Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of the fan favourite skincare brand Sunday Riley. They are clean and cruelty free, with science backed formulations and are advocates for sustainability. I ummed and ahhed about purchasing some of their products, eventually picking up their Vitamin C + Turmeric Oil face oil and, instantly fell in love. So, when I saw their Wake Up With Me Complete Morning Routine at Selfridges, I tossed it in my basket. Now having finished all the products, these are my honest thoughts.
Ceramic Slip Clay Cleanser
What started off as a pretty disappointing product, actually became one of my favourites towards the end. This is a gentle, plant-based cleanser, that uses French green clay to remove impurities, and rice oil to provide hydration, smaller looking pores and a brighter complexion. Upon the first week of use I didn’t see much difference between this and the CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser. Infact, the latter leaves my skin feeling softer. However, at the end of the second week, I noticed that my large pores, with usually plague my T-Zone, had practically vanished.
I've never seen such an improvement in their appearance, before I started using this cleanser. Admittedly, it certainly wasn’t the cleanser alone, but I have managed to keep their minimised appearance, by pairing this cleanser with the Paula’s Choice 2% BHA, which is already a staple in my routines, meaning the cleanser sure made one hell of a difference.
It’s definitely one of the more affordable products from this brand, though it may still be a little too high for some. However, it delivers results that I'm more then willing to invest in, and would recommend it to anyone who may be looking for similiar results.
Pink Drink Firming Resurfacing Essence
This is an absolute love for me. Not only it is light and refreshing, but it feels incredibly hydrating on the skin. This essence is formulated to balance your skin and protect your natural barrier, helping to create a firmer and more youthful appearance. This was the second product from this line that I saw almost instant results. Not only did my skin look plump and feel supple, but it also looked far healthier.
Like most of Sunday Riley’s products, this is safe to use every day, and it’s something I’ve started including in both my morning and night routines. If you’ve been looking for a product that focuses on nuturing your skin barrier, deep hydration or anti-aging, pop this in your line-up and see the magic for yourself.
C.E.O 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum
As someone who is constantly working on fading hyperpigmentation from past break outs, I’ve had a lot of Vitamin C serums come and go from my routines. Sunday Riley’s fighter in this very competitive ring promises to target dullness, dark spots, and discolorations, whilst fighting the signs of aging, like most Vitamin C serums do. So, does it?
My skin looked brighter. Unfortunately, that is my only praise for it. As brightening as it was, it didn’t make anywhere near enough difference to my overall complexion, look or feel, for me to justify the significantly high price tag of £70 for a 30ml bottle. Especially, when there are serums for half the price that work just as well. Of course, all skincare needs time to truly show results, but with the Turmeric Face Oil already taking the top spot for brightening, and the Ceramic Cleanser for minimising pores, the serum really needed to be a power house in noticeably tackling my hyperpigmentation, and for me, it just wasn’t.
To me, this feels like a serum you would use to maintain your current complexion, rather than improve it. As I said, it is definitely brightening, but my skin just didn’t show improvement beyond that, which is not something I’m looking for when trying to tackle unwanted pigmentation. It’s a shame really, because the texture is lovely and it absorbs beautifully, but it just doesn’t quite have the oomph I’m looking for.
C.E.O Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil
Ironically, the product that started my dive in Sunday Riley, was the one product I didn’t expect to see in this box. So, you can imagine my surprise when I realised this was included, rather than a moisturiser. Though surprising, I was not disappointed, and it gives me the opportunity to gush about this gem once again.
I’ve talked about this product in a past post, but to summarise it, use this before going to bed and, you will see overnight results. It is absolutely phenomenal for reducing hyperpigmentation, evening out complexion and leaving you with bright and glowing skin. Honestly, my skin has never looked so beautiful. Though extremely effective, it’s also gentle and non-irritating. I had to stop using oils on my face for a while, as no matter what my eyes would constantly sting. However, since using this, I haven’t had a single problem and despite being an oil, it doesn’t leave my skin feeling greasy or unclean. Out of all the Sunday Riley products I have tried, this is hands down my favourite, not only for what it does for my skin, but what it does for my confidence. Whole heartedly a stunning product, well worth the price.
Good Genes Glycolic Acid Treatment
At base, this is a fancy chemical exfoliator, that uses Glycolic acid to repair the look of dull and congested skin, for a healthier complexion. This is definitely one of Sunday Riley’s most popular products, featured in their list of top sellers. If you’ve read my past posts or follow my Instagram, you know my holy grail is the 2% BHA by Paula’s Choice. However, I stopped using it so I could give this product a fair shake. Unfortunately, I soon realised I was going to have to crawl my way back over to that discarded bottle and ask for its forgiveness. At around the two-week mark, when I noticed the difference in my pores, I also noticed that my texture felt quite rough. Admittedly, it wasn’t alarmingly rough or bumpy, but it was definitely not something I should have been experiencing with daily use of a chemical exfoliator. Not only that, but the blackheads I usually kept at bay had started to rear their ugly heads on my nose and forehead. Due of this, I decided to incorporate my original exfoliator back into my routine, and after a few days, I was back to soft and healthy feeling skin.
I don’t want to say this product doesn’t work, as my skin was definitely softer than it would have been had I not chemically exfoliated at all. However, mixing the Ceramic Cleanser and the 2% BHA actually gave me far better results, not only in feel but also appearance. Of course, not every product works for everyone, so something that doesn’t work for me may work wonders for you, but if you have quite texturized skin, I can see this not being your ideal product.
In terms of chemical exfoliators, there are quite are plenty of amazing choices on market, that won’t break the bank as much as this one. However, if you’ve tried others and they haven’t worked out, or you are looking clean skincare, you may want to try a sample or travel size of this and give it a go. For me however, this product is one I won’t be using again.
Auto Correct Brightening & Depuffing Eye Contour Cream
Eye creams can be a little controversial. Some people swear by them, whilst others think they are a gimmick. Personally, I have a few eyes creams, that I only break out after a few sleepless nights, as I try to minimise the amount of product in that area. Once I found my eyes were giving away my internal weariness, I popped some of this on and I can say, it definitely softened the blow.
Is it a miracle in a jar, that is going to hide the fact you were up till three in the morning binging House of the Dragon? No. It will however soften, brighten and moisturise the under eye, and with extended use, I can definitely see this becoming a go to cream for many people. Once all my other eye creams are finished, I can see myself revisiting this product, as it felt nice to use, didn’t cause me any irritation and did brighten up my dark circles. Due to the price, I wouldn’t say run out and grab this right now, but I would say keep it in mind.
My Overall Thoughts
Whilst using this routine, I had two main thoughts. One, was just how pore-less my skin looked, and when I reintroduced my original exfoliator, how healthy and bright it looked. If large pores and overall complexion is your main skin concern, then investing in some of these products will definitely grant you some good results. Two, is that though skincare can be a pricey investment, I do feel the prices of some of these products is a little exorbitant, especially in such a competitive market.
Overall, the Ceramic Cleanser, Pink Drink Essence and Vitamin C Facial Oil are absolute stand outs for me, and I have either already bought or plan to purchase full bottles. The eye cream is good, the serum showed promised but lacked impact and, the Glycolic Acid performed weakly on my skin. However, I wouldn’t say any of these products were bad, simply the latter were ineffective for me or didn’t live up to their price.
I can definitely see why this brand is beloved, and I look forward to trying more of their products in the future.
Have you tried Sunday Riley?
Thanks for reading!
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