Sephora

@chelsloiselle TL; DR-Hi hun. I have to say that as @NARSjunkie2934 said it's great that you're starting young! I did not and struggled with acne quite a lot around my forehead and temples mostly and now have scars. Anyway, you kind of have to experiment a bit and unfortunately it take a bit of time to see what works. Dry skin with bumps not pimples,right,? My guess is that you may not be moisturizering enough. Most people assume that having bumps or pimples means oily skin but not necessarily. Sometimes it's a lack of hydration/moisturizering. The best suggestion for clear skin? Water and moisturizing. Drinking a lot of water flushes the yuck out of your system which is good for your whole body not just your face. If you have dry skin obviously you want a moisturizing cleanser as well. Do you wear makeup? If so I'd say use a cleansing balm. Korean skincare has been great for me. Heimish cleansing balm is amazing for removing makeup and dirt while moisturizering. Even if you don't wear makeup it's good. Toners are mostly gimmicks. ***CeraVe has a decent cleanser and La Roche Posay a good moisturizer. My 11 year old has dry skin with bumps and loves Dermalogica Clear Start. Give something at least a month of daily use before giving up on it. Aim for AM and PM but at least PM. Water, water, water! And yes, SPF even inside the house.*** Best wishes sweetie. And someone should always be around here to answer questions.

@RGbrown Thank you for all the work, as always! Hate to sound like an “old timer”, but remember when the buy-ins for this mystery GWP were $50-$60?

Yes, it is, @lmaster ! I'm so glad I bought it! 💖💖💖

Thanks for your review, @Ispend2much6 ! Your hair looks very pretty! I haven't tried any of these goodies yet (although I've used the Moroccanoil before). I'll probably try the K18 products tomorrow.

Hi @alycia234 ! Couple questions for you: How long have you used tretinoin? Did the doc who prescribed tretinoin give you any skincare routine advice? Since tretinoin's quite drying, consider this super easy routine: Night: SpoilerGentle cleanser (nightly) - what do you currently use to wash your face? You may need a hydrating cleanser that doesn't leave your skin feeling stripped, dry, or "squeaky clean." I use the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser Bar on my face and body in the shower each night. That's the lathering bar version of the non-lathering cream CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser. Vanicream, Cetaphil, and Paula's Choice also make good gentle cleansers. Moisturizer (nightly) - what do you currently use? Those brands I mentioned earlier also make good moisturizers. At night, I alternate a Paula's Choice and Vanicream moisturizer. (I use a different form of vitamin A called retinaldehyde each night.) Whichever one you use, always apply it to damp (but not soaking wet) skin to seal in hydration instead of dryness. Tretinoin (whatever frequency works for you) - yes, it'll still work if applied over moisturizer. Well, unless your moisturizer is a thick petrolatum-based balm (CeraVe Healing Ointment, Aquaphor Ointment, Vaseline, etc.). Otherwise, a moisturizer can act as a buffer and reduce tretinoin's side effects without stopping it from working. Applying in this order also helps ensure your skin gets well moisturized before you add tretinoin. If you find your skin's still too dry using this method, consider using one of those balms I just mentioned: apply it after moisturizer and tretinoin. Or you can apply a second layer of your usual moisturizer after tretinoin instead. Gentle cleanser (nightly) - what do you currently use to wash your face? You may need a hydrating cleanser that doesn't leave your skin feeling stripped, dry, or "squeaky clean." I use the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser Bar on my face and body in the shower each night. That's the lathering bar version of the non-lathering cream CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser. Vanicream, Cetaphil, and Paula's Choice also make good gentle cleansers. Moisturizer (nightly) - what do you currently use? Those brands I mentioned earlier also make good moisturizers. At night, I alternate a Paula's Choice and Vanicream moisturizer. (I use a different form of vitamin A called retinaldehyde each night.) Whichever one you use, always apply it to damp (but not soaking wet) skin to seal in hydration instead of dryness. Tretinoin (whatever frequency works for you) - yes, it'll still work if applied over moisturizer. Well, unless your moisturizer is a thick petrolatum-based balm (CeraVe Healing Ointment, Aquaphor Ointment, Vaseline, etc.). Otherwise, a moisturizer can act as a buffer and reduce tretinoin's side effects without stopping it from working. Applying in this order also helps ensure your skin gets well moisturized before you add tretinoin. If you find your skin's still too dry using this method, consider using one of those balms I just mentioned: apply it after moisturizer and tretinoin. Or you can apply a second layer of your usual moisturizer after tretinoin instead. Morning: SpoilerGentle cleanser (optional, as needed) - not everyone needs to wash their face in the morning. Try skipping the AM wash a few times a week and see if that helps reduce dryness. Most mornings, I just gently wipe my face down with a wet plush microfiber cloth (like a Makeup Eraser), and I only wipe where needed, usually around my eyes. If I do need a cleanser in the morning, I use either a very gentle cream cleanser by Paula's Choice or a cleansing balm ( The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm 5 oz/ 150 mL or Paula's Choice Omega + Complex Cleansing Balm 3.5 oz/ 104 mL )—and again, only where I need it, like around my eyes. Moisturizer (daily) - can be the same one you use at night. Broad spectrum sunscreen (daily) - at least SPF 30, applied to all skin exposed to sunlight, all year long, regardless of weather or season. There's no point using anything to reduce acne marks (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) and uneven skin tone if you don't also stop the sun from doing more damage. 🙂 Do you already use a sunscreen? Gentle cleanser (optional, as needed) - not everyone needs to wash their face in the morning. Try skipping the AM wash a few times a week and see if that helps reduce dryness. Most mornings, I just gently wipe my face down with a wet plush microfiber cloth (like a Makeup Eraser), and I only wipe where needed, usually around my eyes. If I do need a cleanser in the morning, I use either a very gentle cream cleanser by Paula's Choice or a cleansing balm ( or )—and again, only where I need it, like around my eyes. Moisturizer (daily) - can be the same one you use at night. Broad spectrum sunscreen (daily) - at least SPF 30, applied to all skin exposed to sunlight, all year long, regardless of weather or season. There's no point using anything to reduce acne marks (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) and uneven skin tone if you don't also stop the sun from doing more damage. Do you already use a sunscreen? Tretinoin (vitamin A in general) should help balance your skin tone and fade acne marks over time. Some hyperpigmentation-fighting ingredients that pair well with vitamin A are azelaic acid (also good at fighting acne), arbutin, kojic acid, and licorice root. Some folks have good success with vitamin C, especially ascorbic acid. But don't add any of that stuff to your routine until you've followed a simple routine for a month or so. Once you've done that, consider adding ONE of these products to your AM routine (between cleanser and moisturizer): The INKEY List SuperSolutions 10% Azelaic Serum Redness Relief Solution 1 oz / 30 mL Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster 1 oz/ 30 mL The Ordinary Azelaic Acid 10% Suspension Brightening Cream Hyper Skin Brightening Dark Spot Vitamin C Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL (contains arbutin, kojic acid, and licorice root) The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA Hyperpigmentation Serum See how your skin handles that product for a few weeks. Note that azelaic acid can make your skin itchy. I use it daily; at first, it made me itchy for 30-60 minutes after application, but my skin acclimated and I no longer have that issue when using it. You can also get prescription strength (15-20%) azelaic acid from your doctor, if you're in the US. Speaking of your doctor: feel free to pick your tretinoin-prescribing doc's brain for suggestions. You might as well get your money's worth from a medical expert, right? 😉

@Titian06 Thank you. Slowly starting to.

I have dry skin that is prone to acne and blackheads if not absolutely babied, and I personally am a devout daily user of Herbivore Jasmine Green Tea Oil Control Toner. I swipe my whole face with a soaked beauty round to exfoliate, then follow up with Herbivore Orchid Oil. Hope this helps!

My best suggestion is to lean into whichever features give you the most gender euphoria! A 12 or 16 season personal color analysis goes a long way towards creating both confidence and ease of product color selection. You look like you could be a winter or an autumn, but a drape analysis would be necessary to know for sure! As far as product recommendations: Your lips are gorgeous; I bet your amazing look would be instantly elevated with a simple ph lip oil like the Haus Labs lip oil! You'd also be stunning with a high pigment, colored eyeliner like (again) Haus Labs clean eyeliner.

My name is Luna Rose, I'm maverique/aporagender, and my pronouns are 'ey/'em. My agender spouse uses they/them pronouns. I love to see all y'all pronouns!💛🌷✨