I can't decide how I feel about encapsulated ceramide. I started using illiyoon ceramide ato concentrate cream which, I didn't realize, has encapsulated crramide in little micro beads that feel slightly gritty. Besides that point, idk if this way of ceramide is really doing anything for my skin that way not-encapsulated does. How do you feel about encapsulated ceramide? What products have you tried with this in it?

Encapsulated ceramide?

I hear amazing things about the la mer cream. Unfortunately,  I absolutely can't stand the smell. It's also hard to spread, like I need a lot. Which isn't affordable.  (Even after warming up in my hands). I've been reading up on Missha time revolution red algae which sounds similar to the formulation Of la mer algae miracle broth. What are your thoughts? Has anyone used either or both?

la mer cream vs missha time revolution

here&#39;s a deep dive on how I use the versatile cleansing balm and why it will remain a staple in my daily routine. 
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This is the one balm I&#39;ll use twice a day if my skin needs extra moisture. At $10 per 5oz, it&#39;s affordable enough to use in excess. Contrary to my Reel, a little goes a long way and I see this tube lasting me a long time. I&#39;m also very thankful for the squeezy tube in lue of a jar. As you can see, I have fun with the squeeze squeeze.
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This cleansing balm doubles down as a mask, too! I always leave it on for extra long not only to seep in the ingredients, but I noticed it really tackles black heads on my nose. 
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Leaving it on as a shower mask has done wonders for my skin. I take extra hot showers and baths which are known to strip skin. By keeping the cleansing balm on throughout the shower, it&#39;s locking in moisture and protecting my skin. The texture is like a thicker vasaline which I also use as a skin protectant and to seal in my creams.
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Cleansing balms are great for a double cleanse. For me,  I don&#39;t always do a second cleanse after this balm because water rinses it enough away for me on days I&#39;m trying to lock in extra hydration. The left over product on my skin from not second cleansing is a lovely texture that I welcome. Also, my sensitive break out prone skin has no bad reactions to not second cleansing after this one.
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If you&#39;re new to cleansing balms and wondering what the heck they are... You&#39;re not alone, they can be confusing at first. The idea is that they tackle layers of product, like spf and makeup, better than a regular daily cleanser. The dense oils in cleansing balms essentially melt away grime from the emulsion process. They&#39;re meant to be the first step in a double cleanse process, using a regular cleanser afterward to get rid of the cleansing balms oil. The cleansing balm is applied to dry skin- sometimes ANY wetness can ruin the process and turn the oil to milk (I&#39;m looking at you, The Ordinary Squalene 👀)

(My ONLY complaint is that I&#39;d like to see kojic acid at 2% please @mytopicals 😉)

I&#39;m not exaggerating when I say this ointment had me hooked from day one. I noticed visible improvement on dark spots within the first night.

I had been using several ingredients for Hyperpigmentation, which has led to using several different products. It&#39;s been a struggle to find one product that does it all. Ingredients for Hyperpigmentation I&#39;m looking for are a substantial dose of kojic acid, alpha arbutin, azelaic, Tranexamic Acid, Licorice Root, niacinamide.
And guess what...Faded has it all, and some! Also included is turmeric, melatonin, squalane, Allantoin, centella, Jojoba, Zinc, and Glutathione. 

This ointment is a powerhouse. I&#39;ve used several other products that TRY to do what faded does, but their active percentage don&#39;t measure up and their price is double if not triple.
👊Niacinamide: 4%
👊Tranexamic Acid: 3.5%
👊Azelaic Acid: 1%
👊Kojic Acid: 1%

The ointment smells like Nair or Sulfur, but that&#39;s because they don&#39;t add any fragrance.  The smell quickly goes away and to hear people complain about it is...meh. bravo to topicals for creating a product that truly heals and protects skin, without adding in any BS, especially that can potentially cause irritation, inflammation or more acne. Now here is a product everyone can use.

A little goes a long way and this tube has lasted me forever!

Spendy. I&#39;m worried the avocado oil is comedogenic and will clog my pores.

Light refreshing lime scent. Great thick texture that spreads and melts into your skin evenly. Skin wakes up super soft. Love using this as a gentle retinol on nights I don&#39;t use tretinoin. Super luxe jar. Lots of product in the jar, lasts awhile.

The price. But it&amp;#39;s such a quality product, the price makes sence.

Love this mist for so many reasons. This morning I used it to wake me up with that sweet sweet refreshing watermelon smell 🍉🍉🍉 then to set my makeup. Made my tired, over exfoliated skin look and feel much smoother. I&amp;#39;ve been using throughout the day for a pick me up and a jolt of hydration. it&amp;#39;s cold over here in NYC, the heaters are blasting, my skin is dehydrated. Thankful for innovative products that keep me hydrated throughout the day in a fun way.

For acne prone skin, I do have to be careful about the shea butter in this. Luckily This is one of the first shea butter products that doesn&#39;t give me cluster breakouts. It also could be because I follow up with benzoyl peroxide 🤷‍♀️

It&#39;s been a pilly ride for us, but I&#39;ve finally figured out It&#39;s place in my routine. The ingredients are too good not to love, I was determined to make this product work for me.
We started off on the wrong foot because I completely misunderstood It&#39;s purpose. I was trying to use as a regular cream layered with other stuff, but that&#39;s not the intention of like butter. From first use I had significant pilling and I went to the IG skin community for help. Most people said they wore it like a mask, which duh that&#39;s what the box says to do.. I completely overlooked that.
So now where are we with like butter? We&#39;re in love. This winter has been extra dry for my tret skin and I. A few times a week I slather this baby on after washing, wait 20 or as long as I can, then wipe off. No need to wash off. Actually,  it&#39;s much better of you don&#39;t, that way your skin keeps all the goodness.
What goodness, you ask? Buttery goodness.
🧈 green tea extract
🧈 colloidal oatmeal 
🧈 centella asiatica 
🧈 turmeric 
🧈 Chinese rhubarb root
🧈 ginseng root
🧈 niacinamide 
🧈 squalane 
🧈 sodium hyaluronate
🧈 cermaides
🧈 licorice root

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