I've been advised to venture into trying Retinol. Among of the suggestions I've received are retinol from Paula's Choice & Medik8. Would appreciate more suggestions for newbies, please. Thank you!

Retinol for Noobs

I did not experience anything bad with this cleanser.

The scent is really mild, almost odourless. It foams up well and not excessively. I like that I only need to squeeze a small bit for a full face cleanse. There is a slight squeaky clean feel after washing off; I don&#39;t hate it but can&#39;t confirm about the pH balance part. As a daily cleanser I think it does nicely to remove excess oil and prepare the skin for the next steps. Nothing to dislike, and it does it&#39;s job, but to be frank, not mind-blowing, either.

In the morning I did notice that there were some residue pilling.

Scent is clean; not annoyingly strong. The packaging is very sturdy. The texture of the gelly is soft &amp; feels cooling on the skin, and I'm able to apply an even layer smoothly. I experience some stinging on my cheeks which lasts for a few minutes, but no redness or itchiness. It settles well onto skin &amp; absorbs nicely, similar to a gel moisturizer. This gelly does help to shrink the appearance of my pores &amp; make them not easily clogged up. Oil control is also easier to manage. Skin tone is noticeably more even &amp; complexion is clearer.

Not much essence, though, and the mask was not very moist. It dried up pretty fast.

Mask is actually two parts, which is interesting because I don&#39;t recall ever encountering a two-part charcoal mask. Scent is soothing &amp; not too strong. Upon removing, I could see that some redness I had had already disappeared, skin felt somewhat hydrated, and pores were in good condition. I would agree that this mask can provide fast soothing for some skin irritations you might have. Try it!

I did not experience anything bad with this product.

It&#39;s scentless, which I&#39;m really happy about as I dislike strong honey scent. It&#39;s viscous &amp; smooth, but absorbs fast, leaving just a mild tackiness. It pairs well with any mask I use after. I did notice a mild glow to the skin, and ample moisture. Works great to make the pores seemingly smaller, and there is no clogging. COSRX stuff usually doesn&#39;t work for me, so this was a pleasant experience.

I&#39;ve used this ampoule after clay masking and peeling treatments, and I find that it is a bit too mild for me. It helps to somewhat reduce redness, but doesn&#39;t fully disappear.

I could not detect any obvious scent from this ampoule. The dropper top is hygienic and works well; one full squeeze is enough for the whole face. The texture is viscous but absorbs fast without leaving any tackiness. It does give a boost of moisture to the skin, which I like. I don&#39;t usually use ampoules in the AM but will consider to include this as it is lightweight and doesn&#39;t clog pores.

Dayangku