Nine years.
One routine that actually worked.
I'm Shyla. I built Shikara because I spent nearly a decade getting skincare wrong, and I don't want anyone else to waste that long.
The 9-year detour
I started getting adult acne at 22. Sensitive skin too — the kind that goes red when you look at it wrong. For nine years I tried everything: dermatologist prescriptions, K-beauty 10-step routines, stripped-back "clean beauty" brands, £100+ serums, drugstore basics, weird TikTok hacks.
I'd finish a bottle, see no change, switch to the next thing. Some products burned my face. Some did nothing. Some made everything worse for two weeks before I gave up. I have an embarrassing amount of half-empty bottles in a box under my bed.
What actually worked
Eventually I learned three things that changed everything:
One — fewer products, used consistently. Three good products used every day for two months will do more than ten products used inconsistently for two years.
Two — barrier first, actives later. If your skin is reacting, adding more retinol or vitamin C makes it worse. Heal the barrier first. Then add things slowly.
Three — the same ingredient at different concentrations is a different product.10% niacinamide and 2% niacinamide have different effects. The label matters. Knowing what's in the bottle matters.
Why I built this
Shikara is the tool I wish I'd had at 22.
Most skincare advice falls into two camps. Either it's influencer-driven (sponsored, hype-y, low-evidence), or it's expert-coded for skincare nerds on Reddit (overwhelming, intimidating, too much). The 90% of people who just want their skin to behave have nowhere reasonable to start.
So I built one. Three products. Picked for your skin. Used for six weeks before you add anything else. A daily check-in to see what's working and what's not. An ingredient encyclopedia for when you want to go deeper. A friend who actually knows what's in the bottle.
What Shikara is — and isn't
Shikara is:a calm, opinionated guide for people who don't want to spend 10 hours on Reddit before they buy a moisturiser.
Shikara isn't:a replacement for a dermatologist. If you've got cystic acne, severe rosacea, eczema flares, or anything that isn't getting better — see a real doctor. We can help you build a daily routine, not diagnose conditions.