Now that's a lot of superlatives in one title, even for an industry hell-bent on simultaneously making us insecure and promising to solve all of our problems at exactly the same time. (And yes, it works, damn them.) I've been using the same vitamin C serum for quite a few years now, and I love it. Within a week of starting it, a co-worker gasped, 'your skin looks like glass!' So as you can imagine, the bar is set pretty high. Vitamin C is one of the most powerful tools in the anti-aging arsenal, and has the bonus effect of increasing the efficacy of sunscreen. Downside, unless stabilized, these serums tend to oxidize quickly, losing effectiveness (and starting to smell funny on occasion.) Don't be a scrooge, use daily, and get the smaller size even if it seems uneconomical!
PACKAGING:
Brown glass apothecary bottle with a dropper. De rigeur for this type of product, which is a straight-up liquid, and one which needs to be protected from light exposure. Yes, glass is hell in the bathroom, but plastic reacts badly with vitamin c, so there's no getting around it.
TEXTURE: Nearly clear liquid that turns slightly yellow-brown as the product runs down. I found that this serum oxidized more slowly than my go-to serum, which was a plus.
USAGE: I use this stuff in the morning, on a clean face, step one. Do NOT combine with a retinol, save that for your night routine. New users may find that its a bit strong; if so, use every other day until you build up a tolerance. (This can be an even bigger problem for people with compromised skin barrier function, eg, those of you who suffered from acne in youth and baked in the sun.) Use two to three drops for face and neck, and two drops for the decollete. Let it absorb, then do your usual routine. Bonus: once absorbed, the serum cannot be rubbed, sweated, washed off. Period. Once its in there, its in there.
MIRACLE INGREDIENTS: Vitamin C (duh) at a level of 15%, copper tri-peptides (which is a peptide consisting of three amino acids joined by a peptide bond.....which was not enlightening at all. This particular set of amino acids delivers copper into the skin, which is particularly handy at healing, promoting firmness, and encouraging collagen production.) Also Asiaticoside, asiatic acid, and madecassic acid (antioxidants), Vitamin B5(hydrates), Arbutin, (increases cellular metabolism, aka waste elimination), and Kojic Acid (inhibits melanin production and lightens brown spots).
VERDICT: Super Serum Advance Plus is super. Really. Working together, you not only prevent future damage, but rapidly see improvement to past sins, particularly in the firmness and brown-spottedness departments. I did the dread half-face test, using my proven powerhouse product on the right side of my face and Super Serum on the left side (which is kind of unfair, anyone who drives has more damage on the left side), and actually saw improvement in a stubborn sunspot, and a bit of improvement in a basset-hound type line that's been bugging me. Bonus points for the stability of the formula. Downside: pricey, but then again, most of the Vitamin C serums are on the high end. Enjoy!
PACKAGING:
Brown glass apothecary bottle with a dropper. De rigeur for this type of product, which is a straight-up liquid, and one which needs to be protected from light exposure. Yes, glass is hell in the bathroom, but plastic reacts badly with vitamin c, so there's no getting around it.
TEXTURE: Nearly clear liquid that turns slightly yellow-brown as the product runs down. I found that this serum oxidized more slowly than my go-to serum, which was a plus.
USAGE: I use this stuff in the morning, on a clean face, step one. Do NOT combine with a retinol, save that for your night routine. New users may find that its a bit strong; if so, use every other day until you build up a tolerance. (This can be an even bigger problem for people with compromised skin barrier function, eg, those of you who suffered from acne in youth and baked in the sun.) Use two to three drops for face and neck, and two drops for the decollete. Let it absorb, then do your usual routine. Bonus: once absorbed, the serum cannot be rubbed, sweated, washed off. Period. Once its in there, its in there.
MIRACLE INGREDIENTS: Vitamin C (duh) at a level of 15%, copper tri-peptides (which is a peptide consisting of three amino acids joined by a peptide bond.....which was not enlightening at all. This particular set of amino acids delivers copper into the skin, which is particularly handy at healing, promoting firmness, and encouraging collagen production.) Also Asiaticoside, asiatic acid, and madecassic acid (antioxidants), Vitamin B5(hydrates), Arbutin, (increases cellular metabolism, aka waste elimination), and Kojic Acid (inhibits melanin production and lightens brown spots).
VERDICT: Super Serum Advance Plus is super. Really. Working together, you not only prevent future damage, but rapidly see improvement to past sins, particularly in the firmness and brown-spottedness departments. I did the dread half-face test, using my proven powerhouse product on the right side of my face and Super Serum on the left side (which is kind of unfair, anyone who drives has more damage on the left side), and actually saw improvement in a stubborn sunspot, and a bit of improvement in a basset-hound type line that's been bugging me. Bonus points for the stability of the formula. Downside: pricey, but then again, most of the Vitamin C serums are on the high end. Enjoy!
