I have been battling acne for 3yrs now and the one thing I noticed althroughout the times I've had acne and breakout are well-timed.
You see my first breakout Happened on October of 2020 til I recovered my skin to Jan 30, 2021
I enjoyed my acne-free skin to the fullest, then it happened again on 2021 of October 25 til I slowly recovered on March of 2022... Now it's December and as I am writing this I had my First Angry Acne on Oct 7, 2022 and this is how my skin looked when I took a picture on Dec 8, 2022.
The routine I am using is still the same one I used when I recovered my skin on March of this year 2022 and have been consistent, except the moisturizer and sunscreen.

The ones that I only changed are moisturizers and sunscreen as they are expensive so I had to have an alternative. The moisturizer I changed into was good for my skin as well because the staple moisturizer I usually use were out of stock until just last month and I already bought 3 stock yesterday of the staple and will use it AFTER using up the alternative moisturizer I have. 
I figured I might have damaged skin barrier so I layered my toner, free of AHAs and BHAs, for repairing and strengthening skin barrier at morning, I switched my routine to simpler one by removing the niacinamide on my routine. So the routine should go Cleanser>Toner>Retinol(PM)>Moisturizer>(Sunscreen(AM))>Spot (Treatment (PM)). I barely touch my face anymore as I got rid of the habit by using spot patches, I've been consistent with my routine as well, I change my pillow sheet to satin and silk, I rarely use hair products despite my constant hair dyes, I also double-cleanse when I have makeup on, I also drink water, I smoke but that hasn't been a problem althroughout the years as I also smoked during my acne-free phase.

I don't know anymore what to exclude.. should I go more simpler by removing retinol from the routine? or should I reserve a more acne-focused routine just for my acne-szn months of October - Feb then go back to usual after recovering???? ugggh

Edit: It's the new years! and my breakout became manageable this season.
My skin improved alot compared to the last 2 breakout season, I ate alot last year and this year I am aiming to improve my eating habits as it was worst last year as i just ate and ate alot.
I reduced and removed alot of product for my acne szn routine discovering what works and not and it turns out my skin likes simple.
I apply moisturizer right after rinsing the cleanser when my face is dripping with lots of water and wait for it to completely dry followed by my tretinoin+hydroquinone, and lastly a thicc moisturizer to make up for the dryness.
My breakout became manageable as well because my diet now is just one meal a day, I am now also on a combined oral contraceptive to balance my wacky hormones.

Is it a Yearly Acne-szn for me

I got hooked in skincare late 2019 when I had a very sudden breakout out of nowhere.. I invested alot in differents sets and products, tried it for a week and would throw it away when it made it worse..I was ready to give up when I told myself that after buying this one specific skinacre line I would never buy another.. so I bought the complete skincare set of Apotheke.

Their cleanser which is a 100% Castile Soap (I just found out today that it has 8-9 pH level when I've been using it for almost almost 2 yrs.), toner (I love this one), 10% niacinamide serum (it was the only available dosage at that time), spot treatment, and brightening serum (which has 1% retinol that I didn't know what it was at the time and I've been using every day for 1yr) yet with all these infos now I didn't know how it worked with me but it did and here is the picture, I used this routine until 2020. You may say that I started my skincare journey with a BOOM since alot of the product's dosage are just so high.. my gosh.

Then just this 2021 I don't know if it's hormonal or just the stress, this was the hardest year since my late mom started battling cancer (I miss her), my face got worse as my mom's health started to degrade at a faster rate and after her cremation my face started to worsen by the end of december then january until now..and my previous routine doesn't seem to be working anymore... I have different sizes of pimple on my mouth area, chin area and my jaws. Rough patches on the sides of my face. I started using alternatives and replacing a step to cut some expenses.. (e.g. replacing my Apotheke cleanser for another but still using the Apotheke toner.)

My Current Routine consists of
- Saipo Mild Child Gel Cleanser
- Sage & Tera Matte and Nippy
- Good Molecules Vit C Powder
- +ful 10% Nicinamide (mixed with Vit C Powder)
- Hellow Glow Rosewater Soothing Gel
- Cerave Moisturizing lotion
- Any sunscreen I have in my stash but I mostly don't wear one unless I am going outside (I never go out much..my room is still dark even when it is very sunny outside I promise that no ray of sunshine passes through these curtains of mine)

PM Routine
- Fresh Cleansing Balm (I use only when I wear sunscreen or makeup during the day)
- Mild Child Gel Cleanser
- Tony Moly Rice Ceramide Toner (after emptying my Apotheke Toner)
- Apotheke 10% Niacinamide Serum (It still has alot left)
- Any tretinoin/retinol on my stash (I want to note here that I started out with 1% retinol)🙉
- Cerave Moisturizer

Exfoliation Routine (once a week only)
PM
- Mild Child Gel Cleanser
- +Ful 7% Glycolic Toner
- 2% Salicylic Acid
- 10% Niacinamide
- Cerave Moisturizer

‼️when I use 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide I use the regular AM routine minus the vitamin c
 ‼️I've gained some weight at the start of my mom's chemo as I reminded myself that I needed the strength to help her.. hence I went from 59kg to 70kg now.

Question: Should I just go back to the Full Apotheke skincare line or start building a proper skincare routine?

1st picture when my skin cleared due to Apotheke line which was on the set date.
2nd picture is my current selfie
3rd Products I use

I started the whole thing wrong

the dropper somehow can't reach the end of bottle giving me a hard time emptying the product.

🔑Key Ingredients
🌷10% Niacinamide - helps clear acne and inflammation,  brightens uneven skin tone, keeps your skin moisturized and glowing
🌷Azelaic Acid Derivative - lightens uneven skin tone, hydrates skin and control oil production
•🌷0.5% Centella Asiatica - anti-acne, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory

🪙Coin: ₱299 for 30ml of product, goes on sale every now and then so look out for it

⚗️Formulation: A clear and very viscous liquid that is not sticky at all, in fact it has a very smooth consistency when applied on skin despite its thiccness and I love every second of it

📦Packaging: comes in a white opaque glass dropper bottle giving it a clean and sleek look.

📝Verdict: Been using this for 1 year straight, it has helped me heal my breakout ever since and my skin loves feeling the smooth consistency when I apply this. It doesn't feel sticky at all when dry, it doesn't have any scent, and my skin absorbs the product easily. The product lasts me up to 2months with everyday use since 1 to 2 drop is enough for the whole face.
It also has the Azelaic Acid Derivative, specifically Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, which I found out can work as standalone or can be paired with other products, and what's more is that it is better than Azelaic Acid itself.

Happy 1 year to me and my relationship with this Serum ahahahaha.. thank you very much.

Picture of me holding a sunscreen: Dated March 3, 2022

Picture of me with Blue Hair: Dated Sept. 28, 2022

Edit: Pimples would still appear from time to time and I don't get annoyed by them anymore, I just treat them as any other pimples and would go away in itself as long as I don't pick on them, I don't touch it, and that I am consistent with my routine with no additional products. The good ones I have always used including this Niacinamide Serum I love and trust.

There is nothing bad with the ingredients and the product itself. I didn't have any bad reaction while using it. 
❌The packaging must've been expensive and well-thought but after using up the product what happens to the bottle? Can I reuse or fill it up with another product or do I throw the whole thing away?
It would really be bad for the environment as I don't know how to recycle their packaging.

I received this product for free from Picky and VVbetter in exchange for my honest review.

I've been seeing alot of reviews saying that eye creams are just expensive moisturizers, I've never considered using one but I do apply moisturizers on my entire face including the eye area, I've never seen any difference as I've always had prominent bags under my eyes, they're not dark but they're prominent, ever since I was a kid so I didn't put much thought into it even when I got hooked on skin care so whenever I use concealer I had to be very specific on the shade and where to apply it to minimize the prominence of my under eye which works in front of cameras but not in real life.

Regarding the VVBetter Firming Eye Cream I've only got the chance to use this for 7 days to actually see a difference on my bags, so I can't tell yet if it's working or making improvement. Along with the product, proper sleep is also essential to lessen the puffiness of the bags so if one always sleeps late it will be difficult to tell if the product is working or maybe it is but it will take longer than 7 Days to actually see the improvements.

📦Packaging: Very clean and slick, easy to use without making a mess, the stopper which you turn actually helps in preventing accidental spillage. The packaging would be a huge positive impact to the environment if it can be refilled, replaced with same product if available, or reused with other products like how I usually reuse cleansers that comes in pump bottles I can put other product in it like Hand Cleansers, Dishwashing soaps, and the like.. but I don't see how this packaging can be disassembled without ruining the bottle.

🧏🏽‍♀️Texture and Application: 1 pump was enough for both eyes, it's always suggested to use the ring finger for application as well. The feel of the cream after it has been absorbed by the skin is smooth velvet-like and no stickiness nor residue can be felt. 

📝Conclusion: It takes years and years for any product to see improvements and one has to be consistent of using it while also tracking it, so I can't tell yet if the Firming Eye cream is working on my already prominent eye bags. Eye creams are optional for some and an essential to others. This eye cream also makes concealers adhere better on my under eye area with it's smooth finish.

It lacks only on some areas like the need for this product to be included in a routine is slim, for the reason that if I needed a thick moisturizer I would buy myself a Cerave which has more product and does the same job with ceramides as well.

I received this product for free from Picky and THANK YOU FARMER in exchange for my honest review.

To start, I have used this product for 7 days straight.
I use this product as a kind of barrier on my undereyes, the sides of the mouth, and my lips as well before I apply my retinoids to prevent accidental application on those said areas.
As a person who has oily skintype, this product didn't work well for me as an overall face moisturizer it feels heavy on my skin even when I tried to apply as thinly as possible and try to pat it into my skin.
The ceramides are good addition for skin barrier restoration.

This is advertised as a Multi Balm stick that is only used for moisturizing and nothing more. (e.g dark spot correcting and lightening) which is a good product for people with dry skin type.
Besides its multi-use, the convenience of the packaging, and the anti-aging effect of moisturizing, I only find this as an optional addition to a routine rather than a necessary one as anti-aging is already being done actively by retinoids while sealing all of it with a moisturizer that is catered depending on the person's skin type. (i.e. oily skintype is recommended to use cream-gel type as it is light)
If one needs an extra moisturizer on-the-go this product is a great option.

Looking at the vid, I realized that the scraped balm stick's texture and consistency is very much similar with Cerave Moisturizing Cream, thick and has body.

Ingredients list can be seen on box but is not listed on the actual label of the product. This produces bubble-like white consistency when in contact with water.

A Holy Grail product for me, been using this for 2 and a half years now and my skin just drinks this toner up and does perform great on my visible pores, it also kept the whiteheads and blackheads on my nose at bay.
 It contains alot of AHAs and BHAs at a low percentage to gently exfoliate, good for daily use.

Living in a humid af country doesn't always go well for people who wear makeup especially one where you actually need to go heavy, and this toner helped me hydrate my skin to reduce oiliness but my skin still runs on the oily side as time passes which is expected.

⚗️ Texture/Consistency: It has a very runny consistency but a smooth serum-like texture when you rub it between your palms.

💸 Coin: I got this for ₱230 and contains 160mL of product on shopee.

🧏🏽‍♀️ Scent/Feel: Has a subtle minty scent since it also contains peppermint that I do not mind. Has a slight cooling-effect on the skin when applied.

📝Verdict: I use it everyday as a maintenance for my skin, it has kept my oiliness at bay, minimizes pores.
For application I always make sure my face is dry for this toner since it becomes slippery and produces a foam-like consistency when my face is damp.

Not the best but also not the worst, I just wouldn't use this under makeup.

Edit: this is the pilling I was talking about with the seller that informed me is normal is the deal breaker with this moisturizer.

To start, I am a fan of local skincare brands that are flourishing so when I stumbled upon Klued I was also ecstatic to have access to good products like their Salicylic Acid Cleanser as someone with an Oily and Acne-prone skin.

I've also tried many locally good moisturizers like Quickfx, Luxe Organix, and Baroness.
I tried this Oat Moisturizer for its affordability and good ingredients as well.. after encountering a problem I do not know if it's my skin or the product but it pills on me just one day after using it a couple of times.. I've built a habit of not touching my skin after moisturizer but had an itch on my face and pills started to go under my nails when I scratched so I rubbed my skin and lo and behold it pills on me.

I checked with the seller and said that it was normal and that it was because of the Oat in the product so I assumed it was normal.
So I checked with my other moisturizer to see and the results seem to say otherwise, since this is the only moisturizer that pills on its own and doesn't go well with my other products in the routine.


Renegade