Sephora

pollypocketss · ‎05-26-2020

Hi all!

Since we are in quarantine, I have been wanting to try new products, mainly for fear that if I break out I can just stay home and treat it without needing to put make up on for work.

I would love recommendations for brightening serums. My current morning regime includes: face wash, eye cream, serum, moisturizer.

In the past, I have used the following serums:

Drunk Elephant: C-Firma™ Vitamin C Day Serum (hated the smell and left my skin extremely dry)
Olehenriksen: Truth Serum (it didn't make me break out, but never saw real benefits from using)
Sunday Riley: C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum (so far, my favorite, as I use Sunday Riley products at night I wouldn't mind buying it again, but I always like to try new products)

I have combination skin, however, I only really get oily on my T-zone when spending a lot of my time outside or in different environments.

Thank you all for your recommendations!!

TheGoldenGirl · ‎05-26-2020

Hi! Question... are you looking to brighten your complexion? Or are you looking to give your finished face (after applying all products and makeup) a brighter more dewy finish? Or neither?! I have found that brightening serums can be amazing - but then depending on your moisturizer and especially any makeup/foundation/cc or bb creams/bronzers etc you put on top of the serum can obscure any "brightening" effects the serum may have had. Does that make sense? Talk a little more about what you're looking for in a finished look and I'll see if I can help! xoxo

pollypocketss · ‎05-26-2020

Hi,

Yes, it definitely makes sense. I am looking to brighten my complexion. As for reference, I am currently using SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture for my moisturizer which I apply after serum.

Thank you!!

TheGoldenGirl · ‎05-27-2020

Gotcha!

So... let's cover the basics first.

1) Make sure you are using an SPF on top of your Skinceuticals Daily Moisturizer to protect the "brightening" of your complexion as it comes along. (Even if the SPF is in your makeup/foundation/powder - might want to consider adding something with an SPF that you put on right after your moisturizer in the morning.)

2) Make sure you are exfoliating your face a few times a week either chemically or mechanically.

Depending on your skin type - chemically with an AHA/BHA product like DRUNK ELEPHANT - T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum which is fairly mild, or something a little stronger like Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial™ AHA + BHA Mask 1.69 oz/ 50 mL. I also like these chemical exfoliators:

FARMACY - HONEYMOON GLOW AHA Resurfacing Night Serum with Hydrating Honey + Gentle Flower Acids

GLOW RECIPE - Watermelon + AHA Glow Sleeping Mask

And one other product worth mentioning in this category that is gaining a TON of momentum, but mine just arrived this weekend so I can't personally vouch for it: Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One AHA Lactic Acid Treatment 1.7 oz / 50 ml

Mechanical exfoliators are great too and are often sugar/salt scrubs like:

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant Refillable Exfoliator 2.6 oz/ 74g

TATCHA - The Rice Polish Foaming Enzyme Powder (extremely gentle!)

I also, personally, love the Micro-Dermabrasion Paste from Rodan + Fields but I know some people have verrrrrrrrrry strong feelings about MLM products!

KATE SOMERVILLE - ExfoliKate® Intensive Pore Exfoliating Treatment

Sorry for the side tangent on exfoliators - but they are a critical component of getting that glowing complexion! Sometimes face masks tout themselves as being "deep cleaning" or "exfoliating" - and to that I say - buyer beware! You want your mask to sink into your skin to do what it's going to do, and you want your exfoliant to slough off dead skin cells and support new skin cell regeneration.

3) Use a clean towel to dry your face with after you wash it in the am/pm. Sounds silly, I know, but if you're using the same hand towel 3, 4, 5+ days in a row, bacteria and other icky gunk can build up on the towel and go right back into your freshly cleaned skin. I rolled my eyes at this one for a long time, but I recently caved and bought some cheap-ish bamboo baby washcloths on Amazon and it TRULY makes a difference.

4) Hydration. Are you drinking enough water? Again, I know it sounds silly, but if you aren't drinking enough water, your skin is going to look dull no matter what you do. And same goes for your skin. Know the difference between hydration and moisturizing. Basically, hydration is the water content INSIDE your skin cells that make them look plump and full allowing them to better reflect light. Moisturizing is what traps and seals the moisture to build your facial skin's protective barrier and keeps your skin soft and smooth.

5) Doing the above things will help maximize your serum results. And now on to the main event... SERUMS!

The current trend with effective "brightening" serums seems to hyping up the vitamin C in them. (Vitamin C in serums isn't "new", but it's become the new buzz word in the serum world.) Since you mentioned that you use Skinceuticals Daily Moisturizer, then I'm guessing you've heard of their C E Ferulic? I use it and can definitely confirm that it's effective. (Need more proof? It's on every beauty editor's "Top Serums" lists - for real. ALL of them.) But there are some other great ones out there too. Here are a few others for you to check out:

Glow Recipe Pineapple Vitamin C Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL

Sunday Riley C.E.O Glow Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil 0.5 oz/ 15 mL

Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum - I would tag just this product, but I can only find it in this Sephora set. The set looks pretty good, though, in case you want to try it out!! CAUDALIE - Vinoperfect Brightening Solution Set

To wrap this up... in case you are looking for a little instant "glow" while you brightening up your complexion, I'm sure you know you have a billion "highlighter" options out there. My personal favorite is a light dusting of DIOR - Diorskin Nude Luminizer Shimmering Glow Powder Highlighter - 01 Nude Glow on my finished face! These are my other two favorites:

BECCA COSMETICS - Ignite Liquified Light Face & Body Highlighter - Creativity

MARC JACOBS BEAUTY - Glow Stick Glistening Illuminator

Good luck on brightening up your complexion, although I'm certain that you are already beautiful!

xoxo, erica

@pollypocketss wrote:
Hi,

Yes, it definitely makes sense. I am looking to brighten my complexion. As for reference, I am currently using SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture for my moisturizer which I apply after serum.

Thank you!!