One of my biggest skin concerns is very stubborn PIE which doesn’t lighten easily, and also forms because of literally anything. Even pimple patches will cause that. So the end result is I have a whole lot of reddish/purplish marks which concealers and color correctors will barely help with.
I’ve tried a quantity of different ingredients and products overtime (glycolic acid, mandelic acid, azelaic acid, aloe + nag, niacinamide, propolis, vitamin c although not constantly, salicylic acid as it were raining and I’m pretty sure there are some more). I’ve been thinking of trying alpha arbutin but I think it’s more targeted towards PIH than PIE. Should I? Do you have any other recs?

Products for PIE?

Hello! What is the serum/ampoule (or plural) that stole your heart, be it recently or on the long run? How did it do you in? 
I've recently started using this one from Vichy, I use the cleanser from the same line regularly (that one is also amazing, very deeply cleansing but slightly stripping on bad skin days), and I've found it really gentle and lightweight but no less effective. I use it every other day together with tretinoin and a good moisturizer! Not sure about the tag being correct, though.

What's your current holy grail serum(s)?

I had half a mind to incorporate a sunstick in my routine because when I'm outdoors it's often very awkward to reapply regular sunscreen. Spray ones get everywhere on my face and that's even worse, so I was considering maybe the BOJ sunstick because of the matte finish.
My only concern is: is it as protective? Or is it weaker than normal sunscreen?

Are sunsticks as protective as regular sunscreens?

I just got this in the mail and I can't wait to try it out in my AM routine. The texture seems absolutely lovely! I'm wondering about the niacinamide percentage though, did you find it enough? Did you scale up to a higher percentage?

Trying BOJ Glow Serum!

I have an almost completely acne clear cheek, and the other one is much more prone to breaking out. It's not even the side I sleep on, so I have no clue why this happens. It's always been like that as far as I remember. Does anyone have any ideas on why it happens?

Why do I break out on one side only?

I feel like this isn’t *very* hydrating. It’s just fine for me, having an oily skin and using a skin barrier serum, not to mention being very used to most treatments on market, but I wouldn’t recommend this to people with dry skin or just starting exfoliating treatments such as tretinoin or lighter. You might want to go for a more nourishing alternative that possibly takes care of your skin barrier as well, or combine it with a hydrating serum like I do. If your skin is sensitive to fragrances keep in mind this has some in it, although light. This is also slightly pricey although not bank breaking expensive (it was €24 at Sephora for me, but I’m sure there are cheaper places to buy from), but the jar is quite full of product and it lasts so it’s not a bad quality-price ratio. 

I love this moisturiser! I used to never moisturise, and I have been a daily .05 tretinoin user for 2.5 years - imagine the disaster. I was under the impression that I didn’t need any and that moisturising would make my skin even greasier. Bad information, self-punishing, fear, throw that all in. I tried this jelly cream after hearing it was very lightweight, and let me tell you - oily skin saviour. It is, indeed, very light as it is water based, and my skin loves it: it absorbs after a little bit, being slightly tacky at the beginning but not annoyingly and being a great makeup base for that, and when it’s fully absorbed it gives a dewy look without looking greasy (which happens a lot with oily skin, mine at least). It’s just the right amount of hydration I want in my double daily applications. It’s slightly fragranced, but it’s not strong nor did it give me any issues. It also seems to be quite long lasting as it takes not too much for me to achieve the light moisture I want. This is a 4/5 for me!

I have found nothing glaringly bad in my time of use. I suppose this might feel a bit tight for dry skin maybe? I can’t be sure though, so take this with a pinch of salt.

I’m always extra cautious with what I put on my skin because anything could be overdoing it and/or turn into a breakout, that’s acne skin for you. This mask though? A holy grail! I use it 2x a week for 15 minutes, and I find it beneficial for many reasons: it takes out a lot of redness from my skin, which is well prone to it (I use it in the evening, before going to bed, and the next morning the redness is GONE. My skin looks very calm and soothed each time), and the mask is deeply cleansing for the pores without being stripping (tip: I usually cleanse beforehand with a salicylic acid based cleanser, my usual choices are the Normaderm Phytosolution by Vichy or the Blemish Control Cleanser by Cerave). It’s deceptively small, but I’ve been using it for a month and I barely scraped the surface, the jar is quite full still. Better to applicate this with a spatula not to contaminate the product, or id you don’t have one a properly cleaned teaspoon handle will do just fine. 5/5, I would recommend giving it a try!

Nothing really, it’s a fantastic product

Best eyeliner I’ve ever used, and I wear it daily. It’s very pigmented, the tip is fine and durable (also not felt which is a win for me) and although it’s not waterproof it gets through the day like it was. I’ve washed my face and even cried with it on and it didn’t budge. Also quite affordable and worth it for the quality! I’ve been using mine for three months, daily, and it still looks brand new, so I think it will last for a while. A must have!

miaandtheskin