DECIEM | NIOD Review and Slowvember Sale Picks

I’m sure you all know by now what a huge DECIEM fan I am with particular emphasis on NIOD and The Ordinary! This year it’s Slowvember and you are encouraged to shop slowly, only buying what you need while taking advantage of a 23% saving through the entire month. Furthermore, on November 26, they will 'Take Back Black Friday', the DECIEM website will be on pause and products will not be available to purchase at any of their stores. So, to coincide with their annual sale, here is a review of some recent additions to my routine and some old favourites! An absolute dream PR parcel for me! You can also read my 2019 post here!

 

Starting with Sanskrit Saponins (SS) RRP £34*, this is a cleanser but not a makeup remover, and it’s perfect as a second or morning cleanse and one I’ve been through multiple tubes of over the years! Don’t be put off by the scent – it’s made with ayurvedic plant saponins and day old coffee beans is the best way I can describe it! It’s a thick paste and works to clean oil and dirt from my face making pores look minimised – despite it removing oil, my skin never feels stripped! This has worked particularly well for me in the past when my skin was more on the oily/blemished side of things as it really removed build-up and helped clarify my skin and even now with my skin type being more normal I am still enjoying it! Talked about it more in this post here too!

 

Next up, the Superoxide Dismutase Saccharide Mist (SSDM2) RRP £34*, and this one is a bit of a cult favourite and I can now see why! Fun fact, I did have this for a while back in 2017 before I did my visa in Canada but as you can see from the packaging, it is rather on the bulky side so I left it behind and now I know what I have been missing out on! This is a protective mist, acting against oxidative stress, water loss and inflammation of the skin. I love the fact it’s antioxidant and my skin feels so calm and hydrated with every use! I already mentioned the bulky packaging but that means I don’t feel so guilty for wasting this and I have been spraying over my chest area too as I am starting to target early signs of aging there too. 

 

Moving onto serums now and starting with a couple of my most repurchased skincare items! The Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex (MMHC2) RRP £38 is my one true Hyaluronic Acid love – this to me is the gold standard and one I can see and feel immediate results with. It contains 15 forms of hyaluronic compounds designed to plump and hydrate the different layers of the skin and has a watery consistency - a little goes a long way and it spreads easily over my face. My skin drinks this up and nothing works as quickly or as long as this on my smile lines – usually throughout the day I can see the fine lines setting in as my face dries out but not with this, not even sitting in central heating working from home all day with makeup on, it is magical! It also works to encourage production of collagen and my skin just looks and feels so plump and well supported with this! 

 

If talking to someone new to NIOD, I always recommend MMHC2 and the Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3 1:1 (CAIS3) RRP £60* as starting points. These are two serums I have been using for years now (since around 2016 – see this best beauty discoveries post!) and always go back to. CAIS is now in its third generation now and working just as well as ever for me. It is no longer required to premix the serum yourself - good that there is less packaging but I had gotten kind of use to playing scientist ;)! CAIS3 is a watery, blue liquid with a slight scent of vinegar (don’t worry it dissipates very quickly!) that maintains healthy looking skin by targeting signs of skin ageing including textural damage, uneven skin tone, enlarged pores and a lack of radiance. This has been a constant repurchase for me over the last few years and will continue to be – it is easily my favourite serum! My skin really does look and feel much healthier when I use this consistently. It’s more even, clear and firm, it really does what it says on the tin! A must have!   

RE: Pigment (RP) RRP £50* is a newer NIOD product to me. It’s a multi-pathway brightening serum and feels very lightweight and doesn’t pill or interfere with my other serums. It is formulated to target uneven skin tone and treat pigmentation and contains gallic acid and white shiitake ferment to aid this. I haven’t seen any major improvement in some targeted pigmentation I have from old acne but overall my skin is looking bright and even so I will update once I have used the whole bottle – it’s been about five weeks so far! I should also mention this targeted pigmentation is only immediately noticeable to me as I am my own biggest critic and I tend to be harsh on products designed for treating pigmentation as it’s one of my biggest skin concerns! 

 

Moving on to another couple of tried and tested serums, Modulating Glucosides (MG) RRP £21* targets sensitive, irritated skin encouraging a calmer complexion. It supports the skin barrier, encourages hydration and repair and contains oat synthetic analogues, ceramides and purified ginger root to help reduce redness, itching and burning. Despite its viscous appearance, it feels lightweight and sinks in easily - I find the scent a bit like paint though it doesn’t linger. I used this a lot while I was on Roaccutane earlier this year and it only occurred to me after I finished my first bottle that it was one of the reasons my skin had been so calm while on the drug. Such a comforting, soothing serum, can’t recommended it enough if you struggle with sensitivity! 

 

I used Survival 0 (S0) RRP £20* alongside MG at night and it’s another one that impressed me so much! It’s an antioxidant, reparative serum targeting damage caused by environmental stressors like pollution, smog and blue light. It also comes in 10, 20 and 30 which offer some SPF protection. It’s a lightweight, orange serum that absorbs easily and has a faint herbal scent. Overtime, this reduces photo damage and I have noticed my skin tone is healthier overall. It also feels hydrating (includes glycerin and squalane) and layers well with other skincare! Like I mentioned earlier when talking about SDSM2, antioxidants are something I am loving incorporating into my routine and this one is special *heart eyes emoji*. MG and S0 have their own dedicated blog post here and also feature in this how I repair my skin barrier post!

 

Another couple of newer products to finish up this review! The Fractionated Eye-Contour Concentrate (FECC) RRP £43* is a step up for me in terms of eye creams/serums as this one targets visible aging whereas previously I was mostly targeting dark circles/puffiness. FECC does that too using 28 technologies to target concerns. Despite being a serum this is hydrating enough for me during the day and overnight. It plays well with the rest of my skincare as well as my makeup and the biggest difference I have noticed with aside from reduced puffiness and less visible fine lines is the difference on my upper lids! I have hooded lids so it is a bit of a revelation to feel like I can actually see a (small) bit of lid space and have them look firmer! Looking forward to seeing continued results with this one! 

 

Finally, Flavanone Mud (FM) RRP £38*, a burnt orange, decongesting three phase “system”, this is billed as much more than a mask. It purifies the skin, offers a barrier against external pollution and it responds and works to improve the skins defence mechanisms. It’s advised to only use once a week for ten minutes and this tingles while it’s on and for a while after its washed off (though my skin doesn’t go red)! I have really been enjoying the decongesting properties of this especially along my jaw line and my skin always feels soft after use while looking brighter too!

Congratulations if you made it to the end of this bumper post! DECIEM are known for their scientific explanations and I am the first to admit a lot of the terminology goes over my head but there is more information available on their website as well as information on what order to use the serums in and regimen builders if you are just starting out with a skincare routine! I honestly can’t recommend NIOD enough, I am a huge fan of The Ordinary too but NIOD is probably my favourite skincare brand ever – it’s well worth the money and especially now with 23% off but as DECIEM say, don’t rush and only buy what you need!

 

Find more recommendations here in my Sale Picks post from 2019! You can also see some more The Ordinary picks here and here! Let me know if you picked up anything from the sale!

 

*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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