Helloooooo depths of autumn. This is the latest it’s been before getting some serious snow here in Colorado, and the weather has been remarkably mild, but the increased cold weather dryness has definitely begun to hit. My empties seem to come in phases, with this month being lots of serums in particular. As a reminder, I have dry, dehydrated skin, and my primary skin concerns are hyperpigmentation and well-aging.

Exfoliants & Toners

🍋 Primera Mild Facial Peeling Gel

I got the Primera Mild Facial Peeling Gel as part of the Sephora sampler from the brand last Christmas, and I’m glad it was only a sample size. Peeling gels are products you rub onto your skin and then rinse off to exfoliate, and I’ve always found them to be gimmicky — the bits you feel on your skin as you massage are not actual dead skin coming up, but rather the cellulose in the product beginning to pill to do the exfoliation. My particular frustrations with this product were both the strong lemon smell (bathroom cleaner who?) but also the difficulty in rinsing — the cellulose bits stuck to my vellus hairs a few times, making me panic that the gel was actively messing up my skin. It wasn’t, but still, no thanks! This was definitely a “hate pan”, where I tried to use it as fast as possible (on my body) just to get it out of my life.
Opened: this month
Price: $22 USD / 150 mL; shown in a 15 mL sample size
Rating: 1/10

🍉 Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner

The Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner is really an exfoliant and a toner in the Korean style. While it is technically lightly exfoliating (gluconolactone for PHA, betaine salicylate for BHA), I found that I was able to use this every night, and even layered in a routine with a gentle retinol. Because it’s Glow Recipe, this toner focuses on a variety of plant extracts. Despite being part of their watermelon line, the smell is really that of cactus, which is the first ingredient. If your skin struggles with exfoliation or you struggle with sticking to a rotating actives (e.g. exfoliation one night, retinol the next) schedule, I recommend it — when I look at how long it took me to use up, the price doesn’t seem quite as high.
Opened: April
Price: $34 USD / 150 mL
Rating: 8/10

💧 Rovectin Skin Essentials Activating Treatment Lotion

The Rovectin Skin Essentials Activating Treatment Lotion is a staple in the k-beauty sphere, and one of the few Korean products I’m aware of that have yoinked the “lotion instead of toner/essence/skin” terminology. This is a clear, fragrance-free, full-bodied toner — I personally think the texture is pretty similar to Klairs Watery Oil Drop. It includes seven forms of hyaluronic acid, though thankfully it didn’t seem to dry out my skin, as well as multiple plant extracts, caffeine, panthenol and niacinamide to boost and hydrate the skin. If you’re looking for a straight-forward, hydrating toner with a variety of benefits and ingredients without irritation, this is a great option.
Opened: October
Price: $29 USD / 180 mL; shown in a sample size
Rating: 9/10

🍓 SkinRX Lab MadeCera Cream Double Essence Toner

The SkinRX Lab MadeCera Cream Double Essence Toner is a milky, two-phase toner (think the Dr Ceuracle essence, or the mists from Sioris). The whole line has a bit of a strawberry milk aesthetic and smell to it, which I enjoyed in the cream but enjoyed less in this toner, since it made it a bit overwhelming sensorially to layer. The formula is generally very nice, though — quite milky, in part due to the milk proteins, with madecassoside (a cica compound), ceramides, panthenol and beta-glucan.
Opened: October
Price: $26 USD / 150 mL for the full size; shown in a 30 mL travel size
Rating: 8/10

Serums

🍒 Good Skin Days C’s the Day Serum

I cannot evangelize the Good Skin Days C’s the Day serum enough. I just bought three more (currently safely next to the mustard in my fridge until they’re ready to open) during Soko Glam’s November sale. This vitamin c serum includes 10% ascorbic acid, so it will oxidize slowly but surely. This doesn’t have the characteristic stickiness or “hot dog water” smell that can characterize vitamin c serums, however. It also includes ginseng and mushroom extracts for extra antioxidant support, niacinamide and licorice root for brightening, and camu camu extract for an additional vitamin c boost.
Opened: August
Rating: 10/10
Price: $26 USD / 30 mL

⏪ Stratia Rewind

I originally fell in love with Stratia for their iconic Liquid Gold, and was actually gifted the Strati Rewind serum by the brand after they wanted to use a photo of my husband with his Stratia Liquid Gold haul. The hero ingredient of this is 2-Dimethylamino Ethanol (DMAE), which some studies show increase skin firmness, though it also includes niacinamide, hydrolized rice protein, panthenol, licorice extract, cica extract and tamarind extract. I didn’t notice any particular difference with this serum over other hydrating serums. I actually struggled a fair bit with this serum because it didn’t layer nicely with the rest of my (admittedly excessive) skincare routine, but think this might be a good option for those looking for workaholic serums in a minimal skincare routine.
Opened: June
Rating: 7/10
Price: $18 USD / 30 mL

🐌 Beauty of Joseon Revive Serum

The Beauty of Joseon Revive Serum, née the Repair Serum, was renamed because in Korea there are particular requirements around a product being considered “repairing”, but this does serve to “revive” the complexion as well. Ginseng, its principal hero ingredient is a particularly good antioxidant, as is mushroom extract, while snail mucin, niacinamide and centella all help support and promote healing of the skin. This serum isn’t gloopy at all, and is a good option for those looking for an antioxidant serum that also promotes skin barrier health.
Opened: August
Rating: 9/10
Price: $17 USD / 30 mL

🐝 Some By Mi Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Serum

I love a propolis serum, so when Some By Mi launched their Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Serum this summer, I immediately added it to my cart. Spoiler alert: I think it may be my favorite propolis serum. It’s certainly the most cost-effective: $20 for 50 mL, versus the more typical $30 for 30, and comes in a convenient pump bottle. This serum is 73% propolis, as well as the rest of the bee trifecta (aka honey and royal jelly), panthenol (ergo the B5), tea tree water, a variety of ferments and other plant extracts, as well as niacinamide, multiple cica compounds, and ceramides. The one potential drawback? It does include some masking fragrance, but the overall formula just smells like honey.
Opened: August
Rating: 10/10
Price: $20 USD / 50 mL

Last Step: Creams & Sunscreens

💦 Laneige Water Sleeping Mask

Laneige is mostly famous for their Cream Skin Refiner and their Lip Mask, but being a Korean brand they also offer a sleeping mask. This is a lightweight sleeping mask — definitely intended to be put over a moisturizer instead of in lieu of one, in my opinion. The color (blue, like the container) and fragrance (faintly floral) make it a nice experience, but otherwise it’s nothing special.
Opened: September
Price: $25 USD / 70 mL; shown in the 15 mL sample size
Rating: 6/10

🚫 Krave Beauty Beet Shield

Krave Beauty Beet Shield was my introduction to lightweight, wearable, Korean chemical sunscreens. The brand had been utilizing a labeling loophole such that they could sell it in the US (where the newer chemical filters aren’t yet FDA approved), so last Black Friday I bought 10, and still have three in my stash. This is a lovely sunscreen and, frankly, the one that I measure all other sunscreens by. It was shown to not be SPF 50, but my guesstimate is that this is still above SPF 30, just because I’ve personally see how it performs against sunburning. I now mostly use this as my go-to going-to-be-on-video-calls-all-day sunscreen.
Opened: August
Price: N/A — discontinued
Rating: 9/10

☀️ Isntree Watery Sun Gel

This is not our first empty of the Isntree Watery Sun Gel, and it won’t be the last. After the Krave Beauty Beet Shield was pulled off the market, this has been a skin-saver. This is a lightweight, chemical sunscreen which uses modern filters and has been verified that it meets its SPF 50+ PA++++ rating. While this bottle was opened in August (probably) we went through two of these during our Belize trip, too. It holds up nicely during long wear, and is a great sunscreen for people who don’t like sunscreen, because it doesn’t leave too dewy or too drying a finish.
Opened: August
Price: $17 USD / 50 mL
Rating: 10/10

Other Facial Skincare

👄 Rohto Mentholatum Water Lip Color Balm SPF 20 PA++

I loved the Rohto Mentholatum Water Lip Color Balm SPF 20 PA++ not wisely but too well — it met its demise in the laundry. As a card-carrying member of the dry lip club as well as an avid outside-in-the-summer human, an SPF lip balm is critical. This has no meaningful flavor, no noticeable smell and, at least on my lip color, on distinguishable color. It goes on smooth and does actually nourish the delicate skin of the lips.
Opened: May
Price: $6 USD / 4.5 g
Rating: 10/10

🍃 Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Powder

I won the Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Powder as part of a giveaway of the entire line from the brand last November. Notionally, skincare powders are an easy way to add an ingredient to your routine, without needing to add an additional serum. I had never used a skincare powder before, and frankly I don’t think that I will again — I’ll leave the formulating to the formulators. I found it difficult to tap out an appropriate amount (thank goodness it was just cica powder and not, say vitamin c powder — I’m looking at you, The Ordinary), and if I tapped out too much it it caused my other skincare to pill. If you’re looking for an easy way to incorporate centella asiatica compounds to calm your skin, I highly recommend the toner or serum from this line instead.
Opened: January
Price: $18 USD / 7 g
Rating: 2/10

Body Skincare

🛁 SOL Body Cleansing Oil

The SOL Body Cleansing Oil is piña colada yumminess. It is intended as a first cleanse for your body, which would make it great for use during the summer (is it just me, or is there no getting mineral sunscreen off your arms with a normal cleanser?). It definitely emulsifies easily — perhaps too easily, in my case, since I used it as a bath oil. It’s a bit of a fancy splurge, but if you’re at the point where you’ve tapped out your facial skincare potential and are looking for body skincare products and you don’t mind rum drink fragrances, this is a fun pick.
Opened: October
Price: $16 USD / 170 mL
Rating: 8/10

🧼 CeraVe Psoriasis Cleanser

Being obsessed with ceramides (the ingredient from which CeraVe takes its name), being curious about products which combine multiple actives and having had psoriasis during the summer of 2020 (thanks, Colorado wildfires — it was apparently a pretty widespread occurrence for folks), I decided to pick up the CeraVe Psoriasis Cleanser. This has 2% salicylic acid (BHA), as well as gluconolactone (PHA) and glycolic acid (AHA). But because CeraVe is all about skin barrier support, it includes ceramides, niacinamide, cholesterol and urea. Unfortunately this focus on skin barrier support did not keep this from being a very stripping body cleanser. It didn’t really foam — in fact, the texture was quite watery — but it was completely infeasible to not moisturize the very moment I got out of the shower after using this. Thankfully I didn’t have any psoriasis patches while using this, so I can’t speak to how well it would beat those back.
Opened: January
Price: $15 USD / 237 mL
Rating: 4/10

🥛 AmLactin Moisturizing Body Lotion

The AmLactin Moisturizing Body Lotion is a fragrance-free exfoliating body lotion, and a prime example, in my opinion, of why many brands can and should add fragrance to products. This smells awful. The texture is a standard, non-greasy lotion, and I’m sure with regular use it would have had my body looking soft and flawless due to the lactic acid (which, incidentally, is also why it smells terrible — lactic acid tends to have a very distinctive smell). But I couldn’t use it regularly, because of how bad it smelled. The moment I popped it open, Fran (my mini aussiedoodle) came running to lick it, because her take on tasty is basically “smells strongly.” In order to finally use it up, I had to be prepped to slide my pants up over my legs so she couldn’t immediately lick it all off (this had the added bonus of shielding my nose from its characteristic smell), and wash my hands immediately after.
Opened: April
Price: $13 USD / 225 g
Rating: 2/10

🔵 Make P:Rem UV Defense Me Blue Ray Sun Fluid

My husband is notorious for not liking the heavy feel of US sunscreens, so I picked up this large face and body sunscreen from Yesstyle for us for the summer. This bottle kicked around with our outdoor gear — whether in the mountain biking backpacks or by Fran’s leash — and was great because it dried down quickly without being too drying or too dewy. Unfortunately the brand has since reformulated the Make P:Rem UV Defense Me Blue Ray Sun Fluid, and the new formulation has a white cast, though this one did not.
Opened: July
Rating: 9/10
Price: N/A — discontinued in its current format