SkinMedica

What sorcery is this stuff?? It feels too good to be true, but man, o' man, this hyaluronic acid is the Holy Grail of all Holy Grails. I stand in awe at the amazing & fast results it produces. I received a free sample of this for reaching gold status in the Brilliant Distinctions program & I honestly didn't think much of it until I tried it. The results were instant. My skin felt so plump, like there was a layer of water underneath the surface of my skin. Just like baby skin! The fine lines in my forehead almost completely dissappeared and even my fingers I used to apply it with felt plump & so incredibly soft. I couldn't stop touching my face! Absolutely amazing! My curiosity was peaked after that, so I went online to read about this product & realized I wasn't even using it correctly. You are supposed to apply this to damp skin (or apply with damp fingertips), then apply your moisturizer after that. This is because the ha5 draws from that moisture & locks it in. So, I followed all the correct steps, (I used my Walmart rosewater spritzer to dampen my face & neck) and was absolutely blown away! This time, ALL the fine lines on my forehead dissappeared, *snaps fingers*, just like that. My forehead, which normally feels like skin on top of bone, suddenly felt like it had a slightly plump layer between skin & bone. I can't quite explain it, but take my word for it when I say, this stuff is the real deal! I have used hyaluronic acid serums & hydrators before, but I have never had results like this. I have extremely sensitive, combination skin, so I have always struggled to find good skincare products that don't cause cystic breakouts. This product is perfect for my skin type, because it moisturizes without feeling greasy. It really does feel like there is a layer of water right under the surface of my skin as well as on top. It's crazy! I also put it on my lips & it smooths & pumps them too. Skinmedica also claims that this product will also increase your own hyaluronic acid production. I have not been using it long enough to attest to those claims quite yet, but I will update after using this for a few months.

The only downside to this product is the price. It will cost you somewhere between $140 to $175, depending on where you purchase it, but that will get you 2 mL, which is a pretty substantial amount of product that should last you a while, since a little goes a long way. Thankfully, I received a $25 off coupon through the Brilliant Distinctions program and also have another $20 in rewards from my last Juvederm purchase. If you have a Brilliant Distinctions account, that would be the best way to purchase it. The way I look at it, using this will keep me from wanting to buy the usual myriad of skincare products, so it might end up evening itself out in the long run. I am currently trying to adopt the French & Korean beauty style, which focuses more on quality skincare & diet and less on makeup to cover flaws. I just ordered a bottle of Klairs Unscented Supple Hydrating Toner (a Korean moisturizing toner), which I plan to use in tandem with this product, so I can't wait to see the results! Glass skin, here I come!

I can not recommend this product enough! It is one of the only skincare products I have ever used that produces such visible & immediate results (Makeup Artists Choice glycolic acid peel being the other product). If you can afford it, try it! You won't regret it!

*************************************************UPDATE***************************************************************
Ok, so I've been using this for about a month now and it is still amazing stuff, but I want to say, be careful where you apply this, because there is truth to their claims that it will cause your body to start producing its own hyaluronic acid. I made the mistake of putting this on my lips, because I loved how plump and smooth it made them. After a while though, my lips continued to plump to to point that they looked a bit too swollen. I already have a small amount of Juvederm on my bottom lip and in my nasolabial folds and those areas filled out even more. It can be a great thing if perhaps, your dermal fillers are starting to wear off, but I just had mine done a few months ago, so it isn't a look I care for. I stopped applying the ha5 to and around my mouth area am still waiting for things to return to normal. Also, ha5 isn't intended to be used on the lips, so there's that (Skinmedica does make a separate hyaluranic acid lip plumper product though). So like I said, be careful, because this product works! I'm still amazed at how smooth and baby soft my face looks and feels since I've been using this. I just wish it didn't cost an arm and a leg. *sigh* I guess I'll have to get a second job. lol

I refer to this as 'hell in a jar.' I got a sample with an order of k-beauty prods. The little tube wasn't bad. I could tell it tightened my under eye area but it made tiny lines, which I don't have...and it would irritate my eyes terribly if it migrated up during the nigh, which it always did. Anyways, I liked how my skin felt tight, even though it's not saggy or wrinkled or anything. I thought it would tighten like as in make me look rested. So I stupidly bought the full size with a big discount code...I see why it was so discounted. It burns. Period. I've tried applying it a thousand diff ways but it will get in your eyes and hurt. It makes ur skin peel bc of the acids in it, but its super harsh and will ball up under makeup so you can only use it at night. And my fine lines I don't have are ugly when I've used this. It's like an aging cream, not anti. It's very drying too. After using it at night, no amount of moisturizer will make u look less dry and crepey in the daytime. I hate this stuff. I thought tightening meant rested but it makes u look worse than if u skip all skincare after a night of partying and heading straight to work...it's soooo bad. I gave it several weeks to see if it changes my skin...like will I look rested or stop shedding skin under my eyes, but nope...I'm better off with junk from dollar tree bc at least that doesn't make me look worse. I wouldn't even donate this to someone bc it's literally that bad. I should have read the neg reviews on the web and not bought it, but at least I gave it a fair shot before saying it's the worst eye cream ever.

I'm using the 0.25% and I can say I love this product and it works. Once I hit 30 I noticed these fine lines in my forehead suddenly appear and thought "What the hell..." and knew I had to turn to retinol. I have used a few different brands over the years and have had luck with Paula's Choice but the concentrations in her products, with the exception of the Clinical 1% were too mild for my needs and because I have rosacea I was hesitant to try anything too strong because I've lived through the peeling and can't bear it.

And so I purchased the 0.25% Skinmedica from my dermatologist's office. I have experienced zero irritation. Zero flaking. Zero redness. Zero problems. But my forehead lines are gone. My skin looks clearer and better.

Formula is key and this is a really well formulated product that is not one note. It has niacinamide, antioxidants, peptides and ceramides in it, in addition to the retinol. That's to be applauded because for this formula I think the price is really good and we all know there are other brands out there whose products are inferior and they're charging more.

I wanted to love this product and I've given it an honest go and used it to the bottom of the bottle and I can say that I have noticed absolutely no benefit whatsoever.

The texture is very light and matte (but not dry) as it's silicone based. Some sunscreens don't play well with being layered over top of this and balling up can be an issue.

It has a slight sting sometimes, but that's due to the ascorbic acid actually being active, which is fine and to be expected. But as I said, it did nothing for me. It didn't irritate my rosacea prone skin, but did nothing for redness and nothing for the minimal freckling I have on my forehead.

It works!! My dermatologist recommended it to me for the dark pigment under my eyes. I baulked immensely at the price (he was selling it for $179) and I managed to score a travel size one on Ebay from the US for $40 including postage. I used this as much as I could through the day for about 2 weeks and I've already noticed the difference, its almost gone! I am so happy about this, under my eyes is my biggest downfall with the dark pigment and also some underneath dark colouring under my eyes, I am so happy that this serum has been able to fix one of the problems. I highly recommend trying to track down a travel size bottle on Ebay if you dont want to spend the big bucks and need only a small amount for a small area. I reckon I still have 3/4 of a bottle left of a 8.8ml size bottle and I have been using it sometimes 3-4 times a day.