I've been using a 40mL pump bottle of Komenuka Bijin Medicated Beauty Whitenting Essence as part of my daytime routine for the past few weeks.
Since my little one weaned himself off at the end of April, my hormones went nuts. I gained a bunch of weight and broke out like crazy. Thankfully, my skin has since calmed down a bit, but I still have some scarring which I've read that most whitening products will help with. So yeah, I'm actually using a whitening product right now ^.^
Since my little one weaned himself off at the end of April, my hormones went nuts. I gained a bunch of weight and broke out like crazy. Thankfully, my skin has since calmed down a bit, but I still have some scarring which I've read that most whitening products will help with. So yeah, I'm actually using a whitening product right now ^.^
This essence is a clear gel that's mostly odorless, and I said mostly because if I sniff it long enough, I can smell a faint sake scent but otherwise it's not really detectable. It feels slightly sticky on but absorbs quickly and leaves my skin comfortable and ready for moisturizer.
So far, my scars have only faded slightly, so slightly I'm not sure if it's the skin's natural healing process or this essence is actually helping, even if not much. We'll see if the scars are still there once I finish this bottle. If all things fail, I might just go back to Differin every third night and TriAcneal for eye cream.
Hormonal breakouts are the worst. I know all about them.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried the Melano CC Essence? It works pretty well on active and residual red marks.
Hi Julia,
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried Melano CC Essence. Duly noted! Thank you for the recommendation!
Cheers,
D.
It's super popular on Reddit as well, and my mother swears it made her old pregnancy mask faint a bit! I use it on pimples, but on my white skin, red marks stay forever...
ReplyDeleteHi Julia,
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting--I've heard of items being popular on Reddit several times before. Is it the Asian Beauty subreddit?
Cheers,
D.
It is! I hang out there frequently, but as with any recommendation and online forum, you have to take things with a grain of salt.
ReplyDeleteHi Julia,
ReplyDeleteI'm actually scared of crowd wisdom when it comes to skincare--I've tried a few and they were totally hit and miss. It was as if I'd tried the stuff at random anyway. Ha.
Yeah, I get that. People buy something because of advertising, and then they try to convince everyone that it's the best thing ever, only to come back two weeks later and be all, "oops, this actually broke me out". I've seen people ask for acne-safe sunscreen and someone recommended the most alcohol-laden, breakout-causing product ever, which I told them in a comment.
ReplyDeleteI like to browse reddit for suggestions if I need new stuff, but I always look up the ingredients and as many reviews from people with similar skin issues as I can, and even then I rarely buy new stuff. Sometimes I have to, though, (like when a sunscreen gets reformulated), and that's when the internet comes in handy.
Hey Julia,
ReplyDeleteInstagram is my source for new stuff, though mostly makeup and not skincare, but I've actually gotten several new skincare and sunscreen items from Instagram too, so it does happen. I only follow the folks I like on Insta though, so that might be the key difference.
If you see anything cool from Reddit, I'd love to hear it because browsing it myself might be a tad, umm, dangerous for my pocket hahaha
Cheers,
D.
Ha, the nice thing about having difficult skin is that every time a product is being hyped, I look up the ingredients and think, "nope, not for me", so I'm rarely tempted to buy anything other than lip products lol. I did buy a big bottle of Sekkisei's lotion because of the limited edition design with the turtle on it, oops. ^^;
ReplyDeleteI actually think that you seem to have tested most of the popular products anyway. People on reddit usually rave about Korean stuff or for Japan, Hada Labo, Kiku Masamune, the Meishoku Ceracolla line or Rosette Ceramide line, various sunscreens (have you tried the Canmake Mermaid UV Skin Gel?) and the Melano CC I mentioned above.
Hey Julia,
ReplyDeleteActually, I think I've finally, finally learned to stay away from any sunscreen that calls itself a "gel," with the last one purchased being Evermere Moist Tec UV Gel that Anna raved about (http://asianskincareblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/evermere-moist-tec-uv-gel-spf50-pa.html). She hates every other sunscreen so naturally I'm curious to see what she likes to much about this gel. But I haven't gotten around to it yet, having about half a dozen other half-used gels I still have to finish up, which is the reason I'd stopped buying sunscreen gels in the first place. Ha.
Cheers,
D.
I think I saw her post when it first came out! What is your favorite sunscreen, then? I like the Canmake "Gel" (it's not really a gel if you ask me) because it doesn't freak my skin out, but it's not enough for summer, so right now I'm using Skin Aqua Moisture Milk on most days or Anessa Mild Milk on extreme ones.
ReplyDeleteHi Julia,
ReplyDeleteI actually don't have a favorite. I just move from one thing to another and keep trying new stuff. Sounds crazy, right? There's one trusty item I've been using consistently since coming home from Tokyo was Sunkiller Perfect Strong Moisture (http://alittledabintomakeup.blogspot.com/2016/03/sunkiller-perfect-strong-moisture-spf50.html), but even then I'm only using it to thin up the really thick and drying milks and "gels." In reality, I can't use any of these sunscreen by themselves anymore and have been sticking to "mixing cocktails" +.+
I think I've tried Skin Aqua Moisture Milk before and I have Anessa Mild Milk too, which I can't wait to try!
Cheers,
D.
I don't think you need to have a favorite - actually, with all the reformulations, you'd just open yourself up to heartbreak! X'D I use whatever my skin tolerates, and I guess that makes the products favorites for me even if they're not perfect. Maybe I don't mind thick and sticky formulas as much because I feel like they protect me better (which isn't necessarily the case lol), seeing as I burn fairly easily.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I'll reply to your email soon, sorry! I haven't forgotten, I've just been busy job-hunting.
Very true! Same here, I'm just going from one thing to another, whatever my skin can deal with.
ReplyDeleteAnd no worries about the email. Take your time! I'm not going anywhere xD
Cheers,
D.