Skinceuticals Blemish & Age Defense Serum Has Joined My Skincare Arsenal

I recently got my hot little hands on a sample of Skinceuticals Blemish & Age Defense after a friend told me it was recommended to her by Gee Beauty (one of my favourite shops & experts in all things Skinceuticals). We have similar skin types, and she really like this product. Well, I'm sold.

I don't know if I can blame the planets for my zits...but I will anyways.

Skinceuticals Blemish & Age Defense is a serum chock full of ingredients that fight acne & oil, help maintain even skin tone, and to refine the surface of the skin. It decongests pores while it reduces acne bacteria. I loved it within 3 days of using every night at bedtime. Then, as is my wont, or perhaps the curse of a beauty blogger, I turned to another product. Bad idea. Almost within 24 hours my skin broke out. Distracted by many things, I just figured it was something else (Mercury Retrograde? Can it cause zits?) and went about my business, which is ADD skincare and cosmetic use. A few nights ago, the Skinceuticals B&A serum caught my eye and I thought "Hey I should use this again". Lo and behold, it's already working it's magic. My pores are less noticeable, and my skin feels smoother and radiant when I wake up. If my skin feels a bit sensitive, I use it with the Skinceuticals Phyto-Corrective Gel serum, for a perfect combination and lovely skin. I am still using my Vichy proEVEN lotion during the day, and can't imagine being without it, either.

Next on my list: Skinceuticals Retexturing Activator. 

Erin from The Waltons - squeaky clean with Sea Breeze

Dewy, Plump & Soft Skin: Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel

I am loving Skinceuticals more and more with every product I use. My latest love is for their moisturizing serum, Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel. I am in love with this serum and can't imagine being without it. It's full of the goodness of healing and skin repairing B5, and helps bind moisture to the skin with hyaluronic acid. These simple and amazingly effective ingredients have helped my skin stay smooth and supple. Even after hot summer days of sun, sweating, swimming and just generally feeling dehydrated, this lovely soothing serum gives my skin a dewy glow.

It is recommended as a product to use in conjunction with a Vitamin C (brightening) product and it does seem to work beautifully with my skin routine. I may layer it with a slightly richer cream come the dry and mean days of winter, but for now, this serum is just what the doctor ordered. I am seriously in love with the simplicity and honesty of the Skinceuticals line. There are no empty promises, just simple effective products that deliver on what they promise. Verdict on the Hydrating B5 Gel? Love. 

Skinceuticals buying information is available on their website. US buyers check here and Canadian buyers here. 

Skinceuticals Phyto Corrective Gel Soothes and Beautifies

After being so impressed by Skinceuticals Physical Fusion SPF 50, I had to try their serums. I'd read rave reviews, and I'm on a bit of a serum kick these days as well. Serums are the perfect way to treat the skin as they just sink right in and get to work, and there is something to suit every skin type.

It feels as cool & fresh as a forest stream...

Skinceuticals Phyto Corrective Gel was created for sensitive and problematic skin, and is also oil-free. It is chock full of botanical extracts like cucumber, thyme & a natural alternative to hydroquinone. Anti-inflammatory and antiseptic, it is perfect for acne prone skin. It calms the skin, reducing redness, inflammation as well as discolouration. One of the best parts is how cooling and soothing it feels on the skin. It has become part of my evening routine, and I've come to love the slightly odd and herbal scent as the cool deep green gel sinks into my skin. The scent disappears almost instantly, but the effects of the gel are amazing. Using this in the evening and my Vichy proEVEN in the morning has made my skin even toned and smooth. 

Cucumber thyme lemonade with vodka...yes please.

During this heatwave, and after a busy day of running around in the hot sun, driving with the top down, pelted with wind, dirt and all those nasty free radicals blowing around, nothing soothes and calms my skin better than this. I wish I had a jug of it to bathe head to toe in. It is *that* amazing. Verdict- love. If you have skin that is sensitive, oily, acneic or easily irritated by environmental factors, you must try this.

Skinceuticals are available on their website and at select authorized retailers. Lucky Torontonians can just pop into the divine Gee Beauty for yours.

The Future Called: It Wants It's Sunscreen Back

I love having my mind blown by amahzing skincare and beauty products. Remember Vichy proEVEN? Still loving it, still can't imagine life without it. So, now that Vichy proEVEN has made our skin tone gorgeous, we need to protect it. We knew that already but after a winter of living indoors like trolls under a bridge, the light is coming in through the cracks & as we tear off our layers, we can't forget our sunscreen. Just like the song says.

Skinceuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF50 is the latest product to impress me. I am a lover of warm weather and being outside in the sun, but I'm no fool. I keep myself covered in sunscreen at all times to enjoy the rays without cooking and turning into a piece of brown leather. We all know that look- besides being dangerous, it ages us and looks, well, awful. Please don't make me post another photo of Magda from There's Something About Mary. You know who I mean.  Enter Skinceuticals and their lastest sunscreen offering. From their website:

"A groundbreaking, weightless sunscreen featuring color-infused sunscreen technology that provides a universal tint and boosts daily radiance. PHYSICAL FUSION UV DEFENSE SPF 50 offers the photoprotection of trusted broad-spectrum, physical filters, zinc oxide (Z-COTE®) and titanium dioxide, and is enhanced by artemia salina, a plankton extract, to increase the skin’s defenses and resistance to UV and heat stress."

Indirect light - below is sunscreen, almost dripping away, above it is rubbed in.

The formula is a light as water, so even though I know there is a silicone in there, the chemical make up of it is so fine & light that it doesn't bother my sensitive skin. The zinc is also healing and so helpful with oily skin. Sunscreen on the face is a tricky endeavor. The wrong kind causes brutal breakouts, a white cast or turns into a grease slick. My favourite to date has been Shu Uemura Under Base Mousse SPF30. I still love it and likely always will, as it is a genius primer, and keeps shine at bay for hours. But spending a long day in the sun sometimes calls for stronger than SPF30. But the Skinceuticals is as incredible as the Shu with more protection. I've never used a product with this sheer, light as a feather formulation. Super sheer universally flattering shade that enhances skin, ability to hold make up in place, low/no shine and no breakouts. The formula is interesting in that it needs to be shaken before using. It sounds like it has a ball in the bottle like nail polish to help it mix.

The safest spot on the beach...

This is a key part of my summer skin protection arsenal. I plan to get one for my fair skinned/freckle-y daughter, and my oily skinned daughter who is using anti acne products that make her skin extra sensitive to the sun. It's perfect for all of us.

Skinceuticals are available in the US, check here for availability near you. Canadians check here.