Highlight of my day was when the DHL truck came around with my Wishtrend order — I wasn’t expecting it until Monday.

Happy to support Picky on this — this was like my birthday + Christmas in April. 🤣

Wishtrend x Picky Haul

March is almost over! What products have you emptied this month? Attaching my empties report!

Drop your March empties

Emptied a good number this month, some of these have been in rotation in my routines since last year. In a rare occurrence , there is nothing in here I’m opposed to repurchasing! 

Ask away if you wanna know anything specific, though I think I’ve already uploaded reviews of these on both Picky and IG.

Drop your May empties!

Repurchasing products gets more challenging, especially once you start regularly getting products to review. I have some ride or die products that I always repurchase, though and I’m curious to see what’s yours.

Most repurchased product in your stash?

Hey guys just finished reviewing my first Super Picky Squad reward: the Keep Cool Set! You can check out reviews on my Instagram (@camelliaskinensis) — please follow if interested, I follow back skincare accounts. 

Just wanted to say that I set out to make the Super Picky Squad because of this set: I’ve always wanted to explore this brand more but never lucked out on review events by the brand on IG. So I uploaded a ton of reviews here and got active with the discussions and eventually got picked just in time to apply for this reward. And it was a great, package too! 

What I really like about Picky is the meritocracy: your efforts on the app pay off! Another thing I like is how generous Picky is with the review deadlines, they really give you enough time to test the products and compose your thoughts, and are open to adjusting if the product doesn’t get to you in adequate time.

Cheers to Picky, cheers to more rewards, and hope more people get their badges! 

P.S.  You can read my full reviews on IG or here on Picky but my top pick is the serum, my least fave is the shine mask. The oil and the cream worked for me but I’m unlikely to purchase them.

1st SPS reward reviews done!

✨This retails around $20 for 50ml, slightly more than what I’d spend, but not prohibitive, and I’ll likely purchase it when a sale comes my way.

✨ This serum banks on key ingredients of 5% niacinamide, plant-derived squalane, and hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) fruit extract to reduce pigmentation and even out skintone while smoothing and moisturizing the skin. It also claims to boost moisture retention. ✨ This is a translucent watery gel, with an herby scent — not for the scentsitive but not a dealbreaker for me. It spreads easily, absorbs fast, and doesn’t pill when layered with other products.
✨ I like that this is 5% niacinamide as my skin has shown sensitivity to 10% niacinamide — I’ve gotten a nasty niacin flush from the cult fave niacinamide serum, and I also disliked the way it pilled when used with other products in my routine. This #axisy serum is gentle enough to use daily, even in the same routine as my actives.
✨ I’ve been using this all month in my night routine and I can say this works well in conjunction with my chemical exfoliators and retinol — PIH I’ve acquired while in quarantine are fading fast and my skintone is remarkably even despite the time I spend pottering around the garden in the sun. ✨ Also, this has squalane, one of my all-time hero ingredients, and even right after application I can already feel how moist and plump my skin is, and the effect carries over until the next time I reach for this serum. My moisture barrier has also remained intact, despite the fact that I’m using a BHA toner on top of my actives.
✨ I think this would work well across all skin types but I’d especially recommend this to people sensitive to high concentrations of niacinamide (me)
✨I have to mention the packaging: it’s a tube with a built in pump, which makes it easy and hygienic to dispense.

Typical with retinols it peaks around the third month. I usually switch to a different brand but this is the retinoid I know I’ll keep on repurchasing

✨ This is a 2.5% retinol serum which claims all the benefits of the famous Vitamin A derivative: refine and smooth the skin’s surface, improve uneven skin tone, and reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation.
✨ Aside from retinol, this serum is formulated with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. It’s a lightweight serum with a non-greasy feel and is colorless, paraben free, alcohol free, fragrance free, and not tested on animals.
✨While I’ve only been using 1% retinol all this time (over a year), I didn’t experience any irritation or excessive dryness when I switched to this retinol (note that I would not recommend this strength to someone just starting retinol). I’ve been using this every other day for a month already and I’m seeing the same results as my other retinol serum, which costs more than ten times the price of this one.
✨ Retinol is one of the things I can’t live without; the first couple of months were rocky but worth it. I just love how glowy it makes me (swipe for unfiltered, unkempt, unwashed WOLT photo 😆) and generally just keeps my skin in better condition — hydration levels are easier to manage and retain, less breakouts, and faster PIH turnover. I even stopped getting recurring seb derm. Continuous use has also done wonders for fine lines and creases — I’ve successfully vanished some with retinol.

💜 Percentage of peptides is not officially documented but Hashiskincare tells me it’s very low (as per her inquiry with the brand). That said this will probably do better as a supplementary product, and will not likely give dramatic results in isolation.
💜 Pricing seems unstable, got this for about $10 on the Kmarket on Shopee earlier this year, though I think I’ve seen the prices go up quite a bit in the last few months, it sells for about twice the price now. Still not terribly expensive, but more than I usually spend on a serum so I’ll just have to wait for the sales to repurchase. Also eyeing some of the other serums from the brand (esp. the Blackberry Idebenone) so will def keep an eye out for good deals for Mary & May.

💜 This peptide serum is formulated with 6 types of peptides for a synergistic effect: carperpeptide, hexapeptide, and traypeptide help skin regeneration, while palmitoyl tripeptide and palmitoyl pentapeptide have excellent effects on wrinkle relief. The six peptides are combined into a golden ratio to regenerate collagen for skin elasticity.
💜 This is a clear, unscented serum, viscous in consistency but weightless on application and aquaeous in feel, absorbing almost instantly and the most lightweight among the peptide serums I’ve tried. 
💜 I’ve been using this serum in my night routines alongside other actives (including retinoids) and this layers really well considering my extensive lineup, and the elasticity is something you feel immediately upon application.
💜 It’s also been a stressful couple of months for me as work got super busy on top of all the holiday stress, and I think this serum works wonders at not letting all that show on my face. 🤪
💜 I’ve come to the point wherein a peptide serum is a staple in my routine, and while I like to cycle among brands, this will definitely go into the rotation.

🌞 I asked the brand if this oxidizes and I was advised to store it in the fridge, but so far it’s still as clear as it was the day I opened it.

🌞 This serum has 15% ascorbic acid, panthenol and hyaluronic acid. It claims to help fade pigmentation, reduce redness, improve skin elasticity, and protect against sun damage .
🌞 This is a clear, slippy, slightly viscous serum with no fragrance. I’ve been using this for three weeks in my morning routine, about a third of a dropper after my toner. There was a bit of tingling on first application, but I haven’t experienced any irritation from using this serum. This is lightweight, absorbs easily, and plays well with the rest of my morning routine. 
🌞 This has helped fade stubborn PIH faster (these days I get them mostly on my chin, from maskne), and gives me a nice glow, too. Time will tell if this helps fade freckles, but I use Vitamin C (under sunscreen, of course), to prevent new ones from cropping up. 
🌞 Keen on repurchasing this one as it’s affordable (under $10)and effective. So far everything I’ve tried from Cos de Baha (snail serum, glycolic acid, retinol serum) have exceeded expectations and are on my repurchase list!

This is unstable, so it is recommended to be stored in the fridge, and used up within 3 months

✨This toner blends antioxidant-rich Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and Vitamin E (tocopheryl acetate) that works to protect the skin from free radicals and helps revitalize the skin for a vibrant and healthy-looking complexion. The percentage of Vitamin C is undeclared but the product claims to be safe and  and non-irritating for all skin types, even sensitive skin. It also has niacinamide and allantoin in the ingredients list.
✨This toner is housed in a yellow-orange glass bottle. Upon purchase this toner is not yet active, instructions  tell you to press the button to release the Vitamin C powder in the cap into the Vitamin E toner, and to shake the bottle vigorously to evenly mix the powder. As with water-based Vitamin C the solution is unstable so the brand recommends keeping it in the fridge.
✨ It’s a clear, watery toner, no distinct scent and refreshing right off the fridge. My skincare fridge is malfunctioning now so this has been living in our fridge in the kitchen, but I go down to make my breakfast tea anyway so I just tone before I bring up my tea to my morning Zoom. It is hydrating (surprisingly given it is so watery) and skin softening, and I experienced absolutely no irritation with this toner.
✨ I paused all other vitamin C products during the testing period and I can definitely say that in terms of brightening, I did see visible results. I came from a beach trip and was a few shades darker, but in three weeks I’m evenly back to my original color and my PIH spots lightened considerably. 
✨ All in all, this is a toner I’m really enjoying, and one I’d recommend, especially for those who are intolerant of high percentages of Vitamin C.

Camelliaskinensis