August Skin Care Empties! 🧴

Here are some products I finished in the month of August! These products are no longer with me! Finally. 😆 I’ve been trying to finish them since forever. It’s about time that they’re done and gone. They were taking up a lot of space too. haha. I still have a bunch more skin care products to use up. I’ll talk about them some other time. Today, here are my thoughts on what I’ve finished! Enjoy! 🙂

Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence:

I finally finished Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence. It’s a moisturizing essence, but I don’t need it. I didn’t see any changes using it on my facial skin. It’s simply just moisturizing. Nothing special. It didn’t brighten up my skin either. It didn’t make it more radiant or clear. I prefer other moisturizers and essences compared to this one. In my opinion, the Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is so much better in terms of moisture. The Snail Essence also leaves the skin feel and looking more moisturized and dewy. It has definitely helped boost moisture in my skin in combination with other moisturizers I use. My skin prefers it over the Galactomyces Essence.

Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Lotion SPF 15:

This is a moisturizing sunscreen (SPF 15) that’s very gentle on the skin. It absorbs nicely into the skin. Leaves my skin feeling very moisturized. But, I couldn’t use it on my face. It’s too pore-clogging and way too moisturizing. I had issues with it on my facial skin. I ended up using it only on my neck and upper chest. Once I finished it, I knew I wasn’t going to purchase it again. SPF 15? Pore-clogging? No thanks. There are better sunscreens out there. This one isn’t worth my time and money.

Cos De BAHA MA Peptide Facial Toner:

I had this facial toner for a while. It’s a gel-like, moisturizing facial toner. It’s not your typical drying facial toner. I liked the ingredients in this toner. It contains sodium hyaluronate, peptides, beta-glucan, adenosine, and so much more. But I didn’t notice much of a difference in my skin while using it. All it really did was moisturize my skin for a short period of time. It doesn’t provide long-lasting moisture in the skin. I stopped using it on my face because I thought it was an extra step for little benefits. Now I’m glad I’m done with it. Out it goes!

La Roche-Posay Lipikar Balm AP+ Intense Repair Moisturizing Cream:

I received this product as a sample. It’s a moisturizing cream that’s supposed to reduce dry, rough skin. Honestly, it felt like any other moisturizer that I’ve used. I can’t tell if it provided more hydration than my other moisturizers/creams. But it didn’t irritate my skin. It left my skin feeling moisturized just like my other moisturizers. This cream contains shea butter, niacinamide, and glycerin, which I do love besides the niacinamide. My skin doesn’t care for niacinamide so I learned after using products with niacinamide. I thought this cream was OK. I don’t think I’m going to purchase the full-size product any time soon. It was nice to use for the time being or at least try it out.

Graymelin Pineapple Mild Peeling Gel:

This is a peeling gel that I was very excited about at first. After using it and finishing the whole tube, it’s not worth it at all. This product didn’t do anything for my skin. It’s so gentle and doesn’t really exfoliate the skin. I had noticeable dead skin on my face and thought this product could help. Nope, it did not. It did absolutely nothing. I still had dead skin hanging off of my face afterwards. Ugh, I can’t recommend this product to anyone. No results. Honestly, in my opinion, peeling gels are just for fun. It doesn’t do anything for the skin. On my skin, at least I didn’t see any benefits. I won’t purchase it again.

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream:

I finally finished all of my CeraVe Moisturizing Creams. I didn’t use it on my face due to fear of closed comedones. CeraVe and my skin don’t go well together either from my past experiences with the brand. I’ve tried plenty of their products too. So I used the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream as a body lotion instead. The cream feels lightweight, but it does leave some sort of thin film behind on the skin that I didn’t like. I didn’t think it left my skin feeling super moisturized either. To me, there was nothing special about it. I love some of the ingredients in the cream, but it didn’t deliver in the end. I was just using it to finish the product. In my opinion, I think this cream is overhyped. I won’t purchase again any time soon. I’m glad I’m done with it. It’s time to move on.

If you haven’t yet, go check out my acne journey! New updates coming up soon! 👇🏻

My Acne Journey: 1 Week In…

My Acne Journey: 2 WEEKS!! 

My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 WEEKS IN!

My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Results…

My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 2 MONTHS!! 

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 1 Week Results!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 2 Weeks!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 3 MONTHS!! 😃

Review: Graymelin Pineapple Mild Peeling Gel

I’ve been using Graymelin Pineapple Mild Peeling Gel for about a month (maybe even longer). I used it on and off whenever I needed to gently exfoliate my skin. This peeling gel contains pineapple extract. Bromelain in pineapple extract helps to effectively remove dead skin cells and sebum buildup from the pores. It also contains apple water and yellow 7 complex to deliver rich vitamins to moisturize and brighten the skin. This is my experience with this peeling gel!

My Experience

I thought this product looked really pretty. It’s a pale yellow that’s really cute. The instructions says to apply a proper amount of product to dry skin after cleansing. Gently massage to exfoliate dead skin cells and rinse off with lukewarm water. That’s what I did. The product feels very soft and soothing on the skin. It has a slight plastic smell to it that didn’t bother me too much. When massaged into the skin, the product transforms into little tiny soft balls on the skin. It’s supposed to exfoliate the skin. I liked the way it felt on my skin, and it’s fun to use, but this product did not exfoliate my skin that well. It didn’t help remove sebum buildup. It is moisturizing, but it didn’t brighten my skin up as it claims to do. It just felt like I was using it for fun. The reason why I know this product isn’t good at exfoliating is because I had skin peeling from my face (from my acne treatment), and this peeling gel did very little to remove the dead skin. I’m talking about skin that could easily be scrubbed or rubbed off. I still had dead skin on my face after using the peeling gel. That was a huge disappointment in the effectiveness of the product.

So the peeling gel didn’t live up to its claims. I think it’s better to use an exfoliant with beads or even a facial brush. I took a facial brush and brushed off the dead skin from my face. Majority of the dead skin cells came off quickly. It worked much better. And it’s also less expensive than this peeling gel that did very little to remove dead skin cells. Looking at the ingredients, the first ingredient is apple fruit water. Next, water, cellulose (what creates the tiny soft balls that roll on the skin). It also contains a bunch of other ingredients including pineapple fruit extract (star ingredient of this product!), allantoin, turmeric root extract, and grapefruit seed oil. This peeling gel contains isopropyl alcohol too. I’m not a fan of drying alcohols in my skin care products even if it doesn’t feel drying on the skin. I just prefer my products to be without it. This peeling gel didn’t dry my skin out, by the way. It was hardly even on my skin for that long. It didn’t break me skin out either. Of course, it wasn’t on for that long. I only used it as a gentle facial exfoliant.

This is what the Graymelin Pineapple Mild Peeling Gel looks like.

After using this product, I like how it’s gentle on the skin. I think it’s really fun to use. At the same time, I hope it’s doing some good for my skin. But, the results were not significant. I feel like I’m just tossing my money away for a product that didn’t give me any results. I didn’t think it was worth it. Seems like a ‘for fun’ product and that’s not what I’m looking for. I won’t purchase again after I finish it.

My Thoughts on Sugar Scrubs, Peeling Gels, & Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid

Sugar Scrubs

Andalou Naturals Clear Skin Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub felt so harsh on my skin at some point. I don’t know what was going on with it or with my skin, but I used it again with awesome results. It didn’t feel too harsh or rough on my skin this time. It helped remove dead skin cells off of my face and left my skin feeling and looking smoother. I had dry patches of stubborn, flaky skin that came off using this facial scrub. My skin looked clearer and more glowy afterwards. It looked better. I didn’t think it felt harsh or rough on my skin as before. It’s like my skin just changed and the facial scrub now works. So much has happened over the past year. My skin is finally healing ❤️‍🩹. I don’t need a lot of product when using this facial scrub to exfoliate my skin either. Just a little bit goes a long way. This is what I’ve been using to remove dead skin cells off of my face for the time being. Even though the results have been good, I’m still not sure if I’ll purchase it again. I’ll have to think about it. I do have another facial scrub (Skinfood Black Sugar Scrub), but I don’t really like it. I’m just using it to get rid of it. It doesn’t have the same effect as the Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub. Also, the granules are larger too and feels more abrasive on the skin. I’m also not a fan of the stickiness of the Skinfood Black Sugar Scrub. The results have been so much better with the Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub that’s all.

Peeling Gels

I still have nearly a full tube of Benton PHA Peeling Gel, which I’ve been using only once a week. That’s if I remember to. I’ve lost interest in peeling gels. They do absolutely nothing for my skin. I haven’t noticed any improvements whatsoever. Yeah, they feel nice on the skin. Like I’m pampering myself, but I feel like it’s a waste of time and money. I haven’t noticed any significant results using it. I still have a couple of more unopened tubes of peeling gels that I purchased a while back (of a different brand). Maybe they’ll be different compared to Benton. I’ll have to try them out to find out. So, I’m not a fan of this particular peeling gel — Benton PHA Peeling Gel. It’s not for me. No results. Waste of money. Waste of time. I got nothing out of it. I’m not going to purchase any peeling gels any time soon. Moving on…

Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid

I’m just going to get to the point. This product isn’t what it used to be. It doesn’t work at all. At least on my skin. I was still developing acne, blackheads, cysts, pustules, whatever. The point is, it didn’t nothing for my acne. I’m not going to purchase it again when I’m done with it. I really don’t know what to do with what I have left. Probably just give it away. Haha. Out it goes! I really tried to make it work too. It’s an overhyped product, in my opinion. It wasn’t worth it for me.

That’s a quick update on some products that I have and what I think about them. I feel like I’m purging a bunch of skin care products from my life. If it doesn’t work, it just doesn’t work. Stay tuned for more skin care updates!!

Review: Benton PHA Peeling Gel

If you missed out on my review on Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel, just go to the link! After I finished my tube of Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel, I decided to try out other peeling gels. Even though I liked the Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel, I was curious what else was out there. I picked up Benton PHA Peeling Gel. This peeling gel is formulated with naturally-derived cellulose to buff away dead skin cells and excess sebum from the skin. It contains PHAs, which is even more gentler compared to AHAs to leave the skin feeling exfoliated, smooth, and bright without irritation. The star ingredients in this product are cellulose, PHA (Lactobionic Acid), Chrysanthemum Morifolium Flower Extract, Ceramide NP, and Sodium Hyaluronate. These ingredients help to replenish moisture and soothe the skin. It’s suitable for sensitive, dry, acne-prone skin types. It’s vegan, cruelty-free, artificial fragrance & color-free, sulfate-free, alcohol-free, mineral oil-free, essential oil-free, and silicone-free. So I’ve been using this peeling gel for a few weeks, here are my thoughts on it! 🙂

My experience

This peeling gel is a soft white gel (see photo below). It’s very different compared to what I was using before (Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel). When applied to the skin, it feels very gentle on the skin. Feels lightweight and moisturizing. Not drying at all. It gently sweeps away dead skin cells without being aggressive or harsh. I think gentle is what I would describe my overall experience with this peeling gel. It doesn’t irritate or burn the skin at all. I’ve used this peeling gel when my skin became super sensitive and dry. I had some flakes on my skin to remove. I experienced no irritation from it. The texture of the product is really nice. It soft and squishy. Fun to use. Cellulose rolls across the face, and you can see clumps of it while massaging it into the skin. This peeling gel is just so interesting, lol.

But, there’s one thing I don’t like about this product. When I’m massaging the product on my face, the product falls off of my face and gets everywhere. It doesn’t stick to the skin or at least stay on for the time being. It gets messy. With that in mind, make sure to use the product over the sink, so the product doesn’t get all over the floor.

As for results, it’s not bad for a gentle exfoliant that doesn’t irritate the skin. If your skin can’t handle more aggressive exfoliants, this is a good choice. When my skin needs a break from tough facial scrubs and leave-on chemical exfoliants, I use a peeling gel like this one. The ingredients in this product looks pretty good too. It contains ceramide np, sodium hyaluronate, licorice, lactobionic acid, and allantoin. So far, the results are similar to my previous peeling gel but without the tingling sensation. I think I like this one a little bit more. My skin looks and feels very soft afterwards. 🙂

The peeling gel is perfectly sealed. 😉

This is what Benton PHA Peeling Gel looks like. It’s so interesting…

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Contains ceramide np, sodium hyaluronate, and lactobionic acid (PHA)
• Soft and gentle on the skin
• Excellent choice for ultra sensitive skin
• Provides gentle exfoliation
• Leaves skin feeling soft and smooth
• Not drying at all

❌ Cons

• Product falls off of the face (haha)

Conclusion

This is a good and honestly very gentle peeling gel. A great option for sensitive skin. Even though I don’t have sensitive skin, sometimes when I use drying acne treatments, my skin gets more sensitive. I like having gentle products of this one around just in case I need to remove some dead skin cells from my face without being overly aggressive. The only gripe I have about this peeling gel is that the product rolls off of the face and gets everywhere. So I highly recommend using this product over the sink to prevent something like this from happening. Other than that, using this peeling gel was definitely nice experience. Will I purchase again? Yes! I like the soft, gentleness of the product. It’s a good thing to be kind to your skin. 🙂

Review: Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel

It’s time for a review on Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel! So I’ve dodged peeling gels for such a long time because they didn’t look effective to me. But I became more curious about them as time went on. That’s when I decided to pick up my first peeling gel, which turns out to be Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel. I honestly chose one at random, and it happened to be this one. This peeling gel in particular claims to improve the texture of the skin, brighten the skin, and help clear out the pores. That sounds awesome! My skin does need a little pick-me-up once or a couple of times a week to keep it vibrant and glowing. I liked the idea of this product, so I had to try it at least once to see what the fuss is about. It could work. I’ve been using Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel for 3 months now. Surprisingly, I’m so close to being done with it. I still have a little bit of product left. Honestly, I didn’t think I would use it this much. But after 3 months of using this peeling gel, here are my thoughts on it and my results!

My experience

When I first opened the product, I thought it smelled really bad. The product smelled like plastic. I got over the plastic smell after a couple of uses. I became accustomed to it and wasn’t bothered by it as much anymore, lol. It also has a sweet smell to it. So the scent of the product is a mixture of plastic and sweetness. Interesting. ha. This peeling gel comes out as a gel (of course, haha) that feels cool and soothing when applied to the skin. I can feel a tingling sensation the first few seconds, but that goes away soon enough. When gently rubbed into the skin in circular motions, it feels very calming and relaxing. I love how the gel feels on my skin. It feels very refreshing. As the product is rubbed into the skin, it turns into tiny little soft balls. This isn’t actually chunks of dead skin cells. They’re just cellulose and carbomer mixed with your dead skin, oil, and debris. Well, if there’s any.

At first, I wasn’t impressed by this peeling gel. I thought it was a waste of time and money because I wasn’t seeing drastic results after using it. But as I continued to use the product for months, I started to like it. The results are more mild, but that doesn’t mean it’s not effective. It is. My skin was left feeling soft, a bit smoother, and moisturized after using it. It didn’t make my skin feel irritated, raw, or red like a harsher exfoliant would do to my skin. I would say that this is an extremely gentle way to exfoliate the skin if you can’t handle harsher exfoliants. In fact, I haven’t used harsh exfoliants in the past weeks, and my skin has improved so much! My skin isn’t red and angry or over-exfoliated. My moisture barrier is healthy. My skin just looks so much better. It looks less aggravated while reaping the benefits of a softer, smoother complexion.

It looks like this type of product is compatible with my skin. I love the gentleness of it, since it doesn’t leave my skin red or irritated. It helps to remove dead skin cells, but at the same time it leaves the skin feeling soft, smooth, and moist. I don’t have sensitive skin, but I really enjoy using this product. I get flaky sometimes from my acne treatments. When that happens, all I need to do is take some of this product and gently massage it into my skin. And there you have it! Dead skin gently removed from the face without having to be aggressive or harsh. So this product gives the skin a gentle type of exfoliation. This is definitely perfect for people with sensitive skin or if you want something more gentle. Odd, a product that I had doubts about turned out to be something that works and fits into my routine. Gentle yet effective. 🙂 I’m liking the results so far!

This is what the peeling gel looks like. It’s a blob of gel. Once applied and massaged into the skin, it becomes tiny little soft balls that help to remove dead skin cells…um…flaky skin!

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Feels light and gentle on the skin
• Gently exfoliates the skin
• Great for sensitive skin
• Leaves the skin feeling soft and supple
• Moisturizing

❌ Cons

• Smells like plastic

Conclusion

My first experience with a peeling gel went way differently than I expected. I honestly ended up really liking this product. It’s a mild and gentle way to exfoliate the skin. I’ve had no issues with it. It really does help to remove skin flaking from the face. It’s also not harsh on my skin. I can use this product every day if I could, but I only use it 2-3 times a week. Or when my skin needs it. Gotta keep those flakes away without drying out my skin! This peeling gel is perfect for that! After 3 months of using this peeling gel, everything went pretty well. The results are slow due to how mild the product is, but I’m glad I gave it a chance. This is something I would include in my skin care routine weekly to remove dead skin. Seems like being gentle on the skin and giving it time to heal and recover is the best way to go. I would recommend this product to anyone that’s looking for a very gentle exfoliant. 🙂