My quest for the holy grail of serums continues.
Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate smells divine. It's all about essential oils and nourishing ingredients, from argan oil (a Moroccan nut. You'll find the orange hued pure oil costing an arm and a leg at upscale delis. It's great for your salad) to the more pedestrian avocado and rose hip. The addictive scent comes from neroli and lavender, and I'm writing a note to self about checking out the body care range, because I really want to smell like that.
The problem is that as a serum, Superskin Concentrate doesn't meet my needs. It's supposedly an over achiever product: nourishing mature skin, calming and balancing a more active face. I don't fall under any of these categories, but even so, a girl has some needs. My ideal serum is an active, chock-full of vitamin C and skin ingredients promoting cell renewal product, and this Liz Earle potion simply isn't what I'm after.
If used right after cleansing, it just sits there before sinking in and making my face feel over-saturated, even though it doesn't actually get oily and never clogs pores. But it makes me not want to add another layer of moisturizer. For mature skin, the recommendation is to moisturize first and then apply the serum, but my face liked this option even less.
I didn't use a vitamin C product during the weeks of testing Superskin Concentrate, and the results were obvious to me: less glow and some flaking in the areas prone to skin delinquency, which forced me to do more exfoliating than I like just to maintain decent appearance. Back to square one, serum-wise.
Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate ($70 for 1 oz) is available from the company's website. I got mine as a PR freebie.
Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate smells divine. It's all about essential oils and nourishing ingredients, from argan oil (a Moroccan nut. You'll find the orange hued pure oil costing an arm and a leg at upscale delis. It's great for your salad) to the more pedestrian avocado and rose hip. The addictive scent comes from neroli and lavender, and I'm writing a note to self about checking out the body care range, because I really want to smell like that.
The problem is that as a serum, Superskin Concentrate doesn't meet my needs. It's supposedly an over achiever product: nourishing mature skin, calming and balancing a more active face. I don't fall under any of these categories, but even so, a girl has some needs. My ideal serum is an active, chock-full of vitamin C and skin ingredients promoting cell renewal product, and this Liz Earle potion simply isn't what I'm after.
If used right after cleansing, it just sits there before sinking in and making my face feel over-saturated, even though it doesn't actually get oily and never clogs pores. But it makes me not want to add another layer of moisturizer. For mature skin, the recommendation is to moisturize first and then apply the serum, but my face liked this option even less.
I didn't use a vitamin C product during the weeks of testing Superskin Concentrate, and the results were obvious to me: less glow and some flaking in the areas prone to skin delinquency, which forced me to do more exfoliating than I like just to maintain decent appearance. Back to square one, serum-wise.
Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate ($70 for 1 oz) is available from the company's website. I got mine as a PR freebie.
It's interesting that you and I seem to be on a similar search. In my case, I'm looking for a superproduct that will make my skin Anne Rice Vampire smooth (cause I'm so pale and all...)
ReplyDeleteDo you have a favorite vitamin C product? Or a serum you've had good luck with in the past?
~*Lucy*~
Lucy, so far, the best serum I came across is Remede Super C. I've been using it on and off for two years or so and it works. I hate the packaging, though. I also saw great results when sampling a Revive product, but it's outrageously expensive and I'm not going there until I turn 40...
ReplyDeleteCurrently I'm testing a brightening vitamin C moisturizer from Shiseido. I'll review it in a couple of weeks.
I started thinking "wow, argan oil and neroli, must be amazing" and then the realisation that it promises perhaps too much.
ReplyDeleteOh well, appreciate your candour. :-)
If you like serums, try IQ Derma's Skintensive XCel serum. It's pricey, but I can tell you from experience that it really works!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to ask you the same question as Lucy. I'm a big believer in topical VitC and after a long test time I finally found Vivier Pharma's VitC products.
ReplyDeleteHelg, I was thinking along the same line reading the ingredients and sniffing the bottle. I wanted to love this serum, but it just doesn't live up to the promise.
ReplyDeleteMandy and Lady Jane, thanks for the recommendations. I'm adding them to my list of products to try.
ReplyDelete