Hyaluronic Acid - L'Oreal Hydra Genius Aloe Water, Mizon Hyaluronic 100 and SkinCeuticals HA Intensifier
'Tis the season to be jolly - and also dehydrated.
Hyaluronic acid - where to start? It's probably, along with glycolic acid (exfoliating) and niacinamide (brightening and protecting) - one of my favourite skincare ingredients. Found naturally in the body (skin, joints and tissues) it aids in the retention of moisture and increases collagen, aswell as providing elasticity and flexability in joints and eye sockets*. It's a humectant, which means that it attracts water to the skin and helps prevent moisture loss - which is exactly what your skin needs whether you're dry or oily.
Nowadays HA has become an integral part of any beauty savants' skincare routine - creams, serums, boosters, masks - it can be found in just about anything. It hydrates, treats and helps to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Many HA products are also loved for the instant 'tightness' they give the skin - generally feeling tight after applying a product is a negative side-effect in the cases of foaming, SLS-laden products but it's normal in a HA product. I first came across HA about 4 years ago when I was using the Mizon Hyaluronic Acid 100 serum which I really enjoyed, but recently I've been loving two other products - Skinceuticals HA Intensifier and L'Oreal Aloe Water. The SkinCeuticals, like all of their products, is both incredibly expensive (around €95 for 30ml) and incredibly effective. The HA Intensifier also contains liquorice root and purple rice and I found it to be beautifully moisturising and plumping. It's a runny gel consistency, pink in colour and leaves a slight tacky feeling after application - which is perfect for layering other products on top of. I only had a sample and got through it quickly (using it both morning and night) but it's definitely a product that's on my Lust List!
Once that was finished I was, to put it lightly, skint after Christmas shopping and buying a house so I had to plump for something a littlelot! less expensive - and when I saw the L'Oreal Aloe Water for a tenner I picked it up. I have since seen @nadinebaggot compare this to the Clinique Moisture Surge Concentrate and cite it as a good dupe, and Nadine knows her stuff.
Like Nadine my only issue with this product is the smell. It's called Aloe Water but it smells like a teenage boys' deodorant. I'm not too bothered by smells to be honest, and this fades away once it sinks into the skin, but it is strong. If you are sensitive to smells this might not be for you, and I recommend the Mizon 100 Serum which I don't remember being a strongly scented product - you can find this on Cult Beauty for £32 and €32 on BeautyBay (which is massively expensive in my opinion as I have seen it on Korean sites like BeautyNetKorea for around $12, or on Amazon for less than €20 so check those first!).
Once you've applied Aloe Water you get a slight feeling of tightness and it sinks into the skin quickly leaving that slight tacky residue. It says that one pump is enough but I use 2-3 as I 'Take it to the tits!' as @carolinehirons delicately puts it😂 One pump is enough for the face but if you want to take it down your neck and chest *which you should with all products apart from eye-cream and the likes, obvs* you will need more. It's a spreadable, gel-like consistency and not greasy at all. I apply it both morning and night after cleansing and toning and before moisturiser/serum etc. I've been using it for about three weeks now and am about halfway through the bottle, which I don't mind at all for the price and the fact that I've been using it more liberally than I would an expensive product - it's easily affordable. It's a lovely addition to any skincare routine and my skin feels plump and moisturized - I will definitely be picking up another when this one is finished.
HA isn't really an ingredient that gives you miracle results overnight but in the long run will help to keep your skin hydrated and improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, which in turn helps to keep you looking fresh, smooth and healthy.
Apart from the smell I have nothing negative to say about it - it's another effective and affordable product from L'Oreal who constantly impress me with their quality and price in terms of skincare, I'm less of a fan of their make-up although I do like their lipsticks. With companies like L'Oreal it's good to bear in mind that they have other higher-end brands under their ownership like Lancome, Biotherm, Kiehls and Shu Uemura - the high-end technology used in these products eventually trickles down so keeps your eyes peeled.
Obviously if I could choose between the three I've mentioned I would hands-down, no questions asked go for the Skinceuticals - my skin felt amazing while I was using it. If that's within your budget I can't say enough good things about it, but you can't go wrong with L'Oreals offering for the price and quality!
Are you using any HA products at the moment?
Have a great week everyone!
A
Doyouevencleanse Facebook here, Instagram here and Twitter here
*source draxe.com
Hyaluronic acid - where to start? It's probably, along with glycolic acid (exfoliating) and niacinamide (brightening and protecting) - one of my favourite skincare ingredients. Found naturally in the body (skin, joints and tissues) it aids in the retention of moisture and increases collagen, aswell as providing elasticity and flexability in joints and eye sockets*. It's a humectant, which means that it attracts water to the skin and helps prevent moisture loss - which is exactly what your skin needs whether you're dry or oily.
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| via peachandlilly.com |
Nowadays HA has become an integral part of any beauty savants' skincare routine - creams, serums, boosters, masks - it can be found in just about anything. It hydrates, treats and helps to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Many HA products are also loved for the instant 'tightness' they give the skin - generally feeling tight after applying a product is a negative side-effect in the cases of foaming, SLS-laden products but it's normal in a HA product. I first came across HA about 4 years ago when I was using the Mizon Hyaluronic Acid 100 serum which I really enjoyed, but recently I've been loving two other products - Skinceuticals HA Intensifier and L'Oreal Aloe Water. The SkinCeuticals, like all of their products, is both incredibly expensive (around €95 for 30ml) and incredibly effective. The HA Intensifier also contains liquorice root and purple rice and I found it to be beautifully moisturising and plumping. It's a runny gel consistency, pink in colour and leaves a slight tacky feeling after application - which is perfect for layering other products on top of. I only had a sample and got through it quickly (using it both morning and night) but it's definitely a product that's on my Lust List!
Once that was finished I was, to put it lightly, skint after Christmas shopping and buying a house so I had to plump for something a little
Like Nadine my only issue with this product is the smell. It's called Aloe Water but it smells like a teenage boys' deodorant. I'm not too bothered by smells to be honest, and this fades away once it sinks into the skin, but it is strong. If you are sensitive to smells this might not be for you, and I recommend the Mizon 100 Serum which I don't remember being a strongly scented product - you can find this on Cult Beauty for £32 and €32 on BeautyBay (which is massively expensive in my opinion as I have seen it on Korean sites like BeautyNetKorea for around $12, or on Amazon for less than €20 so check those first!).
Once you've applied Aloe Water you get a slight feeling of tightness and it sinks into the skin quickly leaving that slight tacky residue. It says that one pump is enough but I use 2-3 as I 'Take it to the tits!' as @carolinehirons delicately puts it😂 One pump is enough for the face but if you want to take it down your neck and chest *which you should with all products apart from eye-cream and the likes, obvs* you will need more. It's a spreadable, gel-like consistency and not greasy at all. I apply it both morning and night after cleansing and toning and before moisturiser/serum etc. I've been using it for about three weeks now and am about halfway through the bottle, which I don't mind at all for the price and the fact that I've been using it more liberally than I would an expensive product - it's easily affordable. It's a lovely addition to any skincare routine and my skin feels plump and moisturized - I will definitely be picking up another when this one is finished.
HA isn't really an ingredient that gives you miracle results overnight but in the long run will help to keep your skin hydrated and improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, which in turn helps to keep you looking fresh, smooth and healthy.
Apart from the smell I have nothing negative to say about it - it's another effective and affordable product from L'Oreal who constantly impress me with their quality and price in terms of skincare, I'm less of a fan of their make-up although I do like their lipsticks. With companies like L'Oreal it's good to bear in mind that they have other higher-end brands under their ownership like Lancome, Biotherm, Kiehls and Shu Uemura - the high-end technology used in these products eventually trickles down so keeps your eyes peeled.
Obviously if I could choose between the three I've mentioned I would hands-down, no questions asked go for the Skinceuticals - my skin felt amazing while I was using it. If that's within your budget I can't say enough good things about it, but you can't go wrong with L'Oreals offering for the price and quality!
Are you using any HA products at the moment?
Have a great week everyone!
A
Doyouevencleanse Facebook here, Instagram here and Twitter here
*source draxe.com
There's an Irish company that sells in Aldi called Le Mara, they do a nice HA serum for about a fiver and a pretty nice if simply named 'Face Cream' that I use as a night moisturiser. The HA sinks in well and plumps nicely and is a total bargain!
ReplyDeleteOoooh I haven't seen that! I will definitely check if I can get it in Aldi France and if not get someone to send me over some from home! Always happy to try Irish brands, thanks for the recommendation!x
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