I don’t see propolis used as a skincare ingredient often—it’s a miracle component that doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves. While honey is the only food on earth that doesn’t expire and has unmatched healing properties, propolis is a natural substance made from tree sap that bees use to protect and seal their hives. It’s renowned for its antibacterial and healing benefits. Here are some reasons why I’ll reach for this often: 🍯 Not sticky: Despite the manuka honey component, it feels smooth rather than tacky. It’s subtly addictive, so you might accidentally over-apply it. I recommend against doing so. 🍯 Pleasant scent: It has a slight manuka honey fragrance that I enjoy, not the sickly sweet type. It’s very similar to the manuka honey I use for wound healing in a hospital setting—nature sometimes offers the best treatments. 🍯 Long-lasting: This doesn’t need frequent application. It helps protect my lips, which tend to get drier with weather changes. 🍯 Beneficial ingredients: - Propolis extract (healing) - Beta-glucan (humectant) - Madecassoside (antioxidant, soothing) - Glycerin (moisturizer, skin-identical ingredient) - Squalane (emollient) - Shea butter (emollient) Overall, I give this a 5/5. It performs just as well as my favorite lip butter (Summer Fridays) and is priced better.

This was certainly a new brand for me to test as I’ve never heard of this, and fortunately, this did not disappoint. I’d like to thank Picky and CNP Laboratory for gifting me this in exhange for my thoughts on these. Upon initial impressions, I took a liking to the packaging aesthetic as it is minimal and no fuss. From what I gathered, this is an ampoule that targets to revitalize the skin. I tried this a couple of times, and I quite liked the texture and how it made my skin feel. I still have to test it for a bit longer to form a solid opinion on this. So far it has met my expectations, so I give this a 4/5. This does not mean it lacks in anything, rather that it met my expectations of a good skincare product, and my standards are pretty high. Here’s a summary of what I experienced with this product while using it: 🌻 The packaging is very professional yet minimal. There is no fuss to the design of the product, which exudes the fact a meticulous and thoughtful process was in play when developing this product. I do think that a step could be taken further given that this contains antioxidant ingredient. I thought rather than using clear bottle design, it would be better to use a tinted bottle to ensure the longevity and stability of the antioxidants used in this. 🌻 Upon opening this, I was met with a gentle (and not very noticeable) scent of propolis - I’d describe it as a warm scent in between floral and plants with a hint of honey. It’s a very herbal based scent. I love this comforting smell, and the scent alone made me feel a bit more refreshed. 🌻 Upon applying, the consistency of this is very similar to that of glycerin (a little thicker than water), so it absorbs quite quickly. It did not trigger any allergies or sensitivies in me, so I’d say this is pretty safe for sensitive skin types. 🌻 This does not contain silicones or any ingredients that would ball up when applying with makeup. This is something I’ve been looking more into because I wear more make-up to the summer. 🌻 Note that this has 10% propolis concentration, so if you’re unsure of being allergic to any bee by-products, definitely do a patch test. Overall, this was a good serum, nothing too mind blowing, hence it’s why I give it a 4/5.

As someone who’s open to trying to ampoules (and I don’t have as much experience with them because I mostly use essences), I found the description with this one particularly interesting. I’d like to thank Picky and CNP Laboratory for sending me this as an opportunity to test this product and provide my feedback on this. After testing this for about a week, I’ve come to give this a standard 4/5. This means that this has met my expectations of a good skincare product, and I have pretty high standards for my skincare. This is because I have sensitive combination skin that leans oily, so I get very particular with my skincare. This product is stated to have been formulated with 5X Retinol and PCL to restore the skin’s elasticity and firmness, which basically means preventing wrinkles and lines on the face. I haven’t tested it long enough to give a verdict on that, but I will say when applying this, you’ll feel your skin working on maintaining its elasticity. Here’s a brief summmary of what I thought of this product: 🐝 You would ideally apply this after toner stage and before moisturizer stage. This is best to help allow the product to absorb into fresh clean skin, when your skin is at its most vulnerable state post face wash and toner. 🐝 I like that this product is set in a dark bottle. This ensures the longevity and stability of retinol in the product as it needs to be protected from light to remain stable. 🐝 The consistency of this ampoule is similar to that of a lotion’s - it’s white with a bit of a yellow tint to it. Not that it matters, but it was interesting to see a serum/ampoule with color as I usually find them in clear consistency. 🐝 I did an analysis of the ingredients in this product and found that most of the skincare ingredients were great, like squalane, panthenol, and retinol. There were only three ingredients that I would check to resolve any sensitivity or allergy issues and those would be: Ethanol (a form of alcohol), Rosemary Oil (may be an allergen for some), and Limonene (perfuming agent that is considered fragrance). Overall I rate this a 4/5 as it is a good standard ampoule that did not irritate my skin. I will continue to use it to see if this is worth it or not.