RENTINOIDs: the BEST super ingredient

The Cosrx aha and bha toner helped me with exfoliating and letting products absorb better. The CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol helped with my hyperpigmentation and pores. My current favorite Differin Gel is helping me with my dark spots and acne. The Hero Cosmetics Lightning Wand is helping me fade my dark spots and hyperpigmentation. I have used the Netrogena Benzoyle Peroxide for so long and it’s helped me control my acne. And lastly The Inky List bha serum helped me with my black and white heads.

Hi friends❤️ In this post I’m going to walk you through my PM routine on the nights that I use Differin! Step 1: first cleanse If I am wearing makeup I use the THE inkey LIST - Oat Cleansing Balm This is by far my favorite product in my whole skincare collection! I cannot say enough good things about this product. I would give it more stars if I could! It gets ALL of my makeup off including mascara and also feels soooooo soothing on my skin. The texture makes it so relaxing to massage on my face after a long day. The smell isn’t great but it doesn’t bother me at all, just smells like oats. Possibly the best thing about this product is the value! It is only $10 for a huge tube that has lasted me almost 3 months and it’s not close to running out. I highly recommend this product because it is the best price for a first cleanse that I’ve found and is very soothing on my dry skin! Step 2: Second cleanse For my second cleanse after my makeup is off, I’ve been loving VANICREAM - Gentle Facial Cleanser This product is super gentle and doesn’t leave my face feeling dry after! I was on vacation a few weeks ago and forgot a cleanser so I picked this up and ended up absolutely loving it! Step 3: moisturizer I have been using the CeraVe - Skin Renewing Night Cream on the nights I use Differin first because I have dry skin to start out with, plus Differin really makes my skin flaky! I have had this night cream for awhile and it is good. I switched to using the CeraVe - CeraVe Moisturising Cream but it made my face sting and I think it was making me break out more 😭 so now I just use that on my body. So now I’m back to finishing the renewing night cream. I gave this product 4/5 stars only because I’m not in love with it. It is good but I will probably try a different moisturizer for night time when I finish this tub! Step 4: Differin Gel I have only been using DIFFERIN - DIFFERIN Acne Treatment Gel every other night consistently for the past 2 weeks. This is the only reason I have given it 4 stars, I don’t know what my results with this product will be yet! I will keep you all updated on how it is helping my skin. This is my last try before going to a derm about my acne. I am hopeful that it will help, but I do know it can take a few months! ❤️❤️❤️

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 is a customized skincare subscription service - i’m sure we’ve all heard of it! Ever since I learned about prescription tretinoin, I knew I had to try it. I like that Curology can prescribe Tretinoin through an online consultation so it saved me a lot of money. I signed up and I received my first bottle in the first week of 2020. ⁣ ⁣ 𝐌𝐲 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞 & 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬:⁣ I have combination, sensitized, acne-prone skin with PIH⁣ ⁣ 𝐌𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 & 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭:⁣ I used two formulas: ⁣ First month (January): Tretinoin 0.01% , Clindamycin 1%, Azelaic Acid 4%⁣ Next two months: Tretinoin 0.018%, Clindamycin 1%, Azelaic Acid 8%⁣ ⁣ *NOTE: I specifically asked for tretinoin and azelaic acid ⁣ * I have been using Adapalene for two months before I started Curology and was at the purging stage. ⁣ ⁣ 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡: ⁣ My free trial arrived the first week of January and I tried it right away. As per the instructions, I washed my face with a gentle cleanser, applied moisturizer then the cream. I used it 2x a week. I was alternately using it with Adapelene. For the first month, the effects weren’t super obvious - other than my skin becoming smoother and softer feeling than it ever had before. ⁣ ⁣ 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡: ⁣ I think my skin was at its worst in my second month of Tretinoin (4th month adapalene). I had more cystic acne and I was literally red all day -- I like to call it my full-on purging stage. I just stuck to it anyway. By this time, my skin was also feeling dry and I had slight peeling. My routine was: cleanser, thick moisturizer, and tretinoin. I was using my formula 3x a week. ⁣ ⁣ 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡:⁣ The last weeks of the third month was when I saw the big changes in my skin. I was able to use the cream nightly by this time. Only word I can use to describe it is - shocked. I went from having cystic, red acne and rough patches to having smooth and completely calmed skin. Though left with hyperpigmentations, my skin was better than ever. ⁣ ⁣ 𝗪𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐰: ⁣ After 3 months with Curology (with simplified skin care routine and adapalene) almost all of my cystic acnes were gone. Something I had thought months ago never would be possible. In April, I started my Triluma journey (tretinoin 0.5% + hydroquinone +mild steroid) to treat the hyperpigmentations left behind. I finished my tube last May and from then on used another brand of tretinoin (0.5%) for maintenance and to treat PIH. ⁣ ⁣ 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: ⁣ All I gotta say is that Curology is a great service, for most people. Unfortunately there are some of us for whom the base and/or certain ingredients simply won't work, and I believe that's no fault of Curology.⁣ I thoroughly recommend Curology. It’s a great option to get our hands on prescription strength products, like Tretinoin cream, without paying for an expensive private consultation.