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Your skin is an investment, not an expenses."
After testing these highly raved (and highly priced) skincare products for a month, here's my full, honest review of all the Drunk Elephant products I got. I also filmed a
video review if you're interested, but since I filmed that one weeks before this post, this blog post will include more photos of my skin, and it'll also be more accurate.
A background story of my skin's condition before I started using these products and why I decided to throw in so much money on these skincare products. I have oily, acne-prone skin, which I thought was well under controlled until my hormones decided to screw everything up. If you're new or unfamiliar with hormonal acne, it's basically acne caused by your hormones (yes, duh) and therefore, can only be controlled if your hormones are balanced. It took me months to figure that out as during the first few months of the breakout, I desperately thought that over-the-counter spot treatments will be sufficient to make them go away. But no, I had to fix what's inside first, the root of the problem. That said, hormonal acne is a pain in the ass to treat, unless you are willing to go on medication to balance out your hormones (i.e. birth control pills). I'm not fond of being under medication and so I am trying my hardest to counter hormonal imbalance by other means (which this blog post isn't about so I'll not go into details). So even though I'm fully aware that these over-the-counter products will not stop hormonal acne, whilst I'm trying to stop break outs from recurring again, I also need to deal with the break out that has already happened, which means the acne underneath my skin, multiple scars, existing spots, redness, etc. A picture speaks a thousand words, so here are a bunch of images of how bad my skin was.
I was determined to improve my skin condition after seeing how fast the scars accumulated, and so I decided to splurge on the products from Drunk Elephant since I'm always a huge believer of "you get what you paid for".
I'll begin with the Drunk Elephant
Beste™ No. 9 Jelly Cleanser, since this is the first Drunk Elephant product I'll use when I begin my skincare routine. This cleanser is marketed to be a gentle cleanser that is strong enough to strip away all your makeup and excess oil and dirt that is accumulated throughout the day without leaving your skin feeling tight. Drunk elephant recommends to skip the morning cleanse to avoid overcleansing and I've been pretty good at that lately. Surprisingly, I don't feel like my skin is dirtier or oilier whenever I don't cleanse in the morning and it really helps save time and product too. So with that said, I mainly use this only during the evenings now and I prefer adding water so it thickens which makes it easier for me to massage around my face. As it doesn't foam, it will only thicken to a gooey texture which is rare for a cleanser. Nevertheless, I've gotten used to the texture and I actually like it.
Despite using my Foreo Luna Mini 2 with this cleanser, I do notice that it doesn't make my skin feel as tight as other cleansers does on their on (i.e. without the Foreo). After cleansing, I don't find myself rushing to moisturize my skin because it still feels comfortable yet clean at the same time. In my video, I said that this cleanser is 'ok', but I think it's starting to grow on me now. The only problem is that it's way too pricey for a cleanser and so I will definitely be searching for another one.
After my skin is cleansed, during the day time I will apply the Drunk Elephant C Firma™ Day Serum. This serum is enriched with 15% of L-ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) which is known to be one of the hottest ingredients in skincare at the moment because it's able to promote collagen production, protect your skin from free radicals, brighten up your complexion, reduce the appearance of dark spots and wrinkles, and speed up the healing process of scars. Along with Vitamin C, the Drunk Elephant C Firma™ Day Serum also contains 0.5% of Ferulic Acid, a plant-based acid which provides antioxidant benefits and a stabilizer for Vitamin C and E, and 1% of Vitamin E which has pretty similar skincare benefits such as reducing UV damage and protecting our skin from free radicals.
Apart from containing all these amazing ingredients, the reason why I chose Drunk Elephant over the many other Vitamin C enriched skincare products is because this serum has a pH level of 3.3, and it is also free from artificial fragrance, essential oils, and drying alcohol, making it suitable for people with sensitive skin. I generally don't have sensitive skin, but when dealing with acne, it's crucial to treat it gently instead of aggravating the wounds further. I also love how it's well-packaged to keep the delicate Vitamin C fresh by minimizing its exposure to sunlight and oxygen.
Every morning, I use 1 pump to cover my entire face. Since it comes in a pump instead of a dropper, I pump it on my palm, then use my fingers to spread it evenly onto my face. The texture of this serum feels a little bit like an oil but it's definitely lighter since it's after all still, a serum, so that's something to take note of if you're not fond of using facial oils because it does leave my skin looking really shiny throughout the day. This serum is formulated to "stay active on your skin for 72 hours and cannot be washed off or rubbed off", so even though a good amount of it do gets absorbed into your skin, I feel like it does leaves a thin layer on the top of my skin as I can feel it, see it and smell it for most parts of my day especially when I don't put any makeup over it.
The serum has a yellow tint which does gives my skin a yellow tint. In terms of the smell, it has a pretty strong funky smell which I thought is pretty unpleasant because the smell sticks to my hands and face for nearly the entire day despite me washing my hands multiple times throughout the day so you'll literally smell it all day long at random times. Regardless, after about 3 weeks of using it, I think I got used to the scent alright. As mentioned, Vitamin C is a delicate ingredient that requires more attention and care, which is why I keep my C Firma™ Day Serum in the refrigerator to keep it fresh and away from sunlight. It is also crucial to apply sunscreen everyday if you're using any products with vitamin C.
After a month of using this serum, I could barely tell any difference in my scars or the tone of my skin which was rather disappointing, but frankly speaking, expecting a product to lighten your scars within a month is probably too much to ask for as it also depends on how bad is your acne marks or pigmentation. Moreover, Vitamin C is proven to benefit acne-prone skin due to its ability to promote collagen production and therefore aid in the healing process which is the reason why I am still using it religiously every morning.
During the evenings, instead of the C Firma™ Day Serum, I'll go in with the Drunk Elephant T.L.C Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum, which is a product that's supposed to give me a noticeably smoother and brighter complexion in just one night of using it, as well as reduce in appearance of pores, fine lines, and wrinkles overtime as it contains a whopping 12% of AHA and BHA blend to help exfoliate the skin, speed up the cell turnover rate, and therefore revealing a smoother and brighter complexion. 12% of AHA/BHA is a lot, and so they've ensured to add some soothing plant extracts in the mix to lower the pH level down to a safe 3.8.
To be completely honest, when I first bought the
NightBright™ Skincare Duo Set, all I knew was that both the Drunk Elephant T.L.C Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum and
Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil are highly raved products. I didn't really know exactly what they were supposed to do for my skin until I started using them.
So on the first night of incorporating the T.L.C Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum into my routine, there was a burning sensation on my face but I chose to ignore it. The day after, the skin around my nose started peeling, but I thought maybe I wasn't moisturizing enough as the skin around my nose tends to flake first whenever I don't moisturize enough. On the second night, the burning sensation got worse, and this time round, I was certain that it was the T.L.C Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum that was causing the burn because it happened immediately after my skin came it contact with the serum. The day after, the peeling got worse around my nose, and the skin around my lips and my neck started to get flaky, I even got a blister near my lip which I mistook for a pimple but it went away in a day. My skin felt so uncomfortable, tight, dry, and even a little painful, so that was when I stopped using the T.L.C Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum.
The burn happened on the 4th of March, so the photos above were taken approximately 1 and 2 weeks after. It took a total of 2 weeks for it to finally stop peeling, but as you can see, the sides of my lips were still discoloured. I applied aloe vera on those areas every night and that really helped soothe the dryness and irritation (it's going to sting for a few seconds when you first put it on), and petroleum jelly (Vaseline) is also great to protect those wounded areas and lock in the moisture. For those who are curious, the discolouration did went away slowly as you can see in the photos below.
After the burnt areas got better, I started incorporating the T.L.C Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum into my routine again. This time round, I ensured to use only 1 pump for my entire face, every other night.
There were no longer any burning sensations and immediately, the day after, my skin purged. There are a couple of reasons why I know it was definitely a skin purge and not a breakout. First of all, I only "broke out" at the areas where I already had hidden acne or bumps on my skin despite applying the product to my entire face. Secondly and most importantly, it went away so quickly and I'm talking about a period of one day here. Take a look the timeline below and you can clearly see how bad it purged, and yet how quickly most of them went away.
That said, skin purging can take up to 4-6 weeks which is a really long time if I'm going to be honest. Skin purging has been a roller coaster ride for me even though the pimples went away in 1 to 2 days, more would come and it slowly gets bigger as the day pass. It wasn't a pretty sight at all because they all looked like they were about to burst out of my face and I constantly felt self-conscious about them.
Take a look at the timeline of this little emerging spot above my lip! Without the T.L.C Framboos serum, this pimple will probably take another week (or even 2 weeks since it was so tiny when I discovered it) for it to mature. But since I was actively using the serum, it came up to the surface within the next 3 days. I didn't pop it or extract it, but whilst cleansing my face, I guess the friction burst it and by the 11th of April, it was pretty much flat.
Right now, I'm on my 4th week and I'm still getting these spots on my face as you can see, these photos are very, very recent. But it's a good sign that a product is working and your pores are clearing up! I am honestly so close to giving up but I have to tell myself not to because the rest of my face is looking way smoother than before and so I know it's 100% a skin purge!
One thing that has changed since filming the video is that I'm using the T.L.C Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum every night now as I felt like my skin has gotten used to the intensity of this serum. Sometimes I'd also mix it with my moisturizer to ensure that it is evenly spread out across my face.
Moving on, I have the
Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream. Drunk Elephant currently offers 2 different moisturizers but I've went with the thicker, and heavier one. You might be wondering why because I have oily skin but I got it because I had the chemical burn and I needed my skin to recover as quickly as possible to avoid scarring and this cream in particular aims to help repair and restore your skin and it also supports our skin barrier, protecting it from environmental stressers. Since I walked into Sephora with obvious peeling on my skin, this was what the staff recommended me to take too.
This cream contains a blend of 6 different rare african oils which is why it feels incredibly smooth and luxurious. As compared to the Virgin Marula Oil, this definitely feels lighter which is why I use it daily as my day and night time moisturizer. It comes out in a thick yet creamy form but once you blend it out, it dissolves instantly into a smooth oily texture. Usually, moisturizers are packed with silicones, but the Lala Retro Whipped Cream does not contain any and so a little goes a long way with this one. Both moisturizers from Drunk Elephant comes with an air pump which serves many benefits. Firstly, it's hygienic and very convenient (I hate using spatulas!). Secondly, it makes it easy for you to create your very own skincare smoothie or cocktail, and lastly, an air pump also prevents product wastage!
The last product is the Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Face Oil which is essentially pure oil that is extracted via cold-press extraction from of the marula fruit. It is said to be a powerful antioxidant for our skin, and is able to moisturise, rejuvenate, nourish, and protect our skin, therefore resulting in the reduced appearance of all signs of aging, redness, uneven skin tone, and a glowy skin.
When my skin was peeling from the chemical burn from the T.L.C Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum, I continued with this face oil to keep my skin nourished and well-moisturized. I love that it does not sting the wounds and in fact really helped ease the dryness. It has a mild natural fruity scent which is nice. Every night, I would put about 3 to 4 drops to cover my entire face and neck when I was trying to heal it from the burn, but now I found that 2 to 3 drops are more than enough. I love that it feels so comfortable and lightweight on my skin despite being an oil and I think it really helps soothe it from any irritations caused by any of the active ingredients in my skincare routine.
I didn't start using them all at the same time, but it has been roughly 4 weeks since I started incorporating these into my routine. So far, my skin is looking so much better than it was 2 months ago and I genuinely feel like it is all thanks to this routine I have going on right now. I seriously wished I started this routine sooner! Since I am still going through the skin purging period, I can't show you guys the full results yet, but I'll definitely do an update on my skin after 6-8 weeks. Overall, the products are very pricey but if you're living in Singapore, I feel like Drunk Elephant is the most convenient brand to get these high concentration of active ingredients from and I've been recommending them to everyone!
Labels: beauty, face, review, skincare
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