiful texture. It is a very fluidy type of toner with a little bit more body than other toners, but it's not gel-based, which surprised me given the snail secretion filtrate in the ingredients. I was really surprised to see it in this more fluidy format. It dives deep into the skin, really replenishes it, and that hint of body gives a little bit of that bouncy plumpness to the skin, which feels so good. The fact that this toner is available at my local Ulta at a very affordable price really impressed me. The affordability, accessibility, and fantastic formulation with a great star ingredient in snail make this something I'm very excited about."
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"This toner really impressed me. I picked it up at my local Ulta, I think it was about 11 dollars. It's really affordable, and I want my toners to be on the more affordable side because I go through them pretty quickly. It's that really hydrating watery toner texture which I really crave. I love that right after washing my face to put something like this on. You wash your face and it can just start to feel a little bit dry, a little dehydrated, and that first layer skincare just feels so good. This is so watery and hydrating, it dives really deep into the skin. For having a high content of snail, you would think you'd have more of a gel or like a thicker consistency, but it's not. It's still really loose and watery with just a hint of body, just a hint of plumpness. A couple layers of this, your skin is feeling hydrated, plump, replenished. You're getting antioxidant care, you're getting antibacterial care, you're getting anti-inflammation care."
"This toner is very straightforward, very simple, very minimal ingredients. Some people would label this toner boring, and I say its boringness is its superpower. I love that about this toner, so straightforward, so to the point. At the end of the day, with dehydrated skin, I really have high expectations for a toner to hydrate my skin and only hydrate my skin, and this does it beautifully. Ingredients-wise, very very simple. If you have sensitive skin and you are looking for products that don't use a lot of plant extracts, which can sometimes pose issues for sensitive individuals, this might be a good one to look for. There is some power in the simplicity of this formula."
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All 7 takes on 1025 Dokdo Toner
5 Star Skincare Empties! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I've loved this toner for a really long time. It's a very simple to the point type of toner, but that's what I like in skincare. I don't mess around with my toners. I know what I like and this is one that I really like. I find this to be another simple straightforward type of toner but I do feel like this dives in just a little bit deeper than other toners. It's just a little bit more hydrating. It's really thin, watery, lightweight, quickly absorbed, and very great for my dehydrated skin."
Melt the Day Away | Calming Skincare Routine
"This is the Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner and I love the texture of this, look at that, so watery, so thin, and yet so much hydration. It just feels like a great drink of water. My skin just drank up that first layer, going in for a second one. This is just that good watery, deep, replenishing layer that my skin is craving without being too thick."
My Top 5 Hydrating Toners | 2025 Edition
"This toner is very straightforward, very simple, very minimal ingredients. Some people would label this toner boring, and I say its boringness is its superpower. I love that about this toner, so straightforward, so to the point. At the end of the day, with dehydrated skin, I really have high expectations for a toner to hydrate my skin and only hydrate my skin, and this does it beautifully. Ingredients-wise, very very simple. If you have sensitive skin and you are looking for products that don't use a lot of plant extracts, which can sometimes pose issues for sensitive individuals, this might be a good one to look for. There is some power in the simplicity of this formula."
My Top 5 Hydrating Toners | 2025 Edition
"This toner doesn't have exfoliation benefits, which is good for me because I'm very sensitive to exfoliation in my skincare routine. What it does well is hydrate the skin in a really good texture that I call a universal texture, something that will work for pretty much every skin type because it's pure water. It's so watery there's no slip, there's no bounce, there's no body, there's no plumping to it, it really is just water. If you have very oily skin that just can't tolerate thick layers of skincare, even a little bit of slip or a gel-like consistency can feel so heavy on your skin, but this will just sink into your skin without any weight. It's weightless on the skin and you can layer this up multiple times. If you like the seven skin method where you layer a hydrating watery toner onto your skin multiple times, but you're sensitive to texture building up thick on your skin, this is perfect for multiple layering without any type of weight, and it really dives deep and feels incredibly replenishing."
Top 10+ K Beauty You Need to Try in 2024!
"The Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner is so good because it's so simple. It has a very minimal ingredients list, it's not trying to do too much, it's not trying to blast your skin with lots of humectants. It's just very simple but very hydrating and very watery, and I think it will suit a majority of skin types. It doesn't offer a lot of slip or body or thickness, which I think can be kind of overwhelming for some oily folks or even balanced skin types. It can feel like too much. This is pure water that's absorbed very quickly into the skin. But if you're suffering with dehydration or maybe a little bit more of a drier skin type and you do benefit from more hydration, you can actually layer this up into your skincare routine. That's a true K Beauty secret: to apply your toner more than once to really achieve maximum hydration. This texture really allows you to do that effortlessly. I think oily skin, balanced skin, combination skin, dry skin, you're going to enjoy this formula."
Ranking Summer Skincare Empties! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
"I'm going to rate this a 10 out of 10, it's that perfect unicorn toner for me. It's that right watery, really refreshing, quickly absorbed, non-sticky texture. It's really layerable, but each layer of toner actually is incredibly hydrating, really replenishing to my skin. It just doesn't weigh it down at all. Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner is actually really perfect for the summer months for me because it is so weightless, so breathable, not sticky on the skin."
10 Simple and Gentle Skincare Products!
"Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner is another one that really delivers deep hydration in an almost universal texture. It's going to work for any skin type in my opinion. There are some really great hydrating ingredients in here including panthenol, glycerin, and niacinamide, and it really does dive deep into the skin. So if you have dehydrated skin, I think you might enjoy this one because sometimes you just need that deeper hydration. I think this really provides it nicely. There's some seaweed content in here and that can be a really great balancing ingredient. This also contains sea water and alanine, both of which are actually soothing ingredients, quite healing for irritated skin. And this also contains sugar cane extract, which is interesting to see in toners because it has a very, very slight clarifying effect for the skin. It's not exfoliation, it's not full-on chemical exfoliation, but it gently encourages excessive dead skin cells to shed away from the skin, so it can definitely be nice for a little bit of a smoother feeling to your skin if you struggle with texture."
"This is actually a newbie to my top five list but since I tried this back in the summer of 2023 it really has been in my regular rotation of hydrating toners and I've been through quite a few bottles of this since that time. What really made me fall in love with it is definitely the amount of hydration that it brings to my skin but also its ability to bring out a really healthy vibrancy to my complexion. It really makes my complexion glow, makes it look really bright and even toned and just really healthy. It's hydrating but it also brings up the quality of your skin as well and the quality of your glow. There's one percent of panthenol in here and this is one of my favorite humectant ingredients. It's very hydrating and very replenishing for skin."
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All 2 takes on Combo Balancing Ampule Toner
My Top 5 Hydrating Toners | 2025 Edition
"This is actually a newbie to my top five list but since I tried this back in the summer of 2023 it really has been in my regular rotation of hydrating toners and I've been through quite a few bottles of this since that time. What really made me fall in love with it is definitely the amount of hydration that it brings to my skin but also its ability to bring out a really healthy vibrancy to my complexion. It really makes my complexion glow, makes it look really bright and even toned and just really healthy. It's hydrating but it also brings up the quality of your skin as well and the quality of your glow. There's one percent of panthenol in here and this is one of my favorite humectant ingredients. It's very hydrating and very replenishing for skin."
My Top 5 Hydrating Toners | 2025 Edition
"This has been in my regular rotation of hydrating toners and I've been through quite a few bottles of this. What really made me fall in love with it is definitely the amount of hydration that it brings to my skin, but also its ability to bring out a really healthy vibrancy to my complexion. It really makes my complexion glow, makes it look really bright and even toned and just really healthy. It's hydrating but it also brings up the quality of your skin as well and the quality of your glow. Hydration-wise there's one percent panthenol in here and this is one of my favorite humectant ingredients. It's very hydrating and very replenishing for skin. I have dehydrated skin and my skin is incredibly thirsty, so I am very picky and very discerning about what I call hydrating. Not just any old water or toner is going to replenish my skin at the deeper levels where the dehydration lies, so my bar for hydration is annoyingly high. What's particularly helpful about panthenol as an ingredient is that it replenishes skin at those deeper levels."
"Beekman 1802 Milkshake Hyaluronic Acid and Squalane Facial Toner Mist is so fun. I love a good base product that's when there's like two layers to something, usually like a moisturizing kind of like an oil-based layer and then like a hydrating or sometimes a creamy type of portion. That's what this is, a kind of like moisturizing oil-based layer and then a really hydrating hyaluronic acid kind of like toner layer. It's super fun to shake this up and it's also unique in the fact that it's a mist toner too. It does deliver a very fine mist. You can use this as a really light toner layer in your skincare routine, or if you're somebody who when you layer products in your routine things just get a little sticky and a little weird, this works for that. It's a really beautiful fine mist and the way that this disperses is really beautiful."
"I'm From Rice Toner is a really great example of a traditional Korean skincare ingredient which is rice. It has a watery texture but it's milkier as well, and that's the rice element at play here. Rice is an amazing skin conditioning, skin softening ingredient. It offers this really light balance of moisture that makes your skin feel super silky soft but it doesn't actually create an oily or greasy or overwhelming type of moisture. It's not thick, it's just a very light moisture at the top that really makes your skin feel very conditioned. I think it can actually still work for oily skin types."
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All 2 takes on Rice Toner
Hyaluronic Acid Free Favorite Skincare
"I'm from Rice Toner is a cult status type of product in the K Beauty world and it brings a beautiful balance of hydration and moisture into the skin without using hyaluronic acid. Rice extract is such an interesting ingredient that really helps to condition the skin and has a skin softening, skin smoothing type of effect with a kiss of moisture to it. You can achieve a similar quality to hyaluronic acid without the thickness with rice extract because it has this balance between a lightness and just a kiss of moisture. It really makes your skin feel super duper like baby butt soft."
Top 10+ K Beauty You Need to Try in 2024!
"I'm From Rice Toner is a really great example of a traditional Korean skincare ingredient which is rice. It has a watery texture but it's milkier as well, and that's the rice element at play here. Rice is an amazing skin conditioning, skin softening ingredient. It offers this really light balance of moisture that makes your skin feel super silky soft but it doesn't actually create an oily or greasy or overwhelming type of moisture. It's not thick, it's just a very light moisture at the top that really makes your skin feel very conditioned. I think it can actually still work for oily skin types."
"Skin 1004 Hyaluronic Acid Toner Plus never really went away but it's getting a lot more used now. It's much lighter, essency type of texture. It just feels so good, so lightweight. It doesn't feel like my T-Zone is super duper greasy when I use this. It's a very light gel type of texture, really weightless on the skin, very appropriate for oily folks who maybe do suffer with dehydration. The reason that I say that is because it's so lightweight it's not interfering and adding to a shininess or an oiliness or greasiness on the skin. It doesn't weigh you down but it doesn't dry you out either, so this actually works perfectly with oil but it doesn't dry your skin out."
"I like this toner a lot. Is it the most hydrating one out there? No it's not, but I think it's a really nice solid toner and I understand why it's so popular and why it's still ranking very high at Olive Young, because it's something that I can see working for a majority of people. It's just a very simple toner, very simple ingredients, very simple texture, and I can see it working for a variety of skin types. It's something that has gained a lot of popularity over the last year, I think it's going to continue to be popular, and it's just a really easy to use type of product."
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All 2 takes on Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner
Ranking 20 Top Selling Products at Olive Young!
"I like this toner a lot. Is it the most hydrating one out there? No it's not, but I think it's a really nice solid toner and I understand why it's so popular and why it's still ranking very high at Olive Young, because it's something that I can see working for a majority of people. It's just a very simple toner, very simple ingredients, very simple texture, and I can see it working for a variety of skin types. It's something that has gained a lot of popularity over the last year, I think it's going to continue to be popular, and it's just a really easy to use type of product."
Hyaluronic Acid Free Favorite Skincare
"This is one of my favorite toners to recommend because the success rate with this I think is going to be very high for a majority of folks. Heart leaf is one of my favorite ingredients not only for a soothing calming effect on the skin, it's a great anti-inflammation ingredient, it is an antibacterial ingredient as well, and that's what makes it so good for helping to gently clarify the skin. It's really good if you are congestion prone or acne prone. We've also got really great humectants in here, glycerin and Bane, and panthenol, which is a juicy watery plumping type of ingredient that supports the barrier layer rather than those really emollient creamy rich and nourishing types of ingredients. It's a lighter, more hydrating approach to barrier care. It comes together in a really nice watery thin lightweight type of texture."
"I was really impressed with this one because it's really top-notch formulation. It's really impressive what they have done as far as how they've packed the moisture into this product and how they've created a very elegant, easy to use type of texture. This is not thick, this is not something that fills every little pore with thick, creamy, heavy weighted down moisture. It doesn't have body to it, it's actually very fluid, but it does pack in a lot of rich nourishment. It just doesn't pack it in in a thick layer. What really hit it home for me about how special this product is, is when I started testing out products looking for a true dupe of the original cream skin refiner formula, which is becoming so hard to find. I needed to find something that was on that same level, that gave that same quality to the skin."
"The PURITO Oats in Silky Toner is a really simple formula. They're using glycerin and beta glucan to really hydrate the skin. Beta glucan is a really nice alternative ingredient to hyaluronic acid, which can sometimes create some inflammation in sensitive individuals. Beta glucan I think is a little bit more gentle. It's often derived from oat, and it's one of those humectant ingredients that attracts and binds hydration into the skin, has a little bit of a bouncy gel-like consistency to it so it can kind of plump the skin as well, all similar qualities to hyaluronic acid without that pro-inflammatory effect for certain sensitive individuals. We've got oat in here, oat water as well as oat extract, and oats is a really wonderful soothing ingredient, great if you have some redness or inflammation on the skin. It's often recommended for eczema-prone skin, but it's also a gentle moisturizing ingredient as well. It really balances out the skin. It's not an oily ingredient but it just kind of soothes and comforts the skin with this gentle hug and kiss of moisture that feels amazing."
"The oil is not creating a really thick texture or very creamy texture, it's still very watery like you would expect a toner to be, quickly absorbed with a nice amount of hydration, but you're going to feel a lot more moisture, a lot more nourishment, a lot more richness. If your skin gets irritated from dehydration or dryness and that's why you're seeking out a moisturizing toner, this one does have a soothing effect to it. What's also unique about this is it's still maintaining a lighter texture, it's mind-boggling because you expect something that has this amount of richness to have to be quite thick, but it actually has this really nice light property to it, which truly makes it an appropriate toner type of product because toners go at the beginning of your routine. If you like to use other products, sometimes really thick toners can interfere, so I think that this layers up really nicely. One or two layers of this for skin that is feeling a little bit dry is perfect. If you're really dry, go for more, but just know the more that you put this on, the more rich it becomes and the more the oil starts to build up."
"You're going to get a really beautiful burst of hydration as it is absorbing and settling into the skin. That's when you feel that moisturizing effect, that hug of all that hydration. It feels so nice, and then when it's totally absorbed, you're not going to be able to stop touching your face because it's so silky, it's so smooth. It truly conditions the skin. If you want to layer this up onto your skin, you're going to get a lot of juicy plumpness and it will build on the moisture, but it's not something that gets super duper thick on the skin because we're not dealing with a lot of heavy emollients. Because it's got a little bit more plumping body to it, a little bit more of that gel type of texture, it will fill your skin a little bit more and start to feel a little bit more balanced with more moisture, but I don't find it to be heavy and I don't find it to be greasy."
"I've been jamming on this since 2018, maybe even before that. I adore this wash off mask so much. This is amazing for soothing the skin, for bringing in a lot of moisture, calming down redness. It's really great if you have some breakouts going on at the time. I use this a lot when my skin barrier was weak and damaged. I've used this a lot during winter to soothe really dry, irritated skin. I've just used this to get that really gorgeous honey glow that I absolutely love. Honey is antibacterial and promotes wound healing for acne prone skin. There's something about honey that just brings out this glowiness, this healthy lit from within vitality and radiance to the skin. It's an overall even complexion. This is a really luxurious, gorgeous wash off mask. It has a really good content of honey in it. This isn't like we threw in honey and it's at the end. There's a good portion of it. It looks like honey in the texture."
"It's moisturizing. It's plumping. It's fine as far as living up to the hype of everything. I do like this one though. I do like it. I would do this mask again. Is it amazing? No, not necessarily. Is it a nice one though? It's a nice one. I think for plumping and smoothing is probably what I'm seeing the most right now with my results."
"It's the Prequel Multi-Acid Milk Peel. I really enjoy this one. We've got 15% glycolic acid in here, as well as a couple of other different forms, gentler forms of AHA. There's also two different types of enzymes in here that don't necessarily exfoliate the skin, but they do aid in the skin cell turnover process by actually loosening up the glue or the keratin, that sticky thick sebum that holds onto the dead skin cells on your skin. I find this formula with the enzymes and the multi-acids to be particularly good for congestion-prone skin, which I do have. The enzymes give this formula a little bit of an edge for congestion and acne-prone skin."
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All 6 takes on Multi-Acid Milk Peel AHA Exfoliating Solution
September Faves | Prequel, VT, Skinfix, PMD Beauty, Flow vs. Force
"This is about 220 milliliters of AHA goodness. That is huge. Some of these products that I use with this amount of AHA are like 30 milliliter or 50 milliliter. So this really big size actually makes this really economical for body use. And that is why it's impressed me this month. I've actually been using this for especially for my back, the tops of my arms, my chest, and now that sandal season is starting to wind down, I'm starting to use this on my feet as well because AHA helps to exfoliate the top surface of skin. It's particularly good for any dead skin cell buildup like rough and calloused feet. It can definitely help to soften up those areas. It can also help to brighten up any uneven skin. I do find the skin on my back a little bit uneven, even on my feet, especially after sandal season. It also is great for helping to, for me personally, I find to resist the texture and congestion that I can get on my body, especially like the tops of my arms. I can get those little white bumps. This really helps to smooth those out and keep those at bay. I find a good strong AHA is a good maintenance product for me personally because a lot of the texture and breakouts that I get on my body is actually due to dry skin and that dead skin buildup."
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"The milk peel from Prequel costs $23 and you actually get 226 milliliters of product for that price. This is an AHA based product that uses 15% glycolic acid, and they're also bulking out that glycolic acid percentage with some other AHA forms including mandalic and lactic acid, phytic and malic acid. One thing that makes this one a little bit different in the formula is the enzymes they're using here, the lipases and the proteases. These are enzymes that actually help to break down the glue that holds the skin cells in place, like the dead skin cells. This is something that aids the chemical exfoliation process of the AHA mix here in the formula, so it's not blasting your skin with even more AHAs or BHAs or anything like that."
THIS Skincare Made My Year! | Best of 2025 🎉
"It's the Prequel Multi-Acid Milk Peel. I really enjoy this one. We've got 15% glycolic acid in here, as well as a couple of other different forms, gentler forms of AHA. There's also two different types of enzymes in here that don't necessarily exfoliate the skin, but they do aid in the skin cell turnover process by actually loosening up the glue or the keratin, that sticky thick sebum that holds onto the dead skin cells on your skin. I find this formula with the enzymes and the multi-acids to be particularly good for congestion-prone skin, which I do have. The enzymes give this formula a little bit of an edge for congestion and acne-prone skin."
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"I used this multi-acid milk peel from Prequel last night. It's an AHA peel, it's like 15% AHA, it's actually quite potent. I did it last night and I feel like my skin looks a little brighter. It feels a little bit smoother. And that's what I'm talking about with an outer glow up, you know, just a little sort of way to feel a little bit more confident in my skin without having to go for something really crazy, really expensive, really over the top."
I Tried 5 Prequel Skincare Products | Worth It for Sensitive Skin?
"I could feel it kind of working on my skin for about 20 minutes or so, and then afterwards, I didn't feel it anymore. And I didn't wake up with my skin feeling raw or irritated or anything. I actually when I woke up, my skin looks really smooth. It looks brighter. It has that rejuvenated effect that I have come to expect from a high percentage AHA type of product like this one. Yes, it was a little spicy when it was on my skin working on my skin, but the fact that it didn't push my skin too far and I got really nice results, this is something that I'm cautiously optimistic about."
December Fave Empties | Prequel, VT, Paula's Choice, Cetaphil, Unove, Questions for Reflection
"This is an AHA chemical exfoliation peel in a toner essence like format. It contains 15% glycolic acid and is a multi-acid milk peel with several different forms of AHA acid including phytic, malic, mandalic, and lactic acid. There are also enzymes in here including protease and lipase, which are important enzymes that help to loosen up the glue, the keratin, the sticky oil that holds on to the dead skin cells in our skin. We've got quite a bit of exfoliating action coming from the glycolic acid and the other acids that are resurfacing the top of the skin, getting rid of dead skin cells, smoothing out texture, helping the look of pores, helping with congestion and minor texture, and brightening and rejuvenating the skin. This is the one that I've used the most, the first one that I've emptied, and the one that I repurchased. I use it multiple times a week now. It is so so good."
"I've been using this for a few years and just over the last year, year and a half, I've been using this almost exclusively. After washing my hair and conditioning my hair, I will use this as a leave-on treatment. I use one pump for all of this hair, work it on my ends and then through the mids. You just leave it in. It is a reparative strengthening bonding hair product and it does work very very nicely. One way to use this is to actually replace your conditioner product with this."
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All 3 takes on Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
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"K18 kind of entered the scene a few years ago and I named it as a monthly favorite in 2022 in the spring, I was really enjoying it then. It's a similar concept to Olex. I think it really helps to strengthen my hair and helps to keep it in really good shape. I think it helps to resist some split ends and damage on my hair as well in between trims. It's really expensive, it's retailing $75. That is not what it retailed back in 2022, it was still pretty pricey, I think it was pushing maybe $60, which is still I think too much. They raised the price recently. I don't really understand why this is so freaking expensive. It is nice but it's tricky to use, unlike Olex where I can just put it in my hair."
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"I've been using this for a few years and just over the last year, year and a half, I've been using this almost exclusively. After washing my hair and conditioning my hair, I will use this as a leave-on treatment. I use one pump for all of this hair, work it on my ends and then through the mids. You just leave it in. It is a reparative strengthening bonding hair product and it does work very very nicely. One way to use this is to actually replace your conditioner product with this."
A Full Day of Skincare! AM to PM Routine ☀️🌙
"I used the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask right after washing my hair and before blow drying it. I slept on this hair, washed it last night dried it and slept on it, and there's still some nice volume at the roots. I like how this lasts."
"Paula's Choice is really kind of the OG 2% salicylic acid liquid exfoliant product for sure. It actually does work so well for reducing texture and congestion and really getting that good amount of salicylic acid into the skin. This product has earned its reputation."
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All 2 takes on Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
Pt.2 Save $$ | Affordable Skincare Dupes for Expensive Products!
"BHA dives deep into your pore and exfoliates inside of your pore lining so when you get all those dead skin cells and sebum stuck inside of your pore that's where you're getting the bumpy texture, that's where you're getting the clogged pores, that's where acne is going to start to form if bacteria gets into the mix. BHA is so effective for congestion, clogged pores, acne because it can dive in deeper. Two percent is a good amount, it is absolutely a very effective amount to help clear out the skin. It can absolutely unclog the pores. BHA doesn't work at the top surface but it does have the ability to help with skin tone a little bit or if you have dull skin because it's cleaning out your pores and sometimes the stuff that's stuck inside of your pores is what dulls out your skin, especially if you deal with a lot of blackheads. Salicylic acid is very effective for blackheads. That said, BHA just doesn't help wrinkles. It's not an exfoliant that is well known for its abilities to help with aging."
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"Paula's Choice is really kind of the OG 2% salicylic acid liquid exfoliant product for sure. It actually does work so well for reducing texture and congestion and really getting that good amount of salicylic acid into the skin. This product has earned its reputation."
"This product has earned its reputation. It actually does work so well for reducing texture and congestion and really getting that good amount of salicylic acid into the skin. I think Isntree is a little bit of a nicer experience, a little bit more hydration, a little bit more plumping, a little bit softer, a little bit gentler on the skin. I really do appreciate the way that this delivers into the skin with a kiss of hydration. I am happy with it not just as a cheap dupe, but I think as in some circles a superior product."
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All 2 takes on Chestnut BHA 2% Clear Liquid
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"The additional ingredients in here lift this formula up slightly. I've used both of these products and they're both good and they're both very effective, but I personally do have combination dehydrated skin, so any product that brings a little extra hydration to the table I'm gonna gravitate towards because that's what my skin needs. I really like that there's some extra humectant ingredients in here. This almost feels more like an exfoliating toner than an exfoliating liquid, where it has a slightly more hydrating kind of feel that is just a little bit more pleasant, especially if you're into texture or if you just need every ounce of hydration you can get. I also like that they've included willow bark extract along with the chestnut extract. These are two what I call clarifying ingredients. They're not astringent, they don't strip hydration or moisture from the skin, but they just have that little bit of a clarifying effect, antibacterial effect that can be very beneficial for acne prone or congested skin. They help to reduce the inflammation and they help to gently clarify the skin, which is a really nice additional benefit alongside the two percent salicylic acid which is getting deep down in there and doing the heavy work."
Save $$$ | Expensive Skincare Dupes!! Caudalie, Allies of Skin and Paula's Choice Alternatives!
"This product has earned its reputation. It actually does work so well for reducing texture and congestion and really getting that good amount of salicylic acid into the skin. I think Isntree is a little bit of a nicer experience, a little bit more hydration, a little bit more plumping, a little bit softer, a little bit gentler on the skin. I really do appreciate the way that this delivers into the skin with a kiss of hydration. I am happy with it not just as a cheap dupe, but I think as in some circles a superior product."
"This is an occasional use mask, so you can get that exfoliating effect without necessarily having to build it into the rest of your skincare routine. This mask actually really helped me to love AHA. It uses 15% glycolic acid, which is a lot of AHA. Glycolic acid helps to chemically exfoliate the top surface of the skin, shed away dead skin cells, and help with skin tone and texture. With long-term and consistent use, it can actually help with collagen production in the skin, help to thicken up the skin, make it more firm, more youthful, more supple, and just rejuvenate the skin. This mask is focused on brightening. It also includes tranexamic acid. And we also have 3% lactic acid, which not only does the chemical exfoliating process, but it also helps your skin retain hydration as well. This is a very potent mask. I would categorize this like an AHA peel, like an at-home peel type of product. The way that I like to use this is once a week. And this has actually made it into my weekly rotation of skincare. I use this once a week, and I have for going on two years now."
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All 10 takes on Major Fade Flash Mask
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"I have on my skin, particularly hyperpigmentation that I get from acne and from inflammatory events on my skin. And this really helps to heal them up faster. I'm also just noticing that it's giving my skin a much more refreshed quality to it, a smoother texture to it as I've used this now for about two years. I really love it. I think it's great, but I just think it is very very expensive."
My Sephora Top 15 Skincare Picks
"Dr. Idriss Major Fade Flash Mask, let me tell you I did not want to like this product. The ingredients is what really drew me in. I was like this is for sure made by a dermatologist because they're really focusing in on some really key brightening active ingredients: glycolic acid, lactic acid, and tranexamic acid. Glycolic and lactic are AHAs so they work on the top surface of your skin to really resurface your skin in a way right. They exfoliate the dead skin cells on top so they smooth out your skin but they also work to brighten the skin. They can work on hyperpigmentation. Lactic acid is actually really good for your skin barrier. It can increase skin hydration over time. Tranexamic acid is not an exfoliating acid but it is a brightening ingredient and it can work on stubborn hyperpigmentation, sunspots, melasma."
THESE products made me LOVE AHA's!!
"I really do credit this product as the product that made me fall in love slowly but surely with AHAs, particularly with glycolic acid, because that's really the cornerstone of this wash off mask. It's 15% of glycolic acid, and that is quite a good amount of glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is actually a fairly small molecule that is part of the AHA family and that actually means that this molecule gets into the skin, penetrates deeper and it penetrates into the skin faster making it work really effectively for the skin and that means that it actually exfoliates your skin very very quickly."
My Top 5 Masks | 2025 Edition
"This is an occasional use mask, so you can get that exfoliating effect without necessarily having to build it into the rest of your skincare routine. This mask actually really helped me to love AHA. It uses 15% glycolic acid, which is a lot of AHA. Glycolic acid helps to chemically exfoliate the top surface of the skin, shed away dead skin cells, and help with skin tone and texture. With long-term and consistent use, it can actually help with collagen production in the skin, help to thicken up the skin, make it more firm, more youthful, more supple, and just rejuvenate the skin. This mask is focused on brightening. It also includes tranexamic acid. And we also have 3% lactic acid, which not only does the chemical exfoliating process, but it also helps your skin retain hydration as well. This is a very potent mask. I would categorize this like an AHA peel, like an at-home peel type of product. The way that I like to use this is once a week. And this has actually made it into my weekly rotation of skincare. I use this once a week, and I have for going on two years now."
Top 20 Must-have Skincare Products At Sephora!
"This is a potent AHA mask but unlike The Ordinary 30% AHA mask, I feel like this has been formulated in a really smart way that kind of helps to sidestep some of the irritation. It's a more sophisticated formula instead of just throwing a bunch of AHA at your face, a bunch of glycolic acid. This is matching up the glycolic acid with the lactic acid and then adding in tranexamic acid, which is a brightening ingredient and not an exfoliating acid, so it really does amp up the benefits of helping to target dark spots on the face and really helping to target brightening up the complexion along with helping with texture and smoothness of the skin. I've seen some really good benefits using this. It really does brighten up hyperpigmentation, so the dark marks that you get after inflammation on your skin. If you suffer with melasma, if you suffer with sun damage, I would really look at this product if you can afford it. I think that it is a little gentler on the skin but I think it's just as potent."
Fade Hyperpigmentation in 3 Steps
"Dr Idris Major Fade Flash Mask is really been helping my skin and this is a really nice one to use once or twice a week. It really does give you that nice perk up to your skin. Not only does it help to brighten your skin, but the ingredients will help with hyperpigmentation from acne but they will also help for melasma sun damage and uneven or dull looking skin tone. It will really help with a lot of different concerns. Because it does contain 15% glycolic acid it exfoliates at the top surface of your skin which actually makes your skin a lot more smooth and a lot more radiant. Your makeup's going to apply a little bit better when you do some AHA. So it helps with textural irregularities and help to bring out that inner glow even if you have hyperpigmentation on your skin. It's called a little bit on the pricey side but you do get two cartridges with this, which helps to keep the formula really fresh and efficacious for your skin instead of doing a jumbo size container."
4 Steps to Glowing Skin in Winter
"I've been obsessed with the Dr Idris Major Fade Flash Mask for about a year now. It uses 15% glycolic acid, which is probably the most potent AHA acid out there and shows really good results on the skin. They bump up the AHA by including an additional 3% lactic acid, which is also an AHA but generally considered more gentle and better tolerated by sensitive skin folks, while still showing very good results. The mask also contains tranexamic acid, which is a brightening active that's great for helping to address hyperpigmentation and unevenness on the skin. So you're getting AHA exfoliation working really hard for your skin, but then an additional dose of brightening on top of that. I've been incorporating this mask into my weekly skincare routine for about a year now and I absolutely love the results. I do have sensitive skin that can get quite dry and sensitive in the winter, and I've had no issues with it."
THIS is What I Do Weekly for Bright & Glowy Skin!
"This mask is from Dr. Idriss, it's the Major Fade Flash Mask and I absolutely love this because it's 15% glycolic acid and 3% lactic acid, so two very good AHA chemical exfoliants, and then there's also some tranexamic acid in this mask too which is a great brightening ingredient that targets pigmentation on the skin. I use the AHA once a week. I do have fairly sensitive skin and I have found that using high percentage AHA has given me problems in the past, so I'm just very cautious with this mask, but quite honestly my skin tolerates this super well at one time a week and I'm getting really good results with it. I don't feel like I have to blast my skin with it more times a week. This helps with skin cell turnover and that's such an important component to even-toned complexion. When you're consistent with your products you will start to see that type of result. Your skin's not going to look as dull and as uneven, especially with AHA. It's the perfect exfoliant for that."
April Fave + Empties | Bringgreen, Dr. Idriss, Numbuzin, Aprilskin, P&L
"The AHA is really kind of helping to just kind of keep things under control. I've definitely noticed smoother skin, softer skin, brighter skin. It just really brings a clarity to the skin that was just like that kind of missing thing, you know, that thing I was yearning for and didn't know how to quite get it, and I feel like this mask has given that to me. So I am really impressed because I've had an uneasy relationship with glycolic acid and lactic acid and AHAs in general. I don't usually talk about those types of products because they don't usually work for me, they don't usually agree with my skin. I usually get a lot of irritation. But it's been working the way I've worked it into my schedule. It's working for me, it's working for my skin. I think the formulation is just smart. The tranexamic acid is just the cherry on top that's really bringing that clarity to the skin. I will probably take a break in high summer just because of the photosensitizing properties of AHA."
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"I'm a major fan of the Dr Idris Major Fade Flash Mask. I've been using this now for going on my second year. I do try to build this into my routine once a week. This mask uses 15% glycolic acid and 3% lactic acid, both AHAs that are designed to really exfoliate the top surface of your skin. They help to get all those dead skin cells off your face that are interfering with your glow, so your skin is going to be so much smoother and brighter. But it also helps to address hyperpigmentation, uneven skin darkness on the skin. It helps to address texture on the skin because it really smooths out the skin and just overall it brings this rejuvenated look to your skin. This is really like a facial in a bottle because it is such a high percentage of AHA. My sensitive skin actually tolerates it super well."
"The Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask is interesting because of the way it acts as an occlusive. It has this thick gel texture that you spread across your skin into a very thin layer and it actually dries on your skin, kind of like a peeloff mask, and you sleep in this. So this actually creates a nonmoisturizing and non-hydrating layer that sits on top that will fight dehydration while you sleep. And then you just peel it off in the morning. It actually works as an occlusive very nicely. If you don't like thick layers on your skin or if they're too rich and your cheek sticks to your pillow, or if you just have those sensory issues, you may want to try this one out. It actually is pretty comfortable to sleep in."
"This is the Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore Smooth Blur Drops. It does say it has salicylic acid in it, BHA, but I honestly don't find this irritating."
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All 2 takes on Strawberry BHA Pore Smooth Blur Drops
"This is the Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore Smooth Blur Drops. It does say it has salicylic acid in it, BHA, but I honestly don't find this irritating."
Top 20 Must-have Skincare Products At Sephora!
"This is really a nice primer. It is definitely something that is meant to grip onto your makeup, make it last longer, make it apply a lot smoother while still allowing your skin to breathe. It has a little bit of oil controlling property to it, helps your makeup not break up in the middle of the day, but it's not spacky and silicone to the point where it feels like you have this thick layer on top of your skin before you've even done your makeup. I think that it really is skin respectful."
"For a body care treat I'm going in for the First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub. This uses glycolic and lactic acid at 10% to help exfoliate the skin, but it also has some scrubbies in it which is great for my rough elbows and knees."
"Cetaphil has been killing it this month. Another new release from them is the exfoliating rough and bumpy cream and this is so cool because it contains 20% of urea. I love this humectant and I'm so glad that it's starting to emerge in more skincare products. Urea especially at 20% is excellent for those conditions. I'm so glad that it's starting to become a lot more common because you really don't have a lot of choices when it comes to high percentages of urea at least where I'm shopping for drugstore products there's very little choice. I love to see this high amount being used, especially in a larger bottle. A lot of my favorite urea products are so tiny, so I love this for full body application."
"I put the mask on after I got out of my bath and my skin feels like it's on fire. My skin is really burning. I've used this mask so many times, but my skin is increasingly on fire, and so I just washed the mask off within just a few minutes. I could not keep it on my face. My skin was burning so bad. I went back and looked at the ingredients the next day and right at the bottom there's an ingredient called farnesol. This is one of those fragrant ingredients that carry such a potent irritation potential that it has to be listed separately. Why is it in a product that is marketed for a compromised skin barrier? When your skin barrier is a little bit weak or damaged, it's very vulnerable, so why are they putting this in there?"
"It's a very potent product. 30% is a lot. I have absolutely used this and I have absolutely irritated and burned my skin when using this, even with caution. It's a very potent AHA product. There was a lot of misinformation about what it can do and who it's suitable for, and I do still feel like there is a lot of that going around. It's a very, very potent amount of AHA that can definitely address texture and dull skin, but it needs to be approached with caution and with respect. I just don't think that it's going to suit a lot of folks. It's not my favorite, and it really is just because I've seen so many people get burned by it. I've seen so many people misunderstand how to use it, thinking that they need it when they probably really don't."
"It's a sleeping mask it can be used in place of your moisturizer at night time or on top of your moisturizer at night time, but you could even use it as a moisturizer during the daytime so it's very flexible. It really is meant to infuse your skin with a lot of hydration as you're sleeping and help to restore your skin through that restful process. I do think that it delivers on the hydration. It may not be the most hydrating out there anymore, it may not be the most innovative product out there anymore, however I don't see a lot of sleeping mask products available at Sephora so I think in this market it definitely has a renewed interest and renewed innovation. I used it many years ago and I liked it then, it kind of fell out of my routine, it didn't grow along with me, but I do think it is a nice product."
"I am prone to dehydration and so the fact that this mask is not like drenched in that liquidy essence that dives deep into the skin and really replenishes the skin it's more something that sits kind of on top of your skin it's a little bit dry my skin doesn't feel so great wearing this for more than 1 hour um my skin starts to feel a little bit dehydrated a little bit dry it does infuse with your skin but it kind of like sits on top a little bit just due to the nature of how it's being delivered into the skin that hydro gel just can't dive in really deep and so like my skin chemistry my dehydration and this mask it's not the perfect fit especially for wearing longer like I said than an hour"
"The CurrentBody LED mask uses red light to help stimulate collagen, improve tone and texture on the skin, and promote healing. For me personally, I found the design of the CurrentBody mask to be very very comfortable. It does deliver some really nice results. I've noticed some great benefits as far as skin texture and tone. It helps with dark marks and it particularly helps with healing, especially if you do suffer with breakouts. It really actually promotes healing. I think it's also a great preventative type of product to add into your routine if you have the funds and you know you're going to commit to it, preventative for that collagen stimulation and just overall the good preventative well-aging measures that we can take in skincare."
"This has helped with brightening up that under eye area from the lack of sleep and the stress, so it's just a really good performing product. I love this texture. It's a sleeping mask but I've never really encountered a sleeping mask with this beautiful jelly texture. It's not gel, it's truly a bouncy jelly texture and it feels so hydrating, so replenishing, so cooling and refreshing on the skin, but it's a nice hefty gel that really does work nicely as a sleeping mask. It has that occlusivity that helps to hug in hydration and all your other skincare layers to really resist dehydration. The ingredient rice really helps to give this really beautiful overall brightness to the skin, that healthiness to the complexion, and it actually makes your skin feel so soft and conditioned as well. It's a new take on slugging, it is something that improves the skin, and it is a winner."
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All 2 takes on Rice Probiotics Overnight Mask Barrier Jelly
October Faves | Abib, Peach & Lily, Laniege, The Ordinary
"This is exactly what I need right now. It's something in between a light hydrator and a heavy cream. The jar says it's a barrier jelly and that's exactly what the texture is. It has a medium weight gel texture that feels really refreshing and hydrating. I could definitely see myself using this in the summertime, but right now it feels so good and so refreshing. It's not the type of gel that just disappears; it's not thin. It actually has more of a medium kind of heftiness to it. It just feels really good and very protective. I do have to say it takes a hot second to dry. I've been keeping this on my bedside and I'll put it on when I'm in bed. It takes about a good 10 minutes to dry, and if you lay down before then your cheek will definitely stick to the pillow. But this texture is so fun, it's so bouncy, it's so refreshing, it's so hydrating, and it's very protective."
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"This has helped with brightening up that under eye area from the lack of sleep and the stress, so it's just a really good performing product. I love this texture. It's a sleeping mask but I've never really encountered a sleeping mask with this beautiful jelly texture. It's not gel, it's truly a bouncy jelly texture and it feels so hydrating, so replenishing, so cooling and refreshing on the skin, but it's a nice hefty gel that really does work nicely as a sleeping mask. It has that occlusivity that helps to hug in hydration and all your other skincare layers to really resist dehydration. The ingredient rice really helps to give this really beautiful overall brightness to the skin, that healthiness to the complexion, and it actually makes your skin feel so soft and conditioned as well. It's a new take on slugging, it is something that improves the skin, and it is a winner."
"Another recommended product would be the Beauty of Joseon Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask. I love this and I find this to be somewhat of a unique wash off mask because it is a combination of a clay-based mask which is going to help to control any excessive oil on the skin. It's great for congestion, clogged pores, uneven texture on the skin. But it also combines that with honey which is antibacterial, moisturizing, soothing for the skin, reduces redness. And so it actually is this almost mousse like clay texture. It's fluffy. It's almost whipped up because think about clay mixed with honey, right? It's not dense and dry and hard to spread. It's fluffier. It's moistier. And so it's really beautiful and elegant to spread onto the skin. The honey means that the clay actually never really dries out. Keeps the masking experience much more comfortable, much more hydrated, moisturized. But the clay is still working on sucking up excessive oil and helping to refine texture on the skin. When you wash it off, your skin will be very even, very glowy. The name promises glow. I do believe it delivers. Any redness that you might have had on your skin is reduced. Any texture that you saw on your skin is going to be smoothed out."
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All 11 takes on Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask
Chatty Morning Skincare Routine + 5 Minute Makeup
"I absolutely love this. It has all the benefits of a clay mask with all the skin nourishment and moisture of a honey mask. I definitely need the clay because my skin feels a little bit dull and I'm noticing a little bit more congestion with the seasonal change. My combination skin is getting confused with the warm but also chilly weather. I need the pore unclogging ability of the clay, but I can feel that dryness starting to creep in a little bit, so the honey really nourishes and moisturizes my skin. What's nice about this mask is that combination with the honey, the clay never really fully dries on your face. I've had this mask on for about 10 minutes and it's not dry, it's not cracking and sucking the living moisture out of my skin. I'm hoping when I wash this off it's going to help bring a little bit more brightness and life back."
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"This is the Beauty of Joseon Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask, a new release this year and one of the hardest working wash off masks that I have personally used. It's like this beautiful three-in-one mask. We have this moisturizing honey element, and it's very apparent in the texture which is very luxurious, very silky, and quite moisturizing and skin softening for the skin. There's also a soothing element with the honey that helps to reduce redness and inflammation, and it just feels so good on the skin. But then there's a clay component to this mask as well, and the clay actually works really hard because when I wash this mask off, my pores look cleaner and tighter and my skin texture is so much smoother. It really does help to clarify the skin, but because it is combined with that luxurious moisturizing honey, it actually doesn't dry out the skin. And then there's ground rice in this mask, as the name suggests, and the ground rice particles create this very gentle physical exfoliation benefit. Every time I wash this off of my face, my skin looks smoother, brighter, more even."
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"This mask really soothes and balances my skin. It helps to reduce inflammation, it takes down redness, and it really does give my skin this really beautiful lit from within glow. They are using some fermented rice that they get from magoli, which is a sparkling rice wine from Korea, and when you ferment an ingredient you really unlock a lot of what I call skin nutrition, there's a lot of the vitamins, the minerals, the amino acids, the antioxidant power. It really just supercharges the ingredients so you're getting all those benefits of rice which help to condition your skin, soften it, balance it, and also help brighten it and bring out that glow. They're also using rice hull powder, there is a little bit of a physical exfoliating scrub element to this, but rice hull is so much more soft than if you were using a walnut shell or those microbeads that are really rough and kind of tear up your skin. Rice hull is very natural."
BEST and WORST K-Beauty at Sephora PT 1 | Aestura, Beauty of Joseon, Innisfree, Dr. Jart
"Another recommended product would be the Beauty of Joseon Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask. I love this and I find this to be somewhat of a unique wash off mask because it is a combination of a clay-based mask which is going to help to control any excessive oil on the skin. It's great for congestion, clogged pores, uneven texture on the skin. But it also combines that with honey which is antibacterial, moisturizing, soothing for the skin, reduces redness. And so it actually is this almost mousse like clay texture. It's fluffy. It's almost whipped up because think about clay mixed with honey, right? It's not dense and dry and hard to spread. It's fluffier. It's moistier. And so it's really beautiful and elegant to spread onto the skin. The honey means that the clay actually never really dries out. Keeps the masking experience much more comfortable, much more hydrated, moisturized. But the clay is still working on sucking up excessive oil and helping to refine texture on the skin. When you wash it off, your skin will be very even, very glowy. The name promises glow. I do believe it delivers. Any redness that you might have had on your skin is reduced. Any texture that you saw on your skin is going to be smoothed out."
August Faves | Geek & Gorgeous, Farmacy, BOJ, Haruharu
"I've been using this at least once a week since I got it, it's almost empty. I really really like this mask because it makes using a clay mask a lot easier for my skin that can get easily dried out by clay. I love clay masks because I have that oily T-Zone, so the pores can just really fill up and look very stretched out. I love what clay can do, especially if you're consistently using it like once or two times a week to just get the extra oil out. It really helps to encourage the gunk to not build up inside the pore, and when you clean everything out you can kind of keep them a little bit smoother and a little bit tighter. But it just sometimes is too rough on my skin. This mask makes it not overwhelming. It's not greasy, it's not so much moisture that it makes everything else feel a little too thick or overwhelmed. It's just so so good."
August Faves | Geek & Gorgeous, Farmacy, BOJ, Haruharu
"Beauty of Joseon has just addressed that in the formulation and they've just mixed in the honey into the clay and some of the rice in here as well and now it is a really skin-respectful, very gentle, moisturizing, skin-softening mask that also sucks up excessive oil and helps to clean out your pores. It's very, very respectful to my sensitive skin. This has worked its way into my weekly skincare routine."
My 5 Most Repurchased Beauty of Joseon Skincare | 2025 UPDATED!
"I have legit gone through so many jars of this. Like I have not not used this since it was released last year. It's wild actually how much I have been loyal and in love with this mask. This is just the perfect multitasking, multi-beneficial type of product. This is a great combination of some of my favorite things in a mask. So this has clay content in it. So it's actually really great at refining texture, cleaning out the pores, sucking up excessive oil in the skin, but then it also combines it with honey, which is moisturizing, calming, soothing, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, very healing for the skin, lightly moisturizing for the skin. And then there's a little bit of physical exfoliation in here with the rice hull content. Um, and it's very, very soft. This isn't like those hard micro beads that kind of like tear up at your skin."
NEW Beauty of Joseon Rice Milk and Honey Glow Mask
"Whenever I reach for a mask it's always like a little SOS kind of a thing, like I want to see something happen on my skin, and this definitely delivers a visible benefit when you use it. I think all skin types quite honestly, even with the clay, I think all skin types could enjoy this. I'm loving it. I'm going to give this a 10 out of 10. I'm really really excited about this mask. I didn't think the mask was going to be the one that blew me away, but it really was."
NEW Beauty of Joseon Rice Milk and Honey Glow Mask
"The exfoliation is very very gentle, it's not ripping up your skin but if you do get flaky skin you're going to love this. If you don't want to use the physical exfoliation or you don't have flaky skin, just wash the mask off, you don't have to rub it in. The first time I used it, it really soothed redness on my skin. I didn't even think my skin was all that red but when I washed this mask off, my skin tone looks so much more clear, so much more even, so much healthier looking, glowy. The honey calms the inflammation, it soothes the skin, it gives it a kiss of moisture, it makes your skin incredibly soft. This would be a great makeup prep type of mask too because it really does soften and soothe the skin but it also helps with texture and creates a really nice smooth canvas. I'm really digging on this mask. It definitely does help to soften and balance the skin and I would say it's delivering on that brightening for sure. My skin looks so much more radiant just from washing this off."
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"I really like this mask because it's a combination of clay and honey. So it helps to clear out my pores and smooth my texture, but the honey helps to moisturize and help reduce redness and inflammation, and it's great for my sensitive skin. This mask also has some physical exfoliation from the rice hull components in it. After I leave this mask on for about 10 minutes to let the clay and the honey do their magic, I'm going to gently rub this into my face and I'm going to get a little bit of that physical exfoliation for any flaky skin as well."
11/10 ⭐ Skincare Empties I Recommend!
"This is a 10 out of 10. I've been using it for so many years and I've been raving about it since it was released in summer of 2024. This is a beautiful three-in-one mask so it brings all the benefits of a clay mask. There is clay content in here so it's great for helping to clean out the pores to help refine texture on the skin and help to suck up excessive oil, but it's been mixed with honey so it has all the benefits of a honey moisturizing mask. And then there's rice content in here which is another brightening ingredient, but there's also actual rice hull content in here which is a very gentle physical exfoliant. It washes away really cleanly and your skin will glow. It delivers on the name. Your skin will look a lot more even, a lot more bright, it will be a lot more smooth, it will be more clarified."
"They found a good balance between the tints, the undertones, the sheerness, and the zinc. I'm kind of leaning towards a six out of ten. I'm not over the moon about using this every single day because I am feeling some dryness. Denatured alcohol and zinc oxide are two ingredients that have historically, time after time, made my skin feel dry and dehydrated. The more I'm talking to you, the more I'm feeling it in my dry areas. It's not too bad, it's not super uncomfortable, but I didn't feel the drying until about the four-hour mark, so I was impressed that it didn't happen right away. If you're sensitive to denatured alcohol or a high percentage of zinc, you're going to feel it. Up close, you start to see the flaws, it's kind of settling into the lines, clinging to the dry patches, getting a little bit cakey, kind of breaking up."
~Mixed
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All 3 takes on Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen SPF 40
Let's Try Beauty of Joseon Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen!
"They found a good balance between the tints, the undertones, the sheerness, and the zinc. I'm kind of leaning towards a six out of ten. I'm not over the moon about using this every single day because I am feeling some dryness. Denatured alcohol and zinc oxide are two ingredients that have historically, time after time, made my skin feel dry and dehydrated. The more I'm talking to you, the more I'm feeling it in my dry areas. It's not too bad, it's not super uncomfortable, but I didn't feel the drying until about the four-hour mark, so I was impressed that it didn't happen right away. If you're sensitive to denatured alcohol or a high percentage of zinc, you're going to feel it. Up close, you start to see the flaws, it's kind of settling into the lines, clinging to the dry patches, getting a little bit cakey, kind of breaking up."
Let's Try Beauty of Joseon Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen!
"There's a high percentage of zinc and denatured alcohol, so if you're sensitive to those things you're going to feel it. When I start to see it up close, it's settling into the lines, clinging to the dry patches, getting a little bit cakey and breaking up. It's not fully settled on the skin even though it's very lightweight and breathable. When I touch my skin, a lot of that is transferring onto my hands, which is influencing me taking that a few more points off. I'm landing around a six on this. It's not a bad release, but I don't think it's going to make a place into my everyday daily driver circle of sunscreens."
Let's Try Beauty of Joseon Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen!
"It's kind of breaking up, it is a little bit not fully settled on the skin even though it's very lightweight and breathable. When I touch my skin I don't love that a lot of that is transferring onto my hands. I'm landing around a six. It's not a bad release, but I don't think it's going to make a place into my everyday daily driver circle of sunscreens."
"It's really breathable and it's really refreshing on the skin but it's like moisturizing at the same time, which is a hint of dew but not too much dew. It just feels so good on the skin. It's another nice one if you like to replace your sunscreen with moisturizer. I think it's best for combination skin, normal skin types, or balanced skin types. If you have dry skin you might also appreciate this one. It might feel a little too medium weight on the skin for oily skin types because it's not quite as light as some of the more gel-like sunscreens. It's a really interesting texture, really breathable. I think great protection, like it just feels really good on the skin and really comfortable."
"Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua Fresh sunscreen is their lighter aqua fresh version, their answer to their original relief rice plus probiotic sunscreen. They've created a version that feels lighter, a version that is less shiny in the finish, less dewy, and a version that doesn't use the sunscreen filters that were causing that ashy kind of blue purple cast. This is going to start to become bigger in K Beauty sunscreens as we go along, more matte or semi-matte or semi-satin types of finishes."
"It works really beautifully underneath makeup. I think that grippy top, I really like that for makeup because it almost like doubles as a primer, and I'm a big fan of makeup primer, so when a sunscreen can actually take the role of that it's pretty impressive. I do feel very comfortable sweating in this sunscreen and I do still feel protected with this. I do feel like this can hold up to sweat nicely. I wouldn't say I feel comfortable swimming in it because with the water resistant testing they don't actually release how water resistant it is and they don't give an up to rating. I couldn't find that information in any of the marketing. I get the sense that it's not going to hold up to swimming, but it's going to hold up to hiking and maybe some sports."
"I am a very avid, very strict user of sunscreen which is a collagen protecting ingredient, and you know that I don't just stop at sunscreen but I'm also a big advocate for hats, protective clothing, sometimes even sun patches. Those are all good holistic habits for building a routine that is going to keep your progress going with preventing the signs of aging on the skin, for keeping your collagen stimulation up, preventing the fine lines and wrinkles."
"It's SPF 50+ PA++++, it's a chemical sunscreen, and I think it offers really good protection. It's a sunscreen that feels really moisturizing. For folks who like to replace their moisturizer with their sunscreen, this is a really good one for that because it does offer a good amount of creamy moisture to the skin, and it can actually save a lot of time in the morning. I personally love it in the winter time because of that creamy moisture. I need every ounce of moisture that I can get on my skin, and our winters are really harsh. This is one of my favorite sunscreens for winter time. It has a really nice finish to it, it's not too shiny but just a little bit dewy. It works well underneath makeup for me, and I don't detect a white cast really on my skin until I layer this up two to three times."
"Beauty of Joseon Matte Sun Stick, I really like this. When it was first released I gave it a very favorable positive review, especially because I feel like there's not that many matte sunscreens on the K Beauty market. I think that this is unique in that it claims that it's matte and it actually does deliver on a matness to this, there's not really a shininess, which is great. I do also feel like this sidesteps the pitfalls that many sun sticks fall into where they can get a little waxy, they can get a little balmy and a little thick on the skin, and while that can be good it also just cannot feel cute. I really like the airiness of this, the dry touchness of this sunstick. It's a really interesting texture that feels amazing on the skin, and if you're looking for something matte, definitely this is a great one."
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All 3 takes on Matte Sun Stick
Ranking 20 Top Selling Products at Olive Young!
"My number nine pick is the Beauty of Joseon Matte Sun Stick. I really like it. I think what makes it unique and why it's selling so well is because it claims to be matte and it delivers on that promise. So many sunscreens are very dewy, very shiny. It's really hard to find something that doesn't have too much of a finish or is actually matte, and I think that this really does the trick. Sun sticks I like, I think they're very handy for reapplication. They're great for going over makeup."
These are the 10 Top Selling Sunscreens at Yesstyle!
"Beauty of Joseon Matte Sun Stick, I really like this. When it was first released I gave it a very favorable positive review, especially because I feel like there's not that many matte sunscreens on the K Beauty market. I think that this is unique in that it claims that it's matte and it actually does deliver on a matness to this, there's not really a shininess, which is great. I do also feel like this sidesteps the pitfalls that many sun sticks fall into where they can get a little waxy, they can get a little balmy and a little thick on the skin, and while that can be good it also just cannot feel cute. I really like the airiness of this, the dry touchness of this sunstick. It's a really interesting texture that feels amazing on the skin, and if you're looking for something matte, definitely this is a great one."
The NEW Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Sunscreen is here... I have thoughts...
"Beauty of Joseon recently released the Matte Sun Stick which I gave a rave review. I think it's a fantastic product."
"I am really impressed with this off of my first kind of like first impressions with this because it brings in a lot of qualities of different sunscreens but in a unique and fresh way. It brings in so much of what I love about those two sunscreens the moisture and creaminess and the protective feel with more of the light airiness and breathability and comfort in the same bottle. It's a cream, it's moisturizing, it makes your skin feel really soft and silky. There is a moisture element here and it's definitely not like a wet gel like hydrating type of sunscreen. There is almost like a balmy occlusivity to this, it's definitely got presence on the skin, it's just not as heavy. It's light and airy but it's not as wet and gel-like. I think it dries down really nice, it has a very pleasing finish, it feels comfortable, feels very protective."
"Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Tinted Sun Gel, it is part of the top 10 bestseller list. It's a chemical sunscreen using six filters. Some of these chemical filters are the older generation, so beware if you have sensitivities. It does have the watery gel texture like the name suggests. It feels really cooling and refreshing and breathable, but it does have quite a dewy finish that some folks love like I do, and some folks really hate. So be aware that it is very shiny in the finish."
"It feels really good on your skin, really no white cast here, just like a very comfortable type of product. One of the reasons why I rated it so high is that this has definitely been an entryway to daily sunscreen for a lot of people. This is the gateway drug for people who are used to shopping for their cosmetics at Sephora. This is one of the best sunscreens available there, and I think for a lot of people this is the first time they've experienced a sunscreen that feels elegant, that feels breathable, that feels comfortable, that feels like a product they don't mind putting on every single day. I can't discount the product for doing that right, that's awesome."
"I liked how this spread and applied. It dries down very quickly and it almost has a slight powdery feel to it. It definitely has a little bit more of a kiss of emolliency and moisture that you feel, you don't necessarily see it but you feel it on your skin, and then almost like a little grippy powdery type of finish that actually makes it a beautiful base for makeup. This is probably my second favorite from the video to be completely honest with you. I was really impressed with how it stood up to a lot of sweat. If you're going to be really active outside, you can go and be active with this. I think you would be happy with how this stays on the skin, how it grips, and protects the skin. But especially if you're somebody who also likes to wear makeup, this really performs nicely as a makeup base in my opinion as well, just like a nice smooth kind of canvas. It held up to heavy sweating. You will need to work a little bit more to get this off of your skin to remove it, which I think speaks to some of the water resistance. I just think it's a really well performing, water-resistant elegant J Beauty sunscreen."
"This sunscreen really impressed me from the texture to the ingredients to the performance. It claims to have a weightless texture, it's appropriate for oily skin as well as acne prone skin, it claims to have a soothing refreshing cooling effect on skin, and it works really well under makeup. This is a fully chemical sunscreen using five all new generation chemical filters achieving SPF 50 plus PA+ 4 protection."
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All 11 takes on No.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence SPF 50
Weightless Sunscreen? | Numbuzin no.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence Review
"This sunscreen really impressed me from the texture to the ingredients to the performance. It claims to have a weightless texture, it's appropriate for oily skin as well as acne prone skin, it claims to have a soothing refreshing cooling effect on skin, and it works really well under makeup. This is a fully chemical sunscreen using five all new generation chemical filters achieving SPF 50 plus PA+ 4 protection."
Weightless Sunscreen? | Numbuzin no.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence Review
"This sunscreen contains heartleaf extract and other ingredients that have really good anti-inflammation properties, they can soothe redness on the skin and have a calming effect. The sunscreen does not contain any forms of fragrance, no essential oils, no fragrant compounds, and no drying forms of alcohol. The texture is so impressive. It's got that gel cream texture, but it's a lot thinner than a traditional lotion or creamy type of sunscreen. There's a hydration gel-like element to this and it spreads really easily and effortlessly across the skin. It kind of almost disappears, and that's really that gel effect, it becomes very transparent. This feels very weightless on the skin. The claim is that it's very lightweight, and it absolutely is. So lightweight, so breathable. The word I'm embracing here is weightless on the skin. You spread it across the skin, you feel that hydration, you feel that thinness, and it starts to absorb very, very quickly into the skin, almost disappearing onto the skin with a very quick dry and absorbency. Absolutely no white cast here. This actually blends really well into the skin."
Weightless Sunscreen? | Numbuzin no.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence Review
"There's a hydration gel-like element to this and it spreads really easily, very effortlessly across the skin and it kind of almost disappears. This gel effect becomes very transparent but feels very weightless on the skin. The claim is that it's very lightweight, and it absolutely is so lightweight, so breathable. The word I'm embracing here is weightless on the skin. I was very impressed with this. It's not like every other gel cream texture. You spread it across the skin, you feel that hydration, you feel that thinness, and it starts to absorb very very quickly into the skin almost in a way disappearing onto the skin with a very quick dry and absorbency. Absolutely no white cast here. This actually blends really well into the skin. I sometimes get these streaks because I didn't rub it in super well, but absolutely did not occur with this sunscreen at all. Nothing built up around my dark eyebrows or my dark hairline, so I do believe that this would be a very beard friendly sunscreen. It's not going to build up all clumpy and white. No white cast, definitely a very very pleasing lightweight breathable texture that is super impressive. The finish of this sunscreen is something I was really impressed with because I would say there's a hint of dew but it's really not overly shiny. It's not a glass skin sunscreen."
Weightless Sunscreen? | Numbuzin no.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence Review
"This has a weightless texture on the skin. You spread it across the skin, you feel that hydration, you feel that thinness, and it starts to absorb very, very quickly into the skin almost in a way disappearing onto the skin. Absolutely no white cast here. This blends really well into the skin, so you're not going to get those streaks that sometimes happen when I'm not careful with application. I didn't notice anything built up around my dark eyebrows or my dark hairline, so I do believe that this would be a very beard-friendly sunscreen. The finish is really impressive because there's maybe a hint of dewy finish, but it's really not overly shiny. It's not a glass skin sunscreen. Since this sunscreen is appropriate for oily skin, I love that they've kept that in mind with the finish. There's really not a lot of shininess to this at all."
Weightless Sunscreen? | Numbuzin no.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence Review
"I really just like how lightweight this is and I have to say this is one of those sunscreens that I can forget that I'm wearing and I love that because my skin doesn't feel irritated, my eyes aren't stinging and burning and running, I don't have a white cast all over my face making me look like a ghost. I'm not being reminded that I'm wearing sunscreen because it's so weightless, it's so comfortable and it's so nonirritating. Sometimes when my skin is inflamed or irritated even some of my favorite sunscreen formulas just don't feel super comfy, they can feel a little itchy and uncomfortable on my skin. I never had that problem with this sunscreen. It's super duper comfortable even when my skin is the most sensitive. I was really impressed that this didn't seem to travel into my eyes, and that tends to be where irritation occurs for me with other sunscreens."
Weightless Sunscreen? | Numbuzin no.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence Review
"I'm actually not being reminded that I'm wearing sunscreen because it's so weightless, it's so comfortable, and it's so nonirritating, and that's a big win. Sometimes when my skin is inflamed or irritated, even some of my favorite sunscreen formulas just don't feel super comfy. They can kind of feel a little itchy and uncomfortable on my skin. I never had that problem with this sunscreen. It's super duper comfortable even when my skin is the most sensitive. I was really impressed that this didn't seem to travel into my eyes, and that tends to be where stinging occurs for me. I really did not experience that with this sunscreen at all, and I even worked out wearing this sunscreen quite a bit, sweating quite a bit, and I really didn't feel like it migrated into my eyes. This definitely doesn't shift around on the skin. Really good absorbency and very fast as well, and I think that's why it actually tends to work really well underneath makeup. That fast absorbency is something that's not going to shift around or play around with your foundation or your concealer. I think it just settles in the skin so beautifully."
Weightless Sunscreen? | Numbuzin no.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence Review
"I really did not experience that with this sunscreen at all and I even worked out wearing this sunscreen quite a bit, sweating quite a bit, and I really didn't feel like it migrated into my eyes so I was really impressed with that. This definitely doesn't shift around on the skin, really good absorbency and very fast as well, and I think that's why it actually tends to work really well underneath makeup is that fast absorbency, something that's not going to shift around or play around with your foundation or your concealer. It just settles in the skin so beautifully. However, I did experience some pilling with this sunscreen and it was actually really disappointing because I've been loving so much about this. I mean it's really checking so many boxes but I started to get a lot of pilling when I was testing the sunscreen."
Weightless Sunscreen? | Numbuzin no.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence Review
"It definitely doesn't shift around on the skin, really good absorbency and very fast as well, and I think that's why it actually tends to work really well underneath makeup. That fast absorbency, something that's not going to shift around or play around with your foundation or your concealer, I think it just settles in the skin so beautifully. However, I did experience some pilling with this sunscreen and it was actually really disappointing because I've been loving so much about this. I mean it's really checking so many boxes, but I started to get a lot of pilling when I was testing the sunscreen and it was very confusing because I wasn't consistently getting pilling, it was only sometimes, it was only some days that I was getting it."
Weightless Sunscreen? | Numbuzin no.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence Review
"It didn't make my pimples worse, it didn't make my skin congested at all, it didn't clog up my pores. From that standpoint of not aggravating acne and not congesting the pores, I think that it absolutely would be appropriate for acne-prone skin. It's not going to improve your acne, but the sunscreen doesn't make it worse. It is lightweight, it absolutely is. It's good for oily skin. With that really lightweight, quick to absorb texture without that shiny finish, I think oily skin folks are going to enjoy this one. My experience played out that it was really good for makeup, however with that pilling that may or may not occur, I would say check with some reservations."
Weightless Sunscreen? | Numbuzin no.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence Review
"It's not irritating. It has a slightly hydrating feel as you're applying the product. It's certainly not a heavy and suffocating sunscreen. My final word on this product is I'm very impressed with this, and it really comes down to that weightless texture. I think it actually makes this a sunscreen that's going to be appropriate for a majority of skin types. While it's so weightless and breathable and really comfortable on the skin, if you do have a lot of oil on your skin or if you're dry skinned, just know that this sunscreen is not going to dry you out. I didn't feel any dryness, tightness, or dehydration with this sunscreen, and that's why I really am going to say I think this would be appropriate for oily, combination, balanced, and even dry skin. This weightless texture that you will forget that you're even wearing will feel very comfortable for you. For sensitive folks, it's definitely something that I think could work for you as long as your individual sensitivities aren't on the ingredients list. I found it to be very non-irritating. It didn't sting my eyes. Really great texture. Worked well underneath makeup."
Weightless Sunscreen? | Numbuzin no.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence Review
"Overall very positive thoughts about this sunscreen. I'm rating it a 9 out of 10, and I'm knocking that one point off for the pilling alone."
"Things like spreading sunscreen on toast and then using that to tell whether or not the sunscreen is good, this goes really viral and a lot of people seem to believe it's a good test, but what it's really testing is how wet the sunscreen is, because water is amazing at absorbing heat. If you have like a moisturizer, it's going to do exactly the same thing."
"This offers SPF 50 with broad spectrum protection and comes in at 9.99 for 207 milliliters of product. It's a chemical sunscreen using four older generation chemical filters, and it does not contain any drying forms of alcohol. There is some fragrance in here, but I find it to be incredibly light. The scent itself doesn't linger. It's really a very light smell of traditional sunscreen with a little bit of a pleasant clean smell to it. It's not super floral, it's not overpowering at all, and once you apply it you really don't smell it again at all. I really enjoy the texture of this because it's a lighter lotion type of texture. Some sunscreens can have a really thick or greasy feel to them, almost like they sit on top of your skin and never really dry down or absorb. This really does apply more like a lotion without that greasy or thick after effects. It spreads very nicely onto the skin and quickly dries. It's surprising because it doesn't contain denatured alcohol, which often aids the drying process on the skin. Without the denatured alcohol, I do still find that this adheres and dries on the skin very quickly. It doesn't feel thick or heavy, it's not greasy, it doesn't leave a shiny look on your skin, and there's absolutely no white cast to this at all. I've used this so many times with reapply after reapply with no pilling whatsoever."
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All 3 takes on Sport Sunscreen Lotion
$10 Body Sunscreens!
"This offers SPF 50 with broad spectrum protection and comes in at 9.99 for 207 milliliters of product. It's a chemical sunscreen using four older generation chemical filters, and it does not contain any drying forms of alcohol. There is some fragrance in here, but I find it to be incredibly light. The scent itself doesn't linger. It's really a very light smell of traditional sunscreen with a little bit of a pleasant clean smell to it. It's not super floral, it's not overpowering at all, and once you apply it you really don't smell it again at all. I really enjoy the texture of this because it's a lighter lotion type of texture. Some sunscreens can have a really thick or greasy feel to them, almost like they sit on top of your skin and never really dry down or absorb. This really does apply more like a lotion without that greasy or thick after effects. It spreads very nicely onto the skin and quickly dries. It's surprising because it doesn't contain denatured alcohol, which often aids the drying process on the skin. Without the denatured alcohol, I do still find that this adheres and dries on the skin very quickly. It doesn't feel thick or heavy, it's not greasy, it doesn't leave a shiny look on your skin, and there's absolutely no white cast to this at all. I've used this so many times with reapply after reapply with no pilling whatsoever."
$10 Body Sunscreens!
"I actually find it to be incredibly light and the scent itself doesn't linger. It's a very light smell of traditional sunscreen smell with a little bit of a pleasant clean smell to it. It's not super floral, it's not overpowering at all, and once you apply it you really don't smell it again at all. I really enjoy the texture of this because it's a lighter lotion type of texture. Some sunscreens can have a really thick or greasy feel to them, but this really does apply more like a lotion without that greasy or thick after effects. It spreads very nicely onto the skin and quickly dries, which is surprising because it doesn't contain denatured alcohol. Without the denatured alcohol I do still find that this adheres and dries on the skin very quickly. It doesn't feel thick or heavy, it's not greasy, it doesn't leave a shiny look on your skin, and there's absolutely no white cast to this at all. I've used this so many times with reapplication and reapplication, no pilling whatsoever. Even with the reapplication I don't find it to build up really thick or greasy on the skin. This really does have quite an elegant feel to it for a body sunscreen. This is really one of my favorite money saving picks for body sunscreen."
$10 Body Sunscreens!
"This really does have a quite an elegant feel to it for a body sunscreen, very very impressive. I can reapply and reapply with no pilling whatsoever, and I don't find it to build up really thick or greasy on the skin because sometimes that first layer feels okay and then that second layer you're like no thank you, but this doesn't do that. This is really one of my favorite money-saving picks for body sunscreen. The large size here, over 200 milliliters of product for nine dollars, so good. This retails at 9.99, so ten dollars, but this is always on sale. I don't think I've ever paid ten full dollars for this tube. I'm always getting manufacturer coupons and things like that. This particular bottle I just picked up had a two dollar off coupon so I only paid seven dollars. I really do enjoy that lightweight lotion type of texture this is offering. Water resistance up to 80 minutes, but it just doesn't have that thick plasticky feel on the skin that some water resistant sunscreens can have, which I really don't love. Most of the time I don't like that thick plasticky greasy kind of feeling on my skin for every day because it just makes me want to jump into the shower."
"I have been reaching for the Naked Sundays lip oil for working outside purely because it lasts on my lips for a really long time and I cannot be bothered to be running inside to put on some lip product every like 20, 30 minutes while I'm mowing the lawn and pulling weeds and working in the dirt. I spend a lot of my weekend outside these days. I need a product that's going to keep my lips hydrated and moist because my lips can get really dry, and I'm very prone to lip eczema so it's important to keep things moisturized. I like that this has SPF. This doesn't bother my eczema at all, and I'm pretty sensitive."
"The texture is a creamy lotion-like texture, it's not a really thick type of sunscreen. It has kind of a lightness to it, similar quality to a cream gel type of sunscreen, but because it does offer a good amount of moisturization into the skin, I really do consider this more of a sun lotion. It has a really nice kind of refreshing slightly hydrating feel as you spread it onto your skin, but then it also packs in a good amount of moisture without just feeling really heavy or greasy. It's definitely not a sunscreen that sits on top of your skin, it spreads and applies really nicely. It doesn't have denatured alcohol, so the dry time is a little bit longer. Really nice application, no white cast, no pilling when you reapply. Know that this offers a good amount of moisture into the skin and will build that moisture up on the skin. While this is a light to medium wear on the skin, once you reapply it does build up in thickness, builds up in moisturization and builds up in shininess too in the finish, so something to be aware of."
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84%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++
This or That 28 | AD House of Dohwa, Beauty of Joseon, Round Lab, Tocobo
"The texture is a creamy lotion-like texture, it's not a really thick type of sunscreen. It has kind of a lightness to it, similar quality to a cream gel type of sunscreen, but because it does offer a good amount of moisturization into the skin, I really do consider this more of a sun lotion. It has a really nice kind of refreshing slightly hydrating feel as you spread it onto your skin, but then it also packs in a good amount of moisture without just feeling really heavy or greasy. It's definitely not a sunscreen that sits on top of your skin, it spreads and applies really nicely. It doesn't have denatured alcohol, so the dry time is a little bit longer. Really nice application, no white cast, no pilling when you reapply. Know that this offers a good amount of moisture into the skin and will build that moisture up on the skin. While this is a light to medium wear on the skin, once you reapply it does build up in thickness, builds up in moisturization and builds up in shininess too in the finish, so something to be aware of."
These are the 10 Top Selling Sunscreens at Yesstyle!
"It is one of those viral products that has actually maintained its popularity because it was viral like two years ago and yet it's still a bestseller. It is delivering worthiness right people do like it they are returning to it. I do like the texture of this. It has a really airy feel, it is actually similar to a water gel-like texture, very good absorbency into the skin, not overly shiny or wet looking once it is settled onto the skin, and a comfortable, breathable type of sunscreen. For me personally there's a little bit of essential oil content in here so it's just never going to be a daily thing for me because my skin is sensitive to those ingredients. But I have used this a few different times and every time I'm impressed with the texture, the breathability, the feel of it. I totally understand why this is the bestseller."
"My initial review was noticing that this was just like more satiny, maybe a little bit dewy, but as I've played with this sunscreen a little bit more and I've taken in more feedback from different skin types, especially oily folks, I am finding that this is actually a lot more shiny than it first seemed in my initial testing. It definitely does have a little bit more gloss to the finish."
~Mixed
69%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on Ginseng Moist Sun Serum SPF 50
This or That 28 | AD House of Dohwa, Beauty of Joseon, Round Lab, Tocobo
"The texture is a really unique gel type of texture, there's no cream or lotion involved here, this is a true straight gel texture. It spreads really evenly and beautifully and thinly across the skin. It feels so light, so breathable, it is really remarkable how refreshing this feels on the skin. The finish is sort of satin but on certain skin types it's actually going to look a lot more dewy, maybe even a little bit more wet. As I've played with this sunscreen more and taken in more feedback from different skin types, especially oily folks, I am finding that this is actually a lot more shiny than it first seemed."
This or That 28 | AD House of Dohwa, Beauty of Joseon, Round Lab, Tocobo
"My initial review was noticing that this was just like more satiny, maybe a little bit dewy, but as I've played with this sunscreen a little bit more and I've taken in more feedback from different skin types, especially oily folks, I am finding that this is actually a lot more shiny than it first seemed in my initial testing. It definitely does have a little bit more gloss to the finish."
The NEW Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Sunscreen is here... I have thoughts...
"She really did enjoy the formula. She liked that it didn't have a heavy scent to it. She could smell the alcohol at first, a little bit of the essential oils, but it went away so quickly. She really loved the finish and felt very protected with it. This is definitely something that is going to work if you do have an oily skin type, especially because there's no emollience here, there's no wetness to this, there's no moisturization or shininess to this. So that gel texture is going to really be a great match for your skin, even for combination folks. That neutral finish is impressive. It's not common to get a neutral finish especially in a Korean sun care product because in Korea and South Korea that slightly dewy kind of finish to skin care is definitely popular, and so it's hard to find a sun product that doesn't contribute to that. Just the finish and the texture alone are really impressive. I don't think the denatured alcohol is harmful, and I don't think the essential oils are harmful to the skin at all. If you're sensitive to it, that's a separate thing."
"You're not going to walk around feeling like your sunscreen is really wet for a long period of time because we have a good amount of rice in the sunscreen we get that moisturization. It's not oily, it's not greasy like some creamy textured sunscreens can really feel greasy on the skin. This has this nice light moisturization element to it that doesn't overwhelm the skin, and in fact it leaves your skin so stinking soft. I cannot stop touching my face when I wear this because it really just conditions the skin. That's really one of the beautiful benefits of rice in skincare, it really does soften the skin, and so we're getting that element here in the sunscreen. The finish on this is a bit dewy but I think it's really pretty. It's not overly wet, it's not really greasy looking, but it does definitely give you that kiss of dew. This dries really quickly on the skin, it doesn't feel really wet. Absolutely no white cast here, those chemical filters are doing their job. Really easy to reapply on the skin because it's so light it doesn't build up really thick and heavy on your second application, absolutely no pilling. Works beautifully underneath makeup because it's got that little kiss of dew that makes your skin just look really good."
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71%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on Rice Brand Sunscreen
This or That 28 | AD House of Dohwa, Beauty of Joseon, Round Lab, Tocobo
"You're not going to walk around feeling like your sunscreen is really wet for a long period of time because we have a good amount of rice in the sunscreen we get that moisturization. It's not oily, it's not greasy like some creamy textured sunscreens can really feel greasy on the skin. This has this nice light moisturization element to it that doesn't overwhelm the skin, and in fact it leaves your skin so stinking soft. I cannot stop touching my face when I wear this because it really just conditions the skin. That's really one of the beautiful benefits of rice in skincare, it really does soften the skin, and so we're getting that element here in the sunscreen. The finish on this is a bit dewy but I think it's really pretty. It's not overly wet, it's not really greasy looking, but it does definitely give you that kiss of dew. This dries really quickly on the skin, it doesn't feel really wet. Absolutely no white cast here, those chemical filters are doing their job. Really easy to reapply on the skin because it's so light it doesn't build up really thick and heavy on your second application, absolutely no pilling. Works beautifully underneath makeup because it's got that little kiss of dew that makes your skin just look really good."
This or That 28 | AD House of Dohwa, Beauty of Joseon, Round Lab, Tocobo
"The finish on this is a bit dewy but I think it's really really pretty. It's not overly wet, it's not really greasy looking, but it does definitely give you that kiss of dew. This dries really quickly on the skin, it doesn't feel really wet. Absolutely no white cast here. It's really easy to reapply on the skin because it's so light, it doesn't build up really thick and heavy on your second application, and there's absolutely no pilling. It works beautifully underneath makeup because it's got that little kiss of dew that makes your skin just look really really good. There is artificial fragrance in the formula, and the level of scent is squarely medium. It will linger a little bit on your skin but it's not so heavy and perfumey. It's a very distinct clean floral smell with hints of jasmine in it. It will linger for like the first hour that you're wearing this but will start to fade over time. It's not super duper heavy. One of the beautiful benefits of rice in skincare is it really does soften the skin, and we're getting that element here in the sunscreen."
This or That 28 | AD House of Dohwa, Beauty of Joseon, Round Lab, Tocobo
"The artificial fragrance can be a common irritant, so for some people I think this may be a pass just because of that. If you are sensitive to smell, the scent on this is more medium, it's definitely present and it will stick with you for a little bit. There's also denatured alcohol in here, which can be dehydrating for certain skin types. I found that I could wear this sunscreen like once or twice a week but then I have to be really moisturizing with my routine afterwards and give myself a few days. So while my skin tolerated this, if you do have sensitivities to denatured alcohol this may not be the best choice for you."
"Vaseline comes in at five to seven dollars. It contains petrolatum at a very high percentage, and this ingredient is a very, very good occlusive. It creates that temporary barrier that holds your skin care in place, holds the moisture and the hydration deep within your skin, and resists the dehydration, the dryness, the tightness, and the irritation. When you create that temporary barrier on your skin, you're really sealing your skin care. It's going to work for you better. It's going to stick with your skin longer, and it's going to translate to faster healing. You can apply it to the areas that feel the most dry, tight, and irritated, apply it all over your face, use it on your lips if they're feeling dry and irritated, or even mix a bit of this into your moisturizing cream at nighttime."
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All 5 takes on Original Healing Jelly
Barrier Repair on a Budget: $50 Core Routine (+ $75 Complete Upgrade)
"Vaseline comes in at five to seven dollars. It contains petrolatum at a very high percentage, and this ingredient is a very, very good occlusive. It creates that temporary barrier that holds your skin care in place, holds the moisture and the hydration deep within your skin, and resists the dehydration, the dryness, the tightness, and the irritation. When you create that temporary barrier on your skin, you're really sealing your skin care. It's going to work for you better. It's going to stick with your skin longer, and it's going to translate to faster healing. You can apply it to the areas that feel the most dry, tight, and irritated, apply it all over your face, use it on your lips if they're feeling dry and irritated, or even mix a bit of this into your moisturizing cream at nighttime."
Hand Care for Cold Weather! ❄️
"A petrolatum based product like Vaseline with 40% or more of petroleum helps to promote the healing process and protects that raw and vulnerable skin from infection. You can put a nice thick generous layer over areas with cracked skin, or rub it all around along the base of the cuticle and the nail to really help seal in the moisturizer that you put there. Alternatively you can also mix petroleum into your moisturizing cream and then apply that all over your hands, or you can top off cracked skin or cuticles separately with the petrolatum as a third step."
10 Tips to Fight Dehydration this Winter!
"Vaseline, Aquaphor, or CeraVe Healing Ointment are all like the three most popular products to use for slugging, and so really what you would do is you would apply your moisturizer and then just put a thin layer of one of these products right on top, kind of like a sleeping mask situation."
15 Skincare Tips That Actually Work!
"If you put a little dab of Vaseline in your palm mix it with your moisturizer, so that's like the oil going to make the application of the petrolatum ointment a little bit thinner cuz it can be a little suffocating it can be a little heavy if you put a straight layer of that on your face. If you've never liked that try mixing a little dab of it into your moisturizer. It booms up the occlusive abilities of your moisturizer so you're still locking in all your skin care and that's the real magic of the petrolatum ointment it locks everything in place all that hydration all that moisture all that plumpness all that goodness. So when you wake up your skin still looks and feels like that in the morning. It creates that really protective layer on your skin while you're sleeping and locks everything in. It still works but it helps to make the layer a little more tolerable for some folks when you mix it right into your moisturizer."
20 Money Saving Skincare Tips 💸
"You can use a layer of a petroleum based ointment like Vaseline as a sleeping mask or slugging product to seal in all your other skincare products. You can also use it around the eye area, maybe in place of your eye cream to really seal in additional moisture at night time. You can actually use it to replace a lot of your common skincare and beauty products. You can take a little bit of sugar and mix it into a bit of petroleum to make your own lip scrub. Another use for petroleum based ointments is as a cuticle treatment. You can put on your normal lotions, maybe a little oil, and then seal it in with some Vaseline."
"The K18 Astro Lift Volumizing Spray is kind of taking it to the next level for me. I feel like I'm getting some nice little lift, nice little bit of volume at my root and it's because of this spray. What I really like about it is it's long lasting. I can spray it on my roots, dry my hair, and even my second day hair has some really nice lift to it, but it doesn't damage my hair. I feel like a lot of volumizing sprays really dry out your hair in a way that makes it so with long-term use it makes your hair more brittle, more dry, and it looks more frizzy. It looks damaged. I've been using this almost all of this year, almost every hair wash and dry, most of them, and I have not sustained any of that drying, brittle damage that other volumizing sprays do because they're using that K18 technology to keep your hair nice and healthy. I just really like what it does for my hair."
"This has been one of the more popular products in the KBD scene this year and I honestly really like it. This capitalizes on colostrum, which is an animal-derived ingredient that is supposed to have a whole host of benefits for the skin that can help with all the processes that make your skin look more youthful, to help with skin texture, quality, tone, all of that. But there's actually some other more interesting ingredients in my personal opinion in this. It includes sin high can, which is a peptide that can actually boost the synthesis of hyaluronic acid within the skin. This is a peptide that helps your skin stay hydrated and helps it stay hydrated for longer. It's also formulated in a way that helps to smooth out the skin, hydrate the skin, and plump the skin. It's particularly good to use in a skincare routine or prior to makeup. You can put it on almost like a primer, like a makeup prep spray. You can also set your makeup with it. And if you're not a makeup user, you could actually just use this like a spray-on essence or toner."
"I also like Neod Modulating Glucosides. This texture splits the difference between the denseness and richness of other options. This is an interesting one because it uses plant-based ceramides as well as some other lipids which will help your skin barrier. But this one is particularly one of my favorites when my skin is feeling incredibly irritated, which is another symptom that your skin barrier needs some strengthening."
"My favorite is Neod Survival Zero. This is a potent blend of many antioxidants that really work to protect your skin at multiple levels. With the antioxidant blend, with the amino acid blend, it's all about protecting the skin and helping to reduce inflammation in the skin and that inflammatory response that causes the damage."
"I personally have been using Aquafor, which is about 41% petrolatum, on my lips for over a decade at this point. This is my main lip balm. I personally like Aquafor because it has the right mix of additional humectants and emollient ingredients in addition to the occlusive petrolatum. I also feel like it's long lasting. That's why it's my favorite for lips. It lasts me all night long. I never wake up to dry and parched lips."
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All 2 takes on Aquafor
20 Money Saving Skincare Tips 💸
"I personally have been using Aquafor, which is about 41% petrolatum, on my lips for over a decade at this point. This is my main lip balm. I personally like Aquafor because it has the right mix of additional humectants and emollient ingredients in addition to the occlusive petrolatum. I also feel like it's long lasting. That's why it's my favorite for lips. It lasts me all night long. I never wake up to dry and parched lips."
20 Money Saving Skincare Tips 💸
"I personally have been using Aquafor, which is about 41% petrolatum, on my lips for over a decade at this point. This is my main lip balm. You don't need special lip balms and lip masks and sleeping lip treatments, just use a petrolatum-based ointment. I personally like Aquafor because it has the right mix of additional humectants and emollient ingredients in addition to the occlusive petrolatum. I also feel like it's long lasting, and that's why it's my favorite for lips. It lasts me all night long. I never wake up to dry and parched lips."
"I am learning to like it now because of this pillow and it's becoming more natural and second nature for me to sleep on my back because of this pillow and that has helped tremendously with the pain that I have actually been going through for a few years now. It's very supportive, firm, low-profile, but it really helps to support your neck. When I do go on my side it is kind of nice because it doesn't smoosh my face anymore. If sleep creases bother you, this can help. I will admit this is really stinking expensive, it's about $180, but you do get to a certain point where you realize that it is actually important to invest in those types of things. It's worth it to pay for that type of support."
"This is one of my favorite gel cream moisturizers to recommend because it is just so hydrating and really refreshing for the skin. It uses 5% glycerin, which is a really good hydrator for the skin. What's interesting about glycerin is that it creates a reservoir of moisture or hydration or water right in the skin. So glycerin doesn't just feel watery and hydrating when you put it on, it actually builds up the hydration in your skin as you consistently use it. If you were to stop using glycerin for some reason, you would actually still maintain higher levels of hydration in your skin than you would have before you started using the glycerin. It really contributes to meaningful deep, long-lasting hydration in the skin. They have combined the 5% glycerin with 1% ectoin, which has that similar hydration shell effect where it really gets in there and surrounds every single skin cell with hydration."
✓Approved
85%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on Hydration Station
Ectoin | Trending Ingredient Alert!
"This is one of my favorite gel cream moisturizers to recommend because it is just so hydrating and really refreshing for the skin. It uses 5% glycerin, which is a really good hydrator for the skin. What's interesting about glycerin is that it creates a reservoir of moisture or hydration or water right in the skin. So glycerin doesn't just feel watery and hydrating when you put it on, it actually builds up the hydration in your skin as you consistently use it. If you were to stop using glycerin for some reason, you would actually still maintain higher levels of hydration in your skin than you would have before you started using the glycerin. It really contributes to meaningful deep, long-lasting hydration in the skin. They have combined the 5% glycerin with 1% ectoin, which has that similar hydration shell effect where it really gets in there and surrounds every single skin cell with hydration."
Hyaluronic Acid Free Favorite Skincare
"This is the Geek and Gorgeous Hydration Station moisturizer which uses 6% Glycerin. Glycerin is an incredible skin hydrator, but one of the things that impresses me the most about it is its ability to create a reservoir of hydration in the skin. It helps your skin stay hydrated over time as you continue to use it in your routines, and helps maintain hydration in your skin even when you're not using the products. You get this really refreshing, cooling, very hydrating sensation with your moisturizer that dives in really deep, replenishes the skin, plumps it up. But then we're getting that traditional cream right on top. It's still very light, it's very breathable, it's not overly occlusive either. It gently holds everything in and just kind of slugs everything in and holds the rest of your skin care in place while still allowing everything to breathe. I think this moisturizer is better for combination and oily skin folks. If you're leaning towards the dry side, it may not be enough for you."
How to Read an Ingredients List? ft Judit Rácz of INCIDecoder | Unpacking Beauty Ep 7
"I'm a really big fan especially of the moisturizers, Hydration Station and Happier Barrier. I recommend them a lot because they're like no nonsense, they get the job done, they have great ingredients, and they feel really nice."
"I first started with Curology back in 2016 and continued onward with their sister brand Azelaic Acid. The ingredient is huge because I'm so prone to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Azelaic acid helps to treat that while it's also working on the congestion and the redness and the bacteria and the inflammation."
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All 2 takes on Curology
All About Azelaic Acid + Product Recs!
"I have used Curology and most recently Dermatica to obtain azelaic acid. I think where these services really shine is their ability to combine other active ingredients that are a little bit more customized to what your skin needs. As I slowly started to get results, slowly started to clear my skin, slowly started to keep my skin clear, my goals started to change and so I was able to really customize that with the online services. I started working on my anti-aging goals and I moved over to tretinoin in 2020 first with Curology and then I graduated to their sister brand Agency, which is just a little bit more focused on the anti-aging journey. Both are really great; Curology is a little bit more focused on acne, Agency is a little bit more focused on anti-aging, but you can still get tretinoin with Curology."
5 Ingredients That Changed My Skin for the Better!
"I first started with Curology back in 2016 and continued onward with their sister brand Azelaic Acid. The ingredient is huge because I'm so prone to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Azelaic acid helps to treat that while it's also working on the congestion and the redness and the bacteria and the inflammation."
"I think that it's overrated and overhyped because it is often being compared to retinol. I've often heard it referred to as a plant derived retinol, I've also heard it being called a natural retinol, and I often hear it being referred to as like better than or with retinol like benefits but a lot gentler for the skin. Let us be clear here: bakuchiol is not derived from vitamin A at all, it is not part of the retinoid family, it is not a natural version of retinol, it's not any of that, it's not related at all. It's a great plant extract all on its own. It is derived from the babchi plant and it does have a lot of benefits for inflammation, it can really help to soothe the skin, it has antioxidant capabilities and antibacterial properties. More recently it's been understood that bakuchiol has some collagen stimulating abilities and this is where we get that comparison to retinol. It actually stimulates collagen in a similar way as retinol does. While it's not disingenuous to say there's retinol-like abilities to this, I think that claiming it as an alternative to retinol is really more where I have the issue. But on its own, bakuchiol can help to stimulate collagen 1, 3, and 4, and it also helps to downregulate the collagen destroying enzyme that can sometimes be found in the skin."
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All 2 takes on Bakuchiol
Hyped Skincare Ingredients, Are They Worth It?
"Bakuchiol is overrated and overhyped but solid. It's overrated and overhyped because it is often being compared to retinol. I've often heard it referred to as a plant derived retinol, I've also heard it being called a natural retinol, and I often hear it being referred to as like better than retinol with retinol-like benefits but a lot gentler for the skin. But let me be clear here: bakuchiol is not derived from vitamin A at all. It is not part of the retinoid family. It is not a natural version of retinol. It's not related at all. It's a great plant extract all on its own. It's actually very important in Ayurveda and Indian medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. It is derived from the babchi plant and it does have a lot of benefits for inflammation. It can really help to soothe the skin. It has antioxidant capabilities and antibacterial properties. More recently it's been understood that bakuchiol has some collagen stimulating abilities."
Hyped Skincare Ingredients, Are They Worth It?
"I think that it's overrated and overhyped because it is often being compared to retinol. I've often heard it referred to as a plant derived retinol, I've also heard it being called a natural retinol, and I often hear it being referred to as like better than or with retinol like benefits but a lot gentler for the skin. Let us be clear here: bakuchiol is not derived from vitamin A at all, it is not part of the retinoid family, it is not a natural version of retinol, it's not any of that, it's not related at all. It's a great plant extract all on its own. It is derived from the babchi plant and it does have a lot of benefits for inflammation, it can really help to soothe the skin, it has antioxidant capabilities and antibacterial properties. More recently it's been understood that bakuchiol has some collagen stimulating abilities and this is where we get that comparison to retinol. It actually stimulates collagen in a similar way as retinol does. While it's not disingenuous to say there's retinol-like abilities to this, I think that claiming it as an alternative to retinol is really more where I have the issue. But on its own, bakuchiol can help to stimulate collagen 1, 3, and 4, and it also helps to downregulate the collagen destroying enzyme that can sometimes be found in the skin."
"I have used curology, agency, and most recently dermatica to obtain azelaic acid. I think where these services really shine is their ability to combine other active ingredients that are a little bit more customized to what your skin needs. As I slowly started to get results, slowly started to clear my skin, slowly started to keep my skin clear, my goals started to change and so I was able to really customize that with the online services."
"If your skin is very irritated, it is singing, it is burning, it is itching, maybe you are having a flare-up of rosacea or of eczema, I would really suggest if your skin is in an extreme state of ailing go for Modulating Glucosides. Not only do they have more ingredients in here that are really made to address stinging, burning, itching and really relieve that on contact or very very fast. I have used this serum in the past for skin that is really ailing and it always works, it never fails me. When I get an eczema flare-up I will use this, even if I don't want to put it all over my face but I just have that flare-up. I get a lip eczema a lot, I will just put this on my lips just to relieve the itching and burning. The word for this is relief. It is a serum that really relieves the skin. Yes, with long-term use it strengthens your skin, it hydrates your skin, it fights dehydration, has some great antioxidants to it. It's a well-rounded serum that can be used in many instances, but if your skin is really ailing I would say just go for Modulating Glucosides."
"It is Twinkle Pop Glittering Eye Stick. It looks almost like it might be a pinky champagne. It's not super chunky glitter but it gives you that like a Glitz or like glistening kind of an effect to the eye makeup look. It can be blended in a little bit with the hands."
"I do a lot of product comparisons on YouTube and Stratia is one where it's like I don't usually find dupes or like super comparable or like the ingredients are the same but the effects are not, the performance is not. So I think that's actually, I really just have to commend you because like the space is so crowded to be able to kind of figure out what is a different take or something new is just increasingly I think becoming harder, but you're doing it which yeah it's very impressive."
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All 2 takes on Interface
Why Do We Love Peptides ft. Alli Reed of Stratia | Unpacking Beauty Ep. 1
"I do a lot of product comparisons on YouTube and Stratia is one where it's like I don't usually find dupes or like super comparable or like the ingredients are the same but the effects are not, the performance is not. So I think that's actually, I really just have to commend you because like the space is so crowded to be able to kind of figure out what is a different take or something new is just increasingly I think becoming harder, but you're doing it which yeah it's very impressive."
Why Do We Love Peptides ft. Alli Reed of Stratia | Unpacking Beauty Ep. 1
"Stratia is one where it's like I don't usually find dupes or like super comparable or like the ingredients are the same but the effects are not, the performance is not. I think that's actually really impressive because the space is so crowded to be able to kind of figure out what is a different take or something new."
"Stratia Liquid Gold retails for $28, and this is really great if your skin is a little bit on the drier side. This is the product that actually helped me heal my skin barrier back in 2018, and I really do stand by this product."
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All 19 takes on Liquid Gold
Barrier Repair on a Budget: $50 Core Routine (+ $75 Complete Upgrade)
"Stratia Liquid Gold retails for $28, and this is really great if your skin is a little bit on the drier side. This is the product that actually helped me heal my skin barrier back in 2018, and I really do stand by this product."
GLOW UP OVERNIGHT! PM Skincare Routine for Plump, Glowing, Glass Skin in the AM!
"I have been doing some version of this barrier care step in my routine for eight years. It's been a really long time using Stratia Liquid Gold, but it really is my ride or die for my skin barrier. I love this product, and I especially like to incorporate it into my routines right alongside the exfoliation from the AHA and BHA, like my retinoids. It just really keeps my skin nice and strong. The oil also helps to condition my skin, make it really nice and smooth and moisturized and supple, and that goes a long way for that glow in the morning, but also immediately as I apply this to my skin."
My End of Winter Retinal PM Skincare Routine
"It is incredibly barrier supportive, which is another thing that I keep my eye on in the winter because it will definitely go a little bit weak, especially with the retinol use. So this just keeps my skin in good shape. And I just really like the amount of moisture that it brings to my skin. The Stratia Liquid Gold really does help to repair that skin when it's in that peeling state as well. Right now it's a maintenance product for me and it just feels really good, but it can also come to the rescue if your skin needs a little extra TLC, especially with barrier care."
Sick Skincare Go To's
"I've been using this for about 2 months now and it worked perfectly. It's a really gentle, simple product with very minimal ingredients, which really helped since my skin was feeling a little bit more sensitive. I do about two layers after toner, sometimes mixed with the Stratia Fortify Oil. All the lipids and fatty acids in Liquid Gold really help fortify my skin barrier and condition my skin. I do have a little bit of flaky skin right now and this really helps soften it but it also really helps to strengthen my skin. If your skin doesn't lean particularly dry or dehydrated, this probably isn't a step you need, but for me with combination skin that leans dry, it makes a really big difference in my skincare routine."
How I Started YouTube, My 12 Year Journey | Chatty AM Skincare
"I'm doing one pump of Stratia Liquid Gold and then three drops of the Fortify Facial Oil mixed together for all that good barrier support."
My EVERYTHING Skincare and Self Care Snow Day! | AD ft iRESTORE
"Stratia Liquid Gold is all about those three ingredients, ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, plus there's 4% of niacinamide. I can't skip that step because this is what keeps my skin barrier strong, and keeping my skin barrier strong really helps to resist dehydration. Ultimately, to resist dehydration you need to keep your skin barrier strong. This is what keeps my skin really strong, resists the dehydration, keeps it really nice and moisturized."
Melt the Day Away | Calming Skincare Routine
"There is a little bit of body to it which I think is pretty important if you're going to do more of like an eye serum instead of like an eye cream, you don't want it dripping all down your face. I was a little afraid at first when I tried it this morning like how runny it might be, but it actually kind of stayed in the area that you apply it pretty well. I do about a pump of Liquid Gold and mix it up in the back of my hand. It's very very rich, nourishing, oil-based. When I apply it mixed with other products, it helps the layers absorb better for my skin, and it just does feel more breathable and airy compared to applying products separately."
PM Routine w/ Tret | What Well-Aging Means to Me
"I love this stuff I use it every single routine. I just mixed three drops of oil into a pump of Stratia Liquid Gold and then I apply it that way. My skin just accepts these layers when they're mixed together a lot better than if I were to do a layer of like an emollient cream and then an oil on top it would just feel too thick for my skin. This way when I mix it I get all of that nourishing goodness and comfort but without a lot of thickness or greasiness on my skin."
Rating My Empty Skincare with Emojis! 😍💩😒
"Stratia Liquid Gold, I'm going to rate it with a heart eyes emoji because how many of these have I emptied since 2018? This has never been out of my skincare routine. I tried to not buy it, I tried to use something else in its place, and I was like I'm irresponsible, I'm gonna save money, I don't need to buy it right now. Yeah no, it only lasted about three days and I put my order in."
Tips for Using Tretinoin in Winter | AD ft Dermatica
"Stratia Liquid Gold is something I've been using for so many years I swear by this product. It has ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids, which are the three main elements found in the skin barrier, so I always like to use skincare products that have these three ingredients in them to keep my barrier strong."
11/10 ⭐ Skincare Empties I Recommend!
"Stratia Liquid Gold, I've been using this since 2018. There's not much I can say, it's definitely an 11 out of 10. I do find their products to be on the gentler side, but there is something about this one that is very robust, very effective, and works very fast. I have mad respect for this product, it's probably one of my favorite products."
4 Steps to Glowing Skin in Winter
"I really landed on Stratia Liquid Gold. This is really the product that I credit for really helping me get back on track. They're using ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. They've also included other helpful ingredients like 4% niacinamide as well as sea buckthorn, which can be really moisturizing and very strengthening for the skin. I personally like to use this like a serum or an emulsion in my skincare routine. I top it off with another moisturizer because it's not enough to protect my particular skin type, it's too light, but I use it like a treatment step or a serum in my skincare routine to keep my barrier strong and then I put another moisturizer on top. So it's pretty flexible on how you use it, but it is really just the special Goldilocks formula that really helped me heal my skin, and I'm very passionate about this product."
THIS is What I Do Weekly for Bright & Glowy Skin!
"Stratia Liquid Gold is all about keeping your skin barrier strong with ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, some niacinamide, and some sea buckthorn, which is where it gets that golden color from. I've been doing this mixture of Stratia with some form of oil, often their oil, since 2018 because it keeps my barrier really strong. Back in 2018 I damaged my moisture barrier very badly, and that was probably the worst skin I've ever had because my barrier wasn't functioning, my skin was really dull, really red and inflamed because it was so dehydrated. These types of ingredients and products can actually make the difference between just merely clear skin and really healthy, youthful, dewy, glowy skin."
Only 5 Products? Skincare I'm Taking to a Deserted Island
"I have been using this, I legitimately have not stopped using this since 2018. I originally started using it when my barrier was damaged and it really helped my skin heal up. I keep it in my routine to keep my barrier strong. Absolutely ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, my skin thrives on them. I really like to have that foundation of ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids in any product in my routine. This is a great one, but it also has some other great ingredients in here that are fantastic for well aging, with a really heavy focus on antioxidancy. Buckthorn in here really brings the beautiful golden color but also it brings that antioxidant protection and also has some capabilities for helping with the complexion and brightening it up just a little bit. This also contains four percent of niacinamide, so talking about brightening benefits, but it's also the percentage that's great for stimulating collagen production on the skin. It's also the percentage that's great for supporting your skin's moisture barrier."
My Most Repurchased Skincare | 2024 Edition
"I have been loving this product since 2018. I bought this when my moisture barrier was super duper messed up, it was incredibly damaged. I had used way too many actives, I had thrown way too much new stuff at my skin, I was pushing my skin way too hard and my skin was like enough. My barrier was so damaged, my skin was so irritated, it was so red, it was so inflamed. I was getting the worst breakouts and my skin just looked terrible too. It felt worse than it looked but it looked really bad."
I'm Breaking Out! Routine for Breakouts and Hyperpigmentation
"Liquid Gold is a formula that's really emollient, it's got some great moisture in it, and it really does promote healing and barrier strengthening. I've been doing this for my skin for years and it really works. It's not going to be for everybody, and it isn't necessarily a big part of an acne treatment routine, but my skin has been accepting it really well."
5 HG's for Eczema Flare-Ups! | AD ft Stratia
"The formula delivers so many beautiful lipids, ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids right into our skin to really help fortify that moisture barrier. I do always talk about Liquid Gold in the context of how it can help to strengthen or heal a weak or damaged moisture barrier. When you do have eczema-prone skin you are probably more prone to a weak moisture barrier, and I have personally made that link between the times where my barrier is feeling more weak where my flareups are more likely to happen. So part of my strategy to managing my eczema skin and helping to prevent flareups is keeping that moisture barrier really strong. For me personally, as we're going into the colder drier temperatures, those fluctuations and that dry cold air really do test my moisture barrier, really do increase that transepidermal water loss. When my skin is dehydrated, when it is dry, when that barrier is not helping to keep all of that hydration into my skin, I am more prone to having flareups. The majority of my flareups do happen in the wintertime, so I do like to make sure that I'm building in those beautiful lipids again, ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids to keep my barrier strong."
Stress-Free AM and PM Summer Skincare Routine
"At night time it's really not negotiable, I really love this product so much. I use one pump of this, and it's ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, with four percent niacinamide in here, sea buckthorn, that's where you get that really beautiful golden color, which is a fantastic antioxidant for your skin. It's all about protecting your skin, strengthening your skin, and of course helping with some well aging too."
If I was repairing my skin barrier today I'd use...
"Stratia Liquid Gold has got to be the first one that I mentioned because that is actually truly the product that I used in 2018. This is the product that helped me through when my barrier was like non-existent and completely damaged. It is a really good mix of barrier strengthening and healing ingredients: the ceramides, the cholesterol, the fatty acids, we also have some niacinamide in here, we have panthenol, we have squalane, we have sea buckthorn. There's a lot of really great emollient ingredients in here that offer a lot of that comforting moisture and nourishment to the skin. If you're feeling very dry, that really helped to ease that discomfort from moving my face and my skin, but it really did help to strengthen my moisture barrier as well. This is like a serum lotion hybrid product you can use it a couple of different ways. If your barrier is damaged though, I would highly suggest you use this as a serum, not as a lotion or a moisturizer. You need something more occlusive on top of this because your barrier is not working the way it's supposed to. You need something to act as a temporary barrier."
"Heat can make everything swell a little bit. If you're already prone to puffy eyes, you may notice that they actually get worse in the summertime. This product has a metal roller ball applicator, which is amazing for creating that cooling, rolling, massaging sensation in the eye area that is going to help to depuff the eye area, especially if you feel that or if you just have a hard time waking up and feeling refreshed in the morning. The coolness and massage helps get the lymphatic drainage going in that area, which is also going to meaningfully contribute to depuffed eye area. The texture is a gorgeous medium gel. It is not oily, emollient, or moisturizing. It is truly hydrating and it's such an amazing gel texture. It cools and refreshes. It dives deep down with a lot of hydration. When the under eye area gets a little dehydrated and it's not really plump, the fine lines appear a lot more prominent. This gel texture actually really plumps and smooths out the eye area in a really appealing way, and then it hydrates long term. It feels really cooling and it's not heavy. So you're going to get a lot less mascara smudging if you're a makeup wearer and just less overall grease and heaviness in the eye area, plus the cooling sensation. This is a great one especially for folks who maybe skip out on eye cream because of that creamy texture in hot weather."
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All 2 takes on Vegan Collagen Eye Serum
How I Get a Warm Summer Glow Without Sun Damage (GRWM Skincare + Makeup)
"The Axis Y vegan collagen Eye Serum is another hot weather favorite of mine from last year. This has a beautiful plumping almost medium-like gel texture. It's not super thin. There is quite a bit of body to this pure gel texture. It's incredibly refreshing. With the roller ball applicator here, you do get that cooling effect from the metal ball. It's not an amazing applicator for spreading and getting the product to absorb. You still don't want to use your fingers, but I just love that cooling sensation, especially when I'm waking up and I'm already feeling kind of overwhelmed from the heat, and that can happen pretty quickly. So, I really like just that cooling, refreshing moment."
7 Products That Fix Every Summer Skin Problem!
"Heat can make everything swell a little bit. If you're already prone to puffy eyes, you may notice that they actually get worse in the summertime. This product has a metal roller ball applicator, which is amazing for creating that cooling, rolling, massaging sensation in the eye area that is going to help to depuff the eye area, especially if you feel that or if you just have a hard time waking up and feeling refreshed in the morning. The coolness and massage helps get the lymphatic drainage going in that area, which is also going to meaningfully contribute to depuffed eye area. The texture is a gorgeous medium gel. It is not oily, emollient, or moisturizing. It is truly hydrating and it's such an amazing gel texture. It cools and refreshes. It dives deep down with a lot of hydration. When the under eye area gets a little dehydrated and it's not really plump, the fine lines appear a lot more prominent. This gel texture actually really plumps and smooths out the eye area in a really appealing way, and then it hydrates long term. It feels really cooling and it's not heavy. So you're going to get a lot less mascara smudging if you're a makeup wearer and just less overall grease and heaviness in the eye area, plus the cooling sensation. This is a great one especially for folks who maybe skip out on eye cream because of that creamy texture in hot weather."
"I love this eye cream for the plumping. The snail mucin is very healing. There are actually some really great antioxidant content, a lot of nutrients in snail mucin that are very good for healthy skin. There are some studies that suggest snail mucin may stimulate collagen, but there's also volume fill line in here which is also very good for kind of plumping the skin and giving it a smooth appearance."
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All 4 takes on Snail Mucin Eye Cream
Glowing Skin FULL AM Routine | Shower, Body, Hair, Skincare and Makeup for Spring
"I love this eye cream for the plumping. The snail mucin is very healing. There are actually some really great antioxidant content, a lot of nutrients in snail mucin that are very good for healthy skin. There are some studies that suggest snail mucin may stimulate collagen, but there's also volume fill line in here which is also very good for kind of plumping the skin and giving it a smooth appearance."
My End of Winter Retinal PM Skincare Routine
"I really enjoy this eye cream. I do like to put some eye cream on before I put on any type of retinoid, just a little bit of a reverse order for your traditional skincare routine, but it's kind of nice if you get any dryness or irritation in that delicate eye area. It just kind of offers a little extra moisture and buffer if you accidentally get the product up a little bit too high. The texture is almost like a stiff medium cream gel texture with a lot of oclusivity, a good amount of moisturization, and a lot of skin plumping, hydration. There's some volume in here, about 5 to 30% of snail mucin in here. There's some caffeine."
Feb Faves | Cosrx, Laneige, Then I Met You, Tips for the Blahs
"I feel like snail not only has that right texture to go smooth, plump, but it also has all those beneficial ingredients in it that help protect that delicate skin. All the beneficial ingredients in there that may help to contribute to some collagen stimulation along with the other beneficial ingredients overall in the formula. It's just a really nice gentle eye cream honestly. I love the texture and it is moisturizing for having more of a gel-like feel. It is actually quite moisturizing. My skin feels very smooth to the touch, very hydrated, not dry, definitely not dehydrated. It works really well underneath makeup. I remember trying this out when I first got it and I was like, I kind of like this. And then I just haven't stopped using it. I think that is sometimes one of the best indicators of something that is really a favorite for me, just constantly grabbing for it because it's just so good. There is a ceramic applicator on this. I don't really use it. It's quite cooling and does feel nice on the skin, but I don't think it's very good at pulling the product in. It kind of just pushes the product around. I don't really love that for me, but sometimes just putting the cool applicator under my eyes in the morning does feel very refreshing."
Testing NEW Skincare Releases | Laneige, Dr. Althea, The Ordinary, Then I Met You
"This uses 30% of snail mucin complex. Now, we know snail good old K beauty staple, right? It's hydrating. It's plumping, but it also has all of those great micronutrients in it that particularly good for the under eye area. Great for well-aging concerns. Very preventative. You know, it is anti-inflammatory. It's very healing. It may help contribute to collagen stimulation. But it's also very protective for the skin and like I said, very hydrating, plumping. It might address fine lines and wrinkles with long-term use. I've used lots of snail products around the eye area with pretty good success. They are using azelene in this, which is a biologically active compound that comes from the chamomile plant. It's particularly good for reducing inflammation. It is actually what is contributing to the slight blue tint to this cream as well. They're using 5% of volume. I like this a lot more than I thought I was going to. I actually really enjoy this."
"The revive serum is a combination of ginseng and snail mucin. Ginseng is that traditional K beauty ingredient. It is a strong antioxidant. It supports skin elasticity. It supports skin circulation. So it actually brings a really nice evenness to the complexion. Snail mucin is an ingredient that promotes healing, wound healing on the skin. It also brings antioxidant content. It is also something that supports a very gentle well-aging process on the skin. It's a very supportive well-aging formula."
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All 5 takes on Revive Eye Serum: Ginseng + Retinal
My EVERYTHING Skincare and Self Care Snow Day! | AD ft iRESTORE
"Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum contains retinol dehydrogenase as well as ginseng. Even though it's called an eye cream, it can be used on other parts of the body or the face because it has this really beautiful gel-like consistency, so it's really light. It's one of my favorite products for neck and chest care because it does contain retinol dehydrogenase, we're getting collagen stimulation here as well as brightening and skin cell turnover, and it just supports all the things associated with our skin aging and helping to slow that process down. I really like this because it's gentle. It is formulated first for the eye area but second as a much more gentle retinal experience for other parts of the body."
BEST and WORST K-Beauty at Sephora PT 1 | Aestura, Beauty of Joseon, Innisfree, Dr. Jart
"The revive serum is a combination of ginseng and snail mucin. Ginseng is that traditional K beauty ingredient. It is a strong antioxidant. It supports skin elasticity. It supports skin circulation. So it actually brings a really nice evenness to the complexion. Snail mucin is an ingredient that promotes healing, wound healing on the skin. It also brings antioxidant content. It is also something that supports a very gentle well-aging process on the skin. It's a very supportive well-aging formula."
Top 10+ K Beauty You Need to Try in 2024!
"The revive serum focuses on ginseng and snail mucin, which is a really interesting combination that first and foremost offers that antioxidant support. This serum is really focused on that well-aging journey, skin elasticity and firmness, and both of these ingredients can support that journey. They're not collagen stimulating ingredients but they are definitely beneficial additional ingredients to add alongside your collagen stimulation."
A Full Day of Skincare! AM to PM Routine ☀️🌙
"I'm going to be using the Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum. This has ginseng as well as retinaldehyde as well. And I'm actually going to be putting this on my neck and chest. This is an amazing treatment for the neck. It's incredibly gentle. It really doesn't bring the retinal scaries to that area which I find my neck and chest can be a lot more sensitive than my face. You don't want peeling skin on your neck like that's not cute. But this definitely helps with collagen stimulation. It can also help with brightening. Sometimes I get hyperpigmentation on my chest if I get a pimple there. But it is a really great preventative while aging type of formula."
11/10 ⭐ Skincare Empties I Recommend!
"This is the Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum, 10 out of 10. I have had multiple empties of this throughout the years because I reviewed this back in 2022, and this has been in my routine on and off since then because I really do like this one. It is a retinal-based eye serum and truly it's an eye serum, not a cream, because it has more of a gel-like consistency so it actually absorbs into the eye area really nicely. I do use this on my under eye; I don't really go on top of my lids because it can cause a little bit of irritation for me personally if I go up top too many times. I did stop using this on my under eye when fall rolled around because I've been getting very dry under my eyes during the winter time. I love this, it's so great for the eye area, it's very brightening especially with the ginseng in here, and it's great for anti-aging goals. I love the multi-use and the bigger size of this so I often use this a lot on my neck and chest to help stimulate collagen there and fight the fine lines and wrinkles and the loss of skin firmness. This is a really great multi-purpose type of product."
"This is a nice formula that uses some humectant content to give you a little bit more of that slicked out, plumped out, hydrated smoother appearance. I really like this one for brightening, particularly for the morning. I love the 5% stabilized vitamin C I'm getting that brightness that I crave. But I'm also getting some of that collagen stimulation and the antioxidant protection. Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that gives us a little bit of extra protection from damage from the sun. This is a really nice eye cream. I usually use this morning and night time but since I have a lot of choices with my eye creams I usually reserve this one for the morning when I know it's working super hard for my skin to give you that additional protection in addition to sunscreen. Because if you're not wearing sunscreen then the benefits of the antioxidants aren't really doing much for you. But in addition to sunscreen in the morning I'm just getting a little bit of extra damage protection, damage control around that delicate eye area. This formula is very gentle."
✓Approved
68%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on C5 super boost eye cream
Vitamin C for Sensitive Skin! | AD ft Vegreen
"I'm a huge fan of the eye cream. I love vitamin C in an eye cream and this is just that right amount. Five percent of the stabilized form is going to really help to brighten up the under eye if you're suffering with dark under eyes or discoloration. This really gives you that really beautiful brightening benefit, a little bit of firming action too because just because we're going down in percentage doesn't mean that we're going down in benefits. We're still going to get the collagen stimulation and targeting the fine lines and wrinkles. You definitely don't want to go really high up in percentages around the eye area that skin is so thin, it's so delicate, it behaves a little bit differently than the rest of your skin, so it's good to start at a lower percentage there. I really like the texture because it's more of a gel cream type that absorbs into the skin really nicely. The eye cream has some plumping action to it which I love in eye cream but it's not so emollient or rich where your makeup starts to slide around because it's just too rich for that area. Really nice absorbency, a really beautiful type of fluffy eye cream texture."
My Top 5 Eye Creams | 2025 Edition
"This is a nice formula that uses some humectant content to give you a little bit more of that slicked out, plumped out, hydrated smoother appearance. I really like this one for brightening, particularly for the morning. I love the 5% stabilized vitamin C I'm getting that brightness that I crave. But I'm also getting some of that collagen stimulation and the antioxidant protection. Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that gives us a little bit of extra protection from damage from the sun. This is a really nice eye cream. I usually use this morning and night time but since I have a lot of choices with my eye creams I usually reserve this one for the morning when I know it's working super hard for my skin to give you that additional protection in addition to sunscreen. Because if you're not wearing sunscreen then the benefits of the antioxidants aren't really doing much for you. But in addition to sunscreen in the morning I'm just getting a little bit of extra damage protection, damage control around that delicate eye area. This formula is very gentle."
Filming Routine | Do Skincare, Hair and Makeup With Me!
"This is the Polish Choice C5 super boost eye cream and this is my second bottle of this eye cream and this is another one that I like for the morning time. It does use a stabilized form of vitamin C, so it not only brightens the skin but it also acts as a protective antioxidant as well, which is nice in the morning time. I can definitely feel that there's a tiny bit of plumpness to this and it feels pretty good."
"Biossance has this really light lotion-like texture that quickly absorbs in the skin. It's nourishing, it's just not heavy. The performance as far as moisturizing, hydrating, balancing, plumping, all of that really good. I'm marking some points off because it's not really heavy-hitting in the anti-aging department. We don't really have the collagen-stimulating peptides, there's no retinol in here, there's really nothing here that's really fighting fine lines and wrinkles, restoring skin elasticity. It's really just moisturizing and hydrating."
~Mixed
82%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Marine Algae Eye Cream
Ranking Summer Skincare Empties! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
"Biossance has this really light lotion-like texture that quickly absorbs in the skin. It's nourishing, it's just not heavy. The performance as far as moisturizing, hydrating, balancing, plumping, all of that really good. I'm marking some points off because it's not really heavy-hitting in the anti-aging department. We don't really have the collagen-stimulating peptides, there's no retinol in here, there's really nothing here that's really fighting fine lines and wrinkles, restoring skin elasticity. It's really just moisturizing and hydrating."
Slow Morning, Late Summer Skincare Routine
"This is the Biossance Marine algae eye cream and I have to say I like this eye cream I don't love love love it, but it has been so helpful in the last month or so because I've had the worst luck with eye creams this summer. I've had a couple that have irritated the skin around my eyes and others that have just been not pleasant to use. It's not the most impressive eye cream, but it has a beautiful texture. It's silky but lotion-like, so you get the moisture without a lot of heaviness in the eye area, which is good for in-between seasons when my skin can't decide if it wants to be dry or oily. A little bit of nourishment around the eye area always does well for me. It's not really brightening, but the moisture helps for sure."
"The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Eye Serum, I'm reading this two stars out of five. I was really excited when this launched, I finally bought it and I didn't really get to see any type of results with this because the packaging sucks and that's why I knocked so many stars off of it. The packaging is a little dropper bottle like most Ordinary products are, however this is a very runny formula, it's not an eye cream, it's truly like an eye serum, it's very very runny liquid. In order to apply this you have to put it onto your fingers and then you have to get it onto your face right away, and I just found that I would quickly drop the dropper into the bottle in order to not have it run down my hands. I would always knock this over, I would never have enough time to close this before it started running down my hand. I lost so much product, I lost over half of the bottle because it would tip over and spill out into the sink. The packaging sucks. This formula really does need a more precise kind of packaging."
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72%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Multi-Peptide Eye Serum
5 Star Skincare Empties! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Eye Serum, I'm reading this two stars out of five. I was really excited when this launched, I finally bought it and I didn't really get to see any type of results with this because the packaging sucks and that's why I knocked so many stars off of it. The packaging is a little dropper bottle like most Ordinary products are, however this is a very runny formula, it's not an eye cream, it's truly like an eye serum, it's very very runny liquid. In order to apply this you have to put it onto your fingers and then you have to get it onto your face right away, and I just found that I would quickly drop the dropper into the bottle in order to not have it run down my hands. I would always knock this over, I would never have enough time to close this before it started running down my hand. I lost so much product, I lost over half of the bottle because it would tip over and spill out into the sink. The packaging sucks. This formula really does need a more precise kind of packaging."
Melt the Day Away | Calming Skincare Routine
"This is the Multi-Peptide Eye Serum from The Ordinary and I literally just started using it this morning. I actually can't tell you too much about this product, but I've been excited to put this into my skincare routine. It has a gel type of texture but it's running, though there is a little bit of body to it which I think is pretty important if you're going to do an eye serum instead of an eye cream because you don't want it dripping all down your face. I was a little afraid at first when I tried it this morning about how runny it might be, but it actually kind of stayed in the area that you apply it pretty well."
"This is from Jin jangs, it is the hybrid face and eye cream. It's really similar to panel in texture, it's not really buttery. There's some hyaluronic acid in here that creates like a hydrating kind of a feel. There's seven different peptides that focus in on collagen stimulation, firming, I believe a little bit of brightening as well. There's glutathione which is a really great antioxidant to protect the skin. It's quite silky but it's not heavy. There's a nice amount of moisture but it just doesn't create that thick kind of layer on your skin. I can get a lot of peeling in this area if I go too thick so this actually feels really great. It's about 80 ml for this, so if you're like yeah there's affordable eye creams but it's still a little bit too expensive, something like this actually gives you a really nice good size but still gives you that eye cream vibe. You can absolutely use this as an eye cream, you can use it as a face cream if you want to as well, but I think it actually makes a really fantastic lightweight but still very potent and effective cream for your neck and chest."
"If you're looking for some brightening in the eye area, Mary and May Tranexamic Acid and Glutathione Eye Cream has a similar take to other brightening products, a little less active brightening ingredients but with a similar combination. They have niacinamide, tranexamic acid, a little touch of ascorbic acid pure vitamin C, and then glutathione, so they're really combining all of those antioxidants that really help to brighten up the skin in a formula that's a little bit gentler and better suited for the eye area. This cream does contain some artificial fragrance. I do find the scent of this to be pleasant, it's kind of a clean floral scent, it doesn't linger, it's not super duper heavy or offensive, but it is present in the formula, so you know, sensitive skin and especially sensitive eye area, you know, proceed with caution. This has a really nice gel cream texture."
"But as you may know it was recently reformulated in January of 2024 and what they reformulated and changed about the product I think it's taken away a lot of what made that product so unique and so good and I'm salty because what they took away is what worked for my skin"
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65%of gurus approve
All 2 takes on Advanced Night Repair Eye Cream
Ranking 20 Top Selling Products at Olive Young!
"But as you may know it was recently reformulated in January of 2024 and what they reformulated and changed about the product I think it's taken away a lot of what made that product so unique and so good and I'm salty because what they took away is what worked for my skin"
Ranking 20 Top Selling Products at Olive Young!
"It would have been much much higher on my list but it was recently reformulated in January of 2024 and what they reformulated and changed about the product I think it's taken away a lot of what made that product so unique and so good. What they took away is what worked for my skin, so that's why I'm ranking it pretty low right now."
"The eye cream has some petrolatum added into it which is just enough to really help hug in all of that moisture and emolliency and help to protect the eye area from moisture loss. The skin around your eye is a lot thinner, it's a little bit more delicate, and that's why it's more prone to moisture loss or hydration loss and more prone to the breakdown of collagen. I think it was a really smart move to add that into the eye cream formula. They've also added collagen peptides so it helps to stimulate some collagen production around that eye area, which can be more prone to showing fine lines and wrinkles and collagen structure breakdown a lot sooner. I love that they've included peptides specifically for that purpose. They've also added three special ingredients that are meant to target darkness in the eye area. The way that they target pigmentation around the eyes is, I think, very different."
"I picked up this because I remember the caffeine is supposed to be good for puffy eyes, so I started using this and it worked. I haven't had puffy eyes the entire time I've been using it until now, and so it really did take down the puff. There's like ever so slight redness just beneath the surface, and it really helps to make my eyes look less allergic. They still feel allergic, they're still gloopy, but they don't look it, and this has been really really helpful. Usually how I use this is I'll add it around my eyes and just kind of step back for a minute and let it sink in. It does take a minute to kind of sink in. It's got good absorbency, it's not sticky, but it can feel kind of wet for a little bit. I'll let that settle into my skin and then I'll top it off with an eye cream just because my skin can get kind of dry around there. I do still need that emolliency and that creaminess to really help keep that eye area moisturized and nourished."
"This is the CeraVe Skin Renewing Eye Cream and I'm gonna rate this with the like side eye flirty hey kind of emoji because that's how I feel about this product. Is it a solid smiley face no and is it a solid Holy Grail not necessarily but I'm interested, I'm intrigued, I'm flirting, I might want to see some more. I do like the ingredients list here, it's a peptide-driven eye cream. I like the texture because it's kind of a hybrid between like a gel and a cream. It's not like super duper hydrating, it's a little bit more cream with some gel. It's got a nice consistency that just kind of almost like a very light balmy kind of feel that just sinks into the skin with one little swipe. It's a really nice texture and it's not overwhelming. Results-wise nothing like spectacular benefits-wise, I'm not against it, I'm open to using this again. I really like the texture, like the experience. That's half of the battle with skincare is you want to have to use it."
"This is the caffeine eye cream from The Inky List and the texture here is that creamy gel type texture. It's not super creamy, it's got more of a gel type of texture and it just feels really plumping, which I love. I love to plump up my under eye area with eye creams. Quickly absorbed and really just fresh feeling, which I really appreciate."
"It spreads and absorbs into the skin really effortlessly, and it does keep my dry under eye comfortable and smooth. I do believe that it helps with some brightening as well, and it has smoothed my skin, but I'm just not sure if that's coming from any collagen stimulation or if it's just due to the texture alone, but I'm not mad at it. I'm enjoying using it, and I will definitely finish this eye cream and give you more of my fuller thoughts when I do."
"What I really like about this one is just how refreshing it feels. I do have combination skin that leans oily in the summertime, and I do like to use this one in the summer. I started using this last summer and I was like, I love capsule creams. It feels so refreshing, so good in the heat and the humidity. My skin can breathe. I love the plumpness factor of these types of moisturizers, but I love that I can still get a kiss of moisture because my skin, even being combo, even being on the oily side, still responds to a good amount of moisture. The capsules are really just plops of lotion. They're very easy to scoop out with your little spatula and mix into your moisturizer. There is some skin entertainment value involved here and a little bit of beauty to these that I really appreciate, but I do think that they're incredibly functional as well and really great options for the summertime. VT being a little bit lighter, it's definitely a choice for oily skin, definitely a choice for balanced skin, and if your combo skin gets real oily, you might like the lighter feel of this one."
✓Approved
82%of gurus approve
All 4 takes on PDRN Capsule Cream
4 Lightweight K-Beauty Moisturizers for Summer (Sensitive Skin Approved)
"What I really like about this one is just how refreshing it feels. I do have combination skin that leans oily in the summertime, and I do like to use this one in the summer. I started using this last summer and I was like, I love capsule creams. It feels so refreshing, so good in the heat and the humidity. My skin can breathe. I love the plumpness factor of these types of moisturizers, but I love that I can still get a kiss of moisture because my skin, even being combo, even being on the oily side, still responds to a good amount of moisture. The capsules are really just plops of lotion. They're very easy to scoop out with your little spatula and mix into your moisturizer. There is some skin entertainment value involved here and a little bit of beauty to these that I really appreciate, but I do think that they're incredibly functional as well and really great options for the summertime. VT being a little bit lighter, it's definitely a choice for oily skin, definitely a choice for balanced skin, and if your combo skin gets real oily, you might like the lighter feel of this one."
5 Tips to Boost Confidence | Chatty AM Skincare Routine
"This is the VT PDRN capsule cream. This is like a gel moisturizer with these cream capsules inside. These capsules are really soft, just these little plops of really luscious, silky cream inside of this gel moisturizer. I did not think I was going to like this. I thought I was going to like the novelty of it, but I didn't think I'd actually like this moisturizer. And I do, especially for the hot weather. I'm trying to find that balance between the oils and creams to nourish my skin, but also keeping things light. This is kind of adding in that balance for me and my combo skin."
5 Tips to Boost Confidence | Chatty AM Skincare Routine
"I did not think I was going to like this. I thought I was going to like the novelty of this, but I didn't think I'd actually like this moisturizer. And I do, especially for the hot weather. I'm trying to find that balance between the oils and creams to nourish my skin, but also kind of keeping things light. And so this is kind of adding in that balance for me with my combo skin. You just need one capsule and a little bit of the gel, and then you can mix it together on the back of your hand. The cream is amazing. And then the gel, it's super refreshing, but it's got like a really plump type of texture. It's not super thin. It's very plumping. It's exactly what my combo skin wants right now. It wants all that gel, all that plump, all that hydration. But then that creaminess, that silkiness. It feels so cooling and refreshing when you put it on too."
VIRAL K-Beauty I ✨DO✨ Recommend!
"The texture itself is so hydrating. This gel, it's not sticky. It's actually incredibly refreshing, cooling, plumping, deeply hydrating. And then that cream capsule, as you break that into that gel texture, you get this really silky, very lightweight, a kiss of richness, but not a heavy denseness. It's not like a medium or thick, really hard to spread type of cream. These truly are like little plops of lotion inside of the gel cream. They just completely dissolve as soon as you start to spread it onto your skin. It mixes in really beautifully. That kiss of cream in the gel really balances out any dryness or dehydration that you might have within your skin, soothe any rough spots without heaviness, without greasiness, without so much richness that feels like it sits on top of your skin. Because this is balanced out with that refreshing gel and this lightweight cream, the way that it all mixes together, it actually absorbs in."
"It's really not appropriate for people really struggling with dryness. But if you're looking for an all-in-one type of cream, this one works well. You get the hydration and moisture, but you also get 5% niacinamide, that triple whammy of benefits. You want your moisturizer to do the most. You want your moisturizer to brighten up your skin. You can get a lot of benefit from one product right here just with that niacinamide. If you have multiple needs from your moisturizer, maybe you like something lighter for the day and something a little bit more moisturizing at night, you might be able to get all of those needs in one jar. Might save you some money."
"The texture is actually more protective than just a straight up gel moisturizer would be. I really have been enjoying this one. In the warmer weather, when it's hot, when it's humid, when my skin demands lots of refreshing hydration and plumpness and I don't need as much occlusivity, this is going to do really, really nicely. I do notice a little bit more of that moist, dewy, glass skin kind of finish. This is honestly the finish I was kind of expecting. This is the look that a lot of folks have when they take off hydrogel masks. I don't usually get that, but this is actually giving a lot of that glow that I like. Sometimes this finish can be quite tacky and sticky, and I will admit there is a little bit, but it's not that much. The more that it absorbs into my skin, the more that starts to go down. As I've been testing this out, I haven't been finding that to be too sticky, at least not for much longer than like three minutes or so. But I do like the glow that this gives."
"This left my skin in a worse state. VT RLE Shot lip plumper, that's going to be a no for me. I do not like this product. When I put it on, it was meant to plump up my lips, but it got really hot. My lips felt like they were on fire. The burning, the stinging sensation is like somebody took a habanero and just rubbed it all over my lips. Really, really, really burny. It's a product meant to stimulate your lips to get plumping or swelling action to make your lips look more voluminous and bigger and puffier, and they claim it makes your lips look redder because it's stimulating that irritated response, that inflammation response on your skin."
"This serum was so so helpful. My skin was feeling quite dry and it immediately just mended up the peeling skin. I was very very impressed with this. I really do recommend this product for damaged moisture barriers, really vulnerable weak skin, skin that has been through it and needs repair. To me this isn't really a barrier maintenance product, you absolutely could use it that way, but it really is something that you reach for when your skin is in the worst state. This really helped it get back to where it needed to be. This product is a little rich for me. It does have a creamy texture, it's not like a loose runny gel cream texture, it's a true cream type of texture. With all those lipids in the formula that really helped to repair the skin, it can be a little bit overwhelming for certain skin types. For me I am a little bit congestion prone."
✓Approved
78%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on Triple Lipid Collagen Activating Serum
February Faves + Fails | Skinfix, Peach & Lily, Dr. Dana Nails, Tir Tir
"This serum was so so helpful. My skin was feeling quite dry and it immediately just mended up the peeling skin. I was very very impressed with this. I really do recommend this product for damaged moisture barriers, really vulnerable weak skin, skin that has been through it and needs repair. To me this isn't really a barrier maintenance product, you absolutely could use it that way, but it really is something that you reach for when your skin is in the worst state. This really helped it get back to where it needed to be. This product is a little rich for me. It does have a creamy texture, it's not like a loose runny gel cream texture, it's a true cream type of texture. With all those lipids in the formula that really helped to repair the skin, it can be a little bit overwhelming for certain skin types. For me I am a little bit congestion prone."
This or That? Peach & Lily vs Skinfix Barrier Repair Serums | ep 32
"I was really surprised at how fast it worked. Within just a few applications the flakiness was going away, within about maybe 5 days maybe a week that rawness was really gone, almost completely. Within a week my skin was feeling so much stronger. Within two weeks my skin was feeling great. I was very impressed with not only how this worked for my skin but how fast it worked. After week two I noticed that my skin was starting to get very congested while I had this in my skincare routine morning and night. I think this may not be an everyday type of serum for my personal skin. I do have combination skin and I am congestion prone, and I think this was just a little bit too much lipids, just a little bit too much emolliency. Once my skin had gotten nice and strong again I think it was just too much for me, so I did discontinue use and within a few days that congestion did go down. I do want to put that warning out there for those who may be prone to too much emolliency or prone to congestion or maybe acne prone, this may not be the perfect thing for you. But I'm really seeing this serum as that very strong healer for very, very, very depleted, deficient moisture barriers."
This or That? Peach & Lily vs Skinfix Barrier Repair Serums | ep 32
"Within a week my skin was feeling so much stronger, within two weeks my skin was feeling great. I was very impressed with not only how this worked for my skin but how fast it worked. After week two I noticed that my skin was starting to get very congested while I had this in my skincare routine morning and night. I think this may not be an everyday type of serum for my personal skin. I am leaning very dry right now in the winter but I do have combination skin, and I am congestion prone, so I think this was just a little bit too much lipids, just a little bit too much emolliency. Once my skin had gotten nice and strong again, I think it was just too much for me, so I did discontinue use, and within a few days that congestion did go down. For those who may be prone to too much emolliency, maybe prone to some congestion or maybe acne prone, this may not be the very perfect thing for you. But I'm seeing this serum as that very strong healer for very, very depleted, deficient moisture barriers. I was very impressed with how fast this worked, how it really helped to mend up the skin, and it helped to address the multiple symptoms: the irritation, the inflammation, the rawness, the flakiness, the dehydration."
"This feels amazing on my skin, it's right up my alley. I don't really see fragrance, I don't really smell anything, so this is looking like it is a fragrance free option. Especially if you like a little bit more nourishment and moisture at night time, especially in cold temperatures, this could be a really great option."
"This is the KAINE Vegan Collagen Youth Cream and OMG I'm obsessed with the texture because it's buttery and moisturizing but also hydrating. I really like that but it's not heavy, it actually has this like airy, almost whipped texture to it while still maintaining a lot of richness. This brings a lot of the balance that my skin is craving in a cream: a good amount of moisture but not a lot of thickness. I do like that this actually offers a little bit of a glow. This cream does offer a really nice base for sunscreen and makeup. It's also been really helping with brightening and hyperpigmentation after some breakouts, and I love that it's all in one, multiple benefits in one product."
"I want to shout out the Dr. Jart Jelly Bear Lip Mask. This is the unscented version in the blue container and I am absolutely loving this for so many reasons. The product itself is very good. It is an unscented lip mask and I find that fairly difficult to find. If you are a sensitive lip girly and you don't want to use fragrance in your lip masks, your options are limited. There are a few products for sure that are unscented, but they're just okay in my opinion. There are just so few of them, so few options to choose from, especially if you ever want to go shopping at Sephora for lip masks. Good luck finding fragrance-free products there for your lips. This one is unscented, which is really valuable if you have sensitive lips and want to avoid fragrance."
"I don't like the balm that they sometimes bundle with this. I don't think it's a very good lip balm, quite honestly. There's some ingredients in them that actually make my lips feel irritated and kind of numb. There's like peppermint oil in it and some fragrant compounds. I was actually surprised that a dermatologist branded line would use ingredients like that in a lip product, especially considering that we're putting it over an AHA that kind of opens up the lips for more absorption. They make my lips feel really weird and numb."
"I've been really into this Neutrogena Lip Sleeping Mask as well. This is fragrance-free but it's just a really nice thick lip balm. I use it during the day as well. It doesn't have to be strictly for sleeping. It feels really nice and very moisturizing for the lips."
"This is the Lancôme Lip Glowy Balm and I really like this because it's balmy, it's not sticky. There's just like a little something something to it that's really pretty."
"My lips are feeling super dry so I'm going to put on a layer of the Torin Solid-in Lip Essence. It's a really nice restorative type of lip balm but it has that really kind of appealing, really high gloss kind of a look, but it actually does restore dry and chapped lips."
"I don't like the texture of this balm. It's very stiff, it doesn't really melt, it doesn't become balmy. It's very stiff, it's kind of sticky, and I don't find it to be very moisturizing. It really just kind of sits in like this kind of sticky thick layer at the top of your lips, but it doesn't really moisturize or hydrate or really honestly plump. This isn't plump deep within the skin at all, and that's really what my skin wants. I want deep down replenishment, deep down moisturization. This just really doesn't do that."
"This is the Urban Decay Primer Potion. And this stuff lasts me forever. I know sometimes people are like, 'Oh, there's better ones or there's cheaper ones.' And I'm like, 'I know, but like I never empty my tube.' Um, so it's going to be a while for me. Um, but I do need a little bit of primer on my lids. Eyeshadow primer is a must for me."
✓Approved
72%of gurus approve
All 3 takes on Eyeshadow Primer Potion
GRWM Barbie Movie | AD ft KAINE
"I'm applying a little bit of the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion because my lids are actually a little bit oily even not in the summer time. I have to tell you my lids for whatever reason just do not want to let makeup stay on them unless I do some primer and unless I'm using the proper product. So I want to make sure that my lids don't get smudgy and oily throughout the day."
"This is the Urban Decay Primer Potion. And this stuff lasts me forever. I know sometimes people are like, 'Oh, there's better ones or there's cheaper ones.' And I'm like, 'I know, but like I never empty my tube.' Um, so it's going to be a while for me. Um, but I do need a little bit of primer on my lids. Eyeshadow primer is a must for me."
Filming Routine | Do Skincare, Hair and Makeup With Me!
"This is the Urban Decay eyeshadow primer. It's definitely a necessity for a filming day, and I do call them filming days because they are marathon days. I do not film usually one video at a time, sometimes I do, but it makes it easier for me to get up the amount of content that I do if I do more than one in a day."
"This is the Natasha Denona I Need a Nude eyeshadow palette. I've had this one for just about a year now and I really like it. It's a bit crumbly though, as you see I did lose one of the pink glitter eyeshadows unfortunately because it just popped out of the pan and I couldn't save it."
"These little false lash clusters are so cool. They come in two sizes, a medium and then a long. I don't mess around too much with the medium ones but the long ones are what I'm after because these guys are so pretty right at the outer corner of your eye. I usually just use one cluster, if I'm going for a little bit more I might do two or three, but it just gives a little bit of a swoop and a pretty shape to my eye. Because it's a small cluster the glue starts to dry pretty quickly so you want to move fairly quickly."
"This is the NYX Brow Glue and I like this just to kind of help the hairs stay in place. I like them brushed up just a little bit, not a full-on like soap brow, but like close."
"Adapalene, particularly good retinoid for acne prone skin. La Roche-Posay actually sells one that you can get without a prescription. Retinoids can be very beneficial here for brightness and smoothness of the skin, and they're particularly helpful for controlling acne and inflammation. I do suggest building at least one into your skincare routine."
"I was showing you the Peach and Lily Retinol for All serum. It does use retinol, and I loved that so much. It's empty, which means I used the whole thing. I really feel like this is a great fit for where I'm at right now with my journey with retinoids."
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All 4 takes on Retinol for All Renewing Serum
Fall PM Retinal Skincare Routine + Why I Stopped Tretinoin
"I was showing you the Peach and Lily Retinol for All serum. It does use retinol, and I loved that so much. It's empty, which means I used the whole thing. I really feel like this is a great fit for where I'm at right now with my journey with retinoids."
Ranking Summer Skincare Empties! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
"This is one of my favorite higher percentage exfoliants available in the K Beauty world. I really really love this product. This is actually the product that I used when I discontinued my tretinoin prescription and I went right into this product and I don't regret it at all. This was the perfect bridge for me. It is a potent product but it's a lot gentler than prescription tretinoin. They've formulated it in a way that helps your skin accept the retinol dehydrogenase, which is a little bit more potent than retinol. It takes one less conversion step on the skin to turn into retinoic acid so it is effective and potent, but they've just formulated it in a way that feels so balanced and it was really easy for my skin to accept this. I got really nice results with that retinoid glow. I did not lose that from coming off tretinoin and I didn't really lose anything from stopping my tretinoin and continuing with a good retinoid like this one."
How I Cycle My Skincare Actives Through the Week | Routine and Tips
"This is Peach and Lily Retinol for All Renewing Serum. It uses 0.1% of retinol dehydrogenase, and there's also ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids, and some ectoin in here. It really is designed to keep your barrier strong as you're using this product so that the retinol isn't too aggressive on the skin."
July Faves | Peach & Lily, Dermatica, Dr. Jart, Purito, Naked Sundays
"I really landed on the Peach and Lily Retinol for All serum. It's 1% retinol, which is a little bit more potent than retinal because it takes one less conversion step on the skin so it works a little bit faster and is a little bit more potent even in smaller percentages. I really like the formula because it's really focused on barrier care with ceramid, cholesterol, and fatty acids. There's ectoin, which is a great ingredient for keeping the skin hydrated, and that's important because your skin feeling dehydrated can be part of the retinoid scaries. It's got the lipids that keep your barrier strong so that you can tolerate the retinol. My skin's doing great with this, it's really taking to it well, and I'm still seeing the results in the mirror."
"I started off with azolic acid with prescription online services so I first started with Curology back in 2016 and continued onward with their sister brand Agency, which I currently use now."
"Tretinoin is a prescription ingredient here in the United States, so you would need to go to a dermatologist to obtain a prescription or you can use an online dermatology service. I have used Curology, I've used Agency, and I've also used Dermatica, and all three of them I've had really positive, good success with, and I've also been able to combine my tranexamic acid and tretinoin with all three of these services. Tranexamic acid is a really brightening ingredient, and I was not prepared for how it was going to meaningfully brighten sun damage. Tretinoin has helped me with that for sure, but tranexamic acid was like the accelerant to getting me to that goal."
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All 3 takes on Retinoid
All About Azelaic Acid + Product Recs!
"I have personally used Dermatica to obtain azelaic acid, and I do really enjoy this method of obtaining azelaic acid. Where these services really shine is their ability to combine other active ingredients that are a little bit more customized to what your skin needs. I've been trying out Dermatica because I just kind of wanted to expand my horizons a little bit."
10 Top Tips for Tretinoin | AD ft Dermatica
"I love online services because it's easy, it's affordable, and it's just really accessible. I also love that they do compound formulas at Dermatica so you're getting two active ingredients that are custom for your skin and your skin goals. Not only am I getting 0.5% of tretinoin, which is what I've been using for a while now, but I'm also getting 8% of azelaic acid, which I've been using since about 2015 to keep my congested skin really clear. It was really life-changing for me when I started using this ingredient. It's affordable. You're going to get two bottles shipped at a time for a 2-month supply, and that's $59.60 that builds every 2 months, which is so much less than going into the doctor's office. I found my provider to be really responsive and very helpful and very personable in our communications. It's been really easy whenever I have a question to just quickly send a message and get answers back that are thoughtful, personalized, and very quick. They really help you every step of the way, especially if you're a beginner."
5 Ingredients That Changed My Skin for the Better!
"Tretinoin is a prescription ingredient here in the United States, so you would need to go to a dermatologist to obtain a prescription or you can use an online dermatology service. I have used Curology, I've used Agency, and I've also used Dermatica, and all three of them I've had really positive, good success with, and I've also been able to combine my tranexamic acid and tretinoin with all three of these services. Tranexamic acid is a really brightening ingredient, and I was not prepared for how it was going to meaningfully brighten sun damage. Tretinoin has helped me with that for sure, but tranexamic acid was like the accelerant to getting me to that goal."
"This is the dew blush in the color baby. And it is this really gorgeous cool toned candy kind of pink color that I'm absolutely obsessed with. I do have some neutral to cool undertones in my skin, so this really suits my skin so nicely. So just a couple dots and then I just blend it in with a brush. I love all of these cream textures. This blush just has a really nice hydrating kind of effect to it. It really emphasizes the finish that I'm going for, which is just really dewy, hydrated, healthy looking skin."
"This is the Lily by Red Love Beam Cheek Balm and it is this cute little heart compact. This is more of a creamy kind of blush with really a very subtle kind of dusty sort of a pink but really pretty. I can see that working for a lot of different skin tones, just giving a tiny little bit of flush of color."
"I think this is a really good book um I'm really impressed with the content of this book"
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All 4 takes on R.E.D Blemish Clear Soothing Cream
September Faves | Paula's Choice, Unove, Dr. Idriss, The Science of Beauty
"I think this is a really good book um I'm really impressed with the content of this book"
Only 5 Products? Skincare I'm Taking to a Deserted Island
"This toner does it it's really watery It's Quickly absorbed in the skin and it's layerable"
Testing 5 Dupes for Laneige Cream Skin Refiner OG Formula!
"To me the performance is similar but it wasn't neck and neck the way isant tree was"
Good, Better, Best Skincare Empties!
"It has a more interesting texture, more pleasant and elegant texture. It is hydrating and light but it's not so runny. It's quickly absorbed and it's not sticky. It's just more elegant all around. The use of the product is really fantastic."
"This is a nice silky lotion with a really pleasing feel between your fingers, but it actually doesn't absorb very quickly into the body. It does leave quite a bit of streaks, and you really have to work it in to get it to absorb. Even when you towel dry your skin after a shower or bath, it's still not soaking in without really rubbing and rubbing it in. I just don't have to do that with CeraVe and Cetaphil, which I get a lot more product for a lot less money. It's fussy, and I just don't feel like I want to use this."
"I'm just going to conceal some spots with the Tower 28 Serum Concealer and then before blending that in I'm using YSL Touche Éclat. The extra concealer just really perfects my base."
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All 2 takes on Serum Concealer
GRWM YouTube Creator Collective Chicago Meet Up!
"This is the serum concealer from Tower 28 and I just started using this and I really like it. The color is a 1E or IE and it's a pretty decent match but it has really good coverage. They actually talk about how it's good for your under eye area because it has really good concealing properties for dark circles. It has really good coverage, and I'm using it to conceal my dark spots that are still peeking through a little bit."
Filming Routine | Do Skincare, Hair and Makeup With Me!
"I'm just going to conceal some spots with the Tower 28 Serum Concealer and then before blending that in I'm using YSL Touche Éclat. The extra concealer just really perfects my base."
"This is the Nars light reflecting foundation and the color is Doville. I like to start with one pump and see where I end up because this is a not cheap foundation. I like to put just a little bit on and spread it in a nice really even and thin layer."
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All 3 takes on Light Reflecting Foundation
GRWM Barbie Movie | AD ft KAINE
"I really really like this because it is, as the name says, light reflecting. It definitely does help smooth out your skin in that light perfecting way, but it also does not settle into enlarged pores or fine lines. I was able to spread it in a nice even layer across my face and get away with using less, which I like because there's less product that can melt on your skin. The foundation is medium coverage and definitely buildable, but I don't really need to do that because I'm getting that nice even coverage with just one pump where normally I would probably be doing two pumps. The foundation is not cheap, but I really like it."
"This is the Nars light reflecting foundation and the color is Doville. I like to start with one pump and see where I end up because this is a not cheap foundation. I like to put just a little bit on and spread it in a nice really even and thin layer."
Filming Routine | Do Skincare, Hair and Makeup With Me!
"I really don't like how those feel. I like how this feels like a skincare product. It feels light and hydrating. It doesn't weigh my skin down but it does just the right amount of smoothing for my skin and just the right amount of grip without feeling uncomfortable. This is the Nars light reflecting Foundation. As far as filming makeup goes, this is what I've been wearing for at least two years now. Once I find something that works for me, I just stick with it. This is also not cheap, but I have to say it really is worth it. This is my go-to foundation. When it comes to blasting a ton of light on my face and filming like in 4K and all of that, you really need something that is going to perform, and I personally feel like this does. It's a medium coverage foundation that's buildable, and that's what I like. It also feels pretty comfortable for my skin and it is fragrance-free."
"Strate Lipid Gold, I wiped off all the print on my bottle because it started coming off and then I was getting like print on my face, so I just used a towel and rubbed it rigorously and most of it came off. So now I don't have that issue. It sucks for the packaging but that's not going to stop me from using it. I love that glow."
"A couple of years ago, I got a Shark hair dryer and it really changed the game for me. It made it a lot easier for me to dry my hair in like 20 minutes instead of like half an hour even or longer and to get it fully dry too, not just like good enough dry. And so I actually started drying my hair after I washed it. And that has made a huge difference because now I'm not sleeping on wet hair and I'm not sustaining as much damage."
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All 2 takes on Shark Hair Dryer
My Holy Grails for Shiny, Healthy Hair! | 2025 Favorite Hair Care
"A couple of years ago, I got a Shark hair dryer and it really changed the game for me. It made it a lot easier for me to dry my hair in like 20 minutes instead of like half an hour even or longer and to get it fully dry too, not just like good enough dry. And so I actually started drying my hair after I washed it. And that has made a huge difference because now I'm not sleeping on wet hair and I'm not sustaining as much damage."
My Go-To Hair Care Routine
"I did get this a couple of years ago and it actually does speed up the blow drying process and that's really my struggle with drying my hair before I go to bed is it just takes like a good 30 minutes to dry all of this hair. With the Shark I don't even remember what this is called, it says IQ, I think they only have one hair dryer. This has a more powerful motor and it just seems to dry my hair a lot faster."
"This is the three-step system that I've been using that I really like. What I was most impressed with was the priming wand, and it is sold separately on the Dr. Dana site. I think they've taken a lot of care with really helping to transform nails that are uneven, that have those little breaks and ridges and peels in them, and really help smooth that out but also get that nice protective polish."
"Super Goop Resetting Mineral Powder offers SPF 35 and it's a zinc oxide powder, so there is some sunscreen protection in here. It's not going to give you super duper full coverage sunscreen protection, but it's actually kind of a nice product for touch-ups, especially when you want a little extra sun protection or you want to control oil. Not only does it help to take down the shininess just because it is a powder product, but I find this one to be pretty good at controlling oil. It's just nice to get that little extra coverage when you are touching up in the middle of the day."
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68%of gurus approve
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