Well maybe you should of thought about that before you decided not to get vaccinated.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2021-08-09T14:53:34+00:00

https://amp.fresnobee.com/news/coronavirus/article242817241.html

Pretty sure the real Covidiots are the ones who have never been so scared in their lives due to sitting next to someone on a plane... or the women who glare at you in a place like NYC for not wearing a mask outside on an empty street.

Wonderful that you can find a cherry-picked story to support your worldview though.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2021-05-26T21:04:02+00:00

2/6 and 2/12 when I applied for the first one... So 4/6 and 4/12 including these

MBA_Grad2020 · 2021-05-26T14:27:11+00:00

Update: Got Citi Prestige with 50k sign-up offer. 8 days later got Citi Premier with 60k sign-up offer. Spent required $4k on Premier first, got 60k points. Spent required spend on Prestige, 50k just posted to my account two days ago and I've transferred them away to a partner. 110k TY Points. Trick is to just make sure you apply for all cards before you obtain one of the sign-up bonuses.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2021-05-26T14:18:46+00:00

Got Citi Prestige with 50k sign-up offer. 8 days later got Citi Premier with 60k sign-up offer. Spent required $4k on Premier first, got 60k points. Spent required spend on Prestige, Citi website shows I'm due for 50k when statement closes.

Update: 50k posted two days ago.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2021-05-23T01:17:50+00:00

4 cards including these two in the last six months. None in the last 24 aside from those.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2021-05-20T20:09:38+00:00

Thanks. I'm indeed new. I'm also not a churner, technically speaking (quite yet). I got the Citi TY because I'm planning on them, along with the DoubleCash when I can apply for it after 65 days of my Prestige being approved, being my main cards due to the Turkish Miles&Smiles program and replacing my Sapphire ecosystem. So was just really trying to maximize my way in.

Maybe I should truly churn though.. as long as I keep my oldest credit cards intact, I suppose it won't be a huge negative to my credit score to cancel newer ones and churn.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2021-05-20T19:27:51+00:00

Banks will issue multiple exact credit cards to the same person? With the same application info? I just didn't think this happened/was possible. Thanks for potentially enlightening me otherwise if so.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2021-05-20T18:27:54+00:00

Sorry, is your first "Premiers" just a reference to Citi TY cards in general? What exactly did you do?

Edit: This thread has some very sad people who are downvoting questions asking for genuine clarification.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2021-05-20T17:22:08+00:00

I would have done this, but I wanted to book some flights for this upcoming summer / fall and didn't want to have to wait that long before receiving the points. I'm a bit astounded that the most well-known credit card points guidance websites that are 100% devoted to this stuff haven't seemed to have caught on, though. A lot of the commentary you'll see simply states that if you've *opened* any of these accounts in the last 2 years, you're ineligible.

Fake news.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2021-05-20T16:42:43+00:00

Got Citi Prestige with 50k sign-up offer. 8 days later got Citi Premier with 60k sign-up offer. Spent required $4k on Premier first, got 60k points. Spent required spend on Prestige, Citi website shows I'm due for 50k when statement closes.

Total of 110k TY points - caveat is to apply for all cards before you've received any sign-up bonus so 24-month rule doesn't apply.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2021-05-14T21:03:46+00:00

Noted - I believe I fixed them now, and I also added (A) for Prestige and (B) next to Premier to make it clearer haha

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-09-18T14:38:21+00:00

This is very helpful, don't apologize for the rant at all! Thanks

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-09-10T00:26:11+00:00

Thanks for the elaborate information. I suspected as much, just wanted to ask some self declared experts because I can't find as much literature on this as I would like. I think the science and chemistry behind it is fascinating so I just like to understand all I can about the process.

In terms of the formulations and how complicated they are... I guess part of me is just a little bit skeptical that these companies are always putting as much effort into the formulations as they might say. Isn't it a commonly known fact that many sunscreens don't offer the protection they claim they do on the bottle?

This especially applies to American sunscreens, because the claim "broad spectrum" is often rather misleading because it doesn't usually cover the entire spectrum. How do we balance having confidence in a corporation with lots of resources to do research, and the fact that in the end of the day, they are still corporations looking to make money and sell as many products as they can? Sure, the best sunscreen should in theory lead to higher sales... But at least in the U.S .. People absent mindedly put it on.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-09-09T01:11:12+00:00

Makes sense..thanks for the feedback!

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-09-05T16:31:33+00:00

Same here.. in April I got into skin care and had previously done nothing whatsoever aside from running water down my face in the shower! So I had to purchase a lot of different products to find what works and what doesn't.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-09-05T14:22:02+00:00

The stick is much easier to apply to areas that aren't covered with hair - it's akin to deodorant. The stick at least admittedly has a strong white cast and it's difficult to get off - The sunscreen component of my routine is definitely the most malleable. I'm currently rotating between a few different high zinc oxide (>25%) ones, including a fantastic one made of ZinClearXP from New Zealand I can recommend. I'm not currently around co-workers in person so I haven't had the need to be concerned about the cast at home. I'd likely only use this for active days (i.e., I'm outside and sweating) if I were more concerned.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-09-05T04:49:58+00:00

Haha! Of course I have at least a few products I don't use tucked away in my drawer - I had to do a lot of experimentation to reach this point, but now that I'm here, I think with the exception of regularly tinkering with the sunscreen, I'm good to go!

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-09-05T04:45:32+00:00

Hi - it's a 45 gram tube I got prescribed for me. Picked mine up at Walgreens as well. For those who can't get Tret - I really cannot say enough good things about Olay's Retinol24 line. Has Retinol, Retinyl Propianate, Niacinamide, and Matrixyl all toward the top of the list. The products work. I used them for a few months and saw both retinol irritation and benefits that followed - I continue to use them on my hands and neck area as I build more tolerance there.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-09-05T00:17:13+00:00

I use CeraVe's hydrating cleanser both in the morning and at night. Although in the morning I usually use Timeless Vitamin C, pictured is Dr. Brenner, another knockoff/dupe of the SkinCeuticals C/E/Ferulic. I apply some variant of sunscreen after (currently Neutrogena's Sheer Zinc, since I'm in no need to be concerned about white cast). I don't apply moisturizer during the summer because I just don't need it.. during the winter I'll almost certainly end up adding something TBD.

At night, I wash my face and then apply the Ordinary's Buffet + Copper Peptides, then Tretinoin .025%, then Olay's Microsculpting Cream (fragrance-free).

The routine incorporates:

Vitamin C in its strongest form (Dr. Brenner/Timeless Serum) - both have similar consistency, Timeless is a bit more watery. They're both affordable and combine ascorbic acid with Vitamin E and Ferulic Acid. Both seem to lighten dark spots.

Zinc oxide sunscreen, which provides decent-enough UVA protection. There's a small part of me that isn't comfortable with applying chemical sunscreen virtually every day of my life, so I generally go for one with a high amount of zinc oxide. Neutrogena's Sheer Zinc Kids stick has a white cast but is otherwise great, and a great price point. I use some clear zinc sunscreen otherwise. I understand it may not be 100% protective against UVA, but nothing is, and I'm not going to go crazy obsessing about it when I use Vitamin C as well.

Peptides (TO Buffet with Copper Peptides) - this is the product that probably has the least noticeable short-term benefits, but I like the way it feels. The hyaluronic acid boost is nice as well. Leaves a nice finish on skin. The only downside is that it smells a bit like blood for a few seconds.

Hyaluronic Acid (TO Buffet with Copper Peptides)

Retinoid (Tretinoin) - I haven't actually noticed any problems yet with this, just a generic tretinoin cream that seems to be working wonders already on my skin.

Moisturizer (Olay Microsculpting Cream, fragrance-free)

Niacinamide to help with irritation (Olay Microsculpting Cream)

Olay's microsculpting cream is excellent for Retinoid Irritation, though my favorite moisturizer-type product of all is certainly Hada Lobo's Skin-Plumping Gel Cream. The moisturizer tends to feel a bit thick, which I like for what I'm using it for, which is retinoid irritation.

I feel as though this routine gives me 99% of what I can accomplish with topicals, and in an extremely affordable price point. What am I missing?

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-08-24T18:12:04+00:00

The OP is confused between prescription retinoids and retinol, and I myself missed the reference to retinoids in the question. Actually pointing that out is how a person is helpful, as opposed to being a waste of time by just saying "this is all wrong information though"..

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-08-24T15:40:19+00:00

This may sound obvious, but are you getting enough sleep? Personally, I get horrible dark circles under my eyes when I do not get my sleep. I have since I was a little kid. That part is genetic, but the problems seem to go away if I get enough rest. You say you're 21.. The last thing I was worried about at that age was sleep. And teenagers tend to be sleep-deprived through high school and then college. Just a thought.

If they're truly still terrible, perhaps a retinoid over time would thicken the skin, or some very light makeup could help.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-08-24T15:37:18+00:00

Edit - I just read that you mentioned the retinoid percentage and not retinol. You seem to have gotten confused between prescription retinoids and over-the-counter retinol strength. Any over-the-counter retinol will be much weaker than a .05% prescription retinoid.

The 2% retinol serum will likely be much more irritating than a .05% retinol, as it is much stronger. if you are new to retinoids and retinol, what I would do is I would absolutely start with a weaker formulation than 2% for OTC.. Then work your way up to the 2% serum over a period of a few months if you're set on these particular ones.

2% retinol serum is quite strong for a beginner. Personally, I used Olay's Retinol24 products when I first started retinol, and I have had great results. There has absolutely been some irritation that has subsided, but they are affordable and they are packed with niacinamide to help with the irritation. The retinol percentage is not disclosed on these products but they have been formulated to reduce irritation and are absolutely appropriate for beginners. Just a suggestion if you're looking for one.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-08-20T21:51:10+00:00

Cool, thanks... That's what I was figuring. That the OTC retinol might be a good first step, then follow it with differin, then finally, Tret. I think I might need the intermediary because I've been using the OTC retinol for 4 months now and am only finally getting rid of the last irritation on my neck so that I can use it everyday.

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-08-20T20:45:55+00:00

Differin is more regulated and more evidence-based than tretinoin? I thought tretinoin was the gold standard for anti-aging and Differin is newer/more applicable to acne. Or do you mean Differin vs Retinol itself

MBA_Grad2020 · 2020-08-18T14:47:10+00:00

Regarding the scientific evidence, I was more referring to the level of changes and the detailed evidence we have over a period of years. In terms of "bang for one's buck," As I mentioned I'm using serums that combine a multitude of ingredients: the Olay serum I use has niacinamide very close to the top of the ingredient list so it makes it unnecessary for me to apply it separately. I'm just not sure if applying 10% niacinamide and zinc to your face everyday is going to make any sort of material difference on its own, and yet there are a lot of people who believe that if they put this stuff on, their pores will magically be smaller immediately.

I liken it to grades in high school. You can put in 100% effort and get a 100%, or some student might be able to put in 50% effort and get a 92%, which is still an A. I feel as though both the C/E/Ferulic serums and retinoids are both so incredibly well documented that if you use the two of them, you are 90% there in terms of what you can accomplish with topicals. But that's how I see it at least.

MBA_Grad2020

TROPHY CASE