After My Acne Flared Up On Vacation, A French Pharmacist Helped Clear Up My Skin With These Two Products
I traipsed around parts of Europe for two weeks and cheered on my home country of South Korea and the U.S. at the Paris Olympics.
Tap to play GIF
I explored...
And of course, I didn't sleep much.
On top of all that, I ended up adopting a pretty laissez-faire approach when it came to my skincare.
Well, fair to say, it all caught up with me by the last leg of my trip. I sprouted whiteheads across my forehead and cystic-like bumps on my cheeks. I had been pretty lucky on the acne front ever since my teenage years. While I experience hormonal flare-ups from time to time, acne hasn't really been my area of concern. (My focus has been — and will probably always be — on moisturizing.)
Fortunately, the last leg of my trip was Paris — and if you're a beauty enthusiast, you know what they say about Paris pharmacies. They're amazing!
They're like mini drugstores that sell prescription medication to personal care items, and stocked with a wide range of health and beauty products.
If you think Koreans know skincare, I have to say: I also think the French know something about it as well. Much like their famous fashion sense — clean, effortless, and elevated — their approach to beauty is quite similar. There's a refined simplicity to it — a ✨ je ne sais quoi ✨ — in the way that it's minimal, functional, and even quite clinical.
I had big plans to be like a kid in a candy store at the pharmacy, regardless of my skin troubles, but when I experienced the breakouts, I had a mission in place. So when I stopped by the pharmacy in desperate need of help, I asked a French pharmacist about products that could help me — and they absolutely delivered.
The pharmacist recommended me two products from a French brand I recognized but never used before. They were: Caudalie's Vinopure Salicylic Pore Minimizing Serum and Vinopure Oil-Control Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin.
For background, Caudalie's Vinopure line specifically targets " acne-prone skin, oil and pores," which aligned with my skin concerns that needed troubleshooting.
The serum's key ingredient contains salicylic acid, a compound that's known to fight acne. It's an exfoliant and an acid that penetrates deeply into the skin and breaks down skin cells for exfoliation and unclogs pores. It also helps refine skin texture and help fade dark spots.
The serum had a lightweight almost watery, gel-like consistency and soaked into the skin relatively quickly. It also had this subtle cooling effect that I liked and found quite soothing.
Haein Jung / BuzzFeed
The moisturizer's key ingredients are made up of grape seed polyphenols, silica powder and java tea extract, and Mediterranean olive squalene.
Haein Jung / BuzzFeed
Normally, I would avoid products with the word "mattifying" in them since as a dry-skin girly, I've always geared towards promises of hydration. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find that while this was mattifying, it was also plenty hydrating. The texture was light and almost gel-like. It didn't feel heavy on my skin, and yet I glistened. It left me with the pleasant silky texture of a balloon.
I started the regimen when I got back home. I layered on the serum and moisturizer (along with La Roche-Posay Cicaplast B5 Spray as a toner) twice a day. I was mind blown when within two weeks, my skin started clearing up. My dark spots were fading, and the flare-ups stopped. I was stunned by how the dark spots were fading so quickly — and I swear, my pores were smaller!
Haein Jung / BuzzFeed
Here is a more detailed progression — the left is maybe after a week in, the middle is a few days after, and the photo on the right is at the end of the two-week mark. The larger inflamed pimples have settled and nearly faded, and while I did have some lingering dark spots, they were fading away day by day. Overall, I felt like my skin was resetting.
Haein Jung / BuzzFeed
After my skin healed, I continued to use it for about a month then took a break since the weather started to cool and get dry. To roughly quote Lucille Bluth, I couldn't spare the moisture. I would imagine those with normal/oily/combination skin will fare even better with these products.
Haein Jung / BuzzFeed
But I will vouch: I turn to these two products when my skin acts up, and I'm so glad I took up on the pharmacist's recommendation. I really had no expectations, but I'm so glad I tried. I've used them on and off since when my skin goes through flare-ups. I eventually finished the first set I bought in Paris and have since repurchased them at Sephora back home the States.
(I've also cried a little about the price difference — and reminisced about my time abroad. 🥲)
Haein Jung / BuzzFeed
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hair Center of Turkey Achieves Amazing Hair Transplant Results With its New Hybrid Technique
ISTANBUL, Aug. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hair Center of Turkey, a leading institution in hair restoration, has announced the launch of its Hybrid Hair Transplant method, which merges the advantages of FUE Sapphire and FUE DHI techniques. The clinic is also introducing an exclusive VIP Package, specifically designed to meet the unique needs of patients from the U.S. and Canada, combining advanced medical expertise with luxury and comfort. FUE Sapphire vs. FUE DHI: Understanding the Difference FUE Sapphire: In this technique, ultra-fine sapphire blades are used to create micro-incisions for graft placement. This allows for extremely precise fue hair transplant, minimal tissue trauma, faster healing, and virtually scar-free results. The sapphire blade's smooth edges reduce friction and promote better graft survival. FUE DHI: Unlike traditional FUE, FUE DHI hair transplant uses the Choi pen to implant hair directly without opening separate channels. This gives surgeons complete control over each graft's angle, depth, and direction, allowing for highly natural-looking hair growth and dense coverage, especially in sensitive or highly visible areas. Hybrid Method: The Hybrid method combines both FUE Sapphire and FUE DHI. By integrating the precision of sapphire micro-incisions with the direct implantation control of DHI, the Hybrid technique ensures minimal trauma, rapid recovery, and optimal aesthetic outcomes, even for complex hairlines or large areas. This innovative approach offers patients the best of both worlds, delivering natural-looking, long-lasting results with maximum comfort and Package Highlights:Hair Center of Turkey's VIP Package offers more than just advanced hair transplant in Turkey. It provides a fully personalized, comfortable, and luxurious experience for international patients: Luxury Accommodation: Stay in a 5-star hotel with premium amenities for complete relaxation during your treatment. VIP Airport Transfers: Hassle-free transportation to and from the airport ensures stress-free travel. Multilingual Support: Dedicated staff fluent in English, French, Spanish, and other languages assist patients throughout their journey. Comprehensive Post-Operative Care: Continuous monitoring and follow-up, including guidance on recovery, medication, and hair care, to ensure the best possible results. Explore Istanbul: Take the opportunity to discover the city's cultural and historical landmarks, combining medical care with tourism. Expert Team & Personalized Care Under the coordination of Sinan Özer, Hair Center of Turkey prioritizes personalized care and high-quality outcomes. The clinic follows a VIP service model with limited daily procedures, ensuring each patient receives meticulous attention. Limited Daily Operations: Only a small number of procedures are performed each day, allowing the team to focus on detailed, patient-specific treatment plans. Expert Medical Team: Dr. Rasime Erkan: Dermatology specialist with extensive experience, overseeing every stage of the procedure from consultation to post-operative care. Zehra Özer: Hair transplant specialist directly involved in graft extraction, placement, and monitoring, ensuring high precision and natural results. Anesthesiologist: Responsible for administering and monitoring anesthesia throughout the procedure, ensuring patient safety, comfort, and a pain-free experience. Hands-On Supervision: Both specialists remain actively involved throughout the process to minimize risks, ensure graft survival, and optimize outcomes. Continuous Patient Support: Patients receive guidance, reassurance, and care before, during, and after the procedure, improving comfort and Center of Turkey Stands Out: Why Choose Us Hair Center of Turkey provides a unique and personalized hair transplant experience, standing out among hair transplant clinics in Turkey by combining advanced Hybrid Hair Transplant technology with expert medical supervision and exclusive VIP services, ensuring patients receive the highest quality care and natural-looking results. Key reasons to choose us: Hybrid Technique: Combines FUE Sapphire and FUE DHI for precise, natural-looking results. Expert Team: Specialists oversee every stage for high-quality outcomes. Personalized Care: Limited daily procedures ensure individual attention. VIP Services: Luxury accommodation, airport transfers, and multilingual support. Comfort & Support: Continuous guidance before, during, and after the procedure. Natural Results: Focus on hair direction, density, and aesthetics for undetectable outcomes. Special Note: Our treatments are provided by healthcare facilities that possess a health tourism authorization certificate Press Contact:Murat Sargaskar+90 530 768 61 91 sales@ Photos accompanying this announcement are available athttps://
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Here's A Bunch Of Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Effed-Up, Dark, And Creepy Stuff I Just Learned About
Hello! I'm Crystal, and I write the That Got Dark newsletter, BuzzFeed's weekly roundup of all things creepy, macabre, and horrible AF. And if you looooove this kind of content, you should subscribe to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre delivered RIGHT to your inbox! Here's what the newsletter is covering this week: nightmarish story of a man who was declared brain-dead, but actually WOKE UP while having his organs harvested. Related: So, in October 2021, a man in Kentucky named TJ Hoover was declared brain-dead and taken to a Louisville hospital for organ donation. Shortly after being brought into the operating room, just as doctors were preparing to remove his organs during surgery, he suddenly opened his eyes and began moving. Staff said he started thrashing and showing signs of life, and a doctor quickly stopped the procedure, later telling the family, 'He's not ready — he woke up.' It was later revealed that staff had actually seen signs like eye movement earlier, but the organ harvesting process continued anyway, with TJ being paralyzed and sedated for surgery. The incident triggered a federal investigation into the organ donation organization involved and raised major concerns about how death is confirmed before organ removal. As for TJ, he survived the ordeal but now suffers from PTSD. existence of City of Refuge/Miracle Village, Florida, a community for registered sex offenders. Related: "Tucked away in the vast, quiet stretches of South Florida, Miracle Village stands out for reasons that make you blink twice. Built in the 1960s for people who worked on sugar cane fields, it now houses a population you won't find gathered anywhere else. Florida's hardline laws push people convicted of sexual offenses to the margins, and these margins lead straight to Miracle Village. It's a place where they're allowed to exist, one of the very few places that'll have them. Here's where it gets sticky, though. The town offers a shot at redemption, but at what cost? Some folks think cramming everyone with the same past into one place is a ticking time bomb. But life there? It's quiet. Almost too quiet. The village's isolation serves two purposes: keeping the residents out of sight and giving them some peace, a sanctuary of sorts. It's eerie and leery." Submitted by BuzzFeed Community user smellycowboy28. horrific experiences of the Radium Girls, a group of young women in the 1910s and 1920s who worked in factories painting watch dials with glowing paint that contained radium, a radioactive element, ultimately leading to their horrifying deaths from radiation. The young women were told the paint was safe and were even encouraged to lick their brushes to get a fine point. Over time, many of them became very sick — losing teeth, suffering from broken bones, and developing terrible jaw problems — because the radium was poisoning them from the inside. When the companies refused to take responsibility, some of the women fought back by taking them to court, winning a settlement in 1928. Related: tragic 2017 murders of two friends, 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German, who were gruesomely killed during a walk near the Monon High Bridge trail in Delphi, Indiana. Often referred to as the "Delphi murders," the crime went unsolved for many years and became an international news story. The case was particularly notable because Liberty managed to capture a chilling video of a man following them on the bridge and saying, 'Down the hill.' If you haven't seen that footage, you can watch it here, but fair warning, it's SUPER creepy. Amazingly, Liberty's video actually helped catch their killer, though it took several years with a string of dead ends and wild theories. But in 2024, a local man named Richard Allen was convicted of their murders and sentenced to 130 years in prison. The girls' story is actually featured in the new three-part ABC News docuseries, Capturing Their Killer: The Girls on the High Bridge, which just came out on Hulu. And it's particularly noteworthy because the doc features some rare behind-the-scenes content and even a first-time-on-camera interview with Kathy Allen, Richard's wife (who maintains his innocence). the story of serial killer Rhonda Belle Martin, a waitress from Alabama, who was a rare example of a female family annihilator. Related: In the 1940s and '50s, Martin killed her husband, mother, and five of her children, using rat poison. However, one victim — her stepson, who later became her fifth husband — actually survived the ordeal but was left paralyzed. Martin was executed in 1957, becoming the last woman to be electrocuted and executed in the state of Alabama until 2002. Her last meal: A hamburger, mashed potatoes, cinnamon rolls, and coffee. Well, my brain is completely wrecked now. How about yours? Next week, I'll cover the gruesome crime that inspired Fargo and the murder of Sade Robinson, which not enough people talk about. Until then, stay safe, keep the lights on, and I'll see you for another horrifying trip down the rabbit hole… Love this kind of content? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get a weekly post just like this delivered directly to your inbox. It's a scary good time you won't want to miss. Do you have a weird, creepy, or shocking story you want to share? Perhaps there's a strange Wikipedia page you want to talk about? Tell me all about it at thatgotdark@ and who knows, maybe it'll be featured in a future edition of That Got Dark! Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds:
Buzz Feed
9 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
A Few Dark And Terrible Things I Learned This Week
Hello! I'm Crystal, and I write the That Got Dark newsletter, BuzzFeed's weekly roundup of all things creepy, macabre, and horrible AF. And if you looooove this kind of content, you should subscribe to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre delivered RIGHT to your inbox! Here's what the newsletter is covering this week: The nightmarish story of a man who was declared brain-dead, but actually WOKE UP while having his organs harvested. So, in October 2021, a man in Kentucky named TJ Hoover was declared brain-dead and taken to a Louisville hospital for organ donation. Shortly after being brought into the operating room, just as doctors were preparing to remove his organs during surgery, he suddenly opened his eyes and began moving. Staff said he started thrashing and showing signs of life, and a doctor quickly stopped the procedure, later telling the family, 'He's not ready — he woke up.' It was later revealed that staff had actually seen signs like eye movement earlier, but the organ harvesting process continued anyway, with TJ being paralyzed and sedated for surgery. The incident triggered a federal investigation into the organ donation organization involved and raised major concerns about how death is confirmed before organ removal. As for TJ, he survived the ordeal but now suffers from PTSD. The existence of City of Refuge/Miracle Village, Florida, a community for registered sex offenders. "Tucked away in the vast, quiet stretches of South Florida, Miracle Village stands out for reasons that make you blink twice. Built in the 1960s for people who worked on sugar cane fields, it now houses a population you won't find gathered anywhere else. Florida's hardline laws push people convicted of sexual offenses to the margins, and these margins lead straight to Miracle Village. It's a place where they're allowed to exist, one of the very few places that'll have them. Here's where it gets sticky, though. The town offers a shot at redemption, but at what cost? Some folks think cramming everyone with the same past into one place is a ticking time bomb. But life there? It's quiet. Almost too quiet. The village's isolation serves two purposes: keeping the residents out of sight and giving them some peace, a sanctuary of sorts. It's eerie and leery." The horrific experiences of the Radium Girls, a group of young women in the 1910s and 1920s who worked in factories painting watch dials with glowing paint that contained radium, a radioactive element, ultimately leading to their horrifying deaths from radiation. The young women were told the paint was safe and were even encouraged to lick their brushes to get a fine point. Over time, many of them became very sick — losing teeth, suffering from broken bones, and developing terrible jaw problems — because the radium was poisoning them from the inside. When the companies refused to take responsibility, some of the women fought back by taking them to court, winning a settlement in 1928. The tragic 2017 murders of two friends, 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German, who were gruesomely killed during a walk near the Monon High Bridge trail in Delphi, Indiana. Often referred to as the "Delphi murders," the crime went unsolved for many years and became an international news story. The case was particularly notable because Liberty managed to capture a chilling video of a man following them on the bridge and saying, 'Down the hill.' If you haven't seen that footage, you can watch it here, but fair warning, it's SUPER creepy. Amazingly, Liberty's video actually helped catch their killer, though it took several years with a string of dead ends and wild theories. But in 2024, a local man named Richard Allen was convicted of their murders and sentenced to 130 years in prison. The girls' story is actually featured in the new three-part ABC News docuseries, Capturing Their Killer: The Girls on the High Bridge, which just came out on Hulu. And it's particularly noteworthy because the doc features some rare behind-the-scenes content and even a first-time-on-camera interview with Kathy Allen, Richard's wife (who maintains his innocence). Finally, the story of serial killer Rhonda Belle Martin, a waitress from Alabama, who was a rare example of a female family annihilator. In the 1940s and '50s, Martin killed her husband, mother, and five of her children, using rat poison. However, one victim — her stepson, who later became her fifth husband — actually survived the ordeal but was left paralyzed. Martin was executed in 1957, becoming the last woman to be electrocuted and executed in the state of Alabama until 2002. Her last meal: A hamburger, mashed potatoes, cinnamon rolls, and coffee. Well, my brain is completely wrecked now. How about yours? Next week, I'll cover the gruesome crime that inspired Fargo and the murder of Sade Robinson, which not enough people talk about. Until then, stay safe, keep the lights on, and I'll see you for another horrifying trip down the rabbit hole… Love this kind of content? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get a weekly post just like this delivered directly to your inbox. It's a scary good time you won't want to miss. Do you have a weird, creepy, or shocking story you want to share? Perhaps there's a strange Wikipedia page you want to talk about? Tell me all about it at thatgotdark@ and who knows, maybe it'll be featured in a future edition of That Got Dark!
