Ok. Putting ELF on my list for the next time I’m in a store that actually has stocked shelves.
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Tinted moisturizer?
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i tried a couple BB creams but they felt kinda thick on my skin. i have been using the loreal 4:1 tinted balm some days (just a teensy bit) and the danessa myricks yummy serum other days – it doesn’t provide coverage but it somehow blurs everything out. plus it smells like watermelon 
i love it!
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I have some hazelnut oil I got from Typology like 2 years ago and I just now realized I could put some on my poor dry, flaky nose and it soaked right in. Hopefully it doesn’t break me out, but lotion was just kinda sitting on top of the rough skin and burning. This is much better
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Yessss to happy moisturizer. I’ve been using chapstick like it’s nobody’s business these past few weeks.
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Two breakouts lol. I guess I know I can put the hazelnut oil on BN now!
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Booooo
I have a bottle of bakuchiol that is in my Buy Nothing pile for this exact reason. 
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In positive skincare things, I am here to absolutely shill for azelaic acid. I’ve had to completely revamp my skincare routine because of TTC, and I am adding azelaic acid to my list of beloved ingredients alongside niacinamide. I see serious improvement in both redness and smoothness in problem areas. Like, historically I have had meh-to-all right skin, and after this revamp I have seriously good skin. I will probably not be switching back to retinols.
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Were you on topical tretonoin or something like that before? My derm just prescribed tretinoin for me, but I’ve used it before and getting used to how harsh it is is a real bummer which is why I always end up stopping. I’d love to find something that isn’t quite so harsh but also delivers similar results
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I was using an OTC retinol, so not nearly as strong as tretinoin. I’ve never used a prescription retinol.
I’m using The Ordinary’s azelaic acid, 10%, and haven’t had any reaction to it – no redness or flaking or itching or anything. I do find it a little drying, so would suggest using moisturizer after, and I don’t know how that work if you have really dry skin.
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I’m going to have to try The Ordinary’s. I’ve been using another brand and not seeing a ton of difference so not sure how good it is.
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To be fair, you also seem to already have very good skin, so it may not help you in the way it helps me 
But it’s not expensive, so it’s easy to try out.
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I do have skin issues though! I have rosacea that leads to redness that is the main reason I ever wear foundation (which these days is pretty much only on my rare nights out). And I get keratosis pilaris on the fuzzy parts of my cheeks near the jaw line, and visible pores and broken capillaries on the sides of my nose, and fine (and the beginnings of not-so fine) lines on my forehead and around my lips and eyes. Luckily, I almost never get zits though! But the redness is my biggest battle, so I’ve been searching for a solution to that.
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Haha see whenever I see photos of you on IG I’m always like “her skin is so nice!” 
Rosacea always seems like a rough one. The redness in my skin is more related to acne, I think, though tbh my chin remains a mystery to me. The azelaic acid is really effective on that for me, but ymmv?
I get the visible pores and broken capillaries too and it does help with that for me.
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back when i had a firehose of cash flowing my way every two weeks, i bought the most beautiful skin care product i’ve ever used – lisa eldridge’s cleanser/mask. it’s like $50 a tube, though you don’t have to use much so it lasts a long time.
i have been trying to make it last longer by not using it very often, but i decided to use some last night and i took my time with it to massage it into my skin, and i left it on for 5 mins or so while i did my teeth, then washed it off and went to bed, and my skin feels and looks so nice today.
i may use it again tonight! life is for the living!! 
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What is your plan for introducing it to your skin? I went super slowly at first. Like, once a week only for a month. Then I added a second time a week for the next month. Worked my way up to every night but so slowly. It took like a year!
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And not to be a downer, but I don’t think you’ll find anything else with similar results. I think Azelaic Acid is good and Niacinamide and Lactic Acid and Vitamin C is good and cermides are great. But tretinoin is the big powerhouse of them all.
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This is so helpful! So I tried tretinoin 3 years ago and I was using it every other night, and I burned out quick (literally, my skin was so burned). I couldn’t keep up with the peeling, and with how much I’m out in the sun I couldn’t keep enough sunscreen on to protect it. I definitely plan to start slower this time, but once a week is slower than I would have tried! I’m definitely going to try that since it worked for you…did you also put a moisturizer on first, or just tretinoin as the first layer?
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No, I don’t usually do the moisturizer first and didn’t when I was easing into it. As long as my skin is recently wet. If it has been some time since I washed it, I’ll put on a serum first. That’s worked ok for me I think just because I went so slowly. What strength do you have? I imagine starting with every other day was hard on your skin! Super slow seems to be the way to go. I was fine doing it that way with .05 and then I tried to change to .1 and it was too much. I had to back down and introduce the higher level just as slowly as I’d done it the first time.
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it’s just 0.025 so I think the gentlest strength. My skin is so sensitive though, and I’m in the sun so much I can’t imagine going higher than that ever. Did you notice a huge difference in your skin once you adjusted to the new strengths?
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