There are a lot of discussions about what our holy grails are, and they're great to find new products. However, I don't think I've ever come across ones with the worst product recommendations people have used (and/or trashed). This would be useful so that we can all avoid the nasty ones. So fellow Picky users, let us discuss our anti holy grails! Let's stick to SPFs for now as they're the foundation to any skincare routine.

My anti holy grail SPF is the NUXE facial sunscreen. This literally burned my eyes off, gave me the whitest white cast, had the most disgusting smell and the texture was a mix between super glue and tar. Basically, anything that could go wrong with an SPF was wrong with this SPF.

Anyways would love to hear everyone else's anti holy grails. What's your worst SPF and why?

What's the worst SPF you've ever tried?

So I've finally gotten round to adding vitamin C to my routine and so far not seen any results (it's only been a few weeks though lol). The facetheory one I'm using feels like an oil and takes ages to dry down so I'm not sure if I would purchase it again. What are some of your vit c serum recommendations that don't feel oily/greasy on the skin??

Thanks!!

Best Vitamin C Serum??

Yaaay my first giveaway wins! Can't wait to try these on!! Thank you so much picky and The Potions!! ❤️❤️❤️

OMGGGG I WON THE POTIONS GIVEAWAY!

Hello my fellow picky users! Last night, after having done my extra af 10 step skincare routine (I do this rarely btw!), putting my headphones in for my sleep meditations and having laid down on my silk pillow I was wondering how could I make my sleep routine even more decadent?

Then I thought about sleeping masks! In nearly all American movies, the female characters who are supposedly popular wear sleeping masks to bed. I'm referring to the sleep aids usually worn for a pitch black surrounding (please see photo).

However, I was wondering if this was a big no no in the skincare community as it is in contact with the face for long periods of time. So, my fellow picky users, what's the verdict on sleeping masks?

Sleeping Masks?

Hi! I have always had red spotty skin around my cheeks and nose which would flare up whenever I was hot, flushed or embarrassed. I always passed this off as teenager type skin and never really thought anything of it, until I recently came across this article about rosacea. Symptoms for rosacea sound very much like what I have! I now believe that I have this illness (although have not been to the GP yet). This got me wondering if anyone else has rosacea but thought it was their normal skin? What do you use to reduce the redness?

Thanks!

Rosacea

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**I received this product for free from Picky and Purito in exchange for my honest review.**

The dermide balancing barrier balm feels luxurious on my face, my skin can't get enough of it! It's of a thick, luxurious texture and no scent. For me, as I have dry skin, this is perfect for both AM and PM; however, that being said I can tell it will be too heavy for the AM routine for some skin types. Despite it being of a thicker consistency, the balm melts into my skin beautifully and doesn’t feel sticky or unpleasant. It doesn't feel greasy, in fact I can't even tell it's on my face. It certainly doesn't feel heavy! It has no scent as the product is fragrance free, which is a bonus for people with easily irritated skin. This would be an excellent winter cream when my skin is usually at its driest! I love using this on a night and it completes my routine very well!

UPDATE: After using this for a few weeks, I have already noticed a visible reduction in redness in my cheeks. I have roseaca in both cheeks so it's an absolute delight to see my redness go down!

The only con I can think of is that it's not moisturising enough to be used without a moisturiser. One night I didn't put my moisturiser on underneath as I thought this could work for a duel purpose but I was sadly mistaken. It felt a little more drier than usual.

**I received this product for free from Picky and SKIN1004 in exchange for my honest review.**

This sleeping mask feels luxurious on my face, my skin can't get enough of it! It contains some really key ingredients for calming and hydrating the skin;

🌲hyaluronic acid for hydration
🌲cica for calming
🌲ceramides for barrier strengthening
🌲niaciamide for oil regulation and evening skin tone
🌲adenosine for anti-aging

I noticed straight from day one, my skin looked calm and less irritated which was fantastic. It's of a light watery gel consistency and dries down on the skin fairly quickly. It didn't feel greasy, in fact I can't even tell it's on my face. It certainly doesn't feel heavy! It has this gorgeous scent that adds to the luxurious feeling. I love using this on a night and it completes my routine very well!

I'm not a fan of the applicator. It's difficult to measure out the correct amount of SPF to use by using the two finger length method. That being said I now just have to eye it out so it's not so good.


**I received this product for free from Picky and SKIN1004 in exchange for my honest review.**

When I received this SPF, I was pleasantly surprised by this! It doesn’t sting my eyes, has no odour (not even that weird sunscreen smell that non-fragranced SPFs have) and doesn’t leave a white cast on my brown complexion. It is beautifully formulated and has enough moisturising properties for my dry skin. I’ve been using it every day since I received it and it has performed well for day-to-day use. I like to use this as my morning SPF, finishing off my AM routine with this product, as it doesn’t disturb my other products. It's great for reapplication as it feels light on the skin. Overall, I am pleasantly surprised by this SPF and will be repurchasing it!

It is difficult to get one patch out without getting a load out in one go! If the spatula was a tong shape then that would have been better  Furthermore, PAO is 3 months and given the fact that there are 60 patches I don't think I'll be able use them all within 3 months!

**I received this product for free from Picky and Baciel in exchange for my honest review.**

Key ingredients:

● 73% Sea water
● Hydrolized collagen
● Collagen amino acids
● Sea algae | Kelp | Spirulina

These eye patches are great for nourishing and brightening the eye area whilst also focusing on deterring wrinkles. It's great to instantly hydrate the eye area especially during the colder months. There are 60 patches, which will give 30 uses. Whilst I used them under the eye area, the patches stayed on for a long time which is great. I felt a slight cooling affect which added to the experience!

I suppose the main con when it comes to all skin1004 products is answering this question: does the elegant packaging and beautiful design detract from what's within the bottle? Is it all style over substance? Well the answer to that will depend on a number of factors and each individual person will have different skin needs so it'll be different for everyone. However for my skin, time will tell and I'm hoping to update this review with the answer so watch this space!

SKIN1004 MADAGASCAR CENTELLA POREMIZING FRESH AMPOULE

**I received this product for free from Picky and Skin1004 in exchange for my honest review.** #pickyreview #gopicky #pickycreators @go.picky @pickyrewards @pickycreators @skin1004official

Key Points:
🌲50% Centella Asiatica Extract - nourishes sensitive skin and repairs the skin barrier.
🌲Peptide 9 Complex - Facilitate the production of collagen and elastin in order to help increase skin density and make the skin firmer.
🌲Himalayan Pink Salt - Removes impurities deeply from pores.

This poremizing ampoule comes in a beautiful and elegantly packaged 100ml glass bottle. I live for skin1004 packaging because they go above and beyond in order to create elegant masterpieces with their skincare! I just adore the pink cloudy background of the sticker and when you turn the ampoule around you can see pink clouds on the back of the sticker too. I feel they have marketed this ampoule well, from the design and colour being pink to coincidentally  including Himalayan pink salt. The dropper is slightly angled for ease of use and distribution of the product.

When it comes to the actual ampoule, it is slightly watery and viscous, however it is easy to apply and absorbs into the skin quickly. It makes my skin feel supple and hydrated after putting this on. It layers well with other products and works best in conjunction with the poremizing deep cleansing foam.