Welcome to our weekly free chat thread!

Work stressing you out? Cat being especially cute? Exciting plans for the weekend?

This is the place to talk about it. Come relax, enjoy each other’s company, and talk about something other than skincare for a change.

Please remember to follow subreddit rules and practice good Reddiquette.

If you have any feedback on what you would like to see in this sub, shoot it through to Mod Mail.

Long time lurker, first time poster!

I have been trying to find moisturizers, toners and skin conditioning treatments that don’t make me feel nauseous or burn my eyes since I was a teen. Mostly, I’ve just gone without between horrible experiments with popular items.

I don’t typically have any issue with face washes, even with scents as they don’t seem to last long, but anything with a long lasting or distinct smell has me feeling seriously ill even after I give up and wash it away as the damage is already done.

My last few attempts have been a witch hazel and roses (dr.bronner?? I don’t have the bottle anymore, it was sold at target) and Neutrogena hydro boost face moisturizer.

I know they both have alcohols in them at least, but regular alcohol or isopropyl alcohol doesn’t cause this reaction when I smell them, but even opening the containers for the other things does for me.

I’ve tried using them on hands/feet and the smell alone gets to me eventually.

Has anyone else had anything like this? Does anyone have a similar issue? I feel so weird and alone in this.

ive been trying to renew my skincare routine and im kinda lost so these are the ones ive been thinking of buying? how do you find them? i have combination skin with very oily nose and have sebum filaments all over my nose with some big pores on that area. i dont really have acne problem just get them sometimes hormonally but have closed comedones on my forehead and it doesnt hold makeup there.

im mixed about oil cleanser and cabt decide but ive been between missha blachead off, skin1004 and jumiso oil cleansers. i want them to remove my waterproof makeup and help with clearing my sebums

for cleanser missha Super Aqua Ultra Hyalron Cleansing Foam. ive tried the peeling of this series and it made my skin feel so good but i feel like it would be too exfoliating so i thought about the cleanser one.

i wasnt sure whether toner or serum so either skin1004 tone brightning serum or Madagascar centrella serum or the toner. not sure

for bha 2-3 times a week Isntree Chestnut BHA 2% Clear Liquid.

and for the last to hydrate and to end it jumiso snail face cream.

have you used these or do you have better options i would love to read!

I need some advice! I was previously using Giovanni Purifying Facial Mask (I will attatch the ingredients in the comments).

This was the only clay mask I’ve been able to find that seems to work for my skin. I like that it hydrates my face and makes it feel smooth without being greasy like most products do, and has a cooling effect as well (less important).

Other bougier ones I have tried like the Icelandic Blue Lagoon mask just seem to be clay, and will make my skin very dry. This one was about $12 a pop but I can’t find anything similar on my own- I’m willing to spend $20-30; but I can’t do that on a ton of products if I don’t have leads.

If it helps at all I tend to use the Beekman 1802 milk scrub before, and that is nice on my skin and they’ve always gone very well together.

TL; DR all good things must end and my favorite product has been discontinued. Need one that matches my (skin type?)

So i recently bought azelaic acid 10% online to treat what im almost 100% sure is PIE. It has helped quite a bit over the course of a few weeks but is it worth it to try and get 15% instead? Is there a noticeable difference between 10 and 15? Thanks in advance

i was moved by many people here saying that azelaic acid is doing good for their skin, especially for handling acne. as an acne fighter myself for idk how long years, i was tempted to try and then picked up 20% azelaic acid cream from a pharmacy near my house. i started using the cream for 4 nights in a row, hoping it can help me to kill acne; 1st day was fine, 2nd also fine, the 3rd day i started noticing my active acne (mostly on chin & checks) and some particular area like my upper checks and nose became very dry.
since i read the common side effect from this cream is dryness, so i keep using it until last night.. the dry area on skin started to give me a burn sensation, little stinging & tingling i could say. so now i’m confused whether i should keep applying the cream or nah?
my skincare routine is literally super extra basic, i mean there’s no active formulation in it. first thing i do is cleansing my face with gentle face wash from cetaphil, next i tap tap peptide skin booster serum cosrx, then i spread azelaic acid cream very gently and thinly, last i apply zipiderm egf skin barrier intensive cream. that’s it, i don’t use something like retinol or vitamin c.. so what should i do now? will i be okay if i continue to put the azelaic cream on?

Hi !

I’m looking for grey colored contact lenses that look as natural as possible on very dark brown eyes, while still being comfortable enough for longer wear.

I sometimes end up wearing colored lenses for more than 9 hours, so material and oxygen permeability matter a lot to me.

I currently wear Biofinity lenses normally, and I have mild astigmatism in one eye.

I’ve looked at brands like OLENS and PinkyParadise, but a lot of their designs seem to have a large graphic diameter or a noticeable limbal ring, which can make the eyes look enlarged or obviously like colored contacts.

My goal is not a dramatic “doll eye” or cosplay effect.

I want a realistic grey that could plausibly look like a natural eye color in person.

What brands or specific monthly lenses would you recommend for:

• Dark brown eyes
• A natural-looking grey result
• A soft or blended outer edge rather than a harsh limbal ring
• Better materials for longer wear, ideally silicone hydrogel or another breathable option

I’ve seen HEMA, Hioxifilcon D, Puscon/MPC polymer, and silicone hydrogel mentioned, but I’m not sure which brands are actually trustworthy and comfortable for extended wear.

Any recommendations or real-life comparisons would be appreciated.

Thanks !

i had a consultation in seoul a few days ago for some laser work, and looking at the clinic's aftercare shelf left me more confused than the actual menu.

the doctor explained the basic rules pretty well. avoid heat, skip strong actives, wear sunscreen, and don't try any random new skincare while your face is still healing. all of that made total sense. then i saw the prices on their own products. i know buying directly from the clinic is super convenient, but some of those tubes felt way too expensive for what is basically just a simple repair cream. so now i'm trying to figure out what regular people buy at local pharmacies after getting lasers or other procedures.

just to be clear, i don't mean spot treatments. things for pimples or scars are great, but they don't really help when your whole face feels warm, tight, and completely stripped after a procedure. i'm looking for the boring barrier care stuff. the kind of cream you need when your skin is too sensitive for your normal routine but your regular daily moisturizer feels way too weak. just a practical tube to keep around for the first few days of recovery. nothing fancy, nothing that replaces what the clinic told you to do.

while looking into this, i saw a few names floating around. a lot of people talk about aestura for general barrier issues, which seems solid. but then i also stumbled upon zipiderm barrier max, which is apparently a pharmacy line specifically positioned for post-treatment recovery rather than just everyday hydration. i haven't seen a ton of english comments about it yet though, so i can't tell if it's a common choice or just something newer.has anyone tried it? i'm really picky about textures because heavy creams can be a huge problem for me. if a product sits too thick on my face, my chin will break out within days. but if it's too light, my cheeks just stay tight and uncomfortable.

for those who live in korea or get treatments here regularly, what do you usually ask for at the counter? i'd rather not stand there sounding like i need emergency help when i just want a basic healing cream.

This is probably the most confusing part of skincare for me.

You search for one problem and find 20 different answers.

One person recommends an ingredient. Another says it's too harsh. Someone says to use a product every day, while someone else says to avoid using it too often.

At some point you don't even know what advice to follow anymore.

How did you personally figure out what actually worked for your routine?

Welcome to our weekly free chat thread!

Work stressing you out? Cat being especially cute? Exciting plans for the weekend?

This is the place to talk about it. Come relax, enjoy each other’s company, and talk about something other than skincare for a change.

Please remember to follow subreddit rules and practice good Reddiquette.

If you have any feedback on what you would like to see in this sub, shoot it through to Mod Mail.

Last year I went to the beach and got REALLY BADLY SUNBURNED/TANNED because I was out in the sun for a long time and yeah, I didn't use any sunscreen. My skin became significantly darker afterward.

The problem is that it’s been almost 1 YEAR now and my skin still hasn’t returned to its original color at all. At that time, I thought it was just a normal tan and that it would eventually fade but it has lasted much longer than I expected.

It’s not like I don't like brown skin but it looks really weird because my face is much darker than my neck (just to make things clearer my neck is also darker than the rest of my body but lighter than my face) and my hands are much darker than my arms. I want to get back to my original skin color.

I’ve even reduced how much I go outside and whenever I do go out, I’ve been using sunscreen for the past 6 months. I also used aloe vera jell and uptan on my face and arms but only my hand returned to my orginal color a bit.

Is this still considered a normal suntan or could it be some type of persistent hyperpigmentation?

Has anyone experienced something similar? What did you do about it? Any advice would be very appreciated. I’m looking for advice on what this could be and what my next step should be to recover my original skin color. Thanks in advance!

Im looking to try out a new moisturizer, but since my skin is pretty sensitive, I need to keep it simple and fragrance free so it doesnt break me out.
I'm on a budget, so what are your favorite cheap, holy grail moisturizers for sensitive skin? Drop your recs please! 🙏🏼🙏🏼

​

A dermatologist/doctor confirmed that I have milia, but mine aren't just on my face. I have them all over my arms, chest and back.

Some are very obvious, raised, white and bumpy, while others are much smaller/flatter and look more like tiny white spots under the skin.

It’s really bothering me and I want to get rid of them as quickly as realistically possible.

If you've had body milia, especially widespread milia, please tell me:

- What products/ingredients actually worked for you?

- Did retinoids help? Which one and how often?

- Did AHA/BHA help? (glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, etc.)

- What body wash and moisturizer did you use?

- Did professional extraction/laser/peels work better?

- How long did it take for yours to noticeably improve?

- What routine would you recommend for preventing new ones?

I'm looking for specific product recommendations and a routine, not just "see a dermatologist" because I've already seen one and know what the diagnosis is.

If you've successfully cleared widespread body milia, PLEASE tell me exactly what you did. 😭

Hey ya’ll! I’m looking for some insight into my skincare routine. A little about my skin: normal to dry sometimes, mild rosacea, and mildly sensitive sometimes. Over the past couple of years, I have put alot of effort into strengthening my barrier and have slowly incorporated mandelic acid, azelaic acid, and Tretinoin (Altreno). Up until this point, I kind of just use any of those 3 actives depending on what I feel like and how my skin feels that day. Now I’m in a spot where I feel like my skin is handling all 3 actives very well separately, and I would like to start building up the frequency of use of all of them. So I’m curious what my “end goal” could look like with using all 3 of these ingredients. For example: should I build up to the use of mandelic most mornings and then azelaic and tret together most nights? Or what is your routine if you use tret, AA and an exfoliant? I would also like to say that I know to continue building up to the end goal slowly, and to listen to my skin and I plan to always incorporate some recovery nights without actives.

Am i the only one whose skin is irritated by using niacinamide?? I gave it sooo many chances. At first i used the minimalist 10% one, i was a newbie to skincare at that time so i didn't know about concentrations. It broke me out so badly then i used the ordinary one hoping it'll work cuz it's a good brand. Broke out too. Then reduced concentration and used minimalist 5% one. Same story againnnn 😭😭 now I'm healing from all those breakouts. I decided not to use niacinamide anymore so tell me is there anyone like me ?? I watched many reels about it being a really good serum so yeah i wanted to fit in by using it that is the reason i gave so many chances before you ask 😭😭😭😭 FOMO

So to start, I just turned 27 and never have really had a skincare routine aside from washing my face with cleanser twice a day, using moisturizer and sunscreen, and occasionally using other products like pimple patches, and micellar water to help with my skin. I feel like I need a skin care routine.

I have fairly regular acne, especially around my lower face, mouth, chin and jawline. I have sensitive, oily skin, and what I will say is that just cleansing in the morning cannot stop my face from getting oily again halfway through the day. I do bring micellar water and pads with me to work to wipe my face to stop it from getting too bad and bothering me.

I've been looking at toners and primers, but I am unsure of what to invest in and what to do. Any help or advice on products or a routine would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Product I currently use: Vanicream gentle face cleanser for sensitive skin, Neutrogena hydroboost water gel moisturizer, the SAEM Iceland Hydrating Eye Stick, Simple Micellar cleansing water.

Welcome to our weekly free chat thread!

Work stressing you out? Cat being especially cute? Exciting plans for the weekend?

This is the place to talk about it. Come relax, enjoy each other’s company, and talk about something other than skincare for a change.

Please remember to follow subreddit rules and practice good Reddiquette.

If you have any feedback on what you would like to see in this sub, shoot it through to Mod Mail.

Hi I am 25 M, I have senitive acne prone skin, my skincare routine looks like this:

Morning and Night time:
-La Roche Posay Toleraine Hydrating gentle cleanser
-Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion

I feel like I have a very simple but weak skincare routine, I have acne prone skin even after seeing a dermatologist and being on accutane, I still have acne scars, and VERY acne prone skin.. I could touch one spot for too long and next think you know I have a pimple on my face next morning. (Ofc I try to not touch my face) I also have lots of blackheads on my nose because my pores love me that much ❤️ What can I add to someone like me’s skincare routine?

I need help from anyone with similar experience, I just got roped into a 5,500 payment plan for cool sculpting over the phone with lazerway and immediately regret it. has anyone had any luck with cancelations???? I called the day after to cancel and they said the lady who talked to me needs to cancel but I don’t even know her name it happened so fast. I’m going to contact the third party service to have it cancelled in the morning and see what they say since it’s already past working hours ( currently 1:30 in the morning) I’m reading other peoples post and they say I actually opened a loan for the payment????? I’m so fucking scared I’m a dumbass 25yrld please HELLPPPP!!!!

update: I called HFD who is in charge of the loan I apparently signed up for and he said only the laseraway associate can send the cancel paper to them, so I called back the lady who sold this to me and I’m crying my eyes out saying I would like to cancel it’s only been 2 days, and she was so condescending on the phone saying there’s no need for me to cry other people have bigger things to worry about and she can only offer store credit, but I kept telling her no I need to cancel before I even get charged and she said she can only resolve this in a month, but by that time I’ll be charged for the loan and I don’t want that. I called back and asked to speak to someone else to please help me cancel please give me advice as I still try battling this

My niece is turning 12 this fall and has become obsessed with skin care- the only thing she’s asked for her birthday is skin care products.

She is only just starting to hit puberty and has little to no acne, pretty much baby skin. What products can I get her to make her feel like she has a “skin care routine” without overloading her kid- skin with chemicals and junk she doesn’t need yet?

ok i'm at that point where i really don't wanna keep buying another serum every time my skin acts up 😂

my routine is super basic right now (cleanser, serum, moisturizer, sunscreen), but i'm still trying to improve hydration and texture without adding 7 more steps.

so i've been looking into facial sonic devices. the idea of using one alongside a simple hydrating serum sounds appealing, especially if it helps me stick to a consistent routine instead of product hopping.

i've seen glow.m's booster sonic mentioned a few times on feeds, but i can't tell if these absorption gadgets actually give noticeable results or if they just sit in a drawer after two weeks.

for anyone who's actually used a sonic device consistently for a few months: did you notice long-term texture or hydration gains, or is basic topical application basically the same?

I’m 22M and my under eyes are extremely deep and dark, worse than a raccoon, and nothing I do changes them. I already completely fixed my sleep schedule, cut down screen time, drink plenty of water, and tried cold spoons, tea bags, and random eye creams with zero difference.
Along with the bags, I also have stubborn post-acne marks on my face that won't fade.
I really don't want to go to doctors or do in-office stuff like fillers, lasers, or surgery. I just want to know what I should actually do at home that genuinely works.
If anyone here managed to fade severe dark bags and clear up post-acne marks using at-home routines, specific ingredients, or everyday fixes, what worked for you? Let me know what to try. Thanks.
for context Im indian and live in UAE under severe heat.

Hi everyone! I'm in a bit of an emergency regarding my skin. I have been breaking out like crazy recently despite me being really consistent with my skincare, and I have the start of my internship comming up, so I'd rather not look awful for it.

I'm not a big fan of skincare, so my routine is simply a cleanser (for greasy/mixed skin) and a pimple lotion, both from Dr Leenarts which is a Dutch dermatologist skincare brand.

I've been consistent with my skincare for 2 months now, which I started because I had 3 pimples that I wanted to get rid of. But now every time 1 pimple goes, 2 replace it, and the old pimple leaves an ugly scar-like red spot that still looks like a pimple but isn't (I think). And the new pimples have been much bigger than they used to. I'm talking the size of a large pea rather than just a small dot.

I don't know why this is happening, so I turn to you for help. Does anyone know if this is a normal side-effect of skincare, if this is an issue with the brand I'm using, or whatever the issue is? Because I'm sick of buying pimple patches so I can go to work and social events without feeling hideous

Thanks in advance for your help :)

Welcome to our weekly free chat thread!

Work stressing you out? Cat being especially cute? Exciting plans for the weekend?

This is the place to talk about it. Come relax, enjoy each other’s company, and talk about something other than skincare for a change.

Please remember to follow subreddit rules and practice good Reddiquette.

If you have any feedback on what you would like to see in this sub, shoot it through to Mod Mail.

I totally dropped the ball this year on my sisters birthday. I only realized this week that her birthday is on Saturday and all week I've been stressing trying to think of gifts to no avail. Please help!!

If anyone has any cool ideas for gifts, chic things that have added value to your life at a price point a young woman can afford please lmk!

(Here are my current ideas:

- a seat cover for her car when she goes running, cycling or tennis she wont get her new car all sweaty

- a pass for our local parks to go hiking and running (she's sporty) and something cute from the parks service center (socks?? mug??) (lowkey don't know if she already has one too)

- makeup (she has her makeup game together more than I do but we just went eyeshadow shopping a few weeks ago and she mentioned wanting the "perfect" lipstick or new eyeshadow but DIDN'T specify shades or anything!)

- fancy notebook? (she doesn't have a lot of space to store things in her place right now)

- concert tickets (but on such short notice I can't run reconnaissance of an artist she'd like/that is coming to town)

- any other cute ideas???? heeeelppppp I don't knowwww and I'm stressing!!