Glow-ly Cow!

I know, I know. Bad pun. But stick with me, will ya?

If you’ve read my skincare posts before, you’ll know that I’m especially fond of radiance-boosting products. (Exhibit A. Exhibit B. Exhibit C. And that’s just for starters…) Needless to say, I’m a little obsessed with getting my skin as even and glowy as I possibly can. Between naturally uneven skintone and acne scars from even the most minor of breakouts, it can get kind of dicey.

And although exfoliators, moisturizers, and masks are swell, serums are really where it’s at. In any skincare regime, they should be the ones lifting most of the weight – that is to say, they’re the way you target your skin concerns. Be it lifting, smoothing, firming, or evening, there’s a serum for that.

As I neared the end of my Origins Mega-Bright Serum, I found myself feeling slightly dissatisfied with this tried-and-true favourite. I’ve purchased maybe 4 bottles of it over the past year, and at $69 a pop, it isn’t cheap. It works, but I just had a feeling that I could do better. Plus, it has silicone in it, and although I’ve sung the praises of silicone primers, I don’t want to leave it on my skin constantly for fear of pore-clogging.

So I headed into my local Sephora and found the BA with the prettiest skin. She was an Indian woman who I knew was likely to share my acne scarring and dark spot woes, because skin with more melanin in it is naturally more prone to scars and dark spots.

She recommended the Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum because it’s what she uses. It’s also natural and vitamin C-based, so it’s close to my old Origins one in those respects. Plus, no silicone.

Now, I don’t expect to see results from a skincare product for at least a month – they say wait two weeks, but I always give it a month just to make sure. But I took my makeup off yesterday, looked at my skin, and thought, huh.

The skin on my forehead all looks more or less one shade of brown. My whole complexion has more radiance to it, and – most impressively – the dark spots from my latest breakouts have faded significantly.

It’s a pricey investment, but serum is supposed to be your most expensive skincare component anyhow. Cheap out on cleanser; splurge on your serum (up to a point – I don’t know about those $300 serums).