Their channel puts ingredients front and centre: reviews of K-beauty launches, affordable routines, and sunscreen picks are filtered through what the formula actually contains. Try-on sessions and PM routine walkthroughs show how a product fits into a real daily regimen.
Why Are They A Guru?
An established ingredients-led skincare creator with a 58,000-strong following and a track record of granular product analysis.
306Products
192 approved83% approval rate
40 skippedDoesn't pull punches
34 hot takesWhere they break from the pack
The hall of fame
AliceintheRabbitHole's top picks.
The products AliceintheRabbitHole has crowned best in their category, and brings up again and again.
If I am applying makeup on top, the Purito Daily Soft Touch is my favorite. It's my favorite priming sunscreen and my favorite sunscreen for anytime my skin is in need.
The other product in the egg is Liquid Gold, it has a new name now, Lipid Gold. On their own these are incredible products, together I feel like you really do get the best of both worlds. I'm into the egg, I love the egg.
Truth be told, I really have loved my Medicube Booster Pro. I love and use the daylights out of that device, and I feel like it helps with increasing the absorption of skincare products, and it's just really fun to use. Alas, for me, I would not repurchase the Booster Pro. I'm so glad they came out with the mini.
This is Peach and Lily's Copper Peptide Pro Firming Serum, a new release from them, and it is in fact my favorite. It's forty nine dollars retail, not too bad, and it's available at Ulta, which is really good about doing sales, that's when I bought mine. It only has two percent copper peptide, but for me it was actually better than the Ordinary's one percent. There are so many peptides in this product. Tripeptide-1, which is GHK, binds to the copper already present in your skin. Tetrapeptide-30 is one of my personal favorite peptides for fighting hyperpigmentation, and it's been tested on people of all skin tones. There are also specific peptides in this serum that target the under eye area and under eye bags, so I can use just this one serum everywhere instead of needing a separate eye serum. There's also an aquatide ingredient that can help stimulate autophagy, and seven different forms of hyaluronic acid, which may have synergistic effects. It's a little watery but still usable, and I like that there's no smell in this product. Here's the thing though, do I like this product because of the copper peptide, or do I like this formula and it just happens to contain copper peptide? To be honest, the latter would be more consistent with my past experiences, but at the end of the day this ended up becoming my personal favorite.
I no longer have the Anua Heartleaf 77 Toner because it was just so expensive. It didn't used to be expensive, but it started getting super popular and the price crept up too much.
By the numbers
What they review most.
Against the grain
AliceintheRabbitHole'shot takes.
Products where their take diverges from the rest of the gurus.
Azelaic acid has traditionally been a difficult ingredient for me, and potentially the reason this didn't work out for me at all could be the propylene glycol they use to make the formula so watery, though it also could be something else. Even though I don't feel the Anua is for me, it seems like something wonky might be going on with this particular product.
I just do not like this sunscreen. It's got 18% zinc oxide plus bioactive antioxidant compounds plus bisabolol, which sounds wonderful in theory, but it is so heavy feeling, so shiny, I almost feel like it's glittery. It's a mineral sunscreen so I can actually use it without reacting, but I just simply hate how it feels.
Rhode sent me just a little mini of the viral glazing milk essence, and it's fine, it's fine. I think Rhode is just one of the most overhyped brands I've ever seen, when I tried their products I was just kind of baffled that they were so popular. I think Cycler's essence is just as good.
Every take, in full
Every review.
All 306 products AliceintheRabbitHole has reviewed, grouped by product type. Click a product to see the full guru consensus.
All takesApproved takesCritical takesAgainst the gurus
"The Bioma Barrier Repair Treatment is such an incredible repairing moisturizer. I feel like a lot of brands charge so much for this, but Bioma's is just as good as some of those much more expensive moisturizers."
✓Approved
86%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Barrier Repair Treatment
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"The Bioma Barrier Repair Treatment is another incredible moisturizer from this brand, and it does feel more reparative. But you'd think the one labeled repair would be better, and it actually stings on application."
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"My other moisturizer pick, tied with Stratia, is the Bioma Barrier Plus Repair Treatment. It's such a good, thicker moisturizer. Realistically I think the Stratia does more in terms of repair and this does more in terms of moisturizing, so it comes down to whether you want repair with a bit of moisture, or moisture with a bit of repair."
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"The Bioma Barrier Repair Treatment is such an incredible repairing moisturizer. I feel like a lot of brands charge so much for this, but Bioma's is just as good as some of those much more expensive moisturizers."
"Azelaic acid has traditionally been a difficult ingredient for me, and potentially the reason this didn't work out for me at all could be the propylene glycol they use to make the formula so watery, though it also could be something else. Even though I don't feel the Anua is for me, it seems like something wonky might be going on with this particular product."
✕Skip
65%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Azelaic Acid 10% Hyaluron Redness Soothing Serum
Drama in the K-beauty space?! Anua's 10% azelaic serum, Numbuzin not paying creators...
"This is the serum I was talking about when I said I was quitting azelaic acid. I put kind of a lot of it on one night, went to bed, and the next morning I woke up with one of the worst reactions I've ever had. That said, I don't think Anua is lying about this being a 10% azelaic acid, I truly do think it's a 10% azelaic acid in a new format, it was just anecdotally too much for my skin."
Sunscreen Toner, NEW Azelaic Acid, & More: Trying Your Requests!
"Azelaic acid has traditionally been a difficult ingredient for me, and potentially the reason this didn't work out for me at all could be the propylene glycol they use to make the formula so watery, though it also could be something else. Even though I don't feel the Anua is for me, it seems like something wonky might be going on with this particular product."
"This is an incredible hydrating serum with 10% glycerin, polyglutamic acid, and ectoin, and it's affordable, 1.7 fluid ounces for $28. But I didn't find myself loving the way this feels, it feels a little heavy, and as a sensitive skin type I think I need something a bit more soothing. I can use it, but it felt like an additional step, so it just didn't fit into my routine very well, nor did I like the feel of it."
"This is the Redness Reform Soothing Serum with soothing molecules, oat, arnica, and vitamin F. It's got kind of a creamy consistency, and as a sensitive, acne-prone, dry skin type this felt like the right serum for me out of her lineup, but I don't think it gave me the kind of results I wanted. I think this formulation would help more with redness from rosacea than with my primary issue, which is acne. I liked it enough to finish it, but I won't repurchase it."
"I finished a mini of the Innisfree Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Cream, a nice travel size that I traveled with. I love this moisturizer, I love the new Innisfree, I'm so glad they went in the direction of fragrance free since they used to use a lot of fragrance. I moved on to the full size of this one for my niacinamide-free trial and absolutely loved it."
"It's a blend of niacinamide, encapsulated ethyl ascorbic acid, algae, licorice root, and papaya and pineapple enzymes. It's a beautiful formula with a texture that sinks in rapidly and never pills, but at sixty eight dollars it's a little expensive, and I ran into an issue with the packaging not closing right anymore. So, for me, I'll finish it, but it won't be a repurchase."
"I like the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops. I think it's a beautiful primer, though it is a bit expensive and it does have fragrance, which not everybody enjoys. It's a pretty product, that's why I go back to it. I did manage to repurchase the pink version at fifty percent off in one of Sephora's deals, but I only buy it on sale."
✓Approved
63%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops
SKINCARE EMPTIES: the greatest hits! (2/26)
"I like the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops. I think it's a beautiful primer, though it is a bit expensive and it does have fragrance, which not everybody enjoys. It's a pretty product, that's why I go back to it. I did manage to repurchase the pink version at fifty percent off in one of Sephora's deals, but I only buy it on sale."
Glow Recipe vs K-Beauty: what can and CAN'T be duped!
"The Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops are another one of their most popular products, and I think this is actually worth the hype, though I didn't like it at first when I was trying to use it as a serum. For me this shines as a primer. It gives my skin something extra when I use it before foundation or even just after sunscreen, this healthy glow that isn't glittery or sparkly, just very natural. My partner actually loves this as a serum instead, it's her go to and never gives her any problems. I even like the Sunglow version, it's soft and natural rather than an intense bronzer."
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"I actually like the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops as a primer, that's why I use it in my primer step, I think that's where I messed up all along thinking it was strictly a serum. It barely leaves a tint behind and sinks into the skin, though it's a little slower to absorb. I really thought I was going to hate this, I thought it was going to be a lot like the Drunk Elephant, but it works for me, which is very surprising."
"This is NIOD's copper amino isolate serum, and I didn't feel like it did that much for me. I really like peptide ingredients and copper peptide is supposed to be an incredible one, but when I looked into the data there isn't much research on copper peptides. My biggest issue though is how runny it is, it's incredibly unpleasant to use, nearly unusable, and it's still not inexpensive. So that's a no for me."
"This Peach and Lily Rescue Party Barrier Restore Serum lived up to its name. It did feel restorative. I used it at a point when I had messed up my skin and it helped my skin bounce back. But do I need to spend quite the amount of money that this product costs? Maybe, maybe not. It was great for skincare enthusiasts though."
"This Super Saturated Serum from Experiment is such a heavy duty serum, perfect for the cold months, and incredible under a sheet mask. It's a little heavy because it's thirty percent glycerin, so I like to apply a lightweight moisturizer on top. It also lasts so long because even though it's only a one fluid ounce bottle, it's super thick."
✓Approved
87%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Super Saturated Serum
SKINCARE EMPTIES: the greatest hits! (2/26)
"This Super Saturated Serum from Experiment is such a heavy duty serum, perfect for the cold months, and incredible under a sheet mask. It's a little heavy because it's thirty percent glycerin, so I like to apply a lightweight moisturizer on top. It also lasts so long because even though it's only a one fluid ounce bottle, it's super thick."
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"This serum contains thirty percent glycerin, and it turns out glycerin really is a great, very inexpensive humectant, just like hyaluronic acid which completely stole the spotlight. Because it's so concentrated it feels just like using a snail mucin product, but this one is vegan, and because of the texture you need such a tiny amount that it's going to last forever. I've been using it as a booster on top of everything else in my routine and it has just been so nice to have that extra boost of hydration, especially in this cold winter. I'm very happy with that product."
"I absolutely love the Medicube Booster Pro because it's an electroporation device that helps you get more from your favorite skincare products. I don't love some of the claims, they market it as five in one or six in one, and with the moving LED lights you don't know the intensity or how long it's staying in one spot, so I don't think you can count on that. I never use the microcurrent setting because I love my Zip, but I mostly use the booster setting and sometimes the dermashot mode. I do love it and use it almost every single day. The one caution is to be careful not to use it with active ingredients, I don't use it with my retinoid or with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, but I do use it with humectants and soothing ingredients."
✓Approved
64%Guru Score
All 9 takes on Age-R Booster Pro
RANKING Home Anti-Aging Treatments!
"Truth be told, I really have loved my Medicube Booster Pro. I love and use the daylights out of that device, and I feel like it helps with increasing the absorption of skincare products, and it's just really fun to use. Alas, for me, I would not repurchase the Booster Pro. I'm so glad they came out with the mini."
Skincare Devices I Still Use (& Devices I Regret!)
"I absolutely love the Medicube Booster Pro because it's an electroporation device that helps you get more from your favorite skincare products. I don't love some of the claims, they market it as five in one or six in one, and with the moving LED lights you don't know the intensity or how long it's staying in one spot, so I don't think you can count on that. I never use the microcurrent setting because I love my Zip, but I mostly use the booster setting and sometimes the dermashot mode. I do love it and use it almost every single day. The one caution is to be careful not to use it with active ingredients, I don't use it with my retinoid or with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, but I do use it with humectants and soothing ingredients."
Medicube Booster Pro in Trouble: Thoughts from a BIG Fan!
"I'm a huge fan of the Medicube Booster Pro and I trust Medicube to do a very good job making their devices. I exclusively use the booster setting on this, I use it all the way up to level five, and I've never had any drawbacks doing that. I will say I don't use it close to my eye area. I've been using this specific device for over a year, almost every day, almost always on the five setting, and personally I'm happy with my results. So will I keep using this? Yes, absolutely. It's not a case where everybody who buys this is going to absolutely love it, since I've seen other creators who don't particularly like this device, but I think it's very, very unlikely that it causes Bell's palsy."
ULTA Love Your Skin Sale: My Picks AND What to Skip!
"A lot of people ask about the Medicube Booster Pro, which is Korean skincare technology. Medicube used to be so bad about verbalizing what their technology was, thank goodness they're finally using the word electroporation, and that to me is what this device is. I love that device, though I just see it as something different from the NuFace, since it has two probes. It's very hard to say exactly how it compares because Medicube isn't great at sharing how they develop their device."
What Happened to My Black Friday Orders From Last Year? Looking Back!
"I bought the Booster Pro the second it released in the US, back in February. I use the booster mode ninety percent of the time, which is designed to increase penetration of your skincare ingredients, and I genuinely feel I see more results from any product, including really inexpensive ones, when I use this device. I would buy this again. This is in my opinion the best device Medicube has ever released. I love it dearly."
Best Korean Skincare BRANDS! (2024)
"When I first heard about the Booster Pro I was scared it would be all flash and no substance, but they pulled it off, they actually made a device that's somehow even better than the original Booster H, which I was already a big fan of."
Revisiting VIRAL Korean Skincare: Have My Opinions Changed?!
"I loved the original and unsurprisingly I love the Pro, which I bought mainly because I wanted slightly better absorption versus the Booster H. They claim it's a 6-in-1 device, and I feel like it's a little weak relying on this for the sixth thing, the vibrations, but the electroporation, the dermal shot mode, and even the microcurrent, I am actually using all of those, which surprised me. I don't use the recommended products with this though, I'd rather use something simpler on my sensitive skin, like a peptide serum, than something with a lot of extracts and fragrance. I feel like the devices are where Medicube shines."
AM Skincare Routine: How I Include the Medicube Booster Pro!
"I like the Booster Pro so much, and originally the first booster device they had, because I want more from these relatively inexpensive products. A device is only worth it if you're going to use it. Where I've seen a lot of people get frustrated with the Medicube device is that some serums you apply just immediately disappear into your skin, so my trick is to layer a heavier serum on top so everything glides on nicely."
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"I absolutely love the Medicube Booster Pro, though that was pretty predictable since I loved the original. It also feels nicer in your hand, an upgrade in every sense, the booster and the airshot always felt light and plasticky and this one feels more hefty and luxurious. I feel like I see better results from any skincare products I pair it with, especially peptide rich humectant formulas, though I have to be cautious not to use it with active ingredients. The microcurrent and EMS shot modes are just okay for me, they didn't replace my ZIIP or my original NuFace, but the booster mode itself feels improved. I don't love that Medicube didn't make it clearer this device was coming, especially for people who'd just bought the Booster or the Airshot, but I'd buy it again, I would buy it again."
"The elastic skin is such a great vegan alternative to snail mucin."
✓Approved
80%Guru Score
All 4 takes on Elastic Skin Firming & Plumping Growth Factor Serum
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"This is the In Beauty Elastic Skin Serum, and I absolutely love this serum. It's vegan snail mucin plus some copper peptide, and I really think In Beauty did an absolutely incredible job on this product. I think it proves that you don't have to feel like you're missing out if you prefer to go the vegan route instead of using snail mucin."
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"The elastic skin is such a great vegan alternative to snail mucin."
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"I bought the In Beauty Project Elastic Skin in the Sephora friends and family sale. It's a firming and plumping serum with copper peptides, vegan growth factors, and phyto mucin. I like this product, but I went into it because of the copper peptides since I'm a big peptides fan, and ultimately I found that this did not replace my favorite peptide serum, which is the Peach and Lily peptide serum. I can still see how you could like this more than the Peach and Lily. The texture really does feel like Kosterx snail mucin, but it's a fully vegan product, and I've come to really appreciate that category. It's kind of like using Kosterx snail mucin plus the Peach and Lily peptide serum, although both are a little toned down in this product. For me, I prefer to use those two products separately, but some people might want to simplify their routine, and that's what this product will do."
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"In Beauty Elastic Skin is supposed to be In Beauty's dupe of the Cosrx snail essence, with vegan growth factors and a phyto mucin. I do like the approach, they're including a lot of peptides as well as copper peptide. I do like the texture they came up with for this serum to mimic the snail products, but ultimately I feel like I saw a lot more in my skin from the Peach and Lily copper peptide serum. I liked this overall, I like In Beauty as a brand, they're cute and the price point is reasonable, but if you made me pick between Ulta and Sephora for a peptide serum, I would go to Ulta for the Peach and Lily."
"This is the Vitamin Concentrated Serum. I am so much more impressed with this than I thought I would be. It has five percent niacinamide, which is such a good level, and four percent tranexamic acid, combined with a tried and true ingredient in niacinamide rather than relying on the tranexamic acid alone. It also has some vitamin C derivatives lower on the ingredients list. It's a little bit thicker in texture, it feels a little heavy when you first apply it but then it absorbs really nicely. I do feel like this helped my skin bounce back after I had some breakouts. I have loved using this product, this is my second favorite product in the video."
"The Clarins Double Serum is a product that I will only ever get at 50% off. I did like it, I liked Double Serum back in the day, but I feel like there are so many options at this point that I just personally would not repurchase it."
~Mixed
62%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Double Serum
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"The Clarins Double Serum is a product that I will only ever get at 50% off. I did like it, I liked Double Serum back in the day, but I feel like there are so many options at this point that I just personally would not repurchase it."
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"That's a serum that I really did like back in the day, but at this point I just feel I have a lot of products that kind of do what that one does."
"I think I'm still going to say the VT PDRN Serum is my favorite for me personally, even though I did like that the IOP PDRN was a gel-like serum in contrast to the creamy serum that the VT PDRN is. Both are vegan PDRN."
"I used the Beauty of Joseon serum with centella and a vitamin C derivative, three-O-ethyl ascorbic acid, at ten percent. Even at the end of this trial I still do think the Beauty of Joseon is a good option."
"This just did not work for my skin type. I felt like I was getting an increase in redness when I used this product, though it's possible that came from the fragrance or the vitamin B12 ingredient rather than the PDRN itself, since this is a higher concentration than I'd knowingly tried up until this point. So for me this is a no, I'm sure it will work for some amount of people, but it was sadly a no-go for me."
"I still like Peach and Lily's copper peptide serum the most."
✓Approved
81%Guru Score
All 8 takes on Copper Peptide Pro Firming Serum
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"I still like Peach and Lily's copper peptide serum the most."
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"I personally loved Peach and Lily's copper peptide serum, wow they did such a good job on that, and it's only 2% copper peptide but also a lot of other peptides. If you made me pick between Ulta and Sephora for a peptide serum, I would go to Ulta for the Peach and Lily."
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"I have already gone through a bottle of the Peach and Lily Copper Peptide Pro Firming Serum, and I have a whole video about it. I truly think this is the best copper peptide serum I've ever tried, and that goes to show it's not always about having more of an ingredient as much as it is about formulation. Peach and Lily is transparent about the percentage, it's lower than some other options, and I genuinely liked it more."
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"I do like the Peach and Lily copper peptide serum, but I'm going without it right now because the Ordinary's multi-peptide serum gives me all of the peptides that I need."
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"The Peach and Lily Copper Peptide Serum, I absolutely loved that one."
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"This is Peach and Lily's Copper Peptide Pro Firming Serum, a new release from them, and it is in fact my favorite. It's forty nine dollars retail, not too bad, and it's available at Ulta, which is really good about doing sales, that's when I bought mine. It only has two percent copper peptide, but for me it was actually better than the Ordinary's one percent. There are so many peptides in this product. Tripeptide-1, which is GHK, binds to the copper already present in your skin. Tetrapeptide-30 is one of my personal favorite peptides for fighting hyperpigmentation, and it's been tested on people of all skin tones. There are also specific peptides in this serum that target the under eye area and under eye bags, so I can use just this one serum everywhere instead of needing a separate eye serum. There's also an aquatide ingredient that can help stimulate autophagy, and seven different forms of hyaluronic acid, which may have synergistic effects. It's a little watery but still usable, and I like that there's no smell in this product. Here's the thing though, do I like this product because of the copper peptide, or do I like this formula and it just happens to contain copper peptide? To be honest, the latter would be more consistent with my past experiences, but at the end of the day this ended up becoming my personal favorite."
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"This is the Peach and Lily copper peptide serum, and I can't believe it but I am going to have very good things, very good things to say about this product, so please stay tuned."
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"I'm also still using the new Peach and Lily copper peptide serum, I'll give you all a review on it, but so far so good."
"It's the Ordinary's GF 15% Solution, a product that contains growth factors, and it's a hundred and fifteen dollars and fifty cents for one fluid ounce of a product that contains 15% growth factor solution. The predecessors of this serum, the other growth factor serums on the market, are not in this price range, we're talking hundreds of dollars instead. The ordinary pulling this off with a growth factor serum shows that it's possible. Is it a simplified formula? Yes, of course, that's the Ordinary's whole thing. You can see exactly what they're talking about in the ingredients list, EGF, IGF, TGF technologies, which they claim is for replenishing moisture, elasticity, and firmness. The highest level you'll actually see of these in the product is about one to two percent, and the complexes contain water and butylene glycol. It's in your standard dropper bottle, it's got a watery texture, there's nothing really super special about the packaging or the feel, but again this is all in line with the Ordinary."
"My favorite vitamin C has been the Bubble Daydream serum, I've called it my favorite for a long time. I've come to realize there are certain products where if my skin is a bit more sensitized I can't use them, but as long as my skin is in a good place, this is a preferred serum for me. I'll admit I'm slightly compromising here, it's eighteen dollars for one fluid ounce, which isn't bad especially with the coupon at Ulta, but I've come to enjoy a higher end product with that same ingredient more than this one, even though the price per ounce on this is technically less."
~Mixed
82%Guru Score
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"My favorite vitamin C has been the Bubble Daydream serum, I've called it my favorite for a long time. I've come to realize there are certain products where if my skin is a bit more sensitized I can't use them, but as long as my skin is in a good place, this is a preferred serum for me. I'll admit I'm slightly compromising here, it's eighteen dollars for one fluid ounce, which isn't bad especially with the coupon at Ulta, but I've come to enjoy a higher end product with that same ingredient more than this one, even though the price per ounce on this is technically less."
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"This tone and texture serum broke on me. I dropped the bottle in the sink and now product is actually leaking out of it, so I cannot use it anymore. It really worked well for me for a long time, but it is very frustrating when a bottle breaks like that. I'm not immediately going to run out and repurchase it, though I still may in the future."
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"This is Bubble's Daydream serum, a tone and texture serum with vitamin C and niacinamide. The vitamin C form it uses is sodium ascorbyl phosphate, a derivative that's been studied as an alternative to benzoyl peroxide with similar acne fighting results but less irritating. As someone who can't use benzoyl peroxide, this became an alternative I fell in love with, and I still get antioxidant activity, which makes it a wonderful serum to pair with sunscreen in the mornings. I want to note this is a vitamin C alternative serum, so if you're looking for a vitamin C to fight hyperpigmentation or help increase collagen production I would not go with this one, that needs true L ascorbic acid. But if you have acne, this might be the form of vitamin C for you. Every time I stop using this to try a different form of vitamin C I have more breakouts, not because those other forms break me out, but because this one really does help me fight acne."
"This is also another surprisingly great serum where I felt like my skin bounced back quickly with it, but I have to be true to me."
✓Approved
70%Guru Score
All 4 takes on Dive-In Serum
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"This is also another surprisingly great serum where I felt like my skin bounced back quickly with it, but I have to be true to me."
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"The Torriden Dive-In Serum was gifted to me through Stylevana, and I liked it so much more than I thought I would. I'm so bored of hyaluronic acid, but those cica actives, I think they work really well for me."
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"I reviewed this serum a while ago and I really liked it, but I now have an even greater appreciation for it. I had some irritation going on, and after using it I had forgotten just how much this product does for my skin. My friend was dealing with some irritation too, I told her to try it, and it did so much for her overnight. Everybody's skin is different and nothing works for everyone, but for me, and now for her too, this really works."
Most Popular K-Beauty SERUMS!
"I was such a skeptic of this one initially, a low molecular hyaluronic acid serum, I mean who hasn't tried hyaluronic acid before. But this is a good example of why formulation matters, not just what ingredients are in your product but what you do with them. It uses five different forms of hyaluronic acid to target different layers of your skin, and on top of that it has panthenol, allantoin and some active components of centella that may be incredible for soothing your skin, which is always a benefit for my difficult skin since I need soothing and calming. I don't just need hydration, I need more, and even though this calls itself a hydrating serum, because it does more, that is actually a really good hyaluronic acid serum. I will say I preferred the Beauty of Joseon balance serum, probably because I have acne, so I'd say this one is a little more for people looking to soothe dryness while also getting some of those restorative benefits. If you're still using a basic hyaluronic acid serum, especially one that costs a lot more, this is very much worth trying."
"I do like the Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum a bit more, the packaging is a pump which is what I prefer to a jar, especially since it's a more runny product. I honestly do think this is a great niacinamide serum, it features 5% niacinamide and sea buckthorn extract, one of my favorite ingredients, and since it's a leave-on product you're probably going to see more from these ingredients. I do think the 5% niacinamide level could help with post-inflammatory marks from acne, though probably not with age spots. It's a nice niacinamide serum, that's primarily what this is going to give you, and it's going to be hard to beat the price of this too. It's a little lower on my list, but it is one that I would consider repurchasing."
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64%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum
Axis-Y Products, RANKED: Best & Worst from this Vegan K-Beauty Brand!
"I do like the Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum a bit more, the packaging is a pump which is what I prefer to a jar, especially since it's a more runny product. I honestly do think this is a great niacinamide serum, it features 5% niacinamide and sea buckthorn extract, one of my favorite ingredients, and since it's a leave-on product you're probably going to see more from these ingredients. I do think the 5% niacinamide level could help with post-inflammatory marks from acne, though probably not with age spots. It's a nice niacinamide serum, that's primarily what this is going to give you, and it's going to be hard to beat the price of this too. It's a little lower on my list, but it is one that I would consider repurchasing."
New Korean Skincare (pt 2): Beauty of Joseon came THROUGH (!), the Overhyped, & More!
"Their dark spot serum is one of their best sellers. It is a 5% niacinamide product, and I think 5% niacinamide is a great level, it's better for evening your skin tone, not really fighting dark spots in the sense of brown spots on your skin, maybe this is some kind of translational confusion since what I think this might help with is more of a red or pink spot. Ultimately I do like the dark spot serum, I just don't like its name."
Most Popular K-Beauty SERUMS!
"This is made with five percent niacinamide, and I love knowing the disclosure on the percentage of the active, since five percent is where we start to see melanin inhibiting properties in the published research. It also has papaya, which contains enzyme, emollient and antioxidant ingredients, and some rice bran, which they say works in conjunction with the niacinamide. Anyway I did like this product, though do note it has some rosemary essential oil in it. It works for a lot of people, but I have seen some people say they were a little disappointed that it didn't do more, and if that's the case you might want to look into stronger actives for hyperpigmentation. I'd say this is yet another gentle K beauty serum, targeting hyperpigmentation a bit more than the Beauty of Joseon glow serum."
"This is the Pomegranate Peptide Firming Serum, and I'm so grateful I only picked it as a Sephora sample. It looked nice initially with ingredients like copper peptide, but I can't help but feel like this was released just because peptides were popular at the time rather than any real innovation. For me it didn't deliver on any of the benefits I've seen from peptides, it just hydrates and that's about it."
"This is the Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum, and this never did it for me. I like ceramides, I really do, but I can't quite tell you why I'm not the biggest fan of this one. It's just another fine product, and forty five dollars for fine, no, I'd rather pay that for something great."
"This is Remedy, Dr. Sandra Lee's skincare brand. I absolutely love the informative website, you can go on it and understand exactly what ingredients these products contain and why. The Remedy for Pore Size is powered by retinol, salicylic acid, niacinamide, green tea and peptide, and the prices are not bad at all for a dermatologist owned brand. The one problem I ran into is I already use a retinoid, and when I got my partner who also uses retinol into it, about a week after incorporating this into her routine her face started peeling from overusing a retinoid, since this product also has salicylic acid on top of that. So I like these products but I do ultimately feel a little confused, because if you've watched Dr. Lee talk about the benefits of retinoids, it's odd that they'd put retinol into an all in one like this. Nonetheless these are good all in ones, especially if you are new to skincare, these can be so worth it."
"Mandelic acid overall is a gentle AHA, this is probably fine to use, though not alongside a retinoid, I'd alternate nights. Why does nobody talk about this brand anymore, they're such a good brand, nothing to hide on the ingredients list, are you kidding me, I love it so much. It has ten percent mandelic acid, one percent gluconolactone so some PHA in there, and point five percent allantoin, and they say to use it up to four times weekly."
✓Approved
79%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Mandelic Acid Serum
I Bought all the NEW Skincare at Ulta: Skin1004, Manyo, Bubble, & More!
"Mandelic acid overall is a gentle AHA, this is probably fine to use, though not alongside a retinoid, I'd alternate nights. Why does nobody talk about this brand anymore, they're such a good brand, nothing to hide on the ingredients list, are you kidding me, I love it so much. It has ten percent mandelic acid, one percent gluconolactone so some PHA in there, and point five percent allantoin, and they say to use it up to four times weekly."
Ulta 10x Points Walkthrough (Don't Miss It!!!)
"Good Molecules has a Mandelic Acid Serum now, mandelic acid is a more gentle AHA, so that's pretty tempting. I think we're going to add that to the cart as well."
"I absolutely bought the old formula, and honestly I think I might prefer the new one. I mixed the liquid into the powder and it stayed completely clear, so good job to the formulators, because the problem with ascorbic acid is that it's just not that stable an ingredient. Vitamin C really is a great ingredient, and unlike peptides this has a lot of evidence backing it. We know it can help with hyperpigmentation and increasing collagen production, it's a great antioxidant, great to use in the morning paired with sunscreen. I do want to let you know that the low pH can be difficult for some people to use."
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65%Guru Score
All 2 takes on C-Firma Fresh Day Serum
Skincare Empties to Celebrate the END of Summer!
"I cracked this open and used it up. The catch for me with this type of pure vitamin C serum is I have to have my barrier in a good place, when my skin is doing well I can handle vitamin C, when my skin isn't that's when I cannot, because vitamin C needs that lower pH which can be irritating on already irritated skin. Otherwise it worked fine, I did watch it turn a little bit yellow but I used it up before it oxidized."
My Honest Thoughts on Drunk Elephant's "Best Sellers" (in 2024)
"I absolutely bought the old formula, and honestly I think I might prefer the new one. I mixed the liquid into the powder and it stayed completely clear, so good job to the formulators, because the problem with ascorbic acid is that it's just not that stable an ingredient. Vitamin C really is a great ingredient, and unlike peptides this has a lot of evidence backing it. We know it can help with hyperpigmentation and increasing collagen production, it's a great antioxidant, great to use in the morning paired with sunscreen. I do want to let you know that the low pH can be difficult for some people to use."
"I've never understood this one. It's not even that expensive, it's a nice idea, it's hydrating, it's based in panthenol, which is a wonderful soothing ingredient, but to me it just feels like K-beauty products do this whole gentle, hydrating category so well. B-Hydra has just never had a big appeal to me, it could be my skin type since I have dry skin. If you have oily to combo skin maybe you'd like this more than I do, but I think you could save so much money and I don't think you'd miss it."
"This is a twenty dollar serum from The Ordinary, the Balancing and Clarifying Serum, with seven active ingredients targeting oily and acne prone skin. I have a dry and acne prone skin type so I wasn't sure how this would go for me, but I am super happy to report that at about six weeks of using this I feel like it's helped me keep my acne at bay in a very gentle way. It has a thicker consistency so a little goes a long way. None of the ingredients are harsh and yet they all help with acne, and together you get seven times the gentle potency against acne. Overall I do like this, as a person with acne it's so much better to focus on these kind of calming, hydrating products than on harsh acne attacking products, because those can end up damaging your skin and creating a much worse situation."
"I decided to repurchase the Ordinary azelaic acid serum, and I immediately remembered why I stopped buying it. The Ordinary has such a tendency to cause pilling, whereas I don't feel like I have that problem with the other one."
"I tried the Peter Thomas Roth Peptide Skin Injection as another alternative to something like the Snoxin. It's fine, I just don't think that you necessarily have to spend a lot on these peptide products, especially given where we are in the research."
"This is Sulwhasoo's bestselling product, it has recently been updated. What this product does is immediately after cleansing you apply this and it boosts your barrier for better absorption of everything you apply afterwards, and in addition to increasing absorption and boosting the skin's barrier, Sulwhasoo also claims that this helps to address ten different signs of aging. This one to me is very worth the hype, I think this is a fantastic place to start if you are curious about this brand, it's their bestseller for a reason, they are proud of this new formulation for a reason, and I actually think this is even better than the last version."
✓Approved
81%Guru Score
All 2 takes on First Care Activating Serum
My Updated Thoughts on SULWHASOO: Luxury Korean Skin Care
"This is Sulwhasoo's bestselling product, it has recently been updated. What this product does is immediately after cleansing you apply this and it boosts your barrier for better absorption of everything you apply afterwards, and in addition to increasing absorption and boosting the skin's barrier, Sulwhasoo also claims that this helps to address ten different signs of aging. This one to me is very worth the hype, I think this is a fantastic place to start if you are curious about this brand, it's their bestseller for a reason, they are proud of this new formulation for a reason, and I actually think this is even better than the last version."
My FAVORITE Skincare Brands (& Products!)
"I'm holding up the First Care Activating Serum, this was recently reformulated. I know a lot of people haven't yet tried the reformulation, this was one of two gifted products in this whole video, I don't know if I would have tried it if I wasn't sent it because I get nervous about reformulations too, but I have to say I feel like I do like the reformulation more than the last version. I feel like this delivers on the claims, they claim it helps with the absorption of anything you apply on top, in addition to all the other benefits of ginseng. It's an interesting product because you use it first before anything else in your routine, but I feel like when I do that everything works better. And it's actually not too expensive, this is Sulwhasoo so it's still expensive, but it's not too bad. Ultimately I'm bumping this up to my favorite."
"This has fragrance, which isn't my personal favorite, but I just think indie brands do oils the best. This is fine, I don't hate it, but I just find it to not be anywhere near as exciting as the indie brands that use beautiful lists of carrier oils, perfect combinations that I feel really make a difference in your skin."
"I was very tempted to tell you this just doesn't do anything, but I'm working on banning that phrase. It's got a humectant in it, it's going to hydrate, but I might not notice that hydration if my skin is already thoroughly hydrated, and it is also lightly hydrating with 5% niacinamide, but I already had a 5% niacinamide product. I was really hopeful with this one, I thought maybe it would be kind of similar to the Glow Recipe dew drops, but it's just not, to me. Alpha arbutin is in this product, it should have been slightly brightening, but I already use azelaic acid anyway. In spite of all those ingredients, some of which I love, like algae, it just wasn't giving me enough added effects. This added nothing to my personal skincare routine."
"This is the Purito Wonder Relief Centella Serum, unscented, the brand new reformulation and updated formula from Purito. I never fell in love with the original, I thought it was good but it didn't really blow my mind. I love this one. I feel like it might be a little thicker than the original, and I do feel like it is even more soothing, which makes sense since they say it now has more centella asiatica even if the packaging lists less. It's a really beautiful formula featuring panthenol, centella asiatica, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid, all in a fragrance free formula."
"The Hydrating Serum contains ceramides, this is a big part of the Byoma brand, as well as squalane and glycerin, and it has a little bit more of a milky texture. This too feels like it is both hydrating as well as moisturizing in a fragrance-free formula. I enjoyed this, not among my absolute favorite serums, but I did enjoy this, I think it's overall a good choice."
"This is the Hydrating Recovery Oil, one of my most used products from Byoma before we went into this trial, I love this oil. It's a beautiful formula, and because it's a fluid ounce it's going to take me a long time to finish, oils last a very long time. It has some seabuckthorn oil, a bit of rosehip, some added ceramide, and that constituent of licorice. I really, really like this, one of my favorite, maybe my favorite, budget friendly oil."
✓Approved
72%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Hydrating Recovery Oil
I Tried Byoma Skincare for a Month: What I Liked (and Didn't!)
"This is the Hydrating Recovery Oil, one of my most used products from Byoma before we went into this trial, I love this oil. It's a beautiful formula, and because it's a fluid ounce it's going to take me a long time to finish, oils last a very long time. It has some seabuckthorn oil, a bit of rosehip, some added ceramide, and that constituent of licorice. I really, really like this, one of my favorite, maybe my favorite, budget friendly oil."
Barrier Repair Routine - My Tried & True Products to Restore my Skin!
"I'm going to be using the Boma Hydrating Recovery Oil tonight. This is such an interesting product, I really thought the whole brand was fully fragrance-free but they do have some blue tansy oil in this, technically that's an essential oil, but it's actually one of my favorite essential oils. I'm not anti essential oils, there are a few that work for me. This also has some ceramide, some seabuckthorn. I really like to use oils when my skin is in this kind of state, and this is a great choice."
"This is their Brightening Serum, more of a gel texture, and it contains ceramide ingredients, hyaluronic acid, but also niacinamide. I would say overall I found this to be a mild Brightening Serum, not brightening in the way that your AHA ingredients are, but just kind of more of a product that contributes to an even skin tone. For me this one was a like but not a love."
"Even when it does seem that a specific product is consistently causing problems for me, that doesn't mean I can identify why. To this day I don't know why the Ordinary Soothing and Barrier Support Serum didn't work out for me, I just know it didn't."
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76%Guru Score
All 4 takes on Soothing & Barrier Support Serum
I Changed My Mind! | How I See Skincare in 2024
"Even when it does seem that a specific product is consistently causing problems for me, that doesn't mean I can identify why. To this day I don't know why the Ordinary Soothing and Barrier Support Serum didn't work out for me, I just know it didn't."
Deinfluencing "Viral" Skincare
"The Ordinary's soothing and barrier support serum, what a beautiful name, sounds like what could possibly go wrong. It did not work for me, I had a horrible reaction to a soothing barrier support serum, come on."
I Reacted to the Ordinary's Soothing Barrier Support Serum. So Let's Chat!
"I actually think the Soothing Barrier Support Serum is a great, innovative product, and I love that it's affordable. It has a beautiful ingredients list, even more soothing and calming ingredients than they claim, including a synthetic ceramide ingredient, an anti irritant ingredient meant to mimic the effects of oats, two percent niacinamide, and no alcohol and no fragrance. But I had a reaction to it, so it turns out this product isn't for me, and I won't be using it going forward. No product is for everyone, and I don't actually know what caused my reaction. I still think this is a product that will most likely work for the vast majority of people, and I really do love the ordinary."
Barrier Repair Routine - My Tried & True Products to Restore my Skin!
"I noticed this Dr. Ceuracle product has cyanocobalamin in it too, the ingredient we'd talked about, but it doesn't bother my skin, so I don't think the cyanocobalamin was the ingredient responsible for why I couldn't use the Ordinary Soothing Barrier Support Serum."
"I really liked this, I was using it for a couple of months and decided I didn't want to run out of it, so I restocked it. I bought my second one in January of 2023 and it's now March of 2024 and I'm still trying to finish my first bottle. It's lasting me absolutely forever, I use a tiny amount of this before I blow dry my hair. It's a great Healing Oil, one of my favorite products, one of the few products I use every wash day."
"Out of the four peptide serums I finished, my favorite was actually the one from The Ordinary. I'm comfortable with the cost of that, given that we don't have a lot of peer reviewed primary literature on peptides. That's my go to peptide serum. I enjoyed getting to test the others, but for me personally, this one still remains the one I'll go back to."
✓Approved
75%Guru Score
All 7 takes on Multi-Peptide + Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Skincare EMPTIES! How Long to Finish Products, Why I Go Back to Affordable Picks...
"Out of the four peptide serums I finished, my favorite was actually the one from The Ordinary. I'm comfortable with the cost of that, given that we don't have a lot of peer reviewed primary literature on peptides. That's my go to peptide serum. I enjoyed getting to test the others, but for me personally, this one still remains the one I'll go back to."
The Ordinary Argireline Peptide: WHY it’s Compared to Botox
"I'm surprised this doesn't get as much attention as the argireline solution. I prefer this one, both the product itself and its texture, since the argireline solution is very watery and kind of hard to work with. It has argireline in it in addition to other peptides like matrixyl, so it's all here in one product."
Ulta's FINAL Skincare Sale Week Has Interesting Ingredients...
"The Ordinary multi-peptide serum is the one I keep going back to, it's very affordable and yet it has frankly a more well-rounded profile of peptides that actually do have some more rigorous data behind them."
How I Save Money on Skincare: the PRODUCTS vs the INGREDIENTS I need
"It's the Ordinary's Multi-Peptide Serum in particular that's my favorite. I say this is a great peptide product, and people ask what's one that's a little more expensive and a little better, but I don't actually have one that I think is objectively better. This gives me all of the peptides that I need."
Speed Reviews! New Ziip, Quest for the Best Concealer, & More!
"I really like the Ordinary's multi-peptide serum, just a little more than the Dermatology one. It's great to find a product that's very affordable and that your skin responds really well to."
Skincare Empties! Returning to my Favorites, New Affordable Finds (10/23)
"I love peptides, and this is a much more affordable way to get a lot of peptides in my routine. I like it a lot, and that's why I repurchased it."
Ulta 10x IS HERE: Walkthrough
"I'm going to get the Ordinary's multi-peptide serum for sure. I might up my quantity of it because it's a favorite product for me."
"I went through this skin booster the quickest out of everything because I really liked it. It's a very gentle product, it contains peptides, which act as a humectant and maybe do more for your skin, although we don't get much disclosure on the percentage of peptides, which is always very low. Overall I did like it, but I'm not going to run out and repurchase it because I want to see what else is out there."
✓Approved
86%Guru Score
All 4 takes on 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: My Picks & Skips! (Fall 2024)
"The COSRX Six Peptide Skin Booster is a nice hydrating toner, I've already used up a full size bottle, I like to make sheet masks from it. With peptides we still need to establish effective levels and be clear about whether effective levels are in these products, and because of that I didn't rush out and repurchase this product, but I did like it."
Skincare EMPTIES! How Long to Finish Products, Why I Go Back to Affordable Picks...
"I went through this skin booster the quickest out of everything because I really liked it. It's a very gentle product, it contains peptides, which act as a humectant and maybe do more for your skin, although we don't get much disclosure on the percentage of peptides, which is always very low. Overall I did like it, but I'm not going to run out and repurchase it because I want to see what else is out there."
NEW Skincare Try On: Cosrx Peptides, Topicals Primer & More! (9/23)
"I did buy the new Cosrx 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum. I'm a big fan of peptides and I've been wanting to try more from the Cosrx line. This reads a lot like the multi peptide serum from The Ordinary, but it's really a different concept, more of a toner serum, almost a first serum, and because it's so watery it may help increase the absorption of anything you apply afterward. Peptides are humectant ingredients and we know they're wonderful for hydrating your skin, and the brand claims some other benefits too, though that data is manufacturer supplied. I do believe, by the nature of humectants and the fact that it's just nice to apply, that using this before other serums and ampoules helps. I love my peptides, I love my peptides."
COSRX: Ranking 18 Products Best to Worst! (2023 Version)
"This is the six peptide skin booster from the COSRX the ordinary line, and it's the first product from that line that's really captured my interest. It's a serum with six forms of peptides plus some hyaluronic acid, natural moisturizing factors and amino acids, and it's really more of a giant hydrating toner at 5.07 fluid ounces. We don't yet have peer reviewed published literature on these peptides, only promising manufacturer's data, so I think it's safer to say the peptides act as humectants rather than overstate the benefits. When you look at the Korean label the actual use levels are pretty low, so I wouldn't rely on this as your main peptide product, but as a booster it gives additional hydration and helps other peptides absorb better. It's so well made that I can use multiple layers of it and my skin doesn't get sticky or tacky. It's really a hit for me."
"I feel like I've seen people reduce the Peach and Lily Glass Skin Serum down a little too much in my opinion. I think this is a phenomenal serum. Yes it's basic, it is a basic niacinamide and hyaluronic acid serum, but it doesn't stop there, it's multiple forms of hyaluronic acid, it's got a peptide ingredient, it's got sea actives in it, and I think that's what makes this formula so special. You're getting hydration and also some barrier boosting properties, some plant ingredients for antioxidants, hydrating beta glucan. I really think it's such a nice formula, and if you get it for fifty percent off this will be under twenty dollars. The one catch is if you're a K-beauty enthusiast this might not be that unique to you, it reminds me a lot of the Torriden serum, so it has some competition, but in this sale it's a great price."
✓Approved
73%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Glass Skin Refining Serum
ULTA Love Your Skin Sale: My Picks AND What to Skip!
"The Peach and Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum is a fantastic serum, heavily inspired by K beauty. It's a great everyday serum, great for adding hydration and evening out your skin tone via the niacinamide, and it provides antioxidant activity. I stopped buying it once I got into K beauty and realized that type of product is everywhere there for a lot less. I still like it, and if you aren't interested in importing products from overseas you still might enjoy this serum, but that's why I quit buying it even though I still like it."
ULTA Skincare Sale: ALL the 50% off Items in Week 1 - my thoughts!
"I feel like I've seen people reduce the Peach and Lily Glass Skin Serum down a little too much in my opinion. I think this is a phenomenal serum. Yes it's basic, it is a basic niacinamide and hyaluronic acid serum, but it doesn't stop there, it's multiple forms of hyaluronic acid, it's got a peptide ingredient, it's got sea actives in it, and I think that's what makes this formula so special. You're getting hydration and also some barrier boosting properties, some plant ingredients for antioxidants, hydrating beta glucan. I really think it's such a nice formula, and if you get it for fifty percent off this will be under twenty dollars. The one catch is if you're a K-beauty enthusiast this might not be that unique to you, it reminds me a lot of the Torriden serum, so it has some competition, but in this sale it's a great price."
"I like using The Ordinary Matrixyl all over my entire face combined with Argireline on my forehead. I'm not going to buy Matrixyl again though, because I personally like a multipeptide serum that much more."
"I do think this is a good peptide serum. I like that it's nonirritating and fragrance free, it has some ceramides and panthenol in it, and it's got a nice lightweight texture, I think everybody will like this one. I received it in PR, but in all truth I don't think I'll buy it again because I like the Ordinary's multi-peptide serum just a little more, and if the Ordinary is working well for you, why change things."
"This is the Ordinary's Multi-Peptide and Copper Serum, which is the Ordinary's Multi-Peptide Serum with the addition of copper peptides, so it also has neurotransmitter inhibiting peptides, matrixyl peptides, natural moisturizing factors, two forms of hyaluronic acid and amino acids. When I finished my bottle of this product I didn't really feel it did anything in addition for me from the regular multipeptide serum, whereas for me the copper peptide just didn't stick. Every time I used it my partner gave me grief about the smell. I don't have a strong nose so I never really smelled the copper, but she smelled it every time, even when I tried to be sneaky, and she did not like it."
"I'm not really going to rave about this one. I do see why some people like it, it's got that creamy texture which is always nice in a serum, and it's a Ceramide Barrier Serum which sounds wonderful, but I don't know what my problem is. I react to a lot of these barrier support products with ceramides when my skin is going through something, but when my skin needs repair I can't seem to use them, which doesn't make sense to me since it does work when my skin is already in a good place. I have a backup that was sent to me by the brand, so I'll use it in a preventive sense rather than for repair."
"This really is a good choice for acne prone skin types like myself, though not everybody deals with acne. It has sixty percent propolis extract, which is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial and antifungal, so it's good news if you also have acne prone skin, as long as you're not allergic to propolis. It also has two percent niacinamide, which at that level helps balance sebum production and increase hydration and prevent water loss, so it's good for oily skin, acne prone skin, dry skin and damaged skin, though it may not be enough for fighting hyperpigmentation. There's also turmeric, neem, tea tree extract and some baicalin, a derivative of salicylic acid. In my opinion this comes together to be a great option for people with acne prone, oily or dry skin, basically anybody might like this. That said, if your skin is already in a pretty good place I don't think this will actually do all that much for you, and I have seen a few people say it just didn't do enough for them. But I've gone through every bottle of this I've had and I will go through this one too."
"This claims to target texture and dryness with forty two percent bifida ferment lysate, an ingredient where the research is still emerging but looks pretty promising for restoring your skin's barrier and helping with dryness, which is absolutely what I've experienced with that ingredient. It also has twenty one percent galactomyces ferment, plus niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, panthenol and some goat milk extract. I think it comes together for skin health, and especially the bifida and panthenol are wonderful for helping maintain skin health, I do think that is the strength of this product. All that said, at the end of the day I like the Manyo more, though I don't know if that's just because it uses more bifida, since we don't have enough research to know the effective percentages. This one is a bit more accessible though, so it's a great way to see how that ingredient works for your skin."
"I do like some products from Tula, but in all truth, this triple vitamin C serum is not one of my personal favorites. It uses ethyl ascorbic acid, and the catch with vitamin C derivatives like this one is there's just not the body of literature supporting them. This isn't to say they don't work, I do believe they work for some people, but I think it's worth trying L-ascorbic acid first before you try the derivatives."
"I don't actually love the SkinCeuticals, I don't think it is better than Geek and Gorgeous. Skincare is personal, so you can feel free to disagree with me if SkinCeuticals is your holy grail, but for me it's not my holy grail. I bought this on some kind of a discount and I feel like I stressed myself out with this purchase because I felt like I had to love it, but I didn't. It's too expensive not to love it, but I didn't, it was this continuous internal conflict. This is not my personal favorite, I'm sure it is for some people, but it's not for me, and I need to stop buying it and thinking it's going to be different this time."
"This is twelve dollars for their new Super Fade Discoloration Serum with three point five percent cetyl tranexamate methylate, a derivative of tranexamic acid, plus four point five percent niacinamide, licorice, and centella. It's another one of those multifaceted approaches to dark spots. The one catch for me is they say to shake it well, and I'm going to have a hard time remembering that. It has no smell at all and it's a lightweight milky serum. I'm excited about this, especially because dark spots are so hard to treat. This price is wonderful, and I like that it's combo therapy."
"This is the very first product I ever tried from Mary&May, the Idebenone Blackberry Complex Serum. Idebenone is a potent antioxidant which makes it an excellent choice, in particular in my routine for the morning, but you can use this serum day and night. If you find vitamin C, in particular ascorbic acid, to be a little too irritating for your skin because of the low pH required, this could be a good direction. It contains one thousand parts per million of idebenone along with twenty percent blackberry complex, combined with blackberry, acai and blueberry, so you're really getting a complex antioxidant rich formula. I love a short ingredients list like this because we can really figure out what's going on. This is one of their most popular products."
"I'm kind of tempted to pick up the Kopari eye balm, and I do like their Moisture Whipped Ceramide Cream, it's a beautiful texture."
✓Approved
85%Guru Score
All 4 takes on Moisture Whipped Ceramide Cream
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: My Picks & Skips! (Fall 2024)
"This is my top pick for a moisturizer in the sale, the Kopari Moisture Whipped Ceramide Cream, $21 for 2.1 fluid ounces of product, and this is such a good moisturizer that I think just about everyone will like it. It may be a little heavy for oily skin depending on the season, but even then I think it could be a night cream for you. If you have dry skin this is a wonderful nourishing ceramide rich moisturizer, fragrance-free and very elegant to use."
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"This truly feels moisture whipped. It's another very unique texture, it feels lightweight but nourishing, a truly cosmetically elegant moisturizer, and it's not too expensive if you catch it on sale. This is also the moisturizer I recommend to people in real life when my friends and family ask me for a good moisturizer, because it's so accessible. I may get more moisture from something like the biossance omega cream, but this is basically a repair focused cream that I think most people, even those who are very picky about texture, will like."
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"I've talked about this one endlessly on this channel. It's a beautiful texture, beautiful, and I feel like even if you don't prefer heavier moisturizers but you want repair, this might be a good choice, even if you have oily skin. I was originally sent this by the brand and I repurchased it during the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty for 50% off. I love that you can catch this for great prices, which makes it honestly less expensive than drugstore."
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"I'm kind of tempted to pick up the Kopari eye balm, and I do like their Moisture Whipped Ceramide Cream, it's a beautiful texture."
"I finally finished the Dermatology Peptide Night Cream. I know a lot of people really love this brand, and they were kind enough to send me products, but I didn't feel as wowed by this as I thought I would. Don't get me wrong, I like it, I finished it, but there wasn't a lot that stood out to me. The ingredients look great, but the experience of use just didn't stand out the way a product like the Experiment did."
"The cocokind Electrolyte Water Cream was my second tube. They sent me another one, so I have another ready to go."
✓Approved
83%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Electrolyte Water Cream
Summer Skincare Empties: ALL THE SUNSCREEN
"The cocokind Electrolyte Water Cream was my second tube. They sent me another one, so I have another ready to go."
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"This is the Cocokind Electrolyte Water Cream. I absolutely think this is going to be the next big thing, or at least other companies think it's going to be the next big thing. The hero ingredients are magnesium PCA, sodium PCA, zinc PCA, manganese PCA, and glycerin at 5%. It reminds me of Elemis, with the seawater and algae ingredients in here, it's such a cosmetically elegant moisturizer, and to think it's $20."
"The Augustinus Bader Rich Cream is a gorgeous moisturizer, but it does not work for me, which is why I use In Beauty's Extreme Cream as a dupe instead."
~Mixed
63%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Rich Cream
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"For the rest of my face I'm using my Augustinus Bader cream. I love this product, the only thing I don't like about it is I don't know when I'm going to run out, it's a pump system so I thought I'd finished it but there were actually ten more uses left. I know a lot of people don't like jar packaging, but the benefit of a jar is you can get the very last bit out, whereas with a pump you probably end up leaving some behind, especially when you can't see it."
BEST SKINCARE OF 2026 (so far!)
"The Augustinus Bader Rich Cream is a gorgeous moisturizer, but it does not work for me, which is why I use In Beauty's Extreme Cream as a dupe instead."
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"That may be a great cream for some people, but I had a horrible reaction to it. I am so grateful I was able to return that product. It did not work out for me, and it did not have any fragrance in the ingredients, so to this day I don't know why it didn't work out for me."
"In Beauty's Extreme Cream is a wonderful moisturizer, especially if you have more dry skin. It feels super nourishing and yet doesn't have that real heavy feel to it, no peeling, it glides on beautifully. While it is expensive, this is considered a dupe of the Augustinus Bader Rich Cream and it actually works for me, which that one doesn't. The problem is if I try to use it on a damaged barrier it stings, it's so reparative that it can make my skin feel rough when my barrier is compromised."
✓Approved
86%Guru Score
All 7 takes on Extreme Cream Anti-Aging, Firming & Lifting Moisturizer
BEST SKINCARE OF 2026 (so far!)
"In Beauty's Extreme Cream is a wonderful moisturizer, especially if you have more dry skin. It feels super nourishing and yet doesn't have that real heavy feel to it, no peeling, it glides on beautifully. While it is expensive, this is considered a dupe of the Augustinus Bader Rich Cream and it actually works for me, which that one doesn't. The problem is if I try to use it on a damaged barrier it stings, it's so reparative that it can make my skin feel rough when my barrier is compromised."
it's our last chance to try on these products before the sale...
"My favorite moisturizer of 2025 was the In Beauty Extreme Cream. It's a dupe of the Augustinus Bader cream, which is really nice but really expensive, and In Beauty makes it for a lot less."
SEPHORA Sale Recs (that are not in the Epstein files)
"In Beauty is a brand I've really started to appreciate since the extreme cream came out. This is my moisturizer of 2025. It's such a cosmetically elegant moisturizer, which is the reason people call this a dupe for the Augustinus Bader Better Cream. It is pricey until you take that into account, and then it's actually very affordable."
What to Get & What to SKIP: Sephora VIB Sale!
"My other favorite non-K beauty brand carried at Sephora is InnBeauty Project. I just can never stop raving about the extreme cream. It is such a glorious texture, it is such a wonderful moisturizer, it really feels like much more expensive moisturizers. Even though it's a bit more of an investment than a $15 drugstore face cream, I feel like it compares to $200 face creams."
i am FURIOUS at elf cosmetics.
"For moisturizer I'm going to use my beloved In Beauty Extreme Cream. It's a little bit more expensive, but it's a dupe of a pricier product."
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"I honestly feel like the extreme cream from In Beauty gives me that same really rich sensation as the Dermalogica, probably from an excellent fatty acid profile."
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"The INNBEAUTY Project Extreme Cream is gorgeous, I'm actually surprised more people aren't talking about it. It feels like it has a lot of oils in it, so it's a really glowy product on the skin, I love this texture so much even though it makes me look a little shiny. It takes the step out of mixing oils into my moisturizer myself because the oils are already so beautifully mixed in, I really like this moisturizer. It's a little bit of a mixed bag on the refill system because I don't think it's as eco conscious as refillable packaging sounds like it should be, but it's a step in the right direction and I do think it's nice packaging."
"I went through the Heimish All Clean Balm, the travel size. I actually like the mandarin scent a bit more than this one. Both the cleansing balm and the cleansing oil work great to remove sunscreen, foundation, and so on, though the balm feels like a bit more of a ritual than the oil, which is faster."
✓Approved
82%Guru Score
All 2 takes on All Clean Balm
SKINCARE EMPTIES: First Time *without* Epstein List Brands!
"I went through the Heimish All Clean Balm, the travel size. I actually like the mandarin scent a bit more than this one. Both the cleansing balm and the cleansing oil work great to remove sunscreen, foundation, and so on, though the balm feels like a bit more of a ritual than the oil, which is faster."
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"The Heimish All Clean Balm is incredibly up my alley, I feel like Heimish got everything right about this. The packaging is super cute and practical, it comes with a scoop in the lid. It does have a scent to it which I know won't be for everyone, but in a wash off product our skin seems to get along with it. As somebody who wears both sunscreen and makeup, I can tell you some cleansing balms are a lot more effective at removing makeup than others, and Heimish nailed it, they made an amazing cleansing balm that removes makeup and emulsifies beautifully. I absolutely love this cleansing balm."
"This is my top pick for a skin tint in this sale. It's a bit glowy but not over the top, wears beautifully, and has no added fragrance. Really great formula. The only thing is if you're looking for more coverage or a matte finish, I'd recommend you avoid it, but it's very flexible from super light to light coverage."
"The Abib Jericho Rose Cream is a wonderful heavy duty moisturizer. The only con is that the packaging peels if you bend it repeatedly, so I'd recommend a tube squeezer for it."
✓Approved
81%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Jericho Rose Cream
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"This is my number three favorite. It's a thick moisturizer made with Jericho rose, it's best to warm it up on your hands before you apply it to your skin. I love that product. It is absolutely a heavier cream and it's for dry skin. My only complaint is the tube packaging peels if you use a tube squeezer on it, which was frustrating, and I noticed other reviews complaining about the same thing."
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"The Abib Jericho Rose Cream is a wonderful heavy duty moisturizer. The only con is that the packaging peels if you bend it repeatedly, so I'd recommend a tube squeezer for it."
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"This is the Jericho Rose Cream, my second favorite from this collection. This is a very, very thick moisturizer, so naturally I loved it, even in June in Florida, because that's what it's like to have very dry skin. I know this one won't be for everyone, a lot of people don't like to use coconut oil, but my skin actually seems to love coconut oil even though I'm acne prone. For me I really liked this, I liked how nourishing it felt for my skin, this is definitely one I will finish."
"The COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All-in-One Cream is a bit of a confusing product, it's meant to be a serum, ampoule and cream all in one, but like anything that tries to be more than one thing, it doesn't necessarily excel at everything for every person. I've talked to people who love this and they tend to have oily skin. If you have dry skin, you might wonder what kind of moisturizer this is because it's not very moisturizing at all, and you might do better using the essence and then following with a heavier moisturizer. But I've also talked to people for whom this is their holy grail, and it's a great price in this sale."
~Mixed
72%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream
Best (& Worst) Skincare in the ULTA Love Your Skin Sale!
"The COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All-in-One Cream is a bit of a confusing product, it's meant to be a serum, ampoule and cream all in one, but like anything that tries to be more than one thing, it doesn't necessarily excel at everything for every person. I've talked to people who love this and they tend to have oily skin. If you have dry skin, you might wonder what kind of moisturizer this is because it's not very moisturizing at all, and you might do better using the essence and then following with a heavier moisturizer. But I've also talked to people for whom this is their holy grail, and it's a great price in this sale."
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty RANT & Week 2...
"I loved snail mucin based products for a long time, between the essence and the all-in-one cream. The cream isn't actually a great moisturizer, it kind of sounds like it would be all in one cream, but really it's kind of more of a thick version of the essence, and yet it does seem like it might be enough of a moisturizer for oily skin types."
"The Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream is such a good moisturizer. It's not the heaviest moisturizer I've ever tried, but it's a good heavier moisturizer. If you have oily skin you could like using this as a night cream, if you have dry skin you could like this during the day. It has a lot of soothing ingredients, and at $15.50 for two fluid ounces that's an amazing price point."
✓Approved
83%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Midnight Blue Calming Cream
Best (& Worst) Skincare in the ULTA Love Your Skin Sale!
"The Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream is such a good moisturizer. It's not the heaviest moisturizer I've ever tried, but it's a good heavier moisturizer. If you have oily skin you could like using this as a night cream, if you have dry skin you could like this during the day. It has a lot of soothing ingredients, and at $15.50 for two fluid ounces that's an amazing price point."
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"This is Klairs' Midnight Blue Calming Cream. I love this product, it's a fantastic calming product, you know I love anything calming. It has guaiazulene and all those peptide ingredients, no added fragrance. This is a really fantastic assortment of skincare in this calendar."
"The Aestura Atobarrier Cream is a wonderful heavier moisturizer for my fellow dry skin types."
✓Approved
96%Guru Score
All 4 takes on Atobarrier 365 Cream
What to Get & What to SKIP: Sephora VIB Sale!
"The Aestura Atobarrier Cream is a wonderful heavier moisturizer for my fellow dry skin types."
K-Beauty vs High End Skincare: 6 Weeks Led to THIS?!?
"On the K-beauty side I don't think anything went tremendously wrong. I think these products did what they said they would, my skin felt pretty moisturized the whole time, and I didn't have any severe breakouts."
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"This has been a very popular product in the past. I feel like it maybe lost a little bit of its popularity with the rise of other brands, but it is still a great product. This is your brand not only for sensitive dry skin but also for value. If you do not like the price of a pricier serum, this is where to go for affordable skin care even at Sephora, and I love that. It also has a bunch of those capsules in it, and it makes for an amazing application. This has been reformulated, I've seen a lot of mixed feedback on the reformulations, I've tried both, but I personally like the reformulation."
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"I finally bought the Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream, for strengthening the skin barrier and moisturizing, though I think I bought it so late that it's already been reformulated. Some of you said this is very thick, and you were correct, and as someone with dry skin I do tend to like this kind of product. This is really nourishing, a really rich cream. I see why you all like this. I'm already saying the hype is real on this one."
"I'm so glad that I just finished my Peach and Lily Ultra Plush Rich Cream. This was a really nice heavier moisturizer. Peach and Lily is expensive, but because they're at Ulta and usually included in points multiplier events, I mentally calculate about sixty percent off their prices and buy them then. This is one of those moisturizers where I would not be surprised if it's somebody's favorite."
"This Purito Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Cream just disappears into my skin, it feels incredibly hydrating, soothing and calming. Panthenol is my favorite of the B vitamins for skincare, bring on the 10% panthenol. It's a beautiful product with a beautiful ingredients list, they say it strengthens the moisture barrier to reinforce moisture retention and it certainly feels like it does."
"I like the way Kiehl's has their refill system set up with the Ultra Facial Cream and the refill bags. I tried it in the past and I think it's a fine moisturizer, I like it, but it just didn't stick for me personally. Very few moisturizers actually end up in my holy grails."
"I really thought I was going to have a good experience with the Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream, but every time I used it I was getting so much pilling when I added my sunscreen step, and when I removed this product the pilling stopped."
✕Skip
64%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream
ULTA Love Your Skin Sale: My Picks AND What to Skip!
"I really thought I was going to have a good experience with the Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream, but every time I used it I was getting so much pilling when I added my sunscreen step, and when I removed this product the pilling stopped."
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty RANT & Week 2...
"I did like the Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Rich Barrier Moisturizer, but one day it just kind of started irritating my skin. I liked it, I thought it was a great moisturizer, so I finished it off on my chest area, but yeah, it was strange, that doesn't happen to me too often, a product either doesn't work for me or it does."
"I prefer Bioma to Bubble just a bit, simply because this brand feels like it's more for sensitive skin, and by being a brand more for sensitive skin, this is a brand where you can go even younger in usage. Bioma also has some amazing sets, and some of you told me you picked up the Bioma sets in the Urban Outfitters sale."
✓Approved
79%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Moisturizing Gel Cream
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"I prefer Bioma to Bubble just a bit, simply because this brand feels like it's more for sensitive skin, and by being a brand more for sensitive skin, this is a brand where you can go even younger in usage. Bioma also has some amazing sets, and some of you told me you picked up the Bioma sets in the Urban Outfitters sale."
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"I still love my Byoma products so much, this brand is so good. I think that's especially true if you have sensitive skin, since it's mostly fragrance free. This brand proves that you do not have to spend a lot of money to have really good skincare products."
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"Let's talk about the Moisturizing Gel Cream. I think this is a good option, but for my skin type and my preferences it's a little bit light. This does not mean it's a bad product, it just means it's not really designed with me in mind. It's perfectly named though, perfectly in between a gel and a cream, and I really think this would be ideal for normal to close to normal skin types."
"I received the Dieux Instant Angel lipid rich moisturizer in PR and I absolutely loved it. What a gorgeous moisturizer, it feels almost lightweight when you apply it, but then you realize it's incredibly nourishing on your skin, that's the best way I can describe it. I'm going without it for now because there are so many good moisturizers out there, but I love the brand, and my ethics align with it."
✓Approved
91%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Instant Angel Lipid-Rich Firming Moisturizer
Skincare EMPTIES! Lots of HGs to end the year!
"I received the Dieux Instant Angel lipid rich moisturizer in PR and I absolutely loved it. What a gorgeous moisturizer, it feels almost lightweight when you apply it, but then you realize it's incredibly nourishing on your skin, that's the best way I can describe it. I'm going without it for now because there are so many good moisturizers out there, but I love the brand, and my ethics align with it."
Dieux Skin is dieuxing skincare right (...sorry)
"I love that I don't have to take out a scoop with this moisturizer, you just squeeze it into your hands. It's such a nice texture, it feels very nourishing, it spreads beautifully, and yet it's really not too heavy. The only thing I'll point out is that it's a fully fragrance-free product and it kind of has that fragrance-free smell, though I suspect that's reassuring for some of you. It's a beautiful formula with a moisture complex, an amino acid they say functions like a signaling peptide, a barrier complex with hexapeptide and ceramides, and a ceramide alternative. Their independent clinical study showed a statistically significant improvement in wrinkles and real enhancements in hydration and barrier function, and the fact that they did this level of research at all speaks volumes about their research based approach. I'd say most people can probably use this with no problems and see good results."
"I love the Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream, I think it's a beautiful nourishing moisturizer, great for dry skin without being heavy. It really works year round, and I like that it's in refillable packaging. This specific bouncy gel cream texture is kind of all over K Beauty too, so if you like the glow recipe one it's fine to stick with it, it's a great product, but it's far from the only product with this texture."
✓Approved
84%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream
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"I love the Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream, I think it's a beautiful nourishing moisturizer, great for dry skin without being heavy. It really works year round, and I like that it's in refillable packaging. This specific bouncy gel cream texture is kind of all over K Beauty too, so if you like the glow recipe one it's fine to stick with it, it's a great product, but it's far from the only product with this texture."
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"This is the Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream, which is made more for dry skin types. I love this one too."
"This is the new Purito Wonder Relief Centella Daily Sun Lotion, and I think this is incredibly close to perfect, maybe the fastest sunscreen to apply. It has a little bit of a thicker texture, which actually makes it easier for me to apply than the runnier sunscreens, because I have more control over where I'm putting it and can see better that I've covered every inch of my face. The catch is it still shares that ingredient I'm hesitant about, so on days when I've overdone my actives or exfoliation, my skin feels a little more sensitive when I use this."
"The Dew Point Moisturizing Gel Cream is made for combination to oily skin, it has green tea, a balancing ingredient for oil production, and aloe juice, a very simple and straightforward ingredients list, just a simple lightweight moisturizer. Not enough for me personally because I do like heavier moisturizers, but I absolutely get it, it's just not right for my skin type."
"This is one of only two or three cream options from this brand on the Ulta website, and I know it's a very popular option. This is one of those moisturizers where if you have a bit more of an oily skin type but you want some added soothing, this is going to be perfect, but as a dry skin type I would have liked to see something a bit heavier, though I'm sure there are reasons the brand chose not to include that."
"I'm a big fan of peptides, and this formula has a lot going on: signal peptides, growth factor supportive amino acids, pygmy water lily, a probiotic based ferment, and even some stem cell based ingredients, which makes it very hydrating. But because the brand avoids silicones I don't think this buffs into your skin very nicely, it's slow and kind of tricky. That's actually the reason I don't think I'm going to buy this again. So while I do like this and understand why it's their bestseller, it's going to be the last time that I buy it."
~Mixed
64%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Protini Polypeptide Cream
My Honest Thoughts on Drunk Elephant's "Best Sellers" (in 2024)
"I'm a big fan of peptides, and this formula has a lot going on: signal peptides, growth factor supportive amino acids, pygmy water lily, a probiotic based ferment, and even some stem cell based ingredients, which makes it very hydrating. But because the brand avoids silicones I don't think this buffs into your skin very nicely, it's slow and kind of tricky. That's actually the reason I don't think I'm going to buy this again. So while I do like this and understand why it's their bestseller, it's going to be the last time that I buy it."
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"Ultimately I like the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream. I've bought it at good deals, and I like that it has some EGF ingredients as well. It's not actually as cosmetically elegant as you would think though. It's not bad, it's just that there really are nicer creams."
"This is really a fantastic repair cream, fantastic. It has the qualities I like supercharged, with oils, zinc, copper, ceramides, the list goes on and on, it's a beautiful formulation and a thick moisturizer. I think it's a night cream because of how heavy it is, but I'm somebody with irritation prone skin and I can tell you this is very calming. I really think it's an incredible moisturizer, by far my favorite."
✓Approved
75%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Bora Barrier Rich Repair Cream
My Honest Thoughts on Drunk Elephant's "Best Sellers" (in 2024)
"This is really a fantastic repair cream, fantastic. It has the qualities I like supercharged, with oils, zinc, copper, ceramides, the list goes on and on, it's a beautiful formulation and a thick moisturizer. I think it's a night cream because of how heavy it is, but I'm somebody with irritation prone skin and I can tell you this is very calming. I really think it's an incredible moisturizer, by far my favorite."
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"This is unquestionably the most thick, most occlusive moisturizer in this video, almost like if you whipped Vaseline into a moisturizer. It has the largest number of ingredients that might interest skincare enthusiasts, with a base of olive oil derived ingredients, shea butter high up in the list, fatty acids, peptides, and a blend of three ceramide ingredients. You can tell the formulators took their time figuring out how to make a product that really strengthens the skin, and that's exactly what this product does. This is especially for people who are looking for the heftiest moisturizer they can find, but if you don't want to feel moisturizer on your skin, you're going to feel this one."
"As a person with dry skin I like the thicker feel this has, it's tailored more for a dry skin type with multiple carrier oils and three different kinds of ceramides, it's meant to be a barrier boosting moisturizer. I always preferred the texture of this. I like it, but I wonder if this will eventually be discontinued."
"My previous favorite gel was the ZIIP Golden Gel, the most expensive one, since ZIIP has multiple prices on their gels and I had to love the most expensive one. I figured out a dupe that is much less expensive than that previous favorite."
✓Approved
80%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Golden Gel
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"My previous favorite gel was the ZIIP Golden Gel, the most expensive one, since ZIIP has multiple prices on their gels and I had to love the most expensive one. I figured out a dupe that is much less expensive than that previous favorite."
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"I repurchased the Golden Gel, this is going to be one of those expensive products I keep buying. I'm convinced this isn't just the best Ziip gel, it's the best gel to use with any kind of microcurrent, including the Medicube Ussera, it's the best gel I've ever tried. It has a really high glycerin content so it stays moist on your skin, you apply it once and wash it off when you're done instead of having to keep reapplying like with NuFace's gel. No matter what device I use it with, I always see more results when this is the gel I use. It's expensive, but it's proven itself to me, that's why I went back for more."
"This is the Moisturizing Rich Cream, what a beautiful formula. This too has that tri-ceramide blend, which I think having that in a moisturizer is a great choice for barrier support. They added in some bakuchiol, often called a retinol alternative, but I would say don't forget that it's a great antioxidant ingredient, in addition to all of these wonderful emollient and occlusive ingredients. It is a beautiful rich moisturizer, and to think that this product is so nice for dry skin and yet it's seventeen dollars."
✓Approved
86%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Moisturizing Rich Cream
I Tried Byoma Skincare for a Month: What I Liked (and Didn't!)
"This is the Moisturizing Rich Cream, what a beautiful formula. This too has that tri-ceramide blend, which I think having that in a moisturizer is a great choice for barrier support. They added in some bakuchiol, often called a retinol alternative, but I would say don't forget that it's a great antioxidant ingredient, in addition to all of these wonderful emollient and occlusive ingredients. It is a beautiful rich moisturizer, and to think that this product is so nice for dry skin and yet it's seventeen dollars."
Skincare I Want to Try in 2024!
"I already tried the Boma Moisturizing Rich Cream and I already know I love it, so I bought the full size."
"Dermalogica as a brand has been very hit or miss for me, but I feel like this product right here is really Dermalogica at their best. They kept this repair cream free of essential oils, and I think that's the right choice. Texture wise it's another hefty moisturizer, a little less thick than the Drunk Elephant but still has that thicker, more occlusive feel. They recommend rubbing it between your hands to warm it up before applying. The ingredients include shea butter, fatty acids, licorice root, centella asiatica, and a blend of plant extracts including punarnava root extract, pepperberry, lactobacillus, and bisabolol. In contrast to the Drunk Elephant, this one contains pseudo-ceramides and the precursors for ceramide so you can make your own ceramide in your skin."
"This is a classic product for a reason, I do think you're going to like this a lot more if you have either a more normal to oily skin type, or if you just don't like the feel of moisturizer, as this one absorbs really fast. It's a fine product, if you have a drier skin type it's probably not going to be for you."
"I still have the Hyaluronic Acid Moist Cream, and I found myself going, why haven't I been using this more, this is a great winter moisturizer. It's definitely more of a thick product, which as a dry skin type is my love language. For as much as this is an excellent product, I will tell you there is an even better moisturizer for my skin type."
"I like the I'm From Licorice Calming Cream, I think it's a nice formula, it is kind of light. I have a dry skin type and this just doesn't work as a moisturizer on its own for me, especially now going into the winter months, so I've kind of been plowing through it. I like licorice, it's an excellent ingredient for helping to brighten your skin, and I think most people will like it, it blends out really fast and nicely, but it's just not moisturizing enough for my skin type. I don't see myself repurchasing it because I don't think it's ideal for my dry skin type, but you might really like it if you have more oily to normal skin."
"This is the Purito Deep Sea Pure Water Cream. It has 60% deep sea water and 2% niacinamide, that's a perfect level for me. This formula is so interesting, they actually have multiple forms of algae in here. It's so nice to see that in an affordable moisturizer."
"This is a very affordable gigantic cleanser you can use on your face and your body, and I deeply respect it because cleanser doesn't have to be an expensive step. If I pump it into my hands, add water, foam it up, and then wash my face, there are no issues, it leaves my skin feeling thoroughly cleansed without a film. But if I pump it directly into my hand and put it on wet skin, it leaves a film behind, and because the cleanser I actually need as someone with acne has to be applied on dry skin, I struggle to remember to use it the right way. Otherwise it's a fantastic cleanser, but that's why I'm keeping it in my just okay category."
"I love this oil cleanser, and the reason I'm so excited about it is that I've never loved a fragrance free oil cleanser before. It is not heavy, it doesn't leave behind a film, it emulsifies beautifully, and it takes off every bit of sunscreen and makeup. I can double cleanse with this, or with my dry skin type I can use it on its own. In the past month I tried a few other oil cleansers and they were either too scented, too heavy, or too expensive, and one that was fragrance free was so much more expensive than this. This is just the most perfect oil cleanser I've ever tried."
"The Redness Reform Sulfur Cleanser is incredible for my skin type, dry, acne prone, and sensitive. The 2.5% colloidal sulfur is such a good alternative to some of the more harsh and intense acne fighting ingredients. The con is it does smell bad, but to me it doesn't smell as bad as the L-ascorbic acid serum. I love that you can use this as a regular cleanser or leave it on as a quick mask, with colloidal sulfur, azelaic acid, cica, alpha bisabolol, panthenol, and aloe vera. I used to love a much more expensive sulfur cleanser from Kate Somerville, and this is everything that was and more, and it's less expensive. I absolutely adore this."
✓Approved
81%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Redness Reform Sulfur Cleanser
HONEST Ranking of Prequel Skincare (Too Honest?)
"The Redness Reform Sulfur Cleanser is incredible for my skin type, dry, acne prone, and sensitive. The 2.5% colloidal sulfur is such a good alternative to some of the more harsh and intense acne fighting ingredients. The con is it does smell bad, but to me it doesn't smell as bad as the L-ascorbic acid serum. I love that you can use this as a regular cleanser or leave it on as a quick mask, with colloidal sulfur, azelaic acid, cica, alpha bisabolol, panthenol, and aloe vera. I used to love a much more expensive sulfur cleanser from Kate Somerville, and this is everything that was and more, and it's less expensive. I absolutely adore this."
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"I love this brand so much. I talked about how wonderful it is to use, I love that it has both azelaic acid and sulfur, and this plus an oil based cleanser could just be everything I would ever need in terms of cleansing. What's extra fun about it is you can use it as a mask too, let it sit on your skin for a bit and then rinse off, and you get even more benefits from the actives because it's gentler since you ultimately wash it off. The only problem with the brand is that sometimes their products go out of stock and it seems to take a while to restock."
"You get almost an ounce of the Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm, which truly is incredible."
✓Approved
82%Guru Score
All 4 takes on Living Cleansing Balm
SEPHORA Sale Recs (that are not in the Epstein files)
"You get almost an ounce of the Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm, which truly is incredible."
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"This is a mini of the Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm. I feel like it might actually be my favorite cleansing balm, it's definitely up there with the Elemis one. You don't need to spend extra on a cleansing balm, but if you want a bit of a splurge that will last you a while, this is a good one."
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"I have the Then I Met You cleansing balm, I use it when I have a particularly difficult to remove sunscreen. Look at how easily it emulsifies, it's a beautiful cleansing balm. I don't have a lot of bad things to say about this cleansing balm, it lives up to the hype, but that also doesn't mean everybody needs to run out and buy it."
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"I am absolutely impressed with this cleansing balm, the hype was real for me and this really is an incredible cleansing balm. It takes off all my mascara and eyeliner without needing any help, and it emulsifies really well, which is what makes a good cleansing balm in the first place. My favorite high end cleansing balm for 2024 was from Elemis, but this one is going to be a contender for the best cleansing balm of 2025. That said, that doesn't mean you necessarily need to run out and buy it, especially if you don't wear mascara or eyeliner, I think you can use a lot less expensive cleansing balms and be very happy with them."
"I really appreciate Kate Somerville as a brand and I've gone through quite a few bottles of their Sulfur Cleanser, but I don't see myself buying that again, even at 50% off, because Prequel's new cleanser replaces it for me. I think I like the Prequel version more."
"We're back to DHC now that they've removed the CEO who said terrible things about Korean people. That is a nice cleansing oil."
✓Approved
87%Guru Score
All 4 takes on Deep Cleansing Oil
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"DHC gets my star. The standard Deep Cleansing Oil is kind of a thick cleansing oil. I had stopped buying DHC for a while over comments the CEO made against Korean people, but he has since stepped down, so DHC gets my star again."
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"The DHC Deep Cleansing Oil is a much heavier feeling cleansing oil. I absolutely understand why a lot of drier skin types like that one."
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"We're back to DHC now that they've removed the CEO who said terrible things about Korean people. That is a nice cleansing oil."
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"I didn't buy from this brand for a while because their former CEO had said some really terrible things about Korean people, and I'm happy to now tell you that he has stepped down. I have tried that cleansing oil, it's a heavier cleansing oil, definitely heavier, but I do see the appeal in that one as well. It's been a while since I've used it, but I do remember it being very effective at removing makeup."
"I've switched to this PanOxyl cleanser and that's what I'm going to stick with. I like it more, it's a little thicker with more body which makes it easier to use, and it's less expensive."
✓Approved
77%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Benzoyl Peroxide Wash
SKINCARE EMPTIES: the greatest hits! (2/26)
"I've switched to this PanOxyl cleanser and that's what I'm going to stick with. I like it more, it's a little thicker with more body which makes it easier to use, and it's less expensive."
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"In every way, PanOxyl is a better deal, so go with it if you have the choice. It's not just about the amount of product, it's the texture too, it felt more condensed so it lasted longer, and it helped keep my acne away."
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"I have been using the same PanOxyl benzoyl peroxide cleanser about two to three times a week for over a year, and I still can't finish it, that's of course a good thing, your money going very very far. If you're wondering which is the better deal between CeraVe and PanOxyl, PanOxyl is by far the better deal, the texture is thicker and that's a lot of why that product just keeps going and going forever."
"The Fresh Soy Face Cleanser is my cleanser recommendation in this video. It's a fragrance-free, super gentle cleanser that also removes makeup, and the big size will last you a long time. It's still a little expensive, and I don't think you have to spend this much on a cleanser, but if you want to spend more, want a fragrance-free option, and don't want to think about cleanser for basically the rest of the year, this will do it. That's the one cleanser I've picked from the sale."
✓Approved
69%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Soy Face Cleanser
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"The Fresh Soy Face Cleanser is my cleanser recommendation in this video. It's a fragrance-free, super gentle cleanser that also removes makeup, and the big size will last you a long time. It's still a little expensive, and I don't think you have to spend this much on a cleanser, but if you want to spend more, want a fragrance-free option, and don't want to think about cleanser for basically the rest of the year, this will do it. That's the one cleanser I've picked from the sale."
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"I really like the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser. I don't think you have to spend a lot of money on a good cleanser, and in fact most of my favorites are much more affordable."
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"This is a nice cleanser, it is a very very gentle cleanser, this is one where I do understand the hype because it is so gentle, and that used to be really really hard to find. You might be able to go with a much more gentle cleanser and notice that your skin actually does better with that, so I do think this is a great product, I just also think it's not your only option out there, still a good one."
"This is the sensitive skin Heartleaf version of the Anua cleansing oil. For me, I really liked this, and I liked the original as well. I do feel like I go through the Anua cleansing oils faster than some others because I tend to unintentionally pump out more from lightweight cleansing oils versus heavier ones."
✓Approved
63%Guru Score
All 4 takes on Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil
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"This is the sensitive skin Heartleaf version of the Anua cleansing oil. For me, I really liked this, and I liked the original as well. I do feel like I go through the Anua cleansing oils faster than some others because I tend to unintentionally pump out more from lightweight cleansing oils versus heavier ones."
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"I worked with Anua and they sent me this cleansing oil, but I never did a sponsorship with it because I liked it, I don't think I loved it. I used it to remove makeup and sunscreen and it worked fine for that, but when I posted my review so many people in the comments said it caused breakouts for them. I have acne prone skin and I still haven't figured out why. I won't repurchase it, there are a lot of other cleansing oils I'd like to try."
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"This is the Anua for sensitive skin heartleaf cleansing oil, the new fragrance-free version. I felt like the original cleansing oil went well overall, I liked it, but a lot of people had problems with it. When I open this one I'm immediately smacked in the face by the smell of rosemary, and in my humblest of opinions rosemary essential oil is a fragrance, it certainly has a smell, and that's not what I would do if I was trying to make a cleansing oil for the people the original didn't work out for, I'd actually leave out essential oils. After rinsing I feel like there's no residue left behind, I like it, but I liked the original."
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"The Anua Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil is a really nice cleansing oil. I have to admit I do really like this, it's a perfect in between cleansing oil texture, some of them are very light, some are more heavy, this is exactly in the middle. It does have some fragrance so it probably won't be for everyone, but for me that works just fine in the cleansing step. It did work for my dry skin on its own, and using it as a double cleanse it all comes off. I think they did a great job on this cleansing oil."
"One of the ones that lasted a very long time for me was the Haruharu cleansing oil. It's just got a lot of body to it."
✓Approved
82%Guru Score
All 5 takes on Black Rice Moisture Deep Cleansing Oil
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"One of the ones that lasted a very long time for me was the Haruharu cleansing oil. It's just got a lot of body to it."
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"This is a repurchase for me and one of my favorite cleansing oils, which I didn't expect because it's a heavier cleansing oil and I thought it might be too heavy. It actually works really well, and because it's heavy it doesn't drip into your eyes when removing eye makeup. It's also fragrance free. This is still one of my top recommendations to this day."
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"I received this in PR and I actually didn't like it that much at first, I didn't hate it, I just thought it was a bit of a heavier cleansing oil in contrast to something like the Skin1004. But the more I used it, the more I realized it doesn't matter that it feels heavier, because it still fully rinses away. This is one of those cleansing oils where I do not need to use a second cleanser every day."
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"This is also a really good price on the Haru Haru Wonder cleansing oil. I love Haru Haru Wonder, they're an underrated brand. This is a really thick cleansing oil but also really thorough, so it's going to stretch our dollar."
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"I love this cleansing oil. I used to think I needed to double cleanse, but I've been doing more single cleansing with this and it works for me. It feels cleansed but it doesn't feel as dried out as when I double cleanse. This isn't me saying don't double cleanse, sometimes I still do depending on how much makeup I wore, I'm just saying this works for me on its own."
"I do like this, it's a very good balm cleanser, a fragrance free balm cleanser. For a while K Beauty has had arguably some better or at least competitive prices to the sale on this, but it's nice to know that we do have an option here in Clinique."
✓Approved
83%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: Best & Worst of Week 1!
"I do like this, it's a very good balm cleanser, a fragrance free balm cleanser. For a while K Beauty has had arguably some better or at least competitive prices to the sale on this, but it's nice to know that we do have an option here in Clinique."
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"Cleansing balms are wonderful if you've never tried them. Clinique is a fully fragrance free brand and this is a fragrance free way to remove your makeup and sunscreen. It's not my absolute favorite so I won't repurchase it, but a lot of people do love it."
"I do love a good high-end cleansing balm. I had a hard time picking between Eve Lom and Elemis, but in the end I went with Elemis because I like how there are now different scents from them. This cleansing balm just smells so enjoyable, and there's something in the texture and the whole ritual of using it to remove all your makeup and sunscreen. Nobody needs this kind of a fancy product, but if you like it, you're allowed to enjoy it."
✓Approved
78%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm
Best High End Skincare of 2024!
"I do love a good high-end cleansing balm. I had a hard time picking between Eve Lom and Elemis, but in the end I went with Elemis because I like how there are now different scents from them. This cleansing balm just smells so enjoyable, and there's something in the texture and the whole ritual of using it to remove all your makeup and sunscreen. Nobody needs this kind of a fancy product, but if you like it, you're allowed to enjoy it."
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"I really do like the Elemis cleansing balm. You never have to spend this kind of money on a cleansing balm, but if you want quite a cleansing experience, you get that with the Elemis cleansing balm."
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"This past week I actually broke out my Elemis cleansing balm. It's optional, you don't have to be that fancy in the cleansing process, but if you want to be, it's a nice product."
"The Bioma milky moisture cleanser is a great milk cleanser."
✓Approved
68%Guru Score
All 4 takes on Milky Jelly Cleanser
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"The Bioma milky moisture cleanser is a great milk cleanser."
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"I finished a mini of the Boma creamy jelly cleanser. It's okay, not my absolute favorite, but I did get through the mini of it."
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"This is the Milky Moisture Cleanser and oh my gosh, I am so pleased with this cleanser. This is renewing my faith in drugstore cleansers. It is a beautiful milk cleanser, a nonfoaming cleanser, it still contains surfactants so it still cleanses, just in the most gentle way. It has a beautiful fragrance-free formula, it contains ceramide ingredients, panthenol, oat extract. The full formula comes together to be absolutely beautiful, I am so happy with this cleanser."
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"This is a cream cleanser, and cream cleansers do not foam, which probably sounds awful to a lot of people with oily or normal skin. That lack of foaming is so gentle, and yet it cleanses my dry sensitive skin so well. I know people with oily skin are probably not going to have the same experience I do with it."
"Bubble really surprised me this year. Their First Class Oil Cleanser is such a good oil cleanser if you're just looking for a basic oil cleanser."
✓Approved
83%Guru Score
All 2 takes on First Class Oil Cleanser
BEST Affordable Skincare of 2024 (I Like Saving Money)
"Bubble really surprised me this year. Their First Class Oil Cleanser is such a good oil cleanser if you're just looking for a basic oil cleanser."
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"It's really nice to find an unscented cleansing oil, this one does smell a little like sunflower seed oil but it's a very gentle formula with only one or two surfactants in it. It has a bit of a heavier feel compared to some cleansing oils, and it emulsifies not as quickly as I might prefer, but after rinsing I absolutely feel thoroughly cleansed. This is actually great, I'm actually incredibly happy with these so far."
"The blueberry bounce cleanser is fine, I just find that I like drugstore cleansers better for this category since it's not on your skin for very long anyway."
"This is the Avocado Ceramide Moisture Barrier Cleanser, and I really regret that I did not return it. When this product released it had a huge design flaw, it just pours out everywhere, gunky all over the packaging. As a cleanser itself I think it's nice, but in faulty packaging. They say the packaging is improved now, but I bought it when it released, and it was such an insult to your biggest fans to release a first batch with a design flaw like that. It's a lot of why I ended up falling behind with this brand."
"This is the Papaya Sorbet Enzyme Cleansing Balm, and I actually returned it. When I did a side by side comparison against the heimish all clean balm, one of the most popular K Beauty cleansing balms, I felt like there were almost no differences in the entire process of using them. It turns out glow recipe reformulated this cleansing balm to be better, it's just that now it's very similar to other K Beauty cleansing balms that cost a lot less. Some people say this is their absolute favorite cleansing balm they've ever tried, so it's all personal opinion, but for me it wasn't worth it over the cheaper K Beauty option."
"The Day Dissolve Cleansing Balm still exists. This is a good cleansing balm, I originally loved it but I've become more critical of it as better and better balms have entered the market. What I like about this is that the second it touches your skin it melts your makeup right off. What I don't like is I feel like it could emulsify a bit better, it's not as bad as some cleansing balms that leave a lot of film behind, but I do feel like it leaves a little bit of a film behind. It also has essential oils, eucalyptus oil and clove oil, I like the smell of this, but this product works just fine for me, I just ultimately prefer other products."
"This gel cleanser is very affordable, it gets the job done, and it's not stripping. The only thing I don't like about the packaging is that because it's so big, it's hard to guess how much is left, I was shocked the day I finished it. I am absolutely every bit as happy with this cleanser as I am with some much more expensive cleansers, and I love it."
"I bought the baby size of the Tirtir Hydro Boost Enzyme Cleansing Balm. This is another product that is absolutely fine. It's a gentle cleansing balm, no added fragrance, it emulsifies, it works, it removes makeup and sunscreen. The problem is it's like so many other cleansing balms out there, and I feel like it's a little expensive because Tirtir is a little expensive."
"The yam root cleanser is an incredible cream cleanser."
✓Approved
91%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Yam Root Vegan Milk Cleanser
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"The yam root cleanser is an incredible cream cleanser."
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"One of my absolute favorite cleansers I have ever tried in my life is the yam root cleanser, this is exactly what my dry skin needs. I know not everybody will like this, it is a completely non-foaming cleanser, which can be jarring to switch to. It actually feels like washing your face with moisturizer, if you apply this to dry skin it kind of starts sinking in, so I actually prefer to apply this to damp skin. It's such a non-irritating cleanser, it almost does feel like it moisturizes my skin while I'm cleansing. You may not like this at all if you have oily skin, but does it stand out, absolutely."
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"The ISNTREE Yam Root Cleanser is my pick for the best cleanser for sensitive dry skin. It's a milk cleanser, so when you pump it out it looks just like moisturizer, it almost feels like a moisturizer in the cleansing experience, you can almost feel it absorbing into your skin, and that's why I feel this is going to be even better for those of you that are sensitive, because it is probably the most gentle cleanser I've ever come across. The main difference from a standard non foaming cleanser is that this feels like a completely different cleansing experience, and from reading through reviews and comments I think this can be a little jarring for some people, you expect cleansing to feel a certain way and this just does not feel like it. But if you're used to milky or creamy cleansers, ISNTREE nailed it with this release, it is absolutely wonderful for very sensitive dry skin."
"The CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser with 4% benzoyl peroxide is a holy grail for me. The CeraVe was the better deal with the 10x points and the $3.50 off."
✓Approved
72%Guru Score
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"This CeraVe benzoyl peroxide cleanser isn't my favorite. I only have it because of a points promotion at Ulta."
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"The CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser with 4% benzoyl peroxide is a holy grail for me. The CeraVe was the better deal with the 10x points and the $3.50 off."
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"The CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser is what started it all for me. Before this I thought I couldn't use benzoyl peroxide as a leave on, it's difficult for my dry skin type, but in a cream based cleanser this has been so wonderful. However, I was browsing the Ulta website recently and I could not believe the price of it, it used to be a lot cheaper and now it's nineteen dollars, that's way more than a normal inflation rate, so I started looking around for other options."
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"My pick for acne prone dry skin is once again the CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser with four percent benzoyl peroxide. What's so interesting is that it's a more creamy cleanser in its appearance and yet it does foam, and it also includes an active ingredient designed to target acne. Benzoyl peroxide is a very drying ingredient and I struggle with using it in a leave on product, it makes my skin very dry, very very itchy, sometimes red, but when you have an active in a cleanser what you're essentially getting is short contact therapy, I'm getting the benefits of that benzoyl peroxide ingredient but it's not staying on my skin to continue drying it out and irritating it. It has been a game changer for me, very few products get even close to that label for me. As somebody with dry acne prone skin I am so glad CeraVe came out with this, this is my fifth tube of this at this point and absolutely my most used cleanser, I use it basically every other PM wash."
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"This is CeraVe's Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser with four percent benzoyl peroxide acne treatment. For a long time I thought I couldn't use benzoyl peroxide, it stung my skin, made it red, and bleached everything, so I hated it. But when CeraVe came out with this cleanser in a creamy base, the same type of cleanser I like as a person with dry skin, I gave it a try and I could not believe how much it leveled up my acne prevention as well as the ability to fight off the acne I already had. It still might be my number two product of all time, maybe number three."
"This is a nice jelly cleanser, it's not harsh at all, there's some foaming but not a lot, and it's a product where you can actually use a lot of it without drying out your skin. I like it, but I won't buy the full size because there are so many other jelly cleansers I love just as much."
"This is the Purifying Cleansing Balm from House of Hur. This is not your standard cleansing balm, it's the kind of product where you twist it open and the product comes out of little slits for a more sanitary way to dispense it, which is genius. They say it's made with all kinds of fruit ingredients, it doesn't really have a lot of a smell, and it emulsifies beautifully, no struggle at all. It does have a little bit of a heavier feel overall. I think this is going to be a hit, I think a lot of people are going to love this method of dispensing a cleansing balm, and this is the kind of innovation I look for in new releases. I really like this brand."
"This isn't Byoma's finest product, it's a little strange. This brand is almost entirely fragrance-free, but this product has an essential oil, rosemary oil, and it doesn't really smell great to me. As far as using it, it's fine, there's nothing inherently wrong with it, I just didn't find it to be, in my opinion, the best of Byoma. On a technicality it does what a cleansing balm needs to do, it's effective for removing makeup, removing sunscreen, it does emulsify, it's just not my absolute favorite."
"I absolutely loved the Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil. I love it because the company says you don't have to double cleanse with it, you can use it as a one step makeup removing cleanser. I've since found out it's not the only cleansing oil that works that way for me, any good cleansing oil with surfactant that feels light can do the same job, but this one is still great."
✓Approved
76%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil
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"This was my old favorite cleansing oil. I always liked it. It was easy to use, it was quick, and it removed my makeup with no issues. But it had a bit of fragrance in it, and over the years I've found that the more I can reduce fragrance from my routine in general, the less risky things are."
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"I absolutely loved the Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil. I love it because the company says you don't have to double cleanse with it, you can use it as a one step makeup removing cleanser. I've since found out it's not the only cleansing oil that works that way for me, any good cleansing oil with surfactant that feels light can do the same job, but this one is still great."
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"I'm picking the SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Cleansing Oil because this is one of very few cleansing oils where you may not necessarily need to double cleanse. I'm a fan of double cleansing, but I do not double cleanse every single night, if I double cleanse every night it just starts to feel a little too hard on my skin. That's why, especially when my skin is feeling a little more irritated, I really like to grab this particular cleansing oil, one step and done, and it doesn't leave any kind of film on your face. This is still my favorite in terms of a one step and done cleansing oil."
"I've always liked this cleanser. This actually is really a phenomenal cleanser, it's got a fun element to it, you can see the green tea in the product, it is remarkably not stripping. This is truly a cleanser where I think every skin type would enjoy it, but it still does foam up, which a lot of people struggle to find in cleansers that are completely non-foaming. It's non-stripping, it cleanses skin thoroughly, it checks every box for what you need in a cleanser."
"This is the Haru Haru Wonder Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Cleansing Gel. I love this product, it is a really nice cleansing gel. Cleansing gels are a category that I personally prefer over cleansing foams, and this is such a nice one. Rinsed off, my skin doesn't feel too dry, I'm very happy with this cleanser. I'm so glad I bought these, it's really helped me not get my sleeves wet."
"I'm quite familiar with the original Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water as well as some of the other variants. I like Garnier's cleansing water. I think it's a great option, a budget friendly option. Some people do react with it for some reason."
"The Dermalogica Precleanse is a cleansing oil. It's not a new product, and I feel like it's just way too expensive for me to repurchase at this point. There are so many good K beauty cleansing oils and even drugstore cleansing oils, amazing options out there, that I feel you just don't need to pay this price, in my personal opinion."
"The Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser is just not a good match for dry skin, it's way too stripping for my dry skin. It is a low pH cleanser, but most cleansers are low pH these days anyway. This could be nice for some skin types, but I wouldn't recommend it for really normal to dry skin."
"This is essentially a spray sunscreen deconstructed, and it absolutely does work as a sunscreen. The biggest catch is figuring out how much to use since you can't do the two finger method, so I measured it out with a half teaspoon. I have got to tell you all, I really, really like this. The finish looks a little dewy but it settles, and it has less of that heavy glow that a lot of K beauty sunscreens have. It's very easy to apply once you figure out how much you need, though I'm still in that learning curve phase and I'm not sure my application was as even as it could be. I like it so much that I'm going to stick with it, and it's also huge, four fluid ounces. I don't intend to carry this with me to reapply though, it's too bulky."
"Some microcurrent devices are even uncomfortable. I talked about the Foreo Bear before, and that one, I did not like."
✕Skip
64%Guru Score
All 5 takes on BEAR
RANKING Home Anti-Aging Treatments!
"Some microcurrent devices are even uncomfortable. I talked about the Foreo Bear before, and that one, I did not like."
ULTA Love Your Skin Sale: My Picks AND What to Skip!
"I was okay with the FOREO Bear, though I would put it under the NuFace Mini Plus on my microcurrent device ranking."
Ulta 10x Points Walkthrough (Don't Miss It!!!)
"The Foreo Bear is okay, but I feel like I outgrew it, I just don't really use it anymore."
Ulta Sale Week 2: UGH! Scammy, Stinky, Frustrating Products?! A lot to avoid IMHO...
"I liked the FOREO Bear, I liked it, however I don't use it anymore. It's a microcurrent device the company claims is 2.5 times more powerful than other options, but the problem is I actually really like more gentle microcurrent, so overall I like the nanocurrent settings on the Zip more. It's not my favorite, but in this sale at 50% off I can see it being worth it for some people, you just have to use these devices consistently to see results."
ULTA Skincare Sale: ALL the 50% off Items in Week 1 - my thoughts!
"I don't find the NuFace to be uncomfortable, which I did find the Foreo Bear devices to be."
"I love Medicube's devices, but their skincare has been very hit or miss for me, and this one was a miss. These toner pads contain essential oils, so big heads up if you're a sensitive skin type. A lot of Korean products are fragrance free, but this is not one of them."
"Satin pillowcases are nice, but once you go with silk it's pretty hard to back down to satin. Silk is just so naturally cooling, it feels so lovely to sleep on, and fifty percent off is nice to see."
✓Approved
85%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Silk Pillowcase
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: I sorted everything so you don't have to
"I usually use the Slip silk pillowcases. The price difference is massive between my Slip pillowcases and my Kitsch pillowcases, and yet, I like both."
ULTA 21 Days of Beauty: What to AVOID & My Top Picks!
"Satin pillowcases are nice, but once you go with silk it's pretty hard to back down to satin. Silk is just so naturally cooling, it feels so lovely to sleep on, and fifty percent off is nice to see."
"I'm wearing the Drunk Elephant B-Goldie Bright Drops today as a primer, and I think it's a surprisingly pretty product. It has some skincare ingredients in it, and honestly I quite like it as a highlighting product."
"I would like to start this video with the Dermaflash as my number five regret. I have used this a total of one time, and the one time I used it my skin was a wreck for at least a week afterward. My skin type is dry, acne prone, and a bit sensitive, and that sensitive part makes something like this not at all ideal for me. This is hard on my skin, so of course after I used it my skin was irritated. My partner actually quite likes it and uses it all the time, so what works for one person may not work for another."
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68%Guru Score
All 2 takes on DermaFlash
Skincare Devices I Still Use (& Devices I Regret!)
"I would like to start this video with the Dermaflash as my number five regret. I have used this a total of one time, and the one time I used it my skin was a wreck for at least a week afterward. My skin type is dry, acne prone, and a bit sensitive, and that sensitive part makes something like this not at all ideal for me. This is hard on my skin, so of course after I used it my skin was irritated. My partner actually quite likes it and uses it all the time, so what works for one person may not work for another."
Ulta Skincare Sale Week 2 - Hidden Gems are Lurking...
"I've never used one of these vibrating dermaplane systems because I don't think I need it. If something works for you, no need to change it, and that's why I'm not going to be buying this, because using a standard dermaplane system that is a fraction of the price works for me."
"Stratia's Liquid Gold is a forever favorite. I'm now on my last one and hoping it lasts until their sale, but if it doesn't I'll bite the bullet because it's not that expensive, twenty seven dollars for one point seven fluid ounces."
✓Approved
88%Guru Score
All 11 takes on Liquid Gold
I Quit Niacinamide. My skin got better...
"Stratia Liquid Gold is one of my most beloved skincare products of all time, and it made my skin better for years. Then one day it seemed like it wasn't working anymore and I noticed it was stinging my skin. It turns out the issue is that it contains niacinamide, and I don't do well with high strength niacinamide once it stacks up from using it in multiple products at once. So it's not that the product betrayed me, it's that I have to be careful not to overuse niacinamide, and I think that's the answer to why it seemingly stopped working for me."
NEW Skincare: Haruharu Comes for Aestura, Ulta 10x Prep, & More!
"This and my Regella Essence absolutely are my top two products of all time, just one hundred percent. This is one of those products where the more I use it, the more I love it, and that speaks for itself."
Skincare Empties! TONS of sunscreen (predictably)
"Stratia's Liquid Gold is a forever favorite. I'm now on my last one and hoping it lasts until their sale, but if it doesn't I'll bite the bullet because it's not that expensive, twenty seven dollars for one point seven fluid ounces."
BEST Affordable Skincare of 2024 (I Like Saving Money)
"For moisturizer I have a tie, and one of them is Stratia Liquid Gold. I know this is a little more expensive than most of the products in this video, but to me, as somebody with sensitive, difficult skin, this is so worth it. It's such a restorative and reparative product, I love it so much. The only catches are that you might not like the smell, it's a smell of natural oils that some people are over at this point, and even though it's called a moisturizer, I find it too lightweight for my dry skin on its own, so I use it as the first step in my adapalene sandwich."
Skincare EMPTIES! Lots of HGs to end the year!
"This is from Stratia, one of my holy grail products, it's now been renamed from Liquid Gold to Lipid Gold. It's a restorative and reparative lightweight moisturizer that I almost treat more like a serum, I like to use this as the first step in my retinoid sandwich."
Anti-Aging AND Acne-Fighting Skincare Routine: How I Use Adapalene!
"Let's do the sandwich, starting with Lipid Gold, my absolute favorite repairing moisturizer. I'll call it a moisturizer, but I treat it more like a heavier serum, a lightweight moisturizer in my mind. It's an absolutely amazing product for strengthening your skin for repair. It does have a naturally unscented smell, not as bad as some unscented products. This right here never irritates my skin, it always helps improve my skin, it's truly such a special product."
My FAVORITE Skincare Brands (& Products!)
"I love this brand so much, not only has it absolutely helped with improving my skin, Liquid Gold is by far my absolute favorite product, one of my absolute favorite moisturizers, my most favorite repairing product. Nothing has ever repaired my skin as well as Liquid Gold. Every single product this brand has ever released has had so much thought put into it, and while not every product is a perfect match for my preferences, this is still my favorite brand."
How I Save Money on Skincare: the PRODUCTS vs the INGREDIENTS I need
"This is Stratia Lipid Gold, formerly called Liquid Gold. I haven't been using it as much lately because there are new barrier boosting products I'm testing, but there is nothing else on the market quite like it. Ceramides are easy to find and there's no shortage of niacinamide in skincare, but this is special because it's the full formulation, and it's also a fully fragrance free product. I do think some people might not like the smell, since even a fragrance free product still has a smell, but for me when my barrier is compromised that's a good time to go fragrance free. It's just a product I always know I can rely on, and I won't go without it."
Best Moisturizers for Dry Skin | 2023 Best Skincare Products
"Lipid Gold, formerly called Liquid Gold, has been one of my favorites for years. I used to think of it more as a serum for my skin type. It has a skin strengthening, ceramide lipid rich formula. The one con I used to have with it on its own is that it looks a little yellow, not because they added dyes but because the skin strengthening ingredients in it are yellow."
Barrier Repair Routine - My Tried & True Products to Restore my Skin!
"The other product in the egg is Liquid Gold, it has a new name now, Lipid Gold. On their own these are incredible products, together I feel like you really do get the best of both worlds. I'm into the egg, I love the egg."
Best AFFORDABLE Skincare Products: What WORKED for me!
"This contains sea buckthorn, a wonderful restoring oil, rosehip oil, niacinamide, and ceramides in that golden ratio. It all comes together to make truly an incredible repairing product no matter how wrecked my moisture barrier is, and I have wrecked it a few times. This always calms it, always speeds up that process of repair. It is a phenomenal product from a small science focused brand."
"I bought this Touchland Hand Sanitizer in the vanilla blossom scent. Ten dollars for Hand Sanitizer is very expensive, though to their credit it does last a while. I don't think I'd buy this one again."
~Mixed
66%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Hand Sanitizer
Skincare Empties! TONS of sunscreen (predictably)
"I bought this Touchland Hand Sanitizer in the vanilla blossom scent. Ten dollars for Hand Sanitizer is very expensive, though to their credit it does last a while. I don't think I'd buy this one again."
Best Skincare GIFTS: Skincare Sets, Tech, Storage, & More!
"I saw Touchland at Sephora and thought, it's the ten dollar Hand Sanitizer brand, no way I'm ever going to buy that, but I wanted to sample it. Now I own several. I'm convinced this isn't just Hand Sanitizer, it's essentially what you'd get if you took Hand Sanitizer and body spray and mixed the two together. Hand Sanitizer shouldn't smell this good, it almost feels bizarre."
"We're going to be getting Metacube at Ulta soon, I'm so excited for that. I love the Metacube devices."
✓Approved
66%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Medicube
Beauty of Joseon's CONFUSING Debut at Sephora?!
"We're going to be getting Metacube at Ulta soon, I'm so excited for that. I love the Metacube devices."
Best Korean Skincare BRANDS! (2024)
"My final favorite K beauty brand of 2024 is still Medicube, and it's still because of their devices, they've actually leveled up. It's also been interesting to see the rise of Medicube and see them get their flowers. I'm much more on board with their devices than their skincare, but it's their devices that take this brand to the next level."
"I bought the Living Proof Triple Bond Complex in a past 21 Days of Beauty. I love how easy this is to use, in contrast to something like Olaplex number three where you have to let it sit on your hair, or K18 where you have to use it after shampoo but before conditioner. With this you just put it on after your shower. There is one catch, you use less of this than you think, otherwise I find my hair gets kind of grimy feeling. But I do really like this, I think if you have any kind of hair damage it does make a difference."
✓Approved
86%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Triple Bond Complex
Talking You Out of 21 Days of Beauty Skincare (Week 3)
"I bought the Living Proof Triple Bond Complex in a past 21 Days of Beauty. I love how easy this is to use, in contrast to something like Olaplex number three where you have to let it sit on your hair, or K18 where you have to use it after shampoo but before conditioner. With this you just put it on after your shower. There is one catch, you use less of this than you think, otherwise I find my hair gets kind of grimy feeling. But I do really like this, I think if you have any kind of hair damage it does make a difference."
Ulta Sale Week 2: UGH! Scammy, Stinky, Frustrating Products?! A lot to avoid IMHO...
"I really like Living Proof, they've been one of my favorite hair care brands. I had the chance to try a mini size of their Triple Bond Complex as a gift with purchase, and I feel like it actually is really good. That said, it was just a sample, so I don't want to be sitting here pretending like I have a lot of experience with it."
"I've tried the Foreo Luna cleansing devices, I feel like these are nice, every generation has improved a little from the previous one. I don't think you necessarily need one of these, but what they're good for is if you struggle to wash your face thoroughly enough or long enough, they can make it a lot more fun to wash your face. I really do understand why some people enjoy those."
~Mixed
77%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Luna
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty WEEK 2! Hits & Misses
"I've tried the Foreo Luna cleansing devices, I feel like these are nice, every generation has improved a little from the previous one. I don't think you necessarily need one of these, but what they're good for is if you struggle to wash your face thoroughly enough or long enough, they can make it a lot more fun to wash your face. I really do understand why some people enjoy those."
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: Week 1 is a bit Odd?!
"I do like the later versions of Foreo's Luna, I think the four feels nicer than the three, which feels nicer than the two, and it's nice that with the silicone bristles you never have to buy anything else. But I don't think every last person needs a device to help them cleanse their face, if you're already really good about massaging off your makeup and sunscreen, you may not see added benefits. I ever so slightly still prefer a konjac sponge even to this day, but that's its own catch-22 because you have to replace those. I do like the Lunas, it's just one of those categories that I don't think everyone needs, you have to know yourself before spending that much on it."
"I finished a mini size of the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair. I used this instead of my other serum for a while, but I still think I like the other one more."
~Mixed
66%Guru Score
All 5 takes on Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex
Skincare EMPTIES: the oversaturation of peptides (oh no)
"I finished a mini size of the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair. I used this instead of my other serum for a while, but I still think I like the other one more."
ULTA Love Your Skin Sale: My Picks AND What to Skip!
"Advanced Night Repair is a favorite for a very good reason, it uses bifida ferment lysate, which is an incredible ingredient for sensitive skin and dry skin. For me, I actually have a product that's sometimes called a dupe of this that I like more, not everyone feels the same, that's the problem with skincare dupes, but it's actually sold at Ulta now too."
Skincare EMPTIES! Is Convenience Worth it? (May 2024)
"I went back to the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair for a while, I thought maybe this really is better. It wasn't for me, it just goes to show how everyone is different."
Ulta's New Sale is HUGE. Let's Talk About it (week 1)
"This is a product based around bifida ferment lysate, the version that has the most research behind it, and it's a great ingredient for dryness and skin health, for your skin barrier as a whole. I use a dupe, Monolab's product works great for me, but I like this product too, the dupe just does the same thing for my skin personally, and that isn't true for everyone. If dupes haven't worked for you, this is a good time to buy, and there's a duo available at a discount so you can get a pretty good deal on two full size bottles."
How I Save Money on Skincare: the PRODUCTS vs the INGREDIENTS I need
"I like the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair too, but that one is just a little bit too expensive for me, I'm fine with price points as long as they don't go over forty dollars."
"I received the NIOD copper amino isolate lipid one percent, a copper peptide product that's more of an oily moisturizer rather than a cream. It's great if you have dry skin, unlike their serum which is too watery and lightweight to really help with dryness. That said, I wouldn't buy this again, I didn't hate it or anything, I finished it, but I wouldn't buy this or their serum again. I still like Peach and Lily's copper peptide serum the most."
"This is another one that isn't for me, it's way too much for me to work with. It could just be that I have a pretty fair skin tone, so this could be too light for you if you have a deep skin tone, but maybe if you're light to medium this is the perfect bronzer. I feel like it's not a good color for cool undertones, maybe if you're warm it could be perfect. It's a well done product with skin boosting ingredients in addition to the bronzer, just not for me."
"This is the Ilia The Base Face Milk. This is a beautiful product, it feels very hydrating as well as moisturizing, which is what you should expect in this category of milky toners. It's cosmetically elegant, it feels great to use, and it works beautifully under makeup. I honestly think if that fifty eight dollar price tag doesn't bother you, you'll like it. However, you also don't need to pay fifty eight dollars for this category, we have a whole video on milky toners, mostly Korean, that are all a fraction of the price of this one. It's also worth pointing out that the box itself calls this a lightweight moisture product, so at what point have you moved from a milky toner into simply a lightweight moisturizer, an emulsion. I see why it's viral, it really is a nice product, but I also think that maybe people should know that you can also just stack moisturizers instead."
"I absolutely love the Stratia Interface. This is an incredible, not too expensive peptide cream. It proves that you don't need to spend a lot on a good peptide product. I bought another one."
✓Approved
81%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Interface
Skincare Empties: the Sunscreen Edition!
"I absolutely love the Stratia Interface. This is an incredible, not too expensive peptide cream. It proves that you don't need to spend a lot on a good peptide product. I bought another one."
Best Moisturizers for Dry Skin | 2023 Best Skincare Products
"Interface is Stratia's new peptide moisturizer, and I'm quite a fan of peptides. It has repairing peptides in it and it's more of a midweight moisturizer. Mixed with Lipid Gold's ceramide lipid rich formula it covers all my bases, to the point that I really may not need a serum if I use them together."
Skincare Empties! Returning to my Favorites, New Affordable Finds (10/23)
"I absolutely love this, unsurprisingly, because I do really well with peptide ingredients. The only thing I don't like about it is that I don't know when I'm running low, so before I recycle the tube I'm going to weigh it to try to get an estimate. I did repurchase the upgraded version of this one."
"I used the Indeed Labs Snoxin 2, another one of these neurotransmitter inhibiting peptides. I did like this. The one catch is we just don't know if these work. Use it if you'd like, we know that you will get extra hydration, we just don't know how much."
"If you told me you want the best over-the-counter affordable retinoid for anti-aging, hands down it is the Geek and Gorgeous retinaldehyde options, they have it in different levels, brilliant. The reason I do not use that myself is because I have acne and there is a specific retinoid for acne, so that is what I use instead."
"I don't dislike this product, I've loved it for a very long time now, but like I said in my products versus ingredients video, I'm setting this one aside. I'm not a loyalist to it, so I'm trying an Indeed Labs peptide product with a similar neurotransmitter inhibiting mechanism instead."
✓Approved
72%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Argireline Solution 10%
The Ordinary Argireline Peptide: WHY it’s Compared to Botox
"I decided to buy the ordinary's argireline solution because it's inexpensive, under ten dollars, and I feel like it's the most popular product containing argireline, at a zero point five percent concentration. I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that isn't scientifically proven to work like Botox, so the ordinary gives me a budget friendly option. I'm happy with the hydration, and honestly I do feel I've seen a bit of inhibition, not a full loss of movement, but something has improved about how frowny my face used to be. That said, I have to be honest that this could just be a placebo effect since I'm not running a blind study on myself, and it's also very watery, which makes it kind of hard to work with."
Products I'm QUITTING (& their replacements!)
"I don't dislike this product, I've loved it for a very long time now, but like I said in my products versus ingredients video, I'm setting this one aside. I'm not a loyalist to it, so I'm trying an Indeed Labs peptide product with a similar neurotransmitter inhibiting mechanism instead."
Skincare Empties: Unpopular Opinions, PEPTIDES, Why I Don't Use Green Tea with LED Therapy, & More!
"I did buy another bottle of The Ordinary Argireline. I really don't understand why anyone would use argireline anywhere other than the forehead, but I want to see if I can get more results from using a multipeptide serum all over my face with a little extra boost of argireline on my forehead."
"This is a hypochlorous acid spray for face and body, and as someone with acne prone skin I do like it, I like it. I love that a well respected dermatologist came out with a more affordable option compared to Tower 28, same size at four fluid ounces, and I think it's a great option for those of us with acne. All that said, I'm not committing to my own personal view on this just yet, I'm going to do a full trial next month against a tea tree oil product and I think I'm going to prefer that, so I'll decide at the end of February whether this is a product I'm going to stick with or whether I'm going to go for another antibacterial option."
"Beautyblender Pro is ten dollars, and I respect that Beautyblender has not inflated their prices. I do personally still like the elf total face sponge more, but if you do like Beautyblender, this is a great time to get it, and it's a good sponge."
"In the number four spot is my Zip. This is the microcurrent device I would recommend for my fellow acne prone skin types. It has a setting that is supposed to help with problem skin, and I truthfully think this is the next level of a microcurrent device. It's more of an investment, especially once you fall in love with the most expensive gel they offer, but this is something I use all the time."
✓Approved
72%Guru Score
All 7 takes on Halo 2.0
RANKING Home Anti-Aging Treatments!
"Between my microcurrent devices, I do like Ziip more, though I use it less than I used to and it's harder to fit into my routine. The setting that helped me most in the past was the problem skin setting, back when I had worse acne than I have now, and that mode did seem to help. Overall I'd still put it in the just okay category."
Skincare Devices I Still Use (& Devices I Regret!)
"In the number four spot is my Zip. This is the microcurrent device I would recommend for my fellow acne prone skin types. It has a setting that is supposed to help with problem skin, and I truthfully think this is the next level of a microcurrent device. It's more of an investment, especially once you fall in love with the most expensive gel they offer, but this is something I use all the time."
ULTA Love Your Skin Sale: My Picks AND What to Skip!
"In terms of microcurrent devices, my ranking goes like this: ZIIP is my favorite, though you are going to have a hard time getting a phenomenal deal on it, the best we had was 20% off in November."
Skincare SPLURGES: what is really WORTH IT?!
"My favorite to this day is still the nanocurrent only treatment, the founder's favorite. You don't see results immediately because nanocurrent is quite different from microcurrent, the waveform is much finer, so if you're worried about it zapping you, you won't feel any zaps at all. It's the most gentle routine and yet with time you do see results. I have acne prone skin, and the problem solver treatment is still a wonderful and surprising way to help alleviate acne. I do that routine whenever I start breaking out, and it's amazing how much it helps reduce redness, calm down the area, and kill the bacteria contributing to the breakout. Because of this it works to treat active acne but also helps prevent it from appearing in the first place."
Ulta 10x Points Walkthrough (Don't Miss It!!!)
"I use the ZIIP now, I would love to see ZIIP come to Ulta."
My 5 BEST Skincare Devices, Ranked by Results, Science, & Safety!
"My favorite microcurrent device is the Zip. It uses nanocurrent, and if you're at all nervous about current on your skin, their founder's favorite routine is gentle enough that anyone can handle it. But there are real pros and cons here. On the pro side, I've never found another microcurrent option with a routine built for acne, and I've never seen nanocurrent routines like this anywhere else. On the con side, this is a very active treatment, you have to keep gliding it across your skin the whole time you use it, and you pretty much have to load up an app every time, which I don't love. With nanocurrent being such a low level of current, you're not going to see immediate results, you really have to stay committed to it over a long time to see results. I use the golden gel with it, which is my favorite of all the gels I've tried, it stays on your skin and you don't have to keep reapplying it."
Speed Reviews! New Ziip, Quest for the Best Concealer, & More!
"I was on the fence about the new Ziip Halo at first because it costs less than the old version and I wondered if that meant it wouldn't be as good, but I actually think I like it more than the last version. It's pretty similar to the last generation, but what I like more is that they've increased the vibrations and made the beep louder, so you don't lose track of where you are in the routine like I used to with the old version. My favorite Ziip routine is the founder's favorite, their nanocurrent routine, it's not instant gratification but it does so much for my skin, you just see the results the next day or the day after."
"I'm going with my Purito sunscreen, I think this is still my favorite. I think it's because I do wear makeup, and like I say all the time, it's just such a good priming sunscreen."
✓Approved
71%Guru Score
All 12 takes on Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen
A K-Beauty brand just released an INCLUSIVE tinted moisturizer!? Chat & Try On!
"I'm going with my Purito sunscreen, I think this is still my favorite. I think it's because I do wear makeup, and like I say all the time, it's just such a good priming sunscreen."
K-Beauty Skincare Try On: Expectation vs Reality!
"This is absolutely an amazing sunscreen. I think it is true that if you have in particular dry and sensitive skin like I do, you still might like this sunscreen, if not more, or at least as a supplement to another one. It comes down to what finish you like. This one is still going to give you a bit of shine, especially because it is water resistant, and it's a little bit of a heavier appearance, but that also is what makes it such a good primer. I feel like I found another favorite sunscreen."
Summer Skincare Empties: ALL THE SUNSCREEN
"If I am applying makeup on top, the Purito Daily Soft Touch is my favorite. It's my favorite priming sunscreen and my favorite sunscreen for anytime my skin is in need."
SKINCARE EMPTIES: First Time *without* Epstein List Brands!
"My holy grail is the Purito Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen. I swear it's not the easiest to apply, it actually needs a little bit more buffing into your skin or you could get a white cast, but there's something about this that just makes my skin better. It's the most reparative sunscreen I've ever tried and that's the reason why I call it my favorite. If you have sensitive skin, I have to rave once again about Purito."
SKINCARE EMPTIES: the greatest hits! (2/26)
"This is my holy grail, the Purito Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen. I adore it. It's not the lightest sunscreen, instead it's the most nourishing, and since I have dry, acne prone skin, it's incredible for my skin."
US Customs Seizing K-Beauty Sunscreens (?) & the SAFE Sunscreen Act
"I'm using my Purito Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen. This is absolutely hands down my favorite sunscreen for when my skin is in a little bit of a rough place. Just by far the best."
What Changed My Skin! (Dry & Acne Prone Skin)
"This is the Purito Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen, and you know how much I love this, this is one of my absolute favorite sunscreens for a very specific purpose. I turn to this sunscreen when my skin is in a rough place. I always thought of sunscreen as a barrier to protect your skin from the sun's rays, but I never thought of it as helping with immediate effects like moisturizing and helping with irritated skin, and this is the one that proved to me that sunscreen can also be a product that facilitates repair in your skin. It has ceramides in it, which are part of our natural lipid complex in our skin and great for repair, and it's also nice and cosmetically elegant to apply, nothing like Western mineral sunscreens."
BEST KOREAN SKINCARE OF 2024 (and of all time)
"The winner is this one, it's my favorite Korean sunscreen. This sunscreen I genuinely feel makes your skin better, it is rich in ceramides, it is rich in humectants, it is hydrating, it is moisturizing, it is protective, and it seems to be restorative as well. There is a little bit of a white cast on my skin tone with this one."
Sunscreens for Sensitive Skin: YES, It's Possible
"You've probably seen me rave about the Purito Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen. It's got all these barrier boosting ingredients so it's a nice moisturizer, but in addition to that it contains a blend of filters including Tinosorb M, which is a gentle, hypoallergenic filter, maybe a good choice for pregnancy, though because it's a hybrid it may leave a white cast depending on your skin tone. That said, this formulation is one of the most comfortable sunscreens I've ever encountered in my entire life. If you feel like sunscreens make your skin look worse at the end of the day, please try this one, because every time I wear it my skin looks better at the end of the day. This is kind of my reparative sunscreen option."
New Purito/Flower Knows Try-On & Chat: Honest Reviews!
"I did repurchase the Purito Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen. It's not the fastest sunscreen to apply, but I feel like it's such a good makeup base. It's got that kind of heavier feel that you sometimes want in a primer, while also being SPF 50 plus PA4 plus."
Skincare Empties: the Sunscreen Edition!
"I actually really like this Purito Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen. I used to call this my favorite prior to the new Kose Suncut formula and the new Curel formula. What's special about this is it has a deeply moisturizing feel, and I truly feel this one helps my skin bounce back, so anytime I'm dealing with a compromised barrier this is such a good sunscreen to choose. I did repurchase the new packaging."
Best K-Beauty Sunscreens! | 2023 Best Skincare Products
"This one really stood out to me the first time I tried it. I always felt like sunscreen is something you don't see immediate benefits from, you use it for the long game, but my opinion changed immediately upon using this because this is one of very few sunscreens where using it makes my skin better by the evening. It uses ceramides, so it's a bit of a different formula, it takes a little longer to apply and it applies a bit unusually, it dries down quickly but stays a bit more moist on my skin, and there's something to that sensation that feels healing for my skin. I will honestly say I think this one is a little bit higher on the shine factor, which I know some people are looking to avoid in sunscreens, but I am really pleased with this formulation, I think it's a bit different from others on the market."
"I liked this sunscreen, the Universal Tinted Moisturizer SPF 46 from Dermatology. It's a very true hybrid sunscreen, made with zinc as well as octinoxate."
✓Approved
82%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Universal Tinted Moisturizer SPF 46
Summer Skincare Empties: ALL THE SUNSCREEN
"I liked this sunscreen, the Universal Tinted Moisturizer SPF 46 from Dermatology. It's a very true hybrid sunscreen, made with zinc as well as octinoxate."
(BIG) Skincare Empties: finding the “best of the best”!
"The Dermatology Universal Tinted Moisturizer SPF 46 is one of few hybrid Western sunscreens that I can use, and I love it. Somehow the tint actually works on my skin tone, I never believe universal shades, but this one works on my skin tone and I really like it. They do run some really good sales on their website as well."
"I just do not like this sunscreen. It's got 18% zinc oxide plus bioactive antioxidant compounds plus bisabolol, which sounds wonderful in theory, but it is so heavy feeling, so shiny, I almost feel like it's glittery. It's a mineral sunscreen so I can actually use it without reacting, but I just simply hate how it feels."
"The Tocobo sunscreen is fast to apply, that's why it's so easy to reach for. But I only choose this one when my skin is in a good place, if it's not I reach for the Purito or the Canmake instead."
"This is a $64 sunscreen that's finally 50% off for $32, and it's a good price for Tatcha, but I thought long and hard about it and decided not to repurchase this, at least not right now. Genuinely, this is one of the best mineral sunscreens I've ever tried in my life, and it's one of the few that really works on my dry skin because zinc oxide is a mineral filter that's also a drying, astringent ingredient. But it simply doesn't compare to a $10 sunscreen out of Japan or Korea, because the chemists formulating for those brands have access to much better UV filters that aren't approved in the US. I also think this might be a little too heavy if you have oily skin, you might be just fine using a much more affordable mineral sunscreen instead."
"I have a real life friend who swears by this Cicapair Tiger Grass color correcting treatment, so I was curious to try it. It's thicker than I thought it would be, I expected it to be more thin like a moisturizer, but it still works as a moisturizer too. Oh my gosh, I cannot believe how good this looks."
"This is the EltaMD UV Daily. One thing I really like about EltaMD formulations is that they don't use the two typical sunscreen filters I react to, avobenzone and oxybenzone, instead they have a hybrid formula with zinc oxide and octinoxate, and octinoxate does tend to be pretty non-irritating for most people, myself very much included. It has petrolatum in it, which I personally love to see, though I think that's going to make it shiny, and it does look pretty shiny, but not too white cast. This feels amazing, this really could end up being at least a backup for me if I lose my K beauty chemical sunscreens. It does feel really heavy though, so we'll see how it goes in high heat, I think melting off my face would be my only concern."
"I finished my Beauty of Joseon ginseng moist sun serum, this is that newer formulation and I really liked it. It does have some essential oils, which I know isn't for everybody, but I absolutely loved the texture. I'd put on two full finger lengths as a primer and then put my makeup on, and it sat so well. I really hope we can still get it, it was absolutely my favorite sunscreen to wear under makeup."
✓Approved
91%Guru Score
All 9 takes on Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF 50+ PA++++
Beauty of Joseon's CONFUSING Debut at Sephora?!
"I'm just happy to see an eighteen dollar sunscreen at Sephora, but I have to be honest, this is not the cult favorite sunscreen everyone has been asking about. It's a new FDA compliant sunscreen made just for the US market, so it's taking everything that made the original viral sunscreen so good and subtracting twenty six years of filter research and breakthroughs. That doesn't mean it's necessarily going to be a bad sunscreen, and it is water resistant, which is exciting, but what I really don't like is that I have no idea what filters they're using in it. The ingredients page doesn't list the filters, and as someone with allergies that really bothers me."
Skincare EMPTIES: the oversaturation of peptides (oh no)
"I finished my Beauty of Joseon ginseng moist sun serum, this is that newer formulation and I really liked it. It does have some essential oils, which I know isn't for everybody, but I absolutely loved the texture. I'd put on two full finger lengths as a primer and then put my makeup on, and it sat so well. I really hope we can still get it, it was absolutely my favorite sunscreen to wear under makeup."
BEST KOREAN SKINCARE OF 2024 (and of all time)
"This sunscreen is next level, absolutely no white cast, incredible no matter your skin tone, incredibly fast to apply, such quality sunscreen."
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"There are beautiful sunscreens available for what, $10, Beauty of Joseon's new sunscreen is incredible."
New Korean Skincare (pt 2): Beauty of Joseon came THROUGH (!), the Overhyped, & More!
"When I added this to my cart I really thought it was just the version two of Kolmar's sunscreen formula, but this is not Gen 2, this is Kolmar's Gen 3, and I absolutely feel like we have leveled up here. It has all of those lightweight characteristics, absolutely no white cast, it feels like nothing on my skin, while still having SPF50 plus PA4 plus, and I feel like this is an even better blend of filters. I feel like this is better in every single way, and it's so exciting for me to feel this way because I found myself getting a little bored of the brand, but I love this sunscreen."
Skincare EMPTIES! How Long to Finish Products, Why I Go Back to Affordable Picks...
"I bought another one of these and I already plowed through it. I think I might have to admit to myself that this is my favorite sunscreen, because I like it as a primer."
Deinfluencing "Viral" Skincare
"This has been one of the absolute bestselling K beauty sunscreens for a while. The formula itself is great, so much more advanced than any American sunscreen, but it's not exclusive to Beauty of Joseon's product, other sunscreens use the same formula and are always less expensive. It does start off looking a bit white on the skin, and I've heard it doesn't work on deeper skin tones. I won't buy that one again because I like the newer formula, without tinosorb M in it, more."
Best K-Beauty Sunscreens! | 2023 Best Skincare Products
"This is my biggest surprise of the year. This sunscreen released to a lot of controversy because Beauty of Joseon went in the direction of including both alcohol and fragrance, which they hadn't done in ages, they'd switched to a fragrance free direction and people were surprised by it. I'm even more surprised to have actually tried it though, because to me it doesn't really have much of a scent, it seems like they're using those fragrance and essential oil ingredients to help mask the smell of the filters themselves. What they ended up with is the clearest sunscreen out of all ten in this video, it truly applies like a gel and it is so fast to apply. I'm calling this my favorite sunscreen to use as a primer because it's such an interesting and different formula from everything else. I think the reason it works so well under makeup is that you don't need to take as much time with it, partially because of the denatured alcohol in the product, which helps it dry up faster, and yet it still has a bit of a moist primer like sensation on the skin that makes it so perfect for under makeup. That's the sunscreen I'm wearing today. If you're avoiding alcohol and fragrance in your sunscreens there's no need to buy this, but I'm saying this is my standout because of that speed aspect, it's perfection for rushed mornings."
NEW Skincare: Stratia & Beauty of Joseon Come THROUGH (& so much more!)
"I was hesitant to buy this because it does include some fragrance and some alcohol, and I don't love that it comes in a pump instead of a squeeze tube, so points were deducted there. But when I put it on my skin I could barely smell the fragrance and it applied so fast and easily. Then I tried it under makeup and it is an incredible sunscreen to use as a primer under foundation, that surprising moist sensation is exactly what makes it work so well there. I went from concerned to now telling you I actually love this. It's not a heavy moisturizing primer, so it might be more for oily to combo skin, but that's the exact characteristic that makes it perfect for under foundation."
"This is the Good Molecules Sheer Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30, and here's why I pick it. It's twelve dollars, and I don't find most Western sunscreens to be great even at much higher price points, so I'd rather have an affordable one. It's mineral, only SPF 30, this isn't what I wear to the beach, and it's not my favorite under makeup, I get moderate pilling in some places with it. But it's fine, and this is a case where fine becomes the best I can get in a pinch, especially picking it up at Ulta with a coupon."
"This is the new Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua Fresh sunscreen SPF50 plus PA4 plus, and Beauty of Joseon is back on my favorites list. This is a niacinamide-free K-beauty sunscreen, which is great news if you're someone niacinamide doesn't work for, because it still has an incredible formula without that ingredient that seems to give me problems. Even when my moisture barrier isn't feeling great, this doesn't irritate my skin, and it is so fast, it is so cosmetically elegant to apply. The only catch, and the reason I've knocked it down to number two, is that I've seen a lot of people talk about pilling with this one. I haven't experienced that problem myself, other than when I've disrupted the film by scratching at my skin, and I've been able to wear it under a lot of makeup."
"Octinoxate is another chemical filter that's pretty gentle, which means I can use a hybrid, this is the EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46, and it uses both zinc oxide and octinoxate. It's not that I can never buy a sunscreen in the US with some of our chemical filters in it, it's just that I have to be careful and keep an eye out for avobenzone and oxybenzone."
✓Approved
85%Guru Score
All 2 takes on UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46
INCREDIBLE Memorial Day Sales (& Updates, Reviews, Chitchat!)
"I wore this EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 yesterday and I was actually really impressed with it, it didn't irritate my skin at all. It's a hybrid sunscreen with zinc oxide and octinoxate. The reality is it's still an expensive product, and is it better than any of the K beauty sunscreens I've tried? Absolutely not. Even though it's a hybrid and not as drying as a pure zinc oxide mineral sunscreen, I do kind of feel like I used a primer for oily skin, through the day you get that astringent sensation from the zinc oxide."
Sunscreens for Sensitive Skin: YES, It's Possible
"Octinoxate is another chemical filter that's pretty gentle, which means I can use a hybrid, this is the EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46, and it uses both zinc oxide and octinoxate. It's not that I can never buy a sunscreen in the US with some of our chemical filters in it, it's just that I have to be careful and keep an eye out for avobenzone and oxybenzone."
"This option right here from Peom, their Water Barrier Sun Cream, I find to be the most non-irritating, most reparative sunscreen in this category. I still personally think the Purito does a little more for repairing my skin, but this one won't leave a white cast the way the Purito sometimes can."
"Every time someone has said do you have any sunscreen and I hand them something like the Skin Aqua, without fail people go this is a really nice sunscreen. Skin Aqua is probably the best price, a better price per ounce without compromise to the quality, it's just that I prefer the finish on the Kose Suncut."
✓Approved
76%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Sunscreen
Skincare Empties: the Sunscreen Edition!
"Every time someone has said do you have any sunscreen and I hand them something like the Skin Aqua, without fail people go this is a really nice sunscreen. Skin Aqua is probably the best price, a better price per ounce without compromise to the quality, it's just that I prefer the finish on the Kose Suncut."
I Tried a J-Beauty Skincare Routine: My Results/Ranking!
"I decided J Beauty makes the best options for body sunscreen, so that's why I picked this one up. It's water resistant for up to 80 minutes, and this is going to be such an affordable body sunscreen option for me. This works, but I did run into some issues when I tried to wear this every day, my skin did start to feel a little dry, maybe because of the denatured alcohol in the product. I can use my K Beauty sunscreens on a day to day basis since they're a better fit for my drier skin, but if you are looking for more matte, water resistant, or body sunscreens, this is such a good option."
"This is the Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen. It has become such a popular sunscreen, but honestly for very good reason. It's such a moisturizing sunscreen that I'm not adding in an additional moisturizer, even though moisturizer is absolutely a necessary step in a skincare routine. I do feel this might actually be one of the most moisturizing sunscreens I've ever tried, it really is a nice product. It does have some tinosorb M in it, so you might see a little bit of a white cast as I start applying it, but on my skin type at least it does vanish in once I massage it in. If you have a deeper skin tone, you might want to look for the newer colored formula instead."
✓Approved
92%Guru Score
All 5 takes on Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++
Sunscreens for Sensitive Skin: YES, It's Possible
"I do think the Round Lab sunscreen being so viral is probably part of the same kind of filter as the Purito. But be careful with this one, because birch is actually a pretty common allergen, which is why I'm sticking with the Purito in terms of recommendations."
EASY AM Routine ft Stylevana Vana Box (& GRWM)
"This is the Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen. It has become such a popular sunscreen, but honestly for very good reason. It's such a moisturizing sunscreen that I'm not adding in an additional moisturizer, even though moisturizer is absolutely a necessary step in a skincare routine. I do feel this might actually be one of the most moisturizing sunscreens I've ever tried, it really is a nice product. It does have some tinosorb M in it, so you might see a little bit of a white cast as I start applying it, but on my skin type at least it does vanish in once I massage it in. If you have a deeper skin tone, you might want to look for the newer colored formula instead."
Skincare EMPTIES! How Long to Finish Products, Why I Go Back to Affordable Picks...
"I also finished another one of these sunscreens. This used to be one of my absolute favorites. I like how moisturizing it is, I don't need a separate moisturizer every day when my sunscreen is also very moisturizing."
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"I grabbed my Round Lab sunscreen, which is presently what I'd call my favorite moisturizing sunscreen."
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"The difference between this and Beauty of Joseon is that this one feels much more moisturizing, so if you have a dry skin type you might gravitate more to this. Even though it feels very moisturizing it doesn't look too dewy or glowy, and it's one of those sunscreens where I don't feel I need a separate moisturizer with it. It does have some essential oil ingredients, but I don't really smell much of anything in it. As a person with dry and sensitive skin, this is my favorite sunscreen in this video because I like that added nourishing, moisturizing feel. In all truth though, there is something I don't love about this: it's kind of hard to get good deals on it, and it's a little bit more expensive than most of the other options in this video, though for some people it could be worth it."
"This is the Haru Haru Wonder Black Rice Moisture Airy Fit Daily Sunscreen. I initially did not like it and now I love it. When you look at the filters used in this product it's my dream filter combination, they are so beautiful and so fast to apply because none of them contribute to a white cast. I love the full formula of this sunscreen, it is completely fragrance-free and low irritant. I tend not to like pump packaging, and originally Haru Haru Wonder was saying this is for oily skin types, which confused me as a person with dry acne-prone skin, because usually sunscreens aren't limited to a skin type. I felt like it was so sticky, but it turns out this is a sunscreen where if you apply it over a heavy cream, the two make a kind of sticky, tacky texture, which I do kind of like under makeup, but if you don't want that tacky sensation there's a way around it, use a lightweight moisturizer instead. I now think that's the reason they were originally calling this for oily skin types, because the moisturizers dry skin types gravitate towards don't play as well with this product."
"This is still my favorite stick sunscreen, it's been my favorite for well over a year. As somebody who already has dry skin, if I'm wearing makeup, the last thing I want is a sunscreen stick that tugs on my skin, and too many of them tug. This one has excellent glidey properties, and the shape of it is perfect for getting all around my eye area and my nose area, an ideal shape for me personally, combined with the ability to glide well and to not be too over the top in shine. All of that makes this a long running favorite for me."
"This is actually a different base formula, and it gives you a much more dewy and glowy look, which is actually what I don't love about it, it's a bit too glowy for me and I feel like I look a bit reflective. I've seen a lot of people say that this one stings their eyes, whereas Kolmar's formula doesn't, and it also has a little bit more of that sunscreen smell to it, which I think is those older filters. For me personally, this one is still a very good sunscreen, it's one that I absolutely rank as an A sunscreen, but it's just not my personal favorite."
"This one feels much lighter to apply than Beauty of Joseon, and with my dry skin type I still prefer this because I don't like looking too glowy. It too is fragrance free, essential oil free, and non-irritating. In all truth though, I don't actually love the pump system on this, I feel like it slows me down ever so slightly and I would prefer it in a squeeze tube, but it's not enough for me to not love this sunscreen. It's a wonderful sunscreen and I fully understand why it is number one."
"This ties for my favorite, along with the PDRN collagen overnight mask. This is an incredible occlusive mask that is fantastic for preventing transepidermal water loss. It's a product you can use for slugging, though you want to be careful if you use strong actives at night since slugging locks those ingredients in more and could end up irritating your skin. To be totally honest, I do slightly prefer this original over the PDRN version, but they're both so similar that I don't think you need to pick up both, you can just try one and see if the category works for you."
✓Approved
81%Guru Score
All 4 takes on Rice Probiotics Overnight Mask
Ranking ABIB Korean Skincare: BEST to WORST!
"This ties for my favorite, along with the PDRN collagen overnight mask. This is an incredible occlusive mask that is fantastic for preventing transepidermal water loss. It's a product you can use for slugging, though you want to be careful if you use strong actives at night since slugging locks those ingredients in more and could end up irritating your skin. To be totally honest, I do slightly prefer this original over the PDRN version, but they're both so similar that I don't think you need to pick up both, you can just try one and see if the category works for you."
BEST KOREAN SKINCARE OF 2024 (and of all time)
"This is still so bizarrely underrated, it has one of the most simple ingredients lists I've ever seen in a product, and yet it really is such a lovely overnight mask."
I Tried Your Recs from this K-Beauty Brand (Abib 1-Month Review)
"This is the Rice Probiotics Overnight Mask, one of those occlusive products that looks like it will just be a gel on your skin but actually is very heavy, one you use for slugging. In all truth I didn't stick with this this past month, I think it's just because I felt like this was so heavy on its own, I just used more of the Jericho Rose cream at night instead. Nice product overall, I just didn't use it that much this past month."
Stylevana Award Winners (NEW Vanabox!)
"This is the Abib Rice Probiotics Overnight Mask, this really surprised me. When I first opened this I did not think I was going to love this texture, it looks like a gel, and gel is just not the right match for my dry skin. But looks can be deceiving, and it turns out I actually really like this. It also has a really simple ingredients list which works great for me and other sensitive skin types. It does have postbiotic ingredients, non-living bacteria in a skincare product, so I guess the name is my one minor critique. But you still get benefits from the breakdown of that bacteria, no fragrance, no alcohol, easy to work into your routine. I actually think this might be one of very few products where both dry and oily skin types could appreciate it."
"From Beauty of Joseon I'm holding up what might actually be my favorite mask ever, the Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask. I feel like it just gently exfoliates, gently brightens my skin, and it's always such a joy to use."
✓Approved
99%Guru Score
All 5 takes on Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask
What to Get & What to SKIP: Sephora VIB Sale!
"From Beauty of Joseon I'm holding up what might actually be my favorite mask ever, the Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask. I feel like it just gently exfoliates, gently brightens my skin, and it's always such a joy to use."
Beauty of Joseon's CONFUSING Debut at Sephora?!
"They'll also be carrying the Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask, which I talked about in my favorite K beauty products of 2024. That was such a phenomenal release, such a good mask for those of us that have a little bit more of a sensitive skin type."
Cool Weather Skincare Favorites (with a twist!)
"This is the Beauty of Joseon Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask. I'm not really a wash off mask person, I'm much more of a sheet mask person, but this is such a good mask for dry skin and for winter months because it doesn't dry down, which is my problem with most clay based masks. It has kaolin clay in it but also five percent honey, a wonderful soothing ingredient, and rice, a calming ingredient. It's just an absolute joy to use and I do feel like it actually helps my skin out, especially because I've also got acne. I've tried some much more expensive masks from higher end brands, but this one is actually my favorite."
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"This new Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask, I love it so much more than I thought I would."
NEW *all K-Beauty* Try-On: Beauty of Joseon, Isntree, VT, & More!
"This is the Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask, and this might be my favorite product in this video, I am happy with this. It comes with a scoop and really cute packaging, there's something about the smell that is so comforting, it's not a fragrance product but that raw rice smell is wondrous, and I absolutely love this mask. This is it for me for sensitive, acne prone, and dry skin types, it's a clay mask with soothing rice, hydrating ingredients, and some exfoliating particles from upcycled ingredients, plus 5% honey and some menthyl lactate, though I don't smell it or feel any cooling sensation so it must be at a very light amount. It doesn't dry down, and after using it my skin looks absolutely amazing."
"It's the I'm From Mugwort Mask mini. I like this, but as I talked about in a recent video, I actually like the Axis-Y Mugwort Mask even more, it just works better for me for some reason, so I had just repurchased that. I don't particularly need this, and it is on sale."
"This is a very longtime favorite. I do think that if you have a similar skin type to mine, if you have a lot of issues with inflammation, sensitivity, this could easily be your favorite here, and I still think this is a great product."
✓Approved
85%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Honey Mask
BEST KOREAN SKINCARE OF 2024 (and of all time)
"This is a very longtime favorite. I do think that if you have a similar skin type to mine, if you have a lot of issues with inflammation, sensitivity, this could easily be your favorite here, and I still think this is a great product."
NEW Skincare Try-On: Peptides, Honey, &...somehow, The Ordinary's Hyaluronic Acid Serum
"I love the I'm From Honey Mask, it still remains one of my favorite masks. So far the product I'll go back to will continue to be the original Honey Mask, because that one is so nourishing, that's what stands out about it."
"This is one of my favorite finds, new releases of 2024. Absolutely love this, though it's a little expensive."
✓Approved
73%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Bouncy & Firm Sleeping Mask
BEST KOREAN SKINCARE OF 2024 (and of all time)
"This is one of my favorite finds, new releases of 2024. Absolutely love this, though it's a little expensive."
Worth the Splurge?! Tower 28 gets it, Tatcha wants too much $$, & More!
"Laneige sent me this Bouncy and Firm Sleeping Mask and I absolutely loved it, I still love it, it's such a nice sleeping mask. Peptides actually do have research supporting their use for anti-aging."
"My top pick here for another year is this mask. This brand is usually very expensive, this product is some bizarre exception, it's actually bizarrely affordable in terms of price per ounce. This is another one of those brands that is designed for more mature skin needs, and I think this is such an interesting case of a product because it has such a long ingredients list, wherein I really can't look at the ingredients list and pick out specific ingredients that I think are responsible for the results."
✓Approved
89%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Overnight Vitalizing Mask
BEST KOREAN SKINCARE OF 2024 (and of all time)
"My top pick here for another year is this mask. This brand is usually very expensive, this product is some bizarre exception, it's actually bizarrely affordable in terms of price per ounce. This is another one of those brands that is designed for more mature skin needs, and I think this is such an interesting case of a product because it has such a long ingredients list, wherein I really can't look at the ingredients list and pick out specific ingredients that I think are responsible for the results."
My Updated Thoughts on SULWHASOO: Luxury Korean Skin Care
"This is probably my most repurchased Sulwhasoo product, because in spite of me saying several times through this video that some of these products are quite expensive, this one in terms of price per ounce, even if you buy it at Sephora, it's really not expensive. You use this after your PM skincare routine as the final step before going to bed, and it'll last you a very long time because it is four fluid ounces of product. I've said for years about this one, you can look at the ingredients list and it's just not ever going to look impressive, it looks kind of awful actually, but you talk to anybody who's tried this and we all just can't help but say somehow it's really a good product, somehow it really hydrates, it really plumps, it really brightens your skin overnight. Will it be for everyone? No, nothing ever is. But is it a great product that delivers results for most people? I would say so."
Skincare Empties: Unpopular Opinions, PEPTIDES, Why I Don't Use Green Tea with LED Therapy, & More!
"The Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask, I love that it lasts forever. Sulwhasoo is typically a pretty expensive brand, but if you break it down to price per ounce, it's actually basically an affordable moisturizer for me."
"This is the Strawberry BHA Pore Smooth Blur Drops, and I'm so glad I didn't buy it, I only got it as a sample. This smells truly terrible, it just smells so bad, and I'm not the only one who has felt this way. If you want a salicylic acid containing primer, there are options that don't smell nearly as bad as this one. This is a brand where overall the products smell nice, so I don't know what happened here."
"This is the Watermelon Glow AHA Night Treatment, one of the first products that really put glow recipe on the map, and I think it is still a hit even though they've reformulated it over the years. It's less for me personally, I'm a bit more sensitive and don't use these types of ingredients too often, but I know a lot of people love this. It has a two and a half percent AHA complex that the brand says acts like a ten percent glycolic acid ingredient. I think this is a good example of a beautiful merging of Western and K Beauty concepts into a product that doesn't really exist in either category on its own, so it's a standout."
"I'm very picky with masks, but I actually liked this mask. I think the reason it worked out for me is because it's mostly a calming mask but it's got a little bit of exfoliating properties to it in a wash off format, and that seems to work for me."
"This is Medicube's Collagen Night Wrapping Mask. I've tried it and I'm iffy on this product category, I think because I need to sleep as comfortably as possible. I can do it for a couple hours but not overnight, I just can't do it, I find these all to be a little bit uncomfortable."
"This bouncy bright facial mask is so good for my skin type. Ten percent azelaic acid is a great level, the research uses fifteen to twenty percent, but I feel comfortable with this level as long as you stick with it, I don't need to use it as often, I use it on alternating nights and still get the benefits. One percent salicylic acid is lower than the maximum level for acne, but it's a good level for my skin, and then there are calming ceramide ingredients and antioxidants too. It's a product that helps with acne scars, especially the PIE type, helps prevent breakouts, and helps clear them, it's such a multitasker. Even though it's expensive, I have come to love this product, and I only need two to three pumps."
✓Approved
85%Guru Score
All 5 takes on Bouncy Bright Facial Brightening Mask
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"The Drunk Elephant Bouncy Bright facial mask, I really enjoyed this, but I'm just stuck in the affordable azelaic acid products again because I also want to be able to afford groceries. I do actually think they came up with a really smart system if you hate the pilling associated with azelaic acid."
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"This bouncy bright facial mask is so good for my skin type. Ten percent azelaic acid is a great level, the research uses fifteen to twenty percent, but I feel comfortable with this level as long as you stick with it, I don't need to use it as often, I use it on alternating nights and still get the benefits. One percent salicylic acid is lower than the maximum level for acne, but it's a good level for my skin, and then there are calming ceramide ingredients and antioxidants too. It's a product that helps with acne scars, especially the PIE type, helps prevent breakouts, and helps clear them, it's such a multitasker. Even though it's expensive, I have come to love this product, and I only need two to three pumps."
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"My last step is the Drunk Elephant Bouncy Bright facial mask with ten percent AHA and one percent salicylic acid, this is where my main hyperpigmentation fighting ingredients come from. This one works for me, it works really really well for me. I was worried it would be irritating since I have to be cautious with salicylic acid because of my skin sensitivities, but for some reason this works for me. I think AHA is a great hyperpigmentation fighting ingredient for sensitive skin. I find I don't need to use this as often as I was using my other AHA products, there must be something special in this formula, the Drunk Elephant team must have really good formulators because their products are really strong."
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"This is the Drunk Elephant Bouncy Bright Facial, with 10% AHA acid and 1% salicylic acid. I recently repurchased this because I had been missing it. AHA acid is a wonderful acne treatment, most of the research is at 15% but there are a lot of anecdotal reports at 10%, which is what this product uses, combined with 1% salicylic acid, which is also an acne treatment. What makes this special isn't just those two ingredients, it's the full formula. The full formula is wonderful, every night that I use it my skin looks that much better in the morning, that much more glowy, that much more clear. It does also target hyperpigmentation, though on its own I don't think it's the strongest option for that, but it does help."
Critiquing Allure's Best Skincare 2023...
"The Drunk Elephant Bouncy Bright Facial is a 10% glycolic acid plus 1% salicylic acid moisturizing mask, and it's not a wash off mask, which surprised me. I have to admit this felt extremely dry, drying on my skin. I read through the reviews and saw that other people had the same experience, it was okay for me but drying. I would never buy the full size of this, it's too expensive for a leave on 10% glycolic acid product when I have a favorite that costs so much less."
"I've decided to just stick with this AHA acid toner. This tends to cost less, about half what the pricier one costs. I actually prefer the other one's texture, but in terms of results I feel they compare, so I'm willing to save a little more money and go with the product where the texture is not a favorite, but I like the results."
✓Approved
74%Guru Score
All 2 takes on AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner
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"I've decided to just stick with this AHA acid toner. This tends to cost less, about half what the pricier one costs. I actually prefer the other one's texture, but in terms of results I feel they compare, so I'm willing to save a little more money and go with the product where the texture is not a favorite, but I like the results."
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"This is the AHA BHA clarifying treatment toner, and honestly it isn't a bad product, but I have some bones to pick with it. It has glycolic acid at 0.1 percent and betaine salicylate at 0.1 percent, so calling it the AHA BHA clarifying treatment toner sounds like it's going to do so much more for your skin than I've found it to do. I also don't like that it's in a spray bottle, because in spite of being a spray toner you're not supposed to spray it all over your face, you're supposed to spray it onto a cotton pad. What it's really for is prepping your skin after a more alkaline cleanser with its low pH, which is kind of dated since most people aren't doing that anymore, but if you are, this could be a good addition to your routine."
"My favorite BHA toner is the Chestnut BHA 2% Clear Liquid. It does contain 2% salicylic acid, but what's different is that it's using a bit of a higher pH, around 3.5 to 4 last time I tested it, and newer research suggests salicylic acid is not pH dependent the way AHAs are. As somebody with a bit more sensitivity I prefer not to use low pH products, they can really disrupt my barrier, and yet I see the same reduction in acne from using this as I do from our Western 2% salicylic acid products at a lower pH. It's watery, so I prefer to apply it onto a cotton pad. It's an incredible product with a very short ingredients list."
✓Approved
85%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Chestnut BHA 2% Clear Liquid
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"My favorite BHA toner is the Chestnut BHA 2% Clear Liquid. It does contain 2% salicylic acid, but what's different is that it's using a bit of a higher pH, around 3.5 to 4 last time I tested it, and newer research suggests salicylic acid is not pH dependent the way AHAs are. As somebody with a bit more sensitivity I prefer not to use low pH products, they can really disrupt my barrier, and yet I see the same reduction in acne from using this as I do from our Western 2% salicylic acid products at a lower pH. It's watery, so I prefer to apply it onto a cotton pad. It's an incredible product with a very short ingredients list."
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"My pick for best exfoliating toner is the Isntree Chestnut BHA 2% Clear Liquid. I'm calling it my favorite exfoliating toner, but that is probably because of my skin type, which is dry and acne prone. This is a BHA toner, so it's using salicylic acid, which is oil soluble and can help exfoliate in the hair follicle, making it a really good choice for acne, and it's often recommended for oily skin types as well. This is an easier salicylic acid product for me to use, and because I have sensitive skin that's tough to disrupt my barrier so much, this is a great fit for me. As for texture, this one is very watery, so I prefer to apply it with a cotton round. I don't smell anything in this product. I do think it's interesting that they included chestnut, but I feel the real hero ingredient here is of course the salicylic acid."
"This is the BHA Blackhead Power Liquid and I was really surprised by this one. It has four percent betaine salicylate, which is the gentler ingredient they're calling BHA now, not the same as salicylic acid. If you have more reactive or acne prone reactive skin like me this might actually be a really good option. It has a little more body to it than a lot of COSRX's watery toners, which makes it easier to work with, you don't need a cotton pad. It also has willow bark in it, which has anti inflammatory properties rather than being an exfoliant like salicylic acid. It's gentle and straightforward, and gentle can be the perfect fit."
"There's this hard rule going around that you should never use the St. Ives Apricot Scrub, but I actually think that's wrong. There was a lawsuit against St. Ives over this idea of micro tears in the skin, a concept that people on the internet basically invented, and the case was thrown out because they couldn't prove that made up concept actually happens. So no, the scrub everyone should eliminate from their lives isn't the St. Ives Apricot Scrub."
"This is a very strong product and it is definitely one where a lot of precautions should be taken. It may not feel that harsh for every person out there, but for some of us it can do a lot of damage, you really want to make sure to use this one correctly. It's not okay to leave this on overnight. Its really low price point makes it appealing to just try out for fun, but in my opinion you should take all of the precautions with this, use it as directed and be careful, because I really cannot use this at all and I don't think I'm alone, even though I still do believe the people who say it's not strong for them, everyone has different skin."
"The Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads used to be on all of my favorite Sephora skincare lists. I don't personally use those anymore because I no longer really need a lot of chemical exfoliation since I use a strong retinoid, but there was a time where that was my favorite product at Sephora. I think it might be the strongest product that Sephora carries. I don't think they're for everyone, because like I said I no longer use them, but I do think they're potent for the more casual skin care enthusiast, and I think they can be a really good choice if you want results, because I do think you'll see results."
✓Approved
78%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads
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"There was a time where I absolutely loved the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads. I don't know what happened, but at some point that just became too much for my skin."
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"The Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads used to be on all of my favorite Sephora skincare lists. I don't personally use those anymore because I no longer really need a lot of chemical exfoliation since I use a strong retinoid, but there was a time where that was my favorite product at Sephora. I think it might be the strongest product that Sephora carries. I don't think they're for everyone, because like I said I no longer use them, but I do think they're potent for the more casual skin care enthusiast, and I think they can be a really good choice if you want results, because I do think you'll see results."
"I used to love this. I did like this product, I liked Glow Recipe, and I feel like Glow Recipe is one of those brands where I really liked them for a long time, but more recently I've moved away from them. I still think the products are cute, they're really fun to use, I will absolutely say that. It says PHA and BHA, but the BHA here is actually betaine salicylate, willow bark extract, not salicylic acid, which means this is a much more gentle BHA product compared to something like the Paula's Choice PHA. It also contains fragrance."
"This is my beloved SK-II, if we're doing an Alice bootcamp we're going back to the SK-II. I'm at the point of just gently patting it into my skin. This is a very expensive product, I am so happy and jealous of the people for whom the dupes work. She's back in my routine."
✓Approved
81%Guru Score
All 6 takes on Facial Treatment Essence
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"This is my beloved SK-II, if we're doing an Alice bootcamp we're going back to the SK-II. I'm at the point of just gently patting it into my skin. This is a very expensive product, I am so happy and jealous of the people for whom the dupes work. She's back in my routine."
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"SK-II is a product I swear by even though it's incredibly expensive. In a split face trial I did against a galactomyces dupe, I saw what it did for my hyperpigmentation, and I don't think I can get that kind of result without ingredients that are too much for my sensitive skin. It's potent in a way that's helpful for hyperpigmentation without irritating me the way glycolic acid does. That said, I don't think everyone needs to run out and buy it. If you don't have sensitive skin and you can use AHA, you may not need SK-II at all, but if you're sensitive and dealing with hyperpigmentation, you might fall in love with it like I did."
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"The reason I love this so much is that it almost gives me the results of a chemical exfoliant. It's a very brightening product for me. The only con is I have to take it out of my routine quite often because it is so effective for me."
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"SK-II is expensive, but it's one where I really believe in it and I really saw the results for myself. It's so simple in terms of its ingredients list that people call it a dupeable product, but SK-II owns the patent on Pitera, so I do believe their galactomyces ferment filtrate is different from other galactomyces ferment filtrate options. Using it for five weeks against one of the dupes, I could not believe how much more results I saw for hyperpigmentation. It evened my skin tone, brightened my skin, and faded my spots, even though it doesn't contain any actives. I love it because I've never seen another ingredient give me this kind of results that didn't also come with a list of drawbacks, since my retinoid can already be drying and harsh. It is so expensive, I wish it wasn't, and I don't want to make it sound like it's your only option because it's not, but this is one of very few pricier splurges where I really understand why people swear by it."
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"The SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, I love the FTE, I love the FTE. I think that is the product that I would recommend from that brand."
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"My pick for best overall toner is SK-II, and I want to say up front that this one is not inexpensive at all, and I don't think all of you need this product, it is in my opinion obviously an excellent product but you may not need it. A lot of people love AHA toners, I struggle with that ingredient as a whole, and it's a shame because it's a great ingredient for hyperpigmentation and even shows some benefit in terms of fine lines and wrinkles, but with my sensitive skin type I have to be really careful. That's why when I tried SK-II and saw what it does for me I was blown away, it almost looked like I had been using an AHA containing product, except I hadn't. There is something truly special in my opinion about the Pitera, they spent a lot of time and energy developing that specific Pitera, and I feel like it shows, the dupes haven't quite compared. I didn't even think this was doing anything for weeks, it took about five weeks for me to realize what it was doing. It's such a gentle product that still fights texture, fights hyperpigmentation, and evens your skin tone, it does so much but in such a gentle way. It's my favorite, but it's expensive, and I think the 2.5 fluid ounce size is the right size to buy. For me the hype is real on this one, I'm calling it my best overall toner, so obviously I think that yes, it's worth it for me."
"The Manyo Bifida Biome Complex Ampoule has been my clear favorite for years. I still love this product, and I still think a lot of what makes it so amazing is the bifida ferment lysate. It's just a really good formula, really hydrating, really nourishing, and now it's easier to find at stores like Ulta."
✓Approved
87%Guru Score
All 6 takes on Bifida Biome Complex Ampoule
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"The Manyo Bifida Biome Complex Ampoule has been my clear favorite for years. I still love this product, and I still think a lot of what makes it so amazing is the bifida ferment lysate. It's just a really good formula, really hydrating, really nourishing, and now it's easier to find at stores like Ulta."
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"I have a clear favorite, the Manyo Bifida Biome Complex Ampoule. I love it so much, this is the one that my skin likes the most. It's the product where I see what bifida does for my skin the most, that intense relief from dryness, calming, soothing, and strengthening. Out of everything, this is the one I will continue to purchase."
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"I'm going with the Manyo Bifida Biome Complex Ampoule. Nothing is beating this for me. I had a mini of Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Serum for a bit and I still was over here thinking I might like the Manyo more than Estee Lauder's. The reason I love this so much is because as somebody with sensitive skin who is looking for anti-aging products, it's just such a good match for me."
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"My favorite bifida ferment lysate product is the Manyo Bifida Biome Complex Ampoule. I've had incredible results with the ingredient bifida ferment lysate, and I like the formulation, I like that ingredients list, I feel like it does a little more for my skin. It did take genuinely a couple of months to see the results, but it's a favorite of mine."
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"This ampoule's star ingredient is bifida ferment lysate, which research suggests is optimal for repairing the skin and also for preventing dryness, a good match for my skin type. The one thing I would stress is that in the research it took two months to see results, so don't be surprised if you go through a period where you wonder if it's doing anything. For me it was about a month before I noticed this was really strengthening my skin. It's such a wonderful product."
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"The Manyo Bifida Biome Complex Ampoule, I love that so much, I already have a backup, I absolutely love that. That did so much for my barrier, that did so much for my general skin health, and it's not too expensive. A lot of people call it a dupe of the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, and I think for me it is."
"I did not need another hypochlorous acid spray, but that is what was in the rewards bazaar that period. I got the Tower 28 hypochlorous acid spray and I am super happy with it."
✓Approved
84%Guru Score
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"I did not need another hypochlorous acid spray, but that is what was in the rewards bazaar that period. I got the Tower 28 hypochlorous acid spray and I am super happy with it."
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"Hypochlorous acid feels like a decent addition to my acne care routine, but I'll never again pay full price for the Tower 28. The ingredients really are just water, sodium chloride, and hypochlorous acid, so imagine the profit margin on this. I like Tower 28, I recommended their gel cleanser, but this one has so much hype behind it that I don't really think it deserves, it's overhyped, it's overpriced. If you must buy hypochlorous acid products, at least get them for less money."
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"One of the products I turned to a lot this month was the Tower 28 hypochlorous acid spray. This kind of product is really a substitute cleansing method, and for my dry skin type, I quite like using it in the morning in place of cleansing, especially on mornings when I need a real quick and easy routine to get out the door."
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"You all know the Tower 28 hypochlorous acid spray, I like that mist, it's a fantastic mist, especially if you deal with bacterial related acne, since hypochlorous acid helps kill bacteria. The problem is, as people pointed out from the moment Tower 28 released it, hypochlorous acid isn't that expensive as an ingredient."
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"I almost bought the Tower 28 SOS cream, I thought about it in the friends and family sale, and ultimately I talked myself out of it because I like another moisturizer so much more."
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"I have a lot of mixed thoughts on the Tower 28 Daily Rescue Facial Spray. It's a great antimicrobial product, but honestly that's kind of all it does. It's not very hydrating, it's not very calming, but it does seem to really fight bacteria very effectively. It's just not enough of a product, I want more going on in a product, especially if I'm paying Sephora prices. But don't get me wrong, I do love it and I will absolutely use it when I have it, I just won't pay full price for it."
"Rhode sent me just a little mini of the viral glazing milk essence, and it's fine, it's fine. I think Rhode is just one of the most overhyped brands I've ever seen, when I tried their products I was just kind of baffled that they were so popular. I think Cycler's essence is just as good."
"I get asked a lot what dupe is closest to SK-II. There's no perfect dupe, but I enjoyed the Real Ferment Micro Essence, I think it's a very well made essence, and that's my essence pick for this video. It's an absolutely gorgeous formula using bifida ferment lysate, one of my favorite ingredients, plus saccharomyces ferment, lactobacillus, and amino acids. It's not SK-II, but it is a fermented essence and I did feel like it brightens."
✓Approved
92%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Dermalogy Real Ferment Micro Essence
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"The Neogen Real Ferment Micro Essence is one of the best fermented essences I've ever tried. I was seeking a dupe for SK-II and never quite found one, but out of the contenders this was my favorite in the affordable category. It uses a lot of different kinds of ferments, so you really have to know your skin, some people do great with ferments and some very much do not. It's got a lot of amino acids in it and it's fragrance-free. I definitely think it's worth trying, though it's still not quite SK-II if you're looking for that incredible brightening."
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"I get asked a lot what dupe is closest to SK-II. There's no perfect dupe, but I enjoyed the Real Ferment Micro Essence, I think it's a very well made essence, and that's my essence pick for this video. It's an absolutely gorgeous formula using bifida ferment lysate, one of my favorite ingredients, plus saccharomyces ferment, lactobacillus, and amino acids. It's not SK-II, but it is a fermented essence and I did feel like it brightens."
"I've always felt like this brand, even when they make products for dry skin, feels like what an oily skin type would imagine a dry skin type would like. It still feels lightweight, but I will say it does feel nourishing. And there's no niacinamide in it, so this is another one I'll set aside for when I stop using niacinamide."
"The Bioma Balancing Face Mist is such a good face mist. I feel embarrassed because I found it in the back of my toner collection during a declutter and had completely forgotten about it, that's how good it is."
✓Approved
85%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Balancing Face Mist
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"The Bioma Balancing Face Mist is such a good face mist. I feel embarrassed because I found it in the back of my toner collection during a declutter and had completely forgotten about it, that's how good it is."
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"This is the Balancing Face Mist, oh, this is beautiful, this is a gorgeous face mist. It contains allantoin as well as a probiotic ferment, and it is completely fragrance-free. The mist itself is beautiful to use, you can use this as your toner but you can also just spritz this on your skin throughout the day. This was highly recommended to me, I see the hype, it is a beautiful mist that I think most people will really appreciate."
"At the end of the day, as funny as it may sound, I still just like the original SKIN1004 ampoule the most. It's so simple, but sometimes there's something so special about simple. I enjoyed this, I love the classic SKIN1004 ampoule."
✓Approved
79%Guru Score
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"At the end of the day, as funny as it may sound, I still just like the original SKIN1004 ampoule the most. It's so simple, but sometimes there's something so special about simple. I enjoyed this, I love the classic SKIN1004 ampoule."
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"This is such a beautiful, restorative ampoule, a testament to the power of plants. I absolutely love this ampoule, I use a lot of it and my skin seems to just drink it up and feel a lot more nourished. Earlier this week I had a reaction from using a glycolic acid product, and I used two full droppers of this and instantly felt the soothing effects, the redness went down. That's why this absolutely is my favorite Skin1004 ampoule. It shouldn't necessarily be better than the others, which also have centella asiatica plus other ingredients, but there really is something to the simplicity of this that makes it such a good soothing product."
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"I really love this ampoule, I find it very calming. The trick with it is to use a lot, I like to use two full droppers. The packaging looks expensive but it's not, this is not too pricey of a product."
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"I enjoyed this product a lot, it's why I chose to work with the company. If you use a lot of it, up to two full droppers, I really saw a lot for my skin in terms of hydration and soothing, which makes sense because of the active compounds in centella asiatica. I still think it's nice and it can be a great option for a lot of people, but I've moved away from it because I found other ingredients my skin responds to even better, like bifida ferment lysate, so I simply don't use it that much anymore."
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"This is the product with the shortest and most concise ingredients list in the whole video, the brand says it's one ingredient only. The reason this is my pick for calming is because it's the simplest, and when your skin is going through it, simple is exactly what it needs. You get a big bottle, 3.38 fluid ounces, and when my skin is in a rough patch I like to use a lot of this product, one or two full droppers even. It's another affordable product where you get a lot of product in the bottle."
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"This is the Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule, this one is one of my favorites. This is a very calming and soothing ampoule, kind of in between a toner and a serum. It's 3.38 fluid ounces of 100% centella asiatica extract. The brand got everything right with this, the packaging is beautiful, they even thought about the dropper so it doesn't just drip the product out. Even when my skin is going through it and starts stinging when I apply my usual products, I can still apply this product, there's a lot of value in that for me. My tip is to use a lot of it, use it as you would a toner, not as you would a serum. So yes, absolutely love that ampoule."
"I finished off my SKIN1004 tone brightening capsule ampoule, and next up I'm working my way through the regular one. At the end of the day, I still just like the original ampoule the most."
"This is the best one that came out this year. It almost reminds me of using the Ilia essence, which is a lot more expensive, and yet I actually prefer the ingredients in this one, the humectant, emollient and even some occlusives in this product. It feels like such an all in one product. Absolutely love this, the only thing is remember to shake it as it is a dual layer essence."
✓Approved
95%Guru Score
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"This is the best one that came out this year. It almost reminds me of using the Ilia essence, which is a lot more expensive, and yet I actually prefer the ingredients in this one, the humectant, emollient and even some occlusives in this product. It feels like such an all in one product. Absolutely love this, the only thing is remember to shake it as it is a dual layer essence."
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"I am so unbelievably happy with this. This is one of those thick milky essences, and you do have to shake it up, which is my only critique since it's easy to forget in an opaque bottle and then you won't get the two distinct layers combined. But once you pour it out you get this incredibly nourishing thick milky essence, very moisturizing, a bit hydrating, with no added fragrance. This is a very expensive product, but I'm extremely happy with it. They're using a long list of fatty acids, cholesterol ingredients, ceramides in that golden ratio, and both galactomyces ferment filtrate and bifida ferment filtrate. Wonderful product, very pleased with it."
"This is the Mixsoon Bean Essence. You can use this in two ways, massage it to create a physical exfoliant, or leave it on for an incredibly hydrating experience. It might be too much for some people, but I've been surprised, this ended up a very popular product, definitely one of the products of 2024."
✓Approved
75%Guru Score
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"This is the Mixsoon Bean Essence. You can use this in two ways, massage it to create a physical exfoliant, or leave it on for an incredibly hydrating experience. It might be too much for some people, but I've been surprised, this ended up a very popular product, definitely one of the products of 2024."
Revisiting VIRAL Korean Skincare: Have My Opinions Changed?!
"I still like this. I like to use it as a leave-on, though the brand originally meant for you to roll it across your skin like a peeling gel. It's a short ingredients list, just four different ferments, and fermentation makes those ingredients smaller and more available to your skin. What I truthfully don't like is that it seems like they've gotten rid of a lot of their other products that I liked and they're going in a whole new direction as a brand."
Best K-Beauty Essences! | 2023 Best Skincare Products
"This is the deepest hydration possible, unlike nothing in my entire collection, and it really beats out the Pyunkang Yul for simplest ingredients list. It won't work for everyone since fermented ingredients don't work for everyone. This makes for such a good product if you're dealing with intense dehydration. I didn't like this at first, and I think a lot of people might not like it either because it's such a sensation on your skin, you really feel it. But that also makes it such a good product to use with any kind of device. You have to be careful not to forget to do the rest of your skincare routine because you won't feel this one dry. It's truly one of the most unique products I've ever tried."
Skincare Empties! Returning to my Favorites, New Affordable Finds (10/23)
"I repurchased this essence and I love it. It's a deeply hydrating product."
"Snail mucin is incredibly concentrated in a lot of the ingredients we use in skincare, so yes, it does have value. But being dense in stuff isn't always good, if you're allergic to something contained within it that can be a problem, and there's even possible cross reactivity if you're allergic to dust mites. For people who didn't have an allergy, a lot of people noticed great results from this and I was one of them, I felt like it was very anti-inflammatory, deeply hydrating, and made my skin look glowy and radiant, I absolutely loved it. But after some questions came up about how the snails are treated, I decided to see if the vegan dupes for snail mucin were any good, and the answer was yes, I was just as happy with them and I didn't miss this at all."
~Mixed
79%Guru Score
All 4 takes on Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: Best & Worst of Week 1!
"I do like this product, it's very hydrating. There's some evidence that snail mucin may be helpful for those of us that deal with inflammation type issues, acne prone, irritation prone skin. I really really liked my snail mucin products for the longest time, I love this product. I really do think especially if you are looking for hydration and reducing redness and irritation, you're a candidate for liking the COSRX snail essence as much as I did."
Revisiting VIRAL Korean Skincare: Have My Opinions Changed?!
"Snail mucin is incredibly concentrated in a lot of the ingredients we use in skincare, so yes, it does have value. But being dense in stuff isn't always good, if you're allergic to something contained within it that can be a problem, and there's even possible cross reactivity if you're allergic to dust mites. For people who didn't have an allergy, a lot of people noticed great results from this and I was one of them, I felt like it was very anti-inflammatory, deeply hydrating, and made my skin look glowy and radiant, I absolutely loved it. But after some questions came up about how the snails are treated, I decided to see if the vegan dupes for snail mucin were any good, and the answer was yes, I was just as happy with them and I didn't miss this at all."
Deinfluencing "Viral" Skincare
"This is a very popular K beauty product made with 96% snail mucin extract, and while it might initially sound gross, snails create this mucin to protect themselves, and when you look at it on a molecular level it actually contains a lot of compounds we already use in skincare. When I apply it, it's deeply hydrating and I've noticed an anti-inflammatory effect on my own skin. I was a bit shocked by how slimy it is at first, but the more I used it the more I grew to love the texture. That said, some people can have an allergy to snail mucin itself, and it actually contains glycoproteins, a little glycolic acid, and hyaluronic acid, ingredients I already have in no shortage in other products, so there could be some redundancy in including it in your routine. I've also had people send me reports that the snails are euthanized in the extraction process, which is not what I had in mind, and that's been a big factor in me looking for alternatives. What was once my number one holy grail skincare product is now one where I can comfortably deinfluence you out of it, because I'm no longer convinced people need snail mucin in 2024 when they probably already have hyaluronic acid, glycoproteins, and peptides somewhere in their routine."
COSRX: Ranking 18 Products Best to Worst! (2023 Version)
"The Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence has moved out of my top three, not just in this video but my top three products of all time. It's 96 percent snail secretion filtrate, an ingredient I praise for its anti inflammatory effects and deep hydration, but I think certain ingredients have replaced what this used to do for me. Cica actives are so amazing for repair and soothing, and peptides and other hydrating ingredients may do a lot more, and as a consequence of using more of those ingredients this just started to not wow me as much. I've also heard from other people that it kind of feels more watered down than it used to, and there's new information that the ingredients might be a little different these days, which I haven't been able to verify. I'm still putting it at number four because I know what this did for me for years, but I don't actually think I'll repurchase it."
"This is primarily a hydrating product with a bit of essential oils, and it's just not a perfect combination for me. I have dry, acne prone, sensitive skin, and I need more in my products than just hydration. It's not that there's anything wrong with it, and I can see someone really enjoying this as a hydrating product that isn't too sticky or heavy, but it's just not a product I would purchase myself."
"This is also an incredible option, this time focusing on blackberry essence, you're getting antioxidant properties and even some B12 in the formula. They say this is great for boosting your skin barrier and for soothing your skin. It feels like almost the exact same product as the Dr. Ceuracle kombucha essence to apply, you just might find you like one a little more."
✓Approved
85%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Vegan Blackberry Complex Cream Essence
HUGE Milky Toner Comparison: 10x K-Beauty & More Toners!
"This is also an incredible option, this time focusing on blackberry essence, you're getting antioxidant properties and even some B12 in the formula. They say this is great for boosting your skin barrier and for soothing your skin. It feels like almost the exact same product as the Dr. Ceuracle kombucha essence to apply, you just might find you like one a little more."
Skincare EMPTIES! Is Convenience Worth it? (May 2024)
"I absolutely love this blackberry complex cream essence. You shake up the two different layers and get this beautiful cream product that gives you both hydration and moisture. To this day I actually prefer this product category after serums."
My FAVORITE Skincare Brands (& Products!)
"I'm going with the Blackberry Complex Cream Essence as my favorite product from the brand. This is a category I always love so much more in the winter months, and every winter I'm using these more moisturizing essence products, and this is a great option. I feel that it's a little more stable than the one from Dr. Ceuracle. It's so fun to use, you shake it up and then you get this creamy essence, I absolutely love using this product. I love all the disclosure too, and even though it doesn't apply to me, I do love that Mary and May is a clean brand, it proves that clean beauty doesn't have to be at Tatcha price points."
"The Farmacy Honey Milk Hydrating Essence doesn't feel like the same product as the Tirtir Milk Skin Toner to me, they definitely have different ingredients, but if you're looking for hydration with a bit of moisturizing properties, this is going to give you that too. My gripe with it is that it's hard to get the product out of the packaging, the opening is too small for how viscous it is, which is a pretty constant problem I run into these days."
"I do have a fail, the CoverGirl Simply Ageless Skin Perfector Essence, I wanted this so badly because I fell in love with a similar product, this is supposedly a dupe for the Chanel Le Teint foundation skin tint and it's the same price. The idea is there, the beads are there, but it's just not breaking up properly, my struggle was getting this to apply evenly because the beads don't break up properly and you end up with a patchy application. Also be careful with this if you have dehydrated skin, my skin was a little dehydrated the other day and the essence part of this immediately soaked into my skin, which made it even worse, so that left the beads on the surface of my skin. What an absolute mess, I washed it right off."
"I love Beauty of Joseon dearly, but their Ginseng Essence Water is too good an example for this conversation. I liked this product, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, I thought it was a nice hydrating product, but I didn't think it did much for fighting hyperpigmentation."
"This is tied with the Mary and May Blackberry Complex for best moisturizing essence. If fermented ingredients don't work for you this wouldn't be the best idea, but a lot of us do well with those ingredients, and you get added brightening with this one. For me personally it didn't last as long, it started to smell a little funny, I keep my house pretty warm so you may not experience this."
~Mixed
75%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence
HUGE Milky Toner Comparison: 10x K-Beauty & More Toners!
"This product is popular for such good reason, kombucha is this incredible ingredient for brightening your skin and for antioxidant properties. The idea is that it reduces steps in your skincare routine while still giving you brightening, hydration, soothing, and antioxidant properties."
Best K-Beauty Essences! | 2023 Best Skincare Products
"This is tied with the Mary and May Blackberry Complex for best moisturizing essence. If fermented ingredients don't work for you this wouldn't be the best idea, but a lot of us do well with those ingredients, and you get added brightening with this one. For me personally it didn't last as long, it started to smell a little funny, I keep my house pretty warm so you may not experience this."
(BIG) Skincare Empties: finding the “best of the best”!
"The Dr. Ceuracle Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence is a great hydrating and moisturizing essence. I do have to say it started to smell a little funny towards the end, so I actually finished it up on my decollete area because I got a little nervous about introducing bacteria to my face. I had it for about a year, and it turns out it actually expires in September, so that could be what was going on with that one."
"I also tried my Dieux eye patches on top of my eye serum since it was absorbing so slowly, thinking it might pair really nicely with those reusable eye masks, and I'm so happy to tell you that it does."
"I'm using the Stradia Lipid Gold Eye Cream, one of the small businesses I love to highlight. I am so happy they fixed the pump on this, it is so much better. I love companies that listen to feedback."
"I finished another Axis-Y Vegan Collagen Eye Serum. It's my favorite eye serum, both for the packaging and for the formulation."
✓Approved
82%Guru Score
All 7 takes on Vegan Collagen Eye Serum
Skincare Empties! TONS of sunscreen (predictably)
"I finished another Axis-Y Vegan Collagen Eye Serum. It's my favorite eye serum, both for the packaging and for the formulation."
Axis-Y Products, RANKED: Best & Worst from this Vegan K-Beauty Brand!
"The Vegan Collagen Eye Serum, I love this product so much, it is innovation to its core. It's got hydrating ingredients and peptide ingredients in a low irritant formula, which is so nice to see for the eye area, and the design is genius, you pump it down and the product comes out through a roller ball. It's so delightful, you cannot help but enjoy applying it, and it's so hydrating that I feel fully convinced you'll see results very rapidly. It's also as affordable as it is, I paid about 14 dollars for it last time I bought it, and while it's small, so is your under eye area, so it lasted me about 2 to 3 months. This is my best eye serum."
Best Korean Skincare BRANDS! (2024)
"This Vegan Collagen Eye Serum is one I cannot stop talking about, it's part of Axis-Y's more recent move toward fragrance free products."
Skincare Empties: the Sunscreen Edition!
"I love this Axis-Y Vegan Collagen Eye Serum. The packaging is brilliant, you physically pump out the product and it comes out onto a roller ball, it's a cooling experience, it's wonderful. It's very hydrating too, it has a collagen triple hyaluronic complex and five peptides in it, and it's very affordable compared to something like the Tata Harper. I received this gifted through YesStyle and I immediately repurchased it before I was even out, that's how much I loved this product."
AM Skincare Routine: How I Include the Medicube Booster Pro!
"This is my newest favorite, the AXIS-Y Vegan Collagen Eye Serum. Oh, I cannot put this down. I'm trying really hard not to repeat products in this routine but I can't put this down."
NEW Skincare: Did Purito Lie, Sephora Comparisons, & More!
"I didn't even know the Axis-Y Vegan Collagen Eye Serum was a brand new release, but oh my gosh, I love it so much I already bought a backup. The pump packaging is brilliant, and I no longer feel like I have to repurchase my favorite Dr. Dennis Gross eye serum, this is that good."
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"I wanted to try this AXIS-Y Vegan Collagen Eye Serum, which has collagen, hyaluronic acid, and five peptides, and it comes with a roller ball applicator. I have griped for many years on this channel about roller ball eye serums, but this is a brilliant system. I do like AXIS-Y, once again they come through with something that feels actually different, I like this brand. I'm also happy they kept it fragrance free, since they're normally a bit of a mixed bag on fragrance, but I think that's preferable in an eye cream since you're talking about a sensitive area. Unquestionably my favorite discovery today is the AXIS-Y eye serum, I'm really excited to try this more."
"This Revive Eye Serum is seventeen dollars for one fluid ounce of eye serum that contains retinaldehyde, which is practically unheard of. I looked up other retinal eye serums on Sephora, Sunday Riley is sixty five dollars, and even the Inky List is only a half ounce for its price. Murad's retinol youth renewal eye serum is eighty nine dollars for a half ounce, and that one is retinol, not retinaldehyde, retinol requires two conversions to get into its active form while retinaldehyde only requires one. So Beauty of Joseon having this eye serum available for seventeen dollars is mind blowing, I'm so excited."
✓Approved
96%Guru Score
All 5 takes on Revive Eye Serum: Ginseng + Retinal
Beauty of Joseon's CONFUSING Debut at Sephora?!
"This Revive Eye Serum is seventeen dollars for one fluid ounce of eye serum that contains retinaldehyde, which is practically unheard of. I looked up other retinal eye serums on Sephora, Sunday Riley is sixty five dollars, and even the Inky List is only a half ounce for its price. Murad's retinol youth renewal eye serum is eighty nine dollars for a half ounce, and that one is retinol, not retinaldehyde, retinol requires two conversions to get into its active form while retinaldehyde only requires one. So Beauty of Joseon having this eye serum available for seventeen dollars is mind blowing, I'm so excited."
My FAVORITE Skincare Brands (& Products!)
"They have a retinal eye serum that's one fluid ounce, it's safe, it's made for the eye area but you can use it anywhere, and you can find it for about ten dollars. Compare that to a retinal eye cream I got from Murad that's half an ounce and costs ninety two dollars. Reasons like that are why I love Beauty of Joseon."
Best Eye Creams! | 2023 Best Skincare Products
"This is their Revive Eye Serum and it's using point two percent retinaldehyde. In terms of gold standards for anti-aging there just isn't anything that beats out using retinoids in conjunction with sunscreen, and the fact that Beauty of Joseon has such a good option at such an affordable price point is incredible. I've seen this for around ten dollars, it's an incredible product, a great way to get a retinoid into your routine, and unlike retinol, retinaldehyde only requires one conversion to get to the active form in your skin. You're also getting some ginseng in here. It's huge, it's a huge product that you don't have to only use on your eye area. Overall this is just one of the best budget friendly options that I've ever seen of all time for anything, it's really an incredible product."
Stylevana Award Winners (NEW Vanabox!)
"The Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum with ginseng and retinal is another one where I wholeheartedly agree with the award. What I love so much about this is that it makes retinaldehyde, this superior retinoid option, available to people. We've had retinaldehyde in the west but in products that were over $100, this is somewhere between 10 and 20 depending on where you're shopping. It's called an eye serum but you can use it all over your face, the reason I don't is because I use adapalene and I cannot use adapalene in my eye area, so I use this retinal there instead. I am able to use this on my eye area, and I again love the accessibility here."
Most Popular K-Beauty SERUMS!
"This has ten percent ginseng, and though they aren't telling us a lot about the ginseng saponins, it's probably fresh ginseng rather than the more expensive aged ginseng, so it's still a fraction of the price of something like Sulwhasoo. What it does have is point two percent retinaldehyde, and when it comes to ingredients with lots of peer reviewed literature backing them up there's just nothing that tops retinoic acid. Over the counter retinol takes two conversions in your skin to get to retinoic acid, whereas retinaldehyde only takes one, so in my personal opinion this is a product that dare I say is stronger than a lot of the retinol products we have in the west, the expensive ones like Peter Thomas Roth or Dr. Dennis Gross. I genuinely think this is likely to compare to the results of those, if not give you even better results, and it's a very very affordable serum. I appreciate the transparency, I appreciate the formula, it's fragrance free, it's a wonderful wonderful product."
"I also finished another Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Bright Eye Gel Cream, this is one of my absolute favorite daytime eye creams of all time. Glow Recipe is a little bit expensive of a brand, but I absolutely love this. It has this perfect soft pink color to it that gives you very subtle color correction, and I love the brightening formula, it's not harsh or intense, it's gentle. I just wish Glow Recipe would be a bit more generous with sales."
✓Approved
88%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Guava Vitamin C Bright Eye Gel Cream
Skincare EMPTIES: the oversaturation of peptides (oh no)
"I also finished another Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Bright Eye Gel Cream, this is one of my absolute favorite daytime eye creams of all time. Glow Recipe is a little bit expensive of a brand, but I absolutely love this. It has this perfect soft pink color to it that gives you very subtle color correction, and I love the brightening formula, it's not harsh or intense, it's gentle. I just wish Glow Recipe would be a bit more generous with sales."
Best Skincare at Sephora (VIB Sale Picks & Wishlist!)
"This is the Guava Vitamin C Bright Eye Gel Cream. I genuinely think this has one of the best formulas for brightening your under eye area, at a better price point than a lot of similar products."
(BIG) Skincare Empties: finding the “best of the best”!
"I do really like this one, I love the Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Bright Eye Gel Cream. It's almost more of a serum eye cream combo in terms of how it acts for my eye area. It's a cute little bottle, adorable, it was hard to get the last of it out of this though."
"I finally finished my TIRTIR Collagen Lifting Eye Cream. I liked it because of the packaging, a pump and a roller, which I think is absolutely genius, but it wasn't ultimately my favorite eye cream in terms of the cream itself, so I won't repurchase it. I will keep an eye out for more products that use similar packaging though."
~Mixed
78%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Collagen Lifting Eye Cream
Skincare EMPTIES: the oversaturation of peptides (oh no)
"I finally finished my TIRTIR Collagen Lifting Eye Cream. I liked it because of the packaging, a pump and a roller, which I think is absolutely genius, but it wasn't ultimately my favorite eye cream in terms of the cream itself, so I won't repurchase it. I will keep an eye out for more products that use similar packaging though."
BEST KOREAN SKINCARE OF 2024 (and of all time)
"I feel the same way with this eye cream, it's the packaging that I absolutely love. This is genius packaging, you press down, it rolls out, you get this cooling roller ball which is a delight to use, and unlike the electronic packaging, you're not throwing away a battery."
TIRTIR is Doing Skincare Differently (1-Month Review)
"This eye cream is such a keeper for me. I love the cooling metal tip combined with a pump so you can control how much product comes out, and this is a full size eye cream in western terms, not the tiny size most K beauty eye creams come in. Putting collagen on topically doesn't actually restore lost collagen, so I didn't love seeing it marketed as lifting, that's a big claim, but it does hydrate, and it has some peptide ingredients and niacinamide too. It's a lightweight to medium weight cream, not a gel, and I ended up loving this as a day eye cream, especially for wearing under makeup. It does contain fragrance, which I side eye, but for about twenty dollars for a full western size, it's a really nice eye cream."
"A lot of people have told me they really enjoy the COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream. It's a very lightweight eye cream, more of a day eye cream in my opinion. I did like this for day, it's a great price, 14 dollars in this sale for 0.85 fluid ounces, a great size, most western eye creams are a mere 0.5 fluid ounces. It's in pump packaging, which is not a personal favorite for me, but I see the appeal."
"The Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Bakuchiol Eye Cream was such a good daytime eye cream for the summer, it's a lightweight eye cream, I really enjoyed it. Not sure I'd repurchase it though, because there are a lot of good eye cream options."
~Mixed
84%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Black Rice Bakuchiol Eye Cream
Skincare EMPTIES! Lots of HGs to end the year!
"The Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Bakuchiol Eye Cream was such a good daytime eye cream for the summer, it's a lightweight eye cream, I really enjoyed it. Not sure I'd repurchase it though, because there are a lot of good eye cream options."
BEST & WORST of Haruharu Wonder! (with important updates to the science...)
"This has niacinamide, which is effective, and I've seen a lot of people say they felt this was a very brightening eye cream, though that's probably from the niacinamide rather than the bakuchiol. It has a lightweight feel and is nice under makeup, but as a dry skin type it's too light for nighttime use. I see why some people really like it, but for me it's just kind of okay, and I don't know if I'll go back to it as my default now that I've found another eye cream I prefer."
What Makes K-Beauty Different? (ft NEW Stylevana Anniversary Vana Box)
"This is the Haru Haru Wonder Black Rice Bakuchiol Eye Cream. Bakuchiol is usually known as a retinoid alternative, but I always like to point out it's really a nice antioxidant ingredient. I'm not looking for a retinol alternative, I'm very happy with my adapalene, but I love bakuchiol, and 5% in here is a good level. I have a dry skin type so I prefer creams over gels, and this is a beautiful, lightweight texture. I decided to stop using retinol products around my eye area more recently, so this is a very welcome addition for me personally. It has really nice packaging, and something very different about K beauty eye creams is that when you see the price, especially the price per ounce, it's so unbelievably fair."
"This is Belief's Moisturizing Eye Balm. I've heard that this is new and improved, a new formula that retains moisture for 48 hours, and I'm really excited to try this one. This brand does sometimes use fragrance ingredients, and this product has some fragrance too, so it might not be for everybody, but I'm so excited about trying this."
"I actually don't love the INNBEAUTY Project Bright and Tight eye cream, I find it too thick and not moisturizing enough. It really feels more like if you took a concealer and mixed eye cream into it, whereas the Alpyn feels like an eye cream with some color correcting pigments in it. It's not enough moisture for me personally, when I tried to switch to this in my review my under eye area was getting dry."
✕Skip
79%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Bright & Tight Eye Cream
NEW Skincare: Did Purito Lie, Sephora Comparisons, & More!
"I actually don't love the INNBEAUTY Project Bright and Tight eye cream, I find it too thick and not moisturizing enough. It really feels more like if you took a concealer and mixed eye cream into it, whereas the Alpyn feels like an eye cream with some color correcting pigments in it. It's not enough moisture for me personally, when I tried to switch to this in my review my under eye area was getting dry."
I Tried the Innbeauty Project: My Hits & Misses!
"I was really enjoying this initially, not as my only eye cream but as an alternative for days I felt like skipping concealer, just a tiny amount under my eyes actually brightens up my skin. But when I tried to exclusively switch to it every day I didn't love it, it's not the most moisturizing eye cream I've tried and since I have dry skin I need moisturizing eye creams. It also isn't great under makeup, it plays funny with some of my concealers. It has 3% tranexamic acid plus three different forms of vitamin C derivatives and peptides, a beautiful formula, but all that said I do like it, just not every single day, and I wouldn't recommend making it your only eye cream."
"I like Patchology, these are nice Eye Patches, but if you want to start exploring even better deals, check out K Beauty. I can't separate the K Beauty products I've tried from my experience, they're just so much more affordable and yet in my opinion really compare to Patchology."
"I didn't even know I needed this. I'm always iffy on eye creams, but talk about an eye cream that is perfect for me, this is focused on repair with sea buckthorn, ceramides, and now also peptides, plus algae and lipids. It's like it's already got everything I want right there in one product. I like the change of the name from Liquid Gold to Lipid Gold because that emphasizes the lipid content. Yet again Stratia knocked it out of the park, I'm sorry in advance if this ends up becoming another favorite on this channel."
"I did like this eye serum, but my objection is that it's so expensive for the brand, since it's The Ordinary. This is 15ml, half the size of their regular 1oz bottles like the niacinamide serum or the hyaluronic acid serum, and it's 25 to 50 dollars for the same amount you'd get in other products. Granted, it is an advanced formula with ingredients tailored to the eye area, but it's still so hard for me to wrap my brain around 50 dollars an ounce for The Ordinary. Personally I don't think I'll repurchase it, even though I did enjoy it."
"I'm using the Mary and May [tranexamic] acid and glutathione eye cream. It's a bit of a basic eye cream, but I think it's an incredible price point for a fluid ounce, shockingly affordable."
✓Approved
71%Guru Score
All 4 takes on Tranexamic Acid + Glutathione Eye Cream
My PM **MUST HAVES** | Dry/Acne Prone Skincare Routine!
"I'm using the Mary and May [tranexamic] acid and glutathione eye cream. It's a bit of a basic eye cream, but I think it's an incredible price point for a fluid ounce, shockingly affordable."
Tariffs & K-Beauty (Chatty GRWM)
"The Mary and May eye cream is one of my favorite products."
*Budget* Shopping for a FULL K-Beauty Skincare Routine!
"The full size is thirty grams, which is still amazing, that's about double what we get with western eye creams. We can use that twice a day, it's a beautiful midweight texture."
Mary&May: THE K-Beauty Brand for Dry Skin!
"This is the tranexamic acid and glutathione eye cream, which really is one of the more unique Korean beauty eye creams that I've seen, while still retaining that giant size K Beauty brands are so generous with, thirty grams. I love the packaging so much, this to me is perfect eye cream packaging. It's formulated for the eye area with tranexamic acid, glutathione and a bit of vitamin C but at lower levels. It has that perfect texture for me in an eye cream, not too light, not too heavy, that perfect medium weight that also works nicely under makeup and under concealer. You get a lot of product in here and you can certainly use this all over your face too."
"Since the beginning of winter I finished off two bottles of this Anua heartleaf toner. I bought these a while ago, but if you know anything about me and this channel you might know that I love this product. I get about fifteen to twenty sheet masks worth of use out of each one of these bottles, so it is definitely better for the planet than buying sheet masks. I've always liked using it in this toner form, though I'm thinking about bringing in a stretchy serum alongside it to help build more of a barrier for my dry skin before I use my silicone mask."
✓Approved
86%Guru Score
All 7 takes on Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner
BEST SKINCARE OF 2026 (so far!)
"I no longer have the Anua Heartleaf 77 Toner because it was just so expensive. It didn't used to be expensive, but it started getting super popular and the price crept up too much."
What's OUT vs IN: New Years Edition!
"Since the beginning of winter I finished off two bottles of this Anua heartleaf toner. I bought these a while ago, but if you know anything about me and this channel you might know that I love this product. I get about fifteen to twenty sheet masks worth of use out of each one of these bottles, so it is definitely better for the planet than buying sheet masks. I've always liked using it in this toner form, though I'm thinking about bringing in a stretchy serum alongside it to help build more of a barrier for my dry skin before I use my silicone mask."
BEST KOREAN SKINCARE OF 2024 (and of all time)
"For yet another year, I think this is the third year in a row, this toner is still my favorite. I don't think that this toner is for everybody, because I don't think any skincare product is for everybody, but for me there is something about this product that is so calming, and again think of my skin type, dry, acne prone, sensitive, it's a difficult skin type. So calming and yet very hydrating is a wonderful combination. I also love all the ways I can use this, you can put it in a spray bottle, you can use it to make your own sheet masks, you can use it to make your own toner pads. That just means this is a versatile product that my skin loves."
Skincare Empties to Celebrate the END of Summer!
"I found this toner through a Reddit recommendation years ago and fell in love with it. This is realistically one of my absolute favorite toners, that's why I keep plowing through bottle after bottle, because I love everything I can do with it. I make sheet masks with it, I make toner pads with it, I put it in a spray bottle, and the formula works really well for my skin type. It's one of very few viral products where I've been over here going it absolutely deserves it."
Skincare EMPTIES! Is Convenience Worth it? (May 2024)
"This is a long running favorite for me. I think heartleaf is an ingredient that my skin does really well with because it helps with inflammation, and I do have inflammation prone skin."
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"I love this toner. This really does feel like it is helpful for people like me who deal with acne, but not just acne, inflammation too. Because heartleaf has these antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, I really think this is correct in calling itself the soothing toner, and I think it will really help people that deal with inflammation. It is also a hydrating toner, but let me be blunt, it's not the best for hydration, there are better products in my opinion. I've also seen some people say they experienced irritation from this, and when you look at the ingredients you do see some other plant extracts, I'd say something like the chamomile might be to blame there. The final reason I love this toner so much is because it's such a versatile product."
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"I'm giving my pick for favorite calming toner to the Anua Heartleaf 77 Toner. This is a product that contains 77% heartleaf extract, an ingredient that is antioxidant, hydrating, and anti-inflammatory, which is a trio of perfection for my skin type. It doesn't stop there, it also has other extracts in it as well, plus some panthenol, which I love as an ingredient. You get a giant bottle, 8.4 fluid ounces. My favorite way to use this is as a quick mask, which prevents the product from evaporating and pushes it more into your skin, especially when my skin is irritated or I'm dealing with a breakout. That is where I really see the potential of this product, and why it remains to this day one of my absolute favorite toners."
"The Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented went pretty viral within the K-Beauty bubble, think of it as an alternative to Cosrx snail mucin. It's less slimy but it's got a bit of a thickness to it and takes a moment to absorb into your skin. It's a great hydrating product, a great alternative if you want something vegan friendly. That said, for me I find I like to use products that do just a little more than just hydrating, because I have a difficult skin type."
"I tried First Aid Beauty's Facial Radiance Pads and that's how I decided I am done forever with glycolic acid as an ingredient. The second those touched my skin I felt a heat in my skin and saw my skin turning red, so I washed it off, but what follows for me is a couple of weeks of a damaged barrier, and that is why I have breakouts going on right now. It is not a bad ingredient, it is a great exfoliant for a lot of people, but I think I am too sensitive for it and this has happened too many times now."
"My winner in the toner category is the Ordinary's Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner. I love that the Ordinary has shared so much information about how this product works, what the fermentation means, and how it's a brightening product, not just a hydrating one. I have a lot of respect for them for explaining that instead of hiding behind proprietary information. I know some people criticize it for being a small bottle, but it lasts a long time, you need so little of it."
✓Approved
77%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner
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"My winner in the toner category is the Ordinary's Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner. I love that the Ordinary has shared so much information about how this product works, what the fermentation means, and how it's a brightening product, not just a hydrating one. I have a lot of respect for them for explaining that instead of hiding behind proprietary information. I know some people criticize it for being a small bottle, but it lasts a long time, you need so little of it."
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"This one actually does feel the most like milk out of everything in this video, it has that very moisturizing feel. One of the main criticisms is that it's the smallest milky toner in this video, but again you don't need a lot of it. They're so transparent about what's in it, disclosing thirty percent saccharomyces ferment and explaining that it also uses NAG for brightening, so it's a brightening and gently exfoliating product that still provides hydration and moisture. This is one of the newest products in this video so I can't yet tell you a lot about my own personal experience with it, but I'm very excited about everything I see going on with it."
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"This milky toner has completely restored my faith in the Ordinary, not that it was lost, just that one of their recent releases did not work out for me. It feels so ideal for my skin type, dry and sensitive skin. This is a ferment containing toner where they say you get some mild exfoliation from it, using saccharomyces ferment filtrate with ingredients like acetyl glucosamine. I love that the Ordinary is being so transparent about what is actually in the ferment, telling us what kind of galactomyces, how it is fermented and how it is filtered, which is something brands never do."
"This is the fragrance free version of Haruharu Wonder's core black rice line, and it's what put them on the map. Rice is a great ingredient for sensitive skin, very gentle, with great antioxidant activity, and this toner has such great body to it. I would say this is one of the most hydrating toners I've ever tried, it's absolutely up there. A little goes a long way with this product since it's so thick."
✓Approved
84%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner
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"This is the fragrance free version of Haruharu Wonder's core black rice line, and it's what put them on the map. Rice is a great ingredient for sensitive skin, very gentle, with great antioxidant activity, and this toner has such great body to it. I would say this is one of the most hydrating toners I've ever tried, it's absolutely up there. A little goes a long way with this product since it's so thick."
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"This is such a good toner option. I think it would be nice to get a toner in this routine because the essence we have is more of a serum-like product. This is the fragrance-free variety, it's nice and watery, it'll be very flexible."
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"This is the Haru Haru Wonder Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner, the fragrance-free, alcohol-free version, with fermented rice ingredients as well as hyaluronic acid. It has a little more viscosity to it, it's a little bit thicker in the way it feels on the skin, which I feel translates into being a little more hydrating. I do really like this, I don't know if I would put it in my personal holy grails, and that's simply because what I think this targets is hydration as well as antioxidant benefits from the plant extracts in the formula. Personally I tend to need a little more calming and soothing ingredients."
"This is one of the most moisturizing options in this whole video, very softening and it really supports your skin barrier. The ingredients list actually matches what's printed on the box, panthenol, oat, niacinamide, so you know exactly what you're getting. It's one of the most glowy products in this video, it gives you that instant glass skin effect."
✓Approved
74%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Milk Skin Toner
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"This is one of the most moisturizing options in this whole video, very softening and it really supports your skin barrier. The ingredients list actually matches what's printed on the box, panthenol, oat, niacinamide, so you know exactly what you're getting. It's one of the most glowy products in this video, it gives you that instant glass skin effect."
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"The original Milk Skin Toner is a very moisturizing toner, perfect for my dry skin type. It has this hefty, somewhat tacky feel that vanishes once you put your moisturizer on top, but it does feel heavy, which is exactly why they released a light version for other skin types. It has niacinamide plus a full list of humectants like panthenol and glycerin, and a lot of plant extracts, which can be great but can also be irritating for some people. I love the glass bottle packaging. This is one of my three keepers from the whole brand."
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"Compared to the Farmacy Honey Milk Hydrating Essence, the Tirtir Milk Skin Toner has a better opening in its packaging and looks a bit thicker, but with different ingredients it still gives you similar hydration and light moisturizing properties. I don't think you need both, this really just demonstrates you don't need every new skincare release the hype gets you excited about."
"It's wild how similar this feels to apply compared to the TIRTIR Milk Skin Toner Light, the only real difference is that this has a bit of a beige color to it. It's built around being a vegan dupe for snail mucin, supposed to be this very hydrating ingredient that compares to snail mucin. They say it relieves dryness, hydrates, is great for sensitive skin, and even relieves itchiness you may get from dryness."
✓Approved
81%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Yam Root Vegan Milk Toner
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"It's wild how similar this feels to apply compared to the TIRTIR Milk Skin Toner Light, the only real difference is that this has a bit of a beige color to it. It's built around being a vegan dupe for snail mucin, supposed to be this very hydrating ingredient that compares to snail mucin. They say it relieves dryness, hydrates, is great for sensitive skin, and even relieves itchiness you may get from dryness."
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"This is such an interesting product, it's a creamier, milky toner but a little more lightweight, more for those who don't quite want to commit to the level of the Lan-toen toner. This one is more in the hydrating properties category than the moisturizing, which makes it more of a toner I can actually use in the toning step. You still see panthenol and emollient oils in the formula, which is why for me it sits in the excellent options category, because while I do prefer a little bit more moisturizing effect, this might be what some people are looking for."
"This was made to be the oily skin version of the TIRTIR Milk Skin Toner, it discloses four percent niacinamide. Like the others, they claim it hydrates and moisturizes, and they say this one provides more balance to the skin. I don't want it to sound like this is strictly for oily skin though, I really think all skin types would like it, it's just that the heavier milk toners might only appeal to people with very dry skin."
✓Approved
75%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Milk Skin Toner Light
HUGE Milky Toner Comparison: 10x K-Beauty & More Toners!
"This was made to be the oily skin version of the TIRTIR Milk Skin Toner, it discloses four percent niacinamide. Like the others, they claim it hydrates and moisturizes, and they say this one provides more balance to the skin. I don't want it to sound like this is strictly for oily skin though, I really think all skin types would like it, it's just that the heavier milk toners might only appeal to people with very dry skin."
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"The light version of the milk skin toner has a much lighter feel than the original and was made for oily skin types, whereas the original is the heavier, more moisturizing one for dry skin. I'm passing this one along because I think someone with oily skin would love this so much more than I'm capable of appreciating with my skin type."
"This is the glow replenishing rice milk, a toner with a hydrating layer and a powder layer, it actually contains clays like a clay mask but in a toner they're calling a rice milk. Shaken up, it feels like a lighter weight toner with a bit of milkiness to it. This was an exciting release for me because the brand said this is a line for acne prone and sensitive skin, and they're saying it hydrates and the rice ingredient is gentle for sensitive skin, but there's still some odd choices to me in this one, I'm perplexed by the anti-perspirant ingredient in a toner meant for sensitive skin."
"If you asked me what my favorite hydrating toner was, for years it's been the Cosrx Propolis Synergy Toner. But I just finished another one of these, and in an effort to not get stuck on one product, I thought I'd replace it and try something else for a while."
✓Approved
88%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Propolis Synergy Toner
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"If you asked me what my favorite hydrating toner was, for years it's been the Cosrx Propolis Synergy Toner. But I just finished another one of these, and in an effort to not get stuck on one product, I thought I'd replace it and try something else for a while."
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"My pick for the most hydrating toner is the COSRX Propolis Synergy Toner. Part of why this is so hydrating has to do with its consistency, it feels thicker than water, you can feel a bit more viscosity to it, and whether you do the toner pads method or not you can really feel that deep hydration. I love the ingredients in this as well, we have some panthenol in here, we have some hyaluronic acid in here, propolis has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, even antifungal properties, and honey is a very strong antibacterial ingredient, which means these are wonderful ingredients for acne prone skin. With propolis it is important to note that an allergy is a possibility, so if you have a propolis allergy it is not going to do the great beneficial things for you. This isn't just hydrating, it also has all of these benefits for acne prone skin and it also helps to support your moisture barrier, which all comes together to make such a fantastic toner. I really like that if you're interested in K beauty but you don't yet know if you want to order from overseas, this is a product that is carried at Ulta."
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"This is my third bottle of the Propolis Synergy Toner and I am ranking it as my number one cosrx product because every time I go back to it I remember how good it is. The ingredients look basic but every time I use it, it feels anything but basic, and I think that comes down to how well the propolis and honey extract work for my skin. Propolis is a great ingredient for acne prone skin as long as your skin gets along with it, it's antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory, and this formula has 72.6 percent propolis extract. It never bothers my skin, it's never stinging or uncomfortable, instead it's always deeply hydrating. The texture is a little thicker so you don't need a cotton pad to apply it, and one layer isn't sticky, though it can get a little sticky if you build it up, so I reserve using it heavily from night use. It's incredibly hydrating, incredibly calming and soothing, just a little sticky if you layer it too much. It's one of those products where I forget just how much I love it, but it only takes one use to remind me."
"This is the Hydrating Milky Toner, an incredibly welcomed addition to the Byoma lineup. This feels a little bit more like that Korean essence step, it has a more milky texture, a little bit more body to it, more deeply hydrating and perhaps a little moisturizing. I am not kidding when I say this feels inspired by K beauty, it even contains some centella asiatica extract in addition to a long list of humectants, we even have some oils in this product. The only catch I have with this product, otherwise I love it, is that most of Byoma's products are a liftoff top, it took me a while to figure out it's actually a spin top."
✓Approved
78%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Hydrating Milky Toner
HUGE Milky Toner Comparison: 10x K-Beauty & More Toners!
"This feels like a bit more of an accessible Korean milky toner, and I mean that in a good way. It has polyglutamic acid and centella in it, and they say it relieves dryness and supports a healthy skin barrier. The best way to describe it is that I don't find it necessarily to be that exciting, but not every skincare product has to be exciting, sometimes you just want something that's going to be reliable."
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"This is the Hydrating Milky Toner, an incredibly welcomed addition to the Byoma lineup. This feels a little bit more like that Korean essence step, it has a more milky texture, a little bit more body to it, more deeply hydrating and perhaps a little moisturizing. I am not kidding when I say this feels inspired by K beauty, it even contains some centella asiatica extract in addition to a long list of humectants, we even have some oils in this product. The only catch I have with this product, otherwise I love it, is that most of Byoma's products are a liftoff top, it took me a while to figure out it's actually a spin top."
"The CeraVe Hydrating Toner, I liked that so much more than I thought I would. It's rare to see ceramide ingredients in a toning step, but it was a wonderful product. I'm still not going to repurchase it because there are other products I want to try."
"I think this might be more for oily skin types, and I have dry skin. When I use this, it feels like one of those products where I'm tempted to say it does nothing, though I don't think that's true, I think every product does something. As a dry skin type I need hydration, and as somebody with acne I need calming, and I just don't get that from this product. But it might balance sebum production for people with oily skin, and they might really see results from this."
"The black Rice Toner from I'm From, I absolutely loved it. I made sheet masks out of it, and it was wild that I was able to make DIY sheet masks out of such a creamy, milky style toner. I can't believe that I'm a person with dry skin telling you that this toner they supposedly made for oily skin is my favorite toner from I'm From. There are a lot of milky toners out there, but this one actually stood out to me."
✓Approved
90%Guru Score
All 6 takes on Rice Toner
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"The black Rice Toner from I'm From, I absolutely loved it. I made sheet masks out of it, and it was wild that I was able to make DIY sheet masks out of such a creamy, milky style toner. I can't believe that I'm a person with dry skin telling you that this toner they supposedly made for oily skin is my favorite toner from I'm From. There are a lot of milky toners out there, but this one actually stood out to me."
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"This is a milky toner you have to shake up, and I'm From says this is the version for oily or combination skin, in contrast to the I'm From Rice Toner. It has a balanced ratio of oil and water allowing it to absorb effortlessly into the skin and deliver a hydrated but not greasy finish, with a pretty simple and short ingredients list. Overall I feel like this is one of the kinds of toners I am going to declutter, but maybe I shouldn't, maybe I should give this a go for summer. I also feel like I'm going to not like it, but let me not get stuck in that mindset and actually try it."
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"This I'm From toner is a two layer toner, a moisturizing layer and a watery layer that you shake together so you get both hydration and moisturizing properties in one toner step. It's a little more watery than the original I'm From Rice Toner, which they say is a sign it's for oily skin, but I have dry skin and I love this so much more than the Rice Toner. Another thing I really like about it is that I can use it to make my own sheet masks, which is very hard to do with most milky toners but it works with this one. It doesn't evaporate rapidly, it stays moist on the skin for a long time."
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"This one seems a lot like Thank You Farmer, but there are a few quirks, you have to shake it since it has two layers. They claim it's brightening and even anti-wrinkle because it's hydrating, but I don't fully buy the anti-aging claim since almost any hydrating product could say that. In terms of usage I don't hate this, but I also don't find it to be my favorite, it's a little runny for my taste. It's just kind of fine."
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"This is such a great moisturizing toner for sensitive skin types, it's fragrance free, and rice is a great ingredient for more sensitive skin types. I love this texture, I can just apply it with my hands."
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"This is the I'm From Rice Toner. This is another one of those more moisturizing toners, I'm really excited to try this again, it's a nice unscented moisturizing toner. I admit I usually prefer these a little later in my routine, but it can work here for sure."
"My beloved Buxom Lash Extension Lift Mascara, it is my favorite mascara, a tubing mascara with the newer tubing technology which is way lighter on your lashes so you can build it up and get more volume, but it's a little more difficult to remove, I use a cloth to get it going. I'm convinced that being harder to get going works in its favor though, because if you get rained on it will still stay on."
✓Approved
89%Guru Score
All 6 takes on Lash Extension Lift Mascara
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"This is one of three tubing mascaras that I really like, the Buxom Lash Extension Lift, the Dibs with the brown primer on one side, and the new Merit."
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"This one was sent over by Buxom, their Lash Extension Lift Mascara, and it's the most volumizing tubing mascara I've found. I saw it go on sale and didn't grab it and I've been kicking myself since. I love tubing mascara as a skin care enthusiast because to remove it all you use is water, so it's the perfect companion to sunscreen, it never fights with my sunscreen under my eyes the way a regular mascara does."
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"My mascara of the year, tubing mascara has been my go-to, it's so easy to apply, it applies in tubes and when you go to wash it off all you need is a light rubbing motion and water. Every tubing mascara I had ever tried up until this one was a wet formula, which for me meant more clumpy, so I always had to brush it out. Buxom went and released a dry formula and it's just so fast, apply it, done. The name of this is the Lash Extension Lift Mascara."
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"My absolute favorite mascara is one that I got in PR from Buxom, the Lash Extension Lift Mascara. It's a dry feeling tubing mascara, and that's what it took to get me fully on board. I've always liked drier formulas of mascara, and tubing formulas always were kind of more wet. Finally Buxom came out with the dry formula, and I love it."
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"We're now about week three of the Buxom Lash Extension Lift Mascara and I am still impressed. I like a drier formula, I find it easier to work with, you just apply it quickly and you're done. The one thing you should know is it will transfer a bit as little dry flakes when you're applying it, so you'll want to grab a Q-tip and brush those away, but after that you don't have any more flaking or smudging through the day. This absolutely is 100% my favorite mascara right now."
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"My beloved Buxom Lash Extension Lift Mascara, it is my favorite mascara, a tubing mascara with the newer tubing technology which is way lighter on your lashes so you can build it up and get more volume, but it's a little more difficult to remove, I use a cloth to get it going. I'm convinced that being harder to get going works in its favor though, because if you get rained on it will still stay on."
"I put a star by the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, it's about time I buy another one."
✓Approved
76%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Eyeshadow Primer Potion
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"I put a star by the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, it's about time I buy another one."
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"I just kind of ended up defaulting back to this eye primer, my Urban Decay Primer Potion. It's expensive, but I've never paid more than 50% off, this is one of those products that is always in some kind of a sale."
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"The Urban Decay eyeshadow primer is the one I use, the funny thing about this category is that I genuinely think if you buy one of these you're going to have it for the next year, get it for $14 in the sale and you won't have to think about eye primer for a whole year. I use the anti-aging version but I don't genuinely think it's that big of a difference between the original and the anti-aging."
"I do not like the Giorgio Armani. I heard so many good things about these, and yet I don't think it worked for me, I think I bought it after the reformulation."
"Lancome's Monsieur Big is a much more wet formula than Benefit FanFest, which means you get more volume with Monsieur Big. I think you could hate Monsieur Big if you aren't somebody that uses a tool like a lash separator, but yes, personally I do like Monsieur Big a bit more, and I also cannot stand mascaras that are very hard to remove, which Benefit's FanFest is. I like that your lashes don't get crunchy with Lancome's mascaras."
"The r.e.m. beauty liquid eyeshadows are so good, unexpected so good. I bought the Fbot shade, which is a shifting blue pink shade, and I'm wearing Comet today, a peachy gold. The reason I like these is because they have that thinner feel to them, similar to the About-Face Foundation, and you want your products to feel thin on your skin so they can bend with it instead of sitting chunky in your grooves and moving around."
"I wasn't really sure if I was going to keep using it, so I tried using it on only one eyelash to test it, and I did feel like that eye looked just a little bit more full than the other. But vanity got to me, I didn't want to walk around with one eyelash looking that much better than the other. I do really like this product, but I'm setting it aside because I found something that gives more product for less money."
✓Approved
70%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum
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"I wasn't really sure if I was going to keep using it, so I tried using it on only one eyelash to test it, and I did feel like that eye looked just a little bit more full than the other. But vanity got to me, I didn't want to walk around with one eyelash looking that much better than the other. I do really like this product, but I'm setting it aside because I found something that gives more product for less money."
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"This is a gorgeous peptide based lash serum. I have to admit I was very underwhelmed at first because my lashes just kept falling out, but I stuck with it and kept using it day and night. I do like that it lasts so much longer than GrandeLASH, and I like the texture, it's nice and thick and applies really nicely. After about three months it finally felt like it was doing something, my lashes basically went back to my pre-GrandeLASH lashes, and for as much as I didn't like my little stubby lashes, they were there and healthy again. The pros are that it's actually affordable, and if you have any kind of lash damage like I did, I think this is really going to be helpful for you. The con is that if you already have healthy lashes, it's possible this might not do much, since it's really more about restoring function than dramatic growth."
"I don't buy from Anastasia anymore because of what happened, but I have had a Dipbrow for a long time. Taupe is a really good match for my brows, but trying to do a much lighter application with it is just so hard. For me personally pencils work best, I have to not try to do too much for my brows because they're barely there, and if I try to force it, it doesn't look right in my opinion."
"Their Lip Balm is still my absolute favorite. I prefer the clear Lip Balm from them and I love using it overnight, before bed. I feel like this really stays on through the night."
✓Approved
91%Guru Score
All 5 takes on Lip Balm
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"Their Lip Balm is still my absolute favorite. I prefer the clear Lip Balm from them and I love using it overnight, before bed. I feel like this really stays on through the night."
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"This is all personal, but my personal favorite Lip Balm is Edom."
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"Kopari's lip glossy has been a favorite for so long, but I have to admit Edom's Lip Balm has gone and done it, this is my new favorite. I keep using it all the time and I've barely made a dent in it because it's huge, and it stays on your lips and it's super moisturizing. So now everything has to be compared to Edom, it actually feels like a Lip Balm you'd get in a pot except it's in a tube. Edom wins for me."
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"The Sephora Redditors got to me with this one, they all said it's the absolute best Lip Balm out there, and now that I've tried it, this is the absolute best Lip Balm out there. It's so thick that in my entire collection the closest thing to it is a pot Lip Balm, I don't know how they did it, but it absolutely lives up to the hype for me. I bought the clear one, butter mochi."
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"For me personally, at the absolute top tier is Edom. I held off so long on buying this because I really just thought people had to be overhyping this brand, and now I feel like I missed all this time. I love everything about these, from the very fancy tip to the balmy feel to the nourishing feel. These have lactic acid in them, so they sink into my lips, it's balmy instead of sticky. I personally like the flavors, although I've heard mixed things. It may not be for you, but for me, it's my perfect Lip Balm."
"I loved this Cocokind Ceramide Lip Blur Balm too, I finished it just like the Edom one. If you want something more affordable than Edom but still a really good lip balm, I'd tell you Cocokind. They keep it fun, they made a tip you can add a charm to, and they have fun colors."
"This One Skin Lip Mask is expensive, One Skin is a pricey brand with their proprietary peptide, but I do like this system. It's refillable and it comes with a little scoop to scoop the product out, plus a mirror, which is genuinely helpful. It's quite possibly the smartest design I've seen for a lip balm. The ingredients include microalgae, green algae, chlorophyll, ceramides, squalane, palm oil, hexapeptide, and their OS-01 proprietary peptide. It has a balmy consistency, I thought it would feel heavier from the appearance since it looks like honey, but it's not super heavy, and it will absolutely be comfortable for nighttime use."
"Summer Fridays, honestly, I think they have the best pigmentation. They also have really good flavors too. It's a little lightweight for my preferences, but this brown sugar color is so pretty. I feel like the Summer Fridays lip balms are for the makeup enthusiasts looking for lip balm."
✓Approved
71%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Lip Butter Balm
Skincare EMPTIES (& products that expired!!): Playing Favorites
"With Summer Fridays lip balm, I understand why it's so popular, it's the scent, it's the taste, it's that it's kind of fun, but I don't ever think I would buy a full size because my Edom lip balm is just that much better. Still, in the Sephora sale I'm going to buy something in the mini size because it's so nice to have an emergency lip balm."
What to Get & What to SKIP: Sephora VIB Sale!
"Summer Fridays, honestly, I think they have the best pigmentation. They also have really good flavors too. It's a little lightweight for my preferences, but this brown sugar color is so pretty. I feel like the Summer Fridays lip balms are for the makeup enthusiasts looking for lip balm."
"My favorite of the lip balms I finished is this solid lip essence. It's a beautiful, glossy lip balm, a little bit lightweight, and it usually costs around five to seven dollars. This is good."
"I do not like this. My single biggest problem with this lip balm is that I cannot get past the flavor. The texture is more of an emollient, not a super occlusive lip balm, almost more like a lip oil. It has no scent and no flavor, which sounded like a good idea in theory, but I forgot that I taste my lip balms from time to time, and since it contains ingredients that may be beneficial to your lips that don't taste great, without anything in the formula to offset that flavor, it is rough. I've tried to wear this a couple of times now and I can't, I'm too sensitive to bad flavors I guess. I don't think it's just a bad product, some people may not react to flavor the way I do, but if you like flavor and don't like bad tastes in your lip balms, you might not love this one either."
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63%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm
Disappointing Products.
"I do not like this. My single biggest problem with this lip balm is that I cannot get past the flavor. The texture is more of an emollient, not a super occlusive lip balm, almost more like a lip oil. It has no scent and no flavor, which sounded like a good idea in theory, but I forgot that I taste my lip balms from time to time, and since it contains ingredients that may be beneficial to your lips that don't taste great, without anything in the formula to offset that flavor, it is rough. I've tried to wear this a couple of times now and I can't, I'm too sensitive to bad flavors I guess. I don't think it's just a bad product, some people may not react to flavor the way I do, but if you like flavor and don't like bad tastes in your lip balms, you might not love this one either."
Critiquing Allure's Best Skincare 2023...
"I was big mad at The INKEY List, I do not like that lip balm at all."
"This is the Lip Sleep Mask, and I've never repurchased it because it's not a perfect match for me, though I do respect what it is. It's more of a hydrating lip mask, and very few lip masks are made to target hydration, they're more emollient and occlusive. That might be a perfect pick for you if you have dehydrated lips, but personally I prefer a more occlusive lip balm, so it's another one of those products where I respect it for being different, it's just not a perfect match for my needs."
"I'm not at all surprised that the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is a best seller, that's a very popular product. These come in all kinds of different fun scents, and I think that's Laneige's best selling point, you get to pick the flavor of your lip mask that you enjoy. In my opinion I don't think this is the best lip mask, I already have my favorites, but it's not too expensive, it does have fun flavors, and it is all right, it's a good lip mask, it's just not my absolute favorite."
✓Approved
67%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Lip Sleeping Mask
*Budget* Shopping for a FULL K-Beauty Skincare Routine!
"I feel like the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is just a hint overrated. It's not bad, but just a smidge overrated in my opinion."
Sephora's Best Selling Skincare is...Surprising
"I'm not at all surprised that the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is a best seller, that's a very popular product. These come in all kinds of different fun scents, and I think that's Laneige's best selling point, you get to pick the flavor of your lip mask that you enjoy. In my opinion I don't think this is the best lip mask, I already have my favorites, but it's not too expensive, it does have fun flavors, and it is all right, it's a good lip mask, it's just not my absolute favorite."
"I do love red light therapy, and I love my CurrentBody mask. There's a surprising body of literature supporting red light therapy, but you have to actually be consistent and use it regularly to see results."
"I like my NuFace, but I'm tempted to put it in the just okay category. I have started slacking on it, and I have not touched it in a while. If you don't use these devices, you're not going to see results from them, and that applies to me too."
~Mixed
60%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Trinity Microcurrent Device
RANKING Home Anti-Aging Treatments!
"I like my NuFace, but I'm tempted to put it in the just okay category. I have started slacking on it, and I have not touched it in a while. If you don't use these devices, you're not going to see results from them, and that applies to me too."
ULTA 21 Days of Beauty: What to AVOID & My Top Picks!
"I love my red light mask, and I'll speak positively about NuFACE. In my opinion it gives your skin a glow, makes you look like you got a good night's sleep, and makes you look more radiant, but that's after using it quite a lot. If you find that to be a chore, you might not find that trade off worth it, and that's not even counting the cost. I do recommend it, but only if you're actually going to use it."
"I bought this exact device with my points and spent $0 and got the NuFace Mini. I do absolutely love it, I think it's a fantastic microcurrent device."
"In terms of microcurrent devices, the NuFace Mini Plus is second on my list. I purchased mine with points, and if you are on the fence and comfortable doing a points haul, this is a great product to pick up because it is 2,000 points for a $250 item on sale for $125, so you will owe nothing. It has an app, but you are not reliant on it, you can just set it to one of three modes and leave it. I do think NuFace did a fantastic job on the Mini Plus. The only thing I have to say is I don't like their gel, you have to constantly be reapplying it, though other gels out there also work with this if you want other options. As a microcurrent device this is a great option, especially when you think about how you can swap in your points and pay nothing for it."
"I've worked with this brand quite a few times, I love working with them, they are a great brand, they listen. I have been using these and I love them. I was a bit surprised on release day when I saw how much these cost, they're a bit more pricey than I was hoping, because I want to buy more. These are micro dart patches designed to target fine lines, I've used similar products before but I don't think I've seen copper tripeptide one, madecassoside as a soothing ingredient, acetyl hexapeptide eight, retinol, and allantoin in a product like this, great formula. They're designed to fit on any lines you have and plump them out overnight."
"I bought the Dr. Dennis Gross LED mask and it's just not holding a charge anymore."
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77%Guru Score
All 4 takes on DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro
Hyperpigmentation Routine! (2024 Skincare Routine, Part 2!)
"I bought the Dr. Dennis Gross LED mask and it's just not holding a charge anymore."
Qure vs Dr. Dennis Gross: the Best LED Neck/Décolletage Mask
"I bought this device for a pretty penny to treat my neck and decolletage, and I've never really been able to recommend it. It broke on me, and it was never quite a perfect match for what I wanted it to do in terms of treating my neck. It tries too hard to multitask as a body treatment, so the lights are just kind of placed everywhere instead of specifically targeting where you'd want for anti aging purposes, and I always had to prop it awkwardly as I lay back, you can't walk around with it. It retails for four hundred fifty five dollars. After a year and a half with it, I'm done with this mask forever."
Barrier Repair Routine - My Tried & True Products to Restore my Skin!
"I am going to use LED tonight, this is very expensive, I know not everybody will be able to buy it. This is for people who are interested in both anti-aging aspects and fighting acne, you do not need this if you do not have acne, because what makes it special is that you have your red light but you also have your blue light and you can run the two together."
Critiquing Allure's Best Skincare 2023...
"The Dr. Dennis Gross LED mask is my most used LED mask, but it's not my favorite, and it's actually one I wouldn't recommend for most people. In a big contrast to most LED masks out there, this is the only one where you can run the red and the blue settings at the same time, which is really helpful if you deal with acne, but if you don't have acne you don't need blue light, and on that basis alone you can save at least $150. I don't use the strap with this because the strap was terrible. Their warranty is also confusing, you have to register it within 30 days of buying your device, and if it breaks in 31 days you're out of luck. It is my most used though, because I do deal with acne it is a lot better, I do believe devices like this have helped, it's just a case of why would you spend $450 on a device that has some issues with it when you can spend 300 or less."
"I'm doing my radio frequency treatment with CurrentBody. I believe in these devices, let's give them a chance to work. What I like about CurrentBody is theirs is a once weekly treatment, there are some other devices that are more frequent than that, but that's the right frequency for me."
✓Approved
74%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Radio Frequency Device
PM Routine: the BOOTCAMP edition! Getting my Skin in Shape Post-Stress
"I'm doing my radio frequency treatment with CurrentBody. I believe in these devices, let's give them a chance to work. What I like about CurrentBody is theirs is a once weekly treatment, there are some other devices that are more frequent than that, but that's the right frequency for me."
$12 Dark Spot Treatment, Viral Fails & More | NEW SKINCARE RELEASES 5/25
"I actually way prefer CurrentBody's Radio Frequency Device. Now I use CurrentBody's radio frequency one time per week, and that's why I love it so much. I think that CurrentBody has the best radio frequency design in my opinion."
Skincare SPLURGES: what is really WORTH IT?!
"This is a very different device from everything else I've talked about, it's a once weekly treatment, so it feels a lot more strong. It hits a 104 degree temperature, the ideal temperature for collagen production, and I see the best results around my mouth. I absolutely feel this technology has improved my laugh lines more than anything else. I have one catch though: they say not to use it with retinoid, and one time I did use it immediately after a retinoid night and I saw little tiny burns all over my face. They were only there for maybe 24 hours, but it taught me to space it out. My skin is dry, acne prone, and a little sensitive, so now I take two nights off before I use this device and then go back to my retinoid."
"They kindly sent me the CurrentBody series 2 LED mask years ago and it's been by far my favorite LED mask I've ever owned. I get a lot of offers from other red light companies but I decline them because I don't think they're better than CurrentBody. I think CurrentBody has the best red light therapy treatment on the market, theirs is the one that matches the scientific literature and actually provides the specs so you know what you're using. I see clearer skin, more radiant skin, and better wound healing from using it."
✓Approved
89%Guru Score
All 8 takes on Skin LED Light Therapy Mask Series 2
My PM **MUST HAVES** | Dry/Acne Prone Skincare Routine!
"They kindly sent me the CurrentBody series 2 LED mask years ago and it's been by far my favorite LED mask I've ever owned. I get a lot of offers from other red light companies but I decline them because I don't think they're better than CurrentBody. I think CurrentBody has the best red light therapy treatment on the market, theirs is the one that matches the scientific literature and actually provides the specs so you know what you're using. I see clearer skin, more radiant skin, and better wound healing from using it."
SPOIL MOM this Mother's Day: Best Skincare Gifts!
"CurrentBody continues to be the mask I respect, recommend, and use, because it actually matches the research, unlike a lot of sketchy LED masks out there that don't use the correct wavelengths. The Series 2 uses 236 LED bulbs emitting three clinically proven wavelengths, red at 633 for collagen, near infrared at 830 for firming, and the newer 1072 to get deeper into the skin for more advanced signs of aging, plus extra deep near infrared bulbs around the eyes and mouth. It has the best fit out of all the LED masks I've tried, it's lightweight, molds to your face, and gets the LEDs close to your skin, and the strap is actually comfortable, which a lot of brands mess up. I've been using mine for years and it still works just as well now as it did then, no LEDs have gone out. As someone with dry, acne prone skin, I've seen real benefits myself with keeping my skin clear and fighting inflammation. Yes you spend more up front, but when you calculate the cost per use it gets down to about a dollar per use if you're consistent, so it's a fantastic gift to pamper mom, and I can confirm moms enjoy this gift."
BLACK FRIDAY Beauty Deals: A Preview/Look Back!
"That LED mask, the Series 2, is still 100% my favorite LED mask. The only reason I'm not doing a sponsorship with them again this year is that I haven't been able to find the extra time in my life, not because anything about the product has changed. If you bought it in 2024, you still have the best technology."
Let Me Help You SHOP: Skincare Gifts!
"This is the Series 2, an incredible anti-aging option. There's evidence in the primary literature that this helps with boosting collagen production, hence helping with smoothing the skin and plumping. The Series 2 has that additional wavelength, and it fits the best out of every mask."
Updated Skincare Routine! K-Beauty & LED for Sensitive Skin
"I've been using the Series 2 face mask since about October of last year, now with the neck attachment as well. It uses both the 633 and the 830 nanometer wavelengths, which gives you the benefits of red light. I always talk about this as my highest recommendation for a skincare device because we have the most data supporting it, in the studies we've seen an increase in collagen production, an increase in elastin leading to more elasticity, a reduction in wrinkles, an increase in ATP, and an increase in wound healing. That wound healing benefit is exactly what I've noticed in my own skin. When I stopped using LED in January my acne started lingering instead of healing quickly like it used to, and once I started using it again three to five times a week I went right back to bouncing back fast from breakouts. As a person with sensitive skin I also love that I don't have to worry about interactions with other products, I just apply it on clean skin."
Best High End Skincare of 2024!
"For 2025, absolutely hands down my top pick for a device was the CurrentBody Series 2 LED mask. I still like Cure's mask, but specifically what CurrentBody did with that additional wavelength, I feel like they came through with the best device of 2024."
Best Skincare GIFTS: Skincare Sets, Tech, Storage, & More!
"This is the very first characteristic that made me love the CurrentBody Series 2 mask, they call it their best fit design, and that's a really good way of putting it. I really like this coming from the hard shell design, but I also think you'd like it just as much coming from the soft flexible design, because it really is the best of both worlds. They thought of everything, including the wider strap that improves comfort and the eye inserts that help block the LED from hitting your eyes. It has 236 LED bulbs plus additional infrared, and it matches the current literature on wavelengths and radiance. Every mask is tested to ensure it meets those parameters, which no other mask on the market does. I would recommend the Series 2 mask because you're getting a more advanced user experience and probably more advanced results, and in my opinion the added cost is very reasonable and well worth it."
Skincare SPLURGES: what is really WORTH IT?!
"This is the new LED mask with even more advanced technology, the CurrentBody Series 2 LED face mask, and it has to be the most advanced option I've personally seen. It contains 236 LED bulbs with three well documented wavelengths, and CurrentBody shares their irradiance number, which is important information that I really respect them sharing. The mask is programmed for a 10 minute treatment, and every mask is tested with a Veritas NFC card to make sure it meets those parameters. The new flexible, contoured shape makes it travel friendly and comfortable to wear, which lets the LEDs sit closer to your skin for better results. This is relatively new to me, about 6 weeks of testing so far, but looking at my before and afters I realized how much easier it's been to manage my skin. I do feel I'm seeing clearer and brighter skin in spite of the obstacles I've been facing."
"The microinfusion system continues to be my favorite microneedling system because of the disposable heads. Microneedling always comes with risk, but I believe there are ways to minimize that risk, and I feel like Cure just has the best system for minimizing it. I do wish they had a serum system that didn't include fragrance ingredients. This is my second product in this video for hyperpigmentation, and it actually does work for me, though I'm very cautious with how I do it, I take a couple of days off my retinoid before microneedling and make sure my skin bounces back. It's still one of the best ways in my opinion to fight hyperpigmentation."
✓Approved
79%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Micro Infusion System
Best High End Skincare of 2024!
"The microinfusion system continues to be my favorite microneedling system because of the disposable heads. Microneedling always comes with risk, but I believe there are ways to minimize that risk, and I feel like Cure just has the best system for minimizing it. I do wish they had a serum system that didn't include fragrance ingredients. This is my second product in this video for hyperpigmentation, and it actually does work for me, though I'm very cautious with how I do it, I take a couple of days off my retinoid before microneedling and make sure my skin bounces back. It's still one of the best ways in my opinion to fight hyperpigmentation."
Hyperpigmentation: What Worked/Didn't Work for ME!
"The Cure Microinfusion System has been the best for results for me when it comes to hyperpigmentation. What they got right is that it's a disposable system, which matters because you can't micro needle safely if you're introducing bacteria, and with something like a derma roller you can never fully sterilize it. I use it at .5 millimeter needles, I tried 1 millimeter once and that was too much for my skin, but at .5 I turn red but I don't get irritated. You can see results even the next morning, and it's shocking how good my skin looks, especially two days after using it. It's also much more cost effective compared to in-office treatments, and I like that it's a bi-weekly system, though I have to stop using my adapalene a few days before I do it."
"LED is my number one pick out of all the skincare devices, and Cure's mask is the LED Mask I keep coming back to as my top recommendation. It is designed in accordance with the research, with the correct energy output, the correct wavelengths, and even the placement of the LEDs, including around the eye area, which some devices neglect. It has both an anti-aging mode using red light and infrared light and an anti-acne setting using blue light. I saw real results with my acne in as short a time as two weeks. It's also a three minute mask, which makes it the easiest device in this whole video to use, you just put it on, sit back, and you're done. The one risk is if you use the blue light setting, which can be a concern for your eyes, so I'd recommend wearing cheap tanning goggles, though the app also lets you target blue light to just specific areas so you may not need them at all. They would have been my top pick even if they weren't my sponsor for this video, I absolutely adore this brand."
"Another huge hit for me has been the Makeup by Mario Surreal Skin Natural Finish Foundation. This is such a gorgeous foundation, and I can't believe I'm sitting here telling you this as a person with dry skin, because they didn't say it's for my skin type, but it's so natural looking that it really flatters mature skin. It has almost a blurring effect, it's simply stunning."
"I'm wearing the Haus Labs foundation in shade 030 Fair Cool, which I picked out in the dead of winter, and it's a little too light for me now. But every time I wear it with contour products it has such a nice finish, it really bends and flexes with your skin, which matters a lot if you have dry or mature skin, though even younger skin can appreciate how skin-like it looks. It's just such a pretty foundation on the skin and they have an incredible shade range."
"I loved the Hourglass skin tint. I wore it for days and days and nobody could tell I was wearing it on half my face with the Sephora skin tint on the other half."
✓Approved
79%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Veil Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation
*Mindfully* Shopping the Sephora VIB Sale
"I loved the Hourglass skin tint. I wore it for days and days and nobody could tell I was wearing it on half my face with the Sephora skin tint on the other half."
Ranking Hyped "Skincare" Foundations/Skin Tints (My Sephora VIB Sale Video)
"I actually received this in PR initially and I repurchased it, so I do like this one, it might even be my personal favorite in the video. It's a rare oil based skin tint, and I have dry skin so bring on the oils, there's meadowfoam seed oil, squalane, hyaluronic acid and rambutan in it. It looks beautiful on my dry skin type, and it's a thicker product that feels like a foundation and yet it's light coverage, so I can apply it any way I want, with a sponge, my fingers, or a brush, and it always looks nice. I don't really have a lot of cons with this one. The only real con is that their shade range is kind of confusing with the undertones, the first shade they sent me was too cool toned, but the second one ended up being a perfect match. I really like this one, I think it's a good choice for dry skin, but I'm ultimately not giving it the highest score in this video."
"My absolute favorite foundation, unfortunately it's not at Sephora, is the About-Face foundation, specifically in shade F2."
✓Approved
81%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Foundation
*Mindfully* Shopping the Sephora VIB Sale
"My absolute favorite foundation, unfortunately it's not at Sephora, is the About-Face foundation, specifically in shade F2."
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: My Picks & Skips! (Fall 2024)
"I cannot believe About-Face Foundation is included in this sale because in my personal opinion this is one of the best foundations that I have ever tried in my life. It is already affordable and in the sale it will be 50% off, I wear shade F2 Olive and it is shocking to have a light enough olive shade that actually works for me. I love this foundation so much because it is a true buildable medium coverage foundation, it almost has that consistency I talk about with K-beauty cushions where it's thinner but higher coverage, it really flexes with your skin, so I think this is a great foundation for more mature skin, and you can pull it off wearing it as a skin tint all the way to medium coverage. I do have a dry skin type, so if you're oily you should probably watch somebody's review of this product who has oily skin, I think it'll be great for normal to dry skin."
Ulta 10x Points Walkthrough (Don't Miss It!!!)
"I really like About-Face, that foundation is absolutely incredible. It's a medium coverage foundation that really bends with your face, it has such an incredible shade range, it is really well done."
"A lot of you recommended the Erborian CC Red Correct to me for ages and I don't know why I didn't try it sooner. Wow, is this effective, if you have any redness in your skin, oh my goodness, this works so well. It's an SPF 25 product, but I wouldn't recommend using it as your sunscreen because it's still pretty green, if you use a lot of it you might end up looking too green, so what I do is use my regular sunscreen and then just a little bit of this, about two squeezes for my full face, and that's all it takes to fully color correct any redness in your skin. This is an incredible product. It can be a little drying because there's some zinc oxide in it, not too much though, I think it can work for all skin types, I don't think you'll hate it if you have oily skin and I don't think you'll find it too drying if you have dry skin."
"I always feel weird about Tarte because there's been so many controversies with them. It is true though that I used to really like the way their complexion products sit on my skin. That said, they have competition now."
"I love the Naturie Hatomugi Skin Conditioner so much that even though I try to rotate products so I don't get stuck reviewing the same thing, I'm stuck on this one, and I've paid as little as seven ninety nine for it."
✓Approved
87%Guru Score
All 4 takes on Hatomugi Skin Conditioner
BEST SKINCARE OF 2026 (so far!)
"This is my new favorite toner. I do everything with it that I used to do with the Anua Heartleaf 77 Toner. I can put it in spray bottles, I can make sheet masks out of it, and no matter what format I use I always get the same deep hydration and nourishment with no irritation, but it's a fraction of the price. I can get it at TJ Maxx for seven ninety nine, so I've stocked up on it."
Summer Skincare Empties: ALL THE SUNSCREEN
"I love the Naturie Hatomugi Skin Conditioner so much that even though I try to rotate products so I don't get stuck reviewing the same thing, I'm stuck on this one, and I've paid as little as seven ninety nine for it."
BREAKING Skincare Rules (to fix my barrier)
"This is the Naturie Hatomugi Skin Conditioner, and it's a candidate for my toner of the year, I have fallen madly in love with this. I cannot believe it's at Marshalls for $7.99, though it's a lot more expensive on YesStyle. It's a super simple J-Beauty toner with a short ingredients list, and when your barrier is damaged that's such a good time to turn to the simplicity of J-Beauty like this."
SPOIL MOM this Mother's Day: Best Skincare Gifts!
"I want you to understand just how much I love this toner, the Naturie Hatomugi Skin Conditioner. I found it in the clearance section of a Marshalls for $7.99, and it turns out Marshalls carries a lot of affordable J Beauty. I think this has finally replaced my Anua toner, and every bottle is 500ml so it lasts. Switching over to J Beauty and its simplicity is honestly part of why I've been rethinking whether I really need niacinamide in my routine at all."
"This Airwash Dry Shampoo is a liquid dry shampoo and I doubted this so intensely. I don't know how they made a liquid dry shampoo that works as well as something like Living Proof without the white cast. I'll have to update on how long it lasts, since that's my biggest concern and why I tend to buy the powder dry shampoos, but I am wowed."
"While this is not my absolute favorite hairbrush I've ever used, I still think I'm going to get more of these because it just keeps going and going and going. I think it's because it doesn't have those little balls on the end of the bristles, which seem to make brushes need replacing more often. It's durable, and at fifty percent off, that's what I'm going to go for."
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: I sorted everything so you don't have to
"Olaplex No. 3 is a very reliable product."
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: My Picks & Skips! (Fall 2024)
"Olaplex has worked well for me, but in all truth the thing that has worked best for me is to bleach less. You can buy repairing products like Olaplex No. 3, like Living Proof, but it doesn't really put the bark back on the tree, it just kind of adds a thin layer of something around it that helps, bleaching less is better for you."
"Two products from Verb, the Ghost Shampoo and Conditioner, these are great for my hair type. This is the weightless shampoo and conditioner counterpart, I like these, they work well for me. My friend tried them one day and her scalp was red and itchy and inflamed, we still don't know why, it just reminded me that even shampoo and conditioner that you wash out can still cause an allergic reaction, but these work fine for me."
"The multipeptide serum is the one I have repurchased a number of times. When I finished the copper peptide version of it, I didn't feel it did anything for me in addition to this regular multipeptide serum, which is why this is the one I keep going back to."
"The Sephora Blur It Powder, they have an incredible pink powder that's been really trendy, and it's thirty percent off in the sale."
✓Approved
81%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Blur It Powder
SEPHORA Sale Recs (that are not in the Epstein files)
"The Sephora Blur It Powder, they have an incredible pink powder that's been really trendy, and it's thirty percent off in the sale."
What to Get & What to SKIP: Sephora VIB Sale!
"The Blur It Powder has been trending for a while, it helps with brightening. A lot of brands, you buy their powder and it's not necessarily all that blurring, and you have to buy the puff separately. This comes with it, and it'd be one thing if it was just decent powder, but it is really, really good blurring powder."
"This is The Ordinary Sulfur 10% Powder to Cream Concentrate. I'm a big fan of sulfur, but I have to be honest, initially I didn't like this. Sulfur is a gentler approach for acne, but it's smelly, and I felt like a hydrocolloid patch or the Kate Somerville Eradicate was more effective for pimples than this at night, so I set it aside. But revisiting it, I realized this is actually amazing to use during the day as an alternative to hydrocolloid patches, since none of those are perfectly invisible. It does work under sunscreen too. That's 100% where this fits in for me."
"They sent me the vitamin C cactus flower option not too long ago and I have to admit I have been enjoying this. They say this is the one for dry skin types, I have it on now. I admittedly like Urban Decay All Nighter and this is a very clear variant on that, so I do like it. This one has a better smell to it, it does have some essential oil ingredients but I feel like I use so little that it doesn't bother me."
"The four Benefit POREfessional Primer options are good for temporarily making your pores look less prominent. It is important to remember you must apply these by tapping just gently into your pores. I've seen a lot of people say these cause pilling, and yes, they do if you spread them instead of tapping."
"I actually have to say I prefer the original Photo Finish from Smashbox. It's your standard silicone primer, but that's why I like it. I can press that into my pores, minimize the look of pores, and smooth my skin."
✓Approved
82%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Photo Finish Primer
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: I sorted everything so you don't have to
"I actually have to say I prefer the original Photo Finish from Smashbox. It's your standard silicone primer, but that's why I like it. I can press that into my pores, minimize the look of pores, and smooth my skin."
Ulta's New Sale is HUGE. Let's Talk About it (week 1)
"Smashbox sent me their entire Photo Finish Primer lineup. I like these, you get five different options. The original Photo Finish is your basic silicone primer, but it has a little bit of a lighter texture to it, so it's not quite as pore filling as something like Benefit's Porefessional, but that also makes it easier to work with. I also like the Photo Finish Correct anti-redness primer, this is great if you have redness, it's a very green primer that you apply wherever you have redness and it will, by color theory, work to cancel it out."
"These are some of the best products I've tried, and I love and respect that they're fragrance free, for the face and the body, 18 and 20 dollars for 10 fluid ounces, with 1% colloidal oatmeal. When I try to use these during the day under makeup it's not the most cosmetically elegant moisturizer I've ever tried, but I'm not going to expect the same things from this as I would from a $60 priming moisturizer at this price point."
"It's finally time for me to rave about this Prequel Barrier Therapy Rich Skin Protectant Cream. I love this so much for both face and body, it's an incredible face moisturizer and body moisturizer all in one. I also love mixing in my fragrance minis, I can put some of this into my hand, add a little bit of fragrance, and now it's a scented body cream for me, as long as I don't add anything into the tube itself or I could disrupt the preservative system."
✓Approved
84%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Barrier Therapy Rich Skin Protectant Cream
Best VALUE Skincare (& worst too!)
"It's finally time for me to rave about this Prequel Barrier Therapy Rich Skin Protectant Cream. I love this so much for both face and body, it's an incredible face moisturizer and body moisturizer all in one. I also love mixing in my fragrance minis, I can put some of this into my hand, add a little bit of fragrance, and now it's a scented body cream for me, as long as I don't add anything into the tube itself or I could disrupt the preservative system."
New Skincare at AFFORDABLE Prices?! Plus the Deals at Ulta are Mind-Blowing...
"This is the rich version of the Prequel Barrier Therapy Skin Protectant Cream. Beautiful formula, rich in ceramides. When my skin was red, it did sting to apply this, I don't know why that happens sometimes, but I pressed through it and the stinging did stop. I did actually watch the redness in my skin reduce with using this, and today it's not stinging at all, which is such a good sign. It's made for face and body so you get a nice big size."
"This is a slugging ointment similar to Aquaphor, though it does have a better ingredients list overall, she added some ceramide ingredients and some babassu, though I do believe Aquaphor has babassu as well. I love that a dermatologist reinforced how great this type of slugging product can be in a routine, but I already use a lot of ceramide and skin boosting ingredients in my moisturizers and serums, so having those extra ingredients in the slugging product too didn't give me any additional benefits, I still saw the benefits of slugging but I don't think I need to spend extra money on this particular product. This could really be beneficial for some people if you don't already have ceramides in your routine, but for me, with where my routine already is, I don't think I'm going to buy this one again."
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70%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Skin Utility Ointment
HONEST Ranking of Prequel Skincare (Too Honest?)
"It truly does feel lighter than Vaseline, but I don't like Vaseline and I use it anyway because it makes such a difference, and using the Skin Utility Ointment didn't feel like suddenly I liked it, I still didn't like that heavy sticky feeling even if it was a bit reduced. If I'm not going to like that feeling no matter what but I do want those results, I'll just stick with Aquaphor. That said, I've had people in my comments say the Skin Utility Ointment is a holy grail for them, so it just isn't a holy grail for me."
Prequel & Experiment Skincare: HYPED Brands, Are They Worth It??
"This is a slugging ointment similar to Aquaphor, though it does have a better ingredients list overall, she added some ceramide ingredients and some babassu, though I do believe Aquaphor has babassu as well. I love that a dermatologist reinforced how great this type of slugging product can be in a routine, but I already use a lot of ceramide and skin boosting ingredients in my moisturizers and serums, so having those extra ingredients in the slugging product too didn't give me any additional benefits, I still saw the benefits of slugging but I don't think I need to spend extra money on this particular product. This could really be beneficial for some people if you don't already have ceramides in your routine, but for me, with where my routine already is, I don't think I'm going to buy this one again."
"There's nothing quite like slugging for treating my barrier issues. The holy grail here, it is Aquaphor or CeraVe's Healing Ointment. There's a lot of petrolatum based options out there, but I always end up with those as my holy grails because frankly I think that ingredient, petrolatum, is the winning ingredient."
"I use Aquaphor a lot. There's nothing quite like slugging for treating my barrier issues. The holy grail here, it is Aquaphor. There's a lot of petrolatum based options out there, but I always end up with this as my holy grail because frankly I think that ingredient, petrolatum, is the winning ingredient."
"I was so confused by the blush I had from Dior because I saw people using it and getting a ton of pigment, and I wasn't getting that. I finally found out it was reformulated so it's no longer as good. I'm using the new version and it's less good, they've dialed down the pigment, and I don't understand why they would do that when it was such a hit and such a viral product."
"I bought this blush which I almost feel is inarguably one of the most beautiful blushes ever created, only to then discover, where is the pigment in this, it's basically a ghost blush in the lightest shade. My mistake was thinking that with my fair skin I should go with the lightest one, but no, Flower Knows goes very light, if you want pigment go for the deepest one. I bought a deeper shade and it's still a soft blush but I like this one more."
"I still prefer my holy grail Kosas concealer for under my eyes, though with that one I have to carefully apply and make sure I powder it."
✓Approved
76%Guru Score
All 3 takes on Revealer Concealer
Hidden Gems & Disappointments: What I Bought in the 21 Days of Beauty!
"I still prefer my holy grail Kosas concealer for under my eyes, though with that one I have to carefully apply and make sure I powder it."
*Mindfully* Shopping the Sephora VIB Sale
"I really liked the Kosas concealer for reference, so I think if you like that concealer you'll probably like my holy grail concealer as well."
Speed Reviews! New Ziip, Quest for the Best Concealer, & More!
"I moved on to Kosas and this is the one. When I swatched it side by side with Tower 28 on the back of my hand and forgot about it for a few hours, the Kosas stayed smooth with a really pretty soft satin finish, while the Tower 28 actually looked more creased. I'm very confident at this point that for me, Kosas has been the better choice. I don't apply a lot of concealer, I think that's a big part of avoiding creasing, because even a product that doesn't crease with a thin layer can start creasing if you build it up too much."
"One thing that is really nice about that concealer is that not only is it higher coverage, but you also get a lot of product in that container, so that's another one of those possibly more budget friendly options."
"The Haus Labs concealer is surprisingly high coverage, and even though I don't usually like high coverage under my eyes, that's what I'm looking for to spot conceal. What they got right is not only do they have an amazing shade range, but this is also very flexible on your skin, and since I have hormonal acne I break out in an area of my face with a lot of motion, so I want a concealer that really bends with my face, and that's what this does. This officially replaces my long lost Smashbox."
"I really like Tower 28 and I had a lot of faith in this one, I do like it, but I still felt like it was creasing just a little more than I would prefer. Compared side by side with Kosas, after a few hours the swatch on my hand actually looked more creased than the other one."
"I got to try the VT Reedle Shot along with some sheet masks that go with them, and I remain convinced that it's just one of many ways to increase absorption. I've had strange experiences with them getting too close to my eye area, and I do not like feeling those needle sponges in my skin all day. If you like the Reedle Shot products, that's great, more power to you, but they're not for me."
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59%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Collagen Reedle Shot 100
Skincare EMPTIES: the oversaturation of peptides (oh no)
"I got to try the VT Reedle Shot along with some sheet masks that go with them, and I remain convinced that it's just one of many ways to increase absorption. I've had strange experiences with them getting too close to my eye area, and I do not like feeling those needle sponges in my skin all day. If you like the Reedle Shot products, that's great, more power to you, but they're not for me."
NEW *all K-Beauty* Try-On: Beauty of Joseon, Isntree, VT, & More!
"I did get to try out the VT Reedle Shot and I didn't like it, it was kind of painful for me."
"I like the product inside, it's a great formula, kind of a creamy serum, but I honestly don't like this packaging. I feel like this is just expensive packaging, and you only get a half ounce of product in here. This is K beauty at practically western prices in terms of price per ounce, all for this packaging. I like Medicube, I really do, I love their devices, but I'm iffy on this one."
"I have an enthusiastic recommendation in Beautyblender. I've stopped looking for dupes and just decided to wait for sales like this, because it's so worth it. I kept buying the dupes and they kept ripping on me, but these last. The only exception is if you're continuing to have a lot of open acne breakouts, then you'll want to replace your sponge more often anyway."
✓Approved
81%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Original
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: I sorted everything so you don't have to
"The Beautyblender for $10, that is actually amazing, that brings it down to almost drugstore pricing."
ULTA 21 Days of Beauty: What to AVOID & My Top Picks!
"I have an enthusiastic recommendation in Beautyblender. I've stopped looking for dupes and just decided to wait for sales like this, because it's so worth it. I kept buying the dupes and they kept ripping on me, but these last. The only exception is if you're continuing to have a lot of open acne breakouts, then you'll want to replace your sponge more often anyway."
"I'm skipping over IT Cosmetics brushes in this particular sale, not because they're bad brushes, I actually love them, but because I feel like there are some better options this time."
"Lion Pair is such an incredible anti-inflammatory product. If you deal with acne that is of the inflammatory nature, I think you too will absolutely love this Japanese skincare product."
✓Approved
86%Guru Score
All 5 takes on Pair Acne Cream
Skincare EMPTIES (& products that expired!!): Playing Favorites
"Lion Pair is such an incredible anti-inflammatory product. If you deal with acne that is of the inflammatory nature, I think you too will absolutely love this Japanese skincare product."
UNDERRATED K-Beauty Products
"After I finish applying the R&W serum I like to follow with the Lion Pair Acne Cream. It's considered a spot treatment but I apply it in a bit of a wider area all around the breakout, and I feel like this product addresses one main thing, inflammation. I was really having a bad breakout and my standard adapalene and benzoyl peroxide washes weren't cutting it, so I added these two in, and I'm actually finally seeing that breakouts start to clear up. These products are in my top 10 list and I do not ever want to run out of them."
I Changed My Mind! | How I See Skincare in 2024
"This is a different approach to fighting acne, from J-Beauty. Per the YesStyle website, it uses a topical form of ibuprofen combined with an antibacterial ingredient. This is such an effective product for fighting inflammation."
Skincare EMPTIES! How Long to Finish Products, Why I Go Back to Affordable Picks...
"This stuff is incredible. I feel like this fights inflammation for me like nothing I've ever tried. So glad we tried some J-beauty products."
I Tried a J-Beauty Skincare Routine: My Results/Ranking!
"It is the Lion Pair Acne Cream. I have dry acne prone skin, which is a difficult combination because to treat the dryness I need heavier products but to treat the acne I often end up using more drying products. The reason I love this so much is that I cannot get over what this does for any kind of inflammation I'm dealing with. It's a spot treatment you put on any kind of irritation, any pimple, and overnight it calms your skin. I'm almost out of this tube and I already placed another order for two more because I am not kidding when I tell you this has been so helpful. The ingredients list does list fragrance, but I don't smell anything at all in this product. It does not irritate my skin at all, it just calms it."
"I'll put COSRX's pimple patches next, I like them, I think they're fine. They do tend to be a little more expensive than some other K beauty options and I like those other options too, so I won't go out of my way to buy these, but if I catch a good deal on them I'll buy them, they work."
"Flur's Vanilla Skin actually wears a little more like a standard perfume, unlike most of the expensive body mists at Sephora that don't have good longevity."
✓Approved
82%Guru Score
All 2 takes on Vanilla Skin
SEPHORA Sale Recs (that are not in the Epstein files)
"Flur's Vanilla Skin actually wears a little more like a standard perfume, unlike most of the expensive body mists at Sephora that don't have good longevity."
Worth the Splurge?! Tower 28 gets it, Tatcha wants too much $$, & More!
"Vanilla Skin also smelled really good to me, their gourmand body mists are amazing."
"When Ariana Grande first released Cloud I was first in line for it, but I got it in and to me it just smelled like a hospital waiting room, I still hate it. The wild thing is other people told me how bad I smelled when I wore it and it wore all day. It's not just my nose either because other people said I smelled bad with my body chemistry, but Cloud smells terrible on me."
"This is a new release from Remedy, a Hand Cream I've had a lot of time to test. I love the way this feels, it's absolutely a step up from the way Rare Beauty packaged their Hand Cream where you couldn't get the product out. This one is fun to use and the perfect size to keep by your bed. But I don't particularly like the opening, it's not easy to open, my partner struggled with it too, especially if you have press on or artificial nails. So it's pros and cons with this, but the formula is super nice and feels rich, great for the winter months. It has some retinol in it and I'm not seeing extra dryness from it, which would be my main concern."
"This is their brand new Sensitive Retinol Oil, using hydroxypinacolone retinoate, which they say is a retinol great for beginners. Overall I would say I do like it, it's a good formula, it's got some squalane, it's got some bakuchiol, it did not irritate my skin, it was definitely gentle enough that I could use this even though I am also using adapalene. I still wish we had more research on this ingredient, and if you want the benefits of retinoids that have been studied for decades I feel it's a better idea to go with either retinol or retinal. So not bad, but still not going to be my absolute top pick for a retinoid product."
~Mixed
66%Guru Score
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