Tag: cosrx

DECEMBER 2021 HAUL

Closing another pandemic year with these hauls.

PYUNKANG YUL MIST TONER

This is not my first purchase, I repurchase because it’s a very simple toner with super minimal ingredients. It’s not viscous, doesn’t have fragrance in it and I use this for CSM. Though it’ll be great if they change the sprayer, because it doesn’t spray evenly.
Price IDR 156K for 200ml 

COSRX HYDRIUM WATERY TONER & COSRX TRIPLE HYALURONIC MOISTURE AMPOULE

Some people can’t tolerate Hyaluronic Acid, maybe because I believe it works better on hot and humid climate. Fortunately, HA is safe on my oily and fungal-acne prone skin. I wish that I found these two sooner, as both works well together for optimal skin hydration.
Price IDR 282K for 40ml (ampoule) IDR 225K for 150ml (toner)

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

WORTH TO REPURCHASE

Sorry for such long hiatus. Dealing with a lot of things at once is no joke, people! Being physically and mentally healthy at this time is like liquid gold, don’t you agree? I’m trying to #stayhome as much as I can during this Covid19 outbreak (on almost 30 days now-and I didn’t even go out to do my groceries anymore). But doing nothing at home, literally can do serious damage to my bank account if I’m not careful. Online shopping is so tempting, don’t you agree?

As much as I tempted to try lots of new skincare products, I’d try my best to stick to the ones that work well. Here are a few of my favorite things if I have to repurchase during this hard time. Till then, stay safe and healthy.

DRUNK ELEPHANT A-PASSIONI RETINOL CREAM

Personally I prefer this rather than The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion. I apply this on dry, clean skin followed by their B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum. I believe this helped my bumpy skin (due to close comedo) and it didn’t cause me any purging. The one thing that I don’t like is the expensive price.

DERMA E VERY CLEAR ACNE SPOT TREATMENT

It didn’t zap away pimples in one night, but it healed them well. This gel will help to reduce the redness and worked well on cystic acnes and those pesky little bumps too. Totally recommended, even though it’s not cheap for a spot treatment.

AVENE TOLERANCE EXTREME EMULSION

I pick emulsion rather than moisturizer because they are lighter in texture. This is my favorite emulsion, it contains minimal ingredients and safe for Fungal Acne. Hard to find here in Jakarta, but always restock when I travel abroad.

LA ROCHE POSAY SEROZINC

Refreshing, cooling, mattifying. What’s not to love about this Zinc Sulfate face mist/no fuss toner? Make sure to hydrate properly after this toner/face mist.

COSRX ACNE PIMPLE MASTER PATCH

Being one of the pioneers of acne patches, they really stick like no other. If you have super oily skin like me and having trouble of sliding acne patches, this one’s for you. This works really well on extracting the puss out of matured pimples. And please guys, do not wear them under makeup, they still show.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR HG PRODUCT STOPS WORKING?

ALTERNATE, people.

Is it just me? Or lots of you experienced the same thing as me? My skin easily got immune, usually after finishing two of the same skincare product. Weird but true.

That’s why I found a way to alternate between products, just to make sure their effectiveness on my fungal-acne prone skin. So, after finishing one product, I usually move to another brand with similar ingredients and purposes. Then, I’d move back to the old one.

EXFOLIATING TONER

HADA LABO MILD PEELING LOTION & SOME BY MI AHA BHA PHA 30 DAYS MIRACLE TONER

The similarities: both are fungal acne safe and contain water plus butylene glycol.

The difference: Hada Labo only has 7 ingredients, while Somebymi has 22.

Thoughts: they are both mild enough to use everyday as exfoliating toner, but I try to use it every other day to avoid over exfoliating. And usually I just use exfoliating toner at night time.

BOOSTER

PAULA’S CHOICE 10% NIACINAMIDE BOOSTER & 2SOL FACIAL RECOVERY BOOSTER

The similarities: both are fungal acne safe and contain niacinamide, panthenol, sodium hyaluronate and allantoin.

The difference: 2Sol only has 19 ingredients, while Paula’s Choice has 24.

Thoughts: They both will be better if mixed with ampoule or moisturizer, as they might be sticky if stand alone. Both have same clear watery texture.

ESSENCE

COSRX ADVANCED SNAIL 96 MUCIN POWER ESSENCE & BENTON SNAIL BEE HIGH CONTENT ESSENCE

The similarities: both contain snail secretion filtrate, panthenol, betaine, arginine, butylene glycol and allantoin

The differences: Cosrx only has 12 ingredients, while Benton has 25. Corsx is safe for fungal acne, while Benton (unfortunately) has polysorbate 20 (known as one of fungal acne trigger) in their ingredients list.

Thoughts: Cosrx is more gloopy (literally like snail mucin), while Benton is less gloopy. Unfortunately Benton reformulated this and added Polysorbate 20 in their new formula, so it might not be safe for fungal acne.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

OVER EXFOLIATED SKIN: WHAT HAPPENED & WHAT TO DO

Well, they didn’t say too much of everything will kill you for nothing.

I had angry skin issue before (click here for the post), so this one is another round of angry skin (read: over exfoliated skin).

So, what the heck happen? Obviously, I was too excited with my recent haul: new acid products, and konjac sponge. Too excited, I use them every morning. To added to the worsen condition, I still apply my exfoliating toner, Biologique Recherche Lotion P50T every night. So yeah, my skin is super angry and over exfoliated for sure!

These are lethal combination, when use all together, everyday.
Angry red spots, white heads, cystic acnes. Oh well!

First sign of over exfoliated skin: redness, dryness, and it stings whenever you apply something on it.

What I’ve learned:

  • Stick to one acid and do it every other day, NOT EVERYDAY!
  • Add skin calming and healing products to my regime.
  • Doing toner masking with oat will help a lot!

So, what would I do to save my over exfoliated skin? One, stay away from any exfoliating products for two weeks or at least until healed completely. Two, using gentle products that will restore skin’s natural epidermal barrier. Here’s all the products that I use currently for my over exfoliated skin.

URIAGE EAU THERMALE CLEANSING CREAM: it’s a soap-free cleanser, with 1/3 nourishing milk and Thermal Water. This protects skin against the drying effects of hard water.

LA ROCHE POSAY SEROZINC: I’m skipping exfoliating toner and hydrating toner for now. Instead, I use this face mist as a toner. It does help to soothe irritation and inflamed skin, and as a bonus it keeps my oily skin balanced.  

COSRX ADVANCED SNAIL 96 MUCIN POWER ESSENCE: it contains 96% of snail secretion filtrate, known for super intense repair and hydration. And snail mucin has that repair ability purpose, so I’m loving this.

VELY VELY PINK CALMING GEL: this is actually a face & body moisturizer. It contains pink microbeads from Calamine powder, known for its’ ability to soothe tired and damage skin.

As I’ve experienced this before, I’m positive that it’ll be back to a tip top condition in about two weeks. So, I’m going to update you on this matter. Meanwhile, I’m going to take care of my skin the way it should be. Cheers!

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

BEST OF 2018 : FUNGAL-ACNE SAFE SKINCARE

I guess this is the most awaited post. Well, I hope this list (checked on skincarisma.com) will help you to find the perfect skincare for your fungal-acne prone skin. Feel free to message me on my instagram if you have any questions. And I’ll be more than happy if you can share your favorite fungal-acne safe products, too (just in case I missed any in this list-I bet I did). Cheers!

FIRST CLEANSER

  • BIORE PERFECT CLEANSING WATER
  • BIODERMA SENSIBIO H2O
  • BIFESTA CLEANSING LOTION MOIST

FACIAL WASH

  • PURITO DEFENCE BARRIER PH CLEANSER
  • SIMPLE KIND TO SKIN REFRESHING FACIAL WASH
  • LA ROCHE-POSAY EFFACLAR FOAMING PURIFYING GEL
  • SEBAMED CLEAR FACE FOAMING CLEANSER
  • DHC MORNING FACE WASH
  • EUCERIN DERMOPURE CLEANSING GEL
  • DR WU HYDRATING GEL CLEANSER WITH HYALURONIC ACID
  • FARMACY CLEAN BEE ULTRA GENTLE FACIAL CLEANSER
  • NEUTROGENA OIL-FREE ACNE WASH REDNESS SOOTHING FACIAL CLEANSER

TONER

  • SKIN1004 MADAGASCAR CENTELLA ASIATICA TONING TONER
  • KLAIRS SUPPLE PREPARATION UNSCENTED TONER
  • LEEGEEHAAM(LJH) TEA TREE 70 MIST TONER
  • COSRX AHA/BHA CLARIFYING TREATMENT TONER
  • HADA LABO TAMAGOHADA MILD PEELING LOTION
  • COSRX CENTELLA WATER ALCOHOL-FREE TONER
  • ISNTREE GREEN TEA FRESH TONER
  • KIEHL’S CALENDULA HERBAL EXTRACT ALCOHOL FREE TONER

ESSENCE

  • LEEGEEHAAM(LJH) TEA TREE 90 ESSENCE
  • I’M FROM MUGWORT ESSENCE
  • COSRX ADVANCED SNAIL 96 MUCIN POWER ESSENCE

SERUM

  • PEACH &LILY GLASS SKIN REFINING SERUM
  • GLOSSIER SUPER PURE SERUM
  • THE ORDINARY NIACINAMIDE 10% + ZINC 1%
  • PURITO PURE VITAMIN C SERUM
  • GOODAL GREEN TANGERINE VITA C DARK SPOT SERUM
  • DR WU RENEWAL SYSTEM DAILY RENEWAL SERUM WITH MANDELIC ACID 18%

AMPOULE

  • SKIN1004 MADAGASCAR CENTELLA ASIATICA 100 AMPOULE
  • CNP LABORATORY MUGENER AMPULE
  • LEEGEEHAAM VITA PROPOLIS AMPOULE

MOISTURIZER

  • IUNIK CENTELLA CALMING GEL CREAM
  • EUCERIN ULTRASENSITIVE SOOTHING CARE NORMAL TO COMBINATION SKIN
  • KIEHL’S ULTRA FACIAL OIL-FREE GEL CREAM

SPF

  • SKIN AQUA UV MOISTURE MILK SPF50+ PA+++
  • SKIN AQUA UV MILD GEL SPF30 PA+++
  • SKIN AQUA UV SUPER MOISTURE GEL SPF50+ PA++++
  • BIORE UV PERFECT MILK SPF50+ PA++++
  • HADA LABO PERFECT UV GEL SPF50+ PA++++

FOUNDATION

  • BOURJOIS HEALTHY MIX SERUM GEL FOUNDATION
  • L’OREAL PARIS INFALLIBLE PRO MATTE FOUNDATION

WASH-OFF MASK

  • NATURE REPUBLIC BAMBOO CHARCOAL MUD PACK
  • LEEGEEHAAM GROW MATCHA CLAY MASK
  • LA ROCHE POSAY EFFACLAR SEBO-CONTROLLING MASK
  • FREEMAN DEEP CLEARING MANUKA HONEY + TEA TREE OIL CLAY MASK + CLEANSER

FACIAL OIL

  • DRUNK ELEPHANT VIRGIN MARULA LUXURY OIL
  • BIOSSANCE SQUALANE + VITAMIN C ROSE OIL
  • TRILOGY CERTIFIED ORGANIC ROSEHIP OIL
  • THE ORDINARY 100% PLANT-DERIVED SQUALANE

[UPDATE] For Best of 2019, you can check the products here.

[UPDATE] For Best of 2020, you can check the products here.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA 

BRUNTUSAN: WHICH PRODUCTS ARE SAFE?

Uneven skin texture. Maybe that’s the right English words for ‘bruntusan’, which I believe still happen even if you passed that teenager’s years already.

If you’ve been having a constant bruntusan and nothing help, it could be Pityrosporum Folliculitis, aka Malassezia, aka fungal acne in more popular term. I’ve been intensively blogging about this, because I am one of the sufferers.

It’s almost a year now, and obviously I’ve been on a roller-coaster ride to find the right products. I am my own guinea-pig. Cosdna and skincarisma have been my go-to website to check out on the ingredients of each product which I wanted to purchase. I will stay clear for anything that stated bad for fungal acne, such as: Galactomyces, Sorbitan Olivate (Olive Oil), Sorbitan Palmitate (Palm Oil), Glyceryl Stearate (derived from palm kernel, vegetable or soy oil), Castor Oil and lots more. Basically I will stay clear from mineral oils and anything fermented (because it will feed the yeast).

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I recommend you to check on skincarisma.com to know which ingredient is bad for fungal acne before you purchase anything. These are some of the products that I purchase after I’m totally sure that they’re fungal acne safe (according to skincarisma.com).

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FIRST CLEANSER: BIODERMA Sensibio H2O.
No matter how much I’d love to try balm or oil remover, most of them usually contain PEG, Olive Oil, or Ethylhexyl Palmitate (palm oil), which is not safe for fungal acne. So yeah, I’ve been using this religiously to remove my base makeup (I use eye makeup remover separately).

SECOND CLEANSER: SIMPLE Kind to Skin Refreshing Facial Wash Gel.
As the name stated, this has very simple ingredients list which include panthenol that promotes wound healing. Don’t expect miracle, it won’t make your acne dries. But, this is a very gentle cleanser and super awesome for sensitive skin (it won’t aggravate skin because it is fragrance free).

TONER: SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Asiatica Toner.
Centella Asiatica aka Tiger Grass aka Daun Pegagan (in Bahasa), has been my favorite ingredient lately. This is a clear, watery everyday toner, perfect to wipe away any excess dirt and oil after second cleanser.

EXFOLIATING TONER: COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Toner.
I only use this twice a week, just because I need to exfoliate. Even though I am not a big fan of AHA, this is the only exfoliating toner which is safe for fungal acne (according to skincarisma.com).

HYDRATING TONER: KLAIRS Supple Preparation Unscented Toner.
I use this after exfoliating toner. This toner is free from scents and (best of all) essential oils. It’s cooling and calming when applied.

ESSENCE: LEEGEEHAAM Tea Tree90 Essence.
Mine is the old version, I believe they launched the latest version with new packaging (not sure of the formula). Tea tree is another one of my favorite ingredients, and this also contains Centella Asiatica extract.

SERUM: GLOSSIER Super Pure.
This is my second bottle, by the way. I’ve tried The Ordinary Niacinamide, but I love this one more. It has no weird scent like The Ordinary ones, and glides evenly because it’s more watery than The Ordinary. Yes, it is expensive though.

AMPOULE: (Again from the brand SKIN1004), Madagascar Centella Asiatica 100 Ampoule.
It only contains Centella Asiatica Extract, so this is very potent for skin healing. Unlike any ampoules that I’ve tried, this is more watery. Nonetheless, it absorb really well and I believe it calms down angry skin.

MOISTURIZER: MAKE P:REM Safe Me Relief Cream.
I believe this is the first ever moisturizer that I enjoy using. I love the light texture, the super light scent and it only contains 12 ingredients (which include Squalane, another champion ingredient). Less ingredients is definitely more!

OIL: BIOSSANCE Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil.
This oil is bloody expensive, but worth it. Actually, using oil as the last step of any skincare routine is just a supplement. If you don’t feel like it, you can skip this step. But I love how this adds softness, especially under makeup.

WASH OFF MASK: LEEGEEHAAM Grow Matcha Clay Pack.
I am not a sheet mask fan, as I read in Reddit that the wet environment of the sheet mask made an even better breeding ground for fungal acne. So yeah, I stick to my wash off mask, thank you. This mask has great ingredients such as green tea, kaolin and bentonite clay. Texture is thick but creamy and easy to apply.

I hope this post will help you to choose the right products for your bruntusan or fungal acne problem. Till then!

PHOTOS; SHINTA ROSVITA

 

‘ANGRY SKIN’ AND HOW TO DEAL WITH IT

Just when I thought my fungal acne is getting better (sigh).

Actually they are quite calm now, but suddenly bigger acnes popped out of nowhere, on my temples only! Stressed? Check! Lack of sleep? Check! Too much dairy and sugar? Definitely! Oh man, like seriously nothing helped at this point of my skincare journey.

I can’t believe I posted this before-after picture, when the after picture looked worse than the before (I so hate my life right now).

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On those horrible days, I’ve tried almost everything from Benzoyl Peroxide, Azelaic Acid, Niacinamide, BHA, AHA, Lactic Acid, Centella Asiatica to heal those two spots. Unfortunately, none worked! I assumed, I might have been over-exfoliating and my skin became confused by too many active ingredients. So, I decided to completely cut down my skincare regime, morning and night. I also limit my chemical exfoliation to once a month, rather than twice a week like I used to do. And I tried sulfur as spot treatment, using a local brand product. Why? Because according to simpleskincarescience.com, sulfur can treat fungal acne because it produces penthationic acid which is toxic to fungi, and it may also directly inhibit malassezia (read: my nightmare).

Without further adieu, here are my (much) shorten skincare routine.

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AM ROUTINE
Cleanser: COSRX LOW PH GOOD MORNING GEL CLEANSER. Not very foamy with quite heavy tea tree scent. I was worried that it’s going to cause purging, but it’s not. Pheeww!!!

Toner: SOMEBYMI AHA-BHA-PHA 30 DAYS MIRACLE TONER. I (sort of) ditched my regular toner (Nacific Calendula) for this. Thanks to their super heavy rotation ad on instagram, I am sold. So far so good, no purging. I will keep you updated, because they claimed this toner will bring miracle if used continuously for 30 days. Fingers crossed!

Serum: DR JART+ CICAPAIR SERUM. This is quite an expensive serum (must be the packaging price). I just tried to empty this bottle, even though I believe it didn’t show any magic result on my skin. But at least, it didn’t cause me any break out. I wouldn’t repurchase this, will try other serum (I am thinking Lee Gee Haam).

Moisturizer: SEBAMED CLEAR FACE CARE GEL mixed with THE ORDINARY 100% PLANT-DERIVED SQUALANE. To reduce the tackiness of the gel, I always mixed it with squalane oil. Squalane also add glow to the skin and not worsen my fungal acnes.

Sunscreen: SKIN AQUA UV MOISTURE GEL SPF 30 PA++. It’s not a clear gel, for sure. Milky white when poured, but luckily no white cast when applied. Easy to absorb and feels very light on skin. Best of all, did not cause any break out.

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PM ROUTINE
First Cleanser: BIODERMA SENSIBIO H2O. Long time favorite of mine, long before they legally sold in my local drugstores. Been trying this and that, but always go back to this (it’s da best, what can I say)

Second Cleanser: KRAVE BEAUTY MATCHA HEMP HYDRATING CLEANSER. Don’t expect too much foam if you use this, but trust me, my skin never felt cleaner and healthier.

In the shower mask: BLITHE PATTING WATER PACK SOOTHING & HEALING GREEN TEA. It’s a genius product, I might say. Who has time for facial mask to dry these days?

Toner: SOMEBYMI AHA-BHA-PHA 30 DAYS MIRACLE TONER. Yes, again in the evening. After swiping on face, I apply this on my neck too. Never neglect neck!

Spot Treatment: ACNE FELDIN LOTION. Local skincare product with 1% camphor and 6.6% sulfur as main ingredients. It smells weird at first and the super watery texture is a pain the ass to apply directly with finger on spots, but I got the hang of it. I also applied this on my temple where the fungal acnes are. Make sure to tap until they dried down.

And after 8 days of cutting down my skincare regime to the above routines, this is how my skin looks.

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Those two humongous zits are flatten (but still left red marks), some black heads are still there (one popped out in the shower accidentally-causing an open red wound), but I know it’s getting better. But it’s still day 8, so I will check back in 22 more days, just to see the efficacy of my skincare routine and the products I am currently using.

CONCLUSIONS:

  • Never ever over exfoliate. Just pick one acid that suits your skin.
  • Find one active ingredient that suits your skin the most and stick with it (trying periods are the worst, it’s like finding your skin soul-mate).
  • Avoid skincare overload. Less is definitely more, do not let your skin get confused (too many products = too many ingredients).
  • Being bombarded by so many new skincare products is hard (I know right). Search well about the ingredients and reviews before any purchases.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

MY SKINCARE DIET

You think more is better? Think again!

Well, that’s what I thought before I met Liah Yoo last month at JakartaXBeauty 2018. At the exclusive meet & greet event with the influencers (including yours truly), she mentioned about lesser products for her skincare routine. Imagine having 10 or more products with hundreds of ingredients layering on your face.

If you followed my IG @shintarosvita, you will know that I did stock up on many skincare products, mainly Korean brands (because most of them apparently worked for me). Along the way, on my skin-care journey, I found out that some ingredients didn’t work for my sensitive and fungal-acne skin. Now I’m becoming more picky when I purchased skin-care products by reading the ingredients list very carefully. I’ll stay away from Aloe, Alcohol and Yeast Ferments (specifically Galactomyces). Well… basically, things that will trigger my fungal-acne.

At first, it’s not easy for me to do what I called SKINCARE SIMPLIFICATION, because I want to put so much things on my face to get to clear skin, stat! But, I know that what I want and what my skin needs are two different things, so yeah….I am doing this now! These are my current skin-care routines

AM
Start with this gel cleanser

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Moving on to the others:

  1. Serum
  2. Toner
  3. Essence
  4. Ampoule
  5. Eye cream
  6. Moisturizer
  7. Sunscreen

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PM
Starting with Triple Cleanse (oil, micellar and foaming cleanser)

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Then moving on to:

  1. Splash Mask
  2. Toner Wash
  3. Serum
  4. Hydrating Toner
  5. Eye cream
  6. Moisturizer
  7. Oil

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Additional:

  • Exfoliate in between days: with Glycolic Acid, BHA & AHA, Lactic Acid
  • Sleeping Pack once a week after Lactic Acid

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Just sharing you guys, my before after picture (no filter, for sure!).

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Check out the improvement after about a month of cutting some products and actually using what my skin needs! Can’t be happier at this point of my life. And oh yeah, another simplified things in my life, MAKEUP! I tried to use lesser products, like I’d go #foundationfree on Saturday and Sunday. I’ll share more about my MAKEUP SIMPLIFICATION on my next post.

Remember, you know your skin best, so try not to use skincare products based on hype. Skin care is very personal. Like babies trying to walk for the first time, you will stumble and fall. But few trials will make us stand tall in the end. Good luck, dears.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

 

REVIEW: COSRX ACNE PIMPLE MASTER PATCH

Yes, this is my first COSRX. Better late than never. When I went to Seoul, almost two years ago, I didn’t shop for their skincare products like crazy. If I only I knew what I know today *sigh*.

I purchased this online for IDR45K.

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A pretty straight forward product, with (thankfully) English description on the packaging. A hydrogel acne patch, consists of 24 patches with different sizes.

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Simply follow the instruction on how to wear this patch from the back of the packaging.

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I decided to put this on over night on my whiteheads, so it was not a new pimple. Good thing about this product, it’s comfortable, even if you are sleeping with it. I didn’t feel any stretch or tingling sensation when I put this on. And when I woke up in the morning, I saw the pus had been pulled out and stuck on the patch.

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And the pus stayed there when I took the patch off my face (gave me such pleasure!).

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It really pulled off the white gunk off the pimple, but don’t expect miracles. Red spot will still be there, but at least it’ll flatten the pimple. My bad, I forgot to take a picture of my bare skin immediately after I took it off. But for you to get the idea, below is my skin condition after two days. Oooopss, got another whiteheads below to be treated soon.

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Judging from my own experience, this patch is good for whiteheads, when you can already see that your pimples are going to blow up. Save your money and don’t put it on a new forming pimples.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA