I guess we all know by now that you can’t really change the size of your pores, as much as some of us (me included) wish for that. However I see that pores are a huge topic in this community and seem to lead to some self worth issues as well.
That’s why I‘ve been thinking about a little peace of advice very often lately.

I wish I could tell you a heart-warming story on how my grandma told me this or something but tbh I can’t remember where I got it from but it has stuck to me since I‘ve been a teenager, so here it comes:

💚
If somebody gets close enough to your face to see all your pores - then they really shouldn’t be a person who would think less of you or your beauty because of your pore size.
💚

I know it seems super simple (and I hope that wasn’t too much of an anti-climax) but this has helped me a lot. The statement probably doesn’t include your dermatologist and beautician. But those people have a professional view on your pores anyway. 😄

Maybe you can think about this next time when you have a look at your pores in your magnifying mirror (honestly, don’t do that).

Take care 💚

Best advice on pore size I ever got

(Dear allies: by upvoting this, you could make this more visible to other queer people 💜)

I’d love to connect with other queer Picky users. I know, there have been a lot of discussions where people want to connect on IG but I haven’t found any queer-specific discussion so far via the search function.

So: if you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ+ community, please share your IG handle so I can follow you. Also feel free to DM if you want to form a “tag me in giveaways” bond 😄 (not a must!)

And to my trans siblings: Happy Trans Day of Visibility! 🏳️‍⚧️

My IG is @ladycaresalot
Would love to meet you there! I will check this thread regularly and I hope to see lots of replies here (or, if you don’t wanna share this here: DM me on Insta 💜)

Also, this should go without saying, but please don’t spread hate in this discussion. Thanks.

(I‘m super anxious now because this Feels like a real outing and I don’t know how queer-friendly the skincare community is 😬)

Queer Pickies Unite 🏳️‍🌈

So... I’ve technically entered the giveaway and wanted to post in the elmt discussion thread. Unfortunately the Picky app has been crashing about 5 seconds after opening the discussion every time I tried to do so. Has anyone else experienced this? 
Because if multiple people have the same problem it is more likely that the discussion just got too big for the app to handle all the data (hence the crash). Otherwise I might just have to try again and again 🙈

Anyone else being unable to open/comment on the elmt discussion?

My app just got updated aaaaand a whole new lot of categories has been added! 😍 I think that this is a great feature as it keeps things more tidy and you can find discussions you‘re interested in even faster!

Thank you for this update, Team Picky! 💐

Also: Happy beginning of April, everyone 🌸 Have a beautiful day!

Look at all the new categories we got!

I‘ve been getting more and more ads in IG from brands that offer products tailored specifically to your skin and its needs.
Now, I see how this is based on more or less clever algorithms that will help you find suitable ingredients/products for your needs and a machine that prints your name on the packaging.
 Which doesn’t have to be a bad thing! It‘s just not the same as some pro really having a look at your skin and mix  ingredients together just for you (which would be super expensive in most cases and countries).

So what I actually want to know: What do you think about those products? Have you tried them?

In my opinion, those products and the process of choosing them by evaluating your skin could probably be really helpful for people who are new to skincare or don’t have the time or interest to do research (but some money to spare).
Like... I know that I could theoretically fix my bike myself if I just did enough research, get the right tools etc - but I don’t want to bother and thus I chose to bring it to a bike shop in most cases 😄

However for a lot of us, we *are* interested in skincare and many of us do lots of research, so I myself prefer building my routines by myself since for me, it’s also fun to try out new stuff.

How about you? I‘d like to hear your opinions! (Especially if you have tried those products 😊)

"Individually" formulated skincare products

As I already mentioned: this is definitely a product that should be handled with care as it can absolutely cause harm if applied wrong or if used on the wrong skin type (really really do a patch test with this).

This is the second chemical exfoliant I ever used and so far I like it the best. That said: I think I got quite lucky that I didn’t seriously damage my skin by using such a strong exfoliant right at the beginning of my skincare journey. Which brings me to the probably most important part of this review: This is one of the products where you absolutely should read the instruction before using it and follow it to the point!
Do not apply it on damp skin! AHA is water soluble and thus the exfoliant becomes much more powerful on wet skin which increases the risk of damaging your skin or even chemically burning it.
Also start with leaving it on for a shorter period of time (especially when having sensitive skin) and work your way up. I‘d also advise patch testing before using it on your face.

Why I love it?
First: the colour and texture are gorgeous and feel somewhat luscious for me. I also like the smell.
I do experience some light redness right after using it but my skin feels so much cleaner, smoother and brighter afterwards. It also absorbs any following products much faster.

By the way: since this exfoliant is quite demanding, I always follow up with super gentle and smoothing ingredients and stay away from those that cause tingling on irritated skin (for me that Niacinamide for example). 

And that probably goes without saying but sunscreen is an absolute MUST the next day.

It‘s somehow a littel grainy(?). Like as if there‘s tiny tiny sand in the product. It‘s a bit irritating but doesn&#39;t bother me that much. Also, it can cause a little tingling (as even mentioned on the packaging) but that fades quickly.

The only vitamin c product I&#39;ve used so far so I can&#39;t compare it‘s effects to other products. However I quite like this one. It‘s easy to apply and it gets absorbed quickly (this is quite important for me). 
I like to use it together with retinoid in my PM routine (once a week) or sometimes as a booster in the morning before applying sunscreen.
I‘d like to give some other vitamin c products a chance after finishing it but I really think the „Worth a try“ label fits here.

The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is that I think a 5-star-product needs to be *extraordinarily* good 😁 But this lotion is perfect for everyday use, especially since it&#39;s really affordable and easy to get.

My Go-To-Lotion. I like the pump dispenser a lot, especially because it‘s „recloseable“ and thus easy to transport. 
Since I do pole dance I mostly need my skin to be as dry as possible (the drier the grippier 😬) so I moisturise seldom. Which, even with my quite resilient skin, sometimes leaves my shins quite dry.
This lotion&#47;gel makes them smooth again with just one or two times of use a week.
It also gets absorbed super-quickly which is super-important to me since I hate having to wait for ages before being able to put clothes on.

For the bad please refer to the review above.
TL;DR: MISSHA as a brand is not animal cruelty free, even though the product itself is vegan.

Actually my dear skincarekitten gifted me a bottle of this magical product.
When it comes to talking about specific ingredients I‘m not as advanced as them (ewsd their review for the pro facts), so I‘ll tell you more about how, when and why I use this product.

First off: I love spray bottles and this face mists are one of my favourite kind of products. You don&#39;t need pads to get the product on your skin and thus can reduce waste. When applying this on top your make-up (which is one way to use it, according to Missha), you don&#39;t risk ruining it.
 It also helps distributing the product evenly all over your face.

I mostly use it as a refresher throughout the day. It was nice using it when it was still cold outside and the air inside was somewhat dry due to heating which sometimes caused a dry skin feeling as well. A few pumps made my face feel rehydrated again.
I will probably store it in the fridge in summer so I‘ll get an extra kick of freshness then.
Sometimes, when my otherwise rather resilient skin feels irritated or after I just used chemicsl exfoliation I also use this as a soothing toner.

The smell is truly magical and as skincarekitten stated in their review, it doesn&#39;t come from fragrance which is a huge plus for sensitive skin. It‘s a light and somewhat bloomy-fresh smell that isn‘t overpowering at all.

For me, as a student, it‘s somewhat pricey but still affordable and I‘d absolutely buy it as a pampering tool after my gifted bottle is emptied.

It leaves a little shiny film so if you don&#39;t like that you&#39;ll need something to mattify afterwards.

Well, it’s a basic sunscreen that does its job 😉 It provides sun protection at an affordable price  and should also work for skin that is more demanding than mine.
For me, as someone who doesn&#39;t struggle with dry skin it’s also enough hydration to use it without an extra moisturiser in the morning sometimes.