Current Skincare | Serums and SPF’s #1

I’m back with another current skincare post and this time I’ve branched out from cleansers and toners to serums and SPF’s!  Now, this isn’t quite all the serums I’m using at the minute but it’s the three I am using most consistently and the only SPF’s I have open. It’s probably going to be a ramble so let’s get to it!

 

As a huge fan of Dermalogica products I was super excited about trying the Dermalogica Powerbright Dark Spot Serum* RRP £89 out especially as I received it right towards the end of my Roaccutane treatment. As a reminder, you can’t use retinol or acids while on the drug as it makes your skin so sensitive and those ingredients are normally my go to’s when trying to fade dark spots so I was excited to use this. It has an impressive name and impressive claims to start fading spots in a week and help them diminish over time while brightening and boosting skins luminosity. While I enjoy the lightweight formula of this serum, unfortunately I have not seen huge changes in my pigmentation since using it and considering the claims and price, I was expecting more! My skin does look brighter and more even overall with use but I was really hoping this would help target some dark spots I have from leftover acne and they just haven’t shifted. One of the serums main ingredients is niacinamide which usually works wonders for me but not this time! Like I said, a nice formulation overall and a good one for sensitive skin (though be aware of citrus oils in there too) but at this price the payoff is not good enough for my expectations! 

 

 

Sticking with Dermalogica, their Smart Response Serum* RRP £130 has impressed me much more! This is a smart serum that responds to your skins changing needs to hydrate, firm, brighten and soothe depending on what it feels you require. It really is a joy to use from the heavyweight bottle to the rich (but never greasy) serum! It almost doesn’t feel like you even need to follow with moisturiser and it instantly calms skin. With consistent use twice a day my skin has felt hydrated, brighter, soft and plump and my fine lines look less noticeable. Ingredients wise, it contains glycerin (hydration), niacinamide and hydrolyzed wheat flour (brightening), japanese cornelia cherry (soothes and reduces redness) and mannose-6-phosphate (smooths and firms). The price is eye watering but Look Fantastic’s many 20% off codes work on it and I think if you are streamlining your routine or want to cut out a few steps with multiple serums this is a one stop shop and well worth it!

 

Sticking with serums, though this is more a bi-phase oil hybrid, the Lumene Nordic-C Arctic Berry Oil-Cocktail* RRP £29.90 (for a 30m full size) is a great little hydrating product! I always err on the side of caution with oils as they are usually strictly an overnight product for me but with my skin being more normal rather than oily these days and this being very lightweight it’s been working well for me. Shake before use and the Arctic cloudberry, Nordic cranberry and fatty acids make my skin glow while keeping it bright and hydrated all day long. It sits well under moisturiser and doesn’t make my foundation disintegrate despite being an oil and I can see anyone with drier skin than me loving this too! 

 

Moving onto SPF now and the Vichy Capital Soleil UV-Age Daily SPF 50* RRP £21 has quickly moved to the top of my SPF list with its lightweight fluid texture! This is an SPF 50 offering UVA and UVB protection that corrects photo-ageing signs such as wrinkles and dark spots caused by daily UV exposure. It's formulated with 1% Vitamin E, 4% peptides complex, 2% niacinamide, and 10% Vichy volcanic mineralizing water and probiotic fractions and really has been a dream to use! I was concerned on reading the full ingredients list as alcohol denat is high up there and I previously haven’t got on with SPF’s containing high amounts (though I get on with it in my overnight acids) but apart from a slight “active” feeling on application which soon disappears it hasn’t been a problem for me! If you have *very* sensitive skin it might not be the one for you though. Aside from that, this has no white cast (I have pale skin for reference), it absorbs easily and sits very well under makeup with no pilling in sight – hallelujah! I used this when I was dog sitting recently too and put it on for my early morning dog walks where it didn’t melt off into my eyes or sting them either! As it’s a French pharmacy item its usually on a nice little offer too! Can’t recommend this enough! I'm annoyed at myself for losing the cap of this, it's in my tiny bedroom somewhere but I can't find it!

 

Finally, the Hello Sunday The Everyday One Face Moisturiser SPF 30 RRP £15 and I really wanted to love this one but it’s fallen short for me unfortunately. Like the Vichy, this protects against UVA and UVB rays and they also have an SPF 50 version. It contains hyaluronic acid, panthenol and allantoin and is hydrating enough that you don’t need to use a separate moisturiser underneath! It’s a very lightweight cream and leaves no white cast for me either but takes a little more rubbing in that the Vichy. The issue I have with this is that 9 times out of 10 I will get some pilling either while rubbing it in or when I am blending my foundation on top. Pilling is my number one pet peeve in skincare and it’s been a while since a product has done this on me! On the occasions this hasn’t pilled it’s a nice product but I just don’t trust it now. I am not sure what it’s reacting with and it is better when I simplify my routine (and I mean literally toner, serum and this) but I like some extra layers sometimes. I’m not a fan of the pump either, it can sometimes squirt out way further than intended and is a pain! Overall, though I have heard some great things about the other products in Hello Sunday’s SPF line up this was a miss for me!

I’d love to know if you have tried any of the above products and what you thought! Let me know what your favourite serum or SPF is at the minute!

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

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