Beauty chat - freebies/gifts with purchase/offers THREAD NINETEEN

[OvaHere]

New thread. Welcome oldies and newbies.

I'm expecting this thread to be busy as we head towards both advents and autumn releases.

There's a dedicated advent thread for advent calendars here to keep up to date with reveals, waitlists etc.
www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5549187-beauty-fragrance-advent-calendars-infochat-2026-spoilers?page=32&reply=153745800

@Thelifeofawife thin to thick with serums, AI is probably guessing on the 'average' serum.

My HA serum (found in stash with a BBE August 2026 so I'm on it with using it up!) is more of a light lotion so I put that on after the Lumene Vit C.

I did the same @Thelifeofawife with the SK Pharmacy box and got a fairly decent overview of what to use and when…

On which, SK have a rake load of offers, as per, but one is a cute Toy Story themed one! I do not need anything in advance of AC season but but but…

https://www.stylekorean.com/promotion/4118?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=mail&utm_campaign=gl_treatskin_260810&utm_content=3&tag=mailchimp_mail_gl_treatskin_260810_3

I neeeed to use my stash, I have tidied it all into two pretty boxes but everything is higgledy piggledy and I don't really know what I have. Plenty of body lotion and shower gel, don't let me buy more of those.

I think Aldi might have had some excess stock as we were in Company Shop (sell end of line, short date groceries mainly) yesterday and they had a shelf of boxes of turmeric oil and glycolic acid for £2.50.

I kept forgetting what stuff to use in what order so I looked on Etsy and got a cute print which I've framed and put up in my bathroom. It's been a game changer in terms of actually using the skincare I have.

The print isn't 100% as it doesn't include all possible stages eg peptides are not on there. But if I have a new thing in an edit I want to try, I find it easy either to remember just one new addition rather than trying to figure out the whole thing daily. This also makes me try just one new thing at a time, so I can see if it makes a difference.

Mind you, the biggest difference to my face is definitely how much sleep I had the night before!

Hang on - are you using retinal cream on your rest night, did I read it correctly? Or rest day is day 3, and Murad retinal is day 4?

Also - retinol and retinal in the same weekly routine?

I’m using IUnik Beta Glucan power moisture serum in my both morning and evening routines as a serum step before the cream, I really like it for barrier support.

The Murad is not very strong and I think the Bioeffect which is glycerin heavy provides a thick layer under it. The Bader isn't very strong either and technically the Azelaic is anti-inflammatory and soothing.

Sounds to me like you’ve managed to damage your barrier using both in your routine, that’s the red tight skin is signalling. And big pimple could be purging.
Unless you’re allergic to mushrooms as that what they extracting beta glucan from, I think.

I bought two mini Ilia Lip Sketches from Vinted (at a bargain price!) and Banquette is lovely, the perfect shade for my natural lip tone. I also got Rhyme which I haven’t tried yet.

Has anyone tried the Anastasia Beverly Hills lip pencil (Muted Mauve) from the Cult Beauty Soft Focus Kit? I was going to sell it but reconsidering now.

I also bought a Kylie Cosmetics lip pencil in Comes Naturally which I like too but the shade isn’t that natural on me so I need to test it out with different lip colours.

I have one or two VB lip pencils somewhere I really regret as the formula isn’t as creamy or easy to apply as these ones.

@user593 I picked up that set of lip sketches in the sale at oh My Cream. I tried them this weekend and I think they are wonderful. Feel like a lipstick but last like lip liner. I’ve been really impressed.

I’ve got the ABH Muted Mauve and I really like it. It looks very natural but still shapes the lips nicely. I normally pair it with Summer Fridays Bare Sand lip oil.

@SheilaFentiman That's the process I was following, until AI threw me off. I think it’s done it as most vit c serums are thin/watery rather than creamy.
I will revert back to the way I was doing it then, while I get through my never ending stash of medik8 c-tetra (thanks Fairy) 😁

@Cyclingmummy1 Oh, I’ve not been to the Company Shop for years, I always forget about it. I need to renew my membership and start checking in from time to time. (Although I wouldn’t get the turmeric oil, I hated the smell of that when I got it in Aldi)

@Hicupping When I ran my products through AI it said to use Murad last from my stash due to its strength (I had also been using Murad on and off and didn’t realise it was so strong) - see below

1. Gentler than Crystal Retinal 6

Augustinus Bader The Retinol Serum

This contains 0.06% pure retinol. Because it is retinol (requiring two conversion steps) combined with their soothing TFC8 cellular complex, it is incredibly gentle and focuses heavily on hydration.

• When to use: You could actually use this instead of your Crystal Retinal 3 right now if you wanted a break from retinal, or save it for times when your skin feels exceptionally dry but you still want anti-ageing protection.

2. The Direct Peer (Equivalent Strength)

Crystal Retinal 6
Decree Treat Tincture: This features a 1% advanced granactive retinoid complex. Granactive retinoids do not require the same harsh conversion steps as traditional retinol, meaning it gives a similar level of cell-turnover performance as Crystal Retinal 6 but with a massive focus on moisture (via squalane and hyaluronic acid).

• When to use: This is your perfect alternative to Crystal Retinal 6. Once your tube of Crystal Retinal 3 is empty, you can seamlessly jump to the Decree serum instead of buying Medik8 strength 6.

3. The Strongest (Most Intensive)

Murad Retinol Youth Renewal
This uses a fast-acting "Tri-Active" technology that delivers an immediate hit of retinoid alongside a time-released retinol. Because it kicks off cellular turnover very rapidly, it behaves as the most intense formula in your collection.

• When to use: Save this for much later, after you have fully conquered Crystal Retinal 6 or finished the Decree serum. Because your skin is prone to breakouts and dryness, introducing this fast-acting formula too early could trigger a purging reaction.

@Thelifeofawife I’m pleased it said Decree Treat Tincture is a good follow up to Medik8 Crystal Retinol 3 as that’s exactly what I’ve just done! I have Crystal Retinol 6 in my stash box but decided I’d try something different.

My Murad is the Retinal moisuriser - this one murad.co.uk/products/retinal-resculpt-overnight-cream

@Thelifeofawife Not to bang on, but AI really doesn't know anything. It just pulls from websites, generally the manufacturers' sites that are actively marketing the products, so the information it spits out will always be biased. The prompt you enter will change things too. I just put in "is medik8 crystal retinal stronger than murad youth renewal serum?" and it said "yes, Medik8 Crystal Retinal is generally considered stronger than Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum because it uses retinaldehyde (retinal), which requires fewer conversion steps in the skin and works up to 11 times faster than standard retinol". The truth is, Murad do not release their percentages as they consider it commercially sensitive, so it's very difficult/impossible to make a direct comparison of 'strength' of the products.

I suppose it would depend on the strength of the Medik8 as well though, as they have so many.
But yes it makes sense that if some companies don’t reveal full information then AI can only go off what’s available.

I’m happily working through my routine as it’s guided me as it’s keeping me on track and working nicely for me.

I’m about to introduce a Dr Sebagh retinol night serum although I must check the batch date first as I know I’ve had it ages.

I really like Dr Sebagh but I feel like it doesn’t get a lot of love here? I’ve been using his Deep Exfoliating Mask on and off for the last 20 years (on and off because when I was younger I struggled to afford it!). I’m also using his Perfecting Mask at the moment and I really like that too. They often have good deals on the salon sizes if you buy direct.

New Space NK edit available via the app.

I absolutely love his rose de vie serum which was in Liberty the year before last. I still have one left that I bought from Vinted and would def consider buying again! I’ve not tried anything else

The Lumene vitamin c essence serum is in the Boots £10 Tuesday.

Thanks. Im not sure what is going on. Usually I can’t resist an edit but this seems like it has very little in it. I think I’m locked into advent frenzy and now I want my edits to have 25 or more products to tempt me. 🙈

Thanks! Going to resist because I have just started one and have another in stash… unless of course I need something to add for free postage 🤔 😀

I haven’t tried the Rose de Vie serum but I’ll keep an eye out for it now ☺️

That is a bit of a dull one. Agree though, now is not the time for edits. 😂