So my brother recently came to me for skincare advice because he knows I’ve been getting deep into it myself 👀🔎

I’m looking for no nonsense, affordable product recommendations and routine suggestions for him! 💧🌱

He definitely wants a cleanser and an SPF because in his words he wants to “look young forever” haha 😂

He is 30 years old, normal skin (with some small pigmentation spots on his cheeks, not noticeable but he’s conscious of them and doesn’t want any more developing). They’re just very small dark spots, maybe freckles or sun spots? ☀️

But otherwise he doesn’t get particularly oily nor dry! He has a clear complexion.

Recommendations for ethnic skin in particular would be fab please as he’s Black/mixed race/bi-racial 🌍✨

Recommendations and advice from male Picky users with similar skin/concerns would of course be ideal, but I will look into all and any suggestions.

Thanks everyone! ❤️

Simple men’s routine anyone? 🙋🏾‍♂️

Hi all,

First off I’m super happy to be there - been lurking (haha) on Picky for a few weeks now and it is sooo refreshing to see honest reviews by real people! This app has really helped me cut through the white noise and marketing bullsh*t that’s rampant in skincare as a whole. I’m surprised this isn’t more of a cultural phenomenon!? I found Picky through Insta and I am blown away. Skincare is no longer a dark art? Hooray!

Anyway, I am here with a genuine question and hoping you lovely people can help me. I don’t know if I’m being extra or wanting an excuse to spend more money (this is possible lmao) but is it worth having two or more different cleansers? Specifically an AM and PM one. I ask as someone with problem skin on her cheeks, the acne is REAL. 

I feel like I’m constantly chasing it around and that my skin is under siege. I think it’s hormonal because my forehead? Clear. Chin? Clear. Temples? Clear. I have post acne marks here and there and scarring on my cheeks from picking and popping, esp as a teen 😒 (what I would tell my younger self sigh!) I’m nearly 25 and my cheeks just won’t quit.

So I’m wondering if it’s worth investing in different cleansers? I’ve been using Holika Holika’s aloe gel cleanser but I got COSRX’s good morning low PH one as my next trial and (hopefully) no error! Nearly finished my Holika one so looking forward to trying that. This will certainly be my morning one.

So how about an afternoon one? Or shall I stick with what I use in the morning? I find my acne develops through the day, I rarely wake up in the morning with a huge spot unless I’ve been bad to myself and didn’t do my night routine lol😴🤕

Comments and suggestions welcome! Fragrance-free if possible though please. Any other products recommendations welcome too. Pic to see my struggles - believe it or not that’s a pretty good day!

I’m wondering if probiotic supplements or benzyl peroxide/acnecide cream might help?

Apologies for the long post! Thought I’d make my debut question a good one though 😂😅🥳

Morning vs Afternoon Cleansers? Acne prone skin SOS!🚨

Been on the hunt for an SPF lip balm for a while now and I went with Bondi Sands because they’re well reviewed. I wasn’t disappointed! 

Firstly the vanilla flavour is lovely - tastes like popcorn! I try not to eat it obviously but 😅 Second it spreads really evenly and comes out the tube like a balmy paste as pictured. The applicator is great. 

Don’t let the shea butter warning fool you if you have oily&#47;combo skin like me - it’s ideal for nourishing dry lips! I’m also bad and often nibble&#47;peel my lips, so this is my perfect companion, and actually it’s helping me to stop. And of course it protects them from sun damage. Win win💫

This is my first glycolic acid product and the bar has been set high! I love Rev’s skincare and though their products can be hit and miss this is a definite hit! I have acne prone skin (like cystic bumpy acne😓) and this coupled with my blemish paste afterwards has been amazing. Glycolic acid is a powerful AHA and combined with the mineral clay and panthenol to soothe and promote healing, honestly lightens up my redness and post acne pigmentation. This might even be my MVP - most valuable product!

I’ve been searching for an exfoliating peel treatment for ages but I was worried a BHA&#47;AHA peel would be too strong and I’d seen loads of mixed reviews on such products. I settled for Cosrx’s soft peel in the end because I have their Good Morning cleanser and saw positive reviews on the whole. So glad I did! It’s really gentle and has a great formula with ingredients such as niacinamide and glycerin. It advises to apply onto damp skin and quickly rolls and peels away, with a rinse to properly cleanse. Skin feels refreshed afterwards and it’s great for someone with acne prone skin like me.

Big things come in small packages. Or great products come in small tubes! This is a powerful but gentle paste. You use it sparingly and only when you have active acne. It’s not meant for all over, daily application. I’m incorporating it into my evening routine when my cheeks are flaring up and leave it overnight, smoothing and tapping it into affected areas. Before and after image shows the improvements after my first use! It’s reduced my redness for example. Bear in mind I got this product yesterday. Has it fixed my skin completely? No, no product does that. But it has made a difference and I’m happy with it, especially after just one night. Definitely beats drying lotions and harsh alcohols. And the price point? Absolute steal.

It contains shea which Picky warns against for people of my skin type - oiliness! But I don’t have mega oily skin and personally haven’t had issues with it. I wouldn’t recommend this product to seasoned retinoid users either, this is very much in the slow lane of vitamin A products! Nothing negative to say of the product itself - it’s a great starter!

After much fretting and worrying about retinol and its potential flaring side-effects with initial use (serial cheek acne sufferer here!) I took the plunge and chose this product for its claims of gentleness and also other people’s reviews. I’m almost 25 and I know the recommendation is to start using retinoids in your 20s to get the most out of it. And here I am!

I started off using this just once a week, going nice and slow, just one pump at night after cleansing, toning, and treatments and so forth. I used it after moisturising. The product is creamy, smooths over well, very subtle scent. Expensive smelling actually! But it’s not a pervasive fragrance by any means. The morning after applying, I noticed some new whiteheads would appear. I put this down to mild purging.

Recently, after 4-5 weeks of once-weekly applications at night, I’ve stepped it up to 2-3 times a week as a night cream. So this goes on after my serums have absorbed! Seen great results! Inflammation and post acne marks visibly reduced the next morning. I’m looking forward to using this in conjunction with tranexamic acid as I’ve read that’s meant to complement retinol really well.

Duelly