Beauty Tips For Body Care
Hello everyone! I ordered these products from The Ordinary just after Christmas and wanted to write a review that consisted of more than just first impressions and use after a few days. I, like many others, got really hyped when hearing about this line of products. It's rare that I buy in to hype like this so quickly, but I figured what with the low price point of these products (especially the vitamin C), what do I have to lose? So I'm going to review these products for you, going through my first impressions and my current opinion after using them for a while.Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%First impressions: Somewhat goopy, sticky texture but nothing too off-putting. Not a strong smell. I figured this would have been more like a serum texture, and I would have liked it to be lighter feeling as it felt thick going onto my face. I always worry about thick feeling products because my skin is super oily.After a few uses: SO GLAD I patch tested this because after 2 days of using it, I broke out somewhat severely. I thought that maybe it could be a coincidence so I waited until the breakout subsided and then tried again. Another moderate to severe breakout. Uh-oh. I should have stopped here because at this point I was pretty sure this was causing it but I wanted it to work so badly. No go. Third patch test = third breakout. Gave it to a friend who is not as sensitive skinned as I and haven't heard any complaints from her yet.From what I understand, this product has now been reformulated without the carrageenan which is known to cause breakouts in some people. I would be open to trying it again, however I must note that it is possible that it is the zinc that broke me out- I am allergic/have severe reactions to zinc oxide (sucks!) and I thought the zinc in this wouldn't affect me because it is a different molecule but who knows.Verdict: unless someone bought this for me, or unless the texture of the product changed, I would not try it again. As far as a niacinamide product goes, I highly prefer the CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion or Paula's Choice Invisible Finish Moisture Gel, both of which have a texture more suited for my oily skin and both of which have made my face clearer.Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2%First impressions: I am normally not one for good smelling face products (get those heathen fragrance ingredients away from me!) but I must say this is darn pleasant. Similar to the niacinamide in texture, it is goopy, and stickier. Not really what I'm used to with regards to an AHA. Definitely a last-step in the evening product for me as this is even thicker than my moisturizer (again I prefer lighter textured products because of my oily skin).After a month: I didn't last two months with this product. I think, perhaps, maybe it was breaking me out? I wasn't too surprised about that because of how tacky and thick this was. My skin is really sensitive in general and even with the best routine I still break out so I am still unsure if it was this that was breaking me out or not, but it does seem like now that I've not used it for a month, I am not breaking out as much. I did like the results I got from this though, but it was nothing spectacular, just your average AHA.Verdict: no reason I'd buy this again. It's too thick, and performance wise is only average compared to other AHA products. I also ended up giving this one away because of my breakouts- my friend however, loves it.Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%First impressions: "WTF do I do with this crazy textured citrusy smelling product?" I thought to myself. It is thick but not creamy, not gel like, almost gritty? But too smooth to really be called gritty. I was hoping to use this in the mornings but the texture made this impossible- putting sunscreen over it pilled it up, and forget putting foundation over it. Just not possible.This was disappointing because I wanted a vitamin C product not only for its anti-aging and PIH lightening properties but also partially for its photoprotective qualities. At first I thought that in order for it to work, you must apply it in the morning, as I have sometimes seen suggested here at SCA, however after doing some research, I personally do not believe this is the case, and here's why.As far as I am aware, there are no studies looking at how long after application of topical vitamin C does it begin to be effective at limiting UV damage, (please correct me if you know of one!), and the research that I did find indicated photoprotection 4 hours after application (Ou-Yang et al. 2004). UV light also not only damages skin, but studies suggest that over time it lowers the amount of vitamin C in skin (Podda et al., 1998, Shindo et al., 1993). Additionally, studies have suggested that, when applied topically over time, vitamin C does build up in the skin where it exhibits photoprotective qualities (Darr et al., 1992, Lin et al., 2003), so in taking all this in, I concluded that, over time, using vitamin C at nighttime would still ensure photoprotective benefits to my skin.SCIENCE TANGENT OVER, ONWARDAfter deciding okay, well this stuff is cheap enough, it's in a stable formulation, I will try putting it on at night and we will see how this goes. I decided to apply it about 5x/week after my BHA and before my moisturizer.After 2 months: I AM SO GLAD I KEPT USING THIS! I pushed past the weird texture and now after having used it I can say that it has done wonders for my skin. My PIH has lightened considerably, and, after a bad breakout on my chin, using this has cleared the PIH from that in record time. I feel that I am seeing all the benefits one is supposed to get from a vitamin C product- brighter skin, more firmness, smoother texture.Verdict: love! I will definitely be purchasing this again. Perhaps one day in the future when I have more money to spend on skincare products I will move on to a more elegant product, one with better texture, but for budget conscious me, this is perfect.Okay that's it for now! I'd be happy to discuss this or answer any questions. <3References: Ou-Yang H, Stamatas G, Saliou C, Kollias N, 2004. A Chemiluminescence Study of UVA-Induced Oxidative Stress in Human Skin In Vivo, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 122(4) pp. 1020-1029Podda M, Traber MG, Weber C, Yan LJ, Packer L, 1998. UV-irradiation depletes antioxidants and causes oxidative damage in a model of human skin, Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 24 pp. 55-65Shindo Y, Witt E, Packer L, 1993. Antioxidant defense mechanisms in murine epidermis and dermis and their responses to ultraviolet light, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 100 pp. 260-265Darr D, Combs S, Dunston S, Manning T, Pinnell S, 1992. Topical vitamin C protects porcine skin from ultraviolet radiation-induced damage, 127 pp. 247-253Lin JY, Selim MA, Shea CR, Grichnik JM, Omar MM, Monteiro-Riviere NA, Pinnell SR, 2003. UV photoprotection by combination topical antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin E, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 48(6) pp. 866-874
Girls Blog 2015
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