Opinions on these serums

A friend of mine made me (25F) buy this when I told them that despite my skin getting better (I used to have hormonal acne) I needed some products that would help me make my skin look less dull My skin is more on the oily side and I have some redness (especially around the nose and under my mouth), I also have some dark/reddish spots from my old pimples but they’re getting less visible with time

Any idea how can I use these serums in the week if they fit my situation? I’m scared to overuse them and create more problems lol

Make sure to introduce each new product one at a time and test for 1-2 weeks before adding the other new product so you can make sure they don’t irritate.

Sounds like you would introduce vitamin c first and you can try to store it in the fridge to slow down oxidation. Use it in the AM routine as the first step. Maybe start every other day

I might do that thanks!

  • I forgot to mention that my skin also feels dehydrated, especially my forehead

Neither of these will really help all that much with hydration, but they won’t make it worse either.

For dry/dehydrated skin, start with a good moisturizer. As far as affordable options, I would say top of my list is Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer (has lots of squalane and veremides) or the La Roche Posay Double Repair.

Then, you can either layer a hydrating serum before it --or-- a thicker moisturizer over (after) one of those. Or do both.

There are a lot of good hydrating serums out there, but as far as thicker moisturizers… a good one if your skin is dry, but acne-prone is the Cetaphil Deep Hydration Healthy Glow Daily Cream. This one specifically because it has some great ingredients for hydration & barrier strength like Niacinamide, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), and Tocopherol (Vitamin E).

I currently have a Clinique moisturizer (the one with 100H something written on it) but I also have a LaNeige one at home

The niacinamide one will be slightly better than the Vit C one, but only because of how quickly the Vit C one oxidizes. Quick note: not only does oxidized ascorbic acid not help your skin, it can potentially damage your skin, so never use oxidized ascorbic acid.

However, if you want niacinamide there are so many better options at the same price point.:

Note: clinical studies show that the optimal strength for niacinamide is 3% to 5%. Anything above 5% has NOT be proven more effective, but can irritate skin. Unfortunately, quite a few brands sell products with above 5%, so be careful.

Both works great. Its just that niacinamide one is just overpriced considering there are so many cheap alternatives now. The vitamin c thought i totally recommend to try if you can’t tolerate other most vitamin c. Because its the only vitamin c (or atleast reputable one) that uses ascorbic acid (the active form of vitamin c) and made with a high ph.

I recommend the vitamin C serum, as well as the sunscreen from the same line (Revitalift Vitamin C SPF Fluid). I had been using it for a long time and loved how it made my pores look smaller and my overall appearance a bit brighter. I recently stopped using the serum because it oxidizes very quickly, which is extremely annoying. I was never able to finish the bottle before the serum turned brown. I still recommend it, though, because it seems to work well and is reasonably priced. The sunscreen remains my favorite because it doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin, and you can even apply it around your eyes without it burning.

Sadly, the vitamin C ingredient (ascorbic acid) starts oxidizing as soon as it’s in contact with the water in the formula, so use it quick! And keep it in the refrigerator (which slows it down a tiny bit). Air also oxidizes the ascorbic acid.

Next time, buy a Vit C serum that doesn’t oxidize as quickly. Naturium’s Vit C Complex Serum is good because it has gold (slows down oxidation) and in an airless pump. It can still oxidize, but more slowly.

Alternatively, you could try a different type of Vit C that doesn’t oxidize. This blog posts describes some of the options: Which Vitamin C Derivative is the Best For My Skin? | Chemist Confessions

***OR, you could also try a water-free type of ascorbic acid. I recently started using the Good Molecules Ascorbic Acid Powder. It comes with a little scoop and you only need a tiny bit (about the size of a peppercorn). Just put some serum or moisturizer in your hand, put a tiny level scoop of powder, then mix well. Then apply to face. In the beginning, maybe do a half of a scoop of powder just to get your skin used to the ingredient for the first week. ~Because the ascorbic acid is not in a water solution, it does not oxidize so you’re applying “fresh” Vit C every time.

I will say The Ordinary also makes an ascorbic acid powder, which I tried and absolutely hated. The granules of powder never fully dissolved in any serum or moisturizer I used, so it applied gritty (yuck) and also stung my skin :frowning:

I might use the serum tmw and check if it’s alright😭 Thanks

My skin is on a dryer side, btw. I used the serum every day, never had any problems