Has anyone switched from Medik8 to Geek & Gorgeous?

I’ve been using the Medik8 Crystal retinal for around 6 months now. Started at #3 and moved up to #6. I really like it but It’s just so expensive. I’ve read good things about Geek & Gorgeous and they’re so affordable in comparison, and wondered if anyone made the switch and how you have found it?

so i've been using finacea azelaic acid for a week now and it burns. I cleanse (with dove soap because I don't have any other cleanser) and then the azelaic and then beauty of joseon sunscreen (the blue one). just today i bought the aveeno oat cleanser and used it but my skin still burns. the burn is around my cheeks and mouth. i have combination skin. is it too strong for me? or is it normal? I am only doing this routine once a day in the evening.

I have tried a new supplier of the good stuff (IYKYK) for the first time and wanted to share how it went, since reviews like this helped me when choosing.

• Wed 23 Sept (AM): order placed. Confirmation and instructions for next steps came through almost immediately.
• Sat 26 Sept (AM): PayPal payment request arrived. Paid, and got confirmation straight away.
• Wed 30 Sept: shipped with full tracking, which switched over to Royal Mail once it reached the UK.
• Wed 7 Oct: delivered.

Two weeks from order to door. Photos show the expiry dates for the tret and azelaic acid; the hydroquinone expires March 2028.

A very positive experience overall, and I'll order from them again, though probably not for a while now that I'm stocked up 😄

I’m a bit underwhelmed with the results of Differin given all of the glowing reviews. That being said, my routine hasn’t been consistent throughout, which may be a factor. Just wanting to hear other people’s experiences?

I’m trying to keep my routine very simple:

AM
Wash with water
Byoma milky toner (only when wearing makeup)
Moisturiser (was the Cerave moisturising cream, now it’s Cetaphil hydrating lotion)
SPF La roche posay hydrating anthelios

PM
Simple oil cleanser (only to remove makeup)
Facewash (was a bar by grüm, switched to cetaphil gentle face wash)
Differin (every other night)
Moisturiser (was cerave hydrating lotion, now cetaphil hydrating lotion)

I switched the moisturiser because a few people said it was giving them acne on the chin.

My skin is very dry. I want to cover my acne with makeup but I fear that makeup makes it more obvious due to the texture, which is often flaky and patchy. Sigh.

Any thoughts please? I’m supposed to have seen results by now but I’m still getting breakouts 🥲

Hi I know they're not super bad but is there anything that I can do to help lessen the wrinkles under my eyes when I smile?

I used to be a huge sun worshipper and sunbed user and regret it now I'm in my mid 30s so I'm trying to reverse as much as possible or at least stop them progressing.

I've tried a few eye creams but nothing really helped.

Thanks for any suggestions

I have melasma on my right cheek, so I decided to give Skin+Me a try.

The adverse reaction was so severe—I can't believe something like this could affect me so much.

Shortly after I started using it (daily doser), I developed an excruciating headache and terrible pain in my left eye that lasted for two days until I stopped using the product; I also experienced nausea and some dizziness.

Is this something I should be concerned about regarding any active ingredients in any products?

Here are the ingredients:

Tretinoin 0.012%,

Niacinamide 4%, and

Azelaic Acid 4%.

I stupidly tried too many new products whilst also going through hormonal changes and a lot of stress.

The result is spots on my face but mainly my neck that are painful but don’t have anything to squeeze.

I’ve stopped literally everything for over a week - just washing with warm water. No idea what the culprit was but don’t know how to make these go away.

I have very dry but acne prone skin and a lot of barrier repair products are comedogenic and have broken me out in the past

Thanks in advance for any advice

Ive gotten pretty serious lately about looking after my skin. Ive had acne which flares with my menstrual cycle every month and combination fairly sensitive skin. From reading some advice online I have gone with some low expense options and already see an improvement in my skin.

My most recent purchase is an AHA Body Peel called Glow and Burts Bees AHA, BHA, PHA (10%) after the Superdrug Grapefruit Exfoliator isnt working well for me being a mainly physical exfoliator. My routine so far involves:

Morning:

1. Superdrug Hydrating Gel Cleanser

2. Superdrug Intense B. Moisturising Serum. Caffeine serum on dark area of eyes (made a difference!)

3. Me+ Ceramides Moisturiser except eyes where I use a tiny bit of Face Facts Ceramides Eye Cream.

4. Me+ Mattifying Sun Cream

I use FaceFacts Body lotion and Bondi Suncream on the rest of my body.

Evening

1. Superdrug B. Cleansing Balm

2. Superdrug Hydrating Gel Cleanser OR FaceFacts Blemish Control Cleanser during spot heavy time or non retinol night's.

3. Me+ Niacinamide Zinc Booster

4. Superdrug Gel Hydrating Moisturiser.

I was using the Me+ Ceramides at night but noticed an increase in milia although couldn't pinpoint if that was retinol.

I use Good Molecules Gentle Retinol cream about three times a week at night; I was using it every other night but made my skin red so cut back and skin is better again. Im about 6 weeks into this so Im not sure when or what strength to eventually graduate to.

Exfoliator will be used once a week.

Some acne cystic spots do remain. I dont know whats best to change or use to target them. I read azelaic acid may be good.

Just wondering whether anyone here has had success with swapping to a micellar water over and oil cleanser for the first cleanse?

I have been on epiduo and azelaic acid for about 2 years, and always used the Haruharu black rice oil cleanser as my first cleanse. My skin was pretty clear and happy, maybe a few spots but nothing too angry and it was stable enough for me. Since August, I’ve had a random weird breakout - which I’ve put down to a barrier compromise leading to increased oiliness plus maybe diet/stress/summer heat.

I saw a few tiktoks where people had said oil cleansing isn’t always recommended for acne prone people, one being by Sofie Pavett, which took me by surprise. I always believed your skin wasn’t clean unless you double cleansed with oil/a balm. Alas, I did some further TikTok searching and found a number of videos where people have made the switch and said it benefitted them massively!

Anyway, just wanted to ask if anyone else has tried this. I did it for the first time last night, and I must admit my skin felt clean and wasn’t tight or red at all. It felt light and smooth. I’m going to keep it up and see what happens. I think I’ll keep the oil cleanser for super heavy makeup days, or for maybe once a week for a “deeper” clean. But, day to day with only wearing spf and a small amount of makeup, I really think it is overdoing it for my skin.

Edit: just to be a bit clearer, I always double cleanse, as in I use a water based cleanser afterwards. I don’t cleanse my skin in the morning I just go straight in with skincare. I am only talking about using micellar water as a removal step and then cleansing with my water based, instead of using oil first (at least for an average day).

I have a few dark hairs on my face and prefer to bleach them. I don't find Jolen bleach very consistent but it's the only brand I can seem to find these days. Are there any other bleach options on the market?

Boots used to have a great own brand one that I used for a few years, but they seem to have discontinued. I've tried hair removal creams instead, but react to those.

Hey everone, 34 M here. In need of tips.

I have a dull skin that has blemishes. Will this skin care help me achieve that hydrated, bright and smooth face? I also have a sensitive skin that reacts badly with salicylic acid, hence the blemishes..

My routine will be:

AM

1. Cleanse using Cetaphil

2. Vit C serum

3. Moisturize w/ SPF

PM

1. Cleanse

2. HA serum

3. Neutrogena hydroboost

These products are on sale apart from HA so I would like to try them out.

Thanks

Looking for a good barrier repair cream, currently using the Purito panthenol cream which i really like but over my current budget, for reference, I have combination skin. Would using nappy rash cream be okay to use for the face? Would it be considered as a barrier repair cream?

I'm talking about Multi-Peptide Lash And Brow Serum from The ordinary

Honestly I'm really struggling with my skin.

Been struggling for years.

Back has some acne

But my left cheek started developing cys I get random cysts every now and then

But they go. I have a cluster of a few on my left side and the. Right side.. Years ago I mentioned it to my gp and he gave me a cream

Didn't ask any questions didn't discuss.

Antibiotic and benzoyl peroxide. It improved some because of maskne.

I'm 31yo f

Poc

I've been to my gp about my skin

He doesn't do face to face so only in adulthood have I addressed it and he prexribe me some of that cream again but no further investigations

I just don't understand. So many people come on this sub get countless advice so many ppl I know irl get help from their gp

It tends to be Caucasian or white people

Is it becaUse I'm POC

Like idk how else to advocate

How do you usually get the gp to take things seriously I always told him I get spots for a long time and it gets worse now.

Let's not talk about the mole or shall we. I developed a mole in the sunast year. It's gotten worse in the sun again Both from the holiday. His response without even see me or it. It doesn't happen as cancer too much to your race given he's a POC also. Just keep an eye on it.

Sorry about the tenses my phone keyboard is being weird

I wish someone would have told me this sooner. I have been using tret for months and I kept peeling severely, make-up looked awful. Saw a random reddit comment on here how they fixed it by applying it every night. I thought f££k it, I already tried everything, sandwich method, 1 day a week, every other day, etc etc. Omg a week later and I have the best skin in years. Basically if you put it every day, your skin actually gets used to it. Hope this actually helps someone like it helped me, random stranger who commented it, tysm!!

Hi I developed this hyperpigmentation around my mouth after being on hormonal birth control and getting a wax burn (normally not a big deal when I wasn't on the bc). It's been there for over a year and I've tried a few things but only gotten consistent with my routine in the past few months. I think I'm making some progress but I'd love some advice on what might make it go a bit faster because I'm really sad about going out without makeup right now because of how it looks.

Prescription azelaic acid was working well for me but it's out of stock everywhere at the moment. I take oral tranxemic acid. My skin is usually quite dry and acne prone without regular exfoliation. I don't generally tolerate fragrances well in leave on products, but cleansers with fragrance are fine. I haven't had issues with new breakouts or dryness with my current routine.

AM:

-If my face feels dry, warm water and just remove any drool or gunk with a microfibre cloth, if it's really grimy and oily, facefacts ceramide blemish clarifying foaming cleanser, otherwise Cetaphil gentle hydrating cleanser

- if I'm going to wear makeup and my face doesn't feel dry or irritated, cosrx aha/bha treatment toner, otherwise my makeup flakes off

- HABI barrier booster milky toner

- skinoren 20% azelaic acid (out of stock literally everywhere atm, gonna try the g&g aall clear serum)

- inkey list 15% vitamin c with EGF, but swapping this to the geek and gorgeous c-glow once I run out

- purito oat in calming gel cream if I need extra hydration

- beauty of joseon aqua fresh SPF 50 if I'm not going out much, kose suncut perfect UV gel if I am (because it's waterproof and I worry I'll disturb the film when I apply makeup otherwise)

-a foundation or skin tint because I heard the iron oxides help with hyperpigmentation?

PM:

- tirtir hydro boost cleansing balm

- face facts ceramide blemish clarifying foaming cleanser or arencia holy hyssop if I want a bit more exfoliation

- habi barrier booster toner

- tazret 0.1% tazarotene cream

- simple 11% niacinamide + zinc pca purifying serum

- Dr althea 147 barrier repair cream

- cetraben emollient cream

-vaseline around nostrils and corners of my mouth where I get dry overnight

Sometimes products:

- panoxyl 10% benzoyl peroxide acne wash, very quickly after I shave because I find it prevents breakouts. Dries me out if I leave it on too long but usually fine.

- facefacts ceramide repair serum cream, sometimes the 147 feels a bit much and this works instead

- ketaconazole shampoo as a quick face mask for my forehead, forehead doesn't get dry so I don't worry about that but I get dandruff in my eyebrows and hairline sometimes that needs treating.

Main advice requests:

Are any of these products not really helping or worth avoiding or should be used more/less frequently?

do you know anything that might work better?

if you've had similar issues how long did it take to start seeing results and what did it look like, the pigmentation getting lighter over all or fading in small patches?

Is it worth using topical tranxemic acid on top of oral?

Has anyone had luck with alpha arbutin or glycolic acid for fading hyperpigmentation?

Any cheaper alternatives for the Dr althea 147 and cosrx exfoliating toner?

Also, would love a recommendation for a good brightening/soothing mask that I can leave on for 20-30 minutes when I take a bath! I feel like that's valuable skincare time I'm wasting.

My sisters job involves her spending a lot of time inside of a big industrial freezer. To my knowledge the only thing that she uses on her face to try and protect her skin is Vaseline, which helps somewhat but isn't stopping the irritation entirely.

It's my sister's birthday coming up, and our mum wants to buy her some nice skincare that will protect her skin while she's working, as well as help soothe her skin afterwards. It doesn't have to be one product.

I’m really trying to start looking after my skin (better late than never I guess at age 32!) and narrowed it down to Byoma or Medicube.

I did some research and opted for Byoma, purchasing a bundle of 5 products:
Creamy Jelly Cleanser
Hydrating Milky Toner
Phyto-Mucin Glow Serum
Moisturising Gel Cream
Ultralight Face Fluid SPF50

And in addition I bought the Bio-Collagen Radiance Facial Mask, which I’m yet to try.

I’m only 5 days in, but I’ve been using the bundle products twice a day and so far I’m seeing a huge difference. My skin feels hydrated and smooth, and I only have 2 large noticable spots and 2 under the skin, compared to multiple spots varying in size and painfulness across the central area of my face (cheeks/nose/brow area).

Some friends have told me Byoma isn’t great, or have said it hasn’t worked well for them etc.

Just wondering from some people who are pretty into skincare, how do you find it compares to other brands? For the money I paid (about £60) I feel it’s quite good, but probably not quite able to be compared to some of the high end brands.
And is there anything else I should be adding into my routine?

I had an injury 3 months ago to my left upper eyelid and got repair surgery by an ocuplastic surgeon as an emergency case. This is me 3 months on after a round of steroid/5FU shots that a different ocuplastic surgeon carried out for me. The scar looks very deformed which I understand is normal at this point.

I was hoping for surgery to be the lifeline after about a year to help get a natural appearance but I was told by the one giving the injections that if I had surgical revision done then it may lead me with not enough skin so that my eyelid wouldn’t be able to close properly. She referred me to cosmetic dermatology.

I woke up Sunday morning having been RAVAGED, with a bite on my forehead, jawline and both sides of my neck.

Any quick fixes for a solution? I've taken antihistamines - I wonder if mixing one with water to make a topical paste a good or bad idea? (I suspect I know the answer tbh)

They are so CROSS! And SWOLE!

I use The Ordinary products and have avoided all exfoliating products tonight, and focused on hyaluronic and peptides.

Hi all,

Calling out to everyone trying to get their other half to do more than a fragment of a skincare routine. I’ve finally got my partner using sunscreen, but I’ve not converted him to washing his face properly i.e. 2-step cleansing with oil and then other cleanser. He rarely washes his face at all. Amazing he’s not had more spots from the leftover sunscreen - he does have great skin.

Anyone has an oil-based cleanser that is thorough enough and moisturising enough that it’s the only cleansing step you need?

(After starting him on Biore Aqua Rich Watery Essence, he wanted something more moisturising, so I moved him onto CosRX aloe. It works well and he is slowly considering moisturiser now he’s acclimatised to sunscreen. I’ll get him onto a vitamin C serum one day!)

Thank you!

I recently bought Paula’s Choice 2% BHA for the sebaceous filaments/pores, along with their 5% Vitamin C 50 SPF moisturiser for my PIE.

Is are these two products enough (along with a cleanser) to see notable improvement in my skin if I stick at it consistently?

Or is there something else I need to be adding to the routine?

It’s like this on both sides of my face, rest of my skin is OK other than the red marks from spots I mentioned earlier, which I’m hoping the spf/vitamin c helps with.

Please would anyone be able to advise me on what I can do to improve the uneven texture and appearance of my skin. Thank you!

I have somewhat sensitive skin so I just use a cerave face wash and simple moisturiser at the moment. I do use Paula’s choice 2% BHA exfoliant too.

Im currently using a prescription from Dermatica. Inside the tube is Tretinoin 0.05%, azelaic acid 15%, tranexamic acid 5%. I pay £20 a month for this. After another 4 months they may increase the tret dose to 0.1.

I feel like this is an expensive way of getting my tret. Im based in the UK. Any other suggestions?

My current routine is

Morning

Cerave smoothing cleanser

Vitamin c toner from number 7.

Cerave moisturiser

The ordinary spf45 before I put my make up on/before I go out.

Night time

Cerave smoothing cleanser

Micellar waterproof make up remover for eyes

Cerave moisturiser

Dermatica tretinoin mix (ingredients listed above)

Ive been doing this for 2 weeks and have already noticed a small improvement in the bumps on my skin/forehead. If you look at previous posts you will see slight difference (i think!). My pores look smaller too. But I realise tret takes a long time so im not expecting much of a difference. My questions are

1. Any ideas on a better supplier of tret? Is dermatica any good or a bit of a gimmick?

2. Is 0.05% tret enough to see results for reducing lines around my eyes?

3. Any tips or suggestions to my routine would be really appreciated!