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Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:24 am  |
I bought 5 products:
Firming Serum: Distilled Water, Organic Rosehip Oil
Hyaluronic Acid Serum: Distilled Water, Aloe Juice
Vitamin C, E & Ferulic Serum (10%): Aloe Vera Juice
DMAE Serum (6%): Aloe Vera Juice
Eye'll Be Seeing You
I read the raves (with a pinch of), but my real motivation for buying these was because I’ve been planning to make my own basics for years, but seeing as I’ve been travelling around so much it’s not been possible until recently. I thought buying these would give me a good idea of what was achievable. I used the Vit C, DMAE and firming serum for 2 weeks solid and then got fed up and gave it a break and came back to it again after 10 days or so trying different and less layers for another couple of weeks but couldn’t find a satisfactory way to use it days.
On the positive side the Vitamin C, E & Ferulic gave me the right kind of C serum buzz, but I did find it kind of inconsistent; sometimes it came out transparent and sometimes opaque and sometimes frothy – it doesn’t appear to be well mixed despite me shaking it. Then as I was looking into how to make my own serums I came across lots of strong arguments for not using natural products with L-Ascorbic because of it’s potential to break down the metals (they exist in all natural products – aloe, rosehip, sea extract etc.) and create pro-oxidants in vitro. Having looked some more at this issue there may be some arguments on the other side. I’ve seen reference to some on the DIY site biochemistryofbeauty.com but it’s not operational right now and I can’t find any other defences of it.
The DMAE serum was effective, but works much more slowly than the amine form and it was too much acid on top of the C for me, but that might be my problem because my skin was already sensitive from using the amine form in previous weeks.
The Firming serum seemed to be having a pleasant plumping action, but it was sticky, non-absorbant and slightly coloured on me (I’m assuming the rosehip did this, but I’m not sure) so I switched to using it at night, but I was getting clogged pores on my nose and even a few spots/lumps (underneath my skin type) on one cheek (was using supercop cream on the other – no spots) so I gave it up. I don’t know whether to blame this but I so rarely get spots it was quite unusual. I’m still using it on one of my legs, when I remember, because I’m intrigued by the claims that Matrixyl 3000 might rebuild the blood vessels. To be honest I notice no marked difference between that and the other leg which I’m using a herbal remedy on, but I don’t do it often enough.
The HA serum with sea extract is quite nice and calming. It leaves a sheen on my face, but it works well on my neck and chest so I use it there sometimes.
I had an immediate and strong dislike for The Eye’ll Be Seeing You. It feels somewhat astringent, has a medicinal smell (to me) and leaves an unwanted sheen. I only used it two or three times. (Might give it to my sister for her flaky scalp – everything has it’s use  ).
My biggest problem with all of these serums is the predominance of aloe juice and occasional rosehip so although they appear ‘watery’ I found there was always an unwelcome residue left on my skin and there’s no way I could layer 2 or 3 without wanting to rinse it all off. The DMAE, Vit C and HA serums all give me a distinct layer of sheen and the firming serum seems a little coloured and sticky to me.
So if you don’t like aloe vera nor rosehip oil (only in the firming serum) you might not like these products much. If you do you’ll probably love them. |
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Mon Mar 05, 2007 12:07 pm |
Thankyou for the review, Molly, that's very useful to know.
I havent tried these products yet and it's always so good to get a balanced view with as many responses as possible.
I'm impressed with the detail you go into and your in depth research into what is really going on with products and their mutual interactions. |
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Mon Mar 05, 2007 12:21 pm |
| catski wrote: |
Thankyou for the review, Molly, that's very useful to know.
I havent tried these products yet and it's always so good to get a balanced view with as many responses as possible.
I'm impressed with the detail you go into and your in depth research into what is really going on with products and their mutual interactions. |
Me too! |
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Mon Mar 05, 2007 1:39 pm |
| Thanks for these useful info Molly. |
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Simple but No Simplier...Approaching late 20s, Normal/Combination Skin, Rarely Breakout now but have some old acne marks, sunspots, & broken caps |
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Mon Mar 05, 2007 3:33 pm |
I bought the Vitamin C, E & Ferulic Serum (15%) and DMAE Serum (6%) when the rave started here. I totally agree with Molly's observation on the effectiveness and especially on the sheen part. It's too much for my face when I layer them. I too think that it's the Aloe Vera.
I also bought sample for the Ultra Triple C Serum and it doesn't leave a sheen. I like this texture better. |
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30s; Fair to Medium with yellow undertones; Combination skin - occasional breakouts, vertical brow lines, age spots, acne marks, few broken caps, tiny bumps (chicken skin); Eyes: puffy, dark circles and fine lines..... yeah, lots to fix  WIP |
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Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:14 am |
Thanx for your reviews Molly - as always I appreciate your subjective objectiveness and straightforward words.
I've got candessence's vit c ferulic vit e serum and the dmae, both in the lower range of %age. My skin is pretty much a novice with these types of products. I have tried my own vit c which was drying and PSF's vit c which was a bit too "oily" - but both were used ages ago and never routinely. I am currently useing only the vit c, because I don't want to overdo it and I want to try out the products separatley to figure out what they do / if they do anything for me.
So far I'd like to say (2 weeks of use):
1. Texture is light and watery, non greasy and sinks in very quickly - literally 2 secs. I have a tendency to dry skin so anything I apply first just "dissapears".
2. I feel a tightening effect after application, that doesn't feel as if I'm drying out.
3. I've been mostly applying this at night, and have woken up with slightly "brighter" skin. Am hopeing for some pore tightening effects.
4. First application I felt slight stickiness on my throat, but that is the only time.
5. I have had no problems with shine, either at night or dureing the day (have also applied in the morning). But as I say I haven't layered different serums...
I will be giving the vit c a rest in 2 weeks time and starting on the dmae then.
To me there is no scent to the "Eye'll be Seeing You". This I use at night and I find it soothing after the battle of getting all traces of mascara off. I don't use it more than once a day though, coz my skin doesn't need it - find that if I do use it morning and night it doesn't sink in properly on my eyelids and am left with oily eyes  |
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Location: Denmark. Me = 32, think I'm combo without oiliness + sometimes sensitive. Have noticed that skin doesn't heal as quickly anymore and I've developed fine lines around my eyes... Hormonal breakouts which are sometimes cystic. PCOS |
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Tue Mar 06, 2007 6:26 am |
| Thanks for the review! I too have been thinking about purchasing some candessence products and it's great to read a different point of view. |
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Tue Mar 06, 2007 9:59 am |
Hi Molly,
I too, thank you for your objective review.
I had the same reserves about aloe vera/plant material being used in C serums but it is done a lot and I actually do have an order from Camellia Rose (Jen) for her C serum with the aloe base. Amylola did the apple slice tests and it seems that Candy's C serums would be still effective b/c they were shown to oxidize less so the presence of aloe worries me less.
I am however, using skinceuticals C + E ferulic acid serum and i don't believe that has any plant material. I will probably end up doing my own experiment and see how that works. I am not sure if the effectiveness of C on an apple is the same as on skin though.
i remembered reading that parts of the biochemistryofbeauty forum can be accessed through an archive. I will try to find that and post it here if i can.
The aloe/plant material + C has also been discussed on the Skin Interactive forum in some detail in a discussion started by liz and has valuable information. I haven't read the whole thread yet but plan to. Here it is:
http://www.skininteractive.proboards28.com./index.cgi?board=antioxidants&action=display&thread=1168560732&page=1
Thanks Molly,
Kristen |
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about to hit my 40s, retin-a user, differin, LRP |
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Tue Mar 06, 2007 7:50 pm |
I bought and tried triple C serum...I like the texture the best of all the C serums I have tried so far but just just like every other serum....it ended up giving me lots of clogged pores and blackheads at unusual places with alternate day usage.....I guess I will finish the sample by using it once a week and see if I get some results with that frequency and hopefully no clogged pores.  |
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Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:29 am |
| Ruth wrote: |
| Thanx for your reviews Molly - as always I appreciate your subjective objectiveness and straightforward words. |
Well Thanx Ruth - I love the concept of 'subjective objectiveness' I'll stick that on my mantlepiece or my gravestone.
.....and thanks to the others who thanked me
| Skincareaddicted wrote: |
| Amylola did the apple slice tests and it seems that Candy's C serums would be still effective b/c they were shown to oxidize less so the presence of aloe worries me less. |
Hi Kristen - thanks for the link. I had read it already, but I'd be interested if anyone could dig out those arguments in favour of using natural products alonside L-Ascorbic.
I'm afraid I really don't buy the apple test. For starters apples aren't skin and not sliced skin either. But you could stop apples turning brown with lemon juice or vinegar even and neither of them have high Vit C content so it's the acid doing it. The fact that the Candessence CEF performs so well might be related to why I find it problematic. Heavy duty moisturisers also stop apples turning brown - maybe it's the aloe stopping the air getting to it.
With all that said - if you read the link you posted it's not about *oxidisation* so the apple test means even less. It's about the *breakdown of metals* creating pro-oxidants - this doesn't necessarily mean there would be any colour degredation to the serum and it may still perform it's anti-oxidant actions but with pro-oxidant ones too. Apparantly if you have a higher percentage of L-Ascorbic the risk lessens so the 10% wouldn't be a good choice if you believe this. Anyhow, it's all theory and an interesting debate.
I do see that a lot of DIY producers are happy to use bio-oils in their L-Ascorbic serums, but very few of the mainstream producers do it(Vivier, Cellex-C, Skinceuticals, Cellularskin etc. etc. etc.). ISC being the big exception to that rule. Even companies that like natural products seem to opt for a C-ester rather than mix bio and L-Ascorbic e.g. Juice Beauty.
I won't go on I've read a lot about this lately, but I gave up because I'm trying non-acid approaches anyhow.
Hi Mithai - sorry to hear it didn't work for you. That's a real shame when you actually like using something. |
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Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:57 am |
Hi Molly,
Thank you for a very informative post once again. I actually haven't read the entire of Liz's explanation. Next week is my break, so I will try reading it in more detail, but i am not too good with the technical stuff and science-y part of skin care. i just kinda have an inkling when something is not right. and I had an inkling skin and apple would react differently to the C.
It is very interesting that most of the C producers don't use plant material in their c formulations.
Keep posting as you do Molly, I really do appreciate your honesty.
Kristen |
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about to hit my 40s, retin-a user, differin, LRP |
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Wed Mar 07, 2007 2:01 am |
I also really like the way you review products Molly. You are detailed and honest. It is good to read a variety of experiences.
Emma x |
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Wed Mar 07, 2007 2:59 am |
| skincareaddicted wrote: |
| i just kinda have an inkling when something is not right. |
I often have my inklings too and sometimes they win out over the science - sunscreens would be a good case of that for me, but here my inkling is that the companies who stake their multi-million dollar reputations on anti-oxidant protection and tend to do tests to prove it (e.g. Skinceuticals) don't do the L-Ascorbic + bio thing and you've gotta wonder why that is? |
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Fri Mar 09, 2007 4:00 pm |
I have an order from Jen over at GoW for her C serum which has an aloe base, which does in theory sound very nice.
If you come across any other information, please let me know ok?
Kristen |
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about to hit my 40s, retin-a user, differin, LRP |
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Sat Mar 10, 2007 1:42 am |
| skincareaddicted wrote: |
I have an order from Jen over at GoW for her C serum which has an aloe base, which does in theory sound very nice.
If you come across any other information, please let me know ok?
Kristen |
Will do Kristen. It seems Jen's would have the same problem, but as I may soon be reintroducing L-Ascorbic back into the mix I'll be trying to dig out that alternative argument. |
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Sun Mar 11, 2007 12:22 am |
Hi Molly,
Yeah, Jen's would have the exact same problem but I just thought I'd wing it.
I don't know how to gauge how much protection I am getting, so I will definitely be sticking with Skinceuticals for those days when i am really out in the sun.
If the benefits are eroded, I just hope there are no adverse effects of combining the c plus plant material.
Kristen |
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about to hit my 40s, retin-a user, differin, LRP |
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Tue Mar 20, 2007 12:18 am |
Look  Here's a glaring exception to the no bio derivatives rule from Skinceuticals themselves. The serums are bio free, but for some reason this eye cream isn't. This is a breakdown of the ingredients from SAS. I wonder if it's accurate. Mind you, from the ingredients list it looks like they're tiny amounts (for marketing purposes maybe) and the main carriers are still synthetic 
SkinCeuticals Eye Cream
"Water, l-ascorbic acid, bioflavonoid complex, tocopheryl acetate, propylene glycol, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, caprylic/capric triglycerides, cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, ceteareth-20, *aloe barbadensis gel*, *evening primrose oil*, *chamomile extract*, potassium cetyl, phosphate, dimethicone, imidazolidinyl urea, methylparaben, disodium EDTA, xanthan gum, triethanolamine, allantoin, propylparaben" |
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Tue Mar 20, 2007 6:56 am |
| Molly if you take a look at DermStore http://www.dermstore.com/list_100113-300080.htm there is no Skinceuticals Eye Product with the above ingredients. (I find that Derm Store if very accurate with their online ingredient lists.) The only Skinceuticals eye product that I see with ascorbic acid is the AOX Gel and that has no plant ingredients. I wonder if the ingredient list you posted was for the "old version" Eye Gel before they added the ferulic? But what you posted says eye cream not gel. |
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Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:30 am |
| Thanks Theresa You seem to be right. Useful site if you're into ingredients too. |
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Wed Mar 21, 2007 11:42 am |
It seems from Candy's site that she's changed the formulations for the DMAE & CEF serums quite dramatically. From aloe to Propylene Glycol as the main carrier and with silicones so my previous review on those would be null and void on the texture front.
DMAE Serum: Distilled Water, Propyene Glycol (and) water (and)Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Marine Extract, DMAE, Sodium Polyacrylate (and) Dimethicone (and) Cyclopentasiloxane (and) Trideceth-6 (and) PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone,
Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol
Vitamin C, E & Ferulic Serum: Distilled Water,Propyene Glycol (and) water (and)Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Marine Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopherol, Ferulic Acid,Sodium Polyacrylate (and) Dimethicone (and) Cyclopentasiloxane (and) Trideceth-6 (and) PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol
I see it's still got some bio derivatives in the CEF - marine extract and a new algae so I'm wondering why the big changes? Is it down to people breaking out from the aloe or what? (Candy - can you reply yourself? I'm sure it's OK)
Thanks Molly |
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Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:13 pm |
I am not Candy, but my understanding is it makes the delivery of the product dramaticly different, and after using the new formula, I can attest to it being unreal in its effectiveness and NO ABSOLUTELY NO BALLING UP issues with the newer version! Hope that helps you Molly..
Oh and ps..it might be ok for Candy to reply and it might not, its a very grey line, and her stance has always been not too, so a pm might be better. This is how I found out why I was seeing such a difference in my tripple C from the last, I had no idea it was different, just was blown away after using it, that I pm'd her. |
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Thu Mar 22, 2007 11:34 am |
| I just got a reply from Candy and the "big" changes are due to the fact that she found better stuff, in her opinion, she was happy with the old, but found a better mix! She said not due to complaints but due to using it herself and discovering a better mix, so really simple. I do so hope that helps you Molly. |
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Thu Mar 22, 2007 12:35 pm |
Just to clarify -
Candy PMed me and says she has switched the Aloe Vera for liquid oat beta glucans in the CEF and DMAE serums (not too clear about the others maybe those too) because she prefers it not down to any complaints to her about the aloe. |
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Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:01 pm |
| MelissaMarie wrote: |
| I just got a reply from Candy and the "big" changes are due to the fact that she found better stuff, in her opinion, she was happy with the old, but found a better mix! She said not due to complaints but due to using it herself and discovering a better mix, so really simple. I do so hope that helps you Molly. |
OMG - she made the stuff BETTER!?!? Is that possible?
I would have never noticed the change in formula. I usually only check the formula before I actually buy something OR if I already bought it, liked it, and I'm trying to rip it off 
I should probably just give her permanent access to my credit card. sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh |
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Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:40 pm |
I hope the triple C sample I ordered two days ago is the new formula...I don't particularly like Aloe Vera on my face...just a personal preference. I can't wait for my package to arrive  |
_________________
Simple but No Simplier...Approaching late 20s, Normal/Combination Skin, Rarely Breakout now but have some old acne marks, sunspots, & broken caps |
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