My Attempt At Using Tret Again.

I started using tret again. My skin was looking dull. It was lifeless. I needed to do something about those issues. Acne marks became more prominent as well. I can’t use too many skin care products, but I thought I could give tret another chance. So here I am using tret again. Here’s my 1 week experience using tret.

I was able to use tret 4 times this week. I used it back-to-back for a total of 4 days and took a break for the rest of the week. During my use of the product, I was using a moisturizer. It was the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Face Gel Hydrator. It worked amazingly for my skin. My skin felt extremely moisturizing. At one point, I thought it gave my skin too much hydration. I thought about dialing back on the product. I didn’t. I just kept using it. Tret and this moisturizer went well together. I noticed smoother skin that’s brighter (probably the niacinamide in the hydrator). I was so happy that I was seeing results with this combination of products. Yesss! Finally! It’s working! Sadly, the moisturizer ended up breaking me out. I had clogged pores in areas that were acnegenic. I had to stop using it. Once I did, the breakouts went away. Once I stopped using the moisturizer, my skin couldn’t take tret daily anymore. It burned my skin. For the rest of the week, I took a break. I picked up another moisturizer called Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream for Dry to Normal Sensitive Skin. I purchased this to use as an eye cream, which works so much better than what I was using (Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Sensitive Skin Face Creme). Eucerin wasn’t that moisturizing and did nothing for my skin. I noticed some fine lines and wrinkles underneath my eye area vanished with Cetaphil! It works better as a moisturizer! I’m switching!

So! The Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream helped to alleviate any scalding, burning, and redness. This is awful! I burned my skin again. I’ll have to use a moisturizer with tret. I hope Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream works! I’ve been using it for 3 days and night without any issues. No breakouts. Nothing yet. It leaves my skin feeling soft too. It’s a two-in-one product for me. It works as a face cream AND an eye cream. Hey! Let’s see what happens. So far, so good.

Stay tuned for what’s going to happen next! 🙂

Review: Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Face Gel Hydrator

I picked up a new moisturizer/hydrator. It’s the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Face Gel Hydrator! My skin was very dry from the acne products I was using. My skin was falling apart. Flakey, crusty, peeling. I needed a moisturizing product. I stumbled upon the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Face Gel Hydrator and thought I would give it a shot. It comes in a large tube also (5.0 oz bottle). Maybe it might work. Maybe not. This is my experience with this product!

The texture of the product is a lightweight gel. It’s soft, smooth, and easy to apply to the skin. Once applied to the skin, it makes the skin look so much better. I loved how it made my skin appear softer and smoother after a single application. My skin felt hydrated, and it helped alleviate any dryness I was experiencing. The product does contain the ingredient dimethicone. Hmmm! That’s what’s giving it that silky, smooth texture, which I love very much!

So I used it for about a week. The first couple of days went well. The rest of the week? I questioned the product since I was noticing some breakouts in random places. My skin felt good, but weird things were going on with my skin. Since it contains dimethicone (a hit or miss for my skin), I thought it was breaking me out. I continued to use it because I was hoping for the best. Unfortunately, my skin started to get clogged up so fast. I really wanted this moisturizer to work! I can’t seem to find a moisturizer that works on my skin. On a good note, the 4% nicinamide helped to fade some acne scars and brightened my skin. My skin texture, pores, and acne marks looked SO much better using this product! But it didn’t do any good for my acnegenic skin. And the bottle says that it won’t clog pores too. That was a lie. At least for my skin. Back to the drawing board. sigh I’ll use the rest under my eyes or something. It works great as a makeup primer!

A Break from Tret & What I’m Doing Now

I just finished a month of tret. I thought I would be able to continue on with treatment. But that’s not the case. My skin is feeling worn out. It feels thinner. There’s a lot of dead skin stuck on my face. My skin is itchy even though I use moisturizers. Yes, more than one moisturizer! These are the best moisturizers I can get without causing breakouts. So, I think it’s time to take a break once again. I’m not sure when I’m going to use tret again. Maybe by the end of the week or next week. Or, I might even use it only 2-3 times a week. I don’t know yet. I’ll have to see how my skin is doing and if it’ll be able to tolerate tret. Right now, my overall skin condition looks pretty good. I have only a few pimples. They wouldn’t budge until I stopped using tret. Perhaps my skin was just over-exfoliated. That’s what it seems like.

This is what I’m doing right now while on my mini break. I’ve eliminated acids. This includes any ahas, bhas, and vitamin c. And you know what’s weird? My blackheads disappeared when I stopped using these products. I wonder if one of these products are causing the blackheads too (along with Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask, which I stopped using regularly). I love the Cosrx Rice Mask. It’s still in my skin care routine. I only use it when my skin is really dry or when I wear makeup. It helps to minimize flaky skin due to its awesome moisturizing properties. It’s the closest thing I can get to moisturized skin without breaking out in cystic acne. Using it once in a while doesn’t do any harm. So, back to the blackheads, I don’t have any anymore. Hmmmm!

Here are the products I’m using during this break. It’s mainly moisturizing skin care products to heal and hydrate my skin…

Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence:

It’s still a staple in my routine! This essence is such a life saver! Still, not the most moisturizing, but it hasn’t broken my out. Yay! I’m just very happy that I found it. With this essence, I don’t use it on damp skin. I tried it and had issues with it being too hydrating. I ended up with blackheads. Yeah, my skin doesn’t like too much moisture. It makes my skin worse even though I do enjoy the feeling of moisturized skin.

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence:

Next up, Cosrx Snail Essence has been working for me. Shockingly! I started using it twice a day, and it has improved the quality of my skin. It’s much more moisturizing compared to the Cosex Hydra Power Essence. But since I mix the two essences, it does wonders for my skin. I love them both! But the snail essence is really amazing stuff. I highly recommend it!

iUNIK Propolis Vitamin Synergy Serum:

I didn’t think I was going to use the iUNIK Propolis Vitamin Synergy Serum twice a day, but I had to. My skin was calling out for moisture, so I tried it. WOW, it worked! It left my skin even more moisturizing compared to the Cosrx Hydra Powder Essence and Cosrx Snail Essence. My skin feels so soft and looks brighter! And it hasn’t caused breakouts (yet). I hope it stays this way because this has been a game changer in my routine. I’m seeing results in terms of moisture.

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum:

This is one of my favorite serums so far. It’s not that moisturizing (can feel drying on the skin), but it helps with skin texture and skin smoothness. My skin feels and looks softer when using it. It sinks into the skin nicely. There’s a lot of skin goodies in this product, which I love! Calms my skin when it’s red and hasn’t caused any breakouts. It’s been a little over a month now…

Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel:

I’m not sure how I feel about Benton Aloe Gel. It’s not that moisturizing, can sting if skin is over-exfoliated, and doesn’t do much for the skin. It’s OK, since it doesn’t break me out. I guess I can just continue to use it. See how it goes. Who knows. I might see some changes in the future, lol.

Cosrx Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion (with Birch Sap):

I’ve fallen in love with Cosrx Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion (with Birch Sap). Once I stopped using the Cosrx Rice Mask, the breakouts diminished. So, it looks like Cosrx Birch Sap is working for me. It moisturizes (as much as it can, much better than my other hydrating/moisturizing products), leaves my skin looking smooth, and doesn’t clog my pores. I’m crossing my fingers that it doesn’t break me out because I would be devastated. It’s the only moisturizer that has worked, and I’ve tried a lot of skin care products. I really don’t feel like searching for a new moisturizer, haha!

Hopefully I can get back on tret soon. My acne has improved so much after so many years of trying to clear up my skin. That’s something I’m very happy about. Finally! 🙂 But it hasn’t been a smooth journey. I’m just really happy and excited to see results. And hopefully continue to see results! 😊

⭐ If you missed out on my posts on moisturizers…

Finding the Perfect Moisturizer & What I Use!

Update on My Moisturizers 🙂

⭐ If you missed out on my previous experience with tret…

My experience with tret the first week…

After 1 Month on Tret + Skin Care Routine. Here are My Results.

2 Months on Tret. My results. 🙂

Taking a break from tret…

Back to tret! 1 Week Results & My Skin Care Routine. Did it work? 🤔

1 Month on Tret. My Results!

After Using Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum for 1 Week…

I stopped using Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum a while ago. But my face has been getting really red from dryness. I’m still trying to find a moisturizer that works on my skin. Vanicream wrecked my skin. Since this isn’t a heavy moisturizer, I thought I would give it a chance again. My face was feeling itchy and taut. Ugh! I couldn’t put up with it anymore. I was looking through my skin care products and noticed I still have Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum…so why not. So this serum is supposed to enhance skin barrier repair and reduce inflammation. It contains Centella Asiatica Extract (49%) and Panthenol to soothe irritated skin caused by external environmental stressors and prevent skin inflammation. I’ve been using it for a week. Yes, I lasted a week on it. haha. I guess that’s a good sign. Here’s my experience with Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum!

My experience

This serum is a gel. It feels hydrating when applied to the skin. Leaves the skin feeling like it’s doing something good for the skin. Skin feels soft and supple afterwards. Sinks into the skin well too. Even though it leaves a slight film behind, after it absorbs into the skin fully, feels like there’s nothing on the skin. This serum does feel hydrating on the skin when first applied, but it’s not a good hydrating serum. It feels drying at times. At the same time, it leaves my skin looking really healthy. I started using Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum because my skin was feeling really dry and itchy. I needed something to keep my skin moisturized. I didn’t want to risk using a heavier moisturizer again and breaking out. This seemed to be it.

Does it help with dryness? Kinda. Does it help with redness? Yes! I love the fact that I noticed a reduction in redness in my skin after a day of use. This serum has a calming effect on the skin. I needed something that was able to heal my broken barrier too. This worked! So it helped soothe and strengthen the skin barrier as it claims to do. Awesome! Because not all serums and moisturizers do (just because it’s moisturizing). This serum contains Ceramide NP to help with that. And I’ve used ceramide-based creams that only left my skin congested and irritated. This serum just soaks into my skin and improves it!

This serum also contains centella asiatica extract (49%), niacinamide, panthenol, hydrolyzed collagen, green tea extract, sodium hyaluronate, pepetides, adenosine, and so much more! The ingredients look pretty good! The serum does have a lavender oil smell to it (contains lavender oil), so if you’re sensitive to essential oils, they do have a unscented version of this seurm. I didn’t have a problem with the scented version, so I kept on using it. It hasn’t irritated my skin at all. Also, this product also contains Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate and Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate. If you have fungal acne, this is not for you.

Breakouts??

Not yet so far. At one point I thought I had issues with this serum, but it might’ve been caused by another product or products in my routine. I’m looking at you The Ordinary. But yeah, no clogged pores from this serum yet. I hope it stays that way because I’m hoping to officially add this serum into my routine. I needed a nice serum with a bunch of skin care goodies like this one. I really like how it calms my skin and heals my moisture barrier.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Lightweight
• Feels hydrating on the skin at first
• Doesn’t feel heavy
• Soothes the skin
• Absorbs into the skin well
• Reduces redness, inflamed skin
• Keeps the moisture barrier healthy

❌ Cons

• Smells like lavender oil (may be irritating for some)
• Leaves a slight film behind. Just a little bit.
• Not enough moisture

Conclusion

After a week of using this serum, everything seems to be going well. I haven’t noticed clogged pores from this serum. Thankfully! It’s not the most hydrating serum, but my skin seems to benefit from it. It reduces redness in my skin. Makes my skin look more soft and smooth. Keeps my moisture barrier healthy and happy without feeling heavy on the skin. I know brands like Vanicream and CeraVe have ceramides in their products, but they’re not acne-friendly as people make it out to be. None of their face products work on my acne-prone skin. SO! I like this serum. The ingredients are pretty amazing. For the price and what you get, it’s a good deal! Especially when compared to high end skincare products that costs hundreds of dollars. This 60 mL bottle of serum delivers. Now just as long as it doesn’t break me out! I’m hoping for another good week on this serum! Look out for my new update soon to find out!

For more reviews on Purito skin care products go here

I tried Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence again. Here are my results!

I tried Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence once again. I’m really trying to find a facial moisturizer or something that hydrates my skin without leaving any residue behind or clog my pores. I thought I would give Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence another chance, since it’s lightweight and lightly hydrates my skin. From what I remember, anyways. Read on to find out if it lived up to my expectations or not! If you missed out on my previous thoughts on this essence, go here 👉🏻 Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence Now on to my updated review on this skin care product! 😄

So I started using Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence as my main moisturizer in my skin care routine. I couldn’t find anything else that works on my skin. I’ve tried a ton of facial moisturizers, and they all either gave me dry skin, breakouts, were too moisturizing, or irritated my skin. They just didn’t work for me. I did say that there was a possible chance that Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence could make it back into my routine. That’s to see if it was something else in my routine during that time was causing my skin to breakout instead of this essence. Well, here I am giving this essence another shot.

I used the essence in the morning and night. The essence felt sticky at first, but that stickiness went away when it absorbed into the skin. I really liked how it left my skin lightly hydrated without feeling heavy. It was really easy to use too. It didn’t leave residue on my skin and just sunk into my skin like what I wanted in a moisturizer (or essence). But after 4 days of using this essence, unfortunately, I noticed blackheads and more breakouts in my skin. And I knew it was the essence that caused the clogged pores, since I didn’t change anything else in my routine. I stopped using it immediately, and those clogged pores eventually went away.

Even though this essence felt hydrating at first, it eventually dried out my skin too. Perhaps it’s not the snail ingredient, but the other ingredients in the product that isn’t clicking with my skin. It does contain butylene glycol, 1,2-hexanediol, sodium hyaluronate, phenoxyethanol, and a bunch of other ingredients that can cause the skin to dry out. All I know is this essence didn’t work out for me after another try. I’m not going to repurchase it after I finish the bottle. It’s pretty much off my radar now. haha.

For more reviews on Cosrx skin care products 👈🏻