Skincare Review: Update on Retinoid 2%!

So I did promise that I would do an update in mid April, and here we are!

I am happy to say that I am right and my skin has cleared up lots. I only get my regular hormonal once a month freak out, and I would say they are a bit less horrible than usual. I get much less whiteheads and clogs in general, and almost no giant inflamed pimples (except those stupid deep hormonal ones once a month.)

Although my acne did stop being full blown before I started using the retinoid, I was having a LOT of texture on my chin, which is totally visible even after foundation and concealer.

24th Feb timestamp, right before I started using the retinoid.

But the retinoid managed to smooth it almost all away! Below, I have absolutely nothing on my face, because I find that even serums and moisturizers can create artificial smoothness. My face is just freshly washed. Take a look at my chin scars. All images are gigantic, feel free to zoom in all the way to examine every individual pore. Also I haven’t shaved my face in a couple of weeks, so I look a bit more pore-y because of the hair growing out. You can see that my scars are also very faded too. When I slap on foundations I don’t even bother to conceal them anymore.

I use the retinoid every single night. With a traditional retinol it would probably be way overkill, but it was never overkill for me, and I had 0 peeling and dryness. Some nights when I was very tired I would just slap on the retinoid and go to sleep, because it’s moisturizing enough that I don’t always need a moisturizer.

Note that retinoids work better at a higher pH and should not be combined with acids in the same routine, so my acids have been chucked into the morning.

I am very happy with this product from the Ordinary at a great price. If you have acne or textural issues, I suggest that you give it a try, but stick with it for a month or more to see the real results.