I know a lot of us may have one holy grail product, but if you could pick ONE holy grail skincare brand to support until the end of time, which one would it be and why?!

I know it might be difficult to pick only one, but I thought this would be a fun question to ask 😬

I have a couple of holy grail products, but the one brand I could use forever and ever would be Naturium! I love that they’re so affordable, they’re clean and cruelty-free, are clinically proven, and tested by dermatologists so I know it’s good for my skin concerns!

Here are some of the products I have already used! Also, they recently launched an Acne Care collection (serum, cleanser, moisturizer, and spot treatment), and it is AMAZING 🤩 

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P.S. I am not being paid by them in any way lol Ever since my best friend introduced me to the brand, I have been trying my very best not to spend all my money 😅

One Brand and One Brand Only

I know there are some conflicting opinions on celebrity or influencer skincare or makeup brands. Overall I am 🤷🏻‍♀️ about them because really it’s just their name and marketing purposes, but there are three celebrity/influencer brands I actually am a fan of!

• Fenty Beauty
Only the makeup though 😬

• Holo Taco
Nail polishes by SimplyNailogical on YouTube!

• Naturium
Skincare by Susan Yara / Mixed Makeup on YouTube. I cannot get enough of them and the skincare i have bought from them actually works!

Do you have a favorite skincare or beauty brand by a celebrity or influencer? Share below!

Celebrity/Influencer Brands You Actually Love

I received my Face Republic giveaway gifts from Picky, and I am so excited to try them out 😊

Has anyone tried these products before? Any tips or tricks on how to get the best use out of them? I’d love to know!

I have received two other gifts from Picky - and SPF i use daily and then the cooling gel i use when needed. 

So these two are really my first “skincare routine” products I am going to incorporate into my usual skincare routine.

Thanks in advance!!

Product Routine Help - 2 New Products!

EDIT (12/11/22)
Thank you everyone for allowing me to vent and share how I am feeling! And for also sharing your thoughts. I know this isn’t like some sort of therapy app, but I really appreciate you for listening (well reading lol)!

It’s always great to hear from different individuals and learning about how to best approach this… or even just leave it be 🙂

——
ORIG. POST:

Not really a question or anything but feel free to chime in with your thoughts!

*inhale*

One of my friends loves skincare like everyone here, but she is OBSESSED with making her skin FLAWLESS. Like no blemishes, no dark spots, no pimples, no freckles, no texture, no pores, etc. NOTHING. She wants the photoshop glass skin unrealistic skin. 

She constantly buys products and if something doesn’t work by the time she’s finished with ONE bottle, jar, or tube, she doesn’t give it another go. I keep telling her consistency is key and sometimes you won’t see results right away. So maybe you need to get a second bottle or jar. But she ignores me and just buys buys buys — especially without looking at costs. 

Yes she is an adult and can do what she wants with her money, but it doesn’t help that she would text me about not having enough money for other things (like essentials such as rent, food, gas)… I was THIS tempted to tell her well maybe you shouldn’t spend so much 😬

Meanwhile I just want to maintain my skin’s health 😩 I used to want to have that “flawless” loook but I know I will never get there unless I do some sort of laser treatment which i cant afford LOL

We had a mini text “argument” over this because she was telling me how many products she uses in one routine (it’s a lot!), and I casually said “Nah I give up on all that! I just want to make sure my skin is healthy.” Sure I want to get rid of dark spots, pimples, and all that but my gosh I am not that into it like her 🥲

Tbh, her skin looks beautiful but i am also surprised she hasn’t damaged her skin barrier yet with all those acids and exfoliating! 

*exhale* Okay I just needed to vent 😅

I need to vent lol

If you were forced to get rid of your skincare collection BUT were allowed to keep only THREE items, which ones would they be?!

Here are mine!

Edit: I realized I didn’t include an SPF… and I am actually going to take that risk 😅 I’ll just stay indoors forever with my shades closed or something lol

Time to give up your skincare collection

There is nothing bad about this product so far!

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

𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧
The following details are from Amazon:

URBANAND Bubble Treatment for Refreshing Scalp
Light bubble treatment that nourishes rough hair damaged by hair dyeing, perming, or excessive heat. Formulated with ingredients such as green propolis and essential amino acid to help provide your hair and scalp with nutrition.

After shampooing, follow up with the bubble treatment - squeeze out as much water as possible after shampooing, apply an appropriate amount (I personally used 3-4 pumps), gently massage into hair, and rinse with lukewarm water.

𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗥
1. I wash my hair no more than two days a week. Usually on my second hair wash day I am using a scalp scrub and hair mask. I received these products two weeks ago... so I literally have only used these two products twice so far 😅

2. This bottle is huge - 16.9 fl oz. When you look at that and see that I wash my hair 1-2 days a week, you know it will probably take me a while to get through these products haha But this is my first Korean haircare product so I am actually excited to see what happens in the end!

3. I have fine, long-ish hair that is fairly straight (it has a bit of wave to it but not as much as before).

𝗠𝗬 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘/𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦 𝗦𝗢 𝗙𝗔𝗥
I am not used to a foaming shampoo or hair treatment (in fact, I don't think I have used a foaming fash wash in years!) because I use the traditional shampoo gel or creamy conditioner. It was interesting because at first I started off with 2 pumps because I thought it would be enough, but realized I needed an additional pump or 2 to manage my hair.

The scent is interesting. I am not sure how to describe it... maybe clean? Which is a good thing haha The scents of my previous haircare products have always been subtle and disappeared within an hour or so. For this duo, it was a bit stronger than I am used to but it's not a huge deal so far.

Like always, my hair and scalp felt pretty clean after washing so no issues there. No irritation, flaking, residue, inflammation, etc. So, like skincare, that is always a plus for me. My hair gets pretty oily within a few days, which is usually a sign for my second wash; with these products, my hair was no different so I wasn't that bothered by it.

But again, I used these products only twice so far so I cannot say right now if it really helps with the oiliness/greasiness. I will report back accordingly in a month or so 😊

Nothing bad so far! But I need to also try this product as a post-suncare item  😊

☀️ I received this product for free from Picky and ATOPALM in exchange for my honest review. ☀️⁣
⁣
𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢 𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗣𝗔𝗟𝗠⁣
A soothing, cooling gel lotion that could be used by everyone of all ages… including infants!⁣
⁣
A cool gel lotion formulated with ingredients such as ceramide, bamboo water, and botanical oils to help soothe and calm inflamed and irritated skin. Friendly for those with sensitive skin, acne-prone, and eczema. Can be used on the face and body.⁣
⁣
𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡⁣
This is such a lightweight gel lotion, I love it! It didn’t leave any sticky or greasy residue. There is no fragrance, so it’s perfect for those with sensitive skin and for those who are sensitive to smell. Absorbs pretty quickly so I wasn’t waiting for it to dry before putting on my clothes.⁣
⁣
𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘⁣
I found out the skin on my body versus face is more sensitive to fragrances (even natural fragrances). So I have to be very careful when using body skincare products — sometimes a scented product may work for me or it could leave me itching like crazy. ⁣
⁣
Well, there’s this random body lotion I picked up and when I did a patch test, it left my skin so itchy and inflamed. I was about to reach for this soothing oat lotion I had but I remembered this baby! Within minutes, my skin calmed and cooled down and it never felt so refreshing and relieving.⁣
⁣
I have to yet to use it for post-sun activities because I very rarely get out too much but I know this will not disappoint!⁣
⁣
𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦⁣
I rarely use body lotions (I am an oil and butter girl) but this gel-lotion combo is what I was looking for. This will be so helpful during the winter because my skin is drier and itchier!⁣
⁣
Thank you again to Picky + ATOPALM for letting me try this product 🤍

I did not find these balms moisturizing - I applied it on its own, after prepping my lips with a lip scrub and ointment, and even wearing it overnight (like how I would use my nighttime lip balm).

After about an hour or two, I could still see the color but my lips felt so dry. I thought perhaps my lips were too dry so I prepped with a lip scrub and a neutral ointment, but it did not help. I gave it another go and wore it overnight like my nighttime lip balm, but woke up the following morning with dry lips.

It's a bummer because these were my first K-Beauty lip balms and I was disappointed. While the colors are beautiful, I don't think I would purchase it on its own when I am finished.

Also the keychain and ribbons were cute, but I felt like they weren’t really needed since the hoop contraption at the end of the balm was enough to help me easily find and apply the lip balm.

While I wouldn’t call it a “con”, it’s mainly being aware of the usefulness of the extra additions because, like I said, they’re packaged great without the need for those. 

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

I received two different lip balm types. This review is for the Authentic Lip Balm.

The Authentic Lip Balm is made of nourishing vegan, plant-based butters that provides lasting moisture and a natural glow. 

One of the ingredients is plant-derived phytosqualane (derived from sugarcane) which forms a moisturizing barrier for your lips. They claim to leave your lips feeling smooth and plump with long-lasting, non-sticky moisturization. Friendly for those with sensitive, dry, and normal skin types.

For this lip balm type, I received two shades - Authentic and Low Key. 

Authentic is a natural pure pink, and Low Key is a muted peach-pink.

For the Authentic shade, I was expecting a clear balm; while it was noted as pink, my lips are darker so I wasn't expecting any pink to show. Though it applied clear upon application, within a few minutes it self-adjusted into a brighter pink! I did not realize I would receive one of the "pH-adjusting" makeup products, so I was surprised when I saw that.

For Low Key, it looks dark but when applied, it’s a beautiful neutral that still gave me a pop of color without being too bold or bright.

I am not mad about the colors! They're beautiful and add a pop of color. But honestly, that's where it ended for me...

✨ I received this product for free from Picky and Numbuzin in exchange for my honest review ✨⁣
⁣
The No. 5 Vitamin Concentrated Serum helps with brightening your skin, targeting blemishes, dark spots, hyperpigmentation, uneven skin tone, and dull skin. You can apply all over your face as well as apply extra drops on targeted areas.⁣
⁣
I started using it when my cystic acne was starting to subside, and I wanted to try this out on the pesky ones that left discoloration/dark spots. I love this serum so far! Initially I started using it in the morning and evening, but eventually ended up using it only in the evening. ⁣
⁣
Anyway, there is this pesky dark spot from a chin pimple (I did not pick it or mess with it) and, in just two weeks, I noticed a huge difference - the serum helped fade the dark spot by maybe 30%... and that's in two weeks! I am now using it consistently in the evening with the rest of my routine and excited to see how it looks!⁣
⁣
This is a product that I am interested in adding to my collection!

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

I received two different lip balm types. This is the review for the Authentic Lip Balm.

The Authentic Lip Balm is made of nourishing vegan, plant-based butters that provides lasting moisture and a natural glow. 

One of the ingredients is plant-derived phytosqualane (derived from sugarcane) which forms a moisturizing barrier for your lips. They claim to leave your lips feeling smooth and plump with long-lasting, non-sticky moisturization. Friendly for those with sensitive, dry, and normal skin types.

For this lip balm type, I received two shades - Authentic and Low Key. 

Authentic is a natural pure pink, and Low Key is a muted peach-pink.

For the Authentic shade, I was expecting a clear balm; while it was noted as pink, my lips are darker so I wasn't expecting any pink to show. Though it applied clear upon application, within a few minutes it self-adjusted into a brighter pink! I did not realize I would receive one of the "pH-adjusting" makeup products, so I was surprised when I saw that.

For Low Key, it looks dark but when applied, it’s a beautiful neutral that still gave me a pop of color without being too bold or bright.

I am not mad about the colors! They're beautiful and add a pop of color. But honestly, that's where it ended for me...

nicococoocoo