Maychiri's Thoughts: Calming

Revolution Skincare 2% Salicylic Acid and 5% Niacinamide Serum Review

August 17, 2025

A new serum enters the fray! This time it is the Revolution Skincare 2% Salicylic Acid and 5% Niacinamide Serum!

When I am choosing a serum for myself (instead of being given one in sets/mystery boxes), my first priority is to make sure it is a serum that can calm down my skin. This means some combination of salicylic acid or niacinamide or Centella or tea tree/tea plant. Well, would you know it, Revolution Skincare just happened to have a serum that contains both salicylic acid and niacinamide! This sounds absolutely perfect! The previous Revolution Skincare serum that I used (and liked) had only salicylic acid. It was pretty good, but surely I can find something better, no? This serum for sure seems like it’s going to be better, but is it really? Well, I am super excited to find out, so let’s finally check it out, shall we?

Packaging: the outer, cardboard packaging looks both expensive and very much like a medical product! I love the calming light blue! It reminds me of nitrile gloves! There’s some black text, but it’s mostly white, which I feel is a great choice! White plus medical light blue makes it look calming and reassuring, possibly what this serum is going to be like for my skin? Also, the modern, uppercase, bold lettering is cool, isn’t it? There’s also a life-size illustration of the bottle on one side and explanation of what exactly salicylic acid and niacinamide are on the other side. Very informative and well-put-together! But it doesn’t stop here: there’s also a huge amount of text on the inside too!

As well as a reassuring note about blemishes! Very lovely packaging!

At some point, the bottle and packaging have been changed; there's no black text anymore. I like this more than the previous packaging because it's more balanced. The black really was too harsh on this light blue. Aside from that, they also removed the percentage numbers for salicylic acid and niacinamide, though the ingredients list is 100% identical. Why do this? It's important to know the percentage of active ingredients.

The serum itself comes in a rather large-looking glass bottle. The bottle feels quite heavy – must be some quality, thick glass! I love the combination of that light blue/white design (same as the outer packaging) and the white cap, it really looks like a medical product this way. The glass is frosted; it might look like it’s the serum that is cloudy, but in this case it’s the glass. The cap closes extremely tightly - and I mean that! Like, sometimes I have to seriously struggle to open it! This is good, as it means that it truly is as airtight a seal as possible, keeping the serum fresh for a long time. This serum has the same bottle design as the previous Revolution Skincare salicylic acid serum with that ring around the dropper. However, here that ring doesn’t typically break whereas with the other salicylic acid serum, it always breaks.

Not that it actually matters much, but it shows that there’s a higher level of QA here. I will discuss the dropper in more detail in a moment. This is a really great bottle! I love it! Also, the bottle itself hasn't been changed, unlike the cardboard packaging. The new one is exactly the same as the old one - down to including % numbers for the actives... which was removed from the cardboard. Make it make sense!

Ingredients: glycerine, niacinamide/vitamin B3, salicylic acid, panthenol/provitamin B5, pullulan, Tasmanian pepperberry (Tasmannia lanceolata) fruit/leaf extract, pantolactone for nourishment. No parabens. Wow, niacinamide at position number 3 on the list? And salicylic acid and panthenol at numbers 5 and 7, respectively? This is honestly very surprising! This must mean that there is a ton of niacinamide here, amazing! Then results surely won’t be poor! The scent is extremely subtle; it almost doesn’t smell like anything. What little I can smell smells faintly chemical and very slightly kinda bitter. This is exactly the type of scent you’d expect from a product that doesn’t contain perfumes. The expiration date is 12 months after opening.

The dropper is fantastic! It’s super precise, allowing you to suck in as much serum as you want and it is also capable of precisely dosing exactly the amount of serum that you need. Drop by drop, and you can control how big the droplets are. When you really squeeze the dropper, it sucks in so much serum that there’s enough for multiple days of applications! Even if you apply multiple drops like I do (I usually apply 4 drops; forehead, left cheek, right cheek, chin). And the plastic ring doesn’t break, which was very annoying with the previous salicylic acid serum. Easy to use dropper that never gets clogged up! Yay!

Okay... well, the dropper has been changed. It doesn't have that bulbous tip anymore, now it's just a typical eyedropper with a slightly narrower tip. I don't mind this! It is every bit as precise as the old one, and it still sucks in a ton of product. It still can precisely drop whatever size of the serum you want. So, not a change for the worse, but still a change. Though I will say that the ring around the dropper is more fragile now; it tends to become loose and/or break after a few months of use.

This serum is colourless and clear as water. This interesting, as the previous salicylic acid serum had a very cloudy appearance and was slightly yellow! It also feels noticeably different. But in a good way! This serum is much lighter than the previous salicylic acid one, and it feels like it is much more watery. It’s definitely thinner. I like this, as I am already sick and tired of oils and grease from my skin, so something this light and refreshing is totally what I needed! It’s not at all greasy; soapy, yes, to a degree, but it’s much less soapy than the previous serum. It’s really obvious that this is a water-based serum given how watery it is. And because of how lightweight it is, it feels breathable. It’s also much, much easier to buff into the skin compared to the previous Revolution Skincare salicylic acid serum! There’s no soapy residue as it absorbs ridiculously fast! And there’s also no pilling, yay! This means that I can apply my makeup normally! Significant improvement!

At first, this serum might feel a bit soapy while you are still buffing it into your skin. However, since it absorbs so quickly, that feeling is gone after less than a minute. I already said how lightweight this serum is, but seriously, it becomes literally invisible after it absorbs. Like, I cannot feel it at all on my skin! It still gives you a nice hydrating and slightly cooling feeling while it’s absorbing which feels very calming. Even though I cannot feel the serum on my skin, my skin feels so nice and calm and just overall great! Since it’s so lightweight, this serum is super comfortable to wear for hours, even when it’s very hot outside. Super comfortable, super lightweight and feels balancing and hydrating at the same time! Perfect!

NB: The following section was written long before I started using adapalene and an LED mask. Since then, I have started using it just under my eyes, not on my chin, since that area is nowadays already treated with many other products. It still has fantastic results on my undereyes, though!

Oh my! The results are astounding! My skin looks visibly better after a month of using this serum! The serum hydrates the skin pretty well, and it keeps it balanced throughout the day. The salicylic acid ensures that blemishes don’t reoccur too often, and if they do, that they’ll go away soon. In fact, I have been able to go though an entire PMDD and period without a single cystic acne appearing! Words cannot describe just how monumental of an achievement this is! Nothing, literally nothing was able to calm my skin down enough to prevent cystic acne, but this serum manages to do it with ease! Aside from preventing acne and helping them recover sooner, this serum also helps the surface of the skin become much smoother.

Like, yeah, it’s not perfectly smooth (it likely never will from more than a decade of consistently reoccurring acne breakouts), but it looks so much better! A bit craggy still, but far less than it used to be! I literally cannot remember the last time my skin was in such good condition – it looks and feels happy! And even if I don’t get enough sleep or if I am feeling unwell, my skin still looks remarkably good! It also seems like this serum helps balance out the production of sebum, leading to less oily shine through the day (an effect that is further enhanced by the Eucerin Dermopure moisturiser). This also means that makeup looks much better now! Especially things like contour powder and blush, they look much more even now that my skin is in better condition. I am blown away by how much this serum is helping! And how good my skin looks now, compared to all the previous serums I had used!

In conclusion, oh yes, this is the best serum I have used, so far! The formula is extraordinarily comfortable and lightweight! It’s literally feather-light! At first, it feels soapy and slippery, but it doesn’t feel slimy or icky at any point. It takes only a few seconds for the serum to absorb into the skin – much faster than the previous serum! And it doesn’t leave a tacky residue after it absorbs. Instead, it feels silky soft! I literally cannot feel it once it absorbs, it’s that comfortable! But that’s not all – this serum is a godsend for anybody who has acne-prone or oily skin! It seriously does wonders! My skin is suuuper problematic and yet this serum manages to calm it down and make it both look and feel so much better! The texture of my skin is refined; no longer is it horribly craggy and uneven. Now it is only slightly uneven because I highly doubt it will ever be perfectly smooth, but even this is miraculous! What’s even more miraculous is that it somehow manages to keep the skin in wonderful condition even during my horrible PMDD and periods, when it usually erupts into an oily, cystic-acne-filled mess. But with this serum it is (at least visually) happy and content! Smooth, no cystic acne and doesn’t feel icky and slimy! Exactly what I wanted! And what I needed! It also helps acne heal faster! But besides all that, it is also a fantastic base for makeup as it never pills, which, combined with smoother skin from the effects of this serum means that makeup looks better overall! God, what would I do had I not discovered this serum?? My only wish is that Revolution don’t stop manufacturing it for at least a couple of years... I think that’s a fair request, right? It’s magnificent so of course it will get my highest recommendation! Absolutely check out this serum if you struggle with acne!

Rating: 9.5/10

Would buy again? YES, absolutely

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Calming

Cien Spa Moments Dreamy Flower Sensation Hand Cream Review

February 09, 2025

This is something quite unexpected from me, but I was just too curious! This is the Cien Spa Moments Dreamy Flower Sensation Hand Cream!

Now, I don’t usually buy skincare at Lidl. Not that it’s necessarily bad quality, but, idk, I just don’t think it would be too good. But this one time I was buying groceries and I went to check out the clearance area, and noticed that they had body lotions and hand creams marked down. I didn’t even remember seeing it at the store or in a catalogue, so I had no idea where this came from, but it sure looked interesting! Dreamy Flower, eh? I wonder what it’s like... only one way to find out! Let’s check out what a Lidl hand cream is like!

Packaging: listen, don’t expect extravagance here. It’s a Lidl product, so it’s bound to have a minimalistic design. And it does! But that’s not a bad thing, necessarily. I actually like this design, even though it may look a bit cheap. It looks almost like Scandinavian style! The bottle is white and made of plastic, and it’s basically just a tall rectangle. There’s some details on it, though they are hidden behind that big ol’ discount sticker. I like the magenta/white colour combo they have going on here, it is a very soothing colour combo. And appropriate for something called ‘Dreamy Flower Sensation’! There’s an illustration of flowers in the front, with a magnolia blossom and... uhh, is that a carnation? I don’t believe these are in the cream, but they are lovely flowers anyways! Information about the cream is in the back, as usual.

The pump has a pale gold section as a detail, as it is actually pure white. Honestly, it does look and feel cheap, but it doesn’t get stuck in the closed position and it has no issues pumping out enough cream. Although I always need more, but that’s me. Not a terrible design, and it does kinda fit with the whole spa theme going on... if you squint?

Ingredients: glycerine, shea (Butyrospermum parkii) butter, coconut (Cocos nucifera) oil, tulip (Tulipa Hybrid) flower extract, yuzu (Citrus junus) fruit extract for nourishment. No parabens. Oh? This is very impressive! I must say that I did not expect to see both shea and coconut oil and tulip extract... this sound very promising ngl! Just do be aware it has a bunch of aromatic compounds (limonene, linalool, geraniol, citronellol), in addition to perfume. So if you are sensitive to any of these, be wary! The scent is, given all these scented compounds, actually subtle! It’s a floral scent that is indeed quite dreamy! Which flower this is exactly I do not know; it would make sense for it to be tulip, but to me it smells more like roses. But a subtler, gentler variety. It’s so relaxing and ideal for bedtime! The expiration date is 12 months after opening.

Colour: just a pure white hand cream. Nothing too special in this regard.

This formula is exactly the type I like! It’s lightweight, which, sure, means it doesn’t last for hours and hours, but it allows me to use it during the day, when I usually can never use creams then because I hate that greasy feeling on my hands. But this formula is so wonderfully silky that it doesn’t feel greasy at all once it absorbs! It leaves the skin feeling so silky smooth! Instead of that occlusive, heavy, greasy feeling that so many creams have. And it is so silky that it absorbs quite quickly as well and doesn’t leave white streaks even if you use too much of it! The formula feels hydrating and nourishing, so it is appropriate for use on the body as well, although that will use it up quite quickly. Idk, it just feels so comfy to me! And that’s not something I say often with hand creams!

It doesn’t say anywhere what this cream is supposed to do, but, judging by the ingredients list, it should nourish and soften skin. And man, it does this so well! It helps calm down whatever this psoriasis is on my hands – and not a lot of hand creams can claim to do that! It doesn’t cure it completely, but it calms my skin enough that it doesn’t feel painful and dry, and this lasts for a few hours! I don’t know why exactly, but it is actually helping to heal my skin... which is shocking, when not even calendula hand creams could do that! And since the formula is so lightweight, I can use it throughout the say as well, to keep my hands as soft as possible 24/7. It also feels very hydrating and soothing immediately after applying it. I really did not see this coming... wow, this is a good hand cream!

Unfortunately, this cream isn’t strong enough to survive the night. I usually apply it before bed, to give my hands a chance to recover during the night, and I always hope that hand creams will survive until the morning, but this one doesn’t. Well, not completely. I can still feel some of it on my hands in the morning, but it is mostly gone, leaving my hands relatively dry. Shucks...

All in all, colour me impressed, this hand cream is surprisingly competent! Is it the best hand cream around? Absolutely not, but it manages to help calm down my hand psoriasis for at least a couple of hours, so that’s a huge success! I honestly never expected it to be this good! The formula is incredibly silky and completely lightweight; it’s a really comfortable formula. It absorbs pretty quickly and doesn’t leave that heavy, occlusive feeling on the skin. It’s even good enough to calm down the skin after shaving! And the smell is so dreamy! It’s floral and very much like roses, but it’s a ‘soft’ scent that doesn’t irritate the nose. It’s actually really relaxing and good for before bed. The formula may be a bit thin, and it doesn’t survive the night, but that makes it suitably light enough to be worn during the day – and I usually hate to have creams on my hands during the day! It’s just so comfy and relaxing! Although yeah, the design is a bit cheap. But overall, this is a great hand cream – I cannot believe I am saying this! I will definitely recommend this hand cream, it is a real gem from an unexpected place! Perhaps I will check out more Lidl hand/body creams...

Rating: 7.5/10

Would buy again? YES

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Anti-blemish

Skin79 Seoul Girl's Beauty Secret Mask [Soothing] Review

February 02, 2025

Some skincare is in order! This is the Skin79 Seoul Girl's Beauty Secret Mask, variant Soothing!

Korea is well-known for their skincare. Just look at the skin of literally any Korean, they all have such smooth skin that has a healthy glow! Skin79 is a less expensive brand of K-Beauty, but it’s been very good to me so far. All their masks have, so far, been great, and their sunscreen was fantastic. This mask is part of the Seoul Girl's Beauty Secret collection, inspired by the beauty routines of young Seoul women. This is a soothing face mask that draws its inspiration from sitting in the Han River Park at sunset, letting your body and spirit heal while relaxing along the river. Very relaxing scene. That, along with having a powerhouse combination of marigold, chamomile and lavender made me want to try this mask. Surely it will soothe my skin when it’s at its worst (like during PMDD)? Let’s see!

Packaging: a plastic sachet, what else could it be? But this sachet has a very fun design: there’s an illustration of a woman with her dog sitting in the Han River Park. It’s such a simple drawing style! The information about this sheet mask is located in the back. The sachet is easy to open.

Ingredients: glycerine, betaine, allantoin, pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) extract, lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) water/extract, German chamomile (Chamomilla recutita/Matricaria chamomilla) extract, witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) extract, ginseng (Panax ginseng) root extract, Aloe barbadensis leaf extract, white mulberry (Morus alba) bark extract, Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi/Coix ma-yuen) seed extract, cucumber (Cucumis sativus) fruit extract, tea plant (Camellia sinensis) leaf extract, star anise (Illicium verum) fruit extract, hyaluronic acid. No parabens. Such a rich list of calming ingredients! Marigold, lavender, chamomile, aloe, and cucumber are well-known for their calming properties, so that they are all together in this mask must mean that it will really calm my irritated skin! Witch hazel and tea plant are effective for blemishes, reducing how inflamed and red they are. It’s a really promising list of ingredients! The scent is terrific! It’s a super relaxing, creamy type of scent. I love it, especially how there’s a bit of lavender in it to really soothe you during the 15 minutes that it takes for the serum to absorb. This scent is pretty subtle, but I like that it is like that. The expiration date is marked as a real date, along the bottom of the sachet. This sheet mask should be left on the face for 10-15 minutes, not too long, I like that.

This is a soothing mask that moisturises the skin while soothing it comfortably. It should help maintain a healthy skin balance in order to restore the condition of the skin, leading to comfortable, healthy skin. That’s what Skin79 are promising, at least!

The sheet is so good! It’s made of this super stretchy, super soft and comfortable material that adheres nicely to the skin. While it is still too large for my face, it does not crease as much as you might expect. It does still have problems sticking to my jawline, but most sheets do, anyways. Oh, and it was absolutely soaked in serum! It literally looked and felt wet when I took it out of the sachet! Skin79 definitely did not skimp on the serum in this mask! The mask feels comfy and breathable while the serum is absorbing.

Speaking of, the serum is totally watery and thin. This should help it absorb more quickly into the skin as thicker serums usually take longer to absorb. It’s not at all greasy, just lovely, like a nice water essence!

This serum feels incredibly soothing and relaxing while it is absorbing! That’s the calendula, lavender and chamomile working their magic! It’s such a relaxing experience, especially if you close your eyes and just smell the serum and let the lavender soothe your body and senses. It does also feel richer than you might think for such a watery serum; it also feels nourishing and kind of thick. It really seems like my skin is going to be soothed and happy!

Let’s see the results after 15 minutes have passed! And wow! The results are stunning! My face looks markedly better, way happier and less irritated! So, my skin looks hydrated, nourished, and quite even in texture and tone. Pores look to be smaller now compared to before. But the biggest change is in how calmer and more soothed my skin looks and feels! Blemishes and irritations are less red, though not completely calmed down (that would be quite the Herculean task tbh).

And I can feel this relaxing, calming sensation inside my skin, a bit warm, but still incredibly calming nonetheless. I can feel it the most on my chin, where the situation with acne is most dire, so that leads me to believe that this serum is actively trying to soothe the area. It does not cause any irritations, which, come on, would be highly unlikely given the ingredients! All in all, magnificent results and just an overall comfortable, soothing feeling after removing the sheet. My skin definitely loves this mask, that’s for sure!

I just love how healthy my skin looks the next morning! There is a healthy glow to my skin and it still looks calm, with soothed blemishes and smaller pores. It just looks happy!

Overall, a really fantastic sheet mask for sensitive, problematic skin! This mask has so many calming and soothing ingredients in it: from calendula, chamomile, lavender, aloe, to cucumber and witch hazel, it’s specially made for skin that’s irritated, or with a lot of blemishes/acne, which is exactly what my skin is! It also smells so subtle and creamy and relaxing; that helps you de-stress and unwind after a bad day while the active ingredients work to soothe your skin. I honestly prefer to only use this mask during luteal phase, because that’s when my skin is at its worst, and when it needs emergency help. So, obviously, I need something truly effective and strong. This mask is all that and more; it visibly calms down the skin, tightening pores and reducing how red blemishes are. It’s also very hydrating and nourishing, and you can definitely feel that in your skin after you remove the mask; I felt a warming sensation on my chin, which is one of the worst areas on my face, probably the mask intensely soothing the skin there. Skin also looks healthy and calm and just great, overall! And that carries on to the next day; when I woke up my skin was still healthy, radiant, and in a very good state. Much, much better state than it was in before this mask. It’s one of the best masks to combat irritations and acne, and it’s not even expensive! It’s actually really affordable! The results, however, defy that price! I loooove using it, in fact, I always try to have a spare one in my drawer because it’s just so good! Rarely do sheet masks make my skin this happy, especially during PMDD! Highly, absolutely recommend this mask!

Rating: 9/10

Would buy again? YES, without a doubt! (I have been repurchasing it monthly ever since I first used it!)