A scentless, simple cleansing oil, right in the middle of the thick-thin spectrum. Easy to spread and rinse off. Emulsion was eh, but fine—it does it, but won’t wow you. Is great for removing makeup/spf, and nice for oil-pulling/massage. 4-5 months of daily PM usage to pan. If you love squalene, you’ll enjoy this. WRP.
Tatcha Rice Cleanser (travel size)
(I believe this brand is allowed? I remember a mod comment—lmk if my brain is being weird and I’ll remove.)
Hate that I enjoyed this. So dang pricey and I don’t see it go on sale lol. The rice grit is just enough to feel satisfying, but melts as you rub, so you can’t overdo it. A gentle light foam. I really enjoyed this for an AM cleanse to get thicc moisturizers and oils off. This is a travel size, so she was gone in a week or two with my being sparing in my usage lol. MRP, only because I would need it to be over 50% off before I’d buy.
miladyelle on
Serums / Ampoules
Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule
Nourishing, like all the benefits of oils without the cons. Used AM and PM, though lighter with it during the day and heavier at night. Luxurious texture, and the same enjoyable natural scent as the moisturizer. Made my skin glow. For brevity’s sake, I loved this shit, especially through winter. 4 months to pan. WRP.
Numbuzin Number 5 Glutathione Vitamin serum
Light, quick absorbing texture. Used AM & PM. A nice multi-purpose serum, though I like it a lot better at $15 or less than $20ish. 3 months to pan. MRP.
Be The Skin Vegan Retinal Bakuchiol serum
A light creamy texture, easily spreadable into the thin layer needed. I do one full pump plus a bit extra so I can take it down my neck and chest. It’s got so many other goodies on top of the (NOT BEGINNER) retinal. Airtight, well functioning pump, gets nearly all the product out despite it being a hard plastic tube. This is my HG retinal. 3 months of nightly use to pan. WRP, and have RP.
Tiam Vitamin C24 Surprise serum
My HG Ascorbic Acid vitamin C serum at 22%. 10-ish weeks pan this round. Oily base, but spreadable and soaks in well—using 4-5 drops each AM/PM—IF your skin is damp, so don’t wait for your previous step to soak in/dry. Handles my post breakout PIH quickly, and doesn’t oxidize at room temp before you can pan it. Great price, WRP.
De:maf Panthenol 30% wonder drops (mini?)
Thick. This is so thick. If my skin wasn’t damp enough, it was hard to spread, left a film and didn’t feel like it absorbed well. If your skin is on the wetter side of damp, it spreads well, soaks in, and feels very nourishing/repairing. Only a few drops needed. I wasn’t great at consistently making sure my skin was wet enough, so there’s some negative feelings for me on this. IMHO, I can’t be having such a pricey serum be so conditional in how well it works. 6-8 weeks to pan, WNRP.
Nineless Azelaic Acid 10% serum X2
Pan time: 6 weeks, AM+PM usage. I’ve bought multiples of this now, and it’s the best of all the Aza serums I’ve tried: it’s got a base of snail mucin, which soaks in quicker and leaves no tack. It gets along well with everything I’ve used it with, with no pilling issues. Cheap, 10%, would only switch for a higher percentage. WRP.
Kiso Care Azelaic acid cream 15
A 15% derivative Azalaeic, so good for acne. It’s thicker than I expected for a treatment cream, so I had to put it right before moisturizer in my routine. It’s effective, but I wasn’t in for the texture, so I switched to the serum after I panned this. If the serum wasn’t available, I would definitely use this though. I kept using too much, so panned close to 3 months. Conditional WRP.
miladyelle on
Moisturizer / SPF
Missha Time Revolution Night Repair cream
Christ, y’all. This is a *beautiful* moisturizer. It’s on the thicker side, and yes, oils, but not “ew greasy” oils, nourishing, made me glowy, and (not feel bougie AF, I am) bougie AF oils. PM use only, and winter didn’t effing touch me. The natural scent of the ingredients was very nice. 4 months to pan. Absolutely 100% WRP, whether it’s on sale or not.
Celimax Cica (gel) cream
This is a good day moisturizer—a hydrating gel cream, one of those you can use lightly during the day for under makeup, but also layer on PM if you don’t want to have two moisturizers, and dry skin who? Don’t know her. It feels cooling but not in an artificial, they-added-menthol way. If you’re a skincare in the fridge person, I bet this would be amazing for summer. 3 months of daily, sometimes AM, sometimes AM & PM use to pan. Simple formula, affordable price. WRP.
De:maf Cream Comes True squalene barrier repair cream (mini)
This is a nice squalene based moisturizer—right in the center of the thin-thick spectrum. You could vary how much you use for more protection or better function under makeup. It’s a nice, simple formula, and I do like barrier supporting moisturizers. However. In no way, would I pay what this costs for the full size—that’s the only reason I WNRP. It would last though—took me over a month to pan this mini.
Celimax Dual Barrier cream (mini)
Thick, balm type team. My sense is this is a PM, seal all of what went before in type cream. Not hydrating, but moisturizing. Didn’t feel overly heavy. Probably great for repairing barriers and for slugging! Only because I’m not looking for that type of product, WNRP, but well done.
Purito Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Cream (mini)
Expected this to be closer to a thick balm, but it’s closer to a gel cream. Soaks in well, no pilling. A simple, no frills moisturizer. Took a couple weeks to pan the mini. MRP.
Formal Bee VitaC Aloe Soothing sun gel
Not a gel. Texture is a light liquidy cream, with a somewhat dewy finish. Something about this felt very Budget texture wise, but it didn’t cause any pilling or other issues. Still far superior to US spfs, just to be clear. 3-4 months to pan. WNRP if any other AB spf was an option.
Skin1004 Tea-trica Sun Milk
Light liquid—Sun milk is deffo an appropriate name. Soaks in so fast I wondered if I’d applied if I hadn’t done it at a mirror. Will drip off your fingers if you’re not careful! If you hate feeling skincare on your face you’ll like this. Left a natural to dewy finish, no pilling, easy to layer. 3 months to pan. WRP.
Nineless Tranexamic Acid sunscreen
One of these days I’ll remember to try this out on my face for yall—she lives mostly in my purse, so I forget. Cream texture, doesn’t take much at all to soak in. Use as my body spf to prevent an ugly commuter tan. Love that this has tranexamic acid to help with existing sun damage. 3-4 months pan time. WRP, and have RP multiple times!
miladyelle on
Eyes / Lips
Mary and May Glutathione and tranexamic acid eye cream
On the light side of eye creams, and hard to argue against this being a default daily with the volume/price ratio. It took well over six months to pan—maybe closer to eight. AM & PM use. Did notice a gradual difference in brightening under my eyes. Easy to spread, and got along well with makeup. WRP.
CNP Laboratory Propolis Lipcerin lip mask
In my top two of nightly lip masks. A gelatinous texture, hydrates and moisturizes my lips overnight. Fantastic lasting power—I can taste the honey on my lips in the morning. Love the packaging—the twist to dispense made it so easy to reach for each night when bed was calling. 3-4 months of mostly nightly use. WRP, have RP, have bought several as gifts with delighted feedback.
Benton Honest Lip Balm
A dupe for the Kiehl’s number one lip balm. Right in the middle of the thick-thin spectrum, an affordable petrolatum balm. I like to use this over my lip milk to seal in the moisture at night. Panned in 5-6 months of semi-frequent, sometimes nightly use. WRP.
miladyelle on
Body Care
Mary and May Seoul Edition hand cream (set of three) Bergamont Pear tube
Metal tube, light, almost imperceptible scent. The pear cream is a light gel cream. This one is perfect to keep by your desk, or in your purse. It soaks in immediately and leaves nothing on the surface of your skin—so you can go right back to whatever you’re doing and not leave grease prints or a slippery grip. The cream will ooze out a bit when the seal is first punctured, so you do not have to squeeze the first couple uses. 3-4 months to pan with multiple daily uses during the week. WRP!
APLB Retinol vitamin C mist
Watery, but minimal hydration. The active ingredients in this are so low, you should expect to use this frequently for a long period before you can see results. I had the thought to use this on my legs as an all-rounder. 4 weeks of nightly usage to pan. Pretty meh, MRP.
Elizavecca hell pore clear up fruit toner
My HG AHA/BHA body exfoliant. Watery, slight slight tack that goes away after moisturizing. Takes care of the bumps on my arms and keeps my pores clear. Don’t be like me and use after shaving your legs, owie. Used 2-3x week, 6-8 weeks to pan. WRP.
Pyunkang Yul Intensive Ceramide Lotion
The body lotion to keep stocked. Light texture, soaks in quiiiick. No frills, no fragrance, heals skin and gets it soft and looking nice. I like that I can use this frequently and keep my skin nice, or if I get lazy with the body care and it’s looking rough, layer it on and it’ll soak in and improve things immediately. Also great to use right after shaving. 4 months to pan.
Nard Hand Cream Lavender Musk
A large bottle with a pump. Medium texture, but can use less or more to get the desired effect. I cannot stress enough how good the aromatherapy factor is—I kept this on my nightstand to use right before bed, and inhaling the lavender and the musk instantly relaxed me, no matter what went on during the day. It’s not overpowering—I’d put my hands right up to my face to smell it, and it eventually faded, but it was lovely to fall asleep to. Woke up every morning with my hands soft and moisturized, and also have much less nail breakage and hang nails. 8 months or so to pan. Absolutely WRP.
Farmstay Visible Difference Hand Cream Collagen
A light fresh scent, and more a thick night hand cream, coming in at medium-to-heavy cream. This will take a few to soak in, but once it does it’s not leaving any grease or film. Also super affordable, both times I’ve gotten this for just a few dollars. I’ve been happy to keep it in my purse to use primarily at work to stave off dryness from cheap office hand soap, and it did its job well. A few months to pan, WRP.
Farmstay Pink Flower Blooming hand cream
The only thing. The only thing I don’t like about this is the floral smell that’s a bit woof for the first minute or so. Farmstay needs to tone it down or switch it up. Otherwise, I love this shit. It’s a gel texture, hydrating and moisturizing, and it soaks in. So. Fast. I can deal with the bit Too Muchness of fragrance for how I can slather this on and turn IMMEDIATELY to my keyboard and not leave it looking like a heathen who eats greasy food at my desk. If they made it in big dispensers companies could buy it to leave in the bathrooms as an apology for that ratched soap lol. A few months to pan, WRP.
K Secret Seoul 1988 retinal ginseng serum
It is almost unfair for me to review this at all—I couldn’t resist getting it when it was one of stylekorean’s one dollar deals last year, but I’m using a higher percentage retinal already. So I used a pump in my body lotion til I emptied it. And tbh, I really enjoyed that. If I could make myself buy a dedicated serum to use for my body, I would. This was a really nice light creamy texture, and very much a nice experience to use. If you like bougie products for not bougie prices though, this is a nice one. A few months to pan, MRP.
ybhgt-234ag on
Thanks for the review! I’ve heard great things about azaleic acid for acne and acne scars. Did you see a noticeable difference? I’m looking for something to help control breakouts. I’m already using tret and sometimes a salicylic acid wash, but it’s not enough. The thing that seemed to make the biggest impact was cutting out sugar and dairy from my diet, but it’s pretty annoying to have to have such a controlled diet
Tashinator0503 on
This is one of my favorite reviews on this sub. Thank you for this and for keeping it real. xx
7 Comments
Cleansers
B:Lab Squalene Reset Pore Deep Cleansing Oil
A scentless, simple cleansing oil, right in the middle of the thick-thin spectrum. Easy to spread and rinse off. Emulsion was eh, but fine—it does it, but won’t wow you. Is great for removing makeup/spf, and nice for oil-pulling/massage. 4-5 months of daily PM usage to pan. If you love squalene, you’ll enjoy this. WRP.
Tatcha Rice Cleanser (travel size)
(I believe this brand is allowed? I remember a mod comment—lmk if my brain is being weird and I’ll remove.)
Hate that I enjoyed this. So dang pricey and I don’t see it go on sale lol. The rice grit is just enough to feel satisfying, but melts as you rub, so you can’t overdo it. A gentle light foam. I really enjoyed this for an AM cleanse to get thicc moisturizers and oils off. This is a travel size, so she was gone in a week or two with my being sparing in my usage lol. MRP, only because I would need it to be over 50% off before I’d buy.
Serums / Ampoules
Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule
Nourishing, like all the benefits of oils without the cons. Used AM and PM, though lighter with it during the day and heavier at night. Luxurious texture, and the same enjoyable natural scent as the moisturizer. Made my skin glow. For brevity’s sake, I loved this shit, especially through winter. 4 months to pan. WRP.
Numbuzin Number 5 Glutathione Vitamin serum
Light, quick absorbing texture. Used AM & PM. A nice multi-purpose serum, though I like it a lot better at $15 or less than $20ish. 3 months to pan. MRP.
Be The Skin Vegan Retinal Bakuchiol serum
A light creamy texture, easily spreadable into the thin layer needed. I do one full pump plus a bit extra so I can take it down my neck and chest. It’s got so many other goodies on top of the (NOT BEGINNER) retinal. Airtight, well functioning pump, gets nearly all the product out despite it being a hard plastic tube. This is my HG retinal. 3 months of nightly use to pan. WRP, and have RP.
Tiam Vitamin C24 Surprise serum
My HG Ascorbic Acid vitamin C serum at 22%. 10-ish weeks pan this round. Oily base, but spreadable and soaks in well—using 4-5 drops each AM/PM—IF your skin is damp, so don’t wait for your previous step to soak in/dry. Handles my post breakout PIH quickly, and doesn’t oxidize at room temp before you can pan it. Great price, WRP.
De:maf Panthenol 30% wonder drops (mini?)
Thick. This is so thick. If my skin wasn’t damp enough, it was hard to spread, left a film and didn’t feel like it absorbed well. If your skin is on the wetter side of damp, it spreads well, soaks in, and feels very nourishing/repairing. Only a few drops needed. I wasn’t great at consistently making sure my skin was wet enough, so there’s some negative feelings for me on this. IMHO, I can’t be having such a pricey serum be so conditional in how well it works. 6-8 weeks to pan, WNRP.
Nineless Azelaic Acid 10% serum X2
Pan time: 6 weeks, AM+PM usage. I’ve bought multiples of this now, and it’s the best of all the Aza serums I’ve tried: it’s got a base of snail mucin, which soaks in quicker and leaves no tack. It gets along well with everything I’ve used it with, with no pilling issues. Cheap, 10%, would only switch for a higher percentage. WRP.
Kiso Care Azelaic acid cream 15
A 15% derivative Azalaeic, so good for acne. It’s thicker than I expected for a treatment cream, so I had to put it right before moisturizer in my routine. It’s effective, but I wasn’t in for the texture, so I switched to the serum after I panned this. If the serum wasn’t available, I would definitely use this though. I kept using too much, so panned close to 3 months. Conditional WRP.
Moisturizer / SPF
Missha Time Revolution Night Repair cream
Christ, y’all. This is a *beautiful* moisturizer. It’s on the thicker side, and yes, oils, but not “ew greasy” oils, nourishing, made me glowy, and (not feel bougie AF, I am) bougie AF oils. PM use only, and winter didn’t effing touch me. The natural scent of the ingredients was very nice. 4 months to pan. Absolutely 100% WRP, whether it’s on sale or not.
Celimax Cica (gel) cream
This is a good day moisturizer—a hydrating gel cream, one of those you can use lightly during the day for under makeup, but also layer on PM if you don’t want to have two moisturizers, and dry skin who? Don’t know her. It feels cooling but not in an artificial, they-added-menthol way. If you’re a skincare in the fridge person, I bet this would be amazing for summer. 3 months of daily, sometimes AM, sometimes AM & PM use to pan. Simple formula, affordable price. WRP.
De:maf Cream Comes True squalene barrier repair cream (mini)
This is a nice squalene based moisturizer—right in the center of the thin-thick spectrum. You could vary how much you use for more protection or better function under makeup. It’s a nice, simple formula, and I do like barrier supporting moisturizers. However. In no way, would I pay what this costs for the full size—that’s the only reason I WNRP. It would last though—took me over a month to pan this mini.
Celimax Dual Barrier cream (mini)
Thick, balm type team. My sense is this is a PM, seal all of what went before in type cream. Not hydrating, but moisturizing. Didn’t feel overly heavy. Probably great for repairing barriers and for slugging! Only because I’m not looking for that type of product, WNRP, but well done.
Purito Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Cream (mini)
Expected this to be closer to a thick balm, but it’s closer to a gel cream. Soaks in well, no pilling. A simple, no frills moisturizer. Took a couple weeks to pan the mini. MRP.
Formal Bee VitaC Aloe Soothing sun gel
Not a gel. Texture is a light liquidy cream, with a somewhat dewy finish. Something about this felt very Budget texture wise, but it didn’t cause any pilling or other issues. Still far superior to US spfs, just to be clear. 3-4 months to pan. WNRP if any other AB spf was an option.
Skin1004 Tea-trica Sun Milk
Light liquid—Sun milk is deffo an appropriate name. Soaks in so fast I wondered if I’d applied if I hadn’t done it at a mirror. Will drip off your fingers if you’re not careful! If you hate feeling skincare on your face you’ll like this. Left a natural to dewy finish, no pilling, easy to layer. 3 months to pan. WRP.
Nineless Tranexamic Acid sunscreen
One of these days I’ll remember to try this out on my face for yall—she lives mostly in my purse, so I forget. Cream texture, doesn’t take much at all to soak in. Use as my body spf to prevent an ugly commuter tan. Love that this has tranexamic acid to help with existing sun damage. 3-4 months pan time. WRP, and have RP multiple times!
Eyes / Lips
Mary and May Glutathione and tranexamic acid eye cream
On the light side of eye creams, and hard to argue against this being a default daily with the volume/price ratio. It took well over six months to pan—maybe closer to eight. AM & PM use. Did notice a gradual difference in brightening under my eyes. Easy to spread, and got along well with makeup. WRP.
CNP Laboratory Propolis Lipcerin lip mask
In my top two of nightly lip masks. A gelatinous texture, hydrates and moisturizes my lips overnight. Fantastic lasting power—I can taste the honey on my lips in the morning. Love the packaging—the twist to dispense made it so easy to reach for each night when bed was calling. 3-4 months of mostly nightly use. WRP, have RP, have bought several as gifts with delighted feedback.
Benton Honest Lip Balm
A dupe for the Kiehl’s number one lip balm. Right in the middle of the thick-thin spectrum, an affordable petrolatum balm. I like to use this over my lip milk to seal in the moisture at night. Panned in 5-6 months of semi-frequent, sometimes nightly use. WRP.
Body Care
Mary and May Seoul Edition hand cream (set of three) Bergamont Pear tube
Metal tube, light, almost imperceptible scent. The pear cream is a light gel cream. This one is perfect to keep by your desk, or in your purse. It soaks in immediately and leaves nothing on the surface of your skin—so you can go right back to whatever you’re doing and not leave grease prints or a slippery grip. The cream will ooze out a bit when the seal is first punctured, so you do not have to squeeze the first couple uses. 3-4 months to pan with multiple daily uses during the week. WRP!
APLB Retinol vitamin C mist
Watery, but minimal hydration. The active ingredients in this are so low, you should expect to use this frequently for a long period before you can see results. I had the thought to use this on my legs as an all-rounder. 4 weeks of nightly usage to pan. Pretty meh, MRP.
Elizavecca hell pore clear up fruit toner
My HG AHA/BHA body exfoliant. Watery, slight slight tack that goes away after moisturizing. Takes care of the bumps on my arms and keeps my pores clear. Don’t be like me and use after shaving your legs, owie. Used 2-3x week, 6-8 weeks to pan. WRP.
Pyunkang Yul Intensive Ceramide Lotion
The body lotion to keep stocked. Light texture, soaks in quiiiick. No frills, no fragrance, heals skin and gets it soft and looking nice. I like that I can use this frequently and keep my skin nice, or if I get lazy with the body care and it’s looking rough, layer it on and it’ll soak in and improve things immediately. Also great to use right after shaving. 4 months to pan.
Nard Hand Cream Lavender Musk
A large bottle with a pump. Medium texture, but can use less or more to get the desired effect. I cannot stress enough how good the aromatherapy factor is—I kept this on my nightstand to use right before bed, and inhaling the lavender and the musk instantly relaxed me, no matter what went on during the day. It’s not overpowering—I’d put my hands right up to my face to smell it, and it eventually faded, but it was lovely to fall asleep to. Woke up every morning with my hands soft and moisturized, and also have much less nail breakage and hang nails. 8 months or so to pan. Absolutely WRP.
Farmstay Visible Difference Hand Cream Collagen
A light fresh scent, and more a thick night hand cream, coming in at medium-to-heavy cream. This will take a few to soak in, but once it does it’s not leaving any grease or film. Also super affordable, both times I’ve gotten this for just a few dollars. I’ve been happy to keep it in my purse to use primarily at work to stave off dryness from cheap office hand soap, and it did its job well. A few months to pan, WRP.
Farmstay Pink Flower Blooming hand cream
The only thing. The only thing I don’t like about this is the floral smell that’s a bit woof for the first minute or so. Farmstay needs to tone it down or switch it up. Otherwise, I love this shit. It’s a gel texture, hydrating and moisturizing, and it soaks in. So. Fast. I can deal with the bit Too Muchness of fragrance for how I can slather this on and turn IMMEDIATELY to my keyboard and not leave it looking like a heathen who eats greasy food at my desk. If they made it in big dispensers companies could buy it to leave in the bathrooms as an apology for that ratched soap lol. A few months to pan, WRP.
K Secret Seoul 1988 retinal ginseng serum
It is almost unfair for me to review this at all—I couldn’t resist getting it when it was one of stylekorean’s one dollar deals last year, but I’m using a higher percentage retinal already. So I used a pump in my body lotion til I emptied it. And tbh, I really enjoyed that. If I could make myself buy a dedicated serum to use for my body, I would. This was a really nice light creamy texture, and very much a nice experience to use. If you like bougie products for not bougie prices though, this is a nice one. A few months to pan, MRP.
Thanks for the review! I’ve heard great things about azaleic acid for acne and acne scars. Did you see a noticeable difference? I’m looking for something to help control breakouts. I’m already using tret and sometimes a salicylic acid wash, but it’s not enough. The thing that seemed to make the biggest impact was cutting out sugar and dairy from my diet, but it’s pretty annoying to have to have such a controlled diet
This is one of my favorite reviews on this sub. Thank you for this and for keeping it real. xx