My glow up: the routine that changed my skin
Everything I use for my rosacea skin, step by step: from the Omnilux red LED mask to Soolantra and Skinoren.
Beauty notes from Croatia
Beauty reviews without a filter, from Rhode to Chanel.
Hi, I'm Ema. I test viral products, luxury classics and pharmacy skincare on my sensitive skin with rosacea, and write about what was worth it and what ended up in the bin.
Meet me
Reviews by category
Skincare
Creams, serums and cleansers, from pharmacy to luxury.
7 articles →Make-up
Skin tints, bronzers, mascaras and brows I actually wear.
7 articles →SPF
Mineral and chemical SPF without white cast or stinging.
5 articles →By skin type
My speciality
Skin 30+
First lines, loss of glow and care that doesn't irritate.
3 articles →Sensitive skin
Stinging, tightness and products that don't upset it.
13 articles →Rosacea
Redness, broken capillaries and care that calms.
12 articles →Reactive skin
Skin that reacts strongly to new products.
3 articles →Favourites and flops
Honest, no sugar-coating
Beauty quizzes
One minute to an answer
skincare ingredients
Niacinamide, vitamin C, retinol, acids. How well do you know your ingredients?
Take the quiz →celebrity beauty brands
Rhode, Fenty, Rare Beauty… Do you know who founded which brand?
Take the quiz →where are beauty brands from?
Babé, Kiehl's, Shiseido, Olival… Guess which country each brand is from.
Take the quiz →SPF and sun protection
UVA or UVB, how much and when to reapply? Test yourself.
Take the quiz →beauty history and cult products
Chanel No. 5, Nivea Creme, the first micellar water. How much do you know?
Take the quiz →Latest reviews
Babé Mineral SPF 50: my current favourite
The best of the best: they spread and reapply beautifully. The minuses are a too-dark tinted shade, leaky packaging and nano titanium.
Chanel Water-Fresh Tint: your skin but better
A gorgeous base: light coverage, skin that looks like it drank water and a lovely glow. People told me my skin looked better. Rating 4.5/5.
Babé SPF 50 for lips and cheeks: a lovely Mocca shade
Lovely colour and lovely shine, an OK texture that's a little sticky, and a typical SPF taste and smell. I'd still buy it again.
Bioderma Sensibio H2O: bottle number fifty and still my first step
My long-time favourite, I must be on my fiftieth bottle. Forever my first step, and my skin is better for it.
Bioderma Photoderm AR SPF 50+: some coverage, but it didn't calm my redness
The new tinted anti-redness SPF gives some coverage, but it doesn't spread nicely, it's chemical and it seemed to cause redness for me.
Avène B-Protect SPF 50+: good for summer, but drying
A tinted SPF with just the right coverage for summer that slightly masks redness, but it's drying and builds up during the day.
Avène Thermal Spring Water: refreshing, but it didn't help my rosacea
It suits many people with rosacea, but long-term it caused redness for me instead of calming. It refreshes nicely, and that's it.
Avène Couvrance: a pretty finish, but not for my skin
It gives a pretty finish, but there's no shade light enough and I think it caused papules and pustules.
Avène Cicalfate+ serum: OK hydration, nothing special for redness
It hydrates OK, but I didn't notice anything special for redness. And the pump feels cheap.
Biologique Recherche P50W: a cult toner, but too aggressive for reactive skin
I'm not saying it's bad, but it's too aggressive for my reactive skin with rosacea.
Erborian CC Red Correct: beautiful coverage, but redder skin afterwards
It covers and neutralises redness beautifully, but after taking it off my skin was redder, with more papules and pustules.
Rhode Pocket Blush in Tan Line: the perfect blush
A lovely blush that blends easily, doesn't irritate me at all and looks like a natural flush from the sun. The only minus: it runs out fast.
Rhode lip liner: OK, but nothing special
It blends nicely, but it isn't precise and all the shades are somehow too dark for me. Catrice's soft liner is the better choice.
The mineral sunscreens I've tried, from holy grail to total flop
Finding a mineral SPF that doesn't look like a white mask and doesn't dry you out is a constant battle. Here are my six, ranked from favourite to disaster.
Popular products that ended up “in the bin”
These products are often recommended for sensitive skin with rosacea. They didn't suit me, so maybe they'll save you some money.
Products I'll buy again
A short list of products I've bought more than once and will buy again: skincare, make-up, hair and body.
How I review
On my own skin
I only write about products I have used for weeks, on sensitive skin prone to redness.
The bad bits too
Flops matter as much as favourites. If something stung or leaked, I say so.
No paid reviews
The site is funded by ads. Brands don't pay for ratings or read reviews before they go live.