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I Max Serum Ceuticals Ceramide Facial Skin Serum

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USES FOR THIS PRODUCT
This is a useful oil for very dry or sensitive skin and for use after chemical peels, especially in the stage that skin with brown spots starts to lightly crust over and heal before flaking off and revealing a pinkish color brown spot.

It is also useful if you have applied too much retinol or Vitamin C serum or done an at-home dermabrasion or at-home peel and have gotten too dry and irritated, leaving your skin looking red, rough and generally older instead of dewy and younger.

It a beneficial product to have if you have excessively dried out your skin with acne medications and need to soothe the skin before resuming your regimen. It is not a daily moisturizer for regular skin with no current issue, it is a rescue type oil for when a problem exists and skin needs to heal.

The serum, which is an oil base, applies well alone but I think applied better mixed with a cream, especially its’ sister product Beta Glucan Cream. I have been happy seeing some stubborn brown spots on my upper cheek near my undereye that I have not been able to improve with Retinol or Vitamin C serum start to lighten quickly when I use the Beta Glucan and this Ceramide together. The skin looked slightly pink (but not warm to the touch or uncomfortable) then the brown spot was sort of whiter and started to fade within a week.

ALL NATURAL: EVEN THE PRESERVATIVES ARE NATURAL
Like others in the Serum Ceuticals line, the Ceramide is all natural, not even any preservative chemicals. To naturally preserve the Vitamins A, C and E and other ingredients in the serum, a natural charge is used by pairing these vitamins with Nitrogen and Argon. Because of this novel way of preserving the ingredients, when you open the bottle, there is a little fizz escaping like when opening carbonated beverages for the first time. To retain the preservative natural charge, don’t leave the cap off excessively and keep it stored in a dry place. It is a cobalt blue bottle to limit the light getting into the bottle, and there is a special kind of dropper cap – a European dropper that stays at the mouth of the bottle that does not let air or light in, but precisely lets one drop out. This is much better than a typical dropper that comes with many skincare products because it protects the bottle contents. I also like that I can’t accidentally spill the liquid.

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
Researching the main ingredients showed:

Ceramide-3 and Ceramide-6. With aging, there is a decline in ceramide, the main component in the epidermis of the skin.

Kojic acid. It is used in the sake fermentation process and in cosmetics it is used to lighten skin, such as the brown spots from aging, excess sun exposure and pregnancy “mask”. Because of this ingredient, do a spot test and check for a reaction.

Arnica Oil and Grapeseed Oil to soothe Rosehip oil and Vitamin C based oil to soothe and promote collagen.

CONCLUSION:
I found that when my skin has raw, damaged, irritated or peeling from sun damage, sunburn or windburn, dermabrasion, or harsh chemicals, adding this serum to my moisturizing cream greatly improves the appearance of the skin during and after the healing process. It does this without rough chemical additives, yet is still very effective.

I Max Ceramide Facial Skin Serum

I Max Ceramide Facial Skin Serum

Natural Anti-aging B3: InstaNatural Niacinamide Serum

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InstaNatural Niacinamide Serum uses Vitamin B3 and Hyaluronic Acid to address hyperpigmentation, redness/inflammation, acne, and elasticity – especially around delicate skin areas such as the eyes and mouth. It can be used in tandem with a vitamin C serum. Only a small amount is needed per use. It leaves a nice glow and makeup applies evenly over it.

wHY USE A VITAMIN B3 SERUM

Redness around the nose and cheeks makes one look older, this is due in part by tiny capillaries that tend to break starting in the early 40’s, causing redness, especially around the nose. It is subtle, especially at the bottom of the nostrils, but it is there and makes one look older.

Adult acne can start at any time, often when anti-aging products are being concurrently used. Treating adult acne is more complicated than just drying the pimples as we did as teens.  Both these issues cause redness, and some skincare products such as peels can cause irritation.  Vitamin B3 can treat both acne and wrinkles at the same time without irritating the skin or causing it to feel dry and itchy.

INGREDIENTS:

Active ingredients include:

Vitamin B3 (5%) a powerful anti-inflammatory that reduces the redness and puffiness in acne, irritated skin, and blotchy skin.

Hyaluronic Acid makes skin look instantly younger by adding lots of moisture and plumping the skin. It also allows the B3 to reach deeper into the skin, it sort of sucks it into the skin by swelling the pores with moisture to open them, making them receptive to the product. The deeper a product gets into the skin, the better. It can, however, make skin more sensitive to sunlight, so if you are not using a sunscreen already, make sure to do so, especially if you are using any anti-aging Retinols. Vitamin C serums, or ALAs.

Soothing ingredients like Organic Aloe Vera to soothe and cool the skin, Avocado Oil is a rich conditioning and moisturizing agent, as is Vitamin E.

UPON APPLICATION

The serum does not sting or burn on application, it is cool to the touch and smooth. It dries down well without any visible residue and my skin is not sticky. My skin is normal to dry/sensitive, some users mentioned it was sticky, the instructions say to use about a pea size amount, I found this amount or a bit more to leave no residue.  There is a nice glow. Do however allow enough time for the serum to dry before makeup application to give it time to set. I apply it after I shower, I eat breakfast then apply my moisturizer and sunscreen, and then dry my hair, then apply my makeup to allow time for it to set.

HOW MY SKIN LOOKS WHEN USING IT

There is an interesting sort of airbrushing in the light deflecting nature of the serum. I have a cluster of broken capillaries that is red, the redness in that area seemed to diffuse and is not as noticeable even just after applying the serum, and it seemed to be less inflamed.  I also have a glow/highlight to the top of the cheekbone where one might apply highlighter.

My hands have hyperpigmentation and lots of blotchy redness, so I treat my hands to some of the serum as well.  Hands can be a giveaway for aging, so I try to treat my hands to what I put on my face whenever possible. But always follow the serum with a moisturizer.

ACNE and Niacinamide

I have one pimple on my cheek, it is red and just forming. The serum did reduce some of the visible inflammation and redness, so far it hasn’t irradicated the pimple, so I don’t think this would be my only treatment for acne, but a nice addition for areas that suffer for both from acne and wrinkles, such as the forehead area.

CONCLUSION:

Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide) is a very good addition to an anti-aging regimen because it addresses a loss of elasticity and reduces redness.

Find it at Amazon.com.

 

InstaNatural Niacinamide Serum

InstaNatural Niacinamide Serum

I received this item in exchange for my unbiased review. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below and I’ll do my best to answer it!

Product Review: Valentia Royal Rose Hydrating Serum

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Valentia Royal Rose Hydrating Serum is a light soothing serum for sensitive skin with great ingredients to support delicate skin.

I have been using a Retinol at night paired with applying a Vitamin C serum during the day skincare program lately, and both require a very hydrating moisturizer to combat the dryness associated with retinol and Vitamin C. If a good soothing moisturizer is not used in tandem these anti-aging products can make skin dry during use and even appear temporarily older and make wrinkles appear deeper.

Valentia Royal Rose Hydrating Serum is a nice light moisturizer for the day with several ingredients to enhance the skin care regiment of someone with naturally sensitive skin or skin that is made sensitive by the use of various ingredients frequently found in anti-aging products.

Some research into the ingredients:

Evening Primrose Oil is wonderful as a vitamin supplement for women and is excellent as a topical ingredient to provide a light moisture layer without clogging skin
Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) combats sallowness, wrinkling, blotchiness and the hyperpigmented spots in aging skin, especially in the thin skin of the eye area.
• Bearberry promotes melatonin which lightens brown spots and acne scars.

If you are not able to tolerate Retinol or Vitamin C, this serum is a viable way to address signs of aging like wrinkles, brown spots and moisture loss. If you can tolerate retinol, this is a great moisturizing serum to pair with them: it is lightweight and doesn’t clog skin, has great ingredients.

The serum also contains lavender and rosehip oil. Both are very good skincare ingredients but the scent is notable in this serum, as would be expected for a Royal Rose product. I prefer not to wear scented skincare but that is just a personal preference. It is not an offensive scent and both are base notes for many fragrances, so it is not a conflict with your chosen perfume scent if you chose to wear this during the day.

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I received this product in exchange for my unbiased review. If you have any questions about my experience with the product, leave it in the comment box below and I’ll answer!

Valentia Clear Lift Revitalizing Serum

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This past weekend was pretty rough on my skin – a hotel room with harsh forced air, the water in the hotel room shower left my skin pretty raw, and a lovely meal that had an unexpected amount of sodium, leaving my face puffy and dull. So when I got home, it was time to pull out the big skincare guns.

Valentia Clear Lift Revitalizing Serum is a total powerhouse when it comes to revitalizing skin. Lactic Acid (which is a potent AHA) works to increase circulation, gently exfoliate dead skin cells, and boost cell turnover so your complexion is left refreshed literally overnight. I woke up the next day with a youthful glow. A lot of lactic acid products can be irritating, but because of soothing ingredients like Aloe Vera, Hyaluronic Acid, Jojoba Oil, and Vitamin E, skin stays calm and supple.

Other fantastic ingredients include Seaweed to oxygenate the skin. I tend to be skeptical of products that say they bring oxygen to the skin, but there is no denying the oxygenated glow that comes with applying Clear Lift Revitalizing Serum. Several Ingredients including Licorice Extract work to fight hyper pigmentation to give skin a nice even tone, and Argan Oil contains Vitamin E to keep the skin plump and youthful.

After using it for a few days what really struck me is that my skin is just so soft. I have used lactic acid products before, even at home lactic acid peels, but my skin has never been as soft after use. I think the combination of ingredients is really perfect for producing this soft, supple feel to skin.

Another thing I really like is the texture of this serum. It’s a little watery, which is what a good serum should be. Thicker than an essence, but not as thick as a gel. It layers beautifully under sunscreen and absorbs fully, just leaving a lovely glow.

The very subtle scent is wonderful as well – just a very light, delicate citrus.

This is the second Valentia product I have tried and I am more convinced that this is a fantastic line!

Find Valentia Clear Lift Revitalizing Serum at Amazon.

I received this product in exchange for my unbiased review.

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