drunk elephant the midi committee drunk drawer skincare kit: a-passioni retinol cream

by the time i'm writing this post, i'd finished this cream. i don't know why i never get to write about this. somehow i'm not sure what to write, but i've finished it, so i think i have to give some thoughts about it. i'm thankful that i can try this in mini size since they were selling kits during holiday season, but this is the only kit that has both retinol cream and the protini cream in one set, so i hope they could bring another kits like this.

this is the description from sephora website: a skincare kit of top-notch, top-selling products in midi sizes. this skincare kit includes a-passioni retinol cream, b-hydra serum, protini moisturizer, and slaai cleansing balm which are all perfect for both morning and nighttime skincare routines.
what it includes: protini polypeptide cream 30ml, a-passioni retinol cream 10 ml, b-hydra intensive hydration serum 5ml, slaai makeup melting butter cleanser 22g, bamboo booster 1,7g.

the packaging: as i've said in another post, since this was sold as a kit, it was placed in a drawer like packaging. the outer part is a bright neon orange paper that enveloped the whole drawer. it has description at the back. when you peel it open, there's a cardboard drawer which all the products are placed on a plastic separator. a passioni retinol cream has red and white combination. it is in a squeeze tube like toothpaste, really old one, not the plastic one like today's. the cap is red screw plastic cap. it has weird shape so it's a bit weird everytime i unscrew it. there's another description at the back of the tube. this one comes in 10 ml. i thought it was too small at first, but it could last up to 6 months.

the scent: i don't think it has added fragrance, but it has natural scent from its ingredient. nothing too much though. 

the product: it's a yellow cream. it's quite thick like medicinal salve, but still spreadable. i've watched susan yara using this, and she said to use just tiny bit. so considering that this is my first serious retinol, i take that suggestion seriously. i only use tiny bit, probably less than a pea size for my whole face and neck. though i've used retinoid from the ordinary before, but it's super mild. so i have to be extra careful with this one. this cream has 1% retinol which is considered quite strong. at first, i only used this twice a week, and then i proceed to use it every other day. but when i was about to increase the frequency, my skin took a toll. so, up until the end, i only use this every monday, wednesday and friday. 

the result: i have to warn you that this is really strong. i've prepared myself before using this retinol. up until before using this retinol, i only use one serum in my night time routine. but since i knew i was going to use a strong retinol, i started to use two serums at that time. one for extra hydration or at least snail serum, and another anti aging serum that's usually heavier. when i first used this twice a week, i have no problem. for two weeks my skin was adapting well. but when i started to use it every other day, my skin started to feel drier than usual. i could see skin around my nostrils and even on my neck sloughing off. i even started to use a lighter serum during daytime. and after two weeks, my skin started to adapt well. then after a month, i started to try using this every day, but it was worse, so i dialed back to using it every other day. and up until now, i don't dare using it every day, so i keep using it every other day until i finish it. retinol is famous for its acne fighting properties, but i keep getting acne here and there. probably because i'm trying things and also hormonal acne, but i still get them. i rarely get them before using retinol. as for anti aging, i can see it works. on my normal skin, i could see my skin gets more radiant and glowy. especially since i'm using other brightening serum like propolis. 

i have to say that this retinol does work, but it's quite strong. so if you're new to retinol, i suggest you take it really slow and use more serums and essences before using this cream. even use oil to mix with it or other moisturizer. i even used sheet mask more frequently when i just started this retinol. anything you could do to help the skin barrier against the dryness that retinol caused. if you're not sure about it, then you could try something else, something milder. as for the price, the full size is very expensive, so i don't think i'd buy the full size. but if i could get another sample size in holiday sets like this, i would buy another one since it lasts quite for some time.