I use actives every other day, and on my ‘days off’, I really focus on hydration. 

Obviously, we all know how overusing actives is a recipe for disaster, so I wondered how many ‘days off’ you give your skin?

How many ‘days off’ do you give your skin?

I’m always so interested in skincare tips and tricks, so would love to know all of yours!

Mine are definitely:
〰️ using a lancet to pop a pimple, and squeeze it with q tips only. No fingers or fingernails!!
〰️ not using a cleanser in the morning
〰️ not always sticking to my set weekly routine. If my skins barrier isn’t looking the best, I’ll skip actives for a while (I typically use them every other day)
〰️ never looking in magnifying mirrors 
〰️ thin, hydrating layers, over one or two thick and heavy ones
〰️ no face touching and keeping my hair tied up if it’s greasy
〰️ Sudocrem is king when it comes to shaving/plucking pimples and ingrown hairs
〰️ making my routine do-able. If I have a super complicated and long routine, chances are I’ll skip it all together 
〰️ taking before and after pictures of my skin when trying a new product 
〰️ working out what ingredients my skin likes and dislikes
〰️ pimple patches are life

What are the BEST skincare tips you’ve learnt along the way?

Hi all!

I’ve been shaving for over 10 years now, and everytime I apply moisturiser/lotion to my legs the same day as I’ve shaved, my legs come up in a horrible red, rasied and itchy rash. however, if I apply lotion the day after, my legs never react. I’ve tried multiple different lotions, and they all do the same! Can anyone suggest why this happens, and also a product that you think would help combat this? 

Secondly, whenever I shave my bikini area, I’ll get horrendous red spots and infected ingrown hairs. I always use a fresh razor, exfoliate, apply a thick layer of Sudocrem after (the only thing I’ve found that helps reduce the irritation!), etc, etc. but I’ve not found anything that stops it/reduces the shaving side effects!
Has anyone found a product that helps tackle this issue aswell please?

I used to do my own laser hair removal, however I haven’t done it in a very long time due to my health, and I’m hoping to start again soon, but in the meantime, any advice or product recommendations would be much appreciated! 🫶🏼

Rash and ingrown hairs after shaving legs and bikini area

Hi everyone!

I have a condition called hEDS, and long story short, it means my body makes all my collagen faulty. Even if I introduced collegen supplements, my body would break it down, which ruins the purpose of taking them. 

Because of this, I’ve began to develop quite a few stretch marks, especially on my thigh areas and behind my knees. 

I’ve started microneedling treatments on my older stretch marks, but I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions of products or treatments I could introduce to try and reduce them? I know you can’t ever fully get rid of them, but they’re starting to make me feel super self conscious (I’m slightly weird and I don’t care if other people see or notice my “imperfections”, but they only upset me). I’ve always been really proud of how I never let my imperfections bother me, but this has really hit me hard. 

Would dry brushing daily help? Would a thick hydrating cream slow them down? Or should I just stick with the microneedling treatments?

I’d love to get them covered with tattoos, but I’d hate for more to form after they’ve been tattooed, which is very very likely. I’ve seen some people offer specific stretch mark tattoos, which they tattoo over them with a colour to match your skin, which I think may be the best option to “cover them”

Thank you all so much in advance 🫶🏼

Stretch Marks and Faulty Collegen

I love seeing peoples skincare hauls, and would love to know yours!

Here’s mine (plus a essence which isn’t on Picky yet 😪)!

What’s in your most recent skincare haul?

- Love the colours of the packaging, but the material of the bottle feels a little cheap, but definitely not the end of the world.

Still VERY early days with using this product, but heres my thoughts so far:
- no scent which i prefer. I will still use products with fragrance in as they dont seem to cause any negative effects for me personally, but i always appreciate a product without strong fragrance 
- only have to use 4-6 drops for full face so will last a while
- £12.99 so affordable for my financial situation 
- calms down redness very quickly
- seems to be tackling my dairy breakout
- dark packaging so no sun will be able to shine through
- has a dropper ‘wiper’ inside the bottle so no product clogs up all around the dropper. Not seen this on any other packaging before
- the brand explains every single ingredient and its use on all their products packaging. Perfect for people who dont know what certain ingredients are
- explains on bottle where to add the serum into your routine, so perfect for people just getting into skincare or who gets confused by the order of application
- Byoma is becoming widely stocked in the UK, so very easy to find and repurchase their products
- the brand focuses on products that protect and are skin barrier repairing 
- if things continue the way theyre going, i know this will become a staple in my routine!

The purging stage when you first start is NOT fun, but so worth it. 

It completely transformed my skin. I had quite bad acne, and was prescribed this, alongside an antibiotic. Whilst i do still get breakouts, they consist of one or two spots, and they heal so much faster than they used too!

- Very strong spray. Definitely not a ‘light mist’ which can be very annoying
- typically have to tap the spray into my skin after using, overwise it makes me look like ive dunked my face in a bowl of water

- i use this whenever i take off my face mask to prevent maskne 
- hydrating
- cools the skin (bonus for summer and hotter days!)
- bottle doesnt leak so i can keep it in my bag without worrying itll leak

- can pill really badly (niacidamides are known to pill), so have to be careful with what else i use in my routine 
- not the biggest fan of the packaging as the hole and around it always has excess product around it which dries white

- really helps with controling oil
- saw insane results when i used it before Epiduo
- doesnt irriate my skin at all
- affordable and sold in multiple places
- no overpowering smell

I wish these werent so expensive, and there was less packaging

These are the only patches i have used that have ever worked on my cysts! I love how they come with a wipe too, to remove any sebum/product/etc first, which allows the patches to firmly stay on. 

Brooke13