Tag Archives: SKINCARE REVIEWS

Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum Review

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hey hey people! I hope all is well with you.

Today’s post just highlights the importance of 2nd chances and why we should be giving people and products (lol) one * within reason lol

Today I will be reviewing the vit c serum from Naturium. This came in the Spacenk 2024 beauty advent calender

Let’s begin

This is a vit c complex serum which is formulated with highly stabilized l-ascorbic acid vitamin C complex, sodium ascorbyl phosphate and a bioactive fruit blend that helps defend skin from environmental stressors, promoting healthier-looking skin ( from website)

I started using this on 22nd Dec and run out of it on the 2nd of Feb so it lasted 6 weeks. I mainly used it in my am routine but also a few times in my pm routine. I experienced no irritation with it.

Experience

This is a lightweight serum that feels hydrating on the skin. I really like that it sinks into the skin with ease and doesn’t have any stinging sensations you can get with vit c serums. The brand directs users to use a pea sized amount but I have to tell you I used more than that- 2 to 3 pumps over my face neck and chest then hands with whatever was left

Performance? yes it delivers! I love vit c serums because they work to brighten the skin whilst protecting against environmental aggressors! This serum feels nice on the skin and a pleasure to use. After 2 weeks of use, my skin was glowing and overall my complexion just looks healthier! The serum is a combo of different types of vitamin c: ascorbic acid & SAP and fruit blends also known to have vit c. It also has aloe vera leaf juice which I have come to love for its hydrating properties esp for my hair! Look at my skin!

Verdict

oh how I miss vit c serums! I’ve been using the Paula’s Choice super antioxidant serum for a while and I really enjoyed it but I wanted to use Vit c serums again! This serum just reminded me why Vit c is the gold standard for skin brightening and a glowing complexion. The serum is well packaged to protect against the unstable nature of pure vit c, so it didn’t oxidize in the time I was using it.

I’ve used my fair share of vit c serums in the past and I can say this is up there with my favorite ones! I’m genuinely surprised by this product because I HAD written off Naturium as a brand! I have previously tried 3 of their most popular best selling products and they were so disappointing so I thought to never try the brand again. With this coming in the advent calendar I had no choice but to give it a 2nd chance and I’m really glad I did! I’m thinking of trying their peptide serum now ( even though I HATE their peptide eye cream lol) because of this.

I highly recommend this and will purchase this again!

the serum is available from Boots or Spacenk

Dose by VH Alpha Arbutin 2% and Kojic Acid 1% Serum Review

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hey hey, you good? I hope all is well.

I have an exciting review today for you. Having hyperpigmentation means I’m always on the hunt for a treatment serum to help deal with it. There are many serums with even bigger claims and I really enjoy looking for new serums to try.

Today I will be talking about the Alpha Arbutin 2% and Kojic Acid 1% Serum from Victoria Health. Dose is Victoria’s Health own brand and their aim is to provide solutions for various skin concerns that deliver results. The Alpha Arbutin 2% and Kojic Acid 1% Serum is designed to fight to help target uneven skin tone, dark spots, age spots and post blemish marks, together with 1% Kojic Acid, a powerful antioxidant and skin brightener.

Experience

I’ve known about Victoria health for a long time, do you guys remember when the ordinary skincare first came to the UK? VH were one of the retailers to first stock the brand! I didn’t know they now had their own skincare range( I think the garden of wisdom brand was theirs too but I’m not too sure). Anyway whilst looking for a new treatment serum I found Dose and was really intrigued by the ingredients at that price point.

I used the serum for about 7 weeks in my evening routine last year with no irritation issues. I also appreciated how easy it was to add to my routine, I used it with retinol & acids with no issues. It layers well with creams and I had no issues with pilling.

The serum is a bright yellow gel textured serum with no noticeable scent and doesn’t stain the skin.

Does it deliver on claims?

My baseline picture was taken on the 28th of Sept however between that date to when I started using the serum on 2nd November I wasn’t using any other treatment serum for hyperpigmentation. I used the serum from 2nd Nov to 22nd Dec 2024

I wanted the serum to target a stubborn patch of pigmentation near my jawline and I can say it did work to lighten the intensity of the spots but not completely get rid of it which is understandable. I also felt like my skin in general looked brighter which I liked. I have ‘lighter’ dark spots on my cheeks which it didn’t get rid of however I just feel I would probably have to laser/ have a chemical peel to get rid of those as nothing has been able to completely get rid of them so far.

Verdict

I do like this serum and I was pleasantly surprised with my results. That stubborn patch of pigmentation did lighten a bit and overall my skin was left brighter. I also liked the range of skin brighteners in the serum: vit c, alpha arbutin, niacinamide & kojic acid as well as glycerin & Lactobacillus Ferment. I always try to get treatment serums with a mix of brighteners because hyperpigmentation is so difficult to treat. Alpha arbutin has never worked for my skin alone but in combo with other ingredients it seems to work.

The customer service from VH is outstanding. I emailed to ask if my serum was oxidized as I was taken aback by the bright yellow color and I got a reply straight away confirming it was ok to use! I also had no issues with ordering and shipment

Will I recommend this serum?- Yes. This is an effective hyperpigmentation serum with a range of well known ingredients that work to brighten the skin over time as well as some skin conditioning ingredients. if your pigmentation isn’t as deep/stubborn as mine then I have no doubts you will get much better results. It goes without saying, SPF is KEY when dealing with pigmentation issues and should be worn everyday. Try to avoid direct sunlight where possible. Dealing with the root cause of the issues causing pigmentation rather than pigmentation itself is the best cause of action. However, I do understand that sometimes there isn’t much that can be done in some cases. This year I focusing on treating my underlying causes and I will be sharing some of the clinic treatments I will be doing

The serum is available from Victoria Health for £18

catch you later!

Round Lab 1025 Dokdo On The Go Kit Review

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Hihi everyone, I hope all is well

As you know, last year I rediscovered K beauty and ordered from Stylevana for the very first time! Several orders later I’ve been trying so many new (to me ) K beauty brands. One of those new brands was Round Lab. They had a trial set that I thought was the perfect introduction to the brand. In this post I will be reviewing the products in the set

I got the Round Lab 1025 Dokdo On The Go Kit which comes with a cleanser, toner and lotion(emulsion). The set is currently out of stock at Stylevana but the products are available to get individually.

Cleanser

The 1025 Dokdo Cleanser is formulated with hyaluronic acid and ceramides to gently cleanse the skin without disrupting the skin’s barrier. I’m currently using this in both my AM & PM routines. The formula does foam up nicely and I find it to give a thorough cleanse without leaving my skin dry. I really like this cleanser and I’ve had no issues again. A little goes a long way

Toner

a fuss free toner, it was nothing special tbh and I had no issues with it. I didnt experience any brightening as promised but I liked how it felt on my skin. Will I buy this as a stand alone product? probably not as there are other k beauty toners i love

Lotion

This was the star of the show for me. The lotion was lightweight and incredibly hydrating. This has triple hyaluronic acid and promises to provide deep and long lasting moisture and soften rough texture and skin! It delivers on that promise! I didn’t need a moisturiser after the lotion and its something I will definitely look to buy again

Conclusion

I hope this set comes back in stock soon because its the perfect intro to the brand, and the sizes make it perfect for travel. I would buy the full sizes of the cleanser and lotion again as I really enjoyed them. The set is really geared towards all skintypes but I think dry to normal skin will benefit the most. Round lab is available from Boots in the UK if you wanted to get them quicker! Or Amazon

Sephora Melting Cleansing Balm Review

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hihi everyone, I hope all is well, Autumn has arrived in the UK after a very cold & brief summer lol

Today I’m talking about the melting cleansing balm from Sephora. This one promises to remove even waterproof stubborn makeup and oils and dirt from the skin.

Experience

oh gosh I havent used a bad cleansing balm in a while. This balm just isn’t it. Firstly it doesn’t spread easily across the face and it struggles against makeup, even just everyday simple makeup. Against mascara and waterproof mascara you need a few good rubs to remove them and even after that it doesn’t completely remove waterproof mascara. It does emulsify well I have to give it that but that’s just about it

Verdict

I’ve really tried to stick with it and to finish it but its a massive tub and I just cant anymore lool. Its not a good cleansing balm period, I’m going to have to throw this one away.

SupraFade Hyperpigmentation Review

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hihi everyone, I hope all is well. Today I have a full review of the Supradafe hyperpigmentation serum I finished last month

Suprafade is the first product from HUE, a black owned skincare brand based in the UK. The promise is “A serum formulated with 7 active ingredients and antioxidants working synergistically to target the signs and causes of hyperpigmentation, discolouration and dullness. Engineered to be gentle enough for nightly use, our formula starts working in as little as two weeks. To ensure maximum efficacy and results, we always use ingredients at their active level. “

Experience

I introduced this to my routine on 9/6 very slowly. In the first week I used it once then twice in the 2nd week- I do this to prevent any irritation when starting new products. I started using nightly from 23/6. I finished the product 20/8. I experienced no issues with the serum.

Suprafade has no noticeable scent and I didnt find it particularly hydrating. It layers well with other serums with no pilling and works well with retinol ( I use MEdik8’s r-Retinoate® Intense) and acids with no issue

The serum has really big claims, on the website they claim: In a consumer study, participants agreed that there was a dramatic improvement in hyperpigmentation within 6 weeks. 2 weeks- 80% agreed skin tone was more even. 4 weeks- dark spots were obviously reduced. 6 weeks- complexion was significantly more even

For me the experience was very different, by 4 week I couldn’t really tell if my dark spots were fading or not, infact by the time I finished the bottle I was still on the fence. June to Aug were bad skin months for me, I had a lot of texture and spots that led to new hyperpigmentation. I’m not sure if the serum helped deal with that. I had 2 old spots I really wanted to target with the serum and to me they dont look any better.

Mark 1 is an old hyperpigmentation spot Ive been trying to get rid of and it was what I wanted Hue to target. I can barely tell the difference by the 20th when I finished the serum. Mark 2 looks slightly better but 3 is also confusing, Im not sure if there was any improvement. Other areas of my face are also the same I can barely see a difference.

I do like the texture of the serum, its very lightweight and it pairs well with other products. Whilst its not the most hydrating serum out there it is ok. I also like the pump jar it came in.

Verdict

To be totally honest, I’m disappointed with the serum. I saw so many good reviews and improvements from other people but I really cant tell if the serum did anything for me. I did have bad skin this summer as I have new pigmentation spots to treat but I wanted the serum to target older spots I had. Side by side pictures tell me there was hardly any improvements. the newer pigmentation spots look slightly improved? Im not even sure

Will I repurchase? Honestly I did consider it because perhaps I needed more time with it? however after 8 weeks of daily use and not seeing major improvements, I didn’t want to spend another £52 on it plus shipping. I wont repurchase.

If you want to check out Suprafade, check the website here