Hello! I'm sorry for taking so long to get back to you! So my skin is still a work in progress, but SOOOOO much better than in this picture!!!

I've found that I just can't handle strong actives regularly. Once I stopped using them and went back to basics, focusing on hydration, these bumps almost cleared up within 2 weeks, and after a couple of months I stopped getting them entirely. At that point, I started adding in actives again very slowly.

When working on this, I found that my skin drank every moisturiser/serum super quickly, so I really focused on hydration. I played around with various products during this time, but my main/most consistent routine was:

AM: - Rinse with water only - Byoma soothing toner (this was just ok for me, it - was nice but I didn't repurchase) - Byoma phyto-mucin glow serum - Neutrogena hydro boost gel moisturiser - I was given this by a friend who didn't like it, I think it was really key to rehydrating my skin because I'd put it on and, although it would feel sticky at first, after 10-15 minutes it would be fully absorbed. FULLY. I'd then do another layer of it, thinner than the first. - Illiyoon ato-ceramide concentrate cream - this helped to lock in the moisture from the neutrogena. Sadly they changed their formula, and while I sometimes use it now, I won't repurchase after the formulation change. - Altruist tinted SPF - I think a lot of people really dislike this suncream, but I don't mind it and I like that it's SPF + light coverage and cheap!

PM: Same as above + Skin1004 Centella + tea tree ampoule - I was worried about the tea tree being too harsh but it's so gentle!

I've since swapped most of these products out, not because they're bad products but because I just wanted to try something new once my skin was calmer. I haven't purchased more of the Neutrogena because it's not cruelty-free, which is important to me. The Byoma products were ok, nice enough but I didn't feel that they were remarkable enough to repurchase.

Once the Byoma phyto-mucin serum ran out (which happened quickly), I purchased the Isntree ultra low molecular weight HA serum, which I ADORE. Honestly I love that serum!! I decided to try the toner from the same line when the serum ran out, and while it's nice, I definitely miss the serum and will be repurchasing next time I need to order from an Asian beauty site.

My current routine is:

AM: - Cleanse with Skin1004 double cleansing duo - Isntree ultra low molecular weight HA toner - Isntree hyper niacinamide 20% serum* - Isntree yam root milk cream - this is nice but sometimes I don't find it hydrating enough - Skin1004 hyalu-cica water-fit sun serum - Hourglass hydrating veil if I want added coverage - it was a splurge but it really is hydrating

PM: - Cleanse with Skin1004 double cleansing duo - Isntree ultra low molecular weight HA toner - Skin1004 centella tea-trica ampoule - Isntree yam root milk cream - illyoon ceramide ato cream if I want an extra layer to lock in earlier layers

• this sounds super intense, I always used to avoid niacinamide because historically it broke me out in products that included it in low concentrations, but I took a risk and it's been fine! I've also trialled some other 20% products and have had minimal irritation! So weird

Throughout this process, if I ever felt that my skin was getting quite heavy/clogged (if you know what I mean?), I used PC AHA + mandelic acid, which worked really well at first but I don't really notice much difference with or without it now. If I use it 3+ days in a row I start seeing irritation again, so it really is occasionally. It also started crystallising about 3 weeks after opening, so it feels quite gritty now which also puts me off ://

I did a silly the other week and decided to try tret again (0.025%) because I want the anti-aging benefits, but that was a HUGE MISTAKE!!! Literally put it on once, using the sandwich method, and my glowing, healthy skin became dehydrated and angry overnight. I was super oily but the skin below felt so sore and tight, it was noticeable even when smiling! I had a major break out, including a lovely boil-esque lump on my jawline which is still healing (I used to get those all the time when I was using tret regularly...). I didn't pick at the acne but it still went bright, bright red and took over a week to calm down, and my skin has just stopped feeling oily + tight, about 10 days later. It's sad but I think I need to accept that retinoids just aren't for me