I’ve been struggling to find the perfect moisturizer for my sensitive, combo skin for the longest time. It’s getting pretty cold nowadays so I’m looking for a cream that isn’t too heavy or too light, but still provides enough hydration and occlusivity to the skin. I tend to avoid any moisturizers that have comedogenic ingredients, oils, alcohol, fragrance,  and essential oils. If anyone has any recommendations for me then please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it! When recommending products please mention your experience with it and how it worked for your skin as well. Thanks in advance ☺️💞

Edit: I’ve thought about purchasing the ETUDE HOUSE SoonJung Centella Hydro Barrier Cream and the PURITO B5 Panthenol Rebarrier Cream but I haven’t seen a lot of reviews on them. If anyone has tried either of these products before then please let me know what your experience was like! 😄

Best affordable winter moisturizers for combination, sensitive skin?

I’ve used a few BHA products in the past such as the PURITO Centella Pads and ISNTREE’s Clear Skin BHA Toner. However, they didn’t get rid of my blackheads so I’m currently looking for a more potent BHA product. I have pretty sensitive skin and I can’t tolerate alcohol, essential oils, and comedogenic ingredients. I’m thinking about getting PURITO’s new AHA/BHA Refreshing Solution but I’m afraid that it’ll be too harsh for my skin. It has 7% glycolic acid and 2% salicylic acid so I feel like the concentrations are kind of high. However, I’m currently using the ISNTREE Clear Skin 8% AHA Essence which has 4% lactic acid and 4% glycolic acid, and I haven’t really had any bad reactions besides an initial purging that only lasted a few days.

So, if anyone has BHA product recommendations, then please let me know!

What are your favorite BHA products?

I won the SUR.MEDIC and SKIN1004 giveaways, but I have not received my packages yet. I contacted Picky and USPS back and forth, but they still have not come up with a resolution for my issue. I even requested a missing mail/package search for the sur.medic products, but I didn’t even get an update from USPS. When I was tracking my sur.medic package, I noticed that someone from Atlanta, GA also requested a missing mail search. I remember contacting Picky about it, and they gave me the wrong tracking number by accident. They apologized and sent me the “right” tracking number but I believe they gave me the same one as before 😕. As for my SKIN1004 packages, one is stuck in Korea and I’m not sure if it’ll ever arrive at my location, and I’m still waiting for picky to send me a tracking number for my other package. 

I already filled out the follow up forms, so that I won’t get penalized for not uploading reviews. At this point I don’t really know what to do. I emailed picky a bunch of times but they have not come to a proper resolution for the issue that I’m dealing with.

I guess I’ll have to wait it out but I’m not even sure if my packages will arrive at all. If anyone has any idea of what I should do, please let me know. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Concerns regarding giveaway packages

I’ve been using the ISNTREE Clear Skin 8% AHA Essence for about a month or so and it has done wonders for my skin. It cleared my skin up after few weeks of usage, but recently I’ve been getting some redness on my cheeks. I use this product everyday and it has never irritated my skin until now. I noticed that the essence has rosemary and lavender extracts in it, and I’m actually quite sensitive to essential oils and sometimes plant extracts. I’m not exactly sure if my skin is reacting negatively to this essence because of the AHA or the plant extracts. Has anyone experienced something similar to this? If anyone has advice then please let me know! Thanks in advance ☺️❤️

Is my AHA exfoliant sensitizing my skin? (more details in description below)

I have a few atrophic acne scars on my cheeks and along my temples, but they’re not super noticeable unless you look closely at my skin. I’ve been debating whether I should go to the dermatologist and get micro-needling done or use a retinoid to minimize the appearance of my scars. I’m a college student, so I don’t have the budget to get multiple micro-needling sessions done. I’m aware that topical treatments don’t exactly help with atrophic scarring specifically, but I heard that retinoids can help to some extent. Also, my scarring isn’t even that bad, so I figured that I should probably give it a try. However, I’m really scared about the side effects and I’m somewhat satisfied with how my skin looks besides the acne scars. I also feel like I’m probably too young to start using a retinoid (I’m 20 btw). Has anyone used a retinoid or got micro-needling (including any type of treatment that’s cost effective) done to help with their scarring? If so, what was your experience with it like? 

Thank you so much in advance! ☺️💗

Are retinoids effective in minimizing atrophic acne scars? What is the best treatment for acne scarring?

PICKY INVITATION CODE: E99DF0FB

Unfortunately, this product did not work for me and it left my skin feeling super tight and dry 😟. Apparently, it has a pH of 7-8 which is way too high for a cleanser. The ideal pH for a cleanser is at around 5.5-6 so that it won’t strip the skin of its natural oils. It also broke me out as well 😔.

Cons:
‼️ Really stripping (leaves the skin feeling super tight and dry)
‼️ Has a high pH (the ideal pH should be 5.5-6)
‼️ Broke me out and it did not work for my skin

This cleanser foams up pretty nicely and it cleanses the skin thoroughly.
 
Pros:
💙 Foams up pretty nicely
💙 Cleanses the skin thoroughly

I had a bad reaction while using this product. I really wanted this toner to work for me but it unfortunately did not. However, just because this toner didn&#39;t work for me it doesn&#39;t mean that it won&#39;t work for you. That&#39;s why it&#39;s very important to patch test first before applying it onto your whole face (I didn&#39;t do that at first which was my mistake). Also, this toner didn&#39;t help to get rid of my blackheads and I didn&#39;t really see a dramatic difference in my skin. 

I&#39;m only giving this product a 3&#47;5 stars since it has great ingredients but it sadly didn&#39;t work for my skin. 💔

This toner has a very light and watery consistency to it which helps the product to absorb quickly into the skin. When I first used this toner, my skin broke out but I just assumed that it was purging so I didn’t think much of it. However, as I continued using it my skin didn’t get any better. Towards the second week, I was too hesitant to use this product again since I didn’t want my skin to break out. I’m aware that purging may last up to a month or so and it happens where you frequently break out. Although, I had big pimples popping up in random areas so I decided to stop using this toner. 

Key points + summary:
💙 has betaine salicylate (BHA derivative; a gentler form of BHA that&#39;s great for people with sensitive skin) 
💙 has a light and watery texture; toner absorbs right into the skin
💙 controls sebum and oil
💙 essential oil free, fragrance free, and alcohol free

After using this product for a few weeks, it never gave me any dramatic brightening effects. It only brightened my overall complexion and it didn’t exactly lighten my acne scars&#47;hyperpigmentation.  Maybe if I use the serum more often, then I’ll see a more significant effect. However, considering it’s relatively high price I might or might not buy it again.

📍This product also contains retinol so that might be irritating for some people. It never irritated my skin but I just wanted to let people know before buying this product 😊

I love how elegant and moisturizing this serum is. It never irritated my skin and it always left my skin looking nice and dewy. The serum has a lovely consistency and it’s not too heavy or light on the skin. I noticed that this serum brightened my overall complexion, but it didn’t exactly lighten my acne scars&#47;hyperpigmentation. However, it’s still a pretty good product.

Main points + summary:
💛 contains vitamin C to help brighten the skin, retinol to help with skin cell turnover &amp; exfoliation, and hyaluronic acid to attract water into the skin (hydrates skin)
💛 helps brighten overall complexion
💛 doesn’t irritate skin
💛 contains no alcohol, fragrance, essential oils
💛 has an elegent texture (not too heavy or light)
💛 contains 30 mL of serum

It contains alcohol and I find this product to be slightly drying on my skin. I&#39;m only giving this a 3&#47;5 rating since alcohol is one of the ingredients in this product. Also, this might not be great for those who have oily skin since it does leave a slightly dewy finish. 

Cons: 
❗️contains alcohol and it dried my skin a little
❗️leaves a dewy finish so it might not be best for those with oily skin (recommended for those with combo or slightly dry skin)
❗️Not fungal acne safe

This sunscreen has an elegent texture and it effortlessly blends right into the skin. It leaves my skin looking fresh and dewy, so I would recommend this to those who have combo or slightly dry skin. This product contains chemical UV filters such as Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate (Uvinul A Plus), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (Octinoxate), and Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine (Tinosorb S). It never irritated my skin and it also has no fragrance or essential oils. It doesn&#39;t leave a white cast unlike other sunscreens that I&#39;ve tried in the past. 

Key Points + Summary: 
🔆 has a nice and elegant texture (light gel texture, almost milky) 
🔆 contains chemical UV filters such as Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate (Uvinul A Plus), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (Octinoxate), and Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine (Tinosorb S)
🔆 fragrance and essential oil free! 
🔆 leaves a nice dewy finish after application
🔆 does NOT leave a white cast and the sunscreen effortlessly absorbs right into the skin

I don’t really have anything bad to say about this product besides the fact that I experienced some stinging when I first used it. I also experienced an initial purging but my pimples went away after a week.

This is one of the best AHA products that I’ve ever tried (well honestly it’s my first time trying AHA 😅). When I first used this product, it stung my skin a little but the stinging effect quickly went away. I also noticed that it caused a bit of purging at first but eventually my pimples went away after a week, leaving my skin feeling nice and smooth. This essence gently exfoliates my skin and it didn’t cause any irritation. It’s also quite hydrating and it didn’t leave my skin feeling dry or stripped. I also noticed how this product brightened my skin after using it for a couple of weeks! I’m definitely planning on repurchasing this product in the near future!

Key points + summary about this essence: 
🌺 Contains glycolic and lactic acid (help to exfoliate dead skin cells and increase cell turnover)
🌺 Has hydrating ingredients such as sodium hyaluronate, panthenol, glycerin, etc.
🌺 Helped to clear and brighten my skin after using this product for a few weeks
🌺 Great for all skin types
🌺 Fungal Acne safe*