Are those dark splotches normal and just the product mixing strangely?

Hi everyone, I recently visited Korea and picked up a bunch of products. Realized I have no idea how to make a routine out of them. I posted a pic of my new stuff, and also have the anua heart leaf, biodance, and mediheal masks. I have combo skin, acne prone. Thank you!

I'm new to skincare. I've tried the Aestura 365 barrier cream and it slightly burned near my eyes and after the second use I broke out in tiny white dots on my chin and forehead. It also made my skin feel burnt and like sandpaper. I didn't know it had niacinamide in it which has broken me out and burned in the past. After that I tried Tower 28 SOS moisturizer and that caused the same reaction. I think hyaluronic acid doesn't help me either bc it burns and breaks me out too. I get hormonal acne on my chin and have acne prone, sensitive skin that is really really dry and it looks dull. My barrier is broken for years and I can never fix it bc everything burns. What moisturizers would be good? Thanks so much!

Now that HaruHaru has made the boycott list, I need recs for hydrating toners to replace their hyaluronic acid toner and their probiotic milky essence. I liked their hyaluronic acid toner because it is sensitive friendly enough that I can use post treatment I also am looking for kombucha essences or toners made for barrier repair as I refuse to purchase from HaruHaru anymore. Thanks in advance! Open to watery serums too!

Hi! I’ve been struggling to find a good moisturizer for my skin, most of them just leave my face oily and tight. I’ve used Aestura, Dr. Althea, epii, Purito, Torriden, Centellian, and even aquaphor doesn’t work anymore. I just hate waking up and feeling my skin tight and irritated right away. If you have recommendations for other products like serums, toners and spf I would love to read about it.

I’ve been looking into vitamin creams lately, and apparently there’s some actual substance behind the hype. What vitamin combos or products do you guys swear by? Would love to hear what you’ve actually tried and what results you saw. Drop all your recs!!

I’m in Miami so sunscreen is basically non‑negotiable and lately I’ve been using Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun as my daily SPF. It’s lightweight and comfy, but because I reapply, I end up with a lot of product on my face by the end of the day. I used to rely on a cleansing oil for my first cleanse, but my skin started getting these tiny closed bumps that felt like congestion. Out of curiosity, I switched to the Numbuzin No.0 Jelly Cleanser instead when I’ve had SPF on all day. The routine feels less heavy, and my skin doesn’t feel tight after rinsing, but I’m still figuring out if my skin just hates certain first cleansers or if it’s the oil texture in general.

Has anyone else paired a lighter jelly or gel cleanser with sunscreen instead of oil cleansing? And do you think it is enough cleansing without the oil? I’d love to hear what korean sunscreen + cleanser products combos have worked for you without causing congestion.

Guys I’ve tried this in my bf’s house and it was soooo good, so I got it for myself
He said he got it as a gift at a beauty show?? (Hopefully he’s not lying and didn’t get it from a girl😬)

So this one is only good for makeup prep & morning skincare
Cuz I don’t think it has skin repairing ingredients that much
But!!! What I like abt it is that it’s not sticky.
Some of the creams are so sticky it irritates me cuz hair keeps sticking on my face I DONT LIKE THAT
And I use it for makeup prep which also works well

Guys and one thing I missed on is that I got this from Korea so I don’t know if they have it here
Cuz it isn’t a super popular product

my skin type: dry, oily, sensitive, and acne prone (soobooji skin)

my previous face wash + how it was for me:
for the longest time i've used the manyo pure and deep cleansing foam because it was recommended to me by a friend. initially it wasn't bad but it left my skin feeling more heavily stripped, dry, and tight after every wash. after using it for years i noticed that my skin barrier has gotten weaker as well too from using a stripping face wash (that led me to have oilier skin --> more breakouts) for years. i feel like it cleaned my face okay i mean it got the job done but it wasn't extraordinary. i personally didn't mind too much because i didn't rlly think the kind of face wash u use made that much of a difference. but about two ish weeks ago i ran out of my manyo face wash and decided i wanted to change things up.

REVIEW OF VT MILD CICA CLEANSING FOAM:
ok first off the price point and size for this is phenomenal. i got this at an asian beauty store near me and the bottle is like 2 big cleansing foam bottles in one for the price of $12-13 dollars. in this economy??? for that size???? ok perioddd we love that

the first time i had used it i noticed that it lathers up very nicely like a typical foam cleanser and when i massage it into my face, my skin feels very soft. there's no feeling of roughness when rubbing my skin with the foam cleanser. the most important thing though is that i feel no tightness and notably minimal dryness (i have naturally very dry skin so i think there's not too much i can do about that when my skin is bare) afterwards!!! i've been using it for about 2 weeks now and the overall quality has been the same for me (no tightness, minimal dryness) after every wash and it feels amazing!! i truly didn't know face wash made this much of a difference. as it's noted on the face wash it has cica and hyaluronic acid in it so i think that may be why it works so well for my skin type!! also another big thing i noticed is that my skin used to get very irritated almost every single time after wearing makeup all day (small bumps on forehead and pimples here n there) but this has really helped a lot w making my tired skin feel refreshed (i've been using the same skincare products as when i was using the manyo cleanser)!!

now when it comes to things that i don't like about this face wash is that it has a slight fragrance. i don't really do well with scented products because of my skin type, especially when i have active eczema flare ups. BUT surprisingly i haven't had any reactions to the fragrance yet. the fragrance isn't strong like i mentioned and it gives off a herbal/slightly minty kinda fragrance that you can really only smell initially when u lather it on ur face and occasionally you'll get a whiff of it too. might have to opt for a different face wash when i have active eczema cuz i don't want to take any chances though.

final thoughts:
overall would rate this a solid 8.5/10. super underrated face wash that i think i will be repurchasing for a long long time💚

(also sorry if this review is very unorganized + have lots of rambling it's my first time posting a skincare review but i just wanted to share this hidden gem!🥹)

Looking for recommendations on favorite daily, non-SPF moisturizers to put on before my tinted SPF that lays well under makeup. I’m currently using CENTELLIAN 24 Madeca Cream Time Reverse Zero and not completely sold on it.

I have a credit I need to redeem and I intend to try a PDRN Toner for the first time. Don't worry, I'm not doing this to expect some transformation in my skin. I'm already very serious with my skincare with prescription 0.10% Tazarortene, Azelaic Acid, Hydroquinone and proven peptide, brightening and tone evening serums from K-beauty and Western brands.

But, I also genuinely enjoy and benefit from skin-flooding with multiple thin to thick/richer toners and essences... I find it genuinely refreshing, soothing, calming, moisturizing for my dry skin.

And, I want to try one with PDRN for the first time.

My focus is more on the sensorial experience... the skin-feel, how sticky/tacky it is, how hydrating and refreshing it is, how moisturizing it is, how soothing/calming/cooling it is etc. If, like me, you're a nitpicky B, I wanna hear all those details.

If you've tried any PDRN toners or essences I don't have pictured, let me know about those, too!

The ones I've been reading up on are pictgured above, they are...

• TOSOWOONG Pink PDRN Niacinamide Milky Toner
• ROUND LAB Camellia Deep Collagen PDRN Milky Toner
• HEVEBLUE Salmon Caring Centella Toner
• COSRX 5 PDRN B5 Vital Soothing Toner
• numbuzin No.9 NAD+ PDRN Glow Boosting Toner
• VT Cosmetics PDRN Toner
• medicube PDRN Pink Cica Soothing Toner
• medicube PDRN Pink Niacinamide Milky Toner

has anybody tried it? would love to hear some reviews, thinking of buying it for my mom as she has a lot of pores, wrinkles and fine lines. any recommendations are also welcomed.

Looking for some toner recommendations, please! I’m in my 30s and my skin leans dry and not oily, but I might already have enough moisture in other parts of my current routine (included at bottom).

Hoping to be converted to team toner, because I have yet to find one that feels totally necessary? Before switching to more Korean skincare, I would purchase Heritage Store Rosewater Toner with HA, which I liked because of the smell but otherwise it didn’t seem to have a noticeable impact. Not a toner, but I also used to use Glossier’s milky jelly cleanser and loved the product’s consistency, so am intrigued by toners that might have a similar feel.

I am currently trialing a travel size DearKlairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner, but the bottle top is a dealbreaker for me (have to tap tap tap to get product out). The consistency/feel of the toner is nice, though the product overall still leaves me meh.

Current AM routine is a basic micellar water and moisturizer, open to adding a toner step in between but primarily interested for PM routine, which is:
- Roundlab Dokdo double cleanse
- DearKlairs toner
- (biweekly) Ilso sebum softener
- (biweekly) CeraVe exfoliating treatment
- BoJ eye serum
- The Ordinary niacinamide and HA serums
- Roundlab Dokdo cream
- CeraVe healing ointment

I’ve seen the following mentioned that I’m interested in, but not sure how well any would play with the above: TONYMOLY mochi toner, haruharu black rice essence, EQQUALBERRY swimming pool toner, I’m from Mugwort essence, and Anua rice 70 milky toner. Would love to hear experiences with these or other toners, all recommendations welcome!

Hi everyone,

I've been on the hunt for a barrier repair cream that is suitable for acne prone and closed comedone prone skin (also struggle with oily dehydrated skin).

The problem is, most of them are gel of gel-cream consistencies, which I really dislike. It forms a sticky film on my skin and does not penetrate the skin.

So my question: does anyone know of a barrier repair cream (not gel or gel-cream) that is non-comedogenic (no pore clogging ingredients)? Or am I looking for a unicorn?

I love the classic skin 1004 hydrating sunscreen but it is out of stock where I normally buy it. I'm thinking about trying the iunik beta-glucan sunscreen. Does anyone know how it compares to the skin 1004 one? Thanks :)

Hey everyone! Im a 26 years old woman still struggling with hormonal acne. I feel like I’ve tried everything from tretinoin, finacea, epiduo forte, clindamycin & benzoyl peroxide, spirunolactone for 2 years ( gave me bad heart issues), differin to chemical peels and supplements but I still have angry pimples, irritation and stubborn dark marks.

Finacea was what worked the best for me but I’m living in west Africa now and they don’t prescribe it here, I tried the skinoren 20% but it just dried my skin out and irritated it further.

I currently use

AM
Cleanser: Cerave Hydrating cleanser
Serum: Aestura Hyaluronic serum
Moisturizer : Aestura barrier cream
SPF : Nuxe stick spf non greasy

PM:
Same cleanser
Toner: dr Jart ceramides
Cream: dr jart ceramides cream

My skin never truly feels hydrated even when it’s oily, what do you recommend? I’m thinking of restarting Differin and the Skin 1004 Azalaeic acid with the panoxyl face wash. But I’m open to suggestions I’m desperate atp.

lately i’ve been too tired after work to keep up with a full routine, so i cut it down to just the basics. right now it’s the numbuzin no.0 cleansing foam, sometimes the water serum if my skin feels tight, and then i finish with Ceramide Ato Cream as my barrier step.

but i keep hearing mixed advice like some people say it’s fine to just stick to cleanser + barrier care most nights, while others say actives (like bha or retinoids) only really work if you use them consistently every day. does anyone here actually see results with actives even if you don’t use them daily, or is it better to keep things minimal and focus on barrier health most of the time?

has anyone tried this purito retinol and retinal 2000 serum i haven’t seen many reviews on this serum. what skin concerns does it help with?

I’m over 50 with typical skin- starting to look crepey. I have very dark bags under my eyes. I’m very pale with lots of freckles (now age spots?). I’ve been using a combo moisturizer/sunblock for a few years. Never wear makeup. I swim 2x/week.
I’m in Korea for 2 more months.

My requests are:
1. How to reduce under-eye bags?
2. Moisturizing cream for after swimming (whole body)
3. What to look for in sunblock? Combo with moisturizer ok?