in the AM: after cleansing with kora organics foaming cleanser, i mix 2 pumps drunk elephant c-firma day serum with 2 drops the ordinary resveratrol 3% + ferulic acid 3% and apply all over my face. the glow from these 2 products alone is pretty astounding. it's a little wet at first but after a few minutes (10 or so) it dries to a plumpy, soft sheen. not like a gel sheen...but hydrated and a glow within kind of thing. i don't even moisturize! i just either apply some concealer or foundation depending on what i'm doing and that's it! i should probably apply sunscreen but i don't. i know. i'm sorry. you definitely could apply your favorite sunscreen or moisturizer but i find i don't need it really (the extra moisture that is). if you have very dry skin you might find that you do.
anyway...you can see the actual glow in my saved stories on insta. it's the story titled 'glow'. :)
a note about the cleanser- i do really like it. and it's clean! as in nothing bad in it. all organic! it's perfect for the morning. i don't know if i'd recommend it as a makeup removing cleanser. more of a 2nd cleanser after removing makeup with your favorite makeup remover (i still swear by this micellar water).
a note about drunk elephant- i REALLY like this stuff. it's the most gentle vitamin C i've used. i have used both of the ordinary's vitamin C products. the one in HA spheres and the one in silicone. the one in HA spheres literally tore my skin apart. SO burny and caused so much irritation. if i got it anywhere near my eyes the skin around them would get so patchy and raw. the one in silicone was A LOT less irritating but the silicone was just too weird for me. very slick. i actually threw the latter away. the vit. C in HA spheres was great at first, in fact i didn't have too much irritation at all...a little tingling but nothing that didn't go away after a few minutes. my skin just started reacting to it negatively after a while. and i always mixed it with the resveratrol and ferulic acid bc you need to mix it with something IMO as the consistency of the vit. c in HA spheres is lumpy and sticky on it's own. that said, the vit. C in HA spheres was super effective at really minimizing sun damage and evening out skin tone and over all firming things up. possibly better than the drunk elephant. but i just couldn't get past the irritation. i plan on giving it another go when the drunk elephant runs out to see if things have changed or if the same thing happens. it may just be a matter of using it a lot less. i use the DE every day and find it to be really gentle. but it's also pretty expensive so i'd like to be able to switch back and forth between the DE and the ordinary.
other products i am loving are:
the ordinary retinol 1% in squalane. i use this every other night before my moisturizer and the morning after my skin looks perfect. things to consider- this is the most powerful of all the ordinary's retinol products. now, i have used the real deal (retin-A prescribed by a derm) and found that to be too much for my skin. and wallet. the ordinary's version honestly has caused no side effects. seems super gentle to me. that said, if you have sensitive skin i suggest starting out with either the 0.2% or 0.5%.
the ordinary glycolic acid 7% toning solution - i go through this y'all. it's great. i use it once a day and usually in the evening. but not before a retinol night. no no. too much acid. i cleanse then tone with this stuff and then apply a gentle moisturizer to which i've added a few drops of YL frankincense essential oil.
mac shape and shade brow tint- i know. random. but it's THE BEST for drawing little hairs into the sparse areas. it's like microblading only not. i use taupe. then i use boy brow over it to muss them up a bit and to keep from looking like a kardashian.
if you have a less expensive vitamin c serum that you love do let me know!
