Skin type: dry, sensitive

Skin tone: fair

Age: 28

Skin concerns: I have seasonal allergic dermatitis caused by tap water and heat

Climate: humid subtropical (hot and humid summer, frosty winter)

Various products

Skin1004 – Hyalu-cica sleeping pack

I started using it in the summer and finished the tube at the beginning of October (it’s still hot in my area at this time). It made a perfect finishing step of my PM skincare for the hot season. Once it became colder outside, this product didn’t perform as well as before, and my skin lacked hydration. Still, I will definitely re-purchase it for next summer.

Dokdo – 1025 toner

What an endless bottle it was! This toner is very simple, and it doesn’t do much, so I just poured it into a small sprayer bottle and carried it around to spray onto my face whenever it started feeling too dry. If you expect results from your toner, it’s not the right choice.

Dokdo – 1025 cleansing oil

When I choose a cleansing oil, I have 2 main criteria: it should deal with heavy makeup, and it shouldn’t have an irritating smell. This one matches both, so it’s a good choice.

Parnell – Cicamanu 92 serum

I expected more from this one. It ran out extremely quickly before I noticed any results. This serum has a thick texture and a lot of centella, honey and ceramides, so I hoped that my skin would love it, but it made no difference. Note! If you have acne-prone skin, I wouldn’t recommend using it because the lactobacteria may cause breakouts.

Dr. Ceuracle – Vegan Kombucha tea essence

I’m sure many dry skin girlies already know this product, so I’ll only say that I’m a huge fan of this product. It was a game-changer for my routine, and I will repurchase it as much as I can. Bonus for sensitive skin: it’s unscented.

Torriden – Dive in serum

It’s the first hyaluronic acid serum that made a difference for me. I got the Dive In kit as a gift (cream, sunscreen, sheet masks and serum), but I used the masks and the serum so far. Maybe it would yield even better results if I used every product from the kit, but I was happy enough with the serum. It gave my skin enough hydration to make it through the day (or night).

Beauty of Joseon – Green plum toner

This is the only exfoliating toner that doesn’t ruin my fragile skin barrier. Unfortunately, it got reformulated, so I’m reviewing the old version. If you manage to find a non-expired one, I’d recommend it as a gentle PM routine solution for exfoliation. Also, BoJ toners seem endless; it takes a lot of time to finish the bottle, even with regular use.

Beauty of Joseon – Relief sun: Rice + probiotics SPF

It’s not my first tube of this sunscreen. It’s good for dry skin but only during cold weather. It’s heavy and has a shiny finish. It also has a strong white cast, but my skin is fair, so it’s not a problem for me. If you wear makeup, note that many foundations and cushions look bad on top of this product. Given that it has more cons than pros, I wouldn’t recommend it.

Purito – Dermide relief barrier moisturiser

I’d put it into the “repurchase for the rest of my life” category if it hadn’t been reformulated. Sigh. The version I have in the photo is unscented, deeply moisturising, and calmed my irritated skin almost instantly. I had to rub it into my skin thoroughly to remove the white cast, but the effect was worth it. I liked it better than the well-known Aestura.

Purito – Mighty bamboo panthenol cream

An overhyped product which is absolutely horrible imo. It broke me out even though I’m not acne-prone. I used it on my body, but it just left a dry layer on my skin, like a film.

Dr. G – Vita clear sun serum

This one was very good for summer (or any hot season) routine. My summer routine is vitamin C-based to prevent skin darkening, so this sunscreen matched it well. It has a light texture and an almost unnoticeable scent. The package comes with a pump, though, which makes it difficult to do the two-finger thing.

d’Alba – First spray serum

It’s an arguable product, to be honest. It’s expensive, so I’d think twice before purchasing it. I got it for free, so I had no regrets, but I’d say it’s not for dry skin girlies. First, the product marketing is all over the place: it suggests using it as the first step of your skincare routine, which doesn’t make sense because of the oil in it. I tried using it as a facial mist and got little to no hydration and a greasy shine on my face. The only way to use it for me is a setting spray. When I finish my makeup, I spray some of this product on my face so the skin doesn’t peel off. My friend with comby-to-oily skin is a big fan of this product, so you can consider it for non-dry skin types.

VT – CE A1 azelaic acid cica exosome

With my rosacea-prone, sensitive skin, I can say that this product really works. Its texture scared me at first because it felt like oil, but there are no oils in it. The product page doesn’t reveal how much azelaic acid there is exactly, but non-official sources say that it’s 20%. Despite this, it didn’t harm my skin and worked well to reduce redness during the hot season.

VT – Cica vital cream + vitamin C (Japanese version)

I was sceptical about this one at first, especially since it’s actually a gel. It turned out to be a perfect product for a hot and humid summer. It kept moisture on my face properly without a sticky finish or clodding. I usually prefer my products unscented, but this one has a light yuzu fragrance, so I could tolerate it. I would love to repurchase it if I manage to find the Japanese version again.

VT – Vita-light reedle shot

It was a nice addition to my summer vitamin C-based routine. I doubt that it would yield results on its own without other vitamin C products, but I was satisfied with the effect in general.

VT – Reti-a reedle shot

I’m not new to retinol, but this one turned out too aggressive for my skin. It caused too much peeling off, and I didn’t notice any positive results. There are other, much better retinol products for dry and sensitive skin.

Heimish – Marine care retinol for face serum

…And this is one of them. The percentage of retinol is tiny, so it may be good for beginners. Despite it’s called a serum, the texture is more like a light cream, so I used it in summer for my PM routine and skipped the night cream.

Bad skin – Artemisia paste form cleanser

I purchased a full version even before I finished the mini package. Pros: gentle exfoliation like from an enzyme powder, pore control, no irritation for sensitive skin. Cons (subjective): looks like a turd, feels like a turd, smells of mugwort heavily.

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