I'm currently using vitamin C, niacinamide, and AHA/PHAs to try to even out and take care of my skin tone and my dark spots.

I was wondering if changing my brighteners to a alpha arbutin and a tranexamic acid duo would be better for my darker complexion (FENTY 390 - 400 for reference).

I attached the things I normally use below.

Would Alpha Arbutin and Tranexamic Acid be stronger dark spot and hyperpigmentation brighteners on dark skin?

The Bad:

💔 Product gets hard to squeeze out the less there is in the bottle since the actual tube itself is quite bendy/flexible. I'm around halfway through mine and it's a little bit of a fight when I'm tired and trying to wash my face using this.

💔 This product would probably benefit from a pump instead, but the packing being so simple must be what allows it to be low cost.  The squeeze tube gets messy after a while and gets product trapped in the cap. 

💔 Cleanser is probably a better option for dry, and/or sensitive skin types, and not combo, and DEFINITELY NOT oily skin.

💜 pH Balancing Bubble Free Cleanser from ACWELL 💜

This review is for the cleanser from ACWELL that comes in the light purple bottle like in the picture, I'm the person who requested that this product be added to the library!

My more specific skin type: Combination (Oily T-Zone, dry cheeks. Acne-prone in general), and hard to get an adverse reaction from, I could use pretty much anything and be okay. 

The Good:

💜 Two words: FRAGRANCE 👏🏾 FREE 👏🏾

💜 Very affordable (18 dollars USD from Soko Glam) while having a lot of product in the bottle (~5.5 ounces).

💜 Non-stripping or irritating cleanser, I feel comfortable using this when my skin is having a bad time since I know it won't add to the problem with its gentle ingredients while still addressing my skin concerns (hyperpigmentation/dark spots) with ingredients like licorice root extract.

💜 If you're into packaging, it's very Insta skincare shelf worthy with its lovely exterior design thanks that soft purple color and white text.

The Bad:

💔 Has additional fragrance in it, which is dangerous especially to sensitive skin types

💜 Banilla Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm - Purifying 💜

Product Info: ~24(?) dollars USD on Soko Glam, could likely get cheaper off of Amazon but more risky since Amazon has sellers that are giving fake products. If you are buying from Amazon, do your due diligence and check the seller, if it is not Amazon, the company, or the approved seller that is chosen in the items listing or preview pictures DO NOT BUY. ❌

The Good:

💜 Removes everything sitting on the skin but without leaving the skin dried or drying out. 

💜 A little bit covers a lot of ground, so the container can last a while.

💜 Quick and relaxing to use with its melting down the more you spread it around your face.

The Bad:

💔 The dewy&#47;glowy finish may end up looking greasy on people with outright oily skin

💔 When applying sunscreen following the two finger rule like I do, it takes a while for it to rub in so you don&#39;t have white streaks of product sitting on your face.

🧡 Bombee Honey Sunscreen 🧡

My more specific skin type: Combination (Oily T-Zone, dry cheeks) Acne-prone in general.

Product info: ~26 dollars on Soko Glam for ~1.7(?) ounces, may have changed when they changed the formula and I have not tried the new formulation since I bought this sunscreen in March of this year.

The Good:

🧡 NO 👏🏾 WHITE 👏🏾 CAST 👏🏾

🧡 Moisturing with a nice dewy&#47;glowy finish

🧡 Not heavy or pore clogging to cause acne&#47;breakouts the next day

The Bad:

💔 Could come to be a bit expensive to some people, I personally don't plan on repurchasing but the value/jumbo size of this product on the Korres website ~15 ounces for 56 dollars USD, might be a better avenue to take if you really like this product.

💔 There is undisclosed fragrance in this, while I didn't really notice since it doesn't smell good or bad, I'd say it just has a generic makeup/foundation smell that isn't intrusive or pungent but the fragrance being there period can still be irritating to skin. I can only imagine what it actually smells like without the fragrance since even with it, it doesn't smell fantastic. 😭

💔 Definitely for drier skin types, and probably not for those with oily (due to the lack of oil control ingredients) or sensitive skin (due to the AHA and fragrance)

💙 Korres Greek Yogurt Foaming Cream Cleanser 💙

MY more specific skin type: Combination (Oily T-Zone, dry cheeks) Acne-prone in general.

Product info: $26 dollars USD (off of brand's official website) for the standard size of  ~5.1 ounces

The Good:

💙 A little goes a long way, you don't need a lot to wash your whole face! So this ione bottle that I got from my sister in law has been lasting a while (~ 3 months since and the bottle is halfway finished, but keep in mind I don't use this absolutely every night  maybe around 4-5 times a week) 

💙 Nice exfoliation with lactic acid ( an AHA) while you're washing your face! My skin always feels so smooth and soft after using this without me following up with my other products yet. 

💙 The way it foams up is really satisfying and relaxing, and it doesn't dry out my skin since it is hydrating at the same time.

The Bad:

❌ It&#39;s price is out there for what it does, there are similar masks for much cheaper, though I&#39;ve not quite seen a mask with both physical and chemical exfoliation like this. (Edit 8&#47;2: TIL Glow Recipe has a mask with a similar concept. Dropped the review to 2 stars since the other mask is better formulated.) 

❌ This mask actually got me to have a sting in some spots, so I won&#39;t recommend it to anyone with sensitive skin for sure.

💔 This mask is hard to wash off, it always takes me a while to get everything off my face and even then I still feel some scrub left over in some spots even though I&#39;ve been more than through in washing it off for 5 minutes.

❌ Has additional undisclosed fragrance in it, and it&#39;s strong it even bothered my nose on the occasions that I tried it. 

I won&#39;t be rebuying, and I don&#39;t really recommend this to anyone especially for the price you have to pay for it, overwhelming fragrance, and it&#39;s hard to get off nature.

❤️ Pomegranate Triple-Dose Resurfacing Mask ❤️

My more specific skin type: Combination skin, Oily T Zone, dry cheeks and Acne-prone. Hard to get an adverse reaction from.

Product: 39 dollars USD for ~2.6 FL OZ 🤯

The Good:

❤️ Even though it&#39;s a scrub mask, it&#39;s really gentle towards your skin and the directions for it make sure you aren&#39;t going Rambo on your face. Though I wouldn&#39;t spend too much time massaging it in since you&#39;ll be doing that during washing it off.